Sharpening and Contrast with the High Pass Technique

the high pass technique is one non-destructive way to add sharpness and contrast to your screenshots. It's a touchy technique, and is better for pictures where your subject seems to blend into the background.

start by opening your file. right-click your Background layer, and choose "Duplicate Layer" from the pop-up menu. You'll see two identical layers in your palette- we're going to be working with the top one.

Next, with the top layer selected, go up to the "Filters" menu. The High Pass filter is hidden, so you have to ask PS to show it. Do this by choosing the "Show all Menu Items" at the bottom of the menu.


Now that all your filters are showing, go down to "Other" and select "High Pass" from the menu.

As you can see, the High Pass filter highlights the edges of shapes and darkens everything else. Don't worry, this won't ruin your image! This is also a part that is different for every image- sometimes, you just need small lines, sometimes, big spaces. Feel free to experiment! I've chosen 25.3 for this image, and you can see the big fuzzy lines around the shapes. Click okay when you are satisfied with the highlighting in the image.Now is when the magic happens. with the High Pass-ed layer selected, go to the Top of the Layers palette and open up the little menu. Scroll down and click on the "Overlay" option. Get ready to be surprised!

Wow! as you can see, the High Pass technique can be powerful. It's not always the appropriate tool, and can sometimes make an image look a bit funny, but you can tweak it with layer masks and edit the opacity until you are satisfied. There are other techniques of course, but this is a good one to know.

And here is the image with some layer masking applied to it. Lovely!

Blogger Part 2: Customizing Your Blog

welcome back! here's what we did in last class. as you can see, i have a blog, but it looks so generic! i'm going to show you how to adjust the layout, modify which "Gadjets" are on your blog, add your own backgrounds and color schemes, and add links on the sidebar to other websites-blogs are all about networking!

so, the first step is to click on the link that says "Customize" in the upper right hand corner of the blog screen-i've circled it here.

this screen is a layout of your blog. here, you can add gadgets to the blog and adjust the layout. first, we're adjusting the layout of the blog...which is easy! just pick up the gadjets and move them around to arrange them any way you like.

next, we are adding gadgets to the sidebar of your site. click on the link (circled in the picture) that says "Add a Gadget"

here's the add a gadget panel. here, you can add a list of websites, a list of your followers, rss feeds and more. we're going to add a List of Links- which is halfway down the list of gadgets- for this tutorial, but feel free to expiriment. click on the little plus sign to add the Link List Gadget to your blog sidebar.

here is the setup window for the Link List Gadget. you can title the list anything you want, and put whatever link you want on your site, like other people's blogs, your Xstreet page (if you have one) or your shop's Slurl. Just fill in the url and the name of the site, then click "Add Link" circled here.

as you can see, the link has been added to the Gadget. one you are finished adding links, click on "Save" to exit the window.

the layout has been modified, but you can't see what it looks like. click the link up top that says "Veiw Blog" to see your blog in all it's glory. (a dialog box will pop up asking you if you really want to navigate away, click yes.)

well, now you've got your own gadget that links to your favorite sites. it still looks horrible. so we're gonna spiff it up a bit. we'll start by editing the text colors- click again on cusomize.

you'll be back on the layout screen, but we aren't fiddling with the layout now. click on the link at the top that says "Fonts and Colors" (circled)

the color editing screen looks like this. here you can choose the background, link, and text colors for your blog. it's simple and straightforeward, and you can see a preveiw at the bottom of what your page will look like with the colors you have chosen. when you are done, click "save Changes" to make it permanent.

now doesn't that look better? there's only one more way to edit your blog...and that way i can't teach you, because that is by HTML. and i cannot script. However, i'm sure many of you are familiar with HTML, so i'll show you how to get to the HTML editor. Start by clicking on the Customize link again.

now that you are back here, look to the "Edit HTML" link. that's what you are clicking on. if just the sight of code makes your head spin, i'm warning you now.

and here it is. my head is hurting already, but i'm sure many of you are drooling right now, imagining feats of code so amazing it would make your veiwers head spin. so, one word of caution: backup your site's HTML in case you ruin it!


other than that, have fun! make freinds in the second life blogosphere! or start your own community! heck, you can make a blog about anything you want-your buisiness, your screenshots, your drama, your cat. don't expect to become a celebrity, just have fun with it!

