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Digital Imaging Systems: Safe, Efficient Image Storage

Software

Date 22nd Oct 2009   Comments Comments Off


Digital Imaging Systems are an excellent way for organizations to streamline their internal process by improving their capture, processing, storage and retrieval of images. Using Digital Imaging Systems, they can more easily share images and records via email as well as allowing for online access throughout the organization, and satellite locations, to documents and other valuable information.

Most typically, a digital image is created using a digital camera. However, some analog documents can be captured such as film photographs, printed papers and other documents and images that are scanned on a scanner or similar photographing device.

Organizationally speaking, it’s far easier to locate an image or document using a digital imaging system than it is using a paper filing system or microfilm organization system. Using a digital imaging system, storage is relatively minimal since information is stored digitally.

Storage cabinets and even the staff who manage them can effectively be eliminated as documents which once took entire rooms to store have been condensed down to a few computer discs.

Digital imaging systems in the medical field typically consists of fully configured systems of components designed to all work together to properly document and store patient medical records and images. Typical equipment used includes microscopes, cameras, interface cards, personal computers and imaging software. Additional components often include adapters for both microscopes and digital cameras to be used in capturing images for storage.

Specific to documenting injuries, digital imaging systems play a crucial role in the gathering, organization, storage, sharing and display of information pertinent to the patient’s injury.

One issue, however, is the problem of digital image authentication which, as technology evolves, so does the issue of the probability of image alteration. This potential problem is all the more reason to have a Digital Imaging System in place to securely store sensitive patient records.


15 Photoshop Tips to Make Your Life Easier

Graphic Design

Date 22nd Oct 2009   Comments Comments Off


Is Photoshop driving you up the wall? Here are 15 simple tips to make using Photoshop easier.

1. When working on a colour image, you can use the Paint Brush tool to selectively “paint away” colour to black and white. It can make one portion of your image really stand out. In the Paint Brush Options palette, change the blend mode to Colour, and paint away the colour

2. When using your magic wand tool you can press your Shift to add more to the selection, or press your Alt to take away from the selection.

3. If you have a lot of images to display, use Photoshop’s image gallery to build a webpage of images that are thumbnailed for you. FILE > Automate > Web Images Gallery

4. Double click on the ‘T’ on a Type layer in the Layers Palette to automatically select the entire text layer. There are at least two ways to switch between the various measurement units that Photoshop displays.

5. One is to change them in your Preferences by going to the Photoshop menu under Preferences and choosing Units & Rulers (in Photoshop 7 under Mac OS 9, Preferences is found under the Edit menu). From here you can change the ruler units and click OK.

6. The second way is to open the Info Palette (go to the Window menu and choose Info) and click on the small triangle next to the cross in the lower left quadrant. This will bring up a menu that will allow you to change units on the fly.

7. To cycle through different screen modes, simply press the F key

8. You can select only the pixels and not the transparency area of the layer by holding the Cmd/Ctrl key and clicking the mouse on that layer in the Layers palette.

9. Do you have a layer style you like to use a lot? You can save that layer style as a style that will show up in your styles palette. In the Blending Options, just under OK and Cancel you’ll see ‘Save Style’. Name it and save it. You’ll then find this new style in the Styles palette. Note: the style must be in its own layer.

10. Sometimes when you combine multiple images, there will be a bit of fringe around the edges of the composite images. Often you can hide this by going to Layers > Matting > Defringe. At the dialogue box, choose the default setting; it that doesn’t work, undo it, and try Defringe again at a setting of 2.

11. Got too many layers? Simply select the right layer by using the move tool ( V ) Right click the mouse over the layer and a drop down list will come up. Alternatively, you can put your layers in layer sets. On the bottom of your layers palette, click the create new layers set (looks like a folder), name the new layer set, and just drag the layers you like in that set. Great for coping a set too. Highlight the set right click and copy.

12. If you want to toggle between Photoshop and ImageReady, press Shift-Command-M (Mac)/ Shift-Control-M (PC).

13. To access the Save for Web dialogue quickly, press Shift-Command-Option-S (Mac)/ Shift-Control-Alt-S (PC).

14. If you want to duplicate your current layer, press Cmd/Ctrl J.

15. To bring up the Extract dialogue box, press Command-Option-X (Mac)/ Control-Alt-X (PC). Within the Extract dialogue box, switch to the Extract Edge Highlighter tool by pressing the letter “b.”, the Fill tool by pressing the letter “k.”, and change the Edge Highlighter’s brush size by holding the ] key to make it larger and the [ to make it smaller.


The Marketing Professionals’ Arsenal

Personal

Date 21st Oct 2009   Comments Comments Off


For a marketing professional, there are several design and print marketing materials, which can be at your disposal to be effective in your field. You can use these myriad of weapons to design marketing materials faster, while there are tools that makes your marketing campaign more efficient and cover a wider scope of the market. For your convenience, we have collected the best and most common design and print marketing materials that you can use to help you in your work with marketing. Use these powerful tools wisely, and your marketing campaign should have a higher chance of success.

