Noupe

35 Hot-Shot Photos With Perfect Timing

2010-03-17T10:21:45Z

The most hilarious and off-the-wall images are taken at the right time and right angle. But capturing these bizarre moments is not a piece of cake for many. Many times you have to wait hours to just take that perfect shot and only once in a while you get lucky enough to get your right shot actually right.

Today we present some of the beautiful photos shot at exactly the right moment.

35 Hot-Shot Photos With Perfect Timing

Funny Wedding Photo

Right Place Right Time

Get a Room

tender and sweet little kiss

The Halo Effect

That Must Have Been Some Kiss!

Oh how come she is more beautiful?

Pogo needs to go to rehab

WEDDING white heat BRIDE

It’s a miracle

Egg Thieves beware

Lord, can you hear me now?

Quite a funny joke

Cheeeeese

I’m The Urban Spaceman

Suicidal Slug

Valued exposure: Top dog

Going Nowhere Fast

Lara

100 Essential Web Development Tools

2010-03-16T10:21:25Z

By Neil Skirrow

As web technologies constantly advance, the skills a developer is expected to have are constantly increasing. Web users are beginning to expect Ajax interfaces, charts and graphs and a whole host of other tricks and features. This means web developers not only have to be skilled with HTML and a server-side programming language such as PHP or Perl, but they now also need to be JavaScript gurus, Flash experts, and skilled graphic designers.

When developing your applications, you simply can’t create every element yourself. A graph or mapping solution is an application in itself, so no single developer or small team can create such components while continuing development of the primary application. This means programmers have to use third-party solutions — and thankfully there are thousands of such solutions to make our lives as developers that little bit easier.

In an effort to save you a few hours crawling the web in search of the perfect third-party solution, we have compiled this list of essential development resources.

1. Functions and Classes

You can find a whole array of pre-made classes and functions to help save development time. A great resource directory for finding the perfect PHP classes is PHPClasses.org. For those of you who use Perl, you should be familiar with CPAN.

CAPTCHA

CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is the term used to describe the use of images which humans can identify, in order to ensure an automated bot/computer program isn’t accessing your application. The ideal use for this is in contact forms to ensure only humans can send messages — therefore eliminating automated spam and junk messages.

The following CAPTCHA systems can be easily integrated with your applications:

reCAPTCHA
One of the most popular CAPTCHA systems that helps to digitize books, newspapers and old time radio shows by using CAPTCHA inputs to help translate. There is also a Perl module available for reCAPTCHA.

Securimage
Securimage is a free open-source PHP CAPTCHA script for generating complex images and CAPTCHA codes.

freeCap
A GPL CAPTCHA script to stop spam.
HN CAPTCHA
A CAPTCHA script written in PHP, licensed under LGPL.

Date Manipulation

Manipulating dates in your applications can be a time-consuming process. PHP and Perl include numerous functions for automating the process, but often don’t offer all the required functions.

The following date manipulation functions can be easily integrated with your applications:

PEAR Date
Generic PHP classes for representation and manipulation of dates, times, and time zones without the need for timestamps.
Date Class
This PHP class allows you to add or subtract periods from dates, and calculate the difference between two dates.
Date manipulation in PHP
A PHP tutorial on PHPBuilder.com, guiding you through a number of common date manipulation processes.
Date::Calc Perl Module
A powerful Perl module for date calculations based on the Gregorian calendar.

Image Manipulation

Manipulating images is a common requirement. Whether you want to resize your images while maintaining aspect ratios, or add watermarks, the process can be entirely automated using a server-side language like PHP or Perl.

Image Manipulation Class
Resize, flip and rotate images in PHP.
PHP Thumbnailer
A lightweight image thumbnail tool.
PHP GD
GD is a powerful image manipulation library.
Perl GD
GD image manipulation module for Perl.

Form Validation

Form validation is critical to ensure users enter form information in a suitable format, and is especially important to protect your application against attacks.

validaForms
A PHP form validation class.
User Input Validation Class
A basic PHP validation class for user input.
Validate Form Fields Script
A basic PHP script for form validation.
WWW::FieldValidator
A simple Perl form validation module.

Password Validation

Password validation is important to ensure your users choose passwords that offer an adequate level of security to prevent their accounts from being compromised.

Strength Test
A useful PHP function for password strength testing.

Password Checker
A PHP class for generating and testing the strength of passwords.
Data::Password::Check
A useful Perl module for password checking.

2. Ajax and JavaScript

Ajax is a web methodology that uses JavaScript to make HTTP connections to retrieve and process data for the purpose of dynamically updating the content of a static web page. Ajax enables you to update content within a web page without reloading the entire page, thus reducing load times and server loads, making your web pages more interactive and intuitive. A great resource for Ajax tools is MiniAjax.

