Calling All Pen Scrappers!

If you do digital scrapbooking then you are definitely gonna want to check out the Wacom website. They are hosting an interesting contest where you can showcase your best digital scrapbook work and have a chance to win a new Wacom Bamboo Fun. There are a number of artists already in the gallery and you can look at their work and get ideas. Some of the artists’ profiles even feature a video on how they created their pages. Really interesting stuff! So whether you are heavy into scrapbooking or just play around with it, this could be a fun thing to get involved in. Check it out here.

October 14th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

New Video: Halftone Smudge Brush

I am always trying to figure out new ways to use brushes in Photoshop. There are so many cool things you can achieve with creating unusual custom brushes. Here, in this tutorial, we will look at turning a halftone pattern into a brush, then using the Smudge tool we can get interesting streaks of color. This is just one the numerous way you can use the brush engine in a creative way. So experiment with this feature as much as you can. You never know what you will discover.

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

New CS4 Courses at Kelby Training

Ever since the announcement of Photoshop CS4, we here at the NAPP have working diligently to put together some the best courses for this new version and some of them are available now. The Photoshop CS4 Power Session by Matt Kloskowski was made available just recently and it covers all the new features in CS4. Everything you need to get up-to-speed quickly. Next we have Creative Suite 4 Integration by Dave Cross. This course not only covers Photoshop, but also how it integrates smoothly with Illustrator and InDesign CS4. Get a peek into these new apps right here in this course. Other courses that are on the way include Design Effects with Photoshop by Corey Barker (me) and Photoshop & Dreamweaver CS4 Integration by RC. True, these apps are not out yet, but here’s your chance to get to know the software before any of your friends. If you are not subscribed to Kelby Online Training, click here. NAPP members also get a discount. Check it out!

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

Upgrading from Photoshop 7

If you are using Photoshop 7 and you want to upgrade to the newest version of Photoshop. You need to hurry and upgrade by October 15. According to John Nack’s blog, Adobe will only allow upgrading up to three versions back. So to upgrade to Photoshop CS3 you would need CS2, CS, or Photoshop 7. When CS4 is released Photoshop 7 will no longer qualify. So check on that and make sure your version qualifies. Don’t wait, October 15 is closing in.

Also for you Illustrator users out there, I have a new tutorial on applying photos to 3D shapes over at the Layers Magazine website. Click here to watch and enjoy!

October 7th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (4)

New Tutorial: Energize That Photo

This week’s tutorial is really cool and really quick. The effect can be achieved in no time at all. In just a few steps we can turn a normal photo into an exciting design. Here we will utilize layers and filters to jazz things up a little. We will also make use of Photoshop’s powerful brush engine. Just by changing a few settings you can have a custom brush capable of creating a variety of different effects. Combine that with layers styles and you end up with some really cool results. Check it out.

October 6th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

Calling All iPhone Owners

Do you have an iPhone? If you do then you have a chance to make a name for yourself. Kelby Training is hosting a new photo contest for iPhone owners. That’s right, a photo contest with your iPhone. Go out there and shoot stuff with your built in camera and submit them to win a copy of the new iPhone book by Scott Kelby and a grand prize of a $500 Apple store card. The contest begins on October 1 and closes on October 24. Then there will be a public voting from October 28-30. Winners will be announced on November 3rd. So if you never actually used the camera on your iPhone, now is the time. You can enter up to three images. So don’t wait. Go out there and have fun! Click here for more info.

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

NAPP on YouTube

Did you know that the NAPP has a page on YouTube? I didn’t even know that. No, I’m kidding. Yes, the video guys over at Scrivtown have put together a collection of tutorials, interviews, and a few surprises and posted them for all to enjoy. You can even watch the keynote movies from past Photoshop Worlds. Also included is the wildly popular iPod Flea commercial among many other frivolous spots. So if you are in the mood for a laugh or maybe want learn a little something go check it out.

One more quick thing. I was checking out John Nack’s blog and there is a really interesting 30 minute video by Adobe Evangelist Julianne Kost on the new Bridge. Really interesting stuff. Check it out here.

September 30th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

New Design Elements Video

In this week’s video tutorial I demonstrate how you can take a really basic photo and extract elements to create an interesting design element in Photoshop. The cool thing is that this could work on almost any photo. All you need to do is look at the various part of a photo and pick an element that has an interesting shape to it. Then by applying this technique you can turn a noticeable object into a really interesting abstract shape. You could even take it further by turning the shape into a custom brush.

