August 2008

If I was a designer, how would I measure my success? There are many ways to approach this question. Would I measure it by how many Lindens I make? Or equate it by peer recognition and public fame? Better still would I just gauge it by my feeling of personal self satisfaction? I pondered this as I teleported to Leetah Moxie’s fabulous hair boutique Curl Up & Dye Salon.

I have been shopping here since July 2007 and I was eager to see some more long hair styles. I love long hair and sometimes it is hard to find distinctly different styles but Leetah has kept me satisfied and the selection of hairstyles at the boutique are always exciting. The hairstyles range from vintage, theatrical to futuristic and they speak to your heart through your dreams. Most of the more dynamic styles enchance any pixel girl’s beauty by capturing the moment and creating a particular mood. And the “mood du jour” is FANTASY. It is clear to see that Leetah does love fantasy and role play this is evident in the way she executes her popular looks, the care and attention that she gives them is evident. She herself takes time to play and is impressed by the Avallion sim and likes to relax there.

One look at “Marie Antoinette” and I am sent reeling back through time to the French Revolution an era where women towered their hair by using pads and pomade. Thoughts of luxury and French courts implore me to put on my most intricate corseted gown teleport over to Versailles and have sweet tea and delicate French cakes. The hair is intricately piled and dressed with three adorable lace ribbons in the back.

Of the men’s collection my favorite is “Elvis,” this style is so alluring it almost breaks your heart. The King’s sides and back are cut short and the top is cut long and jagged for a very sexy look. It also comes as blonde oh how superb! I imagine sharing a moonlight stroll on a beach with Elvis and us drinking pina coladas until the wee hours and watching the sunrise. As he is king…who would I be, Ann Margaret or Nancy Sinatra? I am sure that I can find that hairstyle right here.

Moirafate” a wicked hairstyle created for the divine mistress of the darkness in all of us. This is macabre glam at its best. The long locks and its banged high front give it its exotic look. This hairstyle is perfect when matched with an ultra sexy form fitting long black gown. I can just imagine wearing this hairstyle and attending a Midnight Ball at a dark castle with a handsome evil prince waiting to kiss my bloodless hand.

Now in my opinion, the most dramatic fantasy hair that she has made so far is…”Nariko.” For us PlayStation 3 players this hair is similar to the look of the main character of Heavenly Sword. The powerfully flowing red mane is dazzling. Its movements are wistfully beautiful. This heroine hair is made for the warrior in all of us. It celebrates the journey each woman makes fighting her own demons as she travels down the road of self-discovery. Just like most of all Leetah’s creations this hair is colorable and modifiable. A definite must have,

Aside from the fantastic hair creations, I see several well-known fashion designers clothing ads poised next to hairstyles that are showcased in them. Leetah is well recognized and utilized by her talented peers. I see the store is low lag and prosperous as people keep teleporting to the shop for their lastest dreams. I see her friends immortalized by having hairstyles modeled after them. I see that there is a table discreetly displaying two trophies one for Hair Fair 2007 and the other for the Best Extreme Style Savoy Hair 2007 for her “Queen Amidala” hairstyle. I see the pride Leetah displays as she introduces herself to well wishers. I see the grace and poise she exhibits when accepting a compliment. I see that the color of success at the Curl Up & Dye Salon is Leetah Moxie and what a talented and beautiful shade it is.

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If you’ve ever tried to photograph a self-portrait in Second Life, you’ve probably encountered this problem: your avatar’s eyes just won’t look where you want them to look. You’ve found a killer pose, adjusted the lighting, and lined up your shot so that everything’s perfect – everything except the eyes! They’re either rolling into her skull, or dancing around like drunken party girls every time you move your mouse.

Here's an example: I want to model the new Suzana Pale 36 skin from LionSkins and I love how the Armidi Ginza hair looks with this skin, but how to keep the eyes from disappearing behind the bangs?

Professional SL photographers use a focus or gaze point to overcome this problem: models are asked to alt-click on a specific target, such as a coloured sphere, so that the direction their eyes are looking remains fixed. However, with self-portraits, this technique presents a problem. As soon as you alt-click on a gaze point, the camera instantly shifts to place that point at the centre of your screen. So now you’ve lost the original framing. But if you alt-click on your avie and use the mouse-drag technique to reframe your shot – zap! – there’s those shifty eyes again. A classic SL Catch-22!

Here's what I mean: I've alt-clicked on a gaze point, and I think the eyes are good now – except you can't see them anymore!

AMS PhotoStage and PhotoLite have some useful tools that will help solve this problem, allowing you to use gaze points effectively when doing self-portraits. Here’s how:

