welcome new friends!
First I'd like to greet all new subscribers and wish you happy digital creating...
We keep hearing how tough the economic times are and how we have to tighten our belts. But graphic design jobs are still being advertised. As are positions for web designers, Mac operators, desktop publishers and all manner of digital artists. And people are getting those jobs!
Printed material is flying out the door like never before. New websites sprout by the thousands every day. That's all work for us!
I think the main point to remember is that despite what our governments and the media tell us, most people are simply getting on with their lives. It's not all doom and gloom. Sometimes all it takes is a slight re-training or an adjustment to your current skill-set.
Calling all budding designers
Which is why I've decided to make a special offer to my subscribers only.
If you're out of work, or you're in the wrong kind of work and wish to get the right job, often it's only the little things that keep you from achieving your goals. A study back in the '70s found that the difference between the top earner on the US PGA golf circuit and the man back in fifteenth place was half a shot per round. The income difference was millions!
If you want to increase your chances of gaining that half a shot, I strongly urge you to visit the special page I've set up below. Note that this page will only be up for a few days.
http://www.graphic-design-jobs.com/graphic_design_jobs_85786486103830194.html
feedback on the photoshop book
I thought you might like to read some of the feedback I'm receiving on 25 Essential Photoshop Moves. I haven't indentified individuals because some people don't like their names broadcast. I'm sure you know who you are. (This is a tiny fraction of the feedback I've received, all of it positive.)
"I never thought in my wildest dream to get so close to finger photoshop.
I really love the expose. Blueing the skies makes me disagree with those who say the sky is the limit.
Thanks for the gift and the clarity of the text...
Am honoured to have some building blocks of your understanding of photoshop."
"It's a real good book. I have downloaded the book and read it at a glance, and why don't you sell it? "
"I have downloaded the Book and have printed out about 100 pages so far. From what I have reviewed, it is well written and I have learned a few new techniques. I have been using Photoshop for a few years and am reasonably familiar with it but there’s always room to learn more. If I have any ideas for improvements, I will certainly give you feedback"
"I downloaded the book several days ago and love it! I am an intermediate to advanced user, but still very much in the learning mode. I haven’t made it all the way through the book yet (I will), but I found myself learning tricks almost immediately. It was a gutsy thing to give the book away for free as you did. I think it will pay off in the long run. First, I will buy a copy to have as a reference and second, I will be telling others about it."
new tutorial
I've uploaded a new video tutorial for Illustrator and Photoshop. You can see it here.
This is the one I promised that details the use of Vector Smart Objects. The example is not brilliant, but it's the technique used and the possibilities that Smart Vector Objects create that are important. Hope you enjoy it.
the membership site
A lot of people have been asking me about the membership site; what it's about and when it's coming (and why isn't it up yet?)
The philosophy behind the membership site is simple. I want to make HIGH RESOLUTION video tutorials available to you. I want you to be able to see all the detail, and to be able to download these HD tutorials to your own computer for replaying without having to buffer every time.
I also want to provide som complex tutorials that are longer than
the 10 minute limit of many video sites. Some of my tutorials
feature very complex illustrations and are up to an hour long!
And I want to make TUTORIALS TO ORDER - that is, you ask me for a tutorial on a particular tool or topic, and I deliver.
But there are two drawbacks with these ideals of mine. The first is the high cost of bandwidth. These tutorials can be upwards of 100mb, which isn't so much for you to download, but if 1000 people are downloading them at once, I'll have to sell my house!
The second is the demand on my time if those same 1000 people all request tutorials at once.
A members-only site for which a (token) payment is made will do two things. The first is that it will limit the 'users' to those who are serious about their graphics, and rule out the 'free-seekers'. And second, the small amount of income from the membership fees will pay for the added bandwidth of the HD videos.
How small you ask? How about as low as 93 cents a week? Or a maximum of $1.83 a week!
As to when it will be live, just give me a few more weeks. I'll keep you informed.
That's all for this issue. As usual if you want to contact me, do so at;
And look forward to the next one. There are new tutorials on the way, as well as more news of the forthcoming Member's site.
ciao for niao
Gary
