So sit back, kids, and let uncle Owen tell you about the time…

Jesus turned the water into wine…

The story is actually way better with words.

Sarah and I take our new waterproof gopro camera out for a swim with Lewis, and we decide to take it slow…

(The music’s from the ol’ dot deluxe and garageband for ipad)

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There’s just one problem with blogs. They’re famously difficult to wrap.Dozens of Sarah’s friends and family pitched in to help create a special blog for Sarah’s birthday. Each person described “why I love Sarah” then posted their response here.

I wish everyone who contributed could have seen Sarah’s reaction as she read each message during dinner at her favorite restaurant from an iPad. She was surprised and encouraged. And that’s about all you can hope for.

High fives all around!

So, here’s how to wrap a blog, in pictures.

Owen: No, I’m good. Just taking a photo….

Me and a couple of guys from seminary are launching a Western-themed church. These sheriff / usher badges are just what we are looking for.

CBE: Umkay.

Owen: Do they come in “Pastor” and “Organist?”

Photos are great, but they’re also flat. Two dimensional. And sometimes 2 “Ds” just aren’t enough. That’s when you need 3D. Today I stumbled on a powerful Photoshop tool that can transform photos into 3 dimensional spaces inside After Effects. It’s called “Vanishing Point.”

Basically, you use Vanishing Point to set the edges of the visual elements inside your photos. Then, let Photoshop auto-magically export the photo in a format AE can open as a 3D object. Then, set up your AE cameras to move through the 3D environment to your heart’s content.

I slapped together a quick test using a photo I had on hand of the Ft. Worth Stockyards. In the clip below, I first show you the photo, then the 3D version. Even my novice effort landed some promising results. Since photography is my first love, you can bet I’ll be working this tool into future video projects!

Vanishing Point will work best on images with flat planes — like buildings, landscapes, and roadways.

Rather than me try to confuse you with a walk through, here’s a very good tutorial from Video Copilot to get you started. Vanishing Point is a simple way to make 2D…disappear.

Two hours, five minutes, forty-three seconds is the exact amount of time it took Lewis to wrestle his new toy to the ground, gnaw it apart at the seams, and strew the grizzly remains all over the living room.

This was supposed to be an indistructable amusement for canines who love to chew. This became an $8 lesson for the humans. This Kong is long gone. 

Game, set, match: Lewis.

He may look like an innocent puppy, but when left alone he’s a cold-blooded killer at heart.

Let’s break down the chain of events (click the image to enlarge):