Saturday, November 29th, 2008

Getting Vista’s Windows Media Player to play videos

Vista’s Windows Media Player will play audio and video files, only if it has the codecs for them. Codecs are like translation programs, without the codecs you get exactly zip, nada, zero on the screen. Sucks huh?

Unfortunately not all the codecs you need are included in Vista so you might try to play a video and find you have no visuals although the sound might play just fine, or vice versa. The solution is to download the codecs you need to play the range of media files you’re likely to encounter.

To locate the codecs you need, visit softpedia.com and search for the Vista Codec package. At the time of writing the latest version is 5.0.3 and it can be found here.

Download it and install it and you should be right to play just about any media file around.

This is the file which Microsoft should have provided. These codecs should be supplied with the player, after all, what use is a DVD or audio player if it doesn’t play disks? If you buy a physical DVD player you don’t expect to have to go out and buy something extra to make the player and your disks compatible. Just because the player is software doesn’t excuse the lack of compatibility.

So, yes, it sucks you have to go find and download this file, but kudos to the guy who did all the work so we don’t have to.

For more tips and tricks and helpful Office columns, visit Projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 4:17 amNo Comments links to this post

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

Smarter Photoshop Crop

Before (above), After (below)

There is more to Photoshop’s crop tool than meets the eye! Read on to learn everything you didn’t know about using it:

Shield color and opacity
When you click the crop tool and drag the crop marquee over an image in Photoshop you will see a shield around the area of the image that will be removed when you commit the change. You can change this shield color from the Tool Options bar to make it any color you want. For example, click in the color selector and make it white, gray, black. You can also Adjust the opacity of this shield to make it, for example, 100% so it totally masks out the unwanted area of the image. This lets you see more clearly the portion of the image you have selected.

Rotate your crop
Rotate the crop marquee by dragging on one of its handles to change the angle of the rectangle and make an angled crop from your image. This way you can make a diagonal crop without having to first rotate the image.

Perspective crop
This option is way too cool! Click the Perspective checkbox on the tool options bar and you can crop an image in perspective. So, drag the corner handles into any four sided shape you like – each corner operates independently of the others when this option is enabled. Then click the Commit button and the unwanted part of the image will be discarded and what remains will be reshaped and deliciously distorted to a rectangle.

You can use this feature to fix keystone perspective problems with images such as tall buildings (which tend to be wider at the base and narrower at the top) or you can use it for creative purposes.

So, next time you select the Crop tool, check out these features and put them to work on your images.

For more Photoshop tutorials and techniques visit www.projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 12:10 am1 Comment links to this post

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Smarter Photoshop Crop


Before (above), After (below)


There is more to Photoshop’s crop tool than meets the eye! Read on to learn everything you didn’t know about using it:

Shield color and opacity
When you click the crop tool and drag the crop marquee over an image in Photoshop you will see a shield around the area of the image that will be removed when you commit the change. You can change this shield color from the Tool Options bar to make it any color you want. For example, click in the color selector and make it white, gray, black. You can also Adjust the opacity of this shield to make it, for example, 100% so it totally masks out the unwanted area of the image. This lets you see more clearly the portion of the image you have selected.

Rotate your crop
Rotate the crop marquee by dragging on one of its handles to change the angle of the rectangle and make an angled crop from your image. This way you can make a diagonal crop without having to first rotate the image.

Perspective crop
This option is way too cool! Click the Perspective checkbox on the tool options bar and you can crop an image in perspective. So, drag the corner handles into any four sided shape you like – each corner operates independently of the others when this option is enabled. Then click the Commit button and the unwanted part of the image will be discarded and what remains will be reshaped and deliciously distorted to a rectangle.

You can use this feature to fix keystone perspective problems with images such as tall buildings (which tend to be wider at the base and narrower at the top) or you can use it for creative purposes.

So, next time you select the Crop tool, check out these features and put them to work on your images.

For more tips and tricks and helpful Office columns, visit Projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 8:22 pmNo Comments links to this post

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Find Office Documents faster

The My Places feature in Microsoft Word and other Office applications makes it easy for you to find documents quickly by adding the folder that they’re stored inside as a link on the left hand bar of the File Open and File Save dialogs.

So, when you’re working on a project even a short-term one, navigate using the File Open or File Save dialog to the folder that the files for the project will be stored in. With the folder selected (don’t open the folder), in Office 2003 and earlier click the Tools button on the toolbar and choose Add to My Places. In Office 2007, right-click the left sidebar and click Add folder name.

This adds the folder at the bottom of the list in the left sidebar making it easy for you to navigate to that folder by simply clicking its name in the list.

If you’re using a combination of Office 2003 and Office 2007 you will notice that the left hand panel of each of the File Open and File Save dialogs are different. However, if you’re working in Word 2003, for example, the same sidebar appears in Excel 2003.

If you have lots of links in the sidebar – I have around 20 – right-click the panel and select Small Icons to make the links smaller so that everything fits better.