Auto Suggest

Auto suggest or autocomplete tools are usually applied to text inputs like search fields. When a user begins their input, the input field shows a list of options that match what they have entered so far. This enables users to enter their input more quickly, and can also help them enter terms that match search data that are more likely to return relevant results.

Facebook-Style Autosuggest
A great Facebook-style auto suggest tool which supports multiple selections.

Autosuggest / Autocomplete with Ajax
A great auto suggestion tool which can use XML or JSON data sources.

Ajax.Autocompleter
A very flexible autocomplete powered by script.aculo.us.
Adobe Labs Spry Auto Suggest
A useful autosuggest tool provided by Adobe Labs.
Google Suggest Style Filter
An autocomplete data filtering tool.

Calendars

Ajax calendars are extremely useful when you need your users to enter a date. They reduce confusion over date formats, and enable users to easily find the date they are looking for rather than typing a date format string.

Vista-Like Ajax Calendar
A great Ajax calendar that uses Mootools.

JS Calendar in DHTML Suite
A powerful calendar tool that supports features like multiple connected calendars.

AJAX Calendar with PHP and MySQL
An open source Ajax calendar tool.
Super AJAX Calendar
A PHP and mySQL Ajax calendar.
dhtmlxScheduler
A powerful events calendar and scheduler.

Sliders

Ajax sliders enable users to use an interactive draggable element to select values. These are very useful for features like colour pickers as they enable users to ’slide’ through a range of colours to select the one they want.

Accessible Slider
A well-coded and nicely-designed slider tool that features range sliders.

Phatfusion Slider
An Ajax slider tool with a “snap to steps” feature.

AJAXEngine Sliders
Sliders that are part of the AJAXEngine project.
Slider Using PHP, Ajax And Javascript
A basic, but useful, Ajax slider tool.
WebFX Slider
A simple slider tool licensed under Apache Software License 2.0.

Data Grids

Ajax data grids enable you to display data in a table, but with the benefit of features like column sorting and pages without the need to reload the entire page.

Grid3
A useful data grid tool which is part of the Ext JS library.

dhtmlxGrid
A powerful data grid tool that includes column sorting and search functionality.

Unobtrusive Table Sort Script
A data grid tool that includes multiple column sorting.
AJAX Data Listings Engine
A powerful open source PHP data grid tool for use with mySQL.
TableKit
A data grid tool based on the Prototype JavaScript framework that features field editing.

Draggable Content

Ajax-based draggable content features can be very useful when used appropriately. Such tools enable users to reorganize a page to suit their needs, and can also serve as a basis for an interactive feature like a shopping basket.

Draggable Content Scripts
dhtmlgoodies.com provides numerous draggable content scripts, including an image cropping tool and a sortable list script.

DragResize
A great tool for draggable content with resize functionality.

Drag & Drop Sortable Lists
A simple tool for creating sortable lists.
Scriptaculous Draggable
A powerful draggable content tool which is part of the script.aculo.us framework.

Image Enlarging

Image enlarging scripts, similar to JavaScript light boxes, enable the user to enlarge or zoom in on an image chosen from a set of thumbnail images.

Highslide JS
A great tool for managing image enlarging and modal windows.

FancyZoom
A useful JavaScript image zoom tool.

TJPzoom 3
A great image magnifying tool.
Ajax Script To Scale Images
A basic script for showing enlarged versions of thumbnails.

Galleries and Slideshows

Image galleries are very useful when you have a collection of images to show, they allow users to easily browse your images, and features like slideshows allow users to sit back and enjoy watching your images.

minishowcase
A simple Ajax/JSON image gallery.

Animated JavaScript Slideshow
A very lightweight JavaScript slideshow with animated captions.

Hoverbox Image Gallery
A simple gallery with mouse-over image viewing.
TripTracker
A lightweight image viewer with slideshow.
Agile Gallery (Ajax Version)
A simple image gallery tool.

Star Ratings

Star rating scripts allow users to rate items through an intuitive and attractive interface, which is an improvement over typical drop-down menus or radio buttons.

Starbox
A flexible star rating system using Prototype.

Unobtrusive AJAX Star Rating Bar
A useful PHP star rating tool.

CSS: Star Rater Ajax Version
A simple Ajax star rating tool.

Colour Pickers

If you want to let users choose colours in your application, it’s better to present them with an interface rather than asking them to enter a HEX code. Colour pickers allow users to choose colours from a colour palette which then generates a HEX code for use in your HTML.

jscolor
A simple pop-up colour picker.

JavaScript Color Picker
A colour picker that handles RGB, HSL, and Hexadecimal values.

