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What is a Screen Shot?

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:01:00 +0000

"Screen shot" is the phrase used to describe the action of capturing your computer desktop or anything shown on your computer screen to a static image file. In other words, ...

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Out of Bounds Guided Edit in Photoshop Elements

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:15:25 +0000

The out of bounds effect is when a part of the photo extends beyond the frame. It's a popular effect that can add dimension and interest to a subject, and it's easy to create in Photoshop Elements 9 and higher.

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Poll: Do You Customize Your Software Workspace?

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:46:47 +0000

Customizable work-spaces are a common feature in many graphics software programs. Do you generally customize your software workspace, or do you use the default workspace layout? Vote in the poll, ...

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Getting Expressive With Pattern Pens in Painter

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:12:56 +0000

Karen invites you to go crazy and have some fun with Painter's Pattern Pen variants: "Pattern Pen brush variants let you use a brush to apply a pattern to an image. You can vary features such as the size of the pattern and the transparency. This category of brush variants opens up a new and exciting path to creativity."

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Graphics Challenge: Hands

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:43:01 +0000

Lend a hand for this handy challenge. Hands down, you'll have fun... if you can handle it. If you haven't guessed, this week's theme is Hands. We have supplied some ...

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Q&A: What is the Photoshop Scratch Disk?

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:35:00 +0000

Rosie asks: "What is a scratch disk? And more importantly, how do I delete its contents because the program is not letting me use it anymore because apparently the 'scratch disk is full.' Please help, this is an urgent matter!"...

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Adobe Moves to Subscription Pricing for Creative Suite

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:33:58 +0000

This week, Adobe announced that it was doing away with perpetual software licensing (aka "boxed" software) for its Creative Suite line-up of products including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, and Premiere Pro. Updates to these products will now only be available through a Creative Cloud membership. The current suite, Creative Suite 6, will continue to be sold and supported for those who prefer a perpetual license, but there will be no "Creative Suite 7." From now on, new features and updates to these products will only be provided to Creative Cloud subscribers.

This move enables Adobe to accelerate the rate of innovation since they no longer have to hold back new technology and customer-requested features until the next release cycle, which was typically every 18 to 24 months. Now these products will get updates and new features several times throughout the year.

For now, the only Adobe products this affects are those mentioned in the first paragraph of this article. Photoshop Elements and Lightroom will continue to be offered as boxed products or electronic downloads with a perpetual license.

Although readers of this site have generally expressed dislike for the software subscription model, it does offer some benefits:

Instead of one large cash outlay every 18-24 months, customers can spread the cost of software over smaller monthly payments. Adobe's Master Collection, which included all Creative Suite titles was priced over $2500 for the boxed collection. This can now be spread out over $50/month payments.
The boxed software had to be purchased separately for Windows and Macintosh. Customers who used both platforms had to purchase the software twice if they wanted to use it on both platforms. Creative Cloud members get access to both Windows and Mac versions of the desktop software without having to purchase multiple licenses. In addition, you can install Creative Cloud applications for any of the supported languages.
Application settings can be synchronized through the Creative Cloud service so the workspace is consistent if you work on multiple computers.
Photoshop Standard and Extended features are merged into the single Photoshop CC product.
There is no longer a need to track serial numbers or deal with product activation hassles and limits. No more calls to customer service if you computer died and you need to deactivate it. Your software is validated with your Adobe ID and password and computer activations can be managed through your online account. (Note: You do not need to be online to use the software. Your software is downloaded and then installed on your desktop computer just as before. Your Creative Cloud membership will be validated at regular intervals to enable continued use of the software. (See FAQ)
User files can be stored, synced and shared between Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android though the cloud service. Individual memberships come with 20GB of cloud-based storage.
The Behance network is integrated and included with Creative Cloud membership. Behance is an online community for creative professionals which normally costs $99 per year.

The new Creative Cloud CC applications with new features will become available in June 2013. Photoshop CC will offer new features including:

New image deblurring, intelligent upsampling, and improved sharpening with the Camera Shake Reduction tool and new algorithms for Smart Sharpening.
Adobe Camera Raw 8 with Advanced Healing brush, Radial Gradient tool, and Upright tool.
Improvements to rounded rectangles.
Ability to make multiple selections for paths, shapes, and vectors.
Post directly to Behance.
All features released to Creative Cloud members in the past year.

So what are the downsides? Obviously, one is that you have to keep paying monthly. Another is that you have to download the software, which can be very large. This could be an issue if you have a slow or unreliable internet connection, as I do, but even those individuals should be able to get the software either by using a download manager, or by going to another location where they can access a faster connection for downloading.

