Now that Virgin Orbit is comfortable carrying satellites into space, it's ready for you to tune in. The orbital delivery company is livestreaming a rocket launch for the first time, with an expected takeoff time around 9:50AM Eastern. The "Tubular Bells: Part One" mission will see the Cosmic Girl host aircraft deploy the LauncherOne rocket roughly an hour after lifting into the sky.
LauncherOne will have plenty to do during the flight, as Space.comnoted. It's carrying seven satellites for three countries, including the US (four cubesats for the Department of Defense Space Test Program), Poland (two vehicles for SatRevolution) and the Netherlands (a cubesat for the Royal Netherlands Air Force).
As before, Virgin Orbit's appeal is its flexibility and cost — organizations can put payloads into space more on their own terms, and potentially for less money than needed for a conventional launch. The company has had just two launches before now, though. In that light, a lot is riding on this mission — it should help prove that Virgin is ready to pick up the pace and compete against private spaceflight rivals like Rocket Lab and SpaceX.
There's a lot to like about Sony's WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones, and many of them come from their predecessor, the WH-1000XM3. Sony added to the exceptional foundation of the XM3 to make the XM4 stand out even further from the competition, but as the company's latest ANC cans, the XM4s are expensive at $348. If you can bare with a slightly older model, you can get the WH-1000XM3 for a great price right now — just $190 if you go to Best Buy. That's $10 less than their previous all-time low that we saw back in March.
Just because the XM3 are not the newest cans anymore, that doesn't mean they have been made obsolete. In fact, they still have god sound quality and excellent active noise-cancellation, the latter of which is strong enough to block out most background noise from the street when you're walking to work or from an airplane when you're traveling. They also have a comfortable and relatively attractive design, plus a killer battery life. The XM3 will last about 30 hours before they need a recharge, and quick-charging capabilities will give you five hours of use after only 10 minutes of power-up.
If you're on the market for a new pair of ANC headphones, you're probably wondering what Sony added to the XM4 to make them fresh. It's really two key features: the XM4 will automatically pause when they detect that you're speaking and multi-device connectivity. With the later, you can switch between listening on two devices — like your smartphone and your computer — pretty seamlessly. Those new features, in addition to other small improvements, helped the $348 XM4 top our list of best headphones. But if you can skip them, the XM3 remain a solid pick that are made even better at this sale price.
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LG's lineup of QNED 4K and 8K TVs unveiled late last year will arrive in the US in July, the company has announced. They'll sit just below LG's flagship OLED and consist of two 8K models (the QNED99 and QNED95) along with the 4K QNED90, in sizes from 65 to 85 inches. The TVs will launch first in North America and arrive to other regions in the coming weeks.
The new sets will use Mini LED tech that blends characteristics from both OLED and LED. Unlike regular LED models, Mini LED uses thousands of tiny LEDs, up to 30,000 for the 86-inch 8K QNED99. With so many more so-called dimming zones, the QNED sets will be able to display deeper blacks and offer more contrast than regular LED TVs.
LG
At the same time, they offer more brightness than OLED TVs, though contrast and black levels aren't as good. Also, unlike with OLED, you'll occasionally see "blooming" or blockiness around bright areas when the dimming zone is larger than the light source on the screen. Mini LED is not to be mistaken with MicroLED either, as the latter is a completely different (currently very expensive) technology that works more like OLED, with individual LEDs for each pixel.
The models have all the specs you'd expect in a high-end TV, including brightness levels up to 3,000 nits, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR support, along with Dolby Atmos for sound. All models offer 120 Hz native refresh rates with AMD FreeSync support, and LG revealed yesterday that the QNED99 models would have 120 Hz Dolby Vision gaming support when they arrive in July. You'll also get LG's Magic Remote, ThinQ AI, webOS smart TV features and Apple AirPlay 2 & HomeKit support.
LG didn't reveal the pricing in its press release, but B&H Photo Video already has most of the lineup up on preorder. Prices start at $1,997 for the QNED90 65-inch 4K model, with the 75- and 86-inch 4K QNED90 sets at $2,997 and $3,997, respectively. The QNED99 8K sets jump jump considerably as you'd imagine, with the 65-inch model priced at $3,497, the 75-inch model at $4,797 and the flagship 86-inch model at $6,497. There's no sign yet of pricing for the QNED95 8K models.
