I remember doing collages at school, when I was a kid. I liked cropping pictures, letters and patterns, and then sticking them all on a poster board to create a truly original piece of art. But times have changed and technology has evolved, which means I've replaced scissors and glue with virtual cropping tools and layers. So today, instead of a paper composition, we're going to create a polaroid collage in Photoshop.

Photography can be as artistic as any other discipline, such as painting. However sometimes we feel like we could transform our best shots into actual paintings, made with real brushes on a canvas. So either you hire a painter to copy your pictures or you simply follow these easy steps to convert your photos into a watercolor painting with Photoshop.

Old photos have an appealing kind of charm that the perfection of digital photography sometimes can't achieve. But I know a trick to give your digital pics an aging touch that makes them look even more attractive. Simply follow these easy steps in Photoshop and turn your digital images into old photos with a sepia tone.

1. First of all, open the photo you want to make look older.

2. Then convert it to grayscale by selecting the Image > Mode > Grayscale menu and clicking "Yes" on the dialog box that Photoshop will display.

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Some people consider graffiti to be an artistic expression while some others believe it's just another form of vandalism. Whatever your opinion is about it, I'm sure you'll like this easy Photoshop tutorial with which you can learn how to apply original graffiti effects to any wall in your photos. Let's get started!

1. First of all, graffiti must be a pixel-based image. This means you can't draw it right on the wall with the font tool, or use pre-defined shapes. So in this first step we'll create the graffiti image by opening a blank document, writing something on it with any cool graffiti font you have and saving it as a PNG file. In my example I also added a stroke effect to make it more realistic.

2. Open the wall image and paste the graffiti image on it as a new layer.

3. Now click on Edit > Transform > Perspective and apply a perspective effect to the graffiti to make it fit the wall in the most realistic way possible. If the graffiti is too large for the wall, use the Free transform tool (Edit > Free transform or Ctrl+T) to resize it.

After changing hair color last week, I thought it was time for a more radical physical change: something you couldn't easily change in real life (unless you use colored contacts) and that really gave a new twist to anyone's appearance. In other words, I'm going to show you how to change eye color in Photoshop. Want to see how would you look like with Paul Newman's or Angelina Jolie's eyes? Follow this easy tutorial and see for yourself.

Feel like changing your look? Not sure if that new hair color will fit you? Don't worry: now you can have a preview in Photoshop. Just take a picture of yourself and try different looks with this simple tutorial until you find the perfect color for you, without ruining your current style.

1. Open the photo you're going to be working with and create a new layer over it.

2. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and apply a Hue layer on your composition. Tick the "Colorize" option and use the sliders to select the new color of your hair. In this case we've chosen a light red.

While browsing photo galleries online, I've often stumbled upon black and white photos with a pinch of color that made them really appealing. I don' know about you, but I've always wanted to learn how to apply that effect to my own photos. And guess what? Now I found a way to do it in just two simple steps. Pay attention:

1. First of all, note that this tutorial has a trick: it works with color pictures. So, open up your color image and desaturate it with the Image > Adjustments > Desaturate menu or the Shift+Ctrl+U shortcut.

2. Now grab the History Brush tool (Y) and in the top palette bar adjust its size to 10 or 12 px, and he hardness to 100%. Then start painting the areas where you want to bring color back. Change the brush size and use the zoom tool when necessary if you need to reach small details. Also remember to release the mouse button from time to time, so that if you need to correct any mistakes you don't have to undo the whole thing.

Despite James's apparent dislike towards Valentine's Day, there are still plenty of people who like celebrating this day and exchanging presents with their beloved ones. But no matter how much you love your better half, finding the perfect Valentine's gift can be quite expensive. For those of you with very tight budgets, here's a cheap way to obtain a truly original present: create your very own Valentine's card with Photoshop.

Among the dozens of effects you can apply to your pictures, the comic strip look is probably one of the most attractive ones. Applying a comic effect usually takes a long time and involves using many different tools in Photoshop, but this tutorial will show you that the same effect can be achieved in an easier way. So if you're ready, look for a nice close-up in your photo collection and follow these simple steps.

It's only a week to Christmas and you just realized you still have greeting cards to write and send. Well, before freaking out take a look at this simple Photoshop tutorial where you can learn how to create a nice Christmas card in just a few simple steps. You can then print as many copies as you need at your home printer and get all your card stuff done in one evening.

1. Open a blank document in Photoshop. It can be any size you want your card to be, but remember to use at least a 300 dpi resolution, because we're going to print this later on. Click on Layer - Layer Style - Gradient Overlay and fill in the background with a blue gradient effect.

If you're a member of any Internet forum, you've probably seen those slick thin bars that some people use as signatures. They're a colorful way to customize your posts while maintaining the forum's readability. Would you like to create for yourself one and use it on your favorite forum? Just follow these easy steps:

1. Open a new rectangle-shaped document. Mine is 25x300 pixels.

Now that kids are on holiday you need to come up with new ideas to keep them entertained during the summer. While video games may be a good option, it's also nice to go back to old pastimes like coloring books. And you don't even have to buy them: you can create them yourself with Photoshop!

1. First, select your image and create a copy of the background layer by hitting Ctrl+J

2. Then go to Filters > Sketch > Photocopy and adjust the Details and Darkness sliders. Try to keep the first one as low as possible, just to see the outlines you want to keep in your drawing.

3. Once done, press Ctrl+L and adjust the image's levels. The left arrow enables you to darken lines, while the white arrow will erase any traces left in the blank parts of the drawing.

4. Repeat the process with a bunch of pictures and you'll have a custom coloring book for your children!

If you're artistically challenged, there's a lot you can do about it: enroll in art courses, try to learn by yourself with DIY books or just grab hold of Photoshop. Yes, the digital image editor can also be used as an artistic brush enabling you, for example, to turn a photo into a drawing with just a few adjustments. Want to know how? Follow these easy steps and free your inner artist.Open the photo you'll be working with and desaturate it, that is, make it a black and white picture. You can do this either by the Image > Adjustments > Desaturate menu or just by clicking Shift+Ctrl+U.