A better leopard dock

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A better leopard dock

Image by alexisgallisa
How to change the rediculous flat look of the dock (which is not even as ugly as the 3d version).

1. Copy the Dock.app from /System/Library/Core Services/Dock.app to your Desktop (make a backup of this file!)
2. Open Terminal to get rid of 3d glass look. "defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES"
3. killall Dock (Dock will reboot auto with 2d look)
4. Show Package Contents of Dock.app on your Desktop and replace the files bottom1 - bottom5.png to eliminate rediculous border.
5. Open the new Dock.app from your Desktop (this is important so that you can replace the one in your System folder)
6. killall Dock (Dock will not reboot because of step 5 - weird)
7. Copy the new Dock.app to your /System/Library/Core Services/ folder. Authenticate.
8. Open Dock.app and you should see your new custom dock.

View full size : www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1797201816&size=o

Further customizations:
To get rid of the trasparent menu bar at the top, simply fill a 20 pixels high box on top of a background image which is the exact same res as your desktop. A gradient of #f2f2f2 > #e8e8e8 seems to work pretty well. You can also just simply duplicate the look of Tigers menu bar.
Rounded corners are added using Displaperture www.manytricks.com/displaperture/ ( link via www.DaringFireball.net )

I Thought He Loved Me

Image by dualdflipflop
Model:
Keely Johnson


AD:
Christine Marie Katas

MUA:
Feralene
and
Shiran Yamen-Mariasov

Hair:
Dean Sproule

Camera:
Nikon D300 Digital SLR
Nikon 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5 AF

Strobist:
Elinchrom BX500Ri in 66 cm Portalite softbox, above subject
Elinchrom BX500Ri in a Octa Light Bank 74", left of subject

Description:

Usually I don't post images from work, but these are from a recent Creative Commons project for the Voices For Dignity organization. The intention of this project is to provide resources for bloggers and journalists seeking visual tools to impact change. Share the message.

This like other photos I shot for this project have additional room for text to be added.
What text would you add to this photo?

A fantastic day shooting I will never forget. Fantastic working with the crew, models, and other photographers. This is Keely, a fantastic model who I have photographed before.

Links:
Follow on twitter
Like on facebook
Visit today Voices For Dignity

"Colormotion" Still for the Video Art now loading (by mimitalks, married w/children)

Image by mimitalks, married, under grace
Update - Video Art now loaded here:
www.flickr.com/photos/mimitalks/6076191923/in/photostream/
I started to have her hold a smaller version of a compilation of the Video Art stills I've loaded on my photostream in this set, then decided to change that up. So while the board background might be familiar at one point to my faithful few, how you get there and what is on it are all new creations.
The photo is our daughter at about 8 years old, starting with an original and enhanced a bit to create a little drama. She is originally holding a piece of paper with a Bible Verse on it (writing not real clear in the original photo and whited out in subsequent ones.
And at the end of my Video Art, this colorful board is gracefully swirled and twirled (one of my favorite capabilities of Paint Shop Pro 6).

Board background is included in this Video Art (in Explore) called "Aim for the Stars"
Everything else was created yesterday, and uploading today. It takes awhile for my networked computer to upload over 300 mgs. of an .AVI file.

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no more radio

Image by Will Lion
“The cellphone will change the radio landscape by not only establishing a two-way modality but by ushering in new models for advertising that are mapped to people's musical tastes and that are perhaps locally relevant as well, thanks to GPS. This may be one of the most promising mobile ad formats and is a space to watch.”

Steve Rubel | AdAge

adage.com/article?article_id=129741

Links very much to an idea I tossed about here:

will-lion.blogspot.com/2008/02/cloud-music.html

Background image courtesy of: www.flickr.com/photos/benny_lin/536113247/. This citation appears in the top left of the image.

Premade_10_a

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
Colour variations - Premade 10_b - 10_c -10_d.

This image is free to use in your creative works.
Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

Premade_10_b

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
Colour variations - Premade 10_a - 10_c -10_d.

This image is free to use in your creative works.
Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

Nice Change Background Image photos

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Forest_Background 41

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.
Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use this image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set ~Backgrounds~


If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

Gardens_Background 54

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.
Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use this image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set ~Backgrounds~


If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

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ISO – The Exposure Triangle

Image by abanakas

ISO in photography, is the measure of the camera sensor’s sensitivity of light and is the acronym for the International Organization for Standardization. In older film cameras, ISO was also known as ASA (American Standards Association) but is no longer used when talking about photography with digital sensors.

