For Outlook 2003 right click on the 'Color category List" Task, select Categories, copy the text in the 'Item(s) belong to these categories', click the 'Master Category List' button, then paste the text in the 'New Category' text area and click 'Add.'

AdobeAdobe Photoshop CS5PresetsColor Swatches
AdobeAdobe Photoshop CS5PresetsStyles

EmptyStyles.zip

EmptySwatch.zip

One more tip; when you want to delete a lot of colors or styles from the respective tab group (with the little stlye/color swatch squares), instead of right clicking and using DEL for each one, just hold down the ALT key and click on each one.

The Fungi Within

fun for kids and those with 'kid-inside' on the label.

He also just finished his first book Pursuits of Whimsey - just ordered my copy. If you want to support a very talented artist then get your own copy.

We needed a way for non tech users to just drop an overly large (filesize) image on the icon and spit out a smaller image. In our case ScriptJPG at this site did the trick. The owner provided a simple modification so that we could automate the picking of option 6 (maximum compression) each time so that our users wouyldn't even have to press a button. I'll paste that edit below. The web site is at

http://www.css-ig.net/

If you want an "automatic selection" of option 6, just edit the ScriptJPG.cmd file with a text editor. Line 80 you have the "choice" section, corresponding to user input. Instead of :

:choice
set /p number=# Enter an option [1-6]: 
if %number%==1 goto optimize
if %number%==2 set qua=90 & goto jpgconv
if %number%==3 set qua=80 & goto jpgconv
if %number%==4 set qua=70 & goto jpgconv
if %number%==5 set qua=60 & goto jpgconv
if %number%==6 set qua=50 & goto jpgconv
cls
goto iuser

Replace it with :

:choice
set qua=50 & goto jpgconv
cls
goto iuser

This modification will run option 6 without user interaction.

Here are some of the steps it took to get here.

Weapon Attack Effects Pack 1

Bright Flash Animations Pack 1

Blood Animations Pack 1

Electricity Animations Pack 1

Fire Animations Pack 1

Smoke Animation Pack 1

I found a nice thread on the ConceptArt.org forums. User DANJAN has created an interactive post to teach the basics of environmental design. There's some good information there and I recommend you join in and work your way through the challenges. Its been going on for a big so I am behind, but by reading the thread posts you can start and catch up. I just did the first 8 of 20 thumbs and am wwaiting on feedback. These are just rough thumbnail drawings designed to work out ideas without spending too much time (in my case they took a little longer as I have to power up my Wacom skills).

You can see my first efforts here.

You can find the forum thread here.

Check out PunyPNG >>

Here is a Glog he created. Your kids might like Glogster too.

I'm working on filling in some missing 'concept' images for my Hope's Journey project so I can put together an animatic and try to get it funded on something like Kickstarter. I added a new image last night - I really suck at drawing people and based the girl on the beautiful 'mother and child' art of Katie M Berggren. Without looking at her images my girls look like pumpkin headed freaks or cross dressers. Note: the story beats are missing a key sequence (the 'ME' giant and the kettle burners) which I still have to write in and create concept art for.

I created a petition designed to put the issue of Congressional term limits on the table. I believe a lot of the bottlenecking we are seeing in government today is a direct result of career politicians who have lost touch with the reality most of us face. With their access to large sums of power, money and privelege, and decade spanning relationships with lobbyists and special interest groups, many of them no longer truely represent the average citizen. Whatever your political views that much at least is obvious.

We need term limits to break the power brokers and periodically flush the congressional toilet. We need new ideas and representatives who have a relationship with us, not with powerful banking, insurance and other groups who are asking favors which may not be in our best interest. We also need a congress that isn't just waiting for a new president who will support thier agenda - we need them to work now. To find solutions now. To serve the American people now.

I couldn't explore the issue fully because there is a word limit on the petition site but if you agree that we need change then lets at least let congress know how we feel. Please take a minute to support this petition (if you live in the USA). If there's one things the uprisings in the world and the many "Occupy ____" protests are showing is that the people do have power. Let's send a message.

Support My Petition

Is it worth 2 minutes of your life to maybe make a change for the better?

