On the web, most things that aren't photographs, are two-dimensional, monotone areas, devoid of lighting.
The key to making websites that really stand out has to do with two factors - lighting and randomness.
This tutorial goes through the steps of making a very funky piece of wallpaper.
This tutorial will learn you how to make new brushes as well as making a nice sparkle-effect. It's not hard to do, so you don't need to be very good to make it :)
Use this tutorial to create shiny spheres for your interfaces or to enhance your logos and whatnot. Right now it's working in Photoshop 5x, but not guaranteed for Photoshop 6. This tutorial is quite long, and complex; however, every detail is described.
Photoshop's Lighting Effects filter can create many unique and custimizable effects. It is extremely powerful, and offers many different styles and effects. This tutorial will demonstrate a smooth beveling effect far superior to the cheesy predictable look of Alien Skin's Eye Candy Inner Bevel.
Among the most popular questions asked by newbies about Photoshop compatible plugins are:
Where do I install a plugin and how do I load it afterwards?..