Free Expo Passes & My New DVD Is In

Well if you find yourself in the Boston area next week and just happen to be hanging around the convention center. You can come and check out the Tech Expo for free. That’s right the Expo will be open to the public on March 26 & 27 for you to check out all the cool vendors, product demos, and special expo classes. All you need to do is go here and register for your Expo pass. Hope to see you there!!!

Also I am very excited that my newest DVD training course: Design Effects with Photoshop CS4 is available now over at the Kelby Training site. This is course is all about making your design better because there are all kinds of mini techniques right in there with the big ones. My hope is that this course will bring your designs to a whole new level of awesome!!!! Plus the cover design is very cool. Big props to Jessica Maldonado for her great work on the cover art. Find out more here!

March 18th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

New Planet Contest is Live | Nikon Classes at PSW

Here we go!!! The third Planet tutorial contest is now under way and accepting submissions. We have been getting some amazing entries and they just keep getting better. I have a selected an exciting collection of tutorials this time around and hope you have fun with them. Remember you can use any one of these tutorials or a combination of them to create a new image. Use the techniques but be as original as possible with what you create. That is the fun part! All I am giving you here is some of the ingredients. It is up to you what you make out of it. The most important thing is to have fun. Click here to get started and have fun!!!

Nikon just recently announced they will have special sessions at the Expo hall at Photoshop World next week. These sessions will be all three days of the event with presenters like Matt Kloskowski, Joe McNally, and Moose Peterson among others. They will covering numerous subjects on general photography tips and Nikon specific techniques as well. Click here for a detailed class listing.

March 16th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

So…I am curious

How many of you out there are using a pressure sensitive tablet? If so, are you actually using the pressure sensitive features? All too often I am hearing different perspectives from people using pressure sensitive tablets and it is always something different. If you don’t use a tablet, what is the reason? As an artist I see my tablet as an indispensable tool that I just cannot work without. To me, illustrating using a mouse is like painting a masterpiece with a bar of soap. It just doesn’t feel natural. Although, since the dawn of the personal computer age we have become accustomed to using a mouse and it seems hard for many to go back to the natural feel of a pen. Then again, some just don’t care one way or the other. Nevertheless I would like to hear your perspectives on this. Please feel free to post your comments here on the blog and tell me what you think.

March 11th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (67)

Down & Dirty Tour Is Coming!

That’s right!! The renowned Photoshop Down & Dirty Trick seminar is coming back in 2009. This seminar is a Photoshop artist and designers paradise. You will learn all the most popular eye-popping Photoshop effects that you can use right away. This seminar was started by Scott Kelby years ago and was a huge hit among the community and has since been in big demand. Well the wait is over. The tour will kick off in Washington D.C. on May 8 with Scott Kelby teaching, and then I will be taking the tour to Richmond, VA on May 27. I am super excited because this tour is all about how to do the cool stuff and is perfect for everyone. Whether you’re an artist, designer, or photographer, this seminar will take you to that next level. You can find out more about the tour and what you will learn here.

Also be sure to look for the upcoming Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks book by Scott Kelby. This newly updated edition will be jam-packed with the coolest Photoshop effects around. No technical mumbo-jumbo! Just straight-forward techniques that you can use right away. I even contributed a chapter to the book cover some cool 3D effects using Photoshop Extended.

March 9th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (9)

New Course at Kelby Training | Contest Update

My long awaited course: Creative Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator is now available over at the Kelby Training site. In this course we will explore numerous way you can harness the power of both Photoshop and Illustrator to create eye-popping graphics. This course will appeal to designers, artists, and even photographers who want to take their images to that next level. While each one of these applications are extremely powerful in and of themselves, when you combine features in each you can reach a whole new level of creativity you never thought possible. Even though this course is presented in CS4, the techniques are just as relevant in CS3. Click here for more and I hope you enjoy!

I have been getting a lot of people asking me when the next Planet contest will be starting up. Worry not good people, for a new contest will be under way next week. So get those creative wheels turning as you will be challenged soon enough!

