Episode #154
My friend Lesa Snider is a talented photographer and author, which is why I keep copies of Photoshop: The Missing Manual and Photos for Mac and iOS: The Missing Manual within reach whenever I’m using Photoshop or Photos. Lesa’s concise step-by-step instructions and crystalline prose makes them my go-to books when it comes to image editing. If your favorite geek favors Photoshop or Photos for editing images, either of Lesa’s Missing Manuals make a terrific gift.
Or, if a Missing Manual isn’t right for your geek, Lesa just released a very cool 81-page ebook entitled, The Skinny on Holiday Photo Gifts ($5.99).
I love the cover; it reminds me of “Bewitched?”
With step-by-step instructions for making dozens of unique gifts including pillows, tote bags, purses, magnets, stickers, canvas prints, skins for laptops and portable devices, US postage stamps, mugs, key chains, playing cards, tree ornaments, dry-erase calendars, notepads, wine and beer bottle labels, and more; this could be the answer to most (if not all) of your gift needs this season!
You know how much I love Apple’s custom-printed books and calendars—I’ve recommend them many times (most recently two weeks ago) but I’ve never shown you how to make one. Lucky for you, Lesa does just that with detailed step-by-step instructions for making cards and calendars with Photos or iPhoto.
Or, in the unlikely event books, calendars, or cards aren’t the right gifts for your geeks, you’ll find a plethora of online resources for unique photo gifts including frame-mounted canvases, and photo mugs, clocks, and puzzles. You’ll also learn of several online printing companies with links to your Facebook and Instagram photo collections, making it even easier to create a custom gift.
For those who prefer to do it themselves instead of ordering online, this ebook also contains step-by-step instructions for several unique and inexpensive photo gifts such as napkin rings, gift tags, and wooden photo cubes.
An easy photo gift for you do-it-yourselfers.
Along the way you’ll find a ton of tips that will help you improve the look of your projects, like how to adjust the color of all your photos so they harmonize together, a handful of tips for successful printing both at home and on the web, and how to add a color tint to a photo. And the tips and step-by-step instructions are presented for each major app—Photos, iPhoto, Photoshop, and Photoshop Elements— a thoughtful touch.
There is one last thing: If you’re the type who likes movies more than books, check out Holiday Photo Gifts ($27), Lesa’s six-hour video workshop with 14 lessons you can watch online or download, plus all of the completed images used in the class saved with layers so you can deconstruct them with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
For those who would rather watch a video than read an ebook…
And that’s all he wrote…