Vantage Point Design LLC | Web design & Graphic design | Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN

A better path for black and white photo conversion

I've used several methods over the years to convert digital photos to black & white. Here's what I've learned. And don't worry if you don't have Photoshop (PS), I’ll discuss a solid free software option as well.

Starting out, the Desaturate tool in PS was the obvious choice. Using that in conjunction with the Contrast and Levels controls offered some tweakability control beyond the basic desaturation operation. While these methods may suffice for some applications, I learned a better (and more fun) way to pop some fantastic black and white photos by digging a little deeper.

Dig a little deeper...

Straightedge for hand-coding Web design (Windows)

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I've been designing websites more in Notepad++ than in Dreamweaver lately and found myself in need of an on-screen straightedge. At first I used the screen itself by pushing the browser window off the edge - works, but not great. A slightly better solution I found is to use the Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del). Since it's "always on top" by default, you can move either the browser or the Task Manager without losing your straightedge under a stack of windows.

RIP "Web site"

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The Associated Press has finally changed their stance, making "Web site" obsolete, and "website" the new standard.

We come across this ubiquitous word everywhere in our wired world, whether writing a resume, typing an email, or writing copy for a website (there it is already!). Yet we have had a hard time pinning down just what is the correct spelling - should it be capitalized, should it have a space? Some of the difficulty is a reflection of the vaporous nature of the thing itself. Oh the website; that intangible entity of ones and zeros that feels so real as we touch it through our mouses and keyboards, residing on what sometimes seems to have become our planet's eighth continent, the Internet.

Trinity City Church Logo

Trinity City Church (TCC) is a church plant that will launch on 10/10/2010 in Saint Paul, MN. TCC's neighborhood and the surrounding city are represented in the visual cues of the logo design. I tag-teamed this project with Jen DiQuattro, who started the conceptual ball rolling, and Ceallaigh Anderson, the Director of Administration at Hope Community Church, who selected fonts and created the foundational shapes.

Jacob's Well Church

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Completed a new website and identity concept for Jacob's Well Church. Their demographic focus tends to be college students, so the design reflects the culture and identity of the church in a way that speaks to that generation. A rich visual media impact packaged in an efficient and elegant layout. Social media tie-ins are utilized, along with blog feeds, automated sermon podcasting (ported to iTunes), all on an easily updated CMS platform. Graphic design work by Tiana Mae Design.

Simply effective Website design.

Nick Wiesneski

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