Chris Pirillo » photo-editing http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:35:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 How To Make Picture Perfect Photoshttp://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-make-picture-perfect-photos/ http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-make-picture-perfect-photos/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:46:57 +0000 coupons http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=10764 How To Make Picture Perfect Photos is a post from Chris Pirillo

Geek!This is Zoey Smith’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

I love photography, so naturally, I take lots of photographs. I take photographs of my family, NASCAR races I attend, friends and co-workers, bugs I locate while hiking, my dogs… you get the picture. My biggest obstacle is that I have a relatively inexpensive camera and no formal training. Therefore my photographs are not always appealing to the eyes. Consequently, I have had to harvest some tricks to mask my ineptness in my chosen hobby.

Before I get to the heart of my guidance, here are the two most important rules to remember:

  1. Back up all your digital photographs to external storage. This could be CDs, DVDs, or an external hard drive. Spare yourself the heartache of losing all your treasures. (I keep a copy of all my digital images on a hard drive that resides at a friend’s house, because I live in a wildfire area and never know when disaster might hit.)
  2. Remember the ‘Six P Rule’. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. You cannot produce great photographs if you forget your memory chip or if your camera’s battery is uncharged. Always try to think ahead about what you want to accomplish and what you need to bring to get that job done.

Now to the fun part; once you have taken your photographs (in high resolution), you will most likely need to edit them to fit your need or project. I edit all my photographs in Adobe Fireworks 8; most image editors have the same or similar functions I am going to mention.

The first thing you need to do is open your digital image. Be sure you save the photograph you are going to edit in a different location with a different name before you begin. You do not want to work on your original photograph.

Step One: Take a good look at the photograph.

If it is not up to your standards, is there part of it that you can use? Use the Crop tool to crop off the surrounding unwanted part of the photograph. You do not have to stick to the middle of the photograph. It could be something of interest and focus in the background.

At each step of your process, save your work to a file with a different name in an editable format. To clarify, I am working on a photograph I took at a NASCAR race. I do not like most of the photograph because it is blurry and dark; however, to the left there is a really nice image of my youngest son Zack. So I used my crop tool to isolate just that small part of the photograph, I make it a .png file and save file as Zack.png.

Step Two: Duplicate your image in another layer.

Once you have the image you want to work on, use your Layers Panel and duplicate the layer. The Layers feature is a powerful tool that helps you manage and organize objects on your page. Layers are transparent planes where you can create and store objects.

Step Three: Use Blend Mode to make subtle changes.

Working on the duplicated layer (top layer), use your Blend Mode to make subtle changes to your photograph. There are so many blends to choose from, take your time and experiment. I move down to each different blend and take notice of the change. When I have gone through each blend, I chose the effect that most improves the photograph.

Step Four: Use Opacity to adjust your blending effect.

Right next to the Blend Mode, there is the Opacity box. You can pick an Opacity from 1 to 100 percent to adjust the opacity of your selected layer and adjust the strength of your blending effect. An Opacity setting of 100 renders an layer completely opaque. A setting of 0 (zero) renders an layer completely transparent.

Step Five: Flatten, compare and save.

When you are happy with the effect, select both layers and flatten the selection. Do you like the changes that you made? If the answer is yes, save your work ‘save as’ using a different name. To clarify, I would take my project, which is named Zack.png and save it as Zack2.png.

Now continue to go through all the steps for the photos you wish to edit until you are happy with your end product. Since you have saved each change in a file with a different name, you can always go back to an earlier version of the photograph should you ‘mess up’ your project. It also allows you to experiment wildly without the fear of having to start over completely. Now go out and have yourself a picture perfect day!

]]> How To Make Picture Perfect Photos is a post from Chris Pirillo

Geek!This is Zoey Smith’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

I love photography, so naturally, I take lots of photographs. I take photographs of my family, NASCAR races I attend, friends and co-workers, bugs I locate while hiking, my dogs… you get the picture. My biggest obstacle is that I have a relatively inexpensive camera and no formal training. Therefore my photographs are not always appealing to the eyes. Consequently, I have had to harvest some tricks to mask my ineptness in my chosen hobby.

Before I get to the heart of my guidance, here are the two most important rules to remember:

  1. Back up all your digital photographs to external storage. This could be CDs, DVDs, or an external hard drive. Spare yourself the heartache of losing all your treasures. (I keep a copy of all my digital images on a hard drive that resides at a friend’s house, because I live in a wildfire area and never know when disaster might hit.)
  2. Remember the ‘Six P Rule’. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. You cannot produce great photographs if you forget your memory chip or if your camera’s battery is uncharged. Always try to think ahead about what you want to accomplish and what you need to bring to get that job done.

Now to the fun part; once you have taken your photographs (in high resolution), you will most likely need to edit them to fit your need or project. I edit all my photographs in Adobe Fireworks 8; most image editors have the same or similar functions I am going to mention.

The first thing you need to do is open your digital image. Be sure you save the photograph you are going to edit in a different location with a different name before you begin. You do not want to work on your original photograph.

Step One: Take a good look at the photograph.

If it is not up to your standards, is there part of it that you can use? Use the Crop tool to crop off the surrounding unwanted part of the photograph. You do not have to stick to the middle of the photograph. It could be something of interest and focus in the background.

At each step of your process, save your work to a file with a different name in an editable format. To clarify, I am working on a photograph I took at a NASCAR race. I do not like most of the photograph because it is blurry and dark; however, to the left there is a really nice image of my youngest son Zack. So I used my crop tool to isolate just that small part of the photograph, I make it a .png file and save file as Zack.png.

