I found this simple tutorial through an e-Newsletter that I subscribe to from StockExpert. Using half-tones in Photoshop is an excellent way to get incredible visual effects.

This tutorial will help you go from this:

To this:

Several effects added to a photo can take a normal photo and make it extraordinary. Click here to go to the tutorial.

If you're not familiar with Scot Kelby Training or the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, then you don't you know what you're missing. Today I attended a their CS4 "Down and Dirty Tricks" conference in Oklahoma City, OK. Among the things we learned today were special effects and palettes only found in Adobe Photoshop CS4, but mostly we learned TRICKS that no Photoshop professionals should be without. From hidden or overlooked palette functions even down to time savers and quick tips.

For me, saving time is a MUST! So anything that makes me go faster, is a step in the right direction!

Over the next few days I'll take opportunities to share some tips with you. One of the time savers we learned today was how to make quick and sleek product ads. That idea led to tonight's bookmark!  I would also like to share one of the millions of tips I learned today.

This one may be  something that may be obvious and you may already know, but I actually didn't, so I was happy to have it pointed out to me.

1. Unlocking layers. To unlock a layer in Photoshop, it is no longer necessary  to double click the locked layer. Now, you can simply "drag" the lock icon to the trash. Simple, huh? Yet, totally overlooked!

I always have people ask me about using online printers. Well, here's what I know: There are tons of online printers out there. I've checked in with several of them regarding prices etc. 4Over is a big one, as is Vistaprint. I've seen some samples of their work. My personal favorite and the one I use most frequently is OvernightPrints.com. I've used them for countless projects ranging from letterhead and business cards to postcards and brochures.

I can also speak for their customer service. During the time that I've been using them, I suffered a hard drive failure (more details about that in another post). While trying desperately to recover my files, I made a call to Overnight and they sent me copies of every file I had ever sent them. No questions asked, no fees. They were friendly and very helpful and understanding.

The company will definitely keep my business in the future!

Wow. This time yesterday I was in the middle of an extentsial melt down. I had restarted my machine only to realize in the process of my furiously fast workflow I had inadvertently dragged my desktop and profile files to an invisible folder. Thus when my machined logged in I was met with what appeared to be a fresh installation of Leopard X.

To say I freaked may be putting it mildly. The good news however, is that I've been using Mozy Unlimited for quite some time now and have all my files automatically backed up with them. As simply as checking my account online and ordering my back up disks, I had a full backup of over 100 GBs of work being sent to my home. If you haven't invested in a good backup solution I would suggest you do so before you get that gut wrenching feeling of re-doing your work and disappointing your clients.

Good BackUp Solutions:

• A third party solution like MOZY Unlimited--they are easy to use, incremental backups and reliable.
• Back up to an external Hard Drive. For a Mac you can use Time Machine or Carbon Copy to make this a breeze.

Bad BackUp Solutions:

• Burning to a CD or DVD ---the shelf life on these is too small and too unpredictable. Not to mention the fact that you would have to spend ALL your time backing up and very little actually working!
• Uploading to an SFTP site ---the server load and time constraints are much to heavy for most web servers and hosts out there and again, all your processing time would go to backing up your files!

We all enjoy what we do, but having to do it OVER again is no fun. Don't despair! There is hope! Backing up regularly and reliably will keep you from having to go through the pain of rebuilding!

As a designer, you should ALWAYS have several staples in your design arsenal. Among these is definitely a nice assortment of textures.  Don't despair! You can find some really NICE and FREE high quality textures such as the one I've used for tonight's "Going Green" bookmark on a variety of sites. Download Today's bookmark here.

I'll share some of my favorite finds with you here:

Texturez
Smashing Magazine
Texture Lovers
Image After
Free Textures.org

The design community is seeing more and more of a transformation in the convergence of print and online mediums. One of the most recent emerging trends is the addition of printed barcodes that are encoded specifically to direct users to a web site.

QR Codes, or Quick Response codes are created so that viewers with the appropriate scanner can quickly scan the code and travel to a new destination. Think of it as a treasure hunt for adults. What is required to 'scan' this unique barcode? Just two things:

1. A smart phone with internet connectivity. (Think iPhone, Droid etc. . . .)

2. A QR reader app. (Most smartphones come with a QR reader pre-installed)

QR Code Generators:

For designers there is any number of ways to easily generate a base QR code. The best news is, it doesnt require special software to do so. There are tons of URL shorteners and online web converters that will specifically generate these codes for you for free!

