http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com The Unofficial Photoshop Weblog http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/07/13/tips-for-mocking-up-a-web-page-in-photoshop/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/07/13/tips-for-mocking-up-a-web-page-in-photoshop/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/07/13/tips-for-mocking-up-a-web-page-in-photoshop/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Tutorials, Web graphics

I'm a fan of creating web page mockups in Photoshop before creating the actual pages in a site-building program. Photoshop Lab offers some useful tips for mocking up a web page in Photoshop. The post includes instructions for creating design elements in Photoshop like dotted and dashed underlines. It shows how to clip Color Fill layers to content layers to color individual elements on a page mockup. And it offers a technique for creating an image placeholder using clipping groups.

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]]>photoshop web designPhotoshopWebDesignJan Kabili2006-07-13T08:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/07/07/istockphoto-screen-saver-1-5-beta/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/07/07/istockphoto-screen-saver-1-5-beta/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/07/07/istockphoto-screen-saver-1-5-beta/#commentsFiled under: News, Blogs, Stock photos, Mac OS X, Windows XP

I know we're a little behind on this one, but I thought I'd give it a shot in the hopes that I'm not the only one: iStockphoto has re-released their screen saver for both Mac OS X and Windows in a 1.5 beta version. The screen saver displays previous Free Images of the Week, as well as the latest front page blog post.

The screen saver can be had from iStockphoto's downloads page, though on my Intel-based MacBook Pro I received an error from the Screen Saver Preference Pane stating that this screen saver couldn't be run - which leads me to wonder if it isn't Intel-ready yet.

Either way, it at least sounds like a handy screen saver to help quench your iStockphoto obsession; anyone have any thoughts on this new version?

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]]>betaistockphotomacos xOsXphotophotossaverscreenscreensaverstockwindowsDavid Chartier2006-07-07T14:30:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/06/21/pixel-groovy-digg-com-for-design-tutorials/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/06/21/pixel-groovy-digg-com-for-design-tutorials/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/06/21/pixel-groovy-digg-com-for-design-tutorials/#commentsFiled under: News, Blogs, Tutorials

Sites like digg.com and the new Netscape beta (from some of our own here at Weblogs Inc.) are doing great things for the world of social news and bookmarking, but if you're looking for something a little more in tune with the designer in you, point your clicks towards Pixel Groovy. This site brings the social bookmarking and voting (or: 'grooving') paradigm to the world of design, with categories for everything ranging from web developing languages, design applications like Photoshop and GIMP, and even 3D and video editing apps like Final Cut and 3D Studio Max. It looks like a fun addition to the design community that's just getting its foot in the door, so give it a look and start grooving for design sites and tutorials.

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]]>bookmarkbookmarkingdesigngroovelinksnewspixel groovyPixelGroovysocialtipstutorialtutorialsvotevotingDavid Chartier2006-06-21T12:10:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/06/04/oreilly-network-debutes-inside-adobe-lightroom-site/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/06/04/oreilly-network-debutes-inside-adobe-lightroom-site/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/06/04/oreilly-network-debutes-inside-adobe-lightroom-site/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Third-party Podcasts, Training, Automation, Color management, Digital photography, File management, Lightroom, Mac OS X, Adobe

The O'Reilly Network has taken the wraps off of Inside Adobe Lightroom, a new site featuring articles, a blog and a podcast covering Adobe's professional photo management app. Tips on color correction, adding music to slideshows, how to migrate images from iPhoto  and more are all on the menu, so swing by and find out how much you really didn't know about Lightroom.

[via Daring Fireball]

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]]>AdobearticlearticlesblogblogsimageiPhotoLightroommanagemanagementmigratephotophotographphotographypodcastpodcastsDavid Chartier2006-06-04T18:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/19/john-nack-posts-concise-analysis-of-software-features-vs-leanne/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/19/john-nack-posts-concise-analysis-of-software-features-vs-leanne/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/19/john-nack-posts-concise-analysis-of-software-features-vs-leanne/#commentsFiled under: Blogs

John Nack has written a very interesting analysis of what could be summarized as 'the state of large software suites'. In it, John presents some of the issues and arguments against large software suites that are designed for a wide variety of audiences (what some people now refer to as 'bloatware'), but also succinctly explains why this situation exists and describes what he calls a "Contract with the Customer"; a sort of public statement that they're making sure their software remains usable and understandable while at the same time adding layers of functionality that some users are demanding.

