As promised, here is a video tutorial on shooting pictures with SL shadows using the Second Life Viewer 2.1 which you can download from here. Please be sure to check the system requirements to make sure you have the right kind of computer to run Second Life. Unfortunately on that page it does not tell us which video cards would be ideal for running shadows. Rumor has it that the majority of ATI cards do not work well with shadows, but please ask around and do some research to find out for sure.

I recently purchased a new computer and things seem to be working well for me so I am sharing my system specifications to give you guys an idea of what I’m running.
Processor: Intel Core i3 530 2.9Ghz dual core
Memory: 8GB DDR3
Video card: NVIDIA GTX460 1Gb
Hard drive: 500GB 7200rpm
Windows 7 64bit

And now here’s the video or you can also view it on my youtube page:

You might notice some sharp editing in there at times. That’s because I have a pretty bad cold and I had to edit myself out coughing a few times LOL.

For those that cannot view or hear the video, I followed the steps to enable shadows that Banana Vella outlined in her blog post here.

Maybe later today (but probably tomorrow) I will do another video tutorial about shadows but using Kirstens Viewer.

Now again I do not have any technical training, so I’m sure I mispronounced things and/or didn’t show the best way to do it. So if you have any other information you think will be beneficial to the readers, please feel free to share it in the comments or do your own tutorial and link it in the comments. I would love to gather more information on how to go about using and shooting shadows more efficiently.

Thank you!

» You can view all of my current tutorials on my tutorials page.

Credits:
*Skin: []::Tuli::[] Audrey (tone 2/co/fr) :: 03 by Tuli Asturias
Prim Eyes: Ibanez Tranquil Eyes – Priestess by Annie Ibanez
*Hair: “LoQ Hairs” Turkish Coffee – Light Brown by Gia Pawpad (FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Dress + Flowers: BOOM Narcissus-Wilted (For Designers United) by Aranel Ah
*Shoes: Kalnins Footwear – Plastique by Maris Kanto
Bracelet: LaGyo beauty bracelet by Gyorgyna Larnia
*Ring: Zaara : Kashiti bobble ring *pearl* (gold) by Zaara Kohime
*Poses: Diesel Works by Rogan Diesel (From the Berrylicious set) :D

*Promotional copies

This is a raw image from SL

Last night the lovely Achariya took me shopping for more boy clothes cuz ya know I am seriously lacking in that department. Usually when I post as a boy I’m naked! :P We decided to do two different posts together, to show more of the goodies available for the boys at Hair Fair. To see her post with us looking like jailbirds (LOL), check out her flickr or her blog a little later for style details.

Also please note that this picture is a raw image from SL using the Kirstens Viewer. The only thing I did was crop it. Shooting with SL shadows using the SL 2.1 viewer can be very very tricky and time consuming. I was pleasantly surprised to discover yesterday that using the Kirstens Viewer is actually a lot better and you can take high res snapshots using the shadows. I will do an indepth video tutorial on shadows, speaking about both viewers, in a day or two.

Credits:
What Achariya is wearing: (right)
HAIR: [Shag] Boy’s Don’t Cry – darkblond
OTHER HAIR: booN vine shaved hair base in blond
Earrings: FlipSide Tunnel and Hoop set
Eyes: Ibanez Eyes Rivendell Dark – Honey
Shoes: Akeyo chuck lowtop
Shirt: Zaara Isis shirt *white*
Skin: Muism Aaron Shoreditch A1 Bald
Pants: Zaara Chinos *black*
Vest: Schadenfreude Pewter Deep V Vest

What Berry is wearing: (left)
*Skin: ISPACHI Skin [ GABRIEL ] by Diarmuid Miklos
*Hair: Exile by Kavar Cleanslate (FOR HAIR FAIR)
Shirt: :sey RetroBorder-PoloShirt/B[Guys] by risey Arai
Pants: !ZooBong : Sekh Jeans (Dark Brown) by Ajay Giano
Shoes: Picnic panu shoes [black] by nyasyousa Oh
*Poses: Diesel Works by Rogan Diesel
*Promotional copies

The realism in this skin amazes me! Gabriel is the latest male skin from Ispachi. He is set to be released tomorrow with loads of options to choose from. Please note that these pictures are minimally photoshopped. This is pretty much how these skins look inworld and damn I cannot stop staring at myself!

Here is some more information about these skins:

1. 8 skin tones to choose from (pale to chocolate)
2. 12 facial hair options
3. bald and hairbase options
4. with and without body hair options
5. the skin will come with a scripted penis to match your skin tone exactly

What a great idea it is to offer the penis with each skin for a perfect match. This in itself is a great selling point! I chose not to blog it though cuz I couldn’t stop giggling at myself when I had it on…so y’all will just have to go down and check it out for yourself. LOL

Check out Carthalis’ post on Gabriel to see all the skin tones and options!

