Colour Your Worlde

At the recent Adobe MAX 2011 conference, Jue Wang, one of the magicians behind the scenes at Photoshop gave a sneak peak at a new tool they are currently developing. This new tool may eliminate blurry pictures forever. As you will see in this video, the crowd was pretty amazed by the demo. The new deblurring feature can restore detail, even in text, and is simply mind blowing. They made no promises of when it would release in the Photoshop package. Keep a look out for it in the future.



Here are some close up shots of an image run through the deblurring filter. The tool does its best work on fixing camera shake, and not motion blur or out of range focus. (Not yet, anyway.)


They are still in the process of perfecting it. So, Jue has set up a site where he is collecting images to use as practice. You can submit your images here.

Found [Via]

Joshua Tree National Park has been the backdrop for many album covers over the years. Think past U2's 1987 release. Joshua Tree was also the setting for the self titled first release of the Eagles. which was shot at the cholla gardens on the eastern edge of the park. The orchestrators behind that iconic Eagles cover were artist Gary Burden and photographer Henry Diltz -- the men widely credited with inventing the concept of album cover art. Gary was the go-to album designer for rock artists in the 1970s, and collaborated with Henry for many of his projects. A collection of Burden's album cover art debuted at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center on August 10th as part of the park's 75th Birthday Celebration.

The exhibit features images of the music groups America and the Eagles taken during the early 1970s in the park. The exhibit features more than 30 prints, curated by Gary Burden in partnership with Joshua Tree National Park and the printing help of Artisan Colour. Some of the prints, like the Eagles album cover, were printed on at a grand 4'x4' size.

Here are some of Gary's thoughts on why the park is so special and remains a source of inspiration to him.

I loved going into nature and found the desert to be a place of refuge. A place of great power and mystery. A place where there is, in fact, an abundance of life and beauty. A safe place. A place where you are tested and when you pass the test and survive you can rejoice and feel truly alive.



Later I brought other people here to Joshua Tree and shared what I knew and felt. The right ones got it and cherished it. They came back on their own to enjoy what the desert offers, again and again.



We are very fortunate to live in an area that has and protects our desert and makes it available to everyone. There is much to learn. Much beauty. Great peace and tranquility that will always improve our lot here on earth.

Thanks to the keepers of the special wild places, our National Park Service.

The exhibit is free to the public, and will be on display for the rest of 2011. The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It was a pleasure to work with Gary Burden and 75th Anniversary Coordinator and Park Ranger "Extraordinaire", George Land.

We just launched ArtisanHD, and are pretty excited about it! We are always looking for ways to improve our customer's experience when ordering prints through Artisan Colour. At ArtisanHD we have put together our most popular products and services that can easily be ordered and assembled.


There are many choices for printing and finishing. Photo printing on any of our Fuji Crystal Archive surfaces, Kodak Metallic, or FujiFlex media is available; as well as printing direct to rigid boards like Gatorboard and even 1/4" Plexiglas accompanied with stainless steel stand offs for installation. We are also offering gallery wrapped canvas, wallpaper and wall cling printing. To finish off the look of your print we have several mounting and frame options.

The web based upload and ordering system is interactive. There is automatic visual representation of how well your file will print at the desired size, what sizes work best for that file, and if it cropping will be necessary for the finished print size. If any of the sizes on the drop down list do not work, there is a tool to designate and order custom sizes.

There is a complete automated check out system that allows you to even ship your print to an alternate address as a gift. Local customers can even use ArtisanHD to order through through us. During checkout there is an option for Local Pickup that removes shipping charges.


Helping people preserve events and memories through printing is a passion of ours. It is now easier than ever to create and produce high quality wall art that will be cherished for years to come.

Awakening to the Light

Award winning photographer Christine Taft of The Perceptive Lens will be hosting a one woman show and reception this Saturday, April 30th at Studio ADT for a special Mother's Day event. The reception will be held from 2 - 5 pm. Christine will be showcasing her new coffee table photography book as well as her framed photographs. Her work will be on display at Studio ADT until June 18th.

Introducing her newly released photography book and showcasing many of her award winning and landscape photographs.

Please bring your mother and friends to join us in an afternoon of celebration with light refreshments & networking.

