Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net photography, graphic design, & creative services Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:27:52 +0000 en hourly 1 Template: Modular Starfield Background http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/template-modular-starfield-background/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/template-modular-starfield-background/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:16:30 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=937 GraphicRiver.net. This time it's a huge 3600x2800 pixel starry background for web and design use. The bundled Photoshop PSD includes a variety of layers and prebuilt options, all of which can be toggled on and off to create different combinations.]]> We have another file for sale at GraphicRiver.net. This time it’s a huge 3600×2800 pixel starry background for web and design use. The bundled Photoshop PSD includes a variety of layers and prebuilt options, all of which can be toggled on and off to create different combinations.

Modular Starfield

This is a large background template featuring several elements that can be toggled on and off to create different combinations. The background is a layered starfield with nebulae. A planet horizon can be made visible at the top of the image and two sets of glassy translucent bars are available as an overlay. Additionally, numerous color combinations and fading gradients are possible. This image is intended for web design or graphics, but is also suitable for general graphic design use.

Format: Adobe Photoshop PSD
Width: 3600 px
Height: 2800 px
Resolution: 72 dpi
Color: RGB

Included in the PSD file:

Starfield (7 layers); planet horizon; 2 sets of translucent vertical bars (narrow & wide); nebulae (3 layers); 5 color gradients (4 preset, 1 custom); 6 blending gradients (top black & white, bottom black & white, custom top & bottom); black background fill; 1 “read me” text layer

All layers and groups are labeled for ease of use.

Included in the ZIP file:

1 PSD file, layered; 3 JPG sample renders; 1 TXT help file

Download at GraphicRiver.net

Stick around for more files and goodies from the Aperture design team!

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]]> http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/template-modular-starfield-background/feed/ 0 Template: Sleek Dark Business Card http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/template-sleek-dark-business-card/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/template-sleek-dark-business-card/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:08:12 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=919 We’ve just released a new file for sale at GraphicRiver.net. It’s a business card template in Photoshop PSD format. If you’re thinking of making a custom card for yourself, then this might be the perfect solution. Here’s the info:

Sleek Dark Business Card

A minimalistic, modern business card that’s well-suited for graphic designers, photographers, or any other creative individuals.

3.5×2 inches, 300 dpi, CMYK

Features:

2 front designs (website or slogan beneath company name)
2 back designs (website or no website)
5 background gradients (grey, blue, red, green, orange)
1 solid black background

ZIP Contents:

1 PSD , layered and labeled, with bleed area and guides
1 TXT help file

This template uses the font Myriad Pro, which is included on many systems and is available for purchase online. Most other fonts, especially sans-serif ones, can be substituted if desired.

Download at GraphicRiver.net

Stay tuned for more items in the near future!

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]]> http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/template-sleek-dark-business-card/feed/ 3 5 Beautiful Free Fonts For Designers http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/5-beautiful-free-fonts-for-designers/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/5-beautiful-free-fonts-for-designers/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:11:20 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=856 A designer’s toolbox is loaded with goodies, but one of the most basic – and essential – is the mighty font. The subtle nuances of a typeface can suggest any number of ideas or emotions, so it’s important to choose carefully. But with so many fonts floating around the web, it can sometimes be difficult to sort through the noise. That’s where we come in. Here are five of our favorite fonts, each quite a bit different than the others. They’re all useful in different ways.

These fonts are free, though you should check with the authors for any changes they might have made to the licenses.

Carto Gothic Standard

An extremely readable sans-serif font with clean lines and just enough weight.

carto gothic 5 Beautiful Free Fonts For Designers

Download Carto Gothic Standard

ChunkFive

A bold serif that’s best suited for headlines.

chunk five 5 Beautiful Free Fonts For Designers

Download ChunkFive

Vollkorn

A classic, yet accessible font that invokes memories of old books.

vollkorn 5 Beautiful Free Fonts For Designers

Download Vollkorn

Share Regular

An angular, modern typeface that’s great for logos.

share regular 5 Beautiful Free Fonts For Designers

Download Share Regular

Nevis

A bold sans-serif with striking capital letters.

nevis 5 Beautiful Free Fonts For Designers

Download Nevis

Stay tuned – we’ll be sure to feature more great fonts in the days ahead.

