This issue is in memory of Luna...
'Frames And Borders' Photoshop Brush Set From Kirsty
Kirsty sends this in: "It's new brush set time! I think this new set might be quite useful to some of you: Frames and Borders.
"As always you can find it at the following address: 500ml Brushes. Happy Holidays!"
The Frames and Borders Photoshop brush set contains 11 large brushes of frames and borders, most from sxc.hu. You'll find more of Kirsty's super beautiful brushes on our Photoshop brushes page.
Free Calendar Templates For 2007
The nice people at Canon have set up a great mini site filled with some free Calendar templates that are easy to download and print. These are 2007 Calendars, all prepared for you and ready to go. Just browse through the collection and choose a motif. These are totally ready-made and come in various orientations, and you get to choose from 3D Vertical, 3D Horizontal, A4 / A3 / Letter, 4 x 6, and Photoframe. Of course it wouldn't be difficult to take some of these templates into Photoshop and then add your own images, and the Photoframe series is already set up for you to do just that.
If you're feeling insecure about your photographic skills, spend some time at Flickr, look for licenses that allow non-commercial use, and then download and insert the photos into the templates. Just drop your images in, adjust to your liking, hit print — et voilà! — you're all set for another 12 months of calendar happiness!
Alien Skin Snap Art - A Photoshop Plugin For Instant Artistic Effects
Alien Skin's new Photoshop plugin Snap Art creates beautiful, natural media artwork in a single step. This ten filter plug-in set includes effects for oil paint, pencil sketch, pen & ink, comics, color pencil, and more, and is capable of creating an unlimited variety of real-world art styles. For the advanced user there are detailed controls available to fine tune a composition.
Artists often use an underdrawing to outline key objects within a composition. This lightly drawn sketch serves as a guide, and it is usually painted or drawn over in the final composition.
Snap Art's advanced edge detection accomplishes the same goal, intelligently determining the shapes of the objects in the original image. Using this outline, Snap Art’s advanced paint engine strokes and fills the image with brushes and colors specified by the interface controls. This enables realistic reproduction of detail, but balances realism with convincing artistry.
Like other Alien Skin plug-ins, Snap Art includes many helpful usability features. First, there are keyboard shortcuts similar to those found in Photoshop. The online help and the Quick Start Guide include a complete list. Next, Snap Art includes filter-specific help. The F1 or Help key launches the online manual.
Snap Art is also scriptable with Photoshop Actions. Applying a setting to a folder of images as part of a batch process will quickly give them all a hand-crafted look. For photographers importing RAW files, Snap Art supports 16-bit images.
As Alien Skin states, Snap Art features a variety of brushes, pencils, pastels, and pens, as well as an assortment of canvas and paper types, and includes hundreds of presets that can generate artwork with a single click. So after a few minutes in a hassle-free installation, I was ready to go.
For the purposes of this review I decided to use the same image for the various effects I would try. 
I took my favorite holiday image (Peter Bower's snow and trees shot, which is the image on the right) and I zapped it in Snap Art.
The first sample image you see below was created from the Pencil Sketch Effect set.
Once inside the control panel for Snap Art's pencil sketch effect, I tried a variety of defaults and finally settled on "assorted - dense hard pencil." A few seconds later I had my newly drawn artwork in front of me and I was totally impressed. The fine detail and the balance of light and shadow were superb. I was also very happy with the "vibe" of the piece. It had a truly natural feeling that's hard to achieve with some of the other art effect plugins that are on the market.
Next I went for a filter called Impasto, an oil painting style that features a thick, textured application of paint that actually highlights the marks made by the painting brush or knife. I clicked on the default set listed as "assorted - more detail" and again, I was completely impressed with the results.
I found the effect subtle, not at all overdone, but the best part for me was that I could actually make out the original source file, which is the real challenge and what makes or breaks these type of effect filters. I want to maintain the original look as much as possible, and layer the effect over it, instead of having the piece transformed beyond recognition.
