Fixing a clear sky is actually pretty easy as long as it's not TOO messed up, but it sounds like you've got a decent camera so I'll assume it's alright. This is GIMP BTW.
Here's how I would do it, isolate those nasty splotches with the magic wand tool leaving about a 10 pixel brder around them. Copy them to a new layer. GBlur them a bit (I find usually anything larger than 3x3 pixels doesn't look to right.). Ok, now select the transparent area with the select by color tool, then invert it (So that the splotches are the things actually selected). From there, use the fade outline tool under the "Script-Fu/Selection/Fade Outline" menu (In the image window, NOT the tool window). Set the fade length (I don't know exactly what it's called, I'm doing this from memory) to slightly smaller than your border around the "dirty" pixels. This will blend the Patched Blur and the original image together gradually, as opposed to simply overlaying the original as I've seen explained here. This method works great on smallish patches, but tends to look pretty ug-go when you do it in a larger scale.
On a side note, sometimes, simply blurring the entire sky and playing with the contrast levels a bit will net you some of the most beautiful sky/cloud scenes. Just don't blur too much.
MGS4 is making the X360 jump. Word is they're MAKING Kojima port it over.
IMO: It MIGHT be exclusive for the PS3 for a few months, but that's about it. It's sad, I don't think Konami could make their money back on MGS4 without a multiplatform release; the PS3 just isn't selling as well as expected, and MGS4 has a HUGE budget. As it stands now and probably for the next 3 or 4 months; there aren't enough systems out there to make Konami's money back, even if EVERY Ps3 owner buys a copy. And now that MGS4 if heading to the X360, Sony just lost a lot of MGS4's system selling power. (GTA proved that games can sell hardware; but GTA4 is heading to X360 as well, with encanced features)
I'm thinking we're going to see much more of this type of thing; I think it's going to be a very close race this generation (Between Sony and M$; not even a god knows what's going to happen with the Wii)
"it happens when people finally figure out how much junk Windows really is"
People already know how much junk windows is, and have for years. The problem is, it's the standard.
You say there is no stigmata, but I have seen it in action. I mentioned Linux to a few clients of mine for the obvious reasons (free, all they needed to do was very, very basic computer stuff; no gamers, etc.) and their eyes widened. They were AFRAID of it and no amount of convincing could change their minds. That my friend, is a stigmata. THIS is the average user, not us, but idiots who barely know how to turn the damn computer on. They are the masses, and that pretty much determines what the standard is.
It's a shame, cause Linux is a very good OS; it's just the name "Linux" in and of itself, scares the non experienced user (Mass market).
Did you even read my post? Or is this another one of you "OMG He doesn't like LINUX! GIT 'IM!" people?
I'm not defending windows; we all know it's horribly bloated and flawed. I'm simply saying that something new needs to come along for the masses to accept it. Linux has a stigmata that can't be cleaned off. If you can't accept that, that's fine; but at least post something that makes sense when taken in context with what you're replying to.
This isn't about what's the better OS; this is about what the market has accepted and will accept in the future.
Everytime one of these articles pops up, every geek I know start spouting LINUX!
Linux is fine, if you're a geek or a large corperation looking to save money; but the fact is that for the normal user; Linux isn't going to replace Windows. Linux has a Stigmata that's been associated with it since the very beginning; it's a pain to configure properly. Now before every one starts shouting "BLASPHEMY!" and linking to 8000 different distro's that auto configure; let me explain. No amount of new distro's will solve this problem, and in fact; with every new distro that comes out, the world of Linux gets more and more confusing. To the average user; this is a nightmare. Which distro do I pick? What advantages does this distro have over this other one?
The field of Linux is just too broad for the average user to even understand. You say Linux at a mainstream user; and they're likely to get scared off by just the name. THIS is the stigmata of Linux; and it's major detriment. Now amount of changing Linux will solve this problem, because it will still be Linux; and still carry the same stigmata.
It is for these reasons that I NEVER foresee Linux becoming a major force in the mainstream market. If something is going to come out and topple Windows(market acceptance wise); it's going to have to be something COMPLETELY new without the stigmata. Of all the OS's out there now, the only one I see having a chance is OSX; and that's only if Apply can coax developers over to their side again (Not talking about the minority of companies that dev. apple stuff now).
Don't get me wrong; I'd like to see a move away from Windows, I just don't see it happening with Linux. I think Linux needs to ride off into the sunset, and make room for something new.
I see the exact opposite happening.
