• CGTalk.com
• Creative Cow Forum
• VFXTalk.com
• 3D Buzz – The Ultimate Resource – Free Tutorials, Training Information, Job Postings, & more
• DVXuser.com – The Filmmaking Community
• The Digital Video Information Network
• Adobe Forums
• Video Copilot Forum
• Digital Photography Review discussion forums (dpreview.com)
• Photo.net
• cinema5D.com (Forum for dslr filmmakers)
• CineForm Software Showcase – The Digital Video Information Network

“We’ve waited a long time for this day, but the final product was worth the wait,” said Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron. “Thanks to a world-class development team and the thousands of beta testers who not only thoroughly tested the software but helped shape the final version, Flow is a product that will help all creative pros, whether they work alone or as part of a group, become more streamlined and productive. No more lost files, no more accidents, no more all-nighters.”

GridIron Flow has been used by thousands of creative professionals since the public beta of the product was released in February 18, 2009. Users have experienced how the software provides a unique and total understanding of each project being worked on and allows them to track all the components of a project, regardless of where the files are located. With instant access to any file or version needed, creative professionals can get a lot more done in a lot less time—without having to do anything differently.

Key features of the product include:

• Workflow Maps – Visual interface shows all project files and how they are connected
• Share Maps – Allows multiple users to view the same workflow map across the network
• Adobe CS4 Flow Flash Panel Provides access to GridIron Flow directly in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or Flash
• Real-time Asset Tracking – Tracks the connections between project files in real-time
• Visual Versioning – Accesses the complete history of a file and allows the user to revert to any version
• Visual Search – Finds any file, even if it’s offline, and shows how it fits into a project
• Foolproof Packaging – Gathers and updates all files automatically, keeping the package current
• Time Tracking – Automatically records how much time was spent on a file or project

“The ability for Flow to be accessed directly within Adobe CS4 applications via the new Flash Panel is impressive because of the value it brings users,” said Johnny Loiacono, senior vice president and general manager, Creative Solutions Business Unit, Adobe Systems. “CS4 already delivers significant increases in productivity and Flow takes that to an even higher level. It is a product that most of our Creative Suite customers will find valuable.”

For more information see the links below:

• GridIron Flow Tutorials: http://www.gridironsoftware.com/products/flow/flow_tutorials.html
• PhotoshopUser TV & Layers Magazine:  solid 10-minute tour
• Lynda.com: Flow Features Course
• For more about GridIron Flow – http://www.gridironsoftware.com/Flow/
• To visit GridIron’s blog – http://www.gridironsoftware.com/blog/

GridIron Flow is available for immediate purchase from GridIron’s website at http://www.gridironsoftware.com/store/. A single user license is $299 USD, with a three pack also available for $399.

You can buy PhotoShop or Lightroom on Amazon (US)

Looking for a  high-quality QuickTime movie?  right-click here or you can subscribe to dekePod via  iTunes.

They say you can’t be too rich or too thin. So how about getting rich by making others thin? Plenty of experienced retouchers make small but enviable fortunes shaving body fat off already lithe models. But rather than showing you a present-day example–honestly, how many times do we need to see underfed waifs made skinnier?–Deke takes us back to a time when ideas of beauty were very different: the High Renaissance. In those times of mean circumstances and manual labor, body fat was a thing to be envied. How best to take a well-fed model rendered by the likes of Raphael and turn her into a slim, trim, big-eyed beauty?

Deke’s great books and Tutorials are available on amazon

Swift 3D PS is Electric Rain new plug-in for Photoshop CS4 Extended (32bit only, no 64bit support). It accomplishes simple 3D tasks in seconds with remarkable results and places  3D text, extrusions or models back into Photoshop as 3D layers for further manipulation with their tool set and filters.

The only draw back that I can see is that it does not install and seem not to work with my PhotoShop CS4 Extended, when I installed it it did install into the plug-in folder of my (not used) PhotoShop CS4 Ext 32bit application. Linking in the 32bit plugin folder or copying the filter from the 32bit version to the 64bit version did not help.

• Create, bevel and extrude 3D text from any font in seconds
• Quickly create extrusions and 3D lathe objects with a Bézier pen tool
• Extend Photoshop’s workflow with After Effects CS4 Live 3D view
• Import, extrude and bevel existing 2D vector artwork from Illustrator or Flash
• Simplify 3D scene creation with targeted cameras & lighting

“Swift 3D is already very well known in the Flash community and we’re excited to see it introduced as a plug-in to Photoshop CS4 Extended,” commented John Nack, Principal Product Manager for Photoshop & Bridge at Adobe Systems.

Electric Rain Swift 3D PS is available  for $149.00 USD.

First time savers are already available:

• Design – Edit Quicker and Faster in Illustrator CS4
• Photography – A Bridge of Savings
• Photography – GPU Acceleration in PhotoShop CS4
• Video – Edit Dialogue Faster then Ever
• Web – Quickly Transform Photoshop Layouts

Deke McClelland is a popular lecturer on Adobe Photoshop and the larger realm of computer graphics and design. You can subscribe to dekePod via RSS or iTunes.