Friday, 17 December 2010
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
The movie of the week
Tron: Legacy
“TRON: Legacy” is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winner Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade—a signal that could only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe—a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape. Presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and scored by Grammy® Award-winning electronic music duo Daft Punk, “TRON: Legacy” hits U.S. theaters on Dec. 17, 2010, in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D.
The best game of 2011
2011 is shaping up to be one of gaming's biggest years ever. Practically every month next year will see at least one or two blockbuster releases. To make sense of the madness, we've put together a handy list of all the game announcements that have a specific release date or seasonal window.
Games coming in 2011 with no other specific release information were left off for now until we hear more. Wondering where The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, X-Com and your favorite 3DS games are? Once their publishers commit to tighter release dates, we'll update our timeline to include them. Yeah, we're playing hardball.
We'll be updating this list throughout the year, so make sure to bookmark it and keep checking back.
Games coming in 2011 with no other specific release information were left off for now until we hear more. Wondering where The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, X-Com and your favorite 3DS games are? Once their publishers commit to tighter release dates, we'll update our timeline to include them. Yeah, we're playing hardball.
We'll be updating this list throughout the year, so make sure to bookmark it and keep checking back.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa, and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid. In theaters Memorial Day weekend, 2011.
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane).
Friday, 29 October 2010
Batman Arkham City
Arkham Inmates in His Own Backyard
With last year’s
In addition to rescuing his girlfriend (or girl-foe), the Caped Crusader is also bent on uncovering the gritty details of Dr. Hugo Strange’s past, as well as his true intentions for Arkham City’s inhabitants. The sequel’s story seems fairly complex, and Rocksteady says that there will be more plot-fueling interaction between Batman and villains, not just back-and-forth pummeling.
Supplementing the main adventure are side-missions for the supporting cast, like the dagger-happy serial killer Victor Zsasz, who’s scarred with self-inflicted tally marks representing his victims. He also appeared in the original game and will reportedly be one of a few characters whose points of view are represented throughout Arkham City. With DC Comics writer Paul Dini returning to pen the game’s story, we can likely expect another rich, quality plot.
Finally, several voice actors have confirmed reprisals of their roles in Batman’s latest gaming adventure. Mark Hamill stars as the Joker (he says this’ll be the last time he’ll play the role), Kevin Conroy as Batman, and Wally Wingert as the Riddler.
Arkham Asylum left some pretty massive bat boots to fill, and it looks like its sequel is going to have no problems stepping up to the plate. An official release date has yet to be confirmed, but we’re told Batman: Arkham City will hit stores sometime fall 2011.
The 25 best games on Android
Not everyone owns an iPhone, it just seems that way because they get all the coverage. If you own an Android phone, you may have struggled to find the best games – many look like 30-minute creations by junior high students with newfound fascinations for Java. But not all of them - we did some digging, and found plenty of fast-paced and well-designed Android games that are being overlooked. The following 25 have caused us a few sleepless nights and some very sore fingertips.
Note: We avoided emulators or games that are not available in the Android Market, such as Doom. We also picked games that are Android-specific over those that run on multiple devices, only because they usually take advantage of Android hardware in a unique way and run faster. We also considered the price of the game, number of levels, and re-play value.
Buka’s frenetic pace makes it very entertaining. You play as a blue planet which you move around the screen (either with a finger press or by tilting the phone) to avoid solar nasties. Eventually, you can collect health and zap purple and yellow enemies by holding down your finger. Zapping larger orbs breaks them apart, which means a higher score, but the pieces move faster.
Buka has flashy, colorful visuals that get better as you progress. You might actually form a connection with the blue planet as it tries to find its home, which makes Buka a great example of something once thought impossible: a mobile game with character.
What the Doodle? won the recent Android developer contest. It’s like Pictionary, except with strangers… on your phone. There’s an auto match feature that sets you up with five other players online. You either guess the object another player is drawing or, when it’s your turn, draw the object. It’s a game especially well-suited for touch phones, and it works very well.
