Video of the Day – Make your travel photos Hollywood-worthy

by Stephen Greenwood on

Vacation photos can sometimes be disappointing, or at very least, a little less ‘epic’ than how you remembered them. But as Youtube user postjhb shows us in today’s Video of the Day, all it takes to turn those summer vacation stills into moving masterpieces is a Photoshop tutorial and a little creative energy.

If you need some inspiration for this summer’s big getaway, hit play & check out postjhb’s technique. It boils down to 4 simple steps; taking two good photos (one with the subject & one without), extracting the subject from the background in Photoshop, and then using a video editor to cause the two layers to move against each other. The full process is outlined here.

If that’s a little too complicated, try some of Gadling’s easy Travel Photo Tips so that you’re all ready to shoot like a pro as this summer kicks off! If you already have a shot (or video) you’re proud of, submit it to Gadling’s Flickr Pool or leave a comment below & it could be our next Photo/Video of the Day!

Frommer’s Jason Clampet dishes on top vacation destinations of 2011

by Grant Martin on

Double take! Is that our good friend Jason Clampet over at Frommer‘s on the live telerobot? In fact it is! A senior editor over at Frommer’s, a slideshow and SEO wizard and an all around great guy, we spotted Mr. Clampet over on ABC news talking about top vacation destinations and tips for 2011. Could this be the beginning of travel punditry for Mr. Clampet and the Frommer’s squad? If so, we’re looking forward to it. Let us know what you think of the video below and how you think that travel world will be when we’re all subservient Clampites.


VIDEO: Istanbul in 1967

by Meg Nesterov on


As an expat in Istanbul, I enjoy seeing anything Turkey-related, and this vintage video of the former Constantinople is especially fun to see. Narrated by a droll British commentator, you travel over and around Istanbul, checking out some of the big sights such as Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, as well as life on the Bosphorus before the bridges were constructed to provide alternate access between the European and Asian sides of the city. Not too much has changed in 45 years, though the traffic seems lighter and the city less crowded than with today’s populate of 13 million (or perhaps more) people. I’d like to say that the Galata Bridge is no longer a “man’s world,” but fishing is still mostly men-only even if women are not only “veiled or hidden away”.

They do miss out on some correct terminology: the “different and delightful” bread ring is a simit, best accompanied by some Turkish cheese or with a full breakfast spread. The “hubble bubble pipe” is a nargile, found at many cafes and bars around the city and savored with a hot glass of çay (only tourists drink the apple stuff) or a cold Efes (if your nargile bar happens to serve alcohol). Barbeque remains a national pastime of the Turks and yes, “any old tin” will do. As in 1967, Istanbul is still the place to savor a fish sandwich fresh from the water, hop on a ferry between continents, and admire your newly shined shoes.

Traveling the American Road: A Video Introduction from Chicago

by Paul Brady on

Last week, I kicked off a summer-long road trip around the country, a project we’re calling Traveling the American Road. After picking up my ride in Chicago, I set out to see the city, and this video intro will fill you in on the project, a quest to find out how people are confronting change in the wake of the Great Recession and determine the state of the American road trip in an era of $4-a-gallon gas. Oh, and you can keep up with us here on Gadling, at travelingtheamericanroad.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Gowalla.

Traveling the American Road – Introduction


Iranian aircraft crash caught on new video

by Grant Martin on

2009’s crash of an Iranian military aircraft was a terrible loss of life and technology. Emerging this week is a new perspective of the crash, captured from the back of a C130 that happened to be refueling an F-4 Phantom in the area. In the video, you can clearly see the Iranian aircraft spiraling out of control and tumbling down to earth, a haunting image captured purely by accident.

The new footage gives some insight into what the final moments of any plane crash must be like, a dizzying array of motion, confusion and terror. It’s enough to make one consider taking a long, quiet break from air travel.

[Editor’s note: the scenes from this video are graphic]

[Via Gizmodo]