Looking forward to seeing you at this event!

Location: Studio ADT
                1775 West University Dr., Suite 122
                Tempe,  AZ  85281

This could be a fun weekend project. This video from the Matt Richardson at MAKE shows you how to go 'old school' with all the benefits of new technology, and convert your DSLR in to a pinhole camera. Besides not needing to spend hours in the darkroom trying to figure out your exposure, there are some amazing options that you could never do with a traditional oatmeal box pinhole camera; effects like creating multi-exposure HDR images and shooting pinhole video.

Multi-paneled displays and print clusters are a creative way to present your art, and cover a larger wall area.

The most common form of multi-paneled displays are triptychs - three panels that are hung in succession. Using one image broken up in to three pieces creates a unique effect. This look works well with pieces that are free floating and not matted and framed. The images being flush to the edge help unify the panels as one installation and your eye will fill in the negative space between each panel. Canvas gallery wraps, direct to board, and flush mounted prints work well for this type of presentation. The image seen here is designed to emulate the view out of a rocket ship window for a space themed kid's bedroom.






Of course, there is no rule that says there should always be three panels. A row of five images or square grid of four or even nine can make a dramatic impression.

Print clusters are another take on multi-paneled displays. This is where you use different sized images arranged together in a cluster grouping. For this type of display different images can be used that have a continuity or theme; like black and white prints, family photos, or a grouping of images that will accent the room. One way to add extra interest in this type of display is to hang the prints at different depths and overlapping each other. The added depth makes the pieces start to take on a sculptural feel.

Make a multi-paneled display the focal point of your room.

Pricing your art can be tricky at best. Many of our customers struggle to find their place in the market, and not price themselves out of business before they even get started. Until you are an well known photographer with celebrity clientele, like Peter Lik, commanding and actually selling your work for a hefty price may be hard to achieve. That doesn't mean you have to sell your work at rock bottom Costco prices either. So, where do you fall in between?

The Photoshelter blog has some advise for you. In their article - The Price of Prints: Part 2: How to Avoid Pricing Yourself Out of Business - they interviewed professional photographer Dean Oros who lists what to consider when pricing your prints.

1. Always, our cost of doing business.
2. Proof or a polished image.
3. Media: type of paper, canvas, greeting card etc.
4. Type of photo session / event that was the cause of the image to be produced in the first place. Or, for example, is it a stock image we created at our expense where we offer generic prints, or a limited edition fine art print.
5. We often do not include high-res digital files (for consumer clients). Unless they're well-versed in color profiles, etc., most consumers will take those digital files to a local consumer lab to have inexpensive prints made which they in turn will share with their friends and family. Your image will never look as you intended by doing this. Handling the printing yourself will ensure you have control over the print process, and will ensure your client receives the best quality for the type of print they've ordered.

As printers, we couldn't agree with #5 enough. When selecting a print company it is important to make sure they keep up with calibrating their equipment and quality assure output for consistent color. Setting the right price for your prints also means that you can proudly put your name on that print. Maintaining control of your work from start to finish will reinforce that confidence.

German camera company, Leica, worked with Advico Y&R to demonstrate what can be accomplished with a 37.5 megapixel camera. These shots were taken by photographer Christian Bobst with a Leica S2 model. The posters, shown here in their actual location, provide razor sharp close ups of the walls and fences on which they are placed. Creative advertising presentation as well as the perfect illustration of how higher resolution cameras can substantially increase the results in large format displays.

This Friday, January 7th, is the inaugural First Friday of 2011. One of our favorite photographers, John Wagner, will have a show of his work at the After Hours Gallery entitled SALT. All the photos were taken at the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week in 2010. Congrats on the show, John!

Artist Desiree Edkins is part of a group exhibition opening this week at the UBS Financial Services Scottsdale location, entitled ART UBS PHX. The Opening Reception will be held this Thursday the 30th from 6-9 PM. It is a great chance to meet the artists and talk to them about their work.

We were pleased to work with Desiree for the show. We printed some pretty large pieces for her, so it promises to be an impressive presentation. As always, her work is evocative, ethereal, surreal, and simply amazing. Best of luck on the show!