In Graviturn, you move your phone from side to side to push a red ball off the screen. This sounds easy, but after a few levels you also have to make sure that the green balls stay on the screen, and increasingly numerous blue boxes get in your way. You also have the option (or hindrance?) of adding or removing walls in later levels by clicking on them, adding to the mayhem. Levels are generated randomly (and infinitely) so this free game has great re-playability.
Like Doodle Jump on the iPhone, Abduction! is a vertical scrolling game that’s fast-paced and challenging. You play as a cow that jumps on grassy platforms to collect power-ups, such as one that catapults you higher off the pads. There are also “crumble” pads you can only use once before they break apart. The graphics are clear and bright, and the screen refresh is fast. Abduction! is twitchy in a good way.
Nintaii has a similar look and feel to Zen Bound on the iPhone. You move a wooden block around a game board to reach a black square. As you progress, obstacles, like raised platforms, increase the game’s challenge. The sound effects are above par (especially the loud clack of the wooden block and the Eastern chants) and the game includes 100 varied levels.
A brilliant game with cartoon-like graphics, Slimeball Speedway is another vertical scroller in which you control a ball rolling down the screen. The action is fast and you have to plan your moves carefully (watch for the little old ladies crossing the street). The blob grows and gets faster as you go, so each level becomes more challenging the longer you stay alive.
There’s a fire, and you've been charged with the rescue attempt. Go!Go! Rescue Squad is a platformer in which you must squelch fires to help victims escape by finding a door. Usually, there’s some other obstruction (like a fallen tower) that blocks their path. You use a fire extinguisher to get the fire under control, and occasionally chuck the whole extinguisher. The colorful graphics are N64-esque and the game has a cheeky, nihilist sense of humor.
Totemo is a puzzle game that encourages quick reflexes and good planning. Each level has blue orbs that you have to select in a logical sequence – say, in pairs or groups of three. There are stars that block the path; when you click on them, they light up the totem pole and pause the action to make the level more challenging. Later levels are much more complex with more orbs and less-obvious patterns.
With roots in a hexagonal wargame, UniWar is easy to learn and, thankfully, emphasizes fast action over tedious strategy. It’s turn based, but there’s not the typical long pause as the computer plans a strategy and attacks. The main campaign has 20 missions, but you can play 3v3 or 4v4 online on about 50 highly detailed and varied maps.
LightUp is brain-teaser similar to Totemo where, instead of selecting orbs, you drag your finger along blue squares to light them up. You have to light the squares up sequentially, and the later levels are very challenging, with screen-filling grids and only a few possible solutions.
You might have played with tangrams when you were a kid (or last week) – they’re simple, but surprisingly difficult puzzles which require you to create a large shape out of smaller shapes without overlapping them. Tangram Lite is a nice rendition of the popular puzzle. You can turn the shapes easily and they lock into place without a lot of trial and error. As you progress, the shapes - and the puzzles - get more intricate. The pro version includes 300 puzzles.
Robo Defense is the best tower defense game for Android, with sharp graphics and great sci-fi sound effects that aid in strategizing. For example, you might place a few towers that make an obvious "pop" so that you can then focus on other guns, such as a powerful laser, in a different section. The game has 120 levels and each one is complex enough to last about 15 minutes.
Almost exactly like the table-top game Boggle without the annoying relatives who know way too many words, Word Up! is a timed game where you draw with your finger on letters to make words. (Press C, drag to A, drag to T, release to spell “cat”). When you select a row of letters, the game drops the word below the main screen to let you know you selected a real word. It keeps track of the time and your score, and shows you the words you missed at the end.
In Shoot U!, you catapult stick-figure guys out of a cannon. The goal is to hit a star to advance to the next level. The game requires some advanced strategy and challenging physics, because you have to plan which game pieces, including pillars and walls, will get in the way. You have to conserve guys to earn the most points, but a little rapid fire is also fun.
