Photo Art Software

Tips to Make Your Own Cardboard Stand Up

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:33:19 +0000

Did you ever get the idea to make a “cardboard stand up”, but had no idea how to go about it? Well I have to tell you I did and its not that hard to do. Not only is it fun to do, but the idea’s will never end to what you can do. And the money you save will allow you to have a house full of people, with nobody really being there.

I played a little trick on my sister, who lives in different state than I do. I live in Florida, and she lives in Ohio. Because I live in a state that you can see almost anyone at anytime, its just so easy to get someone to believe you know somebody famous. In reality I do live near Hulk Hogan, and my wife and I did meet him and his family some years ago.

Well, I decided to come up with a “fake” picture of me and our new President of the United States, Obama, and show him with My wife and I in our living room standing next to each other. It was so cool, and I even started to think that it was real. I sent the photo to my sister with a little message saying that I met the president at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, while he was in disguise. And he was with 4 secret service agents. We invited him back to our house, and we are now friends. Of course I didn’t let the gag go on, but she did believe me and was shocked, till I let her in on the joke.

This is just one of the crazy idea’s that I come up with, and you can create your own gags. But the real great thing is you can keep “cardboard stand up” memories for ever. Maybe you want to remember your grandparents as they were in life, or maybe someone is off to fight for our country overseas. Just having them as they look now, can be very rewarding. Let me give you some tips how you can create these yourself.

First off you use your computer and color printer. You don’t need to buy any 4 feet x 6 feet special paper. You use paper that fits your printer and a software program that you use with your computer. The software prepares your good quality photo to be printed into like a puzzle, that you assemble into a full size poster that you attach to a backing.

Your most important step is to get a good quality photo. You can use a 35 mm camera or any digital camera can be used with atleast 4 mp. Don’t use the zoom when taking the photo. Take the photo as close to the subject as possible, use a tripod to hold the camera still. You want the best photo you can get because it will stay nice and clear when your software creates the enlargement for printing your “cardboard stand up”.

By: Donald Paquin

Photo Book Design Tips – Ideas For Your Layouts

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:29:47 +0000

Tips and techniques from the fields of art and design can help you achieve more impact for the pages you create in your photo book projects. The following simple ideas can be used to transform your pages; it is easy to apply the techniques to your current projects.

First, consider how you usually edit and group your photos. Many people group photos in chronological order in their photo books. This can sometimes lead to a sense of discontinuity across both pages of the two-page spread (the pages that face each other when the photo book lies open in front of you).

Instead of grouping photos chronologically, consider grouping your photos by theme, colour, or subject matter, since these will unify the look of your photo book pages. You can use this same tip when deciding which pages should face each other within the book. You may also want to experiment with the photo software on your computer, or with the software provided by the company that manages and prints your online photo books. You may be able to a add colour to each page as a background, or to change your colour photos to sepia or black and white-these can both really transform the look of your pages in your online photo book. An entire spread of black and white or sepia photographs will unify the design; adding one or two colour photos in the mix will really draw the eye to these images, creating a focal point for the page.

Creating one focal point for each page in the photo book is also a great idea. As you select and edit your photos, choose one or two close-ups or simple, crisp images that can serve as a focal point for every two-page spread of your book. As you take your photographs, keep these things in mind, as well. You can begin by taking a series of photos for every special event you attend; if you take between five and eight photos, you will be sure to have enough to choose from when it comes to designing a page or two in your photo book around this particular event. If you tend to take group photos, make sure you zoom in for close-ups of individuals or objects, and zoom out for wider landscape shots. If you tend to focus on landscapes or the environment, consider other subject matter to give your photo book variety: people, pets, or specific objects, for example.

As you design your pages, you can also think of how the reader’s eye moves across the page as she looks at the photo book. Use repetition horizontally across a two-page spread, or else use a layout based on triangular or circular patterns so that the viewer’s eye will be led through the series of images. Some online book programs give you pre-designed pages, and other programs let you set up the page design yourself. Don’t be afraid to use several smaller photographs in your layout: several small images in a row can give the impression of a series of photographs taken in quick succession, or of a small sequential story being told.

Finally, in the art world, collage techniques are known to give interesting results. Collage in photo book design allows you to include a large number of images from various sources, all on the same page, without any need for formal organization. Some ideas might be a collage of favourite people, special events, a “day in the life of” page, or a collage featuring the same person or occasion, captured at different moments throughout the years.

By: David Dobson

Famous Abstract Contemporary Art Paintings

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:24:22 +0000

Abstract Art came about in the last few centuries where artists sought to move away from pure realism painting and put in their own style and emotion into the subject of their painting. From the Renaissance and Baroque styles of almost photo-realistic paintings, abstract contemporary art began to become popular.

Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism followed on from the traditional art styles and started to allow artists to impress their own creativity. Such styles laid the foundations for the later art movements which are collectively referred to as Abstract art, in the modern era.

Post-Impressionism continued the change towards abstract art yet further, thanks to works by the likes of Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. Inspired by the likes of Paul Cezanne, Fauvism & Cubism were created, bringing famous artists like Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Wassily Kandinsky & Pablo Picasso to the public’s attention. Synthetic Cubism also followed. The Abstract Contemporary style that we have now was ready to be created at this point.

