So we have set up our computer and created our office environment and have some image editing tools at the ready, now what?
Well we can start to create our own stationary and logo for a start. This is where some DTP ( desk top publishing) software come into play.
Fortunately we have some choice here not only in terms of which application but also the following DTP applications are available for PC or MACs.
The good people at Amaya which is a free open source editor hosted by W3C. Features include: CSS and XML editing, scripting, built in validator, WYSIWYG and color coded XHTML editing. Amaya is written in C and is available for Windows, Unix platforms and MacOS X.
Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Supported SVG features include shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping. Inkscape also supports Creative Commons meta-data, node editing, layers, complex path operations, bitmap tracing, text-on-path, flowed text, direct XML editing, and more. It imports formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and others and exports PNG as well as multiple vector-based formats.
Scribus is a free open-source program that brings professional page layout to Linux/Unix, MacOS X, and Windows desktops with a combination of press-ready output and new approaches to page layout. Underneath the modern and user friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.
So there we are you can now start making some exciting new stationary to get you started.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Partitioning Your Hard Drive
I have mentioned in previous posts about partitioning your hard drive and I feel I need to perhaps explain some of the merits.
I partition my own HDD and I have divided it up into different sizes according to the data to be stored.
For example "data" where I store all my paperwork is 15GB "applications" where my software is stored is 20GB my "image store" where I keep all my photographs is 60GB and my "C drive" where my Windows operating system is stored is 43GB etc.
The reasoning behind this process is that by storing all your data in separate parts of your hard drive you are preserving them from misfortune.
If I have a problem with my computer and I do from time to time I can very easily format my "C drive" with windows on then install a fresh copy of windows and ALL my other data including my e mail (see first post) is still safe and available to me.
The process to do this appears a little daunting at first but it really is very easy, simply follow the instructions provided.
The good people at partition logic have provided an excellent piece of freeware to allow you to do this in the words of their manufacturer.
Partition Logic is a free hard disk partitioning and data management tool. It can create, delete, format, defragment, resize, and move partitions and modify their attributes. It can copy entire hard disks from one to another.
Some say that partitioning will slow your machine down and deteriorate its performance but I have not noticed this to be true and have been a firm advocate of this procedure for many years.
I partition my own HDD and I have divided it up into different sizes according to the data to be stored.
For example "data" where I store all my paperwork is 15GB "applications" where my software is stored is 20GB my "image store" where I keep all my photographs is 60GB and my "C drive" where my Windows operating system is stored is 43GB etc.The reasoning behind this process is that by storing all your data in separate parts of your hard drive you are preserving them from misfortune.
If I have a problem with my computer and I do from time to time I can very easily format my "C drive" with windows on then install a fresh copy of windows and ALL my other data including my e mail (see first post) is still safe and available to me.
The process to do this appears a little daunting at first but it really is very easy, simply follow the instructions provided.
The good people at partition logic have provided an excellent piece of freeware to allow you to do this in the words of their manufacturer.
Partition Logic is a free hard disk partitioning and data management tool. It can create, delete, format, defragment, resize, and move partitions and modify their attributes. It can copy entire hard disks from one to another.
Some say that partitioning will slow your machine down and deteriorate its performance but I have not noticed this to be true and have been a firm advocate of this procedure for many years.
Monday, 2 June 2008
Free Image and Photo editors
In this post I will be introducing you to image and photo editors.
Not every body has deep pockets and with Photoshop CS3 currently retailing at £569.88 for the full version and £163.32 for the upgrade they do need to be deep.
However do not despair if you need an image editor then there are other options.
Firstly there is the Gimp which is a popular open source image editor often hailed as the free photoshop.
Secondly there is Serif photo plus which offers the usual range of features one has come to expect in an image editor. Not as powerful as Photoshop but an ideal tool for beginners or anyone who wants to test the water before committing any money to the world of image manipulation.
In addition to this there are some fun tools which are free to use at flickr and some of these can be found here.
I hope this post has been helpful please feel free to contact me if there is anything you would like to have featured in this section.
Not every body has deep pockets and with Photoshop CS3 currently retailing at £569.88 for the full version and £163.32 for the upgrade they do need to be deep.
However do not despair if you need an image editor then there are other options.
Firstly there is the Gimp which is a popular open source image editor often hailed as the free photoshop.
Secondly there is Serif photo plus which offers the usual range of features one has come to expect in an image editor. Not as powerful as Photoshop but an ideal tool for beginners or anyone who wants to test the water before committing any money to the world of image manipulation.
In addition to this there are some fun tools which are free to use at flickr and some of these can be found here.
I hope this post has been helpful please feel free to contact me if there is anything you would like to have featured in this section.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
