30 Extraordinary Photoshop Tutorials to Master Photo Effects

Every designer needs inspiration to move ahead and make something incredible, and each one uses a Photoshop a premier photo editing software which can do the trick.

Image manipulation has been done from many years in form of web design, print advertisements, online ads etc. to create such extraordinary photos we have made this collection of Photoshop tutorials to master the art of photo effects.

Each tutorial has detailed step by step instructions, we have linked the tutorials with original source, where you will have many things to learn. Every website in the list below has something extra for Photoshop lovers. So, let’s enjoy the photo editing carnival and make some beautiful manipulation in your next project.

Fantasy Art

Fallen Angel’s Dream Fly

Design Surreal Composition Fallen Angel’s Dream Fly

Create a Nature Inspired Photo Manipulation in Photoshop

Combine several images to create a nature inspired photo manipulation

Use Photography to Create a Scenic Matte Painting From a Sketch in Photoshop

Use Photoshop’s photo manipulation tools to create a scenic matte painting that was based on a sketch

Create a Surreal “Parting of the Sea” Photo Manipulation

Discover how to combine advanced masking techniques, blending modes, adjustment layers and clever use of filters to part the sea and create a surreal photo manipulation

A realistic water reflections photoshop tutorial

You’ll learn how to make water reflections from scratch, with realistic reflections and ripples

How to Create Dynamic Prototype Style Video Game Art

Create an Earth Shattering Disaster Scene in Photoshop

Here you will see how to recreate the scene of movie “2012″, where the california coast begins to break using a selection of stock photographs.

How to create a recipe template in Photoshop

Here you will learn how to create a nice recipe psd template using some warm colours

How to design an elegant website in Photoshop

Double Exposure Style In Photoshop

This technique consists of 2 images superimposed

Photo Within A Photo In Photoshop CS6

Cropped version of the photo inside the full size original

Watercolor Painting Effect In Photoshop CS6

Take any photo and easily turn it into a watercolor painting in just a few short steps

How to Replace a Woman’s Lipstick With Artwork Using Creative Retouching Techniques

Replace a woman’s lipstick with artwork using some creative and effective photo retouching techniques

Fantasy photoshop tutorial to create awesome effects

Create a Dynamic Particle Explosion in Photoshop

Latest set of freebie brushes are used to create this dynamic effect

Glossy-Style Carbon Fibre Navigation Buttons

Create a Magical Four Piece Stardust Composition

Create composite images that use star fields as a backdrop

Create a Vibrant Colorful Alcohol Product Ad in Photoshop

You’ll learn how to deal with liquid stock images, how to take a brand image and create elements to match, and how to work with colors and composition for a brilliant result

How to Make a Car Advertisement Poster Design

you’ll see how to take just a simple stock image and build a pixel perfect artwork around it

I hope you must have liked our selection of photoshop tutorials, stay tuned as there are more coming in time ahead. We also have our tutorial category and you can find some very basic to advance level of photoshop tutorial there. Here’s one from my side How to Make Comics in Photoshop, if you like it, please make an comment for appreciation.

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Downgrading Win 8 to a Win 7.

I recently got a new pc and it comes with the new Win8 OS installed. Unfortunately it's the basic version ( of course! ) so I thought of upgrading it for a full experience.

I was amazed by the discovery I found: apart from being expensive, which led me to take in account for a downgrade to Win7 (the current OS I'm using and familiar with) the Pro version brings along a downgrade path but I'll have to pay for both; the pro version and the Win7.

Go Figure!

For all the talk about the advantages of Windows 8 over Windows 7—for example, account sync, better multiple monitor support, and faster startup times—some people just can't get past Windows 8's radical shift in user interface. Some may even want to ditch Windows 8 altogether in favor of Windows 7 after spending a few days with the new OS.
In a Monday blog post, usability expert Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group explained in excruciating detail exactly why and how Windows 8 is difficult to use. It was a damning report that might have many questioning whether to take the Windows 8 plunge. The good news is you can buy a PC loaded with Windows 8 Pro, try out the new OS, and then downgrade to Windows 7. Unfortunately, however, the road back to Windows 7 can be confusing and full of twists.
Hewlett-Packard is typical: It does not support downgrades of consumer-grade Windows 8 PCs to Windows 7. But if you buy a machine loaded with Windows 8 Pro, you can make the jump. HP's policy is based on Microsoft's licensing terms, which support downgrade rights only to new PCs preloaded with Windows 8 Pro, the version of Windows designed for business.

