Category: technology

A basic understanding of computers is all a person needs to create their own graphics with today’s design software. Even with just small amount of design understanding, people can still use simple design programs to build their own cartoons strips, holiday cards, flyers and invitations. Your business and yourself can save money on special occasions by using one of the several user friendly affordable programs that are out there.

The number one choice for design software by both professionals and amateurs is Adobe PhotoShop. By cropping, recoloring and adding special effects, PhotoShop allows users to change photos anyway they wish. Entirely new pictures can also be created by using special drawing tools, or existing pictures can be modified anyway the user desires. PhotoShop uses a system of “layers.” By using layers, separate pieces of a picture can be changed while keeping the changes separate. For example, you can change the color on the bottom layer without affecting the color on the top layer. If you wish to draw more than creating full pictures, Adobe Illustrator may be the choice for you.

PhotoShop is a pixel-based program while Adobe Illustrator is vector based. What does this mean your probably asking yourself? When you make a picture in PhotoShop, you must use a certain resolution. A computer screen displays 72 pixels per inch for a clear picture, but when you print a 72 dpi picture, it appears blocky and blurred. If you are making a picture for printing in PhotoShop, you need to use 300 pixels per inch to get a nice, sharp image. Because Illustrator is vector-based, it uses a system of paths rather than pixels. In simple terms, it uses lines rather than colors. This means that everything you create in Illustrator can be enlarged up to any size you wish without ever becoming blurry or grainy. Designers often use Illustrator software to build logos for a variety of advertisements. The same picture or logo drawing can be used on a small business card or enlarged to fill an entire billboard.

For those wishing to create simple greeting cards or party invitations, there is a variety of user friendly software programs made specifically for these purposes. Many offer templates for several print sizes and folding options. For the more experienced user, the software program Quark is an excellent print layout tool. Adobe InDesign also offers professional quality layout options along with many of the same tools used in Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator. If you are to use these two programs, you will easily be able to create professional quality materials with InDesign.

There is a wide variety of file types used in graphic software programs. Most have their own native formats that can only be read by the parent programs. PhotoShop files have a .PSD extension, and Illustrator files are AI, making them only accessible by PhotoShop. When you are working with a work in progress, it is a good idea to save files in these formats, as they offer you the greatest flexibility in altering your creation. However, once you have completed your work and are ready to print your materials, you can save them in a variety of ways. Web pictures should saved as JPEGs, GIF or TIFF files. Pictures ready for printing are best saved as EPS files, to preserve color accuracy. If you plan to send graphics via e-mail, PDF offers the greatest flexibility, as most computers have Acrobat Reader, the program needed to read the PDF file type.

No matter what software fits your needs, making digital graphics can be a enjoyable and simple hobby, or even a professional career. It can take some time to get used to the terminology, but once you learn the tools of digital art, you will be on your way to building functional and decorative graphic masterpieces to share with the electronic world.

Site builder tools are a valuable option to everyone including both the novice and professional web designer. If you’ve ever tried building a website on your own, you know how time consuming it can be. With all of the HTML code to type, building a site on your own can take you months to design, not to mention all of the frustration involved. You probably already know that HTML code is not too forgiving; one small error can drastically change the look of your pages.

All of this valuable time spent designing your site and fixing errors could be used in other areas of your business. With web builder tools you can avoid all of the headaches and spend more of your time effectively running your business. Using web builder tools is both hassle free and easy. The directions are simple enough for anyone to understand.

Another point to consider is the longer it takes to build your website, the more online sales you are missing out on. Many times people are tempted to just hire someone else to do the job for them, but this is usually not the most cost effective choice. Webmasters can often be very expensive, especially if they are charging you by the hour and not a set fee for the job. With web builder tools you can have a professional looking website up and running in no time at all. Unlike webmasters, web builder tools will not put a dent in your wallet. They also allow you to have more of an input on designing your site. This can be very important for two reasons. First of all, when hiring someone else to build your site it is often difficult to explain just how you want everything to look. You can tell them what you want, but your idea and their final product may not always match. If revisions need to be made to your site, this will take more time and may even cost you more money. Secondly you will no doubt want to make changes to your site occasionally. It can be a bother trying to contact a webmaster and set up a time for your site to be updated. Often times they may not be readily available when you need them. With web builder tools you have the option of making updates to your site whenever you choose.

If you own multiple websites and earn a great deal of your income online, you can greatly benefit from using web builder tools. While you may be able to effectively design sites on your own, think of all the time that must be spent doing so. Web builder tools can save you countless hours of time and allow you to concentrate more on running your business instead of working on your site. This extra time can be used to increase your income by learning marketing tools to help sell your products. Another point to consider is all of the updates that you make to your site on a regular basis. You may offer monthly specials or product discounts on a regular basis. Web builder tools allow you to make the necessary changes to your site without devoting a great deal of time. Making quick updates to your site is not a problem with web builder tools.

Most companies offering web builder tools understand that their customers have varying needs. That’s why they offer several different packages for customers to choose from. Whether you just need a small site designed to market your product, multiple email accounts, web blogs, shopping cart, or have a rather large website to build, web builder tools can assist you in designing the site of your choice. If you later decide to add more features or pages onto your site, upgrades can easily be made to your account. With all of the features they have to offer, web builder tools are a good option for business owners of all types.