Still don’t know how to use/install Photoshop Brushes? Here’s the Guide

A quite simple tutorial using external resources.

We take a 3d render, a grunge brush, a floral brush and put them into a nice scenary.

Let’s start!

Final result

Getting the resources we need

• The awesome HD render pack by soad2K – Download
• More Subtle Grunge Texture from wefunction.com – Download
• Hand Drawn Floral Pattern from room122.com – Download

• Optional: The PSD File – Download

Step 1

Create a new file (I’ve chosen 700×350 px, background transparent) and fill the first layer with a new background color (for example #631700).

Step 2

Take the burn/dodge tool and burn/dodge the marked area.

Your result should look like this:

Step 3

Create a new layer and load the grunge brushes (If you don’t know how to install brushes, read this guide) and take the brush with 738px size. Select white as foreground color (or click D, then X) and click twice on the layer.
Go to filter – sharpen – sharpen more and set the whole layer to overlay. Result:

Step 4

Now we are gonna import the render image. Open the 2nd render (2.png) and move it into position.
Again, let’s dodge and burn around for some light effects.

Step 5

Use the following layer effects (Explanation: Schein nach außen = Outer Glow // Schlagschatten = Shadow)


It should look like this:

Step 6

Create a layer BELOW the render layer and left-click the render-layer to get the selection of the render.

Fill the selection with white and go to select – modify – contract. Take 2px, hit ok and press delete. You should have a 2px thick border (quite invisible cause it’s below the render).
Now go to distort – ripple. Take the last selection (big or something) and 109%, hit enter. >Last step: Set the layer to overlay
If you hide the layer with the render, your border should look like this one:

Step 7

Load the floral brushes and create another layer below the render layer.
Set the foreground color to black and take a floral brush (I took the 2 with the sizes: 993 & 1135 ). Reduce the size of the brush to ~500 and click into the layer. Set the oppacity to 60% and you are done with that.

Step 8

Create a new layer (above the render layer) and take a soft round brush (size: ~100px).
Brush around with 2 colors (for example orange and blue) until you have 2 huge stains like this:

Step 9

Now: filter – blur – gaussian blur with 50px and set this layer to overlay with a oppacity of 80%.

Step 10

Create a new layer and got to filter – render – clouds. Take the eraser with a soft brush and erase the marked area (oppacity of the eraser brush: ~90%).

Step 11

Set the layer to saturation.

Step 12

If you like to, you can give the background a checkered pattern.
Create a new file (size: 10×10 – background: transparent).
Take the pencil, choose a round brush and set its size to 1 (foreground color: black). Create by single clicking a diagonal line like in this picture:

Step 13

When you are done, go to edit – define pattern and hit enter.

Switch back to the main file and create a layer above the background layer.

Go to edit – fill and choose the pattern you just created. Your picture has now diagonal lines.

Copy the layer, go to edit – transform – flip horizontal and press CRTL+E (merge down). Set the layer oppacity to 20% and copy the layer.
Press CRTL+I (invert) and move the layer one pixel to the right. Set the layer oppacity to 5% and should have the following checkered effect:

Step 14

Add your text, done.

Questions? Feel free to leave a comment!

After 4 years of landscape, tree and colorful sky it was time for a little change. Still WordPress, still Photoshop.

With the new design I was aiming at a layout with maximum usability. Very clean, very tidy – You should find anything you need within a second.

Like it / Don’t like it? Tell me why!

With the growth of twitter the own twitter account becomes more and more important. Nobody will remember your account if you are using a standard theme (except you’re famous anyway). Here are 21 brilliant examples of designs you will remember.

@topdesignmag – The best place for web design and digital content

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@binojxavier – Strange Ethical SEO.Web Graphic Designer. Social Media Drumbeater. ÜBERCOOL Googler » NOTHIN’ IS WORTH IT IF YOU CAN’T SHARE.

@owentheowen – [ your robot friend, just illustrating and designing all over everybody. ]

@rachelledesigns – Web Design, Blog Design, Print Design, Graphic Design…my addictions

@DannyOutlaw – Graphic Design. Check out my graphic design blog. outlawdesignblog.com

@envatovectors – Envato Vectors is our channel for all things Vector related. Follow us for news, links, freelance jobs, inspiration, stock items, and more.

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@naldzgraphics – A Graphic Designer. A Twitter Addict. A Blogger. NaldzGraphics.net is a design blog where you can find lots of design resources & tutorials.

@aravindajith – I make websites. Designing + Development. WordPress Ninja. Drupaller. Vegetarian.

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For more information/photographs check my deviantART Account

Well, this compilation contains handpicked high quality brushsets (Topics: Grunge, Splatter, Floral, Glow / Light / Abstract, Hair and Stars) you don’t want to miss.

