Pacific Crisis Fundraiser
Last week’s tragedy affected us all in profound ways, but what always makes the biggest impression on me in these times of huge crisis’ is the rebounding effect of human nature. It would be amazing if the world could always be as supportive and generous and not only during times of need, but nevertheless, the outpouring of support from all reaches of the world always gives me such inspiration. And as most humanly emotions do, the impact in Second Life has also been seen and felt. One major event happening now is the Pacific Crisis Fundraiser, bring together a huge number of creators across the grid to generously offer their items for charity. I encourage everyone to visit and donate, somehow and somewhere, in-world or in rl, however which way feels comfortable to you.
I’ve taken some pics of my favorite items so far, hopefully more to come. I’ve also added a few more PS/SL tricks to my sleeve that I thought I would share with you!
I first became aware of the Pacific Crisis Fundraiser when I had stopped into Pink Fuel for the Diamond is Mine hunt and saw Mochi’s advert. I’ve been meaning to try out the Pink Fuel skins as I love the glow and dewy look that Mochi adds to all of her creations. I was intrigued not only with the Kumi pre-release but of course by the Fundraiser event, so that was my next stop.
The Kumi pre-release from the PCF has 4 options: with or without freckles and with or without cute peeking-teeth mouths. The freckles are mad cute, giving the skin an even more youthful and spring look. And the teethy lips is just adorable and flirty, definitely the best option of the package. Note I did not PS this photo, so this is the skin rendering directly from SL.
The other item I have on from the PCF is Aoharu’s Off-Shoulder Gauze Tunic in a gorgeous red. Am loving the sculpted sleeve and lace detailing. The tunic parts are adjustable through menu, and I had do to a bit of alteration rotation-wise for the photos, but overall a well-done creation. I really like the movement on the sleeves, how it hangs just so.
As for my new PS/SL techniques, here are the tutorials!
1) Adding Lens Flare (top photo) – a good technique to add an artistic touch to a sunny photo.
- select your layer and go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare
- on the image, select the main light point from which the flare will project. Best to use sun position for realism
- adjust the brightness for effect and select Ok
2) Adjusting SL Environment Editor – My SL experience has only been laptop-based until this weekend. I’ve finally downloaded the client in my desktop and I really am hitting myself for not doing this sooner! I think its time to move that desktop or buy a new gaming laptop!! Anyhoo, you can get great effects from SL directly, without need for PS. The third picture (water photo) shows some of the gorgeous water rendering I used from the SL Environment Editor. Here’s how:
- in SL, go to World > Sun > Environment Editor
- for adjusting water, select Advanced Water
Water Fog Color: This changes the color of the particulate matter in your water, essentially defining the color of the water itself. If your water has no fog, it will appear crystal clear and colorless.
Fog Density Exponent: Controls the density of your water fog; this setting defines how far you are able to see into the water.
Underwater Fog Modifier: Controls how the fog density changes when you are underwater. Useful for for creating far-seeing views when underwater while keeping the surface fairly opaque. For example, at a setting of 0.25, the water fog is 1/4 as dense while underwater as it appears from above the surface.
Reflection Wavelet Scale: Controls the scale of the three wavelets that make up the surface of the water.
Fresnel Scale: Determines how much light is reflected at different angles; increasing this slider reduces visual reflection effects on the water’s surface.
Fresnel Offset: Determines how much total light is reflected; increasing this slider increases the amount of light reflected by the water’s surface.
Refract Scale Above: Controls the amount of visual refraction you can see from above the water’s surface; this is the “wobbly” effect you can see when you look at an object that is underwater.
Refract Scale Below: Controls the amount of visual refraction you can see from below the water’s surface. This is the “wobbly” effect you can see when you look at an object that is above the water.
Blur Multiplier: Controls how waves and reflections are mixed. Increasing this setting increases the amount of distortion you see in reflections as a result of wave activity.
If I can figure out how best to upload it, I will add my preset file here!
What I am wearing:
Outfit: Aoharu – Off-Shoulder Gauze Tunic (Red) *for PCF*
Skin: Pink Fuel – Kumi (Milk) – Amethyst *for PCF*
Hair: Maitreya – Lotte (Chestnut)
Poses: Diesel Works
