Monday, March 26, 2007

Fun and Games With Fireworks...........

Well since I had some free time this weekend, I decided to dust off my bootleg copy of Fireworks MX and install it on my pc and have some fun. I once sat down and began teaching myself basic design skills and tricks but ya'll know I have the attention span of a hyperactive 6 year old so I abandoned that after a few weeks; but seems my memory isn't all that bad. Take a look at my half assed efforts. Some of these pics are from bloggers like Mocha!, EGM and sites like Flickr, if you don't like your pics being up let me know and I will take them down.

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After some fun and games using hue and saturation....


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After some sharpening, adding more light and changes with saturation......


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Anyway those are my virgin efforts, I am sure I will be able to do niftier things with time.

Since Kibera slums have become a tourist attraction, I have to take issue with the title of Africa's largest slum that it has been given. I have always thought that South Africa had bigger slums? Anyone have reliable information out there?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

You want to take over my jobo now? Hheheheh. Good work, i use Photoshop and Imageready myself though. I have not dabbled in MX though i have it installed

Anonymous said...

And look above, isnt it nice to be first? **doing a jig**

Girl next door said...

Thought I'd be here first....

I have used Fireworks ( or Photoshop)but the results are great. I have some old pics that could be improved with editing.

I don't know much about SA slums.

Girl next door said...

I meant to say I haven't used either of those programs.

egm said...

Ah, get your camera out and get busy shooting! I am not one for fancy photo editing, preferring to leave the images as I took them. Except for panoramas which I definitely want to master. But some of those effects I wouldn't mind learning, such as the black and white background with colour foreground. Time to master more of The Gimp.

mbolewa said...

Kibera has become a tourist attraction,yes but Soweto also is.Actually Soweto should be classified to an upmarket eastates in nairobi.The first estate in soweto is dipkloof which is almost like maringo,then Olando where mandelas house is,thats the tourist attraction while kibish is a show of levels of poverty.Mandela house could be placed at lavi.Soweto stretches to whitecity which is not close to a slum.The real slum close to kibish is called thembisa juz next to kempton park near the airport.The fact is that they dont actually have real slums like we do.

Anonymous said...

Cooliest attempt Aco!

I like what you have done with the pics.

I am teaching myself Photoshop techniques. It is hard, but fun.

Like egm, I prefer to leave my pics how I took them.

Nice job though!

Nakeel said...

Nice moves with the virgin trial Aco. next will be a threat to Akiey. Practise more.

Archer said...

Late as usual...! I had an interest in photography but it faded away when I lost my digital camera. I intend to buy another one soon then I'll get down to it. I've never used any of the photo editing applications but I'd like to learn how to use them. Great pics.

Isn't Kibera the largest, or at least one of the largest slums in the world? What they call slums in SA can make Kibera look like a cowshed. Soweto has tarmacked roads, electricity and water supply, and permanent structures unlike our wood and mabati structures.

Sue said...

Always after Archer in late coming...
I love em photos.. They're looking really great.. You're really good for starters
:.Just Sue.:

Acolyte said...

@ methu
Ain't no way in God's green earth am I stepping on your turf at all! Fireworks is more for dabblers for me.
@ GND
I am sure with time you shall blossom into a guru.
@ egm
I do like doing both, taking pics and puttering around with them. The effect I used is pretty easy; its called masking.
@ mbolewa
Well Soweto seems to be a mix and what sets it apart is the existance of infrastructure unlike in Kenya where slums are a mess.
@ mocha!
Thanks! With time you shall have mad skills, just keep at it!
@ nakeel
Thanks!
@ archer
Pole sana for losing your camera, those things arent cheap at all! Yes Soweto does have some progress unlike Kibera.
@ sue
Thanks for the compliment!

Unyc said...

Love workin with photoshop and imageready. At least i cn safely say am gd in them. Very excitin 2 c transformations.
I love the photo u worked with but the last one for the matatu, i dint quite c the difference. Kindly point it out for me.

Anonymous said...

unyc....Aco has left the color on the matatu and the tout. the rest of the pic is B&W. It is hard to notice.

Aco....saturation would have worked with this pic to make the difference stand out from the original.

Anywhoo.....kudos for a job well done.

Klara said...

Cool Transformations Aco!

Farmgal said...

star in the making..lol
nice work!

Adrian said...

love the mat.

mama shady said...

heh, ditto on the attention span of a 6 year old!but ebu just endelea!

Lola Gets said...

Im not that computer savvy, so Im not up on this new technology - but that was cool!
L

Dami said...

wow ur a you're a pro already!
now wheres that bootleg cd of mine from computer village