Unfortunately, machines loaded with Windows 8 Pro will demand a pricing premium over similarly spec'd Windows 8 systems. We ran a quick comparison survey of machines from HP, Dell, and Toshiba, and found that an upgrade to the Pro version of Windows 8 increased system prices anywhere between $35 and $100.
And even when the price delta is small enough to justify buying a Windows 8 Pro machine (complete with downgrade rights!), the downgrade process can still be difficult to figure out. When PCWorld researched this, sales and support reps for both Microsoft and major PC manufacturers told us two different stories.
A Dell representative said that to downgrade from Windows 8, you needed to buy a new, unused copy of Windows 7—thus making the whole point of having downgrade rights pointless. Another representative said a Windows 7 disc image would be built into new Windows 8 Pro machines. This contradicts pretty much everything Microsoft has ever posted online about downgrade rights.
But after scouring Microsoft's online support pages, checking out real-world downgrade experiences on various forums, and then confirming the process with Microsoft's press team, we can now share the truth about how downgrades work for anyone with a PC running Windows 8 Pro.
But first: Why downgrade?
Microsoft offers a downgrade path mostly for enterprise and small business PC users who may not be ready to use the new version of Windows. Some businesses don't want to suffer the training costs associated with rolling out a new OS to employee workstations. Others are concerned about incompatibility issues with legacy software.
Consumers, on the other hand, usually want to dump Windows 8 because they simply don't like the new OS. The Nielsen Norman Group found consumers' main gripe with Windows 8 is the dual nature of the system, which combines desktop and touch-friendly environments in an oftentimes confusing melange. Not only is the user interface inconsistent, it also requires users to remember where to go for which features, and to waste time switching between interfaces.

App landscape for Windows Phone

Windows Phone is a software platform that can improve a person’s life. Its ability to do so is determined by the apps that it can run. It’s up to designers and developers to create the apps that meet specific customer needs in a way that’s engaging.

People use their Windows Phone under all kinds of situations and for many different reasons. One person may use his Windows Phone primarily to stay connected with his friends while another person may use hers to help manage her busy schedule. Other people may be using their Windows Phones to enjoy a mental escape through games, music, videos, reading, or social networking.

Windows Phone Store is where customers go to find the exact app that meets their needs. The Store categorizes apps by their functionality. Some categories are further broken out into subcategories. Examples of the top-level categories are News and Weather, Health and Fitness, Sports, Productivity, Lifestyle, Finance, Travel, Games, Entertainment, Social, and much more. We’ll now look at examples of apps in a few of these categories.

Lifestyle.

People use their Windows Phone to help them live the type of life they want to enjoy. That means they find apps that support their lifestyle. Apps that help support these types of activities are a valuable part of the Windows Phone experience.

REALTOR.com, eBay, and Bigoven apps

These types of apps are very valuable to customers because they help reflect who they are and what they can share and enjoy with others. Each of the three apps shown in the preceding figure helps people find things that fit their lifestyle—in this case, searching for the perfect home, locating that hard-to-find item, or cooking the foods they like.

Social.

  

Connected mobile devices have given people the ability to socialize throughout their day, and a Windows Phone is a great device to help fulfill this human need. Windows Phone helps people share text messages, photographs, audio and video, and much more.

People Hub app on the Windows Phone

Apps that enable social interactions might be isolated in their usage, or they might tie in with other phone features and apps. For example, the Pictures Hub app that comes with Windows Phone is a central app used to organize your photos and even share comments on photos through social networking sites. Apps can be made to work with the photos to alter them and enhance the social aspects of photo taking. The Classic Christmas Cards app lets you take photos from the Pictures Hub and create greeting cards to send out to friends.

