3D Halftone pack contains 16 very BIG (~2400×2400px) brushes compatible with PS 7 and up!

Download:

3D Halftone Brushes are available for download here.

Licensing:

Free for non-commercial use; for commercial use contact artist.

Artist:

env1ro
[website]

From speeding up your workflow, to creating dramatic looks that you can’t get anywhere else, the Totally Rad family of Photoshop actions has you covered.

Give your images a boost with a tried and true set of Photoshop actions that play well together. As well, gain unprecedented flexibility over the look of your images and escape canned looks.

TRA2 – The Revenge – Version 1.2

57 new, cutting-edge Photoshop actions — TRA2 – The Revenge is the cutting-edge new action set from the creators of the beloved Totally Rad Action Mix. TRA2 is a completely new set of actions for Adobe Photoshop that work together as a system, giving you an unprecedented blend of convenience and flexibility. This action set will unlock countless possibilities for making your photos shine, from dramatic black and whites, to vintage color effects, to everyday utilities to enhance your images. TRA2 is also the perfect compliment to the original Totally Rad Action Mix, adding powerful tools to your arsenal, while working seamlessly with the tools you already know and love.

TRA2 also improves on the things that made the Totally Rad Action Mix great. By keeping even more of the actions steps in separate layers, control freaks can now tweak the look of their images even further. And the experience and feedback we’ve received on the first set has been put to good use, creating actions that are more intelligent, and that work well across an even broader range of images.

Check out the complete list of actions included in TRA2 in the user manual at www.gettotallyrad.com/docs/TRA2.pdf

TRA1 – The Original – Version 1.2a

46 ass-kicking actions for Adobe Photoshop. — The Totally Rad Action Mix is a collection of 46 actions for Adobe Photoshop that will help you take your images to a new level. From transforming the mood of an image, to creating classic looks, to making your subjects look flawless, everything we use in our studio is included in this set. Built to be versatile and tweakable, the Totally Rad Action Mix contains hundreds of possibilities for your images.

Check out a complete list of the actions in TRA1 at www.gettotallyrad.com/docs/TRA1.pdf

Note – as of 11/14/08, the Original TRA Mix includes 50 actions (4 extras with version 1.2). There are 4 more actions included, which are variants or improvements on the original 46. Version 1.2 is 100% compatible with Photoshop CS4.

Totally Rad Mega Mix – Version 1.2a

The Totally Rad Mega Mix contains all the actions from both TRA1 and TRA2 – 103 in total. You’ll have a complete set of tools to perfect your images – everything, including retouching, sharpening, contrast control, toning, color enhancement, and spectacular effects will all be at your fingertips. And you’ll save some money buying them both together, too.

Check out a complete list of all the actions included in the user manuals at www.gettotallyrad.com/docs/TRA2.pdf and www.gettotallyrad.com/docs/TRA1.pdf

Compatibility:

Operating systems:

• Apple Mac OS X
• Microsoft® Windows®

Hosts (for Mac OS X):

• Adobe Photoshop (CS2, CS3, CS4)

Hosts (for Windows®):

• Adobe Photoshop (CS2, CS3, CS4)

Download a Demo / Trial:

You can try out the Totally Rad! Action by clicking on their “Try Em” link at the top of their official site.

To try out a sample set of three (3) Photoshop actions from the Original Totally Rad Actions Mix, and five (5) Photoshop actions from TRA2 – The Revenge; just provide them your email address and they’ll send you the download information. [Note: You will also be automatically signed up for their mailing list -- which one can unsubscribe if they so choose.] When you get the email, simply follow the link in the email and you’ll be well on your way to discovering the Radness! RHAR!

Purchase and Download:

(Note: Prices shown are valid as of the date of this post; prices may be subject to change.)

