Buy. Download. Create. Get Photoshop CS3 now at the Adobe Store.

Welcome to the July edition of the PhotoshopSupport.com Newsletter. Highlights include a great tutorial from Photoshop expert Mark Galer on how to work with masks and create a montage in Photoshop, some free Zodiac Photoshop brushes from Kirsty, some free Swirls brushes and a brush tutorial from Stephanie, some free actions and a Photoshop Actions tutorial from Gavin Phillips, and a tutorial from Ivan Raszl on how to create TV scan lines in Photoshop. Have fun, and don't forget the sunscreen!

Photoshop Brushes From Kirsty - Zodiac Set - 24 Free Brushes

Kirsty sends this in: "Hello everyone, time for another brush set! I'm afraid I'm continuing with the trend set by the last set I made (Paranormal) as this month I have a Zodiac set up for grabs. It's nothing very fancy, just 24 brushes of the different signs to be found at 500ml Brushes. Hopefully you guys will find some use for them!"

The Zodiac Set contains 24 brushes (no, they're not that big!) of the 12 Zodiac signs. You can find all of Kirsty's super beautiful brushes on our Photoshop brushes page.

Photoshop Masking & Montage Tutorial From Photoshop Expert Mark Galer

Mark Galer has sent us a new sample chapter from his book, Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills. This tutorial shows you Photoshop techniques that use selections and Photoshop masks to create amazing effects that can be applied to landscape images. As a bonus, you can also download high resolution versions of the images that are used in the tutorial, so you can work along with Mark. From the intro:

"Venetian classical painters had a passion for moody and tempestuous skies (just Google the Tempest by Giorgione to see one such example). I now find it hard to look at an image of Venice with a featureless sky. The sky is an essential ingredient of any memorable landscape image. Unfortunately it is not something the photographer can control unless we have limitless time and patience. The commercial photographer is often required to deliver the goods on a day that suits the client rather than the photographer and weather forecast.

"In these instances it is worth building a personal stock library of impressive skies that can be utilized to turn ordinary images with bland skies into impressive ones. The digital compact set to a low ISO is ideal for capturing these fleeting moments. The most useful skies to collect are the ones that include detail close to the horizon line, i.e. captured without interference from busy urban skylines, such as can be found at the beach or in the desert.

"A stock library of skies is included on the DVD of the new Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills book (published by Focal Press) to help you start, or add to, your own collection. In this project we explore how a sky can be adapted to fit the landscape so the montage is not immediately obvious."





Read the Photoshop Masking & Montage Tutorial from Mark Galer.

PhotoshopSecrets - Wacom Tablets and Photoshop CS3

Our friend Colin Smith (of PhotoshopCafe.com fame) has updated one of his very popular training DVDs — PhotoshopSecrets - Wacom Tablets and Photoshop CS3 — a video training package that teaches you everything you need to know about working with a Wacom tablet in Photoshop. This updated edition now includes lessons with material that addresses some of the new features found in Photoshop CS3.

According to Colin's site, this is "the most complete training on the Wacom Tablet and Adobe Photoshop ever. This fully updated video will show you how to unleash the power and creativity that only comes from a pressure-sensitive tablet. Set up your tablet correctly and stop working like a mouse user in Photoshop. Two of the Top instructors in the industry combine their talents to bring you a video that will totally change the way you approach graphics on your computer. This fast loading CD ROM contains over 2 hours of sharp video with crisp digital sound."

Colin says, "Wes Maggio and myself went back to the studio and completely re-recorded all the lessons for this new version. The content is better, Wes included techniques for all the latest tablets and Cintiq. All the Photoshop techniques are brand new to this edition of the disk. Many of the new CS3 features are explained and covered, including Quick select, Smart Filters, Clone Source, new Curves, Black and White adjustment and more."

