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Cool Sites For Idea Hunting

It is, of course, no secret at all that I am a big movie fan and draw a lot of my inspiration from everything Hollywood. Whether it’s a movie poster, trailer, TV spot, magazine ad or whatever. There’s a haven of ideas right before our eyes. All we have to do is stop and look around. So today I wanted to share with a few sites I have bookmarked and visit frequently to be inspired by great designs. The first one is the Apple Movie Trailer site. Yes, for those that don’t know this, there is a page on the Apple website that is nothing but the latest movies trailers in full HD. I visit this site every day. It has most of the latest trailers for movies in theaters or coming soon. You can even download them right to your computer. I have had many ideas come from this site.

The next one is a site called MoviePoster.com. This is basically a movie poster super store. The reason I like this site is because it not only carries the latest movies but they also have a huge selection of vintage posters from the past several decades. Even some of the originals that are hard to find. Check it out!

Another great source for movie inspired material is the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). This is perhaps one of my most favorite sites. Not just for the visuals but for the vast amount of information for virtually everything entertainment. Got a troubling movie or TV question? Chances are the answer can be found here.

Now one more site I think is worth mentioning is not a movie related site but a cool place to seek out some ideas. It is called CoolHomePages.com. This is just a gallery collection of really cool websites form around the world. They are very easy to navigate by category. Whether you are looking for clean designs, flash sites, e-commerce sites, self promo, etc. In fact, I had a personal website a few years ago that was inspired by a site I saw on on this site. Definitely worth a look!

Again, I suggest these sites as a means of inspiration, not to plagiarize. They way I look for ideas is to break individual elements down and use them in a way that caters to what my personal goal may be. I will often try to mimic and exact effect to merely figure out the technique so I can relay in my tutorials. Once the technique is mastered, then you can rework it to your liking. This is often the misconception about a lot of tutorials. For instance, you may have watched a tutorial on how to create a fire effect for a movie poster. Well chances are most of are not going to be creating a movie poster. That doesn’t mean the technique therein is useless. Learn the technique then cater it to your work. Most of the time the tutorial is just a vehicle for the technique.

Well that’s it for now. I hope this inspires you to put on your Photoshop goggles and perhaps see things a little differently. Like I said, there’s a world of ideas out there, all you have to do is stop and look around. If you have any sites that you frequently visit that inspire you we would love to hear about them. If so, post a comment here with a link.

October 5th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (6)

New Video Tutorials

We have got a lot of new content that has been posted over the weekend. First check out my newest video tutorial here on Planet on creating a realistic depth of field effect on 2D images using the 3D features in Photoshop CS5 Extended. Also on Planet today we have another exclusive tutorial from NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker on creating abstract backgrounds using a single photo. Also check out a new video I have over at LayersMagazine.com on getting creative color effects on image from Photoshop using Live Trace in Adobe Illustrator. I also utilize the Kuler color feature to seek out color swatches in a free online database. Lastly all you NAPP members, remember that Friday is the day the NAPP member site is updated with new videos, news bits, etc. This week we have a cool new video from Dave Cross on using layers styles on text and Mark Johnson has a cool tutorial on creating a comic book photo effect. So that should be enough video watching to get you in trouble at the office today, but think of what you will be learning. That’s it for now. More to come!

October 4th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

NAPP Image of the Week

It is that time again! Larry Becker has once again put together a killer collection of images for this week’s NAPP showcase. This week the image of the week was awarded to Jan Altes with her inspiring image titled Central Park #2 (Pictured here). Also a shout out to all those selected for Editor’s Choice this week as well. Big congrats to Randy Brogen, Dave Wright, Chris Martin, Rob Dweck, Phatpuppy Art, and thatsanicepicture. Click here to see these images and numerous other works in the NAPP member portfolio gallery.

October 1st, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (1)

Julieanne Kost on Scott Kelby Blog

If you are frequent reader of Scott Kelby’s blog then you are no doubt aware that every Wednesday is Guest-Blog Wednesday where Scott features an exclusive post from a guest photographer, Photoshop expert, or anyone who is just plain interesting. This week he has Adobe’s own Julieanne Kost. Julianne has been an Adobe evangelist for Photoshop and Lightroom for years. She also teaches at workshops and events around the world including Photoshop World. She is an amazing photographer and an inspirational teacher. Click here to read this most recent post where she tells more about herself and her work.

September 29th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Share Your 3D Art and Win!

Do you have Photoshop CS5 Extended? Have you experimented with 3D at all? If so, I would love to see what you have done. With 3D being so new to Photoshop that there are still many that are reluctant to venture into the 3D realm. However, I know there has to be those curious few like me who have really been pushing 3D to the limit. So here’s what you do. Post a comment here with a link to an image you did using the Photoshop 3D features. Doesn’t have to be all 3D but you have to employ 3D in some way in your design. Of the submissions I will select one and you will receive a free copy of the 3D in Photoshop Book. The first ever book on 3D in Photoshop! So don’t be shy, show us what you got! Will announce the winner this Monday, October 4, 2010!

