Each month we feature some of the best Photoshop tutorials and this month is no exception! These tutorials range from cool photo typography effect, abstract mosaics, elegant website layouts and a cool grungy photo manipulation project. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Create Beautiful Abstract Mosaics In this tutorial, Fabio from Abduzeedo will show you how to create a deconstructed image using a pattern made out of cubes. The idea is try to simulate a mosaic but with a more abstract and up-to-date interpretation. View Tutorial Create a 3D Industrial-style Download Icon in Photoshop This tutorial teaches you how to create a unique 3D download folder icon with textures. Learn some useful techniques for creating more visually impressive 3D icons. View Tutorial Modern 3D Text Effect In this Photoshop tutorial we’re going to step outside my usual Photoshop Only philosophy and use the 3D rendering power… read more
Inspiks Market Blog
Growing up, in my own strength, tall and high, fighting, struggling, wanting. Then cut down, short and flat, just like all the others around me. What am I to do? I want to be tall, like those trees. How’d they do it? So I grow again, taking in my nutrients from the world, taking it all in, just like everybody else. So we grow, big and tall, and I begin to think, “maybe, this time, I will grow tall like those trees”. Then, from behind, comes the sound, the whir, the growl, the blade, cutting all my competition down flat. It passes by, and still I stand, tall and proud. But O, horror, here it comes again, cutting, biting, throwing a cloud of my neighbors to the left of me. I am short and squat once again, and so I fall in despair I crumble, for I will never be… read more
The Bread of Life is the spiritual food needed by man. Without the bread of life man cannot live spiritually. Just as physically man needs to eat in order to live, the bread of life gives nourishment for the soul. Unless one eats from the bread of life we face eternal death. Jesus said in John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35 In the Old Testament God provided the Israelite with manna from heaven. They were told only to take what was required for a one day supply and they had to trust that God would send more the next day. The manna served as salvation for the Israelite physical needs on a daily basis. God, however knew of a greater need for the salvation… read more
The other day I was talking to a co-worker about faith and she asked the question what if nothing of what I believe is real? And to be honest, if that were the case, I would have no regrets. I lived an awesome, healthy life doing my best to make the world around me a better place. I think the question that people should really be worried about is what if Christianity is true? What if there is a God who is going to judge us when we die? It says in the Bible that our time on earth will seem like a blink of an eye compared to eternity. Is it really worth living life exactly how we want to for maybe 80 years or so and then spend the rest of eternity paying for it? However, it is so much more than a get out of jail free… read more
I was reading this scripture passage from Psalms 41:9 this morning. This verse just stuck out to me as never before. It reminded me of Jesus and Judas, the one who clearly betrayed Jesus, who supped with the Lord at His table. Jesus knew the thoughts and intents of his heart, for the Lord knows what is in the heart of all men and women. Judas supped with Jesus, he was right there with the other disciples, why such betrayal? Do we know why? The Bible tells us such. Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. Psalm 41:9 As I pondered on the verse, It remind me of how the Lord reveals to us, His children, when we wholeheartedly seek His face for guidance, for His truth in all matters, all areas of our lives. Including when we pray… read more
HDR Image from One Photo in Photoshop: Last month we learned how to create a High Dynamic Range Image (HDR) from three different exposures ranging from light to dark, this tutorial will bring us through the steps in creating the HDR look from a single image in Photoshop, it takes just a few minutes to complete. Lets get started! [sociallocker] Resource: Homeless Portraiture by Stock.xchng Final Image Step 1 You should start out with a high quality photo that has good lighting and obvious highlights. I choose the following photo because it has a lot of details I wanted to bring out in the face. Step 2 Open the Homeless Portraiture by Stock.sxchng. Make sure the levels and colors are fixed on the original before you start. Duplicate the Layer, then go Filter > Other > High Pass. Set the Radius to 4.0 and then set the Blending Mode… read more
About a year ago as I got off the bus, two Mormon missionaries standing at the intersection started talking to me. They offered me some reading materials but I refused them and told them that I was a Christian. We spent few minutes discussing our different beliefs. They said, “Just like in the Old Testament times there were prophecies, God sent prophecies to speak again to us about 200 years ago.†I asked them, “Why did God decide not to talk to us through prophecies in those 1,800 years between the ministry of Christ on earth and 200 years ago?†There were no answers. In the summer (I think) of 2006 a friend in Windsor, Ontario took me and my uncle and his wife to her church. It was a small church and I had never been there before. As soon as the service ended this old woman came directly… read more
The gap is massive, the fall horrendous. We stand here, He stands there. We need to cross. We stand alone, about to fall. He stands there, tall and sure on the mountain. We need to cross. We are rooted, drinking up a dying stream. He needs no sustenance for He Himself is Life. We need to cross. How shall we cross, and where is the bridge for such a chasm? We cannot jump for we would fall. we cannot swim for we would drown. We cannot fly for we have no wings. We need to cross but we are rooted, dead and dying with no hope inside and no hope around. We need to cross but we are darkness and He is light so how could we cross? He must come and take us there, yet He must take us on a cross, He must pay the price for such… read more
