Free collection of web backgrounds free to use!

270 Free Web backgrounds for download

Color-How to choose the right palette?

Since I am teaching about color and how it affects design. Here is a good resource on selecting color palettes for your creation.

Color palette resources 

 

Huge variety of free PS brushes

Free PS brushes at BlendFu

Basic color theory

This page talks about the basics of color.
click for article.

Take a video tour inside Photoshop CS5

Click here for video.

New painting features in CS5

Click here to view video.

The meanings behind color theory.

Good article that discusses how color theory affects the way we interpret the image of things.
Click here for article.

Beginner Illustrator techniques

Illustrator is a powerful program, but it can be overwhelming or confusing at times, simply because of everything that is possible. If you’re new to Illustrator, taking the time to understand the basics and how to use the specific tools will go a long way towards setting you up for success. 


List of resources

Adjustment Layers in Photoshop

good example on understanding different Adjustment Layers in Photoshop.


http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/techniques/a-basic-guide-to-photoshop-cs4-adjustment-layers/

Saving images for the Web in PS

On the surface, saving images for the web can be a pretty straightforward process. However, if you dig deeper there’s a wealth of information and techniques you might be missing out on. This article will focus primarily on the diverse features of Photoshop’s “Save for Web & Devices” command along with some best practices related to saving images that are optimized for web use.

Guide to saving images for the Web in Photoshop

20th. Anniversary for Photoshop! Amazing!

very good article on compression, image types, etc

Image compression/file type article

Cute article on creating poor websites

Funny article on poor web design...

All about Photoshop brushes

Click for article.

40 PS tuts for creating backgrounds/textures!

Photoshop provides designers with unlimited options for creating unique and attractive backgrounds. One of the most popular approaches is to create some type of textured background, and fortunately there are a number of helpful tutorials to teach you all the tricks you need to know.

Follow link for great tutorials!

Huge collection of custom shapes for Photoshop!

Click to enjoy!

Designing a logo in Photoshop. Good or bad?

1. Photoshop is a raster graphics software and very limited when it comes to image scalability. A logo needs to be in vector format for easy enlargements and reductions without losing pixels and quality.
2. Vector files are very compact and small in size as opposed to Photoshop files which tend to be larger. This makes them very easy to transfer, manage and share.
3. Even if you design in Photoshop, you will have to convert it to a vector format by re-creating it in a vector software like Illustrator or Coreldraw. So why waste time and effort doing something twice that you could’ve done once and done it well. You also risk not creating it exactly the way you created it the first time around. Continued....

Click here for article.

Good to great in Web Design!

The difference between good and great webdesign is relatively small. The average person may not be able to explain the tangible differences that make up great design, but they can usually spot a design they like. By examining some awesome sites, I’ll attempt to put my finger on some of the small details that make up the difference.

http://www.myinkblog.com/2009/11/02/6-ways-to-take-your-webdesign-from-good-to-great/

McDarby's creative process in Photoshop

A detailed process of Phil McDarby's process of creating his art in Photoshop.

http://www.philmcdarby.com/index.php/blog/article/the_green_man_awakens_-_a_walkthough

How to even out lighting in photos w/ PS

Here's a new free Photoshop tutorial from Photoshop Daily on how to even out lighting in a photo. This technique will work in any version of Photoshop. It enables you to quickly brighten up underexposed sections of the shot without burning out correctly exposed areas.


http://www.photoshopsupport.com/photoshop-blog/09/cs4-10/even-lighting-photo-tutorial.html