tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71971705118058686172024-03-18T06:10:28.018-07:00Jim Boles DesignsThis blog discusses general art & design topics, as well as programming and coding for web and social media.Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-13243879999624028492015-01-16T07:19:00.000-08:002015-01-16T09:35:23.816-08:00Canon Pixma Pro 100 - One Incredible Printer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span abp="152" style="font-family: Calibri;">I've been fighting the printer wars for over 15years... </span><span abp="155" style="font-family: Calibri;">The war is over!</span><br />
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<span abp="159" style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, the print quality of the Canon Pixma Pro 100 is great, but its ink consumption is
unbelievable. </span><span abp="160" style="font-family: Calibri;">I printed 33 6x6 images 4 13x19,<span abp="161" style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 4x6, 4 8x8 and the ink level is 1/8 used on most, and only about
1/4 consumed on two of the 8 tanks. What is cool is that you can actually see the ink levels, because the cartridges are clear.</span></div>
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<span abp="166" style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s incredible.</span></div>
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<span abp="167" style="font-family: Calibri;">The image above is a 4 fool long print done in the printer. I’ll mount this on Masonite. It was printed on 3 sheets of 13x19. If I end up really liking it a month from now I may have it
printed at Dick Blick on water color paper. That will cost around $70. Nice way to evaluate if I want to spend the money or not. I like looking at a print for several months to evaluate for
changes before printing a final.<o:p abp="170"></o:p></span></div>
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<span abp="167" style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s my shoe at the top for scale.</span><br />
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<span abp="178" style="font-family: Calibri;">The printer setup was painless. It has a decent (but very basic manual), and
flawless operation. No jams, misalignments, stuck printer queue, etc. </span><span abp="179" style="font-family: Calibri;">I printed a series of 32 6x6 images on Epson glossy (nonprofessional
paper) without a ICC file and all of them came out great just using the generic 'other glossy paper' option. This is not really a desktop printer at 15 x 9 x 27 inches unless you have a large desk.</span></div>
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<span abp="183" style="font-family: Calibri;">So cool. Each ink well has an red LED which lights when the
ink is seated right. All the doors/drawers have sensors that tell you if they
are open when they shouldn’t be. </span><span abp="187" style="font-family: Calibri;">The software it comes with is just OK. The Photo Garden
thing I uninstalled. You might find it fun, but I don’t print calendars and
cards and such. The Print Studio Pro software might be useful, but I’m just
printing from Lightroom. It would be great for someone not using Lightroom or
Photoshop.</span></div>
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<span abp="191" style="font-family: Calibri;">Considering the rebate, I got the printer and 50 sheets
of 13x19 paper for $110. That is truly unbelievable.<o:p abp="192"></o:p></span></div>
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<span abp="195" style="font-family: Calibri;">One downside for me personally is because it is a pigment
printer prints on art rag paper (watercolor type) absolutely suck. </span><span abp="199" style="font-family: Calibri;">I guess I’ll have to find a new paper. I tend to stay away
from glossy and most typical inkjet paper which has very little natural
looking texture. I don’t like the plastic photograph look. So I’ll have to find a
compromise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having said all that you have to take into account that I'm just an advanced amateur. I believe this printer would work on some level in a photography studio, but it is not of course a commercial printer.</span><br />
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<span abp="199" style="font-family: Calibri;">The rebate program is still on until the end of January.</span></div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-79926247577065168362014-10-11T14:02:00.004-07:002014-10-12T12:56:23.794-07:00Fall Colors with Fog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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OK... Your neighbor is burning leaves, and you can't open your windows on one of the last nice fall days. Or even go outside for that matter without choking on smoke. So what do you do?</div>
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Make art of course!</div>
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The top image is the original of the smoke coming through the trees in the morning light. I made minor adjustments in Lightroom of increasing contrast, decreasing highlights, and increasing clarity a bit.
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The second is after I used Topaz Clarity to change the whole color scheme pushing green, yellow and red to their warmer settings. I also used Photoshop to tint all whites to blue which increased the color contrast of the now bluish light against the warmer trees. This image is all about contrast and not only tones, but colors must be emphasized.
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In the next image I used Topaz Simplify to remove a lot of the needless and distracting detail. Back in Lightroom I used Split Toning to once again turn highlights towards a bluer tint.
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For the last full size image after I'm done playing around I'll sometimes take the original image and my final <em abp="1730">affected</em> image, and put them both onto separate Photoshop layers in a new file. I'll then merge these two images. In this case <em abp="354">merging</em> is done by decreasing the opacity of the top layer by 50% so that you see 50% of both images. That is, you get 50% of all of my changes on top of the original.
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That's fine when displaying a low resolution image on the internet. but what if you're going to print the image in a 20x30 inch format, which is my typical goal? The final image below is what a portion of the image would look like when printed in large format. This is something else entirely as far as image editing.</div>
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Many more steps are involved using Lightroom, Photoshop and Topaz filtering in order to produce an image which looks pleasing in large format. You can see that the last image below isn't sharp for one thing. We eliminated detail early on, but new types of detail will need to be add via Topaz. For example, edge and pattern delineation which will provide a more graphic/drawing appearance.</div>
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But now the sun is getting low in the distance and it is time for me to get out there a burn some leaves of my own!</div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-54574107335765507152014-10-06T17:21:00.001-07:002014-10-06T18:40:31.713-07:00Steampunk Sculptures - The Dubuque Transducers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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These are the last of my Circular Obsessions sculpture series. The others in the series were may over four years ago. I closed my Minnesota studio when we moved to Iowa. I had a few left over pieces and decided to make something of them.</div>
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You can see the rest of the series at <a abp="814" href="http://jimbolesdesigns.com/">jimbolesdesigns.com</a></div>
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Click on the sculpture gallery and the Dubuque Transducers are on the 2nd page.</div>
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The spheres are torchworked glass as are the 'insulators' connecting the spark plugs.</div>
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<a abp="1331" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-powduym28X0/VDM160qM-XI/AAAAAAAABcE/apztRfFnNho/s1600/0393_12Aug14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1332" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-powduym28X0/VDM160qM-XI/AAAAAAAABcE/apztRfFnNho/s320/0393_12Aug14.jpg" /></a>The metal rings are antique cast iron heat grates/vents from the 1800's. There were forged in a foundry in Dubuque, hence the name.</div>
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A transducer is a device which transfers one form of energy to another. In this case these will transport you to Dubuque, but I'm afraid to turn them on.</div>
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Or... they were very successful in transferring my creative energy into wasted energy :)</div>
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It was great to conclude with these two. </div>
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I love designing them, but putting them together can be tedious when making all the disparate parts fit together.
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-78379901468387836882014-10-05T11:19:00.003-07:002014-10-05T17:01:43.219-07:00Old Time Postcard Effect Using Lightroom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span abp="1700" style="color: black;">The image to the left was created at less than 1 MB size so I decided not to bother to use Photoshop and instead used Lightroom to see how far I could push a small file in the process of re-visioning it. </span></div>
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<a abp="1703" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXyef9OKOzQ/VDGMhTpZIoI/AAAAAAAABbE/AF8LgXlSo7Y/s1600/1466_02Oct14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1704" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXyef9OKOzQ/VDGMhTpZIoI/AAAAAAAABbE/AF8LgXlSo7Y/s1600/1466_02Oct14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a>The image above (click to enlarge for full effect) was created in Lightroom by using the setting is 'odd' ways. It is reminiscent of the cheaply made postcards of the 1930's or thereabouts. I'll outline the main changes used to create the effect. </div>
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Noise Reduction</div>
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Luminance - This was set at 71. The further you push it the blurrier the image gets.</div>
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Detail - Set at 35. Lower numbers produce a more blurred effect.</div>
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Sharpening</div>
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These were all set to off. Interesting though, if you wanted an outline effect in high contrast areas (another attribute of old time printing) you can set these to max, achieving a nice line effect instead of a soft contrast. </div>
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Grain </div>
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Amount - Set to 20, Size to 90, Roughness to 60. </div>
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All of these control the amount of spottiness in the final image. Old printing process were crude in comparison to today. So increasing these settings make the image look more like an old print.</div>
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White Balance</div>
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Temperature - Set to -21 to create an blue overcast</div>
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Tint - Set to +2</div>
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<strong abp="1729">Under the <em>Basic</em> drop down box I set the following</strong></div>
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Clarity - Set to -31. Using clarity in the negative numbers is a great way to create a very soft image.</div>
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Vibrance - Set to +24</div>
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Saturation - Set to +40. </div>
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In old prints they didn't have inks developed to produce nature color. The odd saturation of those prints is one of the hallmarks of that period. I seldom use saturation in Lightroom, and instead leave that to Photoshop where I have finer control over it. In this case saturating the image as a whole helps create the effect.</div>
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The other controls under the <em>Basic</em> dropped down were adjusted to change the tonal values specific for this image which was underexposed. They would be different for each image and not specific to create the ole time effect.</div>
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Split Toning </div>
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Highlights - Set to yellow and saturation set to 57, and a balance of +38</div>
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This was done to compensate for the blue tint that was added with white balance changes. I wanted the sunset to be more yellow.</div>
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Now for the brush effects. In early versions of LR I did not use brushes at all. They were resource hogs and would slow done the PC, and they had a very limited number of controls. I was pleased to find those are no longer limitations in LR 5. </div>
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<strong abp="1748">There are 4 main brush effects</strong></div>
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1. The sunset need a greater exposure so I set it to +.04, and I added <em abp="1751">color</em> of yellow, and the <em abp="1752">amount</em> of the brush was set at 53. The brush was used across the whole horizon area with a size of 21. All brushes used had max <em abp="1753">feather.</em></div>
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2. The whole bottom dock area was brushed with a <em abp="1757">Temp</em> setting of -10 to increase the color contrast with the sunset and to aid in the creation of odd coloring like the old prints have. <em abp="1758">Noise </em>was also added of 100. This helped to lower detail. Lowering the level of perceived detail helps in focusing the viewer away from that area, and helps in old postcard effect.</div>
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3. The middle-ground trees on the left and right had their own brush for <em abp="1761">saturation</em> of 53, <em abp="1762">clarity </em>of -2, and <em abp="1763">exposure </em>of +.46. These settings help in creating color distortion and also make them a bit more blurry. </div>
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4. The sky was darkened by the final brush with an <em abp="1766">exposure </em>setting of -.95</div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-q77Qa1yunjQ%2FVDF9FMcNPnI%2FAAAAAAAABaw%2FU8oJlEl7u88%2Fs1600%2F1466_02Oct14orginal.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q77Qa1yunjQ/VDF9FMcNPnI/AAAAAAAABaw/U8oJlEl7u88/s1600/1466_02Oct14orginal.jpg" -->Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-42986240144468469482014-10-04T17:53:00.000-07:002014-10-05T10:15:03.828-07:00Image Re-visioning - What the Camera, Eye and Mind See<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've taken hundreds of pictures of sunsets from this spot on the Lake Vermillion in northern Minnesota. It a ritual my wife and I do nightly maybe while were feeding the ducks too. </div>
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<a abp="302" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TESVunokb68/VDCRkAqNNHI/AAAAAAAABaU/mTNPkX14c1E/s1600/0895_02Oct14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="303" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TESVunokb68/VDCRkAqNNHI/AAAAAAAABaU/mTNPkX14c1E/s1600/0895_02Oct14.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>In all the years of shooting the same scene I've never seen my camera produced images like the top image. It lacks any of the cooler colors. My white balance was set to the full sun setting, and the 'cloud' setting produced the same image. I thought maybe it was just a setting I changed somewhere without knowing, but my wife's camera was doing the same thing.</div>
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Using Lightroom I was able to bring back some cooler colors by shifting Temperature and Tint. I shifted the Temperature way to the cool side which normally would distort an image. As you can see in the image to the left it doesn't look great, but at least it isn't all yellow.</div>
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I'm seldom interested in recording just what nature provides, and skipped ahead to produce my revision. In typical style the image to the left is over saturated, and a little Photoshop warping was done to the water to create a bit more movement. </div>
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The image to the left is a complete departure from the others. The sun was blinding off of the water just before sunset, and it had been raining all that day with a misty feel in the air. I wanted to create the sensation of intense light breaking through the mist.</div>
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I'm glad that my camera normally captures a scene correctly, but it was rewarding in this case to explore my own sense of what I wanted to see.</div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-22912141188056654302014-09-07T11:36:00.003-07:002014-09-08T04:39:45.305-07:00Photogrammar's Images of Pittsburgh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I recently came across a historical pictorial archive which belongs to the Library of Congress, and has been presented to the public via Photogrammar. Photogrammar is an effort by Yale University which gives the public easy access to the images. The following is a clipping from that site.
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The FSA-OWI</h1>
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<em abp="334">From 1935-1944, the Farm Security Administration — Office of War Information undertook the largest photography project ever sponsored by the federal government.</em>
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<em abp="341">After a series of setbacks in the courts that repealed many of the First New Deal’s program, President Roosevelt pursued a new set of initiatives including the Resettlement Administration in 1935. It was charged with aiding the poorest third of farmers displaced by the depression and particularly focused on resettlement on viable lands and providing low-interest loans. Directed by Rexford Tugwell, a Columbia University economist, the RA came under immediate scrutiny. Realizing the battle for public opinion had begun, Tugwell hired his former student Roy Stryker to lead the Historic Section within the Information Division of the RA, which in 1937 was moved to the FSA.</em>
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<em abp="346">In order to build support for and justify government programs, the Historical Section set out to document America, often at her most vulnerable, and the successful administration of relief service. The Farm Security Administration—Office of War Information (FSA-OWI) produced some of the most iconic images of the Great Depression and World War II and included photographers such as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Arthur Rothstein who shaped the visual culture of the era both in its moment and in American memory. Unit photographers were sent across the country. The negatives were sent to Washington, DC. The growing collection came to be known as “The File.” With the United State’s entry into WWII, the unit moved into the Office of War Information and the collection became known as the FSA-OWI File.</em>
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My first dive into the site landed me in Pittsburgh, time traveling back to when coal mining and steel production were in their prime, pollution was rampant, and squalor was all too common. In contrast to the somewhat comical image above the images of Pittsburgh from that point in time are fairly depressing. If this is the image of the city people had, or still may have, then that is why I often had to explain - <em abp="349">Pittsburgh isn't like that anymore.</em>
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Nonetheless, in many ways Pittsburgh hasn't changed that much even with the many and varied improvements which more than counterbalance the bad.... depending on where you live in the city, of course.
There is quite contrast between the image from around 1935 above, with the active mills in the distance, and my shot last winter when I was home. Color makes everything better, along with a clear and clean sky. As I walked the neighborhood however, many of the homes are just waiting for their final chapter which may not ever come.</div>
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As you'll see in my slide show pollution reigns supreme. It is no wonder that the office workers in downtown Pittsburgh had to change their nice white shirts at noon in order to be presentable!