On your camera, your ISO can range from anywhere between ISO 50 to as high as ISO 25600. The higher the number the more sensitive your camera is to light. The more sensitive to light your camera is, the better it will be with taking photos in low light situations. Most camera will have an ISO range of about ISO 100 to ISO 3200. More expensive, professional level cameras will have more sensitive sensors, thus allowing for much higher ISO, such as the ISO 25600, I mentioned earlier.

Why is ISO Important?

Visual “noise”! Visual “noise” is that grainy look that your photos get when taking photos with little or low light conditions. It is usually noticeable in the dark or shadow areas of your image. When not used as a creative effect, noise generally destroys details in your image and may also limit how much you can enlarge an image before the noise becomes a problem.

Visual noise is typically seen when using higher sensitivity settings. Cameras allow for higher ISO settings by amplifying the original electronic signal, and in doing so, any background noise present in that signal is multiplied along with the image information. The images below show the effects of low ISO versus high ISO. The first image was taken with a DSLR using an ISO setting of ISO 200. The second image, was taken with the same camera set to it’s highest ISO of ISO 3200. Notice all the noise in the second shot compared to the first image.

Shot with ISO 200

Shot with ISO 3200

When To Adjust Your ISO

If I’m shooting a subject, such as landscapes, I will generally select a low ISO and use a tripod. Using the low ISO will require a slower shutter speed and a handheld shot using a slow shutter speed will introduce unwanted blur in my image.

On the other hand, if I am shooting a subject, such as people, some sort of action or something indoors, a higher ISO will allow for quicker shutter speeds to capture the action, but will have a greater chance of noise being introduced into your image.

ISO is typically something that I set as I’m preparing for my day. While out in the field, I will set my ISO at the beginning of my outing and for the most part it can stay at that setting. I may change it during the day as it become brighter (or darker).

Out of the three points of the Exposure Triangle, the ISO setting will be less of a factor than the aperture or shutter speed settings.

Wedding cake

Image by soa2002
Cake photo taken during one of my friend's wedding. Changed the background of the image using Photoshop.

For this shot I kep the cake near the window for getting side light inorder to get the depth and reveal the shape.

Any negative/positive comments are most welcome.

Beach_Dawn_Background 28

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.
Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible, thank you .

I love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Backgrounds~

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Premade_13

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.

Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Pre-made~

If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

~

All images use to compile this image are from Public domain images

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Samsung Smart TV Unveils New Smart Hub

Image by samsungtomorrow
Samsung Electronics introduces a whole new “Smart Hub” at 2013 International CES in Las Vegas from Jan 8th. The new Smart Hub is Samsung Smart TV’s dedicated contents platform where viewers can enjoy various contents such as real time broadcasting TV programs, on-demand movies, apps, and photos. The platform changed the design of background image and simplified the user interface to better serve the customers.

삼성 스마트TV, 새로운 '스마트 허브' 공개

삼성전자가 내년 1월 8일부터 미국 라스베이거스에서 열리는 세계 최대 가전 전시회 CES 2013에서 완전히 새로운 '스마트 허브'를 선보인다. '스마트 허브'는 삼성 스마트TV 고유의 콘텐츠 플랫폼으로 이번에 새로 선보이는 '스마트 허브'는 소비자들이 실시간 방송 프로그램은 물론, 영화, 앱, 개인 사진 등 다양한 콘텐츠를 스마트TV의 한 화면에서 쉽고 편리하게 즐길 수 있도록 초기 화면의 디자인부터 새롭게 바뀌었다.

Premade BG 106

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.

Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Premade BGs~

If you are looking for more stock images and textures, please check out my group
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

~

Image Credits:
Stepping Stones and grass mound are with my thanks to Zememz
House & flowers with my thanks to PNGTubes com
All other resources are my own.

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Journal Junk Image Challenge 7.29

Image by Samie Harding
I've a new collage challenge for you all!

I've collected random images from my collection and put them together on an 8.5 x 11 (US Letter) sheet for easy printing.

Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to create a journal entry using at LEAST THREE images on the sheet.

You may use MORE than 3, but no less. Think creatively; a framed photo is not only a photo, but a frame or border for something else, a flower a background to be sanded down. A clock has more parts than the whole. Bits and pieces, cut from the complete picture, can change an entire collage. And yes, using pieces counts as using an image.

