Photoshop educator Dave Cross is at it again with the second Photoshop Virtual Summit or as he likes to call it, the sequel. I spoke with Dave about the summit to find out what’s in it for the Photofocus community, what it is exactly and why people should attend.

This is the second Photoshop Virtual Summit you’re hosting. How did the first one go?

It was a great success! We had many thousands of people register from around the world, and received amazing feedback — and heartfelt thank yous.

Was there a favorite session from attendees from the first summit?

It’s really hard to pinpoint one favorite: I received hundreds of emails and comments from people who said things like “I loved the class from …”, “That class will change my workflow forever” and “That one class was worth the price of the VIP pass.” And interestingly, the people who made that last comment all mentioned classes from different instructors.

What prompted you to do a second summit?

First, as soon as the April summit ended I was swamped with emails asking “when is the next one?”

I also received some incredible, touching messages from people who were so appreciative of the information they learned while watching for free. It just made sense to do another one.

How does this summit differentiate from the first one?

We have a different instructor team, made up of favorites from last time and wonderful new experts. And we’ve put together a brand-new schedule of classes, all about Photoshop.

photoshop virtual summit ii speakers

I’ve always been intrigued by Luminosity Masking and don’t use it nearly enough as I probably should. I see Matt Kloskowski is teaching it, which is fantastic. Is there one session you’re really looking forward to the most?

Wow, that’s hard to say! There are so many instructors that I love to watch and learn from, so I’d say just a few examples are Ben Willmore teaching Advanced Selections and Masks, Frequency Separation with Lisa Carney, Color Management from Daniel Gregory, Matt Kloskowski’s class on Texture Blending … but honestly, I could list all the classes.

I see my friend Blake Rudis is speaking, which is super exciting. Is there one speaker you cannot wait to learn from?

Again, that’s pretty much impossible to answer. I invited these instructors because I have great respect for their knowledge and ability as teachers, so I’m looking forward to all their classes. Having said that, Glyn Dewis because of his wonderful British accent.

What advice would you tell new summit attendees, that have never been to a virtual summit before?

Take a look at the schedule and map out the topics that are of most interest to you. Remember, you don’t have to catch the class on its release date — you have 48 hours to watch sessions once they are released.

What is your favorite Photoshop keyboard shortcut?

I’m a keyboard shortcut junkie, so immediately my head is filled with many possible answers. My favorite shortcut? It’s probably all of the single letter shortcuts for choosing tools — those are an amazing time saver.

What is your favorite Photoshop feature or tool?

I work with making selections all the time, so Select Subject continues to impress, and it gets better with each new version of Photoshop.

How much is it to attend the Photoshop Virtual Summit II, when is it and how can people sign up?

The Photoshop Virtual Summit II runs from November 9-13, 2020 and it is free to register. All the details found at pssummit.com.

As a free attendee, I know I do not get access to the recordings. If I wanted the sessions forever, how much does that cost?

The VIP pass includes lifetime access to the recordings of all classes, plus audio recordings, instructor-provided notes, and downloadable files. The price is $147, with an Early Bird special of $97 available until November 9, 2020 at Noon ET.

Will the speakers be wearing masks? Joking, not joking. OK, I’m joking. Thanks for putting this together, Dave. We cannot wait to learn! Anything you want to say as we wrap this up?

Just to say that folks can expect a wide range of great courses from some of the top Photoshop instructors in the world — and they may be a few surprises along the way.