Understanding macro photography Before we get to the tips sections, I thought I'd explain a little bit about what macro photography is. Macro photography is defined as the photography of extreme close-ups, usually of very small objects, in which the ratio of the subject on the sensor to the actual size of the subject is greater than 1:1 - or in other words, the subject in the photograph is greater than life-size. Macro photography is a great way to showcase everyday objects in fun and interesting ways. There are macro-specific settings, lenses, and other accessories that are used to achieve macro photographs, with a Point and Shoot camera or a DSLR.Most point and shoot cameras require a minimum focusing distance of 1 foot (30 cm). With the Macro Mode setting, P&S cameras can focus to within about an inch away from an object. The Macro Mode is denoted by a flower icon … [Read more...]
Fearsome Filters Are Not Fearsome! Today: Dry Brush + some more
Hey there, fearsome filter explorers!All the new updates to the forum and gallery are beyond cool, aren't they? I spent some time getting acquainted with all the new buttons and so forth and I'm liking it!It's the same thing with Photoshop in all its variations. Giving yourself permission to mess around with your photos and the program is a lot of fun, and you can learn a lot about the cool effects you can get with Photoshop and Elements.Today, I thought I'd explore Dry Brush and then take it a little further with three other filters-and seeing what I'd get. Take a read and see what you can do.As always, here's my original image:Here's my cute boy Baxter! Such a lovely model. :-D Hi Baxter! Ready to play tug-of-war?Depending on your version of PS/PSE, your filters are going to be in slightly different places. I work from PSE8, which is a relatively ancient version (now) of … [Read more...]
More Mobile Fun… Plus Some Awesome New Releases!
Did you know that The Lilypad is still riding the Mobile-Ready Crazy Train? Well, it's not too crazy, but it sure is fun! There is a whole line of products now in the store especially geared for this. They are specifically designed to decorate your smart phone photos, making them so cool to share on social media and even to scrap with. Check out this blog post for details on how to use them, including screenshots. Here is the video from that post that the Font/Dingbat Guru Heather created for us.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6_C_U3gWRQ]And for those of you without smart phones (you know who you are), you can still enjoy these products because most also include png versions that can easily be used on scrapbook pages or other projects. So it's sort of like wordart with a bonus dingbat! What is not to love about that?Now that you know HOW to do it, let's look at … [Read more...]
Member Spotlight — RaquelS
Hey all, Polly Jewelle here! I am thrilled to bring you another TLP member spotlight! I had the opportunity to chat with RaquelS this week. Grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy getting to know more about her!Jewelle: What is your IRL name and your user name? RaquelS: My name is Raquel Sabido and my diginame is raquels.J: Could you provide a picture of yourself so we can see who you are? J: Where do you call home? R: I live in Waco, Texas also known as the home of the Baylor Bears. Sic’ Em, Bears! I am originally from Mexico, but Texas became my home ever since I was a young girl.J: Digital or Hybrid? Both? R: I started with paper scrapbooking quite a few years ago, but once I discovered the digital world in 2011 I haven’t gone back. I get more layouts done this way and I completely love it!J: How long have you been scrapping? R: It’s been seven years. Wow! I can’t … [Read more...]
Everybody Loves to be Loved♥Pass It On
Have you ever been standing in line at a grocery story, just having a blah day,and a stranger walks up and says something like this, "I really like your shirt/earrings/purse." It totally makes your moment. It causes you to look up and say oh thank you. A smile will come across your face and that mundane moment has changed to a rather nice warm feeling. I really think that taking that kind and sweet feeling and passing it on is an important part of life. Today, I want to thank those strangers that take the time to speak out and say, "I like that!" You know them as the angels in the gallery. Seriously, there are so many of them in the Lily Pad gallery, that take the time to look at our hard created page of love. These pages are of our most precious commodities, our children, precious pets, family and friends. To have someone say something kind about them is like a piece of … [Read more...]
Trend Watch – Stitching
This week's Trend Watch is all about stitching! It's a personal favorite amongst the creative team at TLP because it often adds that perfect finishing touch to pages. Both hand and machine stitching are hot trends in crafting and paper scrapbooking right now. The beauty of digi is that you can add stitching detail quickly and easily, with no sewing machine to haul out. However, stitching can be more than just nice details or to digitally hold down other page elements, you can also use them as the foundation of your layout for an entirely different look. No matter which method you prefer, you can grab some new stitches from the shop in the Trend Watch: Stitching category at 20% off until October 21st.Have you ever tried using stitching as the focus of your composition? It's a crafty and visually interesting way to build a page design. Jacque Larsen's Launch Pads are great … [Read more...]
October BYOC
It is that time of month...a new installment of TLP's very own Build Your Own Collab! The October color palette is gorgeous...perfect for scrapping fall photos or just every day memories. There is a bit of something for everyone in the BYOC section. From templates and journal cards to alphas and element packs, you can choose the right packs just for you! Here are just a few of the amazing paper packs you can pick up! There are several new alpha packs, a new font pack and several new "mobile ready" fonts...here is just a peek at what you will find in the October BYOC Category. There are also some amazing element packs! Finally, there are templates, journal cards and misc. element packs, like frame overlays and pockets, that are a must have! I could go on and on...listing all the wonderful goodies … [Read more...]
Don’t Fear Your Filters! This Week: Cutout!
What is Cutout, and what does it do?I took this photograph, taken a few weeks ago at the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, CA, and sicced Cutout on it.Here's the original. Cool staircase, right? It floats, which means it's a Spiral Staircase with no support, just its own structure. (note: I did have to balance the color out and tweak it a bit, but this is the photo before I did anything to it) Here's what my screen looks like when I have the Cutout Filter selected, and the photo up on that workspace.In the upper right hand corner, you can see the three controls: number of levels, edge simplicity and edge fidelity. To simplify things, I left the edge fidelity control alone. Below, here are three different combinations of the controls. Just like last week, I copied the original tweaked photo layer so that were two layers. I used the filter on the top layer only.On my image, … [Read more...]
October Challenges
Happy Hump-day everyone! It's Polly Karen here bringing you a look at all of the new challenges just posted to the forum yesterday. We have 7 new challenges every month and not only will they inspire you to capture your memories and create fabulous layouts, you can also earn a coupon for your next shopping trip in our store! (2 Challenges = 10%, 4 Challenges = 20% and 6 Challenges = 30%) Also, if you complete all 7 challenges you will be entered in a drawing to win one of two guest spots on the Creative Team (to be a Polly) for one month! That is a prize worth creating for! Now let's take a look at this month's challenges. 1. One Word Challenge - Anne (AnneofAlamo) is hosting the One Word challenge this month and has selected the word Time for this challenge. Anne has also linked up for some time related products in the store. Here is a sample page by … [Read more...]
Polly Picks – Shanna Noel + Journal Card Giveaway
This week, we are featuring the distinctive style of honorary Polly, Shanna Noel. Shanna spent many years on the creative team here wowing us with her hybrid creations. She is currently serving on the design team at Studio Calico, where she continues to inspire with her pages that marry the best of paper and digi. Shanna's style is playful, colorful and filled with fun details. Her pages are full of artistic whimsy in her use of paint splatters, mist and doodles. They also come from the heart, which shines through in all of her scrapbooking spreads, especially her Project Life work. Art + heart - that's Shanna Noel style. Shop her look all this week at 20% off in The Lilypad store.Here's Shanna in her own words: "Hi everyone! I am so excited to be here today sharing with you some of the things I am passionate about! I started digital scrapbooking in 2007 and quickly became addicted. … [Read more...]