tools Archives - Page 5 of 7

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: Pixel Ruler

January 21, 2007 by Liz

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

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

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: FavIcon from Pics

January 14, 2007 by Liz

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.

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

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: SnagIt

January 6, 2007 by Liz

There’s more to SnagIt than capturing screen shots and editing visual elements . . .

Great Find: SnagIt

Permalink: http://www.techsmith.com/snagit.asp

Target Audience: All computer users

Content: This week I want to tell you about a tool that’s earned a permanent home on my PC. For everyday use, I always turn to SnagIt from TechSmith. It’s fast and easy-to-use for screen captures and editing visual elements, and it has more power than you might expect for $39.95. The development team is supportive and always looking for ways to improve the product.

Here are eight ways I use SnagIt:

Capture graphics of my screen when collaborating with others
Convert file formats (e.g., .jpg to .gif)
Capture all the image files from a specified URL
Capture a rolling screen
Select options like borders or resolution before making the capture so my images are consistent
Edit photos in batches to save time
Use paint tools to add arrows, text, etc.
Making a collage

There is a capture timer feature that allows you to take screen shots at predefined times. (I’m trying that next!) They offer a Tip of the Day, tutorials, and lots of help screens. Try the 30-day free trialtoday!

SnagIt is a tool I have come to rely on and I wanted to share it with you. Let me know what you think!

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

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: Paint.NET

December 24, 2006 by Liz

Paint.NET packs a lot of power in a small package

Great Find: Paint.NET

Permalink: http://www.getpaint.net/index2.html

Target Audience: All computer users

Content: Who doesn’t like free? While some argue that this might not be the application a graphics professional would use, it is a powerful photo and image manipulation application to add to the average computer user’s toolbox. This week we’re looking at Paint.NET, a Windows application.

Thanks to Chris at Martial Developmentfor pointing out this tool.

Here are five things I like about Paint.NET:

The application is free and open source (of course this is #1)
It’s easy to learn – no classes needed
You can undo and redo actions with the history feature
It has layers, allowing you to easily create composites
Red eye removal, rotate, and zoom are just a few of the special effect adjustments you can make

Click the screenshot to go there.

Paint.NET is a tool you will want to try. The CNET review lists it with 4 stars from both editors and users.

Stay tuned… next week is ?

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Great Graphic Find: Photoshop Elements
Great Find: Film Loop
Great Find: Wufoo Ã¢â¬â Form-making Tool

Great Find: Eyes on Design Photoshop Tutorials

December 16, 2006 by Liz

Expert or Beginner?

I know I need some of these.

Great Find: Eyes on Design Photoshop Tutorials

Permalink: http://www.eyesondesign.net/pshop/tuts.htm

Target Audience: Photoshop users

Content: I need them. If you don’t, you’re probably not reading this. If the ones at the top sound too hard for you, look at the ones at the bottom. Click on the screen shot below to go there.

I hope you have time to try some. I hope that I have time to.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Great Find: Flixn

November 12, 2006 by Liz

Webcam and Go!

It works with everything from ebay to Blogger. Click the screen shot to check out Flixn.

–ME “Liz” Strauss