September 28th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

What’s In A Name

So a lot of people see me doing crazy stuff with filters in Photoshop and I often ask people if they ever use filters. I was surprised to find out that very few actually do. The ones they do use are common ones like Blur or Sharpen, but there are dozens of other filters in Photoshop that no one ever really bothers with because they either didn’t know they were there or were put off by the name. Don’t let that throw you off. Just because a filters bears a certain name that doesn’t mean it cannot contribute to a really cool effect. A while back I did a tutorial on creating water droplets on a bottle. The effect was achieved by using the Stained Glass and the Plaster filters. Going strictly by the names I would never have considered they would create such an effect but they did. So my point here is to experiment. Don’t pay attention to what a filter is called. Try it out.! Play with the settings on different images. Try a filter you have never used before. You just might find that one effect you’ve been looking for. The gems are already there in Photoshop, you just have to dig them up. Enjoy!!!

September 26th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

So What Do You Think?

Well it’s just been a couple days since Adobe announced the new Creative Suite 4 and it certainly has generated a lot of buzz and I want hear what you think. I would for love everyone to comment on this post and tell me and others what you think of this new version. Especially with Photoshop. I have to admit, I am very excited about some of these new features. I am especially psyched about the new 3D features. No, I am not necessarily a 3D expert but the cool thing is you don’t have to be. It’s really easy to implement this features into your design work even if you never really used 3D before. I will definitely have some new tutorials here on Planet demonstrating how you can take advantage of these.

Also be sure over and check out the Layers CS4 Learning Center for videos on all the other apps in the Creative Suite. RC has also posted a Photoshop CS4 video demonstrating the Flash panel configurator. Which allows you to create customized toolbars and panels.

September 25th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (7)

New Photoshop CS4 Learning Center

The wait is over…well sort of. Today is the day we all get to see what Adobe has in store for the next installment of the Creative Suite. If you haven’t registered yet for the special Adobe presentation go here. Although if you miss it, not to worry. All of us here at the NAPP have put together a slick new Photoshop CS4 Learning Center. Get an inside look at the newest features in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended. With exclusive content by Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, Dave Cross, RC and Corey Barker; there is no better place to get up to speed fast. The learning center is free with extra content exclusively for NAPP members. I gotta admit. I am really excited about the new 3D features, I see real possibilities here. I will have some exciting new CS4 content right here on Planet very soon. So stay tuned.

What about the rest of the Creative Suite. Well we also put together a slick Creative Suite 4 Learning Center over at the Layers Magazine website. We have a host of guest instructors covering all the creative suite apps like Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, and even a little Photoshop. Check it out here.

September 23rd, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

New Video Tutorial

This week we are talking about vector masks. Perhaps one of the most underrated tools in Photoshop, vector masks allow you to mask objects with clean vector lines. Unlike layer masks, you can modify the vector lines after the mask is created using the many path tools. Vector masks are also resolution-independent meaning they can be scaled to virtually any size. Click here to view this tutorial.

September 21st, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Camera Raw Update Available

The new Camera Raw 4.6 release candidate is available for download over at the Adobe Labs website. As usual, this update adds new camera models and minor fixes. As mentioned, this is a release candidate. This basically means that it is almost a finished version. Adobe is just looking for some feedback form the user community. Information about the release and a link to download can be found here.

So if you didn’t make to Photoshop World you can get taste of what it was like out in Vegas by going to the Photoshop World website. There is a new video clip that the video guys put together that really hits the high point of the conference and gives you an idea of how much fun it really is. Check it out here.

September 18th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

The Floating Head Guy

A while back I mentioned a blog I found about movie poster design called PosterWire.com. Now this site isn’t updated often but when they do, it usually is something really interesting. Just recently they posted a video interview with poster designer Gavin Berliner. Whose is famous for the floating head design so commonly seen in movie posters. It’s a funny but interesting conversation where he talks a little bit about the thought process that goes into a poster design and how the actor and his or her level of fame influences the overall design. Here’s the link.

Also our very own Bert Monroy has a cool video tour of his Berkeley Hills Studio. I know that he recently did a complete remodel of his studio and it’s cool to see it finished. It’s neat to see an artist’s domain.

September 17th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Where did you get that photo?

A lot of people have been commenting lately as to the nature of the images that I use. On occasion I do manage pry myself away from my desk and actually shoot stuff myself. However, that does tend to require some real effort and sometimes I just can’t (Just kidding.) No really, I do enjoy shooting although I don’t always have the shot I need for the effect I want. That’s the beauty of stock photography. Nothing makes your work day easier than letting someone else do the leg work for you. Did I just write that out loud? At any rate, I often use iStockphoto.com for my stock image needs. They have a pretty impressive collection of images. They also have illustrated graphics and even video clips, all at extremely affordable rates. You can search around for free before even purchasing. Check it out here.

September 15th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (5)