#opaque clip

[iamfanfan]

@opaque.clip

Dick Bruna x OPAQUE.CLIP

[ewmsrt]

[coffee-dere]

Would you guys like to hear a story?

So, a little while back I fell asleep while scrolling through Tumblr, and when I woke up I had a very vague memory of a Omari AU design I thought looked nice. And after looking around for it after a while, I realized I dreamt it (Kinda fitting, don't you think?) So, I drew it! (This wasn't the AU I was talking about in my introductory post btw-)

It doesn't really have a plot or anything, but, if you all like it, I could always add more! 💖

[stonewashedskies]

Slightly Leyendecker inspired OC portrait. ^_^

[obstinatecondolement]

My Plan for March is to practice drawing every day, and we are off to a roaring start because I hurt my fucking wrist.

[natureintheory]

How to make a multi-colored, multi-tip scatter brush in Clip Studio Paint — correctly

They made it annoyingly specific in CSP and I keep forgetting every time. So this is a note-to-self + whoever else needs it:

↓

What we don't want:

1. When a brush tip is created from black / white on a regular RBG layer, it will only paint in black / white.

It will only use the selected color if Color Mixing is checked — bad if you wanted an opaque brush, because this makes the brush tips transparent when they overlay one another, as in the orange leaf clumps ↓

Troubleshooting: If the brush paints in grey / B&W as shown in the top row of leaves, check the Blending Mode in brush settings. Here, it was set to Brightness instead of Normal.

↓

The correct way:

https://tips.clip-studio.com/en-us/articles/679 CTRL + F → [2] A: How to create brush tip images that allow for freely changeable colors

↓

1. MOST IMPORTANT! Draw your brush tip on (or convert to) a Gray or Monochrome layer.

(Usually doesn't matter, but if your brush has gradients etc. choose Gray. It also helps to NAME and TAG it so you can find it.)

2. Edit → Register Material (J) → Image... → Check "Use for brush tip shape" on.

3. Brush settings → Brush tip → Add brush tip shape

(Here, I'm adding it to a pre-made brush that already has some color & size settings. Note that the brush stroke is displaying in color — GOOD! If the layer wasn't properly made B&W, the brush tip will show in black & the stroke will display in black.)

4. Should look like this. Can add more tips, test the brush settings you like & Save all settings as default.

[foone]

Here's a clip from Jacksepticeye's playthrough of Zoochosis.

This game is set in 1991. Yay. First of all, that's a 2000s-ass floppy: We didn't get the transparent colored ones until then. Previously they were always solid colors of opaque plastic, and if you go far enough back, they'd be grey or black only.

But more importantly YOU'RE PUTTING THE DISK IN BACKWARDS.

You see the shutter, by the player's thumb? Yeah, that goes in first.

It may also be upside down: It's upside down from where we're seeing it, yes, but it's possible this hypothetical PDA (with a resolution way too high and a backlight way too bright) has an upside down floppy drive. It happens.

But backwards? no.

[kabukinomoe]

WHAT'S IN MY MAIN BAG?? - BETTER CR

My bag is a Kappa matte leather tote bag in the shade Peach Milk and Foam Pink! I have a different bag for my school days, but unless you guys wanna ask for it, I'll keep it on hold. ^^

My bag is pretty pink, the decor even more so... I love to accessorize everything and give it my own little charms!

୨ৎ KEYCHAINS - just something super cute and simple to accessorize. I picked the middle one while Liya personally made the third one, and Danny picked the first one!

୨ৎ PINS - shows my interests! I'm an avid Precure watcher and Sanrio lover!! The mirror was a small birthday gift from Danny, and I adore it so much!

୨ৎ HAIRCLIPS - Small hair clips on the straps to give the straps some character! I just chose the cutest ones I had!

୨ৎ HANDSANITIZER - Can't go wrong with some hand sanitizer!! I picked my favorite scent, strawberries, because I just can't resist it!

୨ৎ PHOTOCARD HOLDER AND PHOTO - A lovely brief moment from our middle school graduation, just before we headed into high school! Blue is Liya, red is Danny, and pink is... obviously me.

୨ৎ PLUSHIE KEYCHAINS - more accessories to give it even more flair!! As I say, there is no such thing as too many accessories!

