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As of my freshman year, I will be posting content centered around a certain topic. You can expect my blog posts to feature well-written sentences.
Brady Bryan
Instead of Photoshop and Illustrator taking up all of the spotlight that Adobe has to offer, there are other Adobe products that bring a lot to the table. One such program is Premiere Pro. Premiere Pro is completely different from its more famous siblings since it is a video editing program instead of an image editing program. It also requires an Adobe add-on known as Media Encoder CC, which "quickly [outputs] video files for virtually any screen," according to the Adobe Creative Cloud. This means that your final product can be formatted to be viewed on different devices such as phones, computers, and tablets. One thing to note when using Premiere Pro is that there are a plethora of settings to manipulate, so it will take a long time to fully understand how to properly use it in order to get the results that you want. For those familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator's interface, Premiere Pro's will look very different (image courtesy of Wikipedia). In the bottom-left corner of the interface is the import window. Believe it or not, this is where you import the videos and/or pictures that you want to edit by double clicking in the window. You can import individual videos or a whole folder of videos for efficiency. If you double click on an image or video, it will appear in the window above. From here, you can preview that specific video, and choose whether or not you want to include the audio or the video alone. To do so, simply drag your mouse from the "Audio Only/Video Only" icon (both located next to each at the bottom of the window) over to the "Timeline" window to right of the import window. The Timeline window is where you can edit the video(s) and audio by altering the length and volume, as well as putting videos and audio over one another. The videos shown in the Timeline window will appear in the window above as a preview. It's your main area of action, along with the effects panel that's located in the import window and preview window, but that's a whole other bag of worms that won't be explained in this blog due to the sheer amount of different effects that's available. When used correctly, Premiere Pro can help you carry out your artistic vision in the way that you want. Of course, this is all possible through utilizing the effects, which will be covered shortly. For now, just explore the program and take note of what settings interest you, as they may aid you later down the road. So instead of ignoring the black sheep of the trio (being Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro), give it a try! It might just get your attention. Recap:
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Brady Bryan
Must all games (specifically first person shooters) be compared to the Call of Duty franchise? There are plenty of other amazing FPS that are just as, if not, better than the franchise. The Tom Clancy franchise is one of the most famous contenders to the series. Some of the franchise's best installments include The Division, as well as Ghost Recon Wildlands. While these games were pretty entertaining, there is one that stands above the rest. Some may even call it the franchise's "magnum opus" due to its sheer popularity. Rainbow Six Siege (abbreviated R6S) is a PC/Console FPS game that came out over two years ago. Instead of taking the classic "run-n'-gun" approach that many FPS games such as Call of Duty are infamous for, R6S takes a stealthy, strategic, approach. The main objectives are to escort hostages from the enemy bases, secure the enemy's room, plant/diffuse bombs in certain areas, and more. Similar to Overwatch, there is no story mode, but the characters (known as Operators) have their own backgrounds and are separated into two different groups: Attackers and Defenders. The rounds either have you play as an Attacker or Defender, in which you defend the objective from the enemy or try to breach and enter it. Each Operator has their own special attribute that allows them to complete their goal. For instance, Sledge (an attacker) has a Breaching Hammer that allows him to smash through walls and barricades. Each Operators are separated into several CTUs (Counter-Terrorism Units), which are just divisions. They hold no special value, only for visual purposes. Unlike Call of Duty's subpar DLC packs, Rainbow Six Siege know how to keep its game interesting. Its DLC packs come in the form of Yearly Passes, which include several new Operators from different CTUs. Unfortunately, the game like to eat out of your wallet, as it has a plethora of headgear and body gear designs that look great in-game. The downside is, it takes a long time to rack up enough Renown (the in-game currency) to purchase. Some of them require real-world money to buy them. Overall, Rainbow Six Siege is one of the best FPS shooters around. It encourages teamwork, communication, strategies, and DLC that doesn't fall flat and warrants waves upon waves of more packs in order to make up for that one lackluster pack. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to step away from Call of Duty, but still play an engaging FPS. Recap:
