It takes a while to get to grips with Photoshops’ many shortcuts, but there is no denying that once you have learned the major ones productivity increases massively. This allows you to spend more time on the design and less time hitting F1 or randomly looking through the tools pane for ‘that tool you know you used 10 minutes ago.’

No matter how long you have been using Photoshop it’s a safe bet that every now and again you need a command you don’t know the shortcut for. Print out these handy guides and put them close by so you can learn as you go along. I have elected to print out the shortcuts in function order and have them attached to the wall above my screen – it’s a little embarrassing how many I don’t actually know!

One features a sampling of the Photoshop Toolkit, the other the Magic Eraser (otherwise known as the undo shortcut). More astute readers will realize that the undo shortcut isn’t restricted to Photoshop … but those of us that live and breathe the program will probably not give that much thought.

Check em out:

At only $17 buckaroos a piece (minus shipping) and a bunch of different sizes to choose from printed on snuggly all-cotton American Apparel, pick up one or ten to show your love of Photoshop to whoever stares at your chest!

[Via PixelPusher]
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What do you do now with your new-found superpowers? Sure, you could save damsels in distress, stop bridges from falling, develop a broom to ride to the moon … or you could raise some money to pay for next month’s rent or that slick Segway you’ve been eying. In this exclusive mini series by the Minty Ferret, I’ll show YOU how to turn those hard-earned Photoshop skills into a form of income. That’s right, you can make money with Photoshop working at home! Outlined in this mini-series is a tutorial on how exactly to do just that. Some of these techniques are used by professionals, some are controversial, some make you money while you sleep!

Let’s start with that last one. Stretch, yawn, and head on after the break to learn how to make a passive income - and keep on checking back in the weeks to come or RSS me for more moolah methods!

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Suffice to say, the quality of this set simply blew me away. These are hi-res brushes (some are over 2500pixels) and are simply breath-taking. Kudos to the maker, not only is this a beautiful set but useful as well!

Head on over and give em a download!

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The folks at Filter Forge are giving away a series of high quality plugins based on their filter software of the same name.

I tried both of the two packs available and they are pretty decent. If you like metals or photo editing then they should be right up your street. Take a quick glance at their home page too – the comic and flaky paint filters look great.

If they had some examples of people with those filters applied I would be seriously tempted to check out the free trial.

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Interested in advertising on the Minty Ferret? We get hundreds of visits from Photoshop users and lovers daily! (Check out our Google Analytic’s Stats) If you’re looking for targeted webmaster/graphic artist traffic, you’ve come to the right place. Right now we’re offering 16×16px adicon units on the sidebar for only $2.50 per square per month!

Right now I am filling up spaces for the month of MARCH.

You can buy a row or a single square, it’s up to you. Please purchase through the button below and I’ll be in contact shortly after to get information (site URL, graphic, and position). Payments are made securely through Paypal.

Please Contact me if you have any questions or are having problems.

If you’re interested in a more traditional form of advertising (aka Banner Space) please Contact Me for details (including available spaces, price, and traffic stats).

Just don’t have the cash handy, but have a cool website you want to show off? COMMENT with a link to your website - I’ll choose a few to give a free ad spot (plus free 16×16 graphic designed if you so wish) to!

Google is holding a competition where participants design a Google Doodle! The winner will receive $10,000 for university/college, a trip to the ‘Googleplex’, a laptop, and a t-shirt with their doodle. This contest is limited to students from K-12 and only those living in the United States. So if that applies to you, why not talk to your school administrators about signing up? Do it quick though, the deadline for registration is March 28/08 with the deadline for the actual doodle on April 12/08. 2-36th place finishes will also win a trip to the Googleplex!

In the meantime, why not check out these ten quick tips from the ultimate Google Doodler himself, Dennis Hwang?

1. Make sure your design complements the shape of the letters in the Google logo, but don’t let that restrict your creativity.

2. Experiment with different media to see which one works best for your design (you can even create your doodle on your PC).
3. Don’t over-complicate your design – simpler images often have the most impact.
4. Remember that your design could end up on the Google homepage, so imagine how it will look on screen.
5. To find inspiration around the “What if…?” theme, try thinking about the future and how you would like it to differ from the present.
6. Remember to use color well and think about how it interacts with a white background.
7. Avoid commercial or copyrighted images.
8. Think outside the box – try to create a doodle that’s different from your classmates and hasn’t been done before.
9. Feel free to use the space behind and in front of the Google letters, but try to maintain your design’s overall balance.
10. Have fun! “Doodle 4 Google” is all about creativity and enjoying designing fun things.

[Via Vaoko]
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If you’re lazy and would rather get your grubby hands on the finished product, I have posted up the PSD and various PNG RSS icons for you to download freely. Just check out this post!

However if you want to learn the techniques behind making this:

Then subscribe to my RSS feed and head on after the break!

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I’ve put together a great package of scalable RSS icons for you to use (tutorial on how to make them is here!). Included are PSD files for both large, medium, and small sizes. I’ve also included PNGs of each colour and size if you want to use them right away! You can also create your own colours by adjusting the style of the ‘background’ layer.

These RSS icons are made purely as shapes in Photoshop, so using the PSD file you can scale them easily. I recommend duplicating the folder containing the colour you want onto a new canvas, then scale the entire folder.

So without more blabbering from me, here is the link to the download package. Enjoy!

>> Download the RSS Icon Package Here <<
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Ever want to use your design skills to make a difference?

The American Red Cross is holding a t-shirt designing contest. The winner will receive $1000, media attention, their designed featured on 600,000 shirts, and the knowledge that they’re doing a part in helping those in need!

This contest is open to anyone. The winning shirt will be given to youth volunteers (high schools and colleges) who donate blood as a thank you gift and to incite others to donate as well. The deadline for this contest is March 21, 2008 and winners will be announced on April 4, 2008.

So roll up those sleeves (hah!) and get cracking!

[Via You the Designer]
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