One of the hardest thing for designers is to find that single image that fits our design idea. Sometimes we spend more time looking for photos than we spend on the actual design, but when we find that one gem of an image it makes a world of difference. That’s why I put this list of the best websites to find stock photos together. The list contains websites that range from free stock photos to free graphic resources. I also included some paid subscription sites, like ShutterStock and Dreamstime and some websites I often use to get free textures and graphic resources. Enjoy! [sociallocker] Free Stock Photos EveryStockPhoto Search engine for free stock photos and clip art for the stock photography community including images of creative commons and public domain and other free licenses. Flickr Creative Commons All the content on this page is protected by a Attribution License…. read more
Design
Each month Best Christian Design has a Desktop Wallpaper Competition sponsored by RedisWhite. They select a number of the best entries and display them each month, giving credit to each designer. The winner receives a Free T-Shirt of their choice from RedisWhite. Each desktop wallpaper must have a christian theme to it eg. Christ, God, Love, Bible, Mission, Evangelism, Worship, etc. Below are some of the wallpapers that have earned top places. To learn more about the contest visit BestChristianDesign.com. Enjoy! DOWNLOAD WALLPAPER DOWNLOAD WALLPAPER King of Kings by Brian Hollingsworth DOWNLOAD WALLPAPER DOWNLOAD WALLPAPER Seven Jeff Heaton from Heaton Design
Cutting Out Hair in Photoshop CS5: Photoshop CS5 comes with some exciting tools for designers, one of them that stand out is the new Refine Edge tool. It really helps when cutting out an object from a background especially when it involves human hair or any type of fur that is troublesome and can be tricky to achieve a realistic look. With Photoshop CS5 it is now possible to achieve the task very easily. Here are a couple techniques you can use on images especially those those with varied background tones, the results takes just a few mouse clicks. In this tutorial we will be replacing a dull background with a very cool sunset, Check it out! Final Image Resource sunbathing 2 from Stock.xchng Sunset from Astoria, Queens from Stock.xchng [sociallocker] Step 1 Open the sunbathing 2 from Stock.xchng, then crop it down to about 24×24 inches, removing the… read more
Typography is one of the hardest elements of design to master. Motion typography takes type to a whole other level by expressing and communicating ideas with animated text, it involves the combination of movement and sound and it can be a really powerful way of capturing the audience. These videos are prime examples of how Typography can be used to convey a message in a creative and powerful way. These videos were created by some of the best Christian Motion Graphics Artist. Check them out! Elijah by Bryan Clark That’s My King from Dustin Bankord That’s My King! by Albert Martin Names of Jesus by Joe Perez Psalm 106 by Mothlight Creative Thinking About Eternal by Versa Save the Lost by Salomon The Ten Commandments by Vit Ryznar Easter from Bjorn Amundsen In The Beginning from Bjorn Amundsen Compassion by Dustin Bankord What is the Church by Dave Tate
In this tutorial we will learn how to design a magazine cover in Photoshop. I usually design covers using Photoshop and InDesign, but for this tutorial we will be using Photoshop for everything. When you set out to design your own magazine cover you’ll need to pay close attention to details and carefully lay out the artistic aspect of it, working towards a well planned and complete artistic concept. Taking the time to formulate a strong concept is extremely important to the success of the magazine. I will take you through the process of creating a cover and reveal techniques that designers use to make their covers stand out. Final Image Resources Model Face Handsome – PhotoXpress Stock illustration: Planet – Stock.Xchng Free Vector Barcode Graphics – Airopia Brush Border Pack -27 – Media Melitia Step 1 Create a new document in Photoshop, 8.5×11 inches, 300dpi (for… read more
Explosive Abstract in Cinema 4D: In this tutorial, we will be creating an explosive abstract piece called “What is Man?”. We will use Cinema 4D to create the explosive effects. Cinema 4D’s has a very intuitive interface and logical workflow that makes it possible for those new to 3D artistry, to dive in and be productive very quickly. It is a great tool if you want to add some 3D elements to your design. We will take the 3D elements over to Photoshop for the final composite and lighting. lets dig In! [sociallocker] Inspiration This tutorial was inspired by Nik Ainley’s “Keep it Together”. and the scripture verse from Psalm. “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You… read more
If you use Photoshop extensively, you should be familiar with Channels. Channels are used to masks areas of an image, cut specific areas from an image or apply adjustment or effects to specific areas of an image. Channels are one of the most powerful tools used to achieve simple or complex results in our work. We will use this tutorial to show how to apply two spot channels to a poster design. One spot channel will be used to print a 5th color to the piece, a spot color (pre-mixed ink) and the other will be used to apply a spot UV Coating to the statue on the finished printed work. What is Spot UV Coating? If you want to achieve a glossy coat on a certain image on the page, but don’t need or want the entire page to be coated, then you should use spot UV coating…. read more