I think X360 is going to keep gaining ground, and hold it. Sony can't even get enough Ps3's into the hands of people who want them; add that to the low number of units out there now, and the fact that publishers have spent millions on million developing blockbuster games seemingly exclusive to the Ps3.
The simple fact is, if Sony can't deliever enough systems to the poeple who want them by the time these "exclusive" titles launch; they're not going to be so exclusive anymore. I easily see an X360 Port of Metal Gear Solid 4 in the future. Assassin's creed has gone multiplatform; and so has GTA4. GTA sells systems. If there aren't enough PS3's to fill the gap; a majority of people will more likely just grab the X360 Version and console.
Sony is screwing themselves more and more; I figure they've got about 6 months to satisfy the demand for their system. If they can't, Sony's taking that magical 3rd place in the console wars.
As for the Wii; well, it's obvious that sales are EXPLODING. The combination of a cheaper system, and a new control system has worked wonders for Nintendo. I've seen many a people who didn't typically enjoy video games (my ex for example) pick up and play the Wii for hours. And if Nintedo's crazy plan of drawing in more and more non-gamers continues working as well as it has been; we might be looking at Nintendo taking back that #1 spot in console sales.
Wow, this almost sounds EXACTLY like what Wiz Kids did to Classic Battletech. Did I mention that I hate the new MW:Dark Age? I dunno about this one...The premise already sounds extremely stretched (Oh NOES!!! it's TEH DARK AGE!); and actually seems to be quite contrary to what Perpetual (I think it's them) is doing story wise for the Trek MMORPG.
I'd rather prefer if they made a new trek series that DOESN'T focus on a Federation crew (For something as short as this, figure the whole thing will probably be about 60-90 minutes). How about a bunch of Fed. Fighter pilots?
Or actually, for an action show; it might be better to focus on Section 13 (Again, I THINK I got this right). Besides some small mentions and tiny plot lines; Section 13 doesn't show up a whole bunch, and when they do it's usually on the "evil" side of things. How about showing some (if any) of the good Section 13 does?
At the very least, they (Paramount) needs to put someone in charge of Trek. It's becoming increasingly obvious that without a clear leader at the helm, Trek is going to end up ALL over the place (Not in a good way).
Slashdot Mirror
Fixing a clear sky is actually pretty easy as long as it's not TOO messed up, but it sounds like you've got a decent camera so I'll assume it's alright. This is GIMP BTW. Here's how I would do it, isolate those nasty splotches with the magic wand tool leaving about a 10 pixel brder around them. Copy them to a new layer. GBlur them a bit (I find usually anything larger than 3x3 pixels doesn't look to right.). Ok, now select the transparent area with the select by color tool, then invert it (So that the splotches are the things actually selected). From there, use the fade outline tool under the "Script-Fu/Selection/Fade Outline" menu (In the image window, NOT the tool window). Set the fade length (I don't know exactly what it's called, I'm doing this from memory) to slightly smaller than your border around the "dirty" pixels. This will blend the Patched Blur and the original image together gradually, as opposed to simply overlaying the original as I've seen explained here. This method works great on smallish patches, but tends to look pretty ug-go when you do it in a larger scale. On a side note, sometimes, simply blurring the entire sky and playing with the contrast levels a bit will net you some of the most beautiful sky/cloud scenes. Just don't blur too much.
MGS4 is making the X360 jump. Word is they're MAKING Kojima port it over. IMO: It MIGHT be exclusive for the PS3 for a few months, but that's about it. It's sad, I don't think Konami could make their money back on MGS4 without a multiplatform release; the PS3 just isn't selling as well as expected, and MGS4 has a HUGE budget. As it stands now and probably for the next 3 or 4 months; there aren't enough systems out there to make Konami's money back, even if EVERY Ps3 owner buys a copy. And now that MGS4 if heading to the X360, Sony just lost a lot of MGS4's system selling power. (GTA proved that games can sell hardware; but GTA4 is heading to X360 as well, with encanced features) I'm thinking we're going to see much more of this type of thing; I think it's going to be a very close race this generation (Between Sony and M$; not even a god knows what's going to happen with the Wii)
"it happens when people finally figure out how much junk Windows really is" People already know how much junk windows is, and have for years. The problem is, it's the standard. You say there is no stigmata, but I have seen it in action. I mentioned Linux to a few clients of mine for the obvious reasons (free, all they needed to do was very, very basic computer stuff; no gamers, etc.) and their eyes widened. They were AFRAID of it and no amount of convincing could change their minds. That my friend, is a stigmata. THIS is the average user, not us, but idiots who barely know how to turn the damn computer on. They are the masses, and that pretty much determines what the standard is. It's a shame, cause Linux is a very good OS; it's just the name "Linux" in and of itself, scares the non experienced user (Mass market).