I was raised in what I would call a semi-Christian home. I was never taught about having a personal relationship with Jesus, but I was taught the real significance behind Christian holidays and I was taught many of the same basic principles of the Bible for living my life. When I was 10 years old, we moved to a new city and some neighbors invited us to attend AWANAS. We began to attend church and by the end of my first year of AWANAS I had given my life to Christ. During my school years I had a great group of Christian friends and as a result I never got into alcohol or drugs or anything like that. It was really easy in my group to stay on the straight and narrow, which was really cool, but I never felt like I made a difference for Christ while at… read more
There is arguably no greater ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ evidence for the existence of a personal intelligent God than the presence and pervasiveness of biological information in all living things. Ponder the testimony of atheistic Biologist Richard Dawkins on the nature of biological information. “…at the molecular genetic level, every single one of more than a trillion cells in the body contains about a thousand times as much precisely-coded digital information as my entire computer…†(The Blind Watchmaker, 1986, xiii). What Dawkins is getting at here is the stubborn fact that DNA, the molecule of heredity, is information rich. “In order for any organism to be whatever it is, its genetic program (DNA) must specify what sort of organism it will be and, within surprisingly narrow limits, what specific characteristics it will assume…The DNA must be faithfully copied to every single cell of an organism that will eventually consist of billions… read more
The Hoatzin, the national bird of Guyana, is an unusual species of tropical bird found in swamps, riverine forest and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco delta in South America. The scientific classification of this family of birds has been greatly debated, and is still far from clear. It is a roughly pheasant-sized bird, with a long neck and small head. It is brown in color, with paler underparts and has an un-feathered blue face with maroon eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, rufous crest. It is called Stinkbird, the name is related to a strong smell the bird produces, perhaps due to the consumption of leaves. Even though these birds are very attractive and are not great fliers, they are not considered endangered, its survival seems to be more assured than that of many other birds in its geographic location, this is mostly due to… read more
I thought I’d share some thoughts I had while at work today making donuts. I never read the newspaper except when I make donuts because we spread it out to keep the oil from getting all over the nice clean stainless steel tables. Usually there isn’t much worth reading, especially in this small Kentucky town, but today this headline caught my eye, “Evangelical Awed and Amazed by Evolution”, so I began reading. The article really had nothing to do with evolution or creation, nor of the debate between them but rather how Christians are silly to hold to their fight against Evolution which obviously is a fight against science. While I don’t have the statistics or head knowledge to fight like Ken Ham, I know that there are also plenty of evolutionists who are wowed by creation after they make the switch. I was raised believing in creation, that God… read more
Each month we feature some of the best Photoshop tutorials and this month is exciting! The tutorials range from cool photo manipulations, a cute twitter bird icon and awesome digital creations. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Giant Man In The City – Photoshop Tutorial In this tutorial you learn how to simulate a big man standing in the middle of a city. View Tutorial Design A Creative Portfolio in Photoshop In this tutorial you will learn how to create a clean web layout with a nice background illustration. View Tutorial Create A Realistic Loaf of Bread in Photoshop This tutorial will demonstrate how to create a realistic looking loaf of bread in Photoshop. View Tutorial [sam id=3 codes=’false’] Draw Realistic Liquids in Vector Art Learn numerous Illustrator techniques to create vector liquid, by playing around with Illustrator’s Mesh tool, Warp tool and layer blending… read more
How to Create an HDR Image in Adobe CS5: Today we’ll learn how to create a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image. I’ll show you how to merge and edit one using Adobe CS5’s full line up of fantastic photographic tools. [1] High dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight. Final Image [/sociallocker]
Should Christians celebrate Halloween? the answer to this question may be obvious to some, but believe it or not most Christians do not know or don’t care to know about the history behind this much celebrated day. Halloween is celebrated around the world when people dress up in costumes, collect candy from neighbors and have parties, but do we ever take time to think about the origins of Halloween? Most people don’t think twice about participating in it saying “It’s all in fun” or “Its not evil to me”, but is this so called hallow evening really so innocent? Christians are called to be set apart from the practices of the world, especially those with an history of the occult. Watch this intriguing video that shed some light on the practices and history of…Halloween! Relevant scripture on the issue of Halloween and Christians: “When you come into the land which… read more
