The Entertainer and the Entertained
Magicians in their magic acts are entertainers. They perform mystical
feats designed specifically to cleverly trick us -- those being
entertained -- into believing something miraculous is happening when
they waive their wand or perform an incantation. Deep down, we know it
is somehow explainable, but we want to be entertained, suspend our
disbelief, and enjoy the show. We may half-heartedly try to figure out
what really happened behind the scenes, but in a way, perhaps, we almost
don't want to know: it might ruin the illusion and we'd no longer be
entertained. The entertainer practices his craft building the clever and
believable deception, and the entertained soak it in without thinking
all too hard. That is the difference between the entertainer and the
entertained.

[Juggler.jpg]
The Juggler

Photoshop and Magic People beginning to edit images with Photoshop and
Elements often scour the menus looking for the tool that will do
something spectacular to their images believing great images are just a
few clicks away. It is almost as if they want the program to entertain
them with an element of magic or a fantasic feat of mind reading.
Photoshop and Elements have lots of tools whose behavior may seem
mysterious and unexplainable at first, at least one named specifically
'Magic Wand', but regretfully there are no 'magic' tools that read your
mind. No matter how clever the implementation of a function or how well
it seems to work there is never anything 'magic' about a tool itself.
There is a calculation -- however complex -- that drives any tool
application. The behavior can be described and predicted, no matter how
we might resist knowing.

To Be the Magician A true magician doesn't waive a wand and hope magic
will happen -- imagine what would happen to a magician doing that on
stage. The magician knows the secrets of the tricks and what goes on
behind the scenes, utilizing props and tools with purpose to craft the
perfect deception. Likewise, the imaging magician, must be a master of
the tools and craft of post-processing. Just clicking a filter or auto
function and being elated or disappointed by the result isn't mastering
Photoshop and Elements, it is being entertained. Being entertained can
be pleasing at times, but generally it is not how you make a magical
image. The tools themselves have no way to see and evaluate the images
they work on except as a calculation. They are lifeless props and props
never make magic either.

Magicians practice their craft and develop their art, and you will want
to do the same to achieve desired results with your post-processing in
Photoshop. Changes do not have to be mystical, spectacular or flamboyant
to get the most from your images, and post-processing is only a portion
of the photographic craft. There is a place for being both the
entertainer and the entertained, the magician and the audience. Learn
and be awed by other people's craft, but strive to understand the magic
of their images like a magician in the audience watching the craft of
the magician on stage.

To Learn More My courses teach the timeless fundamentals for Photoshop
and Elements that you'll use as the core of your craft. I talk about
magic tools in my Photoshop 101
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=136>
class...namely the "read my mind" and "do it for me" tools: mythical
tools designed in the minds of users hoping there is an easier way. But
it is the only mention of magic tools in my courses. You get practical
methodology for Correcting and Enhancing Your Images
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=178> , solid
techniques for matching your images on your Monitor and In Print
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=175> , and advanced
exploration of Layers: Photoshop's Most Powerful Tool
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=103> . Each is a
facet of the tools you have to master to perfect your image editing
craft. My latest book, The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book
<http://aps8.com/taplb.html> , is the perfect companion to these
courses.



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