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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.
Layer Tennis Tournament Starts February 6
January, 29, 2009
Adobe today announced that the 2009 Layer Tennis design tournament will kick off on Friday, Feb. 6, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Produced by Coudal Partners and presented by Adobe Creative Suite 4, Layer Tennis is a series of live online design events where creative professionals swap files back and forth in real time while a third party offers play-by-play commentary. This season, the 43 live matches can be viewed at www.layertennis.com and will run every Friday until May 29.
“Layer Tennis always brings out the creative community’s most innovative and groundbreaking work in the spirit of friendly competition,” said Jim Coudal, president of Coudal Partners. “This year we’ve expanded the playing field to include participants from around the globe and also added a qualifying category for our student competitors.”
“Adobe is excited to be a sponsor of the 2009 Layer Tennis design tournament and we can’t wait to see what designers do with our Creative Suite tools this time around,” said Mala Sharma, senior director, product marketing for Creative Solutions at Adobe. “Whatever the creative idea, the workflow improvements in Creative Suite 4 make it easy to move projects from design to development to completion faster than ever before.”
Each match consists of 10 volleys, each lasting 15 minutes. Spectators have the opportunity to watch and post commentary, and are encouraged to vote for a winner after each match on the 2009 Layer Tennis design tournament Web site. Every volley can be bookmarked and live updates for all matches will be available as RSS and Twitter feeds. Spectators will be able to download files from each match, mash them up and post links to their creations.
Buy Photoshop CS4 Directly From Adobe
Find upgrade options and Creative Suite deals at the Adobe USA Store. UK customers can see pricing in UK currency at the Adobe United Kingdom Store.
Visit the Adobe Special Offers Page to find the latest bundle and upgrade special offers. Teachers and students get special pricing at the Adobe Education Store. Need to try the latest version first? the Free Photoshop CS4 Trial Download at the Adobe site.
Photoshop CS4 Tutorials and Resources
See our Photoshop CS4 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS4 Tutorials, the Free Photoshop CS4 Trial Download, Free Photoshop CS4 Training, and Photoshop CS4 News.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Adobe Special Deals On Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Lightroom 2, Plus 50% Off Top Photoshop Plugins
January, 28, 2009
Plug in to great savings when you build an Adobe Photoshop software bundle. When you purchase Adobe Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop CS4 Extended software, you can save 30% on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software* and save 50% on premier Photoshop plug-ins†.
In order to take advantage of this offer, just add Photoshop or Photoshop Extended to your cart, and then select your desired offer. The discount will be reflected upon checkout. Start by adding either Photoshop or Photoshop Extended to your shopping cart.
Adobe Photoshop CS4
Enjoy a more intuitive user experience, greater editing freedom, and other product enhancement features.
Buy US$699 / Upgrade from US$199
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended
Get additional breakthrough tools for editing 3D models and motion-based content.
Buy US$999 / Upgrade from US$349
Next, add any of these special offers to build your own bundle...
30% off Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 when purchased with Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop CS4 Extended*
Import, manage, edit, and showcase large volumes of photographs, or develop a single image. Lightroom 2 is essential for today's digital photography workflow. Now you can quickly import, process, manage, and showcase all of your images. With Lightroom 2, youspend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens.
50% off plug-ins for Photoshop when purchased with Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop CS4 Extended
Add even more capabilities to your software, and in some cases, make tasks easier and faster. This offer expires March 1, 2009.
Alien Skin Software: Blow Up 2
Alien Skin Blow Up 2 enables you to make much sharper enlargements with Photoshop CS4. Auto cropping and batch processing simplify resizing tasks. Plus, it's the first 64-bit plug-in available.
US$249.00 / US$124.50
Digital Anarchy Texture Anarchy 1.0
Texture Anarchy 1.0 is a plug-in set for creating backgrounds, textures, and borders. You can create seamless textures for 3D, high-resolution backgrounds for design and photography, and much more.
