Network and Security

Smoke trails are elegant, beautiful, and amazing to watch. Thin wisps of smoke dancing through the air reveal just how fluid our atmosphere really is. The effect is deceptively simple, and the dynamics of it are dizzyingly complex.  Recreating believable smoke in a digital environment is no easy task. However, capturing the practical effect is a much easier prospect. In this quick tip, I'll share a technique that I use to create stunningly beautiful custom smoke brushes in Adobe Photoshop. 1. Create the Practical Effect The most important thing to remember during this project is safety ! Open flames are dangerous, and you should take every precaution to be able to extinguish the fire if things get out of control. Keep a cup of water nearby to douse the lit matches and a fire extinguisher at hand too, just in case! Step 1 The materials for this project are very simple and probably already found in your house: A small but flameproof surface, like a metal cake pan Mat...

In this tutorial you'll learn how to create an intertwining trellis design from scratch using grid layouts and lining up a narrow, rotated rectangle according to said grid layout. It's a basic, classic pattern that's easy to achieve if you break the shapes down to a simple, repeatable section. 1.  Setting Up the Grid Layout Step 1 The measurements in this tutorial are fairly precise. I worked everything out in a document sized  140 pixels by  193 pixels at  a resolution of  72 dpi . For larger designs or a print-ready version versus a web-ready version, you'll have to work out the size conversion on your own. Create a  New Document according to the specifications below and let's create our grid! Step 2 Go to  View > New Guide Layout,  select both  Columns and  Rows , and enter  2 for  Number of each.  Hit  OK and move on to the next step. Step 3 The second  Guide Layout involves the option ...

Magazine covers can showcase really creative design work. They can be aspirational, glamorous, or even iconic; and fashion covers are at the creative forefront of the magazine industry. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create your own cover for a fictional fashion magazine, with a glamorous winter feel. We’ll explore how to use layer images and text to create a dynamic, three-dimensional design, select and apply typography effectively and appropriately, and account for practical issues like pricing and binding. You’ll need Adobe InDesign for this tutorial, and we’ll also be hopping over to Photoshop to do some image editing. 1.  Create a New Print Document in Adobe InDesign In this tutorial, we’ll be creating a magazine at a standard US size, 8 3/8 inches by 10 7/8 inches, although we’ll be working in millimeters throughout. It’s important to note that we will be creating a front cover design only in this tutorial. If you are intending to prepare a final magazi...