Shocking work

Probably not a photoshop illustration, but I really wanted to include this artists work. I don't think he has a website, but you can visit his myspace at
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=68280501

There are tons more images like this one. I highly recommend giving his profile a view.

Punchy illustations.

There is no limit to the depth, impact and detail one can add to a Photoshop illustration. Just look at this piece by John Lean. Very impressive. I love the glow and flames created in the background.
http://www.johnlean.com/

Japan Image

Clock image

A breakdown showing how I construct an image with layers.

Focus point

Always check where the focus point is when choosing an image. Zoom right in there to make sure the part you want is in perfect focus.

Cropping and License removal

Cropping and License removal. This really was the first video I made with the screen casting software, CamStudio. Something I have learned about blogging here. It is far faster to upload videos via Youtube and then embed them to blogger. I am not sure why, but the blogger upload is sooooo slow.

Auto contrast Vs Auto Levels

In the case of this photo, auto levels is not the way to go. But in many other cases, auto levels works perfectly. Experiment for yourself, and see what works for your image. A side note, I didn't mean to say sepia in the video. Rather, I just meant to say, ugly blue tone.

Remove Logo

He he, my first screen casting tutorial. How cool. I got it to work! I used a open source program called Camstudio. Google it. It works great with me. Anyway, this is a tutorial about how to remove a simple logo. There will be many more Tutorials to come!

The Lasso Tool

If you right click on this tool you get three options. I think the polygonal lasso tool (the one that makes straight lines, not the image you see here) is by far the most useful. Then the image you see here, the lasso tool is good for drawing lines, but it can be a bit hard use with the mouse. And finally, the Magnetic Lasso tool. Maybe somebody out there likes this tool, but for me, I never use it. I basically just use the
polygonal lasso tool.

I often use this technique. Select an area with the lasso, copy and paste to a new layer. Then alter the color in any way I need to. Finally I will give it a touch of Gaussian Blur, and then merge down to the lower layer. I will give examples of this latter.

The Stamp tool

The stamp tool is an absolute must for removing those pesky corporate logos. Why would you want to do this. Well anybody who has done stock photography knows what I mean. Anyway, the stamp tool has such a wide range of uses, from removing a nasty pimple on the face, to duplicating textures in order to simplify a composition. I could spend all day talking about how useful this tool is, but you get the point.

The Crop Tool

The crop tool is absolutely the first tool I use in almost any situation. I look at the overall composition of the photograph, and I crop out any parts that are not necessary. It also helps to reduce the size of the image. If you use a 16 megapixel camera like myself, this comes in very handy. Also, it depends on the composition, but you should usually save a non-cropped version of every photo just in case. Latter, I will give more detailed examples about how I look at a composition.

Photoshop 7 tools

I these days I run Photoshop 7 on my Vaio PC. I know it is not the most up to date version of photoshop, but it does everything I want. One day in the future, I guess I will have to put out the big bucks for the new CS versions, but for now, I am happy.


Here is an image of the tools on Photoshop 7. It is the bible for any graphic artist. I will give a detailed description on how I use each tool.

Leo in action

Here is Leo talking about Photoshop.

Who is Leo?

Leo Laporte has a great show called The Lab with Leo. He's a funny guy and interesting to listen to. He talks about all aspects of technology and I have learned a lot about using photoshop from his show. I highly recommend giving it a view.

Check out http://www.labwithleo.com/

Background.

Nice background, strong concept. This was done entirely on photoshop. The key to this image is using the path tool. Just stroke the path many times to create the glowing effect. Once you have flattened all the layers, you are ready to go. Just be sure to save a un-flattened version in the PSD (Photoshop) format as well in case you want to go back and make another variation.

Backgrounds

Simple backgrounds like this are so easy to create. It's just made from two layers. The layer with the shaded red fabric is made using black and white stokes on the airbrush, and then blued with Gaussian blur. Then the other layer has all the yellow stars that are simply copied over and over again. Then flatten then image, and you are done. A decent selling image, perfect for any Christmas card is created!

Why create 3D when you can do it in Photoshop?