My collection has images of the interior of mines, steel mills, and portraits of the people who made Pittsburgh strong during the support of the war effort. I was somewhat shocked when viewing the conditions they lived and worked in. </div>
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Yes, you know it is bad in mines, even today. But like so many things in our way of living we just can't pay attention to all the dark side of things. It was interesting to see the home of a mine superintendent living is relative splendor, and then look at the miners being trolleyed around in mining cars.
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The dilapidated housing, called slums in the captions for the images by whoever catalogued the FSA-OWI collection, really hit home for me. I grew up not that far from those 'slums' which I saw on a daily basis when walking 2 miles to high school.
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<a abp="606" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-05D6hEy571k/VAygljv_7-I/AAAAAAAABZU/4y7gBpkWU3k/s1600/8d23666v_1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="607" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-05D6hEy571k/VAygljv_7-I/AAAAAAAABZU/4y7gBpkWU3k/s1600/8d23666v_1_.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a>My favorite part of my slideshow are the portraits. There is a hint of despair around the edges, but in most cases they seem to be genuinely smiling. It was the post-depression era, and the entry into WWII. They had work to do, and they were doing it, men and women alike. You'll see a few Rosie-the-Riveters, along with what eventually became war-time propaganda imagery.</div>
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The <a abp="516" href="http://photogrammar.yale.edu/">Photogrammar</a> site is easy to use. I encourage you to do your own time travel and let me know where you ended up!</div>
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Take a look at<a abp="572" href="http://www.jimbolesdesigns.com/galleries/photogrammar/index.html"> my collection</a> too. It is a visual education on the blood and sweat that made the country strong when we needed to get the job done.</div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-79139639398453035582014-09-06T07:05:00.000-07:002014-10-05T17:04:53.050-07:00BoomTown in Vinton Iowa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Iowa Pyrotechnic Association puts on a yearly fireworks event in Vinton Iowa called <a abp="415" href="http://www.vintonboomtown.com/?page_id=36">Boomtown.</a> Outsides of the fireworks you might see for a large international event Boomtown is an incredible display of fireworks wizardly complete with fireballs and 'train wrecks'. </div>
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This is the first year I took pictures. Next year I'm going more prepared with a long lens and cable release. My goal will be to get 'inside' of the explosions and still have it be sharp. This idea was inspired by the shot below. I'd like to get a full frame of just a portion of the explosion so that you can see the actual fiery pieces and then go from there to create compositions from several shots.</div>
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If you want to see more I have a slide on the second page of my <a abp="472" href="http://www.jimbolesdesigns.com/gallery/photography/index.html">photography gallery</a>. Click on 'Next Screen.'</div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-46070890364729362522014-08-24T18:41:00.001-07:002014-10-07T18:52:47.212-07:00Hotel Pattee - A Hidden Jem in Western Iowa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Where to start....</div>
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My wife gave me a magazine page with a hotel and spa circled. OK, I filed it and would pull it out for her birthday or anniversary or whatever. Six months later I needed a birthday gift and I found the magazine clipping. I called and made the reservation. I was asked what room I wanted and was given three options. I chose one and that was that. I never even Googled it. It would just be a weekend outing and she could have a spa experience. </div>
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End of story... so I thought.</div>
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The hotel has a rich history that I can't go into here. The overall décor is Mission style for the lobby, dinning, library, conference and others areas on the main floor.</div>
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But that's just the start...</div>
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Every room is done to a different theme, and I don't mean that someone went to HobbyLobby or BB&Beyond and bought a bunch of junk made in China to 'theme-up' a room. The artistry and craftsmanship are uncompromising, and in many cases exquisite. Each room was designed and executed by specialist in each theme.</div>
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The hotel is a registered historic landmark, but that says nothing of the 10 million spent just for the renovation. I've done a lot of craftwork, painting and my own artwork. I looked, and looked hard, but I could not find a sign a sloppy workmanship in the Dutch themed room Jean and I stayed in. The living space was art, and well beyond just being artfully done. Not to my taste exactly, but I had to marvel at the craftsmanship. I know what it takes to be exacting, and the ambiance created by the artwork was not betrayed by disappointing sloppy technique.</div>
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The bathroom was huge and in a black, white and silver art deco style. Updated fixtures, modern shower, oversized Jacuzzi tub and nicely appointed accents like a heavy crystal ice bucket and porcelain containers for the sundries. Again, being picky, I always look at how the caulking is done in a bathroom. There really shouldn't be any actually, and I didn't find any except in the corners of the shower walls, and it was imperceptible to most people. Pipes and plumbing should <u abp="844">never</u> be visible and it wasn't.</div>
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There were three separate light sources in the bathroom in addition to the added touch of a hidden night light. The three switches controlled lighting for the shower, the sink and one small art deco light above the tub. It was a cool looking design made of silver and glass. I thought to myself... I bet the glass is really plastic. So I stood on the tube and taped the 'plastic'. No, it was glass and engraved with the design company's name. The best part was that it was dimmable to just the level of atmosphere you wanted to create in the bathroom.</div>
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My only reservation with the bathroom was that it was a bit hard and cold with all the tiling, and echoed, because there wasn't enough sound deadening linen or cloth accessorizing.</div>
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As mentioned, artisans were hired specifically for each room. The textiles for the Gustav Stickley room were done by Ann Chaves. We purchased a book which outlines each room and the artisans responsible for the work as well as the history of the hotel. The images in this post and the article below are from that book.</div>
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Not only the rooms but the exterior of the hotel has many fun art touches. The image to the left is the view from the Dutch room. The Picasso-like painted steel horses stand at least ten foot tall on the roof of what may be the conference room.</div>
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<a abp="476" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aJDZiynp-fw/U_p480AtSQI/AAAAAAAABTU/F9dfl3s2-iw/s1600/0433_24Aug14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="477" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aJDZiynp-fw/U_p480AtSQI/AAAAAAAABTU/F9dfl3s2-iw/s1600/0433_24Aug14.jpg" height="400" width="325" /></a>There is another book dedicated just to the artwork throughout the hotel. Both books are available at the front desk. The image of the Indian below is a hand painted leather carving and embossing found in the American Indian room. There are a series of these in the dinning room along the backs of each booth (see above). These are awarding winning works of such quality I've never seen. The three dimensional look goes even further in the large pieces in the booths. It was quite a pleasure having your breakfast or dinner in a place where there are so many nuisances to observe. A feast for the eye and mind to wonder at, adding to the overall dinning experience.</div>
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I would have loved to have the opportunity to photograph the whole hotel. The book does a very good job pictorially, though I would quibble with the exposure level of some of the shots and the color balance may be off just a bit to towards the red.</div>
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Two more rooms are pictured below. The stark differences in design obviously reflect their Japanese and American Indian origins.</div>
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The hotel also contains a spa and a bowling ally! I was tempted to put on some bowling shoes, but doubted that they would have a pair of size 13 double wide for me.</div>
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There is also an outside courtyard where a great variety of musical guest play during the week and weekends.</div>
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Oh, and the food was top notch too. Jean had a steak which she says was one of the best she's ever had and she's had some of the best.</div>
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Our visit consisted of six drinks, dinner and breakfast, the spa, tip, and the room for $350! Oh, and the book too! That's a fantastic price for such a unique place. The hardest part will be deciding what room to pick the next time we go there. Perry Iowa is less than 30 minutes from Des Moines, and we plan on taking in a Des Moines venue, and then heading up to our hidden gem on future visit. </div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-40043462870070780722014-03-10T18:46:00.001-07:002014-03-10T19:01:29.527-07:00zBook Performance Considerations - Oh.. Those Memories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've had a few questions from folks regarding this blog about the performance of the zBook and several Mac folks were also asking what my opinion was of the DreamColor compared to a Mac. <br />
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It is easy for me to avoid the Mac Vs PC question/wars. I just don't have enough Mac experience. One advantage of the Mac was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)">Thunderbolt Technology</a> which the zBook now optionally has. I haven't used it myself yet. As time marches on and my Photoshop files get bigger I'll have the option of adding SSD (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive">solid state device</a>) via Thunderbolt. I wouldn't buy a zBook without that option.<br />
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This post is mostly about the optional SSD you can have installed by HP in you zBook. I'm old enough to still have memories of buying a 2Meg memory card for the IBM AT. That was a really big deal back then. I mean really Big deal. It was a foot long and 3-4 inches wide and just chalk full of soldered in place memory chips which must have been about 64K each. <br />
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The zBook boots in about 10 seconds which I've read is partly because of the 32G of flash technology SSD. Boot time has never really been a large concern of mine. Coming from an old XP system anything would be better. I'm new to SSD, and found <a href="http://www.elpamsoft.com/?p=ssd-tweaker">SSD Tweaker </a>by Elpamsoft interesting, but question whether it is necessary, and if it would actually work, given there are a different types of SSD. <a href="http://dottech.org/143311/windows-review-ssd-tweaker-program/">Here</a> is a review of the product. My understanding at this point is that the flash type SSD will maintain itself fairly well. HP Support sent me this link to do a little reading on the <a href="http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/smart-response-technology.html">MSATA, L6M type</a> installed in my zBook. For an overview of SSD technology in general check out<a href="http://lifehacker.com/5932009/the-complete-guide-to-solid-state-drives"> this page</a>.<br />
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Here are a couple other reference sent to me by HP Support.<br />
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<a href="http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.BINARYPORTLET/public/kb/docDisplay/resource.process/?javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.rid_ba847bafb2a2d782fcbb0710b053ce01=docDisplayResURL&javax.portlet.rst_ba847bafb2a2d782fcbb0710b053ce01=wsrp-resourceState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c03681873-2%257CdocLocale%253Den_US&javax.portlet.tpst=ba847bafb2a2d782fcbb0710b053ce01_ws_BI&ac.admitted=1394481817756.876444892.199480143">HP Rapid Start Technology</a><br />
<a href="http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/psi/swdDetails/?javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.prp_bd9b6997fbc7fc515f4cf4626f5c8d01=wsrp-navigationalState%3Didx%253D%257CswItem%253Dob_126121_1%257CswEnvOID%253D4059%257CitemLocale%253D%257CswLang%253D%257Cmode%253D%257Caction%253DdriverDocument&javax.portlet.tpst=bd9b6997fbc7fc515f4cf4626f5c8d01&sp4ts.oid=5387513&ac.admitted=1394498623512.876444892.199480143">Drivers, Software & Firmware for zBook 17</a><br />
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My question to HP was why can't I see the SSD on the Windows level. I just wanted to see what the capacity utilization is. Maybe I could benefit from a larger capacity unit. Their response was that you don't see this type of SSD, except in the Windows Disk Management utility where you might see how it is partitioned... but I didn't see it there either. So... for now I just have to believe that it is working. I have no reason to suspect otherwise.<br />
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It does show up in the boot process if you hit F2 during the boot. You will be taken to the BIOS management set of utilities which include memory and hard disk test applications. The SSD did show up as HDD #2 and was 32G, and it tested out as being OK. So... it's there and the BIOS can see it. I can only assume it is working.<br />
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Yes, there are endless ways to spend your money.<br />
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If you want the type of SSD that you can load up like the old RAM disk, there are other products like <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Sept.%2010,%202013%20–%20Fusion-io%20(NYSE:%20FIO)%20today%20announced%20that%20the%20Fusion%20ioFX%20workstation%20flash%20memory%20platform%20is%20available%20in%20the%20new%20HP%20ZBook%20Mobile%20Workstation%20portfolio,%20which%20includes%20the%20world’s%20first%20workstation%20Ultrabook™.%20The%20Fusion%20ioFX%20can%20now%20also%20be%20integrated%20into%20HP’s%20award-winning%20line%20of%20Z%20Desktop%20Workstations%20through%20external%20Thunderbolt%20expansion%20chassis,%20in%20addition%20to%20internal%20integration%20with%20HP%20Z%20Workstations%20featuring%20PCI%20Express%20connectors.">Fusion-io</a> which advertise advanced IO features in conjunction with Thunderbolt. <br />
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<a href="http://www.fusionio.com/"><em>Fusion-io</em></a><em> announced that the </em><a href="http://www.fusionio.com/products/iofx/"><em>Fusion ioFX</em></a><em> workstation flash memory platform is available in the new </em><a class="tracked" href="http://www.hp.com/zworkstations"><em>HP ZBook Mobile Workstation</em></a><em> portfolio, which includes the world’s first </em><a class="tracked" href="http://www.hp.com/go/zbook14"><em>workstation Ultrabook</em></a><em>™. The Fusion ioFX can now also be integrated into HP’s award-winning line of Z Desktop Workstations through external Thunderbolt expansion chassis, in addition to internal integration with HP Z Workstations featuring PCI Express connectors.</em><br />
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And there are many others types of SSD technology products and companies for those that really need that type of performance level. For me, I might get there some day when my Photoshop files get to be several Gig in size. I'll wait and see.<br />
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If you have general questions on the performance of your HP system then the <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/workstations/performance-advisor.html?jumpid=ex_r11260_go_hpperformanceadvisor">Performance Advisor</a> is one place to check up on your system. It is really cool to see your system diagramed out, and then just point and click to the device you want to interrogate.<br />
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The system report that you can optionally create is extremely detailed. It includes the <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-experience-index">Microsoft Experience Index</a> which has sub scores for each computer component. So, if you think you could benefit by upgrading something like memory just look at the memory sub score to get a general indication. For instance my processor score is 7.6. The scale is from 1 to 7.9, so a 7.6 is just about perfect. The overall score was 5.6 and that was because of the graphic adapter scored low. My memory score was 7.7. These numbers are just indicators. Other metrics can be gathered from the <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749249.aspx">Windows Performance Monitor</a> which is worth looking at before making system upgrade decisions.<br />
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Interestingly when I looked at the diagram I didn't see my SSD listed. You would think this app which is so thorough would have at least noted its existence.<br />
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If you are having performance issues with Photoshop there are more painless and cheaper ways to insure that Photoshop is performing to full capacity. Photoshop users can use the guide by Adobe on the <a href="http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/optimize-performance-photoshop-cs4-cs5.html">Optimize Performance</a> page. If you are considering a new PC or tuning and old one reading through these tuning options should help you configure a new unit or tune and old one.<br />
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Anyway.... that's my trip down memory lane.<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-16964868204641113132014-03-08T21:54:00.000-08:002014-04-01T18:07:30.069-07:00What is Art?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The title asks What is Art? There really is no answer of course. At least no single answer, and even a set of answers which try to pin down something half definitive would just lead to more discussion and argument. We all know that art and craft are different, but then what of high-end craft? I think we regularly think of artisan one-of-kind ceramics, for example, more art than craft.<br />
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There is one definition that has rung true for me over the years. David Pye wrote several books in the late sixties which I bought, because I was learning wood tuning and David did some very interesting turnings. In his book <em>The Nature and Art of Workmanship</em> David lays out a scholarly dissertation (published by Cambridge Press) on the distinction between objects made with an element of risk, and objects made that are completely determined from the start.<br />
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The distinction isn't between mass produced items and handmade items, rather, the distinction is between how the process is carried out. Is there an element of chance, risk, or some step in the process that isn't fully determined from the start. Mass produced items must be fully determined in order for production to be efficient. Turning pots or making any craft item can also be fully determined from the start in order to produce items which the public can afford... ditto for 'art'.<br />
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I'll let David speak for himself....<br />
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<em>Workmanship of the better sort is called, in an honorific way, craftsmanship. Nobody, however, is prepared to say where craftsmanship ends and ordinary manufacture begins. It is impossible to find a generally satisfactory definition for it in face of all the strange shibboleths and prejudices about it which are acrimoniously maintained. It is a word to start an argument with.</em><br />
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<em>If I must ascribe a meaning to the word craftsmanship, I shall say as a first approximation that it means simply workmanship using any kind of technique or apparatus, in which the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on the judgment, dexterity and care which the maker exercises as he works. The essential idea is that the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on the judgment, dexterity and care which the maker exercises as he work. The essential idea is that the quality of the result is continually at risk during the process of making; and so I shall call this kind of workmanship 'The workmanship of risk : and uncouth phrase, but at least descriptive.</em><br />
