Vegas Baby….Again!

That’s right. I have arrived in Las Vegas and I am already running into NAPP members here for the big show. Photoshop World is only a couple days away but people are already gearing up for the big show. I am especially excited for the keynote day, that’s when things are really happening and you feel the electricity in the air. I will post photos of the event as it progresses. Stay tuned…

Here is a little inspiration for you as well. A while back someone posted a comment on the blog here about a Photoshop artist that specializes in movie posters. Being the movie fan that I am I was immediately intrigued. His name is Tomasz Opasinski. and I must say his work is really impressive. Check out his site and you will see that he has worked on some prominent feature films. I especially like his evolution page where the images fade from base art or photo to finished product. Here’s the link.

September 2nd, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Guest Host on Photoshop User TV

In case you haven’t seen it yet, RC and I were guest hosts on Photoshop User TV this week. Matt and Dave were out of town so Scott invited us on to share some Photoshop fun. As usual, I do a really cool movie effect based on the new Mummy movie. Pretty cool stuff. Check it out.

Also, we are closing in on Photoshop World. I am super excited. If you are going to be there, make sure you say hello when you see me. I would love to meet the Planet fans face to face. Also, don’t forget to check out the Photoshop World site for a list of all the events that will be happening at Photoshop World — like the party at House of Blues, Dinner with a Stranger, tech expo, and Midnight Madness. Personally, Midnight Madness has always been one of my favorite things. It’s just a lot of silly antics, and it’s a blast. Can’t Wait! See you there!

August 27th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

Lighting Effects

Corey jazzed up this photo by making a custom brush and applying an outer glow layer style to create the repeating patterns Continue Reading »

August 25th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Tutorials | Comments (38)

Congrats to the Photo Walkers

Well it seems that the Worldwide PhotoWalk that took place this past weekend was a great success. Despite a few hitches with the weather here in Florida, things seem to have come together nicely. If any of you attended a PhotoWalk, I would love to see what you shot. Simply drop a link to your gallery in the comments section of this post. It certainly sounds like everyone had a good time and perhaps made some new friends in the process.

Also, yesterday was kind of sad with the games of the 29th Olympiad coming to a close in Beijing. I rather enjoyed the Olympics this time around. There was some really intriguing moments and some real surprises. To be honest, it was the only good thing on TV for the past couple weeks. On a serious note, I wanted to congratulate team USA for delivering an inspired performance at the games this year and helping to make it one of the most historic Olympics ever. Well done!

August 25th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (23)

PhotoWalk Tomorrow!

It’s finally here. The highly anticipated Worldwide PhotoWalk is tomorrow. I am excited. True, I am not necessarily a photographer but I am looking to be inspired nonetheless. I will be attending the Ybor city PhotoWalk with my fellow colleague Dave Cross. It promises to be a good time, assuming the weather cooperates. Since this was announced, almost 8,000 people have signed up in 47 countries. That’s huge!!! This is going to be interesting because this hasn’t been done on such a scale ever before. Well, I have to go and get my gear together. Have a good weekend!!!

August 22nd, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

Special Tutorial on YouTube!

For those of you who might have missed it, just about a week ago I was the guest blogger over at Scott Kelby’s blog. My post was on the topic of creative exploration and the creative exercises I do to generate ideas. In addition to the post, I produced a video tutorial exclusively for the blog which was then posted on YouTube. It was well received and I got a lot of positive feedback on that and the video. Click here to read the post and click here to view the video.

Also we are getting really close to Photoshop World in Las Vegas. I am super excited because this involves two my favorite things: Photoshop and Las Vegas. What a combination. Hey, if you are and you are trying to figure out which classes to attend. Check out the Photoshop World Planner by Dave Cross. This downloadable pdf lets you set a schedule of which classes you want to attend. Have fun and we will see you in Vegas!

August 20th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

Cool Olympic Stuff!!

Well, we are at the halfway point of the Olympic games over in Beijing and it’s already one for history books. I must first convey, once again, a big congrats to Michael Phelps for becoming the most decorated Olympian both in a single games and of all time. Way to go Michael!!

Almost as cool as that is something I have been seeing on the NBC Olympics website. For some of the events they have been displaying what’s known as Stromotion. Which is basically showing the progression of an event over time in a single image. It’s especially cool with the gymnastics events as it shows each step of the routine. I could describe it all day but you really have to see for yourself. In case you are wondering, yes, this can be easily done in Photoshop. Here’s the link.