Of course many of the effects offered in Snap Art can be achieved through a series of manual steps in Photoshop, but they need to be followed exactly, and they often take quite a bit of time. Also, doing it step by step leaves you retracing your steps when you're not quite satisfied with your results, whereas with this plugin and the incredible variety of options, you can really go wild trying literally thousands of variations. That's the beauty of well-programmed, well thought-out plugins, and Snap Art definitely falls into that category.
The rendering time in the preview pane was not as fast as I would have liked, but of course as you become more familiar with the plugin, you'll find getting the look you're after will become much more intuitive — with much less time spent twiddling with the slider settings.
Again, the beauty of this plugin is in the quality output, the simple interface, and the whole concept of a "one-step" push button solution, which makes a designer's life a real pleasure. Of course part of that pleasure might be in keeping the plugin a secret. Need to mimic a Van Gogh painting, you say? What was that - by this afternoon? That's not going to be a problem with this plugin set.
The only thing missing is a mouse pad shaped like a palette and a beret — to celebrate my newly acquired artistic skills that this plugin delivers.
Snap Art is selling for $149, but we have a special discount link from Alien Skin, so you can get Snap Art at a special discounted price of $129. For more info, including a quick overview of the 10 filters in the Snap Art set, a list of key features, an overview of the Snap Art interface, and Snap Art host requirements, see out Snap Art Product Page.
Total Training For Photoshop Elements 5
Total Training has released Total Training For Photoshop Elements 5, a new 6 hour DVD video series designed to help users master the extensive, sometimes hidden capabilities of Photoshop Elements 5. The lessons teach practical and real-world techniques for editing photos and creating impressive designs, and are for levels beginner to advanced.
The series starts with an overview of how to use the Quick Fix mode, correct colors, and import the raw image data from a digital camera. You'll also learn how to fix defects in an image, sharpen the focus, and add high-resolution text. The series also shows you how to load the cleaned up photos onto an iPod or cell phone.
Other highlights include discovering how to sort and organize large quantities of images using Photoshop Elements, learning how to create beautiful digital paintings from scratch, and learning how to create a digital scrapbook and then how to post it online.
The presenter, Chad Perkins, is a professional software educator and an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop CS2. Before becoming a freelance consultant, educator, and designer, Chad was a Digital 3D and Animation Specialist, and produced work for many Fortune 500 and Hollywood-based companies.
Total Training For Photoshop Elements 5 is priced at $49.99, but you can use our special discount link for an immediate 20% discount. This package also includes a special bonus. Details are at the Total Training site.
The Importance Of Photoshop CS3 Public Beta - A Photographer’s Perspective
Our friend Mark Galer has written an extensive article on the features of Photoshop CS3, from a photographer's point of view. The article also includes lots of screenshots of CS3 in action. From the introduction...
Unless you have been hiding in a cupboard somewhere high in the Andes you have probably heard by now that Adobe has released a public beta of Photoshop CS3. As a beta tester (prior to this pubic release) I have been working with this software for some time now and would strongly recommend that you download this beta before Photoshop CS3 goes on sale. For G4 Mac laptop owners, and for those Mac users who have invested in the new Mac hardware sporting the new Intel chips, this public beta is your Christmas present from Adobe. Even if we stop talking about the new features that this public beta offers, the software delivers the speed you have probably been yearning for now. You can download the beta from the following URL: http://labs.adobe.com/
“Does this new version of Photoshop represent a major or a minor upgrade?”
Professional photographers, believe it or not, don’t always upgrade every time there is a new version of Photoshop. Adobe, of course, say that all versions of Photoshop have been important revisions in the history of the software, as they don’t ‘slack off’ during any single developmental period. There are versions, however, when the feature set that is implemented has a significant effect on the photographer’s workflow. In this current climate of change, where implementing and managing an effective digital workflow is critical to the success of a commercial photographer, this new release does indeed represent a significant step forward for photographers. Although a lot of the new features in this release can be found in other applications, what is significant for this release is the way that Adobe has integrated them into a single software package and created a more effective workflow.