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What I pick up on in his definition is that it is not the object itself which is categorized, but the process. This idea of risk in your work intrigued me years ago and still does today. <br />
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Beauty isn't art. Beautiful things are mass produced every day. Design isn't art. Design is a process whereby we typically want a predictable end. I've spent a lot of time (as can be seen in past blog posts) thinking about design. I love design. I love to make beautiful things, but for me at least that's not art. It is following a recipe. You use the principles and elements of design and you end up with something pleasing. With a little practice anyone can follow a recipe, and maybe improve on it too.<br />
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This post came about because I was looking through some of my old sketch books. The image at the top of the post is from a period many years ago where I was working with ink, markers and pens. Mostly black and white. Quite the opposite of what I'm doing today. In those days everything was undetermined. I would pick up discarded things laying in the street, cut stuff out of magazines, combine drawings from different places, whatever. Anything that caught my eye was potential content. For example, at the bottom of the above drawing is a bunch of glue globs and whole pieces of wheat. There's a feather in the middle and on top a discarded pack from Kertek cigarettes. Why?... who knows.<br />
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Is it art, or, is my more recent work of abstracted pastoral barns and trees art?<br />
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I think it is only worth asking... when I'm done with a piece am I surprised by what was created? How much of the process was out of my control (that is, who/what/how was control applied). What risks did I take in the creative process? Where did I push into a new direction? Am I just repeating myself?<br />
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These types of questions probe into the creative process, constantly seeking to make it motivationally authentic, more exciting, more challenging, and leave questions of art for others.<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-35007681130868770342014-02-22T09:06:00.003-08:002014-02-22T14:39:07.740-08:00EyeCandy - Kilnformed and Torchworked Glass Information Site<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I put up my first web site well over ten years ago using Microsoft FrontPage. The focus of the site was my adventures in glass fusing, and teaching various glass fusing techniques. I did this for a number of years and almost made a go of it. But for various reasons decided it was time to move onto other things. I posted a blog post here a few months ago on the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7197170511805868617#editor/target=post;postID=5839366450855983736;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=17;src=postname">Elements of Design in Glass Art</a>, and it has been one of the most popular posts. Because of that I've decided to point glass enthusiasts to my old site which has tons of information on glass fusing.<br />
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You can find EyeCandy at <a href="http://www.jimbolesdesigns.com/eyeCandy/index.html">http://www.jimbolesdesigns.com/eyeCandy/index.html</a><br />
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There are lots of informative pages and links spread throughout. It was going to be the contact place for my students at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center in Minneapolis, and for my community education classes.<br />
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You will also find a lot of glass fusing information at this blog, if you go back to 2010 and before (see links at the left panel) .<br />
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Hope you find the information useful. Enjoy!<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-45413718361322725782014-02-19T18:54:00.004-08:002014-02-22T09:15:26.405-08:00Graphic Arts Workstation - Part 4 : Monitor Banding and Other Tests<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I received several emails with questions on the DreamColor display. I'm very pleased with it. It has, as I've said, eye-numbing clarity and brightness. Yea, maybe a bit too bright. I'll have to look into that some more. It is easy to tune it down a bit. At this point in my life I'm not as hung up on following absolute standards like ProColor or whatever you prefer. I just don't have the professional nor amateur need to do so. And also as mentioned in prior posts. my right brain has managed to take almost complete control of my home PC. Consequently, I have little patience any more for just sitting around tuning my technology unless my right brain says it needs something.<br />
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But, nonetheless, am perfectly willing to help out others who may want to dive deeper into a topic or just ask a few questions on just how good the DreamColor is. And to that end I'll explore the topic of <em>gradation </em>and <em>banding</em>. This is a pet-peeve area for even my right brain. I hate watching movies on my 45 inch plasma and see all those gradations in the shadows. It drives me nuts, and ruins the whole experience... albeit momentarily.<br />
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<strong>The last place I want to see banding is in Photoshop when I'm processing one of my images.</strong><br />
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So with that in mind I decided to do some tests. I propmptly went into Photoshop CS4 64 bit version and did a black to white gradation... don't laugh. Of course, it was all sorts of banded. Yea, I could dither or a half dozen other smoothing tricks, but that's not really the solution is it.<br />
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Besides, if I'm sharing ideas with others we need a standardized methodology. So, wha-la... just Google <em>gradient test</em> and you'll find some. Without too much critical thinking I choose the site <a href="http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test">http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test</a>.<br />
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I then ran the gradient test on both my DreamColor Display and my Asus ProColor. <br />
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<strong>First the ProColor</strong><br />
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The card is the NVIDIA Quadro FX 560 with the 307.45 driver & bios 5.73<br />
128Meg memory, 1920 x 1200 x 4 million color , 24 inch display<br />
It is currently set to the factory settings for the Adobe RGB mode.<br />
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The Lagom gradient test was absolutely smooth. But the blacks were not as rich as the DreamColor. For the <em>Black Level </em>test I could see all the squares except the first one. The background did seem to be absolute black.<br />
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Interesting... I ran the test from the DreamColor laptop onto the ProColor external monitor, basically letting the Laptop's newer card drive the external monitor.<br />
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The results were very similar. The ProColor is indeed a nice monitor for the price.<br />
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<strong>Now for the DreamColor</strong><br />
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The card is NVIDIA Quadro K610M with 312.56 driver <br />
8.8 Gig Memory, 1920 x 1080 x , 32bit color deptt, 17 inch display<br />
Using the HP Calibration Kit mentioned in prior posts it is set to :<br />
Tone Response Curve : 2.2<br />
ICC Profile Version : 4<br />
Achive Luminance value using video LUT's = True<br />
White Point : x: 0.313 y: 0.329<br />
Luminance: 120<br />
Gamma : 2.2<br />
The Display Preset : AdobeRGB<br />
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The visual examination of the Lagom gradation test was a bit disappointing. There is one somewhat distinct band on the very dark end. It is where it going from the darkest possible to some small variation above that where it banded one time. Everything else is perfectly smooth.<br />
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The other test of note is the <em>Black Level</em> test. On that test I was not able to see the squares 1-10. That seems pretty significant, and I guess I now have to play with the calibration, or, just make manual adjustment to try to get something better than that.<br />
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If anyone has other requests for testing let me know.<br />
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<strong>Further Testing The Following Day</strong><br />
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Yesterday's testing left me with a couple of questions. The first question is the preset I've chosen. AdobeRGB really isn't the best to be working with when you consider the advances in technology. The other question that remained was the driver for the Nvidia card. There are a lot of reports that banding is a common problem. <br />
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To resolve the second question I downloaded new drives for the card from both HP and the absolute newest (nonOEM) driver straight from Nvidia. Neither driver fixed the banding, and the nonOEM driver made the HP Calibration Kit dysfunctional with an error message "“Failed to read the prescriptions" and promptly became unusable until I reloaded the new HP driver.<br />
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I'll wait for HP to create a new driver to fix the banding.<br />
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I also upgraded the test. For this series of tests I used a 10bit gradation file which can be found at Image Science (<a href="http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/152/10+Bit+Output+Support">http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/152/10+Bit+Output+Support</a>)<br />
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I followed the instructions to insure that Photoshop (PS) was set to use a 10bit file, and it was. The results were a consistent banding across the whole gradation. If I changed PS from 16 bits per channel to 8 bits the banding went away completely.<br />
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Just for grins I booted up my old 32 bit XP system with Photoshop on it to see how it would display the gradation on the Asus ProColor. That system has an Quado FX 560 with 128Meg. It actually wasn't that bad. It is running a 32 bit version of PS (versus 64 on the zBook), and the bands were slightly less pronounced and there were fewer larger bands.<br />
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Using the HP Mobile Display Assistant you can quickly flip through various color space settings. I ran through them all and non of them had a dramatic affect on the banding. The DCI-P3 seemed to clear up banding the best, but it was also the darkest, and because of that harder to see if there was banding.... and, of course, not a color space for a photographer to use.<br />
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All in all, my right brain is beginning to get a little tired of this, because it is all about color lots of variation, and lots of detail.... and all this banding issue is never going to show.... never.<br />
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I don't think I'm heading for a Rothko depression period where I'm enveloping myself in fields of darkness.<br />
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But nonetheless, the left brain wants to know that my investment is performing properly... whether I ever need it or not.<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-53650838830074040382014-02-07T17:45:00.001-08:002014-02-17T11:18:13.809-08:00Pittsburgh Holiday Photography<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I spent Christmas in Pittsburgh this year visiting the family, and came away with the following Pittsburgh Holiday images. Any large older city like <em>The Burg</em> has dozens of features which make the city unique. I captured a handful during my brief stay.</div>
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The first image is of Heinz Field home of the Pirates. I reworked the image using <em>Topaz Simplify</em> image editing software . I downloaded the newest version, and it has even more features than the ones I outlined in prior posts. I'll cover the new features in a future post.</div>
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The next image is one of my favorites of the trip. It was taken on the1st floor of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning. I recall studying there are few times during my freshmen year, but there weren't any comfy chairs to camp out on. Before going to Pitt I studied a year a Carnegie-Mellon's fine art department. In art history class they discussed the cathedral, and mentioned that Frank Lloyd Wright was appalled by the structure. Yes, I can see his point. It is a throw-back to another time, but nonetheless is a magnificent building for any university to own.</div>
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Here are a few more from around Pitt. Again, click to enlarge to full size.
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The next image is the bronze of Roberto Clemente outside of Heinz Field. He is famous in Pittsburgh, but not so much around the country unless you're a real baseball fanatic. He was a great player. One of the best in fact, but because the Pirates rarely made the playoffs, let alone the World Series, he didn't get the recognition he deserved. He was part of the 1971 Pirates World Series team, and was the MVP of the series. As a kid I would try to do Clemente style 'basket catches', and his famous spinning-twirling throws from deep right field, challenging the runners at home plate. <br />
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Imagine twirling like a shot putter to gain momentum, and throwing the ball from deep at the warning track dead into the catcher's mitt at home without a bounce. Unbelievable!</div>
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As far as this image's development... I emphasized the bronze, warming it up in contrast to the rest of the image. That was done by simply using a Photoshop warming filter and a mask on that layer so that nothing but the statue was affected. Then in Topaz Adjust I neutralized everything else, that is, lowered the saturation levels so that Roberto (the subject) would stand out. As a finishing touch I tinted the sky slightly purple, the complementary color of orange (bronze in this case).</div>
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Then there are cathedrals of another sort all over Pittsburgh. Going back several generations, each Pittsburgh neighborhood had their own church or synagogue, etc., and the style of the church illustrated both the ethnic origin of the community and its economic standing. This one is of the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in the Polish Hill area. What is significant for me in the image is that this is a typical image of Pittsburgh's houses on hills. Whole neighborhoods are often cut into the sides of hills which at times are as steep as ski jumps. <br />
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Polish Hill is directly across from Troy Hill, in the distance where I grew up, and in the far distance is Spring Hill. You can't tell but there are two deep valleys in this scene. The valley below Polish Hill has the Allegheny river flowing in it, and the valley between Troy Hill and Spring Hill is called Spring Garden.</div>
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This type of topography results in the common Pittsburgh saying "You can see it, but you can't get there from here."</div>
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Like many older eastern cities Pittsburgh has many hidden gems like the Heinz Chapel pictured below. Henry Heinz, the founder, was often called <em>The Great Provider </em>for producing his 57 Varieties of canned goods. My Dad, who worked until retirement at the plant, was the great provider for our family. It was olfactory heaven growing up near the plant where you could smell one of the 57 varieties being brewed on a regular basis. Today much of the plant has been converted into high-end condos and lofts. The sign of the times.<br />
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Getting back to the holiday theme, and a cathedral of another sort...
the following images are from PPG Place. Pittsburgh Plate Glass has a huge presence and history in Pittsburgh. Over the last twenty years, downtown has taken on a whole new feel as slowly but surely what is old and dangerously decrepit is being replaced with new things to do and see. These images are of a skating rink in PPG Plaza where you can rent skates, and whir around what seems to be a grand ice palace from Disney's Frozen movie.<br />
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The following are more images of the Plaza and of Market Square which has changed over the years from a pigeon-ridden mess, and has been transformed for the Christmas season into some kind of imaginary garden of marketing delights. You can barely see small wooden houses in the right most image. There were dozens of these making up a temporary mock village all over Market Square, advertising and selling whatever could be sold on those cold winter days.<br />
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The image to the left is PPG Place standing sentential-like over the Christmas display including a metal globe tree in the foreground. This image is tinted in an antique postcard-like approach, giving it a slight fantasy feel. (OK... more than slight)<br />
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I love glass, and I could have spent several hours photographing PGG Place, but it was a miserably cold day and the best shots I could manage are below.
These two images show my tendency to break an architectural image down into simple pattern and shape. Glass is cool to work with because you have a definite Mondrian-like framing structure, but within that you have free-form color and texture in the reflections as seen in these two images of grid and reflection.<br />
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I like the next image because it takes the grid even further by flattening it out, and complementing the central structure which is really the subject of the image. The rule of thirds is evident in the layout. The image is obviously split vertically into three sections, and the brilliant red tiled dome is in the upper third horizontally. Red is obviously a design element too, where the most stark red is in the subject with subtle green and aqua accents, digitally accentuated of course.<br />
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In the next image <em>form</em> is the dominant design element, but without pattern/shape/repetition covering the surface it would be a boring triangular layout.<br />
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I have to include one quintessential Pittsburgh image, that of a bridge and the city. There are dozens of bridges over the Monongahela (the Mon) and Allegheny rivers. In this case I used the old photography technique called <i>framing</i>
to put a frame around part of the cityscape. The paint on the bridge isn't quite that yellow. I enhanced it to build contrast to the rest of image and to emphasize the arch against the blue sky. A <em>vanishing point</em> is a very common technique to guide the eye down a path (the road) into the secondary subject (the city), and then back again when your eye travels up the bridge support, leading you back to the arch.<br />
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The Union Trust Building is the subject in the next image which I'm sure Mr. Wright would say is antiquated as well. I'm a fan of Wright, and have visited Falling Water on several occasions. I've marveled at his progressive ideas, but nonetheless the Union Trust is a stonemason's wonder. (See the additional image in the collection below.) <br />
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Wright built Falling Water for the Kaufman family whose department store was a grand place back in-the-day, when going downtown to shop was an event.... before the advent of malls. I remember thinking it was sooo cool to be able to order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut into petite little squares at Kaufman's Tick-Tock café when I was six or so.<br />
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Not to ruin the holiday theme... The following images are of one of several war memorials located on the North Shore area near the Steeler and Pirate stadiums. The Del Monte building is in the background. I think Del Monte owns Heinz, or, maybe more correctly Heinz and Del Monte are just part of the ever growing multinational conglomeration. This memorial is a circular set of metal pillars, holding large sheets of glass containing images of war, including The Bomb going off (not seen here).
