I use Photoshop CS4 Extended, and it has features for working on 3d models. So it's interesting to see that more and more support is coming along for 3d work in Photoshop, although it still has a ways to go to really be a full features 3d design engine.

In any event, Digital Anarchy has released a Photoshop plugin they call Invigorator, and it promises to bring a new level of capability to 3d in Photoshop. I'll demo it and give a review in a follow up post, but for now here's what Digital Anarchy has to say about the plugin:

Digital Anarchy, a leading provider of cost-effective special effects software for Adobe and Apple products, has releasedtoday announced the release of a popular 3D design tool for use in Adobe Photoshop. Co-developed with Zaxwerks Inc, 3D Invigorator for Photoshop allows artists to easily create incredibly complex 3D objects, logos and text.

...

3D Invigorator starts with Adobe Illustrator outlines or text generated within Photoshop, gives the object depth, and then sculpts the graphic into a 3D masterpiece. Photoshop artists can use the vector tools in Invigorator for real-time changes to their 3D objects. They can also access its built-in text engine to transform True Type and Type 1 fonts, and take advantage of Photoshop features like Smart Objects and Smart Filters.

...

The practical and creative features of 3D Invigorator include:

- 3D Text Creation: Use the built-in text designer to create beautiful 3D text objects.

- Sculpted 3D Edges: Sculpted edges add important details to 3D objects. Get complete control over how the 3D text or objects extrude and what their edges look like.

- Import Illustrator Files: Any Illustrator file can be extruded into complex 3D shapes for an easy way to start the design.

- Rendering Styles: Create different looks with a wide variety of rendering styles, including wireframe, cartoon, flat shading, and raytracing.

- Full 3D Environment: Rotate the Objects and Camera in 3D space to view the 3D design from any angle, or move individual elements into new arrangements.

- Material Presets: Over 100 different material presets give easy options such as gold, chrome, glass, lacquer, and puffy surfaces.

- Material Creation: If the presets don’t provide the desired effect, users can design their own materials using the built-in tools or by importing custom files.

- Custom Lighting: Lights can be aimed in any 3D direction for creative flexibility. Create custom lighting like an art deco style, mood lighting, rim lights, high keys or color washes.

Sounds great. I can't wait to give it a spin.

Source: Click Here



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Amazon is trying out a test of an immersive environment it calls Windowshop. Ostensibly it is a quasi-3d environment for browsing some of the content sold through Amazon.com, and uses Flash technology to provide the user experience.

While it looks interesting, the initial experience feels claustrophobic and awkward, and it's not clear how useful this capability will be to the general end user out there in web land. It strikes me as being a use of immersion that looks cool, but opens the questions of is it necessary? Is it counterproductive?

It also strikes me as being similar to iTunes Cover Flow capability, which is an optional method of browsing your iTunes library. Yes it is eye candy, and it's great that Amazon is experimenting, but my initial reaction to it was "give me back my Amazon web page."

What are your thoughts?




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We all like freebies, and we have decided to make a list of free Photoshop and Gimp brush sets. Photoshop brush sets are compatible with Gimp 2.4 and higher, so you can use these in both or either program.

If you have more that you would like to add to this list, leave a comment with the location of the brush set and we will add them to the list. Here's the list, enjoy:

Grunge Brush Set Click Here

Clouds Brush Set Click Here

Snowflakes Brushes Set Click Here


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Adobe is (somewhat) quietly rolling out Photoshop for mobile phones. While this is certainly an interesting development, before you get too excited about it, there are a number of restrictions.

First, it's limited to a set of Windows Mobile phones, which means no support for the iPhone (which has had a similar capability via mobileme for well over a year) or Android. Second, it requires a membership at their photoshop site and storing your photos there, so if you're not keen about storing your photos with a third party, that could be an issue for you. Finally, the name Photoshop is misleading. This is really an online album service, sort of similar to Bridge, and is probably where Adobe is trying to go with this. The basic idea isn't bad - allowing a way of storing photos online while you are out in the field, and then integrating that with Bridge on your desktop. But this is also not a novel idea either.