Tigra Color Picker
A very basic colour picker.
Photoshop-like JavaScript Color Picker
A colour picker that includes hue and saturation options.
ColorPicker – jQuery Plugin
A jQuery colour picker plugin with multiple display options.
DHTML Color Picker
A well designed colour picker.

Progress Bars

Progress bars are very useful when handling user uploads or pages which can be slow to load; they keep the user informed that progress is being made and that the page is loading.

jsProgressBarHandler
A flexible and well designed progress bar tool.

YUI Loading Panel Widget
An attractive loading bar tool.

Simple Javascript Progress Bar with CSS
A simple, but useful, progress bar tool.
Uploadify
A jQuery-based file upload tool with progress bar.

3. APIs

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of program functions which can be accessed by another application. One example is a currency conversion API that retrieves currency conversion data by allowing the user to enter a base currency, an amount, and the desired result currency, which returns a result via the API.

Alexa Top Sites
This API provides access to lists of web sites ordered by Alexa Traffic Rank.
bit.ly API
A useful API for the bit.ly URL shortening service.
Blinksale API
Enables you to access Blinksale data such as invoices and customer data.
FoXRate
A basic currency conversion API.
eBay API
eBay’s API which allows you to submit items to be listed and obtain listing data.
Twitter API
The Twitter API allows you to have access to Twitter data, including user and status information.

4. IP Locations

Finding out where your visitors are located can be valuable from a development standpoint. It can help you understand your visitors so you can design your site to better suit their needs. IP location information can help you determine where a user is located, enabling you to display content in the their language. You can also optionally customize other information such as currencies and shipping costs.

OpenCrypt IP Location API
A hosted API service for determining user location by country.

IP Details
A PHP class for determining geographical locations based on IP address.
GEO-IP
A free IP to country database.

5. Charts and Graphs

Charts and graphs enable you to display complex data visually. This is useful for example when trying to determine information like daily pageview counts from detailed statistical logs, enabling the user to immediately see how the data varies over a period of time.

amCharts
A powerful Flash charts tool which supports 3D charts and the ability to combine different graphs.

FusionCharts
A well designed and stylish 3D charts tool.

XML/SWF Charts
A highly customizable Flash charts tool.
JFreeChart
A free Java-based charting tool.
pChart
A powerful PHP class for building attractive charts.

6. Maps

Once you are using IP location tools like those listed above, you will have a collection of user location data. What better way to display it than with an interactive map. Interactive maps are also useful for understanding user location data such as sales information, for example, when you receive delivery and billing address info from a user.

amMap
An interactive mapping tool which includes drill-down functionality.

Google Charts API
A great mapping tool, though limited to a small map size.

Flashmaps
A great collection of different Flash mapping tools.

7. Audio Players

When used well, playing audio on your web site can be a great way of setting a mood or getting a message across.

XSPF Web Music Player
A Flash-based open source audio player which includes playlist support.

Flash MP3 Player
A free PHP and Flash MP3 player.

TSPlayer
A Flash-based skinnable MP3 audio player.
E-Phonic MP3 Player
A lightweight skinnable MP3 audio player with real-time visualization effects.

8. Video Players

Video content is now becoming a standard, but getting the right video player is very important. Video content is the ideal, and often expected tool for promotion, so getting a player which suits your site and needs is now a critical design and development choice.

OS FLV
An open source and well featured Flash video player.

Flowplayer
A full-featured and highly customizable Flash video player.

JW FLV Media Player
A very powerful and flexible Flash video player.
FLV Player
A stylish and customizable Flash video player.

9. Video Conversion

Video conversion/encoding can be a tricky business. Videos can be in a wide range of formats but most players only support a handful of those. If you don’t have a server which supports ffmpeg, converting videos to a format suitable for your player is usually an offline and manual task.

OpenCrypt Video Conversion API
A powerful video conversion API for generating FLV video files.
Hey!Watch
An online video encoding platform.
Online FLV Converter
An online FLV video converter.
FlashVideo Module API
A Flash video encoding API targeted to the Drupal community.

10. WYSIWYG Editors

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors enable you to offer an HTML editor when users enter information, for example, in content management systems, or for entering comments or reviews. These editors enable users to style and format data without the need to understand HTML.

TinyMCE
A lightweight yet powerful JavaScript WYSIWYG editor.

XINHA
A fully featured and open source WYSIWYG editor.

NicEdit
A simple and lightweight WYSIWYG editor.
openWYSIWYG
An open source, cross-browser WYSIWYG editor.
CKEditor
A well designed and feature-rich WYSIWYG editor.

About the author

Neil Skirrow is a professional web developer with over 14 years programming experience and is the Managing Director of ionix Limited, a UK software development company that develops the OpenCrypt Membership Software.

