Hi.

I understand that the pen tool can be a bit intimidating, however to do a cutout there are other ways other than with the Pen tool.

In this tutorial I show you how you can create a path without the use of the Pen tool and to transform it with a tool that everyone knows how to use.

It’s a simple, yet effective way, I hope you like.

Take care,

Miguel

Hi.

Fake is not a word I use a lot, however I think it’s perfect for what I am about to talk about.

So, you go out to take some photos near a river or even sea and you don’t have any filters so you can slow down the shutter speed of your camera, fair enough, you can close down to the maximum aperture of your lens, it helps a bit, but you don’t get the desired effect.

In this tutorial I show exactly how to cheat and create that effect in Photoshop, where there is some movement to water and I make it look smoother, just like I had a filter on my lens.

I hope you like it.

If you have any questions or queries, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Take care,

Miguel

Hi.

Today I would like to show you a cool, yet simple text effect.So in this tutorial I will show you how to create a brush based on a photo of clouds and apply it in order to create a text effect.
Even that I am using Photoshop CS6, you can create this effect in earlier versions of Photoshop and also on Photoshop Elements.

I hope you enjoy.

Take care,

Miguel

Hi.

A couple of weeks ago I had a problem with my laptop, it started losing VRam, so after investigating I had to buy a new one!Well, I wasn’t very pleased not only for the fact that I had to spend money, but also because as I tried the Beta version of Windows 8 I knew that looked cool, but I wasn’t so sure of how stable the new operating system was, but I had no option, I had to get a new one.
So I went to a shop and saw a decent laptop with some good specs so I bought that!So as soon as I got home I started getting my Creative Cloud  apps, so when I was finished I was really excited about trying the new and more powerful machine and Photoshop, but I was excited only for a few minutes, yes, you guessed, the problems started!
Every time I had a document in Photoshop and tried anything Photoshop would crash!So as I knew that a new update was out, I updated Photoshop, but that didn’t help at all!So I spent hours and hours checking for windows updates, drivers updates, etc, until I gave up at 2 AM.

So next day I knew what I had to do!So I went back to the shop and explained the situation and as they all do, they blamed on Adobe!But I was sure that the problem wasn’t from Adobe, so they agreed to change laptop, so as I was so disappointed with the “New one” I decided to go back to Sony Vaio, even that I said that I wouldn’t buy another as they only last 2 years(from my experience).

So I got home, but not as excited as I normally would be, so installed everything in the new laptop and to be fair, it didn’t crash!

Yes!Finally I can work again!
Two days later while working in Photoshop I noticed that it wasn’t working very normal, when working with layers, it was flickering, showing transparency where there was none, etc, so after some research I turned off “Use Graphics Processor” from the Performance panel in Photoshop, Yes, I know, I can’t use Photoshop to it’s full potential, but   if I need to, I can turn back on and work, just have to ignore some issues.

So my problems were temporary solved, but I was wrong!
Yesterday I tried to record a couple of tutorials for this Blog and for my personal Blog and my screen recorder kept crashing, so I tried other programs and either would crash, or weren’t compatible with windows 8.
As my last option I went to Adobe and downloaded the  Adobe Captivate free trial so at least I could do a tutorial, and it kind of works Ok.

So, the point of this Blog entry is not to tell you about my problems but to let you know about my not very good experience with windows 8, so if you are thinking of upgrading, DO NOT upgrade just yet, Adobe products may be compatible with windows 8 but if drivers and other programs don’t work well, you will end up with some stressful moments in front of your machine, best way to avoid that is NOT to buy just yet an upgrade!
Oh, and by the way, my Wacom tablet has a mind of its own too.

I am so sorry if you are bored with this Blog Entry, but I think I should warn you about Windows8.

See you next time (hopefully with some good news)

Take care,

Miguel

Hi.

There are many ways to do HDR, but is there a right way or a wrong way?
Of course not, it’s just the way the artist wants  to show the work.
Today I would like to show you a very cool and easy way to add more details to your night photography with HDR Pro in Photoshop.

The technique I show you in this tutorial is what I call a “Natural HDR” and the reason I call it that, is because it doesn’t look HDR!
Why would I do HDR and not look like HDR?!
Well, for some people HDR is like a bad word, and for those people, when they say that your photo is fantastic, then you can say that it’s actually HDR.I bet that they will change their mind about HDR.

If you like a bit more processed HDR, feel free to play around or just let me know and I can do a tutorial about that, believe me, but sometimes I like to go a bit over the top with my HDR , well, it’s great fun, so why not!

I hope you enjoy this tutorial as much as I had doing it.

Take care,

Miguel Campos

Hi.As we are just one day from Christmas you may not have time to go to the shop and buy a card…And if you do if you post it today it won’t be received in time for Christmas, but with the wonders of the internet you can email one and you know it’s nearly instant, but you don’t know how to create a card.

Well, today I am posting 2 video tutorials that you help you create 2 different type of cards.
Not only I show you how to create brushes, but also how to change the way those brushes behave, all added you get an original Card

But what if you want to make a card even more original?
Perhaps with a video message, well I will show you that on the second video, just make sure you see the video to the end to see the final result.

Wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Take care,

Miguel Campos

Pixologic announced the release of ZBrush 4R5 for both Windows & Mac.

Pixologic ZBrush 4R5

ZBrush 4R5 continues to expand on creative freedom with new features for sculpting, rendering and overall quality of life. These new features were designed to let you be an artist first and foremost, giving you more freedom to explore new ideas!

Link via Pixologic Blog

Ready to experiment with lPixologic ZBrush 4R5 download free trial here or  check it out at our e-store.