This type of imagery has been around for a while and it always reminds me of Monty Python. It’s a unique look that conveys complexity, depth, mystery, or just being mental. Some folks may find it a bit creepy; I find it a lot of fun. Step One: This technique can be used with just about anyone’s head, but if you want to make your job easier, use a head that’s a bit “follicly” challenged. This will make selecting and nesting easier. This image was found on Adobe Stock. Step Two: First, we need to select the head. Whether you have a head with hair or not, one of the best tools to use for...

You may have seen various images that have vines or branches wrapped around products from companies selling anything from fertilizer to beer. It’s a great way to frame the product and draw the eye around the composition to where you want the viewer to look. The technique used to accomplish this look is really easy to apply and has the added benefit of introducing some folks to the power of Puppet Warp. Step One: First, gather your main elements. For this, we’ll be using a generic bottle and a wooden log from Adobe Stock. When you’re looking for an image to use for the vines, you may want...

In the James Bond poster for the new movie Spectre, two things caught my eye: the spider image in the bullet hole and the special treatment of the font. In this lesson, I’m going to show you how to do both effects so that you too can become a criminal mastermind, er, I mean a movie poster guru. Step One: Open the bullet hole image from Adobe Stock. Use the keyboard shortcut Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to make a copy of the Background layer. The top layer will be the working layer and the bottom layer will be the resource layer for the cracks. Step Two: Since we want to create some longer c...

Spent all your money on Creative Cloud and new gear? It is time to get creative. How about making your own cards with some simple and easy to make elements in Illustrator? This class will help you create some great stuff for your family and friends while also helping you gain a greater understanding of how things work in Illustrator.

By taking a few scientific symbols and equations and adding a little Photoshop magic, you can create a wonderful environment full of depth and drama. The end product seems complex, but the steps to achieve the look are really quite simple. Step One: You’re going to want to create a new document for this project, so go to File>New. If you’re using your own vector files, the file size for this example is 5400x4200 pixels at 300 ppi. The reason for creating a large document is that it’s always easier to shrink a large image, but things get blurry when you try to increase the image size a...

For this Holiday season, we thought we’d give you a gift that will keep on giving all year long. This brush will be simple to make, but it can give you myriad looks. You’ll have three different styles of brush when we’re done, but that will just be the starting point for what you can do with this brush. Step One: Open a new document (File>New) that’s 3,000x900 pixels at 300 ppi Resolution, with a white background, and click the Create a New Layer icon. We’re going to create a base shape that will be the foundation of all our holiday brushes. Step Two: Grab the Custom Shape tool (ne...

Join Pete Collins for an illustrated guide to photography for beginners. When you understand what happens inside of your camera and the impact each of the controls has on the final image, you'll be well on your way to creating the types of photographs you envision before you press the shutter. Pete brings home each point with a series of illustrations designed to teach you what you need to know about ISO, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, and much more. By the end of the class you'll be ready to grab your camera and start putting these concepts into practice to take your photographs to the next level.

Join Pete Collins and learn how to take your rough sketches to a full drawing in Adobe Illustrator. In this class Pete teaches you tips, techniques, and tricks that will help you bring your illustrated characters to life. Starting with a simple sketch, whether on paper or digital, Pete takes you through the steps, from getting started on the right foot to all of the finishing touches, that will give you a better understanding for how to use Illustrator in your next drawing project.

Get up to speed on what's new in Illustrator CC 2015! Join Pete Collins as he takes you through the latest and greatest new features, as well as the enhancements to some of your old favorites. Adobe focused on improving your workflow by making everyday tasks easier and less frustrating, and by the end of the class you'll be excited to open up Illustrator and check out what you can do.

What are you really trying to say in your images? Join Pete Collins and Steve Gustafson as they explore the role of composition in your photography as a means to have a dialog between the photographer and the audience. Through the use of examples and discussion Pete and Steve delve into the importance of having all of the elements contained within the frame working together in support of the larger message you are trying to convey, why it is critical that your intention for making a photograph informs the creation of that photograph, and how you can influence a variety of factors at the moment of capture and in post-processing to enhance the strength of your message. Stick around for the bonus lessons at the end where Pete dives a little deeper into a couple of topics to help drive those points home.

In this course Pete Collins will help you understand what Presets are and how they can really help speed up and add creativity to your workflow.

