December issue by Arusiak Kanetsyan

Monthly Issue #03 | December 2013

Design A Christmas Card

A Photography

Sensation Kylli Sparre

Original Artwork by PicsArtists

Based in Mountain View , CA , PicsArt is a fun and full-featured mobile photo-editing and drawing app for Android, iOS and Windows Phone. 2 | PicsArt Monthly

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Editor-in-Chief | Arusiak Kanetsyan Art Editor | Cristina Gevorg

Cover photo: Kylli Sparre

Meet our team...

Publisher: PicsArt Photo Studio

Copyright of Socialln Inc. ( PicsArt Photo Studio ) 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be re-used without the written permission of the publisher. The content of this magazine is for informational purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of publication. PicsArt Photo Studio does not claim any ownership right for the photos in the Magazine. All photos,if not mentioned otherwise, are the property of respective PicsArt users. The PicsArt username or photo owner is cited on each photo. PicsArt Photo Studio has a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, limited licence to use, modify, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, and reproduce PicsArt usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; photos, including without limitation distributing part or all of the Magazine in any media formats through any media channels.

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Welcome! New Year's Eve is fast approaching, and for those who are resolving to become greater artists in the coming year, PicsArt Monthly is here to bring you inspiration, guidance, and entertainment. In this issue, we’re featuring our interview with ballet dancer turned photographer Kylli Sparre, an artist whose surrealistic work is astounding. This month, we’ll also help you explore your own inner artist and show you how to capture artistic motion blur like the pros. Follow our easy guide and discover a whole new world of possibilities for your photography. Of course, we’re also going to show you a dazzling array of mobile art opportunities with PicsArt Photo Studio. You’ll find an exciting mix of editing and drawing tutorials, get to know some of PicsArt’s coolest effects, and have a look at some of the best art and artists to emerge from the PicsArt community. You’ll also want to be sure you prepare yourself for Christmas with our Holiday Card Design tutorial as well as our tips & tricks, which will teach you how to turn a household lightbulb into a sparkling snowman tree ornament. Plunge into our December issue to get all of these and more. Keep on creating and sharing so that, maybe next month, we’ll feature your work! Enjoy reading and feel free to send us your feedback at info@picsart.com! @nagovitsyn93 PicsArt Monthly | 5

Pro Insight 08 | Intellectual Property

CONTENT

Lou Jones is a Boston-based photographer with more than 43 years of professional experience. Photos by Lou Jones

His award-winning work has been exhibited in museums and collections around the world, and he has published multiple books of and about photography. In addition, Jones lectures and teaches workshops all over the world. 8 | PicsArt Monthly

Pro Insight

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY By Lou Jones Have you heard the twisted adage, “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine?” From the time we are little kids our parents and teachers tell us to share. Do not covet what is not yours. Thou shalt not steal. But it is human nature: we want what we want. Through kindergarten and early stages of grade school all is forgiven. But eventually we are taught to play well in the sandbox with others. The moral of the story: we have to respect each other’s boundaries. Under intellectual property law, creators are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as music, books and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; words, phrases and designs. This includes trademark, copyrights, patents, etc. In practical terms, if you made it, you own it. For better or worse, for profit or loss, our labors are ours to control and do with as we see fit. If you invent a new machine that helps society to improve or makes things easier, we fully expect to buy or sell its benefits. If you concoct a medicine that cures some pestilence, you should receive awards. If you write a novel and it becomes popular, you will make money. And if you write a hit song, you can become famous. Tradition, courtesy, common sense and laws are all aligned to make sure your efforts are rewarded and to encourage creative people to continue to contribute to human advancement in a fluid way.

