Learning Flash at Ycademy Seminar

“Learning Flash” is the main topic at this month’s Ycademy Seminar – May 2010 that is.

Well – it can’t be done over the period of 2 days, however, it’s been well prepared over weeks and – while we all know there’s yet a wide field to cover over time to come -, we will already be able to successively integrate attractive Flash components into our websites and blogs, especially Semiomantics Evolution! This and more will be covered, including some additional fundamentals in xml.

Learning Flash at Ycademy Seminar

As discussed in my earlier post, I was interested to find out from ADOBE as well as Autodesk teachers and pro’s at the Autodesk Entertainment Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, last Thursday, how “learning Flash” advances us on a possible route in direction of 3D Animation and, ultimately, Movie Production.

Think “Avatar”. . . and immediately all those incredibly exciting programs and techniques that played key roles in the production of this stunning and ground-breaking movie when it comes to technologic innovations – come to mind. Accordingly, they were displayed all over at the Roadshow.

The answers I got weren’t really conclusive nor inspiring. It became more and more apparent that there are not too many connections to Web Design… the way we work it… online.

The Flash teacher herself uses Flash exclusively to animate her characters – sketched out on paper and scanned in first – and then those are sent on to other programs following the workflow. She sees Flash as a way to familiarize students with the computer. There was no knowledge of ActionScript.

So there’s a wide field open for us to expand into – and learning Falsh at the Ycademy Seminar and regular daily Ycademy Workshops will fastforward us in the visual development of our Blogs and their subsequent appeal.

Web Design Consulting

While I am clearly in the learning process myself – and who pretends that one ever ends? -, I will be integrating more and more Flash Components into “Web Design Consulting”. And I am excited about it!

The new Semiomantics Evolution Script – as seen HERE presenting a selection of my Custom Bookcovers  -  is proving to be a real winner… and my current project on a Nature Resort – included also in My Noordhoek Project – will soon be published.

Meanwhile, you may want to browse my WP Best eShop for inspiration!

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Flash Drawing Tools

Once ‘symbols’ and ‘instances’ are understood in ADOBE Flash CS4, it’s well worth spending some time exploring the drawing tools in the tool bar – to the right in the Essentials workspace and to the left in the Classic workspace. It’s just a matter of personal choice… I am fine with both.

Flash Drawing Tools

Flash Drawing Tools ressemble very much to what we know from Adobe Photoshop, however, there are differences and it’s worth getting familiar with them.

ADOBE Flash at Ycademy Workshops

I will reduce my posts in terms of text for the time being as very busy on a Flash Evolution Script for a client with another waiting to see the results, plus I focus on learning Flash following our Ycademy Workshops and Adobe Flash Tutorials.

With the very violent Cape winter storms and rains I just hope my connections last… not to speak of the electricity :)

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Digital Photography 2010 Post-Editing

Yesterday, I went over the 5 Tips of how to take Pictures in your Garden as the weather had suddenly turned sour here and I could not get the planned pictures of cars.

However, as our Ycademy Workshop in the evening was about Digital Photography 2010 Post-Editing, I could well pull out a fine picture of a Harley Davidson detail I had taken a few days ago at Monkey Valley Beach Nature Resort, Noordhoek, South Africa – just before it disappeared with its unmistakeable zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzoooom… and not only that! I have the whole man as well – in full gear and the South African flag proudly behind him… a real rare caracter… but here’s the result with a Photoshop Action Script that deals with blur effects – applied to the detail of this big boy’s toy:

Digital Photography 2010 by Bianca Gubalke

This looks top-notch and professional… doesn’t it?

Well, it does have a relatively good picture at the base – as good as one can take with a low-end camera under difficult conditions (no time, little light) – but the rest depends on a little knowhow of how to best work with an Action in Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Digital Photography 2010 Post Editing

Besides emphasizing certain details or areas on our photos, Digital Photography 2010 Post-Editing gives us the welcome possibility to recover a picture that would be lost under other circumstances.

