Radial Blur Special Effect

You can use the Radial Blur filter in Photoshop for a great effect without much effort. It can be done in any version even Photoshop7 and works with all images.

This is a free stock image.

This is the effect that can be created with the Radial Blur.

The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here

Brightening and Sharpening in Lab Mode

Some images may not turn out crisp and sharp and may look washed out. There is a very easy method to brighten and sharpen image in Photoshop in Lab Mode with a Curves Adjustment Layer and Unsharp Mask.  The method works for all images.

This is the processed image.

This is the original image.

The tutorial is here

Border with Layer Mask

A texture and an image together with a Black Layer Mask and a selection can create a simple special effect in Photoshop.

You can create a see through border like this with this tutorial here

Other tutorials are here

Layer Mask How to Use It

Layer Masks are of two kinds -- White and Black. The White Reveals and the Black hides in Photoshop. You can also fill with gray to reveal partially. This is a Layer Mask tutorial with the advances made in Photoshop CS5. There are a number of advantages that were not available earlier. So if you are masking the old fashioned way, here is how to do it differently and more quickly and easily.

These are two stock images.

A composite image made from the two with masking. The tutorial is here

Other photoshop tutorials are here