UBS Scottsdale is pleased to present ART UBS PHX, 45 photographs by DESIREE EDKINS, MICHAEL LUNDGREN, PATRICK MADIGAN, AARON ROTHMAN, BETSY SCHNEIDER and MIKE WILLIAMS. Part permanent and rotating collection, ART UBS PHX is the first group exhibition to be shown in this space.

Please join us for the OPENING RECEPTION:

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30TH, 2010, 6:00-9:00PM.

UBS SCOTTSDALE
4800 North Scottsdale Road (North of Camelback), 4th Floor

Located in the PORTALES building (North of the Scottsdale Fashion Square) above THE ROARING FORK restaurant.

There will be a dedicated trolley running back and forth from the Scottsdale Old Town Art_Walk to the PORTALES BUILDING/UBS ART PHX exhibition. Catering provided by THE ROARING FORK, as well as wines hosted by local Arizona vineyards. Parking available at both locations.

Artist Patrick Rummans displays his combined love of birds and photography in the stunning Bird on a Wire show at the Holter Gallery in Helena, Montana. Patrick has had a life long connection with birds. He started out as a hunter, moved on to taxidermy, which in turn lead him to specialized animatronics. When Patrick picked up photography, it was the perfect marriage of his passion for the subject matter and compassion for conservation. Through his camera he could forever preserve the bird's beauty without harming the animal. His love for the subject is clear in his images.

We were honored to print and do the finishing for his show pieces. We hear the show is being well received. Patrick's success is well deserved, and it couldn't have happen to a nicer guy. Congrats!

Patrick's gorgeous images will be on display at the Holter Gallery until the end of December.

Whether birds are your passion – as they are for Patrick Rummans – or you lose yourself to the world of photography, you will want to visit this dazzling exhibition. His images range from precise images of familiar field birds to the abstracted feathers of an argus pheasant, from light-footed cranes to sinuous flamingoes. Each image will mesmerize you with its natural beauty and technical skill.

Photographer Patrick Rummans was raised in Lewistown, Montana. As a hunter, he spent a lot of time pursuing birds. The hunting led to taxidermy and eventually to his being one of the top bird taxidermists in the world. All during that time he kept, bred and raised a myriad of species in enormous aviaries that surrounded his home. 

As he and his business grew older, his perspective changed and he hunted less. He became involved with doing feather work for animatronics in the movie and television industry and it became his main line of work. In 2005 he worked on a movie project that took him to Australia for six months and it was there that photography became his new obsession.

“I realized then that I had hunted,” he says, “because I wanted to get closer to birds and understand them on every level. Taxidermy was my way of creating art with birds, and preserving that beauty forever. Photography allowed me to do all of that without causing any harm.”

Upload your photo and help make the world a better place. The Ecomagination Photo Project by GE turns your tagged photos into real donations for three worthy charities. By submitting your photo you can help build fresh water wells, solar powered lanterns, and small-scale wind turbines for communities in need.

Simply upload a photo related to any of the three categories through the Flickr GE Ecomagination Photo Project site and tag with “Wind,” “Water,” or “Light.”



In turn, GE will donate:

• 4.5kW hours of wind energy for every wind photo
• 175 hours of solar power for every light photo
• 480 gallons of drinking water for every water photo

GE has partnered with d.light, Practical Action, and charity:water.

Turn your photos of wind, water and light into real donations for communities in need. Submit your photo and let’s picture a better world.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) images are dramatic and eye catching. Creating these breathtaking results just became a little bit easier with the release of Nik HDR Efex Pro.

The software's tools include several single-click presets for realistic or artistic finishes, as well as the ability to do global exposure and contrast image adjustments. The HDR Method option uses a four tone-mapping algorithm that can apply a variety of HDR styles. Selective image refining and enhancements like curves, levels, and vignettes can also be done with a single mouse click with out the need for layer masks or selections.

Normally to achieve the HDR look a series of exposures would be necessary to capture the detail in the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows, then those shots are blended in to one image that contains the best aspects of each exposure. While you are still able to produce images from that type of work flow, an exciting feature of this software can construct a HDR look from a single exposure. Meaning a whole new world of possibilities just opened up for your image library. The image seen to the right here was created using a single exposure shot.


