GeekSugar

Create Your Own Photo Planets With the Polar Panorama Effect

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:35:46 -0700

I stumbled upon this great blog post, which shows examples of panoramic photos that have been altered in Photoshop to create your own little planets (like the one shown here), and got lost inside the 50 examples they provided for this fun and unique effect. I'm all about learning new ways to have fun with my photo library, so naturally I added this to my editing experimentation to-do list. Plus, the effect totally reminds me of the planets from Super Mario Galaxy, and you all know how much I adore that game.

This tutorial shows you how to make the effect yourself, and although it looks like a labor-intensive process, the steps are actually quite easy - just straighten your photo so the image is level, make the image a square, rotate, and apply the "polar effect" in Photoshop.

Check out the details on this tutorial page and have fun with your own images!

Step Up Your Next Party With a Sexy, Inflatable Photobooth

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:33:04 -0700

No, not the one that comes with iLife. You know how photobooths have recently been all the rage at weddings, holiday parties, and birthday blowouts? Well now you can give your fete an upgrade by securing yourself this high tech, inflatable Photobooth.

Don't let the air pump fool you, this baby is packed with goodies: An 11-megapixel lens captures all your shots digitally so you can browse the results in an online library (which has been password protected for you and your friends), plus the online service can tell you how many people have clicked through your galleries. And if this is for your company party, Photobooth can brand your photos as they are taken on the fly. It's one sweet package, but you'll have to inquire to find out how much it will set you back.

Geek Tip: Age Your Photos Instantly Without Photoshop

GeekSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:30:50 -0700

There are a ton of things you can do with your digital photos and a photo editor besides just adjusting light and focus. You can make them into movie stills, or turn them into Lomo works of art. I happen to like the aged look, and it's always fun to turn them into Polaroids, but if you aren't using Poladroid, this can take forever to make the effect yourself.

But whether you use effects in Photoshop, filters in iPhoto, or mess around with levels in Lightroom, there's no faster way to age your pics than with this website. It's a Japanese site that lets you upload your digital pics, and in seconds spits out a 100-year-old identical. It's fun, fast, and gives you some cool digital pics to show off to your photo-loving pals.

Turn Your Pics Into Movie-Like Stills in Just a Few Steps

GeekSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:25:58 -0700

I love passing along great photo tips, especially ones that turn your photos from ordinary to extraordinary. Like the time I showed you how to turn your pics into mini models with the Tilt-Shift effect or how to Lomo-fy your digital photos to replicate the lo-fi camera results. I found this tip while stumbling across the web and love the effect it created.

With this easy tutorial, you can quickly turn your ordinary pics into movie-like stills in just 12 steps. If you know how to add layers and adjust blur, this process should be a snap, but if you don't, it's OK- the tutorial is easy enough for you to grasp since there are screen shots to show you how to do it. Don't forget to check out the rest of my photo tips here!

Wedding Tip: Have Your Guests Upload Photos to One Place

GeekSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:06:26 -0700

I used to think that having disposable cameras at each table at a wedding reception was such a fabulously brilliant idea.

But now the quality of the disposable film cameras is too shoddy for any possible framers, plus the kind of people who are going to take photos will have already brought their own cameras. To further drive a stake in the heart of this old trend, last year the majority of you voted that you no longer loved it.

That's not to say you don't want more photos taken than your pro photog will take - just make it easy on your guests to upload them all to one place! Call it the 2009 version of disposable cameras on tables. Instead of cameras on tables, you just place cards with a URL or email address for your guests, and leave it to them to upload after the event.

To see how to make this wedding idea come together, just read more.

First, decide which photo-sharing website you want to use. It may be easiest to use the site you're already using for photo sharing - MobileMe, Flickr, and Picasa provide you with an email address or URL to give out (see my instructions on how to do it in Picasa). But also consider newer site iRave - it also gives you both a URL or email address, and it has settings that let you approve photos before they're up, preventing any pic leaks of champagne-induced embarrassments. Make sure that whichever site you use has plenty of storage space for the photos.

Once you've settled on the service, you need the cards so people know where to send photos. This seller from Etsy makes a wedding photo-sharing kit for $25, but this is also a simple DIY.

Design and print out your message onto business card-size paper (or just cut printed sheets to that size), then place in a festive box or display on each table.

If you're really into the design of your invites, you can inquire with your invitation vendor about printing up these cards with your invite design.