John brings up a lot of the issues that I've wanted to for some time now, especially in regards to this movement of minimalist software. It seems like these über-stripped down software and services, such as the popular Backpack (of which I am a user myself), are in direct response to consumer confusion and backlash of this aforementioned bloatware. What is interesting about these anorexic services is that, once you peruse their forums, you find that a significant body of users have their two cents on the one or two 'necessary' features that are missing. If a good number of these avenues are explored, software ends up right back where it started: as a larger suite, offering something for everyone. John's statement is that this isn't necessarily a bad thing; that as long as software and service providers simply think critically about how their software is structured and designed, everyone can enjoy their products without feeling put off, overloaded or knocked back down the learning curve ladder.

Kudos John, you hit it right on the head.

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]]>BackpackdesignexperiencefeaturesJohn NackJohnNackminimalminimalismoptionsPhotoshopsoftwareUIDavid Chartier2006-05-19T15:30:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/17/more-before-after-pics-of-photoshops-power/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/17/more-before-after-pics-of-photoshops-power/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/17/more-before-after-pics-of-photoshops-power/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Compositing, Digital photography, Photo editing, Creative Suite

I came across another portfolio site that offers some before and after images exhibiting the power of Photoshop (mouse over the images to see the magic). What I like about this page is its author, Greg Apodaca, has presented a nice range of imagery, from model photography to product re-touching and image compositing. A few of his images include a clever re-creation of Photoshop's layers palette, and mousing over each layer will deconstruct the image to that particular element. Nice.

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]]>afterbeforefilterimageimagesphotophotographyphotosPhotoshopportfoliore-touchretouchDavid Chartier2006-05-17T13:45:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/16/photoshop-cs2-update-9-0-1-available/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/16/photoshop-cs2-update-9-0-1-available/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/05/16/photoshop-cs2-update-9-0-1-available/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Creative Suite, Upgrades, Adobe

Adobe has released an update for Photoshop CS2 that John Nack humorously equates to "detention in high school"; or rather, "a kind of penalty box that keeps you away from what you really want to be doing".

Specifically, this update fixes a wide array of odd bugs and quirks, so here's the rundown from Mr. Nack's post:

• After editing an image in Photoshop CS2 via Acrobat Touchup, the image no longer gets re-positioned.
• Photoshop no longer hangs for several seconds when using painting tools with quick strokes.
• A program error that could appear when mousing over high res doc with Brush Tool has been fixed.
• Documents containing a large number of text layers now open more quickly.
• An error that could cause a crash on Mac when launching, or when opening or saving a file, has been addressed.
• Problems related to palettes on Windows (slow redraw, palettes go white, possible crash) have been addressed.
• TIFF files from certain scanners can now be opened correctly.
• XMP metadata from AI & PDF files is now retained in Photoshop.
• Slow performance when toggling layer visibility has been fixed.
• Info palette numbers now display and update when moving a curve point in Curves via the cursor keys.
• Problems opening certain TIFF and PSB files greater than 2GB in size have been resolved.
• The Merge to HDR command now functions properly when using high-ASCII characters in user login.

John also provides Mac and Win download links, though I would wager the software updater app that gets installed with CS2 would catch this as well. If you're on a Mac it's in your Applications/Utilities folder, though I'm not sure where it's at on Windows.

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]]>AdobebugbugsCreative SuiteCreativeSuiteCSCS2featurefeaturesfixJohn NackJohnNackPhotoshopupdateDavid Chartier2006-05-16T02:20:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/catching-up-with-ben/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/catching-up-with-ben/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/catching-up-with-ben/#commentsFiled under: Blogs

Adobe's Jeff Tranberry caught up with Photoshop guru Ben Willmore on the big bus that's now Ben's home.  In this short interview with Jeff, Ben reveals:

• his favorite Photoshop feature -- Smart Objects, which are new to Photoshop CS2;
• his vote for the least understood Photoshop feature -- what else but color management; and
• a list of the most under-utilized Photoshop features -- hiding menu commands to simplify the interface, variables, the Color Replacement tool, and the Background Eraser (one of my own favorites for selecting and deleting in one step).
  

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]]>Ben WillmoreBenWillmorePhotoshop featuresPhotoshopFeaturesJan Kabili2006-04-25T20:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/photoshop-illustrator-photostrator/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/photoshop-illustrator-photostrator/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/photoshop-illustrator-photostrator/#commentsFiled under: Blogs

Mordy Golding, at Real World Illustrator, has posted an interesting response to a question from a reader about whether Adobe will ever combine Illustrator and Photoshop into one vector raster application. Mordy, who used to be an Illustrator bigwig at Adobe (sorry Mordy--I don't remember your title) says the answer is no. If you're interested in why "Photostrator" doesn't make sense from a business,  technical, or user perspective, check out Mordy's thoughtful reasoning.

