Corey Barker, Executive Producer of PlanetPhotoshop.com and one of the Photoshop Guys of Photoshop User TV, brings you this handy and inspiring volume in the Down & Dirty Tricks series. Yes, this book is an insane collection of some of the most mind-blowing Photoshop effects you’ve ever seen in one place. Ever wonder how that movie poster was created, or how they created that cool magazine ad, or maybe even how to take a seemingly mundane photo and give it the Hollywood treatment? Or maybe you just want to know how to do some really awesome stuff in Photoshop. Well, then, this book is for you! Whether you’re a designer, artist, or even a photographer, there’s something here for everyone. Moving through these projects, you’ll start to see the potential of Photoshop’s most powerful features and how, with a little experimentation, you can open up a whole new world of dazzling effects. You’ll learn how to: • Create custom brush effects from scratch • See type as a design element • Create Hollywood-style effects that actually look like Hollywood-style effects • Take mundane photos and turn them into something mind-blowing • Create eye-popping commercial effects that clients will drool over • Get creative with 3D in Photoshop CS5 Extended • Create popular advertising effects you’ve seen in movies, on TV, and on the Web • Master dazzling photo effects for designers and photographers alike Plus, there are so many other things throughout the book that you’ll be bursting with new ideas!

Down & Dirty Tricks is packed cover to cover with step-by-step tutorials on the coolest Photoshop 6.0 effects. The book is not another rehash of masking, pixels, and file formats or resolution--it's nothing but the cool stuff that will make your client's (or boss's) jaw drop. Plus, it's an awesome Photoshop tips book too! That's because next to every tutorial, on every single page, there's a sidebar with a timesaving Photoshop 6.0 tip, trick, shortcut, or real-world technique to save you time, money, and make you more efficient. Written in plain English, you can jump in anywhere; simply open the book to the effect you want to create and follow along. It's that easy (and that much fun!). Among many other tricks, the reader will learn: Amazing chrome and metallic effects How to create those dazzling high-tech Web interfaces Cool 3D effects using Photoshop's own filters Shadow techniques that the pros really use Instant texture and background effects The most requested advertising effects

This definitive resource on using Adobe Photoshop blend modes, features dozens of hands-on examples to give you an edge in technical, personal, and commercial projects Blend modes are an essential, if somewhat mysterious, tool for photographers and digital artists. They can be used to for a wide range of imaging effects and challenges, such as noise reduction, working with high dynamic range (HDR) images, compositing, graphic design, and digital painting. Although blend modes can be easy to use, they aren’t always easy to understand. Scott Valentine translates the technical elements into every day language and demonstrates techniques using real-world examples. Whether you’re a professional or hobbyist, there’s something here for you. Beginning and intermediate users of Photoshop will learn how blend modes work and get up to speed on the most common techniques. The book will also feature power tips and blend mode techniques from industry experts, including Katrin Eismann, Matt Kloskowski, and RC Concepcion. Advanced and technical users will find indispensable references along with powerful enhancements and corrections. More than just a collection of effects and recipes, The Hidden Power of Blend Modes explains why the techniques work and how to tune them for your own specific needs.

Bestselling author Scott Kelby (Editor of Photoshop User magazine) is back with an amazing new collection ofPhotoshop Down and Dirty Tricks, including how to create the same exact effects you see every day in magazines, on TV, at the movies, and on the Web. It's more of those eye-popping, jaw-dropping special effects that made Scott's previous version an award-winning worldwide smash hit! But this isn't just an update to his previous book--these are 100% ALL NEW EFFECTS from cover-to-cover to reflect the latest trends in Photoshop special effects and design. These are nothing but today's real world techniques--the same ones you see used by leading Photoshop photographers, designers, and special effect masters, and its all here in the only book of its kind. You'll learn the most closely guarded inside secrets for creating the latest cutting-edge effects, including techniques that have never been revealed before anywhere! And the book is written so clearly, and is so easy to follow, that you'll be able to create every one of these amazing effects yourself. You'll learn: Tricks professional photographers use to show off their work The most popular effects used by the big Hollywood studios The latest cutting-edge photographic special effects How to fake all kinds of studio shots (you'll be amazed how its done!) The type effects that are most in demand by clients How to get stunning 3D effects without using a 3D program How to turn simple snapshots into museum quality gallery prints The most asked for new Web effects Plus loads of advanced effects that look hard, but are easy, once you know the secrets But Down and Dirty tricks is more than just a just an effects book--it's a tips book too, because on every page Scott includes a cool tip, a quick trick, or a timesaving shortcut, making this an invaluable productivity tool too! Plus the whole book is packed with design techniques, creative ideas and stunning layouts that will help you unleash your own creativity. It's all here-- "Just the funk and not the junk" and if you're into Photoshop, you're absolutely gonna love it!

Corey Barker–Executive Producer of PlanetPhotoshop.com and one of the Photoshop Guys of Photoshop User TV–brings you this completely new set of techniques, tricks, and tutorials in this second volume of the Down & Dirty Tricks for Designers series. Ever wonder how that movie poster was created, or how they created that cool ad in the magazine, or maybe even how to take a seemingly mundane photo and give it the Hollywood treatment? This is the book for you. Whether you are a designer, artist, or even a photographer, there is something here for everyone. Corey starts out discussing the common techniques and resources you'll use over and over again, such as extracting elements from backgrounds, creating and using brushes, and incorporating textures into your work. He then dives deep into dedicated chapters on typography, design effects, special effects, photography and design, and 3D. As you work through these exercises, you will start to see the potential of some of Photoshop's most powerful features and how, with a little experimentation, you can open up a whole new world of dazzling effects.

He's back! Adobe's already-powerful imaging editing software has just grown a whole lot more powerful, and best-selling author Scott Kelby (editor of Photoshop User magazine) has returned to unlock even more of its secrets. Using step-by-step instructions and nearly 700 full-color images, Scott reveals precisely how to achieve some of Photoshop Element 3's most closely guarded special effects. By the end of the volume you'll have learned more than 300 new techniques for using Adobe's affordable consumer-level software. Packed with creative ideas, layouts, and design techniques, the volume does more than just rehash masking, pixels, and file formats and resolution: It provides you with the Elements chops you need to unleash your own creativity.

This is absolutely the ultimate guide to hacking Adobe’s wildly popular graphics software, written by an Adobe Certified professional photographer and designer. This is serious, down and dirty, tweaking – blowing away the default settings, customizing appearance, optimizing performance, customizing tools and offering readers total control over Photoshop like never before. With these 300+ hacks, readers will find their work with Photoshop faster and easier than ever. Roll up your sleeves, and dive into these hacks including: Faster Photoshop startup Customizing the Photoshop interface Hacking Photoshop’s Tools Access hidden dialog buttons Hacks for Masks, Layers, Paths, Curves and Selections Camera Raw tricks and so much more.