Filed under Entertainment, Events by Strawberry Singh on May 1, 2010 at 7:41 pm
2 comments
I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking that Berry has no idea that she is all dressed up as a baseball playing princess while standing in a soccer field (or football for you perhaps :P). Trust me, I know I am in a soccer field and I know all the differences between those two sports (I think) 
No really, I do! :/
Anyhow here’s the story behind these pictures. I’ve been wanting to shoot pictures in this gorgeous soccer stadium for about 2 weeks now ever since the owner, John Zelnik, contacted me to start an advertising campaign on my site. The sim immediately caught my attention because it is so unique. The name of the sim is Virtual Bosphorus & FC Inter SL and it is the first and only Turkish Linden Lab Community Gateway. They have orientation information in both the Turkish and English languages for the SL Turkish and other communities. They have been around for over 2 years and have created a fully functional stadium where matches are actually played. They also have a virtual soccer academy where they teach residents how to play soccer in SL. The sim is quite big and has great traffic so it’s also a great place to rent a satellite store since they have a mall surrounding the stadium. If you are looking for a great rental spot or more information about the soccer academy, club that can be rented for parties or anything at all, feel free to contact John Zelnik for further information. Him and his wife, Princess Dikes, are the owners and are very friendly and helpful.
So I was on the hunt for a cute soccer outfit to shoot on the sim when Eboni Khan dropped this latest SLDD exclusive baseball princess uniform. I tried to look for a baseball sim but I couldn’t find one. How the heck does SL not have a baseball sim??? Srsly people?? Or perhaps I missed it, I dunno. Anyhow, I just thought this outfit was totally adorable and it comes with the baseball bat and three cute poses from Glitterati. Talk about an awesome deal! So if you haven’t signed up for SLDD this month, I suggest you do, so you can get your hands on this baby that is already available in the store right now.
Check out the Calendar for SLDD during the month of May. Lots of talented content creators have already signed up and have stuff available on discount. Don’t miss your chance!
Oh btw, I totally messed up the prims on the skirt because I’m so brilliant and didn’t notice until after I had finished photoshopping. There is supposed to be a very pretty white belt that should be visible above the prim skirt, but I had my prims too high when I snapped the pics.
Happy shopping and soccer playing in your new baseball uniform! :P
Credits:
*Skin: -Belleza- Elle Dark Mocha by Tricky Boucher
*Hair: >TRUTH< Riley - espresso by Truth Hawks
*Outfit + Baseball Bat: ::HH:: Hucci Baseball Princess – SLDD Exclusive by Eboni Khan
*Poses: Glitterati by Katey Coppola (They come with the Hucci Baseball Princess Outfit)
Socks: ~Shabby Cat tube socks~ pink by Sophia Foulsbane
Shoes: SOREAL Superstars PINK/White (SSP005) by Kwamey Pinion
Necklace & Earrings: -Luc- Butterfly Frolic Necklace & Earrings Silver by Lucas Lameth
Location: Virtual Bosphorus & FC Inter SL
*Review items and/or gifts.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Filed under Coming soon, Contests by Strawberry Singh on April 25, 2010 at 4:49 pm
26 comments
When I first heard about the Belleza contest, the only reason I thought of entering was because it gave me another chance to get into my male shape, favorite male skin and play around in Photoshop. I love doing portrait shots, and this was just another great opportunity.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become one of the finalists, let alone actually win the contest! I am still in shock and shaking as I type this. The other finalists are some of the best photographers in SL that I look up to and strive to be like one day.
I am honored, humbled and very very thankful to the Belleza team and to all those that have taken the time to IM, plurk, email etc… to say congrats and encourage me. I am so thankful to be part of such a loving community. You guys have made my Second Life (and now my RL) even more happier and richer.
I love you! ♥
I’d also like to add, the finalists received the shape, skin and eyes that you see in the picture and I believe this is by far the best male skin Tricky Boucher has created. The details, shading and everything is so delicious. It works great on this shape and also with my own male shape. The name of the skin is Shawn and I believe it will be released very shortly, so keep an eye out for it!
