Computer Arts Projects issue 91

Everybody knows what Photoshop work looks like, or at least we used to. That sheen, that glow, those filter effects were unmistakable – and every time a new version was released, it didn’t take long for the latest tools and effects to make their presence felt. It wasn’t quite the tail wagging the dog; I’d like to think it was just artists and illustrators letting their enthusiasm for the undoubted power and versatility of the software run away with them.

Now, though, things are different. It’s not that Adobe has stopped packing new features into each release, or that users have lost their enthusiasm for Photoshop – quite the contrary. Rather, there seems to be a consensus growing among practitioners that subtlety and finesse are more important than flashy filters, that the point of using Photoshop is not to make it evident you’ve used Photoshop but to make effective art.

In this spirit, Computer Arts Projects this issue celebrates the rediscovery of Photoshop in a number of fields, from illustration and design to film and advertising. We showcase and speak to users who have embraced this fresh approach, and show you how to get the best from Photoshop in new contexts.

On top of all that, we’re also giving away a free ‘Digital Artist Showcase’ supplement packed with inspirational work and practical insights from ten of our favourite artists today. Hope you’ll enjoy their work as much as we do!

Dom Hall, Editor

FEATURES

Showcase
We round up some Photoshop masters and new talent to show the versatility of the program

Landmarks
Photoshop projects that set new standards in their respective fields, from film posters to fonts

Rediscover Photoshop
What’s happening to Photoshop right now? What’s really pushing the boundaries and reinventing the medium? We speak to the artists and agencies at the leading edge

Design for film and web
Industry experts explain how Photoshop works for them in print and web work as well as the recent BBC1 hippo ident…

Body politics
Manipulated imagery has become the norm in advertising. We look at the possibilities and pitfalls of using Photoshop in ad photography

PROFILES

Attik
Having set up shop 20 years ago in the roof of a house, these Photoshop pioneers have now risen to even loftier multimedia design heights

Nik Ainley
How he creates his elaborate, sometimes violently graphic, images in Photoshop

Mizo
Photographer Zoren Gold and designer/illustrator Minori Murakami on what drives them to create their dreamy, sensual imagery

TUTORIALS

B-movie poster art
Use unconventional methods to create a period film poster entirely in Photoshop. Derek Lea takes some photographic source material and transforms it into illustration, adds a few bitmap tricks, and more…

Sharpen your imaging skills: masking masterclass
Find out how to use Photoshop's different masking options so you can deal effectively with compositions that bring together material from different source media

Get more from CS2
Still using Photoshop CS2 in the old familiar ways in which you used earlier versions? We encourage you to experiment with CS2's support for HDR images, Spot Healing Brush, Smart Objects, Warp tool and more

Design a graphic-rich website in Photoshop
Forget HTML, tables and cells. You can now create enticing graphical web pages rich in textures and complete with animations, all put together within Photoshop CS2

ON THE CD

Eight great advertising spots from Attik
A selection of Shinybinary Photoshop work
Dream Suite Series 1 – 18 Premium Visual Effects for photo-realistic results
Photoshop plug-ins and actions
...and much more!