Awe-inspiring artwork created by AI-assisted applications

I've always believed that in order to create beautiful art, you needed talent and creativity. I never imagined a time when technology would be able to create art. I saw an advertisement earlier today for a web-based app that could generate art by simply typing words into the program. I decided to give it a try, which led me down a rabbit hole of ai art generator apps, where I spent several hours researching and testing AI Art generator apps. I tested three AI Art generators, and each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Amazing Cebu City Timelapse by Garyl Paras

Timelapse videos are a technique used to compress time by reducing the number of frames per second (fps). The standard video frame rate is 30fps or 60fps. On the other hand, Timelapse shoots video at a significantly lower frame rate that speeds up and reduces the length of the video. This technique produces stunning results and is often used to compress hours and days in a few seconds. Timelapse photography needs patience and discipline to deliver quality results. Unintentional movements, exposure variations, and focus can ruin the final output.

Unique Solar Artwork by Jordan Mang-Osan

Artists express their art through a wide variety of mediums. In my previous post, I covered several artists who use unique mediums for their artwork. There are a few artists who can make art from unconventional materials. Some choose these unusual mediums for experimentation, while some use these materials because of the availability.

I found a documentary about a talented Filipino artist a few years ago. He creates art using a Pyrography technique, which is the art of decorating wood by controlled burning, creating beautiful patterns or portraits. What makes his style unique is that he harnesses the sun's heat, using a magnifying lens, onto a piece of wood to create beautiful masterpieces.

Can a Smartphone Camera Outperform an Old DSLR?

Huawei P30 vs Olympus E30 + Zuiko 14-54mm & 9-18mm

Smartphone cameras have seen dramatic improvements over the last few years, with image quality and low light performance way ahead of what cameras offered a few years ago. The image quality of current smartphones is adequate for casual photographers, and even entry-level phones have decent image quality.

Capable of taking high image quality in low light, I decided to replace my phone with a Huawei P30 last year. Since the bulk of my shots are taken indoors or in low light, a camera's low light performance is essential to me. I also needed a backup camera if I left my camera at home and needed to take a photo.

Since purchasing my phone back in December, I noticed that I seldom use my camera anymore. The quality of the photos I take from my phone is decent enough that I no longer need to use my camera. The only time I bring out my camera is when I need a shot that requires a shallow depth of field. 

The LCD of my main camera malfunction a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't decided if I should buy a new one. Impressed with my phone's performance, I am now having second thoughts about buying a new camera body. So I decided to test and compare how the image quality of my Huawei P30 compares to my 11-year-old Olympus E30 DSLR, which will help me decide whether or not I should buy a new camera.

The Olympus E30 has a 12-megapixel sensor and was released back in 2009. The lenses used are the Zuiko 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 (28-108mm equivalent) and Zuiko 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 (18-36mm equivalent). The E30 needs both lenses to match the Huawei P30's range. The Huawei P30, on the other hand, was released back in 2019, and it has a 40-megapixel f1.8 27mm primary camera, an 8-megapixel f2.4 80mm telephoto camera, and a 16-megapixel 17mm ultra-wide camera.

Online Tools to Help Improve Your Writing Skills

Writing great articles is a skill that was never one of my strengths. Even though I love to share my ideas, I always struggle to convey my thoughts. Although I have a fundamental understanding of English, I find it difficult to arrange my thoughts. I find it hard to put words and sentences, and I have a little background in making complex sentences. I also tend to have grammatical errors, and despite knowing my weaknesses, I hardly read my articles.

That's why I've been using online tools to help me with my work and blog posts. These tools have greatly improved the way I create and structure my writing. I've been reviewing my past articles since the beginning of the quarantine. Now, I appreciate the importance of creating readable articles. It's a challenge to get your message across if readers don't understand what you're saying. 

My articles may not be equivalent to a skilled writer, but it is an improvement compared to my previous output. These are the tools that I am currently using, and as a result, my grammar and vocabulary have improved.

 

Grammarly

 

Grammarly offers a free version that checks grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary. It has an integrated thesaurus that provides alternative synonyms that would fit your sentence better. Grammarly also alerts users to intricate text, misplaced words or phrases, word choice, incomplete sentences, monotonous sentences, and passive voice misuse.

The free version only provides notice of these issues. To remove these flaws, users need to correct the sentences manually. On the other hand, the premium version notifies which sentences need corrections and gives better options to fix these issues. 

Satisfying AMSR Videos That Relaxes Your Brain

There is something about watching looping videos that relaxes our minds. It can be videos of mundane things repeated several times or weird, surreal looped videos. Looped videos have this unique effect on our minds. It makes our minds want to watch more and see something different might happen.

