New Lightroom 2 Courses

So we all know about the recent release of the new Lightroom 2 and the all-new learning center produced by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski. In addition to that, Matt has also released some new courses over at the Kelby Online Training site. One is the Lightroom 2 Power Session. This course will get you up to speed on all the newest features in the new version and have you implementing these new features in your workflow in no time. There is also Lightroom In Depth, this three part course delves into specific techniques sorting and cataloging, developing and editing, and then printing and showing your photos. These courses are for perfect whether you are just beginning or a veteran Lightroom user. Get more info on these courses here.

Also more cities have been added to the Worldwide PhotoWalk hosted by the NAPP. Check it out and see if your city has been added.

August 4th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

Sci-Fi Text Effect

Corey stumbled upon this effect while experimenting with the smudge tool and its finger painting feature. Start off by Continue Reading »

August 1st, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Text, Tutorials, Videos | Comments (48)

Shake Your Groove Thing!!!

So, a few people have asked me if I am participating in the Worldwide PhotoWalk being hosted by all of us here at the NAPP. I will actually be attending the Ybor City Photowalk which is being lead by our very own Dave Cross. I think Ybor is very interesting in that there is a lot of history there. So if you live in or near the Ybor area, do come out and join us.

Also, today is the final day of the early bird special pricing for Photoshop World. Save $100 off the full conference price. If you haven’t registered yet you better hurry. Here’s the link.

Lastly, I just want to thank all the Planet fans out there for providing your comments on the tutorials. They help me know what you like and give me ideas for future tutorials. So if you see something you like or even if there is something you would like to see, please let me know. I read all the blog comments and tutorial comments. Thanks again and have a good weekend!!

August 1st, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

PhotoWalkers Assemble!!!

This is a wordwide call to action. If you are a photographer, whether novice or expert, you won’t want to miss Scott Kelby’s WorldWide PhotoWalk on August 23, 2008. First of all, you may be asking, “What is a photowalk?” It’s simply a social event where a group of photographers meet at a specific place and basically just wander the streets shooting anything that is appealing. The beauty of it is that you are amongst knowledgeable people that you can learn from and bounce ideas off of. You can even collaborate and get some really cool shots. The walk ends at a restaurant or somewhere that you can all talk and critique each others shots. As mentioned, this a worldwide event being put on in more than two dozen cities so far. So check the site and see if your city is on the list. Registration is free.

Also, if you want to read an interesting post from a man who knows a thing or two about photo walking, go and check out Scott’s blog. Today he has a guest post from Jeff Revell. Jeff is a Washington DC-based photographer who has hosted several photowalks himself and can definitely get you prepared. In his post, he discusses equipment, preparing for the walk itself, and what happens after the walk. It’s a good read whether you are preparing for a photowalk or if you are just curious what it’s like. Check it out here.

July 30th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (5)

Blending and Type Tips

In this design, Corey had set out to blend a large body of text with a silhouetted shape. After some experimenting Continue Reading »

July 29th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Text, Tutorials, Videos | Comments (16)

New Lightroom Learning Center

Hey Lightroom users!!! There is all-new updated Lightroom 2.0 Learning Center that just launched only a few hours ago. This learning center is hosted by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski and brings you up to speed on the newest features of Lightroom 2.0. I have to admit I am impressed with this new version. It’s getting more and more customizable and there are new correction tools that will be familiar to Photoshop users. The other cool thing about this learning center, it’s free. Check it out!

Also if you are going to Photoshop World and haven’t registered yet. There is only 3 days left to take advantage of the early bird registration. You can save $100 from the full conference admission by registering on or before August 1, 2008 and for those of you that have already registered, Viva Las Vegas!!!!

July 29th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

What’s On TV

Well if you haven’t gotten caught up with what’s on the “itube” this week you must check out this week’s episode of Photoshop TV. This week the Photoshop Guys welcome special guest Bryan Hughes who is a Photoshop Product Manager for Adobe Systems. Bryan discusses the advantages of adopting the dng format for digital photos. Check it out.

You also want to check out this week’s episode of Layers TV. This week we welcome back Richard Harrington who discusses the use of alpha channels in Photoshop to create transparency in video. Here’s the link.

July 24th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Get Your Twitter On

Did you know that the NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) and Layers Magazine are on Twitter now? Do you Twitter? Well if you do, then this is your chance for worldwide fame…sort of.
Anyway, if you follow either NAPP News or Layers Magazine on Twitter, this is your chance to shine with this new design contest. The challenge is to design or re-design your Twitter home page. Now, I know that there limited features when it come to customizing your home page, but that’s where the real creativity comes in. Once you have completed a new page then simply post a link to it in the comments section of this blog post. The deadline for this little project is July 29, so have fun.

