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Thanks to leaps in technology and tools, we can do incredible things with CGI nowadays. As filmmakers start using CG more and more enthusiastically, in more and more movies, we are reminded by the speech by Dr. Ian Malcom in Jurassic Park: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they stopped to think if they should."
We know more about how to create effective CG than we ever have done before, yet we're still faced with abominations such as the recent disturbing trailer for Cats, with its uncanny valley human-cat hybrids and creepy snaking tails.
There have been other examples where the unbridled application of CG has resulted in visuals that range from bizarre to incomprehensible to just plain bad. The ’90s and ’00s were riddled with them, from The Mummy Returns’ Scorpion King to most of the effects in the risible Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Here are some recent examples of CG gone wrong…
01. Sonic The Hedgehog
Long before it had even arrived in cinemas, the Sonic movie had fans in uproar, thanks to some bizarre design choices. The spiny, stick-legged character of video game lore was replaced with something that would look more at home in Cats. It’s not bad CG per se, but it’s that uncomfortable combination of human-like expression (plus human teeth) grafted on to some mutant animal body.
It’s like they went into the uncanny valley and out the other side. That, plus it just doesn't really look like Sonic, more like a cheap Chinese knock-off. The outcry – and accompanying memes – was so great that the release date has been postponed (twice) to give Paramount Pictures time to completely redesign the character.
02. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Now we’re big fans of The Hobbit movies. Yes, they’re over-long and a bit rambling, but they’re full of exciting action and generally a fun watch. However, they are guilty of overusing CG, and they also look like movies where the VFX budget has been stretched to breaking point.
There are particular low points, like the barrel-riding sequence, which is overloaded with clumsy CG (and also intercut with GoPro footage which sticks out like a sore thumb). But our pick is the scene in which the dwarves pour molten gold all over Smaug the dragon. The entire sequence looks super-fake and destroys all the good work Weta Digital did in creating Smaug in the fist place. Plus it doesn't even scar the beast, let alone kill him.
03. Justice League
When the scheduling of Mission Impossible: Fallout clashed with reshoots for Justice League, someone in the VFX department was tasked with removing Henry Cavill’s moustache, which had to remain in place. A simple task you might think: they de-aged Samuel L. Jacksons for Captain Marvel; they created realistic simians for Planet of the Apes; heck, they made an emotionally engaging CG Gollum nearly 20 years ago.
However, the end result was Superman looking like he’d been stung on the lip by a wasp, or was wearing one of those masks from Bo’ Selecta!. It’s terrible CG work, and to make matters worse, a guy online did the same thing with a $500 PC, and did it way better (below).
04. Black Panther
What, the Black Panther? The Oscar-winning film that delivered the first mainstream black superhero, garnered endless praise and took a billion dollars at the box office? Yes, that Black Panther. We know it's a good (if not great) movie, but the VFX work is surprisingly variable.
The war rhinos in the big battle scene really bring the whole thing down to earth with a lacklustre thump, and the supposedly climactic fight between Black Panther and Killmonger is reduced to two besuited CG models duking it out, with no real weight or emotional connection. Contrast that with the fight between Tony Stark, Captain America and Bucky Barnes in Captain America: Civil War; there’s still a lot of CG involved, but it has so much more impact.
05. Baywatch
There’s really one major VFX scene in Baywatch, so you can happily blow the entire budget on it, right? It also involves fire, which was once terribly hard to simulate, but now you can do it, practically real-time, on a mid-range PC. So quite how it looks so bad here is anyone’s guess. The flames are all so fuzzy and floaty that there’s never any real threat of danger. This is the perfect example of where a few dollars spent on some gasoline and a box of matches would have been the better option.
06. Gods of Egypt
Sigh… where do you even begin with this? Alex Proyas’ mythical fantasy film is awful on every conceivable level – acting, script, pacing – but the visual effects are surprisingly bad for a movie that boasted a $140 million budget and employed the likes of Iloura, Cinesite, RodeoFX, UPP and Tippett Studio.
Perhaps it’s the fact that almost everything is shot against green screen with tons of CG backdrops and characters added afterwards; it’s possibly too much work, even for a budget of that size. And while the general quality is pretty average, there are several scenes – such as the Minotaur battle presented here – which has visuals so glaringly fake that most video games would be ashamed of them.
07. Rogue One
The prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope features some astonishing CG; the destruction of Jedah and the battle for Scarif just two examples of the stunning work by ILM. But when it comes to the digital recreations of Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher, things don't look so good.
Grand Moff Tarkin is mostly effective as they have him lurking in the shadows, but the final pivotal scene, in which a young Princess Leia receives the plans for the Death Star is just weird. You recognise the character, but the odd discrepancies between your memory of the cute, spirited princess and the CG-enhanced double (played by Ingvild Deila) are just too much, and the result is jarring if not downright disconcerting. Despite hours and hours of footage and thousands of press photos (plus Fisher was still alive at this point) we can't believe ILM got it so wrong.
08. Transformers: The last Knight
This is a slightly controversial choice because ILM’s VFX in the Transformers series is, almost without exception, amazing. But (and we can level the same complaint at any of the movies) the CG is all just too much: too dynamic; too hyper-real; too confusing. Every battle between Transformers and Decepticons is a swirling, clanging, bewildering mishmash of spinning cogs, pumping pistons and splintering shards of metal.
It’s all beautifully choreographed and rendered, but no one has any idea what’s going on, mainly thanks to Michael Bay’s hyperkinetic directing style, who thinks more is most definitely more (plus the film had six credited editors!). By comparison, check out Travis Knight’s Bumblebee, which is far more sedate, yet has the highest review scores of all the Transformers films.
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Personal data of 2,000 journalists was found publicly accessible on a spreadsheet on the website for popular trade show E3.
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You're reading Creating Interactive, Highly Optimized Emails with Google’s AMP Framework, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook!
Google’s AMP framework – Accelerated Mobile Pages is a powerful tool that can make highly interactive and user-centered emails that load faster than traditional emails. This framework can be a powerful tool for sending dynamic and useful content through AMP …
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Microsoft says its Azure Security Lab will allow researchers to attack its cloud environment in a customer-safe way.
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Buffer overflows, race conditions, use-after-free and more account for more than half of all vulnerabilities in the Android platform.
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McDonald's Japan has released a set of cups to promote its new range of soft drinks, McFizz. The cups are supposed to elicit a theme of summertime romance, showing naive line illustrations of a boy and girl on opposite sides of the cup, who share an innocent moment when the empty cup is lined up in a certain way.
However, fast food fans have discovered that when you turn the cups a different way, you are faced with a range of decidedly less innocent scenes. We're not sure if this was an intentional design quirk, created in an attempt to stir up publicity and enter inspirational lists of packaging design, or whether it's a case of something looking amazing on screen, but not being user-tested quite thoroughly enough.
Here's what McDonald's was hoping customers would see in the cup (or see video above).
And here's what people actually saw...
This summertime romance doesn't seem quite so innocent when you look at it this way (as @Mao_Kila pointed out)
The wink on the right-hand image really makes it. And don't worry, this isn't a one-sided love affair, either.
They're lovin' it (Captured by @_chocolation_)
With another subtle manipulation, the illustrations take on some interesting proportions, where either the boy or girl becomes huge next to their partner. Surely McDonald's didn't really want to promote a huge age gap, or worse, paedophilia?
Despite several people pointing out these not-so-innocent variations on the McFizz love story, McDonald's has refused to pull the cups, which are apparently now in serious demand.
The fast food chain is known for its strong ads and design. Most recently, there were minimalist posters in France, which used fries to guide motorists, and even a mini-McDonald's for bees in Sweden. Has McDonald's in Japan been neglected? Or is someone somewhere having a good ol' giggle at what they've unleashed into the world?
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If you're in the market for a new laptop, check out this deal: right now you can pick up a 2018 13-inch MacBook Air for just $849.99 at Best Buy – saving you a massive $350.
This model has a lot to offer creatives: there's a beautiful Retina display, slick design, and it's thin and light enough to tote around easily. It's also one of the very best laptops for video editing right now. Full price, this particular model would set you back just under $1200 – but you can pick one up at Best Buy for under $850. That's a lot of bang for your buck.
