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Photoshop How-To: Trace on Object without the Pen Tool
How-Tos: Written by Deke McClelland on February 22, 2012
Use simple geometries to create a vector outline of a complex shape.
Photography How-To: Add Painterly Effects to iPhone Images
How-Tos: Written by Dan Marcolina on February 20, 2012
iPhone apps do more than count calories or take down mercenaries. You can use imaging apps to turn your iPhone photos into rough sketches, oil paintings, and soft watercolors.
Construct a Color Wheel in Photoshop
How-Tos: Written by Nigel French on February 13, 2012
The color wheel is a simple yet powerful tool for understanding how colors work and how colors relate to each other. It can also be a gorgeous graphic you can use in print and Web design projects.
Create Picture Frames in Photoshop: Part 2
How-Tos: Written by Steve Caplin on February 6, 2012
In Part 1 of this tutorial, you learned how to create a picture frame, fill it with a photo, and change the perspective so the framed photo faces right or left. Now discover how to apply all those steps to any photo with one simple click. The secret? Automation courtesy of Photoshop's Actions and Droplets.
Create Picture Frames in Photoshop: Part 1
How-Tos: Written by Steve Caplin on February 3, 2012
Using Photoshop, you can create a silver, gold, or wood-grain picture frame, fill it with a photo, and transform both frame and photo so that they're skewed in different perspectives. The realistic results are easier to achieve than you might think!
Get Rid of Red Eye
How-Tos: Written by Russell Brown on January 18, 2012
In this one-minute video, you'll learn how to remove red eye from any photo using a hidden tool in Adobe Photoshop.
Photography How-to: Learning to See in Black and White
How-Tos: Written by John Batdorff on January 4, 2012
Everything from portraits to landscapes can be more powerful when they're black-and-white photos. Once you know how to recognize tonal contrast, texture, shapes, and patterns, your images will be anything but monotonous!
Introduction to Illustrator: Part 2
How-Tos: Written by Von Glitschka on December 19, 2011
See how easy it is to customize Adobe Illustrator with tweaks to Preferences and graphic styles. Once you know how to use these and keyboard shortcuts, you're on your way to making the program fit your working style like a glove.
Make Holly and Berries that Shine in Photoshop
How-Tos: Written by Steve Caplin on December 12, 2011
Whether you're scrambling to put together a last-minute Christmas card or are a planner who's already thinking about 2012 projects, this Photoshop how-to is just what you need. In it, you'll learn how to create a Yuletide composition of berries and a holly leaf. And to add a bit of sophistication, you'll give the elements a glassy sheen.
Introduction to Illustrator: Part 1
How-Tos: Written by Von Glitschka on December 5, 2011
Get back to basics with a tour of Adobe Illustrator's 12 core tools, which you can use to build precise vector graphics.
Photoshop How-To: Fill a Face Full of Words
How-Tos: Written by Deke McClelland on November 23, 2011
Using one photo and three layers of text, you can create a powerful image in Adobe Photoshop.
Turn a Red Car to Gold in Photoshop
How-Tos: Written by Deke McClelland on October 31, 2011
It's fun and useful to change the color of one object in a photo. While you can do it easily enough in Photoshop, the Hue/Saturation technique most people try usually doesn't work well. Instead, use my foolproof method.
Striking Starbursts Make Your Work Stand Out
How-Tos: Written by Deke McClelland on October 5, 2011
Why settle for Illustrator's default starburst shapes when a few tweaks create something unique that will really grab attention? Here are two ways to go beyond the ordinary.
Photoshop How-to: Ship in a Bottle
How-Tos: Written by Steve Caplin on September 25, 2011
Even if you were all thumbs in shop class, you can make a glass bottle; place a ship inside it; float it in water; and top it off with a cork. The magic is made possible by Adobe Photoshop.
Build Shapes Quickly in Adobe Illustrator
How-Tos: Written by Cristen Gillespie Sharon Steuer on September 14, 2011
With Illustrator's Shape Builder, you can rapidly construct objects, such as a dimensional bowl, from simple overlapping shapes.
InDesign How-To: Designing with Data
How-Tos: Written by Michael Murphy on September 8, 2011
Unlike "jumbo shrimp", the phrase "data-driven design" is not an oxymoron. Combining the organization and structure of a spreadsheet or database with the typographic and layout power of InDesign can generate great-looking informational design in a handful of simple steps.
Easy, Efficient Image Effects with Lightroom Presets
How-Tos: Written by Helen Bradley on August 25, 2011
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom presets can give you all kinds of images effects, from subtle to surreal, with one click. Learn how to make your own and where to download free presets online.
Uncover the Hidden Powers of InDesign's Effects Panel
How-Tos: Written by Mike Rankin on August 22, 2011
Knowing your way around the Effects panel is the first step in mastering InDesign's transparency effects.
Photoshop How-to: Give a Horse Wings
How-Tos: Written by Deke McClelland on August 11, 2011
Pegasus (a horse with wings) may be a mythical animal, but you can bring it to life in Photoshop.
So You Think You Know Photoshop?
How-Tos: Written by Terri Stone on August 8, 2011
The new features in Photoshop CS5 have obscure--but handy--uses you probably haven't explored. Get the most out of your investment: Learn how to unearth these hidden gems.