I've been disatisfied with my web host for some time and am making a move to a Hostgator Reseller account. For the money it is an awesome deal. The regular web hosting is a good deal and easy to use but I decided to get the reseller account because I have a lot more control and have some plans to expand with other features - maybe even split off some other sites. The reseller account requires a little more knowledge but it has a lot of bandwidth, storage and features for the money so I'm willing to learn.

I just completed the trasnfer and so far don't see any issues. I'll be making some long delayed changes and additions starting in a few days - just have to check out th new interface and sort out setting up the backups and so on. Thanks for visiting (whomever you are!).

Two useful tips if you use this tool.

1- If you right click on the Snipping Tool shortcut you can set a keyboard shortcut to launch it.

2- If you want to capture the right click menu (like the menu in my Aviary post below) you must

     - launch the Snipping Tool

     - press ESC

     - launch your menu

     - then press CTRL + PRINT SCREEN

     - use the Snipping Tool to select your menu

It's a no brainer to use and works as advertised. Something you may want to add to your tool box.

For the record I love the USA. Part of the blame for the current crop of problems lies squarely with us, the citizens. We've become less informed and less involved after some prosperous years. I hear people yelling the current catch phrases all the time; most of these based on ridiculous statements and politicians waving the red cape of fear. We've been content to sit back and let our congress folk take care of business. They've grown fat on our neglect. Now we pay the price for our laziness. Time to roll up our sleeves and get back to it.

Other Resources

If you want to contact your congressmen you can go to Congress.org.

Useful information can be found on sites like Legistorm and OpenCongress.

jobs.stormvisions.com

I spotted some nice free brushes on this site.

http://chriswahlartbrushes.blogspot.com/

About 60 brushes all told.

The promotion ends on January 3, so there's not much time left! I've seen some great titles from $3-$6 and am rounding up a few myself.

I haven't tried this since my computer doesn't meet the minimum specs but looks awesome. MachStudio Pro, formerly a $4000 product is now free (looks like they are moving to a model where they earn money from support and extras). If you are lucky enough to have a computer that can handle it then check it out. I'll simply sit here green with envy.

In video one he creates a few thumbnails, uses SketchUp to do a basic layout - to get basic perspective, lighting and values sorted out. Then he uses those renders and paints over with Photoshop. I was looking to learn about using SketchUp but the focus is really on the process of developing a concept piece with Photoshop.

Note: Watching him work...

Tags: Photoshop, video, review, Whit Brachna, The Art Department

I added a bunch of new flash games. Some are interesting for their art, others for the game play - all are fun.Take a look.

I began my SketchUp journey a few weeks ago in an effort to add some 3D skills to my tool belt. Since I don't have any budget for training classes I started by watching as many online videos as I could while trying stuff out every day.

I also searched for beginner SketchUp books on Amazon.com and eventually came upon SketchUp 8 Hands On: Basic Exercises by Bonnie Roskes. I was able to borrow a copy and burned through the 380 plus pages this past week. Here's a quick run down.

If you review enough 'how to' books you'll find that ...

As a followup to my last post I have tried my hand at some 3D icons. Built with SketchUp then saved out using the free Export2D plugin.

This is my current WIP. Planning to use it as a 3D icon.

I'm still trying to learn SketchUp. I'm hoping I can use it to tackle some personal projects and maybe eventually do some freelance work. Here are a couple I picked at this week.

I want to do more with the robot walker thing but my computer choked when I tried to render a bunch of wires. Will try to add lower legs.

The glowing orb and flare in the second image were added with Photoshop (click image to see a larger render).

If you are interested in learning more about SketchUp you can start here.

I started this last night after going through the beginner tutorials.

If I come up with any useful tips or resources I'll add them to the new SketchUp section.

Edit: Added a few more things but going to have to do some research on carts I think. I'll probably restart as this was just to learn how to use some of the tools.

Here's todays SketchUp practice.

I had some idea about making little 3D icons using SketchUp, to use on the main page carousel. This one would be the 'Job' page icon if it works out.

It took me a while to get the textures right. Going to have to practice that some more.

See the original at PSDTUTS+ >>

Have some fun and design your own game interface and if you come up with something nice send me a link.

