• Adobe offers some great primers on video technology. be sure to check these free e-books out.

• Adobe Digital Video Primer (PDF: 9.8M) Whether you want to understand the differences between analog and digital, how to choose and set up a system that's right for you, or how to prepare and edit your content for delivery in virtually any format, the Adobe Digital Video Primer is a resource you'll use often.
• Adobe HD Primer (PDF: 1.6M) This primer will help you understand what's involved in making the transition to authoring and distributing high-definition content and how to get the best results out of that transition.
• Adobe Digital Audio Primer (PDF: 84k) In this primer, we'll introduce the basics of sound so you can work more effectively with Adobe® Audition™ and the rest of your digital audio or video toolkit.
• Adobe DVD Primer (PDF: 6.3M) This in-depth primer will get you acquainted with DVD technology and teach you how to make your DVD content more dynamic. If you're already creating video productions, it will introduce you to state-of-the-art technologies you can use to repurpose your content for DVD distribution. If you're a beginner you'll find out how you can easily develop and author your own DVDs.
• Adobe Professional DVD Production with Adobe Encore DVD Primer (PDF: 2.2M) This primer provides background information on the DVD-Video format and explains what makes Adobe Encore® DVD such a powerful application for professional DVD creation.
• Adobe Streaming Media Primer (PDF: 1019k) The Adobe Streaming Media Primer offers a single comprehensive source for learning everything you ever wanted to know about streaming media — including pitfalls, costs, how-tos, and the basics.
• Adobe DV Primer for Creative Professionals (PDF: 392k) Thinking about adding video to your repertoire? If you're a graphic designer, web professional, photographer, or other creative professional and you want to start working with video, this Primer is the place to start. You'll learn how video can expand your creative reach, the basics of the technology, and what you'll need to get started.

• Just read a great article over at Creative COW called DSLRs A Time Exposure by Robert Primes. It is a great look at why even Hollywood is in love with HDSLR cameras.

1. Select the Clone Stamp tool by pressing S.
2. Select a brush from the Options bar or Brushes panel.
3. Specify the tool alignment in the Options bar. If Aligned is selected, the sample point and painting point move parallel as you brush. If you click again and start over, the sample point picks up relative to the current brush position. If Aligned is deselected, the initial sample point is re-used. The second method ensures that you are always sampling from the same area but the first produces more visual variety if using a large textured area.
4. Option+click (Alt+click) within the current document, or another open document (set to the same color mode). This defines the source point for sampled pixel data.
5. Click and start to paint as if you were using the Brush Tool (you are essentially sampling pixels from one area and painting them into another). The sampled pixels are drawn from before you click. Therefore, it may be necessary to release and start over occasionally to avoid cloning the problem area. If using Photoshop CS4 or later, you’ll also see a preview of the pixels you are painting.

Performance Tips

• Try cloning at a lower opacity from several different places to fill in a problem area. This way you can avoid too much repetition in the pattern.
• Try to “follow the line” by looking for edges to follow in the image. Straight lines such as creases in clothing are easier to follow than random spots. Look to follow the natural curves and linear paths that are present.
• You can clone from all visible layers by specifying Use All Layers. This is useful if you want to clone to an empty layer at the top of your document while sampling from the layers below.

Installing an ePub File

Creating an ePub File

• The Healing Brush (J) is a tool that is designed to correct imperfections in a photo.
• The Patch Tool uses similar technology as the Healing Brush, but Patch is better suited to fixing larger problems or empty areas.

• Auto: With this method, Photoshop first analyzes your source images. It then applies either the Perspective, Cylindrical, and Spherical layout option. Photoshop attempts to choose which method to use that will produce a better photomerge.
• Perspective: This method creates a composition by designating one of the source images as the center of the panoramic image. Photoshop generally picks the middle image, then transforms the other images around it. Photoshop will stretch and skew images as needed to overlap the layers and blend them together.
• Cylindrical: The cylindrical layout option works best for creating very wide panoramic images. The source images are overlapped in a way that looks like an unfolded cylinder.
• Spherical: The spherical option is best-suited for 360 degree panoramas. The images are mapped to the inside of a sphere and can create a seamless image for use in specialty applications like multimedia or animation.
• Collage: This method only changes rotation or scale in order to overlap the content.
• Reposition: This method only changes the alignment of images, but does not transform (stretch or skew) any of the source layers.

