BlogmyQuery – BMQ

By Joshua Ellis

Generative art is a sort of blanket term for any sort of art which is created or composed using algorithmic or random processes, such as Brian Eno‘s 77 Million Paintings, which composites Eno’s visual art in such a way that there are literally 77 million possible combinations.

Other generative pieces serve as visualizations or realizations of abstract data sets or other information: one excellent example of this is Robert Hodgin’s "Magnetosphere", which uses incoming audio data to create beautiful abstract animations of stars and planets moving in a complex dance. Hodgin’s piece eventually became the current default visualizer for iTunes.

While this may sound a bit arcane, generative processes can be a valuable addition to any designer’s skillset, particularly for automating tedious tasks like creating “randomized” artwork or simulating realistic natural phenomena that are difficult to intentionally copy, like physical landscapes. It can also be a great way to rethink how you use your existing tools, like Actionscript or Illustrator.

Here’s a list of some inspirational and practical resources to help you explore the rich world of generative art and design.

You might also like to check out our article 45 Amazing Examples of Code Generated and 3D CG Artworks.

Inspiration

Joshua Davis

Joshua Davis (aka praystation) is one of the earliest artists to begin working with Flash/Actionscript as a generative artistic medium. His work includes the seminal and influential once-upon-a-forest art project as well as commercial generative work for BMW, Motorola and the band Tool. He is also the co-author of the Hype Actionscript 3 framework (see below).

Erik Natzke

Along with Joshua Davis, Erik Natzke is another generative Actionscript innovator, though his work tends to be more organic and "painterly", as opposed to Davis’ highly graphical style. Natzke recently created a collaborative interactive animation with French artist Genevieve Gauckler for Adobe’s Shortcut To Brilliant site, showcasing their CS4 suite.

Jared Tarbell

Jared Tarbell is one of the founders of Etsy, the popular site that allows artisans to sell their own handmade work, but he’s also a well-known and respected generative artist. Tarbell works in both Actionscript and Processing (see below) to create his delicate pieces, many of which — such as Substrate, seen above — can actually be run directly on his site.

Brian Eno

Brian Eno is one of the heavyweights of generative art. The former keyboardist for Roxy Music, creator of the “ambient” music genre and the iPhone Bloom app, and a well-known music producer for acts such as U2, Talking Heads and Coldplay, Eno is also a visual artist and designers whose work has appeared internationally. Recently, his 77 Million Paintings piece was projected onto the curved arches of the Sydney Opera House, as part of the Luminous Festival, which Eno curated.

Eno is also the co-creator of the Oblique Strategies, a deck of card which provides gnomic advice for artists who are creatively stuck.

Karsten Schmidt

Karsten Schmidt (aka toxi) is a British-based visual designer and coder whose work often transcends the screen in physical, interactive installations (like the sound-responsive LED floor above, created for the launch of audio manufacturer KEF’s Muon speakers). Schmidt releases much of his code as open-source, including his Processing toxiclibs (see below).

Daniel Shiffman

Daniel Shiffman is an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU and an artist and writer on Processing and other generative systems. His Vector3D libraries for Processing (for creating and storing 3D vector data) were so widely used that they were ultimately incorporated into the language as built-in functions. Like Karsten Schmidt, Shiffman’s work often involves real-world physical interaction with digital media, such as Reactive (2003).

Robert Hodgin

Robert Hodgin is a visual Processing/Flash artist and co-founder of the Barbarian Group (which he recently left to devote himself full-time to large scale installation work). As mentioned in the introduction to this article, Robert’s Magnetosphere Processing app became so popular that Apple incorporated it as the default visualizer for iTunes. Robert’s blog, Flight404, features a lot of useful information on both his creative and technical processes.

John Maeda

When he was a software engineering student at MIT in the 1980s, John Maeda became fascinated with the graphic design and typography of Paul Rand and Muriel Cooper. Maeda began to explore the odd landscape where software and graphic design came together, producing generative / algorithmic pieces that were far ahead of their time. In 1999, he was named as one of the 21 most important people of the 21st century by Esquire magazine

After serving for 12 years as associate director of research at the MIT Media Lab, Maeda became president of the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.

Resources and Tutorials

Processing

Processing is a programming language originally developed by Ben Fry and Casey Reas when they were MIT Media Lab students under John Maeda. It’s essentially a dialect of Java, with a custom IDE and specific functions and constructs for visual/aural/interactive design, as well as interacting with external data sources and devices (such as webcams and the Arduino prototyping board). It runs on Windows. Mac OS X and Linux.

Processing is a great place for visual artists and designers to start programming, due to its relative simplicity and ease of use.

NodeBox

NodeBox is a Mac OS X app for creating static or animated visuals using the Python scripting language. Similar to Processing, NodeBox focuses more specifically on generative graphics. A great tool for developers who are already familiar with Python.

Hype framework

Hype is an Actionscript 3 framework developed by Joshua Davis and Branden Hall, designed to facilitate the creation of generative Flash-based artwork by providing pre-built functions for often-used tasks (such as laying objects out on a grid or making an object follow the mouse). There’s no formal documentation as of yet; the existing examples simply have source code displayed, but if you’re an intermediate or better AS coder, the code is clean and easy to follow. Davis and Hall also offer workshops for the framework, which you can register for from the site.