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However, keeping the rules straight as to who owns what has made lawyers, judges and accountants busy and wealthy for generations. Corporate espionage, plagiarism, bad memory and outright theft have made all this extremely complicated. Copying a term paper at the last minute to get a decent grade, ripping your partner off for a good idea, presenting someone else’s story as yours, are crimes and just plain bad manners. We have all taped a song off the radio for a mix tape that is played at a public event, xeroxed a chapter of a textbook to pass out in a lecture we are teaching, quoted Shakespeare as our own in speeches or recreated a wonderful photograph we saw in an obscure magazine. HARMLESS? Victimless crimes? But it is a slippery slope. Ideas should be free. Society cannot progress without the easy flow of information and imagination. A new concept is always built on old ones. Where does the old invention leave off and innovation begin? There is often little consideration about borrowing ideas until someone “borrows” yours. My brilliant cousin, a computer expert in the early days, used to argue with me that anything on the computer was by necessity free for use by anyone. Until he wrote a complicated piece of software for his employer. He felt he did not get ample compensation or recognition. After experiencing this rip off, he went back to school and became a copyright lawyer. The digital age has made exchanging music and photographs so simple that there is almost no reflection in downloading a song or picture and using it unattributed or FOR FREE. Our culture will soon solve the problem of how to trace and document all these commercial and personal usages but until then, be careful. The intellectual property you dishonor could be your own. 10 | PicsArt Monthly

@qusai123

@yoannanobel

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@novaliza

Inspiration: Photo

Painters, Paintings, and Paint

@subashbabupandiri

This gallery features photos of painters, paintings, and paint, shot by talented photographers in the PicsArt community. Sometimes the tools to make art are just as beautiful as the art itself, see for yourself.

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@blynelis

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PicsArt In Action Four Transformations With PicsArt Effects, every photo is just a starting point. PicsArt's Artistic Effects give photos instant dramatic transformations, and every effect is completely customizable, allowing you to perfect your image.

@jeny-valter

These four Artistic Effects alter the same photo to make it appear as though it was created by brushes and pencils rather than by a camera. With a touch of the finger, the image is transformed from a photograph to an oil on canvas painting, pencil sketch, or cartoon. The results are stunning, and the gratification is instantaneous.

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cartoonizer

oil

shear

sketcher

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Tutorial: Shooting

How to Capture Artistic Motion Blur with DSLR or Camera Phone One of the most difficult things to capture as a photographer is a true sense of movement. Thankfully, there are one or two techniques that can allow you to show how exciting a scene really is.

Show Motion With Blur Whether you’re shooting with a high-end DSLR or a year-old camera phone, the key to creating dynamic exposure is to show motion blur. There are two main ways to do this; the first is to blur your subject, and the second is to blur everything around your subject. The type of subject you’re shooting and the capabilities of your device will determine which you decide to use, but don’t worry; both can capture motion for great photos!

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Capture Motion With a Camera Phone Camera phones these days pack as much power as point-and-shoots used to, and even if you can’t really control shutter speed, there’s one trick in particular that will allow you to shoot beautiful exposures that capture motion. This trick is called Panning. Panning will allow you to create photos in which the subject is clear and the background is blurred, regardless of what equipment you have – and the effect is super simple to achieve. To do so, simply move your camera with your subject. This means that you should be moving the camera itself; if your subject is moving from left to right, your camera will either turn (as if on an axis) or move from left to right (as if on a miniature skateboard) to match the movement of the subject. The slower shutter speeds of camera phones means that while your subject will stay in focus, the background will be blurred, giving the impression that your subject is moving.

Capturing Motion With a DSLR If you’re shooting with a DSLR camera, you will have a few more options regarding how to capture motion blur. You will be able to use the Panning method discussed above, but you’ll also be able to use the more traditional Slow Shutter method. This is particularly used to capture fast-moving subjects in a static environment, like a train moving through the countryside or cars driving on highways at night.

