Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Bianca Gubalke Images, Communication Design, Design, Digital Advertising, Digital Communication, Digital Photography, Educational Tutorials, Graphic Art, Graphic Design, Graphic Design Services, Online Communication News, TOUCH, Web Design Consulting, Web Design South Africa, Web Graphics, Website Publishing, Ycademy Seminars
Feb 16, 2010
by Bianca Gubalke
Applying Basic Filters in Photoshop
You can make your pictures look great and much more personal by applying Basic Filters in Photoshop.
Yes, there are countless exciting and sometimes mind-blowing filter plugins out there, but it helps to first play around and experiment with what you already have on your Adobe Photoshop CS4; your visual observations and conclusions are then part of the experience that will help you decide very rapidly which filter you want to apply for which effect… and how strong… to which digital image or photo.
In our exercise here, I used a basic digital photo I took at Christmas: a chorus of little angels on a light sheet of silver organza on my dinner table under the golden light of the setting sun … It’s a bit nostalgic as my mom used to always put them out with a lot of love… in those happy days of my childhood…
This is the original photo – it is totally untouched, however, I added a frame with one of the Photoshop filters and I forgot to take out the text… however, loading a big picture – 1000 px wide in this case – takes me just too long with the slow connections down here in the sticks. Accordingly, I will cut down the size of the pictures that follow.
CLICK PICTURES to get them bigger in the overlay.
Applying Basic Filters in Photoshop
Now let’s look how the above picture can be manipulated and changed when applying basic filters in Photoshop – Adobe Photoshop CS4 in my case.
I would recommend you go to your Photoshop, pull in a picture you like, click “duplicate layer” to save the original background that you never touch… and then just play around as I demonstrate here with some of many many examples. Make sure you always add a new layer for each new manipulation, and if you are starting out, simply mark that layer with the filter you used, so you know until it’s under your skin.
Do this exercise so you can participate in the Photoshop Filter Challenge … read on!
I just get you going here so you can discover what appeals to YOU. It’s part of the creative process. We all have our own taste and style – you need to find your’s. But to find it and refine it it needs exercising… just as a piano player knows the keys and does his daily exercise routine – it’s no different with a magnificent instrument like… Photoshop!
Accented Edges with Photoshop Basic filter
The “Accented Edges” on the picture above were done with a basic Photoshop Filter. It’s just a matter of adjusting and finetuning. It’s the exact same process with everything you do. There are then smart Action Scripts that take the time and the guesswork out of the process, however, all this is already in your Photoshop Basic Filters… just hidden and ready to be discovered!
On a sidenote: just imagine… those grand painters… the Masters – they did and still do the most extraordinary Artwork without artificial filters! Go to a museum or Art Gallery and study them – there’s a lot to learn – even for exactly what we are doing here!
In fact, I will do a series on it… time permitting!
Stunning Effects with Basic Photoshop Filters
I loaded some of the picture manipulations with Photoshop Basic Filters in a Slideshow for you – some stunning effects! There are more…
Photoshop Ycademy Workshops
Yes, there are many more filter plugins and can’t one lose oneself in kaleidoscopes? I couldn’t stop myself from adding that as the final picture; it’s an extra filter everyone following the Photoshop Ycademy Workshops has.
If you are interested to develop your skills in Web Graphic Design, I recommend Photoshop Ycademy Workshops and Seminars!
Bottom-line: for our job assignments, we need to know our tools so we can implement them in tiny dosages for specific effects – hardly noticeable… but just giving an image that special edge that makes it stand out from the rest.
This is especially important in a world of ‘perfect digital photos’ – that’s our undisputable reality today. But it’s those ‘imperfections’, those special personal notes beyond the norm and average ‘perfection’ that make good pictures excellent… just as a perfect face is far from being a beautiful face. Interesting isn’t it…
Basic Photoshop Filter Challenge
Now here’s a bit of chocolate and challenge for your exercises with Basic Photoshop Filters:
Watch the Slideshow carefully and give me the applied filter effects in the right order – and you get a super prize! There’s always just one effect applied to each picture (10/12), so no guesswork here. It’s basics… of course I work with much more… normally.