August 18th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

Pin-up Effect

Using a mixture of filters and blending modes, Corey takes a stock photo and transforms it into an old, classic 1950’s pin-up poster. Continue Reading »

August 15th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Photography, Tutorials | Comments (46)

Free Expo Pass at Photoshop World

One of the biggest highlights of Photoshop World is the Tech Expo. This is where you are up close and personal with some of the biggest vendors in design and photography and purchase products with special event pricing. In addition to the vendors, you can also rub shoulders with Photoshop World instructors and other industry professionals. There are also tech expo theaters where instructors will be teaching bonus sessions in various applications. Now if you are in the area and not attending the full event you can get a free expo pass see all this cool stuff for at no cost. The expo will be open all three days of the event so don’t miss out. Sign up for your free pass here.

August 14th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

The Real Aquaman!!

I wanted to step away from the industry news today and recognize a true sports legend. As many of you may know, history was made last night at the Olympic games in Beijing, China. American swimmer Michael Phelps became the winningest athlete in the history of the Olympic games. What’s more interesting than winning gold in every event so far is that he is also broke the world records in those events as well. This is astonishing and he’s not even done. He has about 6 more events left and could bring home even more gold. It really has been quite show and I am looking forward to more. My most sincere congratulations to Michael Phelps on his unbelievable success at these summer games.

August 13th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (5)

Evolution of Awesome!!!

I am always keeping track of what’s happening in the world of movies, especially when it comes to stunning visuals and cutting edge technology. Just recently RottenTomatoes.com posted and interesting article spotlighting 20 films that exemplify the very best in modern cinematic visual effects. These visual effects were made possible by a little piece of software. No, it’s not Photoshop, even though Photoshop is widely used in the industry. It’s a rendering program developed by those genius’s over at Pixar, known as RenderMan. This application has allowed us to peer into the future and witness a man made of liquid metal, it allowed a man to see things in bullet time, it let us witness one of the worst sea tragedies ever, and even made us all fall in love with a little rusty metal box with a personality. One can only speculate as to where we will go from here. All I can say is I can’t wait to see what’s next. Read the full article and see the entire list here. Oh, and yes I have seen every movie on the list.

August 12th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Photoshop Book of the Week

So, I have already highlighted this book once before but I wanted to call attention to it again for a couple reasons. The first is that I have been bouncing around the various forums and I am noticing that a lot of people are having similar problems and they mostly involve layers, or something related. This book is the ultimate guide for mastering layers. It’s even good to have for quick reference. The way it’s laid out makes it easy to find the solution fast. Another reason is that if you are a straight-up beginner, this is a great place to start. Simple step-by-step techniques will help you understand layer basics in context. One last reason; it’s just a cool looking book. I mean the cover is very slick. C’mon I want it just for that!!!
Seriously though, really comprehensive stuff and fun to learn. Find out more here.

August 11th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (5)

Embossed Glass Logo

Instead of using a displacement map, here’s another method for taking a custom file and distorting it to match a background image. Continue Reading »

August 8th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Text, Tutorials | Comments (19)

Illustrator @ Photoshop World

Numerous people have been asking where they can see tutorials I have done in Illustrator. Well one place is over at the Layers Magazine website. I have have several Illustrator tutorials over there all for free. However, if you are going to to be in Vegas for Photoshop World, I will be teaching my Illustrator Down & Dirty Tricks live at the NAPP Expo Theater on Thursday, September 4 at 1:15pm. Don’t miss the fun.

Since we are on the subject of Photoshop World I wanted to also point out another exciting aspect of the event. That is the portfolio reviews. Have your work critiqued by some of the biggest and most respected names out there. This is a rare treat because to get this kind of one on one interaction is worth the price of admission. Go here and fill out the review form if you want to have your work reviewed.

August 7th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

Digital Dog In Da House!!!

Be sure to head over to Scott Kelby’s blog today because it’s guest blogger Wednesday and you know what that means…um it’s guest blogger Wednesday. This week’s guest is the Digital Dog himself Andrew Rodney. Andrew has been working with Photoshop since version 1.0.7. That’s just crazy. How many of you can say that you have been using the same same software for 20 years? I’d be willing to bet very few. In his post Andrew gets into image processing with Photoshop, Camera Raw and Lightroom and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Very interesting, especially if you teach these apps. Check it out.

Also for those of you going to Photoshop World the deadline for the Guru Awards is closing in fast. Make sure you get your work in by August 15, 2008. This is your chance to get noticed and start making a name for yourself. Hey, it worked for me!

August 6th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)