Tuesday, March 22, 2011

PhotoShop Editing : AWESOME 'bloodshot eye' removal method... u will LOVE this!!

I have the great responsibility of editing formal portraits that I shoot. I have people ask me to "PhotoShop me!" for the details that they do not want highlighted. I do my best when it comes to minor editing, hiding unwanted blemishes, shadows, smoothing, etc. One tricky technique that I could not understand how to do with a natural look is getting the redness out of the eye whites, or "bloodshot eyes." The ideal tool for lightening is usually the dodge tool. When I used this tool, I ended up with light or bright pink eyes, when they are supposed to get white. So, I went 'surfing'... and found a great method on the Web. 


OMG found it!!!! It is much easier than it seems. The instructions are very detailed, which is good, but once you get the hang of it, it is about a 2 step process really. Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!! It totally WORKS!!! ;) 


Needless to say, I'm thrilled and so pleased with the results. You can vary your method or tool of selecting the parts to whiten, but I used this technique for the eye whites and to brighten or whiten teeth as well. Just keep in mind that it should look natural. Don't over do it!! Best to you... and happy editing!!

 

Instructions

1.         
o    1
Open Photoshop CS3 (I used PS CS4 and it worked fine) and the photo with the bloodshot eyes. Select the "Zoom Tool" (the very last tool on the right of the double column toolbar selections, which looks like a magnifying glass). Select the "+" magnifying glass and click and drag around the eyes to zoom to that area. If you have the "-" magnifying glass, either click on the "+" one along the top bar on the left side, or hold down the "Alt" key.
o    2
Select the "Polygonal Lasso Tool" by holding down the second tool on the left column of the toolbar (that looks like a lasso) and selecting it. Click continuously around the bloodshot area until you draw a line around it. Return to the beginning of where you started, to see the entire area you have outlined as the selected area to be manipulated.
o    3
Hold down the "Alt" key while clicking around any area you want to delete if it was mistakenly selected. Hold down the "Shift" key while clicking to select an area that you want to add to the areas to be manipulated. It is best to create an outline around the whites of the eyes on both sides to manipulate both areas at one time.
o    4
While in "RGB" Mode, open the "Hue/Saturation" window by holding down the "Ctrl" and "U" keys. Make sure the box next to "Preview" is checked so you can see how everything you are about to do is changing the selected area of the photo.
o    5
Move the "Hue," "Saturation" and "Lightness" bars up and down while the "Edit" section at the top of the window is under "Master" and/or "Reds." Generally, move the "Saturation" bar down and the "Lightness" bar up until the redness lightens and the whites of the eyes are more white or light gray instead of red.
o    6
Click on the "OK" tab when the whites of the eyes look more healthy and select the "Zoom Tool" again. Use the "-" magnifying glass to zoom back out and see the picture as a whole.

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Mean : Golden Ratio in Art & Architecture



      • The Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Mean : Golden Ratio in Art & Architecture... What is the connection?? My discovery...

        I am a huge Fringe fan, which explains Fringe science... if you have not seen it and are into SciFi shows, it is well done and keeps the mind open to new possibilities. Anyhow, my curiosity runs a bit deep and thought you may be interested in learning about this interesting connection with math, science, and art. 

        In one of the episodes of Fringe, Dr. Walter Bishop hid the clues to something terribly important. The clues, and solution which was later discovered, as a sequence of numbers that was identified as being the 'Fibonacci Sequence.'

        I do not recall ever learning about this in math in high school, nor in college! I certainly wish that I had. It truly explains my fascination with geometry ;) But, by learning about this as a more mature person, it sparked an interest in me... that eventually answered many of my questions about the relationships with the talents of people who are knowledgeable and gifted in certain subjects.

        I work with accountants by day, or, as you may relate, my 'real' job. However, I hardly have the gift for numbers!! Interestingly, in college, I surprised myself one day in my statistics class when I worked out a problem during a test... the LONG way (no calculator). I understood how to get to the solution since I bought a new calculator and didn't know how to use the 3rd function on it to get to what I needed for my class. Voila! I came up with the solution on pressure and it was such a wonderful feeling (there is hope yet!).

        Anyhow, my point is that I have learned that many people who are gifted with numbers are excellent musicians. I would have never guessed it! But, in fact, the more I learn, the more I find out that this is so. Long story short (maybe not so short!! hehe), I was fascinated to learn (once I searched what I can find on the Internet) that The Fibonacci sequence and the golden mean DO have a relationship! Numbers, proportions, science, and the arts are all connected via this particular balance or harmony of numbers.