୨ৎ POUCH - A small pouch just in case I can't fit everything in the main pocket! It fits a small snack (like mochi or sometimes a Hello Panda snack), an old camera, and some more hair clips since I don't like using the ones on my straps.

Here are some of the things inside! Still... very pink. Can't help that it's my favorite color!

୨ৎ PHONE - Yes, of course I'm going to have my phone! It's an iPhone 15 Pro Max in pink! I'm probably never going to change from this phone... it's just so cute!!!

୨ৎ WALLET - ALWAYS have to have my wallet. How else am I going to get 10 sandwiches just for myself from Subway??? It also has an AirTag attached to it, just in case I lose it!

୨ৎ KEYS - My home keys and a key to my parents' home! (Yes, I live in a different house than my parents lol.)

୨ৎ AIRPODS - Always have to have my AirPods with me! They're like my lifeline....

୨ৎ HYGIENE POUCH - Always need one of these! Not really for me, but for my friends or maybe a classmate!

୨ৎ SKETCHBOOK & PENCIL - I'm always drawing, whether that be in the car, on long flights, or even in class. So it's always needed with me!

୨ৎ MAKEUP POUCH - I don't wear makeup very often, usually just lip gloss or some mascara, but my friends might need some makeup!

୨ৎ GLASSES CASE - Danny's glasses inside with my own flair in terms of the case. Danny needs them and often leaves them with me!

୨ৎ HAIRBRUSH - Even though I scripted my hair never tangles, it's literally so useful for anyone to have on them.

୨ৎ TRINKET POUCH - Small trinkets my friends give me go in here! I love having it with me all the time because even though some of my friends are overseas, they'll still be with me!

୨ৎ PORTABLE CHARGER - Again, always needed! I don't want my phone to die on a very long road trip to an amusement park!

୨ৎ CLAWCLIPS - One for me, another extra. Though I use both interchangeably.

୨ৎ CALICO CRITTERS - They're just cute! It also reminds me of my childhood.

More pink!! Imagine the Hygiene pouch being bigger, as well as the makeup pouch being a bit larger as well ^^;

MAKEUP POUCH

୨ৎ BEAUTY BLENDER - I prefer beauty blenders instead of makeup brushes because I like the absorbent properties of the blenders!

୨ৎ LIP GLOSS - Some Dior lip gloss because I am bougie. Always in love with the slightly tinted color!!

୨ৎ HIGH LIGHTER - Rare Beauty's highlighter in the color 'Enlighten.'

୨ৎ BLUSH - Romand blush in the color 'Vine nude.' I love the subtlety! especially because I already have naturally blushed cheeks.

୨ৎ EYELINER - super opaque, and I love liquid eyeliners. I don't like the texture of pencil eyeliners, and they're easier to smudge, which is good if the person wants it... But I want my eyeliner to stay in place and not budge!

୨ৎ CONCEALER - Dior concealer in the shade 2C or 1C... I forgot. I don't wear foundation because it's usually a bit heavy for my skin. Plus, I don't really need it. My skin's already glowing!!

୨ৎ EYESHADOW - Cupid Club eyeshadow! I don't usually wear a lot of eyeshadow, but when I do, it's usually in pinky-brown tones with some white and sparkles.

HYGIENE POUCH

୨ৎ DEODORANT - a small, travel-sized stick of apple and white tea deodorant! I really wanted a small spray version but they didn't have it :(

୨ৎ BANDAIDS - Just in case someone gets hurt! Of course, they are Sanrio/pink themed! I couldn't help myself!

୨ৎ STAIN REMOVER - I prefer the Tide-to-Go pen because it's super easy to carry and doesn't take up a lot of space!

୨ৎ MEDICINE - I usually carry some Tylenol or Advil with me just in case Liya or Danny gets a headache!

୨ৎ GUM - More gum! Except it's mint and peppermint flavored. I don't use these; it's more for other people... I absolutely HATE peppermint and anything with mint in it, so I stay very far away from these... but I go through them like hotcakes when I go to school.

୨ৎ PADS & TAMPONS - Of course, necessities! I don't get my period, but some other women do in my DR! I have different sizes and absorbencies as well.

