Courtesy of our friends at NAPP UK we’ve got a great DVD to give away this month

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 Crash Course

by Matt Kloskowski

This DVD isn’t just about what you’ll learn in Photoshop CS5 – it’s also about what you won’t learn. While many beginner DVDs try to teach you everything there is to know about Photoshop, this beginner’s crash course shows you just the things you need to know to start feeling confident in your skills. Bestselling author, Matt Kloskowski, realized that Photoshop is a huge program with a lot of tools, filters, adjustments, palettes, and menu items. So he cuts through the complexity and shows you exactly what you need to know to hit the ground running in Photoshop. Things like:

- Layers and how they’re the key to using Photoshop

- Selections and the only tools you really need to worry about

- Everything you need to get started with Camera Raw

- Which Retouching tools you’ll use the most

When you’re done with this DVD you’ll realize you didn’t learn every little thing there is to know in Photoshop. But you will have a solid grasp of the most important features and you’ll be at the next level in no time.

To Enter is Easy!

Follow NAPP UK on Twitter and tell Dave @TipSquirrel sent you. #NAPPcomp

And / Or

Join the NAPP UK Facebook Page and tell Dave TipSquirrel sent you.

The Rules

All the usual TipSquirrel.com rules apply.
One entry per person. You may enter on Twitter and Facebook however.
Winner will be chosen randomly by an independent adjudicator.
Closing date Friday 3rd March 6pm UK time.

Entries welcome worldwide.

Why Join NAPP?

• 10 issues of Photoshop User magazine delivered to your door (print) / inbox (digital membership)
• Members-only forums, online portfolios, and a job bank
• Online technical support and special Learning Centers
• Helpful product reviews and breaking industry news
• Unlimited access to more than 1,000 Photoshop and Lightroom tips and tutorials
• UK discounts from companies like Adobe*, Wacom, onOne Software, and Epson
• $100 (£65) off Photoshop World Admission
• $20 off Kelby Training (Amazing NAPP + Kelby Training offer on at the moment, details here.)
• Monthly NEWSWIRE email newsletter with tips, news and exclusive discounts & offers.
• Exclusive live Webinars
• Discounted price on Kelby Training Seminars in UK – Scott Kelby will return !!

• Adobe UK – 15% off Adobe products and upgrades.
• UK MOO Cards – currently waiting for discount confirmation.
• SNAPILY PRO – 30% discount off all 3D & lenticular cards.
• www.ShutterStock.com – 10% discount off subscription.
• www.snapilypro.com – exclusive 30% discount.
• iStockphoto – 10% off 50 credits or more (first purchase).
• Squarespace – 10% discount off LIFE subscription.
• Photomatix HDR Software – 25% discount.
• OnOne Software – NAPP members receive $100 (20%) off of Plug-In Suite 5 (normally $499.95 – NAPP Members $399.96) and 20% off any other individual product. The boxed product is shipped from US at extra $50 UPS, OnOne UK discounted price is £312.50, shipped from UK.
• NIK Software – 15% NAPP member discount.
• SiteGrinder 3 – $100 off the $399 retail price
• AKVIS Products - 30% discount on all AKVIS software for any license type (Home and Business).

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Each number corresponds to a different letter, can you break the code to discover what the twenty Photoshop related words are?

We’ve presented this as an image that you are welcome to print off and take away, have fun!

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To enter just complete the question below. We’re asking for your email address so that we can contact you if you win, we don’t send out any unsolicited mail.

How to Cheat in Photoshop Elements 10 is the fifth edition in the best-selling series. It’s packed with over 90 photo montage and effects projects to work through, including the latest features of Elements. For more information, including sample spreads from the book, follow this link to the book’s website.

It seems that some viewers using Google Chrome are unable to see the multiple choice portion of this post. Our apologies if you are experiencing this. We are assured that IE, Firefox and Safari are displaying correctly.

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We’re off for a week, returning on 2nd January so on behalf of everyone involved in TipSquirrel.com;

Have a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Thank you

There are people and organisations that have helped throughout the year and I’d like to thank them here too;

• Everyone that has ReTweeted, Liked or +1’d our posts. Thanks for spreading the word!
• All those that came to our workshop! Thanks for your support, lets do it again really soon!
• Adobe / Adobe UK. For providing prizes and support for our  Creative Suite 5 competition.
• O’Reilly Media For including us in your reviewers circle
• Peachpit. For allowing us to review some awesome titles, as well as give some away!
• Lynda.com for recognising the amazing talents of The Restorationist Janine Smith!
• All the readers and subscribers. We appreciate your feedback and support!

