Dull to Glamourous Photoshop Transformation

Acne is no longer a problem when it comes to taking pictures. There is in fact, no need for make up at all! Photoshop does everything for you to give you the best profile picture. No matter how dull the pose or the look is, with Photoshop you can make it look glamorous.

Here is what I mean...

First, you have to analyze the photo and see what is missing and what needs to be added to it to enhance it.

We start by cleaning off the acne using the Patch Tool in Adobe Photoshop followed by a little airbrushing to even out the skin tone and texture.

Next, we adjust the brightness and contrast and using the Liquify tool, adjust the eyebrows and nose structure.

 We then add more hair by copying a portion of it from the existing hair.

 Now we adjust the color of the image to bring a nice mood to the picture.

 Voila! The picture now looks more alive.

Trust me, with Photoshop, even poop can look sexy! :)

I will be posting a video on this transformation by the end of this week.

For any inquiries and requests, email me at designaholism@gmail.com

Car Tuning Logo Designs

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to post some logo designs I did for an acquaintance for his Facebook page. His page is all about Cars Tuning, where he posts all sorts of ideas and pictures related to it.

Below are some of the designs I came up with

I tried to include the race flag and movement elements in it to support the tuning concept.
I personally like the first two from the top.
The one he went for was the first one from the top.
Let me know what you think of them!

Oh and don't forget to Like his page on Facebook! and if you haven't Liked my page yet, you can click here and do so :)
Thanks and have a great weekend! :)

Converting a Black and White image to Colored using Adobe Photoshop

Do you have really old pictures from your parents' or grandparents' times that are in Black and White and you would love to bring them to life in color? or did you get a picture snapped in black and white and now you want to have it in color?

It is very simple to achieve that in Adobe Photoshop. You can either use the Hue/Saturation tool, or use the brush tool (that's what I have used).

Below is a picture I converted to color and enhanced a bit to my liking.

You can view the video tutorial I created on it below:

If you have a picture that you need to convert to color, do not hesitate to contact me at designaholism@gmail.com

Have a great day! :)
Nooreen

5 Useful Logo Designing Tips

Okay, I am no pro here, but I have some valuable tips I can give from my own experience on things one should consider when designing a logo.

1. Concept
- This is the most important thing, depending on what you are selling. Try to reflect your company's personality in the logo. A logo does not necessarily have a product you are selling in it, you can also build your own identity in form of a certain shape, color or using logo type. For example, Apple Inc. does not sell apples, yet it has an Apple as a logo and it works very well. Just make sure the logo has the personality of your company or brand.

 

http://derickberry.com/Images/logo-samples/az-eye.png

 The logo above has an eye within it, a good representation of the company name.

http://sd3167.sivit.org/lny2010/images/LogoNike-768364.gif

The Nike logo on the other hand, does not have any image of its sportswear or equipment in it, but has a single and simple swoosh on it, which effectively portrays flexibility, movement and speed in my opinion.

2. Planning
- Before you start designing, plan the basic idea out. You know what you want to show, now think of how you want to show it.
Think of a few ideas of execution in terms of design, colour etc
Write down notes/checklists and make sketches.

3. Simplicity
- Try to make your logo simple and have a point of focus on the main concept. You do not want a lot of elements present in it to confuse your client.
- Too many colours and fonts are also not necessary,
- If you do plan to use many colours. fonts or elements, place them in a way that is clear and comfortable to one's eyes.

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Target_logo.svg/432px-Target_logo.svg.png

The image above is a good example of a simple but effective logo

http://designtutorials4u.com/45-awesomecolorful-logo-designs-for-your-inspiration/

A good example of a colorful yet simple and meaningful logo.

4. Scalable and can be converted to Black and White.
 - A logo should be designed in such a way that when scaled to any size, it remains legible. Also note that this logo might be printed in in various places and having very fine details in it can not come out clearly when printed on different items.
- A logo should also be made in such a way that when used in black and white, it still remains legible and looks good.

