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The Photoshop Blog offers the latest Photoshop news and software updates, Photoshop tips and tutorials, and random thoughts from graphic artist and Photoshop expert Jennifer Apple.
WEDNESDAY - JUNE 28 2006
StockVault - Free Stock Photos And Textures - Interview
We're pleased to offer you an interview with Bjorgvin Gudmundsson, the mastermind behind one of our favorite free stock photography sites, StockVault. You'll get to know the background of the site and its creator, so you'll have a better idea about where your photos are coming from. You wouldn't want to download a stock photo from just anyone, now would you?
Read on for a transcript of our conversation, and when you're done, stick around and take a look at our extensive collection of free photo resources on our Free Stock Photos Page.
What is the easiest way to find a specific image when I'm pressed for time?
Go to the www.stockvault.net main page and use the "Quick Search" form in the page header to search for your keyword. If you can't find what you are looking for you can try and search our categories for that specific image, since a small fraction of our gallery is still not keyworded.
What about if I need an image that you don't have featured? Can I make a special request?
Yes, you can use the suggestion form in the header area to suggest an image. We will do our best to get these shots, but we can't promise anything, unfortunately.
Are your photos free to use for my own personal design needs? What about commercially — if I'm running my own design firm and need something for a client's project, for example?
All the images in the gallery are free for personal and educational purposes. We do not sell the images, nor allow them to be used commercially.
Where do you find most of your photos?
Most of the images were taken by me personally, and I also have a small group of great photographers that submit their own images on a semi-regular basis.
I have a number of photographs that I think would be useful for your site's directory. Do you accept submissions?
Yes we do, if the images were taken by you and don't brake any copyright laws. Please contact me for more information on how to become a submitter.
What is your personal/professional background with digital photography and design?
I've been designing since 1998. I studied Multimedia Integration back in 2000, and have worked both as a full time designer and had my own agency for a few years. Photography has been a hobby of mine for many years, and it's what I use most of my limited spare time on.
What made you want to start StockVault.net?
At the time, back in 2001 the need for free textures and photos amongst designers who were into Photoshop Battles (tennis) was increasing by the day. There weren't many good free stock photo resources around and that's when I started building a small image gallery at my personal site b-man.dk.
A few years later I started stockvault.net and the gallery has been growing ever since. Another reason is my interest in design and photography, I always wanted to make my own free stock photo site.
What makes StockVault.net stand out from the rest of its counterparts in the stock photo site field?
I think that our images are always getting better and better. We are not trying to compete with sites such as sxc.hu, which has tens of thousands of photos. I would like to think that Stockvault.net has more to offer than just stock photos, as we offer tutorials, articles and other webmaster resources.
We are always experimenting with new things, and we have the Drive to keep it up in the future. You can expect Stockvault.net to continue to grow and change in the near future. I have big plans for it.
Well thanks Bjorgvin — and continued success in all that you do!
Visit StockVault.net.
For more Free Stock Photo sites, see our Free Stock Photos Page.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments
Lost Your Cursor? Find It Fast!
Photoshop's cursors can be easy to lose onscreen, especially if you're working on a big screen or with the crosshair cursor (meaning you have the Caps Lock key engaged).
Well, the next time you're working on an image, and say to yourself, "Hey, where the heck is my cursor?" (but you use a different word in place of "heck"), try this-just hold the Spacebar down for a moment. This temporarily changes your cursor into the Hand tool, whose icon is larger, white, and easy to see. Once it appears, you'll see right where your cursor is, and you can release the Spacebar.
reprinted by permission and sponsored by the NAPP
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments
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Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended feature a newly refined, tab-based interface in a single, integrated window, with self-adjusting panels arranged in docked groups. Automatically keeping tools well organized and away from your work area means you get greater efficiency, less clutter, and better results, faster than before.
Delivering all the features of Adobe Photoshop CS4 software, including the new Adjustments and Masks panels, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended also provides breakthrough 3D editing and compositing power to paint directly on 3D models, create 3D animations, convert 2D images to 3D objects, and more; richer motion graphics editing; and more powerful and flexible image analysis and tracking. Learn more on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page. To download the free trial, see details on our Photoshop CS4 Free Trial Download Page.
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Did You Know You Could Create An Entire Website In Photoshop?
SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites Instantly
There often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.
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By generating web pages directly from Photoshop, you'll be able to spend much more time on the creative end of the spectrum, since you'll know right off the bat how well particular designs will translate to the web. No more going back to the Photoshop drawing board after getting a phone call from your development team, telling you that what you had envisioned doesn't have a chance of being displayed on the web. You can immediately visually and interactively test your designs, which permits you to then make changes to either esthetics or functions while it's still relatively early on in the design process.
Pricing and Availability
Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download. SiteGrinder can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Available At The Adobe Store
Adobe has announced the immediate availability of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software, the photographer's essential toolbox for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in non-destructive localized image correction, and streamlined search capabilities, Photoshop Lightroom 2 is a compelling upgrade that simplifies photography from shoot to finish. Visit the Adobe site to download a free 30 day Photoshop Lightroom trial free download.
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