Have you ever used Photoshop Elements or CorelDRAW? If you’re a professional designer, probably not. In all likelihood, you rely on Adobe’s Creative Suite. You use Photoshop for bitmap imaging, Illustrator for vector artwork, and InDesign (or Quark) for layouts. And if you work in an in-house creative department, where you have to have the industry-standard apps, this same setup would also make perfect sense.

Photoshop Elements and the Corel line of products aren’t the most popular apps out there, but they do have their uses.

However, recent updates to Photoshop Elements and the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite make these programs worth considering. They might be a useful additions or a cost-saving substitute. Especially in a freelance environment, where you perhaps can’t always plunk down thousands for the latest releases, Photoshop Elements and CorelDRAW Graphics Suite may save you money. You might also get some new features that you won’t find in the Adobe favorites.

In this post, we’ll take a look at Photoshop Elements 6. Later this week, we’ll dive deep into CorelDRAW.

Photoshop Elements 6

I know quite a few designers who still use versions of Photoshop that predate the Creative Suite. It’s totally understandable. Most just don’t have the time to do a big upgrade right now. Still, they’re missing out on some great features. The powerful retouching and selection tools included in the most recent versions of Photoshop are incredibly useful and can save users loads of time. Fortunately, the latest update to Photoshop Elements includes some of these items, like the Quick Select, Spot Healing, and Refine Edge tools. These alone justify a $99 expenditure, especially if you’re not planning to upgrade to a CS-level version of Photoshop anytime soon.

If you spend a lot of time organizing digital photos and making minor adjustments, you might also want to consider Photoshop Elements 6. Often, it’s all you need. (more…)

Flickr and the Library of Congress have joined forces and created an exciting new program.

If all goes according to plan, the project will significantly expand the reach of the Library by making its collections vastly more accessible. So far, more than 3000 photographs from two of the Library’s most popular collections have been posted to Flickr’s pages. Users are encouraged to tag, comment on, and annotate these images, just like they would any other Flickr photo. The hope is that this added information–courtesy of Web 2.0–will enhance the collection, benefiting researchers, the public at large and posterity.

Hundreds of color photographs from the 30s and 40s, including the one above, were recently posted to Flickr pages.

In addition, and as part of the project, Flickr has drafted a new usage statement for publicly held photographic collections called “The Commons.” It reads “no known copyright restrictions,” and it’s attached to every image that’s been posted to date. (more…)

I recently saw a magazine ad for a hair product in which words were “written” on the model’s hair in “liquid text.” Text effects like this have been around for as long as Photoshop has existed. There’s liquid, fire, glass, metal, and so many others. Often, these effects are cheesy. They often appear devoid of context: metal simply because it looks masculine, for example, and they’re usually created in one of two ways: the long way that involves channels and displacement maps, or the short way using ugly default layer styles. What I liked about the liquid text I saw in the magazine was that it seemed totally appropriate given the message, and the design was custom enough to look good. I wanted to find a simple way to reproduce it.

I started with a photo of my own hair, but you can use any interesting background, such as wood, tile, skin, or concrete.

Try to use an even texture because if your background is really wavy, you’ll have to do this the long way, with displacement maps.

Begin by duplicating the layer. This new layer is the one we’ll use to create our liquid text area. But before we do that, I want to bulge and warp the layer a bit, since the liquid would magnify the surface below it. Start with the Wave filter (Filter > Distort > Wave) and create a very large, soft wave. Then add a bulge using the Spherize filter (Filter > Distort > Spherize).

A little distortion makes a big difference. The text we cut from this layer will be magnified and will look a little distorted.

Now, we can cut the text from this layer. Use the Type Mask tool. If you have trouble deciding on a font or character settings when using the Type Mask tool, use the regular Type tool to set the letters. (more…)

I recently wrote a post about point-and-shoot product photography - a task many web designers will perform again and again. Taking photos is one thing. Getting them ready for the web is another.

1) Original files and retouching. Always duplicate your original image before you begin adding details and correcting flaws, and work with the highest quality files available. Even though your images will probably end up small and low-res, you should keep a full-size, high-res version handy. You never know when you’ll need it, but I can assure you that when a magazine asks for a print-ready version, you don’t want to have to start from scratch.

2) Signature thumbnail treatments. Adding some type of treatment to your thumbnails can anchor them in the massive grid common to most e-commerce sites. A border or a very (very!) subtle drop shadow will keep your thumbnails from seeming as if they’re floating in space, and will also frame cropped images.

Shanalogic.com uses a fine green line produced in CSS to create a signature look that both suits her brand and grounds the thumbnails.

The trick here is to keep your treatments as simple and subtle as possible. Make you’re your treatments are consistent with your brand and the overall appearance of your site. Color can go a long way in this regard. Your treatments should be really easy to reproduce, so I’d recommend using a saved Photoshop style or action. (Create your own, (more…)

In Part 1 of this post, I shared some setup and placement tips. Today, we’ll talk cameras and Photoshop.

