Matanuska Glacier Cave, Alaska Free Wallpaper From National Geography

Matanuska Glacier Cave, Alaska

Photograph by George F. Mobley

Just downloaded this wallpaper from National Geography website, nice picture of Matanuska Clacier Cave.

Meltwater sculpted the dagger-like shaft of ice near a cave in Matanuska Glacier in Alaska's Chugach Mountains. Matanuska is an active glacier, advancing about one foot (0.3 meters) every day.

Matanuska Glacier Cave, Alaska

Free Vector Images From IStockPhoto

Just download this nice vector image from istockphoto.com called mechanical fish.  Vector photo by Yuran from Kazakhstan . 


Sign up with istockphoto.com and every month they will allow you download some photos, vector images and videos for free for your personal use.


Another free photo below.

Photoshop CS4 Tutorial - Add lens blur

Tutorial to create add lens blur effect in photoshop CS4.  Technique used in Fake Tilt Shift Photography.

Original tutorial at http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/WSA75837E3-FE05-4f86-A9DF-3C0DD602CA63a.html

Add lens blur

Adds blur to an image to give the effect of a narrower depth of field so that some objects in the image stay in focus and others areas are blurred. 

You can use a simple selection to determine which areas are blurred, or you can provide a separate alpha channel depth map to describe exactly how you want the blur added.

The Lens Blur filter uses the depth map to determine the position of pixels in an image. With a depth map selected, you can also use the crosshair cursor to set the starting point of a given blur. 

You can use alpha channels and layer masks to create depth maps; black areas in an alpha channel are treated as though they’re at the front of the photo, and white areas are treated as if they’re far in the distance.

To create a gradual blurring (none at the bottom to maximum at the top), create a new alpha channel and apply a gradient so that the channel is white at the top of the image and black at the bottom. 

Then select the Lens Blur filter and choose the alpha channel from the Source pop‑up menu. 

To change the direction of the gradient, select the Invert check box.

The way the blur appears depends on the iris shape you choose. Iris shapes are determined by the number of blades they contain. 

You can change blades of an iris by curving them (making them more circular) or rotating them. 

You can also reduce or magnify the preview by clicking the minus button or the plus button.

1. Choose Filter > Blur > Lens Blur.
2. For Preview, Choose Faster to generate quicker previews. Choose More Accurate to view the final version of the image. More Accurate previews take longer to generate.
3. For Depth Map, choose a source (if you have one) from the Source pop‑up menu. Drag the Blur Focal Distance slider to set the depth at which pixels are in focus. For example, if you set focal distance to 100, pixels at 1 and at 255 are completely blurred, and pixels closer to 100 are blurred less. If you click in the preview image, the Blur Focal Distance slider changes to reflect the clicked location and brings the depth of the clicked location into focus.
4. To invert the selection or alpha channel you’re using as the depth map source, select Invert.
5. Choose an iris from the Shape pop‑up menu. If you wish, drag the Blade Curvature slider to smooth the edges of the iris, or drag the Rotation slider to rotate it. To add more blur, drag the Radius slider.
6. For Specular Highlight, drag the Threshold slider to select a brightness cutoff; all pixels brighter than the cutoff value are treated as specular highlights. To increase the brightness of the highlights, drag the Brightness slider.
7. To add noise to an image, choose Uniform or Gaussian. To add noise without affecting color. choose Monochromatic. Drag the Amount slider to increase or decrease noise.
   
   Blurring removes film grain and noise from the original image. To make the image look realistic and unretouched, you can return some of the removed noise to the image.
8. Click OK to apply the changes to your image.

Other website that you want to refer on Fake Tilt Photography are as follow:

http://www.tiltshiftphotography.net/photoshop-tutorial.php

http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2006/03/faking_tiltshift.html

http://www.visualphotoguide.com/tilt-shift-photoshop-tutorial-how-to-make-fake-miniature-scenes/

New York Model ?

New York Model?, originally uploaded by 01101001 01100001 01101110.

Fake Tilt Shift done in PhotoShop by the photogrrapher.


Miniature faking is a process in which a photograph of a life-size location or object is made to look like a photograph of a miniature scale model.


By blurring parts of the photo simulates the shallow depth of field normally encountered in close-up photography, making the scene seem much smaller than it actually is; the blurring can be done either optically when the photograph is taken, or by digital post processing by using software such as Photoshop.


To have better miniature effect most of the pictures are taken from high angle to simulate the effect of looking at a miniature model.


For more photos on Fake Tilt Shift, you might visit flickr group on this subject at http://www.flickr.com/groups/tilt-shift-fakes/

The Alcatraz Lighthouse

The last lighthouse, originally uploaded by Karl Randay {pixelherder}.

Eerily looking Alcatraz lighthouse, just suitable to describe the Alcatraz prison.

The old lighthouse was completed in 1853 and first lit in 1854. Alcatraz got it name from "alcatraces" Spanish word for pelican.

Now the lighthouse is a museum and can be toured.

http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHCA.asp

Cape Moreton Lighthouse - Moreton Island

Cape Moreton Lighthouse - Moreton Island, originally uploaded by Garry - www.visionandimagination.com.

The Cape Moreton lighthouse was the first lighthouse established in Queensland.

The 23 metres tall structure was constructed of locally quarried sandstone. Was built in 1857 by using 35 good conduct prisoners .

A pilot station was established at Bulwer on the northern end of the island in 1848.

Cape Moreton Lighthouse Complex, consisting of the lighthouse, three keepers' cottages and associated structures, was registered on the Register of the National Estate in 1981.