Production, ACE Edition
Frequently asked questions and instructor notes
Note for Adobe Creative Cloud users
This course as originally written and published was designed for the release version of Photoshop CS6. Adobe’s new Photoshop CC, while based on CS6, is a constantly evolving product, and software updates may frequently add or change features.
This book has been tested with Photoshop CC version 14.1.2, current as of October 7, 2013. Most features and activities will be identical in behavior to Photoshop CS6, though not all screenshots and commands will be exactly the same, and there are additional system requirements and setup steps, including the requirement of a 64-bit edition of Windows. These are detailed in the following Course Notes topic, and instructors using Photoshop CC should review the course against their own software before class.
Topic A: Classroom setup
All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires that they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course.
Hardware requirements
Each student’s personal computer should have:
· A keyboard and a mouse
· Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 Processor (or faster)
· 1GB RAM (or higher)
· 1 GB of available hard drive space after the operating system is installed
· A monitor with at least 1280 × 960 resolution
· A graphics display card chip (GPU) with at least 256MB of memory that supports OpenGL (Note: Without OpenGL support, students will be unable to complete activities using the Adaptive Wide Angle filter.)
Software requirements
You will need the following software:
· Microsoft Windows 7
· Adobe Photoshop CS6
· A display driver that supports OpenGL 2.0 and Shader Model 3.0 (Note: Without OpenGL support, students will be unable to complete activities using the Adaptive Wide Angle filter.)
· QuickTime (You can use any video application that supports standard video formats. However, the Exporting video activity in Unit 6 specifies QuickTime, so the steps might be slightly different.)
· A printer driver (An actual printer is not required, but students will not be able to complete the “Proofing colors onscreen,” “Printing with a color management profile,” and “Proofing by using a simulated device” activities in Unit 3 unless a driver is installed.)
Network requirements
The following network components and connectivity are also required for this course:
· Internet access, for the following purposes:
– Downloading the latest critical updates and service packs
– Downloading the Student Data files from www.axzopress.com
(if necessary)
Classroom setup instructions
Before you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Install Windows on an NTFS partition according to the software publisher’s instructions. After installation is complete, if the student machines have Internet access, use Windows Update to install any critical updates and Service Packs.
Note: You can also use Windows XP, but the screenshots in this course were taken in Windows 7, so students’ screens might look somewhat different.
2 With flat-panel displays, we recommend using the panel’s native resolution for best results. Color depth/quality should be set to High (24 bit) or higher.
3 Install Adobe Photoshop CS6 according to the software manufacturer’s instructions. After installation, start Photoshop to complete the activation process, and then close Photoshop.
4 Configure Photoshop CS6 on each student computer as follows:
a Start Photoshop.
b Choose Edit, Preferences, File Handling.
c Under File Compatibility, set Maximize PSD and PSB Compatibility to Always. Click OK.
d Close Photoshop.
5 On each student computer, install the latest version of QuickTime by browsing to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ and following the onscreen instructions.
6 On each student computer, download and install the Epson Artisan 1430 Inkjet Printer profile from http://www.epson.com. (Because websites are updated regularly, the following steps might not work exactly as described.)
a Connect to www.epson.com.
b Click the link for North America, and then click the link for USA.
c Click the link for Drivers & Support, and click Printers & All-in-One Printers.
d Click Single-function Ink Jet. In the list of printers, select Epson Artisan 1430.
e Click Drivers & Downloads, then click Drivers.
f Click Printer Driver v6.91 or the most recent driver for your operating system.
g Click Download Now and follow the instructions to download the printer driver. Open the downloaded file. The EPSON Printer Utility Setup dialog box appears.
h Click Manual. Select a printer port (for example, LPT1) and click OK.
i After setup is complete, click OK.
5 If you have the data disc that came with this manual, locate the Student Data folder on it and copy it to the desktop of each student computer.
If you don’t have the data disc, you can download the Student Data files for the course:
a Connect to www.axzopress.com.
b Under Downloads, click Instructor-Led Training.
c Browse the subject categories to locate your course. Then click the course title to display a list of available downloads. (You can also access these downloads through our Catalog listings.)
d Click the link(s) for downloading the Student Data files. You can download the files directly to student machines or to a central location on your own network.
e Create a folder named Student Data on the desktop of each student computer.
f Double-click the downloaded zip file(s) and drag the contents into the Student Data folder.
Topic B: Frequently asked questions
There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.
Topic C: Course notes
Photoshop CC changes
When using Photoshop CC, there will be several changes to setup and activities, as detailed below:
Course setup
· Photoshop CC is only able to open video files on 64-bit editions of Windows 7 or later. As a result, all activities in Unit 6, “Timeline animation” can only be completed using a 64-bit installation of Windows 7 or Windows 8. 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista are not supported. It is recommended that student PCs have at least 2GB of RAM. (Note that activities were tested in the 32-bit version of the Photoshop application – only Windows itself needs to be a 64-bit edition.)
· Photoshop CC and Bridge CC are both required for this course, and should be installed as usual from the Adobe Creative Cloud application. After installation, choose Help, Updates from within Photoshop to install all updates to the applications.
Activities
· At the time of writing, JPEG images cannot be reliably opened in Camera Raw format from Photoshop. This affects activity B-1 of unit 1, “Camera Raw and batch processing.” Instead, students should navigate to the topic folder in Adobe Bridge, right-click the file, and select Open in Camera Raw.
· HDR Pro now allows you to perform toning adjustments in Camera Raw. In activity B-1 of Unit 2, “Photographic Techniques”, this will disable the histogram by default. To perform the activity as written, students should clear the “Complete Toning in Adobe Camera Raw” option.
· The Smart Sharpen filter has been changed, with enhanced features and an altered layout. This affects activity D-2 in unit 2, “Photographic Techniques.”
o In step 4, the More Accurate option is only available when Use Legacy is also checked. Both checkboxes can be displayed by clicking the Options button.
o In step 7, there is no Advanced button or Sharpen, Shadow, and Highlight tabs. Instead, to show additional options students should expand the Shadows/Highlights section.
· The Image Size dialog box has been changed in layout, adding a preview function and a selection of size presets. This minorly affects activity A-2 of Unit 5, “Web images.” In step 4, “Constrain Proportions” has been replaced with a link icon and “Resample Image” renamed to “Resample.”
· Several icons have been changed throughout the application. These include the Options button in activity B-1 of Unit 2, Activity C-1 of Unit 5, and Activity D-4 of Unit 6. Functionality and placement for all three remains identical, but icons will not match those shown in the activities.
· All activities of Unit 6, “Timeline animation”, require students to be using a 64-bit edition of Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Topic D: Additional information
There is no additional information for this course at this time.