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Hello. Welcome to Tutorial9. Let’s blow you away with the best tutorials and resources from around the web posted in January. Oh, and happy new year folks, glad you’re here to celebrate it with us!

Photoshop Tutorials

How to Create a Flaming Photo Manipulation

In this tutorial, we’ll manipulate a picture so it looks like a woman burning in flames. The idea behind this manipulation was to create a nice looking illustration, only by using simple techniques and tools such as the Brush tool and Warp command. I hope you enjoy the tutorial and try it with your own stock imagery.

Create a Dramatic Storm Effect

Transform a cloudy country side into a fantastic terrifying storm scene like something right out of a movie (or a very stormy day! Some very creative use of filters and adjustments in the works here! Posted in November, but it slipped past us and deserves a look.

3D Text and Paint Effects

The talented Alex Beltechi gives us all a few pointers when it comes to creating stunning 3D/Type/Painting effects in Photoshop. This tutorial is filled with techniques used by Photoshop Masters.

Create a Detailed Vault Icon in Photoshop

Find out how to create a clean, 3D vault icon using Photoshop. Easy to follow steps make this a must read for the aspiring icon designer.

Create a Constructivist Propaganda Poster

This tutorials shows how to make a constructivist styled propaganda poster, inspired by the Russian movement from years ago. A little brief on instruction, but good insight for making similar compositions.

Render a Realistic CD in Photoshop

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to render a realistic CD using Photoshop. Along the way, you should learn how to create and effectively use Vector Masks to hide parts of designs without destroying layer data.

Create a Furious Pink Panther Poster

I’m not sure furious does this thing justice. Incredible design process, and wonderful advice amount up to make this tutorial something worth checking out. Wow, that still sounds very underdeserving of this magnificent piece. Just go check it out.

Create a Highly Abstract Stylized Image

This tutorial explores ways for adding extra energy and dynamism to photographs using Photoshop. Written by renowned artist Mike Harrison. For his first tutorial, it’s more than impressive.

Make a Scrap of Notebook Paper

Learn how to create a very realistic scrap of notebook paper in Photoshop without the use of photographs. Outstanding technique, one that should prove quite useful with the recent trend of paper-based website layouts.

Illustrator Tutorials

Design Process of the Phoenix

This post is more of an overview of an entire process instead of a tutorial, but it’s contents are every bit as insightful. From sketching to photoshop touchups, this article demonstrates the creation of a work of art.

Full Spectrum Spirograph in Illustrator

Inspired by a work of Andy Gilmore’s, this tutorial guides users through the process of creating full spectrum Spirographs in Adobe Illustrator.

Making of an Abstract Artwork

This tutorial shows the process for creating some nifty abstract artwork in Illustrator. Makes heavy use of the Live Paint Bucket Tool.

Craft a Vector Collegiate Notebook

Learn to create how to create a vector collegiate notebook design, which consists of a realistic vector notebook and accessories. It’s also the perfect base for creating a cool website header theme! You’ll need advanced knowledge of Illustrator to get through this tutorial.

How to Create Advanced Isometric Illustrations using the SSR Method

Ok, so you’ve got a handle on Illustrator? Why not put that knowledge to use and teach yourself how to design some advanced isometric illustrations?

Web Tutorials

Adding the “Extras on Demand” UI-Pattern with jQuery

This post details the idea of using extras on demand which helps convey things to users in a more straightforward and intuitive way. Some folks don’t need everything on a page up front, so why serve it to them all at once?

Create a Custom WordPress Plugin from Scratch

This tutorial will describe the implementation of a WordPress plugin starting from scratch. The plugin will connect to an external OSCommerce database and display random products on your WordPress site. It also implements a configuration page for the WordPress admin panel.

Detailed Look at the 960 CSS Framework

Once you take the opportunity to spend some time with 960, you’ll be amazed at how much time can potentially be saved when developing your web applications. At the very least, take ten minutes to review the framework. You can always press the delete key…though I doubt you will!

15 Wicked CSS Tricks

A collection of 15 CSS tricks that make it all the more worth knowing. These clever tactics will bust you out of those frustrating cross-browser traps that seem to get the best of us from time to time.

Changing Form Input Styles on Focus with jQuery

A lot of forms can be boring and plain, don’t let yours blend in. This tutorial will show you how to spice them up with CSS classes and default values that change according to which form item is selected. All with just a splash of jQuery.

Building a Clickmap with PHP and jQuery

We’ve talked about using Click Heatmaps in the past, but this tutorial shows you how to build a fully working clickmap of your own using PHP and jQuery.

Freebies, Inspiration & Resources

Vintage and Blues WordPress Themes

Two free high-quality WordPress Magazine Themes. PSD Templates included. Oh, and they can be used without any restrictions, whatsoever. Could you honestly ask for much more? (That’s a rhetorical question)

Free Social Icon Pack: Bevel Lite

We’re proud to be releasing our first free Icon Pack at Tutorial9, Bevel Lite! We’ll periodically release icon packs for designers to take full advantage of in personal and commercial projects. Grab this set, and get ready for many more from Tutorial9.

Twit It Up WordPress Plugin

This WordPress plugin allows your website visitors to tweet about your site without ever leaving! Simply install, and your viewers will be presented with an interface allowing them to send a custom tweet out directly from your posts.

Tools, Horror, and Twitter Icon Pack Freebies

Three more free icon packs from SmashingMagazine. A set of tool icons, twitter icons, and even some horror icons mixed in.

Printable Perpetual Calendar

This beautiful calendar design is free to download and print, and probably looks a lot nicer than whatever you have right now anyways. Created in perpetual format so it can be reused year after year.

40 Mind-blowing Digital Space Paintings

Some of the world’s most stunning visions of space are made possible with Photoshop. The ability to combine vibrant colors, photo manipulations and ethereal effects makes the software ideal for this kind of work. Here are 40 incredible visions of space from four extremely talented Photoshop artists.

Super Creative Ad Campaigns from Asia

These ad campaigns from Asia are more creative than what you’re probably used to. Sometimes, they’re even mystifying.

50 Amazing Digital Potraits

Digital Painting is an art. These 50 portraits each display masterful technique and knowledge in the area of Digital Painting. Just wait until you see some of these amazing portraits.

Amazing Ornamental Design Inspiration – Baroque Style

This is a collection of baroque style (ornamental) design, this style originates from baroque styles of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the word baroque can also simply mean that something is elaborate with many details.

11 Essential Tips for Good Print Typography

Typography is a huge part of design and design is a huge part of type. You can’t just throw text on a page, it has to be laid out and organized in a clean way that adds to the information being presented. Here are 11 tips to help you convey information in print the right way.

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