Apple recently launched a MacBook Air 2019 – this deal is on the 2018 model, so you're not getting the True Tone technology of the refreshed version. However, prices on the new model start at around $1000, so you'll need to decide how important that feature is to you before making your purchase.
Best Buy is offering some impressive deals across a range of different MacBooks right now – browse all the offers here.
Not in the US? Explore the best prices on the MacBook Air (2018), wherever you are in the world, using the widget below.
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Facebook is set to assert its authority by rebranding WhatsApp and Instagram to 'WhatsApp from Facebook' and 'Instagram from Facebook', respectively. While the new names don't exactly roll off the tongue, they do cement a connection that had previously been a little ambiguous – and make it clear who's boss when it comes to social media.
Facebook bought photo app Instagram in 2012 and popular messaging platform WhatsApp in 2014, but the brands had traditionally been allowed to operate independently. It looks like the move is part of a wider effort to closer integrate its sister apps into the 'Facebook family' – the co-founders of both WhatsApp and Instagram left Facebook abruptly last year, to be replaced by veteran Facebook executives. The news also comes as Facebook’s acquisitions of both apps come under scrutiny by antitrust regulators.
We suspect the new names aren't going to filter down into everyday speech ("Just WhatsApp-by-Facebook me the address, yeah?"), but are interested to see how they are incorporated into each brand's logo design. The 'by Facebook' tag does appear on other sister apps – including enterprise chat tool Workplace.
A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed the change in a statement to The Information: "We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook." Their concerns aren't unfounded, either: a 2018 survey found that 57% of Americans weren't aware that Facebook owns Instagram, and another survey reported that over 50 per cent of WhatsApp users didn't know that app was owned by Facebook.
Other sister apps already use a 'by Facebook' tag
So is it a good idea? On the one hand, the autonomy of the sister apps has protected them through various privacy scandals Facebook has been hit by in recent years. On the other, it makes sense that Facebook might want a little more recognition for the part it has had in growing both apps to the social media monsters they are today.
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When it comes to learning typography and refining your skills, there are plenty of excellent typography resources online, not least on this very site (check out our Typography tab to see the full range of articles).
But if you’re serious about your typography, nothing beats a good book that's properly researched and written to the highest standards by an authoritative source. And in a fast-moving, increasingly digital world, it helps if they’re bang up-to-date, too.
With that in mind, we’ve brought together the best typography books that have been released this year, so far. All are both well-written and beautifully designed .So whether you’re a type novice or a true veteran, you’re sure to find something here you like.
01. Typography: A Very Short Introduction, by Paul Luna
A great introduction to typography for beginners
New to the discipline? Then Typography: A Very Short Introduction is a great place to start.
Author Paul Luna, a professor at the University of Reading, begins by looking at where the letters we use today originated, and what the principles are that underly their design.
He goes on to discuss topics such as layout, legibility, and picture language; the differences between type design for print and screen; the relationship between art and typography; and the reasons why key typographic decisions are made.
Usefully, he offers plenty of real-world examples to make his points clear. For instance, in the chapter ‘Presenting language’, he harnesses the Shipping Forecast as an example of how different typographic presentations can enhance a text, and allow for different kinds of reading.
Overall, this 176-page paperback takes a comprehensive and in-depth approach to the art and science of typography, and is written in a way that the ordinary person can easily follow. A great buy for typography beginners.
02. The Designer's Dictionary of Type, by Sean Adams
Take a deep dive into 48 common fonts, from classic typefaces to modern fonts
The only two-term national president in AIGA’s history, designer and educator Sean Adams scored a big hit in 2017 with his Designer's Dictionary of Colour. Now comes his follow-up, The Designer's Dictionary of Type, and it’s just as colourful, user-friendly and insightful.
The 256-page hardback focuses on 48 common fonts, from classic typefaces such as Garamond and Helvetica to modern-day digital fonts including OCR-A and Keedy Sans. Adams takes a deep dive into each, describing their history, analysing their stylistic traits, and examining what they’re best used for, with lots of eye-candy examples (mainly from the world of print) sprinkled throughout.
In short, this is an excellent foundational guide for any designer, and would be particularly useful for students looking to gain a understanding of the art, practice, and history of typography.
03. The Big Book of Font Combinations: Hundreds of Typeface Pairing Ideas for Graphic Design & Typography Enthusiasts, by Douglas N Bonneville
Get some fresh perspective by perusing over 350 typeface pairings
Whenever you start a new design, it’s natural to reach for the same tried-and-tested font pairings you know will work. But that’s hardly going to help you get to somewhere unique and original. So why not flick through The Big Book of Font Combinations, which contains hundreds of typeface combinations you probably wouldn’t have considered, to get some fresh perspective?
Best of all, most of the typefaces featured in this 370-page hardback will probably be ones you already own. Basically, author Douglas Bonneville, a graphic designer and developer, has researched the most popular typefaces and combined them amongst themselves, yielding over 350 typeface pairings. He describes the book as like: “A sketchbook with some ideas filled in for you; the final masterpiece is up to you.”
04. Typography Essentials Revised and Updated: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type, by Ina Saltz
A first-class reference book that’s easy to dip in and out of
A popular reference for designers since 2009, Typography Essentials has been completely refreshed to mark its 10th anniversary, with updated text, new graphics and new photos. The book’s mission, however, remains the same: to distill, organise and compartmentalise the complex issues surrounding the effective use of typography.
Written in an accessible style by Ina Saltz, an art director and former professor of design, this 208-page paperback is divided into four sections: The Letter, The Word, The Paragraph, and The Page. And as with all good reference books, it’s easy to dip in and out; you don’t have to read it from start to finish.
The 100 principles cover a range of practical issues surrounding designing with type, and each is accompanied by nice-looking visual examples, taken from international books, magazines, posters, and more.
05. Jan Tschichold and the New Typography: Graphic Design Between the World Wars, by Paul Stirton
A brilliantly researched book about a pivotal point in the history of typography
To truly understand typography, you have to understand its history. And Jan Tschichold and the New Typography will certainly expand your knowledge of a pivotal period.
In this 272-page paperback, author Paul Stirton, an associate professor of modern European design history, offers a fascinating account of the life and work of legendary designer Jan Tschichold and the role he played in the creation of modern graphic design in Weimar Germany.
Along the way, Stirton analyses his collections, including illustrations, advertisements and magazines, as well as books by well-known figures, such as Kurt Schwitters, El Lissitzky, Aleksandr Rodchenko and László Moholy-Nagy, and other lesser-known artist-designers.
And, as the title suggests, there’s a strong focus on the New Typography, a broad-based movement across Central Europe in which Tschichold played a crucial role, documenting its theory and practice in his 1928 book The New Typography, still regarded as a seminal text.
Whether or not you’re familiar with the historical period and its iconic design figures, this brilliantly researched and engaging book will grip you from the outset.
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The internet has made it incredibly easy to access millions of images. But you can’t just download what you want from the web, and use it whenever you feel like it.
Even if someone has uploaded an image to social media, or a photo sharing site like Flickr, they still retain ownership of that image, unless explicitly stated otherwise. And so if you use an image in your design work without obtaining permission, they may take legal action against you.
This is no idle threat. Pixsy - just one company active in this area - has worked more than 70,000 copyright infringement cases since its launch in 2014.
For that reason, a number of “free” image sharing sites have sprung up in recent years. But be warned: legal dangers apply here, too.
The dangers of image sharing sites
Even where a website appears to offer images for free, you have to be careful. For example, photographer Simon Palmer was recently threatened with legal action for using a photo he downloaded from Unsplash.
Unsplash describes itself as “the internet’s source of freely useable images”. However, a closer read of its terms and conditions state that this doesn’t cover images of people “if they are recognizable in the Photos”, which was the case for this particular image. (You can read the full details of the case here).
Even if pictures from free image sites don’t contain people, there can be problems. Whether mistakenly or maliciously, people often upload images to free photo sharing sites that they don’t own. And so even if they add a Creative Commons notice to it, that doesn’t protect you, because it’s not theirs to grant!
There’s also the practice of “copyright trolling”, whereby unscrupulous people who do own an image upload it to a free sharing site, wait for people to download and use it, then remove it from the site and claim that copyright has been infringed.