GeoQuiz is not one of those "brain challenge" games that are supposed to improve your mental capacity. It's a trivia game that plays almost like the Millionaire game on TV without the lifelines. GeoQuiz has a slick and well-designed interface, so it's easy to read the questions and choose an answer. The game has a geographical slant, so many of the questions are related to flags, countries, and capital cities.
Based loosely on Dig Dug, but more puzzle-like, Gem Miner has you searching for minerals in a mine. The challenge is in planning out how far you want to go from your base, avoiding the falling rocks, and collecting enough gold and ore for upgrades - such as a ladder (one would imagine a ladder would be very handy when mining).
Labyrinth is based on the classic table-top game which you play by moving a metal ball through a maze, avoiding holes. On Android, the game plays exceptionally well because of the sensitive tilt control of phones like the Nexus One. The Lite version has ten levels and the company is promising a full version later this year. The 3D-rendered graphics look remarkably realistic, and Labyrinth is a great challenge.
A few Android baseball games, including Homerun Baseball 3D, play okay and have flashy graphics, but Baseball Superstars has more depth. You can choose up to ten different teams, play in season or league mode, and compete in a homerun derby. Player control is easy: there's an on-screen joystick and buttons you press on the screen to swing the bat, hit the ball, and advance to the bases.
Plox is another tower defense game, but this time with small blob-shooting towers you use to block animals walking on a garden wall. Plox has clear and colorful graphics and good squishing-blob sound effects. Since enemies follow a pre-set path on the wall, you can plan your strategy easily. Each of the four available guns are upgradeable, adding a bit more strategic depth.
There are a handful of traffic control games for Android, but Flight Director has great satellite background graphics. As planes come in to the airport, you drag with a finger to direct them to an airstrip or helipad. Some of the planes move faster than others and are big enough to get in the way of smaller craft.
The simple play mechanics of Zen Table Tennis make it great: you just move your finger to hit the ping pong ball. On a Google Nexus One phone, which is a fast 1GHz model, the gameplay is fast and smooth. (You can also move the paddle with the trackball.) Play goes to 11 points and, like the real game, you need a two-point advantage to win, which means some hectic back-and-forth action.
This classic colony-building game is pretty true to the original - you build up a base by first erecting a fishing hub, then upgrade your base and search for resources. The Android version has three environments (forest, snow, and tropics), and the detailed "old world" graphics are crisp and clear.
FRG plays a bit like one of our top iPhone games (Alive 4-Ever). You control a robot that is being attacked by bugs, and are constantly moving and shooting. The smoke effects are top-notch and the sound effects draw you into the action. You can choose from three weapons and two robots in the Lite version, but FRG Deluxe (for $2.99) adds twelve new levels and two extra robots.
EA Mobile has made a faithful rendition of the original Tetris game. The graphics are crisp and colorful, and EA has added a few helpful aids - such as a shadowed version of the brick that appears at the top of the screen.
This Bejeweled knock-off is free for Android phones and has some interesting twists on the classic "click jewels in a row to remove them" gameplay. There are two campaigns, 33 levels, and a random, low-pressure "freestyle" mode.
Note: We avoided emulators or games that are not available in the Android Market, such as Doom. We also picked games that are Android-specific over those that run on multiple devices, only because they usually take advantage of Android hardware in a unique way and run faster. We also considered the price of the game, number of levels, and re-play value.
1. Buka Lite
FreeBuka has flashy, colorful visuals that get better as you progress. You might actually form a connection with the blue planet as it tries to find its home, which makes Buka a great example of something once thought impossible: a mobile game with character.
2. What the Doodle? Lite
Free3. Graviturn
Free4. Abduction!
Free5. Nintaii Lite
Free6. Slimeball Speedway Lite
Free7. Go!Go! Rescue Squad
$2.998. Totemo Lite
Free9. UniWar
$2.9910. LightUp Lite
Free11. Tangram Lite
Free (99 cents for Pro version)12. Robo Defense
$2.9913. Word Up!