Read The Importance Of Photoshop CS3 Public Beta - A Photographer’s Perspective
lynda.com Announces Photoshop CS3 Beta One-on-One Preview
lynda.com has announced the availability of free online video tutorials, titled Photoshop CS3 Beta One-on-One Preview, with best-selling Photoshop One-on-One book author Deke McClelland.
Photoshop CS3 Beta One-on-One Preview offers a personal video tour through a series of real-world examples that illustrate each of the key features and enhancements in the Photoshop CS3 Beta. Major and minor features alike are covered in meticulous detail.
“For the first time in history, Adobe has released a public beta of their flagship product, Photoshop,” says Lynda Weinman, CEO of lynda.com. “Deke McClelland has been the top selling book author on Photoshop for years, and has authored, in partnership with the lynda.com Online Training Library, the first published training on this subject in the industry. Two exciting firsts! Video publishing makes getting our learning tools to market as fast as software can be released; we are watching history in the making as software releases and training releases accelerate beyond what has ever before been possible.”
In another first, lynda.com is also publishing this title free to anyone, for a limited time.
Anyone with an Internet connection can access Photoshop Photoshop CS3 Beta One-on-One Preview by visiting the lynda.com Online Training Library.
How To Make Simple Panoramas In Photoshop
Our friend Peter Bowers has sent in another nice tutorial, this one on how to create simple panoramas using Photoshop. Read on...
This is a tutorial on stitching two images together using Photoshop Elements 5 (or the full version of Photoshop). There are lots of stitching programs out there, but this method offers a lot of flexibility. I first started doing this to extend the Field of View (FoV) of the kit lens that came with the D70, but there are other advantages to doing this as well: increased Depth of Field, better dynamic range, and a larger image than you would normally be able to create.
Start by taking two images, one of mostly the sky, and another of mostly the foreground, remember to have some overlap, and include the horizon on both images. Here's the Sky:
Notice that the tree on the left is leaning significantly, and that I've included the horizon... be careful to make the horizon as level as possible. Here's the Foreground:
So, to correct the images, first expand the canvas, Image> Resize> Canvas... increase by about 25% (I like to have a black background), flatten layers, then open the (new) camera distortion tool: Filter> Correct Camera Distortion and adjust the vertical perspective and you can adjust the barrel distortion to make sure the horizon is flat since that will be the stitch line. Crop accordingly. Here's the corrected/cropped image of the sky:
And here's the foreground, note that the tree in both images is now vertical:
Make sure that both images are level : View> Grid and Image> Rotate> Custom.
Now choosing one of the images, grow the canvas again (Image> Resize> Canvas Size) so that you can place the other image on top of it and move it into place -- you'll want to grow the canvas significantly, especially vertically.
Copy the other image (Ctrl+A,Ctrl+C) and paste it on to the other image (Ctrl+V). Adjust the opacity (in the layers palette) of the top image to 50% so that you can see through the top image to see the bottom image to line up the stitch. Now use the Move tool to move the top image into place... this is where having expanded the canvas size of the bottom image is important, otherwise you'll be cropping out the top image. At this point you may want to also use the Free Transform tool to further tweak the top image to get it to line up (Image> Transform> Free Transform).
Now you need to use the Erase Tool to erase the part of the top image that you don't want -- so if the top layer is the sky, you'll want to carefully erase (using a hard brush) the parts of the sky image below the dark horizon. When you're finished, adjust the opacity back to 100% and if you're happy with the result, Flatten Layers, and save your project.
So here's the result:
Make sure to visit Peter Bower's Flickr sets to see all of his amazing photography.
Exclusive Special Offer - Fluid Mask 2.0 - $189
Fluid Mask 2.0 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 of just $189 - PLUS free upgrades for the next 6 months.
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.
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
SiteGrinder 2 — Photoshop Plugin
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 2 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 2, 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 2 can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.
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.