Classic Christmas Cards app

Health and fitness apps can make use of the mobility aspect of Windows Phone. People are happy to take their phone to the gym and use an app to step them through their workout routine. They expect to be able to enter the type of body conditioning they want and then be directed through a weightlifting or cardio regimen. Additionally, some specialized apps for runners help them plan their running route and track their miles run and their best times.

runsat GPS Sports Tracker app

Entertainment.

There are an endless number of entertainment app possibilities on the Windows Phone. Entertainment on the Windows Phone can come from sophisticated apps or from simpler novelties such as an on-screen cowbell that makes sounds upon touch. Apps like Netflix provide entertainment through streaming of movies and television shows using Silverlight. Other apps tie into the person’s actual real-life entertainment needs by helping them to locate movie times or comedy shows to attend.

Netflix shown streaming a video and Fandango apps

Games.

Games are always big sellers —there’s a game for just about everyone, from the classic Windows Solitaire card game to today’s more advanced 3D graphics adventure. The category of Games is so large that it has many subcategories. The Windows Phone is a great device for people to engage in solo or multiplayer games.

ilimilo and the harvest games
Tools

to use them in ingenious ways. An app that mimics a real-world device or tool can be valuable to people. From the simple flashlight app to a ruler or metronome, there are many useful tool-type apps available.

Metronome and Clinometer apps

Unlimited possibilities.

The Windows Phone platform has many more types of apps than can be covered here. What’s been shown demonstrates the richness and robustness that apps can achieve. The number and types of apps for the Windows Phone will increase over time, and we won’t soon exhaust the possibilities of what can be created. Apps should strive to bring customers mobile-specific functionality through content that is connected and beautiful.

 

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The Most Popular Post of March 2013.

1.-  Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts.
Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of two or more keys that, when pressed, can be used to perform a task that would typically require a mouse or other pointing device.
Keyboard shortcuts can make it easier to interact with your computer, saving you time and effort as you work with Windows and other programs.
Most programs also provide accelerator keys that can make it easier to work with menus and other commands. Check the menus of programs for accelerator keys.
If a letter is underlined in a menu, that usually means that pressing the Alt key in combination with the underlined key will have the same effect as clicking that menu item.
Pressing the Alt key in some programs, such as Paint and WordPad, shows commands that are labeled with additional keys that you can press to use them.

2.- Tips to prevent Windows 7 auto shutdown problem.

Windows 7 auto shutdown is one most relevant and frequent issue faced by the maximum number of users. This problem may arise due to several reasons related to the system.
The Windows 7 auto shutdown can be possibly caused by hardware as well software compatibility problems. But most of these issues come up due to hardware conflicts which fail to support their respective drives.
These Windows 7 errors can be sorted out with the help of utility software which are widely available in the market. Using their assistance, one can get rid of these issues along with several others as well.
The required tips to stop the Windows 7 auto shutdown problems are as follows:
Repair the registry of the system
Make use of a cleaner
Uninstall the corrupt program and restore the system
Make use of virus cleaner.

3.-  Download Vista Skin Pack 5.0 Ultimate For Free.

Microsoft’s one of best operating system Vista didn’t got its hold on Windows XP users who are addicted to Windows XP because of its simplicity and stability over Vista.
But one thing which might be better in vista then XP is Look and feel.Their are lots of Skin pack and Transformation packs are available for Windows XP to make its look and feel like windows Vista.
But not all Skin packs and Transformation packs are free and don’t give exact look and feel of Vista. Here is one of best freeware Skin pack for Windows XP which is small in size and outcome is exactly like Windows Vista Ultimate.
Vista Skin Pack 5.0 (VPS) which is latest release of Vista Skin pack has many good features.
Features of Vista Skin Pack 5.0
- Small in Size, gives exact look of Vista Ultimate
- Changes Icons, Animation, Pictures, and Menus to match Vista Style
- Supports Windows XP SP1, SP2, SP3, Mediacenter Edition, Windows 2003

4.-  Windows Media Player 12 Themes for Windows 7

Bored of your default Windows Media Player Skins?.
Grab some fresh and new Windows Media Player 12 themes for Windows 7!

