Last week’s PhotoshopWorld Conference and Expo 2004, held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif. offered attendees a series of seminars, educational events, workshops and parties, as part of the largest Photoshop training program anywhere.
Adobe’s Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Video Products at Adobe used the keynote presentation to share Adobe’s vision of the future, where Adobe Photoshop continues to be the cornerstone of creative development. He also introduced the concept of a “Digital Master:” a single, universally recognized format that digital cameras and software programs could write to replace the myriad “RAW” file types produced by various camera manufacturers.
Seminars
Attendees to PhotoshopWorld received three days of intense training (plus an additional “pre-con” day) from some of the most recognized names in the computer world, including Scott Kelby, Ben Willmore, Deke McClelland, Julianne Kost, Felix Nelson, Russell Brown, and more than a dozen other Photoshop and photographic experts.
Daily creative tracks allowed participants to attend seminars created along thematic tracks such as “Creativity.” “Productivity,” “Motion Graphics,” “Business Side” and more. The hour long seminars covered such topics as “Advanced Masking,” “Creating Cool DVD Menus,” “How to Copyright and Protect Your Work” and more, with participants free to move between seminars at will.
Of the 63 seminars, 43 were completely new to PhotoshopWorld, with an additional eight having been updated to include new materials or to cover topics introduced with Photoshop CS.
Madness
Returning to this year’s PhotoshopWorld was the popular Midnight Madness session, a limited-entry group participation event where NAPP president Scott Kelby, Photoshop User Magazine creative director Felix Nelson and Photoshop Guru Deke McClelland interacted with Photoshop users in a crazy mix of game-show and talk-show. The one hundred and fifty tickets were quickly snatched up for the session.
Expo Floor
PhotoshopWorld 2004 also featured an open-to-the public expo hall with Photoshop-related vendors showing off the latest products for the image editing powerhouse. Adobe was of course the largest presence on the floor, with the company’s product managers and experts providing product seminars, and one-on-one support.
More than fifty vendors displayed their wares, with everything from stock photography to digital cameras on display. The scale of the exhibit area and the number of attendees allowed vendors to spend time talking with individuals.
I Get By With A Little Help
Unique to PhotoshopWorld is the NAPP help desk, an answer-center for the thorniest Photoshop problems provided by the most notable experts in the field. For the entire duration of the expo, the instructors for the show staffed the Help Desk booth, taking on issues ranging from complex compositing to simple color management.
Pre Conference
For those looking to extend their Photoshop skills even further, the special Pre-Conference events were a perfect opportunity to get up to speed or to get an extra boost before the seminars began. Seven pre-conference seminars touched every aspect of the program from beginner issues to advanced expert topics.
For those looking to take the Photoshop ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) exam, a grueling test of Photoshop knowledge designed to acknowledge proficiency in professional Photoshop users the conference offered a special ACE Bootcamp. Nikon sponsored a sold-out Photo Safari, providing Nikon pro digital SLR bodies to the participants and leading them on a photo-trek around San Francisco.
Party On
No gathering of technology aficionados would be complete without the requisite parties, and PhotoshopWorld 2004 was no exception. From high-atop the Hilton San Francisco conference attendees took in the views while mingling to live music and enjoying food and drinks.
The show also sparked Peer-To-Peer meetings, gatherings of Photoshop professionals and users at local restaurants and bars where creative problem solving and workflow issues were discussed over food and drink.
Information
More information on PhotoshopWorld is available at the Web site. The next event is scheduled for September 1 – 3, 2004 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.