September 28th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (21)

Photoshop for 3D Guide App Now Available!

Well most of you may have heard about the new 3D in Photoshop book that was recently released by Focal Press. This book is the first of its kind and covers everything you need to get started with the new 3D features in Photoshop CS5 Extended. I contributed the chapter on Repousse and other chapters were done by artist such as Bert Monroy and Russell Brown. It’s a must read for anyone who is wanting to get serious with 3D in Photoshop. In addition to the book Adobe has also released a new digital edition of the book as an iPad app over at iTunes. Now it’s not the full book but merely a sampling of some of the material form the book on basic 3D concepts and 15 tutorials exclusive to the app. The cool part is that the book is interactive. Meaning you can touch and drag around the individual images and see the 3D effects in action. The app is free and is only available for iPad. Click here to download now.

September 27th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

All New NAPP Vids

Just wanted to call attention to the newest NAPP member exclusive video tutorials that were just posted on Friday. If you are a NAPP member and find that you don’t really go to the member site such then there is no better reason than to see all the exclusive video and written content exclusively for NAPP members. There are literally hundreds of videos from all the Photoshop guys and other contributing Photoshop gurus and more videos are added every week. This week we have a couple new vids from RC Concepcion and myself. RC talks about using the crop tool in Photoshop to hide stuff in your images and I talk about how you can apply some simple layer effects to add new life to a seemingly unexciting photo. Again, these are exclusive NAPP member tutorials and can be accessed through the main member page. Now if you are not a NAPP member then click here to get started and get access to exclusive content, discounts, exclusive updates, and so much more. Yes this may sound like a NAPP advert, but hey it’s still pretty cool if you are a die hard Photoshop user. Go now! See you on the other side!

September 27th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

New NAPP Image of the Week

This week we have some more great images showcased on the NAPP member portfolio page. This week the image of the week went to Chad M. Branton (pictured here). Congratulations to Chad for sharing his creative efforts. You can also click on his name to see more of his creations. Congrats also to Nicole S. Young, Mehdi, George Fowler, Jolynne Locust-Woodcock, Trevor A. Palmer, and Blue as their images were also chosen as Editor’s Choices this week. You can these images by visiting the main portfolio page. Check it out!

September 24th, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Blog Around Town!

Today I just wanted to share with you a few links to some blogs in our network you may or may not be aware of. First go and check out Scott Kelby’s blog. I know RC mentioned this yesterday but Wednesdays are Guest Blog days over at Scott’s blog and this week he has an exclusive post from photographer Patrick Smith. These posts are always insightful and is interesting to see and learn the work habits of so many different photographers.

Next blog on the list is NAPP’s very own Dave Cross. Dave’s blog is great because he not only posts news and updates but he also posts the occasional tutorial. Whether it’s on photography or Photoshop, Dave always leaves you with a gem of knowledge that make it worth it. Dave also keeps you up-to-date on what’s happening with his teaching and seminar schedule. Definitely need to bookmark this page.

Lastly, for all you Lightroom users out there. Oh yes, I said Lightroom! While this is a Photoshop site, let us not forget that Lightroom is in the Photoshop family. Lightroom Killer Tips is bog site hosted by Matt Kloskowski and is jam packed with all kinds of Lightroom info. Matt keeps you up to speed with news, video tutorials, written tutorials, and even downloadable presets that you install right away. It’s a great resource whether you are just getting started with Lightroom or an old pro. There’s something for all.

So those are just a few blogs that are definitely worth checking out. Have a good day!

September 22nd, 2010 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Tuesday Tips & Peachpit Book Giveaway!

I figured I would spice things up this Tuesday by talking about something that I think people don’t really use all that often as well as give you a chance to win a couple of free books while you’re at it!

Scott Kelby covered the “Cinematic Crop” over on his blog this morning, and I think it’s down to be a hit. This got people thinking about how to be able to set ratios when cropping in places like Photoshop.

If you want to use a specific perspective, i’d recommend using the Marquee selection tool. From there, you can click on the dropdown in the Tool Options and set it to Fixed Ratio. Once that’s set, type in the ratio that you are looking for there and make a selection. Once your selection is complete, click on Image>Crop and you’re done!

Doing it in Camera Raw
You can also take what you’ve learned there and apply it to images inside of Camera Raw. You’ll notice that there is a crop tool at the very top of Camera Raw. If you click on the dropdown for it, there will be an option called “Custom”. This will bring up a dialog box where you can specify the porportions that you need for your image. Click and drag to crop and you’ll notice that you will always be at the right proportions!

A Book Contest!
Now, our friends over at Peachpit have been really cool about getting us a copy of Photoshop for Video as well as Understanding Photoshop CS5 by the inimitable Richard Harrington. How about we do a quick contest to start drumming up more interest for planet. Leave a comment on the blog here and we’ll select one at random on Friday morning. We’ll announce the winner of it during the next contest! (but obviously we’ll tell the winner, they won)