smile	:-) :) :] =)
		frown	:-( :( :[ =(
		gasp	:-O :O :-o :o
		grin	:-D :D =D
		tongue	:-P :P :-p :p =P
		wink	;-) ;)
		curly lips	:3
		kiss	:-* :*
		grumpy	>:( >:-(
		glasses	8-) 8) B-) B)
		sunglasses	8-| 8| B-| B|
		upset	>:O >:-O >:o >:-o
		confused	o.O O.o
		shark	(^^^)
		pacman	:v
		squint	-_-
		angel	O:) O:-)
		devil	3:) 3:-)
		unsure	:/ :-/ :\ :-\
		cry	:'(
		Chris Putnam	:putnam:
		robot	:|]
		heart	<3
		kiki	^_^

Do you want to memorize them? Definitely not me! How you wish Facebook can displays those smileys in Facebook Chat where you only need to click on them and send to your friends without trouble.

Well, the good news is there is a Greasemonkey script that will give you a collection of emoticons where you can click for a simpler way to experience emoticons in Facebook Chat. To use the script, you need to have Firefox browser on your desktop.

To get smileys and emoticons on Facebook Chat window, first you need to install the Greasemonkey [Firefox Extension]. Restart your browser after the installation. Then, install the required script – Facebook Chatbar+. Done!

Now, log in your Facebook account and fire up the chat window. You will notice a collection of emoticons within the chat window.

My live.space is an extension of my website, therefore naturally Photography & Fashion based. So my blogs tend to revolve in this area. I have found my niche in the job satisfaction market & am happy doing something I love & adore-taking photos is a hobby & also a job for me. Sure I tried many things over the years but have learned if you love something, make it your career too. My other love is fashion-I adore clothes, I love shopping, I love style & trying to second guess the next season’s style & colours. Another reason I love photography, I can use that as the perfect excuse to visit the clothes show & various fashion weeks that are put on! I get asked by lots of aspiring models “How can I break into the fashion market for a career?” Firstly I try & put all prospective models off a modelling career, It’s not what it appears, it can be dark, difficult to know whom to trust, you really do need someone on the inside to help you. Unless you are exceptionally stunning & have the right attitude, you won’t earn much money & will fall into the trap nearly all the girls fall into. You tell your friends “Hey I’m a Model!” Welcome to the dark side. WTF? I hear the models say?

REALITY. Your friends will now assume you earn £2000 a week. You need to wear the right clothes, accessories, handbags, shoes, hair extensions, make-up etc & you look a million $! & so you should, you're a model.

EXCEPT. You won’t earn hardly anything; it takes ages to become established, so you borrow to keep up the image & quickly fall into debt. But your friends all envy you, they want to hang out with you & every boy says they have been out with you. The jobs just don’t come in. How can you now tell your friends? After all, they all envy you, you’re on that pedestal, and you ARE the girls in the magazines, for you will become famous. How can you possibly tell them you have lived a lie & it's all a sham, you're also terribly in debt?

PREDATORS. This is where the dark side rears its ugly head, the unscrupulous men that are waiting to exploit you, for this will seem to be a life-line, the high paying jobs that will bail you out & allow you to clear your debt, perhaps buy a sports car! BUT IT’S NOT MODELLING. Trust me, I work in this industry, I see the dark side, I see the girls time & time again, the pit falls etc. Forget modelling. Read the advice on my website if you are a potential model. www.xintense.com  If you still want to become a model & theres no stopping you, just slow down, seek genuine advice & avoid the dark side at all costs! My colleague Sarah will answer any questions you may have, her email address is clearly displayed on my website.