In this article, I have chosen 50 stunning Christian wallpapers directly from our Flickr Group. Wallpapers are the first thing that inspires us when we turn on our computers. The more inspirational, beautiful, and elegant they are, the better they can challenge our imagination. Christian Wallpapers, as simple as they may be, never fail to provide a fresh perspective of the world around us. However, desktop wallpapers can go far beyond being a colorful decoration. They can also be a source of Biblical inspiration and a great tool to spread the Gospel of Christ. Check them out, share, and enjoy them! To Download: Click the image you want.  After It loads – Click the Download Link at Top – Image will load in a new window – Right Click it and choose “Save Image As”. Acoustic Melodies Christian wallpapers by PHATBOYid War Sky by by jakedillard Our Rock by SeraphimChris… read more
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a 3D composition using Xara 3D and Photoshop. We will use Photoshop to create an exciting golden background, then integrate the 3D type from Xara 3D into the composition. you will also learn some simple technique to texture the type. Last time we learned How to Create A Realistic 3D Typography using Photoshop, today I will introduce you to Xara 3D, a relatively inexpensive 3D Program that has some very powerful features and is so simple to use, literally anyone can produce high quality 3D graphics in minutes. Xara 3D can create stunning, professional-quality 3D web graphics. Ideal for both still and animated 3D headings and titles, logos and buttons, perfect for web pages, mailshots and online presentations. If you want to use 3D in your projects Xara 3D is a very good start. Ok, lets get straight into the tutorial! [sociallocker]… read more
This month we are featuring the work of Bjorn Amundsen, a Christian Visual Effects (VFX) artist from Vimeo. Bjorn Amundsen’s VFX work is truly amazing, especially his narrative Typography Design. We are impressed with the quality of his productions, which communicates the message of The Gospel in a way that grabs your attention. Bjorn is a motion designer, photographer, video producer, director, and technologist with over 5 years of media experience. His feature film work can be seen on the title sequence for Furious Love, directed by Darren Wilson. He has done visual effects work on music videos for bands like Uh Huh Her and Motion City Soundtrack. He is in his second consecutive term as creative director of the triennial CHIC conference, developing the brand, marketing, and video content for a +5000 high school students. He has traveled the globe to create content for such clients as Youth Specialities,… read more
Churches are so fascinating to look at and can be a tremendous source of design inspiration. A critical part of Christianity has been the gathering of people worshiping together. By virtue of this activity, the “place†where they worship has become endowed with a symbolic form. To the early Christians the word “church†referred to the act of assembling together rather than to the building itself. Christians met where they could, usually they would meet in each others houses, Congregations soon outgrew the meeting halls of the House-Churches and so they began to create buildings specifically suited to house their worship. Below are some brilliant photographs of churches, taken by talented photographers. I hope you enjoy them. House of God by abcdz2000 St. Bridget’s Church by mudpig Saint Francis Church by janusz l Saint Mary’s Church – Studley Royal by nick.garrod Sunset Church by cmiper Church by Nasos3… read more
Bokeh Wallpapers – In photography, bokeh is the blur or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light. If you want to create your own, try this tutorial: Bokeh usually occurs at the parts of the scene that is outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions. Today you can find bokeh being used in graphic design, below you will find a mixture of bokeh captured by the camera lens and some created in graphic design software. enjoy! Try these cool Bokeh Wallpapers and share them with a friend. [sociallocker] … read more
This post continues our Spectacular Photos of Creation series, we have looked at many photos, and yet, we have seen just a small sample of the majesty of what was created. There are so many animals, birds and fishes, it is beyond our imagination, and to think, some of the animals that were created are already extinct. and we are still discovering unknown species in the rain forest and in the depths of the ocean. As you reflect upon the work of God, take time out to give him thanks and praise! For this is what the LORD says—He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— He says: “I am the LORD, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:18 Cow Lomo by Skinnyde For every beast… read more