Design Software:

No marketing campaign can start without an initial concept and design. All marketing depends on the particular angle of attack in terms of the market, and the proper concepts that are used in “forging” that marketing weapon. With this respect, one of the first tools that you should consider is your publishing and graphics design software. There are many out there to choose from, but there are several applications that can be easier to access and faster to use.

For desktop publishing software, you can try using Adobe software like Adobe InDesign and Adobe Pagemaker. Those two are the typical tools that professionals use. However, if you want a simpler type of software that can be easy to manage, you can also try Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Publisher and to a lesser extent Microsoft Word for desktop publishing. They have an easier user interface with wizards, but they are not as powerful as the first two. Barring that you can also try other alternatives such as QuarkXPress. Lastly, if you don’t have that much money, you can try free or open source applications such as Scribus.

After considering desktop publishing software, you also need to know what you want when you go to graphics editing and design. The best graphic design software out there is Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Both let you manipulate images using extensive and powerful tools which can help you design any kind of marketing material that you want. Though they may be a bit expensive to buy. If you want your graphics design software free, you can go for open source applications such as Gimp.

Print Marketing Materials

Now, with your software in place. It is time to think about your marketing materials. There is a lot to choose from in this field. You can print marketing postcards, brochures, fliers, letters and catalogs. In this respect, Postcards and Letters are the most convenient to use. They are already built for quick mailing and both of them can deliver their marketing messages quickly and efficiently. The drawback though here is that most people identify these things as junk mail and throw them away with just a glance. So designing a nice and eye-catching layout for them is crucial for success.

Brochures and fliers on the other hand are a different type of marketing material. These are meant to be given away to people directly. They don’t pass through the postal service. This has its own advantages and disadvantages. Both are designed to impact the reader directly from first glance, and deliver a brief but interesting marketing message. You can cater your distribution efforts by using these print marketing materials since you can give them away at key locations and communities where you want your marketing message read the most. The small drawback with this one is that it requires more time since you have to give them away manually to places. No help from the postal service here.

Great! I hope you learned something about the typical weapons that a marketing professional should know about and use. Remember those concepts above can really help you next time you do some marketing yourself. Good Luck.

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3 Secrets of Creative Visualization Revealed

Visual Art

Date 18th Oct 2009   Comments Comments Off


Creative visualization is a proven technique to expand on one’s thoughts and mental pictures with the intent to manifest specific desires.

When you can quiet your mind and focus — really focus — on a specific desire, you’re using the power of visualization. Some people say they can’t visualize, but everyone with a fully functioning mind can imagine whatever they wish.

Even those who’ve survived the most horrible of conditions, yet had the strength of mind and the will to overcome the odds, used visualization to endure captivity, torture, hunger, poverty, and every other condition known to man.

To visualize is to occupy your consciousness with a specific image. It may be a black and white still, or a vibrantly colorful motion picture with you in the starring role. The mental picture can take any form you choose, just as the subject of that picture can be anything you want it to be.

Visualization is the key to manifestation. Whenever we think, we think in pictures. That’s how the human mind is programmed. Think of your car now and what you envision is a mental snapshot of it. Imagine your bedroom. Just think for a moment how you would describe this room and its contents in words. What you’re doing is translating the pictures you see into words.

Whenever you’ve attained a goal large or small, chances are you’ve engaged in the practice of visualization in some way, shape, or form. In fact, you might have used this great power on several occasions without even knowing it. But what if you could take the simple, ever-accessible ability to “visualize” and crank it up a few notches to the point where manifestation is inevitable.

Here are 3 secrets of creative visualization, secrets designed to add unstoppable power and precision to the process of creating results in your life by design.

1. Visualize often. It’s this process of repetition that enables your ideal to penetrate the subconscious fortress. Once you’re in, your goal is virtually assured, as long as you act on the impulses your subconscious serves up.

2. Assume ownership of your goal now. Don’t wish for a future result, assume that it’s yours. This alone will multiply the effectiveness of your creative visualization to a whole different level. Thinking makes it so. And nothing communicates to the subconscious with as much power as the definitive position of ownership. Assume what you want and act as though it’s already yours. Make it so real that when your goal actually materializes, it’s no surprise but simply the manifestation of your belief and expectation.

3. Go out and have fun. Release yourself from the ‘got to have it’ mentality. If you follow the principles of visualization and you think, act and live from the position of having what you want already, there’s no need to stress about it. Don’t struggle or wish for something that you want to manifest. State your desire, visualize it, see yourself in possession and then go out and live your life, fully expecting your desired result to eventually show up.

Try adding these 3 secrets of creative visualization to your routine. Have faith that what you want can be yours. Apply the 3 tools of enhancement and you can substantially increase your rate of success, while reducing the time it takes you to attain what you desire, be who you want to be, or do the things you most want to do.

Creative visualization is the one tool that can give you whatever you desire. And now you know how to turn the spark of desire into physical reality, whatever the desire happens to be for you.


 
 
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