So let's look at the price compared to the old model of perpetual licenses. To keep it simple, well use the example of a single application user. Let's calculate the cost over time for someone buying Photoshop for the first time, as well as someone who has used Photoshop for 5 years and upgraded once during that time. We'll base this on a price of $620 for the first time and $159 upgrades.

For the first time Photoshop user, they have a hefty outlay of $620 for a version of Photoshop which will be outdated within 2 years. For the single application Photoshop CC membership of $19.99 per month, they would get 31 months or 2-1/2 years of Photoshop use for that same $620.

For the 5-year Photoshop user, let's say he has invested $779 for his Photoshop licenses over the past 5 years. That's $620 for the first time purchase and $159 for an upgrade--we'll assume he skipped one upgrade. We'll use Adobe's discounted introductory Creative Cloud pricing for this user comparison since he currently has a license for CS3 or higher. So a single Photoshop CC license will be $9.99/month the first year and $19.99/month after that. Over 5 years, that comes to $1080, assuming the Creative Cloud pricing stays the same.

So, we see the cost is more for someone who doesn't typically purchase every upgrade. If that same user had upgraded Photoshop twice in those 5 years he'd have invested $938, which is still less, but he would not have the benefit of regular new features and updates every few months.

Now, if you are someone who uses 2 or more Creative Cloud applications, it starts to get more beneficial to go for the full Creative Cloud membership of $49.99/month ($29.99 introductory price for the first year if you own CS3 or higher). With this membership you get access to every application listed in the first paragraph, plus mobile apps and other services. These users typically had to buy a boxed suite for $1200 to $2600.

The customers who will be most hurt by the switch to a subscription model are those who don't want or need the "latest and greatest" and who in the past would skip one or more upgrade cycles to keep using the older version as long as it was working well for them. Judging by a previous polls and discussions, that's the majority of folks who visit this site. And, obviously, users who never bought the software but pirated it instead won't like this.
Vote: How will you get your Adobe Creative Suite 6 software?
Vote: How do you feel about renting software?

Whew! That's quite enough math for me for one day! What will you do? Will Adobe have to pry Creative Suite 6 out of your cold, dead hands, or will you jump onto the Creative Cloud? Hit the comments and let me know, or visit the links below for FAQs and more information.

• Photoshop CC on Adobe.com
• Adobe Announces Creative Suite 6 and Creative Cloud
• Adobe Photoshop CS6 Review
• Answering Your Questions About Photoshop CC
• Upgrade to Creative Cloud by July 31st and save 40%
• For a limited time, students can save 60% on Adobe Creative Cloud.

Make Text Stand Out in Photoshop Elements

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:03:17 +0000

You can make text stand out on a photo better by placing a solid color behind it that subtly fades into the background. This is easy to do in ...

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Graphics Challenge: Out of Border

Sun, 05 May 2013 21:48:50 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Out of Border. The idea is to take a photo or photos and make it appear as if an object is spilling over or ...

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Festive 'Cinco de Mayo' Banner in PSP

Sat, 04 May 2013 09:00:41 +0000

Use Paint Shop Pro to create a festive banner for Cinco de Mayo with bright Mexican colors and a double outline. The first color outlines each individual letter with a ...

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Free Layer Style Effects for Spring

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:51:14 +0000

Download a free set of set of 30 layer style effects in pastels and other Spring colors which would be great for Easter projects. These layer styles are compatible ...

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Custom Cupcake Wrapper in Adobe Illustrator

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:29:29 +0000

This tutorial will show you how to use Illustrator to make a cupcake wrapper design for a baby shower. Once you learn how, you can create your own ...

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Free Frame and Border Custom Shapes

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:23:25 +0000

This custom shape collection includes an assortment of 126 frame and border designs for Photoshop and Elements.
• Free Frame and Border Custom Shapes for Photoshop and Elements

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"A Comfy Spring Day" Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:15:26 +0000

This kit was designed not only ...

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Graphics Challenge: See What I Mean?

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:25:36 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is See What I Mean? They say every picture tells a story, and that a picture is worth a thousand words. This week we're going ...

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Graphics Challenge: Vector Drawing

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:15:39 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Vector Drawing. Cusps, nodes, paths, asymmetric, tangents? Is this Astrology? No,it's the virtue of Vectors--our graphics challenge for this week. Here's a chance to ...

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Basic Shapes in Photoshop: Road Sign Tutorial

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:57:26 +0000

For this tutorial we will create a roadside landscape in addition to the road sign. This is a a good exercise in learning to work with shapes, ...