(ll)

Photoshop Plugins: 3D and Beauty

2010-03-15T16:07:19Z

Over the last years Adobe Photoshop’s developers have been integrating some powerful 3D tools. Many of them require you to import a model from a 3D software or to gain profound knowledge of the software and its terminology. If you wish to move forward a little faster, then take a look at the following plugins.

Swift 3D PS

Manufacturer: Electric Rain
Web: www.erain.com
Price: $149.00
Target group: Pros
Compatibility: Photoshop CS4 Extended 11.0.1
File size: 46.5MB

After installation of Swift 3D you will probably go to the filters item and look for the plug-in. But in this new version, everything is different: You have to open the Swift 3D PS plug-in by clicking on Windows > Extensions >Swift 3D PS. A window will pop up that can be moved to the other palettes at the right-hand side of your desktop in order to allow a seamless integration with Photoshop.

The basic functionalities include both text input and the creation and modification of basic shapes, such as spheres, dice or pyramids. If you go down, you can also select a material, such as a bitmap graphic or a certain glossy color. In this place you have the option to modify the light atmosphere or you simply open a finished object from the model libraries. The plug-in features numerous helpful settings and preferences. You will even be able to create simple animations. The import of Illustrator or Flash helps you to benefit from a fluid workflow even between different software components.

AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.2

Manufacturer: AV Bros.
Web: www.avbros.com
Price: $79.00
Target group: Newbies
Compatibility: Photoshop as of CS3
File size: 3.1MB

The Page Curl Pro plug-in helps you to create page curling and folding effects. At the first glance this does not seem to be of any interest, but this plug-in is the leading filter plug-in in its area of activity. This becomes evident when you see the results: You can turn pages, create folded flyers, or slightly bend a sheet of paper. Thanks to the various possibilities offered by this plug-in, you will be able to achieve your goal quickly.

First of all, select either Curl (to obtain a curling page effect) or Fold (to obtain a folding page effect). Then, use the controllers to adjust the position, orientation, strength and distortion. You can even modify the back of the sheet (color or photo) as well as the opacity and the limitation according to your own requirements. You can separately open further palettes in order to change the light atmosphere, to adjust the position within the 3D space or to texturize the surfaces of the pages using a Bump Map.

3D Invigorator

Manufacturer: digital anarchy
Web: www.digitalanarchy.com
Price: $199.00
Target group: Pros
Compatibility: Photoshop as of CS
File size: 11.5MB

The 3D Invigorator plug-in for Photoshop allows you to create 3D objects from an Illustrator file, a text or a basic shape. In order to ensure a smooth workflow, the plug-in takes advantage from non-destructive features such as smart objects and smart filters. When you’re finished designing the 3D object you can select from different rendering styles. You are thus able to create many different styles.

Once you’ve finished your 3D objects, you can rotate them and move them to any point in the 3D space. Another highlight of this plug-in is the option to create different lights and textures or to select them from the material swatches. The user interface has been designed highly intuitive and user-friendly. It allows moving the camera and the light source with the mouse. You will thus not need to enter any numeric data anymore.

3D Maker and 3D Shadow

Manufacturer: Lokas Software
Web: www.artistic-effects.com
Price: $19.95 / Freeware
Target group: Newbies
Compatibility: Photoshop as of CS
File size: 510KB/450KB

3D Maker allows you to create 3D graphical elements out of 2D drawings. The 3D effect is created using pixels from other parts of the graphic. The X and Y axle controls are fully configurable and allow you to turn the object according to your needs. If it’s too big, the zoom function helps you to adjust the size. If the border should be thicker, you can adjust this via the Depth value. And if you prefer to create a comic-style instead of a photorealistic graphic you can simply deactivate the Lightning button. Furthermore, the add-on allows you to move the light source, to reduce the strength or to modify the colors of shadows and lights.

3D Shadow is the perfect tool to create drop shadows that are difficult to create with Photoshop. Although there’s Drop Shadow in the Photoshop layer styles, you will be deceived by the limited possibilities offered therein. Not so with the 3D Shadow plug-in: Apart from the blurring effects, the visibility and the distances, you can also determine the X, Y and Z axles as well as the perspectives and two offset values.

3D Sphere Pro

Manufacturer: Richard Rosenman
Web: www.richardrosenman.com
Price: $29.99
Target group: Pros
Compatibility: Photoshop as of CS
File size: 497KB

The 3D Sphere Pro plug-in by Richard Rosenman allows you to create 3D spheres, such as planets, offering fully customizable form, rendering, transparency, masking and lighting properties. Once you have created your 3D object you can cover it with a color or a texture. But first of all, you have to use the ellipse button in order to transform the sphere into an ellipsoid or to modify its height using the Cone/Flat option.