5) Make the most of your camera. Even dinky point-and-shoots like mine have variable settings. First off, ditch the flash; you don’t want ugly bright spots or harsh shadows in your shot, do you? Next, learn to use your white balance and ISO settings. Get the color as close to “real life” as you can, and produce the sharpest photo possible given your lighting environment. Finally, use the macro mode for very small items (I use it when photographing anything smaller than my fist). It’ll help you capture even the smallest details. If you don’t have a steady hand, you’ll need to use a mini tripod when shooting in macro mode.

This pin made by Feisty Elle was shot in macro mode, so the texture of the fabrics is apparent.

6) Take lots of pictures. When shooting with a digital camera, there’s no reason not to. The one snap you think is perfect may, in fact, be no good at all, so why take chances? Going back and repeating the setup is frustrating, so take tons on shots before you head to your computer and start editing.

7) Use what you know. As a designer, you’re probably pretty comfortable with Photoshop. Don’t be afraid to use it. If your white balance wasn’t right, adjust the Color Balance. If you need to brighten up a white background, head to the Curves dialog. Need to show the product in three colors? Use the Color Replacement tool. During your shoot, try to get the best shots—avoid thinking, “Oh, I’ll take that out in Photoshop later”—but if you do end up with some iffy images that could use a little correction, go for it.

Professional product photography is no simple task, and a little posterboard and Photoshop is, by no means, an adequate substitute. But that doesn’t change the fact that some clients will need a few shots here and there. Try these tips, and see if you can’t make your clients (and their budgets) happy. It can’t hurt your eBay auctions either.

Let me begin with this caveat: I am not a photographer, and I have a feeling that some pros will be appalled by my suggestions!

Graphic designers are often asked to do a little photography work. Small website clients especially like to make such requests because “real” photo work simply isn’t feasible given their budgets.

For several years, I ran an online shop. I did all of the photography myself, for better or worse. It saved me time and money, and after much trial and error, I learned a few things. Here are a some tips that you can use for almost any small product shot job:

1) White posterboard is your friend. It’s cheap and flexible and provides a perfect backdrop. Curve it up when you need a seamless surface below and behind a large object, or lay it flat on a table when shooting a product from above.

A curved piece of posterboard propped against a wall creates a seamless, wrinkle-free backdrop that’s easy to both put up and take down.

2) Avoid colors and patterns. Unless your product calls for a specific background color (for example, a silver piece that would look great on black velvet), use solid white. (more…)

Those of you who enjoy photography and who browse photo-sharing sites like Flickr have probably come across the word “Holga.” I noticed that a lot of interesting photos are tagged with the term, so I poked around to see what it meant.

I discovered that a Holga is a type of film camera originally produced in China during the 1980s. With poorly-made plastic bodies, plastic lenses, and dinky price tags (less than $100 for a camera and accessories), Holgas are essentially toys, so you may wonder why so many photographers are using them.

Snag your own Holga at shop.lomography.com.

The reason is regression, or maybe rebellion. Photos taken with a Holga are extremely “lo-fi,” so they’re unlike the slick, sharp, and polished photos most people take today. (more…)

Perhaps you’ve seen this story making the rounds: A Texas teenager is suing Virgin Mobile because it used her image without permission in a billboard campaign in Australia.

The girl appears in a photograph which was released under a Creative Commons license. The photographer, via the license, expressly permitted commercial use of his image, as long as he received a photo credit. Virgin Mobile Australia duly credited the photographer when it used his photograph in the ad campaign. However, because the Creative Commons license does not apply to the likeness of the girl, who found her face being used to tout a mobile phone network halfway around the world, Virgin may still be in hot water.

A photographer is free to license his own work in whatever way he sees fit, but unless model and location releases were obtained, that license does not, by extension, cover the likenesses which appear in the image. How many photos on royalty-free photo sites come with model and/or location releases? Not many, last time I checked.

So, next time you turn to the royalty-free sites when sourcing images for your clients, ask yourself these questions: (more…)

(images via BBC) Before and after: a pesky rooftop removed and some boats on a pristine bay added with the help of this algorithm.

Speaking, as I was last week, of photo retouching, BBC news has just reported on a new tool that takes image doctoring much further than a little dodge and burn. Developed by James Hays and Alexei Efros from Carnegie Mellon University, this new algorithm replaces unwanted bits of photos with preferable scenery cherry-picked from other images. (more…)

Do a quick search on Flickr or Google for “HDR” and you’ll see photos that are truly amazing: full of contrast, intensity, depth, and detail. High dynamic range (HDR) images have bold shadows and brilliant highlights that most typical photos don’t have. They are created by merging multiple exposures, giving you the best from each on a single image.

This photo by Flickr user Paolo Margari is a gorgeous example of high dynamic range.

You don’t need a high-end camera to produce HDR images. A fairly basic digital camera (one where you can adjust the exposure compensation or f-stop), a sturdy tripod, and a copy of Photoshop CS2 or CS3 will do the job. Here’s how, as demonstrated with a rather banal bowl of oranges: (more…)