The stock alternative
Happy woman looking away while moving up steps, by Cavan Images (Adobe Stock)
Given the high costs involved in dealing with such legal headaches, it’s clearly a false economy to spend time and effort hunting for free images on the web. After all, Adobe Stock offers millions of high-quality curated and royalty-free photos, videos, illustrations, vector graphics, 3D assets, and templates for use in your creative projects.
What does that mean, exactly? Well, a royalty-free asset is licensed such that it can be used for any illustrative purpose, even in a professional context, without geographical restrictions or expiration dates.
That said, there are still a few things to bear in mind to ensure you stay on the right side of the law.
01. Model images can’t be used in an offensive way
Businesswoman on the phone in her skincare studio, by Trinette Reed (Adobe Stock)
Adobe Stock advises that if an image features a model, it must not be used in a manner that the models could perceive as offensive.
For example, it says: “Avoid using images with models on the cover of a steamy romance novel, or a book about politics or religion."
This is really a question of common sense. Ask yourself: if you were the model in question, what objections might you feasibly have to being portrayed in this way? And if you can’t think of anything, it may be worth asking friends or colleagues too, just to get a second opinion.
02. Stock images can’t be used for logos
This is the big one for designers to bear in mind: you can't use Adobe Stock images as part of a logo, trademark, or company identity.
Why? Because importantly, Adobe Stock’s licence grants you the right to use images under certain conditions, but they don’t transfer the copyright of these images to you; that remains with the creators.
Typically, though, a business will be considered to own the copyright to its own logo and trademark. For this reason, Adobe Stock, or indeed any stock imagery, should not be used to create it. A simple rule, with no exceptions.
03. Different licences come with different restrictions
A camel herder walks near Adhen Village, by Christopher Pike/Reuters (Adobe Stock). This image is available for editorial use only.
It's important to remember that not every Adobe Stock image is available for commercial use.
For example, assets labelled "Editorial Use Only" are for use in news and events-related articles, blogs, film and broadcasts.
You may, for example, want to use a press photograph of a real-life riot on the cover of a fictional novel about a similar event. However, if that photo is marked "Editorial Use Only", you simply cannot do so.
You can check out all the different types of licences here, and you can view the type of license associated with an image on the image preview page, in your web browser.
04. You're good for half a million views
A standard Adobe Stock licence covers you for up to 500,000 copies or views of the asset in question.
For instance, you can use an image on a book cover as long as allowed if the print run is fewer than 500,000 copies. If you’re going to print more than that, you need to choose a different type of licence.
However, note that with a standard Adobe Stock licence, web views specifically are unlimited. So if your design is for a website or a social media campaign, you don’t need to worry.
Conclusion
There are a small number of legal issues to pay attention to when it comes to using Adobe Stock in your designs. But once you’ve taken those into account, you really have nothing to worry about.
With Adobe Stock, you can be sure that all images have been sourced properly and the copyright owners have allowed the assets to be used in the manner specified by the licence.
So as long as you follow the simple guidelines above, you can sleep easy at night, knowing you’re safe from any form of legal action relating to image use.
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The most convincing deepfake examples show us how deep learning technology could transform pipelines for filmmakers and 3D artists and greatly reduce manual editing time. But there’s growing concern over the potential abuse of increasingly realistic doctored videos.
Deepfakes have already made it into some of our favourite 3D movies, and they are certainly cropping up more and more in the mainstream. Here, we look at eight landmarks in the rise of deepfakes. But first, a bit more info on what deepfakes actually are.
What are deepfakes?
Deepfakes are so-named because they use deep learning technology, a branch of machine learning that applies neural net simulation to massive data sets, to create a fake. Artificial intelligence effectively learns what a source face looks like at different angles in order to transpose the face onto a target, usually an actor, as if it were a mask. Huge advances came through the application of generative adversarial networks (GANS) to pit two AI algorithms against each other, one creating the fakes and the other grading its efforts, teaching the synthesis engine to make better forgeries.
Hollywood has transposed real or fictional faces onto other actors, for example, bringing Peter Cushing back to life in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but the technique used complex, expensive pipelines and face-mounted cameras.
Simple software tools such as FakeApp and DeepFaceLab have since made a comparable effect available to all. The technology offers interesting possibilities that range from dubbing, improving and repairing video to solving the uncanny valley effect in video games, avoiding actors having to repeat fluffed line, the creation of apps that allow us to try on clothes or hairstyles, and even to train doctors, but many fear it being used for nefarious ends. These are the fakes that have scared people the most so far.
01. Obama’s public service announcement
Many of the most convincing deepfakes have been produced using impersonators capable of mimicking the source’s voice and gestures, as seen in this warning produced by BuzzFeed and comedian Jordan Peele using After Effects CC and FakeApp. They pasted Peele’s mouth over Obama’s, replaced the former president’s jawline with one that followed Peele’s mouth movements, then used FakeApp to refine the footage through more than 50 hours of automatic processing.
Politicians and celebrities are the most common victims of deepfakes. Less than a year before the above video, University of Washington computer scientists had used neural network AI to model the shape of Obama’s mouth and make it lip synch to audio input.
High-profile figures are used because their public profiles provides ample source material for AI to learn from, but with the amount of selfies the average person takes in a lifetime and technological advances, perhaps soon anyone could be used as a source.
02. Nancy Pelosi slowed down
This deepfake example is not actually a deepfake but an example of why their potential misuse has become so feared in politics. This really was Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, but the video was slowed down by 25 per cent and the pitch was altered to make it seem like she was slurring her words.
The video was posted by a Facebook page called Politics Watchdog and was shared widely, including by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who tweeted: “What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi? Her speech pattern is bizarre.”
Facebook initially refused to remove the clip but said it had reduced its distribution after it was fact checked as false. The post was later deleted but it’s unclear who by. The case illustrates the kind of misuse people fear could be made of tech presented by Stanford University in June that allows audio in a video to be edited as easily as a text document.
03. Zuckerberg speaks frankly
In response to Facebook’s refusal to remove the video of Nancy Pelosi, artist Bill Posters posted this on Facebook-owned Instagram in June, showing Mark Zuckerberg boasting of how the platform "owns" its users. Would Facebook react differently when its own founder was being manipulated?
The film originally formed part of Posters’ and Daniel Howe’s Spectre piece, commissioned for Sheffield Doc Fest to draw attention to how people can be manipulated by social media. It was made using Israeli startup Canny AI’s VDR (video dialogue replacement) software, which it's promoted with a deepfake singalong starring various world leaders.
Instagram didn’t take the Zuckerberg video down, but said it would, “treat this content the same way we treat all misinformation on Instagram. If third-party fact checkers mark it as false, we will filter it.” Posters had flagged it using the hashtag #deepfake. While the video is reasonably convincing on mute, the voice gives it away, showing that a good actor is still needed to make plausible fakes, but with AI voice synthesis already mooted by Lyrebird and Adobe VoCo, it may not be long until passable voices can easily be added to deepfakes.
04. Donald Trump lectures Belgium
In the first known case of a political party using a deepfake, Belgium’s Socialistische Partij Anders (sp.a) posted this video on Facebook back in May 2018 showing Trump taunting Belgium for remaining in the Paris climate agreement. With Trump’s hair looking even stranger than usual and the crude movement of the mouth, it’s very clearly fake, and the voiceover says as much, though the final line “We all know that climate change is fake, just like this video,” isn’t subtitled in Flemish, but it was still enough to provoke one user to comment “Trumpy needs to look at his own country with its crazy child killers,” and for sp.a to have to clarify it was fake.
A more convincing Trump (below) was created this year by YouTuber Derpfakes, who trained DeepFaceLab to map a composite of Trump’s face over Alec Baldwin’s Saturday Night Live impersonation of the president, showing how far the technology has come in a year. The video has been blocked in the US and Canada.
05. Yang Mi travels in time
In February, a video pasting the face of Yang Mi, one of China’s best-known contemporary actors, into 1983 Hong Kong television drama The Legend Of The Condor Heroes went viral, racking up a reported 240 million views before it was removed by Chinese authorities.
