Trendwhore or not, Pixel stretch effects have been enjoying a bit of a renaissance lately. Their ease of use, flexibility, and general funkiness when used properly makes them a useful tool for budding interface and wallpaper designers alike. Best of all, you can create them too in 3 simple steps...
The effect in this photoshop tutorial can be very cool if used creatively either by itself or as part of a larger process. Its also one of the easiest things in the world of Adobe Photoshop to accomplish. Try using it in sbtle ways ona family photograph to give a soft glow to someones skin and give that photograph that little extra touch.
The aim of this tutorial is to teach you how to utilize various layer masks and blending modes (as well as filters), and to do that, let's try to recreate the ImageReady splash screen.
Sometimes, the effect you're looking for is not just a fade, but a "disintegration". By feathering selections, applying Gaussian blur, and gradually deleting, you can achieve this effect.