        Interestingly, I had always 'felt' or just 'known' the balance when I create. When I took fine art classes, I continued drawing, or coloring, or painting, until it felt 'right.' This 'feeling' I eventually incorporated with my photography... naturally.

        Although I had received many compliments on my artistic photography, it was not until a photography instructor saw my work and exclaimed, "your rule of thirds and your S lines are incredible!!" I had only taken a black and white photography class in high school which concentrated more on the development of film, so I honestly had no clue what he was talking about, yet I somehow have mastered it! Huge bonus!! :) So this instructor (salesman for computers at Circuit City) told me that it is difficult to teach this process of the rule of thirds to students, and he was surprised that I never studied it. This was fantastic news for me. 

        So, when I actually took a digital photography course, I did learn about the rule of thirds... and many other composition techniques, and it was elementary for me since this is what I have been practicing all along (yes, those art courses did pay off!). I had also learned things on my own by observing, since I am a very visual learner. I pay attention to the lighting in movies and different perspectives and techniques and try to make my photography simple, with the right harmony to 'feel good.'

        In my digital photography course, I noticed that emphasis was placed more on the result than actually learning how to use the camera! I was frustrated when I received the answer, "you will just need to experiment." Well, I am still learning to 'experiment' and in this discovery, it helps me NOT to have formal training... since I can create with my own techniques without feeling guilty that I did not partake in some 'rule' of photography!! I like being 'freestyle.'

        I have had much joy in sharing my 'learning' and 'experimenting' process with others. I eventually would like to have my 'art' printed on actual canvas and sell it on a large scale. For now, I continue to 'feel' my photography and I am so interested to learn what your thoughts are about how the The Fibonacci sequence is related to art or any other subject that you would care to share with me. I am VERY interested in learning! 

        I've searched websites and have only found that there is the geek mathematics explanation, or the deep artistic visual explanation. I am looking for a happy medium ;) I always wondered how I ended up in jobs related to finance. I have no complaints, however, how does someone of the right brain, creative, always end up with a numbers job? You can imagine my surprise once I learned about this 'golden mean.'

        Also, what is my fascination with nature? Why am I able to capture it with such a care, detail, and how does it inspire people so deeply? Aren't they things that people see every day? It is all related to the 'feeling,' this unique balance, this incredible proportion that God has given us... the life, our bodies, we are all related to this perfect balance... that is all summarized or explained with this set of numbers. 

        I also wondered, although I have never taken an architecture course in my life, I have been told by experts that I can capture it like no other. Even by a brilliant architect, he admires my photography and has asked me to do a photography project for him... his incredible designs. Fascinating, isn't it? We are all connected in this unique way. I feel that we are happy when we 

        Here is more info on the Fibonacci Sequence. If you find more or with a different perspective, I would be extremely interested in learning what you find! What are your discoveries with life and this incredible balance?

        There are many different names for the golden ratio; The Golden Mean, Phi, the Divine Section, The Golden Cut, The Golden Proportion, The Divine Proportion, and tau(t).

        Here is a website that visually relates the arts with the Fibonacci Sequence:



        Please let me know how you think... or 'feel' ;)
        over a year ago · Delete Post
      • Check out this video... it is excellent!

        Patterns and Beauty: The Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

        over a year ago · Delete Post
      • I wonder what are your thoughts about this??
        about 10 months ago · Delete Post
      • Within God's creation are laws & measurements that govern. Whispers of genuis that we benefit from without any thought, or action. He has done all the hard work and answered the equations. Now we can sit along the shore and enjoy the embrace of a vibrant sunset, write a song, script a poem, or paint the scene that we see...all fueled by our spirit, creativity, and emotion. We ourselves are an equation. The human body is made up of geometry and rules that govern it...but within we are spirit and soul.

        Art is a candle lit by emotion and feeling. Our greatest capacity is that which lies within us and extends and reaches out to capture what we see around us. The rush of life keeps many of us from noticing the simple, and wonderous things that are right in front of us. 

        Art doesn't ask us to think, it asks us to feel. And thru this feeling we connect with the sequence and the equation, sometimes even when we are not aware. The rule of thirds and composition techniques are built into Nature, the song they sing help guide us.
        about 9 months ago · Mark as Irrelevant · Report · Delete Post
      • I've heard of the Fibonacci Sequence as I was pursuing my degree in Biology, but I did not think much of it. I sort of brushed it off as another formula to remember on a test, much like the law of gravity, or the infamous "E=m c-squared". Cramming to learn and memorize all of the math/chemistry/phsyics rules and formulas was the Top Priority at the time.