US$129.00 / US$64.50
Strata 3D[in]
Strata 3D[in] includes 3DPaintReady™ technology to maximize 3D painting in Photoshop CS4 Extended. Match, enhance, and create 3D models; renders to 15 Photoshop layers.
US$149.00 US$74.50
onOne Plug-In Suite 4
This ultimate package includes six plug-ins that help you maximize the power of Photoshop. From tweaking backgrounds to adding selective blur and vignettes to your photos, this suite will boost your images beyond anything you ever imagined.
US$499.00 / US$250
(See full details at the Adobe Special Offer Page.)
*Offer Terms and Conditions for Photoshop Lightroom 2: Purchase a full or upgrade version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop CS4 Extended together with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and get a 30% discount on Lightroom 2. The discount is available only when Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop CS4 Extended and Lightroom 2 are purchased simultaneously from the Adobe Store. The discount will be reflected in the shopping cart, just before checkout. Education, OEM, and licensing customers are not eligible. This offer is valid in North America only and is subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Void where prohibited. Prices listed in U.S. dollars.
†Offer Terms and Conditions for premier plug-ins: Purchase a full or upgrade version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop CS4 Extended with one of the advertised plug-ins and receive 50% off the price of the plug-in. The discount will be reflected in the shopping cart just before checkout. Education, OEM, and licensing customers are not eligible. Purchaser pays any applicable tax and shipping fees. This offer is valid in the United States and Canada, excluding the province of Quebec, and is subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Prices listed in U.S. dollars. Offer expires at 11:59pm PST on March 1, 2009.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
AKVIS Releases ArtWork 2.0 - Photoshop Plugin
January, 27, 2009
AKVIS Software, Inc. has released AKVIS ArtWork 2.0, a special effect tool that applies different painting techniques to common digital pictures. Available in Mac and PC versions stand-alone or as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, ArtWork makes digital photos them look as if they were real oil paintings, helping users create a piece of art out of any picture. ArtWork allows creating an oil portrait, a landscape painting or a still life picture in a fully automatic or assisted mode in a matter of minutes.
AKVIS ArtWork 2.0 converts photos into oil paintings and presents a new painting style - Comics. Creating an oil portrait or a comic strip from the last party is just a few clicks away. AKVIS offers a temporary discount to the Business License that allows using the software for commercial purposes.
AKVIS ArtWork is an ideal solution for creative expression and a perfect gift for a creative person. The virtual artist created by AKVIS Software combines advanced painting techniques with a touch of artistic approach to ordinary digital snapshots, making your digital pictures look as if they were real oil paintings. The automatic artist lays brush strokes naturally using the original photo as a reference, allowing creative persons to touch-up the painting by selectively changing the direction of the strokes.
A fully featured free evaluation download of AKVIS ArtWork is available at the Akvis site.
Buy Photoshop CS4 Directly From Adobe
Find upgrade options and Creative Suite deals at the Adobe USA Store. UK customers can see pricing in UK currency at the Adobe United Kingdom Store.
Visit the Adobe Special Offers Page to find the latest bundle and upgrade special offers. Teachers and students get special pricing at the Adobe Education Store. Need to try the latest version first? the Free Photoshop CS4 Trial Download at the Adobe site.
Photoshop CS4 Tutorials and Resources
See our Photoshop CS4 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS4 Tutorials, the Free Photoshop CS4 Trial Download, Free Photoshop CS4 Training, and Photoshop CS4 News.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Layers Utility Captures A Screen Shot As A Photoshop Layered Image
January, 27, 2009
wuonm has introduced Layers 1.0, a unique screen capturing utility for Mac OS X. Particularly suited for graphic and web designers alike, technical writers and developers, screenshots captured in Layers are Adobe Photoshop compatible, allowing anyone to save them as fully layered PSD files, composite images or as separate PNG image files. Easily obtain full fledged PSD files with one layer per window, including menu and desktop icons, dock and menubar.