I hope everyone’s having a great long weekend and Happy Labor Day! <3

Credits:
*Skin: ISPACHI Skin [ GABRIEL ] by Diarmuid Miklos (COMING SOON)
*Hair: First picture: .::MADesigns HAIR::. – Second picture: Exile (BOTH ARE FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Necklace: [AB]Male Bostonian Limited by Jori Watler
*Eyes: LeLutka
*Poses: Diesel Works

*Promotional copies

I’ve been watching
I’ve been waiting
In the shadows all my time
I’ve been searching
I’ve been living
For tomorrows all my life

The Rasmus

Can you tell I’m having a blast playing with shadows? It’s become my new love…and yes for those of you who have asked me about it…I’m working on a video tutorial for them! :)

Credits:
*Skin: [LeLutka]-LOLA_lgt-Base(D Brows)hairbase by Minnu Palen
*Hair: !Vanity Hair! Up, Up and Away-noir by Tabata Jewell (FOR HAIR FAIR)
Dress: Hyper Culture – Natasha Gown (Metallic) by Christensia Parkin
Earrings & Bangles: Mandala by kikunosuke Eel
Right hand Ring: Donna Flora VITO black ring by Squinternet Larnia
*Poses: Diesel Works by Rogan Diesel (From the Berrylicious set) :D

*Promotional copies

When I saw this dress on Saeya Nyanda’s flickr my heart skipped a beat. Saeya is one of those people that you can’t help but have an admiration for. She is incredibly talented and this by far is my most favorite dress of the year!

See all of the other gorgeous designs available for Designers United.

Credits:
*Skin: &Bean – hounds of love TAN Korp 3 brow by Keiko Morigi
Prim Eyes: Ibanez Tranquil Eyes – Platinum by Annie Ibanez
*Hair: Curio Louise – Black by Rita Groshomme (FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Dress: Kyoot – DUIV Dark Lycorine Dress (Gown & Mini Dress Top) by Saeya Nyanda (FOR DESIGNERS UNITED)
*Hat: Kyoot – DUIV Dark Narcissus Hat by Saeya Nyanda (FOR DESIGNERS UNITED)
*Ring: Kyoot – DUIV Dark Narcissus Pearl Ring by Saeya Nyanda (FOR DESIGNERS UNITED)
*Poses: /GEEZ/ by Grazia Horwitz

*Promotional copies

I am always amazed how the Second Life community can come together to support another community in need. This weekend brings you the opportunity not once, but twice to reach into your pockets and give for a greater cause. Not only will your avatar look fantastic, but the person behind the screen will also feel great about themselves. Project Donate and Hair Fair both officially open on September 4th.

First lets talk in detail about the project that is very near and dear to my heart. Project Donate is an endeavor started by everyone’s favorite hair stylist, Mr. Truth Hawks himself. Over 150 content creators have come together to make a difference. All items on the sim during this event will have from 50% to 100% of the proceeds going directly to the UNICEF Pakistan Flood Crisis. Project Donate will run from Sept 4th to 19th.

Hair Fair also starts tomorrow and runs from Sept 4th to 19th. The charity for Hair Fair is Wigs for Kids. Before hitting the fair, you might want to take the time to join the Hair Fair Demo group where all of the designers involved are sending their demos so you have the option to try on the hair in the comfort of your own lag-free homes before hitting up the fair.

A big thank you to all those who organized and contributed items to both these events, making it not only a fun-filled shopping weekend, but a fulfilling one as well!

Credits:
*Skin: :: DUTCH TOUCH ::AmbeR:: Ebony – Eagle by Iki Ikarus
*Hair: booN QPT129 hair by boo Nakamura (FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Dress: Prelude – Epine Bleue by Polaire Aeghin
*Tattoo: [HUZ TATS]-Henna Reborn by Hunain Bellic (FOR PROJECT DONATE)
Jewels: Sigma Jewels by Sofi Trenkins (FOR PROJECT DONATE)
*Pose: .:StoRin:. Something Cute by Annah Whitfield (FOR PROJECT DONATE)

*Promotional copies

Hair Fair begins in just a few days and the excitement is overwhelming. Unfortunately RL work has been kicking my ass so I haven’t had the time to really open all the boxes or even begin to sort. However, when I tried this flapper do on by Plurabelle Laszlo of Bliensen + MaiTai Hair, I was reminded of the roaring twenties. This is my quick tribute to the stylish, carefree and adventurous women of that era!

Credits:
*Skin: []::Tuli::[] Audrey (tone 1/br/fr) :: 02 by Tuli Asturias
*Hair: Bliensen + MaiTai Hair – Flashmans – Opium/DarkChocolate with Flapper Hair Corsage by Plurabelle Laszlo (FOR HAIR FAIR)
*Jewels: Dark Mouse by Mouse Mimistrobell
Dress: *Casa Del Shai* White Flamingo Fluff by Shai Delacroix
*Shoes: Maitreya Gold * Hana All Leathers by Onyx LeShelle
Cigarette: JCNY – Madame Couture, Cigarette and Holder ( Size – Long ) by JD Hansen
*Pose: Olive Juice by IsabellaGrace Baroque

*Promotional copies

Over the past few years I’ve taken quite a number of pictures of my avatar with her eyes closed and I’ve always gotten a lot of questions asking how I go about doing that. I’ve tried my best to explain it to everyone that has asked, but I’m not sure if I was clear enough so I thought I would just bite the bullet and go ahead and make a video tutorial outlining the procedure I use.

