Be sure to check out our full review of the 2008 WWDC Keynote. That’s right, just like everybody else dzinemag will be dissecting everything Mr. Jobs has to say tomorrow and letting you know how and why it impacts you. We’re pretty certain that we’ll see a new iPhone, possibly some .Mac improvements, and a demo of “Snow Leopard.” However, Steve is notorious for his little “one more thing” interjections at the end of his keynotes. No matter what the result, we’ll be on top of it so check back tomorrow afternoon for our full keynote analysis.

Until then, here are a few ways you can watch read about what’s going on LIVE during tomorrow’s big event:

MacRumors Feed | Summize Feed | Arnold Kim’s Twitter

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1. Facebook

Facebook is arguably the most popular of the social networking sites amongst people in my social community. I primarily use Facebook as a way of keeping up with friends, organizing events, and also as promoting myself. Facebook is my primary “social” site, meaning that I use it mostly for social purposes. The great thing about Facebook is that EVERYONE is using it, so it’s always easy to find someone and get in contact with them. The site has great search features which allow you to reconnect with people from your past as well.

I’ve also used this site to organize events for clubs and groups that I am a part of. Facebook allows you to bulk invite, update, and message attendees of your events and can easily be used as the RSVP center of your next big party! My last use for Facebook is shameless self-promotion. I post links, videos, articles, and pretty much anything else I can think of to my “Posted Items” feed which is then embedded into my profile and also appears in the Facebook News Feed. Facebook also allows you to create pages that promote yourself or your products/services. This is a great way to instantly gain awareness for your projects at little to no cost whatsoever (the only cost would be if you opted into the Ads program). I have a Fan Page for both myself and my Photoshop Podcast, both of which act as a hub within Facebook for people to gain information about me and the show, and to get the latest updates and video links.

The only drawback to Facebook is the constant annoyance that is caused by the applications people embed in their profiles. I find these apps very distracting and they can make someone’s profile page a nightmare to navigate. However, it is possible to block these apps by using the GreaseMonkey Web Plugin. All-in-All Facebook is great site and has quickly become the center of my social networking world.

2. Linkedin

My second networing site of choice is Linkedin. This is a social network for business professionals that allows you to connect to various people and build a network of contacts in order to further your role in the business world. Personally I think Linkedin should be much more popular than it is (especially with their new site design), but it has still yet to catch fire like Facebook or MySpace. I use this site to stay in contact with people I meet during my various business endeavors and also as a way of promoting myself and/or projects that I am involved with.

What I love about this site is that your profile page acts as a digital resume for contacts (and potential employers) to view and see your various skills and/or references. This site also offers a great job search engine which will help those looking for employment find work in a field related to their specific skills or interests. Recently they added a status option to the Linkedin profile that allows you to let all of your contacts know what you are working on at any given time. This might not be the most helpful feature o Linkedin but it’s kind of nice to see what everybody is working on in your network.

The final reason that I chose Linkedin is because it allows you to contact potential connections directly and/or be introduced to them through a mutual contact that you both share. This is a great way to network from home and you can gain some very powerful business contacts without ever having to leave the comfort of your living room. So if you’re a business person, especially if you work in a creative media or web-related field it would behoove you to join Linkedin and start building your business network today!

3. Twitter

The final social networking site that I’ll be sticking with is Twitter. I am absolutely addicted to Twitter and I find more and more people are starting to use it to make connections, stay in touch with friends/family, promote themselves or their projects, and live blog during events or tradeshows. Twitter is somewhat misunderstood in my opinion because people don’t understand the practicality of it. Many people ask me why anyone would want to get constant updates about what you had for breakfast or what movie your seeing tonight?

Well, it’s true some people use Twitter as simply a means to let the world know what their doing at a given moment in time, but there are those of us that use twitter as a form of communication that is far more valuable than that. The great thing about Twitter is that it’s quick and simple. You never get any fluff from a twitter post because it’s limited to 140 characters, so people know they have to get to the point and fast! Another great thing about Twitter is the fact that you can integrate it into almost every facet of your everyday life. You can set it to send you an IM when your contacts make a post, and you can also have Twitter send you text messages to your mobile phone so that you can keep up with your contacts on-the-go.

Perhaps the best function of Twitter that I have seen is how useful it is for gathering information about news and events. You can follow feeds from various news agencies like the New York Times or Fox News and have the latest headlines distributed to your Twitter almost instantly. Twitter is also useful for people attending trade-shows and events. During the recent SXSW conference many people used Twitter to organize get-togethers with fellow conference attendees and also gave live updates of various sessions and/or events they were attending during the show. Whether you understand it or you don’t, there is no denying that Twitter is quickly becoming popular among the tech faithful, so you owe it to yourself to at least check it out.