$1.99, $2.99 for ad-free version14. Shoot U! Lite
Free, $2.99 for full game15. Brain Cafe GeoQuiz
$0.9916. Gem Miner
$2.2017. Labyrinth Lite
Free18. Baseball Superstars
$5.9519. Plox Lite
Free20. Flight Director Lite
Free21. Zen Table Tennis
Free, ad-supported22. The Settlers
$4.9923. FRG Lite
Free24. Tetris
$7.9925. Bebbled
FreeThe 30 Best iPhone Apps So Far This Year
Editor’s note: This guest post is written by Alex Ahlund, the former CEO and founder of AppVee and AndroidApps, which were acquired by mobile application directory Appolicious. About this time last year, he gave us his picks of the best iPhone apps of 2009 up until then, so we thought we’d make it an annual tradition.
I’ve been involved in the iPhone app industry since it first began in 2008 and I have to say that it has come a long way. I’ve seen it grow from a meager launch of 500 applications in the App Store to currently over 225,000. In only two years, the industry has matured at hyperspeed. It spawned an entire ecosystem to support it from a multitude of news and editorial resources to developer engines, promotional services and ancillary niches. With over five billion app downloads and a billion dollars at stake, it’s no surprise that the app economy expanded so quickly.
However, the novelty land grab is definitely over. When you run a search on the App Store, most of the gimmicks have already been created—at least twice. Clones still litter the store and it’s becoming even more difficult for quality apps to get noticed. But, if you have a bit of patience and are willing to sift through less exciting apps, there are some fantastic gems just waiting to be discovered.
So without further ado, here are my top 30 picks for applications released this year thus far. Try one or try them all.
Games:
1. Angry Birds
Launch birds from a slingshot to topple buildings and crush piggies. There’s a reason this game has been No. 1 on the Paid List for so long. Addictive only starts to explain it.
2. Plants Vs Zombies
A defense game by casual game creators PopCap. Protect your home from an invasion of zombies by placing plants that shoot, freeze, blow-up, crush, or generally obliterate your foes.
3. Fruit Ninja
So simple, but strangely satisfying. Swipe to slice 3D fruit as it enters your screen. Great visuals and gratifying delivery.
4. Archetype
One of the best 3D arena shooters for the iPhone. Smooth multiplayer and easy handling. If you’re going to play a first-person shooter on the go, this is the one.
5. Rhythm Spirit
A rhythm-fighting game based on Japanese folklore. Very unique with top-notch production values. Can’t go wrong with ninjas, fighting, and music.
6. Ragdoll Blaster 2
Sequel to the fun and creative physics game. Blast ragdolls out of your canon to hit various targets. Tons of levels and really interesting puzzles.
7. Canabalt
The iPhone version of the popular flash game. Original escape game where you run away from impending doom, dodging obstacles and crashing through windows.
8. Chaos Rings
One of the few games priced above $10 that sold really well. A deep RPG with fantastic graphics from Square Enix.
9. The Horrible Vikings
A trajectory game steeped in style. Launch your vikings to hit enemies and items alike. A full upgrade system and use of power-ups adds nice depth.
10. Trenches
Fun side-scrolling strategy game where you employ the use of soldiers, machine guns, rifles and bombs to destroy your enemy.
11. God Finger
Keep your followers healthy and working. Create buildings, farms, and taverns for your peasants to enjoy. Control the weather and become the dictator of your own little world.
12. Parachute Ninja
Fling your ninja ball through the air in this interesting platformer. Reach higher and higher platforms, while avoiding obstacles and enemies.
13. Pocket Legends
This MMORPG deserves attention for an ambitious endeavor. Choose a class and work on leveling up, meeting strangers, and battling enemies.
14. Monkey Island 2
Sequel to one of the best adventure games ever released. More humor, puzzles, and story that we’ve come to expect from this classic series.
15. Zenonia 2
Followup to the hit action RPG Zenonia. With more playable classes, abilities, items, story and artwork, this is a must-have for RPG fans.
