The updates for this upgrade have impacted each of the products in the master collection.  The addition of the Flash catalyst, and Flash builder are important ones to note.  All the programs have been made 64bit native as well.  This is a HUGE improvement for the performance minded artist out there.

The biggest upgrade here though is the After Effects program.  Not only has it gone 64bit, upgraded Mocha to V2 (this is the planer tracker) but has added what I believe to be the BIGGEST jump forward to motion graphics in a long time.  The RotoBrush.  Such a simple name for such a powerful tool.  Sortta like “Wheel”.

For those of you new to motion graphics, rotoscoping is the act of painful hours masking off sections of a video or an object in order to do a multitude of things.  The list starts with simple color correction all the way to lifting and actor out of a piece of footage and placing them in another location.  Normally this is done with green screen work, but that is not always available to the artist. (or the green screen is not done well).  With the Rotobrush I took an old piece of vid I did awhile ago and had to use a TON of masks to cut my actor out and put a new background behind him. Hours and hours of key-framing the masks (there were 18!) all for a 10 second shot that was not thought about before hand.  I re-did the exact same shot in under 15 minutes. grrrrrrrr! When I think back on all the other projects I had worked on and the time they took……. I know I lost many weeks of my life I will never get back.

Now if you are thinking all your roto problems are gone, forget it!  This tool goes way far to making life better for us artist out there, but nothing out right now can make the pain all go away. (but almost) now it is no longer the one thing I dread more than paying for tickets to see a concert by a young man my daughter thinks is the best thing since sliced bread. (place image in mind of lots of blonde hair swishing to a fro ….. shudder)

Well until next time when I place a vid tutorial on how to use the Rotobrush up for your perusal.

Shannon

Welcome back to SilverFlame Graphix!  This post is for those of you that are into the Guitar Hero franchise.  I am going to give you a layman’s version of a review for the newest of this line: Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock!

Now to start out I have to say first, this is not a normal review as I am NOT your typical video gamer in these genera.  I am a first person shooter and fighter type of gamer.  I always ask these questions first: Can I blow it up? Can I shoot something? Can I hit something and cause damage?  If these are all “no” answers I pass it by.

That being said, I find I love this game!  Everything from the music selection (which we will talk about in a minute) to the cool outfits my Avatar is now rockin’.

In my opinion the first “boss” level of Rush’s “2112” is the best part of this game.  Now I have been a Rush fan for more years than I can remember (please don’t remind me).  Out of all the years I have listened to this masterpiece, I have never been able to play along with my musical heroes. Now I can.  I have not been able to go to the expert level of play as of yet, but I WILL get there. (yes honey the TV will be busy for a bit)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6RgonlArmw

After the awesome first part, I continued the game to what I thought was the end, but now am having to go through the game a second time with all of my powers amped up.  This is also cool.

The controllers I am using really came with another game. Rock Band: Beatles.  They work well together.  I can drum, sing or play guitar or bass and it works well together.

The graphics are alluring as well.  The animation in the Rush sequence is stunning and works perfectly with the narrated story being told.

All in all this game gets two thumbs up from me!

It’s got a good beat and I can dance to it Dick…. I give it a nine!

I know I have not been posting for quite sometime now, and I am sorry about that. Life can throw you some curves at times so they say… well I am here to tell you if my life had been a baseball game and I was hitting, the opposing teams pitcher threw enough curves to land him in the hall of fame!

Well to beat a dead analogy silly, it’s been 3 up 3 down for 8 innings and it’s bottom of the ninth, the big man is up to bat and he has the bases loaded.

OK enough of that.

I have decided to re-launch this site with every intention of bringing you good enough content. Good enough for what you ask? I am so glad you asked! “Good enough” means that you will find some of the content to be of use in some manner or another.

I will be posting articles on graphics (3D, motion, fine art) and what ever floats my boat at that moment. Some of my postings will be political in nature so beware.

So now that you have been warned…….. ON WITH THE SHOW!

Shannon Smith - Graphic artist and Motion designer

One of the hardest things anyone can do (ask any stand-up comic!) is make people laugh.  The concept of humor in marketing is not by any means new.  You can see this from the Coppertone® ad with the little girls bikini being pulled down by a dog on the beach, to the flatulent Clydesdale blowing flame at the couple on a sleigh ride .  If they can make you laugh, they can make you remember the advertising.

Can I do a humorous ad?

Why not?  There are as many things to laugh about under the sun as there are stars in the heavens. (bad paraphrase there I know.)  Let people know you have a sense of humor and they relax when thinking about you, and that is what your goal is all about.  The ad could have nothing at all to do with your business at all, or purposely give yourself a poke in the eye for good effect. (slap stick can work a wounder on the funny bone!)

Where can I get ideas?

EVERYWHERE!  Take a look at some of the most popular commercials being circulated on youtube, or elsewhere on the internet.  Watch T.V. and see what catches your eye.  This can help you come up with at least a direction to go in.  Take the idea to a video producer that seems to have the same sense of humor as you and work out the idea in story boards or some such, then have fun with yourself making it.   The more fun you have making it, the better the humor comes across to you potential clients.

The bottom line is, have fun and your clients will too.  once you have them laughing you will have more to do than you have ever dreamed.

A Sampling of Irish Singer/ Song writter Harry O’Donoghue

Harry odonoghue preforms his version of “The Fields of Athenry” for an Irish Pub

Harry O’Donoghue is a performing another classic ” Step it out Mary”

Go Lassie Go

Irish signer and song writer sings “take her in your Arms” a great Celtic song.

fun Irish tune