Congratulations everyone - we've reached our 5000th image on the gallery. Woooo hoooo!Have you guys seen the photo books produced by Blurb yet? We got a chance to have a nose through some of their book products the other day and can tell you, these guys blow anyone else out of the water. You can create a Blurb book on any topic in any way you wish, with no restrictions to templates or styles. Simply use their software to compile your book and tick the box to order. They even help you market and sell your books too, which is awesome for the aspiring photographer or artist. They also make pretty swanky portfolios as opposed to a dodgy old plastic folder.Right now, Blurb are hosting a great compo in which you could get your hands on $25,000 to fund your next artistic project. All you need to do is submit you photo book by 14th July. For more info head to www.photographybooknow.com

Hope you’re all having a good week? This week we’re lucky enough to have the helping hand of a work placement student called Simon, who is busy researching the latest news stories for you all to enjoy. He’s currently studying for a masters in magazine journalism so we’re expecting some great stuff! Want a sneaky peak at issue 36? Check out what the latest issue has to offer here:http://www.pshopcreative.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2341&highlight=

Don't know about you but is this week dragging or what?! Maybe it's the the prospect of the Bank holiday weekend looming, or maybe just that the sun's gone in. All I know is that after a brief glimpse of sun two weeks ago, I've lost that summer feeling. So if anyone has some bright sunny pictures they could brighten my day with then I'd love to see them on the gallery. Alternatively, enter our forum challenge. This month's theme is 'Perfect summer holiday' so i'm looking forward to a fair few glimpses of paradise in this comp! http://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2312

It's been a day of proofing and manic last minute tweaks today as it's deadline for Issue 36. In just a couple of hours time the issue will be flying through cyberspace as we send it off to the printers (or that's the plan anyway!) So tomorrow we'll be checking all the pages have uploaded to the printer's website and approving each and every one. Meanwhile as Dani and me are getting a bit moody, our colleagues Julie and Adam from Advanced Photoshop are swanning off to the rather swanky D&AD awards ceremony tonight in London. I'll make sure I get all the goss from them tomorrow and fill you in on all the news!Now back to the proofing…where was I?

It's been a day of proofing and manic last minute tweaks today as it's deadline for Issue 36. In just a couple of hours time the issue will be flying through cyberspace as we send it off to the printers (or that's the plan anyway!) So tomorrow we'll be checking all the pages have uploaded to the printer's website and approving each and every one. Meanwhile as Dani and me are getting a bit moody, our colleagues Julie and Adam are swanning off to the rather swanky D&AD awards ceremony tonight in London. I'll make sure I get all the goss from them tomorrow!Now back to the proofing…where was I…

Has anyone checked out the new Photoshop Express beta yet? It's the newest addition to the Photoshop family and enables casual users to make basic image edits online - for free.I've been having a play and it's a fun site and perfect for doing quick touch-ups on the go. You can log in from anywhere with internet access, plus there are direct links to enable you to upload your pics to sites like Facebook (yes Im an addict too!) It's never going to be anything more than a casual tool , but the convenience is great! Go to www.photoshop.com/express to check it out…

It's smiles all round in the office today. Congratulations to our designer Dani who has been promoted to Art Editor and I've now been promoted to Editor - woohoo! We're very happy bunnies on the Photoshop Creative team!

Well we're fast approaching our 5000th image on the gallery, which is fantastic news. The Photoshop Creative website has had such a huge response, with some fantastic uploads of artwork. With such a massive influx of images, it's tricky to always get round to each and every one to comment, so I urge you all to give each other moral support and give gallery users your much-appreciated opinions on their work. This is not a site for sucking up to each other - the best way to improve is to be critiqued, so be sure to compliment and offer advice and opinions to help each other grow in confidence and skill.Be sure to check out the latest gallery showcase picks too - there is some fantastic work from Christopher Haines and Freddy Camargo, which is well worth a look!

Do you ever read a tutorial and think to yourself 'I have a much better way of doing that'? Well here's your chance to have your say and get involved in the magazine. Head over to the forum, where we're asking you your tips on various Photoshop subjects. The most inspiring tips will make it into the magazine along with a link to your Photoshop Creative website gallery. So if you're brimming full of top tips, click here http://www.pshopcreative.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=13134#13134 and share your knowledge!

Hope you all had a great Easter break for those who were celebrating it. The UK has seen some crazy old weather flying around over the past few weeks, but at last I feel like Summer is slowly on its way. Now things have settled down, it's a great opportunity to get outside and start making the most of the artistic possibilities surrounding you. Whether it's a mini photo expedition to build up you stock library or finding items to transform into quirky Photoshop brushes (shells, feathers, blossom - you name it you can use it!) there is plenty of opportunity in the great outdoors. We welcomed the clocks going forward on Saturday, giving us an extra hour of daylight to play with. We'd love to see your creations inspired by Spring and nature, so be sure to upload your images to the gallery!