Frequently Asked Questions

This is a question that I am always asked. The answer is as usual... “It depends”.

In my experience much of the software commercially produced provides what I would call "core function" and, if you believe the marketing hype, “a load of features that you just could not live without.” However, my personal viewpoint is that the majority of these features are actually seldom used and this is more of a ploy from the companies to ensure a constant revenue stream.

If I take for example the Microsoft Office Suite, Excel spreadsheet. It provides the ability to produce extremely detailed and complex calculations. However, the majority of spreadsheets that I have encounter over the years only contain very basic calculations. Calculations that are no more complex than were being provided with similar products over 10 years ago.

Of course there are times when there is a definite need for a specific feature. However if you are able to identify that need you are also probably able to put a value on that need. This makes the decision much simpler – I need this for that and it will cost me £xx.

Along with this there could be compatibility concerns where you need to ensure that you can exchange files etc. or do I need to be seen to be using the latest software package.

So do I run out and get the latest must have. The short answer is NO. Before I make the commercial companies any richer and feed a few more shareholders while making myself poorer, I ask myself the following questions.

So the steps for me are:

1. Is there a problem with my current software?
2. Is there a specific feature that I must have?
3. Is there a suitable open source product that would meet my requirements?
4. Finally and only after the above have been exhausted I will look at the commercial options.

There is an Open source product called GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) that will provide some functionality for retouching and authoring images.
http://www.gimp.org/

Yes, colour is extremely important when conveying a visual message. There are aspects that you need to be aware of. Check out the following.

Psychological associations with common colours and The meaning of colour

Ken Burns was an American documentary maker who devised a technique of embedding still photographs into motion pictures and creating a sense of motion through slow zooming and panning effects, and fading transitions between the images. This is a useful technique and can be implemented into websites by using Adobe Flash application. However, it should be noted that undesirable effects can occur when moving images on a computer screen. This is due to the low resolution of most computer screens and the amount of time it can take to refresh large images. On large complex images it is possible to get a 'rough' transition when panning or zooming especially on lower specification hardware. The best effects are achieved when the image has been optimised for the web.

The answer is yes. It is even possible to have them communicate across different Browser widows.

Yes, colour is extremely important when conveying a visual message. There are aspects that you need to be aware of. Check out the following.

Psychological associations with common colours and The meaning of colour

Photoshop uses the foreground colour to paint, fill, and stroke selections and the background color to make gradient fills and fill in the erased areas of an image. The foreground and background colours are also used by some special effects filters.

You can designate a new foreground or background colour using the Eyedropper tool, the Colour panel, the Swatches panel, or the Adobe Colour Picker.

The default foreground colour is black, and the default background colour is white. (In an alpha channel, the default foreground is white, and the background is black.)

As we discussed during the classes, emitted colour (light emitted from a screen) is composed of different levels of Red, Green and Blue light to create the desired colour.

If all the colours are switched off there no light is emitted and therefore the screen will look Black. The level of black that will be seen here is a function of the equipment manufacturer. In most cases, even if the screen is switched off, this is a very dark Gray rather than pure Black, but for our purposes we will assume that this is black.

As I mentioned in class, there is 256 levels of each of the colour channels available. (255 + 0)

Red values can be …. 0 > 255

Green values……………… 0 > 255

Blue values ………………..0 > 255

Therefore Black would be Red=0, Green=0, Blue=0 Following this logic White would be Red=255, Green=255, Blue=255

If the ratio between all three colours is maintained as equal then it follows that you would produce a Gray scale.

i.e. Red=188, Green=188, Blue=188 would produce a light Gray while Red=40, Green=40, Blue=40 will produce a dark Gray.

These numbers can be entered manually in Photoshop if required.

This is a little more complex that I feel it should be. However, this is a function of the operating system and hardware.

If you are using a Windows system configured for the UK with a UK keyboard you will need to use the Character Map. This can be found in Widows at: All Programs > Accessories > System tools > Character Map.

You will need to select your text tool in Photoshop and then select and copy the specific character from the Character Map and paste it into you Photoshop text.

I have tried using the Keystroke option (e.g. alt + 0124 for the Latin Capital Letter O with Diaeresis) but this did not work in Photoshop.

There is an Open source product called GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) that will provide some functionality for retouching and authoring images.
http://www.gimp.org/

Yes, colour is extremely important when conveying a visual message. There are aspects that you need to be aware of. Check out the following.

Psychological associations with common colours and The meaning of colour

Yes, colour is extremely important when conveying a visual message. There are aspects that you need to be aware of. Check out the following.

Psychological associations with common colours and The meaning of colour

Ken Burns was an American documentary maker who devised a technique of embedding still photographs into motion pictures and creating a sense of motion through slow zooming and panning effects, and fading transitions between the images. This is a useful technique and can be implemented into websites by using Adobe Flash application. However, it should be noted that undesirable effects can occur when moving images on a computer screen. This is due to the low resolution of most computer screens and the amount of time it can take to refresh large images. On large complex images it is possible to get a 'rough' transition when panning or zooming especially on lower specification hardware. The best effects are achieved when the image has been optimised for the web.

This is a question that I am always asked. The answer is as usual... “It depends”.

In my experience much of the software commercially produced provides what I would call "core function" and, if you believe the marketing hype, “a load of features that you just could not live without.” However, my personal viewpoint is that the majority of these features are actually seldom used and this is more of a ploy from the companies to ensure a constant revenue stream.

If I take for example the Microsoft Office Suite, Excel spreadsheet. It provides the ability to produce extremely detailed and complex calculations. However, the majority of spreadsheets that I have encounter over the years only contain very basic calculations. Calculations that are no more complex than were being provided with similar products over 10 years ago.

Of course there are times when there is a definite need for a specific feature. However if you are able to identify that need you are also probably able to put a value on that need. This makes the decision much simpler – I need this for that and it will cost me £xx.

Along with this there could be compatibility concerns where you need to ensure that you can exchange files etc. or do I need to be seen to be using the latest software package.

So do I run out and get the latest must have. The short answer is NO. Before I make the commercial companies any richer and feed a few more shareholders while making myself poorer, I ask myself the following questions.

So the steps for me are:

1. Is there a problem with my current software?
2. Is there a specific feature that I must have?
3. Is there a suitable open source product that would meet my requirements?
4. Finally and only after the above have been exhausted I will look at the commercial options.

The answer is yes. It is even possible to have them communicate across different Browser widows.