Google is tightening its ad screening rules in the UK after a steep rise in fraudulent adverts online during the pandemic. The search giant has announced that starting in the fall it will only run ads for financial products and services from sources that have been cleared by the UK's financial watchdog.
Google said it will update its policy from August 30th and begin enforcing the rules a week later on September 6th. At that point, advertisers will have to demonstrate that they are authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or qualify for its limited exemptions. According to Google, the requirement covers financial products and services that go beyond the regulator's ambit.
The decision didn't happen overnight, however. Google has been on the end of mounting criticism from regulators, law enforcement and consumer groups over its perceived lack of action against scrupulous ads. According to trade body UK Finance, investment scam cases on search engines saw a 32 percent increase last year. These typically involve criminals duping victims into moving their money to a fictitious fund (such as a pension pot) or to pay for a fake investment. Losses incurred from the fake ads totaled over £135 million.
Meanwhile, the FCA threatened to take legal action against Google and social media companies after it issued 1,200 warnings about fraudulent ads on their platforms, double the amount from 2019. The regulator told a parliamentary committee that it was able to start taking action in the wake of Brexit. In the past, the FCA had been bound by EU rules on financial ads that did not apply to online platforms.
Others blamed Google's system for the failings. UK consumer group Which? found that 51 percent of the 1,870 search engine users it surveyed didn't know how to report suspicious ads in search listings. The perceived inertia from Google led some lawmakers to claim that it was content to continue profiting from the bogus ads. MPs told The Guardian that the company was benefiting from online scammers who paid to host ads on its platforms. While the FCA had also paid Google more than £600,000 ($830,000) in 2020 and 2021 to run ‘anti-scam’ ads.
For its part, Google claims it has improved its ad screening rules using a mix of machine learning and human review. The tech giant removed 3.1 billion adverts that violated its policies in 2020 according to its ad transparency report. It also began verifying advertisers in January by requiring them to submit legal identification, business incorporation documents and proof of the country in which they operate. Back in 2018, Google followed in Facebook's footsteps by banning cryptocurrency ads.
“This new update builds on significant work in partnership with the FCA over the last 18 months to help tackle this issue,” Ronan Harris, vice president and MD, Google UK and Ireland, said in a blog post. “Today’s announcement reflects significant progress in delivering a safer experience for users, publishers and advertisers. While we understand that this policy update will impact a range of advertisers in the financial services space, our utmost priority is to keep users safe on our platforms — particularly in an area so disproportionately targeted by fraudsters.”
The big game-studio buy-up continues, and it’s Sony’s turn. Again. This time, it’s picked up Housemarque, the Helsinki-based studio behind PlayStation games including Returnal for the PS5 and arcade-style shooters like Super Stardust HD and Dead Nation.
Housemarque
In recent years, Sony Interactive Entertainment snapped up Ratchet and Clank developer Insomniac Games in 2019. Before that, it acquired Horizon Zero Dawn developer Guerilla Games — whose former head Hermen Hulst is now the chief of PlayStation Studios — and Sucker Punch, the studio behind Ghost of Tsushima.
Sony seems to be stepping up its studio shopping. Microsoft made waves with its acquisition of all those Bethesda wares, and we finally started to see the results at E3 2021, with exclusive games headed to Xbox.
It seems Sony isn’t stopping at Housemarque: PlayStation Japan uploaded the wrong image with their first tweet on the Housemarque news, mentioning a Bluepoint acquisition. That’s an entirely different studio, which was tasked with the Demon’s Souls PS5 remake. The spending spree continues.
Young kids who see their parents on a Peloton bike and want to join workouts will soon have another way to do that. Little Tikes has created a smart stationary bike for children aged three to seven. It's called the Pelican Explore & Fit Cycle, which does not at all sound like "Peloton." They'll have access to trainer adventure videos from Little Tikes’ YouTube channel, but I feel pretty sad about the entire concept. Continue reading.
Lenovo has managed to make a laptop with RTX 3070 graphics for several hundred dollars less than many of its competitors. With AMD’s Ryzen 7 CPU and NVIDIA’s RTX 3070 GPU, all for $1,530, it’s very compelling on paper, but Dan Cooper says you should be prepared for a couple of compromises. To start, if you run on battery alone, don’t expect it to last more than five hours. Continue reading.
You'll be ready when Dolby Vision-supported games are finally released.
Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles both support 4K Dolby Vision at 120Hz, but there's a problem: So far, no TVs have supported all of those things at once. Now, LG has announced it's rolling out a firmware update that unlocks Dolby Vision HDR at 4K 120Hz on its latest 2021 C1 and G1 series OLED models. LG's high-end G1 and mainstream C1 series should be capable of 120Hz 4K gaming with Dolby Vision, but Xbox Series X owners have been reporting that isn’t the case, with an error message that says "your TV setup doesn't support Dolby Vision at 4K 120Hz." Continue reading.
Your patriotic watch face will automatically install.
Apple
Apple has revealed 22 special edition Watch bands to mark the summer Olympics, but this time you won't have to travel to the games to get one. There's a US band as well as straps for Australia, Greece (it did start the Olympics, after all), Japan and South Africa and many more countries. These Sports Loops also tap into App Clips, with the packaging helping you to download a matching Watch face for your new strap. They’re all priced at $49, but what price patriotism? Continue reading.
Devindra Hardawar spends a little longer putting Microsoft’s new OS through its paces. He says the company is fundamentally shifting the way many aspects of Windows work, with a centered taskbar and redesigned Start menu. But it's still Windows and still works like it always has. There's the focus on productivity, along with subtler improvements that make for a more pleasant user experience. At this point, Windows 11 feels like an OS that will please PC diehards (I think that’s probably Devindra) and mainstream users (hey, that’s me!) alike. Continue reading.
It also packs HDR and Windows Hello authentication.
Most laptops ship with a 720p or 1080p camera, so you have to purchase a separate webcam if you want higher quality video — or resort to using a compatible action cam or DSLR. Dell is offering a new 4K option, the $200 UltraSharp Webcam, which is capable of recording 4K footage at up to 30 frames per second.
Like Razer’s own Kiyo Pro webcam, Dell's 8.3-megapixel camera also features a Sony Starvis sensor (only this one is 4K), which is normally used in surveillance cameras. You might not need your influencer ring light. Continue reading.
Portability and the iPad go hand in hand. Combine that with the Photoshop iOS app, and you have an instant on-the-go photo editing machine.
So today, in this Photoshop iPad tutorial, I’m going to show you how you can download and install Photoshop brushes on your iPad, as well as how to import all of your favorite brushes you already have.
If you’re looking for high-resolution and professional-quality brushes, then you should check out Envato Elements! Hundreds of brushes can be yours for just one monthly fee. Unlimited downloads with easy commercial licensing!
What You Will Learn in This Photoshop iPad Tutorial
How to import brushes into Photoshop for iPad
How to add brushes to the Photoshop iPad app from a computer
First, let’s download a brush directly onto our iPad. I’ll be downloading these Shader Brushes!
Once the download is initiated, a Download prompt will appear. In this Photoshop iPad tutorial I’m using Safari, so your prompt may look different, but we just want to confirm the download.
Step 2
Once the download is complete, you’ll want to navigate to the Files app, which is a default pre-installed file manager app. In Files, locate the downloaded brushes. They’re likely to appear in Recents, On My Ipad, or in Downloads.
If the file is in a .ZIP, just tap to extract!
2. How to Import Brushes Into Photoshop for iPad
Step 1
Next, let’s open up the Photoshop app and double-tap on the Brush tool to open up the Brush Tips.
Tap the three dots icon and choose Manage Brushes.
Step 2
Choose the three dots again and tap Import From Files.
Step 3
The Files app will open wherever you last left off. So you can always tap the upper-left Back Arrow to navigate back to Browse and then locate the brushes if you need to.
What you want to select is the .ABR file. Mine is in Downloads, the Memento Shader Brushes folder, and then Memento Shader Brushes .ABR.
Step 4
Once selected, they will load at the bottom of the brush stack. You can turn a brush set or individual brush on and off using the right toggle. So if your brushes aren’t appearing in the Brush Tip panel, double-check and make sure they are switched on!
Tap Done once you have your brush installed!
Step 5
Now, open up your Brush Tips, navigate to your new brush set, select a brush, and paint!
3. How to Import Brushes From a Computer to an iPad
Step 1
Now, if you have a bunch of brushes on your PC and want to bring them over to your iPad, all you’ll need is a file-sharing app of your choice! Google Drive, iCloud Drive, and Dropbox are all good picks, with my preferred being Dropbox.
Drag and drop your .ABR brush files into your file-sharing program, located on your computer, that is also synced with your iPad.
Step 2
Just like before, go to Manage Brushes > Import from Files and locate your brushes! I have both Dropbox and iCloud Drive; I used Dropbox this time around, so that’s where it will be located.
