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Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: typoGenerator

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Create typoPoster with typoGenerator

Great Find: typoGenerator

Permalink: http://www.typogenerator.net/

Target Audience: Anyone - just for fun!

Content: Here’s a generator that creates random graphics just for fun. It searches images.google for backgrounds and images according to the text you enter. And you can manipulate the results and change up the text, images or colors.

This generator was a student project. I’m curious what Katharina is doing now.

Here’s a sample that I made.


Let me know what you create and how you use it.



See you next time!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

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Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: CoolText

Filed Under Design, Great Finds, Successful Blog, Tips | 21 Comments

Create Logos and Buttons with CoolText Graphics Generator

Great Find: CoolText

Permalink: http://cooltext.com/

Target Audience: Computer users who want to create buttons

Content: Every now and then I need a button. Sure, I have all the programs to create my own, but why spend the time when there are tools out there that can finish the job quickly.

There are a lot of button generators, but this one caught my attention because it worked so well. Recently a few people told me the ‘hire me’ on my site doesn’t look like a link, so it seemed like a good time to try out CoolText. Here’s what I created.


Hire Purple Wren



Then check out the logo designs. I’m not crazy about the terminology and would prefer banner, or something more descriptive. But it doesn’t really matter what they call them, there’s a great selection. Remember to save the image files on your computer because they don’t store them.

It took longer to write this post than to create the buttons/banners.

Joy



Here are six things I like about CoolText:

  1. You can create an account to save your designs
  2. There’s more than 1200 fonts available
  3. It’s easy to use
  4. You can edit your button until it’s just right
  5. There are several file types to choose from
  6. It’s free!

Click the screenshot to go there.

Cool Text: Logo and Graphics Generator



Let me know how you use CoolText!

See you next time!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

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Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: PicMaster

Filed Under Design, Great Finds, Successful Blog, Tools | 3 Comments

How Do They Create Those Mosaics?

Great Find: PicMaster

Permalink: http://www.graphics-tools.com/

Target Audience: All Windows users

Content: This week we’re taking a look at a program called PicMaster. There are a number of features this program is known for, but the one I like the best is the mosaic function. I’ve seen those mosaics made with a lot of little photos and wanted to try it. This software makes it easy. Make sure you have a large selection of photos that can be made into thumbnails for the finished piece. Then it’s just a matter of telling the software what you want and waiting a few minutes.

Voilá! A mosaic for your viewing pleasure.

Jim
Jim as Mosaic

PicMaster is offered as Shareware so you can try it before paying the $29.90 U.S. fee. There are restrictions though, so if you like what this tool offers, you will want to purchase it to eliminate the watermark and realize the full potential of the software.


Here are seven things I like about PicMaster :

  • Create mosaics.
  • Remove red-eye with the image editor.
  • Manage your pictures with the image browser.
  • Print individual pages to make a huge poster.
  • Morph images (e.g., a cat into a dog).
  • Use the filters (preview first) to create neat effects.
  • Add sound comments to your pictures.

I had fun with this program. Let me know what you think.

Stay tuned… next week we’ll have a graphics tip!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

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Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: Pixel Ruler

Filed Under Design, Great Finds, Successful Blog, Tools | 14 Comments

Need to measure graphics? Here’s a great tool . . .

Great Find: Pixel Ruler v3.1

Permalink: http://www.mioplanet.com/products/pixelruler/index.htm

Target Audience: All Windows users

Content: This week I want to tell you about a tool I use a lot. It’s a virtual ruler for your desktop that you can use to measure pixels. What are pixels? They are the tiny colored squares that make up a web page. It helps to communicate with others if you speak the same language.

I also worked in the print world, and it’s an adjustment to switch from thinking about inches to measuring in pixels. So I looked for help. There’s plenty of tools out there, but this one works great, the price is right, and it’s simple. Click the screen shot to take you there.

Here are three things I like about Pixel Ruler:

  • It’s handy for reading large tables and spreadsheets.
  • You can change the color of the skin.
  • It’s free.

The next time someone asks you the size of a banner or graphic, use a ruler that floats on your screen. Keep a shortcut to Pixel Ruler handy so you can open it quickly. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Stay tuned… next week is another tool that’s free!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

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Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: FavIcon from Pics

Filed Under Design, Great Finds, Successful Blog, Tools | 12 Comments

Sometimes It’s the Little Things That Get Noticed . . .

Great Find: FavIcon from Pics

Permalink: http://www.chami.com/html-kit/services/favicon/

Target Audience: All computer users

Content: You’ve probably noticed those small graphic symbols next to the URL in the address bar of your browser or in your bookmarks. Maybe you wondered how they did that. The symbols are called favicons. What’s that?

Favicon is short for favorite icon, and sometimes you will see it referred to as a bookmark icon. The file is very small (16×16 pixels and 16 colors) and is saved with the name favicon.ico.

You can convert your logo or picture with special tools. There are several to choose from, and the one we’ll talk about today is Favicon from Pics. This tool creates still or animated favicons from your images.

FavIcon from Pics

Simply browse to select the file on your computer (it must be a *.gif, *.jpg, *.png, *.ico or *.bmp) and click the GenerateFavicon.ico button. Then you have a choice to Download Favicon or Test in Browser.

How slick is that?

Three things I like about FavIcon from Pics are:

  • It’s easy to use.
  • It’s free.
  • It’s web based, so there’s nothing to download except your finished file.

Depending on which blogging software you use, the instructions for uploading your file vary. Check the help section for instructions.

Stay tuned… next week is another tool that’s free!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

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