1. Make sure your on-screen camera controls are open (View > Camera Controls)
2. Rez a gaze point and position it where you want it. With the AMS PhotoStage and PhotoLite, this becomes a very easy process: once the gaze point is rezzed you simply use the Position Editor to place the gaze point precisely where you need it anywhere on the X Y Z axes.
3. Compose your shot using the alt-click & drag technique to find the desired camera frame. This is just a preliminary framing, so be careful to note the camera position so you can return to it later.
4. Cam or zoom out, find your gaze point and alt-click on it. You will lose the original camera frame of course - BUT, now your avie’s eyes will be fixed on the gaze point, and not bouncing around like ping pong balls.
5. Use the on-screen Camera Controls and Keyboard Commands to reposition the camera on the model. I highly recommend using the Keyboard Commands for controlling the camera at this stage rather than relying on the on-screen Camera Controls alone. The Keyboard Commands tend to give you much more precise control over the camera’s pan, tilt, spin and zoom functions. The Zoom In (CTRL + 0) and Zoom Out (CTRL + 8 ) keystrokes are especially useful for framing close shots, since they allow you to move in much closer than the on-screen Camera Controls will permit. The Shift + Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys which pan the camera left, right, up and down are also extremely useful for self-portraiture. (I’ve listed the Keyboard Commands at the end of this post for any who may not be familiar with these highly useful tools.)
6. If the direction of your avie’s gaze still needs adjusting, cam out again, adjust the position of the gaze point, and then reframe the camera. Once again, the AMS Position Editor greatly simplifies this procedure. You may need to go back and forth a few times to get things exactly the way you want. With practice and experience, you’ll soon learn how to place your gaze points accurately, then manipulate the keyboard and camera controls to get that perfect frame and beautiful eyes!

Voila – mission accomplished!

For more information on AMS products, please visit the AMS website, or stop by the AMS Demo Site or Metro Models store to try out the amazing PhotoStage and PhotoLite!

Camera Tools:

View > Camera Controls provides an on-screen camera interface

Keyboard Commands:

Note: make sure you close your Communications, or Chat, window; otherwise, the keyboard camera commands won’t work.

Ctrl + 8 = Zooms Out (Wide angle lens)

Ctrl + 9 = Resets camera

Ctrl + 0 = Zooms In (Telephoto lens)

Alt + arrow keys =  Camera rotates, or spins, right and left; zooms in and out (Note: will usually not zoom as far as Ctrl + 8 or Ctrl + 0)

Alt + Page Up/Page Down = Camera rotates, or tilts, up and down

Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys = Rotates camera up down and around (does basically the same thing as Alt + L/R arrow keys and Alt + Page Up/PageDown keys)

Shift + Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys = PANS camera left, right, up and down. For self-portraiture these are probably the most useful keyboard commands along with the Ctrl + 0 / Ctrl + 8 keys!

Try these! I guarantee they will make your experience of photographing self-portraits in SL significantly easier and infinitely more enjoyable!

(For more information on SL photography, be sure to read Torley Linden’s Guide to High Quality Photography)

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A great quote by Saint Bartholomew says, “Spend time everyday listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.” Well, today my muse is telling me that I must have “Vivian’s Shadow.” The newest sexy and sophisticated ensemble from Muze Fashion Designs.

What I just adore about this ensemble is that it comes with 3 complete outfits. There is a sleek sexy pantsuit, a elegant gown length dress and an adorable prim dress. As a bonus there are two different shirts styles to give you even more options for this scintilating look. Muze Rayna the designer who is also a graphic designer in real life knows exactly how to accenuate curves and contours with lighting. The color that I am wearing above is “Vain” and it is so delicious I just want to eat myself up. heehee It is also available in the colors of Jade, Lust, Midnight and Smoke. So listen to your muse today and head over to Muze, it is well worth the trip.

Here is the recap:

Outfit: “Vivian’s Shadow” in Vain – Muze Fashion Designs

Hair: “SS – Barbie (Fit 1) in Midnight” – Sparkle Skye Designs

Shoes: “IM – Adorable Pink Heels” – Mary Jane Shoes [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chalanties/38/115/661] TP twice is 661 meters in the air.

Bracelets: *LM* Bangles – (Vain) – Lixena Marcus

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There is nothing that completes a fabulous outfit like a great bag (purse). Purses are not very easy to find in SL so I decided to spend today looking just only for them and see what I would turn up with. I thought this would be easier than it was but I think I found some really perfect bags.

This fabulous bag, “Hobo Bag – Red” was the first that I found and it is just irresistable. Its from *Starz*. The gold buckle as the clasp is very smart. It is worn on the shoulder and it is perfect with either jeans or a dress.

At The LoLo I found this grand bag, “The LoLo Bag” it comes as a set with a bunch of different colors and fabric blends. What I just adore about this bag is that the trinkets on the purse ring really sparkle and move. I love when designers add these types of special touches, thanks Wade 1.

Most days I am so spoiled that I am just rotten. And if you are a brat like me then you just must head over to Pampered Princess to pick up this marvelous bag, “(BB) White Nautica Bag”. Again as I just love details the adorable gold bunny on the bag is so cute!! The double pocket fronts are just spendid detailing. This bag in yellow is also a must have.

+Plus has great bags this one just happens to be my favorite out of all. It is exquiste in its simplicity. Its the “Classic Tote in Charcoal,”

Messenger Bags are hot! This one, “*DL*-Josei Shoulder Handbag Purse – Neko Style” at Dirty Lynx is purrfect. The details can just send your head spinning abit like I imagine what catnip does to little kitties.

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I logged in today feeling quiet in the mood to be “Armidi.” I wanted to effect a looking of clean, crisp and efficient competency. So I settled for this look in white. This look is classic, perfect for many different occasions whether it be a night of clubbing to an afternoon of shopping.

Tunic: Armidi Limited – Keiko Tunic Dress [White]

Pants: Armidi Limited – Kogo Skinny Pants [Egg Shell]

Shoes: [Armidi Gisaci] – Barcelona Slingback White

Purse: [Armidi Gisaci] – Gordie Leather Bag – White

Bracelet: Armidi Limited – Pyramid Cuff [White]

Glasses: “Nylon Outfitters” – Xena Glasses

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