In this course Pete Collins will help you understand how to use the Slideshow and Web Modules and where the limits of each of these lay.

In this course Pete Collins will focus on editing your images in the Develop module. This In Depth walkthrough will cover the panels, tools and workflow tips with the goal of getting you well versed in the process of editing and all of the steps you can take to make your images the best they can be.

Join Pete Collins as he takes you on an in-depth tour of Photoshop's most powerful and useful filters. Whether you are a photographer or a designer, there are filters you'll want to add to your repertoire of techniques. There are so many ways these filters can help you with your work, and once you've had time to experiment with how they can be used you'll be on your way to finding creative ways to implement them in all of your Photoshop projects.

Join Pete Collins as he takes you on a walk through of the incredibly powerful Mixer Brush Tool. The key to getting the most out of the Mixer Brush is in understanding the four key settings that determine just how your strokes will look. Pete takes you through all of the options, shows you how each option works in concert with the others, how to leverage the built-in tool presets, and how to customize them to make your own brushes. Once you get the hang of the Mixer Brush you'll find that you can create strokes, details, and looks that you just can't get any other way.

The Lighting Effects filter is an incredibly powerful filter that can be used for re-lighting an existing photograph in a myriad of creative ways. From the basics of the interface to workflow tips and tricks to advanced projects like changing day to night, Pete Collins shows you everything you need to know about Lighting Effects to start using it in your next project.

Image cropping and resolution are two of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of a digital imaging workflow. Join Pete Collins as he explains the principles you need to understand when cropping, resizing, and preparing your images for output so that you can maintain the highest image quality possible for any job that comes your way.

The cloning and healing tools in Photoshop are incredibly powerful and indispensable for retouching images, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly how these tools work their magic.

Kuler is a great application that will inspire you to become a color master. Pete Collins will take you through the easy operation of the program and show you how to discover, create and edit color themes that will take your creativity to the next level. He will show you how to directly use Kuler inside both Photoshop and Illustrator as well.

Inspiration, Collaboration and Demonstration… these are just three parts of what Behance has to offer. In this class, Pete Collins will show you how to get started using Behance and why it could be a great portal for creativity and feedback. Not only will it open up opportunities for inspiration, it could help you find that creative network or even a dream job.

Illustrator is such a powerful program, but getting started can be a bit daunting. After this introduction make sure to check out Corey Barker's more advanced class.

Join Pete Collins for this special holiday class that is all about taking those Christmas photos on Christmas morning. If you just got a brand new DSLR camera and you want to learn how to make your photos better, sharper, faster, and not drive your family crazy while you do it, then this class is for you!

Every tool in the tool bar explained. If you ever wanted to know what a certain tool does and what settings to change… this is the class for you.

Layer Styles are great at enhancing images, but some of them are just confusing. This class will walk you through each style and show you how they work and what settings make the most impact.

Pete Collins tackles one of the trickiest tools in Photoshop: the Pen Tool. Watch this in-depth look at the tool made easy!

Brushes are some of the most powerful tools in Photoshop and yet all those settings and options can be a challenge. In this class you will learn about each type of brush and take the guess work out of how to use them.

Paths and Shapes are powerful tools in a Designer's arsenal. Understanding what they are and how they work will open up new design opportunities and enhance your creative workflow.

A composite means putting multiple elements together into one image. Those elements have to combine together in way that is seamless and does not distract the eye from the overall image. When setting out to design a composite, there are some important things that you need to focus on. What is the eye looking for? Lighting, Elevation, Noise and Sharpness. In this course, Pete Collins goes over techniques for achieving these and creating a quality composite.

Being able to create artistic images with Photoshop has never been easier with the new brushes and performance delivered in CS6. With the addition of Airbrush and Erodible tips, along with the mixer brush features, you can replicate real world art media and techniques inside of Photoshop. Whether you prefer pastels and oils, or watercolor and cartooning, Pete Collins, co-host of <em>PhotoshopUserTV</em>, will show you how to use the tools and techniques to begin to bring your vision to life.

Photoshop CS6 has loads of new design features from the way it handles type to new vector layers. Understanding all of the various functions geared towards the designer will allow you to become more creative and effective. In this class, Pete Collins, co-host of <em>PhotoshopUserTV</em>, will provide in depth tips and tricks on all of the ways CS6 can make your life much easier.