Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Color themes with Adobe Kuler


Kuler is an Adobe product for creating and viewing color themes.


Kuler can be accessed in the following forms: 
 
 -  Web application (http://kuler.adobe.com ) 
 -  Adobe Air application (http://www.adobe.com/go/kuler_air) 
 -  Extension for CS suite






Color Themes can be created by the following techniques: 

Color themes by mixing: Color theme can be created manually by selecting the color from the color wheel. Kuler also provides 7 types of color rules for creating color themes. Each of these color rules are based on the Color Theory . These rules are really useful if you are planning to create a color theme from scratch.

creating color theme in Kuler - screenshot :





Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Christmas Wallpaper [ December 2012 ]

Happy Holidays everybody . Its time for Christmas lights to shine , gifts to share and family  dinners.

We have designed a Christmas themed wallpaper for you in various sizes for your PC ,smart phones and tablets.

Have a snowy and merry Christmas :)




Smart phones and Tablets:

 640x960 (iphone4S) 


2048x1536 (iPad)

1280x800 (Google Nexus)


Desktop :  

1024x768

1280x768

1366x768

2560x1440

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Search Engine for Designers - UI Cloud


UI cloud is a new search engine dedicated to the designers. It started functioning from July 2012.

This search engine allows the users to search for User Interface elements from all over the internet. It functions like any other usual search engine, the content displayed belongs to the respective owners and it is the responsibility of the users to use it according to the license. It acts as a great source of inspiration.

I personally find the search feature as more useful stuff. I tried few searches and I am pretty satisfied with the results .Here are the snapshots of the same.


Search term : Breadcrumb



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Cliplets / Cinemagraph - Step by step guide using Microsoft Cliplet app

I would say Cliplets is an extraordinary tool for creating Cinemagraphs.
 
What is a Cliplet?
(From http://research.microsoft.com)
“Microsoft Research Cliplets is an interactive app that gives users the power to create 'Cliplets' -- a type of imagery that sits between stills and video, including imagery such as video textures and "cinemagraphs". The app provides a simple, yet expressive way to mix static and dynamic elements from a video clip".
Here are the steps to create a Cinemagraph / Cliplets using Microsoft Research Cliplets:

• Download and install “Microsoft Research Cliplets” from Microsoft Research webpage (http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/cliplets/


• Drag and Drop a video file in its workspace.  Most of the major video file types are supported. I tired with  .wmv and .mp4 video files.

• This app allows users to create Cliplets only from a 10 seconds (or less than 10 seconds) video. Users can clip the video as per the requirement with an easy-to-adjust timeline tool.


•            In the first layer ,the actual video remains ‘Still’ and there is an option to select the static image by dragging the controls present in the upper side of the application.
There is also an option to select the loop portion.

• You can add a sub layer and set it to ‘loop’ and then use the cursor to select the portion which has to move.

• With some trial and error ,I am pretty sure that you will end up with a beautiful Cinemagraph.
 

You can save the file in Cliplet Project File (.xclp) for editing in future and export the output as a .gif file.  If required you can also save it in .mp4 and .wmv format.
Here is another Cliplet from Microsoft Cliplet Website :


[http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/cliplets/]


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Useful Non Destructive Techniques in Photoshop

Non-destructive techniques in Photoshop allows the designer to make modifications without altering the original picture.

There are several techniques which are non-destructive and we are gonna see a few of them in this post with examples.


1. Adjustment Layers


If you are a regular Photoshop user then you might be familiar with features like ' brightness,levels,color balance,hue/saturation'. You can make several changes to your image individually by using them on separate duplicate layers but you cannot make changes to them later.

Well now you have a solution for that using the 'adjustment layer' feature in Photoshop.


Open the picture you want to alter.