Our sister title, Digital Photographer has got a fancy new feature on the website and I must say Im quite jealous. The Photo Face-Off feature throws up random gallery images onto the screen and viewer must choose their favorite. I must say it’s very addictive and I’m sure there’s not much work being done on the Digital Photographer team due to the need to fix their Photo Face-Off habit! Have a look at the site and let me know what you think. It could well be something we could implement here on the Photoshop Creative website.

7 August 2008

Are you ready to Photo Face-Off?

Imagine Publishing unveils its latest innovative photography website

Described by photography website regulars as “Pure genius!” and “Highly addictive, I love it!”, Photo

Face-Off (www.photofaceoff.co.uk), the latest new online photograph comparison site from Imagine

Publishing and DPhotographer.co.uk, is already creating a storm online.

Launched in July 2007, Dphotographer.co.uk is the online home of the Digital Photographer magazine,

and provides users with up-to-the minute news, reviews, an active online forum, and an online image

database to showcase all their digital photos which can be uploaded to their own personal.

Photo Face-off utilises the 28,000+ photographs that have already been uploaded to

sister site DPhotographer.co.uk, and randomly selects two shots to battle it out in a simple

point & click competition to see which one wins the face-off. Developed for photographers

by photographers, Photo Face-Off is accessible, fresh and full of inspirational images taken

by amateurs and semi-pro photographers.

Debbi Allen, Editor of Digital Photographer said: “Photo Face-Off is great fun and we’re

keen to offer a better, more interactive and more exciting website, the team behind

dphotographer.co.uk has been working hard to develop this cool new feature.”

Andy Wooldridge, Digital Photographer and Photo Face-Off’s Advertising Executive added:

“This highly addictive feature will drive traffic to the website and give our online advertisers

even more value for money. Photo Face-Off also offers a unique sponsorship opportunity

for one company to maximise branding exposure on what will become the most viewed

area of the site.”

Digital photography has never been bigger news and this is proven by the tremendous

success Digital Photographer has experienced over the past 12 months. 2006 saw the magazine

achieve its highest-ever individual issue sales figures and this has continued into 2007,

and it is one of Imagine’s most successful magazines.

I’ve just spent the weekend in London and had a great time taking photos of all the scenes and sights. Luckily I managed to photograph my way around the city without too much bother - something which cannot be said for an elderly woman in Southampton recently, who was brandished a possible paedophile for photographing an empty paddling pool.Recently, more and more stories are cropping like this in which photographers (both professional and amateurs) are being branded as a nuisance or in some cases even paedophiles simply for taking pictures in public areas. Is it just me or is it political correctness gone mad? I too have been at the receiving end of such treatment in my local train station, being asked by the guard not to take photos of the trains due to ’security reasons’. How on earth a photo of a South West train is breaching security I shall never know!Obviously, as a photographer you have a responsibility to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner. When photographing people, ensure they are happy for you to do so and don’t break any trespassing laws etc etc. But when you are singled out for no reason other than the nervy, twitchy reactions of a society we live in today, who can help but feel frustrated and angry?Photography is something that should be an enjoyable hobby, not a risky escapade. Let’s hope the jittery kill-joys learn to distinguish the innocent photographers from anything more sinister, before outdoor photography is banned altogether.    

Hope you’ve had a good weekend enjoying the sunshine? I’m pleased to announce a great new addition to our team of Photoshop Creative forum moderators. Tim Shelbourne aka TimS will be providing his moderation services as well as brilliant technical advice on the boards from now on.This means we can get your questions answered super quick, so you can progress with your Photoshop projects even faster than before. Tim has many years of Photoshop experience and is talented in all aspects of the program including digital painting, image editing and technique based subjects.To chat to Tim or ask for his advice, head to the Photoshop Creative forum www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/forum     

Sorry if we’ve been a bit quiet on the blog of late - we’ve been beavering away putting the finishing touches to two shiny new products, which are due to hit the shelves in August. First off, there’s the latest installment of the Photoshop Creative Collection - volume 4. This is a book which features 200 pages of the best image editing, artistic and techniques based tutorials and features all in one complete issue. The other little gem we’ve been working on is the Photoshop Creative eMag volume 3. This is a DVD which contains every single page of the magazine in PDF format, ranging from issue 25 - 36. This is a fantastic resource if you’ve missed out on past issues, or simply want to consolidate your collection into one handy disc. Both these products are on sale soon, keep checking the online shop to get your order in! www.imagineshop.co.uk. 

