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How to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool with masking (Part 2 of 2)
Yesterday, I showed you how to simulate a photograph taken with a tilt-shift lens by using Photoshop CS3's Lens Blur tool. Today, we'll do something a bit more practical: clipping out an object that's not entirely in focus. Clipping out objects that are out of focus can be something of a chore: either you have a hard, dark edge somewhere you don't want, or you have to settle for feathering the whole thing, leaving edges that should be sharp a little too blurry. We'll be clipping out this old book, and dropping it on a new surface.
All the World's a Stage: Background story
All the World's a Stage is a source for roleplaying ideas, commentary, and discussions. It is published every Sunday evening.Your character is like an arrow. He was launched from the birthplace of your imagination with the aim of creating spontaneous stories with other creative people. Your character's personality is the particular direction he travels in, and his background story is the bow which set him on his way.The bow-string tension that gives a good backstory its momentum is its lack of resolution. The desire to find resolution propels your character forward into the game, but it doesn't predict with certainty where your he or she will end up. Realizing this can free you of a great burden: your story doesn't have to make the New York Times Bestseller List. In fact, the whole idea here is to purposely leave your backstory unfinished, ready to be resolved through roleplaying. Too much emphasis on a dramatic background leaves you with not enough room for an interesting foreground, and little else to contribute other than the saga of your epic past. Obviously, people aren't logging into WoW to read your miniature novel. They generally won't want to hear your backstory unless they specifically ask you about it (which they might!), but even then they'll care less for its narrative value and more for its ultimate impact on your character as a person. It's best to think of it less as a story in itself (e.g. "How I got to be this way"), and more as a prologue to the story you want to roleplay (e.g. "How do I get out of this mess?"). Its purpose is to set up challenges for your character to overcome with other people, and it should establish a direct line to your character's desires and aspirations.
Red Octane looses Guitar Hero II patch for Xbox 360
We're not quite ready to consider this a coincidence, but the hard-working souls over at Red Octane have officially unleashed a patch for the malfunctioning Guitar Hero II axes just in time for the weekend. Recently, it was claimed that axes sporting 95065 and 95055 model numbers could lose responsiveness in the whammy bar, but thanks to Xbox Live, users can download the patch and get back to unadulterated rockin' right away. So what are you waiting for? Finish up those finger exercises, fire up your console, and let us know if in fact the downloadable solution mends the problem.[Via Joystiq]
Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn rumors
Some nice folks over at GoNintendo have submitted some scans and a rough translation for the upcoming Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn for the Wii. Though we follow the FE story about as well as we can save a dying victim using pretend surgical skills (damn you, Trauma Center!), some details might interest those masochists among us: Sothe is Mikaya's younger brother, though they aren't blood-related. The nations of Gallia and Begnion are at war. Lots and lots of war. The game will be divided into discrete portions, and the first will focus on the "Dawn Group". An additional story synopsis can be found after the break. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was one of the unheralded masterpieces on the Cube (we didn't mention it, we know!), and we greatly look forward to the sequel.
