Hope you enjoy those works as much as I did and find them inspirational! Meanwhile, if you have some cool designs and would like to be featured here on PSD Vault, you can simply join the PSD Vault Flickr group.

If you like those works, then show those awesome designers some support! Click on the image to visit the author’s flickr page and drop them a comment :)

Here goes the list, enjoy!

That’s it for this post! Hope you enjoy it and find it inspirational! Remember, if you have some cool designs and would like to be featured here, you can simply join the PSD Vault Flickr group and sumbit your work there.

Until next time, have a  nice day!

Hope you enjoy those works as much as I did and find them inspirational! Meanwhile, if you have some cool designs and would like to share them here, you can simply join the PSD Vault Flickr group.

If you like those works, then show those awesome designers some support! Click on the image to visit the author’s flickr page and drop them a comment :)

Here goes the list, enjoy!

That’s it for the 16th volume of Creativity Fine-Tuning: Best of PSD Vault Flickr Group! Hope you enjoy those works as much as I did and find them inspirational. I would love to hear your thoughts of those works, just drop a comment below :)

Till next time,  have a nice day!

Think you have got the best PSD design for your website? That’s pretty interesting as long as you get time to code it optimally. But however, it is sad for a fantastic designer to code the design when he can put his efforts in producing something incredible at Adobe Photoshop.

To let the designers travail with creativity in Photoshop, and take more web design orders to etch your prominence in offering superb quality website designing, I often outsource XHTML coding.

How to Choose?

This isn’t really easy. Choosing one out of many service providers is a daunting task, more yet when we know that new service providers are adding up in the list daily. Three things that I think no designer would like to compromise with his project are: Timely Delivery, Quality and Customization. Minus one factor, and you aren’t satisfied with the product. This is where I rely on XHTML.PixelCrayons.com which supersedes all others.

With regard to their clientèle and portfolio, they emerge as a web coding service provider that transforms web designs into clean XHTML, CSS code or a WordPress theme in a snap. They are so quick that you might just finish your next web design and get the coded design meanwhile – they promise delivery in 8 hours flat!

You may choose to upload the image file in any extension file, including AI, ZIP and PDF. They are also cool about integrating your design with CMS, Blogging Engine or Shopping Cart.

Client Support

I have entailed the services of all major PSD to XHTML Conversion companies in the market. I lacked to experience seamless client support from all but XHTML.PixelCrayons.com

The response time of XHTML.PixelCrayons.com is quick and thorough. They asked me all necessary questions related to coding and other clarifications on design implementation. They wanted to code it according to my specifications and hence didn’t seize to ask me my requirements along implementation. My markup was then available to me within 8 hours.

The markup delivered is guaranteed to look exactly like the design you created. Here are the two coding packages they offer:

The Basic Package – starting at $99

1. Markups: HTML 4.01 Transitional, XHTML 1.0 Transitional
2. W3C Validation: CSS, XHTML & HTML
3. I.E 6.x / 7.x, Mozilla Firefox, Safari

The Professional Package – starting at $199

1. Markups: HTML 4.01 Transitional, HTML 4.01 Strict, XHTML 1.0 Transitional, XHTML 1.0 Strict.
2. W3C Validation: CSS2 (Advanced CSS Code Structure), XHTML & HTML Browsers Compatibility: I.E 6.x / 7.x, Mozilla Firefox, Safari 2.x/3.x, Opera, Konqueror.
3. Includes: SEO Semantic Code, Load Speed Optimization, Complete Presentation Separation, Maximum Cross-Browser Compatibility.

In addition to the standard packages, they customize various add-ons including layout options, markup options, drop down menus, rollovers, transparent PNGs and integration services.

So while they take care of what they are pro at: Slicing and Coding, you can take care on what you are at: Designing. Keep visiting for more Adobe Photoshop tuts, and you might want to get it XHTML by XHTML.PixelCrayons.com!

In the mean time, I’d like to once again say psdtuts.com (now psd tuts plus) is absolutely wonderful in every way with tons of  Photoshop tutorials, inspirations and resources to offer. However it’s always good to have a wide variety and try to learn from different sources. So go and have a look at those sites, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed :)

Enough talk, here goes the list, enjoy and HAPPY EASTER!

PSD Rockstar

PSD Rockstar is a Photoshop tutorials blog dedicated to web designer, bloggers, beginners and web developers to provide the best Photoshop tutorials around the web. At PSD Rockstar you can find stuff related to inspiration, Photoshop tutorials, web collections, tools & related to designs.

- About PSD Rockstar

Denis Designs Blog

Graphic Designer that creates websites, logos and print designs. I have a design blog at denisdesigns.com/blog
- About Tyler Denis

Design Reviver

The goal of Design Reviver is to provide Web Designers with valuable information. Here you will find useful tutorials, free downloads, sources of inspiration, and articles covering a wide range of web design related topics.

- About Design Reviver

Grafpedia

A fresh new graphic design site I discovered a few days ago, has a nice and clean site layout. The Photoshop tutorials on there look pretty sweet :)

- From James @ psdvault.com

Our Tuts

Another newly-created Photoshop tutorial site and it has some nice entries showing good techniques. I found the tutorials are easy to follow and particularly suitable for beginners.

- From James @ psdvault.com

PsDeluxe

A nice Photoshop Tutorial site containing quality tutorial (video tutorial included) and good resource such as free PSD file, brushes and texture downloads.