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Yes, I was thoroughly impressed with what is happening in downtown Pittsburgh and along the North Shore with its museums, casino, tram, and a lot more.
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-24770880294384364782014-01-20T17:19:00.002-08:002014-01-20T17:52:32.624-08:00Graphic Arts Workstation - Part 3 : DreamColor Calibration <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just as short note on the calibration I've done so far. Firstly, as mentioned in prior posts my idea of calibration and the whole color correction topic is being approached from an amateur (albeit advanced) point of view. I just want reasonable control over my two monitors, and for the prints to be reasonably close to hue/tone I see on the monitor. Paper/print will always look 'worse' than a monitor that's a given, chromatically correct light booths, special scopes, all the rest really isn't my concern. I just don't want a huge surprises when I go to print.<br />
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That said, the DreamColor Calibration Kit is doing what I want thus far. I have an Asus ProArt and the DreamColor Display. I expect them both to be calibrated to the same standard. In the past I used Adobe98. I'm thinking, since I'm mainly concerned with photography that I should change that to the ProColor standard. I haven't done that yet however. What I have done was to use the calibration unit on the DreamColor to dummy it down to the Adobe standard, and that along with setting the Luminance level down to 120 definitely did bring the DreamColor down to the Asus level of performance... a bit.<br />
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The native DreamColor display is eye-numbing beautiful. Incredibly crisp, and the colors were the most intense I've ever seen, while at the same time not be over saturated or off balance in any detectable way. But as we all know, print is another story, and I'll have to do some serious adjusting to get the DreamColor down to a point where it is reasonably close to print. I'm thinking I'll print to <a href="http://www.canson-infinity.com/en/aaqua240.asp">Canson's Arches Aquarelle</a> which has given me fantastic results in the past. It has a really nice watercolor feel, and that is what my final image needs. Something that looks/feels liquid when it was put to paper.<br />
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I used the default Adobe98 color space, set luminance to 120 and left gamma alone at 2.2. The DreamColor is still much brighter than the Asus, but I have not calibrated the Asus in over a year (yea, I know, tisk, tisk), and that was done with the old X-rite Monaco colorimeter which is no longer supported. My next step will be to calibrate the Asus using the same settings, and using the DreamColor kit. I'll report on that next time.</div>
Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-81193624500086346962014-01-18T17:42:00.002-08:002014-01-20T17:18:38.057-08:00Graphic Arts Workstations - Part Two : DreamColor Calibration Solution Kit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Now that the DreamColor Calibration Solution is working I'll provide a few snapshots of the process. The starting screen gives the option between <em abp="1642">Easy </em>or <em abp="1643">Advanced </em>seen only if you happen to be running dual displays. You don't get those options if you are running the zBook without a second monitor. I would suggest not having a second monitor attached during your first run of the calibration software.</div>
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The image below is what you will see if you have only the native LCD as part of the mobile workstation.</div>
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There are several <em abp="1660">Display Presets</em> you can choose from (sRGB, rec709, rec601, Native, and DCI-P3). I chose AdobeRGB and did the same for RGB Primaries, but for the primaries there is a custom option allowing you to chose your own RGB settings. <em abp="1661">White Point</em> gives you the options of D50, D55, and D65, and<em abp="1662"> custom</em> where you can set it to your preference. <em abp="1663">Luminance</em> and <em abp="1664">Gamma</em> are also adjustable and X-rite has a nice tutorial on the standards for those settings <a abp="1665" href="http://colorservices.xrite.com/mylogin/login.aspx">found here</a>. You will need to register an account and logon. If you're a beginner to color calibration and the total issue of color control you will find the videos interesting. Some of the videos are free.</div>
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I was concerned that in the left side panel it said <em abp="1668">HP ElieteBook</em> instead of <em abp="1669">zBook, </em>but apparently that is OK. After you have set the values you want that's just about all there is to it. Mindless... just like my right brain likes it :)</div>
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The image above is the last before calibration begins. It is simply telling you where to put the DreamColor colorimeter. The calibration process takes about four minutes and finishes with asking to name and save the profile. That's it.</div>
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This is a very simple process and does not have all the options that you will find in more advanced color correction software and hardware options... but then again, unless you're a professional with a very large and costly project in your hands this HP solution may be all you need.</div>
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For example, the unit does have an ambient light diffuser as seen in the white spot in the image below. However, the software does not take advantage of that. I suspect maybe future upgrades will, or, it is just an artifact of the colorMunki heritage which will never be used in the HP variant.</div>
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That's it for now. I may show some of the performance differences between the Asus ProColor which was/is considered a decent monitor, and the DreamColor monitors.</div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-47212562313361995552014-01-18T11:28:00.002-08:002014-01-20T17:19:35.700-08:00Graphic Arts Workstations - Part 1 : HP Dreamcolor on zBook 17<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I recently bought a HP zBook 17 inch. The primary attraction was HP's DreamColor technology. As you may know in past years obtaining color accuracy on a PC was certainly possible, but something left to professionals. I'm just a serious amateur in most respects. I work in IT professionally, and some of that carries over to the other half of my brain in the evenings and weekends when I have time to play with color, design, etc.</div>
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A little backstory is that I've been using HP products primarily for my right brain activities, because my left brain told me that HP was a dependable company and that I could invest a considerable sum to have a system last for ten years or even longer. Yes, I would need to upgrade software and hardware, and the initial costs would be high, but over time I would have a stable state of the art system that my right brain would enjoy. I mostly use my left brain at work, so I don't want to come home and mess around with technology. When at home my right brain just wants to play.</div>
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I will be exploring over several posts if the strategy of spending $7 K on a graphic arts workstation is worthwhile for a serious amateur who expects that system to last ten years, or, because technology changes so quickly is buying/leasing newer smaller systems a better approach.</div>
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My bias is that I don't want to be on a payment plan. A pet-peeve of mine is that all of corporate America wants you on a subscription, payment plan, lease, club, or any method they can think of to obtain regular payments from you. So the question becomes, can you purchase a system and expect it physically last, perform well, keep up with technology changes, and actually be cost/time effective over a ten year period?</div>
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As a side bar... I mentioned left/right brain. Over the years I took several tests to see where my gray matter stands on the great divide between the arts and science. You can do a test to see for your self if your left or right dominated. In my case I've taken several of these tests and I fall in the middle. The screen shot below is the result of a test you can take at <a abp="747" href="http://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/3178">Test Yourself</a>.</div>
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Now back to the subject at hand.... There will be two focuses in this series of posts. The first is my old system which is an HP xw8400 tower workstation which has been faithful to me for over seven years. I've been upgrading it over the last few months in preparation of removing XP and loading Win 7 as a fresh install. </div>
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The other focus will be the new zBook, and the adventures of using a state of the art mobile workstation with a 17 inch LCD that is professional quality. The screen image at the start of this post is from the HP Mobile Display Assistant which is a default tool to control the DreamColor display.</div>
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My first impression is that the Display Assistant saved me from my first mishap. As mentioned, I hate spending time on technology when I'm home. So I bought the zBook (with the DreamColor option) and ordered the HP DreamColor Calibration Solution kit thinking I needed to calibrate the new system as I did for my Asus ProArt LCD on the xw8400 workstation. Out of the box the calibration solution did not work on the zBook. Oh, it worked alright, turning the display a dark green (no red or blue at all). I couldn't get the system back to the default factory setting. </div>
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All of my old tricks of knowing where the icc/icm files are (C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color), or, using the <em abp="762">Windows Color</em> and <em abp="763">Display</em> utilities could not reset the monitor didn't work. (<em abp="764">even if you know the tortured path of tabs to get to the proper place that actually does something VS what you think makes sense</em>). Apparently, the DreamColor architecture stores the calibration within hardware settings, making it nearly impossible for the average person to change it.</div>
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That was a huge disappointment. HP collaborated directly with X-Rite to make a calibration unit specifically for DreamColor. It is based on <a abp="767" href="http://www.xrite.com/colormunki-display">X-Rite's ColorMunki</a> product, but the 'brains' have been altered for HP's DreamColor. Since my right brain saw X-Rite, HP, and DreamColor all in one sentence (at several web references) I just assumed it would work with the zBook out of the box. Bad assumption.</div>
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The documentation was nearly nonexistent. Just a few small help screens, and certainly no manual to be found. Nothing on the X-Rite or HP sites that I could find for the zBook DreamColor regarding technical details on how to use the calibration system. I resorted to doing a full system search on the zBook for the keyword <em abp="770">DreamColor</em>. That is how I found the HP Mobile Display Assistant. You would think it might be on the Start Menu somewhere as an installed program, and it is under <em abp="771">All Programs > HP Mobile Display Assistant. </em>Being new to my zBook (even if I saw that menu option) it didn't sound like a what I was hunting for.</div>
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Anyway, once the display assistant was started it was just a few clicks to reset my LCD to factory settings, and from the first looks I might even send back my calibration solution kit. I'm not sure that it will be useful or necessary in my situation. I just need reasonable color calibration control, not perfectly objective metrics for all the display settings.</div>
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My goal is to be able to print 30x40 prints on an inkjet and have the color be reasonably close to what I saw on the screen, and I'm getting the feeling that the Mobile Display Assistant will get me there. There's even a user manual by god!</div>
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<a abp="778" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kapgvGavnKw/UtrNo8uAZtI/AAAAAAAABGM/rjeEo5VQqV0/s1600/dreamCmainPage2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="779" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kapgvGavnKw/UtrNo8uAZtI/AAAAAAAABGM/rjeEo5VQqV0/s1600/dreamCmainPage2.PNG" height="447" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can see in the above image of the Settings screen that there is an option to load your desired color space at application startup. I've chosen AdobeRGB mostly because that is what I'm use to in producing reasonable prints from Photoshop and Lightroom. The DreamColor display is actually capable of producing a larger color space than the AdobeRGB standard. You can also set the preferences to show a startup icon on the desktop. Something that should have been default and would have saved me from finding it indirectly after hours of suffering with a dark green display.</div>
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Anyway, that's the nickel tour. I'll post more technical stuff as I dig into the zBook's DreamColor display.</div>
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Shoot me any questions you might have on the HP zBook or the DreamColor display.</div>
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<span abp="789" style="color: blue;">(I just took a few minutes after this post to look at the Mobile Display Assistant. Not exactly full featured and the 'manual' is just a bunch of one liners. Oh, well. The Technical Support button took me to a third party company who I suspect would like to sell me something. I don't know if they will address my question regarding why the HP Calibration tool didn't work on the zBook. More later)</span></div>
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Now three hours later.... I decided to call HP to see if I could get the calibration unit fixed, or, just return it. I thought the odds of getting a fix were nil so I would be returning it. However, because both the zBook and the calibration unit are under warranty I actually got through to a support person who had a clue. He didn't know about my calibration unit, but he did know just a little about DreamColor technology. He confirmed that there is no manual available, and we just decided to download he latest HP Mobile Display Assistant (ver 3), and reinstall the calibration software (ver 2.2) which I had uninstalled.</div>
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He did a remote connection into the workstation, and went through the install and upgrade for me. Then we ran the Calibration Solution software again... and it worked!</div>
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I now have an adobe98 icc generated, and of course, it is also now part of the firmware of the DreamColor architecture, and it looks great.</div>
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I think this is the technology progress that my right brain expected. It should have worked out of the box.... and it did after a day of frustration and help from HP. Calibrating a monitor for the needs of an amateur like myself isn't rocket science. Yes, years ago it was a bit of a pain on the old Sony Trinitrons, but we are making progress, right? And this little adventure shows that we are.... one small step at a time.</div>
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-68514526833219880522013-12-31T19:07:00.001-08:002014-01-10T17:41:53.333-08:00 The Elements of Design via Digital Tools (Part 3 - Shape ) continued<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The continuation of this post is way overdue. So why not wait until the last day of the year too! A new job, a new computer, new software, fall photography, trip to Pittsburgh, etc all have kept me very busy. I'm very excited about Lightroom 5 (I was on version 2). I also picked up Topaz Labs ReStyle and ReMask neither of which I'm all that impressed with at the first look. My masking skills (in Photoshop) are decent and I haven't found that ReMask takes me to a new level, but I'm sure I need to spend more time with it. ReStyle is fun at times, but I haven't found it useful for my kind of experimentation. It is great for generating hundreds of tonal and color variations of a single image, enabling you to see an image in new ways. This might be useful in a commercial setting if your client wants to see variations of a composition.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-15N8HK7mGV0/UsLZfWm3OZI/AAAAAAAABDw/MnHWBqdTc44/s1600/landscapeOrig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-15N8HK7mGV0/UsLZfWm3OZI/AAAAAAAABDw/MnHWBqdTc44/s400/landscapeOrig.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>I'll jump right into finishing up the <i>shape </i>topic by showing what Topaz Lab's Simplify can do to pull shape out of a photograph. Let's start with this unassuming landscape. This isn't an obvious place to start for a study of shape, maybe texture, but shape in the image is hidden by a lack of contrast and no obvious boarders/boundaries between all the greenery.<br />
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There is a somewhat distinct fore, middle and background which was what initially attracted me to the image, and that will be the focus of the initial work on this image.<br />
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The image below is after the first pass through Simplify. The three sections of the image are more distinct now. There is no masking tool in this version of Simplify. The settings of the program itself resulted in the color and contrast shifts for each section. If you look closely at the original you will notice subtle saturation and hue differences between the three sections. The foreground is slightly more green, the middle more yellow, and the background is also green but a little less saturated as you might expect for objects in a distance. Simplify picked up on these subtleties and exaggerated them, resulting in a more defined composition.<br />
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Simplify's settings are grouped into categories consisting of <i>Simplify</i>, <i>Adjust</i>, and <i>Edges</i>. Within the three categories are a total of 18 controls and sliders which yield a vast array of image types from total abstraction to line drawings, to faux painting and drawing styles. Once you have the image adjusted to your liking you can save the settings and reuse them on another image. I use Simplify called from within Photoshop as a plugin (it can be called from Lightroom optionally). When the image returns to PS I name the layer with the naming convention of <i>filter filtername, </i>for example, <i>simplify treeline </i>where treeline is the name of the saved settings in Simplify. This enables me to know how a PS layer was transformed by a tool and what settings were used.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aS1P-prpBpc/UsLvJyDKaJI/AAAAAAAABEA/puxUISUCg6U/s1600/landscape1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aS1P-prpBpc/UsLvJyDKaJI/AAAAAAAABEA/puxUISUCg6U/s640/landscape1.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fig. A.</i></span>