Here it is, if you have trouble viewing it here you can visit my youtube page:

This was my first time doing a video tutorial so I would love some feedback. Please let me know if I went too fast or didn’t give enough details because I am planning to do more video tutorials in the future so your feedback will be very helpful. After listening to myself I’ve already discovered that I say ummmmm a lot and plurked about it! LOL So definitely going to try not to do that in future tutorials.

This procedure that I use I actually learned from a video tutorial by Ryker Beck a few years ago which you can view here. I encourage you to do that because she has a lot more detail in her video that might be helpful.

EDIT: I just realized that it may be difficult for some people to either view or hear the video and I deeply apologize about that. I did not think of it before and I promise I will do my best to also write out the steps in my blog posts as well.

This is what I do when taking a picture with my eyes closed:

1. Remove any prim lashes.
2. Choose an eye makeup that has a lighter lid so when the eyes are closed they don’t look all black.
3. Hit the snapshot button and look for the freeze frame option (and select it) at the bottom of the snapshot preview box.
4. Reposition your image by using your mouse while you are still in freeze frame mode.
5. Select and deselect the freeze frame option continuously by using your mouse (or the space-bar on the keyboard) until you catch yourself in the middle of a blink. It takes a lot of patience but most of the time I get it within the first few tries.
6. Hit save to save your snapshot to disk :)

» You can view all of my current tutorials on my tutorials page.

Credits:
*Skin: :: DUTCH TOUCH ::Yri:: Coffee – Dreamy HBBrown CL1 by Iki Ikarus
Hair: !lamb. Lost – Kit Kat by Lamb Bellic
Top: MichaMi: Kat (top) in Golden Brown by Milla Michinaga
Ring: MIEL MIA RING by Mika Nieuport
*Pose: Diesel Works by Rogan Diesel (From the Berrylicious Pose Set) :D

*Promotional copies

Also because I am SURE someone will ask me HOW I did this video tutorial, I used Camtasia Studio 7. :P

A big thank you to Mr. Truth Hawks for taking the time to organize this. If you are a blogger or designer and would like to take part in this event, please read the Project Donate blog for more information and add them as a contact on flickr! Thank you! <3

Project Donate – UNICEF Pakistan Flood Crisis Fund

Dear lovely SL merchant! <3

I know this is very short notice but this may be something we can do on a regular and ongoing basis. UNICEF are currently raising funds for the Pakistan Flood Crisis. Millions of people have been affected and thousands are without homes.

If you’d like to be part of this fund raising effort you could donate all or part of the proceeds of an item/s (I’d like to request at least 50% of your item/s – can be exclusive, existing, discounted whatever you like!) The point is to raise as much money as we can in the 2 week period.

I will be donating 100% of the proceeds of one hairstyle and doubling the amount raised off my item to go towards this cause. I’ll advertise the fund through my update group and list all the merchants involved. I have ordered a sim “Project Donate” from which you will vend your items (in addition to your own locations). You are free to landmark to your own stores from this location which will be entirely removed from my own sim.

I’ve created an account “Unicef Rainfall” which will collect the proceeds. Once you confirm you’d like to participate I’ll send out all necessary split scripts etc. You will also need a group space available to place your item/s.

Thank you for considering and hope to have you on board!

If you’d like to move forward just send Unicef Rainfall a notecard with your name, store, landmark…sorry this is all a bit informal at the moment :P

<3
Truth Hawks

UNICEF Project Application (Designers)

Your name:
Your brands name:
Your mainstore lm:
Any other designers within the brand:
How many items would you like to donate:
At what percentage (going to the charity:
Any other notes:

Please be warned you will need a group space!

UNICEF Project Application (Bloggers)

Your name:
Your blogs url:
How long has your blog been active:
Will you be available on the 3rd of September for pre-event access?:
Have you blogged about this event already?:

Please be warned you will need a group space!

The skin I am wearing in this post is free from Dutch Touch if you are in the VIP group. Iki Ikarus is currently developing this skin and would love to get some feedback. Read the Dutch Touch blog for more information.

Credits:
Skin: Dutch Touch
*Hair: Tiny Bird
*Eyes: LeLutka

Promotional copies

“The essence of existence is the magic of being needed and helping others in their time of need.”

Please give generously, your assistance is needed.
Severe flooding in Pakistan
How to help Pakistan’s Flood Victims
Project Donate – For SL residents that want to help!

Thank you. ♥

Credits:
*Skin: !Imabee: Roots – Serene – Untouched / DKbrow / by Brendon Papp
Eyes: Poetic Color Eyes – quicksilver – by Lano Ling
*Hair: Exile Roselle/brownsugar by Kavar Cleanslate
Necklace: *GJK*Strawberry choker by Ginza Kohime (Thank you Mr. Jefferson <3)
*Top: *SiSSi* Moxy Midriff Tank Red by Sissi String
*Pose: !BANG by Trieste Minuet

*Promotional copies