Step 3
Tap to install, and then paint!
You’re Done!
And that is how to import brushes into Photoshop on iPad! Given how easy it is to add brushes to Photoshop on iPad, there is very little stopping you from taking hundreds of brushes with you on the go!
Here are some of my favorite brushes that would work on any artist’s iPad workstation.
These are some of my favorite Photoshop iPad Pro brushes due to how versatile they are! Use them to shade, illustrate, or even as blender brushes for photo compositing.
This paint stroke brush set is absolutely huge, with over 100 brushes in total! Hand-made and high-resolution, they are great for graphic design projects, print projects, and fine art alike.
A set of high-resolution dust and smoke assets is a must for any collection of Photoshop brushes for iPad. These brushes can also be used to paint clouds, fog, and mist!
Create galaxies in seconds using these space nebula brushes! This brush set comes with ten different nebular shapes, along with a set of nebula PNGs that are on transparent backgrounds for easy space-scene building.
This set of flowing network waves would be a great addition to your collection of Photoshop brushes on iPad! Use it in a science-fiction-inspired photo composite or a sleek, minimal graphic design project.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to make four different types of grid patterns in Photoshop and discover how to create a Photoshop grid overlay.
What You’ll Learn in This Photoshop Tutorial
How to create a grid in Photoshop
How to create a square pattern in Photoshop
How to make a grid pattern in Photoshop
How to create a grid texture in Photoshop
How to make a grid overlay in Photoshop
If you don’t have the time to learn how to create a grid in Photoshop, you can always check out Envato Elements, where you can find a massive collection of Photoshop grid patterns.
This collection of Photoshop grid overlay masks is the perfect example and is ideal for a creative photography presentation. The pack includes circle grid patterns, hexagonal grid patterns, isometric grid patterns, dot grid patterns, polar grid patterns, and Photoshop square patterns.
What You Will Need:
You will need the following resource in order to create your Photoshop grid overlay:
1. How to Create a New Document and Set Up a Photoshop Grid
Step 1
Hit Control-N to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu and set the Width and Height to 80. Select RGB for the Color Mode, and then click the Create button.
Enable the Grid (View > Show > Grid) and Snap to Grid (View > Snap to > Grid).
You will need a grid every 1 px, so let’s go to Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grid & Slices, and enter 1 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. Change the grid color to Medium Blue, select the dashed grid style, and try not to get discouraged by all that grid—it will make your work easier, and keep in mind that you can easily enable or disable the Photoshop grid using the Control-“ keyboard shortcut.
Now that your Photoshop grid is set up, let’s learn how to make a grid pattern in Photoshop.
Step 2
Focus on the Layers panel (Window > Layers), hold down the Alt key, and double-click your ‘Background’ layer to unlock it.
2. How to Create a Grid Pattern in Photoshop
Step 1
Focus on your toolbar, set the foreground color to black (R=0 G=0 B=0), and select the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Simply click on your canvas to fill your selected layer with black.
Step 2
Set the foreground color to white (R=255 G=255 B=255) and grab the Rectangle Tool (U) from your toolbar.
Create a 4 x 80 px shape and place it exactly as shown in the following image—the Photoshop grid and Snap to Grid should make it easier.
Step 3
Using the same tool and color, create an 80 x 4 px shape and place it exactly as shown below.
Step 4
Focus on the Layers panel and turn off the visibility of your black layer, and then go to Edit > Define Pattern. Type in a name for your grid pattern, and then click OK to save it.
At the end of this tutorial, after you’ve learned several techniques to create a grid in Photoshop, I will show you where you can find this grid pattern and how you can use it.
3. How to Create a Square Pattern in Photoshop
Focus on the Layers panel and turn off the visibility for your white rectangles.
Make sure that the Rectangle tool (U) is still active, hold down the Shift key, and create a 16 px square. Place this shape exactly as shown below, and then go again to Edit > Define Pattern. Type in a name for this new grid pattern, and then click OK to save it.
4. How to Create a Hexagon Grid Texture in Photoshop
Step 1
Hit Control-N to create a 304 x 380 px new document. Make sure that the Grid (View > Show > Grid) and Snap to Grid (View > Snap to > Grid) are enabled, and focus on the Layers panel.
Again, unlock your ‘Background’ layer and fill it with black.
Step 2
Select the Polygon Tool (U) from your toolbar, and click on your canvas to open the Create Polygon window.