For those of you with a passion for architecture and design, there is a top new art book from Ballistic to check out. Ballistic are the guys who 

publish the gorgeous Expose series of books, which feature top Photoshop and Corel Painter artists.

Take a look below for news on their latest release.

BALLISTIC PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES - ELEMENTAL 3 - The World’s Best Autodesk Art

Adelaide, South Australia - 17th JULY 2008 

The ELEMENTAL series showcases the world’s best digital artwork created with

Autodesk software. ELEMENTAL 3 is packed with exciting imagery from Autodesk

customers with a strong emphasis on architectural and design visualization.

For the first time in an ELEMENTAL title - Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Mudbox

artwork are also included.

The ELEMENTAL series, created in partnership with Autodesk Inc, showcases

the world’s best art created with Autodesk 3D visualization and animation

software. ELEMENTAL 3 continues this partnership and expands the breadth of

the series across more genres and with greater focus on architectural

visualization and design (product and automotive).

“This book is a celebration of digital art. It’s the magic that happens when

great imaginations are paired with great technology. Like its predecessor,

ELEMENTAL 3 features the best-of-the-best Autodesk 3ds Max art. We’re

excited that Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Mudbox artwork is included for the

first time. Congratulations to everyone whose work is featured in ELEMENTAL

3. Prepare to be amazed!”  

Marc Petit, Senior Vice President, Autodesk Media & Entertainment 

For the third edition of ELEMENTAL, Ballistic Publishing appointed an

advisory board to assist in nominating and judging images for the ELEMENTAL

3 awards. All of these people are either leading artists in their own right

or are experienced and respected members of the Autodesk product team.

ELEMENTAL 3 features 246 examples of the world’s best digital art created

with Autodesk software from 170 artists in 43 countries.

Award categories included: Architecture Exterior (Public/Residential);

Architecture Interior (Public/Residential); Architecture/Reconstruction;

Characters; Creatures; Robotic/Cyborg; Product Design; Still Life;

Transport; Abstract; and Environment. A wide range of styles and subject

matter are showcased in ELEMENTAL 3 with an emphasis on architectural

visualization. Several notable architectural firms are represented with

visualizations spanning interior/exterior public spaces, commercial

buildings, and interior/exterior residential spaces.

ELEMENTAL 3 is the only art book showcasing the work of CG artists in

architectural visualization, and is the first Ballistic title to dedicate

half of its pages to architectural subjects. Printed to the highest

standards, the book features individually color-corrected pieces of original

art with a richness and depth not found in other art books.

Pricing and Availability

ELEMENTAL 3 is available in two editions: Hardcover (USD$69); and Limited

Edition (USD$170).

Publication Details:

ISBN: 978-1-921002-53-3 (Hardcover), 978-1-921002-52-6 (Limited Edition)

Pages: 192 pages (Hardcover)/192 pages (Limited Edition)

Dimensions: 220 x 297mm

Editors: Daniel Wade, Paul Hellard

Co-Publishers: Mark Snoswell, Daniel Wade Shipping Now More details about

the books and availability can be found on the Ballistic Publishing website

at: http://www.ballisticpublishing.com/books/elemental3/

*A set of four bonus prints are yours free when you purchase ELEMENTAL 3

Limited Edition.  

Many of you are familiar with our fabulous sister title, Digital Photographer. I’ve just been told they are launching their second Digital Photographer Awards - a fantastic photography competition open to everybody. There are some rather flashy prizes up for grabs, so get snapping! Here are the details:  

Press release

Digital Photographer of the Year Awards 2008

Imagine, the UK’s fastest-growing consumer specialist publisher, is pleased to announce the launch of the Digital Photographer of the Year Awards 2008. Working in conjunction with industry giant Fujifilm, the second DP awards will be introduced to the public in Digital Photographer 72, on sale 17 July 2008. 

In the extremely competitive market, up-and-coming photographers can find it hard to get their work noticed; the Digital Photographer of the Year Awards 2008 aim to give a helping hand to talented individuals and showcase their talents. “Working in conjunction with some of the leading names in the photographic industry, our objective for these awards is to find hidden talent and expose it to the world,” explains editor, Debbi Allen. “Encompassing multiple genres of photography, the awards will showcase the high standards achieved by many enthusiasts and semi-professional photographers.” 