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the words, LOWLY and MEEK. I was given a dream several weeks ago. I was bent down in the dream, when the shadow of man walked up to me and said that we were going to meet face to face. I knew it was the Lord, Jesus. He asked me when, and in the dream I asked, “How about on the third day?” At first I didn’t understand, because I thought I was bent down working. The Lord revealed to me that we all shall be bowed low before Him and in His presence. I was thinking how meek and lowly Jesus was spoken of throughout the Bible. Meek and lowly has just really been upon my heart lately and I’ve been pondering the words. Pride is an ugly thing and the enemy loves pride, he is the head of all pride, and … read more
The parable in Luke 12:16-21 that talks about the rich man, packs a lot of punch for people like me, though I don’t stockpile money, I do stockpile stuff. I always want the better lens, the better flash, the bigger camera, the lighter tripod, the faster computer. I have been extremely blessed in what I do have and I must learn not only to be content with it but also not to stockpile it, but to use it in such a way as to become rich towards God. And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods…. read more
My daughter has been on my heart a lot this morning, so I thought I would share. If I seem too open, it’s okay, this is me, and life in this world is always real. Jesus didn’t promise that we will have no pain and no sorrow, in fact, if someone preaches blessings and prosperity in this world with no pain or no trials, RUN! Run the other way, because they are preaching another gospel, a false gospel! The one true Shepherd of my soul, the living Jesus who has risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and His written word, tells me I will suffer and I will be tested and tried. He also said that there will be pain, but through it all, Jesus is with me and always close. If we were to remain on the mountain top and never… read more
Xara 3D Type in a Wallpaper Project: Photo manipulation is always fun, it opens the spectrum of what we can create in Photoshop and allow our imagination to run wild! Today we will be re-creating a wallpaper called “Life”. In this wallpaper, I used some simple techniques to pull all my elements together, like 3D typography from Xara3D, and a few images. The inspiration for this image came from a reflection on how we can see the majesty of God in creation. Every living thing has a purpose in the circle of life, and we can’t help, but give God the glory and honor! Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created. Revelation 4:11 Final Image Skill Level Intermediate Resources Xara3DMushroom Image From Stock.xchngRobin Image From From… read more
Hi, my name is Tyler A. van der Hoeven, I accepted Jesus Christ as the Savior for my sins at the age of four. Although my salvation didn’t mean a whole lot to me then, salvation isn’t about the saved, its about the Savior, and what He does to those he has redeemed. My testimony isn’t about me and all that Jesus saved me from, but rather its all about my Savior, the only Son of God, part of the triune Godhead, born of the virgin Mary, who lived on earth as the God/man and died on the cross, bearing the full, unrestrained wrath of almighty God against all my sins. I am the worst sinner I know, such a hypocrite, so prone to pride, to take the credit and pass the blame. It is such a wonder to me that God chooses to keep such a one as me,… read more
In my previous post A Dreamer – Escaping The Brokenness of Life, I shared with you a little of my life leading up to me being saved and being blessed with a spirit filled husband, today I will share how The Holy Spirit has blessed me with different gifts in order to share the Gospel. I’m a dreamer. I also am given many visions from the Lord. These are gifts from the Holy Spirit, yes. Joel speaks of this [ Joel 2:28 ] and again in Acts. [ Acts 2:17 ] The journey in Jesus and this walk, is painful and joyous. That is truth. Persecution has come in all different, shapes and sizes. but the outcome of these trials and tribulations is this. Jesus is LORD and He is KING! I become stronger in Christ. To press toward the higher calling in Christ Jesus. To persevere in Him. I… read more
Today we will learn the Basics of Compositing in Photoshop CS5,  based on a photo in my Flickr photo stream titled Collide. We will learn how to take components of an image and merge them with another image in Photoshop. I had a lot of fun on this one and I hope you’ll learn a lot and that it will fuel you to be more creative and expansive in your editing. Let’s get started! [sociallocker] Final Image Related Image collide |kəˈlÄ«d| verb [ intrans. ] hit with force when moving : she collided with someone | two suburban trains collided. • come into conflict or opposition : in his work, politics and metaphysics collide. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the… read more
Where does one begin to truly share about one’s self? First and foremost, thank you Lord for opening a door here to share forth to others of Your goodness, Your Mercy, Your grace, thank You Lord. I would like to start out by sharing about Jesus and give ALL to Him, my Friend, my Strong Tower, My Refuge, My Lord and my Savior, My Healer and Provider,  a true Praise, a true honor and heartfelt glory. He is not only a wonderful Savior and Lord,  He (Jesus) is Lord over me and in my life. He gave me life and I have come to realize, I am not my own, as it is written in the Word. I have been blood bought and paid for [ 1 Corinthians 6:20 ]. I desire to please Him, though I fail at times, this is my true hearts desire to live for Him… read more
In this Photoshop tutorial, we will learn the Basics of Color Focus Editing or selective color, the post-processing technique where most of a photo is converted to black and white, but some parts are left in color to draw the viewer’s eye. Landscape photography is the most common application for this technique. Colorful leaves in an otherwise drab scene can breathe life into a photo. This technique can be applied to any genre, but portraits and landscapes are the usual beneficiaries. Buckle up people, lets get into this exciting tutorial! its gonna be a wild ride! Final image Here are some examples of images that I created using the same technique, check out my Flickr Profile for more examples.