Don't Forget Photshop Roadmap!

I've mentioned this site before, but with the holidays coming and money being tight, it's worth mentioning again. Photoshop Roadmap is a great place to get backgrounds for free or a small donation. You can have the files for free if you download one at a time. For convenience, they ask for a small donation ($2) to download as a zip. I chose to donate the $2 for the convenience of downloading 40 backgrounds at once. I've added one here to give you an idea of what I got. Since there are backgrounds of all kinds (stars, snowflakes, snowmen, patterns, etc. you can use them for more than just the holidays.

You will also find articles, tutorials and more. If you haven't been to the site in a while, check it out. UNHCE staff members can download  the holiday backgrounds from the ftp server in the photos11 folder under backgrounds > winterbackgrounds.

Tip of the Week - How to Remove An Image From The Background in Photoshop CS5

Watch Terri White remove the background of an image that you'd think it would be impossible to do!

Creating an eBook with InDesign - Part 1 and 2

Watch Instant InDesign, host Gabriel Powell create an ebook with InDesign.






If you want more from Gabriel Powell, check out his video's at Adobe TV. You may also want to check out the Instant InDesign site. I think you will find it helpful.

Creative Pro InDesign Magazine: Tip of the Week Archive

Here's a link to a great "compilation of all past InDesign Magazine Tip-of-the-Weeks." Check them out and see if you find something you can use. I know I will! 

Checkout Adobe Photoshop Touch

Tip of the Week - Which Browser?

I was preparing some information for the Captivate session later today and one suggestion I read mentioned taking into account screen size and which browser is used. There was a link to browser statistics that I found interesting and helpful, particularly since I keep hearing that, like it or not, IE is still the most popular browser. Well, now I have proof that is not the case. In fact, as of March, it is not even second. The October 2011 line up is as follows:

• Firefox - 38.7%
• Chrome (Google) - 32.3%
• Internet Explorer (IE) - 21.7%

As a lover of Chrome, I find this to be a good thing. To me, it is more stable, visually more pleasing and easier to use. I like the clean set up and screen shots of favorite sites. If you haven't tried it, check it out. If you are interested, click here for more info.

UPDATE - Ok- I hate to post this, but Stephen Judd showed me statistics that refute the findings (or rather give a broader view). The link I had is from w3schools and they reflect those who go to their site ( a point not mentioned in the book, but I should have looked closer). According to our website, these are the current statistics for our website:

So, I stand corrected, BUT the important thing to note is that just like Firefox before it, Chrome is growing and I look forward to seeing more people find out why I like it so much better than other browsers.

Photoshop and PSD Tuts: Turn a Portrait Photo Into a Painting

PSDTuts+ has a nice little tutorial on turning a portrait into a painting. This tutorial is easy to follow and allows you the chance to use the pen tool (everyone's favorite) as well as other lesser used techniques. Give it a try and show us your finished product.

Photoshop Hidden Gem: Automated Lens Correction

Tip of the Week - Photoshop Mastery: 25 Techniques Every Designer Must Know

This is a great article  from Webgraphics Premium that has lots of helpful keyboard shortcuts - I know you don't use them but you should! I was a late bloomer when it came to shortcuts. I felt that it was faster to do it the old way. Little by little over the last year or so I began to use shortcuts and now I don't even think about it. Give some of them a try - maybe the ones you would use most often like Free Transform (CTRL and T). Trust me you will wonder what took you so long.

Linked Stories in InDesign