୨ৎ PERFUME - Both a tiny Dior perfume and Burberry 'Her' perfume! I love, love, LOVE Burberry perfumes, so of course I've got to have it!

୨ৎ HAIRSTICK - The one I have is from Japan, and it's superrr helpful! My hair can sometimes get some strays, so this is super helpful to have on hand!

୨ৎ VASELINE - gotta have some Vaseline! Super versatile and helps my lips' moisture stay nice and locked in.

୨ৎ DRY SHAMPOO - I don't get greasy roots in between washes, but still, someone else might need it!

୨ৎ HAND CREAM - Honestly, I just chose this for the scent and cute packaging, but it's also very soothing and not oily! It fades into the skin perfectly and has a pleasant-but-not-overbearing peachy scent.

୨ৎ SUNSCREEN - Personally, I LOVE Centella's sunscreen. It's just perfect! There's no white cast, it absorbs into my skin like a sponge, so I don't feel oily... perfection! Also, always have some sunscreen on you.

I'm more sentimental in my DR than I am in this reality, so of course I had to add a little trinket pouch and ask my friends to give me some items!

WALLET

୨ৎ CARDS - I'm extra and have a black card even though I mostly use my **pink** debit card. Yes, I have to emphasize that it is pink.

୨ৎ CASH - I always have that anxiety that somehow I'll never have enough money on my card (even though I have infinite money), so I just keep a little cash on me. I also like to give my friend's money when they ask, so if we are all shopping, I can just give them some money and let them be on their way!

୨ৎ STUDENT ID CARD - Of course I have to have my student ID. It's pink.... You should know why by now. Our student IDs can be accessorized and chosen in different colors. Just imagine it's a bit lighter of a pink ;)

୨ৎ TICKET - This was the first time me, Liya, and Danny went to the amusement park together! It was like in 7th grade when my aunt asked me. I've always been a homebody, but I decided, why not? Let's just say I had the most fun I've ever had in my entire life!

୨ৎ GUM - It's a piece of gum a family friend gave to me for my birthday! It was a joke, of course, but I still saved it.

TRINKET POUCH

୨ৎ CRYSTALS - Danny absolutely loves crystals, especially amethyst. So when she found a perfectly good amethyst crystal on a walk home from school, she was ecstatic and instantly gave it to me <3

୨ৎ PEARL BRACELET - Clara may be overseas, but she sent me a link to a small shop offering pearl bracelets. I couldn't resist! I bought it and now I keep it in my little pouch so I can be reminded of her whenever I look at it.

୨ৎ PURPLE PIN - okay, it may not be a pin, but I have no idea what it's called. This was from Liya! Back in 4th grade, she went to Africa for vacation and brought this back because it reminded her of me. I still don't understand what she means by that, but... I still take care of it and hold it very dear to my heart.

୨ৎ ROCK - just... a plain old rock. Nothing special within it, just a rock. Alice certainly is a very eccentric person by normal standards, but that's okay! She lives in Italy but told me to go outside and find a rock so that she could always be with me. And... that's how I got the rock.

୨ৎ PLUSHIE - Same thing with Clara, Iris lives pretty far away, and I wanted something to keep her close. I asked her to send me a link to something, and she sent me this! I bought it, and now it stays there... lurking... silently watching.

୨ৎ BUTTON - This was actually a button to one of my favorite shirts when I was a kid. It is also the first time I met Odessa. (Odessa is the fairy queen; yes, I will hopefully expand on how faeries are real in my better cr!)

୨ৎ FEATHER, RIBBON, BOTTLECAP - Some gifts that Odessa gifted me! I keep her gifts in a small box because I hate throwing them away, even though she tells me its okay. ^^;

୨ৎ TEDDY BEAR CHAIN - Aether... can you guess what happened with her? Same old story. She lives across the country, and I wanted something to keep her close!!

Some dividers by @si-eunnis - idea by @chaaistained

[gregoriaofnyssa]

The "Mantilla" is not Reverent, not Traditional, and not Catholic. It isn't Even a Veil.