TRA2 – The Revenge – Version 1.2
Buy for $159.00 here

Totally Rad Mega Mix – Version 1.2a
Buy for $279.00 here

TRA1 – The Original – Version 1.2a
Buy for $149.00 here

AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.2 is an extremely high quality, powerful and flexible Adobe® Photoshop® filter plug-in (8bf). It works with either image editing application (host) that supports Adobe’s specification for Photoshop® plugins (8bf).

This plug-in has the ALL NEW and unrivalled engine that lets you not only bend the image, using two types of bending (curling and folding), but also texturize it (using the bump maps), orient it in 3D space (including the perspective distortions) and obtain total control over the process of lighting the image (including the option of dropping inner shadows).

We consider AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.2 as the multi-purpose plug-in that may be used not only as the page bender, but also as the Texturizer, Lighting lab, etc.

The User Interface of AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.2 is extremely convenient and has some unique features that make your work with the plug-in both very efficient and pleasant at the same time.

New in version 2.2:

• FULL compatibility with Adobe Photoshop CS3 and CS4 (Mac OS X and Windows 32 bit), including support of the Smart Filters and Video Layers (for PS CS3/CS4 Extended) options of this host!
• Mac version of AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.2 is now Universal application and therefore can be successfully used on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Mac computers.
• User interface enhancements – now you can reach the Define menu for either page sides’ content or bump maps’ content by right-clicking your mouse (or Mac: Ctrl+Click) on the appropriate Content’s preview areas. Plus, a mouse double click on the page sides’ content preview areas calls the Color Picker window of the host.
• Improved performance.

Difference between the PRO and the “Regular” versions:

• The Multi-bend option: the ability to create several bends within the single session of the plug-in.
• The ability to orient the page in 3D including adjustable perspective.
• The ability to specify the Limit of the page turn and as a result the ability to create the “non-complete” page curling effect.
• The ability to make the bent part of the page to be cut into the remaining part of the page.
• The ability to use the Advanced Lighting mode for obtaining the total control over the process of lighting the page.
• The ability to drop the Inner Shadows with adjustable Opacity and Size.
• The ability to texturize either side of the page by using the grayscale images (called Bump Maps), with which you can manipulate inside the plug-in.
• Multi-level Undo option.

Compatibility:

Operating systems:

Apple Mac OS X v10.1 and higher (PPC),
v10.4 and higher (Intel)

Microsoft® Windows® 98, Me,
NT4(Service Pack 4+), 2000, XP, 2003, Vista

Hosts (for Mac OS X):

• Adobe Photoshop 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3, CS4
• Adobe Image Ready 7.0, CS, CS2
• Adobe Photoshop Elements (2.0 and higher)
• Adobe Fireworks (MX and higher) (formerly Macromedia Fireworks)

Hosts (for Windows®):

• Adobe Photoshop (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3, CS4(32 bit))
• Adobe Image Ready (2.0 and higher)
• Adobe Photoshop Elements (1.0 and higher)
• Adobe Fireworks (MX and higher) (formerly Macromedia Fireworks)
• Corel Photopaint (8 and higher)
• Corel Paint Shop Pro (5 and higher) (formerly Jasc Paint Shop Pro)
• ACD Systems Canvas Professional 8.0.1 (formerly Deneba Canvas)
• Ulead Photoimpact (8 and higher)

Download and Purchase Options:

• Download Free Demo
• Buy for $45.95 (one unit) here

This is why we’ve put together our top 5 “Cheap” – price not quality – stock photography sites.

Yes, Cheap, as in the following resources are relatively inexpensive in price; compared to some of the other sites out there.

And, as mentioned, don’t worry about losing any level of quality with the more affordable pricing — all of these sources have top-notch content.

Dreamstime is a distinguished leader in stock photography and a major supplier of high quality digital images at unbelievable prices. All stock images available are provided by Dreamstime community’s photographers, shot on film or digital and approved by our editors. Structured on categories and subcategories, the database is renewed with thousands of fresh images and titles on a daily basis.