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To do this, you should ensure that your ISO and aperture are appropriate for your shooting conditions; as the slower shutter speed will let in a lot of light, you might need to set the ISO lower than normal and ensure that you are on a smaller aperture to avoid over exposure if you are shooting in the daytime. If shooting at night, a wide aperture and higher ISO will be necessary. Ideally, you should set your DSLR camera on a tripod for this – but if you don’t have one, resting it on a static surface will work. Get your subject in focus, (subjects that move on tracks like trains are useful for learning this method) and when you’re ready, shoot the exposure. Play around with the shutter speed; when it’s slow enough your subject will be blurred and the static environment around it will be still.

Adding Motion Blur With PicsArt If you didn’t manage to capture motion the way you wanted to during your shoot, you can always add motion blur during the editing process. This can also be effective and it gives you more freedom to apply the blur precisely where you want it. You can do this by using PicsArt’s Motion Blur effect, found in Artistic section of the Effects menu or by applying Focal Zoom effect, located in the Distort section of the Effects.

All of these methods can create beautiful, artistic shots – so whatever device you shoot with, play around with different ways to capture motion and see how they work. 22 | PicsArt Monthly

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Tutorial: Editing Using PicsArt to Create Surrealistic Images Holga is a PicsArt effect that transforms images into surrealistic artwork. The effect splits an image into two overlapping and translucent copies of itself, with each half having different pop art accents, which intersect and overlap in interesting ways. Holga Effect, found in the Pop Art Effects section of PicsArt, comes in two versions: Holga 1 and Holga 2.

@jademae

Holga 1 features a Vignette filter which can be lessened and intensified. Holga 2, meanwhile, is very similar in concept but has an alternative color scheme, and rather than a vignette filter, it offers a fade option.

This tutorial demonstrates how to transform the plainest photo into a compelling Pop Art using PicsArt's Holga 1 Effect.

Step 1: Select Effects from the main menu of PicsArt and upload a photo.

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Step 2

Step 3 Select Pop Art from the pop-up menu, and click on Holga 1.

Set both sliders to 0 to put both images together in the middle.

Step 4

Step 5 Use the left slider to shift the left image to the left, and the right slider to shift the right image to the right.

Use the Vignette slider to intensify the filter in the image.

Confirm changes with .

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Tutorial: Drawing How to Draw a Track Sprinter with the PicsArt App PicsArt Photo Studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fully equipped Drawing Tools gives users everything they need to create beautiful drawings with complex details and realistic textures. The tool lets you organize your workspace in layers. Therefore, you can build your drawing piece by piece while having the freedom to revisit earlier steps and experiment. The customizable brush ensures that you always have the right brush for the job, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precise detailing or free-form shading.

This drawing tutorial shows you how to draw a sprinter on a track. This is a wonderful demonstration of what PicsArt is capable of, as a race demands a lot from an artist. A race has motion, emotion, close-up subjects, and large crowds in the background. This tutorial is a step by step demonstration of how to create a truly stunning final drawing of a sports event.

Open the PicsArt Drawing Tool Select “Draw” from the main screen and then select “Draw blank” to start a new drawing from scratch. You have the option of choosing the precise width, height, and orientation of your drawing before entering your workspace.

Draw the Basic Shape

Draw a very rough outline of your runners on the track, making sure to get down the basics: head, torso, arms, and legs.

Refine Your Outline Reduce the opacity and create a new layer, this time tracing a more complete skeleton. Flesh out the shape of your runners anatomy, and define the shapes of your runners muscels. PicsArt Monthly | 27

Draw the Final Outline Reduce the opacity and add a new layer. This time trace your final outline in clean, deliberate lines, outlining facial features and folds of clothing.

Color the Drawing Delete your outline layers and fill in the colors of your drawing in a new set of layers, so that you can color different elements individually.

Add Shading to Define Form Add shading by using colors of darker and lighter tones to further sculpt the shapes in your drawing, darkening the eye-sockets and brightening protruding elements. 28 | PicsArt Monthly

Draw the Stands and Create Motion Blur To draw things like crowds in the stands use translucent brushes of various colors, paint rows, and sections in crisscrossing patterns. Use the same brush type to add streaks of motion blur trailing behind your runners.