Using the rendering option you can apply 60 methods in order to assign two colors to the object. Doing this, you can slightly adjust, move or rotate the size of your texture. You can also select a background color. The plug in provides you with 30 preset lighting options which makes this app even more complex

Craquelure 3D and Jama 3D

Manufacturer: Redfield Plugins
Web: www.redfieldplugins.com
Price: Freeware
Target group: Newbies
Compatibility: Photoshop as of CS
File size: 473KB

Craquelure 3D allows you to apply craquelure effects to 2D surfaces, thus creating a unique 3D effect. Two independent craquelure layers can be combined in order to achieve amazing effects. For each layer, a settings generator is provided that allows you to control the number, size, the angle and the shape. Each layer has its own Bump Map. You can perspectively distort the image using the Angle option. This even enhances the 3D effect. A Refraction as well as a Frequency option with a direct influence on the craquelures are available. And let me give you a word of advice: If you want to achieve a realistic outcome, adjust the Brightness control to a low setting.

Jama 3D also creates folding effects. These effects, however, are different from those created with Page Curl Pro or other plug ins. First of all, you adjust the direction and the strength of distortion using the hash. A controller allows you to perspectively distort a layer and to influence the light, saturation and brightness. The height of the folds is largely dependent on the direction of the shadow.

Further Resources

Google’s 3D gallery

Manufacturer: Google
Web: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse

The Google 3D gallery, better known as Google 3D warehouse, is a free online repository for 3D models. Here you can share your model with other users and you can collaborate on other models, such as buildings, plants or everyday objects.

DAZ 3D

Manufacturer: DAZ
Web: http://www.daz3d.com/I/3d-models

DAZ 3D does not only provide you with a lively community and a 3D software, but also with some free or very cheap 3D models and add-ons which help you to achieve even better results. The different models also include hair, motions and poses, themes and many more…

Beauty Plugins and Software

Smoothing skin, making a nose smaller, brightening teeth – anyone who already had the opportunity to retouch photos in Photoshop knows that this can take up a lot of time. This software and plug-ins can help and save a lot of time.

Kodak Digital GEM Airbrush

Manufacturer: Kodak
Web: www.asf.com
Price: $79.60
Compatibility: Photoshop 5 up to CS4, Elements 1 to 4
File size: 6.6MB

No need for time-consuming masking and manual softening: The Gem Airbrush plug-in provided by Kodak automatically reduces small wrinkles and slightly smoothens the skin. The application recognizes harsh shadows and highlights and at the same time fully preserves details like fine hair. Therefore, it can also be used to reduce freckles and spots. Several control sliders allow you to customize the smoothing effects and intensity amounts at three levels of detail: fine, medium, and coarse. An interesting feature is the detail view located right next to the Before and After options.

CleanSkinFX

Manufacturer: Media Chance
Web: www.mediachance.com
Price: Freeware
Compatibility: – (stand alone)
File size: 523KB

CleanSkinFX is another application which can be operated without Photoshop. It automatically smoothes the skin of the object while preserving all the details and crispness of hair or the background. The Double Clean option creates a heavy retouched portrait and the Enhance pink option gently improves skin tones and also makes red spots on the skin less visible. Before and after images allow you to compare your reworked photo with the original. Although the interface is really simplistic and does not offer any options for adjustments the results obtained with this freeware are quite acceptable.

Portraiture

Manufacturer: Imagenomic
Web: www.imagenomic.com
Price: $199.95
Compatibility: Photoshop CS2 to CS4, Elements 4 to 7
File size: 3.6MB

Portraiture provides a powerful skin tone masking tool which allows you to smooth the skin tones without affecting any other areas of the image. All other structures maintain their sharpness. And if you are in a great hurry, then use the auto-mask feature. Numerous settings with auspicious names such as enhance: glamour or smoothing: medium invite you to try the functions and improve your images. If you want to further fine-tune the results, you can create the most optimal skin tones and smoothness manually. You can save your own settings and use them later on for similar photos. Portraiture is not only available for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements but also for Aperture.

ImageDoctor

Manufacturer: Alien Skin
Web: www.alienskin.com
Price: $199.00
Compatibility: Photoshop CS2 to CS4, Elements 5 or later
File size: 5.9MB

ImageDoctor by Alien Skin is another Photoshop plug-in that smoothes the skin. Select an area of the photo and use the Blemish Concealer to remove pimples and other blemishes. Although you can only change the strength and size of your selection, you will definitely obtain a smoother skin: The skin softener allows you to reduce pores. Smart Fill helps you to replaces undesired areas of a photo with an intelligent sampling of the nearby background pattern. Furthermore, the app offers you the option to remove dust and scratches and to repair JPEGs.

iCorrect

Manufacturer: PictoColor Software
Web: www.pictocolor.com
Price: $99.95
Compatibility: Photoshop CS2 to CS4, Elements 4 to 6
File size: 2.6MB

iCorrect allows you to instantly correct the white balance, exposure, and skin tone of any portrait. First of all, click on the black and white areas of the photos in order to set the white balance. Afterwards, control the brightness and contrast and last but not least adjust the colors. Skin tones play a crucial role for these steps as they should be natural and balanced. Once you have determined the perfect settings you have the opportunity to save them as Custom Settings in iCorrect. This is especially important if you want to edit a whole series of photos, such as wedding photos. The traditional problems caused by the heavy contrast of the bride’s white dress can thus easily be solved. The point-and-click interface is self-explanatory.