With an easy-to-use Inspector, Layers features several options to further customize screen captures. Users may filter screen elements to show or hide items, such as wallpaper or Finder icons on their Desktop; or select and save specific items. The Inspector allows users to configure advanced options as well, including Framing, Shadow inclusion, Opacity, or layer bounds. Layers can handle several displays too, so users can disable/enable the capture in each display. Layers features default preferences for UI settings, the location where captures are saved, and user-defined Hot Keys.
Layers supports all Mac applications that can read PSD files, including Photoshop (5.0 or later), Pixelmator, MacGimp, Corel Painter Essential, and others. Grouped layers require Photoshop 6.0 or higher, or any application that supports grouped layers. Feature highlights include:
• Fully compliant, native PSD file generation
• Convenient Menubar access
• Completely Customizable capture using the Inspector
• User-Defined Hot Keys
• Generated PSD has the screen capture grouped
• Supports any application that can read PSD files
Minimum Requirements:
• Mac OS X Version 10.5 Leopard or later
• Universal Binary for PowerPC and Intel
• Adobe Photoshop 5.0 or later
• Any Application that supports PSD files
Pricing and Availability:
Layers is priced at $19.95 (USD) for a single-user license. A full-featured demo that generates water-marked images is available. wuonm is offering a launch promotion for $14.95 (USD).
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Photographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching - New Book
January, 27, 2009
Photographers are just beginning to realize the potential of high dynamic range imaging (HDRI). Now, the newest techniques based on a bracketed series of exposures make it possible to go beyond HDRI: photographers can increase resolution for ultra-sharp, detailed images, and they can extend the depth of field in a way that was never before possible.
Photographic Multishot Techniques provides a thorough introduction and is a hands-on guide to these various techniques. Using a series of example images, the authors explain and illustrate the use of each technique. Included are lessons on HDRI, super-resolution, focus stacking, and stitching images. Moreover, the reader will learn how to effectively combine these various techniques to create amazing images.
Throughout Photographic Multishot Techniques, the authors use tools such as Photoshop, PhotoAcute, Photomatix Pro, FDRTools, CombineZM, DOP Detail Extractor, and Helicon Focus to illustrate the workflow with detailed, step-by-step instructions. Most of these tools offer free trial versions that are available for download at www.rockynook.com.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Free PhotographyBB Magazine - January 2009 Issue
January, 26, 2009
PhotographyBB announced today the release of the twelvth edition of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine. The PhotographyBB Online Magazine is quickly becoming a leading resource in the future of free information distribution, offering our readers: Digital Photography tips and techniques, DSLR camera function training, and image post processing tutorials in Adobe Photoshop, and RAW processing in Photoshop Lightroom.
The January 2009 release features digital photography articles with tutorials to help digital photographers to learn new techniques for achieving both better photographs as well as leaning post processing skills in Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom.
Editor in Chief, Dave Seeram had these comments regarding this recent release:
“This release marks our twelfth issue for our magazine. We’ve come a long way over the past year, and the magazine has grown considerably in popularity and readership. We are happy to say that we will be continuing our tradition of free monthly releases of the magazine for the coming year, with some pleasant surprises in store for our readers. Our January release features articles lending tips on taking better architecture photography, small set photography, a trip to Las Vegas, the Top Ten Lightroom Library Module tips, and much more. We’ve also got a fascinating look at how photographers are making use of social networking sites to promote themselves and their photography businesses.”
In addition to articles which aide photographers in gettingthe most from their DSLR cameras, the PhotographyBB Online Magazine also features useful and applicable tutorials on how to use post-processing tools such as Photoshop and Lightroom, to build on digital photography post-processing skills. PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB Website.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 And Camera Raw 5.3
January, 24, 2009
Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 and Photoshop Camera Raw 5.3 Release Candidates, both available immediately for download from Adobe Labs.