In Britain the first Abstract art exhibition was opened in 1935, with paintings by the likes of Piet Mondrian, Joan Miro, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson on display the following year at a more international event.

The attack on art by the Nazi party in the 1930s and 1940s forced some abstract artists to flee to America which resulted in the likes of Modernism, Late Modernism, American Modernism, and Surrealism starting to gain popularity, particularly in New York. These attempts to control art’s direction actually helped to spread communication of these new art movements to the rest of the world.

The 1950s to now have brought us the likes of Neo-Dada, Fluxus, Conceptual Art, Neo-expressionism, Installation art, Performance Art, Video Art and Pop art. Pop Art of course remains hugely popular today with the likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein still selling well.

Modern Abstract Contemporary art styles include the likes of Abstract expressionism, Color Field, Lyrical Abstraction, Post-Painterly Abstraction, Sculpture, and Minimal Art, though new movements appear all the time, particularly with the influx of computer based artists, and different styles of digital art.

By: Tom Gurney

How To Take Stock Photo Images That Sell

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:37:12 +0000

Taking stock photo images that sell is not difficult at all. In my opinion, it is actually a lot easier than when I took photos that were artistic and had very complex meanings and messages woven within them. Stock photos that sell have usual characteristics within them. If you try to follow these characteristics your photos will most likely sell much better.

One of the main necessities for stock photos that sell is the quality of the picture. You must ensure that the photo is the highest quality you can get it at. Do not settle for less than your best. What I mean by this is that you need to make sure your photo is as perfect as you can get it and has flawless as possible. If your stock photo has errors it will not get accepted.

The technical aspects of stock photos are very difficult for the beginner. You must be sure your photograph is focused right and is as sharp as possible. An out of focus stock photo will not sell and you should not waste any time or money trying to fix it.

Lighting plays a major role in how great your stock photo looks. Be sure not to go cheap when lighting your photos. Take extreme care to ensure that the transition from light to dark areas of light on your photo are right.

Another very important part of stock photos is the noise. When you use larger ISO settings you will get more noise. It is NOT acceptable to submit your photos if they have a substantial amount of noise within them. Use photo editing software and get rid of that noise if possible.

Stock photos that sell are usually more simple than you think. One of the most selling photos on a popular stock photo agency is a picture of two hands shaking. The angle is a side shot showing both hands and the background is white. I can guess that if you’ve been taking photos for a couple weeks you could take a photograph just like this.

When taking stock pictures be sure that you are photographing a subject that is desired by people that buy stock photos. However, make sure that it is not too competitive unless you are able to compete and know how to do so. The best selling stock photos may be simple but they are precisely executed and nearly flawless.

By: Al Sanez

Creating Personalized Photo Calendars

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:46:36 +0000

About Personalized Photo Calendars:

Photo Calendars are 12-month, wall-hanging calendars that you can create using your own digital photos and captions. As you customize your own photo calendar, you can start the calendar on whatever month and year you wish. Most photo calendars are printed on white heavy-weight glossy card stock that you can write on, and they are spiral-bound in the middle.

Creating Personalized Photo Calendars:

Most online digital photo printing services, such as Shutterfly (my favorite), Snapfish and Kodak EasyShare Gallery, offer custom photo calendars. The process of creating personalized photo calendars usually involves:

1. Picking a starting month and year for your calendar

2. Selecting a page design from a variety of templates

3. Choosing your photos from those you have uploaded to the photo service’s website and selecting which photo you want for a specific month

4. Writing brief photo captions to accompany each page of your photo calendar (usually optional)

5. Adding a cover photo for your personalized photo calendar

6. Placing your photo calendar order with the web site

Templates for Personalized Photo Calendars:

Most photo printing services like Shutterfly and Snapfish offer a selection of photo calendar templates to choose from. There are also several software programs that include free photo calendar templates. FotoFinish offers several photo calendar templates with its FotoFinish Suite software version, and you can download a variety of additional free photo calendar templates from its website. Adobe Photoshop Album and Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 Deluxe also feature photo calendar templates.

Printing Photo Calendars:

If you design your custom photo calendar using an online photo service, to print it simply add your photo calendar to your online shopping account and check out. You’ll have your printed photo calendar in a few days. The average cost is about $20 per calendar. If you are using your own software to create your photo calendar, you can print your calendar pages using your own color printer and have your pages spiral bound into a calendar at a local copy store.

Customized Photo Calendars Make Great Gifts:

Custom photo calendars make terrific gifts, whether for birthdays, Mother’s Day, etc. Got an avid golfer in the family? What about custom golf photo calendars featuring photos of your golfer teeing off? Sometimes it is hard to come up with a good gift idea for elderly parents or grandparents. A photo calendar with pictures of your children makes a great gift that grandma and grandpa will enjoy anew each time they turn over a new month. Don’t have kids? What about 12 months of your favorite pet photos? The ideas are endless.

By: Valerie Goettsch