RAW - COPYCAT: Taking inspiration or taking credit?

Let's face it, ORIGINALITY IS DEAD. And I'm talking real originality -- the kind of stuff that comes out of nowhere, from nothing. You might wake up one morning and come up with some of the best designs you've ever created, but they were probably inspired by something you already saw. Even if most of us are not consciously trying to copy someone's work, our subconscious picks up on everything we've come by. I've rarely come by a website these days and think, "wow this is so original...". Everything is inspired by something else and in the design world, it's very obvious that every designer has gotten some kind of inspiration from another designer. 

FREEBIE: Photoshop Actions - COOL CAT & HAZY

I've been wanting to post up some design freebies for a while now but just didn't get around to it. Filters aren't always the best option for a photograph, but they certainly have their own flare. You can enhance your photographs with these freebie actions made by yours truly :) . 

Inside you'll find an Action pack with two Actions - Hazy & Cool Cat. 

PROTIP: Consider your original photo's lighting. These Actions work the best with optimized lighting, meaning your photograph shouldn't be too overexposed or too underexposed. These Actions work best with outdoor lighting although they can be used with well lit indoor photos. 

PROTIP 2: 'Cool Cat' as the name implies, is a cool 'blue toned' Action set. If your photographs have a lot of yellow and red tones, Cool Cat can balance out the photo and give your photograph a softer touch. 'Hazy' on the other hand has more of an olive/green tone that gives off a slightly grungier look. This Action set is best used on photographs that are more 'blue' in tone, giving it an opposite effect from Cool Cat. Both Actions emit a very 'cool' feeling to the photograph, even though Hazy is a bit more on the yellow/green side. These make perfect filters for FASHION, PORTRAIT and ARCHITECTURE photography. 

PROTIP 3: If your photos are underexposed, it's best to fix Brightness/Levels in your Photoshop settings before applying the Actions for an optimized effect. However, both Actions have a 'brighter' filter applied already, so make sure to not over brighten your photographs before hand. These Actions will work better with slightly underexposed photos as opposed to overexposed photos. 

Hope you guys enjoy this first set of freebies. More will come soon! 

*If you're a total newbie at Photoshop, don't worry! The Action pack comes with a set of instructions on how to install. It's really simple. 

DOWNLOAD

DBH's mixtape vol. 02: GAME TIME

GAME TIME (44mins / 10 tracks)
O1. ANAMANAGUCHI - Endless Fantasy
O2. NERO - Me And You
O3. DRAPER - Night Rider (feat. Phoebe Ray)
O4. FLUX PAVILLION - I Feel It
O5. RAMESES B - I Need You (feat. Charlotte Haining)
O6. DEADMAU5 - Raise Your Weapons (Madeon remix)
O7. MADEON - Technicolor
O8. NERO - Reaching Out
O9. ANAMANAGUCHI - Prom Night (feat. Bianca Raquel)
1O. ZOMBOY - Game Time


Whenever I'm playing video games I like listening to electro / dubstep as it kinda sets the mood for me. There's a combination of fast, adrenaline-rushing tracks along with slightly mellower electro tracks to get you amped. Hope you enjoy it!

[RAW] Video Games: Do they benefit my life?

(photo)

DBH's MIXTAPE vol. 01

O1. STARDUST - Music Sounds Better With You
O2. MOON BOOTS - C.Y.S.
O3. NERVO - Hold On (Fred Falke remix)
O4.THE PARADISE - In Love With You
O5. KISH MAUVE - Lose Control (Fred Falke remix)
O6. MOON BOOTS - Don't Ask Why (feat. Kyiki)
O7. SKIBBLEZ - Only One Touch
O8. ELIZABETH ROSE - Is It Love?
O9. LITTLE BOOTS - Headphones (Moon Boots remix)
1O. ALAN BRAXE - Time Machine
11. FIXERS - Iron Deer Dream (Shook remix)

[Click the photo above or HERE to listen to the mixtape]


If you didn't already know, I'm a huge music junkie. I spend hours and hours digging for new music. As a designer, music goes hand in hand in my opinion. It's difficult for me to design in silence, which is why it drives me nuts whenever I have to work in an environment where I can't listen to music (mainly due to communication issues....). For me, music instantly sparks my imagination. My creativity flows better whenever I'm listening to music so it's always been a pretty big part of my life. Also, I take huge pride in having such an eclectic taste in music. One day I'll be listening to electro/house, the next R&B, Alternative or maybe Kpop. I really can't say I prefer one genre over the other. If it sounds good, I'll love it. I hope you guys will enjoy these as much as I enjoy making them.

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'DEADBEATHUSTLER' is the name of my Tumblr blog. I started creating playlists primarily on there for a while, so I thought it would be a nice integration to take whatever I put on my Tumblr onto a playlist that's easier to listen to.