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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.
FRIDAY - DECEMBER 16 2005
The Exquisite Art Of James Jean - Illustrator & Painter
James Jean is a tremendously talented illustrator who uses Photoshop for much of his work. On his site JamesJean.com you can browse through his galleries and see some truly inspiring work, including his art for DC Comics Batgirl (one of my favorites!). Other clients he's worked for include the New York Times, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Simon & Schuster, Mother Jones, NYLON, Playboy, Popular Science, SPIN, Men's Health, ESPN the Magazine, Target, Marvel, and the New York Academy of Sciences. His awards include the Gold Medal Society of Illustrators LA, Eisner Award Best Cover Artist 2004 & 2005, and the Harvey Award Best Cover Artist 2005.
Being a huge fan of his work, especially because of the wide variety of style and vibe that his portfolio covers, I've been bugging James Jean to submit one of his pieces along with an interview so we could add him to our Inspiration Section — and a few days ago he sent us this magnificent illustration he created for Entertainment Weekly Magazine.
You can see a larger version of this piece on our James Jean Inspiration Page, and here are the answers to the questions I sent him:
How long did it take to create and how was Photoshop involved?
This piece was a double page spread done for the Entertainment Weekly's 2006 Holiday Movie Preview. Actual execution of the illustration was around 4 days, from drawing to digital color to final approval. Photoshop was used for color, compositing of the background, and glow effects.
How much work like this do you produce in a typical month?
I do about 8 - 12 illustrations a month -- some are more ambitious than others.
How long have you been doing this work?
I've been working as an illustrator for about 5 years.
Do you have an all-time favorite piece of work that you created?
I don't, but my sketchbooks contain some of my favorite moments.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the business?
Learn Photoshop, if only for the ability to create a website, color correct your own work, and deliver it digitally.
Have you ever thought of writing a book of tips and tutorials?
I have, though I'm not sure if I'm ready yet to reveal my secrets...
Can you give us a quick rundown of your workspace (your equipment, especially monitors), and how you deal with color management issues?
I'm using a Sony 19" LCD with XBrite @ 6500K, and for print files, I usually work in Adobe 1998 and convert to CMYK. For printing with my Epson, I convert to files to sRGB, which preserves the bright ends of the spectrum.
What are your favorite tools in Photoshop?
Lately, I've been finding color dodge a useful tool, but I mostly rely on a mixture of layer effects and layer properties to achieve some interesting and weird combinations of color and texture.
What is your all-time favorite Photoshop tip or trick?
Filter> Pixelate> Color Halftone!
Thanks for the interview James, and for all your inspiring work!
For more info and galleries, visit JamesJean.com.
Visit PROCESS/RECESS to view some of his original art and prints.
See our James Jean Inspiration Page.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments
Here's my latest collection of Photoshop links pointing to tutorials, tips and tricks, and special offers.
Download Free Colorizing Software
[From Scott Kelby] There's a new software program out there that will automatically colorize black and white photos for you, with just a little input from you.
TIP: Reset your Preferences
[From Dave Cross] A great tip on how to quickly reset your prefs if Photoshop starts acting "weird."
Adding Texture With The Clone Stamp Tool In Photoshop
[From Graphics.com] Clone photo textures repeatedly onto any part of an illustration to add realism in Photoshop.
Get America 24/7 free with PSCS2
[From John Nack] "I just got a heads up on a little promotion from the Adobe Store: if you buy or upgrade Photoshop CS2 and enter coupon number 8m11ja05 just prior to checking out, you'll get a copy of the beautiful America 24/7 coffee table book for free."
Give An Image A Weathered Look in Photoshop
[From Graphics.com] A few simple steps can transform a too-pristine image into one with a distressed treatment.
Adding Vector Graphics To A Photoshop Illustration
[From Graphics.com] Illustrator Derek Lea combines imagery created in Poser, Bryce and Illustrator within Photoshop.