The simple-to-use interface frees you up, and you can instantly jump to any lesson with complete control over the playback. All the lesson files are included, so you can follow along at your own pace. If you currently own, or are considering a Wacom pen tablet or Cintiq, this video is one of the best investments you can make. For more on these tablets, see our Wacom Pen Tablets Resource Center. Lessons include:

• Tablet overview
• The Brushes palette in Photoshop
• Maximizing pressure sensitivity
• Customizing the pen
• Setting up the ExpressKeys
• Programming Touch Strips
• Grayscale and color in same image
• Collaging Techniques
• Adding 3D shadows and highlights
• Customizing the depth of field
• Dodging and Burning (the new way)
• Making custom grunge brushes

About Colin Smith
An award winning designer, best-selling author and trainer, Colin is founder of one of the world's most popular Photoshop resource sites, PhotoshopCAFE.com. Colin is also a regular columnist for Advanced Photoshop, Computer Arts, and Photoshop User Magazine.

About Weston Maggio
As an Adobe certified Expert in Photoshop and Wacom sales manager, Wes is an authority on Photoshop instruction, and has taught and held workshops at PhotoshopWorld, Seybold, Macworld, and PMA.

Wacom Tablets and Photoshop CS3 - Special Discount Price
PhotoshopSecrets - Wacom Tablets and Photoshop CS3 - $39.99 - (DVD version)
PhotoshopSecrets - Wacom Tablets and Photoshop CS3 - $39.99 - (instant download)

Don't have Photoshop CS3 yet? Get Photoshop CS3 now at the Adobe Store. This DVD training is also available for earlier versions. Here are the links:
PhotoshopSecrets Wacom Tablets and Photoshop - $39.99 - (DVD version)
PhotoshopSecrets Wacom Tablets and Photoshop - $39.99 - (instant download)

3 Free Photoshop Actions - Plus Photo FX Actions Discount

Gavin Phillips, creator of some very popular FX Photoshop Actions, has set up a new special discount deal for all PhotoshopSupport visitors, plus he is offering 3 free Actions that you can test drive and keep. Here are the details from Gavin:



"Our creative Photoshop Actions and short Flash movies enable you to create elegant imagery in minutes. Our Actions incorporate dozens of steps in Photoshop that you can apply by simply clicking a button. In addition to the Photoshop Actions, our short Flash movies give you other creative ways to use our actions, explain a technique or finish what the Action started. Our specialized program has been published by the 'Professional Photographers of America' (PPA) twice as well as in other publications. Try my 3 Photoshop Actions for free. They produce the effects above (from left to right — Infrared, Toned and Softly).

"We offer 4 sets of Photoshop Actions and Flash movies and we are offering a special discount for a limited time. Purchase one set of Photoshop Actions and get a second set for free. Visit the special Actions discount page for details."

Gavin has also kindly written up a nice Photoshop Actions Tutorial that will give you a quick course on Photoshop Actions.

Logitech G15 Keyboard With 18 Programmable Keys - Photoshop Keyboard

In response to our post on X-keys Stick, one of our readers, Gordon, sent in a tip that the Logitech G15 Keyboard was the same price and had a lot more features. Well he's totally right. This is a monster, and here's the scoop on it:

The Logitech G15 Keyboard offers programmability, and control. The programmable G Keys let you execute macros, and illuminated characters are easily visible in both bright and low-light conditions, with three levels of backlighting brightness are great for lights-out work.

You can create and save new macros with a press of a button, and the 18 fully programmable "G Keys" have three shift states for 54 possible custom macros. Intelligently route mouse, headset, or other cables using convenient channels under the keyboard. Super robust keys are rated to 20 million key presses — twice the durability of normal keyboard keys. Detachable palmrest provides ergonomic comfort for long sessions.

Everyone's looking for the best Photoshop keyboard, and this might be it. The list price is $99.99, but you can get The Logitech G15 Keyboard at Amazon.com for only $71.98.

