Photoshop Tutorial For Actions

In this Photoshop tutorial, I'd like to express how important Photoshop Actions can be by saving you time and making your work more consistent.

Let's describe what an action is first.

An action is essentially a recording of things you do in Photoshop, which can then be played back at any time. Most everything can be recorded as an action.

So, for example, something as simple as creating a document (which is one of the things I use Actions for). Anything that you find yourself doing repeatedly is a good candidate for an action.

Let's say that I need to create a 400 x 100 banner, frequently. Instead of having to remember the dimensions, and settings like background, I can simply create an action called "Small Client Banner". Then, whenever I want to create that banner, I simply click that action.

Fortunately, this Photoshop tutorial is very simple. Launch Photoshop. Click the Window menu and select Actions (you can also press Alt/Option + F9).

This opens the Actions panel. Click the 'Create new set' button in the Actions panel. I do this to keep things organized. Name your set something like 'Create New Banners'.

Next, click the 'Create new action' button and name your action something descriptive, like "400x100" or "Client A Small Banner".

As far as Photoshop tutorials go, that's about as easy as it gets. From this point on, whatever you do will be recorded as an action (and NOT in real time) until you press the 'Stop recording' button.

Just create a new document how you normally would, with all the settings for your 400x100 banner (or whatever else you're doing). Once you have the blank document created, click the 'Stop recording' button and your action is made.

Now, whenever you want that size document created, just select that action and run it! I love the time savings and consistency created by using actions like this.

Ken walker is a National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) member and professional Photoshop trainer. He has created over 40 hours of Photoshop video tutorials. You can see some of his video training and Photoshop tutorials on his site, KillerPhotoshopTechniques.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_D_Walker

Camcorders Buying Guide

To capture HD videos is the standard today, so what are you waiting for. Most of the camcorders price range between $600 to $1000 and up. These camcorders have all great quality and the big advantage is that they are already in digital domain. All the camcorders are easy it use, very user friendly. The overall zoom standard is 10x and 12x, there is camcorders with a higher zoom capability. The disadvantage with a camcorder zoom bigger than 12 xs is the video is vibrating; the human hand is not steady enough to keep the camcorder still so you will need a tripod. Some of the cameras come out with a stabilizer unit build in which helps.

The small HD camcorder doesn't always have the stabilizer unit build in. The cameras offer a similar storage devises like: MiniDV tape, DVD, hard-drive, and flash-memory card. There is camcorder that uses a variety of formats. This is so you can shoot long videos in one take. Not all the formats have big storage capability.

HD cameras have internal flash memory or flash memory card to store all the video and audio on. Flash memory or flash memory card is used by almost all cameras. Most of the HD camera manufactures have stopped to build cameras with DVD storage; you may still find this camcorder on the market. The DVD storage capability is 4.7 GB; the flash memory goes a lot higher like 16 GB 32 GB and more.

Flash-memory card models tend to be lighter and more compact than other types, although none have the viewfinders found on most other models
With the camcorders so small you can always have a HD camcorders with you for all your video memories and funny clips that happens all around you.

HDD camcorders. HD camcorders. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kate_Nell

Wedding Photographers - A Beginner's Guide

Although wedding photographers may appear to have an easy job, this is quite simply not the case. There is much more involved in wedding photography than many might realize. The bride and groom and their families are counting on the photographer to capture every detail of their special day. They expect to see beautiful, timeless images that they will be able to treasure for years to come. It is important to be well prepared when photographing a wedding.

The first thing a photographer should know before accepting the contract for a wedding, is their camera. A DSLR is the most highly recommended type of camera for wedding photography. Setting the camera on auto does not work in every situation. It is necessary to be able to manually manipulate the controls to create the proper exposure. It is equally important to have the right equipment to go along with the right camera when photographing a wedding. It may be necessary to have a large external flash depending on the time and location of the wedding. Additional lighting, types of lenses, and battery power also need to be considered.

Many weddings are an all day event, which means that having the necessary battery power is extremely important. Camera batteries can be extremely expensive, especially name brand batteries. Fortunately, there are third party batteries available on online auction sites, such as eBay. Some are poor quality, but with a little careful research, photographers can have great success and save a little money as well.

Having extra batteries may not be enough. It is a great idea to take a charger along as well, so that batteries that are low on power can be charged. An external flash usually requires four AA batteries, and wedding photographers should have at least one extra set of these available as well. Once a potential photographer is confident in their equipment and skill level, photographing weddings can be a great source of income. They are a joyful occasion, and usually fun to photograph, as long as the photographer is properly prepared.