The mantilla, a lacy, sometimes sparkly, transparent, half-circle or triangle-shaped garment, is often lauded as a traditional, reverent, catholic piece of church clothing, but it is none of the above. The mantilla is the long-lived fashion of the secular Spanish aristocracy, and until recently, was exclusive to those regions under Spanish influence and colonialism (absoloutly not universal or catholic). They were worn by women who didn't want to cover their pretty Catalan locks-- as good a reason as any to manipulate the traditions of the Church.

For a time, mantillas were even banned in the New World, and women wearing them would be denied communion. Why? Because the mantilla is not a veil. It's transparent-- in no way does it cover a woman's hair in the way Saint Paul described in Corinthians. He writes, "every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered." Women's heads and hair should be covered-- not adorned with glittering table coasters.

Fully ridiculous. Look me straight in the eyeballs and tell me this is what St. Paul had in mind when he told women to cover their heads. Be serious.

Though in Christianity, women do not veil out of any kind of modesty (or 'modesty'), the mantilla is immodest as it makes the practice of veiling into a fashion statement, which is what the mantilla always was since its very invention. It is not merely fashion (picking out a veil in a color that matches your outfit), but fashion meant to skirt the actual requirements of the church-- that is, a real, opaque veil that resembles something the historical church would've worn from the days of Pentecost to any time before the so-called Enlightenment. It would be better to wear no head covering of any kind or to simply braid your hair, than to engage in a practice of obstinate adornment. This is not my opinion as an Orthodox Christian (where proper veiling is more common but still not universal)-- it is the opinion of the historical Christian Church until about five seconds ago.

There is debate among Christians who study this teaching about whether Paul's words imply that the entirety of the hair (with the possible exception of bangs) should be covered, or if he means more specifically the head itself (allowing the length of the hair to hang out of the back of a veil). I do not feel strongly either way (in a theological sense) so long as the material is opaque and actually covers at least the area of the skull. That is the bare minimum of what Saint Paul writes.

Here are some examples of proper veils in a church environment:

I find this very pretty, but all I can think about is the satin slipping for all of the Divine Liturgy. I always have to clip and pin and have it tightly fastened before the curve of my skull.

Probably do not bring the sheep into the Church building.

The infatuation with mantillas in the non-Spanish/Latin world began, as far as I can surmise, piecemeal in the late 1800s, picking up to an almost universal practice after Vatican II. This is to say, now, when Roman Catholic women veil, they almost always wear a mantilla. Before the 60s, European and white American RC women mostly wore hats as their form of head covering, which are their own issue, mostly related to fashion and insufficient coverage. Is a "pillbox hat" really a head covering Saint Paul would find acceptable? But at least they're opaque, right? Well, I should pick my battles.

I believe the reason the mantilla is particularly popular among young Roman Catholic women is due to the way RC influencers and 'gurus' talk about the purpose of veiling.

The actual purpose of veiling is to submit to the commands of God as recorded by Saint Paul. This following of a commandment allows you to be properly reverent and to be in communion with the historical practices of the church, past, present, and future. It's a simple reason, not very wild, controversial, or entertaining. That's the problem for RC lady influencers-- there are only so many ways you can quote the letters to the Corinthians.

So, these women feel the need to make up other reasons to veil, all of which range from tangential, to irrelevant, to heretical. Here are some doozies:

To Imitate Mary

Now, we do many things to imitate Mary-- notably, repeating her Magnificat. But Mary did not invent veiling. Veiling is a near-universal cultural practice, performed for many reasons. Of course, Mary rightfully and righteously participated in the veiling of Christianity, but she is not the reason why we veil (or ought to).

Notice how she covers herself?

2. To 'Express your Femininity'

Kill me now. Ok, it is fine and good if veiling makes you feel feminine or gets you more in touch with your femininity. That is a blessing. I know I never feel more beautiful than when I'm veiling, but this is not a reason we veil! Veiling is not about our internal feelings; it's about following a commandment.

Ohh yeah this is definitely Apostolic.

3. For Modesty

We've been over this one. Stop confusing Christianity with Muhammad's movement. Seriously, can we find a middle ground between imitating degenerate secular aristocracy and the false prophet's wives? At this point, I'm begging you.