Dreamstime provides imagery to an infinite gamut of clients in the creative market from independent customers in the private sector to Fortune 500 companies (including the world’s largest advertising agencies, national and international magazines, film and television production companies).

Unique to the stock agencies market, Dreamstime features DreamFinder™, an unlimited, multi-tiered, in-depth search engine that extends improved navigation and accessibility within the web pages with refined and advanced search options as they pertain to keywords or excluded keywords, price, content, photographer-specific, resolution, photos/illustrations, color/monochrome and orientation.

As of December 2007, Dreamstime numbers 500,000 registered members, more than 26,000 contributing photographers and over 2,000,000 images online. With unique visitors exceeding 4,000,000 monthly, the agency occupies the 3rd place in stock photography audience and image licensing worldwide.

iStockphoto is the internet’s original member-generated image and design community. Find your inspiration on the world’s leading royalty-free stock destination. Search for over 4 million photographs, vector illustrations, video footage, audio tracks and Flash files. Buy stock or sell stock — or both.

There are more than 70,000 artists from all over the world contributing their artwork to iStock. Their images, illustrations, and videos sell in the world’s busiest royalty-free market.

Fotolia is the first worldwide social marketplace for royalty free stock images, allowing individuals and professionals to legally buy and share stock images and illustrations.

Fotolia offers the largest image bank of free and affordable royalty free photos and illustrations perfect for any medium, web or print.

Photographers and designers constantly update Fotolia with thousands of new photos and illustrations each day, while photographers and designers receive commission from each photo sold and revenue from advertising on the free section.

Similar to the music or film industry, we believe that every artist’s (photographers and designers) image is a work of the soul and protected by intellectual property rights.

Fotolia is convinced that the principle reason for illegal pirated use of protected images is mainly due to the high price barrier created by other agencies.

Fotolia provides a compromise between photographers and buyers, by protecting a photographer’s intellectual property rights and offering high commissions, while legally lowering the price barrier so that everyone may enjoy/afford these beautiful images.

Fotolia challenges the traditional closed agency model by offering the opportunity to monetize their talents to everyone, hobbyist or professional, whatever their fame, status, or size of portfolio may be.

Thanks to our collaborative online model, Fotolia is able to offer individuals and professionals (advertising agencies, press, small business, graphic artists, designers) the greatest image collection in the world for free or as little as $ 1.

Stockxpert is a royalty free stock photography community with the goal to provide customers with affordable stock imagery while offering a powerful tool to photographers and digital artists to promote and sell their work.

First of all we have great prices! You can get stock images for as low as $1, and you can save even more with our packages and subscriptions! We have MILLIONS of high quality images covering a vast number of topics in over 150 categories, and we add nearly 50,000 new images every week!

We have a crisp and clean interface with an innovative lightbox which will make your browsing experience smooth and enjoyable.

We use leading payment processors such as Paypal and Worldpay to handle transactions, so you can always be sure that your purchases are 100% secure! You can even pay via bank transfer if that’s more convenient for you.

Our friendly customer support team is always ready to answer your questions and suggestions. Please feel free to contact us any time if you need assistance! You can use our service with confidence.

Shutterstock is the largest subscription-based stock photo agency in the world. Every day we add thousands of photographs, illustrations, and vectors to our outstanding collection of premium, royalty-free images. You can choose a 25-A-Day Subscription for the greatest savings (get 25 downloads every day — that’s 750 each month) or select an On Demand Subscription for the greatest flexibility (use downloads whenever you need them for up to a year). Select the plan that’s best for you, or choose as many different plans as you need, and start downloading today.

Did we overlook a great resource? If so, let us know.

Why is stock photography so beneficial? Well, simply put, publishers, advertising agencies, graphic artists, and others use stock photography to fulfill the needs of their creative assignments.

Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses.

A customer who uses stock photography instead of hiring a photographer can save time and money, but can also sacrifice creative control.