FASHION. Become a fashion designer. That’s if you have a love for the fashion industry. Sure it’s hard to break into but so very rewarding & there are some great like-minded people that will help you every step along the way, once you have chosen your path. It certainly does help to take a degree, but aim for one that offers work placement too. Visit your local Connexions & have a chat to them. They will prove invaluable. Remember this, 2,500 people a year go into the Rag-Trade, you need to remember that you’re special, determined & will be better than them. Once you enter the industry, you will quickly discover there’s so much more then basic designing to learn. Like Drawing, Presentation, Illustrating, Pattern understanding & cutting, good communicating skills, modelling on the stand, Research! Etc.Then there are the many different areas too, Kids, womensware, mensware & many more. You also need to have natural aptitude for fashion. I say that because I have been amazed at some of the young girls that have a space dedicated to fashion-with a clear & amazing knowledge, it’s an art & some of you are amazing.

Don’t let the thought of having to take a degree put you off if you’re not in the least academic! Google this man Helmut Lang if you have talent trust me, people will know & helmut didn’t take a degree.

So if you’re very keen & you feel you have something to give, start with a visit to your careers tutor, or Connexions you

This season, fashion is having a nostalgic moment for New York's late '70s/early '80s clubbing heyday, and who better to represent the craze than Debbie Harry? Ripped T-shirts with subversive slogans, perversely-matched prints, and, most markedly, over-the-knee black leather boots (the new footwear, as seen at Louis Vuitton, Giles and Chloé for autumn/winter 2009) all played a part in the Blondie frontwoman's wardrobe. From Balmain's punk rock sequins to Marc Jacobs' acid brights, designers are going mad for the pop icon's downtown New York style.

                                              

We may only be getting our heads around autumn fashions, but brands are already thinking ahead to next spring. Case in point: handbag.com spies can exclusively reveal that last week they spotted photographer Horst Diekgerdes shooting the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2010 shoe campaign outside Les Deux Magots café on the Left Bank in Paris. The model was a girl called Amanda Sudano. Never heard of her? You soon will have. According to a source, the reason for the choice of model is that Vuitton's shoe designer, Fabrizio Viti, is a huge fan of her mother, who is none other than disco diva Donna Summer. Other notable fact: it's the first time Vuitton has used a sole black model in one of their ads. (Did Vuitton not mind that Summer's song, I Feel Love, is the track for rival brand Gucci's Flora fragrance?)

Amanda Sudano is certainly not new to the fashion scene. The 23-year-old beauty, who is currently on the modelling books of Bella Agency in New York, was snapped arm in arm with Marc Jacobs at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week last October, wearing a total Louis Vuitton look of pale pink tulip skirt, grey fox stole and anthropomorphic patent wedge heels (pictured). Expect to see a lot more of her, and her shoes, during the upcoming round of Paris shows.

Louis Vuitton was unavailable to comment.

louisvuitton.com

 

Victoria Beckham has blown any chance of appearing on the cover of the influential US Vogue by agreeing to be shot for rival magazine Elle, the Daily Mail reports. "Victoria hoped to land the Vogue cover but it fell through weeks ago," a fashion insider claimed. "She decided to pose for Elle instead and now Vogue won't consider her for at least four months." Recently it was claimed that Vogue editor Anna Wintour would only give Victoria - who's had covers of UK and Russian Vogue - a cover if she had a breast reduction. "Anna said she would consider putting Victoria on the cover, but told her to lose those ridiculous implants before it happened," an insider said in June.

TELL THEM TO FUCK OFF!

09-09-09! They tell me the World will end today! *yawn* Another day I wonder if I shall wake up tomorrow.
Mind you-depends where in the world you live! As it might be yesterday or tomorrow. Think about it ;-)

                                  

Tony Romo is dating 22-year-old Miss Missouri 2008 Candice Crawford who also happens to be the sister of Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford. So you know he's not going to do anything about it except aloofly look into the camera. Us Magazine reports:

"She's not happy that it's out [in the media], but they weren't trying to hide," a source close to Candice tells Us the day after CelebTV.com first reported the coupling. "They've gone out to dinner in Dallas a bunch."