Apps:
16. Foursquare
The quintessential geo-social app, Foursquare allows users to ‘Check in’ to locations to earn points and broadcast their location. Get more Check-Ins than anyone and you become the mayor.
17. Groupon
Groupon is a service that offers an extremely marked down deal every day. From restaurants to spas, users have been excited about Groupon since it came out. All the same convenience on your iPhone.
18. iMovie
It made sense for Apple to bring their casual video editing software over to the iPhone when the 4 launched with hi-def recording. Very solid tool for on-the-go editing.
19. Siri Assistant
Your own personal assistant. Ask it for directions. Reminders. General information. Nearly anything. Fun and useful for anyone on the go. (Bought by Apple).
20. Twitter
While nothing new, with the acquisition of Tweetie, the official Twitter has become the best out of them all. Contains all the features you need.
21. Wolfram
After dropping dramatically from the $50 price tag, Wolfram has become a fantastic knowledge searching tool based on Wolfram Alpha.
22. iBooks
I know, I know. This is a given. Provided with iOS 4.0, iBooks is the defacto book reader. Even so, it’s worth a mention for how elegant and easy it is to use compared to other readers.
23. Hulu Plus
This is something we have been waiting for a while. The downside is that it only offers content for the paid service—not for free as it is on the web. But, if you can pony up the monthly fee, this is a great app.
24. Gowalla
Similar to Foursquare, Gowalla allows users to ‘check in’ to a location to earn stamps. Based on GPS, it’s very addictive earning stamps and a great companion while you are out and about.
25. Dragon Dictation
Finally, an accurate way to dictate voice to text on the iPhone. Speak naturally to send a text message, email, or anything else that can receive inputted text.
26. Free App A Day
FAAD is an interesting service that works with developers to offer up their paid apps for free for a short time period. If you follow the iPhone app, you can snatch up some big name apps, gratis.
27. JotNot Scanner Pro
Make your iPhone into a multi-page scanner. Has a great image enhancing ability and makes saving and sending scans pretty effortless.
28. Text’nDrive
For those of us with a habit of checking (or even worse, responding to) email while we drive, this app provides a hands-free solution where new messages are read to you and you can respond by voice.
29. Geodelic
An elegant “Around Me” style app showing everything that is near your location. Fun way to discover things you didn’t know existed.
30. Digg
Digg finally made an official app and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Users can look forward to all the same functionality as the native site, as well as easy saving and sharing.
Which apps would make your top 30 list?
I’ve been involved in the iPhone app industry since it first began in 2008 and I have to say that it has come a long way. I’ve seen it grow from a meager launch of 500 applications in the App Store to currently over 225,000. In only two years, the industry has matured at hyperspeed. It spawned an entire ecosystem to support it from a multitude of news and editorial resources to developer engines, promotional services and ancillary niches. With over five billion app downloads and a billion dollars at stake, it’s no surprise that the app economy expanded so quickly.
However, the novelty land grab is definitely over. When you run a search on the App Store, most of the gimmicks have already been created—at least twice. Clones still litter the store and it’s becoming even more difficult for quality apps to get noticed. But, if you have a bit of patience and are willing to sift through less exciting apps, there are some fantastic gems just waiting to be discovered.So without further ado, here are my top 30 picks for applications released this year thus far. Try one or try them all.
Games:
1. Angry Birds
Launch birds from a slingshot to topple buildings and crush piggies. There’s a reason this game has been No. 1 on the Paid List for so long. Addictive only starts to explain it.
2. Plants Vs Zombies
A defense game by casual game creators PopCap. Protect your home from an invasion of zombies by placing plants that shoot, freeze, blow-up, crush, or generally obliterate your foes.
3. Fruit Ninja
So simple, but strangely satisfying. Swipe to slice 3D fruit as it enters your screen. Great visuals and gratifying delivery.
4. Archetype
One of the best 3D arena shooters for the iPhone. Smooth multiplayer and easy handling. If you’re going to play a first-person shooter on the go, this is the one.
