Monday, 28 May 2012
An Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop: Part 2
An Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop: Part 2
Photoshop can be quite difficult, if you throw yourself at it without preparation. You’ve probably got no clue how everyone gets that wizardry done!
This guide starts right at the very bottom, assuming no knowledge at all, and walks you through all basic aspects in 30 illustrated pages.
The guide has two parts, each authored by different people. On this page you can download part 2, to download Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop part 1 go here.
Among other things it shows you how to cut out items, remove the background from the image, make an image black and white, adding a fake tattoo, whiten teeth with the dodge tool, remove red eyes and more.
Photoshop can be quite difficult, if you throw yourself at it without preparation. You’ve probably got no clue how everyone gets that wizardry done!
This guide starts right at the very bottom, assuming no knowledge at all, and walks you through all basic aspects in 30 illustrated pages.
The guide has two parts, each authored by different people. On this page you can download part 2, to download Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop part 1 go here.
Among other things it shows you how to cut out items, remove the background from the image, make an image black and white, adding a fake tattoo, whiten teeth with the dodge tool, remove red eyes and more.
Download Link (pdf)
The Essential Guide To Digital Photography
The Essential Guide To Digital Photography
You may think that picking up a digital camera, turning it on, and taking the photo is all that you need to know about digital photography. Think again, as there is a whole heap more to learn that you might not even realize.
MakeUseOf proudly presents this free 59 page guide. It’s jammed packed full of useful information for all type of photographers – from beginners to advance photographers.
Inside, you will find everything from what digital camera is right for you to features and settings that you should know about your camera.
There are also 5 beginner exercises for you to complete to help you become a professional photographer, and helpful instructions and information about editing your photo’s to make them even more magical.
You may think that picking up a digital camera, turning it on, and taking the photo is all that you need to know about digital photography. Think again, as there is a whole heap more to learn that you might not even realize.
MakeUseOf proudly presents this free 59 page guide. It’s jammed packed full of useful information for all type of photographers – from beginners to advance photographers.
Inside, you will find everything from what digital camera is right for you to features and settings that you should know about your camera.
There are also 5 beginner exercises for you to complete to help you become a professional photographer, and helpful instructions and information about editing your photo’s to make them even more magical.
Download Link (pdf)
New Life: Bring Old PC To Life With Ubuntu
New Life: Bring Old PC To Life With Ubuntu
Give an old computer a new life, using Ubuntu. It’s simple if you follow the instructions by author Stefan Neagu in this new guide. Outlining everything you need to know to get Ubuntu up and running on older computers, the latest free PDF manual from MakeUseOf isn’t one to be missed.
While striving to sell more and more products, marketing departments want us to believe that PCs, laptops and netbooks become obsolete after a couple of years, and not replacing them makes us luddites. It’s not true. Except for high-end gaming, a mid-level system bought in 2006 will provide enough functionality to get work done and have fun in 2011.
Word processing, Internet surfing, watching movies – either from DVDs or from your friends at the Pirate Bay – shouldn’t make your old system think twice, granted it is configured correctly, up-to-date and has a operating system that’s efficient, performance oriented, and free as in free beer and free speech.
This manual will show you how to:
Prepare to install Ubuntu by backing up old data
Installing Ubuntu on your old computer
Configuring Ubuntu to work for your needs
Using your old computer as a server
Configuring Ubuntu to work the way you want
Setting up educational software for kids
Like all MakeUseOf manuals, this is completely free.
It takes a lot of effort to produce such guide. Please share this page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon etc.
Give an old computer a new life, using Ubuntu. It’s simple if you follow the instructions by author Stefan Neagu in this new guide. Outlining everything you need to know to get Ubuntu up and running on older computers, the latest free PDF manual from MakeUseOf isn’t one to be missed.
While striving to sell more and more products, marketing departments want us to believe that PCs, laptops and netbooks become obsolete after a couple of years, and not replacing them makes us luddites. It’s not true. Except for high-end gaming, a mid-level system bought in 2006 will provide enough functionality to get work done and have fun in 2011.
Word processing, Internet surfing, watching movies – either from DVDs or from your friends at the Pirate Bay – shouldn’t make your old system think twice, granted it is configured correctly, up-to-date and has a operating system that’s efficient, performance oriented, and free as in free beer and free speech.