The ‘release candidate’ label indicates that this
update is well tested but would benefit from additional community
testing before it is distributed automatically to all customers. The
Lightroom and Camera Raw teams would like the community to help verify
the quality of this update through normal usage as this will ensure that
the application is tested on a wide variety of hardware and software
configurations not available internally at Adobe.
Both release candidates provide additional raw file support for the Nikon D3X and Olympus E-30 cameras. In addition, the Lightroom 2.3
Release Candidate provides a solution to a memory leak that affected
some customers of the Lightroom 2.2 release.
Adobe is also pleased to announce the availability of Lightroom in eight
new languages, including Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish,
Korean, Chinese (simplified) and Chinese (traditional). The Lightroom
2.3 Release Candidate available on Adobe Labs includes these additional
languages, and Adobe greatly appreciates any feedback the community can
provide the Lightroom team. Feedback can be provided on the Adobe User to User forum.
Buy Photoshop Directly From Adobe
Find upgrade options and Creative Suite deals at the Adobe USA Store. UK customers can see pricing in UK currency at the Adobe United Kingdom Store.
Visit the Adobe Special Offers Page to find the latest bundle and upgrade special offers. Teachers and students get special pricing at the Adobe Education Store. Need to try the latest version first? the Free Photoshop CS4 Trial Download at the Adobe site.
Photoshop CS4 Tutorials and Resources
See our Photoshop CS4 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS4 Tutorials, the Free Photoshop CS4 Trial Download, Free Photoshop CS4 Training, and Photoshop CS4 News.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Adobe Introduces New eLearning Suite And Captivate 4
January, 23, 2009
Adobe has announced the Adobe eLearning Suite software, a new content-authoring solution for learning professionals, educators and trainers to create rich learning experiences that can be delivered via the Web, desktop, mobile devices and learning management systems. The new suite boosts productivity by tightly integrating a major new version of Adobe Captivate, Adobe Flash CS4, Adobe Dreamweaver CS4, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe Presenter 7, Adobe Soundbooth CS4, Adobe Bridge CS4, Adobe Device Central CS4 as well as eLearning extensions for Adobe Flash CS4 and Adobe Dreamweaver CS4.
Read full story...
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Public Volunteers Invited To Test Future Adobe Photoshop CS4 Update
January, 21, 2009
John Nack has posted about a Photoshop update program that will let users who are experiencing problems with Photoshop help test a potential fix. Here's the scoop:
In the time since Photoshop CS4 shipped, we've heard from some customers about various things not working as designed. In particular, various Windows XP configurations can exhibit slowdowns.
A number of problems can be traced back to problems with video card drivers, but there are changes that Photoshop needs to make to improve the situation, and we're working on an update that'll be released soon. Photoshop performance QE lead Adam Jerugim writes,
In an effort to ensure that this change addresses the issues we hope it does, we've created a small pre-release program that we're opening to public volunteers.
So if you're a CS4 user who is experiencing performance issues and would like to help us test a potential fix, please email me @ adam dot jerugim at adobe dot com.
Thanks for your patience with this and understand that we're working as fast as possible to deliver a solution.
The Photoshop Engineering Team
I'm sorry we weren't able to catch and fix all the issues that people have encountered. If you've experienced problems and have some time to help bang on the fixes, we'd greatly appreciate your help.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
16 Tips for Using Photoshop Camera Raw - Sample Chapter From Adobe Photoshop CS4 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques
January, 21, 2009
Peachpit Press has posted 16 How-To Tips for Using Photoshop Camera Raw, a sample chapter from Adobe Photoshop CS4 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques. In this sample chapter,
Chris Orwig offers 16 Camera Raw tips, including setting the white balance, using split toning, and making localized adjustments. From the intro: The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in allows you to open raw image files from many different types of digital cameras directly into Photoshop. Using this plug-in is becoming a more integral part of one’s digital imaging workflow.
