Free Seminars

Free Classes in Design, Coding, Business, and More

Lightroom Masking: Power-User Tips & Tricks with Ben Willmore

Tue, Jul 14, 7–9pm ET Live Online

Lightroom Masking: Power-User Tips & Tricks is an advanced Lightroom class designed to help you take your masking skills to a professional level. In this session, Ben Willmore goes beyond basic masking to explore the nuanced techniques that separate good adjustments from great ones, especially when working with complex subjects and challenging edges. You’ll learn how to identify and avoid common masking problems like unnatural halos and glows, and how to combine AI-generated masks with manual refinements for more precise, natural-looking results. The class also dives into advanced techniques for controlling the critical transition zones between masked and unmasked areas so your adjustments feel seamless and polished. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Ben Willmore. What You'll Learn Identify which sliders create problematic halos and glows around edges, especially trees and organic shapes, and learn specific counteraction techniques to maintain natural-looking results. Master the workflow of starting with AI-generated masks and then refining them manually to achieve accurate isolation of complex objects. Learn advanced techniques for isolating and adjusting the transition area between masked regions and their surroundings for seamless, professional results. Understand when and why masked adjustments are essential for maximizing image quality and achieving results impossible with global adjustments alone. Who It's For Photographers and imaging professionals who already have a working knowledge of Lightroom and want to elevate their masking and adjustment skills. Anyone working with challenging images or dealing with complex masks. Photo editors who want more control and finesse in their Lightroom workflow. Photographers who want to achieve more natural, professional results in their image adjustments. How to Join The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You’ll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate. To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited. A unique Zoom join link will be sent to the maximum number of participants per class. You’ll receive this link one hour before the class start time. About the Instructor Ben Willmore’s passion for photography has taken him to all 50 US states and over 85 countries spread across all seven continents. He has been using both Photoshop and Lightroom since their inception. Over that time, he has relentlessly pursued mastery of both programs and, in the process, has written over a dozen books on the topic, which have been published in 9 languages. His latest book is titled Crafting the Landscape Photograph, which is published by Rocky Nook. He began enhancing images digitally in the late 1970's, attended Compu-Comp (the computer camp for kids) in 1981, and in 2004 was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. Ben has taught well over 100,000 people in person at events in 17 countries, and millions have watched his educational videos. Ben leads groups of photographers on workshops to remote areas in the Galapagos Islands, Africa, Iceland, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, as well as somewhat less exotic places across the USA.

Fix My Composite: Live Critiques Using AI as a Visual Roadmap with Karen Alsop

Thu, Jul 23, 7–10pm ET Live Online

This course is an interactive workshop for composite artists who know the frustration of the “last 20%.” You’ve spent hours cutting out elements, masking, and building a world, but something still feels slightly off. The lighting isn’t perfectly cohesive, the tone lacks mood, or one element is disrupting the composition. This class is designed to help you break through that final creative ceiling. In this session, Karen Alsop introduces a practical way to use Photoshop’s generative AI tools as an instant visual feedback loop. Instead of spending hours guessing what your image needs, you’ll learn how to test lighting changes, tonal shifts, and object replacements to create a visual roadmap for your final piece without altering your original pixels. Watch as Karen takes nearly finished composites from real students and diagnoses what each one needs to cross the finish line. You’ll see how to use AI as a non-destructive digital moodboard, then turn those generative layers off and apply traditional, award-ready compositing techniques for the final polish. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Karen Alsop. What You'll Learn Use Photoshop’s generative AI as a fast visual guide to test lighting changes, object replacements, and tonal shifts. Learn how to use AI strictly as a conceptual roadmap, then turn it off to apply traditional composite techniques for the final output. Analyze light direction and harmonize different elements so your composites look more seamless and realistic. Save time by visualizing your final results before committing to complex manual edits. Who It's For Intermediate to advanced compositors who know how to build a composite but struggle with the final high-end polish. Artists who often get stuck at the 80% mark and want a better way to evaluate what an image still needs. Photographers and digital artists who want to use Generative AI efficiently without giving up traditional craftsmanship. About the Instructor Karen Alsop is an internationally acclaimed Melbourne, Australia-based photographic digital artist. Expanding on two decades of photographic and graphic design experience, Karen brings photography and art together to create stunning artworks that tell a story and take the viewer into another world. Specializing in Portrait Art, her digital portraiture captures the personality and character of her subjects by placing them within a visual story highlighting their interests. Karen uses the power of Photoshop to composite multiple captures together, making the impossible possible within her art.