TIP: Speeding Photoshop's Launch Time
[From Scott Kelby] This tip isn't for everybody — it's for people who either (a) create custom patterns for use with the Pattern Stamp Tool, or (b) load custom (or extra built-in sets) of patterns to use with the Pattern Fill Layer Style (if either of those made you go "huh?", it's probably not you).
Using Step-and-Repeat Creatively In Photoshop
[From Graphics.com] Follow along in this tutorial to put the overlooked step-and-repeat keyboard shortcut to use.
Mister Retro Updates Machine Wash Photoshop Actions
[From Graphics.com] The third volume in the series provides 60 new effects to age, weather, texturize and distress images.
As always, a big Batgirl thank you to James Jean
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments
onOne Offers Savings On Photoshop Plug-In Suite
onOne Software have announced the upcoming availability of their Photoshop Plug-in Suite, priced at $399.95. The Photoshop Plug-In Suite is a collection of professional tools and consists of Genuine Fractals 4.1, Mask Pro 3, PhotoFrame 2.5 and Intellihance Pro 4. The Suite offers a savings of more than $350 from the recommended retail price of buying the products separately.
Customers who own any one of the individual plug-ins can upgrade to the Photoshop Plug-In Suite for $299.95. The Suite consists of the following plug-ins and are all compatible with Photoshop CS2 on both Mac OS X and Windows XP:
Genuine Fractals 4.1 uses a patented, fractal-based scaling technique that provides better scaling results than any of the Bicubic interpolation methods offered in Photoshop.
PhotoFrame 2.5 allows users to create unique and stunning border and edge effects, and includes thousands of high-quality frames and textures allowing users to create an infinite combination of frames. Users can preview adjustments and blend modes in real-time.
Mask Pro 3 for creating high-quality image masks. Mask Pro 3 includes a wide variety of selection tools and real-time previews of the masking results to provide users with the widest range of options when making detailed selections in a variety of images.
Intellihance Pro 4 for intelligent image and color correction of digital images. Intellihance Pro offers users a fine degree of control over the process of color correcting and enhancing images including the ability to create custom correction presets.
Visit onOne Software fro more details.
Read our review of Genuine Fractals 4.1
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments
Photoshop CS5 & Photoshop CS5 Extended - Best Deals From Adobe
Adobe Photoshop CS5 delivers breakthrough capabilities to help you create images with impact. Refine your
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see the space fill in almost magically. Paint with naturally textured brushstrokes and realistic color blends. Learn more about Photoshop CS5.
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended software helps you create the ultimate images
for print, the web, and video. Enjoy all the state-of-the-art editing, compositing,
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fast performance thanks to cross-platform 64-bit support. Also create 3D extrusions
for logos, artwork, and motion graphics; edit 3D objects with advanced tools; and create and enhance motion-based content. Learn more about Photoshop CS5 Extended.
Find CS5 upgrade options and Creative Suite 5 deals at the Adobe Store. See CS5 pricing in UK currency at the Adobe UK Store. Visit the Adobe Special Offers page to find the latest deals. Save 80% on Adobe Student Editions. Try before you buy — download a free Photoshop CS5 trial.
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium software gives you fresh new creative tools, along
with the ability to deliver ideas faster in print and create interactive content without writing
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your design time by streamlining critical nondesign tasks.
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium combines Adobe InDesign CS5, Photoshop CS5 Extended, Illustrator CS5, Flash CS5 Professional, Dreamweaver CS5, Fireworks CS5, and Acrobat Pro with additional tools and services. Download a free CS5 Design Premium 30 day trial.
Photoshop CS5 Tutorials & CS5 Resources
See our Photoshop CS5 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS5 Tutorials, and the Free Photoshop CS5 Trial Download. See our Photoshop CS4 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS4 Tutorials.
Exclusive onOne Software 15% Instant Discount Coupon
Enter our exclusive discount coupon code - PSSPPT06 - during the checkout process at onOne Software for an instant 15% discount on any onOne product. This includes Genuine Fractals and their amazing Photoshop Plug-In Suite.