I have found that you can simulate a lot of 3D effects without using a 3D modeling program. Just use the edit>trasform>distort function to create the illusion of 3D, as I did with the grid on the background of the image above. Then throw in a drop shadow for the arrow. There you have it. Maybe it's not as slick as a 3D modeled image, but it was 3 or 4 times as fast to create. And time is money in this business. I have sold a number of these images, so I can say, it was a smart move to choose photoshop.

As many designers know, working with a 3D modeling program can slow any computer way down compared with photoshop. I run Maya, trust me I know. I am not saying you should never use a 3D program. In many cases, it is the only route, but when you can avoid it, go the photoshop route. It's probably more fun, and a heck of a lot more easy.

Using Forums to Learn Photoshop

By Kevin M. Sugrue

Searching for more information about adobe photoshop in the Internet will yield thousands and thousands of results. After wading through the morass of photoshop tutorials, photoshop tips, and information, you’re bound to be more confused than ever. Using forums to learn photoshop is a great way to find out everything you want to know, without going through seven different tutorials first.

Abobe photoshop is not a complicated software package to use, but the abundance of tutorials, photoshop tips, and articles on the subject of photoshop makes it almost impossible to answer specific questions or solve certain problems you may be having. Why should you have to take a tutorial if you have one simple question that you need an answer for? Why read hundreds of photoshop tips when you only need a solution to a single problem? Photoshop forums are the best way to find more specific information or answer questions you may be having concerning adobe photoshop.

You’ll find a variety of available and helpful photoshop forums on the Internet, most of them used by people like you who know a little about adobe photoshop and are eager to learn more. Photoshop tutorials are very abundant and great for learning how to use photoshop overall, but when it comes to the specifics of digital photography forums are going to be your best bet. Photoshop tips, while useful, don’t often answer the questions that you may have. Using forums to learn photoshop can be very beneficial and a lot more entertaining than sitting through a long photoshop tutorial or reading a photoshop tips page.

Forums are a more relaxed, friendly way of communicating with other photoshop users who have the same problems and questions that you have. Other photoshop users are happy to share their advice and knowledge, which comes only from experience working with adobe photoshop. You can learn a lot by conversing with other photoshop users, and the information you receive will be invaluable. While photoshop forums may not be able to replace the knowledge gained from a tutorial, forums can certainly add to that wealth of knowledge and help you with the specifics of using photoshop.

Unlike tutorials and photoshop tips, photoshop forums are a little harder to find on the Internet. Most people do not know that such forums exist, but once you go looking for some photoshop forums you’ll be surprised at how many are available. A specific search of photoshop forums should yield some great results. Reading back entries on forums may be more helpful than you know – chances are, someone before you has asked the same question about photoshop that you have in mind. You can refer to photoshop forums again and again and always find something new, which is not the case with photoshop tutorials that never change and always offer the same information. Forums stay updated and fresh, while photoshop tips pages are rarely updated. Being able to communicate directly with other photoshop users is extremely useful to those who wish to learn more about the details of using adobe photoshop for their digital images or graphic web design.

When you want to learn more about the specifics of using adobe photoshop, a photoshop tutorial may not be your best bet. While these tutorials are useful, they rarely contain specific information and cannot answer specific questions you may have. A general idea is presented in these tutorials, with little or no time spent on the details of using adobe photoshop. In spite of the photoshop tips you may find or the tutorials you may take, the chances are that you will still have some lingering questions, or a new question or idea will pop up the more you use photoshop. Discussing problems and ideas in photoshop forums is not only helpful to you, but to future readers of the forum as well. You will be able to get your questions answered and ideas validated, and eventually someone else can learn from your photoshop knowledge as well. The Internet is a wonderful place to connect with other people, to learn and share information about any subject. Photoshop is just one of the more popular subjects, luckily enough for those who want to know more about using adobe photoshop in their personal and professional lives.

This article was written by Kevin M. Sugrue the creator of FreePhotoshopZone.com! Free Photoshop Zone offers free photoshop tutorials and free photoshop articles! To visit our site go to http://www.freephotoshopzone.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_M._Sugrue

Kinda cool. The stand holding this guitar was erased to give the appearance that it is floating.

The guitar had to be mounted on a stand for this one. Then the stand was erased, and the eraser tool was used to combine the hands.

A simple composite showing many hands on a keyboard. Using a tripod, I took about six shots. Then the key to creating this image in photoshop was using the eraser tool.