A while back I made an action that is designed to create a seamless loop for properly shot 360˚ photos. People seem to be unable to find it (as its the number one search result for my site). So here it is again.

1. Download the action here
2. Double click the file Panoramicsrev3.atn to load it.
3. Switch to Photoshop.
4. Complete your 360˚ panorama using the Photomerge command.
5. Choose Window > Actions to view the Actions panel.
6. Select the Seamless Loop action in the Actions panel. If necessary click the disclosure triangle next to the Panoramics set.
7. When ready, click the Play button at the bottom of the Actions panel. Photoshop runs a series of steps to complete the seamless loop action.
8. Crop the bottom and top of the panoramic image to taste, but be careful not to adjust the sides of the image.

Check out our Panoramic Training Here

In the rush to design, many motion graphic artists skip the advanced controls inside the Material Options category. These are essential as the refine how a 3D light interacts with your 3D layer. The properties that affect appearance the most are Diffuse, Specular, Shininess, and Metal.

The only changes made to the scene above were modifications to the Material Options. No other settings with lights were modified. The Material Options are powerful controls that are often overlooked. When you're first exploring Material Options, try lowering or raising their values one property at a time.

1. To start, drop all of the values to 0% to remove the effect of the lights.
2. Next slowly increase the Specular value. This will add a hotspot to your layer (it may get quite blown out). This value controls how reflective the layer is. The bigger the number the brighter the reflection.
3. Raise the Shininess property which will cause the light to show specular highlights. The bigger the number the smaller the highlight.
4. Use the Diffuse property to soften the results generated by the Specular and Shininess properties. This will soften the transition between lights and darks.
5. Raising metal property will lower the color distinction between the darker areas and the highlight, but the highlight will still be brighter. It also affects how much the layer's color influences the color of the reflection.

A line or a shape is all you need to create a 3D object. By default, the extrusion will rotate around the left edge so position the vector object accordingly.

2. Choose Effect > 3D > Revolve. Check the Preview box so you can see the effect update as you make changes.

With the Preview box checked, changes will update so you can experiment more easily. For complex objects, the screen may take a moment to redraw.
By default, Illustrator revolves objects around the left edge. You can change this to the right edge using the from pop-up.

3. If you object has a fill, you can use the cap command to make it appear solid or hollow.

4. Use the Angle property to set the number of degrees to revolve the path. While you can use any number between 0 and 360, I typically start with 360˚.

With the Preview box checked, changes will update so you can experiment more easily. For complex objects, the screen may take a moment to redraw. You can use the Offset slider to expand the path to create a ring-shaped object.

If you experiment with this effect, some pretty cool options are possible. Try using a dashed line and creating an irregular path. In this case a basket shape is possible and you can create abstract 3D objects for motion graphics work. Technique adapted from RC Concepcion.

From the new Adobe Press book – Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques

• When working in 2D, the highest layer in the Timeline is in front of all the other layers. The lowest layer is behind them.
• 3D layers are stacked based on their Z‑position value (assuming the camera is pointing at their fronts). This means that the object closest to the Active camera is in front of the other layers. This is true even if the layer is at the bottom of Timeline stacking order.
• Track and Alpha mattes must always be immediately on top of the layer they are matting. This is true for both 2D and 3D layers.
• Layer blend modes still follow the stacking order in the Timeline.
• 2D layers mixed with 3D layers are ordered by their spot in the Timeline stack.
• If two or more 3D layers have overlapping z‑position values, After Effects uses their Timeline stacking order to determine top position.

• Pixels and Vectors: Mastering Resolution
• Typography for the Screen
• Repairing, Stylizing and Retiming Footage
• Perfect Loops: Designing Backgrounds
• Creating and Importing 3D Objects
• Check Your Sources: Organizing Files for Animation
• Mastering Transparency: Perfect Masks and Alpha Channels
• DVD and BD Menu Design
• Motion Control 3D
• Virtual Sets with Panoramic Photos

• Producing HDSLR Video Shoots - Essential Planning for Successful Productions
• Motion Control 3D: Adding Perspective and Movement to Photos
• Photoshop for Video Professionals
• Motion Graphics Workflow with Adobe Creative Suite
• Transcoding and Editing Strategies for HDSLR Post Production