Its creator, a fan of Yang Mi, issued an apology on microblogging site Weibo and said he’d made the video as a warning to raise awareness of the technology. While it seems likely that there will be an initial backlash against deepfakes from the film and television industry, it’s also possible to see how the industry could eventually embrace the technology and turn it to profit by allowing viewers to play director on home releases through manipulating dialogue, incorporating alternative scenes or even inserting themselves as characters. Expect also to see video games chock-full of celebrity appearances.
06. Salvador Dalí comes back to life
Agency GS&P pulled off the kind of headline-grabbing stunt publicity-loving Dalí would surely have appreciated himself when they resurrected the Catalan artist as a charismatic host at the Dalí Museum in Florida. Billed as “art meets artificial intelligence”, Dalí Lives was created by pulling more than 6,000 frames from old video interviews and processing them through 1,000 hours of machine learning to be able to overlay the source onto an actor’s face. The text was composed from a mixture of quotes from interviews and letters with new commentary designed to help visitors emphasise with the artist and relate to his work.
The novelty here is that this deepfake is interactive. A total 45 minutes of footage split over 125 videos allows more than 190,000 possible combinations depending on visitor responses and even includes comments on the weather. It finishes with Dalí turning around and snapping a selfie with his audience. Dalí claimed it was unlikely he would ever die, and maybe he was right, because he was brought to life a second time recently by Samsung’s AI lab in Moscow, this time by training AI on landmark facial features from just a handful of images rather than the usual thousands.
07. Gabon’s president shows prompts questions
For the moment at least, the majority of deepfakes online are clearly flagged as such and are not intended to fool anyone, usually being played for laughs, for example putting Nicolas Cage in everything ever produced, or for sordid fantasy – it was through fake celebrity porn that the technology first took root. But while there’s been no confirmed case of anyone trying to pass one off as real, one case has been questioned.
No one knows quite what to make of this video of Gabon’s president Ali Bongo, who had been absent from the public eye for some time – leading to speculation about his health. This New Year's video address was supposed to lay doubts to rest but backfired due to opposition claims that it was actually a deepfake, allegations that possibly played a role in provoking an attempted military coup.
The incident shows that the simple fact that deepfakes exist now means that any video that looks slightly odd could be called into question to sow doubt. It’s a fear that’s being taken seriously enough that the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is investing in research into how to detect fakes, while both China and the US are discussing new legislation.
08. Bill Hader morphs into Pacino and Schwarzenegger
Ctrl Shift Face is one of the most prolific creators of deepfakes on YouTube. He’s put Jim Carrey into The Shining and Sylvester Stalone into Terminator 2, but this is one of his most eerie pieces yet, showing former Saturday Night Live star Bill Hader appear to seamlessly transform into the two actors he impersonates during this interview. The change is so subtle you almost don’t notice it happen.
Currently, DeepFaceLab, the programme used, can only replace the target’s face below the forehead, but Stanford University has achieved a method of transferring an entire 3D head – the people of Reddit are desperate for the source code – and Heidelberg University has presented a technique that allows a source’s entire body to be mapped onto a target. Shimmer and distortion can be still be a giveaway for now, but with the technology improving all the time, for how much longer will we be able to tell fake from reality?
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Variable fonts enable font designers to define type variations within the font itself, enabling one font file to act like multiple fonts. Standard fonts are grouped into font families that contain multiple separate font files, each representing a different style, for example a light weight or a bold weight. Variable fonts contain all this same information in a single font file.
Using Source Sans Pro as an example, the variable version of the font totals approximately 394kb and comes in a wide variety of weights. If we were to use these font weights individually as standard font files, they are, on average, 234kb each – resulting in a combined file size of approximately 1856kb. Of course, this calculation assumes that all the font weights exist individually as a standard font, which they don’t. (Although if you are looking for just regular fonts, check out our post on the best free fonts available.)
If we remove the fonts that don’t exist as a standard font, the combined file size is still nearly three times the size of the variable font and with significantly fewer styles. Even if you just wanted the bold and regular versions, common in many web projects, two versions of the standard Source Sans Pro font are still larger than a single variable font. What this demonstrates is that with variable fonts we have the potential to make massive savings on bandwidth without compromising our designs and creativity.
A comparison of the file sizes of a range of font weights between the standard and variable version of the font Source Sans Pro
Variable fonts work by interpolating the master variations along an axis, essentially constructing new points in-between. This means you could set font weights at arbitrary points along the axis presenting a much larger number of styles and variations. Furthermore, it’s because the variable fonts can be interpolated that we are able to animate between each variation, enabling smooth transitions from say a thin weight to a bold weight – something we have never been able to accomplish before.
What makes variable fonts even more exciting is that designers aren’t restricted to just a single axis. Variable fonts can contain many different axes representing a range of different styles. This could include condensed, italic, optical size or other more creative or custom options.
01. Understand axes in variable fonts
Looking at the interpolation of a variable font across a weight and width axis reveals the range of customisation that’s available
Using variable fonts in our CSS is very similar to how we would normally use fonts on the web: using the @font-face at-rule. However, we first need to understand the different types of axes inside a variable font as this determines which CSS properties we make use of.
There are two types of axes in a variable font: a registered axis and a custom axis. A registered axis refers to an axis that is common enough that it was worth standardising. There are currently five registered axes; weight, width, slant, italic and optical size and these are often mapped to existing CSS properties, such as font-weight.
Custom axes are defined by typeface designers, can be any kind of variation and only require a four-letter identifier within the font file, which can be referred to in CSS.
02. Use a registered axis
Weight variations are defined on an axis, from light (200) to black (900)
When it comes to a registered axis, we want to make sure we are using any associated CSS properties, for example, font-weight or font-style.
We can set up our fonts using the @font-face at-rule as we normally would; the change is in how we define the variations for descriptors like font-weight, font-stretch and font-style. Previously we would have set a font-weight of 200 and defined this as the light version of the font, we’d then set up another font face block for the bold version and the regular version until we had all the weights that were required for the design. With variable fonts, we only need a single font face block. So instead of using multiple instances, we specify a range of values that correspond to the minimum and maximum values that are defined on the font axis.
In this example, we set a font weight of 200 to 700. Once our range is defined, we can choose any number within that range as our font weight, for example 658. Importantly if you set your font weight range as 200 to 700 and then try to define a weight of 900, even if the font has a 900 weight defined in its axis you will not be able to use it. The range defines what you have access to in your CSS.
03. Set up custom axes
Since no pre-existing CSS properties will exist when using a custom axis, we need to make use of a new CSS property called font-variation-settings. This will enable us to define as many named and custom axes as we need.
In the example here, wght refers to the registered axis of weight and INLI refers to a custom axis called inline, each with an associated number value corresponding to a point along the axis of variation. While you can reference a registered axis as a value for font-variation-settings, it is recommended you make use of their mapped CSS properties instead.
To ensure support in the older browsers, we can use fallback fonts for unsupported browsers by making use of CSS feature detection.
By checking for font-variation-settings support, we can include our variable font styles inside the supports CSS block, ensuring they will only be used in browsers that can support variable fonts – with our standard fonts used in the unsupported browsers.
04. Combine JavaScript and variable fonts
Variable fonts enable smooth transitions from, say, a thin to a bold weight; this allows you to create smooth transformations utilising JavaScript variables
We can make use of JavaScript events for situations where we want more fine-tuned control or to change the font based on events that we cannot access with CSS alone. A simple example would be matching our font weight to the size of our viewport – as the viewport gets smaller, the font weight gets heavier.
In order to create the fluid scale, we must align two sets of values and units – the font weight and the viewport size. We can access the current viewport width using window.innerWidth and create a new percentage-based scale by converting it to a range of 0–0.99. By including the minimum and maximum viewport sizes we can control the range of the effect.
We then determine the font weight based on our viewport size.
Using CSS custom properties, we can use our JavaScript value to update the font weight in our CSS.
When this is combined into a function and attached to the resize event listener, we can update the font weight based on the new size of the window.
With this basic approach, we’re able to modify our typography based on all manner of events and experiences. Where the viewport is wide we can have more detail; conversely, when it’s smaller and in a more confined space, we might look at reducing the font width or increasing the weight, providing better control of our content and typography in terms of legibility, usability and design.
You can view the code for this on CodePen.
This article was originally published in issue 318 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Subscribe to net here.
