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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gare
Hey, Marc! What's been shakin' except snow up there?
If you don't speak of dandruff, ya there's a whole bunch of snow here! Enough for my first ski time. :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gare
I finally got the parts I needed to build a dedicated recording studio PC in one of our spare rooms
That's cool, you're quite lucky!
I did some recordings on my computer lately also, the last time I did it was with 4 track tapes so I'm quite impressed!
Marc
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gare
I learned and used the "trick" of making a bitmap copy of largish bitmaps that have any Live Effect attached when...
If you think you may play more in the future, you can always keep the original objects on a hidden layer, only showing the bitmap copy, and the same processor free-up is achieved. May also be useful for star fields and other traditional-drawing like uses which have lots of brush work on them - when processor starts crunching create a high-resolution transparent bitmap copy of that portion, hide or delete the originals, and continue on.
Best wishes,
David
PS - your changes are fantastic! Nice WordPress work!
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Actually you should have used amable instead of agradable but it is just a detail, that perfectly understandable, learning a foreing language is really very difficult above all understanding when people speaks cause your ears are get used to listen other types of sounds.
I really appreciate your comment and your good mood, keep on moving.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
WOW, I never noticed that processor frees-up when you hide the layer.
Really good tip.
Thank you very much.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
If Gary gives us the script, maybe some us multi-lingual types could do dub the tutorial in various languages? I'm happy to do the French one if there's a demand. I'll also do one in English for those who don't speak Merican :p
Now there's a thought, having the tutorials in multiple languages would really help sell Xara.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
I'm not sure,
But I wonder, why does xara have foreign language versions? may be english one is just more than enough.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
beretgascon
If Gary gives us the script, maybe some us multi-lingual types could do dub the tutorial in various languages?
Well, I can do a script in English, and one in Brooklynese if this helps. :)
Seriously, Barbara and I were considering the idea last night, and it's do-able IF we get volunteers to do translations here on tg.
1. Necessarily, the translations could not be posted at the same time as the video. But I think it's acceptable to post them (I think we can park the scripts in the Tutorials section of the Xone, in a soon-to-be created archive) a day or two after the video.
2. If we do this, and I discover that, for example, the German translation contains passages about Lindsay Lohan and Swedish massage therapy, I will stop offering the service right after I read and re-read the passages several times (for accuracy).
Javier has a point: are translations actually necessary if people who speak English as a second language can handle the scripts in an okay fashion?
This is worth discussing.
—Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Gare,
English script is right to very low english level people.
I made a spanish translation of your script, is a pleasure to me to be able to help, if you need the audio in spanish We can try to recorde it, may be my voice is not as impressive like yours :cool:.
As long as I have free time I have no problems to help translating.
I'm attaching the old document with translation in blue.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Thank you so VERY much, Javier!
It will take us 24 hours to find a place on Xara Xone to put it where all Spanish-speaking people can download it!
I will probably make a PDF of it because all people do not own Microsoft Word.
My Best,
Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Yes, you're right.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gare
Well, I can do a script in English, and one in Brooklynese if this helps. :)
Seriously, Barbara and I were considering the idea last night, and it's do-able IF we get volunteers to do translations here on tg.
1. Necessarily, the translations could not be posted at the same time as the video. But I think it's acceptable to post them (I think we can park the scripts in the Tutorials section of the Xone, in a soon-to-be created archive) a day or two after the video.
2. If we do this, and I discover that, for example, the German translation contains passages about Lindsay Lohan and Swedish massage therapy, I will stop offering the service right after I read and re-read the passages several times (for accuracy).
Javier has a point: are translations actually necessary if people who speak English as a second language can handle the scripts in an okay fashion?
This is worth discussing.
—Gary
It's possible I don't read the German version, please let me know if something about Lindsay Sweddish massage appears
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
My take on Gare's January 2012 tutorial.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Holy dodeca-cow!
I AM so very pleased with your submission and the turnout in general, Bill, and do you know why?
Because everyone is submitting stuff that out-performs my own example!
Which means a transition is taking place from student to teacher; I WANT you people to outgrow me!
