Blending Vectors with a Pixel-Based Photograph in Photoshop

Deke uses layer effects and some meticulous masking in Photoshop to make text on the side of his van look like it belongs there.

Deke's Techniques 084: Drawing Rays of Light in Photoshop

This week, I build further on my completely fabricated but no less green energy project, adding an unnatural but sustainable starburst glow around a lightbulb.

Deke's Techniques 082: Tracing an Image with Path Outlines

Forget the Pen tool. Selecting a complex object without relying on the Byzantine manipulation of anchor points and control handles is a handy way to trace stuff in Photoshop.

Deke's Techniques 048: Creating a Shooting Star in Illustrator

This week, I explore one of the oldest and best features in Adobe Illustrator, blends. Which are precisely what you need to create the brilliant effect of shooting stars.

Scaling and Editing Traced Artwork

In this preview of "Illustrator CS5 One-on-One: Advanced," Deke shows you how to make an authentic pirate flag. In this final installment, Deke scales, recolors, and edits a group of paths to create a finished piece of art.

Martini Hour 086, In Which We Vectorize Our Rasters

Martini Hour 071, In Which We Celebrate Summer with Illustrator-based Sno-cones and More More Mordy

Martini Hour 070, In Which Colleen Gets Schooled in Illustrator CS5 by the Benevolent Masters

Photoshop Top 40, Feature #18: Smart Objects

Smart objects aren't all that smart. And they aren't objects. What they are is envelopes. The kind that hold things and keep them safe. The result: nothing you do can cause the image harm. This is Photoshop at its best.