There are a ton of social networking sites out there, and the ones I mentioned here might not be the best fit for you. These are simply my choices… Facebook for my social life, Linkedin for my business life, and Twitter for keeping up with what’s happening right now! I believe it’s impossible to devote yourself to just one social network, and it may also be impossible to actively participate in them all, but you’ve got to find what works for you and stick with it because like it or not, these sites are the future and they’re here to stay!

By the way, if you would like to connect with me on any of these sites just click on the links at the top of the sidebar on My Blog!

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Recently Adobe made a huge splash by announcing the release of the Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 Public Beta. For those of you who aren’t aware, Photoshop Lightroom is Adobe’s digital photography workflow tool for professional photographers.

If you’re a registered Lightroom 1.0 user, you’ll be able to download and use the beta for the duration of the beta testing period. If you aren’t a registered 1.0 user, then you can still download and use the beta, but you’ll only be able to use it for a period of 30 days.

Users will be pleased to know that Lightroom 2.0 is available as a 64-bit application, which should cutdown on load and processing times and give users a more streamlined application to work with. Other features include the following:

Multiple Monitor Support -

LR is now optimized for multiple monitors and includes for modes for viewing on an alternate screen (Grid, Loupe, Compare, and Survey).

Enhanced Develop Module -

Users now have the ability to make non-destructive localized dodge and burn modifications to their photos.

Vignettes can now be applied post-crop. Meaning that the vignette will be rendered after the user crops the photograph, thus eliminating the vignette itself being cropped from the final composition.

Revamped Library -

The Library now has a more sleek and streamlined appearance which should simplify things a bit for beginners.

Another aspect of this streamlined interface is the Filter Bar. This feature is located at the top of the Library Module and allows users to instantly filter content based on text, flags, ratings, and metadata. This should make it easier for users to find what they need, when they need it.

Users can now create what is called a Smart Collection. Smart Collections are collections that automatically incorporate images based on a set of user-defined criteria. This is similar to adding rules in a mail application and gives you a tremendous amount of control when creating new catalogs while still giving you the joy of an automated process.

The Keyword feature of Lightroom also received an upgrade. Now when you’re adding keywords to your photos, Lightroom will give you some suggested keywords to help simplify the process.

Playing Better With Others -

Lightroom 2.0 now integrates much better with it’s “older brother” Photoshop CS3. Perhaps the best feature of this integration is the ability to open files in Photoshop as Smart Objects. This allows you to bring a file from Lightroom into Photoshop and edit it non-destructively with Photoshop’s Smart Filters. Of all the enhancements of Lightroom 2.0 this one is definitely in my top-five.

Merging documents between Photoshop and Lightroom has gotten a lot easier as well. In LR 2.0 users have the ability to merge multiple photos into a panorama using Photoshop’s Photomerge feature, combine multiple exposure images into a single Photoshop HDR image, and also load multiple files into a single PSD document with each one residing on its own layer.

Printing Made Easier -

Another area that saw vast improvement in Lightroom 2.0 was the printing module. Users can now create multi-page layouts using the Picture Package feature, and output directly to JPEGS upon print.

In addition to the enhanced features of Lightroom 2.0, Adobe has gone to great links to make sure that you can test the new beta version while still being able to continue your primary workflow in the original version of Lightroom. One such feature that they have implemented is that you will not be able to open LR 1.x catalogs in Lightroom 2.0. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally open your catalogs in the beta program, thus avoiding potential damage or data loss down the road.

If you would like more information about the new Photoshop Lightroom Public Beta, visit Adobe Labs, The NAPP Lightroom Learning Center, or my website at http://www.justinseeley.com.

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Photoshop Express is Adobe’s new online Photoshop program. This service is offered by Adobe free of charge and gives the user 2GB of storage space and also a custom web address to display their photo galleries. Adobe says that they see a trend of more and more users being online and also a custom web address to display their photo galleries (yourname.photoshop.com).

Who Should Use It?

Adobe Photoshop Express isn’t going to entice professional photographers. In fact it may not even attract the attention of the serious hobbyist, but for entry-level consumers and younger users (those who tend to spend more time online in the first place), this will be a great service where they can enhance the quality of their photos and quickly get them online to share with friends and family.

What are the Limitations?

Express is more like a light version of Lightroom than Photoshop. There are no layers or layer masking tools available to you, and no curves or levels either. These are essential features for most “real” Photoshop users and it’s because of these missing features that I don’t foresee very many traditional users paying much attention to this service. There are a few effects, but they are a far cry from the filters most people are used to.