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]]> http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/5-beautiful-free-fonts-for-designers/feed/ 2 A Quick Fix For Exposure Issues http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/a-quick-fix-for-exposure-issues/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/a-quick-fix-for-exposure-issues/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:10:46 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=692 Isn’t it frustrating when you snap a quick photo and the exposure ends up wacky? Overexposed lights and underexposed shadows? Well here’s a little trick that can often fix this problem. It’s quick, easy, and works for a wide range of photos. And when used in moderation, it can even help enhance properly exposed images.

Fire up Photoshop and duplicate your background layer. Invert (Ctrl+I) and desaturate (Shift+Ctrl+U) this duplicate and set the blending mode to either Soft Light or Overlay. This varies by image, but you’ll be able to tell which looks better. Then apply the Gaussian Blur filter and adjust the radius slider as desired. In our experience, a value of 200 to 300 works well, with 250 often being ideal. Keep bumping the value up and down until you find something you like; it’s surprising how much of a difference a slight change can make.

screenshot A Quick Fix For Exposure Issues

A radius value of 250 often works well.

You might have to lower the opacity of this top layer if the effect is too pronounced, but chances are it’ll look nicer right away. If you examine the layer thumbnail you can see why. By inverting and blurring, you’ve essentially darkened the bright spots and lightened the shadows, but by “painting outside the lines”.

Before & After

Before & after. No other effects have been used.

There are certainly other ways to achieve this effect, but this one is fast and simple. It won’t work for every photo, but in many cases it serves as a quick fix or a springboard for further retouching. Beware of extremely underexposed images – applying this technique can sometimes bring out ugly digital noise. But use it sparingly and it can be a great time saver.

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]]> http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/a-quick-fix-for-exposure-issues/feed/ 0 Proin arcu ligula http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/proin-arcu-ligula/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/proin-arcu-ligula/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:28:18 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=678 In iaculis lorem at nibh auctor consequat. Aenean mi quam, tempor vitae convallis ac, vulputate sit amet tellus. Aliquam tempor consequat nunc eu mattis. Donec lectus nulla, tempor sed imperdiet eu, hendrerit in metus. Fusce consequat nisi vel nunc semper vitae molestie dui bibendum. Vivamus hendrerit blandit velit, vel fermentum nisl blandit nec. Nulla porttitor tellus et tellus ultricies quis ultricies justo condimentum. Nullam ante nibh, semper ut euismod in, convallis rhoncus eros. Curabitur a quam vel magna malesuada adipiscing. Praesent eget cursus magna. Fusce nec consectetur mauris.

Donec accumsan orci non felis tristique in sodales ipsum sodales. Praesent a tellus vitae mi aliquet volutpat. Vestibulum ac mauris neque, quis fringilla est. Ut dictum, arcu eget mattis luctus, eros tortor pellentesque nibh, auctor fringilla massa turpis non ipsum. Donec id ullamcorper mauris. In dapibus, ligula vitae consectetur lacinia, magna quam fermentum leo, tincidunt feugiat nulla mauris ut orci. Ut tempor erat ut diam dictum ultricies. Duis molestie, metus non placerat feugiat, purus neque vestibulum risus, a varius mi turpis sed libero. Cras laoreet ante non nulla egestas convallis. Pellentesque eget nunc magna.

