By Karl Rosencrants, Bigstock Contributor The filters built into Photoshop are powerful tools. They help to add a creative touch to photos or designs and allow almost unlimited possibilities for improvement and enhancements. Thankfully, they are also very easy to use. Running filters on an image traditionally meant running filters on the background layer of…

In our search for stunning shots of Mr. Phil and his shadow, we also found a ton of photos of his Prairie Dog cousins. What’s the difference?Groundhogs are much larger than Prairiedogs, growing up to 26 inches. They also have more rugged claws and muscled forearms that allow them to dig deeper than Prairiedogs and…

By Karl Rosencrants, Bigstock Contributor Photography, at its core, is the creating and capturing of images, and light is the foundation of making such images amazing. It is the direction, absence, intensity, color, and size of the lighting that alters the look of a photograph and creates stunning art work. As photographers and artists, what…

As media becomes increasingly global, cultural diversity is one of the most heavily searched subjects by graphic designers, art directors, and photo editors alike. At Bigstock we continuously try to source content from a wide range of photographers representing our diverse international reach to represent the many layers of our developing world.  Check out these…

By Karl Rosencrants, Bigstock Contributor Good designers generally know how to create good illustrations; however, these creations all too often lack the “pop” and finished look clients really want to see. One of the things that make illustrations stand out is the use of gradients and shadows. For instance, this illustration of an elephant is…

There are so many options for using stock imagery this time of year, and so many appealing images available at Bigstock. Lights on houses are pretty hard to resist, as is the promise of a coming feast. Send a postcard, include holiday images in your regular newsletter, or even make a calendar for your customers…

If you’re in Toronto, come see us at Design City where we’re currently exhibiting and giving away discount coupons and some great swag and awesome tote bags. Design City is part of Print World Canada at the Direct Energy Centre @ 100 Princes Boulevard in downtown Toronto. We’ll be here all day today!

Warm and toasty around the fire? Take a break and enjoy our chilling images of winter.

Behind the Mask, Part 1 One of the more beautiful things about being a designer is the seemingly never-ending thirst for knowledge that permeates throughout the industry. I, for one, absolutely love learning new things that can help me creatively, or can help streamline the production process. However, there has been the odd time I’ve…

There are many ways to create seamless patterns in Illustrator, but I‘ve found many of them to be too simple and limiting, or even worse, too complicated. Through practice and experimentation, I‘ve found a method that gives me the creative flexibility I‘m looking for, but is also easy enough to be achieved in minutes instead…