Tutorial Blog

Photomatix Tutorial

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:21:10 +0000

This Photomatix Tutorial will be geared towards the beginning user. When I was a newbie to Photography in general I didn’t even know the difference between aperture and shutter speed. When I was new to HDR I felt a similar sense of ignorance when I ran across certain terms related to HDR. I only began using Photomatix myself a few months ago but due to a pretty heavy immersion I’ve picked up quite a lot of information in that period of time.

I’m breaking this tutorial up into two main parts. Part one is a very basic walk-through of HDR and Photomatix. Part two will go into the various adjustment sliders in the Details Enhancer mode, which is the most commonly used mode in Photomatix.

Although there are several versions of Photomatix (including a Light version), I’m going to talk mostly about Photomatix Pro. This is the standalone version of the software and is the most commonly purchased version.

I actually initially bought the Light version because I was feeling pretty tight with money at the time. Although it is less expensive than the Pro version, it’s also considerably “Lighter”. After upgrading to the Pro version I ran some experiments using the same three bracketed images. The final result from the Light version was pretty good but the result from the Pro version was better. You can read my Photomatix Review for more information on this.

Part One of the Photomatix Tutorial For Beginners

Let’s start with the basics. Some of you may already have Photomatix Pro installed on your computer. If you don’t, you can download a fully functional trial from HDRsoft. The HDRsoft website contains a wealth of information about Photomatix including a resource page which contains links to books and other tutorials.

Here is the link to download the Windows version: http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/win.html

Here is the Mac version: http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/mac.html

If you decide to purchase a license to any of the Photomatix products you can get a 15% discount by using the coupon code: RoyaltyFreeStock

The trial version of Photomatix Pro functions exactly the same as the licensed version only it puts a watermark on the saved images. If you decide to purchase a license you can run these watermarked images back through Photomatix and the watermark will be removed. This will only work on images that were saved straight out of Photomatix so if you want to manipulate them in Photoshop keep this in mind.

Once you have the program installed proceed to step 1. (...)
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How to design websites that appeal across cultural divides

Christian Arno — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:54:18 +0000

When you’re designing websites for a global audience, you need to be aware of cultural differences that will affect the way they are viewed in different parts of the world. You cannot expect the exact same website to be well-received around the globe. You need to adapt your websites to allow for cultural differences and make sure they are equally effective in whichever region you are targeting. (...)
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Beginning Photoshop Tutorials: Start Here

James Mowery — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:40:17 +0000

Photoshop is one of the most versatile tools available for the graphic designer or artist. Many people don’t realize how truly powerful the program can be when it comes to altering and enhancing images, but the fact is that most commercial images have been touched by Photoshop at some point. When it comes to using the application, well, anyone who has ever opened the program knows that Photoshop’s versatility comes with a somewhat steep learning curve. Fortunately, Photoshop tutorials are available for those who would like to learn how to use the program but need a little bit of extra help.

Here are some of our favorite Photoshop tutorials suitable for beginners pulled from the TutorialBlog.org archives: (...)
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Beyond the Blog: Get on the WordPress Bandwagon

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:00:24 +0000

WordPress, long known as one of the most popular blogging platforms, has turned into so much more. With the release of WordPress 3 “Thelonious”, the platform really steps into its own as a powerful content management system for writers, designers and everyone else to create or manage stunning, cutting-edge websites.

Most people prefer WordPress because it is not only is it easy to use, it’s totally free. You can host your WordPress blog on your own servers or use free hosting with WordPress.com. Either way, using WordPress to manage your website is easy—add pages, delete pages, schedule content, add functionality with plugins and connect to the WordPress community.

The first thing most WordPress users learn to do is change their theme. There are hundreds of free WordPress themes available to download as well as many premium WordPress themes with special features such as built-in SEO. Installing and customizing WordPress themes is your ticket to creating brilliant websites that are also user-friendly. Changes to WordPress in the last year make installing new themes easier than ever. For newbies, it’s a good idea to start with a WordPress tutorial on how to install a new WordPress theme or change an existing WordPress theme.

In fact, most users will get the most out of WordPress by using and learning from the many free WordPress tutorials available online. Finding useful WordPress tutorials on the web will show you to create stunning websites with this free platform, and even add unique features to make your website stand out. (...)
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6 Tips to Secure Your Joomla Site

William Smith — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:00:30 +0000

It has been a boom year for hackers and web hacking. Tom Canavan, Joomla web security expert, identifies an increase of greater than 600% in overall hacking this last year. Tom’s book “Joomla! Web Security”, a Packt publication, expands on the threats of web security.