Sed sed mauris vitae lacus gravida consequat. Donec molestie purus non nulla sodales ut luctus velit feugiat. Vestibulum id sem quis lectus varius porta. Proin arcu ligula, feugiat at pharetra at, sollicitudin sed turpis. Aliquam commodo leo semper lacus pulvinar dignissim. Nullam varius lacus et justo laoreet id lobortis metus tempor. Integer dictum mollis tortor id fringilla. Aenean dapibus, nisi ut semper sodales, dolor quam ullamcorper neque, quis vehicula magna leo in sapien. Nunc a sapien mi. Integer vel iaculis nisl. Phasellus porttitor feugiat tincidunt. Suspendisse felis nulla, tristique id malesuada quis, adipiscing eget est. Duis quis lacus sapien, a semper est. Aliquam a felis lacus. Proin pellentesque pretium sem, in tempus magna commodo sit amet.

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    ]]>     http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/proin-arcu-ligula/feed/ 0     Vestibulum ante http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/vestibulum-ante/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/vestibulum-ante/#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:26:38 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=675 Aenean sit amet risus orci. Maecenas blandit blandit hendrerit. Mauris eget eros vitae turpis tempor cursus. Duis egestas sem et lorem suscipit eleifend interdum ac est. Ut quis dapibus enim. Proin ac elit non lectus vulputate sollicitudin nec sit amet diam. Nunc nec justo quis sapien vestibulum sagittis. Aenean facilisis, turpis non imperdiet dictum, nibh orci venenatis lacus, tempor convallis dui orci aliquam turpis. Vestibulum sit amet dolor est, ac feugiat velit. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Fusce eleifend luctus justo eget suscipit. Suspendisse vulputate ipsum erat, non egestas eros. Integer commodo nunc eget elit egestas vitae interdum mauris congue. Nulla sit amet ante risus. Morbi sed nibh sed lorem rutrum euismod. Etiam vulputate egestas justo, in sollicitudin quam tristique in. Donec congue neque quis elit dapibus at interdum nisl feugiat. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Donec tincidunt, dolor vitae rutrum rhoncus, dui nunc tempus dolor, ut placerat sapien nisi vel sem. Suspendisse laoreet, nisl sagittis dapibus imperdiet, metus dolor interdum sapien, nec vestibulum velit sapien sed lectus.

    Curabitur enim odio, pulvinar mollis bibendum a, mollis ac sapien. Nullam nec felis lorem. Vivamus feugiat convallis ante eu iaculis. Maecenas eget lorem eget nisl malesuada vulputate. Nam ut nibh mauris. Etiam accumsan, turpis at cursus faucibus, nulla elit sollicitudin nulla, quis dapibus leo sapien id magna. Cras gravida sodales venenatis. Praesent ut turpis nunc. Vivamus eu eros ipsum. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

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      ]]>       http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/vestibulum-ante/feed/ 0       Nullam fermentum http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/nullam-fermentum/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/nullam-fermentum/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:25:45 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=672 Etiam sit amet nisi sapien. Suspendisse risus diam, pharetra vitae lobortis eget, mollis non massa. Duis id felis ligula. Phasellus viverra est sed diam rhoncus porta. Nullam congue, justo a elementum imperdiet, arcu velit placerat lacus, vitae tincidunt mauris quam a purus. In dignissim tincidunt est, a viverra arcu placerat id. Sed bibendum lorem ac neque gravida dapibus. Cras eget pellentesque ligula. Ut laoreet, dolor convallis rhoncus tristique, quam enim viverra lectus, ut auctor mauris dui bibendum erat. Nunc lacinia nisi ac mauris tincidunt semper. Quisque et nisl nec elit lobortis consectetur eget in diam. Donec ut sem diam, ac imperdiet metus. Nullam fermentum mattis velit id tincidunt. Duis euismod arcu id urna sollicitudin eget condimentum neque pretium.

      Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nam varius bibendum aliquet. Nulla scelerisque, enim eget consectetur eleifend, velit felis elementum turpis, non dictum tellus odio ut urna. Ut in leo nec tortor pulvinar aliquet. Nullam quis sapien quam. Integer mauris nunc, porta eget euismod sit amet, bibendum quis tellus. In pharetra massa ut sem commodo eget mollis enim porttitor. Etiam in nisl libero. Aenean eleifend, nunc et laoreet blandit, eros velit consequat elit, aliquet eleifend est lectus in turpis. Nam id mauris ac massa porttitor elementum. Nunc quis risus orci, sit amet pretium mi. Suspendisse ac consequat eros. Maecenas vestibulum, sem nec ultricies pretium, diam felis facilisis lacus, at vehicula sem est sit amet nulla. Nullam gravida ultrices interdum. Quisque convallis massa eget sapien tincidunt eget dapibus metus imperdiet. Curabitur id est vitae enim ullamcorper lacinia vehicula porttitor urna. Nulla lacus nulla, pharetra vitae convallis quis, aliquet id tortor. Nunc vitae felis at magna scelerisque tempus molestie ac purus.

      Aenean sit amet risus orci. Maecenas blandit blandit hendrerit. Mauris eget eros vitae turpis tempor cursus. Duis egestas sem et lorem suscipit eleifend interdum ac est. Ut quis dapibus enim. Proin ac elit non lectus vulputate sollicitudin nec sit amet diam. Nunc nec justo quis sapien vestibulum sagittis. Aenean facilisis, turpis non imperdiet dictum, nibh orci venenatis lacus, tempor convallis dui orci aliquam turpis. Vestibulum sit amet dolor est, ac feugiat velit. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Fusce eleifend luctus justo eget suscipit. Suspendisse vulputate ipsum erat, non egestas eros. Integer commodo nunc eget elit egestas vitae interdum mauris congue. Nulla sit amet ante risus. Morbi sed nibh sed lorem rutrum euismod. Etiam vulputate egestas justo, in sollicitudin quam tristique in. Donec congue neque quis elit dapibus at interdum nisl feugiat. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Donec tincidunt, dolor vitae rutrum rhoncus, dui nunc tempus dolor, ut placerat sapien nisi vel sem. Suspendisse laoreet, nisl sagittis dapibus imperdiet, metus dolor interdum sapien, nec vestibulum velit sapien sed lectus.

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        ]]>         http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/nullam-fermentum/feed/ 0         Quisque rhoncus http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/quisque-rhoncus-commodo/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/quisque-rhoncus-commodo/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:12:28 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=664 Etiam vitae risus a lorem sodales blandit et eu turpis. Phasellus eleifend nisi sed augue sodales blandit. Duis a nulla ipsum, at fringilla magna. Praesent semper mattis nisi. Cras sit amet risus et lectus luctus venenatis. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse id fringilla purus. Suspendisse sodales facilisis massa ac placerat. Nunc nec mattis massa. Aenean in leo ac ligula laoreet faucibus ut non tortor. Nam suscipit felis tellus, varius laoreet enim. Phasellus odio orci, ornare vitae faucibus sed, rutrum id nisl. Curabitur adipiscing dui vulputate nibh ultricies sit amet pulvinar ante dapibus. Vestibulum vel aliquam libero. In mollis ante vitae sapien lacinia convallis. Aliquam facilisis, massa ac tristique sagittis, lectus mauris aliquam nunc, ac aliquam lorem nisl vel nulla.

        Suspendisse potenti. Nullam tincidunt dui non purus vulputate ut elementum libero accumsan. Nunc eu sodales diam. Pellentesque ornare rhoncus diam ac feugiat. Mauris porttitor, enim sit amet viverra tempor, odio urna posuere libero, non pulvinar risus risus ac felis. Sed erat velit, tincidunt sed varius id, ornare quis quam. Vivamus accumsan interdum tortor eu consequat. Quisque et euismod neque. Nulla tempus tincidunt mollis. Integer semper molestie dolor, sed fringilla est pulvinar non. Fusce placerat lectus sed libero sollicitudin quis rutrum ante cursus. Suspendisse potenti. Aenean imperdiet malesuada neque, ac ornare elit convallis id. Maecenas semper feugiat justo ac egestas. Phasellus eu ipsum metus. Aenean vitae ante eget diam auctor convallis. Morbi sed lectus non enim condimentum mollis.

