Technology Explained, Practice
Daniela Bowker
Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! ...

When you hear the term 'high-res' thrown about with such abandon when it comes to images for web use, have you ever stopped to think just how big or how high quality and image meant for the web needs to be?

Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! Saving images for the web
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring

There's an assumption that high-contrast images are more dynamic, more compelling, more inviting. Have a go at some low-contrast photography. You might surprise yourself with the results.

Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring
Feature Articles, Theory
Daniela Bowker
Seeking balance in your photos

Balance doesn't mean symmetry; it means an internal consistency and tension within your photos. And it's a vital element of composition. 

Seeking balance in your photos
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Training your photographic luck

Great photos might be down to a little bit of luck, but most of that 'luck' you make yourself. Don't believe us? Read on...

Training your photographic luck
Feature Articles, Practice
Daniela Bowker
The ups and downs and ins and outs of ...

Photographing buildings doesn't have to mean wide-angle lenses and fretting about correcting for the keystone effect. Any lens, and angle. Don't believe us? Let us show you!

The ups and downs and ins and outs of photographing buildings

pacific standard time

Want to brush up your Photoshop skills? Try creativeLIVE this week

If you're feeling that your Photoshop skills could benefit from a bit of refinement or perhaps that you'd appreciate getting to know Photoshop's darkest secrets, the online learning start-up creativeLIVE launched its Photoshop Week special yesterday. Over 40 different classes are available for free until Saturday. (And you can catch up if you missed anything.)

The range of lessons is quite extensive. You can swing from practical advice on managing your workflow and getting into good habits, to more focused classes on blending modes or brushes or retouching or working with text, via getting the most out of actions and presets, and then unlock some of Photoshop's hidden secrets.

Lessons last approximately 90 minutes and are led by one from a team of 12 tutors who include Ben Willmore, Kevin Kubota, and Aaron Nace.

creativeLIVE usually works by offering the live stream of a lesson for free and a download of the lesson at a fee. As the classes run off Pacific Standard Time this can be inconvenient for those of us based in Europe: a 14:45 class will be live streamed at 22:45 here in the UK (and there are re-casts later in the day to help you catch up). The rules change a little over Photoshop Week, however. You can pay to purchase the course in advance, or you can enroll and catch up with a class for free over the course of the week.

If you're not sure which of the lessons you'd like to join, you can buy the entire bundle for a special price of $299 right now. That'll increase significantly at the end of the week, however.

All the details on all the classes are here.