Read the full 16 page tutorial —16 How-To Tips for Using Photoshop Camera Raw.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Photoshop Skin Retouching Clips - 3 Free Video Clips
January, 19, 2009
The CreativeTechs website is offering three free clips from Jason Hoppe's Retouching Skin Tips.
From the intro: Retouching skin can quickly become a tricky task. There are few absolutes when it comes to making faces and bodies look good — but everyone knows instantly when it's done wrong. This week we splurged with three great clips from Jason Hoppe's tip-packed webinar last week. They are short, entertaining, and immediately useful:
Video Tip 1: Photoshop's Spot Healing Brush — 4 minutes
Video Tip 2: Color Ranges with Hue/Saturation — 5 minutes
Video Tip 3: Photoshop's Liquify Body Sculpting — 5 minutes
I especially enjoy what Jason calls the Neosporin brush — click on a blemish, and like magic, it's gone! And if you gained a few pounds over the long holidays, you'll be amazed at what's possible with Photoshop's liquify diet.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Abstract Ribbons And Flower Swirls - Free Photoshop Brushes
January, 19, 2009
Here are the latest free Photoshop brush sets from Brush Portfolio:
Abstract Ribbons - Free Photoshop Brushes
This set of 6 abstract line ribbons was created in Illustrator and exported to Photoshop. I learned how to make these ribbons from a tutorial I read by Graphic Identity. The brushes are fairly large in size at 2023 to 2485 pixels and are great for making abstract backgrounds.
Flower Swirls - Free Photoshop Brushes
This set of flowery swirl patterns was created in Illustrator and exported to Photoshop. The brushes are high resolution (saved at 300 dpi) and large so they can be used for a number of design projects. There are a total of 8 brushes in the set that range in size from 1461 to 2197 pixels.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Free Adobe Acrobat Video Tutorials
January, 17, 2009
Here is the latest batch of free Adobe Acrobat Video Tutorials posted on the Adobe site.
Automating form field creation
Acrobat 8 Professional has the ability to automatically add form fields to your PDF document.
Enable for commenting in Adobe Reader
Learn how to use Acrobat 8 Professional to enable Adobe Reader® users to add comments to PDF documents.
Creating a self-signed digital ID
Learn how to create your own digital ID for signing and protecting PDF documents
Enabling usage rights for Adobe Reader users
Acrobat 8 Professional has the ability to enable additional functionality in Adobe Reader. Learn how to activate these features and use them in Adobe Reader.
See full list...
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Alchemy Vectors Photoshop Brushes
January 17, 2009
Here’s a set of Photoshop brushes composed of various alchemical (alchemy) symbols, all as vectors. These are all very high resolution, about 2000 pixels in size.
These are made up of alchemical symbols for weights and measurements, containers, Spirits (or elements), seasons, and processes. A second set of Photoshop brushes of symbols for Alchemy materials will be coming out soon!
Want Free Photoshop Brushes?
We've collected the most recent of Stephanie's original brushes on a special Obsidian Dawn Photoshop Brushes Page, with big preview images to give you an idea of each set. For her high resolution brushes, you can find a special collection on our high res brush page. Stephanie has also kindly put together her top 10 Photoshop brush tips to help you get the most out of your Photoshop brushes. See our Free Photoshop brushes Page for other places to find brushes.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Auto FX Releases Photo/Graphic Edges 7.0 Platinum Edition - Plus Special Discount Coupon Code
January, 16, 2009
Auto FX is has announced the release of Photo/Graphic Edges 7.0 Platinum Edition. The new Platinum Edition version includes 32 photo effects such as Film Frames, Natural Media, Storyboards, Grunge Edges and much, much more. There are thousands of new frames, darkroom edges, compositions and artistic adornments to add a creative touch to your photos.
Special $30 Off Coupon Code
Use coupon code 52895 for a $30 discount on the purchase price. The purchase price, with the discount, is $219 (USD). This introductory discount offer expires February 28, 2009.
