Gary has been a professional photographer since 1979 and has been working with Photoshop for over 13 years. His knowledge of Photoshop, digital imaging and color management has helped transform his and his father’s studio completely over to digital capture, with great success. Gary studied under Eddie Tapp and has assisted in his classes at the Long Island Photo Workshop for 3 years, prior to teaching on his own. In addition to holding the degrees of Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman from the PP of A, Gary is the first person in New York State and only the seventh in the country to also be Certified in Electronic Imaging (CEI) by the PP of A.

For the past 6 years, Gary has taught 6 very successful week-long classes in Adobe Photoshop. The classes were so successful, he was invited back to teach the class again this coming summer. In addition, Gary has been conducting private tutoring and consulting sessions

Because Photoshop CS4 was recently released, and is a radically different interface, Gary decided it's time to start from the ground up. This is a Perfect opportunity for anybody who has not yet taken the plunge, or for those who have played around with Photoshop and want to learn the most efficient, professional way to use it.

Gary will begin with the basic features of Photoshop CS 4 and will continue with an overview of the new tools and features. So if you have experience with earlier versions of Photoshop and wish to gain proficiency with the latest version, this class is also perfect for you. The class will continue to build new techniques on top of each other and will go as far as the class will allow. Some topics that will be covered include, selection techniques, working with layers, layer masks, adjustment layers, color correction, retouching,, compositing, background removal and anything else the class can come up with.

Workflow issues will be covered in depth. Students will explore methods to organize and manage their files and jobs. Time permitting, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 will be demonstrated and we will discuss it's usefulness in the digital workflow.

Students are encouraged to bring their own images in that they have questions about that the class can solve together.

System Requirements: Because this is a hands-on class, this class requires that you either supply or rent your own computer. Your Mac or PC should have at least 2 GB of RAM, minimum 20 GB hard drive, high res. monitor (17" or larger), and of course, the latest version of Photoshop (currently CS4) installed on your computer. Laptop computers are acceptable, as long as it meets the minimum RAM and hard drive requirements. *Note: The school will not be responsible for any damage that occurs due to electrical fluctuations or power surges. It is highly recommended that students bring a good-quality surge supressor. An uninterruptable power supply is recommended. Contact the Administrative Director for more information at (516) 221-4058.

There will be 24 hour security posted to protect all computer equipment and systems from theft and tampering.

"Gary's knowledge of the inner workings of the tools and techniques for the pro will ensure you of obtaining an understanding in Photoshop that will save you time and money in your digital directives. I highly recommend studying under Gary, his style, kindness and knowledge will make this a great learning experience for you and you will leave the class with a new directive and confidence using Photoshop and how to set up your system and workstation for imaging."