>> Slurl to Belleza
or join the inworld group to know when it’s released!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Filed under Tutorials, Women's Fashion by Strawberry Singh on April 23, 2010 at 10:53 pm
30 comments
So you want to be a fashion blogger? Good for you!
A blog (short for “web log”) is an online journal of one’s thoughts and interests. Many members of the Second Life community use blogs to chronicle their exploration of or interests on the grid. A popular topic for many residents is fashion.
A fashion blog can cover the varying aspects of the SL fashion industry from the writer’s unique viewpoint and/or showcases the writer’s personal style.
As you embark on your journey into the blogosphere, here are a few things to keep in mind before beginning.
(I do not consider myself to be an expert; these tips and suggestions are merely knowledge that I have picked up along the way.)
This post will cover:
Getting Started
Choosing a Blog Host
Most people generally start out by utilizing the tools provided by a free blogging service. Two very popular blog publishing platforms are Blogger (included in the Google Accounts portfolio of products) and WordPress. There are pros and cons to using both. A free blogging provider will have a limit to the amount of file storage/memory your free account can contain. Using a photo-sharing service to host your images (see below) or an online document storage tool like Google Docs can offset these storage limitations.
When using a free blog host, make sure that you carefully read the “fine print” in the Terms of Service prior to getting started. On WordPress, for example, displaying advertisements is strictly prohibited. If you are planning to use your blog as a promotional tool that generates revenue through banner or button advertising, WordPress is not the choice for you.
For a comprehensive comparison of the features offered by both services, click here.
Many bloggers eventually host their blog within their own domain, upgrading from some of the limitations of using a free service provider. To learn more about using a free blogging service versus hosting your own blog, click here.
Choosing a Photo-sharing Site
Click thumbnail to enlarge
A photo-sharing site allows users to upload and publish their digital format photos online. Photos can typically be shared publicly, to a specified person or group of people, or kept completely private for the account holder’s eyes only.
Using a service like this to host photos can not only free up storage space on your blog, but also promote your work within the photo-sharing community that you choose.
Flickr, the service that I am most familiar with, has a very large and active community of amateur and professional photographers, artists and enthusiasts from Second Life. Because of this, it can serve as a great social networking tool!
Once again, if you decide to use a photo sharing site for hosting the pictures on your blog, keep in mind that they also have terms and conditions attached to their service that users must agree to at sign-up. Flickr, for example, has a set of Community Guidelines. Part of their requirement is that user photos must be linked back to the original photo page.
Other photo sharing sites might have similar regulations they want you to follow so remember: read the fine print!
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guidelines & Disclosure Policies
Please note the changes to FTC Guidelines became effective on October 2009 regarding product endorsements and testimonials. Fitting with this spirit of transparency in product reviewing, many bloggers do include a disclosure policy page on their blog or otherwise indicate which featured items were provided as au gratis review copies.
Creating Your Blog’s Framework
Now that we’ve discussed blog and photo sharing service providers, it’s time to jump into choosing a name for your blog and considerations for your first posts.
Choosing a Name for Your Blog
When choosing a name, try to make it something that’s memorable. It should be relatable to you and/or the subject matter you will be covering. This will affect how your blog shows up in search engine results and whether visitors to feeds that syndicate your posts will find your title to be eye-catching.
Your blog name should:
- describe your blog (content)
- be easy to remember
If people don’t get an understanding of what your blog is all about as they quickly scan chances are that they won’t click.
Writing for the Web
A buzz word that is thrown around when describing the development of content for Web 2.0 is “sticky”. “Sticky content refers to content published on a website, which has the purpose of getting a user to return to that particular website or hold their attention and get them to spend longer periods of time at that site. Webmasters use this method to build up a community of returning visitors to a website” – Source: wikipedia.com.
The fundamental way to keep your blog “sticky” is to have concise, informative writing.