View the original article on PSDTUTS+ >>

 Check out the tutorials >>

I added a couple of new textures. They are 2160x1440 and seamless. You can find the full sized versions here.

Quality and size varies but there may be some that you find useful in game design, 3D or even as Photoshop patterns or textures.

View Textures >>

Go to Game Start Page >>

Every so often I need a basic storyboard or thumbnail template and after once again searching online I decided to just hammer a few together. The image boxes are 16:9 aspect ratio.

Nothing fancy but gets the job done better than a page full of hand drawn boxes for me.

Get them here >>

Check out the jobs page >>

Check them out here>>

Check it out >>

Click images to enlarge

Read More @BigFishGames or Download the Trial (for one hour of free game play)

Game Play Video

Reviews

There is an extremely high level of polish here, and fans of point-and-click adventures will certainly want to pay attention to Drawn: Dark Flight.” - Destructoid

“Drawn: Dark Flight — Casual Gaming Meets Hardcore Fantasy” – 30ninjas.com

“5 out of 5 stars”  – Gamezebo

“Big Fish's gorgeous old-school adventure game, Drawn: The Painted Tower, has spawned a sequel. Launching next week at retail and on Big Fish's website, Drawn: Dark Flight promises to offer more of what the first game offered.” - Joystiq

You can see additional art work post by the Art Director Brian Thompson on the ConceptArt.org forums by clicking here. (Note: Some big images which make great desktop wallpaper)

You can also go to Brian's site for more artwork and reviews by clicking here.

Play the full game for one hour by clicking the banner!

Some else had apparently come out with a similar filter before me - so much for my original idea - but you may also want to check out that one.

You can click this link to popup a sample with a few of these tiled.

See Tile Sample

Otherwise jump to the Daily Download page and check them out.

I've always liked working with textures and several procedural texture generators have caught my eye over the years. At first I simply wanted an easy way to create textures and many professionals looked down at these automatic texture generators. Over the years they have gotten better and better and now it is possible to find some that will create photo real textures. Among the commercial options Filter Forge has been at the top of my wish list for a while ....

Check it out >>

Check it out here >>

The world in Airborn has a rich Victorian feel, with airships dominating the air, sky pirates, tropical islands, fearsome and magificent flying creatures, a lovely heroine and more all woven into a world that is large and believable.

This book instantly reminded me of old Robert Louis Stevenson novels like Teasure Island with a bit of young Indiana Jones thrown in for good measure. The characters are endearing.

For me the book evokes some of my favorite childhood reading and I think it would even make a great movie or 3D animated adventure.

You can check it out or read more on Amazon.com.

Check it out! >>

Here's a section of the texture. Hope you find it useful

Go get it >>

The fonts source files are available online but there isn't a simple zip of the ttf's for you to use. They have to be downloaded and extracted(?) or converted(?) in some way. Fortunately other designers were confused and someone put together an 'unofficial' zip file. I am linking to it here.

Please take a moment to read the README file included in the zip along with copies of the APACHE and OFL open source licenses. This file had the latest versions of the fonts as of June 2010 but changes and updates may have been made so if you know how to use those raw source files then you might prefer to download them there.

Download Zip

So if you like to read comics - or want to study the art- check out these free digital comics (courtesy of Marvel Comics).

Browse Free Online Comics >>

I found this interesting Beta product via Paul Thurott and Leo Laporte's Windows Weekly Podcast. It simplifies the process of analyzing programs that run at boot time -something I have been doing with other programs like Autoruns by Sysinternals and by recommendations from places like Black Vipers Web Site.

It has an attractive and friendly interface with simple operation. It analyzes your boot process and then gives you a list of items and the times each adds to the process, broken down into 3 categories. Essentially 'safe to remove' , 'potentially safe to remove' and 'don't touch, essential file.'

You are also shown what other users have done and said via a crowd sourcing type process and then can choose to remove it from the boot, or delay it -so it runs in the background after boot.

There is also a 'History' that shows you how different software you have installed has affected your boot over time. Even though it is 'beta' software I still give this a 4 out of 5. It will be interesting to see how this continues to evolve.