It's not my job to be "King of The Hill"; I want to grow Great Artists, and you guys are a bumper crop!
Three thumbs up, as we Zeta Arcturians do in gestures of approval!
—Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Okay, it's rock and roll time for the bilingual edition of January's tutorial!
If you go to the Tutorials page at Xara Xone, you'll see a new link. This will download a PDF I created from Javier's hard work.
Attachment 86668
Thanks to all, and let's see how this is appreciated in the international community of Xara.
—g
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
here my attempt using your xar file.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
I used the diffuse shadow trick today to create some artwork for an advertisement. This technique will be a great help to me as blurred shadows don't always work for our paper. Good Morning Sunshine is printed on an offset press and blurred shadows usually either fade out badly or fill in, I'll know better after this week's issue is printed but I think the diffuse will come across quite well as when the plates are made for the press the camera will be able to "see" the diffuse edges much better. I don't know why I never thought of this before!
Javier, that is awesome!
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Thank you very much Gary.
Javier that is excellent.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
I did a series of icosahedrons (20 sided polyhedrons, like the dice in some role playing games) and I'm posting them to help members experiment a little more with the tutorial this month.
First, don't do anything with the JPEGs except look at them. Where is the lighting coming from? Are the polyhedrons shiny or dull? Do they reflect, or in the case of the glass ones, do they pass light and add color to the area where the light finally stops?
I wanted to create a tutorial in January that's a study in shading and geometry, and I made the surfaces flat instead of round like a sphere to make shading and calculating a little simpler.
To if you're up to an "After School Special, here it is! :) Don't pick up your pencils until you're sure of the qualities you want to reproduce. These renders are photometrically accurate; I used a physically-based modeling program to create them, so if you glean what going on with the textures, shadows, reflections, perspective, you should be able to create quite life-like compositions of your own.
Don't try to copy the polyhedrons exactly pixel for pixel; that's not the point. The point is to improve your drawing skills through observation first, and then interpretation, an invaluable artistic quality. Similarly, don't walk away from the assignment as given here and do anything you please with your illustrations.
Attachment 86680
Balance "learning" with "skill". And I believe both will grow!
My Best,
Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
angelize
I used the diffuse shadow trick today to create some artwork for an advertisement. This technique will be a great help to me as blurred shadows don't always work for our paper.
I'm happy you could immediately put one of the techniques in the tutorial to personal/professional use!
There's a reason why diffusion can help tricky printing situations. Photos are continuous tone, while prints are halftoned. One of the nasty side effects of trying to print smooth tone and color transitions is banding, especially evident where the lightest shade of black hits paper white.
Diffusion visually interrupts banding.
Diffusion along edges also looks cool. :)
—g
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
WOW, this is getting interesting and challenging.
As soon as I'm free I'm going on them.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Angelize, Bill, thank you very much.
Lets see how well we can achieve with new Gare's designs :eek:
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
CAUTION, Javier!
You won't learn anything unless you stop and examine the "truth" in the objects.
You are fantastic at drawing reflections and glass and real world objects, but now is the time to learn something new, okay?
Do not repeat your successes in your drawing, but instead draw what you see in these images. Draw what you feel the images say to you.
Move ahead by learning, okay? Do not depend on what you already know. Instead, use these pictures to learn, and then know something new.
Okay?
Promise? :)
My Best,
—Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
I agree with you and I'll follow the advice but my experience using my imagination is that I have drawn things that are not much relevant to my brain, for instance, drawing glass is not drawings glass at all but drawing reflections, is it understandable?, if you draw a reflection your brain build the rest.
I think that is also important to understand how brain works to save effort, actually everything is a matter of lights and shadings, aren't they?.
Since I started to draw I'm really obsessed with lights and shadows, I do agree with you, when you see a drawing that every shade or light is consistent you feel it in your soul, I've tried to understand how it works but I failed more than once that's the reason I ussually copy instead of creating.
I'll have a go at your proposal I am sure my knowledge will improve in some way.
Best regards.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
For your knowledge, or skill, or talent, to improve—is all I want (as a teacher) from a person with drive and a natural attraction to art, Javier.
