Slo-Mo-Photo

High speed camera capturing the action of bullets shredding through stuff!

Shark!

I'm a sucker for sharks-flying-above-water footage.

I'm for sale...

Curtis snapped this picture of a sign in Dartmouth, as you can see, Ron meat goes for a good price.

Planetary Pyrotechnics

Due to several requests, here's a quick, simple, easy-to-do tutorial on making exploding planets. With this tutorial, we will be working from photos of dried cracked mud, so go to google images and search for "dried mud". It works best on pictures with top view shots so we can see the cracks. Alternatively, you can use any of the images below. (Click to get larger size). Please note that the results may differ if your image is significantly different to the one I'm using in this tutorial, so experiment, different photos will yield different effects, and the higher the resolution (dpi) of your image the less extreme each filter will have on the image.

I'll be working on the 2nd image. Based on that image, start a new document 700x500, or whatever size you want, you can crop it later.

Now open up the mud image, do a CTRL+A to select all, then go to the new document you just created and press CTRL+V to paste the image.

The cracks are dark, so invert the image so it becomes white, this will give it a better explosion effect. So go to Image->Adjustment->Invert (or press CTRL+I).

Now use the eliptical marquee tool and make a large round selection on the image. Hold SHIFT while you create the selection to make a perfect round circle.

Click to view larger image

Now go to Select->Inverse,
Then hit Delete so you are left with a circle from the mud image.
DO NOT DESELECT YET.

Now, while you still got your selection, go to
SELECT->INVERSE again to select the shape.

Now go to Filter->Distort->Spherize. Set amount to 100%. Then do it again, this time, 50%. You can now deselect.

Now lets fill the background layer (the layer underneath the mud layer) with black.

Then go to Layer->Flatten Image

Now go to Filter->Sharpen->unsharp Mask.
Amount: 500%. Radius: 1.7px. Threshold: 122 levels

Go to Filter->Distort->Polar Co-ordinates.
Options: Polar to Rectangular.


Go to: Image->Rotate Canvas->90CW.

Apply: Filter->Stylize->Wind
Method: Wind. Direction: From the right. Hit CTRL+F to re-apply.

Go to: Image->Rotate Canvas->90CCW.

Finally, apply Filter->Distort->Polar Coordinates.
Options: Rectangular to Polar.

There you go, now all you do is just play around with colors, by either using Image->Hue and Saturation, or Image->Color Balance. I used color balance in the image below, sometimes I do a bit of both.

Make sure the colors don't get washed out, create a nice balance of light and dark values. This tutorial will work for basically any flat image with textures such as cracks. Here are a few variations.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

To add a bit more spice to it, make a background nebula.
Change your front color to red and back color to black.


Create a new layer.
Apply Filter->Render->Clouds.
Then Filter->Render->Difference Clouds.
Hit CTRL+F (once or twice) to re-apply.


Set the layer's Blending Options to Lighten.
You can experiment with other layer settings for different whacky effects.


There you have it.
This same process can be used for many other effects in different situations.
Change the numbers and settings at each step for variety.
Use the smudge tool in the Liquify filter to stretch
some light streaks outward for more intensity.
I hope this has been helpful to anyone interested.

Abstract

Prior to last week, it had been a couple years since I had last painted in Photoshop. Seeing Dave's progress on the beautiful backgrounds he's doing for us got me thinking. Getting back into the intangible and nonrepresentational side of pushing paint around is fun. Also, my final attempts at creating a better exploding star have commenced. I forgot how relaxing this can be. It took most of the afternoon but I finally mastered creating customizable-textured brushes, it's so cool!

The Fallen

As we slowly ramp up production here at Collideascope we've found ways to entertain ourselves here with the skeleton crew we currently have. One such way is the founding of the Gun Club. Some say it's crude, violent, pointless... and we agree. However, come September we will be fully crewed on two projects to do everything from design and animation to clean-up and paint on 39 half-hour episodes of cartoon goodness. Our little studio will burst at the seems with 75 artists and granted that the arm wrestling tournaments of last year were a huge success, now we have refined the techniques and process for an entertaining/competition-free/stress-relieving shooting range. The fact that new blood will be introduced into the studio will ensure the Colideascope Arm Wrestling Championships will return this Fall. But for now, our numbers are slowly growing, we have 3 rifles and 6 handguns, more participants every week are gradually being introduced to the joy and thrill of shooting paper targets and plastic toys. On this note, let us reflect back on our fallen comrades.



Now that these legends have retired, who will step up to replace them? Who will fill in for the next generation of warriors to stand true and strong?

Mr Incredible 2 - among many others are up for the challenge, this Saturday, will he and his companions survive?

Super Nova

Playing around in Photoshop
lately. It began with a photo
of dirt I had taken.
Then turned into some
exploding planets.

Wilkins Commercial

So funny!

Elecktronik Supersonik

Funny, funny, funny...

The Masters of the Universe

HE-MAN
Was our new volunteer for today's CGC gathering.
His reinforced chest plate, bulging biceps and killer calves proved to be a challenge.

The Collideascope Gun Club enlisted this particular group of warriors...

Here's the cast of characters ready for battle, poised on the battlefield, ready to endure our punishments.

BAM!
He-man was the first to fall, after 20 hits, he buckled!

His advanced armor from Eternia was no match for our high powered BBs and pellets.

Pez-dispenser Homer lost his face.

The dynamic duo of Mr. Incredible II and Batman were as durable as ever, but they are finally showing some wear and tear.

Batman will surely be inducted into the CGC Hall of Fame.

Spongebob and Mike have proven to be far stronger than any of us had predicted.

Conjunction Junction!

The scrapyard of toys has grown into quite the pile of body parts.

If there's anyone that ever sees cheap toys for sale at some yard sale or in the mall, or have some at home that are old and of no value, please donate them to the CGC. We are running dangerously low on sacrificial toys and figures. MacDonald's toys, He-man figures, Green Army Men, and Kinder Surprize are the favorites. We will re-imburse anyone who purchases any cheap-old toys with free CO2 and ammo. Thanks.