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]]>IllustratorphotoshopJan Kabili2006-04-25T16:45:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/photoshopped-composite-of-brangelina-family-could-be-worth-big-b/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/photoshopped-composite-of-brangelina-family-could-be-worth-big-b/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/25/photoshopped-composite-of-brangelina-family-could-be-worth-big-b/#commentsFiled under: News, Magazines, Blogs

You may be surprised at the lengths paparazzi will go to get one of the first "photos" of Brad and Angela's expected baby. According to New York Magazine, an early photo of the Brangelina baby could fetch as much as $50,000, so there's lots of incentive for paparazzi to be first on the scene.

But things may not be as they appear. This image, published in the New York Magazine article, isn't the real thing. "Angelina" is a computer composite, and her hubby is an actor playing the real Brad. Hmm, don't you wonder how much a Photoshopped image like this one might go for?

[via Blogging Baby]

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]]>Angelina JolieAngelinaJolieBlogging BabyBloggingBabyBrad PittBradPittBrangelinaphoto fakePhotoFakeJan Kabili2006-04-25T14:15:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/22/adobe-creates-a-nonprofit-team-and-blog-hints-at-new-pricing-program/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/22/adobe-creates-a-nonprofit-team-and-blog-hints-at-new-pricing-program/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/22/adobe-creates-a-nonprofit-team-and-blog-hints-at-new-pricing-program/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Fundamentals, Creative Suite, Mac OS X, Windows XP, Conferences, Adobe

Boy, these Adobe guys sure know how to bait: check out the inaugural post at Nonprofit @ Adobe. It sounds like the company has put together a Nonprofit Team that will be offering eSeminars, a nonprofit pricing program and the obligatory software tips and tricks.

That one post is all we get for now though. If you have anything to do with the worlds of nonprofit and design, I think Adobe just gave you something else to bookmark.

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]]>AdobeeseminarsnonprofitpricingtipstricksworkDavid Chartier2006-04-22T19:37:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/23/reminder-photoshop-sdk-is-free/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/23/reminder-photoshop-sdk-is-free/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/23/reminder-photoshop-sdk-is-free/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Forums, Creative Suite, Adobe

A year ago or so, Adobe removed the charge for the Photoshop SDK (Software Development Kit), offering it for free per request at a web form. John Nack blogged this the other day, also mentioning that they haven't gotten the word out very well so I thought I'd lend a hand.

In addition to offering Photoshop's SDK for free, they also offer Basic and Super Size Advanced versions now. The basic comes with everything but the File Format and File Import/Export information, for which I guess there is extra (but still free) paperwork.

So now you've just lost a very large excuse for procrastinating on that killer plugin you've been scribbling notes about on bar napkins. In addition to the web form you can fill out, you can also obtain some user-to-user help in a forum covering all things Photoshop SDK.

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]]>forumsfreePhotoshopSDKSoftware Development KitSoftwareDevelopmentKitDavid Chartier2006-03-23T14:15:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/22/the-be-aware-series/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/22/the-be-aware-series/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/22/the-be-aware-series/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Fundamentals

For a while now, the Be a Design Group Blog has been producing fantastic posts under a series called Be Aware. While not Photoshop-centric by any means, the series collects bits and pieces of knowledge from various designers that cover a wide gamut of general design topics touching on everything from software and business tips, discussions on ideals, typography and a whole lot more.

The series is up to its 17th post, so you'd better get crackin' if you plan on traveling down the path of the accomplished design ninja.

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]]>Be a Design GroupBe AwareBeADesignGroupBeAwarebusinessdesignidealsknowledgesensesoftwaretipsDavid Chartier2006-03-22T14:50:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/19/thomas-and-ruth-knoll-on-photoshop-soup2nuts-conference/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/19/thomas-and-ruth-knoll-on-photoshop-soup2nuts-conference/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/19/thomas-and-ruth-knoll-on-photoshop-soup2nuts-conference/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Conferences

Photoshopsupport.com features an interview with Thomas Knoll, co-creator of Photoshop, and Ruth Knoll. Much of the interview concerns the third annual Photoshop Soup2Nuts conference, scheduled for June 23-24, 2006 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The mission of the Soup2Nuts conference is to raise funds for digital imaging education and technical training for those who are economically limited. It features workshops and presentations by Photoshop and digital photography experts, including Ben Willmore, Bruce Fraser, Doug Elbinger, James Partridge, Jeff Schewe, Katrin Eismann, Scott Kelby and Seth Resnick. Attendees will also have the rare opportunity to talk with Adobe's Thomas Knoll, Marc Pawlinger, and David Story.