How do I signup and get free web space for a gallery?

To get started with Photoshop Express you’ll need to visit the Photoshop Express Website by going to www.photoshop.com/express. When you get to this page you’ll need to navigate to one of the buttons that say “Join Now.” When you click this you’ll be prompted to fill-in a little personal information, and also have the chance to pick out your new gallery address (yourname.photoshop.com). Once you’ve completed the sign-up process, Adobe will send you a confirmation email for you to verify your account. Just click the link to verify your account and enjoy your 2GB of free storage and web gallery features!

How do I use the tools?

The adjustments available to you are broken down into three main categories: Basics, Tuning, and Effects. The Basics panel includes Crop & Rotate, Auto Correct, Exposure, Red-Eye Removal, Touchup, and Saturation. Tuning includes White Balance, Highlight, Fill Light, Sharpen, and Soft Focus. The Effects panel includes options for Pop Color, Hue, Black & White, Tint, Sketch, and Distort.

The tools are very simple to use. Most of them are just point-and-click adjustments that are instantly applied to your images. However, some of them do require the occasional value or slider adjustment but for the most part you just pick and choose your options until you get the desired look on your photographs.

How do I prep images for Facebook, email, websites?

Photoshop Express integrates seamlessly with several sites including Facebook, Photobucket, and Picasa. To access your photos from these other sites simply go to the My Photos section of PS Express, and login to your accounts by clicking the links in the left sidebar.

Once you’ve edited your photos, you can then add them to an album, or to your public gallery. You also have the option to e-mail your edited photos, grab a link code for your gallery to share on the web, and even grab an embed code to include your gallery on your website or blog.

How do I save settings?

Saving settings is a snap! All you have to do is apply your desired settings and click the save button in the bottom right corner of the editing window. If you make a mistake, or decide you don’t like the settings you’ve applied, you also have the option to reset your settings and go back to your original photo. Comparing your images is easy too. Simply click and hold on the Show Original button to get an instant preview of what your photo looked like before you applied your adjustments.

How do I learn more advanced tricks?

If you’d like to learn more about Photoshop Express and the capabilities you have when using it, check out Matt Kloskowski’s Learning Center or by visiting my website at justinseeley.com!

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I get tons of email from readers/viewers each and every week, and I also participate in various Photoshop/Adobe forums around the web. One of the questions that is constantly popping up is whether or not taking an Adobe ACE Exam is worth it. Well, personally I feel that it is.

Adobe offers many levels of certification. You can obtain an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) credential in a single application, become a Specialist in a specific field (web, print, or video), and even obtain a Master certification for all Creative Suite applications. There’s no doubt that the Master certification is the “Holy Grail” of certifications, but most people tend to focus on their main area of expertise (i.e. Web, Print, Video).

Currently I am certified in both Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom, but I plan to certify in many more applications this year. I believe that by certifying my skills in these various applications, I give my customers (and viewers) a sense of confidence that I know what I’m talking about when I’m giving them instruction or advice. I also believe that being an ACE can help you tremendously in the job market. Now I’m not saying that obtaining an ACE would be the lone reason behind you getting a job, but in the bigger picture it’s an asset that will help take the rest of your repertoire over the top.

Think about it. If you are going one-on-one with someone for a job as a retouching artist, and for the sake of argument let’s say you both have equally impressive resumes and portfolios, but you are the one with Adobe Certified Credentials… Who do you think they’re going to hire? I guess in the end it’s all up to you and the true impact of being ACE certified will be determined by your future employers and customers, but I just thought I would voice my opinion on the matter and answer the question that I am asked so frequently.

For more information on ACE certification visit Adobe’s Website.

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1. This Week in Photography
2. Photoshop User TV
3. Photoshop Killer Tips
4. Adobe Photoshop Quicktips
5. Lightroom Killer Tips
6. Lightroom for Digital Photographers
7. Photoshop for Digital Photographers
8. Adobe Creative Suite Podcast
9. Layers TV
10. Photoshop Elements Killer Tips

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Adobe has recently released NEW CS4 Betas of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Soundbooth. The apps are available now from Adobe Labs, and are FREE to try. There are several new features associated with these programs and users are sure to find each of them useful. Dreamweaver boasts the most impressive improvements (in my opinion) with its new “Live View,” Photoshop Smart Objects, and revamped interface. However, Fireworks users will also enjoy the interface overhaul and an all-new CSS and Images Export feature. As stated above, these Beta programs are available now and all programs can be downloaded by visiting the Adobe Labs Site.

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