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Simplify's <i>Edges</i> group of controls determine how distinct the outline of a shape is. You can adjust the thickness of an edge, its color, and which shapes get an accentuated edge. The <i>Adjust</i> group of controls set the value ranges (tones) and saturation level. The <i>Simplify</i> group of controls determine the overall number, size, and detail of each
shape.<br />
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The screen snip to the left shows Simplify's control panel with all of the controls. The screen snip to the right is from the layers panel in PS. The image above is the starting point for the work and it is the first layer on the bottom of the layers palette with 16 layers above it used to complete the image. The finished composition (seen later) is composed of the last four layers (topmost) shown in the layers palette. My typical work flow is to do a series of changes in an area such as the sky, then merge all that work into a new layer. Subsequent work is done on the newly merged layer. Then a new section is worked on, or, other major change such as masking and editing is done. Those changes are then merged into a new image setting the stage for further work.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ueg9NLa4iM4/UsN1JYkAdZI/AAAAAAAABE4/zhMQetcakLg/s1600/panels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ueg9NLa4iM4/UsN1JYkAdZI/AAAAAAAABE4/zhMQetcakLg/s640/panels.jpg" height="640" width="433" /></a></div>
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The Simplify sliders are deceptively simple. I can't go into each one in detail. The most critical ones for control of shapes are: Simplify Size, Detail Strength, Detail Size, and the two 'remove' sliders.<br />
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Now for a little diversion... You might not consider digital art on the same level as painting, and in many respects the two media types are hard to compare fairly. For me, the game really comes down to a sense of control. That is, how much control you have over the image creation process, or, to put it more concretely... how much control do you have over the elements of design. Media is a vehicle of expression, and the fullness of expression is only achieved if the artist/designer has creative control of the elements of design.<br />
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Water color, oils, acrylics, etc, etc are media types, each with its own characteristics. I would argue that digital art is on equal ground to the extent that it provides full control over the elements of design, and that in a nutshell is what this series is attempting to illustrate.</div>
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These two digital control panels help illustrate a workflow which is a totally different means to an end as compared to classical media. In the digital world you do not prepare a canvas with gesso, but you do consider the size of the canvas, what types of texture you want to convey, and of course the composition of the space follows the same rules. In each PS layer different compositional elements are considered and controlled, sometimes repeatedly and iteratively until the desired effect is achieved. That is one of the great advantages of digital work. A small area or the whole piece can be reworked endlessly, versions saved and compared, and the work completed when you decide and not when the paint is too dry or the paper's tooth is worn out.</div>
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In the above workflow there are layers adjusting the background, the sky, the sunset, grain, hue and saturation, line quality, overall detail level, contrast, and much more. The final result is seen below, and as you can see it is a total re-visioning of the original photograph.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8IcbDMrF1I/UsN9KOq2leI/AAAAAAAABFI/MmIKU8CwFw4/s1600/landscapeFini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8IcbDMrF1I/UsN9KOq2leI/AAAAAAAABFI/MmIKU8CwFw4/s1600/landscapeFini.jpg" /></a></div>
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As far as the design element shape is concerned the images below show how Simplify was used to abstract shape from a amorphous mass of detail. The results are quite pleasant. The section shown below represents about 1/5 of the overall composition. The image to the right was taken from the second image in this post (fig A). This small section can be found on the left-most boarder about midway down in figure <i>A</i>. If you click on the image you can get a sense of the detail that Simplify creates. Even greater detail is possible or less depending on your aesthetic direction. The finished image above is even more abstracted as compared to figure <i>A, </i>giving it a misty quality and a more graphic presence with saturated colors. <br />
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Depending on what browser you use you can click on any image and a slide show of all the images in this post is displayed. For IE 10 the slideshow allows an easy comparison of the before and after images. You can move from the original and through the other two full size images allowing you to see the evolution of the composition.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uAL_v2HJgdY/UsOAi4lHPcI/AAAAAAAABFU/ZACif0dCxuY/s1600/shapedetail1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uAL_v2HJgdY/UsOAi4lHPcI/AAAAAAAABFU/ZACif0dCxuY/s400/shapedetail1.jpg" height="400" width="311" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDR0cqfkizo/UsOAjXN5UHI/AAAAAAAABFY/8UxELSCZL0k/s1600/shapedetail2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDR0cqfkizo/UsOAjXN5UHI/AAAAAAAABFY/8UxELSCZL0k/s400/shapedetail2.jpg" height="400" width="305" /></a><br />
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Other digital tools can abstract shape from a complex photo, but the level of control you have over shape, line, texture, hue, tone, and the overall level of detail is, as far as I know, is unparalleled in Topaz Simplify.</div>
Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-18946271428795321712013-09-11T15:10:00.002-07:002013-09-15T21:04:43.801-07:00The Elements of Design via Digital Tools (Part 3 - Shape)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OxmUpXz54fI/UiiqFLV1VOI/AAAAAAAAA9k/Emg3z3ouHKo/s1600/graphic-principles_shape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OxmUpXz54fI/UiiqFLV1VOI/AAAAAAAAA9k/Emg3z3ouHKo/s400/graphic-principles_shape.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
This will be a longer post than usual. Towards the middle of the post I got carried away with some theoretical ideas that I intuitively feel are true, but scientists are only starting to formally study. It is worth reading through to the end because the design element <i>shape</i> is such a cornerstone of design second maybe only to color, and digital tools do such a good job of controlling and abstracting shapes as you'll see.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Shape - </i></span>The image to the left is from online learning materials from the <a href="http://nhsdesigns.com/graphic/principles/shape.php">Natomus High School's</a> design department. I think of shape as the most primitive design element, and by primitive I mean basic, instinctive, or elementary. When using line or point it takes considerable time to construct an image and a bit of planning, but with a few shapes you can create a striking design as seen in this poster.<br />
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Shapes are more immediate. It is as though our brains are more attune to shape than some of the other design elements. Point and line are harder to find in nature. They are there but you have to think about it. I'm hard pressed actually to think of examples of point in the natural world except stars. Shape is seen for what it is immediately and without thought. Silhouettes are an every day part of the visual experience both in high contrast such as the sun shinning through leaves, and in low light settings where we only see indistinct shapes moving across our filed of view.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7IGHtjIygY/Uii830Q7IBI/AAAAAAAAA90/VVnNcRflokM/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7IGHtjIygY/Uii830Q7IBI/AAAAAAAAA90/VVnNcRflokM/s200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pdZAF4_pYJA/Uii9iNTDtzI/AAAAAAAAA98/UUEVm59p9dY/s1600/matisse_icarus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pdZAF4_pYJA/Uii9iNTDtzI/AAAAAAAAA98/UUEVm59p9dY/s1600/matisse_icarus.jpg" /></a>Children readily relate to shape. Coloring books are mostly about shapes which they fill in with color. On the other end of the spectrum the great artist Matisse was praised for his work doing <i>papiers coupes </i>late in his life<i>. </i>They are considered the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/21/arts/design/21mati.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">final triumph of his career</a>. You have to wonder how much his advanced age, illness, and limited physical ability reduced him to a simplified form of expression. His work is often described as childlike, and I disagree with those that say that no mere child could have created the shape-based work like Matisse's paper cutouts. Too often art is conceptualized to death. Letting yourself see the elemental in the complex, and behold the primitive, is something that a lot of adults cannot do with great facility. A child on the other hand has no problem because in a sense they <u>are</u> primitives.<br />
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Shape has a close relationship to <i>line </i>and <i>form. </i>Shapes by definition are two dimensional with a distinct boarding out-line. The other edge is a type of line. Shape will also morph to form as tones are increased changing it from a two to a three dimensional object.<br />
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In the images of lilies below it is easy to see how <i>shape </i>evolves into <i>form </i>as shifts of tone and hue are added. Moving from left to right increasing amounts of hue and value detail is added. In the second row the images become more recognizable as the Photoshop <i>Cutout </i>filter's sliders were adjusted to added more detail. There were two filters used in combination <i>Cutout </i>and the <i>Water Paper.</i> The Water Paper filter was used to increase contrast in the original image, and was kept at a constant (15, 60, 80) throughout the series. The increased contrast produced a better shape abstraction from the starting.<br />
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The Cutout filter was set to 2, 10, and 3 for the top left image. As you move to the right the <i>Number Levels</i> slider was increased by one for each successive image. The <i>Edge Simplification </i>slider was also in turn lowered by one for each image. The <i>Edge Fidelity</i> slider was keep constant at 3.<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="width: 200px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5r3BMmotGek/UioRKF3aLfI/AAAAAAAAA_s/XG2-9k0FUjs/s1600/shape2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5r3BMmotGek/UioRKF3aLfI/AAAAAAAAA_s/XG2-9k0FUjs/s200/shape2.jpg" /></a> </td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Kh6JCDRL4k/UioOUqy1gLI/AAAAAAAAA_I/pSYZq88BCEI/s1600/shape1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Kh6JCDRL4k/UioOUqy1gLI/AAAAAAAAA_I/pSYZq88BCEI/s200/shape1.jpg" width="200" /></a> </td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISu6jdx9qhM/UioPYaGHQBI/AAAAAAAAA_U/CXrnDXlb7rs/s1600/shape4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISu6jdx9qhM/UioPYaGHQBI/AAAAAAAAA_U/CXrnDXlb7rs/s200/shape4.jpg" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-joP15x4gP2U/UioQKDkIGdI/AAAAAAAAA_c/toFUC3sjIy4/s1600/shape5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-joP15x4gP2U/UioQKDkIGdI/AAAAAAAAA_c/toFUC3sjIy4/s200/shape5.jpg" /></a> </td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zrHW2z14RAQ/UioR0UrHumI/AAAAAAAAA_0/vfBz0vnxAn4/s1600/shape6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zrHW2z14RAQ/UioR0UrHumI/AAAAAAAAA_0/vfBz0vnxAn4/s200/shape6.jpg" /></a> </td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsZgwBfPQWk/UioSBT9BYuI/AAAAAAAAA_8/-ufLSTllPh0/s1600/shape0.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsZgwBfPQWk/UioSBT9BYuI/AAAAAAAAA_8/-ufLSTllPh0/s200/shape0.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PCm_n9-1CUQ/UioWvwrBBUI/AAAAAAAABAI/yLPg2NQCBGA/s1600/shape7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="457" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PCm_n9-1CUQ/UioWvwrBBUI/AAAAAAAABAI/yLPg2NQCBGA/s640/shape7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There are any number of ways to abstract an image into shapes in Photoshop.The image above was created using the filter <i>Maximum </i>(set to 48) found under the <i>Other</i> filter menu pick. </div>
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<i>Shape </i>is different than <i>pattern</i>. In the camoplage example to the left there is a lot of pattern, and the goal of any camo effort is to hide shapes. This is accomplished by using pattern irregularly and by breaking up the outline thereby merging shapes. When you disguise the outline of a shape it disappears. Shape and outline are integral. <br />
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Pattern implies a repetition of some sort as you'll find in many pattern recognition tests like the red and blue pattern test below. You are expected to pick which pattern A through F (on the right) best fits into the empty space in the full pattern on the left. Pattern recognition is a large scientific field of study for understanding intelligence, and also for 'machine' learning.<br />
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The important distinction for graphic design is that <i>repetition </i>is taught as a distinct design element (to be covered later). Pattern is not called out as a distinct design element I believe for two reasons. First, pattern is typically a repetition of line, shape, color, form or some other element. That is, pattern is made up of something else in a repeated manner, and therefore not a distinct element itself. Secondly, pattern recognition requires quite a bit of cognitive power, a higher-order of understanding so to speak. Shape recognition and the detection of repetition occurs <u>before</u> the higher-order function of pattern recognition<span style="font-size: small;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Repetition and shape are the primary design elements in the tessellation design to the right. Together they form a pattern.</span><br />
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<b>The initial pre-attentive appreciation of graphic arts occurs on a more primitive level - a level where appreciation occurs before cognition. </b><br />
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That theory would be an interesting Sensation and Perception research project to prove, and is currently being research by scientists.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj1eKNDn9O0/Ui-z_A40jMI/AAAAAAAABAk/dNVVZirarRk/s1600/PatternEx1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj1eKNDn9O0/Ui-z_A40jMI/AAAAAAAABAk/dNVVZirarRk/s200/PatternEx1.gif" width="200" /></a> </td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-PbykCGmAA/Ui-0OFu0i7I/AAAAAAAABAs/6Z0jW-D6TAU/s1600/pattern3S.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-PbykCGmAA/Ui-0OFu0i7I/AAAAAAAABAs/6Z0jW-D6TAU/s200/pattern3S.gif" width="200" /></a> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is Visual Gravity & Pre-Attentive Processing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span> <br />
A good piece of art or design has a certain power to capture your attention, even if momentarily. Some express that quality as a visual gravity - the power to pull you into the image. An initial attractive force happens <u>before</u> you are aware what the image or art object is, and in fact in the case of abstract art, the image may be relatively meaningless on the strictly cognitive/analytical level, but nonetheless you may be attracted to it. <br />
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There is no greater complement than for someone to love your work and not be able to tell you why. </div>
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As mentioned, pattern recognition has been studied by scientists for years. What I'm referring to here is something which occurs before that and is now being studied as pre-attentive processing. In laymen's terms, you must first recognize that patterns exists before you can determine the type of pattern. How we do that is by pre-processing visual stimulation categorically in order that higher-order cognitive processes have something to work with. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o2KH7wegDbY/UjCJPyJVQsI/AAAAAAAABBM/8ut0W2lHJwA/s1600/feature_map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o2KH7wegDbY/UjCJPyJVQsI/AAAAAAAABBM/8ut0W2lHJwA/s1600/feature_map.gif" /></a>In the diagram to the left there are two sets of pre-processing filters. One for color and another set for categorizing sensation by size, contrast, luminance, etc. The 'master map of locations' can be thought of as our field of view where all the 'filters' map to. Our experience of <i>attention </i>follows <u>after</u> the filters have done there work.<br />
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I don't find it surprising that scientists are naming the various pre-attentive filters similarly to the elements of design. Dr. Healey is in the department of computer science at Noth Carolina State University. He has a <a href="http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/healey/PP/">great web page </a>explaining this in great detail. It is a fun page with a lot of interactive demonstrations. There are also intriguing references to articles such as <i>Perception and Painting: A search for effective, engaging visualizations.</i> His work is published in very exclusive journals by ACM and IEEE. Probably not light reading.<br />
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Again, thinking about this from a laymen's point of view. Survival of the species depends on making sense out of vast amounts of visual information and doing it fast and accurately. We can't do a lot of thinking when danger is present. We must recognize it and run. Over the eons our visual system(s) have evolved to detect small amounts of movement out of the corner of our eyes, efficient relative spacial positioning through binocular vision, and separate physiological systems for color and value (rods and cones) to name a few. We don't <u>think</u> about any of these things. Images that <u>already make sense</u> are presented to us. In effect, attentive decisions have already been made. The graphic artist must effectively engage these pre-attentive filters for advantage, and the guidance system is the elements and of principle design.<br />
