GIMP 2: A Simple yet Powerful Editor

I was just tasked to take over a moderator/admin function for a game forum site. Cool. I went over and made some changes here and there, and then some. The logo needs a little face-lift (at least that's what I thought). Surfed the net, scrambled some artwork and chose one for a new logo. The artwork, however, came with a background sky blue background; I wanted a white background, nothing more. I knew Lightroom 3 would not make the cut (or maybe its possible?). MS Paint will set you back with a few hours just to change things up a bit, and will not give you something near perfect. I need Adobe Photoshop! But I don't have the resources to get one, or the time to learn it.

Enter GIMP 2, a graphic editing software that is pretty simple, but has enough muscle to deal with most kinds of editing, simple or advanced.
It took some time getting used to the GUI, as well as the controls to get things done. The background was changed, a simple logo was set in place, the whole thing was re-sized and was exported to JPEG. 
GIMP 2 amazes me because of the power it has under its hood. It seems that I may have only scratched it's surface, you may want to try it out. Check the website http://www.gimp.org/

Best thing about it, it's FREE.

This is the sample project. Check out the Godz RO site

*** Images and trademarks belong to Gravity and Lee, Myoungjin and respective owners
**   GIMP image belongs to GIMP.org

Summer Getaway at Clearwater Beach

Pier 60(side view), a popular tourist destination

Summer 2011 is officially over. While some states are already experiencing cooler weather, Florida seems to hold on to summer a little bit more, pouring on the heat and humidity before cooling down. We might as well hit the beach before donning sweaters for a couple of months.  Clearwater Beach, here we go!!

 

The Key to the City

Clearwater Beach is only a few miles from Tampa and is located on Florida's west coast, facing the Gulf of Mexico. We rolled in early into the afternoon and found that Clearwater(city proper) and Clearwater Beach were interconnected with bridges. Driving here was well worth the wait; the excitement builds up as the beach city slowly reveals itself.

Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Florida

~ I just love the gentle waves! ~

The Jolley Trolley

The Jolley Trolley is a cheap and relaxing way to move around Clearwater. Imagine a cool and relaxing drive along a pre-determined route that gives you instant access to different points of the beach. Beach on one side, beach shops on the other. This will definitely save you gas money, and save time on driving and parking.

Nice,relaxing bike rides are always a welcome sight for me

This is an Italian Eatery, located on the opposite side of the beach. They offer a great selection of pizza, sandwiches, pasta and home-made Gelatto(Italian ice cream). Surf shops, boat rentals, ski rentals, parasailing, Segway tours, bike and scooter rentals line up the Mandalay Ave. All of them are accessible through the Jolley Trolley, private car or simply by strolling around. People from all walks of life are enjoying the laid back ambiance; it's not uncommon seeing people shopping around with nothing but swim wear. Talk about sexy cool.

Mandalay Avenue, Clearwater Florida

We had an inkling that the night life along the beach is quite explosive and electrifying. The streets lightened up, the air was quickly filled with festive music and people danced early on. A plethora of restaurants, bars and night clubs came to life the moment the sun went down. We made our way to one of the local seafood restaurants and went out with full stomachs. The food was excellent, the people are friendly and service times were average.I never have to go irate while waiting to be served.

(Really) Crabby Bill's offer lotsa them seafood'

No jumping or diving... especially at night

Clearwater Beach clearly won me over. I wish I could have taken more photos, or could've hopped through several of the bars through the night. My recommendation would be to take two to three days off, bum around the beach and dance the night away! Stress could be a very unfamiliar word to you after wards. We came in late into the summer for a few more memories of the beach, but were never late for the fun and the sun; here at Clearwater, the fun-in-the-sun is all year round and the party never stops.

