Computers @ Sea Instructor on the Grand

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Like I mentioned, we would LOVE to see Paris.. :) If you won't get another chance, I'd do the tour with the 'group'.. All booked thru Princess! :D

 

We are staying at an apartment of 'a friend of a friend', so I will be of absolutely no help to you! Sorry.. :(

 

The Ports forum may give you recommended hotel info, or you can do a 'search' of our Roll Call, as there is/was quite a bit of talk about different venues! :D

 

No problem. Like I said, it's a ways away, so I'm far from booking it. As I spend more time on the ship, I plan to do an unofficial survey with the passengers to see what their accommodations were.

[stlrboo]

To get back to the intent of the thread, exactly what 'classes' will be offered on the Grand?? Photoshop Elements will be of interest to both the DW and I... :) We may be the first two to sign up! Any pre-sail discounts available?? :D ;)

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To get back to the intent of the thread, exactly what 'classes' will be offered on the Grand?? Photoshop Elements will be of interest to both the DW and I... :) We may be the first two to sign up! Any pre-sail discounts available?? :D ;)

 

I am in the process of creating the schedule now, but I plan to offer lots of Photoshop Elements classes. Everything from the very basics to more advanced stuff like digital photo restoration and "touch-ups".

 

There will also be Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel classes available as well. I will be teaching different tracks. There is also the opportunity to teach other classes such as internet sites (like eBay) and Windows Movie Maker, but I'm not as sure about those. With so many at sea days, there will be lots of classes. My first two weeks will be my toughest!

 

There is not a pre-sail discount that I know of, BUT there is a class package where if you buy 3 classes you get the 4th free. The classes are usually scheduled together so that you can take one right after the other since they build off of each other.

[Buddy604]

Hi Rachel, it's great to hear that Princess is continuing the Computers@Sea training- there had been some suggestion that it was going to be phased out, so it's nice to see that it isn't so.

 

Can you tell me, has Princess moved to a more recent version of Photoshop Elements? When I was on the ship last they were several versions behind.

[danacline]

Rachel,

 

As a former tech writer, software engineer, and article author, I'd like to tell you I'd love to have your job! In the realm of photography and PCs, I'd like to see the following offered:

 

1) Panoramas. Download the free Microsoft Image Composition Editor and drop your photos in - it assembles them into panoramas. Might be able to tie it into the onboard photo department to get them printed out? People love free software, and this one does a good job.

 

2) HDR. Find a good free program that assembles High Dynamic Range photos from a collection of the same photos taken at different apertures. I use Canon's Hacker Development Kit to program my Canon camera to take the photos in a sequence (under exposed, normal, over exposed), so now all I need to do is assemble them.

 

3) Geocoding. Another free Microsoft program, Pro Photo Tools, lets you drag your photos onto a world map showing where exactly you took the photo, and it adds the lat/long geo code into the JPG EXIF header, so you always know where each photo was taken. Some cameras do this automagically (my phone even does this) but most do not.

 

4) Tilt-shift miniatures. This technique progressively blurs the photo except for a central area that is in focus. In certain shots, it makes the photo appear to be a photo of a miniature model. This can easily be done with almost any graphics editor.

 

5) Tweaking underwater photos. Even though my Canon has a specific setting for underwater photos, they still come out too blue, and sadly when I attempt to tone down the blue, it removes almost all the color from the photo.

 

6) Camera scene modes. Might be a photo department lecture, but most people don't know enough about their point-and-shoot camera's scene modes. I recently found that the "Foliage" setting enhances not only the greens, but also the blue shades of the water. I now make most of my tropical photos with this setting.

[Gainesville cruiser]

Hi Rachel - My name is Nellie, my husband is Richard. We will be on the TA with you and definitely look forward to your classes. One another TA cruise with Carnival, we had digital camera classes which were very fun and interesting. I have a suggestion. Those classes were at 9am. The sea days are very long, and it's nice to be able to sleep in and take your time in the morning and have something to look forward to during the day! Possibly you won't have a say in the timing, but if you do...... We are traveling with a large group and are signed up or late dining. Maybe lunch sometime!! See you soon. Nellie

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Hello all.

 

Just wanted to let you know that I've finally finished my schedule for my first cruise, and you can see it here:

 

http://www.seathis.com/?page_id=21

 

For those of you who will NOT be on this cruise, you can get an idea of the kinds of classes I'm offering.

 

Danacline - thank you for your suggestions, and some of them I'm actually going to be teaching in my classes. A few others, though, are limited since I don't get to choose what kind of software I teach. Also, I have to be careful not to step on the photography departments toes.