Photoshop Brush Goodies From Stephanie - Trees Brush Set And A Tutorial On Removing Transparency

Brush creator Stephanie of Obsidian Dawn has posted another free set of Photoshop brushes for your downloading pleasure — Trees Photoshop Brushes. Here's what she says:

"This is a set I’ve been meaning to do forever, but just kept getting distracted and/or frustrated. Trees are a hard thing to get just right, let me tell ya... so this one was a long time in coming. Most of them turned out really well, I think!"

The Trees Photoshop Brushes consists of 26 brushes made up of various trees and includes a bonsai, a palm, numerous dead or leafless trees, tons of "leafy" trees, several pines, a few oriental trees, and a willow.

While you're at her site treat yourself to a sweet little tutorial that Stephanie has recently posted, Removing Transparency from Brushes (Photoshop, PSP, GIMP). From the intro:

"Some brushes were made to be transparent, others were not. And because of the nature of Photoshop (or PSP/GIMP) brushes, sometimes they end up looking that way when they shouldn’t. This tutorial will explain how to remove the transparency from brushes, when needed. It is the single most important concept in making brushes look realistic.

"The tutorial has been made with Photoshop in mind, but these principles are all very basic. If you understand how to use layers in PSP (Paint Shop Pro) or GIMP, you should be able to follow along with this tutorial."

You can find more of Stephanie's Photoshop brushes on our Photoshop brushes page.

Photoshop Training - Total Training Online - 20% Discount

Total Training has launched it's online video training service and it is now live. There's a 2 day guest pass that will be useful in determining whether this training works for you. If it does, there are a variety of subscription packages available.

Below are 3 subscriptions that deal with Photoshop CS2 and CS3, the Creative Suite apps, print design and web design: (NOTE: you can apply our exclusive discount code to these subscriptions and receive a 20% savings. Simply use promotion code save20pss in your shopping cart.)

Total Training Online: Adobe Library ($199.99)
Become an Adobe ace. Gain access to our complete library of online training videos for Adobe software. Courses include:

Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional
Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional
Adobe Illustrator CS2
Adobe InCopy CS2
Adobe InDesign CS2
Adobe Photoshop CS2
Advanced Adobe Photoshop CS2
Adobe Creative Suite 2: From Design to Delivery
Adobe Photoshop CS3: Essentials
Adobe Illustrator CS3: Essentials
Adobe InDesign CS3: Essentials
Adobe CS3 Design: Workflow
Adobe CS3 Print: Workflow
Adobe Illustrator CS3: Advanced
Advanced Dreamweaver 8
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8
Advanced Flash Professional 8: ActionScript
Macromedia Flash Professional 8
Adobe GoLive CS2
Advanced Flash Professional 8: Next Level ActionScript
Website Design: Extreme Website Makeover
Adobe Flash Lite 2.1: Creating Mobile Applications
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3: Essentials
Adobe Flash CS3 Professional: Essentials
Adobe Flash CS3 Professional: ActionScript 3 Essentials
Adobe CS3 Web Design: Workflow
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3: From GoLive to Dreamweaver CS3
Adobe Fireworks CS3
Adobe Flash CS3 Professional: Flash Animation
Adobe Flex 2: Rich Internet Applications
Adobe Flex 2: Advanced Visual Programming

Total Training Online: Adobe Creative Suite - Design Library ($149.99)
Take your designs to new heights. This compilation of Adobe Creative Suite 3 training videos is geared for the designer. Discover how to optimize your work for print, web, and mobile publishing applications.

Total Training Online: Adobe Creative Suite - Web Library ($149.99)
Evolve your website with this assortment of Adobe Creative Suite 3 web training videos. Learn how to create interactive websites, applications, user interfaces, presentations, and mobile device content.

Photoshop Tutorial From Ivan Raszl - How To Create TV Scan Lines

Ivan Raszl of CreativeBits has written another one of his Photoshop tutorials, this time dealing with using Photoshop to create TV scan lines. Here's the intro, an image, and a link to the full tutorial.