Generator.x

Generator.x is a blog/resource site for generative art. The Tools & Code section of the site features great links to software and code examples to check out. The site also has a Twitter feed and a Flickr group, which are updated more regularly than the blog itself.

Scriptographer

Scriptographer is a plugin for Adobe Illustrator (up to version CS4) that allows you to extend Illustrator’s capability via Javascript. Scriptographer can be used to automate boring tasks as well as modify existing and generate new artwork in interesting ways — generating random swirly foliage, for example, or random cubes and cylinders.

Because Scriptographer is an engine for creating tools via Javascript, the possibilities for creating new tools with it is literally endless — and because it’s an Illustrator plugin, it’s easy to incorporate with your traditional workflow.

Fractals In Actionscript 3

Flash and Actionscript are the most popular tools for doing generative art — particularly online — and this free PDF tutorial from Computer Arts UK by Chad Udell serves as an excellent introduction to creating generative pieces in Actionscript 3.

ContextFree

ContextFree is a Mac/Windows/Linux app for creating recursive artwork and animation, using a simple scripting language. It’s a deceptively simple tool that can — as seen in the above artwork — produce remarkably complicated effects, as well as extremely useful elements such as generated street/subway maps.

toxiclibs

toxiclibs are a set of libraries for Processing/Java by Karsten Schmidt that simplify working with color, geometry, and physics modeling. Well worth the download.

openFrameworks

openFrameworks is an open source toolkit that serves a similar purpose for C++ that Processing does for Java and NodeBox for Python, allowing C++ coders to rapidly prototype interactive media projects utilizing audio, video, OpenGL animation, and text. It’s still in pre-release, but you can download it for your platform of choice now.

Further Resources

• 45 Amazing Examples of Code Generated and 3D CG Artworks.
• Generative & Evolutionary Art group on Flickr
• technoligicalproceduralarchitekture playlist of generative video on YouTube
• Generative pieces on DeviantArt
• The Generative Art International Conference (12th annual conference to be held December 15-17, 2009 in Milano, Italy)
• Will Wright And Brian Eno — Wright (creator of Sim City and Spore) and Eno (who composed the music for Spore) discuss generative systems
• The Nature Of Code — an excellent online course for learning generative programming by Daniel Shiffman

About the author

Joshua Ellis is a writer and musician as well as a web designer and developer with over twelve years’ experience. You can find him online at his blog Zenarchery and as jzellis on Twitter. Joshua lives in Las Vegas with a cat, a large collection of books and several odd-looking synthesizers.

By Speider Schneider

I caught a disease from social media and I don’t know if it’s “tweetable� by modern medicine. I am fully vested in all the important social sites; LinkedIn for business, Facebook for friends, old business coworkers and a few “must know� people registered for the big time waster. I even have a fan page. I have a couple of blogs, write for some blogs that aren’t mine, I tweet, I Plaxo, Spock and other social sites I’ve long since deleted the bookmarks. I was one of the first people to discover social media. Not a pat on the back – just a testament to my ability to keep my sanity.

Image credit

In speaking to some design students, answering how I got started in the business, I told them I slept my way to the top. They didn’t fall for it but they stood silent for a good, long time. As I laughed and explained how I got started in the days before the internet, dodging velociraptors and flowing hot lava, I quickly realized they had no idea of traditional marketing techniques.

They weren’t tied to business sites as of yet, but in going over the wealth of free exposure one can easily use these days, it struck me about how I forked over thousands of dollars to source books and directories, waiting a year for them to be distributed to art directors and other practitioners during those dark days of the Inquisition. Sending postcard mailers was also the norm and art directors routinely threw away dozens each day, as opposed to now, when art directors call me and relay that I’m the only one who sends cards and they adorn their bulletin boards. How times have changed.

When I started sending e-advertisements in 1993, simple jpegs and animated gifs attached to regular e-mails, people went nuts! When I was asked what it cost, I would reply, “not a penny.� They were blown away at the possibilities. Shows you how far we have come in just a few years.

But, I always knew it was important to keep up with the cutting edge of technology and think I lost it when I got too comfortable with the ease and availability of the interface tools out there on social media sites. Drag and drop, point and click, drool a little less, etc. It’s like the guys on the bridge of the Enterprise (Star Trek) and their rapid-fire button pushing to program the computer to go forward. In reality, in the future, there will be a go and stop button with a simple joystick. Our machinery is getting smarter than we are. Just in time!

He/She Who Has the Most Friends Wins!

So, from my early days on the now ridiculous MySpace, being member number 46,384, fighting flame wars with others who suddenly had worldwide voice and safety behind the keyboard, to emailing my department at work to tell them of something called “LinkedIn,� and finding many old, dear friends on Facebook…then deleting them, I have seen my share of the joy and the horror. Social media is a jungle and this, is your commando training!

MySpace

Some people believe it is still relevant but who knows because the member counter doesn’t count people who have given up. There are 329 people active on MySpace.

Cost: free (they can’t give it away. At least Rupert Murdock lost or didn’t make billions on it). Dirty Secret: I was the one who started the web rumor that Tom was dead and his family was suing for the pain of being reminded of him every time there was a post from “Tom.�

Facebook

I can’t fault the ability to reconnect with people from my past, as well as filling my future with new friends. Sure, things got a little heated with posts during the 2008 election, but it will never happen again for another two years…less. Yay!