If you do happen to already have Barcode software, many of these have free upgrades to enable you to create your own QR codes directly from your machine. I personally use Barcode Producer for Mac and it allows me to create my own codes and then easily send them to my other programs.

QR Code Generators:

• Bit.ly
• Delivr
• QR Stuff
• BeQRious

QR Customization

Recently, I had the opportunity to do my first project that was going to incorporate a QR code as part of the contact information. It was for the back of a conference brochure. I was elated just to generate one—I had no idea I could also customize it to match my branding. Starting out simple here is what I came up with! I can't wait to really play with this and create some sharp ones.

What you might not realize, after generating your QR code, you can actually customize it. I've played around with customizing them a bit and the best advice I have for you is TEST frequently! I've read several posts that say the key is to alter less than 30% of the code to enable it to continue to read properly. One thing to keep in mind however is, that you can also creating stunning codes WITHOUT actually altering the code itself, but simply putting it in a fun environment.

The following images are courtesy of Custom QR Codes, they do phenomenal work!

Unless you have been formally educated in color chances are you may not fully understand the difference between Tints, Tones and Shades.

I'll never forget learning this principle during one of my first art classes way back in high school.  The teacher handed us 3 bottles of paint. 1 Red. 1 Black. and 1 White. She further instructed us that we would be creating a monochromatic painting.

For a graphic designer faced with the decision of getting things printed, dealing with print houses can seem like a daunting task. There are so many to choose from and tons of things to take into account, when selecting a good one.

What should you look for in a printer?

1. Request Samples. If you've never used the company before or seen their work elsewhere, request samples of their printing. This is fairly common and shouldn't cost you anything. Nearly every day I get sample printing, papers or packaging in the mail from companies that are competing for my business, and you should too!

2. Check the weight. Make sure the printing will be done on a nice weight paper. Not to heavy and not too light for the job. If you are getting business cards printed, you don't want a lightweight card that will be easily crumpled. Instead, you want a sturdy card stock that will stick with your customer for at least a couple of years.

3. Color matching. Does your printer have a disclaimer on their color matching? If they do, be wary. Printing in color is a tricky process, so be sure your printer will back up their products. If their ink comes out the wrong color, you and your clients should NOT be left holding the bag!

4. Logos. Some printers, especially the cheap ones, give you a cheaper rate if you allow them to print their logo on the backside of your piece. Depending on your client, your job, or your budget, this may or may not be an option for you. But, it should be a question you ask as you are getting quotes and selecting printers!

5. Finishes. Ask whether or not your printed pieces will have an UV coating on them, a gloss or other finish. This addition will drastically change the way your final print turns out, so you need to be ready for anything!

My favorite printer?

I love OvernightPrints.com. They are fast and affordable for excellent quality.

This bookmark features a free brush I found at my FAVORITE brush site, Brusheezy.com. The brush set contains approximately 12 brushes with different paisley patterns. They are great for nice layering effects!  Download tonight's bookmark here.

Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

Many young designers are totally overwhelmed when they find themselves thrown into a project with InDesign. Even designers that are very competent and advanced in Photoshop skill tremble in fear when faced with a basic catalog layout or brochure project where InDesign is the software needed to perform the task.

Recently, one such designer approached me with such a project. In InDesign as with any of the Adobe software, there is a right and wrong way to do things. Learning the “Ins” and “Outs” of the software is essential to advancing your skill level and rate of efficiency with any project.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: The more you know your software the better your designs will be. Think for a moment, as a designer you can only be as good as your software knowledge. As with anything else, learning the software is best achieved with practice. At the same time, as you learn you want to ensure that you are learning “best practice” by listening to the experts and learning what they already know.

To that end, I’ve compiled a list of both free and paid subscription InDesign training that is top of the line. In fact a lot of these are courses and resources, I’ve personally taken or read, etc to further my own expertise in InDesign.

I hope you find something here that will help you as much as they have me!