When writing for online audiences:
- keep it short (unlike printed content, people won’t spend a lot of time reading information on their computer screens)
- keep it simple by using plain, familiar language
- elaborate by providing a lot of links to other information to support your ideas and thoughts
- write in inverted pyramid style, putting your most important information first
- break your content up into digestible sections; use …
- headings or subheadings
- bold, italics, underline to format for emphasis
- bulleted or numbered lists to break up points
For further information on writing for the web, visit:
Designers are People Too
Whilst maintaining a fashion blog, you will inevitably come in contact with many designers for various reasons.
Second Life designers are people just like you and I. Many have not received formal training to produce the items they may be selling inworld; they create for enjoyment and in the pursuit of self-expression. They stumbled upon Second Life just like you and I and saw a vehicle through which they would find fulfillment in creating.
Whether requesting review items or simply just featuring your favourite designs/designers, here’s a few things to remember when interacting with content creators.
- Be courteous. Treat them with the same level of respect and courtesy you would also expect in return. Your mother taught you the Golden Rule for a reason.
- Be informed. Before contacting them read their profiles to see how they like to be contacted and what their review copy policy is. This goes for bloggers, magazines, mall rentals, hunts, daily specials, etc.
- Be reasonable. Review copies are not an obligation, they are a courtesy. Designers and content creators are not required to shower them upon bloggers. If they decline your request or don’t respond they may feel that your blog image is not in line with how they want their products to be represented. Don’t take it personally; there are many other opportunities.
- Be respectful. In reviewing items, if you notice any flaws, it is proactive and respectful to reach out to the designer first to constructively let them know that the flaw exists (they may not have noticed themselves) and, if you so choose, that you may not be blogging their item(s) as a result. Remember, “constructive criticism is criticism kindly meant that has a goal of improving some area of another person’s life or work”. Your constructive criticism can be a source of valuable information for future products for this particular creator.
One of my favorite reviewers is Grazia Horwitz. Her tactful skin reviews are very detailed, well-researched, concise, eloquent and, most importantly, non- condescending.
Give Credit Where Credit is Due
Instead of getting into a huge debate about how important it is to credit and provide as much information as possible, I’ll just tell you a little story.
Once upon a time, when I was a total newb with only a few weeks under my belt (and still looking horribly inadequate), I stumbled upon an amazing fashion blog! In this blog, this wonderful human being/avatar was wearing these gorgeous eyelashes that I did not even know existed on the grid.
I read the post completely and was delighted to find that at the bottom of the post she had listed where she got these eyelashes from and even the SLurl to the store.
I quickly teleported to the location there and since then I have been in prim eyelash heaven. I remember that day clearly and I have always gone back to her blog and it still to this day remains as one of my favorites.
I hope this illustrates how important it is to list even the smallest of details and how much your readers will love and appreciate you for it … and designers, when your post(s) refer new customers to their store.
Increase Your Traffic
You’ve got your blog (with a snappy name), you’ve styled the perfect look and arranged it all in a stunning post that Shakespeare himself would be envious of.
Now … how do you let people know about it? How do you direct readers to your masterpiece?
Social Media
On my blog, I actually get the most referrer traffic from, believe it or not, Plurk! I must admit that my Plurk buddies are very good to me; they support me, encourage me and every time I post about new content on my blog to followers of my timeline the majority of them click and come on over to read/view. Thank you, Plurkers. You have no idea how much I appreciate that! ♥
The second place my blog gets the most referrer traffic from is Flickr (remember I mentioned the value of this as a social networking tool?). I’ve been using Flickr for photo sharing for almost 3 years and during that time I have accumulated a lot of contacts. Those contacts also click on over to my blog whenever they see my blog photos show up on Flickr. I also link from Flickr to my blog posts.
This just goes to show that joining various social networking sites will not only gain you more friends and acquaintances, but it will assist you in promoting your blog posts and get the word out there.
Syndicated Feeds
There are many Fashion Feeds run by Second Life Residents that also bring quite a lot of referrer traffic to my blog. Here are just a few that I am a part of and get the most hits from:
Remember to read each of their terms and conditions carefully for they all have different rules and regulations you must meet in order to join them.
Shake it Off
Finally, I’d like to prepare you for a few things you might experience as one who becomes labeled as a “Second Life Fashion Blogger.”
As Dr. Seuss once said, “Do what you want and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”.
