NAPP Images of the Week

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to help in the selecting the images of the week. NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker selected a hand full of images in the NAPP member library from which we chose the images that would be showcased on the portfolio home page. It’s a tough process because there are so many impressive images. This week though we give a shout out first to the Editor’s Choice images. Congrats to Steve Bowen, Dan Leszczynski, Dolores Russo, Ken Toney, Dave Wright, and Charles Glatzer.

This week’s image of the week goes to Bruce Clarke for Shelter from the Storm (Pictured here). Very well composed shot. Has a very cinematic quality to it. Excellent work on all these images. Click here to visit the portfolio home page. Also remember to click on each image preview to view each person’s portfolios page. Some really nice stuff in there.

November 22nd, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

Inspiring Site

As an artist I am always on the lookout for things that inspire me. Whether it’s a website, magazine, movie, TV show, or whatever. There is a world of ideas out there. Here is a link to a site I discovered a few months ago. It’s called ElectricArt.com and is an Australia based design company that specializes in creative retouching and 3D. I immediately bookmarked it because it has a huge gallery of really interesting composites created using Photoshop and even some 3D stuff. It is a really inspiring collection of images demonstrating what can be done with Photoshop, photography and a little creativity. I refer to this site often. Not necessarily to get ideas but to put my mind in a creative state by seeing what is possible. Each image has a brief description of the project and in some cases has multiple or alternate images of the same technique. Sometimes it gives me that creative jumpstart I need when tackling a new project. Check it out! What about you? Do you have a site or something that inspires you. Comment on this post and share it with us.

November 18th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (8)

Scott Kelby’s Holiday Gear Guide

Is it really that time of year already? The holidays are upon us and Scott Kelby has put together his 5th Annual Holiday Gear Guide. If you have never seen it before it is a collection of photography and Photoshop related products that we use every day that would great gifts. Scott makes sure not to suggest a product he or any of us would ever use so you can rest assured that these are the best products out there. Also geared to fit any budget with products ranging from $30 to $800, it is a great resource to find ideas for that special someone or perhaps to add your own wish list. Click here to check out what Scott has picked out for this year. Also this gift guide is also featured in the latest issue of Photoshop User magazine. Check it out and happy shopping!

November 15th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Live Webcast with Matt Kloskowski

Celebrating the release of his latest book, Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature (2nd Edition), Matt Kloskowski will be presenting a live webcast this Monday, November 15 at Noon EST. Matt will be covering some of the techniques covered in the book and will also share a tutorial on how the cover of the book was created. There will also be a live Q&A session so bring your questions for the liveblog. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Layers in Photoshop, don’t miss this chance to learn from one of the industry’s top Photoshop pros. The event can be viewed here. Be sure to bookmark this page and we will see you there on Monday!

November 11th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (4)

Bert Monroy’s Times Square

Just a couple weeks ago, my good friend Bert Monroy unveiled his latest digital painting at the PhotoPlus Conference in New York City. This digital painting, which is 100% illustrated from scratch using Illustrator and Photoshop, is a whopping 5 foot tall by 25 feet wide. Bert spent the better part of 4 years completing this project and contains a cumulative total of 500,000 layers with the final flattened file a staggering 6.52GB. I remember him showing me early concepts at Photoshop World a few years ago and was visiting him at his studio just a year ago and it was amazing to see the progression from idea to final project. It’s like waiting for a feature film to be produced and getting a sneak peek here and there. This is the most ambitious project that Bert has ever taken on and I am sure you will agree it is quite impressive.

What’s also very cool is that I am in the painting. Bert decided to populate the painting with family, friends, and people he has worked with throughout the years. You can see RC and I right there between Bert and Johnny L. of Adobe. Click here to go to Bert’s site and see the painting up close. See if you can find the rest of the Photoshop Guys and maybe a few other people you might recognize. Congrats to Bert for taking on such a monumental task and delivering it in a way only he can.

