Did anyone see that amazing letter of complaint doing the rounds yesterday? It was addressed to Richard Branson regarding a rather horrific in-flight food experience on a Virgin Atlantic flight. It was the wittiest and most eloquent thing I’ve read in a long time and had me chuckling from start to finish. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4344890/Virgin-the-worlds-best-passenger-complaint-letter.html

There’s certainly something to be said for a well-written complaint that certainly makes the person on the receiving end sit up and take notice. Unfortunately, this can’t be said for a letter we received from a reader recently. It read, “I’ve bought five issues of Photoshop Creative magazine and I can’t do any of the tutorials. Do I need Photoshop to do them?”

Ummmm…. what can I say? Personally I thought that the rather obvious title of the magazine was a big enough give-away that Photoshop was a pretty essential component in the whole process. Or perhaps the Photoshop-specific tutorials contained within the magazine, the Photoshop screen shots or the Photoshop-related news? What baffles me is that the person actually purchased the magazine FIVE times before wondering where they were going wrong - once I could almost understand, but FIVE times! This is one complaint that certainly stands out - but for all the wrong reasons!

For those needing to let off steam or rave about Adobe, then pay a visit to this site - http://www.dearadobe.com. It’s the perfect place for to rant bout all those little irritations, or actually say something positive for a change. You’ll be amazed how many people share your views as you flick through the entries. But for now, I’m off to deliver the most articulate letter I can muster after being left waiting for over an hour in a restaurant last night without being served a single crumb - and you can be sure I will be taking inspiration from Virgin’s unhappy customer : )

Well Valetines day is steadily approaching and no doubt you creative souls will be looking to use your arty talents to woo your loved ones on February 14th. Jessops and Photobox have heaps of mushy gift ideas, which are worth looking at if you’re stuck for inspiration, including photo ‘love’ books, jigsaw puzzles (although personally I would not be impressed with a puzzle of my face!) mugs, keyrings to name just a few.

Many of you may want to go it alone and create something entirely original in Photoshop instead - a digital painting or a personalised card perhaps. Whatever you do, I am sure it will be far more romantic than watching my other half driving round a race track over and over again, which is his idea of ’spending quality time together’… Who said romance was dead!

After a few technical glitches, a whole lot of swearing and a lot of grrrrrr-ing, our first Photoshop Creative podcast is now live. Our staff writer Simon Skellon, interviews talented artist Chris Ede about his relationship with Photoshop and his new life in London.Check out what he has to say and view a lovely show reel of some of his images at the same time by clicking on the Podcast link on the homepage. We’ll be bringing you lots more interviews from now on and they will even be available to download for free from iTunes as of next week. How exciting!  

So it’s 2009 and we’re faced with a whole twelve months to fill. Many people find this time of year daunting, but I love to have a blank canvas before me ready to fill with fun and adventures. Other than the usual resolutions to save money, lose weight and be a nicer person - it’s a great time to set yourself challenges are achievable and satisfying. Photoshop poses heaps of challenges, perfect for incorporating  into your plan for 2009. Whether it’s mastering the Pen tool, completeing your first digital painting orrestoring your old family photos, it’s time to make a plan and stick to it.

We’d love hear would Photoshop challenge you’re setting for yourself this year - just think what you’ll be able to acheive by the time the year is out.