No matter what you do in life (or Second Life) people will criticize you, whether they know you, think they know you or don’t know you at all.
As a public blogger, you are putting yourself out there for people to see – your avatar, your thoughts and opinions. Your blog is now a manifestation of “you” in the public eye and people will talk smack about you.
“OMGahz how many fashion bloggers does the grid really NEED???!!!!!1″, they’ll exclaim.
People publicly will criticize your writing skills, your stance on review copies, your styling and clothing preferences, the way you list your credits, your avatar shape and appearance. Some will say your butt is too big; others will be adamant that it’s barely there. There’s no end to the criteria that they will scrutinize in an attempt to devalue you and your work. Shake it off and keep going.
I see these kinds of things happening all over social networking sites and different inworld groups on a daily basis.
The most important thing to remember is that this is your fashion blog, not theirs. Don’t let others discourage you from pursuing things that you enjoy! Blog your style, what you like, what you feel comfortable in and what you want to share with your readers. Everyone has their own tastes and your blog will attract the people that appreciate your style.
My reason for blogging is simply because I love to take pictures and play with them in Photoshop. Sometimes, I see an article of clothing inworld and get so inspired by it, wanting so badly to just throw it on, run to the sim that I want to take a picture at, share a quote or poem that will express what I’m feeling right at that moment and blog it. I get so excited with this idea that at times I do not even notice the large gaping seam on my hip or if I’m wearing the wrong prims, or whatever else I have messed up that day.
These things happen, we are human. We will miss things and we will make mistakes. Just don’t let it get you down and remember what brings you back to blogging and what you love most about it.
So that’s pretty much all of the advice and suggestions I have to offer.
Never forget, this is your fashion blog. Do what you like and say what you feel… as long as you are coming from a place of positivity that brings enjoyment to your life.
Remember to have fun because that’s why we’re all here!
Happy blogging! ♥
» You can view all of my current tutorials and see coming titles on my tutorials page.
Credits for the pic:
*Skin: -Belleza- Elle Dark Mocha pack by Tricky Boucher
Eyes: Poetic Color eyes – quicksilver by Lano Ling
*Eyelashes: Amacci ~ Eyelashes “Charm” – Black by Carina Larsen
Hair: *eha~ Sang Darktone Fat by Salut Erin
*Review items and/or gifts.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Filed under Photoshop Tutorials, Tutorials by Strawberry Singh on April 14, 2010 at 11:13 pm
15 comments
Now that you have your high-res snapshot you are ready to take it into Photoshop to refine and tweak to get the best possible quality image.
Before we begin, it is crucial to note that this tutorial has been written for intermediate level users with a basic knowledge of Photoshop CS3 tools.
When working in Photoshop, there is often more than one way to manipulate your photographic information. As such, for the purposes of this tutorial, I will not rely heavily on using shortcuts. For a complete listing of shortcuts for Photoshop versions 5 to CS4, click here.
For other tutorials, visit my tutorials page.
Please note that I am no expert, nor have I ever received any specialized training. I can only offer advice, suggestions and tips that I have picked up along the way from my two years of Photoshop experience. If you see any mistakes in any of the information I have provided below or feel that you can add more to my explanation please feel free to leave it in the comments section. Thank you.
With the unedited photo below as a starting point, this tutorial will cover:
- Working with Layers
- Adjustment Tools and Filters
a. Liquify
b. Curves
c. Dodge, Burn and Blur
d. Going overboard
- Cropping
- Resizing
- Save for web
- Tutorials by Second Life Residents
Unedited high-res snapshot (original size 4000 x 2355); click to enlarge
Working with Layers
Click thumbnail to enlarge
One of Photoshop’s most basic and powerful features is layers. Each layer in a Photoshop document is a separate image which can be edited without affecting any information on the other layers. Layers are arranged in a hierarchy (one on top of the other).
Before starting to edit the original image, I suggest that you first duplicate the layer you will be working from. Doing so serves as your “back-up plan” since Photoshop’s undo/redo history is limited in the number of steps it stores. If you make a mistake or are unsatisfied with an outcome, you can go back to your original layer and start over..