If I’m invited to join someone’s mob or hear about their farm one more time, I’m burying their mob on the farm and then burning it to the ground. Watch the clubs, games, and other third party applications and set your privacy to “friends.� There’s no “just psychos� option except for choosing “public.�

Facebook, like all sites have odd rules on privacy, which often has FB in the news. The ownership of work uploaded is something every creative must consider. Otherwise, I was sucked in and my fan page is doing well, so I have few complaints outside an election year.

Cost: despite tons of threatening spam and the morons who quickly panic and post it on their profiles, it is – FREE! They make their money in the slave and drug trade.

Dirty secret: despite the constant announcements that you have the option of privacy, FB keeps spewing your personal information all over the net while using pictures of your significant other for sleazy dating site ads… and that’s the GOOD part! Every time you give a third party permission to access your account and that of your friends, a flood of addresses, phone numbers and emails get sucked into cyber space. Kim Jong Il may be trying to date your girlfriend online and he has her cell number!

LinkedIn

The number one business network on the net with rules drafted by Evita Peron and Orwellian compliance by Big Brother. There are many twists and turns with this site. Another great site for finding long lost friends and colleagues, making new friends and finding the worst characters the business world has yet to scrape from the bottom of its digital shoe.

Sign in and fill out your profile somewhat like a résumé and boast. You can get recommendations from coworkers and supervisors, link to your blog, slide show and lots of apps for making this one great business tool. Of course, the human side of LI sucks your blood.

There is a function on LI where you can ask a question on anything business and answer other people’s questions. Experts say that joining groups and the discussions on those groups, or answering questions is good for visibility. I have visibility and want to get rid of it.

For a while, I listed myself as a “LION� (LinkedIn Open Networker). By the rules, I was bound to accept every invitation I received. My connection list grew, as did my spam via LI. It was fairly easy to edit my LION status out and weed out the spammers but the visibility on groups and answers brought weekly “opportunities� that involved me doing free work with logic such as:

1.  “There will be lots of money later, when the company is successful.�

2.  “This is an opportunity to get in on a great company� and will, “be the ‘main guy’ when the company’s rolling.�

3.  I “should be helping a fellow LinkedIn member� because “we are all here for business and to help each other.�

4.   They “don’t have much money.�

5.   They will “get an art student to do it if (I) turn down the great opportunity (they) are handing (me).�

6.   Could I “suggest someone on LinkedIn who would do the work?”

7.   I’m “not being helpful.�

8.   They never received the emails discussing fees but why aren’t I finished?

9.   “It’ll be exposure for (my) work.” I point them to my profile and they agree it was my global experience that caught their attention.

10.  They are related to me.

Being out there has its drawbacks and visibility is one of them.

One of my pet peeves on LinkedIn is the default invitation.

Speider,

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

If we were at a networking event and you threw a card at me while you walked by and yelled, “HERE!� chances are I would let it bounce off me and fall to the ground or pretend I was wiping my ass with it so people would laugh as you walked away. Seriously, even online, professional is professional. Manners are of the utmost importance.

Cost: Free but can pay to upgrade to a level that allows you to message other members and loosely see who’s viewed your profile, so it’s really worth nothing at all.

Dirty secret: they are complete tyrants about other people turning you in for the odd rules infractions and the kill button on each and every post and line in your profile. It’s a great way to turn in your neighbor anonymously and get them banned until they can convince customer service to unfreeze your account, not that any human would lie and be vicious. It takes forever unless you are on it right away and become persistent. It works faster if you are a paying member.

Twitter

Be on it so you don’t seem lame but only post a maximum of once a day and try to make it something of interest. Beyond that, anything under 90,000 followers is just bottom feeding.

Cost: free. Sure…try charging to do pointless posting. Dirty secret: it has so many. Where to start?

WordPress, Blogger, Ning and the Rest of Blogdom.

Thanks to free blogs, every nutcase in the universe has the ability to discredit any politician, law, and disaster or put up the cutest kitten picture you have ever seen! Beyond that, the 32 million Star Wars fan blogs must be destroyed.

Cost: your immortal soul. Dirty secret: they are the tool of demonic phishers and spammers.

Plaxo, Spock and other “business sites.”

Forget them. If there’s a specific site for your profession you might want to join it but what will you do aside from do that fake Hollywood Oscars kissing up or fight with other people. It’s worse than art school.

Cost: free but who cares. Some cost, but nobody joins. Dirty secret: they are just taking up precious bandwidth.

Google

Where do I start? It’s like a street gang. You’re going to get sucked in and keep spending money on drugs…apps…drugs and you can never escape.

Cost: Oh, you bet and once you’re hooked, they just keep raising the cost of the drugs… service. Dirty secret: the bodies will be found one day. Until then, Google employees, enjoy the pool and ping-pong and gourmet coffee and chip implants and the halfwit clones of you that are growing in the basement and will one day replace you for 10¢ on the dollar.