How to Use iPhoto's Tags, Hotkeys to Make Slideshows Easier

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:01:16 -0800

The idea of tagging photos is nothing new, but most people use it for things like identification, ala Facebook or Picasa (whose face-recognition technology continues to blow me away). After having had several parties in the last few months for people, and thereby putting together slideshows featuring the guests of honor, I realized how much photo tagging could help me - but with the original files.

I'm finally putting iPhoto's tagging to use; not only will tagging the photo files by the names of the people in them to sort through later, it couldn't be easier. iPhoto lets you assign hotkeys to the names of people who frequently appear in your pictures.

To see more of how you tag and use hotkeys in iPhoto, just read more.

Once in iPhoto, go to Window, then Show Keywords.

From this box, you can add in all the names of your friends and family, or even themes (like couples, dogs, etc.) that come up often in your photos. In the box, click Edit Keywords.
Click the plus sign, and start typing someone's name. Once you hit enter or the OK button, you'll see the saved name, and iPhoto will have assigned the name a hotkey (it calls them shortcuts). It's usually the first letter of the keyword you entered, like M for Mike.
Your Quick Group consists of the names you've added as iPhoto keywords, and you'll see them at the top of the keyword box. You're ready to start tagging once you've added the names.

Hover over a photo in iPhoto.
The phrase "add keywords" will appear under the photo. Click it, and a window will open.
Start typing a hotkey. iPhoto will populate it with the corresponding keyword you already set. Add as many names or phrases as you want.

Then, the easiest way to get to a grouping of photos - say you want to make a slideshow consisting of your friend Sam - is to type the name in the search bar at the bottom of the iPhoto window. Voila, iPhoto shows you all the photos tagged Sam!

How-To: Combine Photos From Different People With Picasa

GeekSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:02:13 -0800

At the end of a holiday or party, several people usually end up with photos of their own from the same event - wouldn't it be great to combine them all easily? If you're a Picasa user, you can do it!

In Picasa, go to Settings and scroll down to "Allow me to upload photos by email." Check this box, and a field will appear, prompting you to enter a secret word. I choose words relevant to the holiday, such as "thanksgiving" - and Picasa will populate a new email address that appends to your Gmail address. For instance, if your Gmail address is "jane.doe@gmail.com", your unique Picasa address would be "jane.doe.thanksgiving@picasaweb.com."

This is the address you give out to your family, instructing them to simply email their photos to this address. Once they start emailing, everyone's photos will appear in your Drop Box on your Picasa page, and from there, you can combine them all in one special album!

Geek Tip: Easily Watermark Your Images with PicMarkr

GeekSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:35:17 -0700

Do you know what a watermark is? I'm sure you have seen them on a few geeksugar posts, but do you know what are they used for? A watermark is used to tell people who the photos belong to, and especially helpful if you don't want anyone else using them without your permission. But it's not only blogs or businesses that use watermarks, you can use them too - even in photos you've uploaded to Flickr - to protect your copyrights.

Which is why using PicMarkr is so easy - just upload the photo you want to watermark (from Flickr, from your TeamSugar account, or from your computer), select what type of watermark you want (either text that you type in, or by uploading a logo), and you're done! You can even send your newly watermarked photo from PicMarkr right into Flickr, making it super simple to brand your best work.

The Oval Digital Photo Keychain

GeekSugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:00:44 -0700

Digital picture keychains are something I haven't had the chance to take for a test drive. I'm assuming they'd make the perfect gift for proud grandparents and doting soccer moms or even the party girl in us all.

From what I've read and heard, they are ridiculously easy to use. For instance with this digital picture keychain by Brando, all you have to do is insert the software, connect the keychain to your computer via the included USB cord and start uploading photos. This oval model is said to hold up to thirty-five images, but I'm sure that will depend on quality and size of your pictures.

Each keychain only costs $23 and is available in blue, red and yellow.

To check out more images of this digital pic keychain, read more

View 7 Photos ›

A Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Idea!

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:35:34 -0700

Looking for a last-minute gadget to get your mom for Mother's Day?

This digital picture converter by Hammacher Schlemmer is a great way to bring your mom into the 21st century! Easier then a conventional scanner, this nifty device will back up all your mom's photos into digital format, so she'll never have to worry about losing negatives or prints again!

By placing photos in a tray that slides into a converter, the pictures will be recorded with the touch of a button. The converter is connected to your computer via a USB cable and unfortunately is for PCs only. It's priced at $150, which isn't totally outrageous considering you can scan all your albums in a short amount of time!