photoshop

However, I also bought Photoshop CS4 Down and Dirty Tricks by Scott Kelby. Kelby runs Kelby Training and is a Photoshop pro, so there's a nice balance there

There's a fair bit in terms of work-flow that I learnt and that I think I will remember. There's more in terms of tricks that I might use occasionally that I know I won't remember, but I will remember where to look them up when I need them. The image over to the right is one I made, using the instructions, in about an hour. It would have been faster, but in a couple of places I struggled until I went back and read the instructions very, very carefully, but for 3D modelling that's hardly a crime - could you make something like this in Second Life in an hour of first building?

The other thing to mention is a tool called Filter Forge which is now available for the Mac. Filter Forge comes with a load of presets that let you create rocks, metals etc. simply, and also adapt and create your own filters that you can share. You can also easily create seamless textures, and apply the filters to your own textures. It's also got a 30% discount for the next couple of days!