Author Tom Ely is Head of Photography for Liverpool, Merseyside and Manchester based company Atmosferik. With huge experience in the industry, Tom has encountered most things when photographing weddings. To view his work, visit http://www.atmosferik.com (Atmosferik Wedding photography)

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Learn The Basics Of Guitar Playing

When you first undertake to learn a new skill, the natural reaction is to jump in "head first" as you are so keen to learn it all. What a lot of people seem to forget is that you need to learn the basics first.

The same applies to learning how to play the guitar. A lot of people will have unrealistic short term goals of becoming an expert guitar player, being able to play the hardest riffs and using the most difficult techniques. If this is you...slow down my friend, Rome wasn't built in a day you know.

Surely it makes better sense to learn the basics of guitar playing first. If you can't afford an instructor or don't have the time, then you can always use one of the many tuition software products, such as Emedia Guitar Method. Even the best guitar players in the world had to start somewhere first. Learn the basics and the rest will follow.

At first, learning how to play the guitar will seem a bit daunting. There's a lot to learn, the chords, scales, different techniques and, most importantly for the novice, is learning what all the various parts of the guitar are and how it's constructed.

Here are some answers to some frequently asked basic questions;

Q. What are the body and the neck of the guitar?
A. The body is the main bulk of the instrument and the neck is the long, narrow part attached to the body.

Q. What is the bridge of the guitar and where is it situated?
A. The bridge is a device which supports the strings of the guitar and its purpose is to transmit the vibration of the strings to the body. It is located near to the hole of the body, under the strings.

Q. What are the strings?
A. The strings are located between the bridge and the pegs at the head of the guitar.

Q. What are frets, where can I find them and what do they do?
A. Frets are strips made of metal which are located at exact points along the neck. When a string is pressed against a fret, the string's vibrating length is altered along with the pitch.

So, if you're serious about learning how to play the guitar, take my advice. Concentrate on learning the basics first and in a relatively short space of time you will begin to develop and nurture your blossoming relationship with the fabulous instrument known as the guitar.

Are you really interested in learning how to play the guitar? If so, you must check out Cliff James's site where he reviews probably the best guitar tuition software on the internet, Emedia Guitar Method.

Cliff James comes from London, England and is married with two children. He is still using Emedia Guitar Method software to build on his vastly improved guitar playing skills. He has granted his permission for you to re-produce this article should you so wish. However, it must be re-produced in full, including this resource box, with all links intact.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cliff_James

Home Recording Equipment

When it comes to home recording equipment what you get depends on your budget. I do however believe that equipment doesn't make the recording, the artist does. Moving forward with the mind set that most of you will have a budget and still want to make quality recordings we will continue. Home recording equipment can be as simple as a computer, recording software, audio interface, microphone and powered speakers. We will look deeper into these individual elements and understand the importance of them because once you understand what each piece of equipment does you can expand your equipment in your home music studio.

The computer serves as the central piece of equipment where everything will be connected to; a central machine where you can control all your equipment. The set up I recommend to get started requires a computer that has at least the minimum requirements recommended by the home recording software you have chosen. In my opinion for a home music studio the platform you choose whether PC or Mac doesn't play an enormous role, there are great products that support both platforms so don't let deciding on a platform derail you from things that are more important.

An audio interface is another piece of the home recording equipment that will be required in your signal flow. The audio interface serves the function of transforming an analague input, such as an instrument or microphone and transforming that input signal into a digital signal that a computer can understand. Vice Versa an audio interface will have outputs that you can connect your speakers so digital audio signal from the computer will be transformed into an analogue signal for your speakers to play. An external audio interface is extremely handy and is basically your sound card that connects via fire wire or usb to your computer. There is plenty of variety when it comes to picking an audio interface and it is important to pick one that will work best for what you want to record.

Your audio interface isn't much use until you get a microphone to hook into it. Microphones are very important tools and there are lots of different types at different price points. If you're choosing your very first microphone you need to think about what you plan on recording. There are microphones with different varieties of diaphragms, frequency responses, prices...etc. Read my article on microphones to learn more about microphones and microphone placement.

Last and maybe one of the most important pieces of home recording equipment is the speakers. There are powered speakers, which are speakers with amplifiers built into them which can be directly connected to an output channel. Un-powered speakers, which are speakers that just contain a speaker and a box and you can pick and choose an amplifier to connect to it. You see this type of speaker in car audio systems where you have a sub woofer connected to an amplifier separately. The main thing to keep in mind when choosing your speakers (monitors) for your home studio is actually the frequency response of the speakers and that they play back sound without any coloring of certain frequencies. In other words your monitors should have a flat frequency response and be powered so that it plays back sound as close to the original recording.

http://www.homemusicstudio.net http://www.homemusicstudio.net/category/home-recording-equipment Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Moe_Khajavi

TOP 1O MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN TRYING TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS

If you want to become successful in the music industry, there many things you need to know and do. But even if you get all that right, you can prevent yourself from reaching big success by making critical mistakes along the way (and there are many potential mistakes one could make, when not being careful). After coaching and mentoring many musicians and bands seeking a career in music, the same patterns of false assumptions, problems and mistakes appear over and over again. Here are the top 10.