Like an Internet Dating Site, People Are Not Who They Say They Are

People list themselves as Vice President of a company and you find out they were fired six years ago. So much for trying to cozy up to them for some work thrown your way. Your date is 40 years older than her photo…and she’s a guy. Your new Facebook friend is a registered sex offender.

The web moves fast and our brains cannot process the information quickly or thoroughly. We are pulled into an unnatural multitasking and inability to focus on peripheral tasks. Matt Richtel writes in a New York Times article,

“scientists are discovering that even after the multitasking ends, fractured thinking and lack of focus persist. In other words, this is also your brain off computers.�

– READ MORE

If I had any advice, I would say to be everywhere you can keep up with updating the information so nothing gets stale. Caveat emptor where work and money are concerned, watch your connections for odd offers of requests and don’t forget that clients and friends are real and sometimes they need a real birthday card or letter or a call or even a heartfelt message. We are so driven to put our lives out to those faceless people in cyber space, we tend to forget those around is in our lives. And don’t forget to tie your cell phone into every social media outlet because that’s just smart business.

By Cameron Chapman

So much of the web is based around written content that it’s important for anyone who works online to have a good grasp of language, including grammar and spelling. But it’s not always easy to find reputable sources that can teach us these things if we didn’t learn them in school (or retain them for long after). Below are over thirty great resources for learning more about grammar, vocabulary, copywriting, and more. If you have more resources you’ve found helpful, please share them in the comments!

Grammar Resources

The resources included here will help you perfect your punctuation and refine your word usage. Some are very practical and down-to-earth while others inject a fair dose of humor into the learning process.

When to Use I.E. in a Sentence
This is a fantastic comic from The Oatmeal that explains exactly how and when to use i.e. in a sentence, complete with angry gorilla.

How to Use a Semicolon
The semicolon is probably the single-most misused punctuation mark out there. This comic from The Oatmeal will show you how to properly use them.

10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
This is another great comic from The Oatmeal that talks about 10 commons words a lot of people misspell, and how to remember the proper spellings.

How to Use an Apostrophe
This comic from The Oatmeal talks about how to use apostrophes correctly. After the semicolon, it’s probably the most misused punctuation mark out there.

Five Grammatical Errors that Make You Look Dumb
This post from Copyblogger covers five very common grammatical errors that make you look less intelligent than you really are.

A Ten Minute Tour of Complex Sentences: Phrases, Clauses and What They Do
This article from the University of Chicago discusses the different parts of complex sentences and how to craft them.

Schoolhouse Rock Lyrics
This site includes the lyrics for all the grammar songs from the classic Schoolhouse Rock cartoons.

Grammar Girl
The Grammar Girl blog posts tips on a variety of grammar topics, in easy-to-understand language. Podcast version of their articles are also available.

GrammarBook.com
This site has a pretty thorough listing of rules related to punctuation and grammar, organized by subject.

English Practice
This website has a wide array of information on the basics of English grammar and language, as well as more advanced topics. Sections on common mistakes, creative writing, business writing, and more are all included.

The Importance of Correct Punctuation
This short example is one of the best supporting documents for the importance of correct punctuation.

Comma
This brief article from Writing English covers everything you need to know about proper comma usage.

The Tongue Untied Blog
This blog covers all the basics of grammar, and includes posts on things like subject verb agreement, matching pronoun cases, and using which vs. that.

Six Common Punctuation Errors that Bedevil Bloggers

Vocabulary Resources

Given the chance, most of us would likely want to expand our vocabularies. The sites here can help you do just that.

Pleonasms
Pleonasms are redundant or repetitious statements (like “frozen ice” or “dark night”). This page offers a pretty substantial list of those kinds of statements.

Wordsmyth
Wordsmyth is an online dictionary and thesaurus that includes a variety of different dictionaries (beginner’s and children’s among them) and other tools, including an anagram solver, reverse search, glossary maker, and crossword solver.

Thesaurus.com
Thesaurus.com, part of Dictionary.com, is one of the most complete online thesauri available for free.

Visual Thesaurus
Visual Thesaurus is an app that shows mind-map-style word associations based on any word you enter. You can run a limited number of searches for free, but it is a subscription-based service.

Coolest Words
Coolest Words is a site that features definitions of the coolest-sounding words around. While not the most practical resource, it is educational and a lot of fun to look through.

WordThink
The WordThink website offers a word of the day, as well as a list of favorite words, and an archive of words of the day.

The WordsWorth Compendium Word Lists
These handy word lists are broken down by type and use. There are lists of adverbs (broken down based on sub-categories), action words, and terms related to specific things (including obscure topics like dental implant terms or creativity techniques).

Copywriting Resources

Designers are often asked to fill in as copywriters for their clients. And even if they never have to write copy for a client, they likely have their own projects that need copy. Here are some great resources for learning how to write effective, persuasive copy.

Copyblogger
Copyblogger is probably the best-known blog about copywriting for the web, and includes a huge archive of useful copywriting articles.

2 Pieces of Bad Writing Advice—And What to Do Instead
This article talks about the reasoning behind a couple of commonly-heard writing tips, and the stylistic results they aim to achieve.

The Copywriter Underground
The Copywriter Underground offers up some great tweet recaps with tons of resources, as well as some original articles about copywriting and content.

Writing for the Web
This page lists all of Jakob Nielsen’s web writing articles in one place. Included are pieces on writing style, passive voice, and microcontent.