Past Recordings of Free Seminars

Intro to a Career in Digital Marketing

Broadcast on May 21, 2020

Learn about digital marketing, the different types of digital marketing, various strategies, and more in this free webinar. Drive traffic through search with SEO and Google Ads Increase engagement and conversion with social media marketing Measure the success of your marketing and understand site traffic with Google Analytics Drive repeat business and engage prospects with email marketing Improve your site to optimize for conversion This webinar will not be recorded, so you must attend live! This is the perfect way to get started with digital marketing before you dive into one of our hands-on Digital Marketing classes (in-person in NYC or live online) or our Digital Marketing Certificate. What is Digital Marketing? Plain and simple, digital marketing is advertising using digital channels including social media, search engines, email, apps, and other digital channels. The goal of digital marketing can vary from driving traffic to generating sales leads, driving traffic, or any other desired action from users. With a basic understanding of what digital marketing is as a concept, let's dive into the various types of digital marketing. The Types of Digital Marketing Search Marketing: Search marketing includes both organic (SEO) and paid search (Google Ads). The goal of search marketing is to show up in search results for specific, relevant keywords. In the search results, there are paid results followed by organic results. To show up in the organic results requires a good SEO strategy involving keyword research, content marketing, technical optimization of your site, backlinks, and more. In order to show up in the paid results, you'll need to set up a Google Ads account and bid on specific keywords and pay for each click that you get from that ad. Search marketing is like a world of its own and requires a lot of knowledge and creativity to do it well, but if you execute properly it can result in a lot of growth for your business. Social Media Marketing: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and all social media platforms can be lumped into social media marketing. Within social media marketing, you can take both organic and paid strategies for your desired outcomes. Building an organic following on one of these platforms will require you to produce content that engages your target audience and creative strategies to grow your following. Within each of these social media tools, there are also paid options that allow you to pay to show your ads to users on the platform. Paid social media marketing can be a great way to find new customers (prospecting) but you'll need to make sure you are targeting the right audiences with the right messaging to do it efficiently and effectively. Email Marketing: Although it is one of the older forms of marketing, it remains one of the most effective ways to market. Email marketing requires you to put in the effort and get creative in finding ways to build an email list. Once you have a strong email list in place and a good strategy to continue growing that list, you can leverage that list to sell your products or services, offer promotions, or engage with your customers. Other Digital Marketing: While the above cover some of the most popular forms of digital marketing, there are lots of other ways to go about digital marketing and growing your business digitally like site optimization and marketing analytics.

Dominate Local Search with Google My Business

Broadcast on April 14, 2020

When it comes to finding a local business that you can trust, more and more of us use the information and reviews we find in the local search listings of Google. In order for your business to be listed, you must have a Google My Business account for each of your locations. In this Webinar, presented by SEO Expert Steve Scott, you’ll discover all the tips and techniques you'll need to know to create a top-ranking Google My Business listing and what strategies you’ll need to do, on a regular basis, to keep your business listing at the top of Google Search. Instructor Bio Steve Scott has been studying the art and science of Search Engine Optimization and Digital Marketing since 1997. He is the founder and owner of both the Tampa and New York SEO Training Academy which provides SEO Training, Consulting and Digital Marketing Services to company's around the globe. Steve also serves as Vice President of the Search Engine Academy, a global network of SEO educators that teach live in-person workshops around the world.  As chairman of the Academy's Education Committee, Steve helps determine what will be taught and creates the material used by the Academy's network of trainers.  He is currently celebrating his 14th year teaching Search Engine Optimization Workshops and truly loves helping students make sense of SEO. In addition to training, Steve's Digital Marketing company continues to help business owners worldwide create a powerful online presence for their brands by offering them Search Engine Optimization, Website Design & Development, Pay-Per-Click, Local Search and Social Media services and more.

Where to Focus Your SEO Efforts in 2020

Broadcast on April 8, 2020

Let's face it ...SEO is a lot of work! There are just so many things to know and do.  Doing things the wrong way gets you nowhere fast and wastes tons of money. But, if you do the things Google wants you to do, success will follow! Come join Certified SEO Instructor Steve Scott for this informative Seminar where he'll go through the 14 areas you should be thinking about to succeed online in 2020. Instructor Bio Steve Scott has been studying the art and science of Search Engine Optimization and Digital Marketing since 1997. He is the founder and owner of both the Tampa and New York SEO Training Academy which provides SEO Training, Consulting and Digital Marketing Services to company's around the globe. Steve also serves as Vice President of the Search Engine Academy, a global network of SEO educators that teach live in-person workshops around the world.  As chairman of the Academy's Education Committee, Steve helps determine what will be taught and creates the material used by the Academy's network of trainers.  He is currently celebrating his 14th year teaching Search Engine Optimization Workshops and truly loves helping students make sense of SEO. In addition to training, Steve's Digital Marketing company continues to help business owners worldwide create a powerful online presence for their brands by offering them Search Engine Optimization, Website Design & Development, Pay-Per-Click, Local Search and Social Media services and more.

Designing for Mobile

Broadcast on May 5, 2017

It’s no secret that mobile devices have changed the computing landscape. An increasing number of people are browsing websites on smartphones and tablets, so they need to be mobile-optimized. People are also using native apps specifically designed for smartphones and tablets. With these new devices come new design challenges that we’ll discuss in this seminar. Join us for a free 2-hour seminar so you can become a better designer. Here are some topics we’ll talk about: How Mobile is Affecting Logo Design Navigation Small screens can be challenging. We’ll talk about and show examples of various styles of mobile navigation. Pros and cons of different types of mobile navigation. User experience and content flow. Considering what your users need, so they have a great experience. Responsive Web Design A responsive website adapts itself across different size screens (mobile, tablet, desktop, etc.). Unlike separate mobile and desktop sites, a responsive website uses a single codebase that adapts to any size screen. Mobile First: Improve your designs by focusing on mobile devices first, instead of treating them as an afterthought once you’ve designed the desktop site. Designing flexible content that can work across devices. Emails Emails can be responsive too! How much can you do? What do you need to keep in mind? How Do I Create My Graphics/Designs? What resolution & size should you work at? How to design for hi-res displays (Retina or HiDPI). Minimum button sizes that are ideal for tappable items. Previewing your designs live on devices while you work! Font considerations. How mobile fonts affect overall identity and print designs! Guidelines for App Icons Common icon sizes for iOS & Android Templates for automating icon creation

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