5. Rhythm Spirit
A rhythm-fighting game based on Japanese folklore. Very unique with top-notch production values. Can’t go wrong with ninjas, fighting, and music.
6. Ragdoll Blaster 2
Sequel to the fun and creative physics game. Blast ragdolls out of your canon to hit various targets. Tons of levels and really interesting puzzles.
7. Canabalt
The iPhone version of the popular flash game. Original escape game where you run away from impending doom, dodging obstacles and crashing through windows.
8. Chaos Rings
One of the few games priced above $10 that sold really well. A deep RPG with fantastic graphics from Square Enix.
9. The Horrible Vikings
A trajectory game steeped in style. Launch your vikings to hit enemies and items alike. A full upgrade system and use of power-ups adds nice depth.
10. Trenches
Fun side-scrolling strategy game where you employ the use of soldiers, machine guns, rifles and bombs to destroy your enemy.
11. God Finger
Keep your followers healthy and working. Create buildings, farms, and taverns for your peasants to enjoy. Control the weather and become the dictator of your own little world.
12. Parachute NinjaFling your ninja ball through the air in this interesting platformer. Reach higher and higher platforms, while avoiding obstacles and enemies.
13. Pocket Legends
This MMORPG deserves attention for an ambitious endeavor. Choose a class and work on leveling up, meeting strangers, and battling enemies.
14. Monkey Island 2
Sequel to one of the best adventure games ever released. More humor, puzzles, and story that we’ve come to expect from this classic series.
15. Zenonia 2
Followup to the hit action RPG Zenonia. With more playable classes, abilities, items, story and artwork, this is a must-have for RPG fans.
Apps:
16. Foursquare
The quintessential geo-social app, Foursquare allows users to ‘Check in’ to locations to earn points and broadcast their location. Get more Check-Ins than anyone and you become the mayor.
17. Groupon
Groupon is a service that offers an extremely marked down deal every day. From restaurants to spas, users have been excited about Groupon since it came out. All the same convenience on your iPhone.
18. iMovie
It made sense for Apple to bring their casual video editing software over to the iPhone when the 4 launched with hi-def recording. Very solid tool for on-the-go editing.
19. Siri Assistant
Your own personal assistant. Ask it for directions. Reminders. General information. Nearly anything. Fun and useful for anyone on the go. (Bought by Apple).
20. Twitter
While nothing new, with the acquisition of Tweetie, the official Twitter has become the best out of them all. Contains all the features you need.
21. Wolfram
After dropping dramatically from the $50 price tag, Wolfram has become a fantastic knowledge searching tool based on Wolfram Alpha.
22. iBooks
I know, I know. This is a given. Provided with iOS 4.0, iBooks is the defacto book reader. Even so, it’s worth a mention for how elegant and easy it is to use compared to other readers.
23. Hulu Plus
This is something we have been waiting for a while. The downside is that it only offers content for the paid service—not for free as it is on the web. But, if you can pony up the monthly fee, this is a great app.
24. Gowalla
Similar to Foursquare, Gowalla allows users to ‘check in’ to a location to earn stamps. Based on GPS, it’s very addictive earning stamps and a great companion while you are out and about.
25. Dragon Dictation
Finally, an accurate way to dictate voice to text on the iPhone. Speak naturally to send a text message, email, or anything else that can receive inputted text.
26. Free App A Day
FAAD is an interesting service that works with developers to offer up their paid apps for free for a short time period. If you follow the iPhone app, you can snatch up some big name apps, gratis.
27. JotNot Scanner Pro
Make your iPhone into a multi-page scanner. Has a great image enhancing ability and makes saving and sending scans pretty effortless.
28. Text’nDrive
For those of us with a habit of checking (or even worse, responding to) email while we drive, this app provides a hands-free solution where new messages are read to you and you can respond by voice.
29. Geodelic
An elegant “Around Me” style app showing everything that is near your location. Fun way to discover things you didn’t know existed.
