Professional Photoshop Training with Dan Margulis

Applied Color Theory in Photoshop I

An intensive, small group, hands-on, three day color correction class

This is a demanding and sharply-focused seminar for those who are serious about improving the way their color images appear on the printed page. The class is image enhancement/color correction only. There is no coverage of special effects. The emphasis is on the use of input-output curves to improve quality. THIS IS THE CLASS THAT MANY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOSHOP INSTRUCTORS TAKE.

The majority of students are not from the geographic locale of the classes but fly in from out-of-state or from other countries. Classes normally run from Thursday through Saturday. Sessions begin early (9 a.m. on the first day only, earlier thereafter) and continue well into the evening. The goal is to pack a week's worth of content into three long days.

Each student is assigned a fully-equipped Macintosh. Lecture/discussions are followed by sessions in which each member of the class works on improving the same images. The results are compared against one another and critiqued. The images--around 20 in all, depending upon class speed--are typical of those encountered in professional work and represent a variety of requirements. In addition to professional retouchers, this class appeals to photographers, art directors, and anyone involved with image manipulation.

Familiarity with Photoshop is a prerequisite, but, as this is a concept-based course, expertise in the program is not. The class is not version-specific. For those who are looking for more foundational Photoshop training, it is recommended that you attend some of the other Photoshop training at Sterling Ledet & Associates first.

The class was overhauled at the start of 2008 to accommodate the new "Picture Postcard Workflow" introduced by Dan Margulis at Photoshop World in 2007. Those having previously taken the course would find substantial new content. The scheduled topics are as follows:


DAY 1: Concepts and Curves

  • Objectives of color correction
  • How humans perceive color
  • Differences between human perception and that of a camera

Curves defined

  • The importance of choosing proper endpoints (highlights and shadows)
  • Enhancing contrast in local areas
  • Finding areas of colorspace that are not used efficiently
  • Influence of curve shape on reproduction
  • Using LAB to evaluate color defects, even when working in RGB or CMYK
  • The known colors: skies, greenery, fleshtones
  • Evaluating neutrals and near-neutrals
  • The close relation between RGB and CMY channels
  • Color "by the numbers"

Introduction to channel blending

  • Photoshop method of unsharp masking and its variables
  • Application of USM in selected channels, or locally
  • Three models of USM: conventional, hiraloam, and Shadow/Highlight

DAY 2: Colorspaces in depth

  • Theory behind use of CMY as colorants
  • How the transition from RGB to CMYK is made.
  • Role of black ink and GCR
  • GCR and UCR differentiated
  • When is GCR appropriate?
  • Anticipating press problems
  • Limitation of the printing process
  • Separating color from contrast in RGB
  • The new "Picture Postcard Workflow"
  • Basic LAB curves
  • Retouching advantages of LAB
  • Creation of masks with LAB
  • The Man from Mars Method

DAY 3: Putting it All Together

The majority of the day is spent working on images that illustrate the points covered by the course. The lecture/presentation portion of the day is programmed by the class: each student submits one topic or question, and these topics will form the core of a two-hour presentation by the instructor.

For more information, download our PDF Outline.

Pricing:

The investment for Applied Color Theory training is $1695 per student. Class size is limited to eight students. Classes typically fill one to three months in advance. Each student receives a copy of Dan's book Professional Photoshop Fifth Edition, and a copy of the course materials on CD-ROM. Students love this class. We have a page of comments from students.

Locations:

Sterling Ledet & Associates, Tucker, GA (30 minutes from Atlanta airport)
Sterling Ledet & Associates, Park Ridge, IL (10 minutes from O'Hare airport)
Sterling Ledet & Associates, San Diego, CA (Mission Valley section of San Diego)
Sterling Ledet & Associates, Washington, DC (three blocks from White House)
DPA, Inc., downtown Toronto

Hours:

The hours are not fixed but depend on the speed of the class. The approximate normal hours are: First Day 9 am.-8 p.m.; Second Day 8 a.m.-8 p.m; Third Day 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Lunch breaks are taken at around 2 p.m. on the first two days. Normally pizza or sandwiches are brought in on the final day.

About the instructor:

Dan Margulis, a veteran prepress manager, is author of Professional Photoshop Fifth Edition, (Peachpit Press, 2006) the leading book on professional color correction. His book Photoshop LAB Color (Peachpit Press, 2005) is an international bestseller. His column, "Makeready," focusing on production issues, appeared in both Electronic Publishing and Photoshop User magazines, the only such column ever to appear regularly in two publications simultaneously. In 2001, he was one of the first three persons, and the only writer, inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame created by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. In its citation, the NAPP said, "Dan's ability to reduce complicated concepts to words that users can understand and his insistence on dealing with real-world relevance have made him today's most influential voice in professional color reproduction."

We have several of Dan's articles and chapters from his books available on-line as PDF files, including a complete listing of all the Makeready titles with links to several of them. We have also archived a large number of edited threads from the Colortheory newsgroup list on various color production-related topics.

Scheduling:

    Please refer to the home page for the most up-to-date information on future class dates.

Advanced Applied Color Theory

(Applied Color Theory is a prerequisite for this class)

  • Awaiting schedule (Super advanced class is by invitation only and is not listed here.)

We have a registration form online as a PDF file. Please fill out this form using Acrobat and fax it to us at 770-414-5661.

Student Cancellations:

Due to the limited availability of his classes, Dan Margulis's training classes are subject to cancellation/rescheduling fees of $200 if notice is provided at least 90 days in advance of the class. The fee goes up to half of the class fee, if notice is provided with less than 90 days but more than 60 days, and the fee is not refundable for changes made with less than 60 days notice. You can change the name of student registrations up to 24 hours before the class with no fee.