Sometimes we work on a PSD file, duplicate it and work more on it when creating a new version.
And one day, we need a layer or effect that only exists in only one of these files, search for it which can become complicated (what we're looking can be invisible as well).
ComparePSD is a free Windows software that helps finding the differences between 2 PSD files in such situations to save you time.
The software enables you to select the files to be compared from Windows Explorer.
When it is started, the files are compared layer-by-layer including layers styles (effects), styles attributes, layers visibility flags and highlights the differences.
Requirements: Windows XP+
StylePix is a free image editing software, an alternative for Photoshop or Fireworks, with numerous advanced features.
It has an intuitive user interface where all the controls can be selected easily.
The software works with layers & offers multi-layer/group editing support.
Some features of StylePix are:
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various selection types (auto-range, color-range & rectangular, circular, polygonal, lasso area selection)
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batch processing
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30 different filters
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thumbnail, histogram & waveform view for current image
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& more..
StylePix works on Windows OS & consumes very few system resources, even the installer is ~800kb, which makes it an ideal solution for less-powerful computers or running from portable devices (a portable version exists).
Compatibility: Windows OS
Online image editors have evolved so much in the last few years & became very mature + functional for designers at every level.
They generally offer a similar interface with the popular image editing softwares which lowers the learning curve so much.
Almost all of them are Flash-based (no extra installations -like plugins- are required) & load/work very fast.
Why To Use Them?
You may be asking yourself why to use a web-based one when there is a powerful image editing software installed on your computer like Photoshop, Fireworks, GIMP, etc.?
Portability
There is no need to have a software other than a browser to run such applications. Also designs created with them can be saved instantly online.
This function is specially handy for anyone working at different locations/computers.
The Price Factor
Most popular image editing softwares, except GIMP, are generally not cheap & every new version requires a new license.
Online image editing platforms are free or come with cheap subscription plans.
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Hand-drawn design objects are always a popular choice to reflect a personal touch, warmth & sometimes; childeshness.
Although it is possible to create new designs via scanning drawings or designing with graphic tablets, using ready-to-use ones is always a good & quick choice as well.
In order to add a twist into any design easily, here is a collection of 37 beautiful hand-drawn Photoshop brush sets:
Swirls
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Divine is a fresh & free Photoshop plug-in for converting Photoshop files into Wordpress themes.
It works by selecting spots in design files & marking them as Wordpress variables like:
- post title
- post text
- author link
- etc..
It produces valid XHTML-CSS code & themes are automatically widget-ready.
Divine has an integrated FTP-client & it is a very ideal plug-in for anyone who is not that into coding and/or Wordpress theming.
Requirements: Photoshop CS3+
For many users, according to the Photoshop knowledge level, it is sometimes hard to create what is in mind. And, for everyone, having a well-designed object can call the inspiration & help us to create better.
In both cases, for Photoshop users, quality & free PSD files are a treasure. Whether you use them in a tiny part of the whole or build your composition around them, they will help a lot.
Here is a collection of 35 beautiful & free PSDs for charming designs:
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For any designer with significant amount of Photoshop brushes installed, it is always a pain to navigate through the brushes & find the one you need.
ABRView is a free software that makes this process much easier. It allows you to define the folder(s) where brushes are installed & preview them.
Also, once you download a brush, although you have an opinion on how it looks, you can not be sure until installing it, running Photoshop & checking the look from the brush palette. As ABRView can display brushes from any folder, you simply save time on seeing how they look.
It has an .exe version for Windows & .jar version for Mac & Linux.
Compatibility: Windows, Mac & Linux
Mastering frequently used applications increases the productivity significantly.
Controlling these applications via keyboard is a part of this "mastering process" which helps you use an application with 2 hands = much faster.
Also, knowing the tricks of tools inside these products definitely opens new doors for creating.
Specifically for designers, here is a list of cheat sheets for the most popular applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp, Fireworks & more..
Keyboard shortcuts are very well organized, both by menu & alphabetically.
Also, shortcut presets that add lots of extra shortcuts are provided too.
Keyboard shortcuts for previous Photoshop versions:
There are many different way & settings for converting images to black and white with Photoshop.
This is a Photoshop file presenting different filters/presets. Just update 1 file & see the various outputs.
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Protecting images online is a difficult, almost impossible, mission to accomplish. At the end, the image is there and a "print screenshot" command can grab it & no way to stop this.
But, there are various ways to harden the process & make it not worth trying like disabling right clicks, using images as backgrounds, adding watermarks to them & more.
Here are the good practices of these options:
Hide The Images
Put A Blank File Over The Real Image
This method will make the real image unreachable unless checked from the source.
You can use the original image as a background & put a transparent-blank file over it that matches the size of the real image.
For ex:
<div id="image1" style="background-image: url(originalImage.jpg);">
<img src="blank.gif" height="250px" width="300px">
</div>
So, when the image is right-clicked, it will be the blank.gif that can be reached.
There are also 2 JavaScript framework ready solutions for this:
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Photoshop plug-ins are the add-ons that power a Photoshop user.
They make a complicated task much easier & help creating amazing effects, designing faster & better.
There are lots of free Photoshop plug-ins which can fire your skills. This post aims to present most of them (150+) in a comprehensive way.
How to install Photoshop plug-ins?
Photoshop plug-ins are .8bf files. After downloading a plug-in, simply place it in the presets>plug-ins folder of the Photoshop’s installation folder (creating a folder with a name defining the plug-in & placing the plug-in files inside the folder will make it more organized).
Here they are:
AlphaWorks – Transparency Effects
A free Photoshop plugin for easily removing black or white values and making the region transparent.
It provides 6 different filters to match any photo type.
ColourWorks – Colour Modification
It has 20 effects to modify image colour values in several ways.
The plug-in can be used for digital-photo color correction or any other transformations.
EdgeWorks – Cool Artistic Styles
It has 20 effects to create dramatic edge and colour modifications.
This Photoshop plugin is handy for photo transformations for a highly stylized look & creating interesting texture effects
ScreenWorks
Easily create screen/mesh patterns with 30 options.
In one step, you can add small detailed and repetitive texture overlay effects to areas of your image.
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