100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written
The best part about this article is that not only does it include 100 fantastic headlines, but also what it is about them that works.

Fuel Your Writing
While not strictly a copywriting resource, the Fuel Your Writing blog includes a lot of great general writing and business writing articles. Check out their advertising and marketing category for the most promising ones.

More Language Resources

Here are a few more resources related to language that didn’t fit neatly in any of the categories already covered.

The 3 Most Common Uses of Irony
This comic from The Oatmeal talks about the three common types of irony, how to properly use them, and why a lot of the things we think are “ironic”, really aren’t.

24 Things You Might Be Saying Wrong
This article covers 24 common phrases you might be saying or using incorrectly. Included are things like “could care less” vs. “couldn’t care less” and “different than” vs. “different from”.

20 Killer Words and 13 Words that Kill
This brief article talks about twenty of the best words to use in persuasive copywriting and thirteen words to avoid.

By Robert Bowen

For years now, whenever designers have been asked about their go-to program for image editing and creation, one of the top answers that comes back, is Adobe Photoshop. Its generations of evolution has centered around the growth of any number of digital imaging professionals and has made this software giant a staple in the graphic design community. Since so many of us find this tool in our design arsenals, we thought we would put together a post that would have you get the most out of this dynamic imaging program.

Below is a collection of invaluable Photoshop resources from the online community that runs the proverbial gamut of available PS content. From toolkits full of templates, shapes, gradients, brushes, and so much more, to individual resource downloads of informative PDFs, usable PSDs, and other content galore, this post has everything you will need to amp up your Photoshop toolbox. So if you are a Photoshop devotee, or even just a newb getting started with the program, take a moment to browse down through these useful downloads that we have amassed.

Websites

The websites that have been gathered below are the first place that you should go when you are setting out on a path of beefing up your proverbial toolbox of Photoshop resources. From the new updates that are still coming, to all of their past archives these sites provide a constant stream of tools.

Web Designer’s Toolkit is a valuable resource for Photoshoppers indeed. From buttons, to form elements and even a collection of free Photoshop templates for professional layouts (including browser screens) this toolkit’s depths are packed with design goodies for many occasions and needs.

Free4Photoshop is another great place to head for all those resource hunters out there looking to score a wide variety of Photoshop freebies. This virtual vault of tools includes shapes, textures, brushes, gradients, patterns, and so much more. If you are serious about Photoshop then you need to check this site out to get your toolbox started.

Photoshop Essentials is another website that you should definitely be checking out if you are looking for in-depth, fully explained Photoshop tutorials which are written by Adobe Certified Experts. From beginners to seasoned vets, their tutorials are put together with any and everyone in mind. Photoshop made easy.

Psdtuts+, speaking of approachable tutorials for taking your Photoshop game to the next level, this site is another go-to resource for many in the design world. So if you are looking for more ways to tackle your design projects by employing techniques that you need explained a bit better before you proceed, then you might want to just head over to the pasture of tuts.

Photoshop Ninja is another popular site to check into for Photoshop downloads, tutorials and more that is geared towards the more experienced users. As you build your arsenal and level up your experience points towards a more PS ninja-like status, or if you are already on ninja par expertise-wise, then you should stop on by and check out all they have to offer.

Photoshop Lady might be another site that you want to keep bookmarked and handy for all your Photoshop wants and needs. They scour the archives of the web and gather the finest Photoshop tutorials for you and bring them all to one easy to find location. With most of the guesswork taken out of the equation, the site is definitely worth a look.

Photoshop Tutorials is a site whose name slightly undersells the place. When you are constructing your virtual Photoshop toolkit keep this helpful site in mind because they not only cover tutorials, but they also focus on inspiration and a variety of useful downloads for a range of users and expertise levels.

Photoshop Roadmap is one more bookmarkable Photoshop super center for users of all levels and needs. They have a selection of downloads from brushes to text and photo effects, and they even have a section dedicated to Photoshop related books and more. And to complete the Roadmap’s journey they even have PS tutorials as well.

Photoshop Toolbox Reference is a Photoshop users best friend! This site is a comprehensive cheat-sheet on all things Photoshop. The perfect addition to your PS toolbox, PTR has you covered from keyboard shortcuts to specific tool tutorials at the click of a tool name. Add a touch of convenience to your Photoshop workings, just follow the link.

Photoshop Gurus Community Forum is another invaluable resource for you to keep close as you strive for a more Photoshop savvy status. This is a very large and active forum of Photoshop users which is always a wonderful tool to have at your disposal. Take time to become a part of the forums and when you need help, you can always get a little help from your friends.

My Photoshop Brushes is another website whose name is deceptively underselling of the range and bevvy of Photoshop resources users can expect to find there. Beyond just a variety of Photoshop brushes, they also have a large collection of patterns, shapes, styles, and gradients to boot. Not to mention they even have some tutorials on hand.

PS Galaxy is the final multi-purpose site that we are going to feature, and if ever the saying last but not least applied, it applies here. The Galaxy is a dynamic resource hub that packs a titanic collection of tools for Photoshop users from PSD files to actions, and from shapes to gradients. With web buttons and templates also in their ranks, the galaxy certainly is vast.