5. Unique
- Remember, every product or brand should have a Unique Selling Point, something that makes it different and better from others, so why use a common design for a logo?
Make you logo unique, original and interesting. That itself will reflect on your company image.

I hope the above will be helpful to you.

One final word: Practice makes perfect, so keep practicing till you get something you like; then simplify it, clean it up and polish it!

Thanks for reading, and remember to Like my page on Facebook, and subcribe to my Youtube channel!

Nooreen
designaholism@gmail.com

Chanel Handbag attacked by the Gradient Mesh Tool

Mesh tool has become my passion now, I love how after a frustrating period of time, something beautiful comes out of it!

Mind you, it is not always frustrating, it is usually fun, but the bag above was not easy! Too many details to look into.

It took me about 3 hours to complete it, including short breaks. It still needs some perfecting to do, but I shall stop here for the time being.

Below is the preview of the images in different forms.

 

Till my next post, stay inspired readers!

We live in a Photoshopped World

I came across this video today that made me reflect a lot on various issues, some of them contradicting my own profession.

Take a look at the video below before I go further

See the thing is, we live in a photoshopped world. Everything around us has been photoshopped in one way  or another to attract people's attention. I am not implying only on the software Adobe Photoshop. I mean EVERYTHING has been altered into something a person would want to see because the world gets attracted to unusual or extraordinary things.

The news channels show people content they think will bring more viewers, hence they alter the truth.

Fashion and cosmetic industries use several techniques to make their models 'more beautiful,' hence altering people's perception of beauty.

All this is done because of competition, money and popularity, which is fine to a certain extent, but when it reaches a point where it affects a person's self esteem (in terms of beauty) or leads to conflicts (in terms of propaganda in news channels), it can be quite damaging.

This is a practice that has gone out of control. Being part of the Advertising industry myself, I personally retouch, transform and manipulate pictures when I have to, and I do that on my Youtube channel in form of tutorials. Considering this is a field of selling, it is fine as long as it doesn't completely alter the truth.

I also feel it is our parents' responsibility to ensure that we grow up focused on other important things instead of obsessing over beauty.

The pictures below shocks me tremendously:

http://www.globalshift.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/human-barbie-injects-teen-daughter-botox-425kk0303.jpg

The image above shows a woman injecting her 15yr old daughter with Botox to prevent wrinkles in the future. The mother herself has spent over £500,000 on cosmetic surgeries.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlVvdQfnebZiMVkAm3BC9pEqgHt55uBywaN97nfgmld9SmYGfuy9ydmyuNMdeAY3VBqeFQrEEBnYV3C0pxGwKIRVaJeQJwonof_TKDB96XZkf8UseQSlamtqJQglYt-lOq-K3vjSqU6Ze/s1600/barbie_in_real_life_20.jpg

The image above is of a Russian girl who endeavors to become a human barbie.

And last but not the least,

http://www.supanet.com/jocelyn-wildenstein-39960.jpg

Plastic Surgery gone wrong!

Remember guys, without all the makeup, 'photoshopping', cosmetic surgeries, packaging etc we are all perfect as we are. Embrace your inner beauty and be proud of yourselves. Nobody looks like that naturally. Never compare yourselves to what you see in various media and take extreme measures to look like that in reality.

I apologize for the long post, just felt the need to share my views.

Have a great weekend!

Nail Designs on Adobe Illustrator

I was really bored last night and decided to do some nail designs on Adobe Illustrator. I love nail art so this was real fun for me!

Each of the designs have been inspired by something. 

I don't know if you can figure out the birds :)

I personally love the leopard print one from the animal print designs. I think I will be painting my nails like that real soon!

I really enjoyed designing these and am thinking of making more soon.

Have a great weekend everyone! Stay creative!

Cheers.

Nooreen

designaholism@gmail.com

Color Correction in Adobe Photoshop

Have you ever taken a picture of yourself or a friend, and it turns out to have a red eye? or we put on too much makeup and ended up looking a bit too dark or brighter than normal?

