Pixelapproved!

There’s some interesting stuff happening in Second Life lately, and one of the things that has caught my attention is the new Aurora Viewer. I’ve been hearing good things about it, including from Swain Craven, an established SL creator and a photographer whose work I greatly admire. When someone with his eye for photography gets enthusiastic about a viewer, I’m inclined to pay attention.

So, naturally, I had to give it a go myself.

Aurora has quite a few interesting features for photographers, including a dedicated photography mode with face-tracking autofocus, manual aperture and exposure controls, a live histogram and snapshots up to 8K. That’s a rather tempting collection of toys for those of us who spend an unreasonable amount of time fiddling with light, camera angles and the tiniest details in our pictures.

What’s particularly encouraging is the attitude of the development team. Although Aurora is still very much a work in progress, it’s already available for everyone to try. Updates are frequent, and the developers are remarkably responsive to feedback from the people actually using it. They’re listening, experimenting and making improvements along the way. I rather like that approach. After all, who better to tell you what works and what doesn’t than the people spending hours behind the camera?

Meanwhile, today’s real-life temperatures reminded me that winter is getting rather close and that it was high time for my first snowy picture of the season. So I decided to combine the two and took Aurora for a spin around the beautiful Cherishville sim. A snowy street, a yellow umbrella and a bit of experimenting with the new viewer seemed like a perfectly reasonable way to spend an afternoon.

My first impressions? Promising! I’m still finding my way around Aurora and discovering what it can do, so I’ll save any grand declarations until I’ve spent more time with it. But I’m certainly enjoying myself, and I suspect I’ll be doing quite a bit more experimenting over the coming weeks.

Now, about the outfit.

I’m wearing Mellow Elie from top to bottom, combining the Coastal Jacket with the Super High Cut Offs. Not necessarily the most sensible choice for a snowy afternoon, but fortunately, hypothermia isn’t much of a concern in Second Life. Also, remember, Mellow Elie group members get 15% off on anything except gift cards, so wear your group tag!! My feet, at least, are properly dressed for the occasion in Gos’ Lena ankle boots. My luscious blonde locks are Audrey by S-Club, because even in the middle of winter, fabulous hair remains a priority.

Today’s skin is Melissa by The Skinnery, worn on the LeLUTKA Otta head. And that brings me to another rather lovely development in Second Life.

Otta is currently available as a gift!

Not at the LeLUTKA mainstore, though. You’ll find her at the new Genesis Project, an ambitious initiative by VENTA in partnership with Linden Lab, bringing together more than 150 Second Life creators.

Calling Genesis a Welcome Hub really doesn’t do it justice.

It’s a multi-region experience designed to give newcomers a much better introduction to Second Life, particularly to the sometimes bewildering business of putting together an avatar. There are dedicated areas for mesh heads and bodies, skins, hair, cosmetics and fantasy avatars, along with starter bundles, shopping areas, events and places to meet other residents.

It’s quite an undertaking, and one I think deserves some attention. Anyone who remembers the rather questionable appearance of their first avatar will appreciate how much difference a good start can make.

The LeLUTKA Otta and Otto heads are available to everyone, including ancient oldbies like yours truly, although some of the other generous starter gifts are reserved for genuinely new residents. Which seems entirely reasonable, considering that most of us veterans have inventories containing enough clothing, hair and assorted nonsense to dress a small country.

But what I particularly hope Genesis will achieve is making Second Life a little less intimidating for people who have only just arrived. Because while a beautiful avatar is a wonderful start, it doesn’t automatically teach you how to navigate this peculiar world of ours.

And that brings me to something I feel rather strongly about.

If you visit Genesis, please remember that you were a newcomer once, too. There was a time when you didn’t know what an alpha layer was, why your feet had disappeared or how to unpack a box without accidentally wearing it on your head. We all had to figure things out, and most of us were fortunate enough to encounter someone willing to help along the way.

So, if a new resident approaches you with a question, don’t brush them off. It may seem like the simplest thing in the world to you, but to someone who has only just arrived, even asking a stranger for help can take a bit of courage.

Take a minute. Explain something. Point them in the right direction. You might even make a new friend.

And frankly, if we can spend hours perfecting our pixels, surely we can spare a few minutes for the people behind someone else’s.

Welcome to Second Life. Let’s make sure the newcomers feel welcome, too.