No, I won’t tell you what you get… but it will be a Surprise, it will be Personalized and it will be for your Blog!
Now how’s that?
Who’s on the go????
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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Written by Bianca Gubalke
Bianca Gubalke Design, Bianca Gubalke Images, Communication Design, Digital Advertising, Educational Tutorials, Graphic Art, Graphic Design, Graphic Design Services, Online Communication News, Web Design Consulting, Web Design South Africa, Web Graphics, Ycademy Seminars
Feb 15, 2010
by
Bianca Gubalke
Custom DVD Design Packaging
Personalize your favourite CDs and DVDs with original, funny or elegant Custom DVD Design Packaging.
Here are a few quick examples I did with the new Action Scripts we loaded in Adobe Photoshop CS4 for an award-winning movie screenplay “Just A Wing Away” I wrote a while ago. Please click on the images to enlarge them to see the details more clearly.
Custom DVD Design Packaging
Custom DVD Design Packaging is also another way to Brand yourself, especially if you are using your logos, fonts and color schemes.
In these examples, I show how slight variations in colour and fonts can change the visual aspect of even a CD or DVD.
As I will be offering this Service in
WP Best eShop it’s important to provide several variations to cater for different peoples’ tastes and moods. While I may personally like the black and silver version with my typical dash of some bright hot red, someone else may prefer the blue mood – which by the way corresponds to the content of this action thriller surrounding a mysterious blue butterfly – or the red for the hot romantic touch of the story line – what else!
Unique Gift Ideas
Personalizing a CD or DVD as concerns the labels and packaging – especially if it contains something you did, produced, sung, composed, wrote or whatever yourself – is a fantastic and absolutely unique Gift Idea.
You can provide your own digital photos, images or any form of Artwork which will then be integrated and published in an elegant way that will certainly impress any person or company you dedicate it to.
There’s nothing like giving something truly ‘personal’!
Besides… it’s the best form of Affordable Advertising…
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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By Yorgo Nestoridis
Microsoft Office 2010 Seminar by Ycademy
The announced February Seminar by Ycademy, which will deal with Microsoft Office 2007 will be extended to the brand new Microsoft Office 2010 Beta.
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta
Seminar participants should download and install the new Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta before joining the sessions. Please download the English 32-bit version from here. Follow the link at the bottom of the page and create an account using your Live Credentials (they should be the same as you use on MSN and for other Live Logins).
In spite the note by Microsoft, just add the new 2010 Beta to your existing installation. Your Start Menu will look about like this:
At the Seminar we will particularly focus on some of the Main Applications such as Word 2010, Power Point 2010, Publisher 2010 and Excel 2010 as well as on the collaborative tools and the new online potential of Office 2010.
More about the extended Ycademy Seminar Program during this weeks daily YORGOO calls.
Seminar Tickets are available at the YORGOO Shop.
| Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics.
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Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Bianca Gubalke Images, Communication Arts, Communication Design, Design, Digital Advertising, Digital Art, Digital Communication, Digital Photography, Editor, Educational Tutorials, Google Top 10, Graphic Design Services, IT Consulting, Online Communication News, Semiomantics, Social Media Publishing, WP Best eShop Theme, Web Design, Web Graphics, Website Publishing, Ycademy Seminars
Feb 11, 2010
by Bianca Gubalke
Presenting Web Design Graphics
In today’s madly media oriented virtual world it’s important to integrate good quality pictures and images into our Websites and Blogs, ideally based on our own digital photography and/or Graphic Artwork.
Within that context and with improving Internet streaming and connectivities even down here in the sticks in South Africa, the ‘packaging’ of anything we present gains in importance. Just as in the ‘real’ world… the ‘look’ is what counts most. This means that we as Web Designers and Graphic Artists have to adapt our skills to be Presenting Web Design Graphics in a professional and appealing way.
