FREE Expo Pass for Photoshop World

If you are in the DC area- don’t forget to download your FREE expo pass to Photoshop World and see all the great vendors. Show hours are Monday 9:00 am — 1:00 pm in Expo Hall A. Be sure to bring your pass to the booth in front of the hall.

Steam punk Abraham Lincoln

Until 1:45 today stop in at the Wescott Booth to see Russell Brown from Adobe as “Steamounk Abraham Lincoln”!

Taking A Look at the Wacom Intuous 5

One of the many big names on the expo floor is Wacom. This year they released their Intuous 5 Touch tablet and I talked with Joe Sliger, field application specialist about the device.

“What we learned from the buttons was that people did not know what they did. So on the Intuous 4, we introduced the lit buttons but you had to look at the tablet to see them. With the Touch, we created a HUD so you can keep your eyes on your work.” The buttons even support “chords” allowing multiple buttons at the same time.

“The best thing we did not ship in the box is a mouse. The mouse is a crutch we go back to if available. With the touch you not only have standard one- and two-fingered gestures, but we’ve introduced Wacom gestures which support three, four and five- fingered gestures that you can customize.”

Another amazing feature about the Intuous 5 Touch is each tablet has wireless capabilities with the purchase on an add-on RF accessory kit, making the tablet not only touch sensitive, but now mobile. “Imagine you are a teacher in a classroom or lab , walking around, controlling the screen by touch gestures.”

Overall, I can’t wait to try this out and you can too by stopping by the Wacom booth during the Expo hours today and tomorrow.

Expo Floor Excitement

Moving into the final day of Photoshop World and the Expo hall was THE place to be after the early morning classes. Excited photographers and creatives, using the free Expo passes, joined the attendees on the floor. Vendors appeared to have brisk sales and curious customers anxious to take advantage of discounted tradeshow specials.

As busy as the awesome Westcott shooting bays have been throughout the week, today most certainly brought the big crowds. As they’ve done all week, the Top Pros continued to lend advice and educate photographers on everything from posing to lighting. The beautiful and talented models remained patient and friendly while accommodating photographers with various poses. I ran into many of my new friends here and we caught up on our PSW adventures and stories of exhaustion. I mean, this IS Vegas after all!

Time to head into Terry White’s class about how to use the iPad in the photography workflow. As an iPad user myself, I know that he’ll have great apps to recommend!

Download Your FREE Photoshop World Expo Pass

If you can’t attend Photoshop World all three days, don’t worry! You can still experience the excitement surrounding the world’s largest photography, lighting and Photoshop training conference!

If you live in Washington, DC or can make a day trip to the area, come join us at the Photoshop World Expo on Sunday, March 25 and Monday, March 26 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center!

The Photoshop World Expo is the ultimate showcase of the hottest photography, lighting and Photoshop-related products and services offered by the industry’s biggest and most influential retailers!

You’ll have the chance to take advantage of illuminating bonus classes, exclusive product demos and special discounts on the latest books and DVDs at the Official Photoshop World/Peachpit Bookstore. You can even test your skills at a live photo shoot featuring various models, backdrops and themes-all professionally lit by Westcott.

Photoshop World Expo FREE Public Days

Sunday, March 25
1:00 – 6:00 pm

Monday, March 26
9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Click here to download your FREE Expo pass.

In addition, one-day conference passes are available. Simply stop by the Registration Counter at the Wal

Dave Cross’ Photoshop World DC 2012 Planning Assistant Available Now!

Photoshop World is just days away… And if you’re planning to experience the world’s best photography, lighting and Photoshop training but don’t know how to start devising your plan of attack, you’re in luck. Photoshop World instructor Dave Cross has once again created a helpful PDF that lets you pick your first and second choices.

How It Works:
Simply select a class from each pop-up menu to help you decide what class you want to attend for each time slot. Print out the page and once you get to the conference, check the signs for the room numbers and any last-minute changes.

Please note: While this doesn’t register you for the class (pre-registration is not required), it’ll help you plan out your days.

Click here to access Dave’s PSW DC 2012 Planner.

Don’t forget, you can also download our free PSW app. It not only lets you set up a schedule on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone, but offers pertinent information about the Photoshop World Expo and other PSW events.

The PSW Hashcaster Site Returns!

Photoshop World DC is just around the corner, which means that the PSW Hashcaster site is about to go live to help you constantly find the latest news!

There have been some great improvements to Hashcaster this year, including the ability to add video so all you video buffs out there, be sure to tag any Photoshop World videos you share with #PSW12 on Twitter so we can add them for all to see. Here’s a helpful guide to show you what Hashcaster is all about.

What is Hashcaster?
Hashcaster is a real-time Twitter curation platform setup to help you find the best content tweeted at Photoshop World and to help you easily identify and connect with top influencers.

Why you should use Hashcaster?
Keeping up with a fast trending hashtag on Twitter can be like drinking from a fire hose. It’s almost impossible to keep up with all those tweets, links, photos and videos generated by the thousands of attendees and non-attendees at an event. Hashcaster solves this problem by curating all this content into organized channels that you can view at anytime through the event’s Hashcaster web site.

However, Hashcaster doesn’t stop there. The Hashcaster platform continually monitors the hashtag Twitter stream to identify top influencers and contributors at the event, making it easier for you to connect with the who’s who.