4. To Show the Beauty of the Church

I am so sorry for you if you do not see the genuine beauty in the proper, traditional veiling of the Church. I don't know what else to tell you than that there is no tradition of the church that exists merely for your aesthetic entertainment. No statue carved nor icon writ, no paint spilled nor incense burned, no note sung, no vestment sewn has ever, ever been done merely because it is pretty. I understand the inclination to aesthetically prefer glittering lace that may dance in chapel light over a flat Pashmina or Pavlovsky Posad. However, I find it mind-boggling that this would seem a sufficient reason to abandon what the Scriptures actually demand. This is just as ridiculous as it would be to apostatize to Hinduism because you find their temples more visually appealing. You know what else is very sparkly and pretty? The Imam Ali Shrine in Iraq. Dazzling. But that does not make it part of the Christian Church. You must have the willpower and discernment to place what the Church demands above your personal fancies.

Women are so confused about veiling and the reasons why we must do it, is because veiling is no longer "simply what we do," as it has been both culturally and religiously until very recently. It is now, among RCs, an issue of controversy, somehow requiring justifications and auxiliary reasonings. It is not enough that Scripture demands it, the Church teaches it, and Her saints keep it-- there must be all these other reasons. This degradation of the veil began with things like the mantilla in Spain, the mesh bonnet and literal doyllie in Northern France and England, and other global innovations upon and rejections of the veil. We, as a Church, do not go from the wimple, to the mantilla, to a naked head over a few extremely progressive evenings. It was incremental, and participation in the mantilla only pushes us farther down the path of innovation.

If beauty is a real concern of yours, and no judgment if it is --the woman's heart years for beauty in a special and important way-- I think you'll find that the traditional veil allows just as much beauty and personal touch as the mantilla, if not much much more. Experimenting with veil styles is a small hobby of mine, and I feel accomplished when I can get the fabric to lay just right. My personal favorite is what I call the "cat ear" style, where there are two little peaks of fabric on the top of the head. Adorable.

Free yourself from mantilla mind slavery.

[dilftaroooo]

a somewhat detailed gojo imagine because he looks like such a whore in that black compression shirt that I can't help myself

its suggestive but no smut. gn!reader is down bad and perverted. Gojo is also a gym bro

You've noticed something remarkable in Satoru that was too drastic to brush off. It's been plaguing your mind like a medieval peasant--infiltrating your system until you hack out opaque burgundy of sin, until your fingertips are dusted black with libidinous impulse, wanting to reach out for the angel with blue eyes so he can relieve you from your misery.

It's his physique, his muscular build. He's been working out more often than not. Honing the definition of his thick biceps and bulbous pecs whenever you accompany him in his deadlifting sessions at your university's gym.

His body is impeccable and you will never forget how his figure inevitably held you in a trance, still recalling the black compression shirt hugging his torso like second skin: the shiny polyester glazed under the gym's light as he maneuvered with grace yet handled the weights with ferocity, perfecting his form before engaging with the flatness of his core and bending over to lift the hefty object (you made sure to revel at how the roundness of his ass juts out in the gym's mirror) then straightening his legs.

Fattened snakes spiraled around the circumference of Satoru's arms. They throbbed hard at his tense posture while carrying the loaded barbell. The veins that trailed down his hands were defined. They looked phenomenal with his manicured nails--clipped, filed, and polished with a clear coating. He's painted evenly with sweat that makes his skin sparkle--a salty droplet making its way down the curve of his bunny-like nose resulting in him twitching it which funnily emphasizes the comparison. He's gorgeous in every way. Even the heavy smell of must that seeped through his pores felt poetic to you.

His breaths are ragged and uncontrolled. They're rapid, paired with clenched teeth to elicit a series of pained hisses. It's something you didn't bother to scowl him on because you're so busy ogling the rest of his body.

You remember taking a good look at his chest and my God--the tight shirt left little to the imagination as puffy areolas swell under compressed fabric, completely overriding the stiffness of his nipples. His pecs were ample and they poked out whorishly to whoever had eyes fortunate to witness. Lowering your stare, you relish at how his six-pack convulsed at the pressure, beautifully sculpted like every part of him. Continuing to decline your gaze, you've even been able to drool at the flaccid cock that was tucked away in his sweatpants. If only you weren't in a public space and confined to the 'childhood friend' label.

