Happy 25th Birthday Adobe Photoshop

25 years since Photoshop hit the market. As a traditional airbrush retoucher, I was a little hesitant to use this new program when it came out. There were no layers, computers were slower than heck. As there were no digital cameras, all images had to be scanned by an outside company. Usually a prepress house. Unless you had a new item called a flatbed scanner – I used to set up a scan of a grayscale image and it took so I long I could walk up to the gas station by my office and get a soda before it was done. You really couldn’t retouch anything that was large. The basic agency macs just couldn’t handle the file sizes or the processing needed. Adobe photoshop has come a long way since the early days. The videos I create always have a super or an animated 3d skin that originated in photoshop. My professional retouching and illustration work almost always includes some form of photoshop work. Adobe Photoshop has also allowed me put that finishing touch on all my professional photography projects. Whether it’s architectural, interior real estate or just basic product photography, Photoshop is always in the mix. Happy 25th Birthday Adobe Photoshop.

Motion Graphics Animator in Milwaukee and Chicago

I just wrapped up this animated TV commercial for a financial client. All items except the audio and the 3 stock photos in the middle of the spot were created at my studio. Most of the ballons are the same ballon with the colors altered in After Effects. I then mirrored or flipped them with some extra key frame movements to give each one it’s own personality. The noise makers had the same treatment. While this spot went to the northern Wisconsin and Minnesota markets, I also do freelance animation work for the Milwaukee and Chicago television markets. You can read more about the spot under the Digital Animation section of this blog. I also have a few more samples posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/StudioN51?feature=mhee .

Rotator image for the new Omnisax Reusable bag line from Bright and Bold

One of 4 banner ad style rotator images for the retail website brightandbold.com. The ad promotes the new Omnisax reusable bag product line from Envirosax.

These rotators are updated on a regular basis to keep the content fresh for the retail customers visiting the site. While each rotator promotes a different product, the web banner layout elements are kept the same to maintain consistency. Fonts, color and image proportions are all checked against a graphic design template I created for the site’s rotator format. The bottom right is left open to allow the buttons to show through the image window. I’d rave about how cool these bags are but then I’d have to put a disclaimer in here about being a part owner of brightandbold.com. Ok, I own part of the company, but these really are great bags. My original Envirosax set from at least 5 years ago doesn’t show any signs of wear. Hardware store, groceries, etc., they hold up well. I only carry a couple with me but the set of 5 comes with a neat little pouch for easy storage. The new Omnisax reusable bag in the rotators is the same product with new graphics.

This is an animated commercial I did for the 2013 Auto Show Gala put on by ADAMM. If you’re interested in some of the details, I’ve posted additional information under the Digital Animation page.

Eye Care Facebook Banner Ad Design

Just finished this Facebook header design for an eye doctor’s business.

This is a freelance Facebook banner ad design I recently did for an eye doctor’s office. The woman in the photograph is a stock image. The winter scenes I shot right after a snow storm went through the area. The design and illustration elements I created from scratch. Snowflakes were courtesy of Zaph DIngbats.

Trade Show Video Animation for Las Vegas Real Estate Show

This high-definition real estate trade show video animation was done for a developer’s trade show booth. The real estate trade show was in Las Vegas and the videos looped on multiple plasma screens on the booth’s walls. The client supplied the architectural photographs for the video. They also provided a graphic design from their website that they wanted the animation look to simulate. To create the trade show animation, I used a combination of Adobe products ranging from Photoshop and Illustrator to After Effects for the finishing. The HD video did not have audio. I added the music track for demonstration purposes. The clip is a shortened version of the full 2 minute real estate video provided for the Las Vegas trade show.

New Animation Business Presentation

Currently doing some planning and storyboards for potential NFL and NFLPA clients. Project has potential to reach into the other major professional sports. A non-disclosure situation until it’s launched but it should be pretty cool.

Disarmed and Recycled Nuclear Weapon Systems Product Photography

This is a product photo of items produced from disarmed and recycled nuclear weapon systems. Photo taken 12/8/12

The group product shot was for BrightandBold.com. The product line is made from a unique copper alloy created from disarmed and recycled nuclear weapon systems. Bottle openers and jewelry make up this group shot. One of the more unique freelance web product photos I’ve done. The company deems the products are safe to handle but it was still a little odd to handle items that were once a part of a nuclear weapon.

Medical Animation – Carpal Tunnel Procedure

The first frame of the medical animation showing a carpal tunnel procedure.The images are from a medical animation showing a carpal tunnel procedure.

The internal anatomy was rendered from scratch and imported into Zaxwerks Proanimator 3d. The external effects were rendered in After Effects and exported to an HD movie for the final output. While I had to keep this basic for budget reasons, as a medical animator, attention to detail is extremely important. I kept the nerves and arteries fairly simple so they didn’t take away from the procedure area. I also made the ligaments and the muscles one basic piece to keep the animation to a minimum. I kept some of the textures to a minimum. The smoother finish has a little friendlier look for a potential patient.

Closeup view of the medical animation revealing the carpal ligament procedure. The opening takes pressure off of the Median Nerve (yellow line).

Industrial Mining Equipment Product Photography

On Thursday, October 18th, I had a photo shoot at WTC Machinery. Shoot started at 7am and went until 2:30pm. Did about a dozen shots on a machine that was capable of 305 tons of pressure. The photos will be used for advertising, product sheets and manuals. I opted to use video lights to cover the larger dimension of the product. The product was being crated and shipped to a customer as soon as I wrapped. I had an adaptor in my truck that allowed me to recharge some of the batteries on the way to my second shoot of the day for the football team I cover. It turns the vehicle’s electric outlets into one that looks like the ones in your home.