Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Multi-touch Blender 3D

Hi, everyone! I've recently got news from my friend Brett Hartshorn regarding his current Blender project hosted at Kickstarter. The project's name is "Multi-touch Blender 3D". He's taking Blender into another level of "usefulness".

To give your support and to know more about the project, please proceed here > http://kck.st/g50qAA


Thursday, November 25, 2010

Vote for December 2010 Renderosity Artist of the Month


Hi, everyone! I've recently been informed by Renderosity that I have been nominated for December 2010 artist of the month. Please, if you find my works and my fellow nominees there worth your time, vote for me and your choice. Thanks! Yay! ^_^

And wow, I didn't notice recently that I was the only nominee with Blender as my tool. Yay for Blender!

(Photography) Cuddle


Shot after waiting outside the office that my girlfriend is working at. It was around 6:30 AM of November 20th.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

(repost) Happiness and Being Happy

WARNING: Non-Blender and non-GIMP related.

Here's a repost of a previous writing I did dating back two years ago (2008-Nov-18). I just thought I'd share it with everyone.




“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” -Albert Camus


There had been times in our lives where we have often asked questions and searched for answers that had baffled us for some reason or so. Questions like: “Why was I born?”, “Am I happy?”, “What will I do next?”, and so on and so forth. Yet finding answers to these infinite questions would probably take a lifetime commitment, aging through the years that us by.

Happiness is indeed a very subjective factor in one’s life, by that, I mean it greatly varies from a person’s perception to another. One might feel joyed basking under the sun while the other individual might feel annoyed and irritated by it. It is a personal bias, admit it or not. We can’t blame others for what choices they make or for what their actions have caused them and the people around them. Though sometimes, these leads to a clash of ideas, a rumble of thoughts, a chaotic environment, and worse, it might eventually lead to war. Opinions are opinions, they can never be wrong.


Some people, or even most that I have known so far, are struggling too hard in search of happiness and satisfaction. What they couldn’t see (that I probably hadn’t too years ago) is that in the process of searching, they lower the chances, if there are, of attaining this goal. In the 22 years of existence on planet earth, I’ve learnt that when we crave too much of what we can actually have, we become nothing, we blend ourselves with the void, engulfing our tiny hearts into non-existence. It all comes naturally. Be contented with what you currently have and don’t complain too much with these things, because the more you whine, the more you fail.

Life has, in it’s mere sense, has but one meaning, it’s HAPPINESS. Just like a how a kid would have perceived this lovely world we live in. Give him something to play with and he’s fine, he doesn’t complain. Touch him in the nose and he grins. Smile at him and he smiles back at you. Hug him and you feel a real human warmth. Live like a child, learn like a child.

Why do we want to get high grades at school? Because our parents wanted us to, because we want to impress our classmates, because we just have to, because we wanted to get a good job in the future, we wanted to be rich, we wanted to help those who are in need, and for some other reasons you could think of. But above all these reasons, digging down deep on it, it’s because we wanted to be happy. Think about it.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” - Albert Schweitzer


I might not have stressed it so far how important it is to be happy. Just reading this post might have deprived you of it already. I’ve often been into situations where I my deciding capacity has went too down on a level I couldn’t already weigh, made decisions that have hurt other people, and walked on paths where others haven’t. And it all boils down to what I am right now, a happy and contented person.

If you have a problem, take time to find solutions to it, don’t rush in or it will give birth to even bigger problems. Take a deep breath, relax. And think before you do. If there’s something that makes you unhappy now and tomorrow, get rid of it. And finally, if there’s someone hindering you from this endeavor, pulling you down all the way, talk it over, because I believe it makes him happy now but not tomorrow. Don’t let others tell you what to do because they don’t have any idea what you went through and what your precise plans in life are, and most likely, they don’t even know what you’re thinking right now. You decide on your present and future, you alone.


There are no secrets to happiness, just happiness. ^_^

All that we have thought of so far during the entirety of our lives might not still be well justified by what we have decided to be during the past, but that doesn’t matter. Happiness is not a means to an end. It’s an end. Earning lots of money, having your own company, marrying your partner, achieving your set goals, forgiving those who have made your life miserable, getting over heartaches, etc. are the MEANS TO HAPPINESS. And the rest of your life story depends on you.

Good luck on life’s journey. ^_^

It is not making a living. It’s living a life. -Reyn

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Adult Rush


I am still attempting to give life to my wooden persona. And if I do it successfully, I'll let the whole world know.

This is a picture of how torn and driven into time most adults are (personal inclusion subjective). They tend to catch up to time too much where time is only but a figment of his imagination.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Introduction to Blender 2.5: Color Grading


Hi everyone! To my avid readers and followers, thank you for taking the time. Packt Publishing has recently published my article titled "Introduction to Blender 2.5: Color Grading". This is Part 1 of a two-part series that tackles the color grading capabilities of Blender.

