The folks over at PhotoshopTalent.com and TutCast.com show how to use distort and displace in Photoshop to add realistic texture to an image. In this case, the demonstration uses a flat flag image, and adds a nice dynamic flowing look.
FotoTV has been invited to visit the Fotolia Workshop “SPEND A DAY WITH YURI ARCURS. LEARN TO SHOOT WHAT SELLS” on the 6th of December 2008 in Berlin (Germany). The result is an amazing movie about Yuri Arcurs the most successful Microstock photographer worldwide. The clip contains very interesting statements in regards to Microstock photography and Yuris know-how, his way of working with models and workshop participants and provides impressions of the entire Fotolia workshop.
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8XmMmSceK4
Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkN5icUfxW0
Yuri Arcurs from Crestock has produced some wonderful videos that show behind the scenes of his studio at Aarhus in Denmark. These videos show a lot of great insight to how he’s using his studio and his photography work flow, specifically in relation to his stock photography. Thanks to Yuri for sharing with the world!
The videos include:
Tags: Photography Tutorials, stock photography, Studio Photography
Beginning the week of January 26th, Instructional Technology will be offering professional support for campus technologies, multimedia and more via Open FLEX Lab Hours in both the Beck Instructional Lab and the MultimediaProduction Center. Beck’s Open Lab Hours (FLEX Lab) will remain the same and the MPC will be opening its doors for the campus community. If you need help with a computer related task or project, stop by to receive one-on-one help from the Instructional Technology staff of experts.
Open Lab Hours for Spring 2009 will be:
Beck:
Mondays 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
MPC:
Tuesdays 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Wednesdays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
If you have questions about any of the Open FLEX Lab Hours, please contact Nancy Cross, Brian Palmer or Nick Smerker. To find out who will be available during which hours, visit: mellon.washcoll.edu/staffprofiles.html
Tags: Help, JIT Training, Just-in-time, live support, MPC lab
Do you utilize YouTube to host videos you create and want to share with the world at the best quality? Has someone else created a YouTube video, but you are only interested in a portion of it for your blog or website? Here are 2 tips that help ensure your audience has a better YouTube expereince:
Tip 1. Forcing the browser to use the High Quality version of the video
You may notice just under the lower right coner of the video window, some videos have an option to “Watch In High Quality”. By default, these videos will play as a 320×240 FLV file at 320Kb/s. Check out this sample:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBGeNeofk0A
The user could click on this link to “Watch in High Quality” which will reload the video and play the MP4 version , which is 480×360 at 512Kb/s. By adding &fmt=18 to the end of the URL, you’ll make the URL you share with others bring them right to the high quality version. Here’s the same video in the High Quality view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBGeNeofk0A&fmt=18
What else are you gaining besides increased video resolution? The video is compressed with H.264 compression, so you get better video even at the same data rate. You also go from a low fidelity mono audio feed to stereo @ 44.1Khz sample rate.
&fmt=6 increases the resolution from 320×240 to 448×336, Flash 7 video @ 900Kbps; audio @ 44.1KHz 96Kbps Mono CBR.
&fmt=18 increases the resolution to 480×360, H.264 video @ 512Kbps; audio @ 44.1KHz 128Kbps Stereo. Note, the bandwidth may be lower, but it’s utilizing a more efficient compression codec.
UPDATE: &fmt=22 increaes the resolution to 720p HD video if the source was uploaded at a high enough resolution.
Tip 2. Advancing the video to a specific playback point.
If you evern wanted to link to a video in YouTube that was lengthy, but had a very interesting part partway through, there is a hack to allow you to begin playback at a precise time. You can specify the minutes and seconds of the start time like this:
add #t=53s to the end of the URL to start at 53 seconds into it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBGeNeofk0A#t=53s
add #t=1m57s to the end of the video URL to start playback at 1 minute 57 seconds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBGeNeofk0A#t=1m57s
Think of this as bookmarking your video clips! Now you can link to a video, and have an index of the segments included, which link right to that precise moment!
Tags: 720p, high quality, tips & tricks, video bookmarking, video tutorial, YouTube Hacks
Interested in experimenting with long exposure photography and painting with light? This tutorial shows some tips and examples of what you can do with your DSLR, a tripod, and a few light sources.
Tags: light art, long exposures, painting with light, Photography
Chase Jarvis does it again, explaining how he executes a high speed photography production with post production composting to produce magical results.
Tags: Chase Jarvis, Compositing, High speed photography, Photoshop
Would you like to include a web-based tracking solution for your next project that can report your GPS coordinates from your cell phone? Do you want to do it for free? Here’s a great solution.
InstaMapper is a free application that you install on your phone, which continuously sends your GPS coordinates to their website, where they use the Google Maps API to generate a real time map of your location. You can choose the refresh rate to balance accuracy with battery life in your phone.
This would be a great tool for someone who might be doing something like bicycle across the country to raise awareness of lung cancer and to encourage followers to quit smoking. Whats more, they even have a Facebook app to embed the animated mapping software in your facebook account.
Tags: Facebook app, Free, Google Maps API, GPS, tracking
http://www.tutorial9.net/resources/250-free-hi-res-splatter-paint-watercolor-photoshop-brushes/
Don’t have the time to buy the right materials and create your own traditional-style-painting Photoshop Brushes? Maybe you just don’t know where to start? No worries - we’ve found nearly 250 of the best Splatter, Paint, Spray, and Watercolor brushes that we think you’ll love!
http://designreviver.com/freebies/400-time-saving-photoshop-actions/
Photoshop Actions are extremely useful in both saving time as well as learning new features that you may not know. They can be used to help standardize your final project better, cut down on repetitive tasks, and to assist you in a bit of creative inspiration. We have collected a handful of great (and free) downloadable PS Actions in this article and also included a nice tutorial on creating your own Actions.