Brushes

Now we start to refine our focus a bit, and move into a more narrow area of tool gathering. Brushes. They are one of the more popular Photoshop resource downloads that are made and shared around the online design community, and they are also the next stop in our toolbox building journey. Below are some brush specific sites and some individual brush packs.

Brusheezy is a site that any Photoshop brush enthusiast should keep readily on hand. Not only is it a hub for thousands of available PS brushes from around the world wide web, but the site is also a great place to go to share your thoughts and opinions on the design communities collected brushes.

PSBrushes is another site whose focus falls specifically in the Photoshop brush arena, and should certainly be added to the designers list of go-to places on their resource hunts. With hundreds of free downloadable brush packs to offer, the site will definitely keep you busy for a while as you build up your toolbox.

Brush King is also a fantastic site to turn to when you are looking for sources for high quality Photoshop brushes. Brush King is near a necessity as far as bookmark additions go, as all of their downloads are free for use in all of your website and graphic design related projects. So the next time you need a brush, browse through their fine selection.

QBrushes is one more for the bookmarks indeed. This is a Photoshop brush focused hub that pulls in all of the free quality PS brushes that are released into the cyberspace aether. They pull in brushes from all around so that you do not have to do the proverbial footwork yourself. This site is regularly updated so be sure that you check back often.

BlendFu is another Photoshop brush carrier that has a bit of a twist from the others that we have featured thus far. BlendFu is actually a membership based resource site, wherein the members can log and track all of their favorite brush packs that they have found within the websites deep database.

iDesign Brushes is a daily updated Photoshop brush specific site, that is a submission based brush resource hub. They take in brushes that the community has sent in and pour over them, combing through with a fine tooth comb to find the best and the brightest brushes among the bunch to present to their readers each day.

1000+ Free High Resolution Photoshop Brush Sets is a useful collection from Smashing’s sister site with hundreds to thousands of incredible Adobe Photoshop brush sets from all around the web. If you are on a quick path for brushes without having the time to browse through the masses that the online design community has to offer, then let Noupe do the hard sorting for you. Just stop in on this post and load up your arsenal.

Over 550 Photoshop Brush Packs Free for Commercial Use is just what the title says it is. A post that has ammassed a huge collection of Photoshop brushes that are all free for both commercial and personal design projects. Another bonus is that the post is also kept up to date and current, updated about once a month.

25 Original And FREE Abstract Smoke Brushes from 1st Web Designer is a great collection of free high quality Photoshop brushes. The is a pack of fairly unique resources, all smokey in nature, including sharp edges and smooth gradients to complete the vapor-esque appearance of the set.

8 Free Fantastic Fractal Photoshop Brushes is another unique set of from the far reaches of the web over at Design Shard, that we wanted to feature for you here rather than making you go in search of them yourself. These high quality fractal based brushes are useful for achieving very abstract and astral like effects for the design projects that you include them in.

Hi-Res Splatter Photoshop Brush Set is another set that we have set aside to feature specifically so that you have them ready and loaded into your arsenal without having to look very far. This pack of 17 high resolution paint splatter based Photoshop brushes is a clean and crisp set that are ideal for both web and print centered projects.

High Res Mixed Brushes Pack for Photoshop is a set of grunge styled brush resources that include a variety of strokes, ranging in thickness and weight to cover all of your bases and needs. If you are looking for a quick way to add a bit of a distressed appearance to your designs, no matter their scale, then these awesomely detailed brushes should certainly get the job done.

Spray Paint Pack (Hi-Res Textures & Brushes) is the final brush pack that we are singling out in this toolbox building trek. Crafted using actual spray paint and textured paper, these Photoshop brushes are a wonderful way of adding bits of texture to your work. Which is actually said to have been the designer’s main intention when putting them together.

PDFs

As we continue with our focus refined, we come to the next section in our search for Photoshop tools to add to your arsenal of skills, the PDFs. Not to be confused with the upcoming PSDs. This section includes several useful downloads that will provide hours worth of study time.

Adobe Photoshop CS – Tips and Tricks from the Experts is an interesting instruction manual of sorts that you can download and check out from wePapers. This PDf is a helpful look for beginners, and those looking for a refresher, at a variety of techniques that you can employ thorugh Photoshop on any of your creations and designs.

25 ESSENTIAL Photoshop Moves is an extremely useful learning tool, in a full color downloadable PDF, for users at both a professional and at a beginner level. With a varied collection of information ranging from tools to tutorials, from trechniques to helpful tips for getting the most out of your PS works, this lesson book focuses on 25 tasks that are essential for growing your Photoshop skillsets.

Worth 1000 Photoshop Tricks is a downloadable PDF of massive proportions that consists of links to one thousand useful Photoshop tutorials. Taking most of the time consuming web search out of the equation for you, this comprehensive shortcut places a huge amount of tuts right at the click of a mouse for you.

Photoshop Quick Reference Card is another handy download to keep in your design arsenal. This comprehensive PDF is a virtual Photoshop two page cheat sheet that can prove a useful tool as you dive into this in-depth and fully loaded program. It never hurts to have a sheet that you can quickly reference at a glance, and with this little cheat, now you can.