In Part 1 of this article, I'll discuss the following:
  • Loading Image Files in the Compositor
  • Loading Sequence Files in the Compositor
  • Loading Movie Files in the Compositor
  • Contrasting with Color Curves
  • Colorizing with Color Curves
  • Color Correcting with Color Curves
  • Colorizing with Hue Adjustment
  • High Dynamic Look
  • Image Sharpening
  • Color Overlaying
  • Toning Up and Toning Down Colors
  • Creating a Sepia Tone

Have fun and please drop a note and let me know what you think.

Stay tuned for Part 2 for more advanced color grading techniques and for some freebies we'll be giving away. :)

Thank you for your time.

Here are the links:


We Need Your Vote


Hi, avid readers of my blog! Recently, my friends and I decided to join a photography contest here in the Philippines, with the theme "Pinoy" which translates to "the Filipino people". It is a freely interpreted theme and will comprise of anything around that concept.

However, to get your vote, you must be a Facebook user (yeah, promotional issues I think).

Note: You can vote multiple entries (but vote only once per entry).

There are four of us who joined this contest (including my older brother), amongst around 50 plus contestants. If you're up for the voting process, you can proceed on the following links below:

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Thanks, BlenderArt Magazine!


Wow! Issue #30 of Blenderart Magazine is now out, titled "Once Upon an Image". Go ahead andgrab yourself a copy! Head over to http://blenderart.org/issues to download.

To the staff of Blenderart Mag, thanks for the cover and gallery feature, I really appreciate it. Keep up the awesome job and continue making the community aware.

Thanks!

-Reyn

Friday, November 12, 2010

Which One

Warning: Non-Blender/GIMP related

This was shot a few minutes ago after our kitten Butter toppled on a glass of pebbles.





Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Nikon D5000 Test Shots

Hi! You might have read my previous post already. To follow that up and just to satiate my hunger for photo outputs, here are some test shots I took with Naomi (my Nikon D5000) using the 18-55mm kit lens (which is pretty handy by the way).

Once I get the grips on this camera, I'll follow it up with a review.

(click images for a larger version)

Shutter Speed: 1/30
Aperture: 5.6
ISO: 1000


Shutter Speed: 1/30
Aperture: 5.6
ISO: 1000

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Package Arrived!

Remember Akita, my Fujifilm Finepix S9600? Two years ago, I wrote a blog post here introducing her. You can check the post here http://reynantem.blogspot.com/2008/12/meet-akita.html. Sadly, just a few months ago, she started malfunctioning so bad that I couldn't turn her on already.

And since that incident happened, I haven't been shooting lately, partly because it was too sad on my part. But I regained my composure once more and positively thought of investing for a new camera, this time a DSLR, as opposed to my previous one which is a prosumer camera. With this in mind, I can extend my photography horizon and even widen my perspective on photography. But I'm not leaving Akita dead there, we'll have him fixed and I'll pass it on to my siblings.

And just a few hours ago, my package arrived! It's a Nikon D5000 kit with 18-55mm VR lens. Thanks so much to David Angelo Bornilla (http://www.dbgadgets.multiply.com) and his wonderful team for the prompt responses, polite approaches, and patient transaction. If it wasn't for him and his team, I wouldn't have been able to afford to buy this new camera. They provide quality products at very low prices (though I wonder if they do international shipping or just here in the Philippines). And did I mention the transaction is blazingly fast? Yes, you heard me. I got the package in only not less than 24 hours and in very good shape. So if you're interested in buying some gadgets for yourself or for friends and family, I highly recommend them. Very reliable and accurate. Go check them at http://www.dbgadgets.multiply.com.

In the meantime, I'm taking this free time off of work to read the user manual. And of course, I wouldn't let you leave without seeing some images, would I? Check out the images below (excuse them for their noise, it was taken with my phone).

I name her "Naomi".



















Portfolios Updated!

Hi again! I just wanted to take some time and plug myself (I haven't done this for a long time?) and let you know that I have updated my portfolios. Follow the links below and please let me know your thoughts. Happy viewing! ^_^


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Thanks Again, BlenderNation!

Hi folks! Just wanted to take some time to thank BlenderNation (http://www.blendernation.com) for the uninformed news feature here > http://bit.ly/d9egWB. I appreciate it a lot and I'm really glad you guys loved it. ^_^

P.S.
More thanks to Banlu Kemiyatorn for the post.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Monday, November 1, 2010

Butter

Here's the newest member in our family, Butter.

This photo was shot by my younger sister (who is impressively adept at timing).