Graphics Resources & Articles - Page 3

Creative Suite 4 is about to be released. But from what I'm reading of it, I think I'll stick to CS3 for a while yet. Those lucky enough to have received early BETA releases (alas, not me) have reported a few minor improvements, as you'd expect. But with Adobe's hefty upgrade bill, it hardly seems worth it. Which brings a whole new angle to the upgrade/not upgrade argument. When is it advisable to upgrade, and how long is too long to wait.

One of the biggest expenses for any lone designer is software. Creative Suite, although there's a great saving by buying the bundle, is still not cheap. But unlike spending money on plant or equipment, which can pay for itself over the years, there seems to be a major software upgrade almost annually.

Every time a new version comes out, there are many emotions running through my head, usually tempered with more pragmatic considerations.

For one thing there is the eagerness to find out what's new. Then there is the urge to be up with the latest innovations. Nobody likes to be saddled with an 'old model'. Finally there is the feeling – if an upgrade is delayed – that others are enjoying benefits that you, yourself, are missing out on. Or in other words, while you're still toiling away for half an hour performing a regular function in your software, your opposition can do it in five minutes because… she upgraded!

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30 Ultra High-end Photoshop Tutorials

Ever drooled over the artwork created by Photoshop masters like Nik Ainley and Greg Martin? Drool no longer, because with the help of these 30 tutorials you can create high-end digital artworks and effects to rival any Photoshop legend.

Toxel.com

Much in the way Photoshoptuts works, Toxel contains burshes for Photoshop itself, web design concepts and ideas, and reviews techy gadgets and the sort. Great website to put as your homepage to check out the articles every day. Definitely recommend.

Novermber 21st?

Somebody's been a lazy boy, Nate.

Hope im doing this right, but...

Looks good to me, LPF!

The Secrets Of Grunge Design

"Shiny and glossy design elements are now officially outdated. Just like retro is becoming trendy again, grungy look appears to rapidly gain on popularity. And there is a damn good reason behind it. In our everyday environment we're unlikely to find ideal geometric forms or pretty shadow effects as they are manifested by glorious Web 2.0-designs. The reality is different, and Web is definitely not an exception here.

Therefore designers often tend to explore the less ideal and more realistic design solutions which reflect the world we're living in more accurately and precisely. Result: such elements give the design a more realistic, genuine look, a look one would actually expect in real life.

In such grunge designs dirty stains, torn images, "broken" icons and creased pieces of paper are as popular as hand-drawn elements and dirty textures. The main purpose of hand-drawn elements lies in their ability to convey a personality and an individual note. And dirty textures are often used as background images for navigation menus, photos and overall layouts. Usually these elements are regular objects from our daily life, replicated in their real form without any glossy effects.

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GTFO GUUGLAME