Andrea Wannerstedt

 

Amazing Pop Up Paper Sculptures by Peter Dahmen

Peter Dahmen is a German paper artist and pop-up designer. He has created a variety of beautiful paper sculptures. Some of his works are very complex geometric sculptures, which almost seem to have been printed in 3D. Check out some of his work on his official DesignPD Youtube page.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/user/DesignPD

Toothpick Architecture

There are ways to express one's own creativity. Most creative people are not limited to the availability of materials to create their masterpieces. There are a few who use the most common materials available to express their art and still create magnificent masterpieces.

The artists below skillfully create marvelous sculptures using toothpicks or matchsticks as their main material. The number of materials, effort, and patience that they put into their work will surely boggle one's mind.

Deshaker Stabilizing Sulotion to your Handheld Videos

Lately I have been exploring the world of HD video using my DSLR. My fascination in video started when I attended a wedding and saw the works presented by those professional video and photographers. I was amazed on how they managed to create an incredible output using their DSLR. Although I don't have any plans on pursuing video/photographer as a career, I became interested in the video capabilities since I am the unofficial video/photographer in my family.

The first time I used my DSLR to take full hd videos, I was disappointed with the results. Most of the videos I took handheld were too shaky. I usually shot my videos at the tele end of my lens which increased the shakiness of my videos. After a couple more tries on shooting videos I eventually gave up on it since I thought all my videos were unusable due to the shakiness of the output.

Stunning Living Paintings by Alexa Meade

Painters usually project what they see in a canvas. They create art by painting and interpreting what they see. There are some who create realistic paintings and others who create abstract paintings. Each artist has his or her own preference for how they want to express their art. One artist I've found is doing something unique compared to what most painters do.

Exceptional Digitat Art

Art is the expression of a person's emotion through the medium that person chooses. It may be through music, literature, photography, oil in the canvass, or other means. The medium is only the artist's instrument, which allows him or her to share his creative thoughts with others.

Technology has provided us with more tools to express ourselves. I have always been a visual person, and most of the art that I appreciate is visual. Most of the excellent artists that I know can create works of art in whatever medium they provide.

By Daniel Conway

Incredible animation of Superman Vs Hulk

A while ago I was browsing Youtube for a trailer of the new superman movie. I bumped into an animation created by mhabjan. I watched the entire animation, and I was very impressed by its quality. 

I assumed the animation was done by a team of 3d artists. It was only when I read the description that I discovered that mhabjan was the only one working on this project. This has made it even more impressive.

It took him about eight months to finish the animation. It must have taken him a great deal of patience to accomplish this feat.





You can visit his channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mhabjan

Larger than Life Sculptures by Ron Mueck

Photo By: Peregrinari

I came across this unique sculptor Ron Mueck online. He creates realistic but giant sculptures of people. At first glance, I thought his works were digital art since some of his works looked like photoshop paintings.

Photos By: Veronique Debord

After staring at his other works, I realized that these were real sculptures. Something I didn't recognize was the scale of these artworks. The enormity of these works of art can only be comprehended once you see a person stand right beside it.

Recycled Art: Old Computer Parts and Transistor

Every time I open my CPU I always get amazed at the complexity of each part working in unison to make millions of complex calculations every second. Whenever I take my CPU apart I can't help but admire how the manufacturers and designers of these parts worked hard to create these sophisticated components.

While I was searching the net for computer parts I saw some photo of some sculptures which used old computer components as the sculptors choice of material. I was amused with this unique art since it never crossed my mind that these old computer parts can be converted into works of art.

Although the shapes look simple, I bet that it took a lot of effort to create these sculptures. The texture of these computer parts also helped enhance the sculptures.

For more sculptures click on the links below.

Sources: 

www.designswan.com

www.atcrux.com

Amazing Origami Sculptures

A few months ago, I started learning the art of origami. I've always been curious about how a blank piece of paper could turn into a three-dimensional artwork. My first attempt at origami was a simple rose. I realized that it took focus and concentration to finish one of the basic origami. It took me a few attempts to do this before I finished my first origami.

By Jeremy Kool

Photographs of Carcar

I went on a photowalk with Zenia and Laurie to the south of Cebu last Sunday. This was the first time I had the chance to use the new things I bought on Ebay. I was so excited that I forgot to adjust my camera settings.

I set the camera with the wrong shutter speed. This mistake ended up blurring most of my shots. I was had to use manual focus in this photowalk since I was using a legacy lens in my camera. I will have to charge those blurred photos to experience. Here are some of the photos I took. 

Exploring Black & White Photography

It's been a long time since I posted anything to this blog. A lot of things have happened in the last few months that I haven't had time to post anything on my blog. I 'm back now, and I've been busy with my hobby.

I attended a photo tour of the province last week. I've had the opportunity to practice street photography. When I was shooting the images, I had a lot of good ideas, but I wasn't able to catch anything on my camera. I'm just going to have to charge that to experience.