Hacker issues bothered a couple of our clients this year and if it didn’t do anything else for us, it sure kept us all on our toes. Hacking comes as more of an embarrassment than a true threat, however the results are damaging to intellectual property, brand identity and most of customer confidence. Hacking is a common occurrence on all public web platforms and CMS systems, however we continue to win the battle and have the ability to leverage one of the largest global networks of expert Joomla developers and programmers and are proud to say that the Joomla community is one of the fastest to respond.

It continues to be a battle to keep the bad guys out so we’ve gathered some tips and links to help you keep your Joomla website secure and safe. (...)
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How to Create a Hover Effect Using CSS

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:24:03 +0000

Hover effects, rollovers, super-fancy link styles — regardless of what you call them — are a great way to get extra bang for your buck when putting together a website.

Today we’ll be learning how to add a unique and creative feature to your website’s links using CSS. Using CSS Pseudo Classes, we can alter every aspect of a link when a visitor “hovers” over it, or puts their cursor over the link. (...)
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Getting Work Done for Free: Best Microsoft Office Alternatives

Derek Walter — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:11:50 +0000

Microsoft’s Office suite has long been the king of productivity software. And with good reason—it is the most full-featured office suite available. Not only is MS Office deployed extensively throughout enterprises, but many consumers rely on it for their day-to-day word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation needs, too.

But Microsoft Office isn’t cheap. Office Home and Student 2007 sells for $149.95 at the Microsoft Store (the 2008 Mac version is the same price). There are some discounts available for University students, but unless you’re in college you might be stuck paying the full price—which is why many folks are starting to look for alternatives.

Fortunately there are several quality, free Microsoft Office alternatives that are completely compatible with the famous word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation software. Each alternative product has its own strengths and weaknesses depending on how you prefer to get your work done.

If you’re looking for a free Microsoft Office download, good luck. However, we do have the next best thing. Here are our top choices for free Microsoft office alternatives: (...)
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Cheap WordPress Themes: 5 Semi-Premium Designs for Business Websites

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:26:39 +0000

We’ve talked about Premium WordPress Themes ad infinitum on TutorialBlog. But, sometimes you need a cheap WordPress theme that you can get online and looking good in less than an hour. What do you when you (or your client) want it all … and your budget is under $25?

You call in reinforcements!

Take the pain out of working under an impossible budget by making it easy. Your “client” will be pleased as punch with any of these semi-premium WordPress themes and you’ll still have money left to buy a fancy coffee from your favorite java dealer.

What is a semi-premium theme you ask? These themes may not have everything as the expensive, bells-and-whistles-included brand of premium themes. That could mean fewer choices on the theme options screen or only a single page template or fewer plugins pre-built into the site. However, in most areas a good semi-premium theme has everything you need to build a quality website, quick and easy.

Elegant Themes is a WordPress theme club that specializes in semi-premium themes. (...)
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Social Networking Software: 12 Ways to Build the Next, Best Social Network

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:01:23 +0000

Do you want to be the next YouTube, Flickr, Match.com or Facebook? Then, you need to find the right social networking software. Dating sites, friend networks, video sharing portals are all built on networking platforms that give members control over their personal profile and encourage user-generated content.

If you can get it right, Social Networking is the key to the kingdom. You will never have to worry about your next blog post, because users will post and manage their own content. You will be free to focus on the important stuff like marketing, partnerships and monetization.

Of course, great social networks need great software. No one wants to play on a slow network and users won’t create profiles if they think your software isn’t secure. When choosing a social networking platform, you need to make sure the software looks professional, is stable and will be around for the long haul.

Here are the programs and platforms you’ll encounter in your search for social networking software. (...)
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Facebook Connect: Plugins to Integrate FB and WordPress

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:05:29 +0000

When I first decided it was time to add Facebook Connect to a website, I figured it would be no big deal. Facebook is a social media powerhouse, I figured, so they must have tools to simplify the process. Plus, I use WordPress! So I was fairly confident that some enterprising developer had already created a plugin that would add Facebook Connect to the blog with a few clicks.

Boy was I naive. Adding Facebook to a WordPress site is harder than it sounds. I spent days testing out plugins with varying degrees of success. Each plugin had it’s own set of quirks, Facebook features that worked or didn’t, one plugin even shut down the whole site!

Luckily, integrating Facebook was not a total FAIL. After much testing and tribulation, Facebook Connect is now humming along happily. Visitors can login and comment using their Facebook ID, post comments back to their main stream, join the fan page with a single click and a handful of other nifty Facebook features that encourage visitor loyalty and interaction.

Take the benefit of my experience, and read this article before you begin the process of adding Facebook Connect to your WordPress website. Here are 3 different WordPress plugins for installing Facebook Connect. (...)
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