His body jittered lightly as he sensed the urge to let go and he did, the obnoxious slam of the weighted plates that collided with marble flooring could've been enough to scare you if you weren't so accustomed to the sound.

Satoru looks at your awaiting figure that sat on top of a bench across from him. He prohibits the sweat from rolling down his chiseled jawline by capturing it with a cool, damp washcloth you offered. His breathing becomes more relaxed with each inhale he takes and the blush that decorates his face begins to return back to his normal fair tone.

Narrowed eyes in addition to a confident sneer caught your sight and you smiled back due to how infectious it was.

"Wanna feel?" He points to his huge bicep. You couldn't resist the desire to give in and touch him. You reach out for the thick muscle and Satoru leans back to give you a worried look on his face. "Be careful, though. He likes to bite." He quipped, liking the way you chuckled at his silliness.

Once eager fingers grab ahold of him, you almost release a wanting mewl from your lips. You trace your fingertips along the lengthy stream of his veins, still marked in his sweat, but you couldn't care less. They look good, too good, and they look even better when Satoru playfully flexes his arm under your caresses. Azure eyes watch you under hooded lids as he drinks up your amazement, which undoubtedly boosts his swollen ego.

You move the army of digits down his forearm since that's where the map of his veins leads, so you follow its direction. Light, wispy, white hairs on his arm glow under artificial lighting, covering the limb with specks of stars.

Then you're met with his hand which was two times larger than your own, pinpointing the substantial difference in size. He's big. His fingers overrule yours by a mile along with his stature. The thoughts in your head swarm like locusts when coming to terms with the size difference that you don't even realize your palm connects with his as you daydream about the astonishing contrast. You're no longer just admiring his physical gains but rather how he can use those gains against you.

Satoru giggles under a hushed breath and he moves away from you to stand up to his staggering height. Grabbing his duffel bag before putting all the equipment he came to the gym with.

"Let's get going. 'M starting to get hungry and rush hour is about to hit. I'd hate to be in the middle of that." He chirps amidst scratching his belly. He looks over at you and you catch a tinge of something in his eyes, though you're not sure if it's what you think it is.

"And you staring me down like that is riling me up. Do remember that my ego is inflated as is, sugar. We don't need it to overpower me to the point where I'll end up doing something I won't have any regrets about."

[mspaesthetic]

Tidbit: The "Threshold" Effect of Desaturated Objects Due to Increased Contrast

If you've ever asked how to replicate an effect like this...

...it's likely someone told you to apply the threshold filter, which converts any light colors to pure white, and any dark colors to pure black. And it's perfectly fine to do so. It's simple, straightforward, efficient. But I take issue with the assertion that it's definitively the only conceivable way Hussie did it when the evidence points to the contrary. Scrutinize the following examples under a microscope:

Did you see it? The singular detail that distinguishes these images from ones that have been thresholded? Congratulations if you noticed that these contain not only black and white pixels, but GRAY pixels as well! A threshold filter's conversion is binary; a pixel is either black, or it is white. No in-between. The presence of these gray values rules out its use, then.

One thing is clear, at least: these images are black and white in the traditional sense of the term, i.e. "grayscale", even if it's in drastic form. They've been stripped of any color, hue, chroma. Completely desaturated, in other words.

So from this observation, we can reason that they were converted to be grayscale at some point in the process of editing.

Of course, this is still lacking in the pure black and pure white departments. If only there was a way to adjust the intensity levels and push them both to their extremes... oh wait, THERE IS! Using the Levels adjustment tool!

Pushing the black input levels slider to the right makes all dark colors turn darker, and conversely, pushing the white input levels slider to the left makes any light colors turn lighter. This is a great way of increasing the contrast and adjusting the brightness. Speaking of which, the Brightness/Contrast adjustment tool in Photoshop with "Use Legacy" enabled also accomplishes a nearly identical effect.

This timelapse demonstrates how the Brightness/Contrast adjustment is basically equivalent to using the Levels one when used this way

I say nearly identical because raising the contrast all the way to 100% with Brightness/Contrast makes it actually identical with the Threshold adjustment tool. The black and white input levels sliders can't fully join in the middle because of the gray input level slider occupying the space, hence why there are some stray gray pixels even when pushing them to their limits.

