Saturday, August 20, 2011

Singapore - Hop On Hop Off

Discover Singapore - see the rich ethnic, cultural and historical heritage through the sights and sounds of the bustling ethnic enclaves. Along the streets of China Town, Kampong Glam and Little India, religious monuments nestle amidst quaint shophouses. Contrasting with the modern shopping malls, such as the Suntec City, there are serene gardens and sleek skyscrapers.

With great views from the top of the bus, strategically placed stops and an interesting commentary, this truly is the best way to see the sights of Singapore. Explore Singapore with this 24 hour ticket aboard an open-top double-decker bus. See all the main sights as you hop on and hop off 22 conveniently located stops around the city.









Saturday, August 13, 2011

Diopter Lenses: Understanding How They Relate to Photography

Diopter Lenses: Understanding How They Relate to Photography

As photographers, we want to show ordinary things in an extraordinary angle. And what best way to do this but to zoom in and magnify parts and bring the smallest objects into literally larger than life sizes. Getting the perfect macro shot of a subject is definitely a photographer’s ultimate dream. But macro lenses can be pricy and reverse-lens photography can be a taxing job. This is where diopters save the day.
diopter infographic
Understanding Diopters in Photography
Diopters increase the magnification capability of your lens kit; improve focal length and lower compact disc count. Diopters are inexpensive yet really effective tools that you can use to take even better photographs, so it’s to your advantage to know more about diopters, their + counts in photography and how they work in general and bring your photographic skills to an all new different level.
About the Author:

Article and infographic created by David Huckabay at SMTInspection.com Microscopes.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

High-Contrast Sketch

"High-Contrast Sketch"


How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch EffectCombining the Find Edges filter and the Overlay blending mode can produce a high-contrast sketch effect that works with many types of images. This recipe includes multiple Overlay layers, which boost contrast, so the recipe works particularly well with low-contrast images. In the recipe, I use three Overlay layers—you can use more or fewer, though more than three can produce excessive contrast. Another variation, if the result is too harsh, is to add some Gaussian Blur.

STEP 1
In the Layers palette, duplicate the original image layer by dragging the background layer onto the "Create a new layer" icon, or use Ctrl/Cmd-J.

STEP 2
Using the pull-down blending mode menu in the Layers palette, change the duplicate layer's blending mode to Overlay (or alternatively use the shortcut Alt/Opt-Shift-O) and rename it "Overlay 1."

STEP 3
Reduce the Overlay 1 layer's opacity to 60%.

STEP 4
Apply Filter > Stylize > Find Edges to the Overlay 1 layer.

STEP 5
Use Ctrl/Cmd-J to duplicate the Overlay 1 layer. Name the new layer "Overlay 2."

STEP 6
Use Ctrl/Cmd-F to apply Filter > Stylize > Find Edges to the Overlay 2 layer.

STEP 7
Repeat steps 5 and 6. An easy way to do this is to use Ctrl/Cmd-J followed by Ctrl/Cmd-F.

Direct Contrast
This recipe always adds contrast to the image, which this early morning shot needed.

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect
Settings on all 3 layers are Opacity: 60, Fill: 100

Detailed Contrast
Pictures with plenty of detail are naturally suited to the Find Edges filter.

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect
Settings on all 3 layers are Opacity: 60, Fill: 100

Soft Contrast
Some subjects deserve a gentler treatment, so here I applied Gaussian Blur to the middle Overlay layer.

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect
Settings on all 3 layers are Opacity: 60, Fill: 100

Stark Contrast
This shot, taken in crisp, winter light, was already high-contrast, so I applied Gaussian Blur to the middle Overlay layer.

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect
Settings on all 3 layers are Opacity: 60, Fill: 100

Brassed Off
As an alternative, I applied the Emboss filter on the top layer. This produced a more textured finish.

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect

How To Produce A High Contrast Sketch Effect
Settings on all 3 layers are Opacity: 60, Fill: 100


Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook
"High-Contrast Sketch"

(Pages 68, 69 from the Recipes section of Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook - courtesy of O'Reilly Media.)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Colors Of The Night - Singapore 2011

 All photos was captured at along Orchard Street...while we walking out and looking place for dinner... To see more Singapore from my POV .. please click here..!