Anything you do requires energy. And everything you do creates energy. Anything. Even reading this article. You’re spending energy by focusing on the text, processing the info in your brain and matching it against what you already know. At the end of this process, you get some energy back in the form of new ideas, new approaches or possibly some answers. Hopefully, you’ll get some positive energy by reading this :- ).

Have you ever thought what happens with this energy you get back? How much of it you really use? How much of it you discard unconsciously? We’re usually thinking in spending patterns rather than in receiving patterns. We think: how much it will cost me to do this, or how much I will have to give to make this happen. But we almost never think in terms of: what’s the reward of doing this?

Finish this intriguing article about energy balances and you

Annotating images

On bother Windows and Mac, use the Wacom Bamboo Pen tablet to annotate images in your favorite image editor, then bring those annotated images into Evernote. We’ll process them and make the handwriting searchable. If you already have an image in Evernote, right click and open it with your image editor. When you’re done annotating, hit save, and the image will automatically update in Evernote thanks to our Live Update feature.

Twitter giveaway time!

The great folks at Wacom are generously offering three (3) Wacom Bamboo Pen tablets. Here’s how to enter:

• Follow @evernote and @wacom on Twitter
• Send a public tweet containing the hashtag #evernotewacom

The Secret of KJ’s Processing!

“I think this is one of the great barriers in the creative life.  It’s so seductive to spend all of our time and energy developing potential; that is to say learning techniques, gathering equipment, putting our life and our creative life in order, cleaning up the darkroom…….but if we don’t actually make something – then all that time goes to naught.”

“Am I doing it because I need it – or am I doing it because I might someday need it in theory – but never in practice.  There is a bit of a hoarders mentality in this.”

The memories of yesteryears invoke in us a sense of nostalgia as we long for the days gone by when life seems so much simpler. Technology was not as advanced as it is today, and things were changing at a slower pace. Retro and vintage years usually refer to the decades before our present day, up to the last century.

tutorial is sponsored by the generously donated pinup images of Kelly @ Bay Area Pinups

This is some of the fun vintage effects achieved with the Vintage packages, video guide after the jump:

Would you like to bring a truely vintage and artistic look to your boudoir photos?

Well start out with a great photographer like Liesl Cowley, Kelly Hsiao and use the finishing tools linked below in these video tutorials:

Leave a comment if you would like to hire Neil to retouch your images for a vintage effect!  The client initiation fee is $40, and that covers the first two images – after that it is $5-20 per image depending on the style and complexity you are after.

The Make Light Real Create cart has these products available to help your boudoir retouching and vintage photoshop retouching:

	Vintage Master Kit Vintage Master Kit – 18 Postcards + 30 Textures + Multiple Choice Action Set You want to master the vintage look – bring that soft, worn lovability…	$89.00 … more info
	ONE ACTION: workflow and training Available for Immediate Download The complete ONE ACTION Photoshop workflow action with training video. Set includes: ONE: lightroom preset/camera…	$79 … more info
	Vintage Multiple Choice Action Set Vintage Multiple Choice Action Set The Vintage Multiple Choice action produces 11 layers for you to blend into your vintage style. The action does…	$39.00 … more info
	Vintage Soft Color Faded color, bleached negative antique vintage styling The vintage soft color action will gently desaturate your image with a soft chocolate antique…	$4.00 … more info Max: 1
	Golden Touch Monochrome Sunny Golden B+W Toning Photoshop Action free download Part of the Golden Touch Series Golden Touch Video Tutorial = training + inspiration Golden…	$9.00 … more info
	Skin Smoothing Photoshop Actions Skin smoothing for perfect portraits description	$9.00 … more info
	Draw a soft vignette action Draw a soft vignette action This quick photoshop action helps you draw attention and focus to an area of the image you select with one of three…	$4.00 … more info

The classic illustrated pinup styles are commemorated in the work of these artist if you’re looking for tone and style clues:

• Edward Runci – Google Search
• Alberto Vargas – Google Search
• Gil Elvgren – Google Search
• George Petty – Google Search

Click to download other free photoshop actions and textures

Read more about the LIGHTSPEED – Adobe Photoshop Lightroom enhanced workflow seminar

In reference to creating vintage and antique photo effects, we want to achieve the elusive ‘light leak’ effect…

Click to download

Click to download

The ‘light leak’ effect is a partial bleaching or lightening of the image plane caused by a leak of light at exposure, development, printing, or uneven fading of the image in the aging or weathering process.  A light leak layer is included in the Vintage Multiple choice workflow action.

Click to purchase

To read a concise tutorial on creating the faded - light leaking look try this tutorial by Wharf 8

Now comes the toning of the image. Again, I used the curves layer to adjust the reds, blues and yellows as well as to slightly fade the image.

If you’d like the Golden Touch in your light leaking adventures – buy the texture set:

Click to purchase

Creative light leaky blessings this friday!

I mean Deke

Really – don’t fear the LAB Colorspace – it’s Zen beauty!!