Capturing the Vintage Charm through Modern TechniquesWritten by Michelle J. Nepomuceno
Images that are dramatically stained with age carry a distinct charm that sometimes leaves us staring at them with utmost awe and inexplicable nostalgia.Undoubtedly, there is always glamour and romance in a vintage piece of art. That is why, in this day and age, a lot of people (especially contemporary artists) are inspired by photographic language of olden era. With many modern techniques and tricks available in this digital age, even an amateur shutterbug or a simple vintage-photo enthusiast like me can create faux antique images that look like real thing. The remarkable tools of digital darkroom, or in simpler terms—your home computer, make it possible to create nostalgic images quite easily, especially since necessary software is available for free on Internet. One example is BWorks from Mediachance, a company that has already produced a whole range of helpful programs for digital image editors. BWorks transforms digital color images into black and white photos or so-called duotones. In this context, Windows program can not only take care of reducing images to grayscale, but can also apply numerous effects to make them look as if they were photographed 100 years ago. Yup, just like those antique photos that you adore. Noise, color defects and like are some of phenomena that give nostalgic effect to a modern image— and they're precisely what BWorks can produce on your pictures. Let me tell you how.
| | The 21st Century's Definition of Artistic DesignWritten by Gem
Throughout time, art has transformed into many ways it could possibly be. Like man, it has gone through different eras, facing biggest challenges of life. Artistic Design, in olden age, defies law of art having limited supply of materials in hand. Capped with a fervent love for art and aptitude to go with it, an archetypal design can turn into a masterpiece. Like man, an artistic design has its way of leaping over realism and rules of drawing associated in it, making intellectual efforts in understanding reality in pursuit of modern technology. It is evident that pace of its transformation is fast and enduring. It accelerates under impact of trains, cars, electricity and like. Thus, 21st Century’s Definition of Artistic Design was born. So, what is artistic design in this modern age? Its meaning transcends elusive metaphors and technical wonders of our time. Is it advertisement packed with heavy graphics that flaunts at our eyes and catches our attention? Is it uncovered truth that uses programs, which they say, make our lives easier? Is it man behind powerful tool of a computer graphics program? Taking a closer look, one can be easily deceived. Like any replicas, an artistic design is covered with an artist’s technical proficiency in hiding truth, making it less substantial.
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