Add Final Details

Add final details to finish your drawing like, the whites of your runnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes.

Add Lens Flare Select Lens Flares from the menu bar and insert a glistening lens flare to give your runner the photo finish he deserves at the crossing of the finish line! PicsArt Monthly | 29

Tutorial: Design

Design Your Own Christmas Card with PicsArt ClipArt and Frames Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing more special than a personally designed Christmas Card. With PicsArt Photo Studio, you can easily design a greeting card for anyone. The Christmas spirit is about family, but it is also about a magical time filled with warmth and wonder. PicsArt has everything you need to turn your family photos into Christmas Cards that embody all of the best qualities of the holiday season, while creating something that is truly personal to you and the people you love.

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Upload a Photo Open the PicsArt app. Click on the Photo section from the main menu and upload a photo.

Insert a Frame Select the frames icon from the menu bar, choose â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christmas Framesâ&#x20AC;? from the succeeding menu, and choose a frame. If you do not have Christmas Frames package, you can download it from the PicsArt Shop.

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Insert Clipart Select the Clipart icon from the editing menu and select the Christmas clipart package from the menu. Select clipart images one at a time, then drag them into position, altering the size and rotating them into place.

Insert Snow Mask Select the Mask icon from the menu bar. You can find the snow masks in the Artistic section of the pop-up menu, and customize the opacity using the slider in the effects settings.

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Inspiration: Shooting

Musical Paintings Original Mobile Artwork By PicsArt Users PicsArt Drawing Tools can be used to create paintings that are not only gorgeous, but extremely expressive. This gallery of original artwork by PicsArt users celebrates music. Painting, like music, is not just a skill but an art. It should not only impress but be alive and communicate feeling. With PicsArtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customizable brushes and complete drawing toolbox artists are free to express themselves in their unique styles. Similar to real paintings, in PicsArt every brush stroke can be personalized to serve the vision and imagination of the artist. No two paintings in this gallery are alike, and each approach and style is as special as the person behind it.

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@aomarimchen

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@aomarimchen

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@jackmack830

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@jackmack830

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Interview

Interview with Kylli Sparre The Ballet Dancer who Became a Photography Sensation Kylli Sparre is a talented artist who creates intensely powerful and surreal photography at times aided with what she refers to as photo manipulation. Her early training, however, was not in photography but in ballet as a dancer. When she realized that ballet was not the path for her, she lost her creative outlet, and she would not find another until she discovered photography a few years ago. Her photos have been exhibited at prestigious photography festivals in France and Europe, winning various prizes including the Grand Prix de la Decouverte which it won at both Le Salon de la Photo (2013) and the International Fine Art Photography Competition (2012). She has also been published in PH Magazine and BELOW Magazine.

Photos by Kylli Sparre

We interviewed Kylli to ask her about her concepts, ideas, and creative process.

How did you first get into photography? When photography first showed up in my life, it was like a stranger to me. An interesting but distant one... and I did not know what to think of it. Then slowly we became friends. I felt photography was something I could trust and certainly it was a lot of fun, and then suddenly, I fell in love with it. When I finally realized the magnitude it has for me (especially when combining photography with image manipulation), I could not sleep and could not stop thinking about it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the concepts I could create and the visions I could bring forward. The realization came pretty much overnight and I have never looked back. It is my secret language, my way to truly express myself (something I have never managed to communicate in any other way). I do hope to have a long lasting relationship with photography. I have to add that it is not only photography, I often use Photoshop to create my visions, but photography is the foundation of it. Where do you get your inspiration from? Inspiration comes from relationships, books, nature, music, dreams and my life in general. Is every photo a planned vision? Can you talk about the process behind formulating a vision for a photo? It is a mysterious process, I might carry an idea around for a while, doubting it and considering its faults and then, when I go out and create it, it seems somehow more than I envisioned. Other times, I have an idea and believe it to be special and beautiful and when I get my things together and try to capture it into an image, it falls apart, looks dull or just makes no sense when it is out and visible. So I can hardly ever predict if an idea is actually something that I will like or not, I just carefully have to start unfolding it, hoping it will work. You seem to exclusively use women as your subjects. Why? I actually photograph men and children as well, but I have to admit that the majority are female figures. Perhaps because this makes it easier for me to relate to the story.

