The Weekly Birdbath for July 30th - August 5th

 

July 30th - August 5th, 2011

by Cobra405/Mizagorn/Redstar/Mpeutz

UH! clap, clap. uh huh. psheeeer! Rims and kicks, FX, shakers and blips. Here's a fascinating master mix that's house, beat box, or hip hop - take your pick. Our phenom man tashuan16 humbly presents an enjoyable groove that stirs your dance emotion. Take a listen, and be prepared to wish you, too, are on this island getaway.

beat box island.egg on Aviary.

TheDoctor7777

Do you like quirky, out of left field, why didn't I think of that art? Well so do we and that is why TheDoctor7777 is in the spotlight this week. Steampunk, fantasy, weapons and some wild inventions will leave you shouting for more. Pop over to his gallery, the adventure is just beginning. Some of our favorites:

While I was mentoring LunaOwl and trying to help her create a seamless tile in Phoenix, I enlisted the help of our resident Peacock wizard, mpeutz. Mike created an Offset Blackbox and a video to show us all how to use it. Looks like the mentor needed mentoring. See the tut here along with LunaOwl's amazing seamless tile image.

Peacock is a great way to create almost anything your imagination can come up with. But what if you have a challenge that limits the resources you can use? Redstar came up with this amazing hubs Minimalist challenge... use only Spirolina, Drop Shadow, and Shape Draw. Enjoy these entries, be inspired, and see what YOU can come up with!

Have you ever looked at Undiscovered Creations? (Go to Discover creations -> Undiscovered Creations from the main menu.) We're trying to decide if this area is a great place to find new talent... or is it a place for inappropriate material? Is it a boon or a bane? Weigh in here with your comments!

Tip - Getting Started with Peacock

Peacock is an awesome application - and my first love on Aviary! However, it can be a bit daunting for new users to jump into. This week's video is a quick primer on how Peacock works. If you still have questions after watching the video, you should head on over to the Aviary forums and ask for some tips from our awesome community

[youtube width="550" height="344"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G94a3SQN1zA[/youtube]

Blackbox Collection: Box 1

This week's Blackbox will warp your images into the shape of a box. Well, technically it's more of a package, which makes this a perfect way to visualize how your design will look on a package! You can use it with a texture to get an idea of how it could look applied to a 3D object... or you could just have fun inventing a new breakfast cereal box! Experiment and have fun.  As always, feel free to post your awesome creations in the forums.

Just search for "Box 1" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Blue Print

This week's Blackbox will give your images a blueprint type of effect. You image will be converted to a textured hatch fill with defined edges. It's great for giving your images a technical look. Also, like many other Blackboxes, you can adjust it to give you lots of different looks. The only limit is your creativity!

Just search for "Blue print" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Color Blind Filter

This week's Blackbox is not designed to add an effect, border, or odd distortion (although you can certainly use it as an effect if you want to!). Instead, it's meant to be used as a tool to show your images as someone with color blindness would see them. This simple filter will convert the colors in any image to show the four major types of color blindness (Trianopia, Protanopia, Deuteranopia, & Monochromacy). It's a great way to test how your image, web page, or graphics will look for these viewers - and especially helpful if you want to make your creation or website 100% user friendly.

Just search for "color blindness" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and you'll have a secret weapon for knowing how everyone will see your creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Velvia

This week's blackbox is based off of Fujifilm's Velvia camera film. It produces a subtle boost in color saturation, contrast, and sharpness. It's a great "enhancer" for pictures taken with lower quality mobile phone cameras. Use this blackbox to give your photos a lovely, subtle pick me up.

Just search for "velvia" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Retro Magazine

This week's blackbox will produce a grungy, over contrasted effect for your image. It is reminiscent of the super saturated, low image quality that was prevalent in older magazines. It can also be used as a faux HDR effect. There are no adjustment controls to this blackbox so you will need to make any adjustments before or after applying the effect.

Just search for "magazine" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Drops

This week's fun Blackbox will overlay your image with drops. These drops can be tinted any color and their size and density can be adjusted. You can make this effect simulate condensation, water droplets, underwater bubbles and more.

Just search for "drops" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox collection: Vintage color

This week's Blackbox is another vintage color filter. This version has a strong tinting effect with darkening and a blurring vignette. Have fun aging your photos with this filter!

Just search for "vintage" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Burnt

This weeks Blackbox is the third in the Borders series. The burnt Blackbox will give your image the look of being singed around the edges. This is a great effect for adding a distressed feel to your image.

Just search for "burnt" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!

Blackbox Collection: Borders 2

This weeks Blackbox is the second in the series of image borders. The Borders 2 Blackbox contains a different set of photographic inspired frames. Use this Blackbox to give your images a retro flair.

Just search for "borders" in the Blackbox browser (Go to File -> Import Blackbox) and start making awesome creations!

If you're not sure what to do, check out this beginner tutorial on how to use Blackboxes!!