Granted, Tony Romo no longer has Jessica Simpson's large, bountiful breasts to play with, he also don't have to sword fight Joe Simpson every time he wants to touch a boob. Or clear off a pile of cheeseburger wrappers. That, too.

                               

Kim Kardashian tweeted a pic of herself getting ready for a Quick Trim photo shoot yesterday, and why does every pic Kim personally posts online look like she's in the freaking BatCave? She's standing flourescent lights ;-)  I'm starting to think she's the kind of chick who will only have sex with you in the dark - after she blindfolds you. Unfortunately, the joke's on her. I have a fantastic sense of touch: "I'll be with you shortly, baby. Just want to knead this gigantic ball of pizza dough. I think somebody dropped it on the floor though. Feels kind of hairy."

   

                              

 

Kate Gosselin was reportedly offered $400,000 to pose for Playboy, but turned down the offer, according to NY Daily News:

"Hugh sent her a letter, but Kate was totally mortified and threw it away!" a source told Star Magazine. "She didn't think it was appropriate because of the children."
Despite being "proud of the way she looks," Kate was baffled by the offer.

Fuck the money Kate-what will the kids say??

  Text around a Circle

			1. If you need to do circled text in Photoshop 5, here's a way. This is a Intermediate level Tutorial. Make a new 200x200 image. Make sure Rulers is on and Snap to Guides is checked under the View Menu.
			2. Stroke a Elliptical marquee about 2 pixels in the middle of the image. This is how: Select the Elliptical Marquee, then with a black foreground, go to Edit>Stroke and enter 2, dot center and click OK.
			3. Click on the Rulers and drag out 2 Guides, one Vertical and one Horizontal. Line them up in the middle of the circle, they should snap into the correct place.
			4. Use the Type Tool and make the first letter of the word. Place the Letter on the very top of the circle like I have.
			5. Go to Edit>Free Transform. Now set a new point of origin by clicking and dragging it to the middle of the circle like I have shown. It should snap in the very middle of the circle.
			6. Now just rotate the letter and it should ride along the circles edge. Don’t worry to much about the placement of the text, we will get to that in the next step.
			7. Continue Step 4 on thru a few times until you have the full word
			8. After I was done, my text was not centered on the circle.
			9. To fix this, I linked all my Text Layers together, then went to Edit>Free Transform once more, dragged the point of origin to the middle of the circle, then rotated the text so it was centered on the top.

   Metallic Texture

			1. Start with a new image 150x150 and fill it with White.
			2. Make sure white is the foreground color and Black in the background (Press: D and X on the keyboard). Next go to Filter>Render>Difference Clouds.
			3. Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. For Amount enter 30. Dot Gaussian and Check Monochromatic.
			4. Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. Angle 0. For Distance enter 999.
			5. To get that shinny metalic look, use the Lighting Effects filter. Go to Filter>Render>Lighting Effects
	6. Make a Spotlight shinning down from the top. Make sure to turn up the Gloss all the way to "Shinny" like shown. Also Move the Material over to "Metallic". Adjust the rest to taste and click OK.

Photo Touch Up

			1. Hue/Saturation Command In this picture, the image lacked in mostly color. To fix this, I went to Image>Adjust>Hue/Saturation.
			2. I simply turned up the Saturation a touch to bring back a little life. To much saturation can ruin the image, and the more you use will increase the file size too. So try and keep these things in mind.
			3. Brightness/Contrast Command Using this feature is a great way to make the dark areas dark and the light areas more lighter and brighter.
			4. Go to Image>Adjust>Brightness/Contrast. The trick is to turn down the Brightness a touch, then up the contrast a bit
			5. Unsharp Mask When resizing photos down, they can look fuzzy and blurred. Using the Unsharp Mask command is a great choice for sharpening up those small thumbnails.
			6. Go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. The setting I have below is the absolute best for this.

