New Layers Design Contest

Layers magazine has launched their second online design contest. This is a great opportunity to sharpen those design skills and get your name out there. Just go to this link and download the contest image. Then simply use any of the Adobe apps to create a design or animation based on this graphic. This is great chance to flex those creative muscles and have a little fun. The prize is a $300 shopping spree at the Kelby Training site. Very cool stuff. So don’t wait, go download the image and get started.

May 15th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Wild West Grunge

Corey shows you how to recreate this rugged, weathered look using a couple of filters, blending modes, and layer masks. Continue Reading »

May 13th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Photography, Tutorials, Videos | Comments (24)

Spotlight: Joe McNally

If you haven’t heard of photographer Joe McNally you have clearly been sleeping under a rock somewhere. Joe is certainly one of the most popular photographers working today. He has produced truly inspiring images for clients such as Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, and Time. He is perhaps best known for his innovative use of light on set. Joe can achieve in the camera what most can only do in the computer during post production. Joe recently released his first book: The Moment It Clicks in which he shares his thought processes for capturing some of his most inspiring images. This book is a must have for every aspiring photographer. Joe also has a daily blog on which he keeps his fans up-to-date with where he is and what he is shooting. Always inspirational stuff, you should check it out and bookmark it right away.

May 13th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Flickr Fans Rejoice

The new Photoshop Express can now upload photos directly to your Flickr account, right from within the program. Since Flickr has established itself as one the most popular photo-sharing websites, it only makes sense that this feature is implemented. Now you can upload, correct, and store your photos in your Photoshop Express account and send over the ones you want to share to your Flickr site. The best part is that it is all online so you can manage your photos from anywhere.

Also, if you are in the Hartford, CT area tomorrow you won’t want to miss Scott Kelby teaching his Photoshop CS3 Power Tour. It truly is a lot of fun and everyone from beginners to advanced users can always get something out of it. Find out more here.

May 12th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Opening Today!

Well, other than the new movie Speed Racer, which I will definitely check out this weekend, the news is that Scott Kelby’s newest course: Professional Portrait Retouching, was just released on the Kelby Online Training site today.

This highly-anticipated course takes you through the processes of some of the most sought-after retouching techniques anywhere. Scott covers stuff like enhancing lighting, changing eye color, removing stubble, highlighting hair, and so much more. It’s all presented in his straight-forward, non-technical style. This course will have you retouching photos like a pro in no time.

May 9th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Last Day in New York

Well it’s the last day of classes here at B&H and I must admit, it has been a lot of fun. I met a lot of really interesting people who are truly passionate about learning Photoshop. I met a man that is 80 years old and posed some really intelligent questions. Proof positive that it is never to late to learn something new.

This being my first time to B&H Photo, I must admit I was really impressed on many levels. First, the scale of the store is just immense, even more so with the newly expanded area upstairs dedicated entirely to cameras of all makes and models. Second is the staff. They were extremely friendly, but much more than that, they were very knowledgeable of the products. Bottom line, this business is truly a well-oiled machine and there is always a good size crowd. If you find yourself in the New York area. Add this place to your list of stops.

Also, Larry Becker (Director of NAPP) and I went out for a little photo safari in Times Square last night and we managed to get a few decent images. Click here to see a larger view of the one to the right here.

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

Live From New York…

No it’s not live. Hi everyone! Just a quick update from the Big Apple. My sessions went really well yesterday at B&H and I am on my way to do another one today. Being here in New York, and certainly here in Times Square has given me a lot of inspiration. I will post some pics a little later. Have a good day!

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

On My Way to the Big Apple!

Well I just wanted to get a quick post in before I head out to the airport. I’m on my way to New York. Scott, Matt, RC, and I will be teaching at B&H Photo over the next few days in their new event space. I am especially excited because it has been almost 13 years since I was last in New York city. Obviously, a lot has changed there in recent years and it will be an exciting and emotional experience to be sure. Anyway, I will be posting updates of the event throughout the week so stay tuned. Have a good Monday.