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Janine’s latest course “Photo restoration With Photoshop” on DVD

Here’s a little about the course;

Professional photo restorer Janine Smith describes how to use Photoshop to restore, retouch, and enhance old or damaged photos. It covers evaluating scanned images for imperfections, using the Clone Stamp tool and other Photoshop tools, and addressing common problems and their fixes, starting with the basics (fading, spots, and paper texture) and continuing with more complex challenges (rips, adhesive tape, ink marks, mold, and more). Also included are methods for fixing exposure problems and colorcast as well as advanced techniques in photo restoration, such as replacing backgrounds and recreating missing facial features and body parts. The course includes a project that takes an image from damaged start to restored finish. Exercise files accompany the course.

Topics include:

• Assessing the damage
• Rebuilding color channels in a grayscale image
• Removing small splits, specks, and spots
• Repairing red eye
• Reassembling torn photos
• Removing stains
• Fixing mold damage
• Understanding the basics of levels and curves
• Correcting color problems
• Repairing and recreating backgrounds
• Sharpening a photo
• Comparing before and after images

To Enter;

All you have to do is use a school photo of yourself in a Christmas card for Janine. The winner will be the one that’s the funniest, cutest, or weirdest!

Janine and TipSquirrel will choose their favourite and announce the winner in our first post of 2012, Monday 2nd January.

ONE entry per person please.
Closing Date : Friday 30th December 2011 (Midnight UK)
No contributors, or relatives of contributors, to TipSquirrel.com may enter.
Our decision is final
By entering you give permission for TipSquirrel.com to publish your picture on TipSquirrel.com.
Your picture will not be published elsewhere.

Send your entries to : blog@tipsquirrel.com with the subject line “Lynda Xmas Comp”

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This month I thought it would be fun to cover a Photoshop plugin that I discovered this summer, which has quickly become one of my favorites. Topaz BW Effects (from [More...]  Creating a Rubber Stamp Brush Preset in Photoshop Elements. By David Asch

In this tutorial we’ll firstly be creating the effect of a slightly worn out rubber stamp. Once we’ve created our stamp, we’ll be converting it to a brush preset that[More...] Scaling 3D Materials in Photoshop CS5 Extended  By Michael HoffmanIf you’ve created a 3D object with complex materials, you may have been disappointed with the appearance and shape of the features on your 3D object. In today’s video, learn [More...] Shadow and Highlights with Adobe Camera Raw  By Richard HarringtonIn this follow-up to last week’s video, Rich Harrington teaches us how to fix clipped shadows, overblown highlights, and soft detail when working with photos shot under low lift conditions. 24 November 2011 : Advanced Black and White in Photoshop (No Comments) By Richard HalesThis month’s tutorial is going to be an in-depth look at a black & white photograph that was used in one of my tutorials on black & white conversion earlier this year. [More...]  Photoshop 3D Materials Fun By Michael HoffmanAdobe Photoshop CS5 Extended has a wonderfully capable 3D environment. It isn’t high powered like some advanced 3D modeling software, but the capabilities are really good, and the learning curve [More...] Mastering Adobe Camera Raw By Richard Harrington

In this made for TipSquirrel.com video, Rich Harrington explores the power of Adobe Camera Raw. Here Rich has a real world example to work though with amazing outcomes. Receding Background By Janine Smith

This is a great image taken from my current scanning project. There’s not much wrong with it at all, maybe a tiny speck or spot here and there and the color isn’t really to my taste, but the composition and overall condition are wonderful![More...] Quicker Collections in Lightroom  By Michael Hoffman

You may have used Quick Collections in Lightroom to create temporary sets of photos to organize your work. Here’s a tip to show you how to extend the Quick Collection [More...] Vintage Effect in Adobe Camera RAW By Gavin Hoey

Vintage photo effects are all the rage in photography at the moment. Often they created in mobile apps or in Photoshop, but in this tutorial I’m going to show you[More...] Creating coloured backdrops in Lightroom  By Scot Baston

One of the things about Lightroom that I love is that even though it is the little brother to the mighty Photoshop, it is still has a few tricks up [More...] Photoshop’s Image Size Resampling Options  By Michael HoffmanWhen you resize images in Photoshop, you are adding or deleting pixels to your image. As the pixels are created or destroyed, how do you control the way Photoshop decides [More...] Create a Horror Skin Effect With Photoshop By Simon Rudd

Making horror art I often get asked how I get texture to show through flesh, its actually very simple and uses my favourite Photoshop tool, Layer Masks. Step 1. Download the skull [More...] Make a Mesh with Liquify to Speed Your Photoshop Workflow By Michael Hoffman

If you’re like me, you’ve been working on larger and larger files, and sometimes the Liquify command in Photoshop just can’t keep up with all those pixels. Fear not! Here’s [More...]