Well, with the Selective Color option in Photoshop, we can correct that very easily within a few minutes and not let that lovely picture go to waste!

Below is an example of a picture I touched up in less than two minutes.

The image is taken from http://celebfwdmail.blogspot.com/2011/04/orange-aplenty-towies-lauren-goodger.html

You can watch the video tutorial I created below

Enjoy!

Don't forget to Like my page on Facebook! :)

Cheers!

Nooreen

designaholism@gmail.com

Designing Logos

Last night, I randomly had an idea to experiment with the image of an eagle and use it to design a logo.

I initially had no concept, which is a shame, but as I worked on the logo, I got a few ideas where this logo could possibly be used.

I searched an image from the net, traced it out into a silhouette using Adobe Illustrator, and then using a few Illustrator techniques, wrapped it around another image I designed of a globe.

Below is how it turned out.

 

Eagles in my opinion represent power, freedom, focus (because of their powerful vision)

This logo could therefore represent an organization dealing with global empowerment of people, hence enabling freedom,  achievement of goals and power.

I used red as it is the colour of movement, excitement and energy, which suits the eagle perfectly. 

The blue in the globe, adds contrast to the red and makes it more prominent as a globe. 

I find it fascinating how any object or element we come across in our daily life can turn into inspiration if we keep our minds open. 

If interested in a tutorial on this, let me know via comment, email  (designaholism@gmail.com) or  Facebook and I will be glad to make one for you.

For business enquiries, please email me at the address above.

Have a great day everyone!

Vector Shoe Rendering using the Gradient Mesh Tool in Adobe Illustrator

So I got bored one day and decided to render this shoe using the Gradient Mesh tool in Adobe Illustrator (My all time favorite tool!). It came out pretty well so I thought of sharing with you all.

 The original image has been taken from here

 Pretty realistic eh? This is why I love the mesh tool. Brings everything to life in vector form!

If you want to know how to use this tool, you can watch my tutorials on Youtube by clicking here and here.

The series of images below show the original, wireframe and final vector outcome of the shoe.

You know what? This has really inspired me to make  other shoe designs of my own! Let's see how far that goes :)

Till my next post, take care everyone!

Removal of eye glasses from images

It is said that eyes are the window to a person's soul. I don't know much about that, but I can agree that eye contact leads to better communication and portrays more confidence.

Unfortunately, not all people have clear vision and are therefore compelled to wear eye glasses. Eye glasses are not really bad, but they do block the true beauty of a person (unless you are one of those people who are made for glasses!!)

People often get their pictures snapped while wearing glasses and later wish they hadn't worn them. With Photoshop tools such as the Clone Tool, Healing Brush tool and Patch Tool, and a lot of patience, one can successfully get rid of them.

Below is my glass removal progression and outcome on Anne Hathaway. I will be posting a video tutorial on how to achieve this soon.

For more information, requests and business queries, email me at designaholism@gmail.com

Thank you, and till my next post, take care you all!

Mission Retouch & Transform

Have you ever had a photograph of yours that came out too dark, or you had an ugly zit that stopped you from using it somewhere? or you went overboard with your tan and ended up looking fried?

Do you have an old treasured black and white pic of a loved one that you would love to have in color instead?

Are you currently on braces and need a picture without them? Would you like to remove your eye glasses in your picture?

Or leave all that, would you like to magically transform yourself into a flying creature in fantasy land, or have a realistic 3D vector portrait made from your picture?

Well, guess what? In the world of design, everything is possible. It doesn't cost much, and in this web-based world, you end up looking as gorgeous as ever.

As of today, I will be posting various Photoshop possibilities in this blog, in my Facebook page and in my Youtube Channel. It is always fun to see great transformations taking place.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Take care and have a great day everyone!

For information or business queries, please contact me at designaholism@gmail.com.