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AR Module New Media Uncategorized

AR Module Project 3 – AR App Review

I’m planning on re-painting my bedroom in the future so I chose the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Visualizer app, thinking it could help me flesh out my ideas and see what looks good.

The ColorSnap Visualizer is an AR app that allows customers to preview paint colors on their wall through their phone’s camera. Once you open the app, you select the color you want to try, tap the wall or ceiling you want to see it on and get a preview of what it could look like with that color.

My Sherwin-Williams account was registered through Google, but every time I tried to sign in the app crashed. Before even beginning it ruled out my option of even using my account at all which was frustrating, but luckily isn’t required.

I immediately noticed the extreme lag before I even selected a surface or a color. There was nothing I could do so I moved on and picked my color. Once again, there were clear problems despite making sure there was as much lighting as possible. Many surfaces couldn’t be recognized, the color was very splotchy, it moved around way too much, and most of the time bled onto other objects such as my door or something on my wall.

Just one fix in any of these areas I believe would have made my experience much more enjoyable.

As you can see this app has a lot of problems however, I did see its potential. Being able to use your phone removes the hassle of having to go to the paint store, buy a few samples, and then paint that color on your wall. I also felt the UI was very useful. When choosing a color there are 3 categories to choose from;

Expert Colors; a wide range of colors sorted by different styles or vibes such as soft, bright, vintage, whites, kids, etc.

Find Colors; includes a search bar if you want something specific and sorts different shades by each color.

My Ideas; save colors that you like into different folders which I unfortunately couldn’t use since it wouldn’t allow me to sign in.

Overall I felt the app has potential to be very useful but is just lacking in a few areas that make it messy and enjoyable. After my review, I honestly don’t believe I want to use it for my bedroom.

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New Media

Blog Assignment #1 – Band Poster

The artist assigned to me for this project was Binki, a Kenyan singer out of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Upon seeing his stage name it immediately made me think of a pacifier. Absolutely no disrespect to him but I knew it would be the centerpiece to my poster. It’s unique and I feel like it invokes more curiosity than something like a photo of him.

I wanted to keep it very minimalistic while only showing the most important info-artist, date, & location. Colors were derived from the branding for the most recent Block Party over the previous summer. They’re very bright and instantly grab your attention.

While creating the poster I listened to most of his music and these were a couple that stood out to me;

Categories
AR Module New Media

AR Module Project 2 – Adobe Aero

This week our assignment in the AR Module of New Media was an AR greeting card created in Adobe’s new beta software; Aero.

After exploring the different assets I could use inside Aero, I created a space-themed birthday card using assets from abstract shapes, the origami forest pack, and the space exploration pack. I felt there were many exciting things I could try with the planets, which led me to try the space pack in the first place and I was not disappointed.

Luckily I didn’t run into any major issues. I felt that Stephanie’s lecture and tutorial slides were enough for me to figure it out.

Beginning with a bouncing Earth, you’re prompted to tap the planet to drive it into the ground leaving a crater while the Sun and Moon both appear rotating the crater.

Sun and Moon Appearing

Tapping either the Sun or Moon brings forward a friendly astronaut. He’ll wave at you and wish you a happy birthday upon tapping him. Getting close to him makes him look both ways, revealing a fox, butterfly, and hummingbird. Additionally, if you also get close to the animals they’ll each perform their given animation.

Astronaut Appearing
Animals Appearing

I had a lot of fun with this project and you are more than welcome to try it yourself in the Aero app by scanning the QR Code!