hongkiat.com

Snow, ice, and the crispness that comes with freezing temperatures can add a new dimension to your photos. And with winter just around the corner for much of the northern hemisphere, it’s a great time to find some inspiration in winter photos. From the first snowflakes in late fall to … Continue reading »

Here’s another round of icon freebies for you guys and perhaps the last for the year 2009. Folks at Iconshock designed 8 cute political characters for us and you can download them absolutely free here at hongkiat.com These 8 character icons are made up of these following politicians: Barack Obama … Continue reading »

How time files, Christmas is round the corner again! You know that the wonderful season is here when you hear all your favorite Christmas tunes everywhere you go. While most of us are frantically shopping for gifts and preparing to throw the most joyous party of the year, don’t forget … Continue reading »

Taking amazing photos is something many aspiring amateur photographers strive for. And HDR effects can really make your images pop. Below is a complete toolbox to get you started with HDR photography on your own. Whether you want to go all out and learn how to take real HDR composite … Continue reading »

From the dreadful art work created for Nosferatu in 1922 till the present, horror movie posters has evolved with time, immensely. Having celebrated the twisted, the sick, the ghastly, the disgusting and the terrifying, this genre of art is highly evocative. It may be just another creepy photograph conveying malicious … Continue reading »

The moment some of you who’ve commented and tweeted in the previous free icons, vector and brush packs contest have been waiting for. We’ve got our winners – 11 of them. 10 winners will walk away each with a vector, icon and brush pack of your choice; 1 winner with … Continue reading »

Comment styling is an often-overlooked part of blog design. After all, they’re at the bottom of the page, not seen until visitors already have an impression of your site, and they’re really there for function more than anything else. Why invest a lot of time in styling them and making … Continue reading »

Today for the very first time in hongkiat.com, we are releasing stock photos. The collection is made up of 45 high quality fruit photos and they are all free to download with no strings attached. You can use these photos in all sorts of individual or commercial project without any … Continue reading »

Good news for designers. Our friend Stefan from Artbox7.com is feeling extremely generous today and has decided to play a small Santa role on hongkiat.com this December. Artbox7 is a site with lots of designers’ collectibles – icons, vectors and Photoshop brushes. Winners of today’s contest will be able to … Continue reading »

Back when Mickey Mouse was drawn by Walt Disney in 1928, it was all pencil and paper, and the frequent use of the ever dependable eraser. More than 80 years has passed and yet we still see Mickey Mouse cartoons all around the world. That 80+ years has also brought … Continue reading »

First of all, we’d like to thank all readers who had participated in the Billings Mac application contest. It’s an upsetting task considering the fact that we can only choose 3 winners out of more than 250 interested commentators. Anyway, we have good news for participants who did not make … Continue reading »

Bright colors can scare off a lot of web designers, especially when you use a few of them together. It takes more care and precision to create a design that uses eye-popping color well, without being overwhelming or looking amateurish. And if you’re combining contrasting colors, extra care needs to … Continue reading »

Vintage-inspired designs, when done well, can end up looking even more current and relevant than an entirely new and modern design. Whether it’s only taking inspiration for your typography, color scheme, or other elements, or whether you create a design that would feel entirely at home in the 1950s, 1920s, … Continue reading »

There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that says "工欲善其事，必先利其器"; the direct English translation means "In order to do a good job, once must have a good tool." When it comes to the design industry, the tool is Photoshop. Photoshop is truly a designer’s best friend. It is used to design almost … Continue reading »