Photo/Graphic Edges 7.0 Platinum Edition includes both a Photoshop plug-in and stand-alone application version for Macintosh OS X (all versions) and Windows 2000 / XP / Vista. Visit the AUto FX site to download a free demo version and to watch free training videos on this product.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
How To Cheat In Photoshop CS4: The Art Of Creating Photorealistic Montages
January, 14, 2009
When you're short on time with crunching deadlines, but there's no way you can sacrifice quality, the How To Cheat In Photoshop CS4: The Art Of Creating Photorealistic Montages book/DVD comes to the rescue. Nobody knows more about how to work fast under pressure and still produce top-notch photographic images than hands-on graphic artist and journalist, Steve Caplin.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Photoshop Adbusting Images From Berlin
January, 13, 2009
John Nack links to a blog post about adbusting in Berlin, which consists of overlaying ad images with stickers from Adobe Photoshop’s interface panels. (Adbusting refers to making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political ads in order to make a statement.)
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
BittBox Watercolor Photoshop Brushes Reach A Million Downloads
January, 13, 2009
Here's the scoop from BittBox: This is a re-release tribute post for The first set of Hi-Res Photoshop Brushes I ever made. The original Hi-Res Watercolor Brushes released here at BittBox on April 19, 2007 have surpassed 1,000,000 downloads and counting!!!!!
It's hard to imagine that so many people have downloaded them and are putting these brushes to good use. I’m honored to be a digital philanthropist, and I just wanted to take a minute to celebrate a very cool statistic.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Free Photoshop Brushes Portal Offered From Photoshop Brush Artist Susan Libertiny
January, 12, 2009
Susan Libertiny is the artist behind www.BrushPortfolio.com. By day, she is a left-brained Automotive engineer working on Hybrid Electric vehicles, which she describes as "form follows function". Or more precisely: "trying to fit 100 lbs of highly technical stuff into a 1 lb. paper bag".
By night, her right-brain takes over and the whimsical art that is available on her website is the result. Susan's inspiration for her Photoshop brushes comes from her love of gardening, global travel, music and technology -- often mashed together.
See all the latest creations by visiting Susan's Brush Portfolio.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Bert Monroy's Pixel Perfect Resurfaces With Two Shows That Highlight Photoshop CS4 New Features
January, 11, 2009
They were gone for a while but now they are back. Bert Monroy's Pixel Perfect has resurfaced with 2 new shows:
PixelPerfect - Diving Into the new Photoshop CS4
Principal Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop John Nack visits the show in a first of a 3 part special introducing Photoshop CS4 (aka Creative Suite 4). Included is discussion about:
PixelPerfect - What's New in CS4 - Part 2 of 3
Adobe Photoshop's Principal Product Manager joins Bert again to continue explaining lots of the new features in CS4 (Creative Suite 4). Included is discussion about:
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Create Transparent Backgrounds Using Save For Web - Photoshop Tutorial
January, 11, 2009
Jennifer Farley is an Irish designer and design instructor based in Dublin. Her blog on Laughing Lion Design features Photoshop tips, tricks and tutorials. Here's a new Photoshop tutrorial from her.
Photoshop Tip: An Alternative Way to Create Transparency
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Best Photoshopped Print Ads - Top 40 Print Ads
January, 11, 2009
PSDTuts.com has a collection of 40 Photoshopped print ads titled 40 Brilliantly Photoshopped Print Ads. From the intro:
Even people who hate ads won't be able to hate these: they're beautiful, clever, hilarious, unique and uber-cool, all with the help of a little program called Adobe Photoshop.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Apple Introduces 17-inch MacBook Pro With Revolutionary Battery That Delivers Eight Hours Of Use
January, 08, 2009
Apple today unveiled the new 17-inch MacBook Pro featuring a durable and beautiful precision aluminum unibody enclosure, and a revolutionary new built-in battery that delivers up to eight hours of use and up to 1,000 recharges for more than three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries.
