Journal Entries
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Tilt Shift Images
Posted Jul 31, 2010
Tilt shift photography is something I had no idea existed until quite recently, when I immediately became fascinated with the images it produces. Essentially tilt shift photography is a method for making the subject of a photograph appear as a miniature or a hand made model. This can be achieved with both still images as well as movies. In fact there are a number of examples of tilt shift movies on You Tube, and this is one of my favourites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkrtYRxGyuo.
To get a flavour of what can be done with tilt shift photography, this website has plenty of examples: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/16/beautiful-examples-of-tilt-shift-photography. As you will see, using this technique to create a miniaturised effect is not always successful, but there are some very good images here.
After immersing myself for a while in these kind of images, what then began to fascinate me was the unusual places tilt shift images cropped up. For instance, I recently watched a re-run on BBC of the Survivors pilot episode, and there were a few shots in the early part of the show that received the tilt shift treatment.
I have also seen the tilt shift effect incorporated into TV documentaries. There was a series shown recently about the contributions British scientists made to their respective disciplines, and as with many documentaries, shots that don't really have anything to do with progressing the subject were included. Some curiously enough were tilt shift images.
Yet another TV documentary, about applying forensic techniques to the remains of people long dead, (some remains were hundreds of years old), also included the occasional tilt shift image. The list could go on, but this demonstrates the point that what appears to be just a curious and engaging photographic technique with no substantial application, has in fact been put to creative use. Also, once you are aware of what a tilt shift image is, they can be found in some unexpected places.
Concentrating on TV shows may give the impression that tilt shift photography is beyond the means of those who do not have access to state of the art production equipment, but this is not necessarily the case. Admittedly, if you wanted to create a tilt shift movie then the only realistic way to do this is to buy the correct lens, which for many would be prohibitively expensive. However, whilst still images can be taken with a tilt shift lens it is quite a straightforward process to transform a photograph into a tilt shift image by using graphics manipulation software. You can find out how to do this by following this online tutorial: http://visual-arts.helium.com/how-to/10610-how-to-fake-a-tilt-shift-image-with-gim p.
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Latest reply: Jul 31, 2010
Disappearing Journal entries
Posted Jul 26, 2010
All my journal entries have suddenly disapeared. Why......? 
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jul 26, 2010
Overdue Account
Posted Jul 22, 2010
Some time ago on the British comedy quiz show 'Have I Got News For You', http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mkw3 there was an item about someone who received a letter from their bank telling them they were $233.95 overdrawn. In response the person in question sent the bank a piece of their art work - a cartoon drawing of a spider - saying the value of the drawing was $233.95, so the debt was now cleared.
It turns out the person behind this, David Thorne is not new to the world of such lateral thinking and in fact has a blog, http://www.27bslash6.com/ dedicated to correspondences with those who are unwisely willing to exchange emails with him. David is so well known for his obtuse and slightly bewildering emails he has been mentioned in media all over the world and he has produced a book of his correspondences. The orginal exchange between David and the bank (along with the infamous spider drawing) can be viewed here: http://www.27bslash6.com/overdue.html
If you are easily offended by bad language and the such-like this website may not be for you.
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Latest reply: Jul 22, 2010
G imp Tutorials
Posted Jul 20, 2010
G imp [H2G2 doesn't like the name of this software. Hence the gap between the 'G' and the 'imp'] is open source software(which means its free to download and use), and rivals all the high end and high priced professional graphics programs for its power and versatility. If you have not yet downloaded and installed it on your PC, you can do so here.
As well as writing entries here on H2G2 I also occasionally write tutorials for this software, and this is an ongoing list of my latest efforts.
Creating a Web Button in G imp
In this tutorial you will learn how to make a web button. Although G imp has a function that automates the creation of web buttons it has limited use, so by making your own you get what suits the design of your web page. http://www.helium.com/zone/3122-creating-a-web-button-in-g imp
How to Create an Animated GIF with G imp
This G imp tutorial shows you how to create an animated gif image in easy steps. A simple example of an animated gif is used to outline the principles, but animated gifs can be used for a wide range of web based graphics- from clip art, ad banners, greeting cards and much more.http://visual-arts.helium.com/zone/2658-How-to-Create-an-Animated-Gif-with-G imp
How to create an ebook cover with G imp
A cheap way to create an ebook cover is to download the free to use G imp graphics program and make it yourself following these guidelines. The cost will be zero and you may be surprised at how easy and quickly a cover can be created. Once you have made the cover it can be used to create a 3D ebook design. http://visual-arts.helium.com/how-to/10709-how-to-create-an-ebook-cover-with-g imp
How to create a 3D ebook cover
By downloading the free to use G imp graphics program it is quite a straightforward task to create your own curved 3D ebook cover that will look as good as any you have seen online, and give your ebook that final professional touch. http://arts-humanities.helium.com/how-to/10798-how-to-create-a-3d-ebook-cover
How To Create An Image Map With G imp
An image map is one image that is divided into sections called hotspots. Each hotspot is allocated an action usually a link to another web page, either an internal page or one from an external website. Other functions such as javascripts can also be allocated to a hotspot. This tutorial shows you how to create an image map using G imp and will take the headache out of calculating co-ordinates for each link section. http://visual-arts.helium.com/zone/9965-how-to-create-an-image-map-with-g imp
How to fake a tilt shift image with G imp
Although there are already a number of tutorials on how to create a tilt shift image, some show methods that do not give the best results, whilst others are not entirely thorough, which leaves some guess work for beginners. The aim with this tutorial is provide everything you need to know to create your own tilt shift images without that frustrating phase of wondering what to do next, or what went wrong. http://visual-arts.helium.com/how-to/10610-how-to-fake-a-tilt-shift-image-with-g imp
I hope someone may happen to come across these tutorials and find them useful. 
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Latest reply: Jul 20, 2010
Using Your Computer to help Charities
Posted Jul 13, 2010
Not all of us are able to make big gestures to help charities because we don't have the financial means or the time to do so. However, there are ways that you can support charities by using your computer, and best of all it won't take up any of your time, and won't cost a thing.
For those who can make donations of money or time to charities this isn't intended to replace that, but to enhance it.
Firstly it is possible to donate the time your PC is idle to the World Community Grid, so that your processing power can contribute to medical research. One project the Community Grid is involved with is ways to combat cancer. There is a download on the website, http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ and once this is installed a small programme runs in the background of your PC. You will then be participating in research that benefits everyone.
Secondly, there are search engines that donate money to charity. All you need to do is use these search engines in the usual way and your clicks will accrue cash for the selected charity. Some search engines allow you to choose which charity the donation will go to, whilst others are focused on a specific cause. This article lists some of the most popular of these search engines: http://www.helium.com/items/1649507-search-engines-that-donate-to-charity
For very little effort you could be making a difference to the world, so why not take a look at the web pages mentioned here.
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Latest reply: Jul 13, 2010
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Atticus
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