Hi. I’m Hero, and this is my website.
I’m a surfer, photographer and graphic designer currently splitting my time between the waves in Southern California and the deep powder snow in Park City, Utah. When I’m not surfing, snowboarding or behind the lens of my camera I write Photoshop tutorials for you to enjoy.
In a former life I was a young and ambitious designer, climbing the corporate ladder two rungs at a time while simultaneously selling my creative soul for pennies on the dollar. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of those 80 hour work weeks. But after years of pandering to pot smoking executives and grabbing my ankles for a long and distinguished list of demanding clients I woke up to discover that it wasn’t making me happy anymore. So I got out, moved on. Took some time to travel, surf, and re-discover.
These days I design when a project inspires me, I write tutorials when I feel creative, and I do other things when I don’t. So if a week goes by without a new tutorial, just know that I’m not trying to neglect you or deny your insatiable thirst for all things Photoshop… I just wasn’t feelin’ it. But one day soon I’m sure I’ll be feelin’ it again and on that day I’ll shower you with Photoshop lovin’ all day long.
Got somethin’ to say? Leave a comment!
64 Comments
Wow love the new design!
I just wanted to thank you for all the great tutorials. Your my hero!
Colette
Hey Hero, I’m kinda new to web design and Photoshop and am always looking for good tutorials. I’m a member of Lynda.com, which is great for learning the various tools of the trade, but your site is the best bar none for using those tools to achieve real world, professional effects. I love your stuff. Keep up the great work!
Tom in Virginia
Excellent, keep up the good work!
Dave
i love your tutorials! thank you hero
^_~
You are my Hero, Hero. Is that really you, or did you just enhance an image from a GQ magazine?
Love the new site and the continual inspiration! Every time I drop in I learn how to do something different, but also find inspiration to see how things work in different combos. Thanks, Hero!
Jazz
LINTCOLLECTOR, Yes that’s actually me.
love the new design. hope things are well dude. keep it up!
DIGGLES! Dude, thanks for stopping by!
Stumbled upon your site, but your tutorials inspired me to get into PS a lot more. Great work - very well written and easy to understand.
Hero.. we want more tutorials from pshero
Sharing knowledge with a free open mind, its always the path to some mind evolution (at least in my opinion).
Wish to thank you, all the great stuff you´ve made here, and above all, keep on riding the photoshop wave. What makes this a great space, is the clear method of teaching, for all kinds of photoshop users, and with great final results.
Best photoshop spot in the web !
PAULO! Thank a lot man. It’s readers like you that keep me writing. Thanks for the kind words and your regular comments!
Keepin’ in real Hero.
Great work on the tutorials here man, and please don’t worry about updates, the outstanding quality is well worth the wait.
I definitely enjoy your tutorials!
Definitely one of the best PS tutorial sites around. You give awesome step by step instructions without belittling your visitors.
Shalom and L’Chaim!
I hit your tutorials by chance, but I am glad I did. Clean and to the point instructions make life that much easier. I wish I could give up the 80-hour weeks like you did.
Enjoy life and carry on with educating - the most noble of arts.
Fidias
This has really helped me in photoshop man! Thanks!
I figure it’s time for me to offer my thanks, after all I have read pretty much every one of your tutorials. The great thing about your tutorials is the detail and precision; I learn much more than simply the object of each tutorial. For example, I now use a variety of keyboard shortcuts, and it is all thanks to you.
Thank you much!
p.s. I just saw that amazon link, I will use that every time I shop there for sure.
DUDE YOU’RE THE BEST
Lucky that I found your site. its really really great tutorial. All I had just basic retouch my photos, now I’ve got great tutorial by Hero.
Please carry on.
Love you, Hero.
Thanks LUCKY8, I love you too.
Just found your site. Thank you for such great tutorials. I look forward to trying them out. Btw, yeah..enjoy ur life offline as much as you can…be happy =)
Wow! Love your site and tutorials; beautiful stuff. I can’t tell you what reading about “selling my creative soul for pennies on the dollar” has done - I thought it was just me and I was being an ungrateful brat. You have inspired me to explore other areas of creativity, and do what I want, rather than “pandering to pot smoking executives and grabbing my ankles for a long and distinguished list of demanding clients”. You ARE my hero!
RONI. Always glad to help. Do yourself a favor though and don’t burn any bridges on your way out.
It’s been a while since I’ve checked out your site. Great stuff man, you are a Photoshop Pimp.
Marry me.
JENN… can’t we just move in together and see how it goes?
I had a suggestion.
I noticed in a lot of your tutorials you use shortcuts. Could you make a page listing all the Photoshop ’short cuts’?
=) Thank you.
P.s. no.. we can’t ‘just move in together and see how it goes’. Marriage. Now.
Learned the “never burn your bridges” lesson long ago…….you never know who you will end up working with next year
JENN, Great shortcut page suggestion, I’ll get to work on that!
