Once again we have another month filled with great content for our readers. This month features some awesome tutorials that will cover all types of design topics from advertising, typography, to cinematic photo manipulation. Once you get done with the tutorials, you can move on to a great selection of free fonts, wallpapers, and textures. Finally, you can read about Photoshop CS5, as well as some great articles about branding and freelancing. So lets get into the April roundup.
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Create Shattering Text Effect
This tutorial is an awesome typographic one. The author focuses on explaining how to first create some cool looking 3d text and then import it to Photoshop to give it some color as well as texture. If you are someone who is interested in these types of 3D typography tutorials then this is definitely for you.
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Creating 3D Type With CS5
If you want to get a sneak peak at what Photoshop Cs5 has to offer, then you should definitely check this tutorial out. In this tutorial Nik Ainley goes over his signature typographic effect and adds some new twists to the design. If you still are not convinced, then check out the final result, which will definitely entice you to read through this great tutorial.
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Master the Layer Mask
Those new to Photoshop might shy away from the layer mask tool, and this is definitely something they should not do. This tool is a useful, non-destructive way of adding patterns to certain shapes and layers without having to delete anything. This tutorial will show you how to master the layer mask after a bit of practice.
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Design Laptop Advertisement
Our next tutorial will show you how to create an out of this world laptop advertisement. There are many elementary techniques employed in this tutorial, but no one will argue with the results, and that is why this is a perfect tutorial for the Photoshop newbie’s out there; you will learn a lot from this tutorial so make sure to try it out.
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Create illustration using Pro Masking Skills
If you are feeling very comfortable with your layer mask skills from the tutorial mentioned earlier than you might want to take a crack at this tutorial. The author focuses on using some professional grade masking techniques to make an awesome cartoonist illustration using various stocks. This is a great tutorial for the advanced users.
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Create an Avatar like Scene
Avatar had the best visuals anyone has ever seen in a movie. Experiment in Photoshop to mimic some of these awesome scenes. This tutorial does just that by showing the reader how to create realistic looking floating islands. This is a great tutorial because you can always use this as a base and expand on it to further enhance the scene. So check this one out.
(FREE!) Download Picks
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40 Dark Desktop Wallpapers
If you are in need of a wallpaper change, and you prefer something dark compared to a colorful desktop, then check this post out. The author of this post rounds up 40 awesome dark wallpapers. It covers grunge designs to just dark photos, so you will most likely find something you like in this pack.
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Vector Skyline Set
This is a very cool set of vectors that are brought to you by Wegraphics.net. This pack features 15 great shots of various city skylines that were then turned into vectors for your using pleasure. So definitely download this, as you will probably find a use for it soon enough.
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Free Web 2.0 Fonts
This freebie is a pack of 30 very creative fonts. These typefaces are all extremely high quality and they all look great. So look through them and download the ones you like.
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20 Free Groovy Fonts
Our next font pack focuses on a more specific topic, which is groovy 60’s and 70’s inspired fonts. So if you see yourself trying to do some retro art then these fonts will definitely be of use to you. Check them out and download a few.
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Texture Tuesday Grab bag
Bittbox’s Texture Tuesdays has changed its normal packs up a little bit and dropped the themes. This week will have a bunch of random textures all in one, you are still guaranteed some high quality ones that you can definitely use in a lot of your art so check them out.
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Free GrungeFolio Template
Our last freebie of the month is for those who are looking to create a portfolio for themselves but do not know how to start. This freebie is a simple basic layout of how a portfolio should look. If you are in need of one, go ahead and download it. You can then tweak it until it fits your purpose.
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Adobe Cs5 Q&A Press Session
With Adobe’s latest project CS5 coming out, designers around the world have flocked to the internet to find any information about what is to be included in their new design software. This article highlights some important points that were mentioned in the recent Adobe panel.
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20 Reasons You Shouldn’t Be a Freelancer
Personally I’ve seen tons of articles over the years about being a freelance designer, but this is probably the first one that flat out gives you reasons why you shouldn’t become one. This is a great read for all because it gives some perspectives that you might not have considered. So freelancer or not, check this great article out.
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Branding, Identity, Logo Design, Explained
Just like the title says, this article breaks down each of the three important terms and shows you how unique each one is. I can not stress how important this is for some of the newer designers who wish to work in creating logos and ads for companies. These terms will come up a 100% of the time, so this is another must read.
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Why Branding Yourself Is Important
Now that you know the proper definition for branding from our last article, you can go about properly branding your own image. This article will give you six concrete reasons why you should brand yourself as a designer.
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Graphic Design Dream Team
This article makes a great analogy to the Dream Team of sports in the introduction, so why not go through the most prominent work of the pioneers of graphic design? This two part article rounds up some of those designers and gives a look into some of their best work over the years.
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The Optimal Work Environment
Those who are comfortable in their environment are more likely to produce high quality work than those who cant stand where they are; and that’s why this article focuses on ways to optimize your work environment. Discover several good suggestions to reduce distractions and clear up space so you can crank out the best work possible.