13 Awesome Holiday Gifts for Graphic Designers and Photoshop Professionals

Eizo ColorEdge CG243W 24.1″ Widescreen LCD Display

As a designer, photographer, or retoucher, it is important to use a display that accurately displays color. No one wants to spend hours retouching an image only to find out that your images just aren’t displaying correctly. Sure, the display on your iMac and MacBook Pro look great but they just don’t offer the same calibration features that a more professional display will give you.

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Apple 2.6 GHz 15.4″ MacBook Pro with Retina Display

The war between Mac and PC users will probably never end but I love my MacBook Pro and wouldn’t recommend any other laptop. My advice is to purchase the most powerful machine that you can afford. It will be a big help as your machine ages.

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Wacom Products

Your studio will never be complete unless you have a Wacom tablet in your arsenal. Wacom tablets are essential for anyone who wants to be a serious illustrator, digital painter, or concept artist. One of the best things about Wacom tablets is that they have products for just about any price range and skill level. Whether you’re an advanced digital illustrator or a student who is just learning the ropes, Wacom has a product just for you.

Cintiq

The Cintiq is Wacom’s flagship tablet. There are several models to choose from ranging from their 24HD touch to their 12WX. Each of these models allow you to draw directly onto an LCD monitor. This will let you draw in a way that is very similar to pencil and paper.

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Intuos

Like the Cintiq, the Intuos family of tablets comes in a variety of sizes from small to extra large. The Intuos family of tablets is very reasonably priced for anyone who isn’t ready to step up to a Cintiq. Some designers actually prefer the Intuos because on a Cintiq, their hand often gets in the way of the screen, preventing them from seeing the entire canvas. On an Intuos, your hand stays on your desk.

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Bamboo

If the Cintiq and Intuos are out of your price range, give the Bamboo a try. It’s a fantastic tablet, and is great for anyone who is just starting out with graphic design or illustration.

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DSLR Camera

Every designer should have a high-end camera. You never know when you’ll need to take your own photography or create your own textures. When that ever happens, it’s nice to have something better than an iPhone to capture your images. We recommend the following cameras.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is a stunning full frame DSLR camera that is designed to perform. Special optical technologies like the 61-Point High Density Reticular AF and an extended ISO range of 100-25600 make the EOS 5D Mark III ideal for shooting out in the field, and great for still photography. It is a bit pricey though at $3,299.

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Nikon D700

Nikons D7000 features a 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor, 6 fps continuous shooting and breathtaking Full 1080p HD Movies with full time autofocus, and best of all, is much more reasonably priced than the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

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Software and Plugins

It is always handy to have the latest apps at your disposal. Here are a few that we recommend.

Adobe Creative Cloud

If you haven’t upgraded to the Adobe Creative Cloud, you are really missing out. For just $49.99/month you can gain access to all of Adobe’s Creative Suite products, and more. This also includes free upgrades, meaning that you’ll never have to upgrade your version again.

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Filter Forge

Filter Forge is a powerful third-party plugin that allows you to apply over 4,000 amazing effects to your images, and even create your own. Filter Forge has been a sponsor of our site for quite some time and we really enjoy working with their product.

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Machine Wash Plugin

The Machine Wash plugin by Mister Retro is great for adding professional quality texture, age, and weather to your images. If you are looking to add a distressed or worn look to your images, than this plugin is a must have.

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Fun and Comfort

Every now and then you should take a break from work to relax and unwind. Below, we will recommend a few items to keep you entertained or rested when you’re not working.

Brookstone Sleeping Mask

As a designer, it is important to keep your eyes healthy. If you can’t see, you can’t do your job. I know from experience how terrible eye strain can be and this $34.99 eye mask was the best money I have ever spent. It mightmake me look silly, but 15 minutes with this eye mask is better than a 2 hour nap without it, in my opinion. What is great about this mask is that it gives your eyes space to breath. So you can comfortably blink your eyes while it is on.

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Halo 4

Designers can’t be working all the time. Eventually, you’ll need to take a break and relax. What better way to relax than gearing up with the Master Chief and kicking some Covenant rear?

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Laser Projection Keyboard

What is cooler than using lasers to send tweets, status messages, or emails? The laser projection keyboard from Brookstone will let you do just that and will project a keyboard onto any flat surface using the power of laser beams.

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Editor’s Note: Many of the links above are affiliate links, which simply means we’ll earn a small commission if you purchase that particular tool or service. If you do, we thank you for supporting Psdtuts+. Have a wonderful holidays!