This photoshop tutorial demonstrates a quick and easy way to make a subject pop out of an otherwise boring photograph. It is roughly based on the look of a Lensbaby camera attachment, which is essentially a second lens on an adjustable accordian type housing. This produces an effect of one small, focused ovoid section surrounded by heavy lens distortion and aberration.

The first step is choosing the right photo. This method works well on product photographs, portraits, and some landscapes. Choose an image which has one main element to which you would like to add some drama.

Always begin any image editing with Layer>Duplicate Layer so you can start over if you choose.

Step 1. With the duplicate layer selected, press “q” to enter the Quick Mask mode. You will not notice any changes yet, but that is ok. Now press “g” to select the Gradient Tool, and make sure to choose the Radial gradient setting.

Step 2. Decide which area you want to define as the subject, click and drag from the center of this object and outward in any direction. It may take a few undos to get it exactly how you want, but the space covered roughly by the red gradient circle will be the area in focus on your final image.

Step 3. Press “q” to exit Quick Mask mode. There should be a selection circle around the subject of the photo. This is the part of the image that will remain in focus.

Step 4. Choose Filter>Blur>Lens Blur. Adjust the Radius slider until the area outside the focal point is slightly blurred. Use restraint, you don’t want to over do it.

Now your image has the look of a photo taken with a low aperture setting. The next few steps will add a simulated lens distortion look.

Step 5. Choose Filter>Blur>Radial blur. Adjust the Amount slider to somewhere in the range of 7 to 11, and select Zoom for the blur method. Do not click OK yet. Adjust the blur center grid so that the smallest central intersection dot is roughly in the same area of the panel as the focal point of your image. Now click OK.

Step 6. Select the entire image pressing ctrl-A.

Step 7. Add Filter>Distort>Lens correction. Pull the Chromatic Aberration sliders to the left. Play around with them until you find a look you like, just keep the sliders left of center.

Bingo there you have it. A Lensbaby look on a digital image.
From here you may want to Sharpen or maybe Add Noise to make it look more film authentic.

For more examples of Lensbaby photography, visit this Flickr group.
Thank you. Please leave comments/critiques.

beer goblet

The following are websites I frequent to find information about craft beer and homebrewing when I am too hungover to just go drink it or brew it.

Craft Beer

• Beer Advocate – Great hub for forums, education, directories, ratings, and much more
• Beertown – Brewers Association site, as well as registration for American Homebrewers Association, promoting the art and science of craft brewing, including information about local events
• Beer News – The Craft Beer News Leader
• Realbeer – News, articles, forum, and education
• Pubquest – Craft Brewery and Brewpub Locator featuring a handy Google maps mashup
• Ratebeer – Thorough resource for beer reviews and tasting notes
• European Beer Guide – Pubs, Bars, Beerhalls, Beer Gardens and Breweries throughout Europe
• Beer Education – Do some learning & pass it on
• Here’s to Beer – Cool, interactive beer education site
• GreatBrewers – Locate specific craft beers at stores and bars near you

Homebrewing

• The Brewing Network – Headquarters for a bad-ass homebrewing live web-radio show that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still provides great information and endless beer-geek comedy. Also includes a homebrewing forum.
• Mr. Malty – Straight-forward, handy homebrewing calculators and tools from Ninkasi Homebrewing Award winner Jamil Zainasheff (Ninkasi was the Sumerian goddess of beer)
• Beer Judge Certification Program – Become a certified beer-tasting judge, or find info about local homebrew contests
• Freshops – Online source for hops and hop rhizomes for home cultivation
• Brew Your Own – Homebrewing magazine
• TastyBrew – Resource and recipe database, complete with recipes, forums, brewing calculators, user journals, and more!
• The Beer Recipator – Brew calculators and plenty of recipes, both extract and all-grain
• How to Brew – Full online version of the bible of homebrewing, written by John Palmer

Blogs, Fun, Etc.

• Beer Haiku Daily – Pure drunken poetry
• Beer Flavor Wheel – Handy diagram to pinpoint tastes and aromas
• Brew Like A Monk – blog of brewing author Stan Hieronymous
• Legends of Beer – News, reviews, and trivia
• The Beer Wench – She admittedly has a gueuze fetish, and is drinking through the world, one beer at a time
• The Beer Babe’s Brew Reviews – Reviews of craft beer, breweries and brewpubs from the Beer Babe
• Beer and Blog – Weekly meet-ups of bloggers helping bloggers while drinking beer
• Visit Belgium – Belgium for Beer Lovers website
• Craft Beer on Twitter – An ever-evolving list of breweries on social network Twitter

Craft Brewing in South Florida

• Inlet Brewing Company – Jupiter, FL diviners of organic Belgian style Monk in the Trunk
• The Corner Cafe and Brewery – Tequesta, FL
• Titanic Brewery Restaurant – Coral Gables, FL
• Big Bear Brewing Company – Coral Gables, FL
• Gordash Brewing Company – Fort Lauderdale, FL brewers of Holy Mackerel Beers
• The Abbey Brewing Co. – Miami Beach, FL
• BX Beer Depot – South Florida’s Only Homebrew Supply Shop

This list, admittedly just a bubble in the pint glass of the online beer world, will be updated every now and then so please feel free to comment and plug your site, blog, brewery, etc. The important thing is to pour your beer knowledge all over those around you so the world will become more educated about the joys of craft brewing.

Prost!

Free Photoshop Brush: Ninja Wars!

An ancient discipline followed by the most skilled assassins the world has ever known. THE NINJA! With bo staff, sai, katana.. they are experts in the art of death. Now you can harness their power with the new misselhornMedia photoshop brush: NINJA WARS! Click the scroll to download the brush, but beware: their poison works quickly.

the following is a behind-the-scenes brainstorming session with a renowned ninja consultant during the pre-production of Ninja Wars:

cwylie0:
what would you say is a decent number of ninjas to have in your crew?

ninja consultant:
just in general?

cwylie0:
yeah.. like you are in a bad part of town and you are getting a group together.. how many ninjas do you recruit?

ninja consultant:
9

cwylie0:
nice, thank you.

ninja consultant:
happy to help.
and maybe 2 big thug type guys..
like uhmm.. bebop and rocksteady.

cwylie0:
well, the ninjas are going to have a full arsenal of weapons at their disposal.

ninja consultant:
right, but still…
there is always a huge fucker that can tear people apart with their bare hands
or so says all the movies.

cwylie0:
like a sumo type guy who never has dialog or one of those ex-commandos with bad teeth who wears a chain-link wife beater?

ninja consultant:
right, usually russian.
the guy you can kick in the balls and all it does is piss him off more.

cwylie0:
ok.. do i have permission to use this info publicly and cite you as a ninja consultant?

ninja consultant:
finally..
yes.

cwylie0:
ok great, thank you.

ninja consultant:
you are welcome.

the brush was created in adobe illustrator using some of the techniques found here.

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