        But I wonder if 'Beauty' really does go 'beyond skin deep' - meaning, can we see Fibonacci, the Golden Mean, the rule of thirds, etc, right down to the molecular level, the double-helix structure of the DNA, the single strands of RNA, the cyclohexane rings, the isomers of sugar molecules... How about right down to the subatomic particle level, the arrangement of protons and electron clouds. 
        Thanks to the largely commercial availability of DSLRs - we can all easily share the photos of "the world that we can all see" - raw, unprocessed photos and photos skillfully and artfully processed with filters.
        But not too many of us have capability to shoot to the molecular or subatomic level to see and be able to work with these photos.
        If I said, "I have a passion for shooting dihydrogen oxide molecules and processing my photos using Topaz filters"... You'd probably think I'm crazy.
        How about, "Can anyone loan me a scanning electron microscope for the weekend so I can finish a project for my art photography class?"

        All fine and dandy for most of us who CAN see and appreciate natureand photography 'visually', but can we apply Fibonacci, the rule of thirds, golden mean, etc, in things we cannot see, as in poetry? 

        Think of how much less beauty there would be,
        for the ones who cannot see,
        without prose and poetry.

        Can we apply these rules to the verses, the meter, the rhymes, the rythm, the melody of limericks, sonnets, haikus, ballads, odes, and elegies.

        I'm a Biologist by education and training, so I have very little expertise in these "rules," so I am merely posing questions for thought - consider them "artistic hypotheses"...



        about 9 months ago · Mark as Irrelevant · Report · Delete Post
      • I wrote based on the premise that beauty is indeed everywhere in nature and in everything man made, such as architecture. I am simply wishing the following:

        1. Proliferation and availability of molecular and subatomic photography, be it raw or processed, or presented in some other artistic kind of way. I am sure there is beauty in the structure of Kevlar, or any other polysynthetic material. How about the carbon arrangement in the most coveted of all gems - Diamonds. It would be great to see the beauty of the carbon structure of diamonds beneath the surface glitter, and be able to work with photos. There's just not enough of these photos out there yet. For example, I am sure that my friend microbiologist and my friend photographer will shoot and present, photos of the same virus, in different ways.

        2. In regards to poetry, though it IS true that poetry needs to be read by someone who can see, but is the poem the words in print, the typeface, the font, the raised letters in Braille, or is poetry the "unseen thought", the "images", the feelings and emotions, conveyed by the words in print? How would one describe to the blind a scenery, a painting, or a panoramic landscape without the help of prose and poetry? I see, hear, feel the balance, beauty, and harmony in the words; I just am not "enculturated" enough about the direct correllation to and the application of the "rules" to poetry.

        I am still in awe with outer space photography - photographs of stars, planets, other galaxies (or other potential 'universes'), the clouds of Jupiter, even photographs of our own Earth from the space shuttle in orbit. It doesnt take much post processing to convey 'the Beauty and Magnificence of it all' and be completely fascinated. Thankfully these photos are readily available and widely circulated. But, how many photos show the turbulence of the electron cloud around a proton... or, a even a photo of the splitting atom...

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Value of a Woman

A lovely friend shared this truly enlightening poem about women for 
March 8th, International Women’s Day…
and I wanted to continue this cycle of love & place a smile on your heart today… 


Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens…
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy…
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don’t take “no” for an answer…
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel…
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member…
yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They’ll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you…
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have the compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN…

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Cheers to all of the lovely women in our lives that nourish us and feed us with love.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

How are you doing this?

That's easy. Metadata

Metadata

In short, metadata is more data about data. In most common document types, embedded within a file is more information, typically hidden from casual viewing. This hidden data is used by the computer programs to provide accurate processing information, i.e. what version of software was used to create the document, how the file is encoded, and often who created it.
In the case with many popular image/picture formats, the list of possible metadata is quite extensive. With the expanded options for metadata in JPEG images, we have the ability to record the photographer, camera settings (ISO, Aperture, Flash, lens type), processing software and location.
The metadata in images is often retained by default by desktop image processing software and many online photo storage websites. This information is often valuable to the photographer, as well as the website provider for demographic information. Of course, location is also one of the options available for storage in a JPEG image.

About Geotagging

The storage of location based data, in the form of Latitude and Longitude inside of images is called Geotagging; essentially tagging your photograph with the geographic location. This data is stored inside if the metadata if JPEG images and is useful for tying the photograph to a location. Want to remember exactly where you took those photographs while on vacation? This information is for you.
However, most modern digital cameras do not automatically add geolocation (Latitude and Longitude) metadata to pictures. The process for adding the geolocation data either requires specialized add on hardware, or post processing with software on the desktop after the pictures are taken.
There is a large exception to this rule: Smartphones. With the proliferation of smart phones that contain GPS locator technology inside, the cameras in these devices are already equipped with the specialized hardware to automatically add geolocation information to the pictures at the time they are taken.
Most people don't realize that the action of automatic geotagging takes place on their smart phones, either because it is enabled by default, not exposed the user as an option, or was asked and then forgotten. As a result, individuals often share too much information about their location, right down to the exact Latitude and Longitude when snapping photos with their smartpphone and posting them online.