Those are the only rules. You can use anything else in your collection of supplies, but it MUST be a journal entry (and journal is how you define it; loose leaf pages together are still pages in a journal).

Because of the image's size (hi-rez), it's available as a PDF download only.

Think you're up to the challenge? There are no winners or losers -- more an exploration of your own creativity and the thrill of seeing how differently we use the same images in our own journals. ;)

Any questions can be posted in the comments.

And leave a link to your image in the comments. :)

Metamorphosis

Image by Viewminder
I feel like I'm up against a wall.

I've gotta turn the focus around.

It's time to disconnect.

I gotta get lost for a while on my own.

Look inside myself and my soul.

Nourish it.

Escape from the background noise.

Unclutter my mind and focus on the path.

Something's been calling me...

and I can't figure it out.

I can't hear it and I need to.

I don't know if it's an idea or a thing...

a philosophy or some change...

but I need to find myself in the quiet...

and listen to that voice.

These dreams that I've been having are powerful messages.

I need to figure out what they mean.

I visualize my self as a caterpillar spinning a cocoon.

The understanding of what it is that I am seeking will emerge from that cocoon with me.

Of this I am certain.

I'll see you on the other side of this wall.

A couple of weeks might do it.

Time and space will tell.

We're all on the same journey.

Love and light.

Farewell for Now

Couple Collage

Image by Tampa Band Photos
My first-ever composite image. Took me about 3 hours of experimenting before I was able to clone the wall/sidewalk and make everything look believable. Also changed the color of the wall from a drab beige to a pastel green.

www | twitter | facebook | 500px

Cool Change Background Image images

A few nice change background image images I found:

Premade_28_a

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.

Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Pre-made~

If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

Premade BG 108

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.

Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Premade BGs~

If you are looking for more stock images and textures, please check out my group
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

~
Stock used;
Tree purchased for Dreamstime
Swing purchased from PNGTubes com
All other are my own.

Nice Change Background Image photos

A few nice change background image images I found:

Getting White Space

Image by maxymedia
Studio Test Notes

There's no question that quality photography (and video for that matter) increases clicks (viewer engagement) and online purchases.

Catalogue shots tend to shoot against a solid white background to focus viewer attention on the subject - ie eliminate any other distraction (noise).

We've been experimenting with getting this white background perfect (given our limited equipment - three Speedlight flash/ strobe units). Note: I'll concern myself with bigger units as we better understand what we're buying and the customer need)

To blow out the white background it's suggested +2 stops above subject exposure (any more apparently bleed back on the subject).

The result was a F/8 exposure (200 ISO) on the background.

We bought a Sekonic L-358 light meter - this makes a huge difference. We're measuring light hitting the surface of the background and object not light reflecting (what in-camera meters give you).

That means aiming for a F/6.3 on the image.

We've setup the object (beer bottle and flower) about a meter (1 yard) in front of the background

We experiment with the second flash manual settings (through a softbox) to get the right exposure - softtbox at 45 degrees to right and 45 above. Note: Switch off the background flash first.

Snap Snap Snap....

Results (and things to fix)

There's so much you don't see in the camera viewfinder and only can analyse once back on the computer

On the background we see a gradual tone change (gradient) and therefore as a solution can see if we bring the flash down to level (was at 45 degrees above) will fix. I can also try and throw more light on the background. If you double the distance you get 1/2^2, or one quarter as much light.

Background Flash Shadow. At the foot of the bottle we see shadow from the background flash. This can hopefully be fixed by putting a flag against the background flash.

The flower and bottle are generally pretty flat and I would have liked more shadow to the left side of the object - not quite sure how to do that yet besides blocking any ambient left light. Also I've lost image quality through a narrower depth of field - I can possibly reduce ambient light or increase ISO to give me more room to play.

Till next time

Couple-walking-in-snow

Image by Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
sources: "Couple walking in snow",
www.4freephotos.com/Couple_walking_in_snow-image-c4f8a509...
"Definition; Love" by cgoldberg89
www.flickr.com/photos/cgb_bbear/3082932860/in/faves-93143...

