Spotlight 1: Chip Gillespie – Power user

We don’t know many people who know their way around Photojunction better than Chip Gillespie. Especially when it comes to shortcuts. We call him a Power User. (He’s also the founder of Blogstomp, which is well worth checking out.)

1) You’re a PJ power user – how long have you been using Photojunction and what attracted you to it in the first place?

I have been using PhotoJunction for a little over a year. To be truthful, I was skeptical at first as I had what I believed to be a near-perfect album design process using Photoshop. On the recommendation of a friend and fellow photographer/designer, I gave Photojunction a go.

After a very short learning curve (about six or seven spreads; less than half of an album) I was easily cutting my design time in half, while maintaining the consistency and quality of design I was used to. Over the past year I have cut my design time by about two-thirds.

2) What’s your favourite Photojunction shortcut, and most popular PJ feature?

Probably my favourite* Photojunction shortcut, the one that saves me the most time, is multiple-image resizing. I know it sounds basic, but the ability to select all the images I want for a layout and make them all 5.5″ tall, for example, is a HUGE time-saver.

In Photoshop I would have had to manually resize each image for a spread. If I mis-calculated and needed to resize again, even more time was wasted. Even though I had created resizing actions for this, Photojunction still is noticeably faster and more accurate. (*and yes, that is “favourite”, with a ‘u’…) ; )

3) What inspires you?

Creativity. When someone views the same world I do, but in a different way — well, there’s not much that can compete with that.

My children. Their near-limitless energy and boundless curiosity reminds me daily how I should be living.

Generosity. Unabashed, unashamed, unprovoked generosity, with no expectation, is a most beautiful thing.

New Zealand accents. I don’t see how this could possibly need an explanation.