For a photographer's review on using this software check out R.L. Charpentier's blog. Rich makes an excellent observation that applies to large format printing - Watch out for chromatic aberrations in your processed image. Nik does offer suggestions on how to resolve the issue on their FAQ page. Best practice, as always before printing your image large, zoom in and make sure you don't see any anomalies on screen. If you see it on screen it will definitely show up on a the print.


Have fun creating some cool HDR effects with your images!

Tomorrow, October 1st, the monthly First Friday Artwalk will be held in downtown Phoenix. The 26 Blocks project, that we were privledged to print, has found a new home in the CityScape lobby as part of the show's 2010 tour. The opening night festivities will be held from 6-10 pm in the Main Tower Lobby. If you could not make the other showings of the 26 Blocks project this is a great opportunity to experience first hand the collaborative efforts of 26 local Phoenix photographers and writers, highlighting 26 city blocks of downtown Phoenix, and their resulting images and stories.

For more about the 26 Blocks project visit their website. CityScape is located on the SW corner of Washington an 1st Street. For directions to where the 26 Blocks show will be displayed take a look at this map. See you there!

At the 2010 Photoshop World Conference and Expo our own Paul Bartell was the recipient of one of their Guru awards for Excellence in Photo Retouching. Paul took the photo on the left of street photographer Louis Mendes outside of B&H Photo in New York. He swapped out the background with another image he had taken in the city, and added brown mono tone color treatment to give it some added interest. The final image is on the right. Everyone here at Artisan knew Paul did excellent work, we are happy that he was also recognized for his work on the national level. Congratulations Paul!

Steven Kaye, of De La Luz Design, is a local artist focusing on design and photography. Many of his images are inspired by his travels to Mexico, as well as the beautiful Sonoran Desert we call home. His tag line describes it best 'light infused design'.

He offers three galleries of his work for purchase on his website; Agua Tierra Sol, The Road to Delores, and Points of View. Aqua Tierra Sol is a collection of lush organic subject matter and landscapes. The Road to Delores gallery has a collection of lifestyle and detail shots of his Mexico travels. Points of View gallery features stylized abstracts. The shot seen here entitled Rail Yard can be found in the Points of View gallery.

We recently printed this image on metallic paper and second surface mounted it to 1/8" Plexiglas. The metallic paper brought out the chrome elements of the image and the acrylic mounting really enhanced the overall look. Our thanks to Steven for working with us to find a new way to present his art.

Knowing how to create and work with layer masks in Photoshop can save you time and offers control and versatility when editing and manipulating images that is superior to just using selections. For some reason layer masks have the reputation of being difficult to do, which is simply not true. Mastering this technique can aid immensely when prepping images for printing; selective color adjustment, lightening, and sharpening can often make the image pop and come to life when printed.

Jay Kinghorn for Photo.net shows you how to get started. He explains exactly what layer masks are, the benefits and how they work, and why it is a better workflow than just using selections of an image.

Harnessing the Power of Layer Masks

Layer masks are one of Adobe Photoshop’s most powerful, yet least understood features. In this tutorial, I’ll demystify layer masks by highlighting the benefits of incorporating layer masks into your image correction workflow and demonstrating the use of these tools in common, real-world situations. This tutorial is designed for photographers who are comfortable working with layers in Photoshop and have at least a basic familiarity with Photoshop’s painting and drawing tools, including the Marquee selection tools, the Brush and Gradient tools.

You can use layer masks most effectively if you first understand what they are and what they do. Layer masks allow you to selectively hide, or mask, portions of a layer while allowing other portions of the layer to show through. For example, you may use a mask to make the background of an image transparent. This allows a designer to combine the photo with text or graphics in a page layout program.

More commonly, photographers use layer masks for applying changes to specific portions of an image without affecting the rest of the photo. Similar to burning and dodging in the wet darkroom, these changes give you tremendous control over your photos. These selective corrections can bring a photo alive, add depth, improve contrast and shape your photo in subtle, yet powerful ways.

Photographers also use layer masks to composite multiple images for an entirely new creation, or, blend multiple exposures taken of the same scene to expand dynamic range, blend multiple white balances, or extend the depth of field.