Finally, you can become a top influencer yourself; the Hashcaster system evaluates each and every tweet in real-time to identify nuggets of knowledge and diamonds in the rough at PSW. One of those diamonds in the rough could be you!

How can I access Hashcaster?
You can access the Photoshop World Hashcaster site through your web browser, smartphone or tablet by visiting http://psw.hashcaster.com/home

How do I get my tweets, links, photos & videos on Hashcaster?
Hashcaster does all the work. You simply include the hashtag, #PSW12, in your tweets and the Hashcaster system looks after the rest. It’s that simple. Please note, we are still tracking the #PSW hashtag but a lot of non-Photoshop World attendees have been using it lately, so #PSW12 will be the event-related hashtag this year.

How do I become a Top Influencer on Hashcaster?
The Hashcaster system is continually evaluating the Twitter stream to determine who are the top influencers at any given time. This list of top influencers is literally updated with every new tweet. Becoming a top influencer depends on a whole range of factors that help the system identify those people that have the most positive impact on the hashtag community. Although there is no way to guarantee that you’ll become a top influencer, the following do’s and don’ts can help increase the likelihood that you’ll make the list.

Things that make you a positive contributor on Hashcaster.
• Tweet unique tweets with relevant content frequently.
• Get a story published on Hashcaster by tweeting high quality links to topical articles and blogs.
• Contribute photos or videos to Hashcaster.
• Retweet interesting and relevant tweets form other community members.
• Have a high Klout score.
• Have lots of followers in the hashtag community.

Things that make you a negative contributor on Hashcaster.
• Do not tweet out the same tweet over and over again.
• Do not tweet promotional links with little or no story content.
• Do not retweet every tweet in an attempt to increase you ranking.
• Do not use auto tweeting services that replicate your message across many user accounts. (this will get you blocked)
• Do not include profanity in your tweets (this will get you blocked)

Some final tips?
We have learned that people who share important event announcements and who tweet their experience (like quick tips that they learn in classes) not only become ranked contributors, but make lots of new friends along the way in the #PSW12 Twitterverse. Engage in the conversation (don’t be shy), don’t tweet anything you wouldn’t say in public, and support fellow Tweeps with generosity and good will.

Have fun!

Ready to Shoot It First at Photoshop World DC?

There’s no doubt that Photoshop World is the place to experience three days of complete training from a top-notch team of instructors like Scott Kelby, Jay Maisel, Moose Peterson, Jeremy Cowart and Dave Black.

But did you know you can also put your newly acquired photography and lighting skills to the test at Photoshop World?

This year’s Photoshop World Expo will once again feature live photo shoots, including the highly popular Westcott Shootout booth, which will feature a theater offering lighting training and the opportunity to photograph live models in perfectly lit photo bays.

From February 6-10, be one of the first 50 people to register for Photoshop World using this special promo code-PE12-WESTCOTT and you’ll be one of our Shoot It First! VIPs at Photoshop World.

Here’s what you’ll receive:

- Commemorative Shoot It First! T-Shirt.
- Exclusive access to all models/scenes at the Westcott Live Photo Booth for an entire hour before the PSW Expo opens on Saturday, March 24.
- The chance to win Westcott’s “Spiderlite TD6 1200W 2-Light Kit,” valued at $1,6205, by submitting one of your photos from the exclusive shoot for the PSW Photo Faceoff Contest.
- So if you’re ready to become a better photographer and want exclusive VIP access to test your skills, register for Photoshop World, March 24-26, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

After all, no other conference gives you the tools and inspired education you need to unlock your creativity and create everlasting images!

See you in The District!

Click here to sign up to receive email updates from Westcott.

Download the Photoshop World DC Brochure!

In March, Photoshop World will bring a new party to our nation’s capital to offer three non-stop days of informative, inspirational and invaluable photography, lighting and Photoshop training from seasoned professionals more than happy to share their tried-and-true tips and techniques.

From new and returning instructors like Greg Heisler, Jack Davis, Calvin Hollywood, Frank Doorhof and Jeremy Cowart to the addition of two new tracks, our first-ever Photoshop World in Washington DC is a can’t miss affair!

Click here to visit the landing page we’ve set up for easy downloading the official Photoshop World brochure, which will be arriving with the January issue of Photoshop User.

The brochure features descriptions of all training sessions and optional pre-conference workshops, a list of participating instructors and much more.

And don’t forget to register before Friday, February 17 to save an extra $100 off the registration rate.

So download the brochure today and start planning now for the ultimate educational experience!

The Tie’s The Limit! PSW Shootout Contest Winners Revealed…

If you attended this year’s Photoshop World Conference in Las Vegas, you’ll probably remember Westcott‘s oh-so-fabulous photo shoot area, complete with live models, backgrounds and props, costumes, lighting and in some cases a whole lot of body paint! No matter what time you showed up at the Photoshop World Expo, the space was crowded with people trying to get a contest-winning shot as part of Westcott’s Photoshop World Shootout Contest.

By the time the deadline to submit images for the contest had come and gone, Westcott had received more than 800 images! After some tough deliberations, Westcott’s panel of judges was able to narrow down the field and pick the contest winners… For the first time ever, the contest resulted in a tie for First Place, and ironically, the images were both taken by the same photographer!

Congratulations to NAPP member Jeff Tamagini for not one, but two, exceptional images!

Again, congrats to Tamagini and the other contest winners, who will receive some great prizes from Westcott.

Click here to see the rest of the PSW Shootout Contest winning images.