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How do you find models for your pictures? Mostly I have used either myself or people that I know very well. I am looking into finding new models too. Can you explain the reasoning behind your title choice of “Silent Dialogues”, for one of your photography series? I often sense that when I talk to people, there is this communication between words, the kind of communication that is impossible to put into words – for me at least. As soon as I try, it disappears. So I try to capture it in a different way, I dream of capturing it honestly – capturing it into image so it is there for me and others to see, so that it can´t escape. The name "Silent Dialogues" seemed to cover my thoughts on this. Is anxiety an important theme in your photos? It is certainly a big theme for me, not so much in daily life, but in the stories I think of, anxiety is often times present.

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You say you use image manipulation, can you explain a little bit about how you create these surreal images? It is very different with each image. I have done images where everything is done before taking the actual picture, where I have done as little as possible in Photoshop - only things that would have been dangerous to do. (Editing out hands that are holding a child or things like that.) But also I have done images where most is done in post production. Where I have composited things from one place to another or have completely created the setting in Photoshop. So, I don't have a rule or a certain way to do this, I just do whatever I can and feel like at the moment. Mostly I do try to do as much on location as I possibly can, but the amount of pre or post production varies quite a bit. What are your plans for the future? I have not made specific plans for my future, but I do dream! I hope to get better at what I do. Not only technically but better in every aspect of image making and also to be happy and fulfilled in the process.

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A Lonely Field Hush Puppie (@hur1052) is a South Korea based photographer, who persistently turns his lens on the marvelous backdrop of his home country. Hush Puppieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cinematic flair for scenery has allowed his work to become a favorite among many in the PicsArt community. Everything he does from his framing to the way he catches light gets distilled into shots that can make you wilt or a sense of awe within you. This photo of a lone tree rising from a meadow of tall grass is like a zen masterpiece. The two trees in the distance on either side anchor the shot with symmetry. The color palette is a blend of black & white and sepia, which is just simple enough to remove the distraction of having a multitude of colors, thereby holding your focus on the rich texture of the tall grass, while having enough variation to give the photo a sense of depth.

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Feature: Photo

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@hp1986

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Feature: Destination

Travel to Malaysia The most unique shots in Malaysia and where to get them If you’re thinking about where to take your next photography vacation and you want somewhere with stunning natural beauty, a fascinating mix of cultures and gorgeous islands too, look no further than Malaysia. Bordered by Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, not only is Malaysia a hotbed of cultural diversity, it also has a strong personality of its own. Although you will find something extraordinary on every trip to this scintillating country, here are some photographers’ tips for where to go to capture the most unforgettable shots.

Penang Island Though Penang is a state, it’s the island of the same name that should be the focus of your Malaysia photo tour when you’re in the north-west of the country. The easy-going nature of the people of Penang Island and their truly phenomenal food, including the eponymous curry, might distract you from the fantastic architecture and the many other opportunities to build a fascinating travel photo gallery, but a short photo walk around the capital of George Town will yield some amazing results. If you’re lucky enough to visit Penang during the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, you’ll see many Chinese Malaysians burning huge piles of fake “hell money” and leaving offerings of food and drinks outside their homes to appease the souls of people who weren’t properly mourned when they died. Chinese Malaysians are the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia after the ethnic Malay, so seeing and capturing their culture up close and personal is an exciting opportunity that you won’t want to squander. @hp1986