How do I disable this?


The easiest way to stop posting this information for all to see it to disable geotagging on your smartphone.

Disabling on your phone

There are many phones out there on the market that geo tag their pictures and as we get more information, we will update the instructions to list more models, however, lets start with two phones: the Apple iPhone and the Palm Pre

iPhone (iOS 4.x)

(Via Charles)
Apple greatly simplified the way to turn off location services on a per-application basis. To see your settings, go to Settings, General, then Location Services. From there you can set which applications can access your GPS coordinates or disable it entirely.
iPhone4 Screenshot 1

iPhone (iOS 3.x)

With the iOS 3.x there are two ways to disable Geotagging of photos. The first involves disabling of all location based services. To disable this feature, Go to Settings, General then set Location Services to off.
iPhone 3 Screenshot 1iPhone 3 Screenshot 2
Be warned: This will turn off ALL location based services for ALLapplications. Of course we may actually have need to use location based services for other applications (such as maps and driving directions, or getting robbed via Foursquare), but just not for our pictures.
There is no easy way to disable location based servces for just one application. However, we can make the iPhone prompt us at first use for each application. Once reset, the first time we enter the application we can enable or disable location based services for the application. To do so we need to go to Settings, General, Reset.
iPhone 3 Screenshot 1iPhone 3 Screenshot 3
Be careful here! We want to select Reset Location Warnings, and then Reset Warnings. This restores all of our Location based warnings for each application to the default, which in most cases is "Ask on first use".
iPhone 3 Screenshot 4iPhone 3 Screenshot 5
From here, once we enter into the default Camera app on the iPhone, we can select Don't Allow. This will prevent the Camera app from geotagging our photos.
iPhone 3 Screenshot 1

Palm WebOS

Palm has made it fairly easy to disable applications from accessing the GPS without your explicit permission. If you bring up the "Location Services" configuration screen, there should be three options: Auto Locate, Geotag Photos, and Background Data Collection. Ideally, all three should be turned off.
To disable geotagging photos, simply turn the "Geotag Photos" option off. If "Auto Locate" is off, the "Geotag Photos" option will not be displayed as the Pre will not geotag photos with "Auto Locate" off. Once the "Geotag Photos" is turned off, the camera appplication will no longer geo tag photos. As a side note, if "Auto Locate" is off, the Pre will prompt you anytime an application requests your location from the GPS. This allows you to know who's asking to find out where you are.

Google Android (Verizon Droid Phones, this is you! :))

Like the iPhone, there are two ways to turn off geotagging. To completely disable GPS location finding for all applications, we will need to do the following:
Press the Menu Key and then Settings
Android Settings
Then press Location and security
Android Location Security
By default, GPS is on. Uncheck it to turn it off
Android GPS ON Andorid GPS OFF
Like disabling the GPS in the iPhone, this will break location based information for all applications, including legitimate uses.
In order to disable for just the camera application, start the Camera app to make sure that you are not saving your location. This is the menu on the left side of the camera application; it slides out from left to right.
Android GPS Camera Location
Select "Store Location" and make sure it is set to off.
Android GPS Camera Location Off
Once this is disabled, the camera app will no longer add geotags to your images.

BlackBerry Devices

There are multiple ways to disable the geo-tags on Blackberry. We details three ways here:
(Via Bug_Bear)
Select Options, Advanced Options, GPS, press Menu key, Select Disable GPS and select Yes to confirm. This will disable all GPS capabilities on the phone.
(Via Bug_Bear)
Select Options, Security, Applications Permissions, menu select Edit on the application (default is Prompt for BB Core), Expand Connections, Change Location (GPS) to "Deny", or you can disable within the application. Most apps i.e. Google Maps, Ubertwitter, etc... will just default everything to "allow" for app perms regardless of app settings chosen during setup.
(Via an anonymous contributor... Thanks!)
Go into picture-taking mode (via HomeScreen, click icon "Camera"), press the Menu button and choose "Options". Set the "Geotagging" setting to be "Disabled". Finally, save the updated settings.

Other Phones

Sadly, there are numerous phones that we are unable to test. The exact directions on how to disable may vary by phone but we suggest checking under the Options menu of the Camera application and also any kind of "Location" or "GPS" menu under your phone's control panel. If you are successful in disabling it, please let us know how you did it so we can share!


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