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.

Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year

Pantone announces it’s 2013 color of the year. This year it’s Emerald #17-5641.

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.

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 Print Ad – Freelance Graphic Design and Illustration

Industrial Print Ad Design.

Industrial Print Ad. This was a quick ad done for WTC Machinery. This was to be text only. Using some of the look I created for the logo, I created a headline that utilized the no skid plating and the colors with a little bit of a worn look. While I have some skid plates from various photos I’ve taken, this one was stock. I needed one that wasn’t too beat up and the others I had were chrome plated. With some airbrushing in photoshop, I added some bolts to the corners and a small frame around the sides. The texture in the lettering came from a collection of old surface art that I used as an overlay layer. I received the ad on Friday afternoon and it was completed by Monday 2pm. Copy was supplied by the agency. You can click here to see more print ad designs.

HTML5 Rotator Animation and Web Page Redesign

An HTML5 Animation and Website redesign for Sulzer Consulting, LLC.

Just finished an HTML5 animation for a 4 page rotator for Sulzer Consulting, LLC. The HTML5 technology allows this 1008 pixel wide animation to load really fast. I created the site a couple years ago. In this last update, I added a CSS dropdown style menu navigation, cleaned up the home page, added a few product pages and created the HTML5 animation. The client provided the form pages in the software demo areas. The site reinforces the client’s partnership with Vorne XL Bolt-On products.

Art Direction and Graphic Design for Eye Care Ad Campaign

Advertising and Marketing Campaign design samples from Fall 2012.

This is a sample from an eye care campaign I just did for fall 2012. I provided Art Direction and Photo Direction and created the Graphic Designs in a couple Adobe programs. I generally will go to Illustrator on single page items and move into Quark or InDesign when there’s multiple items. The budget allowed for new photography so we went to a studio with a couple models and created the nice shots within the campaign. I ended up standing in as the male model so it was a little odd having another photographer tell me how to smile. The purpose of the campaign was to get the consumer to buy into getting 2 sets of frames. The photos show 2 looks for each model. One is a little more formal and the other is casual or sport. This used to be a back to school promotion but it works a little better including more age groups in the sale. Copy provided by the ad agency.

Facebook Banner Ad Design

Watermark not on final image.

This is a Facebook Header or Banner Ad Design I just did for Family Eye Care in Pittsburgh, PA.  The previous one had a spring theme and was part of a Spring Trunk Sale marketing campaign that we did. The spring campaign included store banners, direct mailers, newsprint and social media designs.

Watermark not on final image.