"TV scan lines — see example below — is a quick effect that will make your most boring images look trendy and cool. It is a pixel perfect effect, so it is mainly recommended for screen use. Basically, what you do is create a mesh of horizontal lines on a layer above your image that hides every second row of pixels. Here is a step by step tutorial and some extra ideas..."



Read the full tutorial — How To Create A TV Scan Lines Effect In Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Version 1.1 Released

Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom version 1.1, which you can download immediately as a free upgrade from the Adobe site. Photoshop Lightroom 1.1 for Mac is a 22.5 MB download, and Photoshop Lightroom 1.1 for Windows is a 30.7 MB download. New features include flexible image management for multi-computer workflows, an improved noise reduction and sharpening technology, compatibility with Windows Vista, and new camera support.

Adobe Lightroom is available in the US and Canada through the Adobe Store.

Looking for the scoop on all the new features of Lightroom 1.1? Here are some great resources for you:

Scott Gilbertson at Wired has written a Lightroom 1,1 article. Scott says "You probably won’t notice any great changes in the interface when you install the update, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t significant improvements. Most of the changes are on the fine grained controls and image editing options.

"An extensive list of changes (PDF - 65 KB) can be found on the Adobe site and there really is far more than I can cover in a single post, but here’s some of the highlights I’ve noticed in the last hour or so of testing:

• The application feels faster, switching between modules is quicker and when scrolling through the library thumbnails snap into focus much quicker (note I’m using a Macbook with one gig of RAM, YMMV).
• Vastly improved sharpening tools. In the Develop module the sharpening slider has been replaced with four individual controls (Amount, Radius, Detail, and Masking). This could be a mixed bag, on one hand you have more fine-grained control on the other hand it takes longer — it would nice if this were a “advanced” option.
• “Clarity” controls. A new Develop module feature which Adobe says “adds depth to an image by increasing local contrast.” I haven’t had time to really get the hang of it, but in certain situations it can give images that extra “pop” that editors are always asking for.
• The cataloging system has been revamped and you can now import images from one catalog for use in another (see the new menu item File >> Import For Catalog)
• New metadata browsing option. Images can be sorted by things like camera, lens, aperture, ISO etc.

Over at Lightroom-News you'll find some extensive coverage. Here's one valuable resource they are offering: "To coincide with the announcement of the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.1 update, Lightroom-News, in conjunction with The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book, will be bringing you a complete guide to the new version of Lightroom as a series of eight feature stories. These will be published over the next two to three weeks starting with a guide to the general menu items in Lightroom 1.1."

The first post, The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book 1.1 update: General menu items common to all modules, includes info on the following:

• Exporting catalogs • Importing catalogs • Catalog export and import in action • Limitations when excluding negatives • Export/Import summary • Managing multiple catalogs • Catalog settings preferences • Catalog info • Relaunch and optimize • File handling settings • Metadata settings • Auto completion options

• Metadata saving and Bridge behavior • Lightroom 1.1 and Camera Raw 4.1 • Viewing Lightroom edits in Camera Raw • Viewing Camera Raw edits in Lightroom • Keeping the Lightroom edits in sync • Synchronizing Lightroom and Camera Raw • Importing from disk/device • Exporting keyword hierarchy • Filtering images • Select by rating/flag/color label • Help menu • Accessing the presets folder

Free Photoshop Brush Set From Stephanie - Swirls & Flourishes ll

Brush designer Stephanie of Obsidian Dawn has released another free set of Photoshop brushes on her site — Swirls & Flourishes ll Photoshop Brushes. Here's what she says:

"I've got yet another new brush set out, Swirls & Flourishes II. My first swirls set was mostly just swirls, but this one is much more interesting. Along with the swirls (which are all original designs), there are flowers, circles, dots, and various other ornamental elements added. The end result is a brush set full of some really gorgeous stuff! Most of these will work wonderfully as corner brushes or accents."