This manual will show you how to:
Prepare to install Ubuntu by backing up old data
Installing Ubuntu on your old computer
Configuring Ubuntu to work for your needs
Using your old computer as a server
Configuring Ubuntu to work the way you want
Setting up educational software for kids
Like all MakeUseOf manuals, this is completely free.
It takes a lot of effort to produce such guide. Please share this page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon etc.
Download Link (pdf)
Get Into Google+: A Guide For Everyone
Get Into Google+: A Guide For Everyone
Curious about Google+, but don’t know where or why to start? Check out “Get Into Google+: A Guide For Everyone”, the latest free guide from MakeUseOf. This guide, by author Maggie Marystone, teaches you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Google
Perhaps you were a founding member of MySpace. Maybe you’re a Facebook power user, or maybe you’ve just started to explore the world of social media. Either way, if you’re reading this guide, you have probably wondered, “Why should I sign up for Google+?”
The answer is simple: Google. You may have heard of them. Even if you already have other social networking accounts, you should sign up for Google+ simply because Google is going to be around for a very long time. It’s almost impossible to avoid using Google products in your online life. In December 2011, Google+ was averaging 625,000 new users every day, and Google predicts they will have 400 million users by the end of 2012. Google continues to connect their products in new, interesting and effective ways – Plus is at the center of that.
This manuals outlines what Google+ is, what it does and why you should learn to get the most of it.
This amazing free guide outlines everything:
Signing up for Google+
Creating, managing and using circles
Sharing and finding great content
How Google+ is built into Google’s famous search service
Managing your photos, including syncing your phone
Using hangouts to videochat with several friends at once
Advanced tricks to make your page as effective as possible
Download Link (pdf)
Set Up Your Blog With WordPress: The Ultimate Guide
Set Up Your Blog With WordPress: The Ultimate Guide
Want to start your own blog, but don’t know where to start? You should really look into WordPress, the simplest and most powerful blogging platform available today. Powering over 50% of all blogs, and more than a few other websites, WordPress makes the task of content-management easy for anyone.
Not sure where to get started, though? You should read “Set Up Your Blog With WordPress: Your Ultimate Guide” by author James Bruce. This manual outlines everything you need to know in order to set up a blog and turn it into a real success.
We try to only outline tools we think are useful. MakeUseOf itself runs on WordPress, so you know it’s a tool we believe in. We’re sharing a few of our secrets in this manual, so it’s absolutely not one you want to miss.
This ultimate guide will teach you:
What WordPress is, and why you should use it
Where to find hosting for your WordPress website
Key concepts in WordPress
Finding the theme that’s right for you
Blogging and editing content on your new blog
Basic WordPress SEO tips and tricks
Promoting your blog and finding readers
Making money from your blog
Backing up and recovering your WordPress site
Optimizing and scaling your site for high traffic
Want to start your own blog, but don’t know where to start? You should really look into WordPress, the simplest and most powerful blogging platform available today. Powering over 50% of all blogs, and more than a few other websites, WordPress makes the task of content-management easy for anyone.
Not sure where to get started, though? You should read “Set Up Your Blog With WordPress: Your Ultimate Guide” by author James Bruce. This manual outlines everything you need to know in order to set up a blog and turn it into a real success.
We try to only outline tools we think are useful. MakeUseOf itself runs on WordPress, so you know it’s a tool we believe in. We’re sharing a few of our secrets in this manual, so it’s absolutely not one you want to miss.
This ultimate guide will teach you:
What WordPress is, and why you should use it
Where to find hosting for your WordPress website
Key concepts in WordPress
Finding the theme that’s right for you
Blogging and editing content on your new blog
Basic WordPress SEO tips and tricks
Promoting your blog and finding readers
Making money from your blog
Backing up and recovering your WordPress site
Optimizing and scaling your site for high traffic
Download Link (pdf)
5 Ways To Give An Old Laptop A New Life
5 Ways To Give An Old Laptop A New Life
Computers seem to become slower as they age. Anyone who has kept a PC for more than three years has run into this issue. What once seemed quick begins to feel sluggish and ancient.