Brady Bryan
As the years go by, video games tend to get more and more violent, and it's not hard to see why. After all, action does tend to grab the viewer's attention than a simple puzzle game. Call of Duty and the Tom Clancy series are excellent examples of this. Call of Duty has a more "run-n'-gun" feel to it, iouwhereas games such as Ghost Recon Wildlands and Rainbow Six Siege encourage a stealthy, strategic approach. Of course, other games such as the Mario and Pokemon series are doing even better despite being family-friendly, non-FPS games. However, video games nowadays seem to have an affinity for weaponry, and there is one franchise that easily comes to mind when associated with this idea. The Call of Duty franchise is doing extremely well, arguably doing better than it should. It's latest game (WWII) takes the series back in time to (obviously) WWII. Recently, the franchise has taken a more futuristic, technological approach instead of the regular "boots-on-the-ground" style. While Black Ops III performed well in terms of sales and overall feedback, Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare are often looked upon as jokes. When many heard that CoD was going to go back to a "boots-on-the-ground" style, they were very content with the rumor, as this was much preferred over the technological installments. Despite the latest installment doing seemingly well, many people seem to get tired of the franchise, as it boils down to the exact thing for every game: complete an almost obsolete campaign made obsolete by multiplayer, get kills, obtain every camo by completing missions, and buy the subpar DLC packs (the most recent one being Resistance) . It can be fun at times with friends, but that could be said about other multiplayer games. The franchise is infamous for making people rage due to bugs, glitches, and the like. However, spawn peeks, campers, and teammates friendly firing are the biggest offenders. Due to the success of the franchise, it seems as though other aspiring FPS shooters are trying to emulate its style in hopes that it will make them popular. While this in and of itself isn't a "crime," it's best to have individuality and uniqueness when creating a video game. When a franchise such as Call of Duty is as successful as it currently is, not only is it hard to keep afloat in an environment where other types of games are demonstrating their own unique features, but emulating such a game will be looked down upon by the masses. Since it has a simple style, it is inevitable that the series will get old quickly. However, if they reveal that they have something special that's worth the customer's time, it will continue for a long and prosperous time. Recap:
Brady Bryan
Effects are one of the major components of any digital design that gathers the most attention. Most editing/art-based programs such as (you guessed it) the Adobe products have their own tab devoted to different types of effects. Since Illustrator is designed to create designs, it's going to have its fair share of effects. At first glance, it's effects will sound/seem very similar to some effects that you've seen elsewhere, such as "Drop Shadow" and "Outer Glow." One thing that you'll notice while viewing Illustrator's "Effects" tab is that it has a couple designs from Adobe Photoshop, as demonstrated in this image from cvdesign.org. Unfortunately, the opposite cannot be said of Photoshop having Illustrators effects. Both of the program's effects work similarly, but have their subtle differences, especially in settings. As usual, you will have to select whatever objects you want to give an effect to. There are different groups within the "Effects" tab. Some groups include "Stylize, Distort and Transform," and "Warp." Some effects have straightforward names, such as "Drop Shadow." As the name suggests, it gives whatever object or text that is selected a shadow. You can change the opacity, as well as the offset (placement) of the shadow in the settings. Another example of this is "Twist," which can be found in the "Warp" group. This effect simply twists whatever object is selected, similar to a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule. By modifying the horizontal, vertical and bend numerals in the settings (image from cdn.tutsplus.com), you can attain a similar shape. This is most effective when working with a 3D object, as the differences are more pronounced. Just by taking a look at the effects Illustrator has to offer, some official designs that use a few of them may come to mind, which may lead you to believe that Illustrator is utilized by the larger, more prominent companies. Many of the program's tools and settings can lead you to this conclusion, and for good reason since the program is extremely viable in terms of digital design. Effects are a great match with custom shapes, but you'll never truly know unless you try it out for yourself. Recap:
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AuthorBrady Bryan is quite familiar with blogs since he had to frequently post on his blog in 6th grade. Although its been a long time since then, he still knows what a proper blog should look like. Archives
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