Right now I am testing ShrinkTheWeb which seems to work ok. Websnapr expired within 5 minutes of using it and they didn't respond to my support email -which is a shame because it was easy to implement. Thumbshots looked good but it seems I will have to modify the link templates on my site and I am not interested in mucking with the code for a test.

Next I'm going to try to see if I can find a script to catalog the sites I link to myself -rather than use a third party service.

What do you think? Is this a useful addition? I probably will limit its use to the Link pages since many of those are only the link with no descriptions.

I'll start by saying this is an affiliate link. Having said that I have an account at Lynda.com and find the tutorials really well done. This year alone I have reviewed Blender, Power Point, ColdFusion, Excel as well as some inspirational artists on Lynda.com while seeking answers to particular 'how to' questions.

When you have a free day sign up for your 24 hour pass and check out a bunch of free tutorials. Well worth the money for personal enrichment, work related questions and even students who want to easily review basics or advanced techniques.

My Twitter Page>>

Free Code Page>>

Find a recycling center

What? cardboard, electronics, etc.
Where? ZIP Code
Learn more about recycling at Earth911.com

I've been using this wonderful resource for some time now and was reminded how useful it is when we had to recycle a large amount of items at work recently.

This search engine will help you find recyclers for just about any product, it lists what each one recycles, whether they serve home or commercial and if there are associated fees.

You can test a search in the form or go direct to Earth911.

Dealing with screen colors, that didn't match the printed document, had me pulling out my hair. I convinced my boss to pick up this product and it has really helped. Using the handheld device you can calibrate your monitor and the printer to better match colors. You can also use the device to scan physical color samples and create palletes that you can open in Photoshop and other design software.

The included software also allows you to import images to generate palletes, manage, save, browse, import and perform various other functions.

Cool product. At the time of this writing it runs in the $300-$400 range.

They also make a cheaper product -which I have not tried- but you may want to take a look at it as well. It has a small scanner but I am unsure of the differences. The price is currently in the $80-$90 dollar range so it may be worth a look for home users.

Click on the images if you want to jump to the product info page on Amazon.com.

I had to do some photo stiching today. Since time was short and there was some distortion I decided to see if there were any free tools that could save me some time.

I found ICE at Microsoft Research and it did the job fine. You can see the two original images above and the stitched panorama. Took only a couple minutes automated crunching and spit it out.

I like finding little artwork 'gems.' It seems most of the oohs and ahhs are reserved for big budget video games. Still, I have seen some very nice work in many casual and adventure games.

It's a good idea to look for inspiration in as many different places as possible so check out the link for a look at some nice -and often overlooked- artwork.

The Art of Casual Games II

Lynda.com has a free 24 Hour pass offer available. Not sure how long the offer will be around but if you have a day with some free time then you should sign up and watch some of those free Blender, Photoshop, Illustrator or other tutorials free! There is some great stuff there and I feel lucky to have access to a subscription provided by my job. Well worth a look. 

Check it out >>

I found an interesting site by chance today. It is called Issuu and it seems to have a lot of free content. Try a search for Illustrator, Photoshop, Artist or Games for example and there seems to be free magazines. books and other documents. It'll take my a while to sort it all out but figured I'd post it so you can explore too.

EASEUS Todo Backup is a complete solution providing backup to image and disk clone, regardless of your partition or even whole hard disk. This backup software is free, trustworthy and easy to use. This free backup software allows you to back up all your important documents, photos, music, emails and program settings using a simple but smart wizard-driven interface to storage device. EASEUS Todo Backup can image the full functional Windows systems. Once your system is crashed or need to reinstall, you may restore it from the image, and maybe a few minutes later, you will gain a pure and full functional Windows system again.

A few simple steps, and you’re up and running. EASEUS Todo Backup then takes over, managing each backup task in the background.

Easy-to-use wizard-driven interface

A tree-view partition list allows you to see all the partitions that are in a backup task and the new files that will be stored in the next backup session. EASEUS Todo Backup will start automatically and can be accessed from the system tray.

It’s Free

No strings attached. No ads or pop-ups. Just access to EASEUS Todo Backup, a secure, safe, dependable backup solution. Free for unlimited backup with one partner.