Presenting Web Design Graphics
Presenting Web Design Graphics can be done the long and more elaborate way – depending obviously on the effect you wish to achieve as some are really just done in a few mouse clicks if you know the brilliant tools in your Adobe Photoshop CS4 – but for those who want to present their photos and images in a clean and pleasant manner without having to dig through complex Photoshop Tutorials, there is a smart way saving lots of time: Actions or Action Scripts.
Well, it’s what today’s Pro’s use anyway… as time is money and why reinvent the wheel?
How to Create a Reflection
In my Photoshop Series on “How to Create a Reflection” in September 2009, I introduced you to the more complex route – although this one was easy enough.
In the above example I simply used an Action Script to create a Reflection. This example is a simple one and I would say I personally would do it just as fast the ‘normal’ route, however, when it comes to automating hundreds of steps for items we don’t necessarily do every single day… WOW! this is just Magic!
One point I want to emphasize though: we always need good material to work with – sharp big photos, good quality images. It’s jsut a rule and not to be disputed.
Photoshop Ycademy Workshops
In yesterday’s Photoshop Ycademy Workshops we looked into additional Action Scripts and did some .
One important point to remember was to not change the image size until at the end. Don’t even try this! I did… and had a beautiful product at the end of Step 1 – however, there was no way to render it!
Why did this happen?
Dali Through My Eyes
I had a specific picture in mind, however, as the Artwork I wanted to integrate – Dali Through My Eyes – was of much smaller size than what was dictated by the Action Script, I just decreased its size so I had a perfect fit! Well, so thought I !!!
But that made the rendering via the Action Script impossible and, seeing that I cannot enlargen my original Artwork without losing pixels and quality, I have to abandon the idea alltogether. Yeah… any Actions Pro may have a laugh here… but this is part of the learning curve and we will get there!
Of course, I could do it in the ‘old’ way – however… as we approach different markets now – including Printing – , we need BIG pictures of HIGH quality. It requires a different way of thinking and planning… and it’s very exciting!
For the time being, I tested another Action in terms of a Cast Shadow on that well intended DVD Cover… and, of course… that attractive reflection :)
In tonight’s Photoshop Ycademy Workshop we will look into ways of dealing with Portraits and Landscapes – so look into your image folders and have some good, big pictures ready to be ‘manipulated’ for better presentation within your websites and blogs.
And to answer your question: YES! I am and have always been a fan of that great Surrealist painter… Salvadore Dali!
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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Written by Bianca Gubalke
Communication Design, Design, Digital Advertising, Digital Communication, Editor, Educational Tutorials, Google Top 10, Graphic Design Services, Online Communication News, TOUCH, WP Best eShop Theme, Web Design Consulting, Web Graphics, Website Publishing, Ycademy Seminars
Feb 10, 2010
by
Bianca Gubalke
Affordable DVD Packaging
Affordable DVD Packaging was – amongst others – the topic of yesterday’s exciting Photoshop Ycademy Workshop and great Web Graphics Tutorial.
Affordable DVD Packaging
Is there a way for affordable DVD Packaging?
Well, there is the long way to elaborate all this in hundreds of little steps on Photoshop – that’s what I’ve learned and practised over quite a while based on studying the early Adobe Photoshop Bible 5 – and then there is today’s fast and spiffy way by using Actions or Action Scripts, where basically the whole process is extremely compressed into automatic processes with occasional ’stops’ to insert personalized data like a title, a name, a copyright… that deliver astonishing end products.
These Action Scripts allow even people who are no artists and who don’t intend to go that route… but who have equipped themselves properly with Photoshop and who wish to present their photos and images on Blogs and Websites in a professional and appealing way… to produce great results for say CD wrappers, attractive DVD Jewel cases and many other forms of packaging.
