Thanks for coming by.  While you’re here, you will have the opportunity to learn Photoshop and photography in an uncommonly fun, encouraging, and creative environment.

Here’s what sets my site apart:

Photoshop is an amazing tool, but it can be challenging to learn.  Despite the program’s complexity, I believe that learning it can be enjoyable and inspiring.  For this to happen, I recognize that the learning process isn’t about me.  After all, you, the audience, are why I’m here in the first place.  Thank you for allowing me to share with you.

When I teach, I try my hardest to use easy-to-understand language and a conversational tone.  When I make mistakes — and I often do — I’m not afraid to laugh at myself and move on.  Learning is an ongoing process.  We all go through it.  I vividly recall how much I struggled to understand the concept of layer masking, even though it seems simple enough now.  Fortunately, my passion and persistence motivated me to continue learning, even when I felt frustrated.  The important part is that I didn’t let hurdles shut me down.

Creativity is also a process — and an immensely rewarding one at that.  For me, creativity does not come naturally.  It blossoms from a willingness to explore techniques and concepts that excite, or sometimes frighten me.  I simply can’t imagine a life without creativity.  I experience such a charge when a tiny idea evolves into an experience that results in a photograph that I can’t wait to share.  This sort of passion and energy is what I hope to convey through everything that you encounter on this site.

Here are a few of the key features that can benefit you:

The Photoshop Workbench  – Imagine sitting beside me as I use Photoshop to edit one of your images.  This describes the Photoshop Workbench experience.  Each week, I take an audience-submitted image or one of my own on a creative journey.  One week, I may discuss color correction, the next I may cover retouching, and the week after I may explore compositing or special effects.  Each Workbench is unique and searchable via both title and keyword.  Best of all, each one is free.  I look forward to seeing an image submission from you, and even if you don’t have an image to submit, you can still suggest a topic that you’d like to see covered.

Premium Video Tutorials – If you enjoy the Photoshop Workbench, but yearn to dive deeper into subjects that interest you, these comprehensive, downloadable series are designed to help you master techniques ranging from Photoshop Impressionism to Dramatic Portrait Compositing to Creatively Combining Filter Forge with Photoshop.  By purchasing these series, you help me keep the Photoshop Workbench content free.

The Photo Vault – There is no better way to get inspired than to explore the exhilarating work of others.  Images in the Photo Vault are intended to expose you to creative ways of thinking, capturing, and processing.

Texture Labs Collections – Whether you’re a photographer, designer, or gamer, these downloadable textures will take your next project or composite to a whole new level.  Collections range from seamless to high res to lower res to suit every need.  Mix these textures with one part imagination and two parts creativity and prepare to be astonished by the possibilities!  In addition to texture collections, Texture Labs includes access to dozens of free tutorials and features a slideshow designed to inspire you.

Discounts – When I stumble across a truly exceptional product, I can’t help but sing its praises from the highest mountaintop.  But as you know, it gets lonely standing all by yourself atop a mountain.  I want others to experience the same elation that I’m feeling.  Therefore, I make every effort to arrange a special discount for my audience so that I can entice you to begin enjoying the same creative resource that is bringing me such happiness.  In many instances, I also receive one additional perk when I recommend a product.  By signing up for a company’s affiliate program, I am often entitled to a small commission when you make a purchase.  Since this can easily become a slippery ethical slope, I’d like to reassure you that I pride myself on being a person of integrity.  Therefore, I only recommend extremely valuable products that I’m confident you’ll love as well — no exceptions.

Books and eBooks – This category is best for those who prefer the written word to the spoken one.  You’ll find gems such as Botanical Dreaming which showcases more than 100 one-of-a-kind flower portraits and is a coffee-table book, a photo seminar, and a self-help book all rolled into one!  Luminescent World is an eBook about so much more than photography — it’s about the joy that comes from expressing your true spirit and conveying not just what you saw, but the emotions you experienced while standing before a scene.  Illuminating HDR provides everything you need to produce breathtaking HDR images.  This revolutionary eBook features colorfully illustrated step-by-step topics, stunning examples, and work-along images.

Free Video Tutorials – Like the Photoshop Workbench, these tutorials are designed to help you learn Photoshop.  Unlike the Workbench, these tutorials focus on very specific, high-demand subjects such as basic Photoshop 101, Color Management, and Sharpening.  As the title implies, all of these tutorials are free.

DVDs – If you’d like to own the entire Photoshop Workbench collection and view it whenever and wherever you want, these DVDs are for you.  Where else on the planet can you learn Photoshop from top to bottom on even the tightest budget?  Even if you are completely new to Photoshop, the 350 videos contained in Photoshop Workbench Volumes One through Four have the power to transform you from a Photoshop novice to an expert.  Not only do these videos provide fun, easy-to-understand education — they also open your mind to a universe of inspiring creative possibilities.  One caveat: Since I started recording Photoshop Workbenches back in 2005, the first videos were recorded in Photoshop CS2 and have evolved to the current version.  Despite changes to the software over the years, you’ll find that most of the older techniques still apply today.

Workshops – If you’re thirsting for the next level of knowledge and inspiration, I’d be honored to see you at a workshop or class.  To receive email updates about new workshops and products, don’t forget to join my mailing list.