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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.
October 26, 2007
Halloween is soon soon soon so here we go with some nice frightening music (100 songs!) via CreativeTechs, plus some great Halloween wallpapers from Smashing Magazine. Look below for lots more Photoshop goodies as well. See ya at the monster mash!
Veerle's Blog
Apple Leopard text effects
One thing I’m impressed with about Apple’s new system GUI in Leopard is the “inset effect” on the text in combination with the new window chrome. Several people asked me about my opinion on Leopards GUI and I thought I combine this with another question I received on how to create this “inset effect” on text. So I’ve decided to investigate this subtle effect further via Photoshop layer effects as well as Illustrator’s effects.
Imaging Insider
A Quick Trip from Lightroom to Photoshop
James Duncan Davidson writes, “As the photographer for O’Reilly conferences the last three years, I’ve had lots of opportunities to make photographs of Tim O’Reilly. Most of these photographs are standard stage fare with front lighting and general stage props. They get the job done, to be sure, but I’ve been trying different things over time to make a more unique shot. At the Web 2.0 Summit last week, almost everything lined up just right and I had the opportunity to make a photograph of Tim that I really like.”
Nick Casey’s X-Ray Photography
Nick Casey has created a series of x-ray images that are not only technically excellent but he has also created a striking portfolio. So, check out the work of this imaginative European and see if you don’t agree that he’s creating something that Madame Currie would be proud of.
A Slew of Macro Tutorials
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about macro photography take a look at this rather extensive list of articles. You’ll come up to speed very quickly learning tricks that are commonly used by photographers.
Epic Edits
Five Fantastic Flickr Photographers
As I’ve recently become more active with Flickr, I’ve encountered some amazing photographers. I realize that I’ve only seen a glimpse of the artists out there, and I’m truly excited to continue exploring this community. Out of my 100+ contacts (which isn’t many at all), I find myself being drawn to the works of a select few. Here are five photographers who absolutely amaze me.
CreativeTechs
Classic Halloween Vinyl Records on MP3s
We always try to dig up something fun for our annual Halloween issue. This year's find is my favorite yet. It will be a hard one to top! Jason at the Scar Stuff blog has tracked down and recorded MP3s from almost 100 old spooky, corny and kitschy vinyl records from the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. If you are the right age, you might remember a few of these classics from your own childhood LP collections. The entire MP3 collection is available for free — just in time for Halloween. Download your favorites to your iPod, or burn CD's right from your computer.
LightroomNews
SlideShowPro coming to Lightroom
The SlideShowPro plugin fits right into Lightroom’s “Web module” workspace, which is where you can export/upload HTML/Flash photo galleries using your Lightroom content. You simply decide what size you want your slideshow to be, how you want it to be styled, and Lightroom publishes all the XML data, HTML, and imagery for you. It all works beautifully, and will (hopefully) be of interest to new customers (especially those without Flash or web development experience) as well as existing users of the Flash component.
Graphics.com
Photoshop Fundamentals: Use Brush Strokes for a Hand-drawn Effect
Draw upon Photoshop to give your photos that illustrated look and achieve dramatic results using Photoshop's own filters and brushes. For the hand-drawn effect shown here, pick a color to use for each section of the photo. For our mysterious male, we chose a brown to add drama. Stipple the color to give the photo texture and a wet look. We kept to a two-color palette for the photo of the man, but of course you can select more color.
Smashing Magazine
Halloween Round-Up: Wallpapers And Tutorials
Since you probably want to set a perfect mood for your coming Halloween party, you might want to set up the party on your weblog as well. So if you are planning on some little redesign you might need some Halloween icons. Besides, what is the Halloween without a scary Halloween wallpaper on your desktop or some fancy decoration for your laptop? To help you to set the scary mood we’ve decided to present some of the most beautiful wallpapers, icons, Halloween art works, modding methods, costumes, recipes and tutorials for your party.
PSDTuts.com
Making a Print-Ready Business Card Using Only Photoshop
In this tutorial we are going to design up a simple business card in Photoshop and get it ready for print with crop marks and bleed. Normally you’d do some of this with a tool like InDesign but it is in fact possible to get by with just our trusty old Photoshop.