Of course, this is only possible because some professional Graphic Designer has gone the whole route of many little steps to create an Action Script – that basically recorded all these complex steps and wrapped it all up in a PRO Action product at a price or gives it away for ‘free’. Suddenly, anyone can get an eye-catching result at one or two mouse clicks. What’s important here is to find the real good actions between the many thousands out there on the Internet… but for this we have:
Photoshop Ycademy
Whenever working professionally, it is important to be properly equipped.
A good tool may have its price, but it’s all worth it as it saves us time and – if we know how to use it – it definitely gives us an edge over the competition.
Those Photoshop Ycademy Workshop participants who wish to reach the top – and with it a highly sophisticated clientele – have to continuously invest in high quality tools and their knowledge and skills to use them. However, this will allow them to focus on Productivity, get better results and have more music in their PayPal account at the end of the day.
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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By
Yorgo Nestoridis
Photoshop Ycademy
When 10 days ago we started the Photoshop Ycademy for YORGOO and Ycademy members, the program outline looked like a huge task. Today we see, how much can be accomplished within little time by ordinary people making extraordinary efforts. Tonight’s training will be a clean up session to finish up with some basics and the implementation of more action scripts, namely to accomplish more day to day tasks.
Book Covers, CDs, DVDs and more
Last night’s session was dedicated to product wrappers; it’s all about the look! Great stuff was created and I am looking forward to see some of it on Google Top 10 Images. While we have shared with participants some impressive actions, we are preparing two Photoshop Packs containing some interesting stuff I have on my computer and which I find useful for professional use of Photoshop. Here below a gallery of some sample images I did in just a few minutes; hope you enjoy! See you tonight at 7 pm London at Yorgotalk!
Brenda Baker Tourism in NZ
Gene Line's secret passion
Laetitia Paris Hit Parade
Nikos Advertizopoulos Ycademy Head Master Course
Toni Leuenberger Computer Security
Ute Schaedler Affiliate Bible
Healthy Eating with Ute Schaedler
Fine Art by Yorgo Nestoridis
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By Yorgo Nestoridis
Contents
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1 How to use Photoshop Actions
1.1 Photoshop Action Scripts to increase productivity
How to use Photoshop Actions
Do you know Photoshop Actions and how to use them? If you think that we may be able to share with you some new actions, join tonight’s YORGOO call at 9 pm London Time.
We [...]
by
Bianca Gubalke
How to Install Photoshop Brushes, Styles, Shapes and more
As we start working on programs like Adobe Photoshop CS4 we have lots of brushes, filters and other tools at our disposal, however, the smart way is to save time by taking advantage of what even smarter people – spiffy Graphic Designers and Design Artists – have already done for us and generously put at our disposal in the form of free Downloads.
While we may all have our own way of doing things, here is How to Install Photoshop Brushes, Styles, Shapes and more as was taught in the Ycademy Workshop last Friday, 5th February 2010.
How to Install Photoshop Brushes, Styles, Shapes and more
If you wonder How to install Photoshop Brushes, Styles, Shapes and more… simply follow these simple steps:
1.
Go to your favorite site – like DeviantArt for instance – choose a brush you like and that you want to work with and Download it (normally as a .zip file). Observe any requests by the Artist please. Depending on the complexity of the brush, it will go fast or take a little longer… especially if you have a slow connection as we have down here in South Africa.
In my case, all Downloads go automatically into my Downloads folder (Windows 7).
2.
As a next step you want to open the zip file and copy ONLY the file with the extension .abr – which you now want to paste into your Brushes folder.
So where do you find the Brushes Folder?
3.
Go Start > My Computer > Program Files > Adobe > Adobe Photoshop CCS4 > Presets > Brushes!
Just paste the .abr file – you will see many others there already.
4.
Once that’s done, you can open it right away in your Photoshop and work with it!
The same applies for Styles (.asl), Patterns (.pat), Gradients (.grd), Color Swatches (.aco), Actions (.atn) and more.
If you download filters (plugins), you don’t go to Presets but to Plugins. Drop the .8BF file into the Filter folder and enjoy your new toy… I mean tool!
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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