How to Make A Blog on Blogger: Part 1

Hey there! would you like a shiny blog? Who doesn't? But you have no idea how to even start. And it costs money, right? And you have to know code? WRONG! Even a monkey can make a blog. It's that easy to make your very own blog with Google Blogger. Use your blog to promote your business, share your discoveries or artwork, and get in touch with people with similar interests. It might seem complex, but I've broken it down into steps for you so it's much easier than you think.first, you will go to the Google main site. mouse over "more" and go down to "blogs".

this will take you to a site with all these silly blogs on it that have nothing to do with anything second life. where you need to look is here: (up to the right hand corner) where it says sign in. you don't have a sign in yet, but you have to go here anyway.

you're on the sign in page now. if you have a GMail account, congratulations! you can already make your blog. if not, you have to create an account. click on "Create an account" to start that process.


here's the create account page-it's a pretty average one. enter your email (so they can confirm you aren't a robot...) make a password, confirm your age, etc. then skim the terms of service and type in the funny-looking word and you've got your account!


next, you'll get a page that says you are getting a confirmation email. go check your email now! it'll be there in a minute or two-or it might be waiting for you.


here's the email you will get, with some privacy blocks, of course. the link circled in red is the one you want to click on-it will confirm your google account!


here's where the link will take you. you don't want to add your phone number now, so click where i put the red circle- "click here to manage your account profile."





here's your google profile. you don't have to care too much about this- what we are looking for is down here in the "More" link. click on that.


look in the right hand column. see the big orange square with the B in it? that's the logo for Blogger- that's what we're looking for! Click the link to finally start on your very own blog!


here's the sign in page. do not get cocky and click the big "create a blog" button! we made a google account to get around all the paperwork with that. enter your password onto the password box-you are already signed in, you just have to confirm it with the site. then we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!



that's right, there's only three steps to get started. yay! choose the name you wish to be known as in the box marked "Display Name" (circled) then click the "terms of service" box, and click the big orange arrow.


the boxes on this screen are pretty straightforward. so fill out what you want your blog to be called in the Blog Title box (if it's for your business, then name it after your business!) and the address (it is best if the address is the same as the title.) then, click the "Check Availability" link to see if anyone have the same address as you. if they do, don't lament! you can just add a number to it or change it around a bit. if you give out your link, people will bookmark it if they want to stay up on your stuff.
now for the fun part-choosing the theme! scroll down and take a look at all of them and pick one. you can change the layout and details later, so don't worry if you think it's hideous (cause most of them are.)



yay! you've got your blog! now click on the arrow to do just what it says-start setting up you r blog for real!



and THIS will be your first post. in your first post, I'll show you how to insert images, type in text, and add tags so your blog is more organized.
so, to start, type in the title of your first post! there's a box marked "Title" at the top of the text block, that's where the title goes, and it'll be on the top of the post when we publish it.



next, I'll show you how to add a picture- everyone likes a picture! click on the little box that looks like a landscape. I've circled it on the picture, so you can see where it is. this will open a dialogue box, and it's kind of confusing, so pay attention.


here's the dialog box- it's a bit complex. you can import an image from your computer, or add it from somewhere else in the Internet, arrange it on the page, and choose the size of the picture. one step at a time: we're going to upload a picture from the computer (it's easier, and there's no sticky copyright issues) click on the button that says "Browse".


this is what you're screen will look like if you use windows 7. if you've ever uploaded anything to the Internet before, or even opened up things from other programs, you know how this window works. click on the picture you want to upload, and then click the button that says "Open".


now that you've chosen your image, select where you want it to be. i prefer the center, because you don't have to deal with text wrap, but after this tutorial feel free to do what you want. after you've chosen the layout, click the terms of service box- this indicates you aren't putting up someone else's work as yours. after that, you can click on "Upload Image" (the big orange button) and you'll see...

a little loading screen. this is blogger uploading your image. then you get a dialog box that says your image has been added, and you can click a blue button that says done. click it, and you will continue to your post.

this is what you'll see- a page that kinda looks like old-school Microsoft word with your picture in it. next, you'll be adding text, which is kind of sticky sometimes-just give it a whirl and click right below your picture. you'll see a cursor pop up under your picture on the far-left side. you can use the buttons at the top to modify the layout of the text like a word processor, and if you've used one before you know what they do. you don't need them for this most basic of posts, but I've marked them anyway. I'll talk about the other buttons a little later.

-now, I've added text. i indented a bit with the space key, so the eye isn't screwed up. we're gonna do some things with the text to make it fancy- a link to the slurl of BB, for example.

here, you can see the dialog box for adding a link and put the slurl for the Builder's Brewery into it. Click OK once you have pasted your link in- feel free to add whatever link you want in.


now that you know how to insert photos, text, and links, all you need to do to finish is to add a tag. Tags are how you organize your blog: if you post a product that is a coat, add a tag that says coat, then add the coat tag to all the other posts you make with products that are coats. then, when a customer is looking for a coat, they can click on the "Coat" tag and find all of your coats! or houses, or goggles, or whatever.


then, click the big orange button that says "Publish Post"!

you'll see a screen that says "congratulations" and a link to view your post. click on it to see the first post on your shiny new blog!
here is your basic blog. there's lots of features you can add to it, and many ways you can organize it. but that's another class. enjoy your blog and make it your own!

Tutorials!

well, i've resurrected this very dead blog to bring you some tutorials. People in second life have been very generous to me, and i'd like to give back to the community. Look forward to help including clothing, screenshot editing, and how to get your SL stuff on the internet!