Posts tagged Resource

Camera RAW and introduction
This is just intended to be a brief introduction to Camera RAW for those who might be new to digital photography, even if your not I can recommend some of the links and tutorial videos which I’ve included here I still find them useful to review from time to time, I always find something I’ve forgotten.
Camera RAW, what exactly is it?
Well first of all unlike other file formats such as JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) RAW isn’t in fact an acronym what it does stand for is raw as in unprocessed data and it is the data that is captured from the cameras sensor the actual file extension that your RAW file will have will vary depending on the manufacturer of your camera, Canon use the CRW file extension while Nikon use the NEF file extension, the reason for this is that each manufacturer like to specify settings which show the images shot with their camera in the best light. Here are the most common manufacturer RAW formats. (more…)

Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
I’ve been using Photoshop now for 20 years, version one on a Mac while I was studying at college back in 92-93, and a lot has changed since those early days. But one thing that I quickly learnt, especially when I started working in a commercial setting was that using keyboard shortcuts were essential.
Once you begin employing keyboard shortcuts rather than hunting for tools and features in the myriad of menus your productivity skyrockets. I would guess that using the keyboard will allow me to complete a task in anything from a half to a third of the time that it would if I just used the mouse.

Free textures and stock photos& 3D models – online resource
Another handy resources I’ve come across, 10 Ravens a site that provides a variety of products such as textures, 3D models and stock imagery they have a large number of free and royalty free images. At some point I intend to collate all the resources that I have together to make it easier for everyone. Link – http://www.10ravens.com/

A Poor mans camera bag (aticle on PhotoTuts)
For those of us who can’t afford all the gadgets, bells and whistles this is a nice little article with an accompanying video (8:22) which covers some cheaper alternatives to the more expensive kit out there. Article can be found here: Taking a Look Inside a Poor Man’s Camera Bag.

Training: 3D Lighting basics | 3D World
Training: 3D Lighting basics | 3D World
Lighting your 3D scenes can be a bit of a black art well here is a short article giving a few tips which you might find useful.
For those of you who would like to find out more about the art of lighting objects and scenes in 3D environment then here are a few books that I can recommend.
Digital Lighting and Rendering by Jeremy Birn (A lot of none platform specific information in this one).
Blender 2.5 Lighting and Rendering by A Powell.
Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3DS Max by Darren Brooker (though the implementation is in 3DS Max the principles are the same across all platforms).

An exceptional comic book artwork inspiration
I’ve always been a fan of comic art ant the quality of fair on offer these day is better than ever and whether it’s for inspiration or just the enjoyment of looking at the artwork there’s no shortage. Just the other day through one of the many twitter feeds I follow came the link to this page which has a fine selection of comic artwork from both Marvel and DC comics there is plenty here to keep you going. The article is on tfbox which has a wide range of other resources for tip, tutorials and inspiration. Link to Page: Exceptional Comic Book Art Work For Your Inspiration

Resource: Free online stock photography
Something which is always a chore is finding the right image for your project especially in education where there often isn’t the money to pay for images or the time to get the person with the purse strings to pay for a stock image.
Stock.xchng is a nice online stock photography site which I came across the other day which has a large amount of free (both cost and royalty wise), I’ve certainly found myself using it for a number of projects which required a quick turnaround.
Stock.xchng can be found at http://www.sxc.hu/