by Matt | Apr 30, 2014 | Cards
Right up front I should mention that not only did I purchase a master team set this year, I also purchased a mini set AND a complete 1-300 set. So, yeah, I cheated quite a bit. The prices were just too good. The master team set (including SPs and inserts) was $6.99, the mini set was $3.99 and the complete base set was just $19. For the same price as a blaster and a rack pack, I’m done. Honestly, I couldn’t pass that up.
That being said, I still couldn’t stay away from the card isle this month. I made 2 random Target trips with the family and bought 3 blasters. $60 worth and I didn’t get 1/3 of the entire set or any of my team. That pretty much puts the nail in the retail coffin as far as I’m concerned. Opening packs IS fun, but not “wasting $60 worth” fun. I’ll still do it every once in a while, but I promised myself I would not go crazy with retail this year and this just re-enforces it.
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by Matt | Apr 29, 2014 | Cards
Early last week I received a return package from my Yankee collector trading buddy AJ, aka The Lost Collector. He sent me a thank-you and a couple cards for a package I had sent him. Work was crazy and I’ve just now gotten around to scanning them.
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by Matt | Apr 17, 2014 | Cards, Personal
Alright Photoshop warriors, it’s tutorial time. A couple pre-requisites for this one. PS CS4 and above required for this one. I believe it was CS4 that added some of the HDR options we’ll be using. I’m using CS6, but 4 and 5 should be more than sufficient. Also, right off the bat, you’re going to need a really large source file. If you’re looking to use a 200k screen grab of your favorite player, you’re going to have a bad time, but more on this in a minute.
Alright, let’s outline what we’re trying to do: We’re trying to recreate the photo effect used on Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards. I would describe this effect as High Dynamic Range coupled with copious amounts of grain. It’s just surreal enough to have an almost painterly look to it.
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by Matt | Apr 16, 2014 | Baseball, Personal
Today I have a teaser. I wanted to duplicate the HDR-ish effect of Gypsy Queen card photos and I think I came pretty close. Here’s a preview of the effect, and a side-by-side comparison with an actual real card. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to actually do it.
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by Matt | Apr 9, 2014 | Cards
My preferred (but notably less “fun”) way of buying baseball cards is in team sets. That’s my primary focus and, I won’t lie, sellers who bust and sell sets make my life so much easier. Having the ability to buy a $5 team set and avoid wasting $20 on a blaster of cards I don’t need is an awesome thing. Plus there are some things I wouldn’t normally be able to buy, like hobby only team sets, because I don’t bust boxes of most things.
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