My feeling is that if you look at something in the real world with a good eye (a good eye + an understanding in the brain), the artist is not confused by what they see compared to what they THINK they see. The brain can lead you wrong, often.
What we see is :light, shade, highlights, reflections...these are things that are up-front and obvious.
Intellectual things, truths in art...these are not always obvious. Like perspective, contrast, focus, these are more subtle than the obvious characteristics of an object.
And these are harder for many people to draw in Xara, a vector program that doesn't help create, for example, a soft focus.
But you have the skill to create a lot of these properties in your art. This is the easy stuff for you!
Now do the hard stuff! Imagine, for example, what the object would look like if it is rotated a little.
How about that one?
I am trying to encourage you, always. My comments should test you, not make you frustrated. I want them to be keys to understanding your own talents—and the features in Xara—more thoroughly.
Salut,
Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Gare,
I am looking at the objects and I'm in trouble, as I mention before it is really complicated to me to realize from where the light comes and what it produces.
Lets take the green object and I'll try to answer your questions.
Where is the lighting coming from?
**** If a look at the shadow proyected by the object it seems to come from up - back left side but if I look at the floor and wall it seem to come from up - left front (what a difficult is to explaining it in English, hope you understand) what is inconsistent with the first comment, may be the light comes from up-left -front and it changes inside the icosahedron (I have learnt a new word "icosahedron" this just worthwile), coming back to comment I'm not sure from where the light comes from.
Are the polyhedrons shiny or dull?
**** hehehehe I know the answer "Shiny" at least I'll get a 1 out of 3 with this
Do they reflect, or in the case of the glass ones, do they pass light and add color to the area where the light finally stops?
***** The light passes in some way and add color where it stops
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Could it be there are more than one light?
I created a pentagon and extruded it in xara and it seems I need more than one light to achieve something similar.
Best regards
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
I've had a go with this. I've been playing around with Xara's lighten and darken transparencies. I'm still not quite happy with it, maybe I'm too self critical. Here is what I have so far
Attachment 86695
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jvila
Could it be there are more than one light?
Hi Javier—
I'm sorry you're having a not-fun time with this! Frances was able to do something clever and attractive by studying the images, by the way.
There is only one light, but in real life, there is more than one source of illumination, indirect lighting, also call ambient lighting—light that comes from bouncing off the surroundings, and that is why the faces closest to the floor in the image are lighter than you'd expect them to be...they are getting light from the floor.
I will try to make this example easier here, and if I fail 1.) I'm not a good teacher and 2.) give up on this one :)
Here is the top view of the scene, and the camera's view including the area-type light object. The arrow in the top images indicates where the light is directed, as does the orange arrow on the light itself. I also rendered the same scene with no textures.
Attachment 86699Attachment 86700
Are these good hints to work from?
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
angelize
I've had a go with this. I've been playing around with Xara's lighten and darken transparencies. I'm still not quite happy with it, maybe I'm too self critical.
I love it, and I'm going to be a jerk and make an artistic, not technical, suggestion. Try to extend the plane upon which the object is resting, to the top of the frame. Depth = up from your point of view on a 2D surface such as a Xara document. What is happening for me here is that a narrow plank the object is resting on, plus the gradient background is "flattening" an otherwise 3D scene.
You'll add depth to your wonderful illustration if you...um, add depth :).
-g-
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gare
Hi Javier—
I'm sorry you're having a not-fun time with this! Frances was able to do something clever and attractive by studying the images, by the way.
There is only one light, but in real life, there is more than one source of illumination, indirect lighting, also call ambient lighting—light that comes from bouncing off the surroundings, and that is why the faces closest to the floor in the image are lighter than you'd expect them to be...they are getting light from the floor.
I will try to make this example easier here, and if I fail 1.) I'm not a good teacher and 2.) give up on this one :)
Here is the top view of the scene, and the camera's view including the area-type light object. The arrow in the top images indicates where the light is directed, as does the orange arrow on the light itself. I also rendered the same scene with no textures.
