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Photoshop and Photography Tutorials
Photoshop
I do not claim to be an expert at Photoshop; I only know what I know.
I should also add that I am not graphic artist by profession. I can still take it seriously, though, just as I do my writing.
Now, disclaimers aside...
Photoshop, Painter, and a vector drawing progam such as Illustrator or FreeHand, form the foundation of a solid graphics toolkit. There are other programs that will do some of the same things, but these programs are the versatile, durable, and extensible ones that give you the greatest creative freedom.
The cost is that all of these packages come with a steep learning curve, and that includes becoming effective with the tools--something that goes beyond knowing all the functions. These pages are about being effective with Photoshop.
Smoking Chrome
Simple and not-so-simple effects.
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A tutorial on creating metallic text. This is the basic text effect used throughout this site. (94K) |
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Setting your text (or other objects) on fire. (79K) |
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Burning or vaporizing your metalic text. (93K) |
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Using metallic text in light backgrounds. (48K) |
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Sometimes it's useful to be able to create a background that is not quite flat. (35K) |
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A simple but useful trick for making objects translucent through part of their surface. (34K) |
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Everything you could want to know about creating lightning. (128K) |
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Creating sheets of flames for inclusion in other images. (74K) |
Recreating Images
Working at the image level, rather than on special effects.
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The Fire Lily is an alteration of a natural image, leaving that image in its natural environment. (194K) |
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The Last Supper is a collage of photographs and created effects. (126K) |
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Joyrider is a collage and a mixing of images from different tools. This tutorial focuses on artistic issues. Note: The tutorial page contains a computer-generated female nude. (116K) |
Photography
As with Photoshop, I claim only serious amateur status.
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Building a good softbox is essential for good portrait photography. |