OnOne’s new Plug-In Suite solves six of the most frequent problems photographers will encounter in Photoshop. This suite has been granted American Photos Magazine’s Editor’s Choice award for Top Image Editing Software. The Plugin Suite includes:
Genuine Fractals Pro is renowned by both photographers and printers for its finesse at increasing images to more than ten times their original size while maintaining the sharpness and detail you started with. Think of this as the industry standard for image resizing.
Mask Pro is used to remove the tough stuff — such as hair, smoke and glass — while retaining the fine detail. You choose what colors to keep, then paint away what you don’t need.
PhotoTools Pro packs hundreds of high-calibre photographic effects into one user-friendly plug-in. It’s fast and easy to use. Gives your photos that pro quality look.
PhotoFrame Pro lets you enhance your pictures with hundreds of such design effects, or simply drop your image into a pre-fab layout in Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture.
FocalPoint helps to control focus and minimize visual noise. Draw the eye to specific points in your images by using selective focus, depth-of-field and vignette effects.
PhotoTune lets you can compare images side-by-side and easily color correct and enhance them. PhotoTune optimizes the dynamic range, color and sharpness of your image without the need to know all the complicated controls in Photoshop like levels and curves.
Simply enter our exclusive discount coupon code - PSSPPT06 - during the checkout process at onOne Software for an instant 15% discount on any onOne product.
Nik Software 15% Instant Discount - Exclusive 15% Coupon
Enter our exclusive discount coupon code - NIKPSS - during the checkout process at Nik Software for an instant 15% discount on any Nik Software product. This exclusive discount coupon code can be applied to all the latest Nik Software Photoshop plugins, including Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Viveza, Sharpener Pro, and Dfine.
Color Efex Pro
52 photographic filters with over 250 effects for professional quality images.
Completely Original. Completely Indispensable.
Nik Software Color Efex Pro filters are the leading photographic filters for digital photography. The award-winning Color Efex Pro filters are widely used by many of today's professional photographers around the world to save time and get professional level results. Whether you choose the Complete Edition, Select Edition, or Standard Edition, you’ll get traditional and stylizing filters that offer virtually endless possibilities to enhance and transform images quickly and easily.
Patented U Point technology provides the ultimate control to selectively apply enhancements without the need for any complicated masks, layers or selections. Control color, light and tonality in your images and create unique enhancements with professional results. With 52 filters and over 250 effects found in Color Efex Pro, you can perform high quality retouching, color correction, and endless creative enhancements to your photographs. Download a free Trial version.
Viveza
The most powerful tool to selectively control color and light in photographic images without the need for complicated selections or layer masks.
Two of the most important factors in creating great photography are color and light. Mastering the art of selectively correcting or enhancing each of these is now possible for every photographer without the need for complicated masks or selections, or expert-level knowledge of Photoshop. Integrating award-winning U Point technology, Viveza is the most powerful and precise tool available to control light and color in photographic images.
U Point powered Color Control Points, placed directly on colors or objects in an image (such as sky, skin, grass, etc.), reveal easy-to-use controls that photographers can use to quickly adjust brightness, contrast or color in a fraction of the time needed by other tools. With Viveza you’ll spend more time shooting photographs and save hours of image editing. Download a free Trial version.
Silver Efex Pro
Complete power and control to create professional quality black and white images in one convenient tool.
Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software is the most powerful tool for creating professional quality black and white images from your photographs. For the first time, all the advanced power and control required for professional results have been brought together in one convenient tool.
Featuring Nik Software’s patented U Point technology to selectively control the tonality and contrast of the image, Silver Efex Pro includes advanced imaging algorithms to protect against unwanted artifacts, a comprehensive collection of emulated black and white film types, a variable toning selector for adding traditional toning techniques, over 20 one-click preset styles, and a state-of-the-art grain reproduction engine that help produce the highest quality black and white images possible from your color images while providing more freedom to experiment. Download a free Trial version to use Silver Efex Pro.
Enter our exclusive discount coupon code - NIKPSS - during the checkout process at Nik Software for an instant 15% discount. This exclusive discount coupon code can be applied to all the latest Nik Software Photoshop plugins, including Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Viveza, Sharpener Pro, and Dfine.