Photoshop Tips, Tricks, and Basics is another very useful, must-have download especially if you are just beginning to work in Photoshop. This PDF is somewhat of an introduction into the very basics of this creative tool to assist you in laying down a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build and grow. The tips and tricks may also offer somewhat of a shortcut or new approach for some of the more experienced Photoshoppers.

PSDs

Now we come to the PSD section of this tool gathering post, and below are a handful of places on the web where you should definitely steer if you are wanting to get your hands on some .psd files that contain all of the original layers, masks, etc. then scroll down and get going.

Free PSD is a website that any serious psd explorer should have readily available. This site gathers together a massive collection of usable web based PSD templates that are ready for you to dive right into and get started.

Official PSDs is a bit of a different sort of a stop along our PSD collecting path. This site is actually a community focused endeavor that is kept alive and thriving by the users who make the site a invaluable place to come and share their favorite resources. PSDs of all varities await you, so it is definitely worth a look.

JackRebel PSD Files is a section of the JackRebel site that strictly covers Photoshop downloads. This is essentially a variety of PSDs all brought together to assist the design community with a lot of their shopped needs. Especially for those looking to design with a focus on electronics, this collection of files is the direction you should head.

50+ High Quality .PSD Files and Tutorials is another helpful Photoshop post from over at Smashing’s sister site. Want to get started on your next PS project, but do not really know where to start, or worse, don’t have the desire to start from scratch, then let this post of more than 50 high quality Photoshop .PSD files be your starting point from which to find design gold.

500+ Free Download High Quality Photoshop PSD Files For Designers is another fantastic post where most of the work has already been done for you. The hunting and gathering has mostly been done for you, now all you have to do is make your way over to this expansive PSD resource collection and you can get a quick overview of what is considered to be some of the best free PS downloads available.

Download Free PSD Design Template from Lava360 is a free downloadable design template that is simple and easy to use to get started. Don’t want to have to scour through the numerous entries from some of the other featured sites to find a PSD to get your design project underway, then check out this free offering to see if it will fit the bill.

DVD and Business Card PSD File is another place to turn if you are looking to get started on a business card design or a DVD label, but you do not feel like taking the time to sort through the massive collections, then metamags.com may just have the PSD file that you have been waiting for.

11+ Stunning Objects PSD Templates is a fabulous little collection of PSD files that will assist you with your web design layouts and so forth. Since so many of us design strictly for the web, we wanted to offer another more web geared set of PSD resources, and this post from The Design Work is it. If the web is where your design eye tends to fall, then you might just want to give these elements your attention.

Music Player UI is a bit of a different PSD file as to most of the others that we have featured, where as it is specifically focused on the user interface of a music player. The UI file is another that was separated out from the rest given its unique flavor, and should help you add a bit of bite your interface.

Everything Else

In this final section of the post, we come to somewhat of a grab bag of downloads that range from gradients to patterns and shapes, and from actions to plugins and filters. As you are finishing off your toolbox, be sure you do not overlook these final additions that could really make a difference in your Photoshop designs.

600+ Photoshop Gradients to Download is a wonderful place to turn whenever you are looking for that perfect gradient to complete your design. Not only does the post have a huge bevvy of downloadable gradient goodies for you, but it also includes a useful tutorial which gives you an in-depth look at the gradient tool in Photoshop and how to get the most out of it with an easy to follow by step breakdown.

Designerpie Freebies has a collection of thousands Photoshop design downloads for the whole community that anyone looking to expand their proverbial PS toolkit should certainly make note of. With an array of patterns, gradients, swatches and styles this freebie collection is sure to put a smile on the face of any resource hunting Shopper.

Free Photoshop Patterns is a website which focuses completely on one aspect of PS. The patterns. So you can bet that they are going to have an enormous selection to choose from, and that they certainly do. With thousands of patterns to choose from, you are nearly quaranteed that they can satisfy any of your PS pattern needs.

124+ Free Photoshop Actions to Boost Your Designs is a post of amassed actions that we felt you should most definitely have on your radar. What better way to take so many of the steps out of some of the repetitive processes that come with the design territory than by having an arsenal of actions ready and waiting to take the edge off and even shave some time off of the tasks for you as well.

400+ Time Saving Photoshop Actions is another time saving collection that we could not exclude from this ultimate resource post. When it comes to Photoshop actions, the more that you have at your disposal, the more repetitive tasks you can avoid in your work which makes for a happier designer. So for more downloadable time turners, stop by and see what all this post has to offer.

Richard Rosenman Filters and Plugins is a page that continues to grow and expand, featuring personally coded PS plugins and filters that range in their use for 3D productions, 2D design, and even reseach purposes. Unfortunately, due to a compiler limitation, the filters are not Mac compatible. They only work in Windows.

That About Does It!

That wraps up the toolkit building on this end of things. Now the rest is up to you. With so many resources and hubs to check out, you should have your hands full for the time being. Feel free to hit us up in the comments and let us know what you think of the collection. Whether we left something crucial out, or whether we turned you on to a new source for PS elements, we want to hear what you have to say below.

Consider Some of Our Previous Articles

• The Ultimate Collection of Photoshop Custom Shapes is a post from Smashing’s past that contains a plethora of shapes for your Photoshop arsenal.
• Splatter and Watercolour Brushes for Photoshop is another Smashing post from before where you can load up on some brushes to add to your Photoshop collection.