Attention: The license of each brushset varies. So check out the download page for the free / commercial license.

Did I forget your favorites? Feel free to comment!

Grunge Brushes

QuadGrunged (10)

High Resolution Grunge Brushes (10)

More Subtle Grunge Textured Brushes (42)

Grunge (8)

Grunge Brushes 3 (58)

Grunge ‘n Rust 2nd Edition (17)

thppt grunge brushes (19)

Splatter Brushes

Hi-Res Splatter Brushes (16)

Bloody Massacre Photoshop Brushes (40)

Hi-Res Splatter Brushes (17)

INK Splatters (45)

SM_splatterisM 1 (35)

Floral Brushes

Floral Brush Set (5)

Urban Floral Brushes (20)

Hand Drawn Florals (8)

Free Floral Brush Pack (18)

Ornamentals (12)

Glow, Light and Abstract Brushes

r0man.de Abstract Brushset 13 (13)

Elegant – Soft Light Brushes (13)

Shining Swords (7)

Fractal Chaos (10)

Abstract Glow (5)

Bokeh Brushes (8)

Nova Equinox Brushes (11)

Hair Brushes

Hair brush set (5)

Hair Brushes Set 6 (12)

Hair Brush II (12)

Star Brushes

Nebulae Brushes (15)

Rabies Star Brushset (20)

Starbrushes 3 (4)

Exclusive – Galactic Brushes (10)

you have been waiting so long and now the big event has finally arrived.
Every abstract brushset is now available as a GIMP .gbr file!

Of course you can download them for free and the commercial use is allowed. If you use them, I’d appreciate every backlink to this site

If you know some cool brush tutorials for GIMP, I would like to sum them up in an article. Just leave a comment, thanks!

The links are here

Check out a new simple wallpaper made with new CS5 brushes which are gonna be released soon!

You can download it here

I got a new little brushset (2 nice brushes) for you. The brushes are for Photoshop Version CS5 but for those who have an older version, the .PNG files are included. So CS1 and GIMP users are welcome

Don’t forget to check out the tutorials on that site to see how to use them.

Download here

1. Users’ contentment

Facebook updates its site regularly and many users conceive of these changes as pretty annoying. Numerous facebook groups and sites underline that disaffection. For example look at the new chat and messaging system. Unlike in the past, now you can’t seperate your personal mails from your instant chat messages. Another point is the strange grouping of online contacts – offline contacts are shown in the chat bar.

How Google+ will handle updates and how the users’ reaction will be is unclear. Google+ is too young to make a prognosis. But according to our experience the Google changes are quite useful and unflashy.

2. Easier Groups

One big feature of Google+ is the easy sorting of contacts (Groups). When adding a contact, you have to slide the contact into one of your groups (Google has some presets like Acquaintances, Family, Friends, Following).

It looks like facebook felt threatened and instantly implemented a similar function: You add a contact -> choose a list where the contact should be in.

3. Video Chats – Hangouts

Since lately facebook extended the chatsystem with a new video feature. Trying to make this feature work I failed completely. Now it seems to work fine and the quality is brilliant. No suprise .. facebook uses a Skype integration.

Google+’ hangouts  are similar to facebooks, but there are some differences:

• Google+ supports public hangouts – you can videochat with upto 10 people
• Installation requires less clicks, so it’s a bit easier
• Advanced hangouts support document and sketchpad sharing

4. Interesting Content – Sparks

Add your interests and Google delivers related content from around the web. In my eyes: still pretty confusing

5. Network- Omnipresence

You can see Facebooks presence on almost every online device (PCs, Mobilephones, Tablets) in the world. Reason: Nearly everybody uses it.

When companies advertise they don’t refer (as usually) to their homepage. More often you’ll find a facebook.com/company link instead, which users can directly like and so share it with friends. Typical network effect.

And the last and most important (in my eyes) is:

6. POWER

Google’s presence isn’t as conspicuous as facebook’s is. But the word “Google” is even listed in dictionaries. When someone is looking for stuff on the internet he is automatically “googling”. In the year 2000 Google reached 100 million searches a day, now they reach over one billion a day.

Further let’s take a look at what Google does besides:

• GoogleMail
• Chrome
• Picasa
• Blogger
• Maps
• Youtube
• Android phones

So, when using one of these services you can get confronted with Google+ if you have a Google Account.

My prognosis

At the moment it’s hard to say that Google+ is the better network and will crush its competitor, Google+ is too young and hasn’t that many users. But if Google takes off the gloves, it can seriously establish as ultimate social network.

The full package of internet services Google offers could be the crucial point that will make the users switch the network. Let’s see.

What do you think about Google+ and its threat for facebook? Write a comment!