January 05, 2008
Horizon to Horizon
Smooth Skin

To start off, lets open up the picture you want to edit. I'm working from an Angelina Jolie photo of course.
First, we need to duplicate the layer, so lets go ahead and right click on the layer in the layers palette and select "Duplicate Layer".

Now we need to select the area we want to smooth out, in this case, we want to smooth out the face, but we want to leave the eyes, nose and mouth intact so it looks genuine. So start by switching to the quick mask mode by clicking on the "Edit in Quick Mask Mode" button in the tool box.
Then select the Brush Tool, and set the brush size to 35 soft edge. (brush size will depend on your image).
Press "D" to reset your colors. Now use your brush and paint over the face, the painted area will become your selected area. The painted area will be red as you can see below. Continue and paint around her face until its covered like mine. You may need to change your brush size to a smaller size to cover the tighter areas.

Tip: If you accidentally paint outside the area you want, press "X" (switches colors), then just go over the area you want to erase, then press "X" again to go back to painting your selection.
Now that you have selected your area in quick mask mode, exit the quick mask mode by pressing "Q" or clicking on the "Standard Mode" button (Next to the Edit in Quick Mask Mode button)

Now you should have a selection, around the face.
Now, go to Select->Inverse, then Select->Feather, and enter about 10px.
Tip: You can hide the "Marching Ants" lines so you can have a better view of the image by pressing "CTRL+H"
Now go to Filter->Blur->Guassian Blur. Set radius to about 3 pixels.

That is looking too smooth, which make it look rather unrealistic, so lets put some texture back into the skin. Go to Filter->Noise->Add Noise. For amount, put about 2.5%, Uniformed and Monochromatic selected.
That's it. Here are the original and edited version side by side.


I see a million of these simple tricks executed in print when I'm waiting in line at the grocery store staring at dozens of magazines, all fake faces and fake bodies, all displaying totally false versions of the actresses on the covers. Here's another sample of Nicollette Sheridan, Before and After:


So have fun doing this to your own photos, it's a quick and easy way to make yourself look younger!
Tutorial found at: http://www.tutorialwiz.com/smooth_skin/
January 04, 2008
Darwin’s Surprise
January 01, 2008
Peter Jackson Will Executive Produce 'The Hobbit'
After months of litigation over money, kingship of Middle Earth, and whether Aragorn or Legolas is the dreamier warrior (come on, Jackson, did you not see Legolas slide down stairs on a shield?), Peter Jackson and New Line have finally come to an agreement that will allow him to executive produce the two planned Hobbit films.Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.
Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”
“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”
Bob Shaye, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO comments, “We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with ‘The Hobbit’ movies. We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy.”
So do you think he'll direct, too? Maybe his friend Sam Raimi? Let Michael Bay throw in more explosions and Will Smith shouting "Welcome to Middle Earth!"?
Via iwatchstuffDecember 31, 2007
December 29, 2007
December 28, 2007
Raimi Returning to Genre Roots with 'Drag Me to Hell'
With many critics let down by the snowboarder-inspired Green Goblin 2, goofy Dark Peter Parker sequences, and Batman and Robin-level of villains that made the third Spider-Man outing weaker than it's predecessors, director Sam Raimi has announced plans to return to his roots for his next feature, Drag me to Hell. Variety had few details beyond that it's a "morality tale about the unwitting recipient of a supernatural curse" that was written by Raimi and his brother shortly after Army of Darkness, but it promises to be a return the low(er)-budget genre filmmaking that made him a cult favorite. You may begin your pleading for Bruce Campbell to star... now.Read full article here. Courtesy of iwatchstuff
Where The Wild Things Are + Spike Jonze = Genius!


If you ever read a book or two when you were a kid, or let Levar Burton read them to you, then there’s a good chance you had at least some interaction with ”Where the Wild Things Are”, Maurice Sendak’s classic, marvelous kids book. Spike Jonze is turning it into a movie, and will bring the story of a mischievous boy who creates his own universe in which he rules a world full of hairy, wild creatures.
A big part of what made the book so great were the illustrations, so I’ve been particularly interested to see how Jonze is going to make this thing look like in the context of a film. Last week Warner Brothers released the first two official stills from the production.





