Today’s Hot Site – Layers Magazine! Yes, I realize that this is a permanent link in my sidebar, but honestly, this site just does not get enough love. And neither does my buddy RC (he’s the pretty one you see there in the photo.) But we’ll get to him in a minute.

First, about the site…

The tagline "the how-to magazine for everything Adobe" should cover it, but it doesn’t. What this site and magazine provide reaches beyond that. Coding tips for developers; camera function tips for photographers; cutting edge reviews on software, hardware, plug-ins, and accessories; a free community forum filled to the brim with professionals asking questions and giving answers; and a high-end once a month contest that awards high end prizes like software packs, education packs, and sometimes hardware.

At the heart of it all you will find state of the art video tutorials that cover all of the major Adobe programs that designers, developers, photographers, and animators use on a daily basis taught by the leading instructors in the industry. Here’s the list of programs they cover:

    * Photoshop
    * Illustrator
    * InDesign
    * Fireworks
    * Flash
    * Dreamweaver
    * After Effects
    * Premiere
    * Lightroom
    * Acrobat

See something on there that you use? I bet you do. And these are not your every day boring tutorials. They are made up of the out-of-the-box thinking we all dream about on a regular basis. Stuck for an idea? Check here first. I can almost guarantee that you will be inspired and jolted into new ways of thinking. I speak from experience on that one. I’ve had it happen to me several times and it’s quite the "Woah! Cool!" adrenaline rush. And the printed magazine is the same way – don’t believe me? Get a free issue and find out for yourself.

Which brings me to that pretty face you see up there at the top…

Rafael “RC” Concepcion does a ton of writing, teaching, and promoting for Layers. He’s also one of the two hosts of Layer’s TV the site’s podcast along side of Corey Barker (another pretty face.) Where Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, and Dave Cross are known as the "Photoshop Guys" and Corey is known as the "Photoshop Laddie", RC should be known as the "Unsung Hero".

I got to see RC teach live at the Photoshop World conference in March. It was a one hour Dreamweaver class that I slipped into at the last minute. I didn’t know what to expect and honestly, I wasn’t thinking much of it because my version of DW is version 4.0 and a far cry of what is available now with CS4. But, RC and I had been talking through Twitter, and I had seen a few episodes of the LTV podcast so I was curious to see what his teaching style was like in person. As soon as class started RC was moving all about the room as he spoke. He just had this energy about him that couldn’t keep him still and I soon realized that his energy was contagious. Before long, I felt like I was buzzing on an educational high. He spoke with a passion that only comes from a person who really loves what they do and it was amazing to watch. By the end of that lightning quick hour, I wanted to run right out and purchase Dreamweaver. And I wasn’t alone. For the rest of the week and the weeks following people were commenting on how awesome he was and wondering where they could get their hands on more of his classes. I don’t know if he knows it, but I think he managed to convert a ton of graphic designers into web developer wannabes that week – myself being one of them.

So, I highly recommend clicking the pic and getting to know Layers and the classes taught by RC – just make sure your heart and head can handle the rush of what comes with it.