        Quisque rhoncus commodo aliquam. Duis placerat fermentum bibendum. Curabitur quis elit eros. Nullam cursus ultricies urna, ac tempor dui viverra porttitor. Ut posuere ultricies ante eget bibendum. Duis mi mauris, aliquet at vestibulum non, luctus vulputate dolor. Integer consectetur, libero sit amet tincidunt laoreet, eros ante elementum ante, non euismod augue ipsum et sem. Nulla metus augue, lobortis vitae venenatis eu, iaculis quis eros. In dignissim viverra faucibus. Sed gravida porta scelerisque. Praesent nisi magna, egestas nec iaculis sit amet, luctus vitae eros. Donec elementum adipiscing pharetra.

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          ]]>           http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/quisque-rhoncus-commodo/feed/ 0           Suspendisse convallis http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/suspendisse-convallis-dolor/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/suspendisse-convallis-dolor/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:55:41 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=653 Nullam est quam, malesuada eget dapibus ut, sollicitudin sit amet eros. Donec molestie auctor scelerisque. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque posuere purus ac enim cursus vitae convallis enim posuere. Nam nibh magna, faucibus et fermentum in, gravida sit amet mi. Vivamus cursus elementum tortor vitae facilisis. Quisque cursus turpis in mauris dignissim elementum. Nunc sapien enim, vehicula vel tincidunt ac, mollis sed enim. Nulla feugiat lectus a ipsum bibendum elementum.

          Fusce feugiat rutrum diam ut fringilla. Quisque in dui non nibh dapibus molestie in pellentesque nisl. Maecenas at magna quis libero vestibulum pellentesque. Praesent a arcu id urna sollicitudin rutrum non faucibus est. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Praesent eu leo non lacus rhoncus cursus. Sed pharetra suscipit mollis. Nunc porta malesuada nisl et accumsan. In tristique arcu ut quam consequat sagittis. Integer ac eros arcu. In molestie tempus commodo. Fusce massa lectus, pellentesque ullamcorper blandit eu, sagittis quis urna. Nulla fringilla est nisl. Sed in mattis turpis. Maecenas laoreet libero vehicula purus molestie luctus.

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            ]]>             http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/suspendisse-convallis-dolor/feed/ 0             Aenean Consectetur http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/test-post-1/ http://www.aperturedesign.net/article/test-post-1/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:58:19 +0000 Aperture Design http://www.aperturedesign.net/?p=444 Nulla et nisi nunc. Cras feugiat adipiscing ornare. Mauris convallis lorem nisl. Nulla imperdiet pharetra lacus tincidunt consectetur. Pellentesque eu dui ut nisl porttitor semper elementum ut metus. Proin tincidunt pellentesque enim, vel lobortis est viverra ac. Proin sit amet mi sed urna volutpat sodales. Vestibulum gravida viverra mattis. Integer non urna libero. Fusce iaculis, diam a hendrerit euismod, est neque consequat nisi, at laoreet magna augue sed tortor. In metus risus, placerat sed laoreet vitae, accumsan quis dui.

            Donec sapien tortor, commodo ac elementum vitae, malesuada non nulla. Mauris feugiat quam in tellus adipiscing ultricies. Nulla ullamcorper, metus ac suscipit varius, elit magna tincidunt sem, a elementum risus elit eu leo. Integer in tincidunt magna. Curabitur vitae pellentesque nisi. Cras ornare facilisis eleifend. Integer quis eros quis nisl consectetur adipiscing in at justo. In eget hendrerit tellus. Fusce sit amet aliquam nunc. Quisque et tincidunt tortor. In vel viverra libero. Nullam at purus rhoncus mauris accumsan fringilla. Quisque vel tincidunt odio. Sed pulvinar suscipit auctor. Aenean consectetur tortor vitae leo sollicitudin sit amet molestie sapien suscipit. Aliquam fringilla felis sed justo feugiat eget dictum tellus dignissim.

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