Here are the key features from the Adobe site:

Upload photos from the road

Have Photoshop.com Mobile upload photos from your phone to your Photoshop.com account as soon as you take them. You can store up to 2GB of photos there free.
Access anywhere

At a party, in a meeting, on the road—view your online photos and albums from your phone, wherever you are.
Share with friends and family

Create a Mobile Shared album right from your phone to show the world, or invite friends and family to view your photos online from Photoshop.com.

Here are the supported phones:

Supported Devices

The initial supported phones include six models below. More Windows Mobile phones will be added soon. Check back for updates.

- Samsung Blackjackâ„¢ I (AT&T)
- Samsung Blackjackâ„¢ II (AT&T)
- MOTO Qâ„¢ music 9m (Verizon Wireless)
- MOTO Qâ„¢ 9h (AT&T)
- Palm® Treo™ 700 w|wx (Version Wireless, alltel, Sprint)
- Palm® Treo™ 750 (AT&T)

Finally, here's a screenshot:




What are your thoughts about this service?




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Filter plugins greatly improve the capability of Photoshop, but Gimp users have fewer choices. One option to try is to use Gimp User Filter to run Photoshop plugins.

I can't guarantee that it will work for you, but it is free so it won't cost you anything to try and see if it will configure on your Gimp install, and if it does work it would make Photoshop filters usable for you in Gimp. Which will also allow you to benefit from the next tip.

For those who own Photoshop, there are tons of free filters. You can find those by visiting clicking here.



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In May we posted a report stating that Gartner was calling Windows Vista "doomed" and we noted that the outlook sounded bleak for Microsoft. Now Forrester has issued a new report that eviscerates Vista and worse, shows signs that Windows 7 is too far away to be of much help (it's currently slated for a 2010 release).

The Forrester report calls Windows Vista "the New Coke" which is a reference to the infamous 1985 marketing debacle which Coca-Cola wrought upon itself. In the case of Coca-Cola however, the mistake was reversible because Coke was able to reinstate its previous product line and continue forward. In the case of Vista, backpedaling to XP is not a viable long term strategy for Microsoft, and as users begin to defect to alternative operating systems, those users are likely to be lost to Microsoft for the long term.

Eighteen months after the release of Windows Vista, enterprise adoption is still in the single digits, and the majority of that seems to have come from upgrades of legacy Windows versions, not XP. Here’s a tip: Consider following the lead of Microsoft’s most important partner Intel and re-evaluating the case for Vista. Windows 7 is penciled for release in Q1 2010.

Here's the chart that is the foundation of the tale of Vista:




According to this Forrester chart, the situation is that XP is not going anywhere, and whatever anemic growth does exist with Vista is at the expense of Win 2k. The growth of OSX and Linux are not yet apparent, but as Gartner noted, OSX is expected to grow in the enterprise by 2011, so it's too early to determine if they are correct in that assessment. Nonetheless, Forrester notes that now is an opportune time for Apple to get some enterprise sales focus, so it remains to be seen if they actually do so.

One other key point in the report concerns browsers and Flash players. On the browser side, Firefox is gaining more acceptance in the enterprise. It is now used by nearly 20% of enterprises, and is up from 17% usage in January. In addition, Flash players are used in 97% of the enterprises. This should indicate that web developers and Enterprise 2.0 development needs to be browser independent. It also indicates that Silverlight has yet to make headway in the enterprise.




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O'Reilly Media and Deke McClelland have a new video. McClelland is one of the Photoshop gurus who is frequently featured at Photoshop seminars and training sessions. Here's a video of him presenting 101 tips for Photoshop in five minutes. The presentation is entertaining, although a bit rapid to be easily consumed. Nonetheless, here it is: