Adobe Photoshop CS3 Beta »

Get your Photoshop CS2 serial number handy and be on the lookout for the Beta version of Photoshop CS3, scheduled to be released today by Adobe Labs.

The biggest improvement, in my opinion, is the new ability to create content for use on mobile devices. That appears to be the way things are heading, so this new tool will make it easier. As an added bonus, this Beta release will run on Windows XP, Vista AND PowerPC Macs. Very nice.

If you do not have a CS2 serial number, that is ok. There are some nice Photoshop alternatives out there that you can download for FREE!

New SnagIt Version Released »

Just when you thought it could not get any better, the Techsmith team has made improvements. They released SnagIt 8.2 today and it has some sweet new features. We use SnagIt almost every day and this is a program that we could not live without.

Some of the features include like Vista and Office 2007 compatibility. Not that we will be upgrading anytime soon, but it is nice to know that SnagIt has us covered if/when we do upgrade .

Also, you can send you screen captures directly to another application. So, if you are working in Word and need an image, you simply open SnagIt, grab the image and send it back to Word. Very nice. Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE SnagIt. But sometimes it was a hassle grabbing the image, saving it to the desktop, opening the target application and importing the “snagged” image. I am certainly not complaining because that process was WAY easier then anything else. But now it is smooth as silk. Love it!

Plus, hot little callout styles have been added. We use the callout function when getting web site redlines from clients. It makes the whole revision process much easier.

If you are not yet a SnagIt user, hop over to their web site and download the trial version. You will be grabbing screen shots in minutes and will be as hooked on it as we are.

Online Image Resizer »

(Announcer voice)”How many times has this happened to you”? You signup as a member of a web site and you start to create your profile. You notice that the website allows you to upload an image to serve as your avatar. “Sweet”, you say! You browse your computer, find the image you want to use as your avatar (you know – the one you spend hours crafting in Photoshop… oooo its so clever ), and you click “upload”. But wait – the image is too large! Now you have to resize it. “Aww man – lame”, you moan.

Well, Quickthumbnail to the rescue! Go to the site, browse your computer and upload the image. Select your resize options – percentage, fixed size or standard size. Click “Resize it”. And – poof – done. Very nice. Give it a shot.

Shout out to Wendy at Lifehacker for this great find!

Color Palette By Image »

Wow, could I have used this tool in the past. Trying to map the colors of a specific image so that you can duplicate them on the client’s website… what a pain.

Now, that will never happen again. Bruno at css4design.com posted about this great tool that will tell you the exact color palette of an image and all you have to do is provide the URL. Score! I am hooked!

DeGraeve.com has it on a page of their website – The Color Palette Generator. Very nice. I think it is a “must-have” for every web design toolbox.

While you are there, check out some of the other great tools Steve has. Kudos to Bruno for posting about this