For more tips and tricks and helpful Office columns, visit Projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 7:55 pmNo Comments links to this post

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

10 ways to Go Green with Microsoft Office

Saving paper is easy with Microsoft Office. Here are some cool ways you can save paper when printing (other than the very obvious option to not print in the first place!)

1 Use Shrink to Fit in Word’s Print Preview to size your document down so it takes one less page.

2 Use the options in Excel’s File > Page Setup dialog to select the number of pages wide and tall to print onto – the document will be scaled down to fit.

3 Use Print Preview – every time – before you print. Check your document thoroughly to make sure there aren’t errors in layout or design before you waste paper finding out!

4 Print in duplex (double sided) where possible and if your printer allows.

5 For documents which you’re printing for archive or reference purposes – print 2 up so you get 2 “document” pages on each sheet of paper – if you duplex this you’ll get 4 pages per sheet.

6 Use Internet Explorer’s Send to OneNote 2007 feature to save web pages for reference to a OneNote notebook rather than printing them.

7 Install the Office 2007 PDF writer and save documents as PDFs to email instead of post. Find it at: http://tinyurl.com/2v77sn

8 Instead of printing Slides in PowerPoint one per page, use the Handout option to print up to 9 per page.

9 Email documents to other users when working on documents as a team. Use the Track Changes feature in Word to mark up changes so they can be seen, shared and evaluated.

10 To print only part of a worksheet, select the area to print and choose File > Print > Selection.

For more tips and tricks and helpful Office columns, visit Projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 4:15 amNo Comments links to this post

Friday, November 14th, 2008

Vamoose the Grid – Photoshop Vanishing Point Filter

Ok, this one has had me stumped for forever. Problem is I really needed to solve it. You have used the Vanishing point filter in Photoshop to create a grid then you don’t want it any more.. perhaps because you want to show someone how to create the grid. So how do you get rid of it. Delete button? nah! doesn’t work. There isn’t an option in the filter for deleting the grid and starting over, at least I can’t find it. So, what’s a gal to do?

Answer is.. BACKSPACE. Who would have thought it, but it works. Click the panel of the grid you want to remove to select it and press Backspace and it is removed (so too are any grids built off this one). So, to remove the entire grid, select the first panel and press Backspace and all the other grids disappear.

Like so much in Photoshop, easy when you know how!

For more Photoshop tutorials and techniques visit www.projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 10:38 pm2 Comments links to this post

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Walking the walk in Paris – Before Sunset

My one full day in Paris I followed the path taken by Jesse and Celine in the movie Before Sunset… it took me all over Paris but it starts at the wonderful Shakespeare and Co book store in the Rue de la Bucherie just opposite Notre Dame:

I strolled across to Le Pure Cafe at 14 Rue Jean Mace and it was as quirky a cafe as you are ever likely to find and well worth a visit:

Then I walked to Le Viaduct des arts which is a converted old railway line – the overhead line is now a narrow park and underneath are shops. It’s almost invisible so you won’t realise it is there unless you know it is – the park is well worth walking through:

In Paris, graffiti is different to the other places I’ve been. You have to look high up as much of it, as this shot shows, is at roof top level – and that’s five or six stories high:

Stencil art is also popular. Last year I captured a large wall of graffiti in Paris which included a Shepard Fairey piece of stencil art. What a blast to have seen it and to have a photo of it. This year, this is one more addition to my stencil art collection.

And, at first glance this doesn’t look like graffiti but it is. The building is abandoned and derelict and this graffiti and a couple of pieces of stencil art (can you see the cat?) decorate one side of the building:

The Place des Vosges is like Paris’ backyard. When you come here, Parisiens are sitting in the park, running around its outer edges and kids are running and playing. It’s the most amazing place, tucked as it is just off a very busy street but very peaceful and green. I love entering it through the lovely gardens of the Hotel Sully – go through the hotel entrance, across the courtyard, straight through the arch and past the bookshop and out into the hotel garden. In the bottom right corner facing you is a small archway which takes you direct to the Place des Vosges – you simply won’t know you are in Paris and entering this way makes you feel like you’re in the know!

These are some reflections from the Place des Voges, the gardens are gated and around them is a road and around that a courtyard of beautiful buildings. The gardens themselves are probably an acre or two in size:

These are the beautiful gardens of the Hotel Sully – I’m standing at the entrance to the Place des Vosges looking back to the Hotel itself:

Here are some colourful and quirky things I found. First of all – just what are you supposed to think will be the result of drinking THIS soft drink?

You have to wonder what Neo and Trinity were doing in Paris – I never did quite work it out but they were on ads at metro stations and on the back of every third bus – too strange!

I love getting up and out early in the morning. You see things then you just don’t see later in the day. Here are the ubiquitous cafe chairs piled up ready to be set out for the day:

Sure, can do:

Finally, some rooms built out of the side of a building – the colour were so unexpectedly modern, the remainder of the building not so..

For more Photoshop tutorials and techniques visit www.projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 12:00 pmNo Comments links to this post

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Arrivederci Roma

Proof positive that it is impossible to have too much of a good thing. When one reflection is just not enough, what about four or five?