30. Digg
Digg finally made an official app and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Users can look forward to all the same functionality as the native site, as well as easy saving and sharing.
Which apps would make your top 30 list?
Photoshop How-To: Make a New Image Look Old
In this technique, we'll show how to take a crisp, clean vector image, place it onto an old weather-beaten surface, and make it appear as if it had been there for years. While we've seen different variations on this technique before, we'll put our own "down & dirty" spin on it.
STEP 1
You'll need two images for this technique: a sign, poster, or image that you want to appear old and weathered and an old building or wall that contains some texture (wood planks, bricks, etc.). See Figure 1.
Figure 1
STEP 2
Open both images. Choose the Move tool (V) from the Toolbox, then click-and-drag the sign onto the image of the old building. Press Command-T (PC: Control-T) to bring up Free Transform and resize and reposition as needed (Figure 2). Press Return or Enter to apply the transformation.
Figure 2
STEP 3
Choose the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) from the Toolbox. Make a horizontal selection over one area where the wood planks meet (Figure 3). Hold the Shift key and drag over other sets of wood planks, to add multiple selections as shown.
Figure 3
STEP 4
Choose Select > Feather to bring up the Feather Selection dialog, enter 2 pixels, and click OK (Figure 4).
Figure 4
STEP 5
Press Command-L (PC: Control-L) to bring up the Levels dialog. Move the Highlight Output slider (the white one at lower right) toward the left to darken the selected areas (Figure 5). Click OK to close the dialog and then press Command-D (PC: Control-D) to deselect.
Figure 5
STEP 6
Change the layer Blend Mode (of the sign layer) to Overlay and lower the Opacity to 85% (Figure 6).
Figure 6
STEP 7
Choose the Eraser tool (E) from the Toolbox. Click on the Brush picker up in the Options Bar and choose Spatter 39 pixels. Lower the brush Opacity (in the Options Bar) to 20%. Now, erase away areas from the sign to give the illusion of that weather-beaten, wear-and-tear look (Figure 7).
Figure 7
You definitely want to erase some of the edges, but don't forget to erase some larger areas on the inside of the sign, especially over some of the text area. Follow the existing wear spot of the original building image as a guide.
STEP 1
You'll need two images for this technique: a sign, poster, or image that you want to appear old and weathered and an old building or wall that contains some texture (wood planks, bricks, etc.). See Figure 1.
Figure 1
STEP 2
Open both images. Choose the Move tool (V) from the Toolbox, then click-and-drag the sign onto the image of the old building. Press Command-T (PC: Control-T) to bring up Free Transform and resize and reposition as needed (Figure 2). Press Return or Enter to apply the transformation.
Figure 2
STEP 3
Choose the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) from the Toolbox. Make a horizontal selection over one area where the wood planks meet (Figure 3). Hold the Shift key and drag over other sets of wood planks, to add multiple selections as shown.
Figure 3
STEP 4
Choose Select > Feather to bring up the Feather Selection dialog, enter 2 pixels, and click OK (Figure 4).
Figure 4
STEP 5
Press Command-L (PC: Control-L) to bring up the Levels dialog. Move the Highlight Output slider (the white one at lower right) toward the left to darken the selected areas (Figure 5). Click OK to close the dialog and then press Command-D (PC: Control-D) to deselect.
Figure 5
STEP 6
Change the layer Blend Mode (of the sign layer) to Overlay and lower the Opacity to 85% (Figure 6).
Figure 6
STEP 7
Choose the Eraser tool (E) from the Toolbox. Click on the Brush picker up in the Options Bar and choose Spatter 39 pixels. Lower the brush Opacity (in the Options Bar) to 20%. Now, erase away areas from the sign to give the illusion of that weather-beaten, wear-and-tear look (Figure 7).
Figure 7
You definitely want to erase some of the edges, but don't forget to erase some larger areas on the inside of the sign, especially over some of the text area. Follow the existing wear spot of the original building image as a guide.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)