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<b>It is my belief that the elements and principles of design were created intuitively over time, and that intuition is based </b><b>on </b><b>our </b><b>pre-attentive processing systems. These elements and principles help to create images with visual impact, because they assist in organizing image components into a visual hierarchy attuned to our psycho-biology.</b><br />
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I believe that each design element can be used to enhance or distract from an image's visual gravity. Each can be tweaked, removed, relocated, or otherwise reworked to find their proper place in the visual hierarchy of the design. For the most part, all design elements initially work on a subliminal level (during the first milliseconds of visual sensation) in an orchestrated effort creating a visual impact (or not creating as the case may be). Those milliseconds of pre-attention affects us, resulting in our gaze lasting seconds or much longer based on the how strong the visual gravity is.<br />
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Attention is fleeting, especially in this age of over stimulation. Capturing attention is the ultimate goal of graphic design, then comes the message/purpose you were hired to deliver or desire to express. But that's only possible if your image has enough initial visual gravity - otherwise, they will just turn the page.<br />
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All that said, there are other more higher-order reasons why we might gaze at an image such as shock, puzzlement, sex, comedy, the grotesque, etc. Those too are techniques to call attention to an image, but those are in the realm of the cognitive experience for the purpose of entertainment, education or other purpose. An image that has both pre-attentive attraction, and its message/purpose is also engaging, then that image has full visual gravity.<br />
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We will get back on track to talk about the design element <i>shape </i>via digital tools. But first, here is a fun illustration of a type of visual processing failure (Complements to Dr. Healey's page mentioned above).<br />
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<tr><td align="middle"><img alt="" onmouseout="Javascript: this.setAttribute('src',this.firstsrc);" onmouseover="Javascript: this.firstsrc=this.getAttribute('src'); this.secondsrc='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wh6nba8bJpE/UjCZyoqDvuI/AAAAAAAABB8/7Erf7j7Vl-w/s1600/Dinner.gif'; this.setAttribute('src',this.secondsrc);" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3VCwPzZDqGs/UjEa9bR082I/AAAAAAAABC4/DfPTQA5ZYCg/s1600/mouseOverMsg.gif" /> </td></tr>
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When you mouse over the square an animated gif file is shown which is composed of two images alternating by a flash. They are exactly the same except for a slight but significant difference. If you saw them side by side you would immediately see the difference, but because they are 'blinking' (like your eyes do) the result is difficulty in determining what is different. This is called <i>change blindness.</i><br />
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In case you are not seeing the difference I'll publish the answer at the bottom of this post... when I'm finished.<br />
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<i>.... to be continued.</i><br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-76359657691109353662013-08-25T22:40:00.001-07:002013-09-11T15:00:23.195-07:00The Elements of Design via Digital Tools (Part 2 - Line)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-I777uPDLM/Uhq99xBR7zI/AAAAAAAAA54/ni2TWe963K0/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-I777uPDLM/Uhq99xBR7zI/AAAAAAAAA54/ni2TWe963K0/s640/images.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A.</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oY8-u6OrkNI/UhrEoKeEY-I/AAAAAAAAA6M/dw-MJ79-E2Y/s1600/druer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oY8-u6OrkNI/UhrEoKeEY-I/AAAAAAAAA6M/dw-MJ79-E2Y/s640/druer1.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Line</span> - </i>Engravers are experts with the the design element <i>line. </i>It is interesting in the engraving above we see the use of line but also point used in series to form lines, illustrating that point, like a pixel, can become all things graphic.<br />
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Some of my earliest learning experiences were through the imitation of the old masters. The German artist Albrecht Durer was one of my favorites. In images labeled <i>A </i>and<i> B</i> to the left and the closeup below I drew Albrecht himself sitting in a melancholy mood contemplating an empty sheet of drawing paper. A technical pencil was used for the engraving-like lines which I loved to 'bend' around cloth and simulate wood grain. It is too bad that my interest ran out before I finished the drawing. <br />
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Before I ventured out to do my own composition I did a composite of three of Durer's engravings into one image. A portion of that drawing labeled <i>C </i>is shown below . This drawing is significant personally because creating it kept me sane during my stint in the service and was largely responsible for my acceptance into Carnegie Mellon's Fine Art
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Attempting to stay true to an engraving style I only used line in the
drawings. (These images are photographs of photographs of the original
drawings resulting in a lose of detail.)<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">B</span>.</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YerO-BkuDcw/UhrEoaaqXdI/AAAAAAAAA6c/KCYiPr0hGWQ/s1600/druer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YerO-BkuDcw/UhrEoaaqXdI/AAAAAAAAA6c/KCYiPr0hGWQ/s640/druer2.jpg" width="634" /></a></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;">C.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wh_eUUv6L_g/UhrIzzSb2UI/AAAAAAAAA6o/0HlNd44zIcY/s1600/druer5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wh_eUUv6L_g/UhrIzzSb2UI/AAAAAAAAA6o/0HlNd44zIcY/s1600/druer5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moving right along into the digital age the image below will be used to create variations illustrating the use of line as a design element. It is the image of the county court house in Vinton Iowa my wife's home town. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LdKhAPjaJ7c/Uhrf-BXbaJI/AAAAAAAAA60/KxTZ8b7kO2E/s1600/line0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LdKhAPjaJ7c/Uhrf-BXbaJI/AAAAAAAAA60/KxTZ8b7kO2E/s400/line0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The image processing plug in for Photoshop called <a href="http://www.littleinkpot.co.uk/ThredgeholderProPlugin.htm" target="_blank"><i>Thredgeholder </i></a>created the image below. I own version 1.2 and the controls are fairly simple. The goal is to reduce the image to black lines which you can later color in to create a watercolor or pen and ink effect.<br />
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There are sliders categories of Luminance, Saturation and Hue, and two sliders per category for Threshold and Contrast. By moving the six sliders you can eliminate color and detail, leaving just outlines tracing around areas where there are differences of luminance, saturation or hue found by the plug in.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mF6He083oZM/UhrgBvhoAQI/AAAAAAAAA68/YfnmcNK6Qms/s1600/line1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mF6He083oZM/UhrgBvhoAQI/AAAAAAAAA68/YfnmcNK6Qms/s1600/line1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the case of this image the outlines were created on a separate Photoshop layer. Once the outlines were completed a mask was placed on that layer to allow some of the original image to show through. A layer was also added above the outline layer where some additional wash-like color was brushed on. This plug in is inexpensive and does the job, but as you'll see the Topaz Labs Simplify product is much more versatile.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next two images were produced from Topaz Simplify. In layman's terms Simplify breaks an image down into pieces based on distinctive areas. Distinctive areas are based on shifts in hue, value, and pattern. You can control through 16 different sliders how Simplify discriminates between one area and the next. This will be illustrated in detail throughout this series. For now, the goal was to produce a line drawing. The 16 sliders are broken into three broad categories of <i>Simplify, Adjust </i>and <i>Edge. </i>The <i>simplify </i>set of sliders control the size of each area (large blocks or small detail). The <i>adjust </i>set of slider control the sensitivity Simplify uses to determine area boundaries based on hue saturation and value changes. The <i>edge </i>set of sliders control how the edges of each area are depicted in the result. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this case we wanted a line to be drawn around each defined area. As you can see in image D the large pine trees were filtered out to be one large area and a line drawn around the tree. There are a few areas within the tree where the blue sky shown through and they were depicted as separate areas with lines drawn around them. If strong contrast of value are found then a line would be drawn around them too. The a contrast is strong then the resulting lines are darker. </span></span></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;">D.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87Ud63KvNb8/Uh45AbIzDpI/AAAAAAAAA7M/Xm-ZEJx2EqQ/s1600/line2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87Ud63KvNb8/Uh45AbIzDpI/AAAAAAAAA7M/Xm-ZEJx2EqQ/s1600/line2.jpg" /></a></div>
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In image E all of the 16 sliders were the same as in image D except the type of delineating line was switched from <i>edge </i>to <i>line</i>. The following is from the Simplify manual.<br />
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<i>Where the Simplify and Adjust tabs form the “meat” of the image, the Edges tab plays an important role in determining the size, shape, and color of the edges in an image. This can affect the final result in many different ways.</i></blockquote>
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In this case switching to <i>line</i> caused Simplify to 'see' many more boundary areas to draw lines around. Of course using Photoshop you can have the best of both by using Simplify on several Photoshop layers and masking out on each layer what you don't want to see in the results. Through this layering method you can add or subtract to the final image endlessly by processing many different Simplify sessions into one final image.<br />
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;">E.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bw3LdtLUcCQ/Uh45E_HzB1I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/JjwXDqda9A0/s1600/line3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bw3LdtLUcCQ/Uh45E_HzB1I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/JjwXDqda9A0/s1600/line3.jpg" /></a></div>
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In order to produce this type of line drawing the <i>Simplify </i>set of sliders were off by setting <i>Simplify Size, Feature Boost, </i>and the other sliders to 0. In the <i>Adjust </i>section those sliders were set to 0 for <i>Brightness</i> and 1 for all the rest. In the <i>Edge </i>set of sliders <i>Edge Strength </i>was set to 0, <i>Simplify Edge </i>.3, <i>Reduce Weak </i>10,<i> Reduce Small </i>.2,<i> </i>and <i>Fatten Edge</i> 0<i>.</i><br />
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The <i>Line Type </i>of which there are 8 types was set to <i>Mono Line Fine</i> for image E and to <i>Color Edge Fine </i>for image D. That was the only change between the two images. As stated in the manual the type of edge you choose will significantly change the result especially when you are retaining color in the final image.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8iCicy4JYVU/Uh5TJJu3tnI/AAAAAAAAA7s/uOipZO1OgpM/s1600/line4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8iCicy4JYVU/Uh5TJJu3tnI/AAAAAAAAA7s/uOipZO1OgpM/s640/line4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the above image Photoshop produced a nice effect using the menu path <i>Filter, Stylize, Find Edges.</i> However, there are no controls for this filter type. The building is nice, but the tree's color is off as well as color in other areas. The colors could be corrected using adjustment layers, but the general lack of control in <i>Find Edges</i> is very limiting indeed. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gXt9rnMhv8c/Uh5XQyXm4qI/AAAAAAAAA74/VUrB7NB7_F8/s1600/line5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gXt9rnMhv8c/Uh5XQyXm4qI/AAAAAAAAA74/VUrB7NB7_F8/s1600/line5.jpg" /></a></div>
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The image above was created in Photoshop by more advanced methods as describe by <a href="http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-264268.html" target="_blank">WaterColorGirl </a>on the Wet Canvas site. <br />
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<i>Here is the 5 step process for converting it to outline. <br />
1. Convert the image to grayscale or choose Image-Adjustments-Desaturate.<br />
2. Give the image more contrast by going to Image-Adjustments-Brightness/Contrast
and adding contrast.<br />
3. Apply the edge-finding filter by going to Filters-Blur-Smart blur. Set the Radius to 5 and the threshold to 20 and the mode to Edge Only.<br />
4. Invert the lines by going to Image-Adjustments-Invert. <br />
5. Use the eraser tool or a mask to get rid of any extra lines.</i></blockquote>
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This process yields a similar result as image E produced by Simplify<i>. </i>However Simplify has many other advantages as we'll see as we develop this image into its final form in future posts.<br />
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There isn't much you can't do with Photoshop if you happen to know all the tricks, and are familiar with obscure uses of features. For example, who would have thought to go to the Smart Blur filter to create an outline of an image? Blurring an image seemingly has nothing to do with abstracting an image to a sharp outline. In step 2 I used <i>Curves</i> instead, because I know that Curves is much more controllable than the <i>Contrast/Brightness</i> adjustment. As a matter of fact some advanced Photoshop uses will use Curves as their main adjustment control for hue shifts, tonality control, saturation adjustments and many others.... but that's the point. You don't need to be a Photoshop nerd (and spend the money) if a smaller set of easily understood controls are present in Topaz Simplify.<br />
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That is a major point to this series. Topaz Simplify gives you control of the elements of design in a quick and easily understood format, and at a fraction of the cost, <u>and </u>it is a Photoshop plugin for those that need that level of additional control.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dMRHNjSxmaA/UiIx_OqsaaI/AAAAAAAAA8U/pxJCsvLrcUU/s1600/line6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dMRHNjSxmaA/UiIx_OqsaaI/AAAAAAAAA8U/pxJCsvLrcUU/s320/line6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In this example a group of pink lilies on a green background is used to illustrate how the contrasting foreground and background colors help to generate a nice very nice outline around the flowers.<br />
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The pistol and stamen structures have a good contrast of value which adds in their delineation too. An accidental but nice effect is the fact that the lines resulting from hue contrast are stronger than the lines on the interior of the flower where the contrast is mostly value/tone based.<br />
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I controlled Simplify's lines by only using the controls in the <i>Edges Type </i>section. All the options were deactivated by setting the sliders to 0 with the exception of Contrast set to 1. Then I did some fine tuning by changing the sliders in <i>Edge Type</i>. Of particular interest to me was the creation of very fine lines on the inner petals which could be controlled by setting <i>Edge Strength</i> to 1.5, then moving the other <i>Edge</i> <i>Type </i>sliders to the desired position. In the case of the image below : <i>Simply Edge </i>.42, <i>Reduce Weak </i>22,<i> Reduce Small </i>.16, <i>Fatten Edge </i>0.<br />
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Now that I had the sliders in a position where Simplify creates an outline I saved the settings as a preset which can be used in the future to instantly turn any image into a line drawing.<br />
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Of course <i>line </i>like <i>point </i>can take many forms. In the image above Painter was used with a brush type that painted a series of lines for each stroke. The best way to use Painter is with a tablet and pen so that naturalistic strokes can be drawn. In fact, without a pen and tablet you lose much of the nuance of Painter's ability to create stokes which actually look like they were done with traditional media; not to mention the expressiveness of the directional movement of the lines which is impossible to capture when using a mouse.<br />
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The trees were drawn with a swrilling pen motion and for the rest of the image straight lines were drawn across the page. The brush type was <i>Real Fan Soft</i> from the oil brush collection. The <i>Dab Type </i>was set to <i>Camel Hair. </i>The <i>Real Bristle</i> set of controls were also used with settings of: <i>Roundness </i>100%,<i> Bristle Length</i> 5, <i>Fanning</i> 100%,<i> </i>and <i>Height </i>85%<i>.</i> <br />
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I set the background layer to a color I liked so it looked like a sheet of cream orange color paper. When <i>texture</i> is covered as a design element I will use Painter's ability to imitate the paper's tooth or grain which is advantageous when using pastels or chalk 'brushes'.<br />
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In the image below Photoshop's <i>Colored Pencils</i> filter was used with settings: <i>Line Width</i> 4, <i>Surface Pressure</i> 7, <i>Paper Brightness </i>48.<i> </i>Photoshop, of course, also has brushes you can customize, but my personal preference is to turn to Painter when I want a brushed look. The brush variation controls are far superior. It is also a bit harder to get the colored paper look with Photoshop's filters, but could be managed with some advanced layer and masking magic after the Colored Pencil filter is run.<br />
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When using Photoshop's filters there it is also much harder to touch things up. If you wanted the same line quality but also wanted to erase or add stronger blue in some areas it would be difficult to imitate the line quality with a Photoshop brush when manually drawing the same type of line. In Painter because you are drawing (via cloning) the image yourself you can easily go over an area filling in more detail or stronger color. You can even erase by simply setting the brush to the same color as the paper, and then drawing lines over an area to effectively 'erase'.<br />