This year’s categories will include Portrait, Landscape, Documentary, Travel, Black and White, Macro, Wildlife and Wedding, with one winner scooping the title of Digital Photographer of the Year and eight separate category winners.

All categories are open for entries from the 17 July 2008 and all categories will close to entries on 14 November. Winners will be announced in issue 78 of the magazine, on sale January 2009. 

Theo Georghiades, Fujifilm’s Senior Product Manager says: “Fujifilm UK Ltd are very pleased to be sponsoring the Digital Photographer of the Year 2008.  Both Fujifilm UK Ltd and Digital Photographer share the same values in terms of quality, creativity and professionalism, and this makes the magazine an ideal partner for us to work with.”

The judging panel boasts Digital Photographer editor Debbi Allen, Imagine Publishing’s Creative Director and keen photographer Mark Kendrick, professional photographer and magazine contributor Mark Cargill and Fujifilm’s Theo Georghiades.

The overall winner will receive a Fujifilm S5 Pro with the eight category winners scooping other Fujifilm cameras, models TBC.

How did Monday come around so quickly?! If you’re feeling a bit glum, we’ve stumbled across this fab competition to cheer you up. To be in with the chance to win an amazing digital SLR, check out the details below: 

Press Release : Win a Canon EOS 450D Digital Camera !PicStop.co.uk is one of the UK’s favourite and most reliable online digital accessory retailers.Here you will find some of the lowest UK prices on Digital Camera & Mobile Phone Memory, Camera Bags, Tripods, Lens Filters, Digital Camera Batteries, Ink Cartridges and the latest MP3 Players. Brands include: Sandisk, Kingston, Sony, Olympus, Fuji, Uniross, Lexar, Tamrac, Velbon, Cokin, Hama, Jobo, Joby, Hoya, Ansmann, Samsonite and JetTec.We are currently running a competition to Win a Canon EOS 450D Digital Camera !Win a Canon EOS 450D Digital Camera ! That’s right, we’re giving away this fantastic Canon EOS 450D kit worth £600.00This is your chance to win what is currently the most sought after DSLR on the market and move your photographic ambitions on to the next level.The 12.2 Megapixel Canon EOS 450D digital camera blends uncompromising performance with ease of use in a lightweight, ergonomic body and has won the TIPA award for the best D-SLR in Europe 2008.Prize Includes:- Canon EOS 450D Body.- Canon EF-s 18-55mm lens.Enter now and you could be the lucky prize winner. Good Luck!Competition closes - 31st August 2008. Go to http://news.dphotographer.co.uk/?p=598 for more details

It’s been a funny old week in the Photoshop Creative office. We’ve been plagued with technical problems from all angles - internet, email and our servers, making it more than a little tricky to get much done at speed. It’s made us all appreciate how reliant we are on modern technology. I can’t imagine ever working in an office with no internet or email - nothing would get done! Luckily we’re all back up and running smoothly (touch wood) so we can plough on and get issue 38 to press. It’s editorial deadline today, so there are a few pages to finish off before they get passed onto Dani to design. Then we have a week to get everything proofed by Colleen our Snr Sub Editor, which then gets proofed by me. So it’s all go, go, go!

Hope you all had a great weekend and not suffering from Monday morning blues!Just a quick reminder that issue 37 goes on sale this week (3rd July) and it’s fabulously jam-packed as ever!7.jpgThis issue we show you how to recreate the beautiful work of American painter Edward Hopper. His gorgeous sunny scenes are sure to give you that summer feeling. Let’s hope it lasts!  

If you haven’t noticed already, the lovely tech people have uploaded a reader survey for you to fill in at your leisure. The purpose of this is to get to know you guys better so we can tailor the mag more specifically to your wants and needs. Reader input contributes to so much of the mag, so trust us when we say your thoughts and comments are noted. There’s nothing too testing in there, just a few multiple choice questions about what you like and dislike. So when you’ve got a sec, click on the link at the top of the page and make our day. It’s completely confidential too, so you can be brutally honest without fear that we’ll be after you! (Like we’d do that). On another note, just thought I’d let you know we’re busy beavering away on the latest Photoshop Creative Collection bookazine Volume 4. The first three Volumes have all sold out so keep your eyes peeled for more info on this one. In the meantime, check out www.imagineshop.co.uk to get hold of magazines and eMags.