Did you even read my post? Or is this another one of you "OMG He doesn't like LINUX! GIT 'IM!" people? I'm not defending windows; we all know it's horribly bloated and flawed. I'm simply saying that something new needs to come along for the masses to accept it. Linux has a stigmata that can't be cleaned off. If you can't accept that, that's fine; but at least post something that makes sense when taken in context with what you're replying to. This isn't about what's the better OS; this is about what the market has accepted and will accept in the future.
Everytime one of these articles pops up, every geek I know start spouting LINUX! Linux is fine, if you're a geek or a large corperation looking to save money; but the fact is that for the normal user; Linux isn't going to replace Windows. Linux has a Stigmata that's been associated with it since the very beginning; it's a pain to configure properly. Now before every one starts shouting "BLASPHEMY!" and linking to 8000 different distro's that auto configure; let me explain. No amount of new distro's will solve this problem, and in fact; with every new distro that comes out, the world of Linux gets more and more confusing. To the average user; this is a nightmare. Which distro do I pick? What advantages does this distro have over this other one? The field of Linux is just too broad for the average user to even understand. You say Linux at a mainstream user; and they're likely to get scared off by just the name. THIS is the stigmata of Linux; and it's major detriment. Now amount of changing Linux will solve this problem, because it will still be Linux; and still carry the same stigmata. It is for these reasons that I NEVER foresee Linux becoming a major force in the mainstream market. If something is going to come out and topple Windows(market acceptance wise); it's going to have to be something COMPLETELY new without the stigmata. Of all the OS's out there now, the only one I see having a chance is OSX; and that's only if Apply can coax developers over to their side again (Not talking about the minority of companies that dev. apple stuff now). Don't get me wrong; I'd like to see a move away from Windows, I just don't see it happening with Linux. I think Linux needs to ride off into the sunset, and make room for something new.
I see the exact opposite happening. I think X360 is going to keep gaining ground, and hold it. Sony can't even get enough Ps3's into the hands of people who want them; add that to the low number of units out there now, and the fact that publishers have spent millions on million developing blockbuster games seemingly exclusive to the Ps3. The simple fact is, if Sony can't deliever enough systems to the poeple who want them by the time these "exclusive" titles launch; they're not going to be so exclusive anymore. I easily see an X360 Port of Metal Gear Solid 4 in the future. Assassin's creed has gone multiplatform; and so has GTA4. GTA sells systems. If there aren't enough PS3's to fill the gap; a majority of people will more likely just grab the X360 Version and console. Sony is screwing themselves more and more; I figure they've got about 6 months to satisfy the demand for their system. If they can't, Sony's taking that magical 3rd place in the console wars. As for the Wii; well, it's obvious that sales are EXPLODING. The combination of a cheaper system, and a new control system has worked wonders for Nintendo. I've seen many a people who didn't typically enjoy video games (my ex for example) pick up and play the Wii for hours. And if Nintedo's crazy plan of drawing in more and more non-gamers continues working as well as it has been; we might be looking at Nintendo taking back that #1 spot in console sales.
Wow, this almost sounds EXACTLY like what Wiz Kids did to Classic Battletech. Did I mention that I hate the new MW:Dark Age? I dunno about this one...The premise already sounds extremely stretched (Oh NOES!!! it's TEH DARK AGE!); and actually seems to be quite contrary to what Perpetual (I think it's them) is doing story wise for the Trek MMORPG. I'd rather prefer if they made a new trek series that DOESN'T focus on a Federation crew (For something as short as this, figure the whole thing will probably be about 60-90 minutes). How about a bunch of Fed. Fighter pilots? Or actually, for an action show; it might be better to focus on Section 13 (Again, I THINK I got this right). Besides some small mentions and tiny plot lines; Section 13 doesn't show up a whole bunch, and when they do it's usually on the "evil" side of things. How about showing some (if any) of the good Section 13 does? At the very least, they (Paramount) needs to put someone in charge of Trek. It's becoming increasingly obvious that without a clear leader at the helm, Trek is going to end up ALL over the place (Not in a good way).
Wow, talk about speaking from your asshole.....
Everyone over at TIGSource is rooting for Aquaria (If we don't, Derek will hurt us).