Discover more about variable fonts at Generate CSS
In her talk at Generate CSS, the focused CSS conference for web designers taking place on 26 September 2019 at Rich Mix, London, Bianca Berning will explore how variable fonts can create new opportunities for the written word within traditional media as well as new, immersive experiences, such as AR, VR, and mixed reality.
If you want to catch this and other great talks, it's worth snapping up your tickets now. If you grab yours before by 5pm UTC on 15 August, you can save £50, paying just £199 + VAT. Buy your ticket now!Related articles:
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Comprehensive testing of 21 free Android antivirus apps revealed big security vulnerabilities and privacy concerns; especially for AEGISLAB, BullGuard, dfndr and VIPRE.
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When it comes to sharing the best free fonts we've discovered online, we usually like to bring you the most visually appealing sets. This isn't the case with Ugly Gerry though. As its name suggests, the font is unsightly. In fact it's downright grotesque. However Ugly Gerry looks bad deliberately because it's inspired by the equally unappealing practice of gerrymandering.
If you're not down with the political lingo, gerrymandering is the process by which political parties manipulate district boundaries in order to win a numeric victory over the opposition. It's can be a difficult concept to get your head around, but all you need to know is that many people consider it a blight on the political system.
It's fitting then that the ugly process has lead to the creation of an ugly font. Created by Ben Doessel and James Lee, Ugly Gerry uses the shape of gerrymandered US districts to form letters. Check out some of the letters in the gallery below.
"After seeing how janky our Illinois 4th district had become, we became interested in this issue,” said the Ugly Gerry team in a press statement.
"We noticed our district's vague, but shaky U-shape, then after seeing other letters on the map, the idea hit us, let's create a typeface so our districts can become digital graffiti that voters and politicians can’t ignore."
Not all of the letters were easy to create. For some, Doessel and Lee were forced to combine two different districts, although this seems weirdly in-keeping with the boundary-blurring political process they're attacking.
So while Ugly Gerry might not be the most attractive font you'll ever see, it does highlight a problematic issue beautifully. Its creators also explain in the font's Twitter bio that they want people to use Ugly Gerry to tell congress "how happy you are your vote doesn't matter". If this sounds like something you want to get involved with, you can download Ugly Gerry for free, and tweet your representatives about it for good measure.
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Vast majority of Apple iOS users haven't updated to iOS 12.4, leaving themselves wide open to a public exploit.
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The Nike Swoosh is one of the world's most recognisable logos. To celebrate the legacy of this iconic piece of branding, Nike recently released a trio of new footwear ranges that feature different versions of the tick-shaped design. It's also worked with nine animators to pay homage to the Swoosh.
The shoes have been released alongside Foot Locker Inc as part of a collection called The Evolution of the Swoosh. In our guide to logo design we looked at how the Swoosh's simplicity is the secret to its enduring success, so it makes sense to revisit classic iterations for this range.
And when you consider that the designer of the Swoosh, graphic design student Carolyn Davidson, was only paid $35 for her logo idea back in 1971, it looks like Nike has made a significant return on her work.
As for the shoes in the new range, they include the Script Swoosh, Sunburst, and Swoosh Chain 'packs'. As its name suggest, the script pack features Davidson's hand-drawn Swoosh. Meanwhile the Sunburst shoes sport a circular variation of the Swoosh that appeared on apparel. Finally, the Swoosh Chain sneakers are decked out with little interlinking Swooshes. Take a look at them in the gallery below.
Nine animators at the Portland-based agency One Hundred were also called upon to promote the impact of the Swoosh in their own distinctive art styles. These include cult animators such as Mason London (aka Joe Pyrtherch), as well as Tiago Majuelos, Julian Glander, and Drew Tyndell.
Take a look at how they interpreted the Swoosh in the looping animations below. It's worth noting that these clips interpret popular trainers such as the Air Max 97, the React Element 55, and the Nike Air Force 1, all of which are part of the Evolution of the Swoosh collection.
The Swoosh isn't the only successful piece of Nike branding, either. Earlier this year its tagline, 'just do it', was voted the most memorable brand slogan. So clearly Nike knows how to make a lasting impression with customers.
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Creating CSS images is a fun way to practise your skills and create a neat piece of artwork. It's a nice break from the usual day-to-day styling of web components. All you'll need to get started is a blank document and a CSS file; we recommend using Sass, which will enable you to reuse your styles and write simpler selectors (see our guide to what is Sass? to learn more about this preprocessor).
We'll start with some top tips for mastering CSS art, then show you how to recreate this animated balloon Pikachu using only CSS.
For more inspiration, explore our roundup of amazing CSS animation examples. After something more basic? Start by learning how to create an ice lolly using CSS.
Reduce the design to simple shapes
When creating CSS art, it can help to look at a few reference images for inspiration and then create a simplified cartoon variation as you go along, envisioning the subject using primitive shapes, which make better CSS shapes.
Use a bright background to help with positioning
When overlapping shapes of similar colours, it’s difficult to see where they’re being placed or what they look like. It’s useful to have the shape you’re working on stand out by changing the background-color to something bright and cheery, like magenta. This enables you to easily see the exact position and shape of your element.
Use fluid sizes
When it comes to defining a px value for properties, we would recommend using the rem unit. In the event you decide that you want your overall piece to be larger or smaller, by using rem units you only have to change the base html { font-size: …px } in your Sass to scale the whole artwork up or down.
When defining the heights and widths of child elements that should have relative sizing to the parent, percentages come in handy. Since these values are always relative to their parent, they should also scale with the html font-size.
01. Start with containers
A wrapper container to hold the artwork's pieces is a good place to start. Within the container, we can place three inner containers – the head, the body and the balloons.
The container should usually be position: relative to allow for other elements to be placed relatively inside it using position: absolute and have a well-defined height and width, otherwise positioning child elements becomes difficult.
In your styles, add your base colours as Sass variables for reusability. The Sass lighten() and darken() functions will create tints and shades of your colours, which can be used as highlights or shadows for your character.
02. Style the head
With the structure figured out, let's style the head first. In this case, the head makes a nice centre point for the artwork, so rather than setting its position to absolute, it can be set to relative. This enables the container to have a stable element inside of it, giving the other floating absolute elements an anchor point and thus more control over their position.
The facial features will need a container for positioning, so create a <div> inside the head container for the yellow shape with a width, height and background colour – now let's make this rectangle look more like a head shape. One of the most common and useful properties in CSS art is the border-radius property, which changes the curve of the X or Y of a box's corners and can be used to create more organic shapes.
Using this technique with a rem and percentage combo, you can make blob-like shapes rather than just plain ellipses, which scale naturally with the html { font-size: …px }:
After perfecting the head's border-radius, position the rest of the facial features as child elements of the head, such as the eyes, cheeks, nose and ears. Like the head, the border-radius trick will come in handy since border-radius: 50% may not look appealing.
03. Move on to the body
A body <div> can be placed within the body container behind the head and shaped with the same border-radius technique, as well as the arms, legs and tail. To allow for proper overlapping, the actual body should be its own element, as certain inner elements like the back stripes will need to be cut off with overflow: hidden. To give the body more depth, the transform: skew() property can sheer the body slightly.
The lightning bolt tail can be built using three separate rectangles rather than trying to form this shape from one element. The rectangles can be rotated and positioned over the top of one another to form a bolt. The arms and legs can use the darker primary colour we created using Sass darken() so they stand out.
04. Add balloons
Now that the electric mouse is completed, let's tie balloons to its back. Add some <div>s with shared styles with a child string <div> and position them bunched above the head. The string is invisible except a border-left, which help make it look more string-like.
To tie the string around the character's waist, a <div> can be placed within the body to allow for proper positioning. The string needs a slight curve to appear as though it's tied around the body, so it can have a small height, border-bottom and a border-bottom left and right radius, which makes a thin curved line:
05. Animate the CSS
We can give the character life by adding @keyframes animations. The arms, legs, ears and tail can be animated with transform: rotate(). Ensure the transform-origin is set to the ‘joint' (i.e. top center for a leg) and adjust the rotation. This animation type can be used several times in a Sass mixin:
Finally, adding a slow 5s transform: translateY() keyframe animation will animate the character up and down as though it's floating. For a touch of realism, a blinking animation using transform: scaleY(0.1) property can be used to make it appear as though the eyes are closing.
