Randomness

[heliona]

Okay, for starters, I have to see Elektra now: Goran Visnjic in Elektra

Also, Alias Season 3 DVD (Region 1) comes out on September 7th. And no matter how crappy it may be at the moment, I'm going to be getting my sticky little hands on it one way or the other.

In other news, I spent 3 hours on Friday night changing my website diary page, and another hour today, making sure it had uploaded properly. There is now a proper Blog-like diary there, and, despite looking crappy on 800x600 resolution, it looks fantastic. *g*

Also, I got Due South Season 2 on Saturday morning. I had to pay Customs on it, which I wasn't pleased about, since I never had to pay Customs on either Alias or my Frankie Muniz DVDs. Grr! It means that when Due South Season 1 comes, I'll have to pay £12 on that as well.

I did get some frights whilst watching it, though. (I discovered pleasantly that I'd only seen about half the season before.) Carrie-Anne Moss of Trinity-Matrix fame was in an episode called Juliet is Bleeding, playing Ray's one true love, and Amanda Tapping (Major Sam Carter in Stargate SG-1) was in an episode called Starman. The Amanda Tapping episode was rather like deja-vu, since she played a scientist who worked for the military on a top-secret experiment involving alien spaceships! *g*

I went to the Postgraduate's Club on Saturday night with nimoloth to see her friend's funk band play. It was really good. There was a free BBQ there as well, and the drinks were really cheap, so the whole night only cost about £2! It was fabulous. I need more nights out like that!

Other than that, I've not been doing much, just watching Due South and bemoaning the fact that there aren't any extras on it. *pout*

And the sun's out and it's gorgeous! I'm actually showing my legs. (Although they're not as white as normal, since I'm trying out some tanning mousse stuff on them, in the theory that if it doesn't work, then I can always go back to wearing trousers until it washes off!)

Comments

[loriel-eris.livejournal.com]

Hmm, still no diary page... It obviously doesn't like me.

The Amanda Tapping episode

Lol! I wonder which came first! *g*

I think my picture looks *slightly* better now (see here), but I still don't have a clue how I'm going to do the layout...

[heliona.livejournal.com]

Yes, much better, although, another suggestion. Maybe put a 1 pixel stroke around the fint, because it sort of disappears into the sky/sea sometimes. You can change the blending of the stroke as well, so that it's not very noticable, but it's amazing what difference it can make.

I'm just going to check my diary on another computer, to see if it's just this computer that's showing it.

I've just lost my marbles. I tried to reply to this as though it was an email!

[heliona.livejournal.com]

Also, the photo looks a little too blurred now (this is where you tell me you haven't blurred it at all and my eyes have just completely given up!).

[nimoloth.livejournal.com]

Love the picture!

Disappearing fonts - my recurring problem! How do you fix it?

[heliona.livejournal.com]

Well, how I managed it on my webpage, I can't really remember. It depends on the background. If you get the colour of your font right in comparison to the background (and I can't remember whether it should be light or dark, I go by trial and error!) then I change the blending style of the font (from normal to overlay or screen normally) and just see how it looks.

But I've now discovered how to actually make see-through fonts. Gah, I can't find the tutorial page now, so here's how to do it from memory!

Duplicate your background image as a new layer.
Type your text.
Make sure the text layer is between the two image layers.
Group the top layer with the text layer (select the top layer and do Alt+G). [The text should disappear now, I think.]
Then, I think you can change the blending of the text (by double clicking the text layer) and it should come up as see-through.

Once you've done that, though, you can't move the text, as what's happened is it's basically copied the background that the text was over into the text itself. You'll see what I mean if you move the text.

I have a feeling I've left out a step, but I can't remember what it is! Try it and let me know if it works. I'll bring in the tutorial tomorrow.

[loriel-eris.livejournal.com]

It's ok, I did blur it. *g* A one pixel radius, I think. Anyway, I went back and changed it to 0.5, it looks better. Not entirely sure what I've done to my poor text tho... I had to go back to a previous version (to undo the blurring) and despite dragging the text layer (the one that's hard to see now. *g*) over to the original (which still had just black), it looks completely different!

The stoke has definitely helped, but whatever I did, it's now grey shaded inside the text instead of the kinda blue-y it was before... I wish they had PS on the Uni computers then you could show me exactly what I should be doing. Have learnt quite a few neat tricks today tho. You really only learn when you've got the motivation (like exams an image that you want done) and someone to point you in the right direction.

Oh, that reminds me. On a completely different topic - I was computer genius last night. *smug grin* Mum was having problems with the cow tag scanner thing (handset scans the cow's tag, you enter data (eg weight, just had a calf, etc) on the handset and then you can upload the new data to the computer where it updates the existing records on the computer). She'd spent ages on the computer trying to fix her problem and wanted me to see if I could se what was wrong. She showed me the basics of the program, I had a look around it, then I fixed it. Was feeling quite pleased with myself. *g*

[heliona.livejournal.com]

The stoke has definitely helped, but whatever I did, it's now grey shaded inside the text instead of the kinda blue-y it was before...

It's probably the gradient tool (did you use that?). It may have defaulted back to white-to-black as opposed to the colour of your choosing (blue-to-white or whatever). Just play about. That's how I found out about all the cool effects you can use for text. :) I'm still learning now!

[loriel-eris.livejournal.com]

It's probably the gradient tool (did you use that?)

I think I used it. As for the defaulting back to grey, you're probably right. However, when the box with all the blending options looks exactly the same for both text layers, you really have to wonder where you're going wrong... *sigh* I might go back to it later. Studying has been sadly lacking today, and I was full of good intentions too...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. - I'm sure I remember reading that somewhere.

I'm assuming you'll be in tomorrow. I'll bring A Wind in the Door for you, and you can have A Swiftly Tilting Planet if I finish it on the train. Oh, and are you looking for S4 SG yet?

[nimoloth.livejournal.com]

I do see through text a different way. If you go into blending options there are two types of opacity (in the default stuff that comes up) - general opacity (the top one) and fill opacity (actually, they are sliders on the layers palette too). They are just the same unless you have an effect applied to the text, such as innner shadow, or bevel & emboss - then fill opacity takes ot the fill , leaving only the effect. So if you've applied a bevel & emboss (that works particularly well) you are basically left with see through text. [General opacity fades both the fill and any effects].

Oh - I've just figured out what your way is doing. It would work, but it's not as versatile. The opacity sliders are much more effective (and quicker!) and the text is still a completely editable text layer. It's very fun! It's what I've done on my LJ top image, only the opacity is about 50% rather than completely transparent. I usually use a combination of both general and fill opacity.

[heliona.livejournal.com]

Cool. Hmm, well, I'll have to go and try doing that now! *g*

[heliona.livejournal.com]

Having just got PS7, I realise now what you're talking about. PS6 doesn't have the two options for opacity, so I didn't have a clue what you were talking about!

Now that I've upgraded, however, you're right, it is much easier, and it means that you can move the writing about, unlike my method.