{Photoshop Corner} How to Create a Cross Processed Look

    It’s finally September!  Fall is on the horizon along with the crisp air, orange & maroon leaves, & another type of orange and maroon…. Virginia Tech football!! In honor of the Hokies’ season opener this weekend against Appalachian State, here is a Photoshop Tutotial on how to achieve a fun cross-processed look for your photos.  Have fun & GO HOKIES!!

(Click to enlarge)

 

    Cross Processing comes from the days of film, when a photographer would intentionally (or sometimes unintentionally) process a film roll through chemicals meant for a different type of film. This had surprisingly good effects, bringing out colors in the film that may have gone unnoticed otherwise.

Step 1:

 Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves for some color editing. Choose the Red channel and create a narrow 'S' curve by dragging the line on the graph. The amount of red you wish to add is up to you and should fit your personal tastes. 

Step 2:

 Just as before, go through the same steps and choose the Green channel this time. Create the 'S' curve again, using your personal preference for how much. The more the curve is moved the more contrast will be added. 

Step 3:

 Use the same process for the Blue channel next. This channel focuses more on shadows and should provide a tint of blue for your image. 

 

Step 4:

 Switch the blend mode to Color on the adjustment layer which will bring out more details in your image. If your image needs further adjustment, click back on the adjustment layer to change the RGB channels separately. 

Step 5:

 Add a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer and move the contrast slider to 30. This makes the image look more authentic while highlighting the contrasts and shadows.  You're done! 

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{Sneak Peek} A Reel Treat of our new website!

(Click to enlarge)

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{DIY} A Good Sunday Project: How to Build a Light Box

    Having built a few different light boxes we've gotten a good rhythm down and wanted to share our process. To build your own light box you will need a few simple tools that shouldn't cost too much:


• 1 Large Cardboard Box, at least 18x18x18 (but maybe larger depending on your needs)
• 1 Roll of Packing Tape (optional)
• 1 Roll of Duct Tape
• 1 Semi-transparent cloth (we use t-shirt cloth from the local sewing shop)
• 1 Ruler at least 12 inches in length
• 1 Pencil
• 1 Pair of Scissors
• 3 Medium size Shop lights (can be found at any home improvement store)
• 1 Very sharp cutting blade
• 1 Large piece of non-transparent paper or poster board.


Typically,  you should be able to get all of these materials for under $35 total. 


Step 1:

Tape up one end of the box and leave the top of the box open. The taped up side will be the back of the box.

Step 1.

Choose one side of the box to be the bottom depending on if you want your box to be tall or long. Once you have decided, mark all three other sides with a pencil so you don't get confused later on.


Step 2:


Using the ruler, draw lines on each of the sides at least 2 inches from the edge. You need at least 2 inches for support, anything less and your box will sag and not perform its job. When you are done you should have a 'window' that you will be cutting out later. See below:

Step. 2

If you look closely you can see our light pencil outline, we will be cutting out the window later.


Step 3:


For added support, fold the flaps of the box back and mark them with the pencil as well: 2 inches from the edge of the box. Make sure your marks line up with the original marks on each side of the box. Do this for all three sides you will be cutting.

Step. 3

For the side of the box that will become the bottom, fold that flap back and tape it down with box or duct tape. This will help support the bottom later.


Step 4:


Now cut out the windows on the box, and cut along your lines on the flaps as well. When you are done you should end up with a box that looks similar to the one below:

Step. 4

Now use the box or duct tape to tape the flap down to the window, further reinforcing the edges of the box:

Step. 4

If you do this on all three sides, your box should still be very stable as you move on to the next step.

Step. 4

Step 5:

Take your transparent cloth and drape it over the box, cutting a sheet about the width of the box but long enough to wrap around all three windows. You can also cut individual pieces but we find it much more time consuming and frustrating. This will work just as well:

Step. 5

Using your duct tape, tape down each of the sides, stretching the cloth across the 'windows' so that it is tight and has no wrinkles. Make sure to tape all of the edges so the cloth won't move. At this time you may also want to tape down the inside flaps on the 'back' of the box.