This article was originally published in creative web design magazine net. Buy issue 283 or subscribe.
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Can you remember your biggest creative inspirations? Do you have a clutch of artists whose work made you grab your best pencils and say "I want to do that"?
This is what illustration agency Handsome Frank asked its followers on Twitter. And the responses have descended into a bit of a love-in as illustrators share the artists who originally made them want to break into the industry.
It all started with an innocent-looking tweet from Handsome Frank to its 28 thousand followers. But over the course of the day it's drawn dozens and dozens of responses, including big names from the world of illustration.
Some of the people who responded were even lucky enough to hear back from the artists they mentioned. Making your own personal artistic hero blush with gratitude isn't something that happens every day, but that's exactly what's happening to illustrators right now thanks to Twitter.
Perhaps the social media site sin't such a bad place after all?
The responses to Handsome Frank's tweet are also a fantastic place to pick up some new artistic inspirations. There are plenty of popular and well-deserved names in the replies, but there are some illustrators you might not have heard of before.
For example, are you familiar with the work of Greg Manchess? His work meant a lot to Twitter user Sidharth Chaturvedi...
Of course, narrowing down your influences to one illustrator can be a tall order. So some people, like Erin Hunting, decided to choose four. Although if you want to follow-up her selection, maybe save Googling Robert Crumb's raunchy 'Fritz the Cat' until you're outside of work.
A trip down memory lane usually involves some charming revelations. Just take Andy Paciorek's reply, which explains that it took him "many years" to find out the name of his illustration hero, Ken Reid. When it comes to being able to find information, you kids and your search engines don't know how lucky you have it.
One creator who has definitely embraced the art of illustration is Ben O'Brien, or to use his popular online moniker, Ben The Illustrator. But who set him on the path to become an online illustration sensation? None other than the bold and brilliant Brian Cook.
What's so nice about this Twitter thread is that everyone is being so sincere. Graphic designer and illustrator Scott Duffey originally replied with a jokey response where he credits children's cartoon character Penny Crayon as his inspiration, but even he back-pedals to reveal that Albert Uderzo's drawings in the Asterix comics are his serious choice.
Sadly the names of some great illustrators are lost to time. And that's who visual artist Edêle Watters salutes in her response, as she recognises some of the nameless illustrators behind the Bunty comics.
These replies are just the tip of the iceberg. Illustrators are still chipping in with their heroes, and there are plenty more artists to discover.
So if this thread has made you remember a long-lost illustration inspiration, head on over to the Handsome Frank Twitter thread and share their name with the world.
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Researchers are warning that unpatched flaws found in the Hickory Smart BlueTooth Enabled Deadbolt allow an attacker with access to a victim's phone to break into their houses.
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The complaint claims the networking giant knowingly sold bug-riddled software to federal and state governments, that would allow complete network compromise.
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As far as rival businesses go, companies don't get much more competitive than Microsoft and Apple. The two have form when it comes to making fun of each other in their marketing, remember those "I'm a Mac, he's a PC" ads? But Microsoft is making things personal in its latest advert, which sees someone called Mac Book explain why the Surface Laptop 2 is superior to the MacBook Air.
To be fair, choosing between the two devices is difficult. If you're in the market for a new laptop, why not check out the best Microsoft Surface deals, or our guide to the best MacBook Pro alternatives. These will help you to make your mind up, and you might even grab a bargain.
As for the campaign, it's a cheeky move on Microsoft's part. In the advert (below), the computer company has enlisted the promotional skills of an Australian man whose actual, real name is Mackenzie Book to help sell the strengths of the Surface Laptop 2.
A snarky voice over asks Mac Book a series of questions about which device performs better. Unsurprisingly, he points out that the Surface Laptop 2 lasts longer and performs better than the MacBook Air. If you look carefully, you'll also see that he barely even interacts with the Apple device.
It's a clever campaign, and we can only imagine Microsoft's excitement when they discovered that Mackenzie Book was happy to get involved. It's also handy that he apparently seems to prefer the Microsoft device. It would be pretty awkward if he mouthed off about how much he admires the strength of Apple and the way it works with photo editing apps.
We'd forgive you for thinking that Microsoft could've just made up this Mackenzie Book character for its promotional needs. But given the stilted delivery of lines like "you should get a surface. Trust me, I'm Mac Book", we're willing to bet that this a real guy who happens to have an on-brand Apple name.
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A good font collection is one that has you covered for all eventualities. While you doubtless have your own set of dependable serifs and sans serifs that you can rely on for most design projects, some commissions are going to require you to pull out something just a little bit different for that added visual impact.
You're unlikely to need comic fonts very often, but when you do – say if you're working on children's books or an illustration project – you'll be glad of a good selection to experiment with, and thankfully there are thousands of free fonts out there that will do nicely. Here are 12 of the best free comic fonts that have turned up this year; they're all free for personal use so that you can try them out, and most of them can be used on commercial projects for a very low price.
01. Happy Markers
Who needs Comic Sans?
For big, friendly and rounded lettering that doesn't carry the stigma of Comic Sans, Joseph Dawson's Happy Markers could be just the thing you need. Its all-caps characters look like they've been drawn using a chunky round-tipped marker pen, and for emphasis there's an italic version too. Both are free for personal use; a commercial licence will cost you $10.
02. Nias Bird
Nias Bird's art deco-ish lower case is a delight
Created by Indonesian designer Ryal Docallisme, Nias Bird is a fun and distinctive comic font with some fantastically top-heavy characters. It's probably best suited to titles and maybe headlines, and it comes with a special trick up its sleeve: rather than a lower-case set it features a slightly heavier weight with more of an art deco look. It's free for personal use; contact the author for commercial use.
03. Reality Check
Boom! In your face!
Hand-drawn by font designer Hanoded at his kitchen table, Reality Check is a big and chunky comic display font, and uses the lower-case set for subtle variants on the all-caps characters to keep things interesting. This is a demo version of Reality Check for personal use; head to Hanoded's site for the commercial version which includes kerning, embedding rights and all glyphs.
04. The Labothings
Here's a lovely playful script font with comic energy
For a quirky, handwritten look, The Labothings by Kotak Kuning Studio could be a great choice. It's a playful script font with plenty of energy and both upper and lower-case characters; the only drawback is a lack of punctuation and other special characters, but you could easily substitute in suitable-looking characters from another typeface. It's free for personal use only.
05. Tootle Play
Who can resist a font called Tootle Play?
Perfect for lettering comics, Midfont Studio's Tootle Play also has one of the most adorable names we've come across. Free for personal use, it's a simple but lively hand-drawn caps-only affair, complete with numbers and all the punctuation you're likely to need.
06. Comic Comoc
Comic Comoc's fat strokes are thoroughly adorable
Inspired by comics and designed by Dumadi Studios, Comic Comoc is a cute and fun display font with some quite wonderfully fat strokes going on. Its designers say that it'll put an adorable twist on any design project, and we're inclined to agree. It features both upper and lower-case sets, plus symbols and accented characters, and while the free version is for personal use only, a full licence will set you back just $5.
07. Comic Marker Deluxe
Another great font for lettering comics
Another font that perfectly recreates the look of hand-drawn letters done with a fat round-tipped marker pen, Comic Marker Deluxe by Darrell Flood is just the thing for all your comic lettering needs. It's free for personal use, while a licence will cost you $20, and it comes in both standard and italic weights.
08. FishFingers Outline
Mix FishFingers Outline's upper and lower-case characters for a quirky look
Fishfingers Outline by Brittney Murphy is part of her larger FishFingers font family, a set of tall and top-heavy hand-drawn fonts that also includes a standard and light weight. It features both upper and lower-case characters, and they look their best when you mix them up, giving any text a delightfully quirky look. Personal use is free; you can find licensing options on Murphy's site.
09. Super Bad Font
So Super Bad it's super good
We love the wonderfully blobby style of Eli Shore Productions' Super Bad Font, not to mention its name. Comic-inspired with a weighty, handwritten stroke, it's another font that's caps-only but with the lower-case set at a different level so you can combine upper and lower for a bouncy, unlevelled effect. A basic licence covering most uses is just $8, but the free version is good for personal use.