Today, I walked around Rome for a couple of hours before heading to the airport for flights to London and then CDG in Paris.

I have loved Rome, I really didn’t expect to even like it – not sure really why I decided to come here but I certainly left a little piece of my heart here.

So here are todays pixs. First is proof postive that the early bird, if she doesn’t get the worm, at least gets the wonderful photo, I loved this tree throwing such a perfect shadow in the early morning light:

This wall is near the Villa Borghese gardens and it really captured my eye:

This statue made me laugh. It looks pretty angry with having to hold up the front of the Westin Hotel – and I’m not sure who the artist modelled it on, but it is a very ambiguous piece!

One of my themes this trip is lights and this morning I lucked out with this perfect shadow – you don’t get these in the middle of the day – you have to be up early enough to capture the light coming at just the right angle:

Here’s another of the light fittings I shot, they have such wonderful detail and they are so varied:

No great graffiti today, but this snippet caught my eye:

Autumn in Rome, I love how the reflection of the trees has painted this car:

When I was a kid, my brother had this cute little minature train set. This petrol station could have been part of his set. I guess when you have little cars and lots of scooters you don’t need petrol stations the size of supermarket parking lots:

And finally, another really old number plate on the cutest Fiat car:

For more Photoshop tutorials and techniques visit www.projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 8:10 amNo Comments links to this post

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

Caesar has cool boots

Julius Caesar gets to wear very cool shoes, I want boots like his.

Today is my last day in Rome and tomorrow I fly to Paris via London. Yes, I know, that makes no sense, neither does it that BA charges $250 for this flight and Air France from Rome to Paris would have been 10x that price. So, I go via London and get to check out the new Terminal 5!

But, today belongs to Rome. The weather was fantastic and I got an early start. The bright sunshine means that reflections abound – here are some I captured:

I am becoming a conniseur of which cars give the best reflections, love the way this one curves around and I promise, that paper was there already, I didn’t put it there:

I struggled to find any meaningful way to photograph the Colosseo and the Arco di Constantino. It was frustrating to think I’d come home with the same photos that everyone else had. And then I stepped in this really big puddle of water – hmmmm, puddles, water, reflections – got it! These are the two shots that made my day:

I walked past this church and didn’t even notice it – from the ground it looked like any other building. But, as I was checking out reflections, I caught sight of its tower and bells – I would have missed it otherwise. Double glazing in the windows has added character to these cool reflections:

Gotta love this guy, Piazza Navona is full of tourists in casual gear, cameras going everywhere and tons of noise and music and this guy is sitting, very dapper in his tie, drinking caffe and water and working – on a Sunday!

Ok, so this angel might look innocent enough but he is holding a mamoth sword in one hand – angels with swords? It’s Rome!

Remember your history lessons? Pop Quiz: a) ionic b) doric c) corinthian?

This is how they fix a horse that split his seams, statue detail, Piazza del Quirinale:

Very old number plate on a very old car:

Today was a little light on grafitti but this one caught my eye:

Statue detail from Piazza del Quirinale:

Finally, the sun sets over Rome’s Fiume Tevere:

For more Photoshop tutorials and techniques visit www.projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 6:22 pm2 Comments links to this post

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

Falling in love with Rome

I have been surprised at how easy Rome is to walk. On the map it looks so much bigger than it really is. You need to walk it too or you miss so much of the tiny details that, together, go to make the city.

As you look at these photos, insert backing sounds of church bells ringing, traffic and the sirens of the local carbineri and politzia as they whizz around this wonderful city.

Here are some images from the themes I’ve been shooting. One is roof tops and the wonderful chimney pots and layers in the roofs of the city:

Close ups from statues, churches and fountains is another of my themes. The first is detail from the Trevi fountain and the second is from one of the three fountains in the Piazza Navona:

OMG, there’s a pigeon on my nose!

From a church in Orvieto:

Same church, here are the colours of Italy in the door detail:

Another theme is windows, here is one through which you can see to the building behind. It is from the Forum area in Rome:

This window harbours a reflection of a nearby building:

Mirror, Mirror on the wall…

I find that domes are much more interesting in the context of their surrounds, like this one:

Another of my themes this trip is light fittings. I have a huge collection of wonderful street lights and shop lights. This is a set from near the Colosseo in Rome:

As luck would have it, United Colors of Beneton is right opposite the Trevi Fountain. So, with your back to the fountain you can see it reflected in the shop window. Here’s the result:

Another morning, I found a map and paper shop with a street light in front. This photo is more reminiscent of a multi shot taken using film and has a collage feel to it – gotta love reflections:

Everywhere throughout Italy you can find religious icons above houses and at nearly every street corner. I have a grab bag of photos of them, this is one of the more elaborate I’ve found:

Finally, who can resist a market such as the one at the Campo de Fiori, and the wonderful variety of fruit on display:

Or this streetside tie display:

And what is a day without some wonderful graffiti?

For more Photoshop tutorials and techniques visit www.projectwoman.com

Helen Bradley

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posted by Helen Bradley @ 6:00 pmNo Comments links to this post