Step Two: Duplicate your image in another layer.

Once you have the image you want to work on, use your Layers Panel and duplicate the layer. The Layers feature is a powerful tool that helps you manage and organize objects on your page. Layers are transparent planes where you can create and store objects.

Step Three: Use Blend Mode to make subtle changes.

Working on the duplicated layer (top layer), use your Blend Mode to make subtle changes to your photograph. There are so many blends to choose from, take your time and experiment. I move down to each different blend and take notice of the change. When I have gone through each blend, I chose the effect that most improves the photograph.

Step Four: Use Opacity to adjust your blending effect.

Right next to the Blend Mode, there is the Opacity box. You can pick an Opacity from 1 to 100 percent to adjust the opacity of your selected layer and adjust the strength of your blending effect. An Opacity setting of 100 renders an layer completely opaque. A setting of 0 (zero) renders an layer completely transparent.

Step Five: Flatten, compare and save.

When you are happy with the effect, select both layers and flatten the selection. Do you like the changes that you made? If the answer is yes, save your work ‘save as’ using a different name. To clarify, I would take my project, which is named Zack.png and save it as Zack2.png.

Now continue to go through all the steps for the photos you wish to edit until you are happy with your end product. Since you have saved each change in a file with a different name, you can always go back to an earlier version of the photograph should you ‘mess up’ your project. It also allows you to experiment wildly without the fear of having to start over completely. Now go out and have yourself a picture perfect day!

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-make-picture-perfect-photos/feed/ 35 How to Turn Yourself into a Cartoonhttp://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-turn-yourself-into-a-cartoon/ http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-turn-yourself-into-a-cartoon/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:25:25 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/10/04/how-to-turn-yourself-into-a-cartoon/ How to Turn Yourself into a Cartoon is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Have you ever wanted to be a cartoon? Wouldn’t it be great to live in cartoon-land? Well, now you can… even if it is just in pictures.

At befunky.com you can turn yourself, your friends, or any picture of your choosing into a cartoon! There are two separate parts of this great site. The “Cartoonizer” is where the user re-creates images/videos by turning them into digital paintings, cartoons and comics in just a few seconds without downloading any tool. The second one was Uvatar (coming from avatar where u represents “You”) which features an exact illustrated representation of its owner, including facial expressions!

Right now, Befunky is still in testing phase. You can join for free and help test by entering your email, and receiving an invite. Try it out! With just a few mouse clicks, you too can be a cartoon.

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> How to Turn Yourself into a Cartoon is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Have you ever wanted to be a cartoon? Wouldn’t it be great to live in cartoon-land? Well, now you can… even if it is just in pictures.

At befunky.com you can turn yourself, your friends, or any picture of your choosing into a cartoon! There are two separate parts of this great site. The “Cartoonizer” is where the user re-creates images/videos by turning them into digital paintings, cartoons and comics in just a few seconds without downloading any tool. The second one was Uvatar (coming from avatar where u represents “You”) which features an exact illustrated representation of its owner, including facial expressions!

Right now, Befunky is still in testing phase. You can join for free and help test by entering your email, and receiving an invite. Try it out! With just a few mouse clicks, you too can be a cartoon.

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-turn-yourself-into-a-cartoon/feed/ 10 How to Resize Photos on the Webhttp://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-resize-photos-on-the-web/ http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-resize-photos-on-the-web/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:46:18 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/10/04/how-to-resize-photos-on-the-web/ How to Resize Photos on the Web is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Why install a program to do simple picture resizing and cropping? Instead, try the free and excellent resizr.com!

Resizr.com may lack a bit as far as layout design, but you cannot get any better with functionality. Simply upload a picture from your computer, or enter a direct URL, and you can then resize and crop your photos. There are preset resizing options, or you can customize them. It’s also a snap to check the size ratio of your project.

You can share your pictures once they are resized in many different ways: on the web, with MySpace codes, via E-Mail, and even send to your mobile phone!

All this for one low price… FREE!

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> How to Resize Photos on the Web is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Why install a program to do simple picture resizing and cropping? Instead, try the free and excellent resizr.com!

Resizr.com may lack a bit as far as layout design, but you cannot get any better with functionality. Simply upload a picture from your computer, or enter a direct URL, and you can then resize and crop your photos. There are preset resizing options, or you can customize them. It’s also a snap to check the size ratio of your project.

You can share your pictures once they are resized in many different ways: on the web, with MySpace codes, via E-Mail, and even send to your mobile phone!

All this for one low price… FREE!

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-resize-photos-on-the-web/feed/ 3 How to Handle Remote Tech Support <em>Using <a href="http://www.gotoassist.com/chris">GoToAssist</a> is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party. </em> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMThttp://gotoassist.com/chris/ http://gotoassist.com/chris/ Network Tools for Windows You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">SolarWinds ipMonitor</a>: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">Download your free trial today</a>. Or, try their <a href="http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/">totally free tools</a>! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase <a href="http://store.solarwinds.com/s.nl/sc.16/.f">ipMonitor 9.0</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome Get Your Own Web Site Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">GoDaddy</a> includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">code CP2</a> at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. <p>Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">CHRIS7</a>, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">GoDaddy.com</a>.</p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a> or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> and/or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ Coupons for Online Shopping <p style="color: red">This feed is fueled by Lockergnome <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/buy/">Online Shopping and Coupon Codes</a></p> <p> Before you shop next time, see if we have <a href="http://coupons.lockergnome.com/">a coupon</a> first. </p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMThttp://coupons.lockergnome.com/ http://coupons.lockergnome.com/