November 9th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (6)

Quick News Bytes…

New Exclusive Planet Photoshop Tutorial
This week I have a new tutorial that is based on one of the early teaser posters for the new movie TRON which opens in just a couple months. I was very intrigued when I first saw some of the graphics because if there is any movie that can stand a modern redo it’s this one. With that, I have here what I am sure is the first of many tutorials inspired by this movie. Enjoy!

Kelby Training iPad App Update
Today on Scott Kelby’s blog there’s an update concerning the new Kelby Online Training iPad App which is in development. The interface is coming along very nicely and hopes to be released sometime next month. If you are a Kelby Online Training subscriber this is going to give you the mobility to watch online training anywhere, anytime on your iPad. Click here to read the full update.

Adobe Discounts for NAPP Members
Adobe has renewed its 15% discounts for all Adobe products through to next year. Yet another reason to get a NAPP membership today if you haven’t already! In fact, most members agree that the discounts alone are worth the price of the membership. Not to mention the insane amount of Photoshop knowledge that is at your disposal. Click here to find out more.

Down & Dirty Seminar Coming to Livonia, MI
My second to last seminar stop for the year will be in Livonia, MI on Friday, November 12, 2010. I will be presenting the Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks tour where we will explore numerous techniques for creating eye-popping effects used by graphic artist and photographers everywhere. You can find out more and register online by clicking here.

November 5th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (3)

New Images of the Week

Remember to check out this week’s image of the week over at the NAPP Member Portfolio page. This image of the week for this week is from Steven Lee (pictured here). He has more impressive pieces on his portfolio page as well. Be sure to check those out. This week’s Editor’s Choices are equally as impressive. Images by Christine Szeredy, Charles Glatzer, Roy O’Brien, Ronald Shue, Tony Pettis, and Samson Gee all deserve all deserve a peek. Don’t forget to check out their portfolio pages also. There are a lot of really inspirational images throughout the entire NAPP Member Portfolio site and images are constantly added daily. Check it out and bookmark it!

November 2nd, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (12)

NAPP Special Offer!

If you are not a NAPP member yet then this is your chance to join the biggest Photoshop organization in the world and to get some free goodies. Right now the NAPP is running a very special offer for new members. If you join for one year, in addition to all the benefits that come with being a NAPP member, you will get a the new Adobe Photoshop CS5 Crash Course DVD by Matt Kloskowski. If you sign up for two years you will get the Crash Course DVD as well as the Mastering HDR in Photoshop CS5 also by Matt Kloskowski. Click here to get more information and to see a very special message from Scott Kelby.

October 28th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (6)

New Images of the Week

Be sure to check out the images selected for the image of the week and Editor’s Choice over at the NAPP member portfolio page. This week’s image of the week goes to Isabelle Green for her beautiful image titled Polo: Quechee vs. Stone Pony (pictured here). Very nice work! Also for the Editor’s Choice we recognize the work of Jeff Myers, Don, Daniel McCarthy, Dennis Chamberlain, Jason Fink, and Jared Martin. As usual, some really inspiring stuff. Keep them coming. Click here to see these images and take in the awesomeness! Happy Friday everyone!

Oh and I will have an all-new exclusive tutorial right here on Planet later today. check back soon.

October 22nd, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Have You Tried Pixel Bender Yet?

There is a simple, yet cool new plug-in that is available over at the Adobe Labs site. It is called Pixel Bender and it is a collection of image altering effects that can yield some rather interesting effects. All of us here at NAPP HQ have all been taken by this simple little feature. Pictured here is a cool example from Dave Cross after he experimented with the oil painting filter. The cool part is that this plug-in is free! Now, does it solve any real world issues? Not necessarily, but it certainly is a lot of fun to play around with.

If you really want to get ambitious you can also download the Pixel Bender Toolkit. Which allows you to create your own filter effects to be used in the plug-in. There is also the Pixel Bender Exchange where you can download filters developed by other users. For such a simple thing, seems like there is a lot going on with it. Click here to learn more and get it now.

October 20th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (8)