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]]>Photoshop Soup2Nuts conferencePhotoshopSoup2nutsConferenceThomas KnollThomasKnollJan Kabili2006-03-19T08:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/07/ben-willmore-gets-ready-to-hit-the-road/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/07/ben-willmore-gets-ready-to-hit-the-road/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/03/07/ben-willmore-gets-ready-to-hit-the-road/#commentsFiled under: Blogs

Photoshop guru Ben Willmore has sold his house in Colorado, bought a motorcoach, and is about to begin his nomadic lifestyle. He'll be traveling from gig to gig shooting photographs, and living on his bus. Ben's first trip is to Photoshop World in Miami this month. Ben spells out the reasons he's trading a relatively conventional lifestyle for the open road on his blog. It sure does sound tempting. Safe and happy travels Ben.

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]]>Jan Kabili2006-03-07T20:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/26/help-photoshop-play-nicer-with-flash/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/26/help-photoshop-play-nicer-with-flash/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/26/help-photoshop-play-nicer-with-flash/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Tutorials, Color management, Web graphics

John Nack has linked to a few tutorials that will teach you how to tweak Photoshop for a better output to the web and Flash. One set of video-based tutorials in Adobe's Motion Design Center (which I recommend checking out if, like me, you're into motion) covers the topic of color - and how to maintain it - when moving an image from Photoshop CS2 into Flash 8. Another set of Photoshop Flash tutorials John links to hail from Michael Ninness, a friend of John's, and they cover quite the gamut of go-between topics including PSDs, JPEGs, Flash's bitmap features and pre-import optimization tips.

With so many tutorials lined up, you have your work cut out for you. Go forth and learn the mighty ways of the Photoshop and Flash Color Ninja[TM].

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]]>colorFlashoutputPhotoshopsettingsworkflowDavid Chartier2006-02-26T12:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/25/resolution-in-illustrator/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/25/resolution-in-illustrator/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/25/resolution-in-illustrator/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Creative Suite

If you listened to our first podcast you have a handle on resolution in Photoshop. You may have assumed that resolution isn't much of an issue in Adobe Illustrator, because Illustrator is known primarily as a vector graphics program. Think again.

My buddy Mordy Golding, over at the Real World Illustrator blog, has an informative post on resolution in Illustrator. He covers three areas in which resolution comes into play in Illustrator: flatness (formerly known as object resolution), flattener resolution, and document raster effects settings.

Mordy knows what he's talking about when it comes to all things Illustrator. He worked as Illustrator program manager at Adobe and is the author of Real World Illustrator CS2.

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]]>IllustratorMordy GoldingJan Kabili2006-02-25T20:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/12/drawn-an-illustration-blog/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/12/drawn-an-illustration-blog/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/02/12/drawn-an-illustration-blog/#commentsFiled under: Blogs

No, I haven't forgotten that this is the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog, but I thought it might be interesting to post an illustration blog I found in the spirit of expanding one's horizons. Drawn! covers the typical gamut in the illustration world - communities, how-tos, artist profiles, tips, contests, etc. I have lately become interested in illustration as well as raster imaging, and this looks like a great spring board into the practice.

On this note, however, if anyone has other illustration communities or favorite tip sites, would you mind sharing them in the comments? The more, the merrier.

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]]>blogcommunitiescommunityDrawnhow-toillustrationprofilestechniquestipsDavid Chartier2006-02-12T13:15:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/19/collection-of-favicons/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/19/collection-of-favicons/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/19/collection-of-favicons/#commentsFiled under: Blogs

Sometimes it's the small things that make the most impact, and this interesting post at Delta Tango Bravo that's been collecting favicons over the last year and a half just impressed me. In case you aren't familiar: favicons are those tiny little icons that appear in your browser's address bar at some sites, as long as your browser supports them.

Anyone who can get an idea or identity across in a mere 16 x 16 px space has some skills, if you ask me. The post hasn't been updated since August 7, 2005, so if you've seen a favicon that just makes you leap out of your chair, the author is open to suggestions for a future update.

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]]>browserbrowsersfaviconfaviconstabDavid Chartier2006-01-19T18:00:00+00:00http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/02/new-aperture-blog/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/02/new-aperture-blog/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/02/new-aperture-blog/#commentsFiled under: Blogs, Aperture

While we like to follow Photoshop here at TUPW, it never hurts to keep tabs on similar or competing products. That said, it looks like an enterprising blogger has jumped at the release of Aperture and started up a dedicated blog by the name of ApertureTricks. The blog is still fairly fresh so there isn't a boatload of information there yet, but they're covering the typical tips, addons, news, tricks and support issues you'd expect. If you've picked up a copy of Aperture, this might be a handy, dedicated information source to bookmark.

[via PhotoshopSupport]

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]]>ApertureAppleblogeditingimagenewsorganizingpostproductionsupporttipstricksDavid Chartier2006-01-02T18:15:00+00:00