Make sure that you check the Symmetric box, enter all the settings shown in the following image, and then click the OK button to create your hexagon.
Move to the control panel to remove the Fill color, set the Stroke color to white, increase the stroke width to 8 px, and then click the stroke type button and make sure that the alignment is set to Center.
Step 3
Make sure that your hexagon is still selected and press Control-T as you need to rotate your shape 90 degrees. This can be done manually, or you can set the rotation angle to 90 degrees in the control panel.
When you’re done, just press Enter to apply the transformation.
Step 4
Pick the Move Tool (V), hold down the Alt key, and add a copy of your hexagon exactly as shown in the following image.
You can select both shapes from the Layers panel and then switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A) to be sure that those two sides overlap perfectly.
Step 5
Using the same technique, add another two copies of your hexagon, as shown below.
Step 6
Focus on the Layers panel, select all your hexagon shapes, and press Control-G to Group them.
Press Control-A to load a selection around your entire canvas, focus on the control panel, and then click the Align horizontal center and Align vertical center buttons to easily move your group of shapes to the center of the canvas.
Step 7
Select the Rectangle Tool (U) and create a 104 x 180 px shape. Fill this rectangle with R=255 G=26 B=121 and lower its Opacity to 30% just so you can see what lies behind it.
With this shape selected and the selection around your canvas still active, return to the control panel and click the Align horizontal center and Align vertical center buttons to move your rectangle to the center of the canvas, as shown in the following image.
Step 8
Focus on the Layers panel, hold down the Control key, and click your red rectangle to load a selection around it.
Go to Image > Crop to crop the canvas around your selection, and then you can press Control-D to get rid of that selection.
Step 9
Focus on the Layers panel, select your red rectangle, and simply delete it, and then go to Edit > Define Pattern. Type in a name for this new grid pattern and then click OK to save it.
5. How to Create an Isometric Grid Pattern in Photoshop
Step 1
Press Control-Z a few times to Undo the latest commands and return to the larger canvas, and then focus on the bottom hexagon shape.
Using the Line Tool (U) or the Pen Tool (P), create a 120 px vertical path. You can hold down the Shift key as you create this path to easily create a perfectly straight path.
Again, apply a white stroke to this path and set the width to 8 px. Switch to the Move Tool (V) and make sure that you place this line exactly as shown in the following image.
Step 2
Make sure that your line is still selected, and press Control-J to duplicate it. With this copy selected, press Control-T to rotate it 60 degrees, and then press Enter.
Reselect your vertical path, press Control-J again to duplicate it, and then rotate the copy -60 degrees.
Step 3
Grab the Move Tool (V), select your three lines from the Layers panel, and drag the copies on top of your other hexagon shapes.
Step 4
Load a selection around your red rectangle and then go to Image > Crop.
Step 5
Get rid of that red rectangle and then go to Edit > Define Pattern. Type in a name for this final grid pattern and click OK to save it.
6. How to Create a Grid Overlay in Photoshop
Now that you’ve created your own Photoshop grid patterns, let’s see how you can use them.
Open this Tree photo in Photoshop, go to the Layers panel, and double-click it to open the Layer Style window.
Enable the Pattern Overlay, and when you click that pattern thumbnail, you will find your four patterns. Select a grid pattern, enter the rest of the settings shown in the following image, click OK, and that’s how you create a grid overlay in Photoshop.
Congratulations! You’re Done!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and don’t hesitate to use these techniques to create your own grid patterns in Photoshop.
Remember that you can find some great sources of inspiration at Envato Elements, with interesting solutions to improve your Photoshop grid texture.
Popular Grid Pattern From Envato Elements
Envato Elements is an excellent resource for Photoshop grid patterns. Here’s a short list of some of the most popular grid patterns that you can find.
If you don’t have the time to learn how to make a grid in Photoshop, you can always try this collection of Photoshop grid overlay masks, which is ideal for a creative photography presentation. This pack includes circle grid patterns, hexagonal grid patterns, isometric grid patterns, dot grid patterns, polar grid patterns, and Photoshop square patterns.
Don’t have the time to learn how to make a grid pattern in Photoshop? In this case, you can use one of these 3D grid patterns to create mesmerizing designs.
If you’re in a hurry or you simply can’t be bothered to learn how to create a grid in Photoshop, this small pack of hexagonal backgrounds might be the perfect solution.
Want to Learn More?
We have loads of tutorials on Envato Tuts+, from beginner to intermediate level. Take a look!