By Aquil Akhter

Everybody is talking about the iPad. We see more creative applications designed for the iPad, and we see more magazines and publishers experimenting with the new medium. Also, we see more users interacting with the tablet, and integrating it in their daily routine. And because you may be spending more time with your iPad, you probably want to customize it, make it a bit more personal and that means put a nice iPad wallpaper on it.

However, because iPad has a special format, common wallpapers wouldn’t fit it. So in this post, we present some original and interesting wallpapers that hopefully will complement your iPad.

Animals iPad Wallpapers

SLEEPING TIGER
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Clown Fish
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Guitar Kitten
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Diving Bear
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Bike Kitten
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Green Bird
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CLASH OF THE TITANS 2
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WHITE TIGER
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Father and Son
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Feeding caterpillar
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Leopard
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Penguin Army
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Clown Fish iPad Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Howl at the Moon
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Natures iPad Wallpapers

CANOE
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Waterfalls
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Beach
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Reflected Mountain
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iPad Wallpaper 4
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Calm Lake
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

SUNFLOWER WALLPAPER
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iPad Wallpaper
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Dry Land
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Forest Through the Trees
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Waves
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Sunset Dusk
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Sunrise View
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BOATS
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RACE TO ETERNITY
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SUN ECLIPSE
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PURPLE FIELD
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Driftwood
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Old Boat
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iPad Wallpaper
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iPad Wallpaper – 34
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Helix Nebula
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Space iPad Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 768px

Bipolar Nature iPad Wallpaper
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Galaxy Space iPad Wallpaper
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iPad Wallpaper – 02
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Frozen Bridge
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Beautiful Galaxy
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iPad Wallpaper 1364
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Dawn Tree
Download Wallpaper: 768 x 1024

Abstract iPad Wallpapers

Blue Chain
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Strange Web
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The Escape
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RED X
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Ocean of spot lights
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Star Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 768px

NIN: “The Downward Spiral” iPad Wallpaper
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PUMP UP THE VOLUME IPAD WALLPAPER
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WINDOWS VISTA IPAD WALLPAPER
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PAINT SPLATS IPAD WALLPAPER
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

BUBBLES IPAD WALLPAPER
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COLOR BACKGROUND WALLPAPER
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NONAME – IPAD WALLPAPE
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Dust
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LIGHT BULB
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The Cheshire Cat
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Skipping Stones
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The Scream
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Graphite Cubes
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Color Explosion
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 768px

NIN: “Closer To God” iPad Wallpaper
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Bubble Bokeh iPad Wallpaper
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iPad Wallpaper “ASANOHA”
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Apple Inspired iPad Wallpapers

APPLE WALLPAPERS IPAD
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Wooden Style
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Apple logo – cloud at night iPad Wallpaper
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iPad wallpaper
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Apple Wallpapers
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Apple Logo Hardwood
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Apple Stain
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CRAZY COLOR
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Electro Blue – iPad Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 1050px × 1680px

Orange Metal – Modern iPad Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 2560 × 1600

Wood iPad Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 1600×1920

Apple with colors background iPad Wallpaper
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Apple Grey iPad Wallpaper
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Film and Game iPad Wallpapers

Starcraft II
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Darksiders wrath of war
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Avatar iPad Wallpaper
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SPIDER MAN 3
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

PRISON BREAK
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James Cameron’s Avatar iPad Wallpaper
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AVATAR
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Iron Man
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

The Joker
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The Baroness
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Thor iPad wallpaper
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Superman Logo iPad Wallpaper
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Transformers
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Nier iPad Wallpaper
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God of War iPad Wallpaper
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Black Widow
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Watchmen
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Landmarks & others

The Louvre
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

iPad Wallpaper 0626
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iPad Wallpaper 1196
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iPad Wallpaper 1220
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Paper Swan
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Stop Light Girl
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SECOND BABE
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Street
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BLUEWATER SKYLIGHT
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Vintage VW Camper
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

CORVETTE 3
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

ATLANTIS IPAD
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Sports Car
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Newborn
Download Wallpaper: 1024px X 1024px

Leaning Bike
Download Wallpaper: 1024px × 1024px

Useful Resources

• The 4 Best Free Wallpaper Apps for Your iPad
• LATEST IPAD WALLPAPERS
  A large collection of user uploaded and iPad wallpapers uploaded from the internet.
• iPAD WALLPAPERS
  Your source for the best iPad wallpapers on the Internet, Browse and download thousands of wallpapers straight from your iPad.
• Apple iPad Wallpapers
  A large collection of high quality photographic and illustrative iPad wallpapers.
• iPad Wallpapers
  A Flickr Group of wallpapers for the Apple iPad.
• iPad Wallpaper 1024 x 1024
  Best Flickr Group for 1024 x 1024 dimensions iPad Wallpapers
• Latest iPad Wallpapers
  Customize the look of your new apple ipad with the collection of high definition wallpapers, themes and backgrounds.
• 55 Beautiful Apple iPad Wallpapers
• 40 Free Apple iPad Wallpaper
• Beautiful Free iPad Wallpapers for your New Desktop
• How to Make Proper iPad Wallpapers (1024 x 1024 pixels)