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To finish up this post on line here are two very different approaches to the use of line as an expressive element.<br />
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The image to the left is by <a href="http://deltadesignz.com/2010/09/design-principle-lines-in-graphic-design/" target="_blank">Andrew Gibson. </a>Images like this can be done by using Photoshop's <i>Displacement </i>filter. Just Google <i>Photoshop Displacement Map</i> and you find some good tutorials.<br />
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My suggestion is to choose two images that by themselves ares fairly simple. In this case a torso professionally lite with good tonal variation, and the other image is of zebra stripes. If either image is complex with too much detail , messy background, or other distractions, then the combined image will be unrecognizable.<br />
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I did this drawing back in the early 80's using pen and watercolor. I usually did drawings like this after too many beers.<br />
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I can recall from my Carnegie-Mellon days long discussions about the <i>confidence</i> of the line. That is, an artist should draw with little hesitation shown in the 'mark'. It should be in a free flowing style.<br />
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I agree to an extent that an artist should be confident is laying down their image. It shows a definite maturity and clarity of inner vision of what should be placed on the page and how. But that's when the drawing is somewhat about expression.<br />
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The first few images of this post come from a different place and different purpose... and there we go again about <i>purpose </i>(see past posts).<br />
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In the next post of this series we will explore <i>shape </i>as a design element. </div>
Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-60333362426577974762013-08-20T23:51:00.004-07:002013-08-25T22:39:58.468-07:00The Elements of Design Via Digital Tools (Part 1 - Point)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Point </span>- </i>Point is the most basic of the elements of design. To start this post off I'll go back in time to when I began my study of image making over thirty years ago. This is a pen and ink study of pointillism. I used a rapidograph pen by Koh-I-Noor
and I'm guessing the size was about a '0'. I also did the same study using colored inks and decreased the size down to 00 and triple zero. The results were strikingly realistic.<br />
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Point, of course, is the subject of the the Pointillist Impressionist painters. There is a lot of visual color mixing theory behind what they did which if you were inclined to be true to the art style you would study. However with digital tools you can accomplish much of the effect with very little effort.<br />
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In Photoshop the following tutorial from <a href="http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100321163253AAReXtO">Robin</a> on Yahoo Answers will do the job. <br />
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<i>1. Open your image, select the layer, and tap Command J (ctrl J on a PC)
that copies the image onto a new layer. This keeps a pristine copy of
the image, which is always a good thing. The general rule of thumb is
non-destructive editing!</i><br />
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<i>2. In the color swatches at the bottom of the toolbar, set the
background swatch to whatever you want for your canvas color (white,
black, tan, etc.)</i><br />
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<i>3. With the new layer selected, go to the menu item Filter, then Pixelate; and then choose
Pointillize. Set the cell size to whatever you want. When you like the
effect, click OK.</i><br />
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<i>If you run the filter multiple times, you can get very interesting effects, that mimic a brush loaded with more (or less) paint. </i><br />
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<i>You might also want to experiment with using a different blend mode on
the layer that's been pointillized. For instance, try switching to Hard
Light, Overlay, or Luminosity.</i><br />
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As you might expect there are multiple ways to accomplish this in Photoshop. With this approach there are no brushes or any chance to interact with the process other than to set sliders or a check box and then see what happens. Not really a creative process as compared to Corel Painter.<br />
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For illustration of what you can do with Painter I'll use a photo I did of gords. The only change I made was to turn the shadows blue for contrast to the predominantly warm colors of the gords.<br />
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The image below is done in Photoshop as described in the tutorial above. It looks as though you are seeing the gords through a screen. Adobe has made very little enhancements to their options under the <i>Filter</i> menu over the years, but that is where tools like Painter and the Topaz suite show their strengths.<br />
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In the image below it took all of two minutes to create the effect in Painter. The file was opened and in Painter terms a clone was made of it. Then a
special brush called a <i>Splatttery Clone Spray</i> was used. In
Painter there are a hundreds of brush types enabling you to alter an image
endlessly to a style of your liking. You can also create your own brushes A brush in Painter you can think of as a combination of a media (watercolor, oils, pen, pencil, etc) and a style using that media. You truly can create your own style
of digital art. It will take considerable time to master Painter just as it would if you were learning to paint with traditional media. The image below is a little less photographic compared to the Photoshop rendition.<br />
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Painter has much more control over the dot size. For example, maybe you felt that the above image was too lose. You could tighten up the dots just by changing the <i>dab type</i> from <i>airbrush </i>to <i>pixel airbrush</i> as seen below. There are literally and endless number of controls. <br />
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Although the above image has fine detail and is sharper it isn't very expressive. The images to the left and below have more of a traditional media feel as though done on colored paper. Greater textural effects can be created by choosing a paper type from a list of optional papers, and then using a pastel or chalk 'brush'. Once a paper is chosen you can then chose how rough the tooth is. Combining paper and pastel options in addition to the ink application seen here would yield a very traditional look. If cloning is turned off at the end of the process then you can add your own free style strokes too.<br />
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For this variation a clone was made then set to gray scale to remove color. The brush type was the <i>Airbrush Fine Spray</i> and the dab type was <i>Liquid Ink Airbrush</i> with the stroke set to <i>Single. </i>When using this dab type you also have additional controls in a separate menu just for Liquid Ink. You can control the volume of ink per dab/stroke, the smoothness, and the randomness of the size along with eight other options.<br />
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In the close up the random size can be seen which helps give it a natural feel. One nice feature is the ability to erase using the same brush if you over work an area. Erasing in this manner is like picking up the dots you applied, and then reapplying the dots after you've make adjustments to one of the many controls.<br />
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In the variation below we are moving from <i>point </i>to the use of <i>line </i>where the brush type used is called <i>Impressionist Cloner</i>.
It is easy to bring in more or less detail from the original image into
your cloned image just by going back over the clone with a larger (less
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Going one step further into <i>line</i> I got carried away with Painter and made the gords look fuzzy in the image below. This was done by using the <i>Pepper Spray </i>brush on a cloned image and setting the <i>dab type </i>to <i>flat </i>and <i>stroke type</i> to <i>single.</i> The stroke or dab size was set to 27. I then painted in the white/blue areas with the <i>Furry Cloner</i> brush. It is easy to get carried away with Painter and forget what you're doing. In this case this image has little to do with <i>point</i> as a design element. I just got into making fuzzy gords.<br />
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The following is an example from <i>Topaz Adjust</i>. The Topaz products are not so good for the <i>point</i> design element. They excel when focusing on line, shape, color and other elements. In this image in order to bring out points of color the tool's controls had to be pushed to an extreme, resulting in an image that may not be useable.<br />
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Each element of design should be used for its own strength depending on the purpose of a project. The gords are about color, but they are also about texture in all those bumps and ridges. Using Painter and focusing on <i>point</i> as the design element the following image was created.<br />
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In this image texture and points are merge into a single design element, making it appear as if the gords were painted onto a heavily texture fresco. A neat effect if that was something that needed illustration as part of a travel magazine add. Point in this case are point of texture sometimes forming lines/ridges.<br />
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This variation is again looking at point as points of texture. In this approach Painter did its own thing by using the <i>Auto-Painting </i>feature. Auto-Painting is simply Painter applying the defined brush strokes itself according to what brush featues you have chosen at the start of auto-painting. In this case the <i>Van Gogh Cloner </i>brush was active along with a <i>dab-type</i> of <i>circular</i>, a <i>method </i>of <i>cover</i>, and a <i>size </i>of 5.3 with <i>Min Size</i> of 47%. On the <i>Impasto</i> window <i>Draw To</i> was set to <i>Depth</i> and the <i>Depth Method</i> set to <i>Paper</i>. Auto-Painting was set to <i>Smart Stroke Painting</i> and <i>Smart Settings</i> on.<br />
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What was cool with this effect was that while it was doing its auto-painting the 'paper' seemed like it was boiling as it built the relief look (see video). You can use auto-painting to quickly see how the brush settings work. Once you have an effect you like you can save all the brush setting (which there are many) and a new brush is created for that effect. You can then easily recall that brush style later and reuse it.<br />
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What is <i>point</i> anyway. Isn't the sun a point of bright light in the sky? The sun is the largest object in the solar system and hardly a point like a point on paper. But that is the final point. Because point is the basic design element it can become anything... like atoms of the design world.<br />
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In closing this blog on point one of my favorite illusions is about the point that is missing, and I promise you will not miss the point, because that is the illusion... seeing something that is not there. You only see the black dots when you don't look directly at them. They are bashful.<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-13423809536383243372013-07-25T19:19:00.000-07:002013-08-21T19:47:35.832-07:00Bird Feeder Bling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Every now and then you must surrender to your inner craftsperson. I think anyone visiting recent craft fairs and farmers markets has seen bird feeders constructed from found glass objects. I call them Bling Feeders! Most of them are made from old Mason jars which hold the seed and the jar's threads fit poultry feeders that can bought at serveral online retailers, or, if you have a Fleet & Farm nearby you'll find them there.<br />
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The images above show my construction using old glass stuff I had left over from my closed studio. The beads were experiments in color I did when learning torch working using Bullseye glass. The large glass shade was found on Ebay. It is supposedly an Art Deco period piece... who knows, I just thought it was cool.<br />
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Here is a close up of the beads. It was fun making them just to see what glass does under extreme heat. The color, texture and shape combinations are endless.<br />
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Talk about an experience of pure color! I loved the flowing molten glass and its endless potentiality. The vividness of the colors and the translucence of glass have such a sparkle that is only second to gems and polished stone.<br />
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A lot of my glass adventures ended in realizing the critical limitation of <i>scale </i>when working with glass. Large scale glass is technically complicated, extremely expensive, and is a team effort.<br />
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I just was not satisfied in working in miniature was my conclusion.<br />
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Here is another Bling Feeder I did after we moved into our new house in Iowa. This ceiling fixture was too nice to throw away so I added the same type of Mason jar, drilled a hole in the jar for the supporting hardware, and used silicon to glue the jar to the light shade.<br />
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The fancy top was a glass base for a candle. It also had to be drilled in order for the hardware to support the whole structure.<br />
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Construction of either was fairly easy. If anyone wants info on the process then just put a comment on the blog post and I'll respond the best I can.<br />
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In the image below you can see crimps used to secure the bead string to the glass light fixture of the first Bling Feeder shown above.<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-89287786152111566812013-07-19T19:51:00.001-07:002013-07-24T20:21:09.744-07:00Glass Powder Painting Revisited<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utzT8y9KdVQ/Uen28WH5ApI/AAAAAAAAA04/oHGRJNUnkOs/s1600/butterfly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utzT8y9KdVQ/Uen28WH5ApI/AAAAAAAAA04/oHGRJNUnkOs/s1600/butterfly1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I did these glass panels several years ago and only now have gotten around to framing them. These were created through the process of applying glass powders to a sheet of glass, then tack fusing it in a kiln. The glass is heated just enough that the powder sticks to the glass sheet base.<br />
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I closed my glass studio over two years ago now. I don't miss it much. Glass work is expensive, very labor intensive, dangerous to some extent, and not very forgiving. The glass powders are very harmful to your lungs. Unlike painting or using Photoshop on images when doing glass working it is very difficult to redo or correct your work. Once the glass is baked there is no going back. If you are a control freak like me you are never happy on the first try, and you end up with a lot glass that is basically scrap.<br />
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There are all kinds of styles and approaches when working with glass of course. My explorations drifted towards powder painting because of the control you have over how the colors are placed. As time progressed Bullseye, the company that makes the glass, began to produce an increasing number of the colors as <i>striker colors.</i> Striker colors are those that only show their true color intensity after they are fired. Before firing they are very pale or even near white. As you can imagine it is impossible to powder paint if several colors you are using are not their true color when arranging the powders. Couple this complication with the inability to continually adjust the colors and their arrangement when 'painting', and you have a medium that is not very easy to work with. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aANJpsUJqN0/UeoDONnXKzI/AAAAAAAAA1o/y9CXpaaQQj0/s1600/butterfly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aANJpsUJqN0/UeoDONnXKzI/AAAAAAAAA1o/y9CXpaaQQj0/s1600/butterfly2.jpg" /></a></div>
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As you can tell from my prior post I love to work with texture. In this close up you can see how the powder is laid down, creating a surface that makes you want to run your finger into it. Powder painting is a lot like the sand paintings done by Tibetan monks. In the image below a mandala is being created. As far as I know no one has as of yet used glass powder and a kiln to make the mandala permanent. Then again, maybe that would break some sort of rule or symbolism such as the impermanence of all things. Some day maybe I'll get back into glass and create a mandala as a fundraiser.<br />
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Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-40041762181901337452013-07-19T10:48:00.004-07:002013-07-24T09:19:46.565-07:00Fine Tuning an Image (Image Making Series - Part 7)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFJc0YyJviM/UegU0uQkGyI/AAAAAAAAAy0/HpgJm1Tl4Ak/s1600/tree3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFJc0YyJviM/UegU0uQkGyI/AAAAAAAAAy0/HpgJm1Tl4Ak/s320/tree3.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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Back in part three of this series the classic Principles of Designs were outlined as were the Elements of Design in subsequent posts. We ended up with the image to the left after doing some basic cropping and discussion of what still needed improvement. In this post graphic art tools will be used to further illustrate the image making process.<br />
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A fairly unassuming image was chosen for this series to show that by thinking in terms of design elements and principles any image can be enhanced. In part three several questions were asked and problems pointed out about the image.<br />
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<i>It lacked style, was not very creative, and much of the story is about texture...
but what texture did I want to emphasize? The tree of course, but why?
