Aqua Glow UI Button Kit

So this is more how I use Photoshop nowadays. Well apart from some light photo editing. I’ve been really inspired by websites that I’ve found through work that offer various UI elements for designers. Everything from full layouts to buttons to textures. So I tried to make a go at it myself, that way you don’t have to reference the things you use.

I really think you should do that though, but sometimes it doesn’t fit into a design and so why not have a go at DIY and you’ll be prouder of your efforts I guess. I did take the background texture from Subtle Patterns anyway, really great site for that kind of thing if you don’t already know it.

So here I made a set of ‘up’ buttons and a set ‘down’ buttons. As you can see, I tried to make the down buttons look as though they had been highlighted when they were clicked. I made the icons on the buttons myself and the font is Futura.

Unfortunately I can’t put up any of my first attempts at user interface and web design for reeeeally annoying reason, but maybe some day.

Or maybe just on the sneaky sneak!

Going Nuts with Photoshop Many Moons Ago

This was a second year of college project. That feels like a million years ago now! This image was part of a booklet but the rest of it is pretty horrendous to me. I can’t bare to embarrass myself by putting the rest of it up but I actually really liked the colours in this one and I’m also mad for symmetry, so up it goes!

It’s not really like any of my other work. I wouldn’t often heavily work in Photoshop, especially at the time. A few tweaks on things here an there sure. But I guess I just wanted to try do a project using it fully. So it’s a bit filter-laden there. I think everyone needs to do things like this to figure out Photoshop though.

Basically it was part of a concept that every memory has a song for a small booklet. So I made five images to illustrate that point and I did it through photo collage. So I combined photos I had taken and things related to photos like frames, negatives, cameras with things related to music like CDs, tapes, vinyl, gig tickets, MP3 players, headphones etc.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell Booklet: Part 1

This was a second year college project for a drawing class. We got to pick an album that we liked and use drawing to create the CD booklet for the album. I chose Yeah Yeah Yeahs album Fever To Tell. We could interpret this however we wanted i.e. illustrate the style of music, or the lyrics, or the message or the sound. Whatever way it inspired us.

I decided I wanted to combine a lot of these elements. I drew what I saw when I listened to songs, I took inspiration from single words as well as lyrics, I was heavily influenced by the musical patterns and spikey guitar riffs. I tried to convey this the best I could. I was also partially inspired by the actual album artwork in that I wanted it to be a multimedia piece.

1. Rich – Drawing pens, pro markers and oil pastel. Collage.

2. Date With the Night – Coloured paper, black sugar paper and drawing pen. Collage.

3. Man – Pro markers.

4. Tick – Oil Pastel. Etching.

5. Black Tongue – Colouring pencils, pro markers, drawing pens and coloured paper. Collage

6. Band Picture – Paper and photoshop. Collage.

I wanted to retain the handmade look so I did not try to cover up any specks, smudges or marker lines in Photoshop. I think it adds to the indie nature of the band and they have even used fan art in their subsequent album covers so I know this is something that could suit the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Homemade Instagram – The Stone Roses

Some more home jobs making instagram style pics. Dublin can be such a dull place what with the weather and all. Photos can be so grey and lifeless as a result. (This sounds like a hair dye ad but somebody must know what I mean). So messing around with different effects in Photoshop can really breathe life and colour back into your photos. Sometimes I play around with the photos I take just because I like the old school effect, but in this case, the images needed a lift.

That’s the entrance there marked by all the flags. You may have had to walk a million miles after you got off the bus just to get there. The bar may have been akin to a cattle market, smell of hay and crap included. The ground was more swamp than park. But when they open with I Wanna Be Adored…?

…Who cares. Amazing.

Homemade Instagram – Sagrada Familia

Here are some more DIY Instagram style photos I made. If only I could afford film for my polaroid camera. SOON…

Anyhoo, these photos are from my visit to Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona a while back. It was my second time being there and I would definitely go back again. I prefer to try new places when I travel but there is soooo much in Barcelona to see. I’ve been a bit of a Gaudí freak since my art teacher introduced me to his work back in school.

I haven’t come by any camera viewfinders easily for these homemade retro photos. It takes a lot of googling. Although maybe I’m just not good at picking the right words. Often, you get more modern camera viewfinders, with the little guides in the lens. Try words like ‘old’ and ‘frame’ in with your search. Alternatively, if you have a site full of these kind of resources, link it my way por favor!

I love how many animals feature in the architectural design of the cathedral. Here’s a turtle. You know the way the Bible is FULL of turtles. Well at least two anyway.

Homemade Instagram

These are some edits I made in Photoshop of my London trip last summer. I was just trying to create the old timey look that’s all the rage now with Instagram but without the iPhone. I happen to be very iPhoneless. Take pity on me.

I do have some better images but I don’t fancy plastering my mug all over this here flog *shudder* – there’s enough of that on facebook thank you!

Anyway, it’s just a case of finding some viewfinders (that would be the black border) online and placing them over your photographs. You can play around with different filters, the colour levels and the brightness and contrast settings like I did. Or alternatively download some actions to make life a bit easier. You get a ton of results if you google ‘photoshop actions vintage‘.

Funny how HD cameras come out and then everyone wants to blur up their photos like they took it on ye olde Agifold. Immediate nostalgia. Hey everyone let’s reminisce about yesterday! I still like it though.

Nods to Kev who may have taken the photos themselves.