Reviving My Love for Photography

Lately, I have been trying to revive my interest in photography. I used to love photography back in high school, my dad taught me how to use his old film SLR cam back then. I used to take a lot of pictures of different subjects. When my dad bought his first digital camera, I also stopped my hobby of taking pictures with the SLR camera.

My fascination with photography stopped since film photography was expensive back then. It was the SLR camera that made me love photography back then. There's just a lot of difference between the point and the shoot and the SLR. Apart from the difference in the results, there is a different feeling in the handling of an SLR camera

When Zenia bought her Holga camera she asked me to go with her on a photo excursion with our office mate. While we toured around the rural areas I watched my office mates taking shots with their DSLRs. They took photos of different subjects and scenery with their DSLR. I, on the other hand, took some pictures with my cellphone camera. After our photo excursions, I noticed my shots were not as sharp as the ones my friends took with their DSLR.

 I was frustrated with the results since I might not be going back to that place for a very long time. I then recalled that my dad still had his old SLR cameras. I borrowed it from him and tested it out and found out it was still working perfectly. Although these were old film SLR camera the quality of the shots were good. Even though I had to spend on film and developing it, this would still be much cheaper than buying a DSLR camera.

Eventually, I will buy myself a DSLR camera this December. As for now I will exploit my dad's SLR cameras and learn the ropes before investing in a DSLR. I still have to convince myself that this is not just a phase, that I would find time for this hobby and continue with this it for a long time.

Here are a couple of the shots I took with my film SLR.

Greatest Music Artists of the 20th Century

My interest in art has exposed me in a lot of different forms of art. As a young boy I went to school were art and music was part of our curriculum. This was a big influence in my passion for art and music. 

I was fond of sketching and painting. Music on the other hand wasn't my strong point. I had a hard time learning how to play the violin.

Even though I loved listening to music, I did not have any talent to play any instrument. I didn't have the patience to learn how to play an instrument. 

As I became older my interest in music also grew. My choices of music became diverse. I never concentrated on a particular genre. I learned to appreciate music and not limit myself with one genre. 

Lately I began to appreciate more some music which had stand the test of time. The artists who made these songs were truly exceptional in the art of music. These are the artist who for lasted several generations. 

Here is my list of the 10 Greatest Music Artist which has influenced the music industry. I didn't arrange them accordingly because I think each one of the are equally  great. Each one has achieved incredible status in their own time and genre.

• John Winston Lennon October 9, 1940 – December 8,1980 was an English rock musician, singer, and songwriter who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. Lennon along with Paul McCartney formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and "wrote some of the most popular music in rock and roll history". Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and biting wit in his music, on film, in books, and at press conferences and interviews. He was controversial through his work as a peace activist and artist. Read More

• Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981 was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands: The Wailers (1964 – 1974) and Bob Marley & the Wailers (1974 – 1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited for helping spread Jamaican music to the worldwide audience. Read More
• Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Queen (inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001). As a performer, he was known for his vocal prowess and flamboyant performances. As a songwriter, he composed many international hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". Read More

• Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers". His professional career had stalled by the 1950s, but it was reborn in 1954 after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Read More

• James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. After initial success in Europe, he achieved fame in the United States following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. Read More

• Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977; middle name sometimes written Aron)a was an American singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" or "The King".

  In 1954, Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he has been inducted into four music halls of fame. Read More

• Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995). Read More

• Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone on August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, dancer, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance. After performing as member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983, and then produced three consecutive number-one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s and four more since year 2000. Read More

• The Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. They were born on the Isle of Man to English parents, lived in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, United Kingdom and during their childhood years moved to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, where they began their musical careers. Their worldwide success came when they returned to the United Kingdom and signed with producer Robert Stigwood. Read More

• The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup. Stewart, deemed unsuitable as a teen idol, was removed from the official lineup in 1963 but continued to work with the band as road manager and keyboardist until his death in 1985. Read More

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

Foodscape - Miniature Landscape Photography made Edible Materials

I've been working on sample renderings on landscape designs for the past few weeks. Our marketing at LazyAnimation asked me to make sample renderings. He told me that he had potential clients that are interested in landscape renderings. The clients wanted to see if we were capable of creating landscape renderings. 

I began looking for some reference pictures of some gardens and landscapes on the net. I didn't have any idea what type of landscape I would model so I made some random searches on landscaping. I saw a lot of beautiful Japanese gardens which I tried to imitate. 

My next sample rendering assignment was for a park. I searched for some aerial photos of parks on google and found pictures of a surreal landscape. I opened the link and found a couple of interesting landscape pictures.

When I enlarged the pictures I was surprised to find out that the photos were made of food. The trees photo that looked like a thick forest of stout trees were actually made of broccoli. These stunning pieces of art were made by artist/ photographer Carl Warner. His photography skills made some wonderful foodscapes.

Visit http://www.carlwarner.com/ for more Foodscape photos.