Windows Media Player 12 Codecs

Windows Media Player 12 comes with support for DivX and MP4, but it still lacks supports for many other video formats.
(amr | mpc | ofr | divx | mka | ape | flac | evo | flv | m4b | mkv | ogg | ogv | ogm | rmvb | xvid)

A popular codec pack can be downloaded here and here.
The following skin packages includes some really awesome themes for your Windows Media Player:

5.-  Designing the Windows 8 touch keyboard.

When we began planning how touch and new types of PCs might work on Windows 8, we recognized the need to provide an effective method for text entry on tablets and other touch screen PCs. Since Windows XP SP1, which had Tablet PC features built in, Windows has included a touchable on-screen keyboard. But those features were designed as extensions to the desktop experience. 
For Windows 8, we set out to improve on that model and introduce text input support that meets people’s needs, matches our design principles, and works well with the form factors we see today and expect to see in the future.
I’m writing this blog post on our Windows 8 touch keyboard using the standard QWERTY layout in English. As I look at it, the keyboard seems very simple and sort of obvious. This comes partly from having worked on it for a while, but also because keyboards are familiar to us. But there is more here than meets the eye (or, fingertips).

 

6.- The Rise and Rise of Mobile Gaming [Infographic].

Mobile game development is among the fastest-growing avenues to the big bucks in technology today, as highlighted by this infographic from Geekaphone.
Consider these numbers: Mobile gaming industry revenue is projected to reach $8 billion this year, and that figure is expected to soar to $11.4 billion by 2014. Games are the runaway leader in terms of numbers of downloads of paid-for apps on Apple's iPhone App Store, according to Distimo's latest study, with games accounting for a whopping 72 percent of all downloads of the top 300 most popular apps there.
But mobile gaming is a tough nut to crack for developers. Just ten game publishers account for more than half of all downloads of the top 300 iPhone paid games.
The success stories are easy to track. There's Rovio, creator of the runaway hit Angry Birds. And PopCap Games, which was recently acquired by EA for a cool $750 million. Then there's social gaming giant Zynga, lurking with a new-found focus on mobile gaming and soon to bring FarmVille public.

7.-  Clock Gadget in Windows® 7.
 

Learn more about the role and features of Clock Gadget in Windows 7
Windows 7 is the latest version of operating system from Microsoft. It shares the basic Windows platform but is having entirely revived features and graphics interface which boosts its speed and functionality.
The Windows 7 OS is more customizable and resource friendly when compared with its predecessor Windows Vista but is a bit heavy on the graphics requirement needed to enable the much praised Windows Aero theme.
The Windows 7 is having excellent customization and personalization options like the desktop slideshow, custom color palette, desktop gadgets etc. that enable the users to modify the look and feel of Windows according to one’s tastes and requirements.

8.-  Don’t Hate on Windows 8 [Infographics].

In the last two months, fierce debates surrounding Windows 8 have taken place all over the web.
While I haven’t tried out the consumer preview, I did get the chance to see it in action and it left me intrigued.
To put it simply: the new operating system seems like a bold move for Microsoft. Modeled after today’s wildly successful smartphones, Windows 8 could prove to be a real gambit in the PC world.
We’ve put together an infographic that breaks down the improvements and new features on  Windows 8.
I’m hardly a computer wiz, but reading up on Windows 8’s apps and cloud software sure makes me wonder how Microsoft’s big release will fare against Apple.
Check out the graphics below and let us know if you think Windows 8 can gain some ground against Apple’s OSX.

9.-  Windows Media Center in Windows 7, Chapter 1

Windows Media Center (codenamed "Freestyle" during development) is an application with a 10-foot user interface design to serve as a home-entertainment hub for the living-room TV.
It is included in Windows XP Media Center Edition, premium editions of Windows Vista (Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate), and Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate).
It is designed to be controlled by special remote controls which prominently feature the Green Button (similar to the logo to the right), but can also be operated with a mouse and/or keyboar

10.- Windows 7 Themes.

Windows themes always seem to be a big hit. With the launch of Windows 7, the themes for Windows 7 have been in high demand.
These themes are free, both on Microsoft's part and the other ones as well.
Windows 7 has been developed keeping in mind the different points of views of the users and the commentators, because it's very easy to use and light to carry.
I've created a compilation where you can find many Windows 7 (W7) themes.
Take a look at some of these themes, some are really attractive based on Windows 7 and others are based on games, cars, vehicles, animations, just to name a few.
Enjoy!

 

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Guidelines for Windows Store apps.

Design your app's UI to showcase the content. Minimize distraction and help people get immersed in the content by leaving only the most relevant elements on screen. Following these guidelines will help you provide a consistent, elegant, and compelling user experience.

Commands

• App bars:  See Guidelines for app bars.
• Buttons: See Guidelines for buttons.
• Check boxes: See Guidelines for check boxes.
• Radio buttons: See Guidelines for radio buttons.
• Toggle switches: See Guidelines for toggle switches.
• Sliders: See Guidelines for sliders.
• Rating controls: See Guidelines for rating controls.
• Select control: See Guidelines for the Select control.
• Time pickers: See Guidelines for TimePickers.
• Date pickers: See Guidelines for DatePickers.
• Login controls: See Guidelines for login controls.

Navigation

• SemanticZoom: See Guidelines for SemanticZoom controls.
• FlipView: See Guidelines for FlipView controls.
• ListView: See Guidelines for ListView controls and Styling ListView controls.
• Links: See Guidelines for links.

Transient UI

• Flyouts: See Guidelines for Flyouts.
• Message dialogs: See Guidelines for message dialogs.
• Context menus: See Guidelines for context menus.
• Tooltips: See Guidelines for tooltips.
• Progress controls: See Guidelines for progress controls.

Images

• Thumbnails: See Guidelines for thumbnails.

Text and input

• Fonts: See Guidelines for fonts.
• Text boxes: See Guidelines for text input.
• Login controls: See Guidelines for login controls.
• Spell checking:  See Guidelines for spell checking.
• On-screen touch keyboard:  Learn how to show and hide the on-screen touch keyboard when your users don't have access to a hardware keyboard or other peripheral keyboard devices. See Guidelines for touch keyboard.

Roaming to the cloud.

 

Create a continuous experience across devices by roaming data and settings that lets people pick up a task right where they left off and that preserves the UX they care most about, regardless of the device they're using.

• Roaming: Make it easy for users to use your app everywhere, from their kitchen family PC to their work PC to their personal tablet, by maintaining settings and states with roaming. Additional guidance on roaming can be found in Managing app data and Guidelines for roaming app data. To learn how to store and retrieve settings and files from the roaming application data store, see Quickstart: Roaming app data.
• Settings: Consolidate all of your app's settings on one UI surface, and let users configure your app via common mechanism they are already familiar with. See Guidelines for app settings.
• Single sign-on:  Ensure that users can sign in with their Microsoft account and enjoy a consistent experience on any Windows 8 device they use. See Quickstart: Connecting to an online identity provider.

Fundamentals

Every app should always have a solid foundation in order to reach as many people as possible.

• Splash screen:  Use the splash screen to smooth the transition between when people launch your app and when it's ready for use. The splash screen should subtly reinforce your brand with your users, not distract them or advertise to them. See Guidelines for splash screens.
• Suspend and resume app state:  Users will switch your app on and off the screen, and Windows will terminate it in the background when it is unused. You should save and resume the app state when possible to maintain context. See Guidelines for app suspend and resume.
• Auto-launching and "Open With": Launch the default app for a file type or protocol from your app. See Guidelines for file types and protocols.
• Globalization, localization, and app resources: Windows is used worldwide, so you need to design your app so that resources, such as strings and images, are separated from their code, to help make localization easy. See Guidelines for globalizing your app and Guidelines for app resources.
• Accessibility: Make your app available to all users regardless of their abilities, disabilities, or preferences. If you use the built-in UI controls, you get accessibility for free. When you need to create custom controls, see Plan for accessibility.
• App help: Provide help or troubleshooting tips to your users. See Guidelines for app help.
• Store categories: Learn how to create great apps for specific Windows Store categories, like games or entertainment. See Category guidance.

 

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