Oh, and one quick thing. Those of you who watch my tutorials know that I am big movie fan. Well I saw Iron Man this weekend and I have to say it was certainly one of the coolest movies I have seen this year. For those who enjoy good action and awesome visual effects. This one is for you. Don’t miss it.

May 5th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

NAPP Week at B&H

Next Monday, May 5 (Cinco De Mayo) B&H Photo in New York will be hosting the first ever NAPP week in their new Event Space. If you live in or around the New York area, come by and see Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, RC, and myself as we spend three days teaching various sessions in Photoshop, Lightroom, and Dreamweaver. These sessions are free but with limited seating. To make sure you have a seat, go to the B&H site and register for whichever session you would like to attend. Some sessions will be taught more than once over the three day period, so there will be more chances to get the same great material. I will be teaching Lighting Effects in Photoshop twice on Tuesday, May 6. Then I will be teaching Channels on Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 8. You can find out more about these and other sessions, as well as register here. Hope to see you there. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

May 2nd, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Wall of Text

Use a clipping group to place an image inside of a background of text, with another layer of text placed in front to create depth. Continue Reading »

May 2nd, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Text, Tools, Tutorials, Videos | Comments (29)

Congratulations Scott!!

Peachpit Press announced that The Digital Photography Book Vol. 1 by Scott Kelby is the best-selling book on digital photography ever, having sold over a quarter-million copies so far. A big congrats to Scott for the tremendous success of this volume. It seems that Volume 2 is well on its way to being a best-seller as well, already surpassing numbers sold in the same time period as Volume 1. I will say this about this book, if you own a digital camera, whether it’s a point-and-shoot or an SLR, you should have this book close by. It’s an invaluable resource. Enough said!!

May 1st, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

The Shroud Is Lifted

Last week, Time magazine posted an article on their website revealing the identity of the guys responsible for the hilarious “You Suck At Photoshop” series that has been amusing the masses on YouTube for past couple months. Rumors abounded that the irreverent voice was that of actor/comedian Dane Cook. This, however, is not the case. This series is actually the brainchild of Troy Hitch and Matt Bledsoe. These two met while producing a radio ad in Cincinnati and became fast friends. They started writing a number of comedic sketches together and would eventually find fame in this off-the-wall look at learning Photoshop. If you haven’t seen this hilarious series of videos check them out here (Be warned - These clips do contain some explicit language.) Go here to read the full story on Time.com

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

New Course On Kelby Training

Motion graphics guru Richard Harrington has just released his newest course: Photoshop & After Effects for Wedding Photographers. This course shows you how to dazzle your clients by creating presentations with flare. You will learn how to prepare photos for Power Point, Keynote, or even prepare a DVD slide show. If you’ve ever wanted to present your photos with a little more interest than a typical slide show, this course is for you. It’s available exclusively through the Kelby Online Training site. Find out more about this course, as well as others by Richard, by going here.

April 28th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Natural Brushes

In this tutorial Corey shows you how to take an existing image and turn it into it’s own custom brush. Continue Reading »

April 25th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Effects, Tools, Tutorials, Videos | Comments (10)

Scott Kelby in Hartford, CT | New Joe McNally Course

That’s right. Scott Kelby will be back on the road next month as he brings his Photoshop CS3 Power Tour to Hartford, CT on May 13. This will be a full day of nothing but Photoshop goodness. Packaged in Scott’s famous teaching style, you will be entertained every bit as much as you learn the coolest effects and time-saving techniques anywhere. All this for the low price of $99 ($79 for NAPP members). So if you are in or around the Hartford area, you don’t want to miss the chance to learn from the best out there. Find out more about this and other seminar dates here.

Also, there is a new course from Joe McNally on the Kelby Online Training site. This one is called Using Small Flashes. Joe gets into utilizing small, hot shoe flashes in very creative ways. Don’t settle for just having the flash on the camera, break out and follow Joe as he shares innovative ways of getting the most from your flash systems. It is indeed a treat to be able to learn from one of the very best photographers working today. So don’t miss out. Find out more about this course and others here.

April 25th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)