Mistake #10 - Not having a compelling image that is congruent with your music. Most musicians (and bands) severely underestimate the importance of their image. Yes, music is about 'music', but music business success is about a total package that includes music, image and visual stage show among other things that need to be fully developed in a congruent way.

Mistake #9 - Trying to 'get your name out there'. Although this seems to be a main goal of most musicians and bands, it is the wrong approach to start with. Before trying to be seen and heard as much as possible, it is often more important to focus on 'converting' the people who hear and see you into becoming actual fans. This 'conversion' is the first key to your promotional success, NOT getting seen or heard as much as possible.

Mistake #8 - Believing that social media websites are the keys to online music promotion for musicians and bands. Social media websites are a tool. They are ONE piece of the online music marketing puzzle. Music industry companies (record labels, artist managers, booking agents, etc.) are far more interested in the popularity of YOUR website, not how many friends you have at MySpace, YouTube, Facebook or any other website that you do not own and control. Want to impress the industry with your band's promotion? Build your website traffic.

Mistake #7 - Not investing enough time into building your music career. Most musicians spend most of their time on music, but put very little effort into the many other critical elements needed to make it in the music business. If you are already a talented musician, you should invest at least 50% of your time into starting or advancing your music career. If you are still developing your musical skills, you should still invest around 25% of your 'music' time into building a future music career.

Mistake #6 - Surrounding yourself with people who are negative, lazy and lack ambition. If you are very serious about becoming a professional musician and building a great career in music, then you absolutely must surround yourself with like-minded musicians.

Mistake #5 - Having merely mediocre live performing skills. Many musicians, who are not yet in a good band, put off developing their live performing and stage presence skills. This is a big reason why talented musicians don't get into really good bands that they audition for. Your music may be good, but a live 'show' requires more than great music. If people only wanted to hear the music, they would listen to you at home. Both fans and record labels want (and expect) to see a REAL show. Neglecting this area results in talented musicians and bands becoming quickly forgotten.

Mistake #4 - Focusing on increasing the 'quantity' of fans instead of the 'intensity' of your fans. The 'number' of fans you have should always be your secondary focus (not your primary one) if you want to become successful in the music industry. The fact is, it is not the number of 'fans' that matters most, it's the number of FANATICS which will contribute more directly to your success (or lack of it). This is particularly true in the beginning of a band's music career. Focus more effort on converting your existing fans into raving fanatics. Learn to do this and the number of your overall fans will increase through powerful word of mouth.

Mistake #3 - Not enough cash flow to support your music career. Like it or not, it takes money to build a music career. Even if other people/companies are paying for your record, tour support, merchandise, etc. you still need to have the freedom to pursue opportunities as they come. Sadly, many musicians miss opportunities because they can't afford to take advantage of them.In addition to a decent income, you also need the flexibility of being able to take time away from that income source to go into the studio, go on tour, etc. That is why learning how to teach guitar is such a great way to achieve both if you learn how to become a highly successful guitar teacher.

Mistake #2 - Not enough depth in your music relationships. There's an old expression, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." In music this is often modified to, "It's not who you know, it's who knows you." The truth is, it's not about either. The most important aspect of connections within the music industry is how deep are the current relationships you have now and will develop in the future. You don't want to simply know people or be known, you want people who know you to have a real deep connection with you so that you are always on the top of their mind when opportunities present themselves. Ask yourself, "What can I do right now to deepen my existing relationships further on an ongoing basis?"

Mistake #1 - Having a fundamental misunderstanding about what record companies look for - and expect from new bands. This is a huge topic, but in a nutshell it's very useful to think of record companies like a bank that lends money to people or small businesses. Record companies make most of their decisions about whom they will work with and what the terms will be in much the same way that a bank will determine who they will loan money to and what the terms of the loan will be. Both record companies and banks basically want to see 3 things:

1. How much value do you bring to the deal right now.
2. How much risk do you bring with you right now.
3. How much potential value and risk might you bring to them in the future after they invest in you.

If you want to buy a house, the bank wants to know a lot about the specific house you want to buy and EVEN MORE about YOU. Record companies are the exact same, they want to know about your music, your talent and your band, but they also care as much (or more) about YOU (and your band mates) as people. What about YOU makes a record deal a good or bad investment for them.

To learn more about avoiding these big mistakes and building a successful music career, get my free music career tips.

About the author: Tom Hess is a highly successful guitar teacher, professional touring guitarist and recording artist. He mentors musicians online to develop their own professional music careers and provides free music career resources.

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