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Tilt Shift Effect in Photoshop Elements

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:37:13 +0000

Say hello to our newest contributing writer, Liz Masoner! Some of you may remember Liz as the former Guide to the About Photography site. Now she'll be bringing us a steady stream of tutorials for Photoshop Elements. Her first two tutorials show you how to achieve the popular tilt shift effect, either manually, or by using the new guided method in Elements 11. If you've got a suggestion for a Photoshop Elements tutorial that isn't already covered, hit the comments and let us know!
• Using The Tilt Shift Guided Edit in Photoshop Elements 11
• Tilt Shift Manual Method for Photoshop Elements (Any Version)

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Graphics Challenge: Something Old, Something New

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:33:20 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Something Old, Something New. Something Old, Something New... that's our challenge theme for you. The object is to create an image with at least ...

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Lightroom 5 Public Beta Available

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:22:31 +0000

Today Adobe released the public beta of Lightroom 5 for Windows and Mac. The Lightroom 5 beta offers a chance for professional and amateur photographers to preview new features and ...

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Getting Creative With Color in Painter

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:09:22 +0000

A new Painter tutorial from Karen demonstrates the Clone Source Panel in Painter 12. The Clone Source Panel can open up new and exciting ways to render your ...

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Make Retro Sun Rays in Photoshop

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:05:41 +0000

In Sandra's newest Photoshop tutorial, she shows you how to make a retro sun rays graphic, which is perfect for projects that require a vintage look and some ...

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My Lightroom Workflow

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:07:07 +0000

You'll find many articles online from Lightroom users describing their workflow, and most of them are from the perspective of a professional photographer. I'm not a professional photographer, but I ...

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Graphics Challenge: Just Nuts

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:33:18 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Just Nuts. Things are just a little nutty here this week. We have some nutty starting images for you to crack open with no ...

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"Garden Laughter" Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:14:28 +0000

Welcome spring with this delightful digital scrapbook kit by Darleen Araujo. "In my world, laughter in the garden encourages the flowers to bloom. Garden items using aqua, persimmon and brown color tones were used to create this garden-themed digital scrapbook kit."...

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Why is my Picture Turned Sideways?

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:04:46 +0000

Are your portrait orientation pictures displaying sideways on your computer or online? Learn how to get those vertical photos to display correctly instead of sideways.
• How to Ensure Correct Orientation of Digital Photos ...

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Graphics Challenge: Image Dictionary

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:15:21 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Image Dictionary. The idea is to come up with a word and define it with an image. We're not looking for A is for ...

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Free Christian Brushes and Shapes for Photoshop and Elements

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:30:40 +0000

Download several sets of free brushes and shapes for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. These shapes and brushes are based on Christian symbols and include crosses, doves, fish, stars, and ...

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Graphics Challenge: Easter Eggs

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:55:54 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Easter Eggs. Eggs have been viewed as symbols of life and fertility through the ages. It is believed for this reason many ancient cultures ...

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Free Ornate Shapes for Photoshop and Elements

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:00:16 +0000

150 Ornate Shapes by Shelby Kate Schmitz

These free ornate shapes by Shelby Kate Schmitz can be used in Photoshop 7 and up and Photoshop Elements 2 and up (Mac or ...

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Free Trim Action for Photoshop Elements

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:09:31 +0000

Sara Froehlich has shared a free trim action for Photoshop Elements 6 and up. This command removes excess blank image area from around an image. This can be either a ...

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New Christian Crosses and Gold Layer Styles

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:32:24 +0000

Download a new set of 36 Christian cross designs as Custom brushes and shapes for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. They are also available as transparent PNG files for use in ...

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Torn Paper Effect and Digital Washi Tape in GIMP

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:36:46 +0000

Ian gives us two new GIMP tutorials this week to help you add some effects to your digital scrapbook pages and other projects. In the first, he shows you how to create digital Washi tape, a type of decorative tape from Japan. In the second tutorial, he shows how to add a torn paper effect to your images which you can use on your digital Washi tape, or for other projects where you need a torn effect.

• How to Make Digital Washi Tape in GIMP
• How to Make a Torn Paper Edge in GIMP

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Graphics Challenge: Spring!

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:43:01 +0000

This week's graphics challenge theme is Spring! Still caught in the clutches of Winter? Can't wait for Robins to return and the Crocus to poke through the ground? Well then ...

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St. Patrick's Day Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:55:39 +0000

"Glen o' The Green"

Download this fun and free St. Patrick's Day kit of coordinating elements and papers for digital scrapbooking. These elements and papers can be used with any ...

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