If you’re stuck for gift ideas then check out The Beginner’s Guide to Photoshop DVD  - the perfect present for any aspiring Photoshopper. This is a great resource for those new to the software, providing over 90 minutes of video tutorials. The DVD will help you familiarise yourself with the Photoshop tools and get to grips with the interface too. It’s a fantastic way to learn and will set you in good stead to become a skilled Photoshop user - all for just £19.99.Check out these links to find out more:  http://www.imagineshop.co.uk/item_show.php?itemID=1043&action=emags  and http://www.creativelearning.tv/     

It’s that time again, and we’re on deadline for issue 43. Admittedly we know this issue isn’t going to be half as stressful as the next though. Usually we have four weeks to put the magazine out, but we’re facing a very tight three-week deadline next issue - not fun! It’s always this time of year that the deadlines get frantic, squeezing in 13 issues into the year. It’s always worth it in the end though, making Christmas seem all the more exciting when all the hard work is done.Our staff writer Simon who recently joined the team is being thrown in at the deep end with his first taster of crazy deadlines - his fingers have never typed so fast! Art Editor, Dani is designing pages so fast I think she’s going to wear a hole in her mouse mat and as for me - well I’m working my way through about ten ‘to-do’ lists, which seem to be growing, rather than shrinking by the day! I’m guessing there are many of you out there who are running round like us trying to tie up the loose ends before the Christmas celebrations begin - so good luck in finishing all your work! I’m pleased to see that this isn’t stopping many of you uploading new images to the gallery by the day (when do you guys actually sleep!) and letting off some steam with a bit of Photoshop therapy.

I’ve just had CS4 installed on my Mac here in the office and what a difference it makes. I’ve made the jump from Photoshop CS2 to CS4 and I can’t believe how much of a difference there is between the two versions. The main difference is the speed. With all the image adjustments incorporated into the main interface, I think my mouse wondering what’s going on! It’s such a subtle thing but reducing the mouse movement saves so much time! It’s also mega smooth too. Magnifying image parts is so slick that I find myself doing it for the sake of it! It makes Cs2 look so juddery in comparison. It’s quite amazing to think how fast technology evolves - we were once marveling over  CS2 and who knows what we’ll be working with in 10 years time. For those who haven’t had a look yet, then check out the demo of CS4 at www.adobe.com. No doubt it will promptly be added to the top of your Christmas wish list! 

For those who haven’t got hold of issue 41 of Photoshop Creative yet, you may not know that we have a top feature on how to make a range of great gifts using Photoshop. With Christmas lurking just around the corner, it offers some great ideas on how to beat the credit crunch this Christmas and also add a personal touch to the pressies you dish out this year.This morning I received a lovely email from a reader called Jenny who has already got stuck into the Photoshop gifts and has her own novel take on the idea. She actually prints Photoshop designs onto edible icing paper which can then be applied to cakes - perfect for adding a bit of flair to the Christmas cake this year!We’d love to know any more of your fab Photoshop gift ideas - so leave a comment with yours and help out your fellow Photoshoppers!