FaceFilter Studio

Manufacturer: Reallusion
Web: www.reallusion.com
Price: $59.95
Compatibility: Photoshop CS to CS4,
File size: 6.5MB

FaceFilter makes people smile. In Photoshop you can create the same effect using the Liquify filter or the Warp transformation. FaceFilter goes one step further. You can change and enhance whole facial expressions, open and widen eyes or adjust head proportions. Furthermore, the app provides you with the option to adjust skin tones and remove oily reflections. If you want to change the shape of the face you will have to set some markers onto the face, adjust the skin tone, if necessary, and select an expression such as Smile, Slim or Cool. If you want to create an unusual image, then apply some fun tricks to your photo. This category also provides you with unrealistic shapes such as Alien.

Face Control

Manufacturer: Redfield Plugins
Web: www.redfieldplugins.com
Price: Freeware
Compatibility: Photoshop 7 to CS4,
File size: 9.3MB

The Face Control is another plug-in that allows you to change facial expressions of people in digital photos. As you can read on the website, human, animal, alien, or any other faces are welcome to test the advantages of this software. This very easy-to-use freeware program provides one single slider control: If you move the slider to the left, the eyes become smaller and the face becomes bigger. If it is moved to the right the result evokes the image of a small child with huge eyes and a special head shape. Despite this simple control unit, the plug-in offers a very high quality.

PortraitProfessional 9

More than just a simple enhancing software

Portrait Professional by Anthropics Technology is a real specialist application that has been trained in human beauty. It allows you to easily remove red eyes, brighten teeth and eyes or reduce wrinkles. You might think that Photoshop offers you the same opportunities. Well, this is true, but if you wish to remove grease, sweat or unsightly shine from the skin or to adjust the lighting on the face in order to optimize the skin tone, you will be happy about the options offered by PortraitProfessional. These features also include options to remove pimples and other skin blemishes, to smooth and color hair and to change the eye color.

Manufacturer: Anthropics Technology Ltd.
Web: www.portraitprofessional.com
Price: $69.95
Compatibility: Photoshop as of CS (and stand alone)
File size: 29.3MB

Having all these features in mind, you could think this piece of software is an almighty application. And in fact, it is. But the above mentioned features are not enough: You also have different options to re-sculpt the subject’s face. You may think that it is a bit too much to change the whole character of the model. But, please, feel reassured: If you only enhance subtle features of the image, you just slightly enhance the appearance. Once you are satisfied with your settings, you can save and them for other images.

01 Load the image
Once you’ve opened the PortraitProfessional software, you simply click at the big start button and select a portrait you want to enhance. In order to assist the software, you will have to determine whether the model in the photo is male or female. To do this, you will only need to click at one of the two examples. Additionally, you can modify the orientation of the image and rotate it. Afterwards, the next stop will appear automatically.

02 Set markers
As PortraitProfessional is not able to automatically determine the most important characteristics of the face, you will have to set some markers around the eyes, the tip of the nose and the mouth. Once you’ve finished this rough selection, you will have to set more precise markers by contouring eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth. Furthermore, you contour the pupils and the shape of the face. As the software provides you with step-by-step instructions, this is much easier and faster as you might think.

03 Adaptation
The sliders on the right-hand side allow you to adjust the image according to your requirements. Try one or more saved slider instructions, such as remove wrinkles, or chose one of the preset eye colors in order to obtain a serious expression. You will achieve more targeted results using the face optimization controls. If you do not want to change the character of the model please adjust the shape of the face very carefully only. To widen the eyes, simply click at the eyes button.

04 Adjusting details
The skin control allows you to remove pores, shadows and wrinkles. You can also slightly tan the skin or reduce the oily appearance. The retouch and skin selection brushes help you to obtain maximum results. Eyes are a very important feature for portraits. In order to obtain more intensive eyes you should brighten the eye color, sharpen the eyes and adjust the colors. You can virtually apply lipstick and create shiny hair by marking these areas using a brush.