Step. 5

Step 6:


Measure the width of your box and cut your non-transparent paper or poster board to match. Then make an incision in the top of the box behind the window where the top of the box meets the back. This will allow you to slip the paper or poster board down through the incision and tape it down:

Step. 6

Make sure you secure what is now your backdrop with tape on both the top and the underside of the box.

Step. 6

Step 7:


Voila! You are finished! All you need to do is set up your shop lights, plug them up and you are ready to go. Depending on the type of shop light you get, you may need to use some creative thinking in order to keep them stable. We built a top light holder out of the extra cardboard and used pvc pipe to support the side lights.

Step. 7

Step 8: Take some pictures!

Step. 8

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85 Signs You Need a Vacation...

   Warm beachy breezes baking the sand, suntan oil and sea salt filling the air, the whooshing of waves crashing and gliding over the shore, the whistling of fighter jets roaring overhead… this is none other than Virginia Beach.  We just got back from a wonderful week long vacation here.  This was our second time visiting the Virginia Beach area, which is ironic being that we grew up in Virginia.  We filled our days with relaxing sun,sand, and sea  sprinkled with day trips here and there to places such as the Norfolk Naval Base, Nauticus, Chesapeake Bay, and the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.  We were based in Sandbridge, a quiet more secluded area about 20 minutes from Virginia Beach proper.   When exploring the area, we could not help but notice all of the fun, unique beach  house signs illustrating the names of individual beach houses.  You could definitely tell that these houses were the gems in the eyes of all their proud & lucky owners.  It’s certainly a fun thing to think about!  If we owned a beach house, we would name it “Dune Puggy” in honor of our little smooshed faced babies.  

Here are some of those fun Beach House signs we came across...

 

Does your house have a name?  We’d love to hear it!

Want more cool house names?  Check these out!

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{Logos} Show us Your Teeth!

    It’s that time of year again… cue the heart pounding 2 note "Jaws" theme!  That’s right, it’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel!  This has become a summer tradition in our house.  We can sit for hours glued to the awesome toothy footage of these magnificent creatures.  In honor of Shark Week, we rounded up some fun shark logos.  Well, we’re going to grab two of the number 8s & get back to the show…   

Happy Shark Week everyone!

1.  Shark Energy Drink

2.  Paul & Shark Yachting

3.  Coronulla Sutherland Sharks

4.  USCB Sand Sharks 

5.  Shark Helmets 

6.  San Jose Sharks 

7.   Shark Week 

8.  Land Shark Lager 

9.  Shark Reef Marine Reserve

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{Photoshop Corner} How to Create a Cool Lith Print Effect

The Lith Print Effect is based on a technique used prior to the advent of digital photography in which a print is overexposed and then developed in a special device called a lith developer. The original method was difficult to master and required a lot of practice, but fortunately with the advent of Photoshop this is no longer necessary. With a few simple steps, you can transform your photograph with an artistic and memorable style.

            The most important part to remember about this technique is to place emphasis on the contrast of the highlights and shadows, which helps define this style. In the end, your photograph will accommodate a rich texture, warm tones as well as glowing highlights next to dark shadows.

Step 1: Duplicate your image's layer and click on: Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. Before making any changes, click the Colorize box. Set the Hue slider to 40 and Saturation to 30. Click OK to apply the changes.

 

 Step 2:  Duplicate the top layer and go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Select the uniform box, click Monochromatic and set the Amount slider to 30%. Click OK, then reduce this layer's Opacity to 30% to soften the texture. Apply the Gaussian Blur Filter, Radius 1.5 to soften further.

 

Step 3:  Create a new layer. Go to Edit>Fill; set to black. Now, with the Elliptical Marquee, draw an oval selection over the image. Hold Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+I to invert. Apply a layer mask, and set the layer blending to Soft Light. With a black soft brush, remove the inner edge to create a vignette.

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{Pugs in Design} Knit Two, Pug One

   We were in the craft store the other day & stumbled upon these cute pugs featured in different pattern books.  McCall’s Patterns has some pretty cute craft ideas for man’s best friend. If we only knew how to knit… :-) 

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