Exclusive 15% Discount On All Topaz Plugins - Use Coupon Code PHOTOSHOPSUPPORT - Includes Bundles And Upgrades
Enter our exclusive discount coupon code PHOTOSHOPSUPPORT during the checkout process at Topaz Labs for an instant 15% discount on any Topaz product, including bundles and upgrades.
Topaz Labs Photoshop plug-ins are specifically designed to expand a photographer's creative toolbox by harnessing powerful image technology developments. Photographers everywhere are now taking advantage of the creative exposure effects, artistic simplification, unique edge manipulation, and top-of-the-line noise reduction offered in Topaz products. The Topaz Photoshop Plugins Bundle is a super powerful Photoshop plugins package that includes the following Topaz products:
Topaz Adjust
Deliver stunning and dynamic images with this uniquely powerful plug-in that features HDR-like abilities and enhances exposure, color and detail.
Topaz Detail
A three-level detail adjustment plug-in that specializes in micro-contrast enhancements and sharpening with no artifacts.
Topaz ReMask
The fastest and most effective masking and extraction program with one-click mask refining.
Topaz DeNoise
Highest-quality noise reduction plug-in that removes the most noise and color noise while preserving the most image detail.
Topaz Simplify
Provides creative simplification, art effects, and line accentuation for easy one-of-a-kind art.
Topaz Clean
Take control of the detail depth of your images with extensive smoothing, texture control and edge enhancement tools.
Topaz DeJPEG
Drastically improves the quality of web images and other compressed photos.
Learn more about the Topaz Photoshop Plugins Bundle. Download a free trial version.
Photoshop Masking Plugin Fluid Mask - Exclusive Instant Discount
The 4 1/2 out of 5 star review of Fluid Mask at MacWorld begins by saying that this "Photoshop plug-in takes the pain out of extracting backgrounds," and goes on to recommend the latest version, stating that "Fluid Mask is a very effective tool for separating objects from their backgrounds. It offers a variety of useful features for tackling almost any difficult image, from wispy hair to complex foliage. Online video tutorials and live training sessions help ease the learning curve."
Our friends at Vertus, the makers of Fluid Mask Photoshop Plugin, have set up a special exclusive discount for PhotoshopSupport.com. Go to our Fluid Mask page for a special, exclusive discount link.
Fluid Mask is designed for photographers, image editors, graphic designers and all those who take digital image editing seriously. In a streamlined interface and workflow, Fluid Mask instantly shows key edges in the image and provides comprehensive easy to use tools that work with difficult-to-see edges and tricky areas like trees & lattices. Fluid Mask will also preserve all-important edge information for a professional quality cut out. Go to our Fluid Mask page for more info.
lynda.com Online Training Library - View Free Video Clips
Subscriptions to the lynda.com Online Training Library provide anytime access to tens of thousands of video tutorials covering Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, web design, digital imaging, 3D, digital video, animation, and many other topics. View free video clips.
For less than a dollar a day, members have the opportunity to stay current and keep skills sharp, learn innovative and productive techniques, and gain confidence and marketability - all at their own pace. Premium subscriptions include instructors’ exercise files so that members can follow along with the exact examples onscreen. Customers learn at their own pace and may stop, rewind, and replay segments as often as necessary. View some free video clips (high resolution).
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.
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, SiteGrinder 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, SiteGrinder is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks. Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download.
Photoshop CS4 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
Brimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS4 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 CS4. If you are an aspiring professional or a student learning photography, digital imaging, 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.
Read 2 free sample chapters:
Skin Retouching Tips In Photoshop CS4
Transforming Smart Objects In Photoshop CS4
Find more Photoshop CS4 tutorials on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page.
Read 2 free sample chapters from the Adobe Photoshop CS3 version:
Adjusting Exposure in Adobe Camera Raw CS3
Photoshop CS3 Tutorial High Dynamic Range
Find More Adobe Photoshop Books at Amazon.com
Find all the latest bestselling Photoshop books at discount prices at Amazon.com.