Needless to say, but in most cases, there is a shot out there, readily available, perfect for one’s needs.

Without further delay, here are the top 10 FREE stock photography sites that we’re KEEN on.

Stock.XCHNG, the leading FREE stock photo site!

Whether you just want to browse our huge image gallery or want to share your own photos with others, this is the site for you!

Browse through the categories of our huge gallery containing over 350.000 quality stock photos by more than 30.000 photographers! Need a wallpaper for your desktop or illustration for your blog? Need a pic for your commercial website design? Looking for inspiration? Have a look around.

Share your photos with fellow designers! SXC is a friendly community of photography addicts who generously offer their works to those who need them free of charge. If you have some nice photos that you’d like to share with others, join us! Not only it feels great to share, you will also get a huge exposure for your work!

PhotoXpress.com is the world’s largest free premier-quality image bank, providing creative professionals a vast and legal image library for both personal and professional use – including Web site design, brochure illustrations, advertisements and editorial illustrations. Launched in May, 2009, and based in Hartford, CT, PhotoXpress.com features more than 350,000 images in 22 categories, with subjects ranging from people in professional settings to international scenic shots.

PhotoXpress works with professional stock imagery providers worldwide to provide our members with the best free content available. Our partnerships allow our already vast image library to be updated on a daily basis, with up to 1,000 new images being added each and every day.

If you are new to the stock photography usage scene, one might have some questions about what certain terms mean in regards to the photos themselves.

What does Royalty-free (RF) and Rights-managed (RM) mean?

.

Royalty-free (RF)

“Free” in this context means “free of royalties (paying each time you use an image)“. It does not mean the image is free to use without purchasing a license or that the image is in the public domain.

• Pay a one-time fee to use the image multiple times for multiple purposes (with limits).
• No time limit on when the buyer can use an image.
• No one can have exclusive rights of a Royalty-free image (the photographer can sell the image as many times as he or she wants).
• A Royalty-free image usually has a limit to how many times the buyer can reproduce it. For example, a license might allow the buyer to print 500,000 brochures with the purchased image. The amount of copies made is called the print run. Above that print run the buyer is required to pay a fee per brochure, usually 1 to 3 cents. Magazines with a large print run cannot use a standard Royalty-free license and therefore they either purchase images with a Rights-managed license or have in-house photographers.

Rights-managed (RM)

(sometimes called “licensed images”)

The value of a license is determined by the use of the image, which is generally broken down along these lines;

• Usage: (eg. Advertising – “Above the Line”, Corporate – “Below the Line” or Editorial – “News Media”)
• Specific Use: (eg. Billboard, Annual Report, Newspaper article)
• Duration: (eg. 1 month, 2 months, 1 Year, 2 Years etc)
• Print Run: (eg. up to 10,000, up to 1m)
• Territory: (eg; USA, Europe, UK, Germany, or whatever combination of territories are required)
• Size: (how big is the image to be used – 1/4 page, 1/2 page, full page, or double page spread)
• Industry: (Industry type – eg. Consumer Electronics, Marine Engineering, Financial Services etc)
• Exclusivity: (Exclusive, or Non Exclusive)

The terms of the license are clearly defined and negotiated so that the purchaser receives maximum value, and is protected in their purchase by a certain level of exclusivity.

Rights-managed licenses provide assurance that an image will not be used by someone else in a conflicting manner. The agreement can include exclusivity, and usually recognises that this represents added value. Not all Rights-managed licenses are exclusive, that must be stipulated in the agreement.

A Rights-managed image usually allows a much larger print run per image than a Royalty-free license.

Editorial is a form of rights-managed license when there are no releases for the subjects. Since there are no releases the images cannot be used for advertising or to depict controversial subjects, only for news or educational purposes.

KEEN Reminder

» Always reference your selected resource’s image license agreement.

[Currently organizing all elements of KEEN; will be online ASAP.]