Matt Silverman, Creative Director of Bonfire Labs,particularly known as being a roto expert in addition to a motion graphics and visual effects artist. Several years ago, he took it upon himself to enlist some of the best users in the field to construct a set of timeless, concept-based, software-agnostic visual effects training videos.

The links for Series 2 (covering compositing, keying, tracking, paint, and rotoscoping presented by Ron Brinkmann, Stu Maschwitz, and Scott Stewart) are below; watch them while you can:

Masters of Visual Effects 2.1 – Compositing Concepts 1 from Matt Silverman on Vimeo.

Masters of Visual Effects 2.2 – Composting Concepts 2 from Matt Silverman on Vimeo.

Masters of Visual Effects 2.3 – Keying from Matt Silverman on Vimeo.

Masters of Visual Effects 2.4 – Tracking from Matt Silverman on Vimeo.

Masters of Visual Effects 2.5 – Paint from Matt Silverman on Vimeo.

Masters of Visual Effects 2.6 – Rotoscoping from Matt Silverman on Vimeo.

from VideoPro Coalition

20 Photoshop Actions to Add Flair to Your Photos

The non-professional photographers among us are often left with boring and flat shots from our cameras, the photos lack the flair and energy that is achieved with expert techniques and equipment. Photoshop Actions on the other hand, can help recreate some amazing photo effects, just by pressing a button! This post rounds up 20 of the best Photoshop Actions that allow you to easily spice up your photos with popular effects, including HDR, Soft Focus, Lomo, Velvia and more!

The Original

To test out each Photoshop Action, and to allow the action to be compared against other actions on the same shot I’ve downloaded this sample image, courtesy of SXC. Compare this shot with each of the following actions, which one is your favourite?

Fuji Velvia Effect

Recreate the popular photo effect originally created by using Fuji’s Velvia range of film, with this fab action from Pibweb.

Sepia Effect

Create a simple vintage Sepia toning effect with this action from 4thDynasty

Dark and Cold Photo Effect

This cool Photoshop Action from David Nanchin creates an eery dark and cold effect.

Soft Focus Effect

HD Stock’s Soft Elegance action produces a slightly blurred image with high contrast and a green tone.

HDR Effect

HDR photo effects are all the rage. Easily create your own high dynamic range photograph without any specialist techniques with this action from Forfie

High Contrast Vintage Photo Effect

Create an awesome old-time effect with this action from SD Stock. Key features include high contrast, adjusted colour balance and heavy vignette.

Cold Blue Colour Cast Effect

Produce a cold colour cast with high contrast with this second action from SD Stock.

Retro Colour Cast

Give your photos the typical retro look with this colour adjusting action from Amatorka.

Split Tone Photo Effect

Digitally create the popular split tone effect with this action from Paranoid Stock.

Retro Photo Effect

Give your shots the typical retro colour tones with this brilliant action from Marissaxxx.

Vivid Blur Photo Effect

Create vivid colour and a dreamy blur with this action from AlenaJay. Although it’s possibly more suited to portraits than landscape shots.

Grainy High Contrast Effect

This cool grainy effect was created by Alejandro Herrera to mimic the awesome filming effects used in the movie 300.

Cross Colouring Photo Effect

Create a cross colouring effect with this action from KalifBanane. Available with three various settings to provide dark, medium or light effects.

Vintage/Retro Photo Effect

This great action from Pseudonyfreak creates an old vintage/retro theme with yellows and browns.

Infra Red Photo Effect

Create the popular Infra Red photo effect without the need for specialist IR filters or film with this awesome action from Hanyasatu.

Pseudo HDR

This second HDR action produces another high dynamic range effect, without the need for multiple exposures. This action from FinesseFX provides deep colours and sharp detail.

Cross Processing Effect

Traditional cross processing effects were originally created by developing a film with the wrong chemicals, leaving a range of unusual tones and colours. This action from Mutato Nomine easily recreates the effect.

Harsh Colour Balance

This action from Shagagraf creates an unusual colour tone adustment to give a semi-retro photo effect.

Soft Black and White Conversion

This handy action from FinesseFX converts your shots to black and white, with a soft and pure glow.

Lighting Effects

The O Series

Super Cool Abstract Vectors in Illustrator and Photoshop

Really Cool Eclipse Effect in Photoshop

Awesome Digital Bokeh Effect in Photoshop

Advanced Glow Effects

View Full List [here]

Pen Tool:

Photoshop’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide

Become a Master of the Pen Tool in Under 30 Minutes

Making Selections with the Pen Tool

All-In-One Pen Tool Resource

A Different Pen Tool Technique

View Full List [here]

Skin:

Airbrushing – Natural Smooth Skin

Really Cool Digital Make Up in Photoshop in 10 Minutes

Smooth Skin

Ultimate Makeup

How to Smooth Skin

Remove Freckles

View Full List [here]

Found this over at hongkiat.com really good article about B&W Photography Check it out

photo Credit: Jana by LudovicMazet

Monochrome photographs are timeless, especially black and white photographs. They enhance emotional substance and have a disposition of making photos look more artistic.

They can be used on many different scenes as it’s not required to think about all the colors that should look good together and match the amount of light available. And for those who love to play with color, black and white photography doesn’t necessarily need to be boring as there are so many different shades to choose from….

Read the full Article [here]

I came across this amazing Poor mans solution to film scanning. This is my no means a perfect high Rez solution but film scanners are really expansive and this solution can be done at home at a fraction of the cost

What you need

• A digital SLR
• A piece of raised glass, such as a glass coffee table or a picture frame, set on top of books or boxes to raise it up.
• A piece of glossy photo paper without writing on the back. Generally off brands don’t have any writing on the back.
• An off camera flash or a very bright desk lamp.
• A tripod.
• Macro lens recommended but not required.
• Photoshop or another graphics editing package.

View the Full Articale By Adam Everett Miller at PhotoTuts [here]

An Amazing Tutorial From Artist Chris Zwar Taking a look at his workflow and creative process

As Chris himself points out, this isn’t a tutorial series in the sense in which the word ‘tutorial’ has been used too much lately. He doesn’t show the click-by-click steps that the viewer can follow without actually building any understanding. Rather, this is a series that aims to demonstrate and explore some important concepts in the context of a real-world project. I think that this gets back to the root of the word ‘tutorial’: it teaches.

Part 1 [here]

Part 2 [here]

Part 3 [here]