Read the full story and see more photos...
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Russell Brown Video Tutorials on Photoshop CS4 Masking Features, New Bridge Features, And Star Wars Style Text Crawls
January, 07, 2009
John Nack has reported that Russell Brown has released a couple of interesting new video tutorials. These are free, extensive, and entertaining as well. Here's the info:
Russell Brown is presenting some new techniques at Macworld and he'll be handing out a CD containing all his latest tips and tricks. In the meantime he's posted a pair of new videos:
- Masking in CS4 shows off the on-canvas adjustment tool for Hue/Saturation, new feather/density options for masks, and more
- My favorite new Bridge features covers the Output module, enhanced loupe tool, and more
Russell Brown has one-upped (ten-upped?) my suggestions for creating Star Wars crawl-style text in Photoshop. He's created a video demo that shows off the whole process and adds some new twists.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book - Free Sample Chapter
January, 07, 2009
The fourteen lessons in Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book are ideal for users who want to learn the key features of Adobe's collection of professional design tools. Readers are first given a brief program overview of the Design Suite that highlights common features and includes a section on cross-media workflows. Then readers get up to speed with each software application using step-by-step, project-based lessons, with the lessons in each chapter building upon the reader's growing knowledge of the programs.
Free Sample Chapter -
Using Adobe Creative Suite 4: Presenting the Prototype Website to the Client
At the Peachpit Press site you can read a free sample chapter - Using Adobe Creative Suite 4: Presenting the Prototype Website to the Client. From the intro:
There are many ways to demonstrate a prototype website to your clients. You can settle for one of the methods described in this excerpt from Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book or use several of these methods in combination.
• Exporting the Website as a PDF Document
• Creating an Auto-run Slideshow
• Exporting States of a Page as Individual Images
• Exporting HTML Pages
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DreamTemplate Website Design Template Service Features Unlimited Template Downloads - Plus Try 100 Free Website Design Templates
January, 06, 2009
DreamTemplate is a premium template subscription provider with over 3,000 professionally designed templates available for members. DreamTemplate serve Website Templates, Flash Templates, Office Templates, Word Templates, Powerpoint Templates, Corporate Identity packages and logo designs.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
CS4 Device Central Tutorial - Photoshop CS4 Device Central
January, 05, 2009
Jim Hoerricks is the Senior Forensic Video Analyst for the LAPD's Scientific Investigation Division. His site, Forensic Photoshop, contains lots of interesting posts and tutorials that deal with using Photoshop for forensic work. Jim has also written a book, Forensic Photoshop. Here is a new Photoshop CS4 tutorial from him.
Device Central CS4 Tutorial
I got a new phone recently and was apt to set the photo of the kids as my wallpaper. Rather than skim the phone's user guide to try and find the specs necessary for the photo, I just opened up Adobe's Device Central. Device Central now comes with Photoshop (or Creative Suite) and most don't know that they have it installed on their system.
Read full tutorial.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Meet the Authors of "Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual" and "Photoshop CS4 Channels And Masks One-on-One"
January, 01, 2009
Two books will be making their debut at Macworld 2009 — just in time for all of the photographers and graphic designers present at the show. Lesa Snider King's Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual ($31.49 - save 37%) covers the newest version of Photoshop and teaches you everything from editing photos to creating beautiful documents — whether you're a beginner or a power user ready to try some advanced techniques.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Photoshop CS4 for Photographers: Camera Raw From lynda.com - 13 Free Video Clips
January, 05, 2009
In Photoshop CS4 for Photographers: Camera Raw, Chris Orwig enthusiastically explores a Photoshop plug-in that is a must-have for any serious photographer. By working on the digital negatives in Camera Raw, photographers have more creative control over their photos, and the original files remain intact.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Get Great Deals On Earlier Photoshop And Creative Suite Training Titles At Total Training
January, 05, 2009
You can find an End of Year Clearance - Save up to 75% on Select Titles at Total Training's site. Select DVDs have just been reduced even more, many as low as $10 and select bundles are now as low as $69. Once these titles are sold out, they won't be available. Visit Total Training Online for more info.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
Note Tool Tutorial - Photoshop CS4 Note Tool
January, 04, 2009
Jim Hoerricks is the Senior Forensic Video Analyst for the LAPD's Scientific Investigation Division. His site, Forensic Photoshop, contains lots of interesting posts and tutorials that deal with using Photoshop for forensic work. Jim has also written a book, Forensic Photoshop. Here is a new Photoshop CS4 tutorial from him.