March 6th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Seminars Coming Soon | Photo Keys for iPhone

Arguably one of the best ways to learn Photoshop is by going to seminars or live events like Photoshop. Even if you know 90 percent of what is already being taught. There is always that little gem of a technique that you didn’t know before. I still, to this day, always get something from them. Be on the lookout for Kelby Training seminars coming your way. Check out the all new Kelby Training Live site for all future seminar dates, class descriptions, instructor bios, and everything you need to know about these powerful one-day learning opportunities. For instance we have Dave Cross and his Maximum Photoshop tour in Arlington, TX on March 6; Ben Willmore in New York on March 13 with the Photographers tour; and Bert Monroy with his Creativity your on March 19 in San Francisco. There are numerous other dates posted and new ones posted all the time. be sure to check back often as dates and cities can change at any time. Also coming in May, Scott Kelby is bringing back the popular Down & Dirty Photoshop tour. Check the site soon for cities and dates.

Lastly, here is a quick little thing I saw on John Nack’s blog. It’s a new app for the iPhone called PhotoKeys and it is basically a tool app for Photoshop. Meaning you can use it as a companion to select tools and execute certain functions right form your iPhone. It seems really intriguing though I have yet to be able to try it myself. It seemed to be worth mentioning. You know…Photoshop and all.

March 2nd, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)

Planet Contest Winners! | New Podcast

Congratulations to Paul Cordero for being the the grand prize winner of the newest Planet tutorial design contest for his piece titled “Sandman”. Also congratulations to our first runner-up Sara for her piece “Vigilant Justice” and the second runner-up Jason Kendall for “Freestyle”. These winning pieces can be viewed on the contest page. There were some really impressive entries this go around and is making the judging that much harder. Keep them coming everyone and keep up the good work. We are still putting together the gallery of the other contest entries so make sure you check back soon. We will be starting a new contest next week so stay tuned.

Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski have launched a brand new podcast called D-Town TV. It’s a photography tips show for Nikon shooters covering all of the D model cameras by Nikon. Hence the name. It is going to be a weekly show where Scott & Matt talk about cool tips and tricks to get the most out of your Nikon DSLR. Anyone who is a fan of Photoshop User TV will enjoy this show both for it’s entertaining and educational value. You can subscribe on iTunes or go to the site directly by clicking here. Enjoy!

February 27th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

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February 26th, 2009 | Web Editor | Blog | Comments (0)

Photoshop CS4 Update | Cool Online Art Tools

A new update for Photoshop CS4 is available now over at the Adobe site. According to John Nack’s blog this update corrects some performance issues, some 3D features have been fixed, and some text issues have been addressed. The update is available now for both Mac and Windows.

There is a cool new online product from a company called Aviary. Actually they have produced a few online applications that anyone can jump right in and create some pretty cool art. First they have a new online vector application called Raven which you can use to create and edit graphic art and logos. Then there is the online image editor called Phoenix which let’s you use Photoshop like features to edit and correct your images right online. You can even collaborate with others online. Finally they have and app called Peacock and Toucan. Peacock allows you to create abstract images and effects, while Toucan is similar to Kuler in that you can create color sets and harmonies. They are are pretty cool and worth a quick peek. You can try all of these free right now on the Aviary site. Check it out!!

February 25th, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (2)

Oscars! | Flow Demo | PS World Early Bird Extended

I have to start by giving a shout out to Danny Boyle for winning the Best Director Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire. Which also won the Best Picture Oscar among its 8 total wins. I have been a long time fan of his work and thrilled he has finally gotten the recognition for it. Also a big congrats to the late Heath Ledger for his stunning performance as the Joker in the Dark Knight and, of course, Pixar has won yet another Best Animated Feature Oscar with the heartfelt Wall-E. Another stunning piece of work!

Anyway, I have a couple things here. Dave Cross has produced a short but informative little demo video on the new product Flow from Gridiron. If you remember I mentioned it here last Friday. This is a very cool product and I think you can see that in this cool demo. Is it available as a Public Beta right now so you can give it a try yourself. Check out Dave’s demo here and to download the Beta click here.

Also the early bird registration for Photoshop World has been extended to February 27. That means just a few more days to save $100 off the full registration cost. Given these tough times we should take all the deals we can get. So if you were planning on joining us in Boston on March 25-27, don’t wait. That extra $100 can go long way. Click here for more info.

February 23rd, 2009 | Corey Barker | Blog | Comments (0)