This free Photoshop brush set contains 23 brushes. You can find more of Stephanie's Photoshop brushes on our Photoshop brushes page.

Adobe Bridge CS3 Update Released By Adobe

Adobe has released an update to Adobe Bridge CS3. Available in all six editions of Adobe Creative Suite 3 software and all professional Adobe creative applications, Bridge provides centralized access to project files, applications, and settings, as well as XMP metadata tagging and searching capabilities.

The update is available through Bridge via the Help menu > Updates and also through Adobe.com, for Mac and for Windows.

Photoshop Plugin Mask Pro 4.1 Upgrade Now Available

Mask Pro 4.1 now supports 16-bit images, Photoshop CS3 and Intel-based Macintosh computers. Several new "Show Me How" video tutorials are built right in the product, as well as 1.5 hours of training videos available for free on Lynda.com.

If you are the owner of a previous version of Mask Pro, you automatically qualify for the lowest upgrade price available. Mask Pro 4.1 is recommended by Advanced Photoshop magazine as the easiest way to mask in Photoshop. And here are two other blurbs from recent reviews:

"Once you've tried Mask Pro, you'll never want to go back to the old way of making masks and selections."
— MacWorld UK, May 2007

"[Mask Pro] provides a very easy technique for improving the quality of your isolated objects, making them more believable on any new background."
— Advanced Photoshop magazine, May 2007

Exclusive 10% Discount
Enter discount coupon code PSSPPT06 during the checkout process for an instant 10% discount exclusively for PhotoshopSupport.com visitors. Mask Pro 4 is available from onOne Software.

Photoshop CS3 Upgrade Options And Bundles From The Adobe Store

Photoshop CS3 Extended is ideal for film, video, and multimedia pros and for graphic and web designers using 3D and motion. Get the full version for US $999, or upgrade for US $349. The standard version of Photoshop CS3 is available for US $649, or as an upgrade for US $199. See all upgrade options at the Adobe Store. See our CS3 Resource Center for free Photoshop CS3 tutorials.

Photoshop Extended is also available as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, which combines all-new CS3 versions of Photoshop, Flash Pro, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat 8 Pro. Upgrade options for customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can be found at the Adobe International Store.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Available At The Adobe Store

There are tons of new features in Adobe Lightroom 1.0 that you won't find in the beta version. From Clone and Healing functionality to metadata browsing, you'll be able to free-up post-processing time like never before. Get it now at the Adobe Store. Customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can find special pricing and offers at the Adobe International Store. For free Lightroom tutorials see our Lightroom tutorials page.

Alien Skin Software — Photoshop Plugins — Special 10% & 20% Discounts On All Alien Skin Photoshop Plugins

Our friends at Alien Skin Software have set us up with an exclusive special offer discount link that will give you some sweet savings at their online store.

Just follow this link and you'll see 10% and 20% price drops on their products when you get to the Alien Skin Online Store area (excludes the Eye Candy Bundle, which is already discounted at $199). This special offer includes a discount on Eye Candy: Textures, Eye Candy: Nature, Eye Candy: Impact, Exposure, and their latest release — Blow Up.

Blow Up – $199 – our price $179
Exposure – $199 – our price $179
Eye Candy 5: Impact – $99 – our price $79
Eye Candy 5: Nature – $99 – our price $79
Eye Candy 5: Textures – $99 – our price $79

A Thank You To Our Friends, Partners & Sponsors!

We'd like to thank our friends, partners and sponsors: Adobe, Google, Hostway, Apple, Total Training, Peachpit Press, O'Reilly Media, Alien Skin Software, Janita, Wiley Publishing, Macromedia, Creativepro.com, CreativeBits, Heathrowe, CreativeGuy, The Photoshop Roadmap, Power Retouche Plugins, Vertus Fluid Mask, Template Monster, onOne Software, AV Bros. Plugins, Sue Chastain, Mark Galer, and AutoFX.