My theme for the project is homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
Transformation: cropped the background image, changed its color balance and saturation, cropped the "love" layer and added to the background, scaled it, changed the layer mode to difference, used brush and eraser to make the layer blend into the background, used rectangular marquee tool to make a white rectangular, changed its opacity, added text, added shadow and pattern on text

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Serfs UP! Robert F. Kennedy: Moral Courage Quotation

Image by Serfs UP ! Roger Sayles
Serfs UP! Photo courtesy of From Sovereign to Serf (www.serfs-up.net) - "Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, (s)he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
~Robert F. Kennedy

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=409625882381055&set=a...

From Sovereign to Serf SERFS UP!

H is for....324/365

Image by AndYaDontStop
High Pass Filter &
Happy Blurry Shit In The Background Wednesday

Recently a few people have asked how I've been doing my eyes in my photos. One of the things I discovered awhile back when we did "Technique" in TOTW is the High Pass Filter in Photoshop. I'm not sure what the equivalent is in other programs, like maybe GIMP, but basically it's a great way to sharpen and bring out detail, but it has to be used properly with the right mode and mask.

So here's the technique I used to get the shot above: I first duplicated the background and set the new layer to "screen", lowered opacity to around 20% and then applied a black mask. I then used a brush over my eyes to reveal the layer under the mask, thereby lightening the eyes just enough to make them stand out a bit. Next I created a new layer, held the "alt" key and clicked Layer-->Merge Visible. This merges everything so far into a new layer. Then I went to Filter-->Other-->High Pass, set it around 9.5 and clicked OK. This makes the whole pic look gray and weird. But if you go to your layer menu and change the mode to "Color" it makes the whole shot Black & White. I then lowered opacity until the background was desaturated enough to my liking, then applied another black mask, which makes the whole shot color again. Using a soft edged brush, I then painted over the background to make it desaturated, while leaving myself in full color. Finally, I created another new layer and merged visible elements again, then applied another high-pass filter, this time at about 15. Click OK and then change layer mode to Hard Light, lower opacity to about 50%, apply black mask and then paint over eyes, goatee, shirt and the fence that is in focus. Flatten image and then DONE.

Sounds like a lot of work, and it was when i first learned it, but now it takes me like 7-8 minutes. I love the effect!

For FGR - Happy Blurry Shit In The Background Wednesday
For July's ABC Soup - The Letter H.
For The Vent and TOTW - Summertime - Tennis courts always make me think of summertime...

The Outstretched

Image by LeahLikesLemon
Took this image in the Garden of Remembrance. 1 Parnell Square E, Dublin 1, Co. Dublin, Ireland

here's the original image:
flic.kr/p/dtg7VQ

What I did:

slightly sped up video for you to see exactly what I'm talking about...
youtu.be/551DC5mdd3k?hd=1


copied the background layer,
transformed it so that the length and width would be 50%
Cntrl J to duplicate the reseult and Ctrl T to transform... if you right click you can flip vertical or horizontal... I kept at it until I had the background image (see in the video)

Copied the four pictures and used the Ctrl E command to flatten them
then I used the Twirl filter set at 77 degrees...

on a new layer I used the filter>render>clouds filter this gave me some clouds based on the colors I had open in my "swatches"
I added the same twirl filter (Filter>distort>Twirl)
Then added a mask to make it only visible on the outer edges of the image. I didn't like the color of it so I used the Ctrl U command to change the color - used a bluish tint by clicking on the colorize button (to me that just seems the simplest way of doing it)

Added a vignette by using the lasso and making a rough selection of the edges then using Ctrl R to add feathering. When the selection was done I used an adjustment layer to make it darker... Didn't like how dark the actual hands became so I painted black with a large soft brush on the mask for it...

To finish I added some contrast with an adjustments curve layer...

And that's about it...

here's the link to the video again:
youtu.be/551DC5mdd3k?hd=1

Cool Change Background Image images

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Premade BG 38

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.

Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Pre-made~

If you are looking for more stock images or texture please check out my group pool at
"Brenda's Stock Resources".

Premade BG 83

Image by ~Brenda-Starr~
This image is free to use in your creative works.

Please do not redistribute or make small changes and claim it as your own.

Please provide credit via a link under your work back to this image or to my account where possible.

I would love to see how you use my image, so please leave me a link or a small copy in my comment box below.

Thank you,
Brenda.

I belong to this set - ~Premade BGs~

If you are looking for more stock images and textures, please check out my group
"Brenda's Stock Resources".