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.

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     

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!

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.