Understanding how to use layer masks is one of the keys to unlocking the true potential of Photoshop. Once you’ve mastered the use of Layer Masks, the doors to Photoshop are wide open for you to explore.

It may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before you know it. The Arizona State Fair will open this year on October 15. However, if you want to submit your photography to be considered for an award, the deadline is Septemeber 22nd. So now is the time to get out and start shooting, or review your portfolio to pick out the perfect set of pictures to print. Of course, you also have to give yourself enough time to get the images printed and matted according to the submission guidelines.

For photography there are five sections that you can enter - Large B&W prints, Small B&W prints, Large Color prints, Small Color prints, and Arizona Landscapes. The print size for the 'Small' category is 8x10 mounted on a 10x12 mat board. The 'Large' category can be between a 11x17 and 16x20 print mounted on a 16x20 mat board. The Arizona Landscapes competition is a special category sponsored by Arizona Highways. The print size for this category is the same as the Large print specifications. You can submit up to four entries per section for consideration.

If you think you have the next blue ribbon winning shot, we can help you get it printed, mounted and ready for submission. For complete details on how to enter the Arizona State Fair Photography competition check out their official rules.

The people at HandMadeFont.com combine photography and typography to create custom font sets. They take everyday objects, like toast, rose pedals, oil, grass, and even cheese to construct unique letters, then photograph them to transfer the font sets in to a digital format. The result is not your dad's Helvetica. These real life fonts are available for purchase to be used in your own graphic design.

Paulo Canabarro interviewed brothers and founding members of HandMadeFont.com, Maksim Loginov and Vladmir Loginov, for Abduzeedo to find out more about their font creation process.

You guys have done endless number of different and very unique hand made fonts. What inspires you the most to keep creating all these different fonts?

If we only knew, where they come from (especially the genius ones), we would be very rich. But in our case it is more simple. “In the beginning, there was a word...“. Every object has its own name. Every word consists of some letters. It means, that every word implies some shape. For example, imagine a pencil on a table. We take a lot of pencils and compose a word "pencil“. This is a beginners level. But, going further on, if we compose a word "painter“ using the same pencils, then we receive the shape of the word "painter“, which expands itš sence.

We’re all surrounded by the lots of different things, which can be made into a font. Often we follow our instincts rather than just logic in choosing something. It’s like a man scratching the name of his beloved on some tree never thinks what font he’s using. Same with us. First we make something, than look at the result. Sometimes it’s no good , but usually we are happy with the first choice. It has more integrity and the spirit. The quirkiness of our fonts and the raw feel to it is important to us. It has energy.

Our photography studio is often employed to aid in product shots that are used in catalog or online sales. The perfect image that highlights the product attributes and represents the product accurately is imperative, and part of our specialty at Artisan Colour. How the resulting images are ultimately used in print or website placement can be equally as important. A picture can literally be worth a thousand words. The way that photos are utilized to promote a product or brand can express much more than lines of copy when used properly.

This article by Smashing Magazine offers several suggestions on how to use photography effectively and in turn enhance the consumer experience driving more sales online. Concepts like promoting company brand through imagery, telling a story, evoking an emotional response, and good old fashion demonstrating the attributes of your product in a stylish way are discussed. One topic that maybe can not be stated enough, is to avoid using static stock photography. Investing in quality images that perfectly communicate your product or company image will be duly rewarded with larger sales. Although this article focuses on web commerce, the same concepts apply to traditional print campaigns as well.

How To Use Photos to Sell More Online - James Chudley for Smashing Magazine

As a photographer and UX designer, I pay particular attention to the effectiveness of photography when I’m testing with users. Regardless of the context, users rarely fail to comment on or be influenced by photography when shopping online.

This article pulls together principles from psychology, marketing, UX design and photographic theory. It provides a set of principles to follow when commissioning and editing photography and when planning and designing profitable e-commerce user experiences.

Show Off Product Benefits

The best way to sell products is to let them sell themselves. Consider the Gorilla Pod shown below. The photo demonstrates brilliantly the benefits of the product. The copy is supplementary; the image does the heavy lifting. Let photography do the selling for you as much as possible.