Entries Tagged as “Photoshop”
Free Desktop Wallpaper PSD
Up for grabs is my favorite desktop wallpaper psd file. (Photoshop required) Since it's a Photoshop file, you can use it to make a desktop wallpaper at any size or any color you wish. I have set up the layers to be scaled, or effected in any way that you want. If you prefer not to fuss, just change the gradients to colors that you like and call it good.
Here is a breakdown of the layers. The bottom 6 layers are just gradients. I provided a few options for you to pick and choose from in case your not too good with colors.
Next is the Noise layer. I like to add a little bit of noise to my gradients to help reduce any banding that you might see otherwise. 4% is a good value for most applications. Tip: If you scalle the file up or down to fit your resolution. make sure to reset the noise layer's scale value back to 100% or the effect will be lost.
Layer 8 is the Bokeh effect. It adds a touch of texture to the wallpaper. turn it off if you don't like it, or scale it to fit your taste.
Layer 9 is the Vignette. The vignette is the slight darkening that appears in the corners.
The top most layer is a saturation & vibrance layer. Sometimes I like to make gradients really pop with super saturated colors, or tone them back for a vintage or pastel look. Its easy to play with the sliders to effect the colors.
Download it and give it a try. If people like this file, I may post up some other wall paper PSD files for download.
Here are a few of the gradients that come pre-made in the file ready to go.
Download the wallpaper template free
→ Respond NowTags: Freebies · Photoshop
Fixing Photoshop's Shape Tool
Have you ever used the vector shape tools only to discover that the edges can sometimes look aliased? To make matters worse, sometimes you could draw a shape and it would turn out nice. Sometimes it looks like poop. The tool is so inconsistent and frustrating that I actually recommended that interface designers stop using the tool all together.
The problem with these tools are that the default (horrible default) behavior for the tool is to use a sub-pixel placement on the screen. What I mean by "sub-pixel" is that drawing a vector shape can actually split a pixel in half. When the pixel becomes split like that then it has to alias the shape in order to compensate for the split pixel. Contrast that to a marquee tool. When a marquee tool draws a shape it snaps to the nearest full pixel creating sharp edges that appear crisp and clean. Lets take a look at what this looks like.
The fix for this shortcoming is pretty easy. Although it may be a bit hidden. With the shape tool active (U) select the rectangle or rounded rectangle shape tool, then look towards the end of shape options there is a disclosure triangle. If you click on it, you will be shown options available for that tool. For each of those tools there is a checkbox that reads "Snap to Pixels" checking that box will allow the vector shapes to snap to the nearest whole pixel curing the sub-pixel display issues. In the photo above. The right shape was drawn with Snap to Pixels box checked, while the left shape was not checkeded. What a difference it makes. Why dosen't Adobe make that the default for the tool?
→ Respond NowTags: Photoshop
Creating a reusable message style in Photoshop
As a designer, I have a massive collection of layer styles and gradient styles that I refer to in order to speed up my design process. I started with some free styles I got from Designer Folio and have added a ton of my own styles to the list based on projects I have worked on.
One style that has always been missing was something that looked like an error message that you might find in many css frameworks. Typically these look like solid blocks of color with borders on the top and bottom. Granted this is not a difficult thing to design but it is time consuming and when your quickly changing up a design it can really bog you down. At least it does for me. You can always short cut the design by adding a stroke border all the way around but that's not always what I want to show a client.
Figuring out how to create the 1 pixel rule at the top and bottom of the solid block of color is the only real trick. If your interested in knowing how it was done check out the mini tutorial below. If not, you can download the sample layer styles now. Figuring out how to make the 1 pixel rule at the top and bottom of any block was a real productivity booster and it allowed me to explore and test comon design elements very quickly while not feeling bogged down in the process.
Example of included styles
Creating the effect is actually very simple. First start with a base of any color on a separate layer. I like to use a bold color that is similar to the color I intend to use. I only do this to make it easier to spot the correct layer in the layers palette later on should I need to make a change.
Figure 1
Next, you can apply one of the starter styles and modify it to your liking. All the effects are editable and non destructive.
Figure 2
As I said earlier, the effect is very easy to create from scratch. The only trick is figuring out how to make the border appear on the top and bottom of an element without using a stroke. To do this, I added a drop shadow and an inner shadow only I changed the blend mode to normal, set the opacity to 100%, angle to 90 degrees, distance to 1 pixel, and reduced the size to 0.
Figure 3
This effectively gives you a one pixel stroke at the top and bottom of your design elements. Now add some gradients and other types of fill, and now you have the ability to rapidly create many types of design elements like menus, footers, sidebar details, table rows and cells, and etc. The style is actually very versatile and can spawn all sorts of new creative ways of increasing your design productivity.
Download The Photoshop Layer Styles
I packaged up a small handful of these basic layer styles that you can use as a starting point in your own work. Note, these were based on 72 dpi resolution document. If you design at higher resolutions, then you will need to adjust the distance of the drop shadow and inner shadow to suit your needs.
Download the Photoshop layer styles for free
→ Respond NowTags: Design · Inspiration · Photoshop
10 Pixel Grid System
950 Pixel BlueTrip Grid:
Since publishing this article, I have since moved to the BlueTrip CSS framework and modified my original 10pixel grid to work with the 950 pixel grid layout used by BlueTrip. It's a minor change and you can do it yourself easily. However I just thought I would make it available for download to make your life easier. Download the BlueTrip 10 pixel Grid Photoshop Template
960.gs 10 Pixel Grid System
David Perel and I share a common thought process when it comes to creating layouts. Keep it simple and keep it flexible. We both believe in a 10 Pixel Grid System. For some time I have thought about writing a framework similar to 960.gs, but have determined that it's just too much work, and I am not that motivated. So instead I thought I would just share my Photoshop template with you.
Once you have the file open you should see the Guides, if not, press cmd+; to turn them on. If you want to add some additional structure to your design, then you can also turn on the Photoshop Grids (cmd+') The default grid overlay does not work al to well with our template so open up the photoshop preferences (cmd+k) And go to the "Guides, Grid, Slices & Count…" tab.
In the Grid section change the Gridline to every 60 pixels and the subdivisions to every 6. This will give you a nice 10x10 pixel grid for your document.
→ Respond NowTags: Design · Freebies · Photoshop
Straighten your horizons in just a few clicks
It's pretty common to to be given a tilted photo to use on a project. I find the tilted horizon to be distracting so a straightening is in order. Most of the time I see people placing a line or rule over the photo and straightening a photo by sight. This may be adequate for some photos, however, if accuracy and speed are are necessary this trick will allow you to straighten photos like a pro.
This is old trick to fix photos with slanted horizons. I think Scott Kelby demonstrated this technique way back in photoshop 5 so it's not a new trick by any stretch of the imagination. Designers today are still amazed when I show it to them. This trick is so simple and so easily overlooked that I just had to put it out there one more time for anyone that might be newer to photoshop or work infrequently in the program.
→ Respond NowTags: Design · Photography · Photoshop
