10 Free Web-based Alternatives to Photoshop

I’m fed up with Photoshop and its one billion rarely-used features.

How about a simple photo-editor that’s quick, easy, and doesn’t cost a thousand dollars. Fortunately, there’re tons of web-based photos editors popping up. Most are crap, but some are promising. Check out these free web-based Photoshop alternatives:

1. Picnik

Arguably, Picnik is the most popular web-based […]

Adobe launches Photoshop for the web

As if there aren’t enough permutations of Photoshop, Adobe’s just launched Photoshop Express. This web-based version of Photoshop enables you to quickly crop, touch-up, distort, and apply effects to any of the billions of images you’ve taken with your cam.

I haven’t delved in too deeply yet, but I’m fairly impressed with how well it handles […]

Portfolio tip: Look real by faking it

What’s an easy way to improve your design portfolio?

Make your work look real.

Did you design a killer poster? Show it hanging on wall or on a billboard. If it’s a magazine, take a picture of someone reading it. A web page? Put it in a browser and show it on a monitor. In other […]

Quick and dirty vignettes in Photoshop

My favorite trick for adding drama to an ordinary photo is to give it a vignette effect. If you’ve seen old black and white photos, you’ll sometimes notice the corners are darker than the rest of the image. It’s usually undesirable. But done purposefully and tastefully, vignetting can give an image added interest, depth, and […]

Adobe’s new icons: Love or hate ‘em?

Adobe’s recent Photoshop CS3 beta is quenching the desperate thirst of Photoshop fanatics everywhere. But it’s new icon system is causing some controversy.

The new icons use a system of abbreviations to represent each Adobe product, a bit like the symbols in the periodic table.

Since their introduction in 2003, the Adobe Creative Suite icons have […]

Give and get direct feedback with Photoshop Notes

After slaving away creating beautiful design comps or prototypes in Photoshop, you’ll most likely have to show them to a client, colleague, or creative director to get feedback. Often, this process generates some confusion as emails and verbal exchanges go back and forth. To reduce uncertainty and mix-ups, use Photoshop’s Notes tool to place comments […]