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| Brown Pelican, La Jolla, CA. Image copyright 2010: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. The image was created with Fractalius, a Photoshop plug-in filter. See lots more below. And be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. |
BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #315 is now available on-line here: http://www.birdsasart.com/2010/02/02/birds-as-art-bulletin-315.
Here are the featured items:
- SAN DIEGO IPT FOLLOW-UP
- ONE IMAGE: MANY LESSONS
- ANNOUNCING THE JANUARY 2011 SAN DIEGO IPT
- FRACTALIUS: IMAGES & TUTORIALS BY DENISE IPPOLITO
- SARASOTA FLORIDA AUDUBON PROGRAM
- BOK TOWER EXHIBIT OPENING
- CANON GEAR FOR SALE
- KUDOS
- IPT UPDATES
A while back, BPN Out of the Box moderator Denise Ippolito, a talented, creative photographer, introduced me to Fractalius, a Photoshop plug-in that can be used to create unusual, eccentric artwork from a photograph in a single step. The effects are based on the extraction of an image’s hidden fractal textures. It can also be used to simulate various types of exotic lighting and ultra-realistic pencil sketches. I was so excited by the look and feel of the images that I asked Denise to create a tutorial for her favortie Fractalius setting, Glow 100. Click here: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn315.htm and scroll down to see four of Denise’s fabulous Fracted images and to read the Glow 100 tutorial. You can check out both of her Fractalius tutorials and learn more about Denise by clicking here: http://deniseippolito.smugmug.com/ and scrolling down. Be sure to visit some of her galleries too.
If you are sold on Fracting after seeing the killer pelican image above, you can purchase a copy of Fracalius by clicking here: https://www.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=1720292&referrer=birdsasart. Please be sure to use this link to purchase; doing so will enable us to bring you more tutorials <smile> You can see the original pelican image here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=55949.
I will be on the road for 2 1/2 weeks for the Sarasota Audubon Program (see in the Bulletin), the SW FLA IPT, and the NANPA Summit in Reno, NV. Then it’s home for a few days and off to Midway! I will be posting here regularly.
Hi Artie,
Is Fractalius compatible with CS5,and what about a Tutorial on how to use Glow 100.
John
Fractalius is compatible with CS-5. Just download and install it–it takes about 10 seconds in all, and it will appear at the bottom of the drop-down Filter menu. The commands for Glow 100 and all the presets appear in two sets. Adjust the top set and then you can fine tune with the bottom set of identical controls. They each do exactly the same thing. All is done by trial and error with Glow 100 and all the other presets as well. Here is a great way to experiment: When you open the preset and are about to preset the first slider, note the value. Then move it all the way to the right and see what it does. Then move it all the way to the left and see what it does all the while remembering the original value. The move the slider to taste and repeat all the way down with the various sliders. If you love the effect that you wind up with you can save it and give it a name for future use.
If you do purchase please do remember to use our link :):
Good day, Artie. Nice looking plug-in (Fractalius)…do you know if it is compatible with the 64 bit version of CS4? Thanks for your continued work on the blog and Birds as Art…great stuff!
Fract is only compatible with 32 bit CS-4. You will need to run 32 bit to use the program.
Hi Artie,
thanks a lot. I already have the ABP II Book but have not yet finished it, but will soon.
Markus
Great effects in the pelican shot. That one and those in the bulletin look awesome, especially those of the Great Blue Herons.
One questions about the image with you and the 5.6/800 in the Bulletin:
After tightening the knob on the tripod head, did you rest your hand on the lens to increase sharpness? I read about this in several articles by other photographers incl. Moose Peterson (http://www.moosepeterson.com/techtips/longlens.html).
Markus
Thanks Markus, The Great Blue Herons were Denise Ippolito’s.
In the original ABP, I recommended placing the hand atop the lens for increased sharpness. I pretty much never do that anymore, preferring to get my hand below the lens and push up with the forefinger and thumb of my left hand when working at shutter speeds that might be problematic, say under 1/250 second. The exact grip usually depends on the situation and the type of head that I am using. There are lots of examples in ABP II, the CD book, and I am pretty sure that you just ordered it so you should have it soon.