Every new year you find everyone has a new resolution.  They want to do something to better themselves, give themselves something to look forward to.  They make that new resolution and things are going great for one or two weeks and then they fall off the band wagon and never get back on.  So much for the resolution right?

This year, if you are a resolution person, how about you check out a NAPP Membership!  That is the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, sounds pretty bad ass right?  It is!  You see, your initial membership fee will be $100.  Sounds steep but, listen to my top 5 reasons  to join NAPP in 2013.

1. Photoshop User Magazine: As a NAPP Member, 10 times a year you will receive the Photoshop User Magazine in the mail.  So if you make becoming a NAPP member your New Years Resolution the flame will never die!  The magazine includes the hottest new tips and tricks for both Photoshop and Lightroom.  There are minimal ads making it the perfect Photoshop magazine, all the crap is weeded out and you are left with purely awesome Photoshop and Lightroom content!  These magazines retail for $10 dollars a pop, your membership is already paid for in the magazine alone!
2. The Online Tutorials: The guys over at NAPP are constantly adding new content to the tutorials section of the Photoshop User homepage.  Some of them are very quick, under 10 minutes, perfect for the Photoshopper on the go!  Recently new to the NAPP website are full length courses that go over certain areas of Photoshop in great depth.  Becoming an expert at Photoshop never happened quicker!
3. The Discounts:  There are tons of discounts available on the NAPP member website, to include B&H, Mpix, Adorama, Apple, OnOne, to name a few.  Over the holiday season I saved over $27 on shipping at Mpix and throughout the year over $68 in discounts on specific print orders!  You also get some pretty huge discounts off of your registration to Photoshop World!
4. The Community: When you become a NAPP Member you become part of an online community of professionals working together to better one another.  There are forums, personal portfolios, and a help desk all focused around making you better at what you love, Photoshop!
5. Last but Not Least: Resume material!  Yep you heard me, resume material.  If you are applying for a Photography or Graphic Design position your future employer will be looking to see if you are active in that community.  Many people may not think they can put this on a resume, but it looks great; Member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals!  By listing yourself as a professional in your trade you are telling them, “Don’t worry, I got this!”

Blake Rudis

f.64 Academy and f.64 Elite are the brainchildren of Blake Rudis. While he is a landscape photographer, he is most passionate about post-processing images in Photoshop and mentoring others.

For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!