In relation to what? Is texture it, the whole story, or is there
something else?</i>
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An image's <i>purpose </i>is how these questions are answered and the director of how the principles and elements of design are utilized. Without a purpose it will be difficult to create a visual hierarchy to guide the viewer's attention. In advertising an image's purpose is integral to the ad's message. In fine art the image's purpose is dependent on the artist's intention to communicate an idea or personal vision or expression. Sometimes images are just studies of technique as is suggested here that the tree may be a study in texture. <br />
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Using the elements of design I can begin the process of abstraction
which I define as focusing on pieces of the whole (design elements) and
enhancing them for <i>emphasis</i> of the image's purpose. If the tree is a study in texture then increasing contrast is one method of creating more visual texture as seen below. A closer crop was also use to bring out more detail. I find that cropping will continually change as you hone in on the image's purpose.
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V40jb0lXSBY/Uelo0DuhLTI/AAAAAAAAAzA/NhnmN_PKReY/s1600/tree4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V40jb0lXSBY/Uelo0DuhLTI/AAAAAAAAAzA/NhnmN_PKReY/s640/tree4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At this point there is increased texture in the grass and tree, but they are equally strong and competing for attention. The grass could be deemphasized by blurring or defocussing it in Photoshop, but my personal preference is to build a complementary relationship and not just an opposing one like focused and not focused elements.
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61UGo_dVK0A/UelrZTQt1PI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/b4zRkNNHKGY/s1600/tree5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61UGo_dVK0A/UelrZTQt1PI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/b4zRkNNHKGY/s640/tree5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the next blog post I will cover in detail the use of the Topaz Labs set of image editing tools as they relate to the elements of design. In the above image I used Topaz <i>Simplify </i>to abstract the background. It is now softer, more colorful, and less focused. The impressionistic treatment complements and brings out the texture of the tree which now stands higher in the visual hierarchy, and this is what you want if the subject is a tree in a field and not a field with a tree.
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The tree is fairly smooth however. Using Topaz Clarity and Adjust I can increase the texture to the desired level as seen below.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6brq1cG-ds/UeltU_Tj9bI/AAAAAAAAAzg/YjHuVFSpB0k/s1600/tree6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6brq1cG-ds/UeltU_Tj9bI/AAAAAAAAAzg/YjHuVFSpB0k/s640/tree6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Photoshop each change to the image is placed on separate layers. In this case I was able to increase the texture of the tree, but did not touch the rest of the image. Everything on the enhanced tree texture layer is masked out except for the tree itself, thereby leaving the grass untouched. These are small images and a lot of detail in the actual file cannot be seen. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dS9v_oKx1q4/Uelv-o9JDjI/AAAAAAAAAzw/P-WkG2X2TN0/s1600/tree7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dS9v_oKx1q4/Uelv-o9JDjI/AAAAAAAAAzw/P-WkG2X2TN0/s400/tree7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The images to the left show close ups. The top does not have grain, and the bottom has some grain added through the Topaz tools. The level of grain can be controlled to mimic film grain or increased in visibility to the level of creating its own abstracting effect. In this case I wanted the grass to be a little less smooth and to have slightly increased visual interest when the image is viewed close up.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oL_QRwsP_IQ/Uelv_fz5KMI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Ssvk4_yiLFw/s1600/tree8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oL_QRwsP_IQ/Uelv_fz5KMI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Ssvk4_yiLFw/s400/tree8.jpg" width="400" /></a>Topaz Simplify is an very controllable regarding the amount of simplification applied to an image. In the case of the image above the tree may be standing out too much as though it were plopped down into an impressionistic painting. But the goal of bringing the tree forward as a focal point was accomplished.
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At this point it is a fine tuning process. As I worked the image I wondered if this was still a textural study?. Texture is what initially drew me into the image, but what about the initial point of creation when shooting the tree? It wasn't about texture really. I felt there was a story to be told. The image has been improved, but is that enough? Did I miss the point, miss the story, and the initial purpose of the image?
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The tree was integral to the initial shot. It stood strong, but was dead. It was alone in an open field. It was colorless and shadowed within a colorful sun filled context. It was gnarled, hard, and rough in a soft landscape. But it was the fact that it was dead with life all around it that struck me, standing like a gray tombstone demarcating a line between death and the life all around it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mnkw7loqX8/Uel27VB9y4I/AAAAAAAAA0I/TFFFOONpun0/s1600/tree9.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mnkw7loqX8/Uel27VB9y4I/AAAAAAAAA0I/TFFFOONpun0/s640/tree9.jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Paintings do not have a sound dimension for the most part. The subtle sounds of wind blowing through the grass and crickets and cicada singing were auditory memories only. I added a just hatched cicada to the image above in keeping with what was becoming the theme of the work. As I reentered the original experience of being in that field the addition of the cicada brought me back to story telling. As this theme developed I noticed that the field needed further deemphasis which lead to the last cropping of the image shown below. The tree and the cicada are now equal and integral to the story, and the focus needs to be on them.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R1RcabG-VLM/Uel5-uXZg8I/AAAAAAAAA0Y/EnsbOJKgU40/s1600/tree10.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R1RcabG-VLM/Uel5-uXZg8I/AAAAAAAAA0Y/EnsbOJKgU40/s1600/tree10.jpg.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBguhLg8kdk/Uel9jfCK4uI/AAAAAAAAA0o/esdjyODlCrk/s1600/tree11.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBguhLg8kdk/Uel9jfCK4uI/AAAAAAAAA0o/esdjyODlCrk/s400/tree11.jpg.jpg" width="265" /></a>
I suppose the story is just the old circle of life story. Birth and death playing out their parts continually. The tree is still prominent, but in working the image I felt that texture wasn't enough. Something else was needed to create a conceptual higher order of interest. The cicada is a Taiwanese variety, and is located on a rule of thirds node. It is also visually bordered and held central by the trunk on the right the shadow on the left and the dark branches at the top.<br />
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The image came a long from the the original shot shown to the left. I suppose the image's purpose began with story telling, then the journey lead to an interest in texture to create a visual impact, then I came back to story telling again. <br />
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The texture in the tree is striking, and there is enough but not too much visual interest left in the grass. I'm not sure in the end however that the image stands on its own. I believe that it may make a good illustration in a book, but for me it wouldn't be one that I'd print as a work of art.<br />
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This post focused on the design element of texture and to a lesser extent color. Cropping and abstraction were used to bring the subject to the fore, creating a proper relationship between foreground and background. Abstracting the background help to separate foreground and background and put the subject its proper place in the visual hierarchy. Contrast was discussed in both texture and color (or lack there of in the tree). Directional movement or visual flow exist in the relationship between the cicada and how it is framed by the elements surrounding it.<br />
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In the next post all of the elements of design will be discussed and how they can be manipulated by the Topaz set of tools and Photoshop.</div>
Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-24617274641471360242013-06-27T08:34:00.000-07:002013-07-08T10:35:16.625-07:00Wood Redux<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>American Gothic</i> by Grant Wood is reportedly the 2nd most recognized painting. Second to the Mona <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lWmi1QM1lss/UcxZSgnKcZI/AAAAAAAAAyM/7xbhzvge3gg/s302/250px-Grant_Wood_-_American_Gothic_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lWmi1QM1lss/UcxZSgnKcZI/AAAAAAAAAyM/7xbhzvge3gg/s302/250px-Grant_Wood_-_American_Gothic_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" /></a></div>
Lisa, and everyone under the sun has taken a turn at parodying it. My wife and I went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldon,_Iowa">Eldon Iowa </a>as part of a weekend jot, and we had someone take our picture in front of the same house Mr. Wood used in his famous painting. The cloths were provided by the visitor center, and the photoshopping provided by me to make the image look just right. <br />
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Someone is actually living in and caring for the house. They make money by selling pies in the front parlor. I think they make quite a bit of money too. Everyone was walking out with pie in tow. It was fun going there.<br />
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I'll be adding to the image making series of this blog in a bit. The best parts are coming up.</div>
Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7197170511805868617.post-10229865620624640572013-06-11T11:29:00.000-07:002013-09-05T12:09:19.633-07:00 A Blueprint For Image Making (Image Making Series - Part Six)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G5oklBH_j5k/UbdhCiREp4I/AAAAAAAAAxs/B4n2f7m6dSU/s1600/jerryUelsman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G5oklBH_j5k/UbdhCiREp4I/AAAAAAAAAxs/B4n2f7m6dSU/s400/jerryUelsman.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
In any art form there are enduring discussions that are never really resolved. For instance, whether <i>stream of consciousness</i> is really a legitimate writing style, or, the viewpoint that turning a photograph into a digital painting is neither art nor photography, or, the question of whether abstract expressionism is art at all?<br />
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There are many that believe that a photograph should be just that, an image with little to no digital work done to it. Then there are the absolute purest that believe anything digital cannot be fine art photography which should use a film camera and silver gelatin prints or some such. Then there is the hierarchy of art itself, where even if photography may be accepted as art, (such as an Ansel Adams print) it nonetheless is a lower art form compared to painting or sculpture.<br />
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The codification of art forms is best left to art historians and those that feel compelled, for whatever reason, to define boundaries around image making be it their own or other's.<br />
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Is this image by Jerry Uelsman art or simply Photoshop magic, and should be relegated to Tom Foolery? I don't think it useful for image makers to be concerned with those types of judgments, if in establishing those conceptual boundaries, it then limits their personal visual vocabulary.<br />
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I would like to state the following as a common ground to all image making in order to avoid spurious or otherwise nonconstructive stances and evaluations about image making.<br />
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<b>All images are created with a medium, have associated tools, are framed or have a setting, and are created with a purpose in mind. Going one step further, all images are created following as set of principles, and those principles are composed of elements. The major differentiating factor of all images is there <u>purpose</u>, and certain principles are followed to fulfill that purpose.</b><br />
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For example, there is distinction between graphic design and photography, and
that can plainly be seen in the differing content of their principles
(listed in prior posts). Ansel Adams belonged to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_f/64">Group f/64</a> who had their own manifesto. He followed principles outlined in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System">zone system</a> which is a technical and aesthetic set of guides for establishing proper graphic <i>values </i>in an image<i>. </i>And of course art movements in general have manifestos and principles, making images created by members of the group look similar.<br />
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<b>Given the above, the blueprint of image making is:</b><br />
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<li><b>Purpose</b> - Why is the image being created: self expression, advertising, fashion, decor, scientific, journalism, fine art, avant garde, etc.</li>
<li><b>Principles</b> - A set of statements, guidelines, techniques, and values which aim to emphasize, take advantage of, or change a way of seeing. These are the macro compositional determinants which differentiate one style from another.</li>
<li><b>Elements </b>- The methods of manipulating a medium in a particular manner in order to adhere to the chosen principles. These are the micro compositional constituents used in a deliberate manner when creating a certain style.</li>
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As an example, from a photography point of view if the <i>purpose</i> is to create fine art photography then you must adhere to expected <i>norms/principles</i>. Using an inkjet printer may already set you off the mark. Longevity of the print is a considerable factor in acceptance as a fine art print in many circles. Inkjet prints (as of yet) do not last as long as silver-based prints. If <i>your purpose</i> is to break with that tradition, then you have to know what you are up against and how to address biases which are built into any set of principles.<br />
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To further the example, if you are using a digital camera, then you must address your image's lack of film grain which is a classical <i>element </i>of style in fine art film photography. On a close up appreciation of an image film grain plays a critical rule. Your <i>purpose </i>may be to move beyond film, creating or emphasizing a micro compositional replacement for film grain. A new level of texture and detail that was impossible in the pre-digital world. In this case your purpose is clear. To follow and/or challenge principles/norms typical to fine art photography, and do that by addressing and challenging how digital images are judged on a detailed 'grain' level.<br />
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<b>The best approach in image making is to first determine the images purpose.</b><br />
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Given its purpose, then adhere to (or set out to break) the set of principles which most closely address that purpose. The principles then will help determine how to use the media in creating the elements in composing the image.<br />
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An image's purpose, principles, and elements are not necessarily locked together however, and can be (and probably should be) rearranged to suit your image's particular purpose. Imagine surrealistic paintings like Dail's, but using pointillism elements like George Seurat an Expressionist painter. In Dali's<i> Portrait of a Dead Brother</i> to the right, this results in a fairly atypical Dali painting. The flat pattern of dots is in sharp contrast to Dali's surrealist style of fairly realistic painting, albeit sur-real.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NRWJCGHmP6I/UbTArTj24pI/AAAAAAAAAwc/jSoN_XlqOk8/s1600/NYpizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NRWJCGHmP6I/UbTArTj24pI/AAAAAAAAAwc/jSoN_XlqOk8/s320/NYpizza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uB4i9J27l6w/UbTAkStLoyI/AAAAAAAAAwU/oD0OnERUUn8/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uB4i9J27l6w/UbTAkStLoyI/AAAAAAAAAwU/oD0OnERUUn8/s1600/th.jpg" /></a>Surprising results can be had if creating a layout for a magazine (the purpose), but using principles from the surrealism or fauvism art movements. Instead of creating a visual hierarchy based on a more typical approach following basic graphic design principles, a more playful and conceptual image may be created.<br />
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It is not typical, and not often recommended, to use principles from an art movement when creating an ad. Their ultimate purposes are very different. The images to the left are both for New York Giant Pizza business. The top image is designed using basic graphic arts principles. The bottom image is very surrealistic, and its meaning for advertising is unsure, but might pull the viewer in and hold their attention. However they still might miss that it is an ad, and miss your purpose in having it in a magazine.<br />
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It is much more clear how the classic design elements line, form, shape, etc are used to deliver a message in the top ad. It is far less clear how a surrealistic style serves the purpose of an ad in the bottom image.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tVUJpqFe5-Q/UbTNqY0SE_I/AAAAAAAAAxM/3Anh6vFov2g/s1600/mondrian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tVUJpqFe5-Q/UbTNqY0SE_I/AAAAAAAAAxM/3Anh6vFov2g/s200/mondrian.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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A layout technique often taught in design school is named after the painter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian">Piet Mondrian</a>. The top image to the right is a typical Mondrian painting, the image at the bottom right is a Kevin Cline ad using the same checkerboard organizational approach. This is an example where the principles of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Stijl">De Stijl</a> art movement can be used for another <i>purpose</i> successfully.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Toj9ARkN2ng/UbTNO2PuOuI/AAAAAAAAAxE/cSB7a182QPo/s1600/7a133b46f3c2711dc38f90e6a88c9c26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Toj9ARkN2ng/UbTNO2PuOuI/AAAAAAAAAxE/cSB7a182QPo/s200/7a133b46f3c2711dc38f90e6a88c9c26.jpg" width="142" /></a><br />
This series of post is focused on the principles of the PPA and classic principles taught in books and schools. However, there are as many sets of principles as there are art movements and graphic art styles which in turn dictate their own particular use of the elements of design. Becoming aware of them, and appreciating how they may be used for your image making will ultimately make you a more accomplished image maker.</div>
Jim Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10096844849476462493noreply@blogger.com0