kurashi

QUICK TIPS | disqus

Hello everybody!

I am pretty sure the one or other misses the feature of comment system on tumblr. It is right, by default there is no possibility to have this function. But this you can change and ‘instal’ very easy - thanks to DISQUS.

DISQUS is a comments platform which can be used for a couple of blog platforms, one of them is tumblr! Yesshhh! And it is free - hurray.

1. Create your own acc on DISQUS
2. Log in your tumblr acc, and go to customize > appearance tab:
If your theme support disqus you can type in there your nickname for it.
3. Save it. Done.

IF NOT you have do to the following:

1. Copy the comment embed code.
2. Log back in your tumblr, go to customize > theme tab > use custom HTML:
Paste the comment embed code in the window: immediately after the following code > {/block:Posts} - and save it. Done.

Sounds pretty easy, hu?

QUICK TIPS | Use tumblr (intro)

Today I want to write about tumblr. Why do I use tumblr? What are the advantages of this blog ‘site’. If I do looking back, I started to use it in October 2009. Wow! That’s a already a little infinity! I never got disappointed about my decision. A friend ask me lately: is wordpress better or tumblr. I think, thats always depending for the personal taste of blogging. I do love tumblr but this question made me done some more recherche - what is possible with tumblr. To go deeper in this topic.

I am more the one who explore something first myself. If i need answers than I do looking for myself and try around. Tumblr worked for me always very fine … and now I did exploring what all is possible and developed from itself (tumblr team) in this past 2 years. I didn’t knew all and I found out some very interesting stuff which I will share in all my following tumblr post to create the one or other new fan ;) *wink* So join me on this way. I don’t write much long english text’s, so you have to excuse my horrible grammar or simple sentences.

Recently amplicate.com (amplicate.com is an online opinion collating resource that accounts for more than 90 million public opinions of social media users - don’t say that is nothing, IMO that’s an amazing crowd of ppl. ) did a survey about: “Which is the most loved blogging platform?” And surprisingly for the one or other - or even not - it is: tumblr on 1st place (so let’s see, how many give the positive vote for tumblr: 35.000 votes, here we go with it) Congrats! The 2nd place goes to wordpress. I can speak for myself: I am impressed.

Sometimes, I think, it’s a bit like the little ‘battle’ between mac and pc users = tumblr’s and wordpress incl. the rest of the blogging community. As I joined I noticed it on the first impression:

tumblr is for visual minds. Near every blog is focused on visual and image aspects. Everybody is or love creativity. It’s fun to watch tumblr users. Doesn’t matter the content of the blog. Sites like wordpress or blogspot or whatever else, seeming much more common.

I do love this aspect! I love pictures. I love creativity. I love to see what is passion and love to share and collect inspiration. It gatcha me! <3

Here some reasons why you should try tumblr, if you haven’t done it yet:

+ No ad’s on basic accounts
+ High quality for your picture uploads
+ The easiest way to blog
+ Hundreds of awesome free themes, which you can customize
+ Make your own themes
+ Post anything …
+ Add other ppl to join your blog*
+ 3rd Party App’s
+ Social Integration (FB/twitter)
+ Queue feature (set a time schedule when a post should be published)
+ Google optimized
+ Use any analytics
+ Fast support center (if you need help)
+ Get ask and answer (“Ask me anything”)
+ Follow & like button
+ Your dashboard works like a rss reader, you won’t miss any posts of your tumblr friends.

There are much more, but this should be enough for today :p

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FIRST STEP

*Attention: Be careful with this - don’t worry it not dangerous but !! Your 1st tumblr blog will be your primary blog by default - that means, it is your admin account. So if you setting up, and you don’t know or even know already, you want to invite other team members to your blog, you should do the following steps:

» Click the drop-down menu, and choose “+create a new blog”. There you have to type in the following info: title/url (url can be the same as your title - just without the spaces) and does this blog need a password access.

If you done this, you will find the new ‘blog’ into your drop down menu on the right side navigation. If you choose this blog than, you see the side navi will be change (left to right):

and here we go: members! If you click than on ‘members’ you will get this here:

Now you can invite others.

Another point you should keep in mind, if you returning back to your dashboard, you always be in the admin mod. If you creating posts, take a first look to the navi to see which blog you have selected. It’s very easy.

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I hope you had no worries with my english ;). I will write some more about tumblr and “how to” - so, I do looking forward to see ya again for this.

Quick Tip: Settings for windlight

Today I’d to write about snapshots. I hinted already in the ‘light with photoshop’ (here) quick-tip that the settings in your windlight are important to get a good basis for a screenshot. A screenshot which you can just cut and upload to your blog or to work with it in photoshop for easier time retouching.

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The Preparation

* Shortcuts to active the advanced menu

Ctrl + Alt + D
or: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + D

 * Advanced Menu > marking: high-res snapshot.

In addition I also had marked: quiet snapshot to disk. This step doesn’t change anything in the picture quality but it disables the screenshot-animation and sound. Now you can create screenshots quietly and discreetly - that might be useful if you shoot on locations. And you can make a secret screenshot of your friends whithout them noticing it. Make them a little happy surprise to send them later your retouched photo later! That can be fun ;).

What does it mean by ‘high-res snapshot’?
It doubles the pixel size of the snapshots saved to disk. More quality for your snapshot.

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The Windlight Setting

Notice: You don’t need to turn off your facelight. I know there are around some nc’s where ppl tell you, that you have to turn it off - that it’s not necessary. In all the following screenshots I wear my facelight with it on.

Screenshot: The difference between the default setting and the setting for photography:

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Info about main preferences > Graphic tab

Activate: Bump mapping and shiny + basic shaders
You can also just mark ‘bump mapping and shiny’ without the basic shaders.

Lighting Detail > Nearby local lights (!)

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Advanced sky editor > world > environment settings > environment  editor > advanced sky editor

Click ‘new’ and than change the settings the same or close to mine. Don’t forget to save your new settings at the end.

The setting (click here for all 3 tabs).

The most important value in this setting is the gamma. The difference in the gamma is just noticed from cero to around four - all above doesn’t change much for your eyes.

More gamma removes the shadows and hard borders in your screenshot.

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Additional play in the Graphic Tab Setting (main preferences)

Activate > Bump mapping and shiny + basic shaders + atmospheric shaders (!) but now your face is to shiny and bright - overexposed! Oh no!

Change to ‘sun and moon only’ for the lighting details!

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At last the comparison between the possibilities of this windlight setting ..

It’s up to you which shader you will learn to love for your later workflow.
Personally I just love using the basic shaders.