Rename Files With Lightroom 3

You'll know you're likely to become a hoarder when you stash years-worth of digital photographs and let them sit around for a while. Time comes when you feel the need (or the itch) to organize these files, only to find yourself drowning in the sea of files. Worse case scenario: the file names look all the same, something like a generic IMG_xxxx. You are so stuck for the whole weekend working this out. Or probably not. Pull up Lightroom 3 and rename multiple files in a way that would suit your needs.

Multiple file naming presets

1) Click on the Library section. On the lower right panel, click on the folder where your files are   located. Select the files to be renamed.
2) On the the toolbar, click on Library, then Rename Photos. A pop-up will present you with options for custom name settings.
3) There's a big chance you'll find a naming template that's suitable for your needs (see dropdown values) but if you want more customization, click on Edit and you will be presented with a complete set of customization options. This is so cool, I customized my files with a custom text, date pics were taken and sequence starting from 1. Way to go, loooonnnggg file names!

Full customization options

After renaming your files, I guess it would be a whole lot better to segregate your files. It would be a lot easier to cut and paste them over to separate folders or whatever type of organization you would love for your pictures. This Lightroom 3 feature is best for people who take a lot of pictures and leave organizing them for another day and for people who consolidate picture files from different sources but possibly same file naming formats (IMG_xxxx ??). Renaming files, in bulk, was never this easy.

Powerful Presets from Adobe's Lightroom 3

I have been using Adobe's Lightroom (2 and 3) as the software of choice in editing raw files from my camera. It has served me for two or three years now and I have always fiddled with those sliders on the Develop tab (the one that opens on the right) to get the images that I want. You see, I am not a professional photographer, so I am not about to delve into the technical innards of photography; it is about what pleases my eyes (I hope it pleases your eyes too). I love colors, but what else is out there?

Adobe Lightroom 3 - Develop screen

Now, on the left side of the screen, I noticed these little "presets". I haven't paid much attention to them, as I love to play with the sliders. I actually used these sliders all the time, even if it takes forever to edit hundreds of raw files. But then again, I accidentally pressed one of these presets, and these are some of the results:

I'm waiting for Mickey; seriously - Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

Kid rides taking a break - Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

I want a shower too - Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

The Lightroom built-in presets completely transformed these images; they conveyed more emotion and communicated more feelings than before. It has opened up a whole new perspective for an amateur to look beyond colors, and explore a little bit more of the usual. Check out the photos below for comparison:

Positive colors and BW~Creamtone

The left photo is the actual photo complete with all the colors and is quite bland and ordinary. Tweaking the same photo with a single click of the preset have made the shot more interesting; it now actually tells me that these kids have patiently waited  for something (or someone) to come by for quite some time now. It also tells me that they are willing to wait for as long as it takes.

I always made sure to keep my photo scheme in check, and depict them in the most natural way as possible. But I guess it won't hurt to go alternate sometimes, and these presets make it real easy. Fun part is, you can still tweak the sliders if you need to; the presets are not perfect, but they deliver most of the goods curiously-well.

Busch Gardens: The Mighty ShiekRa!

 
Enter a seemingly mundane theme park, complete with the typical scene; long lines of excited adolescents, a festive environment, smiling staff and some of them popular characters. But how would you feel, if you saw this towering collection of twisted metal bars, chains, nuts and bolts? Would you care to inch closer towards the rolling sound of thunder, followed by screams and shrieks of fun and fear mixed all over? Behold the mighty SheiKra!

The SheiKra is one(if not) of the coolest attractions found in Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.
A floor-less car slowly trudges from the ground up to around 200 feet, allowing premier views of the whole theme park. This, however, allows to build the excitement exponentially as it also gives you a clear idea on how far up are you from the ground. Suddenly, this floor-less contraption halts to a complete stop with enough hang time to hold your breath; you are now literally suspended, facing the ground in a 90-degree fashion.
 It's time to face the music, baby!