The Importance Of Customer Service To Your Freelance Business

2010-03-12T12:11:15Z

By Robert Bowen

Once upon a time, when the Internet was dialed-up and 36,600 KBPS was like lightning, I was living in a small town working for a computer retailer and Internet service provider. My boss at the time was… well, let’s just say that customer service was not his priority. Not only would he berate and verbally assault almost every customer who happened to cross his path when he was frustrated by a computer repair, but his relentless tirades caused customers to leave either in tears or on the verge of them.

I wondered during my four-year stint, attempting to clean up the customer service messes he left in his wake, how he managed to stay in business in the years before and since my employment. And the answer was simple: he was a big fish in a tiny pond.

In a town of 18,000 residents, there were only three computer retailers that had qualified technicians who could handle in-house repairs. He was one of them. But as web freelancers, we are swimming in an ocean that is teeming with qualified fish, all waiting for a hook from clients. So, we have to pay special attention to the customer-relations part of our business if we want to build and maintain our client list. The problem is that many of us have spent most of our time throughout the years working for someone else, possibly far from the reach of our employer’s customers. So, our customer service skills may be rusty, or even non-existent.

Also consider our previous articles:

Does It Really Matter?

Meager people skills and miniscule patience make some of us a business hazard when interacting with clients. Some people may not believe that this could be explosive to a freelancer’s reputation, but according to a 2009 online survey by Tealeaf, there is cause for concern:

The survey results also show that online adults are increasingly turning to social media to share their online experiences with others, while simultaneously becoming less likely to alert a company directly—a shift in consumer behavior which extends the business impact of customer experience issues beyond any single transaction.

Given this trend among consumers, we can assume that the same would hold true for our freelance clients, and that the impact of the customer’s experience will be felt long after the experience concludes. This makes it evermore critical for us to maintain as much control as possible over what that impact is, negative or positive.

This is important for freelancers adrift in the design and development ocean, where even the biggest among us still look small compared to the agency sharks that we compete with for work. If a client leaves with a bad taste in their mouth and decides to portray our business in an unflattering light, we have fewer resources than those sharks to seek out and address these word-of-mouth reviews in social media. Bigger businesses have more time, tools and employees to scour social media outlets for mentions of their companies and to rectify complaints.

This was demonstrated to me recently when we awoke to find our Internet access down. After the standard panic and resetting of system, router and modem, we determined that the problem did not stem from our end but rather from our provider’s. Suddenly, we realized that, without a phone book in the building or access to the Internet or to our invoices (which we receive by email, doing what we can to be as paperless as possible), we did not have the phone number of our provider anywhere in the house. After a frustrating hour, we were finally back online and a bit steamed from our time off from being connected. Did we then contact the provider to vent or inquire about the problem? No. We did what Tealeaf’s survey predicted we’d do: we turned to Twitter.

Having mentioned the company by name on Twitter, we were easy to find. Almost immediately, our provider read what we had to say and responded to us on this social media outlet, making sure we were not experiencing any more problems with connectivity. Overall, it made for an interesting lesson in customer service, and it showed where we as small fish might be missing opportunities to nip bad word of mouth in the bud before it spreads into viral gospel. As freelancers who wear every hat in the business ourselves, our time is limited, so we cannot stay on top of every mention of our business out there.

“The number of consumers who contact a company directly in response to online transaction issues declined:
26% of online adults who experience problems conducting online transactions then posted complaints on a company’s Website in 2009, versus 32% in 2008.
38% of all online adults contacted a company’s call center after encountering problems using the Website in 2009, versus 47% in 2008.”
(Excerpt from Tealeaf survey)

The survey also reports that more than half of adults who spend time online have been influenced by social media in their consumer choices, which reinforces the importance of customer service to the health and growth of our freelancing businesses. A first impression no longer carries as much weight as it once did; each interaction with our clients bears as much on our business as another. We may think that as long as our business dealings end on a high note, that the rocky road that led there will not play a factor in the success of our freelancing career. A 2007 study released by Harris Interactive says different, suggesting that each dealing with our clients needs to be handled with care:

The study reported that 80% of 2,049 US adults surveyed decided never to go back to a business/organization after a bad customer service experience. The study clearly indicates that an organization’s customer service level is a defining factor that will make or break a company… Consumers have increasingly higher expectations of businesses and are willing to walk away quickly from a majority of businesses if those expectations are not met.

The data shows that each and every interaction we have with a client is an opportunity to improve our business standing. because consumers are quicker to go elsewhere after a negative interaction. Even if our strengths do not lie in customer service, we need to ensure that each experience, whenever it occurs during the course of a project, is an agreeable one. Again, as freelancers, we have to deal with our clients at every stage of the project, and so we have to address not only the requirements of the project, but also any customer service issues that may arise in the process.

What We Can Do?