What will you win?
The first place winner will receive a copy of Scott Kelby’s Photoshop CS3 for Digital Photographers training DVD and a copy of Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature by Matt Kloskowski.

Second Place will receive a copy of Illustrator Down & Dirty Tricks by Corey Barker, as well as the Illustrator Manifesto booklet and the Photoshop CS3 Hot Tips booklet.

Third Place will get one year subscription to Layers Magazine and the Photoshop CS3 Hot Tips booklet.

So get to it and have fun Twittering!!!

July 22nd, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (59)

Get The Wheels Turning

As you know Photoshop World is getting close. In fact, the early bird special is just 11 days away. This is your chance to save $100 off the full registration price, so hurry!
Signing up is important, however, I wanted to talk about another aspect of Photoshop World that I am always excited about and that is the Guru Awards. This is the contest to showcase your talent. There are seven categories to enter your work such as photography, artistic, photo-retouching, photo-restoration, commercial, photo montage and illustration. There are a host of prizes for the winner in each category and there is a best of show award. But more than the prizes, this is a chance to get your work seen by an audience of thousands and you never know what doors these can open. This contest is only for attendees and the deadline for entries is August 15, 2008. So look through your portfolio or get those creative wheels grinding and make your mark. Click here for the official rules.

July 21st, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

A Fresh Perspective

So I just had to mention this because I was so impressed by it. Just the other day I watched a truly fascinating documentary, simply titled Helvetica. It is a story about the evolution of this pervasive typeface. The documentary examines Helvetiva’s origins and its implementation over the years as the standard font the world over, but more than that, it examines the way graphic design has changed over the past decades and how the technology has changed as well. Anyone that works in today’s design industry will find this a fresh perspective on how type influences our everyday lives, even when we don’t realize it. If you’re serious about graphic design, you should see this film. Find out more about this movie here.

July 18th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (5)

Crumpled Paper

This crumpled paper effect starts with designing a piece of notebook paper and then applying a displacement map Continue Reading »

July 16th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Tutorials, Videos | Comments (26)

Photoshop in the News?

In the news recently there was a published photo of an Iranian missile launch which has received tremendous scrutiny from the imaging community because it has obviously been retouched. The photo was worked on to make it appear as though there were more missiles than there actually were. With Photoshop being the main culprit in this, it has brought a famed image editor to cable television. Here is a clip from the Daily Show on Comedy Central. It’s a hilarious take on this and perhaps even a sign of the future of digital warfare or maybe someone is just having too much fun with Photoshop. Anyway check out the clip here and enjoy.

July 16th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Another Interesting Blog

A couple weeks ago I stumbled across another rather interesting blog. It’s simply called The Pixar Blog and it covers various aspects of Pixar projects and personalities. Being the Pixar fan that I am I am always reading it to see what’s going on. In fact, one entry I found rather peculiar. This young lady decied to record herself watching the Wall-E teaser on her computer. She was so moved by what she saw that she literally started crying. Now I thought it was a good teaser but WOW! Here’s the kicker, that video got posted on YouTube and eventually got viewed by the higher ups at Pixar. They were so moved by how much she was moved that they invited her to the Wall-E wrap party at the Pixar facility. Click here to see the entry and the video there is also a link there that tells of her Pixar experience. From now on, I am going to record myself watching every movie trailer that comes out.

July 14th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (4)

Photoshop World Early Bird Closing In

Yep, it’s that time again. Time to gear up for Photoshop World. Once again we’re off to Las Vegas. If there has ever been a good reason to go to Vegas, this is it. If you are planning on going you will really want to take advantage of the early bird registration which saves you $100 off the full registration price. This offer ends on August 1st. Now I know what you are thinking. You have plenty of time and you’ll get to it in the next week or two. Don’t wait. Do it and be done with it. It’s going to be a blast. There are all new pre-cons this time and the tech expo will be open all three days of the event. If you have never been be sure to check out the cool Photoshop World movie on the Photoshop World homepage. Here’s the link.

July 10th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Interesting Blog…

Yes, I am blogging about a blog, but it’s a cool one. I came across this blog purely by accident last week while I was cyber-loafing. It’s a blog that is all about movie posters. It’s called PosterWire.com and it’s a really interesting site that talks about the various aspects of movie poster design — the artists, the filmmakers. They even have awards for different genres of film. The posts are few and far between but it’s still interesting stuff nonetheless. There are even some entries that talk about how Photoshop has become the choice tool for most, if not all, movie marketing. I, for one, bookmarked this site and will visit it often. Check it out.

July 8th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)