Over at our sister site FreelanceSwitch, there is a competition to make business cards using vectors from a special Arsenal sample pack. So if you’d like to Win $370 worth of vector gear, head over and put in your entry! I actually had to make an example card for the write up, and while making it, decided to write a tutorial for what I was doing (which is what you are about to read )
Applying a Realistic Tattoo
In this tutorial I will be demonstrating an advanced technique to achieve a realistic tattoo. We will be using masks, adjustment layers, displacement maps and several brushing skills will be applied. So the first thing I did was that I went looking for a good stock image. I wanted a face with a lot of detail such as facial hair, expression and most importantly; pores! I tend to get my stock images from www.sxc.hu . Next thing we need is a tattoo design. You can create your own but I am not only poor, I am lazy as well. Head over to gomedia.us and get your hands on their Vector Sample Pack (from the Freebie Section).
Brusheezy
Schematics by Dex Multimedia
Photoshop Brush (21 in set). These brushes are a collection of schematics of random electronics but mostly of robotic controllers. Some wire-frame diagrams and schematic text.
PixelPerfect with Bert Monroy
Twisted
Bert answers some viewer mail requesting a way to make a double helix or twisted wire. Using illustrator and the powerful pattern brush, he takes us through the steps from a wavy line to a realistic wire effect.
BittBox
Illustrator Brush-Making Tip: Colorization Method
Making a custom brush in Illustrator can be easy and frustrating at the same time. No matter which type of brush you create, one of the most important settings to pay attention to is the ‘colorization method.’ If you don’t change the colorization method from the default setting, you won’t be able to customize the colors of your (custom) brush strokes later. Here’s what you need to do...
As always, a special Batgirl thank you to James Jean
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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.
Special Offer - Fluid Mask - Photoshop Masking Plugin
Fluid Mask is based on breakthrough segmentation technology inspired by the way the eye, optic nerve and brain perform visual processing. When an image is loaded, Fluid Mask's segmentation engine analyses the distribution of colors, finding the natural groups within the image. Together with information calculated about edges, gradients and textures, a model is constructed which divides the images into objects.
Vertus Software is offering Fluid Mask at the special 'friends and partner' discounted rate. This is an exclusive offer to visitors of PhotoshopSupport.com. To qualify, visit the Fluid Mask Discount Price page. Find out more about Fluid Mask on our special Fluid Mask Page.
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.
Essentially, Photoshop is a no-holds-barred design studio, offering the artist a seemingly endless array of creative options. On the other hand, HTML, CSS, Java and the like follow strict rules of engagement, requiring the developer to take any number of esoteric concerns into consideration in order to ensure that designs are properly displayed on the web.
Turn Photoshop Into A Complete Web Design Tool
SiteGrinder seeks to bridge this gap between design and development. Basically, this program turns Photoshop into an easy-to-use and fully functional web design tool. With SiteGrinder, designers will now have the freedom to totally let their creativity loose and then, without skipping a beat, transfer their designs to the web. Bringing esthetic concerns together with more practical considerations, this program is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks.
Generate Your Web Pages Directly From Photoshop
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.
Photoshop CS3 Book - CS3 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
Brimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS3. If you are an aspiring professional, enthusiastic amateur photographer, or a student learning photography, digital imaging, art and design, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve. A DVD is included free.
The Essential Skills Photography Series from Focal Press uniquely offers a structured learning experience for photographers of all ages, with both the underlying theory and loads of invaluable 'how to' and real-life practice projects - all from the most talented photography practitioners/educators in the world.
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Adjusting Exposure in Adobe Camera Raw CS3
Photoshop CS3 Tutorial High Dynamic Range
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Photoshop CS2 Book - Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
An inspirational and user-friendly guide to creative image editing, Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills provides direction for photographers and designers alike who have ventured into the realm of the 'digital darkroom.' The book offers a progressive curriculum to guide you through Photoshop with a series of clear, step-by-step projects designed to place knowledge into a practical context.
Whether you simply want to retouch an image, create a glamour makeover or create a highly sophisticated montage - this book will give you the essential skills to complete the work to a professional standard.
Read 2 free sample chapters:
How To Sharpen An Image In Photoshop — Advanced Sharpening Techniques
Working With Shadows In Photoshop - Advanced Shadow Techniques
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Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills (Amazon.com - $20.76 - save 37%)
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Total Training for Adobe Photoshop
Learn Adobe Photoshop with 21 hours of interactive Adobe Photoshop tutorials. This is training for real-world situations and includes additional tips and techniques used by the pros.
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