This tutorial will take us back to basics using some of the simplest yet most effective Photoshop CS3 tools available to us. The Burn, Dodge and Sponge tools.

Using these tools, we will turn an otherwise dull image into something far more beautiful.

Although they are examples of ‘destructive’ Photoshoping, when dealing with small areas of images, especially photos, it is far easier and more effective to ‘paint in’ these effects rather than using masks to create similar results. Continue reading »

So, you’re a Perl programmer developing a CGI web application, chances are you’re going to make some mistakes and need to debug your code. By default, when a Perl program fails to compile or encounters a runtime error you will see your servers default HTTP 500 error message.

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Cron is a time-based scheduling service in Unix and Unix-like operating systems (including Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X). It makes use of a configuration table called crontab that gives details of the commands to run and the schedule to execute them. This guide covers the basics of using cron to setup cronjobs with crontab.

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Generating a psuedo random number is common programming task. This tutorial will show you how to this in Perl using the rand() function.

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Remove or disable Windows Search Indexer: If like me you are unfortunate enough to have to work on a machine with Windows Vista from time to time - then you may also be annoyed with Windows Search Indexer which will happily munch up your RAM and CPU whenever it feels like it!

It took me a while to work out how to kill/disable it so for anyone else out there who wants to know:

1. Click Start > Control Panel
2. Go to Click System and Maintenance
3. In Control Panel Home view, click Administrative Tools
4. Double-click Service (If asked for permission just continue)
5. Find “Windows Search” in the list
6. Right click and hit Properties
7. Click Stop
8. Select Disable from the drop-down next to Startup Type
9. Click Apply and OK

Enjoy your RAM and CPU! (Or whats left after Vista is done with it!)

A fantastic Mosaic effect that can be achieved with Photoshop. In this tutorial you will learn how to create a mosaic from a photo and then fade between your photo and the mosaic to achieve a really great looking transition that can be used on headers or other web graphics.

I used CS3 for this tutorial but the method can be replicated in lower versions.

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The following Photoshop CS3 Tutorials describe some of my favourite techniques for creating and modifying both photos and graphics for web use. Whilst not all the tutorials require Photoshop CS3, having a CS version or above is recommended.

During the series the Photoshop CS3 Tutorials will cover; Touching up photos, Use of light and shadows, The wonders of the Burn, Dodge and Saturate Tools, Warping, Blending and Liquefying. Along the way i hope you will pick up some useful ideas to help inspire your own Photoshop CS3 creations!

If you have a tutorial that you would like to share, or that you wish to feature on our blog, please get in touch.

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