Photoshop CS4 Note Tool Tutorial
For CS4, Adobe has changed the Notes Tool. It's now called the Note Tool and it can be found grouped with the Eyedropper Tool (I). Why Note and not Notes? Maybe because the dropped its audio functionality? Maybe because the cleaned up the interface?
Read full tutorial.
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Working With Device Central CS4 - 4 Free Video Clips From Device Central CS4 Essential Training With Dale Rankine
January, 03, 2009
Device Central is a mobile device simulator and testing application that serves as the hub of mobile design and development in Creative Suite 4. It simulates the display, interface, and performance of hundreds of phones and other devices, and is kept up to date via an online database. Device Central is an indispensable tool for Flash Lite developers. It can also be used to preview designs, video, and HTML layouts from other CS4 applications, like Photoshop, After Effects, and Dreamweaver.
Here are four sample clips from the lynda.com Device Central CS4 training series, Device Central CS4 Essential Training with Dale Rankine.
Device CS4 Essential Training - Basic Panels
Learn how to interact with content in your mobile device projects using the basic panels in Device Central CS4, including the Content Type, File Info, Keypad and Persistent Storage panels.
Device CS4 Essential Training - The Display Panel
The power of Device Central CS4 revolves around simulating how your content will not only display, but how users will interact with it on a real mobile device. Learn how to use the Display and Scaling panels to maximize the effectiveness of the test environment in Device Central.
Device CS4 Essential Training - The Memory Panel
Explore the Memory panel in Device Central CS4 and learn how to use the memory usage data it provides to make sure your applications run smoothly once they are published.
Device CS4 Essential Training - The Device Status Panel
In this movie, learn how to use the options in the Device Status panel, such as language, date and time, and battery usage, to emulate the variable conditions on mobile devices which may affect how your content displays.
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Working With Templates In Dreamweaver CS4 - 4 Free Video Clips From Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training With James Williamson
January, 02, 2009
Here are four sample clips from the lynda.com Dreamweaver CS4 training series, Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training
with James Williamson.
Dreamweaver CS4 - Planning For Templates
Templates in Dreamweaver CS4 help you create new pages quickly, keep your web site consistent and maintain your site. In this movie, you'll explore these benefits of templates and learn how to plan your site design to take the best advantage of templates.
Dreamweaver CS4 - Creating A New Template
Learn how to save Dreamweaver templates from HTML pages and insert editable regions into the template that will allow you to add new content when you create pages from the template.
Dreamweaver CS4 - Creating Editable Attributes
In the case where there are small changes in an element from page to page, instead of adding an editable region, you can add editable attributes to your Dreamweaver template. In this movie, learn how to add editable attributes to banner and navigation bar elements.
Dreamweaver CS4 - Creating New Pages From A Template
In this movie, learn how to create new pages based off of a finished template and edit existing pages to conform to a template in Dreamweaver CS4. Also learn how to update editable attributes and place content into editable regions.
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | RSS feed | bookmark | comment
The Photoshop Blog - Earlier Posts
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.
See Earlier Posts From The Photoshop Blog - DECEMBER 2008.
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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Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended software helps you create the ultimate images
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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
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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.