10. Go Speeds
Put your foot to the floor with this swift font
Feeling the need for speed? You'll be wanting to avail yourself of Go Speeds, another free (for personal use) font from Kotak Kuning Studio. Ever so tall and top heavy, and slightly italicised, it's a comic font with a real sense of urgency to it.
11. Kids Magazine
This one's a perfect attention-grabber
If you're designing for a younger audience, here's a headline font that's just the ticket. Big, bold and packed with energy, Kids Magazine by Imagex is the ideal font for grabbing people's attention, with fat, lively strokes and plenty of definition. It's free for personal use; contact Imagex about licensing for commercial projects.
12. La Gilda
La Gilda's designed to literally stand out
Want that little bit of extra depth? Get a load of La Gilda from Woodcutter Manero. It's a fantastically tall and skinny comic font, but with a dirty great extruded edge to it, so it's guaranteed to stand out in any setting. And yes, you've guessed, it's free for personal use only.
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Advances in computer hardware have had a huge effect on the world of CG, bringing improvements across the board in visual quality, interactivity and accessibility. Here, we take a look at the innovations that have transformed the way we work with CG, and contributed to some of our favourite 3D movies.
We've also linked to our fantastic buying guides for much of the hardware listed here, so you can compare different options and make an informed choice about your next upgrade.
01. Graphics cards
Today's graphics cards are incredibly powerful
There was a time when a graphics card’s only purpose was connecting to a 2D display, leaving 3D processing to compete for CPU resources with everything else that was running on the computer. That all changed in 1996 with the 3DFX Voodoo accelerator card, which gave rise to today’s powerful graphics cards.
If you need a shiny new graphics card in your life, check out our post on the best graphics cards around right now.
02. USB Ubiquity
The simple USB storage device is still an invaluable tool
It’s a testament to the ubiquity of USB that you may not consider its importance in the 3D industry. But the ability to plug any peripheral, storage device or accessory into any port on any computer in the world and know it will work makes computers more simple to use, and it is a hardware feature no artist could live without today.
Run out of space on your USB and in need of an upgrade? You can compare USB storage options on our rundown of the best USB storage for creatives.
03. GPU Compute
GPU had a huge impact on CG processing
There were big ramifications for the CG industry when someone realised the growing power of graphics card hardware could be used for more than just real-time 3D acceleration. Cuda and OpenCL run specific general processing tasks across a GPU’s parallel hardware, which is great for plugins and filters in all kinds of design apps.
04. High definition displays
HD screens transformed how we present our creations
The HD revolution ushered in three innovations in display hardware: flat screens; widescreen aspect ratios; and much higher pixel counts. Each boost in resolution, from 1080p to 4K and soon 8K, improves image quality and precipitates a rethink of how our work is rendered and presented.
We've found the best 4K monitor deals of 2019 for you with our guide to the best monitors.
05. Multi-core CPUs
Parallel processing streamlined the necessary equipment for CG
Parallel processing – running two computing tasks simultaneously – once required a computer with two separate physical processors inside it, which was messy and expensive. In 2005, Intel and AMD introduced processors for general PCs with two processor cores in a single chip, and later increased this to four, six or more cores, improving rendering times.
If you are finding your current laptop is lacking the necessary punch, head over to our guide to 2019's most powerful laptops.
06. Solid-state storage
Editing is smoother and quicker with an SSD
The shift to using fast flash memory rather than hard disks for an operating system and applications has made a huge difference to overall computer performance, with considerably faster load times. If you store your 3D project and all its assets on an SSD, editing will be much smoother and quicker too.
We have selected the best SSDs and external hard drives around right now in our comprehensive guide to the options available for Mac and PC users.
07. Virtual reality
We no longer have to rely on a 2D screen when working in 3D
A killer app for VR may be yet to arrive, but the availability of high-quality, affordable VR headsets such as Oculus Rift is still a breakthrough for 3D. No longer are we restricted to seeing a 3D world via a 2D window on our desks, but that world can come alive and interactive in a way that truly does feel magical.
Want to see what your options are? Head over to our choice of the best VR headsets.
08. 3D input devices
Is 2D pointing and clicking on its way out?
The 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse is a pointing device that attempts to work in 3D – a concept that hasn’t taken off yet but still has potential. The PlayStation Move controller and even Microsoft Kinect could fit into this category – a reminder that 2D pointing and clicking may lose its monopoly on interaction.
09. G-Sync/Freesync
Animation playback is smoother thanks to adaptive sync displays
Adaptive sync technology is a hardware solution to a problem most of us are unaware of. A computer renders frames at a variety of frame rates, but displays are traditionally fixed to 60fps. The result is an ugly ‘tearing effect’. Adaptive sync displays match the display refresh rate to the computer, so animation becomes smooth.
If you're in the market for a new display, you can check out our selections of the best ultrawide monitors, and the best monitors for video editing in our posts.
10. The internet
The power of the internet is humbling, and who knows what the future holds?
The internet counts as a hardware innovation, as it has made a huge impact on the evolution of computer design and continues to transform how we use them. It’s humbling how we can send work around the world in microseconds, and that the potential of internet technologies has still to be fully realised.
This article was originally published in issue 130 of 3D Artist. Buy issue 130 or subscribe to 3D Artist.
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Learning how to clean paintbrushes properly is an important skill. Someone very wise once told me, 'If you look after your tools, your tools will look after you'. Good brushes are some of the best and sometimes most costly investments you'll make when kitting yourself out, so they deserve a bit of TLC.
The golden rule when it comes to paint brushes is keep them wet whilst in use and give them a good clean when they’re not.
There are different methods of brush care depending on the medium you're using so we'll go through the main process and then explain the variations, showing you how get the most from your investment. Let’s start with the medium with the most options, oil paint. You can skip to the other sections using the links on the right.
For more painting and drawing tutorials, see our posts on art techniques and how to draw.
How to clean oil paintbrushes
There may be more steps to cleaning oil from paintbrushes than there are other types of paint, but it's still a fairly simple process.
01. Remove paint from the bristles
Wipe upwards when cleaning with a cloth or paper towel
Remove as much paint from the bristles as possible by folding a clean cloth or paper towel around the ferrule of the brush (the bit just below the bristles) and wipe upwards – always moving the cloth from the ferrule to the end of the bristles. You don’t want paint down the ferrule as this will ruin the brush. Continue until very little paint is left showing on your cloth.
02. Ditch the white spirit
For some the go-to cleaning solution for oil paint is white spirit, but there are much better and safer alternatives, both for the user and the environment. The next best alternatives to white spirits are ‘clean' spirits like Bartoline Clean Spirit. Use this just as you would traditional white spirit, but please don't pour it down the drain afterwards. Take it to your local recycling centre, or even better, recycle it yourself. Decant the dirty 'wash' spirit into an empty clean spirit container and over time the pigment sinks to the bottom leaving reusable clean spirit above.
The best solution for cleaning oil paint off brushes is pure oil itself, but it does take a bit more work. Linseed oil dries quicker than other oils so a better alternative is walnut oil or safflower oil.
03. Place brush in pot
Brush washers are great if you're going to be cleaning paintbrushes often
Next you’ll need to use your spirit or oil. Here, I’ve got my large metal brush-washer filled with Bartoline Clean Spirit (you can also use a smaller version). These brush washers make light-work of brush-cleaning and are a great investment. Holding your brush almost vertically, gently run the bristles back and forth across the perforated metal insert submerged in your spirit or oil.
This knocks off pigment from the bristles without swilling up the sediment at the bottom of the pot. The sediment can be periodically dredged and disposed of responsibly. If you’re using oil instead of clean spirit you may need to repeat this step, wiping as described in step #1 with a clean cloth each time.
04. Use a brush preserver
A brush preserver, as the name suggests, will make your brushes last longer
For a final clean I like to use The Master’s’ Brush Cleaner and Preserver. Using a little water work up a lather with your brush in the centre of the soap. As you can see, my pot is industrial-sized and very well-worn, but the soap is also available in handy 2.4oz pots.
Then work the lather through the bristles with your thumb and forefingers, always working from the ferrule out towards the ends of the bristles. Continue until no pigment can be seen in the lather. Note that some pigments will stain bristles.