Without any idea of when the exact moment to take the plunge, the locks suddenly cuts lose.You rushing face-down with speeds in excess of 70mph(112kph). See it all happening in front of your very eyes, scary fun, yeah! The ride then takes you even below ground level, as the metal railings were curiously embedded further down in preparation for a big loop and then some. Oh no, a second vertical drop! This one's a bit lower though, and it goes straight to an underground tunnel, but it comes with a bit of a twist. The surprise comes for the people below, the observers of the mighty SheiKra; stand on the right spot, and you'll get an instant shower. Don't forget to check your voice on the gate, you may have lost it in the mayhem. This crazy ride is pure fun, and a lot of you coaster fanatics will sure have a great time.

Looking and falling straight-down isn't too bad at all

These folks will forget the words "hot and dry" in another second or so

There's still a lot of them great rides and roller coasters in Busch Gardens, Tampa FL, but the SheiKra is arguably one of the most unique and exciting extreme coaster rides of the whole world. A steady 200-foot climb, two true-90-degree vertical drops, giant loops and a free audience shower in a hot and humid day is a perfect fix for that adrenaline rush and extreme fun you may have been craving for.


*** Credits to Busch Gardens  website for the technical specifications of the SheikRa ride ***

Disney Series: Let the Memories Begin!

Mickey Mouse, Magic Kingdom Parade

When was the last time that you felt like a kid ? When was the last time that the memories of castles, pirate ships, talking cars and space creatures have dominated your consciousness? I'll bet Mickey Mouse and his buddies at Disney World can help you remember. Why would you wanna come here? This is a place where dreams come true, where all the fairy tales come to life, and where kids and adults alike are continually mesmerized. Here is a primer of the magical adventure in Disney World. Let the memories begin!

Disney World (almost in) Orlando, Florida is home to four main theme parks It also showcases water parks and resorts for guests who opt to have the ultimate Disney experience(of course, these are pricier options). Scattered over the vast land area occupied by Disney World, long stretches of highways separate each of these attractions. And there's even a lake between these parks!

Disney Monorail

The lake was used to the parks' advantage. A steam boat shuttles guests from resorts/parking lot to the parks and vice versa. It's breezy, it's cool and it actually offers a good level of excitement as a precursor to what's ahead of you. If you don't fancy a scenic tour just yet, don't despair; a fast monorail system can move you around in a jiffy. And still, Disney buses move in and out of these parks. They are oh so reliable.If you got a private vehicle (a car, perhaps), the parking lot awaits you. You would have to park your car, line up for the tram, and off you go to your destination.

Here is an overview for the four main Disney parks.

Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom

1) Magic Kingdom - this park houses the famous Cinderella Castle, an authentic Disney trademark. Kids love this park the most, as majority of the attractions here are geared for them. Look out for them Disney characters and princesses, they are everywhere in this 107-acre park.

2) Hollywood Studios - this place takes you behind the scenes of Disney shows (Indiana Jones! and more, of course). The rides here take your breath away and somehow takes you out of your ordinary roller coaster routine. You may wanna stay here till the night comes or maybe find time to go back around 9PM; you don't want to miss the one-of-a-kind light show that is called "Fantasmic".

Africa Section, Disney Animal Kingdom

 3) Animal Kingdom -  yes, it is an animal-themed park, and it offers an outdoor experience too. Take a safari ride and catch a glimpse of wild animals as close as you can. Take a walk to the Asian and African inspired towns, savor the great food and bask under the sun. Surely you will love the rides here too (I didn't, I have vertigo :S). Bring some extra clothes to, you don't know when you'll get wet with sweat or wet with the fun water rides here!

Spaceship Earth, Epcot

4)Epcot - this place is massive; twice the size of Magic Kingdom! Well, the park certainly needs all the space it could get; they tried to fit the whole world in there, really. A large part of this park is dedicated to eight countries that embody unique cultures, cuisines and attractions. The other half goes to a futuristic arena, filled with thrills and trivia that inspires technological advancements

So let the memories begin, in any way you want to. I might throw in a little survival list to help you out next time. Stick around and read some more!