There are reasons for this. Operating systems tend to become more resource-hungry over time, hardware ages, and the exuberance felt during the first months of laptop ownership fades. This is why some people buy new laptops frequently, but there are ways to make an older model feel new again
Clean It
All computers acquire dust and dirt as they age. In a worst-case scenario your laptop can be slowly choked by invading particles. Internal temperatures rise, reducing the efficiency of your hardware. As the problem worsens some components may have to throttle their performance, slowing your laptop down.
Cleaning a laptop isn’t difficult. All laptops, even Apple’s unibody MacBooks, can have their internals accessed by removing the bottom panel. This usually requires that you take out a number of screws and then use a small, sharp object to pry the panel off.
Once inside, use a compressed air can to blow away dust, swab away dust in corners and fans with cotton Q-tips, and seal the unit back up. You may have to do this many times over the course of your laptop ownership, but it will keep your laptop running like new.
Re-Install Or Change The Operating System
Operating systems can go wonky over time. Ideally, you should be able to fix any problems by uninstalling software, deleting bad registry entries and the like. In reality, it seems like there is a point where this becomes futile or the effort required is less than reinstalling the operating system.
While you’re thinking about reinstalling the operating system you should also think about changing it. If you’re running an older version of Windows, particularly Vista, going to Windows 7 is worthwhile (though also expensive, and again, you may feel spending so much on an old laptop is unwise).
Or you can go the other direction and install an alternative operating system. Windows users are sometimes tempted to try OS X, but I don’t recommend it. Getting a Hackintosh to work is a real pain, OS X isn’t more forgiving to old hardware, and it’s not free.
Something Linux based is your best bet. Ubuntu is an old standby that is now quite mature. Lightweight versions of Linux are worth consideration if your laptop is over five years old. And don’t forget about Google Chrome OS, which can be installed on a broad range of hardware using the Lime build.
Install More RAM
RAM is the default hardware upgrade recommendation for old laptops, and for good reason. New operating systems often feel slow not because there’s insufficient processing power but instead because there’s insufficient memory.
This upgrade is also easy to recommend because it’s (usually) easy to install. Most PC laptops have a small panel, usually secured with one or two screws, that covers the RAM. Remove that panel and you can upgrade without disassembling the entire laptop. There may even be instructions in your laptop’s manual.
I recommend moving to 4GB of RAM (no more, no less). You should be able to buy this for between $60 and $80 dollars. Before making a purchase do some research in to the RAM your laptop needs or just look at the RAM currently installed. It’s usually labeled.
Buy A New Wireless Adapter
This is a frequently overlooked upgrade. If you have an older laptop it probably uses the 802.11g standard, and if it is really old, it may use 802.11a/b. These standards are inferior to the new 802.11n standard and upgrading will improve your web browsing experience.
You can buy an 802.11n USB 2.0 adapter for just $20 bucks. This is for a 150 Mbps version, which isn’t top-of-the-line, but is as fast as most users will need. Faster dual-band adapters cost a bit more on average, but are still reasonable.
A wireless router that can handle 802.11n will be required. Factor in the cost of a new router (about $50) if you don’t already have one that can support the standard.
Install A Solid State Drive
Hard drive speed is a common issue. Most laptops ship with 5400 RPM drives, which have a slow spindle speed and low data transfer rates. Worse, the cheap drives found in many laptops typically have lethargic access times. This can make it appear as if your computer is hanging or processing something when you open a new file. It’s often not the processor’s fault – it’s the hard drive, which is slowly swinging its mechanical read/write head and the disc into a position where the correct data can be read.
Solid state drives have no mechanical parts. Even those made a few years back had access times under ten milliseconds. Today, most SSDs have access times of just a couple milliseconds. Data transfer speeds are far better, as well, so large applications will load more quickly.
There’s only one problem, and that’s the price. A decent mid-range 128GB model, like the Crucial M4, is going to set you back $150 dollars. A 256GB model can be $300. This makes it the most expensive recommendation by far and some users may feel that they’re better off purchasing a new laptop instead of dropping so much money on one that’s out of date. Personally, I don’t recommend this upgrade for laptops that are over 3 years old.
Conclusion
The tips here can help put your laptop back on its feet. I suggest trying them in order. If you aren’t happy with cleaning the laptop, reinstall the operating system. And if that still feels sluggish, upgrade the RAM.
Do you have any tips that aren’t listed here? We’d love to know about them, so leave a comment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