05. Prepare to store
A pencil pot or cutlery holder can double up as a brush holder
Finally, you can rinse in clean water, reshape with your fingers and allow to dry in a holder or pot. If you’re storing for a little while you can add a final dose of clean soap lather and reshape with your fingers. Leave your brush suspended to dry. Once dry, the soap will hold the shape of the bristles hard until the brush is needed again.
How to clean acrylic paintbrushes
Acrylic paint can be used thick like oils or it can be diluted with water for watercolour-like effects. For the former, use the following process, for diluted acrylics, see the method for watercolour paintbrushes below.
Cleaning undiluted acrylic paint from brushes is similar to oil paint (see above) but instead of using spirit or oils, you just use water.
01. Use a cloth to wipe clean
An initial clean with a cloth will make the next steps easier
First clean off as much paint as you can using a clean cloth or paper towel. Wrap the cloth around the ferrule of the brush and, squeezing the cloth with your thumb and forefinger, work up towards the end of the bristles. Repeat as many times as necessary.
02. Clean paintbrushes in water
Water is all that's needed to clean acrylics from brushes
Using water in a jar or brush-washer, clean as much paint as you can from your bristles.
Use a clean cloth to make sure you’ve cleaned out the paint. Repeat if necessary.
03. Final clean and store
Work your preserver into a lather to protect your brushes
For a thorough clean, use The Masters’ Brush Cleaner & Preserver as instructed in the Oil Paint section above (step #4).
How to clean watercolour paintbrushes
Watercolour brushes are more delicate than brushes designed for acrylic and oils and should be treated accordingly.
01. Clean with water as you go
As a lot of watercolour paint is used in highly diluted ‘washes’, it should take less work to remove the pigment from the bristles. Instead of cleaning with a cloth, keep a vessel of water close to hand at all times, swilling the brushes between washes. I like to use a brush washer with a holder so I can suspend the bristles in water when not in use.
02. Dry with a cloth and store
Dry with a cloth or paper towel, as with acrylics, and air-dry in a pot or holder.
You can use a pot such as this to clean as you go and then dry your paintbrushes
03. Reshape the bristles
As with oils and acrylics, use The Masters’ Cleaner & Preserver and reshape the bristles as described in the previous sections.
Dirty ‘wash’ water should be collected and disposed off responsibly. It is also possible to allow dirty wash water from watercolour and acrylic paint to settle naturally in larger containers as you can with oil paint in clean spirit. The golden rule is: never chuck it down the sink!
How to clean other paintbrushes
When it comes to using other paints for murals or other projects, all paints will fall into two basic categories: water-based and oil-based. The only exceptions are some specialised paints that are thinned using mentholated spirits, but these tend to be more for trade use. Always read the side of the tin and follow the manufacturer's cleaning instructions.
It’s best to clean brushes ASAP, but if you get caught short, a clean plastic bag can make a temporary brush-saver – just put your brushes in the bag until you can clean them properly.
Soak rollers used with water-based paints in a sink and wring with your hands to loosen off most of the paint or you’ll be there forever.
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12 web design tutorials to keep your skills updated
in Ειδήσεις από τον χώρο του Design και Hosting
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Working on the web means you can never let your skill set stand still. While the fundamental tools and languages that have been around for years will serve you well, newer technologies, libraries and frameworks are turning up all the time, and while you can't possibly keep track of all of them, it pays to be up to speed with the most popular additions to the web toolkit.
To help you fill in any gaps in your web know-how, we've gathered together some of the best tutorials for the most popular recent web design technologies and techniques, covering everything from CSS animation through to JavaScript frameworks and web typography. Read on to start giving your web expertise a serious boost.
01. Create a WebGL 3D landing page
A 3D landing page is a surefire way to impress visitors
A WebGL 3D landing page is an excellent way to grab people's attention as soon as they hit your site. With WebGL you can create amazing 3D content in the browser without the need for plugins, and your site will work on all modern browsers as well as mobile devices and tablets. This WebGL 3D tutorial demonstrates how to make a dramatic landing page featuring a 3D object that moves in response to the mouse, plus colourful particle effects.
02. Get started with WebVR
Try some WebVR for a truly immersive experience
For a more immersive 3D project, look no further than WebVR. It's a JavaScript API for creating 3D virtual reality experiences in the browser, and rich, console-quality VR that renders in real time on desktop browsers and mobile devices. With a bit of JavaScript knowledge and this WebVR tutorial you'll soon be on your way to creating your first WebVR experience.
03. React crash course
These days you can't just rely on vanilla JavaScript if you want to build great web apps. If you want the best results then you need to add React to your list of web skills; it's the most popular JavaScript library on the block, and it's used by huge sites such as Facebook (where it was developed), Instagram and Netflix. This video tutorial from Mosh Hamedani will help you get started; for a more in-depth look, follow this React course.
04. How to create an app with Vue.js
Get to grips with the basics of Vue.js
Another useful JavaScript framework to know is Vue.js. It's easy to learn because it's a relatively small library compared to competitors, it's written in plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and the documentation is regularly updated. In this Vue.js tutorial you'll learn the basic structure of a Vue app, and how to use Vue to create your own full-featured blog app.
05. How to quickly add microinteractions to your website
Add visual interest to your site with microinteractions
Microinteractions are a brilliant way to add visual interest to your site as well as improving accessibility. They're small, subtle animations that you can add to elements to provide visual feedback when they're clicked on or moused over. And while adding animation to your site might feel like a lot of effort – especially if you know nothing about animation – here's an easy way to do it using Micron.js.
06. Flexbox step by step
Create web layouts that look as good as the printed page
For creating responsive sites that look good in every browser, Flexbox is the tool you need to know about. It enables you to create magazine-style layouts without the limitations of floats or, lest we forget, tables, and gives you complete control over the alignment, direction, order and size of your page elements. This step by step Flexbox tutorial will take you through everything you need to know.
07. Create animated CSS art
Who knew CSS could be this adorable?
Creating CSS imagery in the browser isn't as easy as, say, simply drawing it in Photoshop; you're basically drawing vector artwork using CSS code, and it can take a fair bit of head-scratching and experimentation before you get it right. The benefit of creating CSS shapes, though, is that they're lightweight and, once you've figured out what you're doing, easy to animate. This CSS animation tutorial will get you started.
08. How to add animation to SVG with CSS
CSS and SVG: a match made in animated heaven
Here's another way to create great-looking web animations. Using CSS you can control individual paths within an SVG image to create assorted effects, and if you know the basics you can use these techniques to turn ordinary icons into something more impressive. It's a good way to implement microinteractions on your site, and the possibilities are endless; follow this guide to adding animation to SVG with CSS to find out more.
09. HTML Canvas tutorial
The canvas element is a powerful tool for creating graphics in the browser
A third way to generate visuals in the browser is by using the HTML canvas element. With it you can draw graphics and text, create colour gradients and animate everything, as well as adding interactive elements. It's suitable for everything from basic graphics through to HTML games, and this tutorial from W3Schools covers all these applications.
10. How to start with variable fonts on the web
With variable fonts you can let your typographic instincts run riot
The biggest development in web typography since web fonts, variable fonts are fonts that can behave like multiple fonts, giving you all the weights and styles you need in a single, relatively small file that you can control through style sheets. This online primer will explain all the things you need to know in order to start making the most out of them. You can also read more about variable fonts here.
11. Create a PWA from scratch
Pick up the basics of building your own PWA
If you want to create lightweight sites that'll work on every device and don't even need a internet connection to function, Progressive Web Apps are the way to go. This quick guide to PWAs by Yassine Benabbas will walk you through the four main steps you need to know about – preparing an app shell, adding a manifest, implementing a service worker and caching – in order to build a PWA from scratch.
12. Build an AI-powered chatbot
Use Google's machine learning tools to keep your users happy
Artificial intelligence is a vast and complex subject, but it's surprisingly easy to implement it in ways that can make your life a lot easier. In this AI chatbot tutorial you'll learn how use AI to build a natural-language chatbot that'll help users interact with your site. Powered by Google's Dialogflow toolset, it uses machine learning and speech-to-text, and can be customised to your needs and added to your site in the form of a widget.
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