UV Mapping Tutorial

I thought you would like to know that Adobe Systems Inc. today introduced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta software for Macintosh and Windows, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Available as a free download on Adobe Labs, Lightroom 3 beta delivers a preview of new tools that will be in Lightroom 3, including more intuitive importing, unparalleled noise reduction and sharpening tools, enhanced slideshow capabilities and direct publishing to online photo sharing sites like Flickr. Adobe encourages photographers to test this early selection of new features and provide the product team with their feedback.

From Adobe:
Lightroom 3 beta has been completely redesigned with under-the-hood efficiencies to better handle growing image libraries and improve responsiveness with a higher-quality processing engine. In the Library module, a rebuilt import system makes bringing photos into the software more intuitive. Users can easily specify the source and destination of their images, and save common processing, metadata or destination settings as easy-to-reuse presets.

The Library module also includes new capabilities to publish collections on popular photo-sharing sites. Flickr users now have direct access to their accounts from within Lightroom and can drag and drop images directly into their Photostreams. Flickr Pro account users can automatically synch their images and even view comments made on Flickr directly within the Library. This functionality can be extended to additional sites by adding them as new plug-ins once they become available.

In the Develop module, an overhauled processing engine allows users to create the highest quality images. Improved Capture Sharpening and Color Noise Reduction tools provide superior results while still preserving an image’s edge detail and contrast. A new Grain tool adds a film-style grain to images, and two new Vignette modes help photographers get a more natural look.

Lightroom 3 beta also offers advanced output options, including the ability to export slideshows as videos with audio and title screens that can be posted to video-sharing sites or optimized for mobile media. New watermarking capabilities enable photographers to embed text or graphic information directly on an image and then adjust the size, position and opacity. In addition, photographers can customize print layouts and save settings for future use, giving them refined control over their images.

Learn more and Download

All the changes that you make can be previewed in real time so that you can select what you want. Some of its features are
multiple buttons creation
gradients
text style raised or recessed
3D Look
magnifier and color picker
textures for button and text

You can save the buttons as JPEG, PNG and Gif. It is a freeware and works on Windows.

Download DeKnop

Let’s cut the new age, artsy mumbo jumbo and get down to what inspiration is really all about: Revision.

How did Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley come up with Rock and Roll? They listened to blues music and said “How can I make this even better?” How did Quentin Tarantino come up with Reservoir Dogs? He watched the Hong Kong crime thriller City on Fire and said “The ending of this movie is the best part, so how can I take that same concept and stretch it into a whole movie?”

That’s really what it’s about: Taking ideas you like, and making them even better.

So what’s the best way to go about being inspired? Well if you’re a web designer, the answer is simple; by checking out the CSS galleries listed below and saying “These designs are cool but… I think I know how to make them even better…”

http://www.css-website.com/

One of the more popular CSS galleries, and for good reason: There’s great stuff here. You’ll find high profile and obscure CSS designs alike. They accept submissions and post them based solely on quality. You can search by tags, date, even color. Lots of listings, and you might even be able to get one of your own designs in there to show off (and maybe bring in a few extra clients).

www.cssdrive.com

Another thorough, popular site, with a focus on subtle design sense. Here’s a pretty cool thing about this site: Roll your mouse over any image and you’ll get a snapshot of the pallete used in its design. Pretty cool stuff. Check out the forums if you want to chat with fellow web designers.

CSSelite.com

Lots of variety here. The daily “featured sites” could be anything from a colorful site for a Japanese pop band to an earth-toned site for an Italian restaurant. If you ever get the feeling that all of your designs are starting to look the same, check this site out and you’re sure to see some ideas you haven’t before.

CSSbeauty.com

CSS Beauty is focused on bold, eyecatching designs. If you’re wondering how to grab the visitor’s attention right off the bat, you’re sure to get some ideas here. You can also find jobs and social networking here, so not only will you get some new ideas, you might also get some new clients out of the deal.

bestcssgallery.com

A lot of variety here. The quality is… well, it varies, too. Some of the designs you’ll find here are a little plain, but there’s always something cool on the front page, and the cool stuff is really cool. Like we said, lots of variety. If you need to pull a wild card and get some new ideas right away, look no further. Likewise, you can look at some of the weaker designs and say to yourself “Oh well I can definitely do better than that!” and nothing’s ever quite as inspiring as reaffirming confidence in your own abilities.

css-gallery.free-css.com

Free CSS has some great stuff on it, but the main focus of the site is on networking with fellow designers, and that’s actually it’s greatest strength. Looking at a cool CSS design can help you get some new ideas, but talking about it, casually chatting and brainstorming with other designers, you’re going to wind up with more new ideas than you know what to do with.

http://cssvault.com/

The main focus here is on cool, clean, clear color schemes. Many of the sites showcased here seem to have a sense of color scheme minimalism. Whether or not you like minimalism, or a more colorful, varied approach, the immediate impact of a simple scheme can really help get the creative brain juices flowing, so check it out now and then if you just want to see some nice color work (and check out the resources section while you’re there).

If you did not get your own Photoshop CS3 and if u want save some Cash, then register at Adobe Photoshop Express. Adobe Photoshop Express is online photo editing application that provides you 2GB of storage for the photo sharing. It has most of the common tools used in Adobe Photoshop CS3 such as,

resizing, red-eye, cropping, saturation, blemish removal, distort,lighting adjustment and more. So have a test drive or get registered, its free.