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A little while ago Adobe UK gave us a copy of Adobe Master Suite CS5.5 and we invited readers to enter through our Twitter, Facebook and  Google+ accounts.

The response was awesome, so thank you to all that entered. We represented the three ways to enter as a percentage and the method of entry first out the hat was: Facebook. We then randomly generated the number 13. So the winner was the 13th comment on Facebook;

Congratulation to Chuck Griffin of Wisconsin, USA. Your prize will be on it’s way directly from our friends at Adobe UK!

For more information on the Adobe Creative Suite CS5.5 Student and Teacher Edition and a massive 80% saving on the full retail price, take a look at the website;

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Halloween Brushes from Janine Smith

In this post Janine provided us with (29)  Photoshop brushes she made from (mostly) vintage & public domain images.

Creating a Jack-O’Lantern Carving with Layer Styles by Mike Hoffman

Here’s a quick way to create spooky, scary or silly Jack O’Lanterns starting with a simple image of a pumpkin, and a cutout shape of the face you want to use. We’ll create the carving, and then add a few lighting effects to give it that extra pop, and you’ll be ready to add it to your holiday project!

Jack-O-Lantern in 3D by Mike Hoffman

In this two part post, Mike returned a year later to create a stunning 3D Jack-O-Lantern.

Using materials freely available on the net and explaining step by step this tutorial is a great introduction into the world of Photoshop 3D

Another Halloweenie Brush Pack from Janine Smith

In memory of that time when holiday decorations were simple, television specials played on TV only once a year and you could go out on Halloween with little worry, Janine made a little brush set for you to download. We hope you have fun with them and be sure to show us what you do with them!

Creative Effects with Photoshop’s Liquify Filter

In the second instalment of the “fun with Liquify” series, Dan focuses on brush parameters and useful masking options to help ‘carve’ a Halloween Jack-o-Lantern.There’s also a few extras at the end to help bring the image together.

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Following the success of that, she was asked back to record  a comprehensive course using the full Adobe Photoshop. The course is now live and comes highly recommended. But don’t take my word for it, here’s a couple of examples and more details from the website;

Photo Restoration with Photoshop

Course description

In this course, professional photo restorer Janine Smith describes how to use Photoshop to restore, retouch, and enhance old or damaged photos. It covers evaluating scanned images for imperfections, using the Clone Stamp tool and other Photoshop tools, and addressing common problems and their fixes, starting with the basics (fading, spots, and paper texture) and continuing with more complex challenges (rips, adhesive tape, ink marks, mold, and more). Also included are methods for fixing exposure problems and colorcast as well as advanced techniques in photo restoration, such as replacing backgrounds and recreating missing facial features and body parts. The course includes a project that takes an image from damaged start to restored finish. Exercise files accompany the course.

Topics include:

• Assessing the damage
• Rebuilding color channels in a grayscale image
• Removing small splits, specks, and spots
• Repairing red eye
• Reassembling torn photos
• Removing stains
• Fixing mold damage
• Understanding the basics of levels and curves
• Correcting color problems
• Repairing and recreating backgrounds
• Sharpening a photo
• Comparing before and after images

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Janine Smith’s Second Course at Lynda.com Launched

Unlike the first course in restoration that used Photoshop Elements, this time Janine uses its big brother, the full Photoshop. [Link]

More on this in a couple of days time.

Gavin Hoey Live eSeminar Recording :

Photoshop for wedding & portrait Photographers

Gavin’s successful eSeminars with Adobe continue with this Photoshop session for wedding and portrait photographers. [Link]

Don’t forget Gav is available in person too. As an Adobe Evangelist you know you’re getting something special! [Link]

Richard Harrington Podcast Series and New Book

Wherever you go online you’re going to come across Rich Harrington’s work. His Understanding Photoshop podcast has been the one to watch for a long time now (at the time of writing he’s just posted number 234).

This series compliments Rich’s book by the same name, and now there’s a new version for CS5 [Link]

Glyn Dewis’ Portraits:

Full of Character! Workshop

Glyn’s workshops may be in their infancy but those that have had the pleasure of attending will tell you they’re delivered with fun, energy and like he’s been doing it for years. Book early to avoid disappointment! [Link]

David Asch’s New Photoshop Elements Book

It’s easy to think about Photoshop Elements as having restrictions, that is until you see the ideas of David Asch.

David’s ability to see an effect and manage to replicate it in Elements will be well known to those that read his posts here at TipSquirrel.com. [Link]

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