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Creating Your Own Project Template

Parkzone Corsair — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:39:42 +0000

Creating your own template requires saving a completed project to a file, and using that project as a starting point the next time you begin a similar one. This option works if you don’t have a template in your image-editing program for a particular project, or you don’t like the ones the manufacturer has included.You can create a template simply by saving a completed project in a digital file format, such as JPEG, that allows you to modify it in the future. For example, suppose you create a cute greeting card for your mother, and a week later need to create one for your boss.

Simply open the file in which you’ve saved mom’s card and modify the text and images as necessary to create a proper acknowledgment for your boss.You can open the file and modify it again and again in the future as the birthdays of other friends and family members come up.

No one knows who started the custom of framing pictures, but adding just the right frame or border is an act of artistry in itself. Image-editing software allows you take this creative task to a new technological level.

Projects You Can Create with Templates

Parkzone Corsair — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:23:16 +0000

PhotoSuite currently includes the largest selection of templates of any image-editing software. At a retail price of around $50 as of the writing of this book, it might be a good investment for the templates alone. Most other image-editing programs contain templates, although usually a considerably smaller selection.

Templates might be available in your image-editing software for a number of projects you can print and distribute.

Frames and borders Adding a decorative border to a photo, especially one that looks like an actual frame, gives it a finished look.
Calendars Photo calendars make great gifts for family, friends, and business clients at a fraction of the cost charged by professional printers.
Family trees These templates offer a great way to organize and display photos. Family trees reproduced on nice paper or laminated make terrific keepsakes for family reunions. PhotoSuite 4 includes four different familytree templates, into which you simply drag and drop scanned images you’ve saved on your computer or a disk.
Stationery and note paper Image-editing software makes it economical to include photographic images in your stationery and note paper. What better way to make a statement?
Fake magazine covers, sports cards, and gag IDs It used to be that these kinds of items had to be specially produced. Now you can have fun doing them on your own, using the templates that come with PhotoSuite 4.
Business cards and brochures Whether your business is a corporate conglomerate or an enterprise you operate out of a spare bedroom, image-editing software, quality paper, and a good printer allow you to produce items that convey the image you’re looking for.
Name and gift tags Even if you’re all thumbs when it comes to wrapping, cute photographic gift tags make a clever statement.

How Templates Make Finished Projects Easier

Parkzone Corsair — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:05:04 +0000

Say you want to create a personalized greeting card or a calendar with pictures of your family. How do you get started? First, don’t reinvent the wheel. For popular projects such as these, it’s a safe bet that millions of people want to use their scanned images in the same way.
The designers of image-editing software such as PhotoSuite and PhotoDeluxe recognize this, and have included templates with their programs to help users easily accomplish popular projects. The software manufacturers employ skilled graphic artists and designers to come up with appealing and effective layouts.

Don’t worry that using a template will stifle your creativity. Most image-editing programs allow you to customize the standard templates quite a bit. Consider a template.

Your personal enthusiasm and creativity are the ultimate determining factor as to how the finished project looks. For example, you can add or delete text on the template, add props, and vary the location of imported photos.

Be Sure to Look at the Optical Resolution of a Scanner

Parkzone Corsair — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:05:30 +0000

Optical resolution is the most commonly used specification to compare the capabilities of different scanners. It refers to how many pixels, dots, or samples per inch the scanner’s sensors can detect. Generally, the higher the resolution, the better the quality of the scanned image. Low-end scanners have a resolution of 300 ppi, while high-end scanners can detect as many as 4,000 ppi.

The 300-ppi variety will provide adequate resolution for computer-screen images, since most computer graphics cards can’t handle much more detail than this. (You can learn more about how a graphics card functions in Chapter 4.) On the other hand, if your objective is a nice copy from a laser or color printer, the results from a scanner with a 300-ppi optical resolution are likely to disappoint you. A 400 to 600 resolution will probably give you the quality you’re looking for in a printed copy.