Both conventional wisdom and experience suggest that it’s important to include a photo of the item up for sale in every eBay listing. All photos, however, are not created equal—especially for a site like eBay. While the range of photo options runs the gamut from no photo at all to slideshows of externally-hosted marketing posters, the basic approach is probably still best. Follow these basic guidelines for eBay photos and you’re well on your way to selling success.

• Plan from the start to use eBay’s own picture hosting service. It’s quick, easy to use (it’s built into the standard selling form, so you can add pictures directly as you list your item for sale), and it’s very inexpensive—the first photo is free, with each photo thereafter just a few cents, billed at the same time as your listing fee.
  
  
• Take your photo in good light when a flash isn’t needed. Far too many photos used on eBay show the item with a strong color cast, or with motion blur (from shaking hands in dim light), or with such a strong flash that it’s hard to make out. Wait until midday and use natural light near a window if possible; certainly don’t shoot in lamplight and avoid using a flash. Go for good contrast—a light item shout be shot against a dark background and vice-versa.       
  

• If your item is used, clean it up a little before shooting. Run a wet wipe over plastic, metal, or wood goods, or launder textiles. Certainly don’t show a photo of a dusty or filthy item if you expect to draw top dollar bids when you list it.
  
  
• Set the item on a nice, clean surface in front of a clean background. Present your item well. Don’t show it in a messy room or surrounded by so much clutter that the buyer can’t really get a good look at it. Don’t show more than one item in the frame unless all of them are for sale in one lot.
  
  
• Get as close as possible so that the item fills the camera frame. Photos that are mostly empty frame with a tiny item in the corner aren’t very useful most of the time. Your bidders want to get a good look at the item. Give it to them by filling the frame with the item so that it’s as large as possible.
  
  
• Resize your photo to 400x300 pixels (not inches) in size. This is the “standard” size used by eBay picture services, so by making your photo the same size you’ll maximize your ability to represent your item well. In Photoshop you can resize your image using the “Image Size” option of the “Image” menu. In GIMP you can resize your image using the “Scale Image” option of the “Image” menu.
  
  
• Sharpen your image slightly after resizing it. In Photoshop this can be done using the “Sharpen” item from the “Sharpen” submenu of the “Filter” menu. In GIMP this can be done using the “Sharpen” option from the “Enhance” submenu of the “Filter” menu.
  
  
• Save the image as a JPEG (.jpg) file at the highest possible quality. Because eBay will edit the photo to add the iPix logo and will at the same time resave your image at lower quality, it’s important that you save the image originally using the highest quality setting available in your image editing or management program, to ensure the best possible result in your final listing.
  
  
• Use multiple views if necessary. If your item will be well-served by being shown from several different angles, don’t be afraid to use a second or even third or fourth shot so that your prospective bidders can feel like educated buyers.

Through all of this remember that the idea is to present your item in the best light possible. Use a decent camera, shoot in nice light, save at nice quality, and take pride in the way that you present your item. The benefits of this approach will show in your sales results.

OK it's not a bird! This is a combination of photograph & digital art for a forthcoming exhibition to raise money for a War Memorial at Kings Cliffe 9 miles from where I live. http://www.controltowers.co.uk/H-K/Kings%20Cliffe.htm It's an old USAF Airfield & this picture is part of 30 images I am producing to re build the now dilapidated memorial-dedicated to the 8th Air Force fallen.

Speaking exclusively to Now Magazine, Jodie tells the world about her new fitness regime, which involves going to the gym at least twice a week for 6 (six) months. Two times a week?! Hardly pushing the boat out!

Jodie has dropped 3 (three) dresses. Oh sorry, three dress sizes and is now a 6/8. She somewhat naively suggests she is planning to lose another half a stone and build up even bigger muscles. As any fool  knows muscle weighs about a third more than fat, so any fat she replaces will inevitably cause her to actually gain weight.

"Within two weeks, I had definition in my stomach,"

"As I saw my body changing, I really liked my muscles and as Tim (her personal trainer) is a body builder it just went from there."