Say we focused on a detail – and that comes out perfect – but there is a whole mess around that we really don’t want… well bingo! With a little imagination and skill, good Actions allow us to still get away with a great photo!

Next week’s Workshops will focus largely on Portraits – so anyone intersted in that chapter should definitely be there!

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Digital Photography 2010

Within our continued experiments and progress in Digital Photography 2010 and referring to today’s earlier article on “Eating from my Garden” featuring two huge Boletus edulis found in the pine forests in Noordhoek, South Africa – here is another version.

Digital Photography 2010

Here I used a black and white filter preset with a vignette in Lightroom that gives the shapes of these mega mushrooms an intriguing, intersting look.

Digital Photography 2010 will be an ongoing process. . .

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Digital Photography 2010 Filters

During our past Digital Photography 2010 Ycademy Seminar we also looked into a number of Filters to work with, especially in Lightroom.

As we had a  gymkana early Sunday morning here in Noordhoek, I went to practise some sports photography with my NIKON Coolpix P90 -  and got a lovely shot of my friend Anna on her beautiful white horse.

Digital Photography 2010 Filters

Applying filters in Digital Photography 2010 is great fun and needs an eye for what works with what. I used a Zoom Burst at the top that went well with a center of interest within the middle of the picture, and then worked over it with other variations as you see below.

Image Editing

Image Editing is a profession and almost anyone likes captivating pictures.

My SHOP HERE provides Graphic Design Services that include optimizing your family pictures or giving them a different artistic touch so they stand out and bring more meaning to what you want to express.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Custom Bookcovers by Bianca Gubalke

Announcing a new custom bookcover designed by Bianca Gubalke:

Custom Bookcovers by Bianca Gubalke

The above motive was already introduced in form of some elegant DVD Packaging on Valentine’s Day 2010; here now follows the Custom Bookcover designed by Bianca Gubalke.

WP Best eShop

All new custom bookcovers will be presented in my SHOP and can be used as guidelines when ordering an attractive bookcover design for your novel, a kid’s book or any form of publication.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Attractive Logo Creation

A new and extremely practical graphic software tool we studied in our last Ycademy Workshop invites for some attractive Logo Creation – here are examples of the first fun testing round. . . I hope they move as most are all animated!

Attractive Logo Creation

Attractive Logo Creation is a serious profession in itself and I remember a graphic designer friend of mine back in Germany spending over a year on creating the well-known Lufthansa logo.

That was a VERY different price category!

While companies invest heavily in logo creation as part of their Branding, things on the Internet have to be fun, fast and easy – and at Ycademy we are testing some spiffy ways of getting attractive solutions faster. Of course it means exploring the tools and getting a grip on the many options. . . exactly as I do here.

While it’s fun to experiment and go overboard a little in the beginning, don’t be tempted to use all the gimmicks and effects at once !

Branding Cookies from Felisa

Branding “Cookies from Felisa” via a smashingly pink and swinging (as always buzzzzy…) telephone should be a runner (for more cookies of course…) – what do you think?

I don’t believe I did this burning hot red telephone and my head is as red as what you see here – however, it was great fun and very appropriate for Felisa’s red hot Orderline for her Sweet, Sugary and Sticky Fan Club! Talaga Felisa!

Forever Freesias for Brenda Baker

I just had to play with those funny 3D animation options . . .  and that’s how “Forever Freesias” for Brenda Baker popped into existence – within about half an hour.

Of course, I could elaborate much more on all this and if a client orders a logo I obviously start with a very intense case study to catch the essence of his or her business and corresponding mission… but it’s also good to see what’s possible today with some imagination and without sweating on Photoshop for hours… which would be quite a different price category as well! A different level too – I agree, however, it always depends what’s requested… and sometimes Time is Money and a quick fun logo is just what someone wants.

Branding Consulting for Boruch Rappaport

Before you think I’m completely nuts now – and YES! I CAN go much more overboard LOL – let me end on a more serious note with some interesting trials for Branding Consulting for Boruch Rappaport:

I thought the decorative elements around the words of the logo example below are enough and didn’t add any shadow effects.  We’ll see whether the subtle ripple effect I built in shows!?!

Web Design Consulting

Creating Attractive Logos is yet another service Web Design Consulting offers and can be ordered at our SHOP HERE.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Business Cards Online Design

Everybody needs top business cards – so why not turn to a graphic designer for a professional Business Cards Online Design that integrates perfectly with your existing Website or Blog?

Following our Ycademy Workshop last night – where I lost my online connection – I still made a quick Business Card for my Design Blog:

Business Cards Online Design

When creating Business Cards Online the Design is tricky as what shows in a large format may almost disappear when reduced to the actual Business Card size.

In my design I used original Helvetica as a font which is perfect for printing and when we look at it 1:1, but not necessarily when reduced by the automatic picture resizer on a blog. So click on it to see the original which is perfectly readable in the normal small Business card size as well… even the fine line of words at the bottom that counts optically as a line but still has a clear meaning to it.

Bianca Gubalke Design Blog

Here is the Bianca Gubalke Design Blog I designed in 2009. It inspired me to create the above Business Card where you see that besides using my usual color scheme… I picked some of the main elements – like the title header, the background and the portrait which have some recognition value and are part of my Branding.

Of course, I did various versions as I would for a customer, who then can make his choice according to his or her priorities and taste.

i may soon be back with another one . . .

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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March Lilies Wallpaper

After the fiery sunset at the end of February in yesterday’s post on the Polaroid Look, I present you with the first March Lilies – Amaryllis belladonna – blooming in magnificent soft pinks in my garden and spreading a delicate scent.

Here I translated a digital photo into an attractive March Lilies Wallpaper using Photoshop and an Action Script:

March Lilies Wallpaper

Whether it’s March Lilies Wallpaper or any other product – what counts is always an ‘appetizing’ presentation, something that creates empathy and attracts peoples’ attention… and then guides them to the relevant action pointers.

Web Design Consulting with Semiomantics

If the production of Wallpapers were my main business and “March Lilies Wallpaper” one of my products, I would see to it that I publish regularly about this exact topic and grab Googles’ attention and space. As a consequence, I would eventually reach higher Google Top 10 rankings, people interested in Wallpapers would find me under the relevant keywords and would then click through to the relevant points of action embedded on my website or blog, i.e. Salespage and/or PayPal button.

If your main interest is to achieve Google Top 10 rankings with your website or blog, check out my SHOP (Section Web Design)  or get some advice at Web Design Consulting with Semiomantics Scripts used for Author blogs, Business Blogs and others.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Polaroid Look with Photoshop

Today, everything on the Internet is about Pictures, Images and Media. With the fantastic evolution in Digital Photography over the past years, almost everybody is in a position to take good, sharp pictures.

The question then is to take it a step further – in my example below I created a Polaroid Look with Photoshop.

Polaroid Look with Photoshop

You can either create a Polaroid Look with Photoshop by working your way through the steps – possibly following a Photoshop Tutorial – or you use an Action Script and then go wild using your imagination. Personally, I like a combination of both so I save time, get what I want and then manipulate it for a dramatic effect or whatever I want to convey.

Captivating Web Graphics

With a few mouseclicks and an eye for forms, proportions and colors one can create Captivating Web Graphics that reflect any mood or mission we wish to convey; here’s just another example right from my Studio in Noordhoek, Cape Town. . . waving a last goodbye to the sun who will now disappear behind Chapman’s Peak until November. . .  when it will emerge again and bless us with those unique and dramatic sunsets that some may call ‘kitsch’ and many others – like me – just recognize the supreme beauty of Nature and be grateful for it:

This and many other Graphic Design Services we offer at Web Design Consulting or directly at our SHOP. Just get in touch with me and we will give your website or blog a look that talks.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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