Jorge R. Gutierrez is a Mexican animator, writer, director, and self-proclaimed troublemaker and cartoonista. Along with his partner and wife, Sandra Equihua, he created the acclaimed animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon. Gutierrez and El Tigre have been honored with five Emmy Awards and two Annie awards.

I have a subscription to Lynda.com yet hadn't really noticed this Creative Inspirations series before today. It is fantastic. Even if you don't have a subscription you can watch the first 3 videos free and I recommend you do just that.

The files are private by default but you can also drop stuff into a "Public" folder and right click on any file in that folder to get a url and share that file. Just as cool there is no configuration involved. Simple 1-2-3 install and ready to go.

This program comes with 2GB free or you can buy additional storage. It is endlessly useful to share files and folders, work with team members, backup important files and more. The features don't stop there either so be sure to check out the Feature page when you get to DropBox. Big thumbs up on this excellent service.

FilterForge has a new Beta out which is really impressive! You can take a look here

.They also have a 50% discount on the current versions - not sure how long it will last but it is an awesome tool.

There are a few sites featuring historical posters of various types which you may find interesting as reference for designing period games, textures or other art.

Here are a few to get you started.

If you know of other good resources please send me an email and I'll add them to the links section.

Some critics have said the story is 'simple' and reminiscent of one movie or another but that is not a fair statement. The story touches on elements of the 'universal story' and so of course we recognize bits. But that really doesn't matter. The story is solid and masterfully told. The cg and 3D effects are superb. The colors are vibrant. The character and environmental design incredible. The animation is smooth and believable. The Na'vi have a depth that evokes an emotive response.

Did I notice any flaws?  I could nitpick one or two tiny items but I won't. You know why? Because 8 hours after seeing the movie I'm still thinking and writing about it. The movie works as a whole.  This is something that has to be experienced. Sit back and enjoy it. I know I'm going to do something I almost never do -go see it a second time at the theatre.

Be sure to check out the 3D version if possible as it really added to the experience.

Official Avatar Movie Website >>

1. Animation Background Layout: From Student to Professional - This book is available directly from the authors web site. It was the only book I could find when I was in school that talked specifically about creating background layouts for animation. I found it very useful.
2. The Animator's Survival Guide - We used this as a text book in school and paid $100 plus for it. At under $20 it should be on the shelf of every animator. The acting, dealing with weight, timing and other issues can also provide insights useful to other artists. Two thumbs up.
3. Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud is an awesome and insightful fellow. I am still digesting bits of wisdom from several of his books about comic art. The knowledge found in these books will be of use to every type of creatives and I recommend them heartily.
4. Art & Fear: Obervations on the Perils & Rewards of Art Making - As a budding artist filled with doubt about my ability, the quality of my art compared to others - even about calling myself an artist- I found this small book enlightening.
5. The Illusion of Life - Two of Disney's original animators give a unique behind the scenes look at the history and processes that drove Disney art & animation. The included, insight and content make this a book worth having.
6. Film Directing: Shot by Shot - I used this book in animation school and loved it. If you are involved in animation, film or possibly even comic books I think you will find the information on planning and visualizing shots.

Some of these books seem to be aimed at a narrow audience but I have found that if you abstract any good idea or process - down to the primitive building blocks - you will discover truths that can be applied to many other situations.

I should say these are books actually on my shelf. There are many others on my have to get list.

Here is a quick preview image I made with the brush set.

I'd love to hear from you if you use these as it will help decide the direction of any future brush packs I develop.

As always, your feedback is welcome to help me to improve future offerings.

This texture was created using the brushes in the set.

If you use them be sure to tell me what you like and what you don't - it may influence future additions.

I found these gems while looking for an alpha mapped tree for a quick mock up. I saw the artist has some extensive collections on TurboSquid but had some free samples on ShareCg from 2 years ago. I wanted to give the artist a plug but couldn't find his name. If anyone knows the artist's real name and web site please let me know and I'll post it here.

There seem to be a few more items than what is posted on this link. You have to search through the TGA files on ShareCg to find them.

Check it out here>>

See the Top 40 rated Photoshop brush packs from DeviantArt.