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Let a Web Professional Guide |
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================================ Self-Starters Weekly Tips
================================ INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1) Entrepreneur Magazine Home Biz Show 3) Tip: Add a Time Zone Conversion Chart! 4) Give Your Graphics a Professional Look Without the Price
=================================== Thank you for listening in to the live show on January 8th with
Entrepreneur Magazine’s Home Biz Show host, Mary Goulet!
For those of you that weren’t able to make the live show,
you can click here http://www.marygoulet.net/archives_wsn.html
to access the archived segments and find out why you need to define
your Main Objectives and how it affects the layout and design
of your business website. Learn how Networking and Joint Ventures
can dramatically increase your exposure and sales, and more! The Entrepreneur Magazine Home Biz
Show is free to access, either live or archived, and will
load in Windows Media Player - Listen in for tips and resources
from your favorite online professionals! I’m excited to
announce that I will be back on the air with Mary Goulet in February,
sharing more Self-Starters Tips with you live on The Home Biz
Show. Feel free to call in during the live show with your questions! During last week’s
show, I offered a “freebie” – You can click
here to pick that up: Also, for a huge list of
FREE places to advertise online, ================================= Click
Here: ================================== If you list a time on your website or in your newsletter/ezine,
posting a Time Zone conversion chart is very useful in boosting
awareness and/or attendance. Possible uses: Customer Service Hours Technical Support Hours Online Party Schedule Virtual Meeting or Conference Schedules … etc For an easy reference, use the chart below and customize it
to your needs:
By Shelley Lowery Graphic design is an intimidating subject for many Internet
entrepreneurs. However, most of us must learn some basic design
techniques to avoid the high costs of hiring a professional graphics
designer. You can create your own graphics that can look just as nice
as some of the professionally created graphics for a fraction
of the cost. In order to create your graphics, you will need to invest in
a good graphics program. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars
on a fancy graphics design software. Paint Shop Pro is a wonderful
graphics program and is the only program you'll need to design
professional looking graphics. You can download a free 30-day
trial and register the software for only $99. http://www.jasc.com/download_4.asp
The first and probably most important graphic technique we're
going to discuss is text. This is probably what you will use the
most. Not just any text, but text to be used with your logo, banners
or page titles. When you're ready to begin, open Paint Shop Pro and click on
"File" then "New" and type in a width and height for your image.
Make sure your "Image Type" is set to 24-bit and select your background
color. You can leave the other settings at their defaults. Make
sure you give yourself a large enough space to work with, as you
can reduce it later. Your first step will be to select a good font. Depending upon
the effect I want to achieve, I use one of three different fonts;
Impact, Verdana, or Arial Black. If you don't have these fonts
installed on your computer, you can find them here: http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/default.htm
The first text effect we will be creating will display your
text in a large font size with a drop shadow effect. This drop
shadow effect can also be used with any other images you create. Your first step will be to select your text color. To change
the foreground and background colors, double click on the top
and bottom color squares on the right. Your text will be displayed
in the color within the top box, which is the foreground color.
For this example, I will be using a light color as my foreground
color. Antialias will smooth out all of the rough edges of your
text and blend it in with your background color. You will use
the Antialias setting with various graphic tools when designing
your graphics, so it is important to remember its function. ou will now see your text with, what looks like, marching ants
around it. If you'd like to move your text, click and hold your
left mouse button to drag your text to your desired position. ith your text still selected (with marching ants), at the top
of the screen, go to "Image" then "Effects" then "Drop Shadow."
This will launch the "Drop Shadow" window. Your image will be
viewable with the drop shadow in the little window at the right.
You can try different settings until you achieve the shadow effect
you desire. nother text effect that is popular will display your text in
a graduated color effect. Your text can be displayed with a dark
color at the top and gradually get lighter or just the opposite. o achieve this effect, the foreground (top box) color must
first be set to white. Next, click on the text tool and follow
the same procedure for displaying your text. You should now see
your text displayed as "marching ants," only with no color. Now
you'll need to select a dark color for your foreground color and
a light color for your background color. nce you've selected your colors, click on the "Flood Fill"
icon on the left. To change the effects of the Flood Fill tool,
locate the little box on your screen that says, "Controls" then
click on "Tool Controls." Under "Fill Style" select "Linear Gradient"
and then click on "Options" at the bottom. The "Blend Mode" should
be set to normal. In order to select which color will be at the
top of your text, where it says, "Degrees" type in either 0 or
180 depending on your desired effect, hen click OK. Now place
your mouse over each letter and fill it by clicking on your mouse.
fter you've filled your text, you can either create the shadow
effect or "right click" on your mouse to deselect your text. f you'd like to decrease your graphics window size, click on
the "Selection tool" on the left (dotted rectangle) and select
the portion of your graphic that you'd like to display within
your new sized image. Click on "Edit" then "Copy" then "Edit"
- "Paste as a new image." fter you've completed your graphic, go to "File" then "Save
As" and select a folder. Type in a name for your graphic and save
your new file in the .GIF format. The program will prompt you
and ask you if it's all right to reduce your file to 256 colors.
Click on yes. Your new graphic is now saved. Now that you've mastered these new techniques, try them with
some of your other images. The drop shadow effect can be used
with photographs or just about any image you'd like. Try the graduated
color effect with your banners or image backgrounds and give your
graphics a professional look. About the Author: ***************** IN CLOSING… t is my personal mission to bring you an assortment of resources for your
internet business each week in an easy-to-use format. Most of
the resources found in each issue are a result of years of research
that I have done for my own internet business and others, and
are shared with you with my positive recommendation. You can view
tips from past issues online at http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com.
As always, feel free to share this issue with your friends or
colleagues! ~ HAPPY MONDAY ~ Lynn Terry, Editor
& Owner
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