This week's graphics challenge theme is Graphics Q&A. Not question and answer; the challenge is to put together an image with at least three elements that begin with the letters Q and A. Give it a try and have fun with it! Read more...

It's easy to add text to a circle in Illustrator. You just draw a circle, choose the Path Text Tool, click the circle and type. The tricky (and infuriating) part comes when you want to add two different phrases and have one right side up at the top of the circle and one right side up at the bottom of the circle. Here's the trick!
• Put Text Around a Circle with Illustrator CS3

Many people don't realize there is a built in feature for quickly viewing pictures in Mac OS X. You don't need to open iPhoto or install any third party software to see a thumbnail index or a quick slide show of your pictures--just use the built in Slideshow feature.
• How to View an Index Sheet of Pictures with Mac OS X

I've updated the instructions for my Free Layer Mask Tool for Photoshop Elements to work with Photoshop Elements 6 on Mac OS X. The layer mask tool also works in earlier version of Photoshop Elements for Windows and Mac.
• Free Layer Mask Tool for Photoshop Elements

Also see:
• How to Use Free Photoshop Content in Photoshop Elements
• How to Use Photoshop Actions in Photoshop Elements

I've recently learned that the Microsoft Group Shot beta software I posted about two years ago has expired. Since Microsoft has not yet released a public version of this technology, I suggest those seeking an alternative explore the Photomerge Group Shot feature included in the newest version of Photoshop Elements 6.

Do you know of another alternative to Group Shot? If so, please tell us about it in the comments for the original post.

"The faces that have charmed us the most escape us the soonest." -Sir Walter Scott

This week's graphics challenge theme is Faces. The idea is to take elements of the starting images provided, and create a new face. So use your imagination and have some fun with it! Read more...

With Arizona Kate's 'Creative Lettering' tutorial you'll learn to draw your own letters instead of using a font. The 'bubble letter' shapes are all pretty simple to create using the vector tools in Paint Shop Pro. There are many fun uses for these fat, stylized letter shapes and it's also very good node editing practice! You'll also learn how to use the bubble letters as a photo-collage or frame.
• Draw Bubble Letters with Paint Shop Pro

"Screen shot" is the phrase used to describe the action of capturing your computer desktop or anything shown on your computer screen to a static image file. In other words, it is a way of taking a snapshot, or picture, of your computer screen. Some people also call it a screen grab. Screen shots can be very helpful when you need to demonstrate something that would be difficult to explain in words. Learn what you need to know about screen shots and how to take them no matter what operating system you use.
• What is a Screen Shot? How do I Take a Screen Shot?

Adding a visible watermark is a common way of identifying images and protecting them from unauthorized use online. Learn how to create an effective watermark and apply it to your digital photos or art work.
• What is a Watermark? How Do I Watermark my Digital Images?

One of Paint Shop Pro's popular painting tools is the Picture Tube, commonly called 'Tubes'. With a small collection of Tube files (*.tub) you can create a tube painting . In this tutorial, Arizona Kate shows you how to create a 'Summer Cottage' landscape painting with a few tubes you probably already have. Along the way, she'll show you a few artistic tricks to fine tune your tubes to add more interest and depth to your painting.
• Summer Cottage Tube Painting Paint Shop Pro Tutorial
• What Are Picture Tubes?