We can do several things to improve our chances of getting positive results from all of our customer interactions. Of course, no one is guaranteed to satisfy all of their clients’ needs and expectations 100% of the time, but we can take steps in the right direction. It starts with taking as much responsibility as we can for the impressions we leave with our customers.

Be Friendly

This one almost goes without saying, but it should be considered from another perspective. Given that the majority of our interactions with our clients might be online, we need to remember that tone and intent does not always translate well to this medium. So, read through your communications to catch anything that may come off negatively. We always want to be aware of the impression we’re making in these seemingly minor moments. As shown before, the weight of an experience is felt long after the moment has passed.

Be Patient

Remember that your client probably does not share your level of expertise in your field. Their questions may not be clear and their feedback not as constructive as it needs to be. Put yourself in their position and be as patient as you would want someone else to be with you. Even if patience is not your strong suit, your customers want to feel that you are listening to and considering their opinions. If you switch off because they cannot communicate with you in your mode of parlance or you dismiss their feedback because they don’t know as much as you do, you will be hurting your business more than your client.

Be Accessible

Another thing that frustrates clients is lacking access to you when they need it most. As freelancers, we pride ourselves on our flexibility and being able to set our own hours. But we have to respect the hours during which our clients work, too, and make ourselves available at those times, so that they are able to share ideas and discuss progress in a back-and-forth conversation. One-sided conversations can easily be misinterpreted without further explanation and just delay the client from achieving their goal.

Be Informative

One of the things Aaron Irizarry said in a recent videocast stuck out. He advised us to mind the skill gap between us and clients and to bridge these informational gaps whenever possible. Help them understand our processes and the reasons for the decisions we make. This gives them more faith in following our advice and increases the chances that they will return as clients.

Keep Track and Get Back

When I mentioned that larger firms have more resources to invest in the customer service outlets that are available to all of us, I didn’t mean that we shouldn’t use those outlets at all. Take advantage of them to track what is said about your skills, or lack thereof, and respond accordingly. You may not be able to respond immediately, but do it when you can. If you find a criticism, consider the points they raise and address them thoughtfully, not dismissively. If they praise you, be gracious and return the gesture in kind.

Be Proactive With Mistakes

As I said in Critical Mistakes Freelancers Make, we are all human, and mistakes happen. Don’t shy away from them or, worse, neglect to acknowledge them at all. Own up to them. This is a time to shine by proactively addressing mistakes before they become an issue that the client feels compelled to bring to your (and other people’s) attention. You’ll show your commitment to the client and project, and it will speak volumes about your character. By owning up to our mistakes, we show pride in our work, and more often than not the client will understand and forgive us.

Go Above and Beyond

Doing all of the above usually puts you in the “above and beyond” category, but you could always push your freelancing business over the top by over-delivering. By giving your client more than they have asked for, you further demonstrate your commitment to making them happy and your pride in your performance. This can be as simple as addressing customer service concerns positively and proactively. It also encourages your clients to come back to you time and again.

Further Resources

Thanks for taking the time to read through the post! Below are a few links to further the discussion of the importance of customer service to your freelancing career. Check them out for a more thorough look at what this topic means for freelancers.

How to Handle a Missed Deadline
This wonderful post on Freelance Switch offers some really useful advice to freelancers on how to deal with missing a deadline.
How To Keep Mistakes From Ruining Your Freelance Career
This is a great post from Freelance Folder that tells you how to keep mistakes from ruining your business.
6 Ways to Kickstart Your Customer Service
Here is a fantastic post from Webdesigner Depot that looks at a few ways that small businesses can make customer service work for them.
The Art of Great Customer Service as a Freelance Web Designer
Dustin Brewer offers some wonderful advice on the subject of customer service for freelancers.
How to Set Business Boundaries with Your Clients
Another post from Freelance Switch that looks at a few areas where freelancers need to set boundaries with their clients.
Tealeaf 2009 Online Consumer Survey
This full press release discusses the survey about online customer experience.
Studies Reveal Consumer Reaction to Bad Customer Service
An article covering the study released by Harris Interactive that discusses the reactions consumers are having to bad customer service.

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44 Impressive Examples of Reflection Photography

2010-03-11T18:54:43Z

By Bhanu Ahluwalia

Reflection Photography can spice up an otherwise lifeless photo and turn it into amazing shots. And the good thing is that this kind of photography can be explored on easily available things like Glass, Water or any shiny and reflective surface. Reflection photography is an art because you have to dig deep into your imagination to see the hidden beauty. It is also a science because you should know the right angles and techniques and must be more than familiar with your camera to capture a perfect shot.

You must master the skill of Reflection Photography if you really want to satisfy your creative hunger and give wings to your imagination. Today we present some splendid examples of Reflection Photography.