1. Computing & Technology

Dreamy Orton Effect

Orton Effect

This Photoshop action creates an Orton Effect on your image to give it a dreamy quality. The Orton Effect works best on candid portraits, landscapes, and photos of children or animals.

More Photoshop Actions
Graphics Software Spotlight10

Make Quick Collages with Free Vision Board Builder

Tuesday May 15, 2012
Vision Board Builder is a free application designed to build montages of photos quickly and easily. While it is possible to produce photo montages in image editors like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, Vision Board Builder is specifically designed for this purpose. This makes it very easy for less experienced users to produce attractive results quickly.
Free Photo Montage Maker: Vision Board Builder

Great New Features of GIMP 2.8

Thursday May 10, 2012
More than a year ago, Ian Pullen wrote about some of the upcoming features we could expect in GIMP 2.8. Well, now GIMP 2.8 is finally released, with the highly anticipated Single Window Mode as one of the new features. If you had been disappointed with GIMP in the past, it might be time to give it another try. Let us know what you think by posting a quick user review.
The Improvements in GIMP 2.8
The GIMP Review
GIMP Tutorials
Reader Reviews of GIMP

Frame a Photo Like a Polaroid

Thursday May 10, 2012
Adding a Polaroid frame to a photo is a neat effect for when you want to add a little something to a photo you plan to use on the Web or in a scrapbook layout. Check out my tutorial on how to turn a photo into a Polaroid using Photoshop Elements to learn how to create the frame from scratch. Or you can just download my ready-to-use Polaroid frame to quickly add this effect to any photo without having to create the Polaroid frame from scratch. You can use the Polaroid frame in any photo-editing software with layers capability and support for PSD or PNG file types.
Polaroid Frame Template Download and Instructions
Turn a Photo into a Polaroid using Photoshop Elements

Custom Cupcake Wrapper in Adobe Illustrator

Tuesday May 8, 2012
Cupcake Wrapper in Illustrator
© Sandra Trainor
This tutorial will show you how to use Illustrator to make a cupcake wrapper design for a baby shower. Once you learn how, you can create your own designs to tie in with the theme of any Special occasion, be it a holiday, birthday, or a day to say "congratulations!"

You'll start with a template, and use a variety of tools, such as the Ellipse tool, Rectangle tool, Scissors tool, Line tool, Arc tool, Scale tool, and Rotation tool. You'll also add color using the Color Picker, and add type to a curved path.

Create a Custom Cupcake Wrapper in Illustrator

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