Jodie's gruelling bodybuilding regime also consists of walking her dog, sex and dancing in nightclubs. Sex? God this silly cow pisses me off!

                        

                                                                      

Today I joined the ranks of Twitter & have already found it spammed with crap so I will see how this transpires!     
http://twitter.com/xintense

I  had the privilage to meet Ray Hanna & its an honour to say I knew him. The Pic posted is Rays  4th & final run under Winston Bridge at 215knots. The director wanted 4 runs to get the shot.  Ray could fly & hold a line just 9 feet above the ground-FUCK ME!

The image posted is my copyright-please do not abuse, for personal use only & posted in tribute of Ray.

That was the legend Ray Hanna, former leader & founder of the Red Arrows & no doubt very much missed on the flying warbird circuit. RIP.

The reporter was Alan DeCadenet, Father of Amanda.


              

WELL SHE'S JUST HAD HER 21ST BIRTHDAY BASH-YESTERDAY IN FACT! I KNOW, FUCKING HARD TO BELIEVE SHES ONLY 21!

          
Brooke Hogan had the party at Pure Nightclub inside Caesars Palace Resort Casino. Brooke's dress looked great and very sexy, but she had far to much make-up on.. she looked like a man...

Hulk Hogan looks very cozy with Jennifer McDaniel, this is allegedly the girl that Hulk Hogan dated while still married to his former wife Linda. Hulk Hogan is currently living with Brooke. Looking at the pictures Jennifer looks the same age as Brooke. I just hope there is no funny business going on Mr Hulk..

                                                                   

Photoshop - Crop Tool - C

Use the crop tool in Photoshop to crop down an image. Trim away portions of a photo that you may not particularly like and focus on the section of the image that you want to highlight. Select the crop tool from the Tool Bar by pressing C.

Crop Tool - C:

Drag a selection with the crop tool just as you would the marquee tools. Use the space bar and shift keys to drag and shape the rectangle about the canvas. Once you have a selection you are happy with, press enter to crop the rest of the picture away.

Crop Away!:

Photoshop - Crop Tool Options Bar

The arrow by the icon for the crop tool drops down into a list of common picture sizes. Use these if you plan on printing the image and framing it in a standard frame.

Crop Tool Presets:

While these presets offer a precise means to crop an image down to the desired size. This tool does not solve the problem of reducing the size of an entire image. Photoshop does have a solution to this problem, you may change the entire size of an image by clicking on the Image menu at the top of the screen and selecting the Image Size... option.

Use the vacant input boxes as a means to specify your own dimensions and resolution. Resolution has to do with the quality of the image, set a higher resolution to increase picture quality. Be aware that increasing a resolution of an image also increases the file size of that image - not so super for web developers.

Crop Tool Option Bar:

Photoshop - Crop Tool Second Options bar

After dragging and dropping a crop. Before pressing enter to confirm the cropping, another options bar appears at the top of the screen.

More Crop Tool Options:

Photoshop - Crop Tool Mouse Work

Rotate the cropping by clicking behind one of the points and swinging your mouse about the canvas. Clicking on a point will allow you to additionally modify the size of the cropping.

Mouse Work:

Rotating the cropping as we've done above skewed the sphere creating more of a three dimensional oval - egg shape.

Photoshop - Brushes

The brush tool is a relic that should be cherished and treated like royalty. An expert in the art of Photoshop's Brush tool will find it very helpful indeed.

Photoshop Brush Tool:

Photoshop - The Brush Palette

The small icon located on the tool bar hardly does justice to the tool when compared to the actual brush palette. Access the brush palette located toward the top of the program. Single click the brush tab to activate the brush palette.

The palette is organized into a two column table with preset brushes on the right-hand side and several brush stroke options on the left. At the bottom lies a preview that should give you some idea of what your brush stroke will do. The brush palette is essentially the ultimate control panel for your brushes. Anything and everything can be adjusted with the brush palette.

