Photoshop is one of those extremely versatile programs that can be used by beginners just dabbling, or professionals who create graphics for a living. Whichever group you fit into, one thing is true about Photoshop: It’s a deep program, and there’s a lot to learn. Even the most experienced Photoshop users are regularly learning new ways to do things with the application.

For those just getting started, it’s overwhelming. There’s so much to learn, even if you just want to do the basics. That’s why this post on Photoshop Basics from Vandelay Design blog is so valuable. The post has links to over 100 tutorials focusing on the basic fundamentals of Photoshop, including:

• Getting Started with Photoshop
• Photoshop’s Toolbox
• Using Palettes in Photoshop
• Working with Layers
• The Pen Tool
• Brushes and Other Presets
• The Type Tool
• Selection Tools
• Clone Stamp Tool
• An Explanation of Photoshop Blend Modes
• Filters
• Channels

It’s a perfect collection for beginners, or those looking to sharpen there skills. So set aside a couple hours (days?) and start to explore!

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You’ve seen favicons; you know, those little logos that appear before the site name or URL in your browser window.  These little icons (they’re 16×16 pixels) may seem irrelevant, but they can have a tremendous impact on your website.

Consider your own navigating habits. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a handful of tabs (or more!) open in your browser at any given time. I use a Firefox add-on that shifts my tabs vertically to the left-side of my browser window. So, many times, all I see is the little favicon.

When I go to jump to a new tab, if a site is missing a custom favicon, I have no idea what the site is without clicking or mousing over the tab. It may not seem like much of an inconvenience, but it’s a major fail, in my opinion. Not to mention if you don’t have a favicon for your site, you’re missing out on a quick and easy way to add to your brand.

Here’s a simplified look at the process of creating a favicon:

1. Use an existing logo file or create a graphic from scratch using a generator
2. Reduce the file down to 16×16 pixels
3. Export as a .ICO file (favicon.ico) with your software
4. Upload to the root directory of your website

Ready to create your own? Here are some more in-depth tutorials to give you some guidance:

• Favicon Basics, Mark8t
• Tutorial: How To Create Your Own FavIcon, Essential Keystrokes
• Video: How to Create an Install Favicons, Butterscotch.com

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I started my geek days as a Mac user. Since I worked primarily in web and graphic design, my Mac was a perfect fit for me. Over time, though, as my service offerings expanded, and I started to rely on more Windows-friendly software, I switched back to a PC.

Then last year, I decided to become a bi-platform professional. I kept my Dell XPS desktop and got a MacBook Pro as my portable machine. It was one of the best moves I could have made for my business, and I have found that I am most productive and efficient when I use both computers in tandem.

One immediate benefit of the dual systems is that the setup lets me avoid file format issues with clients who are on Windows platforms. I don’t have to worry about saving in a compatible mode or testing conversion of my files before sending work off to my clients.

Of course, my Mac gives me the best-of-the-best when I’m designing. Plus, it’s just more visually appealing to me when I work on my Mac. While I tend to favor my Mac for these reasons, I have found having constant access to a both computers lets me take advantage of software that works in only one of the platforms. There isn’t really any software out there that I can’t use in my business.

On a logistics level, having two machines available to me at all times means I can double the number of apps I can have open at a time without overloading either machine. And I do! Plus, I can use my PC for running things I don’t want to check all the time – like HootSuite for keeping up on Twitter – so I know it’s there, but it’s not getting in the way of my other work.

One thing that makes me most productive is the backup system I have in place. My files on both computers are automatically synced as I work, so if I need to bounce around from computer to computer, I don’t have to worry about wasting time transferring files. I think I would be slower and less efficient without my current setup…but what do you think?

Do you or would you ever consider using both platforms in your business?

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Photoshop and Illustrator are among my favorite image editing tools. I use them daily for a number of things, from graphic design work to the simplest tasks, like re-sizing personal photos. But not only are they quite expensive, but the learning curve is tremendous.

It’s not easy for someone with little experience with these applications to install them and start using them fully. Heck, I don’t even use them to 100% of their capability and I have years of experience!

So what do non-designers do? What can you use to modify photos or do basic image optimization when the funtionality in the software that came with your digital camera or scanner is not enough?

Two of my favorite free image editors are Paint.NET and GIMP. I have used both on my second (and third) computers at home or at other locations when I’ve had to work in a pinch. Here are some details.

Paint.NET
Paint.NET is free and has a lot of features, including:

• Simple, intuitive, and innovative user interface
• Layers
• Effects such as blurring, sharpening, red-eye removal, distortion, noise, and embossing
• Adjustable brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, curves, and levels
• Simple tools for drawing shapes
• Unlimited history (I love this feature because it means you can undo and undo….and undo.)

I primarily use a Mac for my work and Paint.NET is only avaialble on Windows. But I have installed and used it on a PC, and it’s really easy to use…almost deceivingly easy with the amount of functionality it provides. There is virtually no learning curve here, so I vote this as a must-try for any non-designers interested in doing image editing work.

GIMP
GIMP is probably one of the most used open source image applications. It has pretty extensive functionality and mimics Photoshop in some ways. Some of the features GIMP has includes:

• Painting tools including brush, pencil, airbrush, clone, etc.
• Gradient editor and blend tool
• Unlimited number of images open at one time
• Layers and channels
• Editable text layers
• Transformation tools including rotate, scale, shear and flip
• Supports all of the major file formats

There are versions available for Windows and Mac. While it does have a lot of functionality, there’s a bit of a learning curve. If you have time to play around, do some tutorials and practice, you can do almost anything that can be done with Photoshop. One major downfall to note, however, is that GIMP doesn’t support CMYK, which makes it a no-go for any print design work. But this is still a very good, advanced (and free!) image editor.

So, have you used either of these? Are you up for giving them a try?

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