Well, there could be several reasons explaining why there could be gray pixels other than the contrast not being high enough to clip them, but I'll spare you another needlessly complicated and overly technical rambling on how I can tell it's most definitely the Levels adjustment tool always.

This post is getting a little long, so I'll stop here and elaborate a little more on pertinent things under the read more link, like semi-opaque pixels, scaling down, sharpening, and the gamma slider. Also here's the potted plant PSD if you wanna check it out I guess.

ADDENDUM

Semi-opaque pixels

When separating objects from a background, it's usually easiest to do so with a magic wand selection tool, which selects regions of similar colors. There's an option to make the selection anti-aliased, smoothing the edges of whatever you've cropped. Unchecking it will make the pixels hard and jagged. The wine bottle and picnic basket are a good example of each, respectively.

If you've already cropped out something with anti-aliasing enabled, there's still a way to sharpen the edges after the fact. Duplicating the layer multiple times will increase the semi-transparent pixels' opacity. Do it enough times and they'll eventually become completely opaque. An analogy would be stacking multiple panes of tinted glass on top of each other. Stack enough of them and you wouldn't be able to see through anymore.

These semi-opaque black pixels would appear gray on a white background, and so would semi-opaque white pixels on a black one. That's the reason for the gray pixels around the edges on some of these examples.

Scaling down/Sharpening

Suppose you've already gone ahead and went through the whole rigamarole of editing the object to be black and white before deciding firmly on the size of it in your composition, and now you think it could be a little smaller. You could always resize it and scale it down, but with the interpolation method set to none/nearest-neighbor, it's going to look kind of shit, and with it set to something else like bilinear or bicubic, the anti-aliasing is going to make it a bit blurry (introducing these gray values). You could increase the contrast again, or you could use the Sharpen filter to do it.

Not to suggest that this particular example was scaled down after editing, it's just the one that looks closest to it since I'm too lazy to make one.

Sharpening repeatedly will bump up the contrast, plus Photoshop's Sharpen filter has the added benefit of hardening any semi-opaque pixels as well, making the edges sharper.

GIMP's Sharpen filter doesn't do that latter part, unfortunately, but if the layer has an opaque white background, it'll do the same.

Gamma slider

This effect might not be so obvious, but really take a good look at these board games:

Actually, maybe this Problem Sleuth bonus panel shows what I mean better:

The dark values are cranked up very high, and so are the light values a bit, but there's an inordinate amount of midrange values that are on the lighter side than what would be normal. That's because of the midtones input levels slider, the gray slider, the gamma slider, whatever.

I'm toot tired to explain any more than that, so make of that what you will. The end.

[lolabythebaysims]

Lonelyboy's @happylifesims 1920s Day Dress 01 and 02, converted from TS4 for TF-EF! 10 original colors apiece, textures in the AF files only with other ages slaved. Both are categorized for Everyday + YAF Maternity, and Dress 01 (on the right in the picture) is also Outerwear.

DOWNLOAD Dress 01 (the jacket)

DOWNLOAD Dress 02 (with the striped trim)

Swatches, etc. under the cut.

Dress 01 is paired with semi-opaque hose and oxford pumps. (The reference here is a very funky 1928 Liberty of London print set, but you really can't see much of it.) Just under 5k polys. Ten colors:

Dress 02 is Everyday only. Also around 5k polys. All colors get black t-strap heels with opaque black wool stockings, and this shared texture is in the AF mesh package. (This dress was designed in 1924 by Paul Poiret and is also in the V&A collection.)

I have most of Lonelyboy's 1920s day dresses in some state of completion and I'm hoping to release at least a few this week while I'm on break.

Credits: First and foremost, Lonelyboy for the original TS4 dresses! I can't thank him enough for making beautiful meshes that are also constructed so smartly. Lifa @withlovefromsimtown for the WSOs for the morphs for all ages and the elder conversion of Dress 02. @witheredlilies for Dress 01 shoes for TF/AF, and @picknmixsims for streamlining my whole age conversion process with the Repository Wizard.

Known issues: the drapey bow/scarf bits don't always hang perfectly. (Fat morph of 02 is pictured above; you can see how it clings to the bust.) Clipping on the skirt is comparable to similar EAxis meshes.