In duplicating a layer, you are basically making a carbon copy of the original “parent” image.
To create a duplicate layer, go into the ‘Layer’ menu then choose the ‘Duplicate Layer’ option.
Once clicked, you will notice a small sub-menu window pop up. This is the Layers palette (if you don’t see anything show up on your screen, press the F7 key and it should appear). This palette contains many useful operations.
Your Layers palette shows all active layers in your document. You can manipulate and reorganize from this handy little sub-menu.
» Want more info on mastering layers? View this video Photoshop CS4 Layers or take a look at ‘Finding Your Way around the Layers Palette in Photoshop’ from dummies.com.
Adjustment Tools and Filters
Click thumbnail to enlarge
Photoshop provides a plethora of adjustment tools and filters. Here are the basic ones that I use on almost every image I work with.
• Liquify is your best friend. The first adjustment I always make to my images is Liquify, which – when used with an expert touch – can reduce jagged edges on photographic subjects and fix other Second Life visual glitches that show up in snapshots. Liquify is a warping tool that can be found in the ‘Filters’ menu. Why warp? Warping will allow you to easily and seamlessly smooth out angular details in your image. It can also allow you to subtly reduce or enlarge desired elements. How do you think magazine photo editors keep models looking so thin? Once you select Filter > Liquify, an options window will pop up. Do a little experimenting and play around a bit with brush sizes to see how applying (click+mouse dragging) the brush to your image will affect it. As you can see from my unedited shot, areas on my elbows, chest and abdomen need to be smoothed to get rid of the angular features. I targeted those areas, switching between several brush sizes as needed, and applied them until I was satisfied with the outcome.
Please note: I do not recommend that fashion bloggers use Liquify to correct any seams or other glitches, or drastically alter the appearance of clothing or skin products for review photos. This is unethical as it does not reflect product truths.
» Want more info on mastering the Liquify tool? Check out this great video by resident Vint Falken.
• Love Your Curves. If I could have the use of just one adjustment tool, it would have to be Curves. Curves can be found in the ‘Image’ menu under ‘Adjustments.’ I actually use the provided presets quite often, but you can play around and push or pull on the line to adjust certain areas of your image. Curves allows you to isolate tonal values (highlights, mid-tones, shadows) and emphasize or de-emphasize them. Using curves can drastically change the dramatic quality of your image by emphasizing the relationship between light-and-dark areas. There are many other tools through Image > Adjustments menu that allow you to achieve contrast lighting affects. Some of my favorites are ‘Brightness/Contrast’ and Hue/Saturation.
Once again, don’t be afraid to experiment … and remember to duplicate your layer each time before attempting another adjustment so you can easily revert back to your previous layer if you do not like the outcome.
» Want more info on mastering curves? Check out this is a great video on the ‘Power of Curves’.
Click thumbnail to enlarge
• Dodge, burn and blur me. Dodge and burn are some of my favorite tools because they can provide very subtle or very drastic effects depending on how you use them.
Dodge and burn allow you to add light exposure to areas of your snapshot. Dodge is great for making certain areas of your image lighter, whereas burn will darken. Burn is great for making shadows. I often use it to create subtle shadows on different parts of the face and body.
» Want more info on mastering dodge and burn? Check out this is a short video showing you how you can change the range, brush size and exposure.
Blur is a very useful tool – if used wisely. Change the brush size and strength of the blur tool and apply to areas of your image to see the effects. Blur can be used to create depth and dimensionality. For example, creating a background blur to define background and foreground in your photos.
For the edges of my avatar I increase the strength and decrease the brush size to a small enough size so that when using the blur brush around the edges of my avatar I do not blur over any part that is not on the edge. The intent of this is to remove the jagged edges.
Then, I continue to decrease or increase the strength and brush sizes depending on which area of the image I am working on.
• Don’t go overboard on adjustments! There is definitely such a thing as Photoshop overkill when it comes to certain Filters. I will highlight some of the ones that are commonly overused.