Melaka

@hp1986

Malaysia is a surprising country in many ways, but Melaka might be one of the most unexpected surprises on your whole Malaysia photo tour. You certainly wouldn’t expect to see Dutch flowers and windmills on the streets of Melaka City, but its two European colonizations, first Portuguese and then Dutch in the 16th Century, mean that this Malaysian city has more of Amsterdam about it than Asia! With a strong Chinese Malaysian community and a mix of Dutch and Malaysian architecture, Melaka is ripe for some great shots for your travel gallery, especially if you wander the street markets at night tasting freshlymade delicacies and seeing the nightlife unravel. Often missed by tourists, Melaka is most definitely a top contender for the best travel ideas for Malaysia – especially if you’re a photographer!

Lenggong Valley, Perak Trapped as it is in the north of the country, tucked out of the way of most Malaysia photo tours, the Lenggong Valley isn’t the sort of place you accidentally find yourself in–but, being a UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s worth the extra effort. While Lenggong town is home to many artifacts and museums of the area’s fascinating prehistory, it’s the nature and majesty that you’ll find if you head into the mountains north of the town that are of most interest to photographers. Rivers, waterfalls, roaming buffalo, jungle and even the odd tiger (if you believe the locals) will punctuate your drive up into the mountains, but it’s the view from 180 meters above sea level that will really blow your mind. Pack a good landscape lens especially for these shots and you won’t be disappointed.

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@hp1986

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Feature: Tips & Tricks

Do it Yourself Make a Charming Snowman Christmas Tree Ornament! Locate a standard light bulb in your house or local hardware store. With a brush, paint your light bulb white. Cover it completely with a thick layer of paint so that no glass is showing, but ignore the metal base for now. Dab your light bulb with a sponge while the paint is still wet to give it snow texture. Glue a cottonball at the end of your metal base. Add glue on the sides and wrap a red yarn in a spiral, covering all metal. Leave a loop of string at the end. With a fine brush paint on your snowman's eyes, nose, and mouth. You should paint him so that the red yarn acts as his hat, with the bulb turned upside down. Paint on buttons, arms, legs and a scarf around his neck to finish.

@ma_lina

Your snowman is now ready to hang with all of the other ornanments on your tree!

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Feature: Artist Odák’s Winter Wonderland Our PicsArtist of the month is Odák (@kadolive), who mystified the PicsArt community with his series of magical winter shots. Snowfall and freezing ice are naturally gorgeous phenomenon, but Odák is gifted for extracting that beauty into killer shots. He finds a way to take these seasonal phenomena that we are so used to and make their beauty seem new and surprising again. He goes in close to capture the crystal shape of individual snowflakes, steps back to watch them fall by the thousands in apparent slowmotion, and just generally takes shots that make the most of the season’s textures, lighting and colors.

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@kadolive

These shimmering blues and brilliant whites, comprise a crisp palette of cool colors that bring you the bitter cold through your computer screen, while simultaneously causing you to lilt in the wonder of the season’s crystallized beauty. Altogether, Odák’s shots paint a stunning portrait of the winter season.

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@kadolive

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@kadolive

@kadolive @kadolive

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PicsArt, the mobile photo-editing app and social network, is now available for Windows Phone. In just over two years, the app has garnered around 100 million installs worldwide, with 25-30 million active monthly users. Having solidified it's spot as a top downloaded photo-editing and drawing app on Google Play and in the AppStore, PicsArt is sure to become a favorite among Windows Phone users. "With the success PicsArt has seen on the Android and iPhone, our goal is to be available to everyoneregardless of the mobile device they prefer," says Artavazd Mehrabyan, PicsArt's Co-Founder and COO. "We value our users greatly, and strive to give everyone the tool to become a great artist. Expanding to the Windows Phone is our next step in achieving this goal."

Our goal is to be available to everyoneregardless of the mobile device they prefer.

PicsArt empowers artists from around the globe to unleash their inner creativity. PicsArtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique social network gives artists the opportunity to follow, share and learn from each other in a vibrant and creative online community of around 10 million users.

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