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Free Photoshop Shapes: Download Custom Shapes Sets

Barbara Holbrook — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:41 +0000

Photoshop shapes are different than Photoshop brushes, although some people use the terms interchangeably, they refer to completely different tools. Both tools will allow you to easily add custom elements that be stamped out over and over again, used to create patterns, transferred from one design to another, and stored in your Photoshop library for use on your next project.

The big difference between custom brushes and custom shapes is that brushes create a bitmapped element that is permanently painted onto a layer. Custom Photoshop shapes will add an editable vector shape on it’s own layer. This is especially useful because it makes it easy to change the color or size of your custom item should you change your mind while working on the design.

Adding custom brushes and custom shapes to your Photoshop presets is an invaluable timesaver. Today, we’ll help you start your collection with this list of 10 Places to Download Free Custom Shape sets for Photoshop. (...)
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5 More Places to Buy Joomla Templates

Barbara Holbrook — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:38 +0000

Last week we posted an article about where to find joomla templates. After being roundly smacked about by our readers for leaving out some of the larger (and popular) Joomla template design websites, we’ve decided to try and redeem ourselves with yet another article about finding quality Joomla Templates.

Like we said earlier, a well-made template is the foundation for a good website. If the template doesn’t include the right code for proper SEO, then it’s going to make life difficult later. This is as true for Joomla as it is for Wordpress, or Drupal. That is why we recommend sourcing out premium template companies that you can rely on. (...)
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5 Cool Places to Find Joomla Themes

Spencer Spellman — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:00:05 +0000

One of the most important things about building a website or blog is the significance of having an attractive design. It’s imperative to have a theme that not only looks good, but is fully functional and formats properly on the majority of popular web browsers. For most users, finding or designing a template is the first thing they set out to do.

If you’re a new user or want to give your site some pop to it, you might need to consider using a premium template, — which usually means that you’ll have to pay for it. The benefit of buying a template is that it usually requires less work to get started. However, some free templates are still worth it, if you’ve got the skills to fix it up yourself or are willing to hire a designer to do the work for you.

Below I’ve listed the 5 coolest places to find Joomla templates. (...)
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13 Places to Download Awesome Premium WordPress Themes

Joel Reyes — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:33 +0000

The search for Wordpress themes is never-ending. Should you find a free theme? Or shell out the bucks for a premium theme?

While exceptional content doesn’t need to be pretty to communicate, we can’t help wanting a little style with our substance.

If you’re like us, you want an eye-catching Wordpress layout that looks sharp, creative and has as much style as your writing. Something unique and beautifully coded to render across all browsers, and maybe add a little SEO juice too.

The best Wordpress themes offer all of that. And, often come with a pretty good support forum too. Some of these Worpress themes are free, but don’t be afraid to pay for something exceptional. Let’s visit 13 amazing places you can go to get awesome premium Wordpress themes.

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10 Places to Download Free Icon Sets

Joel Reyes — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:52 +0000

Whether you want to spice up the look of your desktop, create a unified theme on your website, or use them for graphic design, matching icon sets come in handy. Although in recent times the use of icons has shifted towards web and interface design, icon sets are useful for many purposes.

If you have the proper skills, you can use applications such as Illustrator to customize your vectors and design a spiffy icon set, but why re-create the wheel?

Here are 10 top resources for free icon sets. Download them directly onto your desktop for instant beautification. (...)
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10 WordPress Tips & Tricks for Your Comment Page

Joel Reyes — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:02 +0000

From a site owner and an avid bloggers perspective, if you create a blog and take the time to formulate useful content for your visitors to read, then you’d like them to share their insight and contribute to your collection of hard-pressed articles. Correct? Therefore, if by creating quality content this means that one will receive useful and valuable feedback, then why not bring creativity and uniqueness to that aspect of your blog?

One of the greatest rewards a blogger can receive is the feedback given by their readers; this is why leaving comments should be fun, easy, and entertaining. Below you will find 10 of the top creative WordPress tips and tricks for your comment page that will surely make your blogging life not only simpler, but fun for your readers. (...)
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5 Must Have Twitter Applications

Spencer Spellman — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:00:39 +0000

By this time you’re probably getting quite familiar with Twitter. Terms like retweet and #followfriday are regular occurring terms in your Twitter feed. However, if you really want to take advantage of Twitter, it’s time to tap into the extensive archive of Twitter applications.

Third-party Twitter applications give users the ability to have a more personal or customized Twitter experience. Maybe you want to search for particular search terms on Twitter or chat about a specified topic or have a more streamlined version of Twitter.

No matter what type of experience or customization you want, there’s probably a Twitter application for it. Here’s my list of the 5 must-have Twitter applications: (...)
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15 Places to Find Awesome Free Photoshop Brush Sets

Joel Reyes — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:00:41 +0000

Even the best of us creative types struggle with what I like to call “designer’s block,” staring at a blank canvas in your favorite graphics editing program for hours. It can be downright difficult to find inspiration when starting a design from scratch. I have often found that one great source of inspiration are Photoshop brush sets.

Depending on the type of website, I might choose to create my design based on a set of grunge brushes. Or for a more artistic website, I could choose a set of nature brushes. Regardless of what your needs are, there are places to find awesome brush sets for Photoshop — and they won’t cost you a penny! What’s more is that there are no limits to how you can use these free photoshop brush sets in your designs, it’s all up to your imagination.

Without further ado, here are 15 great places to find awesome free Photoshop brush sets. (...)
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5 Ways to Advertise without a Budget

Jen Nipps — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:00:15 +0000

You’ve decided to go into business for yourself as a freelancer. You have your business idea, your preferred niche, and some contacts and potential clients. How do you get new clients without paying a lot for advertising?

Here are five tips for advertising without a budget: (...)
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25 Places to Find Awesome Stock Photos — Free and Cheap!

Joel Reyes — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:00:33 +0000

Whether you’re designing an artistic website or searching for images to post on your blog, sites that carry not only free but awesome stock photos may very well come in handy. Utilizing the correct set of photos for any project is key, especially if you’re designing an ad for a client, you should always put in your best effort as well as the best images you can find fit for the job.

Many of the designers I’ve come across like to download most of their images from 2-3 of the largest sites containing stock photos, however as creative artists I believe we should play the mix and match game that allows us to choose from wide variety of stock images instead of the same “old” set of photos we may be fond of.

Giving a project that requires stock images your best should include photos that are not only sharp, but clear as well. Here we’ll have the pleasure to visit a few awesome (25 to be exact) sites that’ll provide all the needed images to fuel any project, job, or site requiring stock photos. (...)
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