Sharpen is great when used with moderation. If you oversharpen an image it can make the edges of the subject look jagged with an unnatural-looking glare. Applying the Sharpen filter too many times can also cause the image to breakup as each individual pixel stands out more from the others.
Over-blurring will remove any – or possibly all – details from the clothing and or skin you are trying to review and result in an indistinguishable blob. It also makes your image hard to focus on and not easy on the eyes.
Lens Flare is something I use sparingly because it is one of those things that if used incorrectly can really throw off your complete image. However it does add a bit of realism and drama to your picture … so I understand the desire to use it.
When using Lens Flare, keep in mind that it normally and naturally occurs as a result of light refraction in real life photography; when there are single or multiple bright light sources (e.g. the sun) hitting a shiny surface (like water or glass). For a camera, this causes a lighting glare inside the lens of the camera.
Crop
Click thumbnail to enlarge
Cropping is one of the most important parts of the image editing process. If a beautifully edited image is cropped incorrectly, it can actually take away from the composition and all of your hard work.
When cropping, there are certain things you want to keep in mind. For a more interesting composition, try not to always center your main object. This does not always have to be the case for every image but most objects are more interesting if placed off-center. Don’t believe me? Educate yourself about “The Rule of Thirds”.
Cropping can also allow you to emphasize a part of the image that you might want to give more importance – your focal point. Through cropping, you can also change the orientation of the image from vertical to horizontal or vice versa.
To crop, click the Crop Tool in your Tools Panel/Palette to select the area you would like to keep (click and drag to your desired specifications) and then hit your Enter key to apply the crop.
Resize
Click thumbnail to enlarge
Once you have finished the editing process and cropped your picture, it is now time to resize it. Resizing an image by decreasing the dimensions will also assist in removing any last jagged edges or glitches that you may have overlooked in the editing process.
To resize an image go to the ‘Image’ menu and then click ‘Image Resize.’ You will get a popup where you can input your new dimensions, which you define by pixels or by percentage. Before changing any numbers make sure the Constrain Proportions setting is checked and then change the width of your image only to your desired width.
I usually save my photos at a width of between 1024 and 1500 pixels to upload them to my Flickr photo sharing account. If you upload directly to your blog then you can resize the picture to the size you would normally post them on your blog.
» For other online photo sharing account services, click here.
Save for Web
Click thumbnail to enlarge
You have edited, cropped and resized your image and now you are ready for the final step!
Saving is also an important part of the process because most fashion bloggers have their blogs syndicated on various fashion feeds. Therefore, it is in good practice to save the image with the lowest possible file size while still maintaining the quality of the image so it is easy for blog/feed readers to download your pictures on a slower connection.
I would recommend using the ‘Save for Web‘ option that can be found in the ‘File’ menu. Saving the image as a JPEG (.jpg) will keep the file size smaller. You can pick and choose the best compression quality by seeing how much it affects the quality of the image and at the same time keeping the file size well under 500K.
Once you’ve found that sweet spot, hit save and name your file. Now you are ready to upload your picture to your photo sharing site and/or fashion blog!
» To learn more about the best use of GIF, JPEG and PNG web-safe image formats, click here.
Tutorials by Second Life Residents
Over the course of my time taking pictures in Second Life and then looking for ways to make them even better, I have come across several blogs and videos created by other Second Life residents that I found to be very useful.
Here are just a few you can also learn from:
Now you are ready to start posting pictures to your very own fashion blog! If you don’t have a fashion blog, sit tight because in just a few days I will post my next tutorial: Fashion Blogging 101.
Thanks for reading! <3
» You can view all of my current tutorials and see coming titles on my tutorials page.
Credits for what I’m wearing in the picture:
*Skin: -Belleza- Elle Dark Mocha pack by Tricky Boucher
*Hair: >TRUTH< Valerie – espresso by Truth Hawks
Bathing suit: :bijou: Unlack [champagneGold] by Kotobuki Jewell
*Pose: Diesel Works by Rogan Diesel
*Review items and/or gifts.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Filed under Events, Fashion by Strawberry Singh on April 14, 2010 at 1:13 am
4 comments
Page 10 of 14« First...«89101112»...Last »
