Use YouTube to Learn Gimp
Some label Gimp as the free version of Photoshop. If you can’t afford Photoshop I’d say Gimp is close enough. Among the biggest differences are the facts that Gimp doesn’t support anything higher than 8-bit images and you can’t record your actions for automation as in Photoshop. But unless your are a seasoned designer/artist, not having these features won’t hurt you. So what are you waiting for? Download your copy of Gimp and start playing with it.
Quick and Easy E-Book cover in Expression
If you’ve been surfing the web for any length of time, no doubt you’ve come across a e-book. Back when I was a 9-to-5er I was sent to a book publishers convention where one of the workshops was introducing the idea of e-books to the attendees. Now mind you, this was 1999 and there where quite a few of us scratching our heads over the concept of a digital book you didn’t flip the pages of. Fast forward to the present and e-books have spread throughout the world wide web like some kind of digital STD. E-books are growing in popularity, and along with that growth is the need for digital cover art to display the wares.
I recently came across a program someone was charging good money for, that claimed to create your e-book covers auto-magically. Being a artist, this was laughable to me, but for those of you who don’t know how or don’t have the time to create a cover, this might be of interest. So I thought I’d save you some money and show you how to easily create e-book covers for yourself. Once you know how, you’ll be a Read more
6 Answers to Designing on a Shoestring
If you ever wondered how you could get something design related done as inexpensively as possible, maybe one of these tips is the answer to your prayers.
Let me remind you that cheap or free is not always the best way to go. You are either going to spend your money or your time getting things done right. If you find that you have more time on your hands than money in the bank, then cheap/free may be your best option.
- Consider using local blueprint shops for large format printing as a alternative to Kinkos. Unlike Kinkos, a blueprint shop may not have a standardized price sheet for projects like yours, so you may be able to negotiate a deal.
- After downloading all those cool fonts from Dafont.com, you’ll need a font management application like FontXplorer (mac) or FontLoader-Shell tools (PC). And yes, they’re both free. Note: Check Dafont.com for terms of use before downloading fonts.
- Use design templates from
How to Make Your Twitter Avatar
I did a search using the keyword Avatar, at search.twitter.com and found that it is a highly used word to say the least. Here are the types of statements I found the word used in:
I never follow someone without a avatar.
Trying to figure out what avatar to use on my account.
How old is your avatar?
….p.s., GET AN AVATAR!
And what about putting up your own avatar? you lazy little…
The conclusion I gathered from my little bit of research was that avatars are very important in this new era of social media technology.
For those who are new to the game, I thought I’d show you how to create your own avatar using MS Paint. Some may ask, of all the programs in this great wide world to use, why would you choose MS Paint to do a avatar tutorial!?! The answer is simple, not everyone has Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or Gimp. But if you’re running Windows you have MS Paint, and probably don’t even know it.
Before you watch the tutorial, the first thing you need to do is decide on an image for your avatar. Choose carefully because as the above statements allude to, people are watching you. I like the article “6 types of avatars used on Twitter“, by Rob Enslin. Me personally, I don’t care what your avatar looks like, or in some cases, if you even have one. If you contribute to the social networking cause in some meaningful way, why should it matter to me if you have a picture up or not? Read more
The Best of Youtube’s Photoshop Videos
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You can find videos of just about any subject on YouTube. Duh, that’s what makes YouTube so great right. Well, it’s greatness is also it’s curse. I don’t know about you, but every time I point my browser to YouTube looking for something specific, I get distracted by videos of plane crashes and human flamethrowers. And not the kind where the flames shoot out of the mouth, if you know what I mean. You really have to be disciplined when you venture onto that site. So, out of the kindness of my heart, I have gathered some cool Photoshop tutorials for you. I’m doing this because I care about you, and Read more
