My new slot on NAPP TV

A few weeks ago, Scott Kelby, editor of Photoshop User magazine, invited me to submit a 5-minute technique for his weekly NAPP TV podcast (formerly Photoshop TV). It was a tough decision: Say "yes" and become a regular adjunct on an insanely popular video podcast or say "no" because . . . frankly, I never did come up with a reason. I deliberated on the matter for the obligatory 0.01 second before ultimately acquiescing and saying, "Hell yeah!"

The gang over at lynda.com (better known as the best gang on Earth) helped me assemble a few episodes. The first of them is running this week (July 2). It's all about the Multichannel command, which has been around since Photoshop 1.0. Although few folks know it's there and even fewer use it, Multichannel is actually a great command. It allows you to switch from one color space to another -- say, RGB to CMYK -- without performing a conversion.

If that sounds like one of those why-in-the-name-of-fried-ice-cream-would-I-want-to-do-that? operations, check out the podcast. (You can launch it in iTunes. Look for Episode 88.) I have another Multichannel trick in the works for next week. After that, I'll show how to make lasers blast out of a cigarette-smokin' scientist's eyes. At least, that's the plan. Lasers and cigarettes can be a volatile mix, so we'll see how it goes.

(In case you're curious, I first divined these Multichannel techniques for a video series called Photoshop CS3 Channels and Masks, due out in a few weeks. See lynda.com/deke for more. A book on this same topic should be available by the end of the year.)