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I'll start by telling you it's time to start sending
your contest entries in if you're ready. This is part
six of a ten part series, and I must have all the entries
e-mailed to me by the time part nine goes up. You still
have a couple of weeks, but it's time to start those
projects and create something new. Only one entry per
person, so send me your best stuff.
Another imaging program I use fairly often is Broderbund's
Printmaster Gold version 10. This program doesn't have all
the creative effects available in Photo Impact and the Adobe
products, but it does a few things very well. If you want
to make a specialty card for a birthday or any other special
occasion, this is the easiest program I've used for that task.
It also creates some cool photo albums. This program excels
in the area of pre-planned projects.
The way I use this program the most is like a scrapbook
for pictures. When someone in the family has a birthday,
I take a lot of pictures and put all the best shots on one
sheet, which I print out as an 8x10 photo. I also do that
after special fishing trips or other special events. That
way I have my favorite shots on one picture that shows the
flavor of the day.
At least one of the prize pictures for the contest will be
created in this article. In other words, one winner will
get one of the pictures created today. Keep in mind, other
brands of software can do these same tasks, but I find this
program a little bit easier to use for this specific purpose.
If you want to do the same thing with the software you have
on your computer, give it a shot. One of my goals is to
introduce you to different types of software and highlight
the strong points of that software.
I think it's time to get started with our project. Like I
mentioned earlier, this program is loaded with ready-made
projects that you can customize with your own text, pictures
and graphics.
If you don't have many of your own pictures and graphics,
you can choose from several thousand picture and graphics
options included with the software.
Cards, posters, banners and certificates are just a few
options you can choose from. I'm going to start with a
blank page and add my own photos.
First, I start adding pictures to the blank page.
I can choose any picture I have placed on that page at
any time and adjust its size, position, brightness and
contrast any time I want to.
I can fix flaws like red eye, scratches and dust at will,
any time and to any picture I have on the page.
I can apply special artistic effects, view them and if
I don't like the result, I can cancel that action and
try another one.
I can crop pictures in special shapes, move them over
parts of other pictures I don't really want in the final
picture, and change the layers by moving any photo to
the top of any layer in the final picture.
I can keep adding photos to the page in any order I want
and move them anywhere I want them.
Until I finally achieve the final image I want. Then I
can save it in Printmaster's native format so I can work
on it later, or export it to file in any of the common
image formats. When I'm finally finished with my project
I can print it with a photo quality printer on photo paper
and frame it. I titled this one "Why Fish 1".
And, I titled this one "Why Fish 2." Can you identify
all the different species of fish in this picture?
Either of these pictures will be available as prizes
for the contest winners. Of course, the winner might
want one of the other projects we have worked on instead.
Would you like to create a special picture of your child
or grandchild? If so, this next project might be right
up your creative alley.
I start with a colorful background.
Then open a photo of a child (in a fishing situation, of course).
Crop the child's photo in a pre-designed shape.
Adjust the size and position over the background.
And print a picture of that child with a background that
gives the viewer a flavor of the season we were fishing
in.
We'll play with more special effects next week. Work on
your contest entries and practice what you've learned.
It gets more creative in the weeks ahead.
~ AC
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