I am the first to admit that Adobe PhotoShop is the tool to use when enhancing and restoring a photo, however, Fireworks can do the trick too in some cases. Fireworks is already part my workflow, this is why I chose it this time and got results that were needed to make this woman look a little younger. Armed with the bitmap tools from the tools panel, I used the Smudge tool and the Blur tool to softly tone down the wrinkles in the photo. I also used the dodge tool and the sharpen tool to enhance the woman’s jewelry.

The result?

I was always intrigued about this book. I have visited the Zen Garden’s website many times for inspiration after I started implementing CSS layouts on my own designs. Finally, I picked up the book at Barnes & Noble and thought it’d be a good read, it sat on my kitchen table for about a month and I didn’t make time to read it until this weekend. Well, I don’t think I was too far off. So far, it’s been a good buy in terms of inspiration and techniques used to achieve a certain look and feel. I certainly did pick up some new things I didn’t know before and some tips that I thought were useful. I do think it would be useful for someone getting started in CSS layout just to get familiar with some of the intimate concepts of front end CSS design but I don’t think the book addresses the building of CSS layouts from the start as the Eric Meyer books on CSS. For a seasoned designer, the book will inspire you every time just as the website does. Good addition to your bookshelf.

Yesterday my Instructional Designer friend Tina asked me to help review a course that is being packaged on CD. Of course, my review and recommendations focused on user interface design and usability. I did find myself reviewing a little more than that as I have learned quite a few things about instructional design and I felt honored that Tina respects my opinion in this area too. I ended up making additional recommendations to improve the course from an instructional design standpoint. After I was finished, I was starting to wonder what I like the most about being a designer and how I could choose to specialize in a specific field of web design. I have tried my hand at graphic interface, Flash interactive experiences, application programming and all that I was required to know as a web designer in the past decade, sort of a Jack-of-all-trades if you will. Part of me wants to zero in on something and part of me wants to continue learning to do all I can. I admire people like Cameron Moll and Molly Holzschlag who are truly talented and knowledgeable, their skill set is very specific and I think that is why they are at the top of their game. I wonder if it’s worth to be an all around designer or find what I love the most in web design and go for that with all my might.

Looking Glass,
originally uploaded by ishrona.

Browsing through images of Denver for my desktop and to give me some inspiration. I found this picture that made an impression on me.