[kedreeva]

Well, it took 2 full days of reducing, but here's my chicken stock bullion! It is cooling/freezing in my little portable freezer so it doesn't wreck the temp o in my real freezer, and then I will pop them out and stash them in the chest freezer for later use. We don't eat a lot of chicken, but we do use a lot of chicken stock for rice dishes, and this reduces our non-compostable waste.

I also pitted, cut, packed, and froze 4lbz of dark sweet cherries for later. LOOK at how pretty these bad boys are!

Recipe for the bullion under cut!

4 rotisserie chicken carcasses (everything we didn't eat the day of acquisition, bones, skin, juices etc)

6-8 large carrots (washed, ends clipped, but not peeled), cut in half to make thick chunks

1 Vidalia onion (as much of it as possible, chunked into quarters)

2 celery hearts (pulled apart, tips snipped, green stalks only not the yellow inner heart... That's for me to crunch on while waiting)

3 heads of garlic (not cloves, the whole head, cloves peeled)

1/2-3/4 cup dried parsley flakes (prefer to use whole fresh stalks but my garden is still growing and I have dried to use up)

Salt (no idea how much but. Salt.

Normally that's the recipe but it's been kind of bland (I know chicken stock is supposed to be kind of bland but this was worse) so I also added a tablespoon of cumin, a pinch of paprika, a pinch of cinnamon, and a spoonful of brown sugar, and it really kicked the flavor up well.

Toss everything into the pot, fill with water past the level of the stuff in it, and let simmer (not boil) for 8-12 hours. If you want the broth to be clear (not opaque) you can skim the foam/Stuff off the top as you go, and make sure you DO NOT BOIL it. Once it hits boil temp the proteins dissolve and cannot be separated back out and the broth will be opaque. Which doesn't hurt anything imo and skimming is more work so I don't bother, but some people don't like it.

Remove the chicken and stuff to a bowl or other pot (I use a screen colander over a smaller pot and ladle stuff in until I'm sure it will fit and then dump the rest in). Take the clean liquid that is left and reduce to the desired concentration. I could have gone another hour or so on this batch, I think but I was done waiting.

[ayyy-imma-ninja]

Hi hi!

Question, what brush do you use on the astrals hair? (Gemini's for example)

I really love the way you are drawing it, and I sadly could not find a brush to do the same/ a similar thing TvT

P.s. Amazing drawings of Leo and Aries, wish I could observe their details, but I'm also drawing the SOTW, and I don't wanna steal any of your ideas

Tempted to analyze them entirely though, they look so pretty! ⭐

hello!

The art program I use is Clip Studio Paint, and the brushes I mainly use for the astrals are "opaque watercolor" and the soft airbrush.

Hope this helps!! ^^

(and thank u very much! ^w^)

[sevastiel]

So the Reconifex! Pretty cool weapon, tbh. A chain belt fed sniper rifle with enough detail in its animations that you can literally see the clip empty along the barrel as you run out of ammo, and then refill when you shove in more bullets.

Meaning its opaque when its full.

So. Quincy.

While I appreciate the trigger discipline, where the *hell* did those bullet casings come from? My guy, what are you even firing??????/

(Edit update, he does have the proper bullet flyin' away animation too, he just doesnt have any bullets in the gun. Bro's manifesting them from the void or something. Cant add another vid so apologies for the shit screenshot, but you can kinda see em.)

[whattamanza]

I know we don’t agree about ships but I really like the way you do blush and was wondering if you were willing to share how you do it (there’s a post 8x06 Buddie nsfw fanart I wanted to make)

i appreciate you being respectful about this

i use procreate and i use the ‘soft blend airbrush’ that comes with the app.

i attach a clipping mask layer on the skin color layer and grab a bright reddish-pink and just start applying it to all the areas i want the blush.

(i typically put a lot on the cheeks, nose, ears, elbows, fingers, toes, and knees. and then i put less on areas like the neck, chest, shoulders, thighs, etc)

usually, i press pretty hard so that it’s incredibly saturated and opaque, and then afterward i just adjust the opacity of the entire clipping mask layer so it’s as subtle or intense as i want for the piece

good luck on your fanart 💛🍎💛