MAX Is Coming | New Video Tutorial

The Adobe Max Conference is coming soon. Yes, this massive event is going to be in San Francisco on November 16-19. That’s pretty much right in Adobe’s back yard. What does that mean? Well it means that there will probably be a lot more Adobe people to network with. Not only that, it’s a great conference. I went to last year’s Max in Chicago and it was awesome. There are numerous courses in design, developing, and business management and you have the chance to network with thousands of people just like you. Find more here. Oh, and San Francisco is an awesome city to visit.

Also there is a new video tutorial here on Planet. This video explores more fun with custom brushes. Once you realize the amazing possibilities with brushes, you can just have a blast coming up with new discoveries. Check it out.

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

Where to Learn More

I am noticing that a lot of people are really enjoying the tutorials over here at Planet and some are asking where they can learn more. For more in-depth training, go over and check out the Kelby Training site. We offer fully-involved online courses and DVDs, as well as a large selection of books by the best in the biz. There is also information about the Photoshop seminar tour. I attended these seminars a while back and the training is worth its weight in gold. All these training resources are reasonably priced and you get an even greater discount as a NAPP member.

Another good site for free training is LayersMagazine.com. There are not just Photoshop tutorials, but videos on the other Adobe apps as well. However, in my experience, the training can only get you so far. The very best thing to do is experiment and make your own discoveries. Check these out and happy learning!!!

GO RAYS!!!!

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

New Design Effects Course at Kelby Training

I am excited to announce my newest course over at Kelby Online Training: Design Effects with Photoshop CS4. This course is for artists, graphic designers, and even photographers who may want to do a little more with their photos. It is jam-packed with techniques on creating some of the most popular effects around. The cool part is that this course is non-version specific. Which means that even though some lessons utilize new features in CS4, they will still work in earlier versions.

Also, check out my other new course: Photoshop CS4 for Beginners. This course not only covers the basic components of Photoshop CS4, but also covers practical techniques that will have you correcting and retouching your images in no time at all. Check them out here.

October 16th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

CS4 Shipping Today

The wait is over! The entire Creative Suite 4 is shipping today. This includes Photoshop and Photoshop Extended and all the other apps that make this suite the standard for design, photography, and web. Be sure to check on which versions you currently have to make sure you qualify for an upgrade. You can use the eligibility tool over at the Adobe site to be sure. Also, check the site for more info on all the individual apps in the Suite. There are so many options now, you’re gonna want to be sure you get only what you need.

Don’t forget to check out the new NAPP Photoshop CS4 Learning Center to get up to speed on all the new Photoshop features, as well as, the new Creative Suite 4 Learning Center over at LayersMagazine.com

October 15th, 2008 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

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 (1)

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 (6)

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)