Attachment 86699Attachment 86700
Are these good hints to work from?
hi Gare,
I'm not saying I'm not having a fun time actually it is really fun, the more challenge it is the more interesting is to me.
You are very polite when you avoided writing the 3rd option if you fail and that option is me hehehehehehe.
According the last example, if I look at the light source it is pointing in one direction and the shadow of the object is not pointing in the same direction actually it is pointing towards right
Trying to be clearer I'm uploading your jpg with an arrow indicating the direction of the light and in yellow where I think the shadow should be (that's the problem I always face, I think the shadow is located on another place).
As I said it is very interesting, entertaining and above all very important to achieve better results.
Best regards and thank you very much.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
What is probably confusing is that the shadow is very soft at the edges, and also that shadows are what?
Shadows are NOT just areas where a single light source is stopped by an object. A shadow also happens, in addition to—if you understand what I mean—where naturally-occurring light, ambient light, cannot reach a surface.
Yes, objects cast shadows, but darker areas, which we might not even call a shadow, occur when light cannot get to an area.
This is scientifically called "ambient occlusion", and this is what my modeling program is doing.
Also, the front of the icosahedron is pointed and it, too casts a shadow, although our eyes fool us because a 2D scene flattens this 3rd dimension and we don't expect it to cast a shadow.
Let me grossly simplify the scene, okay? No tricky ambient lighting, nit very photorealistic, though...
Attachment 86702
-g-
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Well here goes, this is my attempt at a isocihidiron, icosihidroon, ihosicedron ......... that funny shape.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
THAT is TOTALLY wonderful, Drwyd!
You nailed the shading, took the trouble to soften the edges, your lighting and shading is way cool!
And I don't know how to spell "icosahedron', either. It's a "polyhedron", or "polyunsaturated", usually.
My Best,
Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Thank you Gary :thx
It still feels a bit "floaty" to me. I may add a textured ground to help land it.
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
What might also help the anchor is deepening the shadow closest to the object. Shadows, more evident on hard surfaces outdoors than soft, ambient lit ones, have a shadow umbra and a penumbra; I refer you to Wikipedia's entry on it.
Also, to keep it from floating, put something heavy, like a garden brick on it.
—Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
WOW everyday We learn something new, shadows are like languages It gets complicated when you have to learn it when your old, until now shadows were just shadows, now I don't dare to say what they are :D.
Our ignorance carries us safe along the road hehehehehe.
I'm keep on reading about this topic, I'm still under a very dark shade :confused::o:'(
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Drwyd
2nd attempt
I could stand to see the primary (camera right) shadow a little darker, and this might be an artistic thing and not a photo-accurate thing, Drwyd. Sometimes we need to telegraph a point, and this involves straying from photorealism. If you see drawing of the human hand, many of them are beautiful and also a little on the fantasy side with the proportions. Because if you look at a lot of amateur photography of human hands, they often look like claws because they're not posed and lit properly.
Your drawing is largely above criticism because you know what you accomplished that many do not when copying a photo or other tonal source?
You didn't add too much contrast. I see so much work done by Xaraists, so much effort, and instinctively they've made their work too contrast-y, too much separation in different areas.
And your piece did not fall prey to this human tendency. As humans (which excludes me, of course), we are attracted to bright colors and our minds crave separation (contrast) to make out geometry. And unfortunately, a lot of us carry this misperception into our artwork.
Me? I almost want the top left face to be brighter, but I suspect this would be wrong.
Bottom line is if you are happy with it, Drwyd, you're done and probably have other things to do, including being proud of your accomplishment.
Keep it up!
—Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jvila
WOW everyday We learn something new...(
That's what I like about this new area on tg for The Xara Xone, Javier. Learning and sharing; I think I've learned quite a lot myself from member feedback already! And we haven't had any fighting or bragging yet, either!
Wait! No bickering or petty baloney? Is this really a forum??! :)
—Gary
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Re: The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion
i've been away for a few days but am following this dicsussion with great interest
gary, i'll reply to you later if i can, if not, it'll be tomorrow
take care everybody
f