Former Gannett & AP photographer. Former artist. 40 years in corporate hell. Now headed into illustrative photography & design… YOU are my guide!
THANKS!
JACK, Welcome to my world, I’m glad you’re along for the ride!
Woow you are a true hero and i salute with all my respect
many many thanks to your precious time spending on us and i wish you a happy life full of joy
thanks again
A friend turned me on to your site. Thank you for all the amazing tutorials.
I encourage anyone who feels the same way TIP THE HERO.
I’m sure most of us know artists are often undervalued on the financial front. We are all in this together!
Thank you for inspiring me and sharing your tips and knowledge!
CHECK YOUR SITE DAILY, BUT NEVER SAID THANX….SO THANX. AS SAID BEFORE, THE BEST ON THE WEB….AND GLAD YOU ARE ENJOYING LIFE, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BALANCE.
JAMIE FROM LONDON : )
your sharing is so very much appreciated… your tutorials are excellent & your work is wonderful! thankful for you & for your inspiring way & just for being such a awesome Hero…
I will for sure be back to tip the Hero & am sure more then once at that… again thank you!!!
Hmm.. It’s just as well that you don’t give PS Courses in the flesh, you’re far too distracting.
heeheehee…
There is a superior quality to your tutorials and very professional.
SPHYNXYLYNXY, In my best Austin Powers voice, let me just say… Oh Behave!
Not only have you helped me fly through my graphic design courses with flying colors, but your tutorials have vastly improved my knowledge of PS. You really ARE my hero!
Hello again!
Hero I would like to know from you if you have a preference in resolutions. Why? I noticed a while ago and only pieced the puzzle recently, that anything higher than 8 bit res seems to grey out most of
the filters.
Anyway thank you for such awesome tutorials and I hope you never tire of teaching us.
Our HERO!!
Great site, really. Keep on that way.
SPHYNXYLYNXY, First off let me say that bit depth and resolution aren’t the same thing. My resolution preferences are the usual 300ppi for print, 72ppi for web. The bit depth of a file has to do with the amount of color information that is present. High bit depth is useful in programs like Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom for making the most of an image, but once you’re in Photoshop (with a few exceptions) you should be converting the file to 8 bit color.
From one SoCal to another .. Thx. Tutorials are well written and on practical subjects.
Really inspiring and practical all wrapped together. Just spent an hour feeling creative again…thank you,
J
hi Hero. congratulations! pshero.com is always inspiring me. i have a suggest for new tutorial: how to make a box, like software pack, with shadow and reflex, like as the photoshop ad.
thanks!!
great site hero, thanks for all the hot tips. i’ve been mulling over the wallpaper tutorial forever now, haha..i love those damask patterns too. tracing those complicated shapes is great practice with the pen tool, i’ll master that damn thing some day.
Looking forward to learning how to make those starburst effects that seem so popular these days. hint hint
much thanks,
d.
I love your tutorials as they are easy to follow. Thank you so much ….
i see your website by accident ,i am chinese,i love your life style.so free,healthy,and inspired.to be your friend,maybe a very very happy thing,i guess
Dear Hero,
Have you ever thought of writing a book?
Love Li-Jay
You are hot looking. Have you ever done any modeling? Love the site, too.
Hello, im Ada, From México. thanks for your wonderful work, i´ve learn so much of you!!!! Congratulations for your courage for live your live for make you happy.
PS: You are so Cute
merci
Aloha from Hawaii.
Thank you for sharing your creativity with us!
I have been working my way through several of your tutorials and I am in love!!! I just opened up the full version of photoshop 3 days ago (I have been working in PSE for a year of so) and was intimidated until I stumbled on your tuts. I am loving everything I am able to do thanks to your tutorials.
Thanks for these great and inspiring tutorials. I have learned a lot from this site. More than I have learned from my own instructor. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
There are tutorials and there are TUTORIALS.The internet here is bad (Indonesia)we pay for every page we open and it is slowwww.You are inspirational with your tuts and worth every penny we pay to access your pages. Simple, clear and concise with your instructions.Some other websites could learn from your approach.Thank you seems inadequate but what else can be said.
Just ran across your site and am in love!! Not only are you adorable but extremely smart in Photoshop. Thank you for creating the tutorials and sharing your knowledge with us. I’m having a blast going through them.
PS- I’m with you on Park City…one of my favorite places!
Just to let you know that you are my new Hero, Your Tuts are easy to follow and funny most of the time. i love them. i get neat results everytime.
I stumbled on this website….& I thought”where have I been all this time?”. The tutorials are very easy to follow and your sense of humor makes me enjoy reading. Thank u very much…U are now in my SUPER Hero collection..and you rock! Thank you
Hi,
I love the glassy reflection Apple uses with their product displays. Do you know how to produce that affect in Photoshop? (www.apple.com)
I LOVE your tutorials. Thank you!
Your tutorials are great man! Thanks!!!
The tutorials are fantastic! Practical, well-written, easy to follow, useful… Thank you so much for sharing all of this.