- From James @ psdvault.com

OK that’s it for Part III of  Six High Quality Photoshop Tutorial Sites Apart From PSDTUTS.com! I hope you find this list of Photoshop tutorial sites useful and learn to the maximum!

Cheers and have a nice day :)

My acquaintance with many web designers has lately been so strong that I can now get into their shoes and sympathetically understand their point of view. I have realized that the biggest challenge for a successful web designer is to get timely and quality conversion done; and for a seasoned XHTML programmer, it is the beginning process.

The two prerequisites of XHTML are Adherence with Time and Adherence with Quality. After a long association with competent web designers, I have sensed the irrevocable importance of timely work delivery; and along with it the irresistible need of outsourcing to XHTML Conversion companies.

Website design/ development companies can’t take the risk of being behind the times and subsequently cut a large number of potential clients. The recessionary period simply outcasts any chances of loosing clients! Just because the web design companies are brimmed with design orders doesn’t mean saying “no” to new clients, thereby ruining client relationship. So to accelerate time to business value, design pages are outsourced to XHTML.

Stiff competition in the web designing market has also outlined the need for pixel perfect websites, which is precisely one reason why more and more web design companies hire XHTML conversion companies. XHTML is not so much about having a ‘strict code’ as about ‘conformity and compatibility’. E-marketers of the 21st Century have realized that even the high-end booze businesses are making serious efforts to survive in the global recession. This formula reiterates in e-business too- and when it’s about XHTML conversion, quality is revered.

All-in-all, XHTML conversion is all about time, quality and cost- or to be precise, it’s about all three going hand-in-hand. This is well realized by many top notch XHTML service providers who leave no stone unturned in their service offerings. Having said that, I’m going to use this as a basis for how to select a promising PSD to XHTML Conversion Company.

1. Work Process- If you have decided to outsource your PSD for XHTML, it’s not because you want to, but because you have to. Hence you would want the work process to be seamless, easy and less time consuming. Check if the provider allows you to integrate with CMS/Blogging Engine and Shopping cart of your choice. As you are the client, you ought to have choices! Check for the same liberty of choice with PSD file format.
2. Client Support- You are hiring a conversion company primarily for saving time. Quick response time and instant communication options prove to be the success measuring devices.
3. Work Quality- XHTML quality should not only meet, but supersede the PSD mock up design. A qualitative XHTML means quick loading, optimized pages, table free design, cross browser compatibility, SEO semantic code, and most importantly- meeting all client’s requirements- howsoever and whatsoever they may be.

The complicated thing with web programmers is that their learning process never ends. Just as XHTML has overshadowed HTML, some other language/coding style may hammer its identity in the coming days! In an inquisitiveness to know about the XHTML Conversion companies, I surveyed few top-notch companies.

All that glitters is not gold. There really are few who have economical price listings, though they are laid back on time, sometimes it’s the other way round. However there still are few companies who deliver what they promise. They deliver what they say: Quality Code, Timeline Conformance with Top Notch Client Conformation.

I would also like to announce that PSD Files for each tutorial from PSD Vault are available for just $2 per file, via Paypal, and the Freebie Section will be up very soon.

Some forewords …

It has been a big four months since I launched the site back in Mid November, 2008. The site has grown from 10,000 pageview per month to 10,000 pageview per day on average. Despite the traffic increase, the focus of PSD Vault remains the same: To provide quality Photoshop Tutorial, Resource and inspiration to all levels of designers.

No doubt there is still plenty of room for improvement here and I receive a lot of feedbacks for the tutorial/site design through comments/emails. I will certainly try my best and I thank you for all the constructive comments/feedbacks you have made.

Last but not the least, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to the wonderful site sponsors – thank you so much for the support!!

Ok enough talk, here is 10 tutorials I chose for this roundup, enjoy!

Tutorial Roundup

Create a Realistic Volcano Eruption Scene with Lava Effect in Photoshop

Create a Diablo III Inspired Grungy Text Effect

Bring Colour and Light out of Ordinary Image

Design a Dark and Crimson Forest Scene in Photoshop

Translucent Text Effect with Sky and Cloud

Easily Transform Your Photo into a Watercolour Painting in Photoshop

Create an Realistic Dark Ocean Text Effect in Photoshop

Render a Far Cry 2 Inspired Golden Sunset Scene in Photoshop

Create a Realistic Weedy Text Effect in Photoshop

Give Your Photo a Shining and Metallic Effect in Photoshop

Hope you enjoy this roundup and learn to the maximum!

$2 PSD File Download

I would also like to announce that PSD Files for each tutorial from PSD Vault are available for just $2 per file, via Paypal. You should now see a big red $2 button on the right sidebar, click on it and you will be re-directed to Paypal payment page.

Just one thing to remember:

When you buy the PSD files, please specify the name of the tutorial in “Add special instructions to the seller” in the Paypal payment page, so I know which file you’re after.

I will send the PSD File to your Paypal Email within 24 hours once payment is received.  You can Contact Me if you have any further question.

In the future I will make this system fully automated so you will get the download link straight away. Monthly membership here on PSD Vault is also on its way, so please watch out :)

Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Yes, I will have a freebies section setup very soon, where you can download stock photos and texture for your own design purpose. There will be no restriction for those images and you can use them whenever, wherever, for whatever.

Hope you enjoy this post and those roundups and have a great day!