The Brush Palette:

Photoshop - Brush Presets

Photoshop comes with several brush pre-sets. Later we will discuss how to create your own unique brushes but for now scroll through the preset brushes and when you come to the bottom, there's still more hiding from your view. To access them, click on the little black arrow located at the top of the palette near the actual Brushes tab. A navigation list should pop into view and at the bottom of that list lies about a dozen brush sets.

Brush Presets:

Browse through them, familiarize yourself with this palette, and finally pick a brush to paint with and paint away on a new layer.

Paint Away:

Photoshop - Brush Options

Previously we sort of ignored the left column of the brush palette. Customizing brushes is accomplished here. Simply checking one of the boxes here modifies the brush in some way. These options are a way to fine tune brushes and can really bring about some impressive results.

Brush Options:

If the scatter option on your brush isn't already on, click the check box to activate this option and then click the text to highlight the option and bring the palette into fine-tune mode.

Scattering Options:

Here we can adjust the amount of scattering that takes place along with the jitter and fade options. All really neat features available through the brush palette.

Photoshop - Create Your Own Brush

As you begin to "fiddle" around with each and every option available, you may want to save your brush as a preset for later use. Finalize all your options and settings then click the "Create New Brush" button at the bottom of the brush palette. Photoshop comes back with a prompt of what to name your brush. Type in a name and then press "OK".

Create New Brush:

Name New Brush:

Photoshop Tutorials 90+ Places to Submit

Photoshop Course - Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation Tools

Ctrl +          Zoom In

Ctrl -           Zoom Out

Ctrl 0          Fit image to screen
Spacebar     Hold down to move the image

Clicking in Navigator window will move to different parts of the image
Select Window -> Workspace -> Default Workspace to load Default Palettes - or simply select a palette from the Window menu

Brush & Palette Tools

B                 Brush
[                  Decrease brush size
]                  Increase brush size

D                 Load Default Colors:  black as foreground and white as background
X                 Switch the foreground & background colors

Selection Tools

Ctrl A           Select All (everything in the layer)
Ctrl D           De-Select All

Layer Tools

Ctrl J             Duplicate the Active layer
Ctrl T            Free Transform (or rotate and move) - be sure to press Enter or the                     checkmark to accept the transformation
G                  Gradient

Program Tools

Ctrl W           Close a single file, but keep photoshop open
Ctrl Q            Close Photoshop
Ctrl TAB        Switch between open images

F                    Switch between full-screen and windowed mode

TAB               Hide / Show all palettes

How to Batch Resize Photos in Photoshop

How to Batch Resize Photos in Photoshop

Resizing groups of photos is very easy if you are using Photoshop. I am using Photoshop CS3 on a Mac in this example. Though I am not sure if this works in Elements, I do know that it works in CS2 on both a PC & a Mac.

Here’s the concept: you have a folder full of JPG files and they are all very large. You want to resize all of the photos at once, or you want to create small copies of all of the photos at once, but save it to another location. No problem.

Just click the File menu, and hover over Scripts, then select Image Processor:

A menu will pop up with what looks like several daunting options. Don’t worry. All it is asking for is the location of the photo folder, where you want your resized copies to go, and how small you want them. Just follow the numbers on the left. 1, 2, 3. Before I do this, I usually create a folder inside the photo folder and call it “Small Copies” so that I know exactly what it is:

Step 1: Click on “Select Folder” and browse to the location of the folder where your photos are.
Step 2: Click on “Select Folder” and choose the new location where resized copies will be saved.
Step 3: Check the “Save as JPEG” box, then choose a quality setting between 1 and 6. To resize, check the “Resize to Fit” box and enter the dimensions in pixels for your photos. 640 x 480 is a good size for e-mail, or maybe 800 x 600 would work too, if you don’t have too many photos you are going to e-mail.

And you’re done! Your photos are now copied to the new location and resized, and your original photos are untouched: