11-16-09 - Desktop Screen Shot

Ubuntu 9.04 – screen shot. I have a setup of the OS using compiz effects. To scroll between multiple desktops using a cylinder effect. I have four workspaces set up.

Ubuntu is an open-source OS (operating system).
Pros:
Multiple workspaces
CPU Scaling
The OS is more secure than others
Alchemy – Pretty nifty open source drawing program
MyPaint – Alternative to using Corel Painter
GIMP – Alternative to using Photoshop
VLC Media Player – Alternative to using Winamp
Open Office – Alternative to using MS Office (opens most MS Office documents)
Wine – Allows user to run most supported MS Windows .exe programs in Ubuntu (I was able to get Guild Wars to run, but the play was slightly choppy as it wasn’t taking full advantage of the graphics hardware in my laptop). I mostly run Flash 8 under Wine
Ubuntu supports Wacom tablet drivers / functionality in most programs

Cons:
Guild Wars runs choppy under Wine.
Open Canvas crashes after a while under Wine.

The Pros for me out weight the cons. I have a dual boot system with Ubuntu 9.04 and Windows XP Pro. I keep Windows around to play Guild Wars.

Da qualche giorno è disponibile per il download (è possibile scegliere tra le diverse tipologie la più adatta al proprio sistema ed alle proprie esigenze, io ho scaricato il Live CD KDE4) la nuova release di OpenSUSE, la 11.2. Potete leggere l’annuncio ufficiale di rilascio, le caratteristiche salienti di questa nuova release. E’ disponibile un set di screenshot che vi accompagnerà alla scoperta ed ai primi approcci con questa bella distribuzione linux.

OpenSUSE forse è stata la prima distribuzione GNU Linux veramente “amichevole”, in grado di configurare tutto a “colpi” di click e, soprattutto, la migliore quanto a riconoscimento hardware. Rimane tuttora tra le più adatte a chi si avvicina a GNU Linux per la prima volta.

L’ambiente desktop è KDE 4.3.1 ed il kernel è 2.6.31.5-0.1-default.

OpenSUSE non include driver proprietari e nemmeno i principali codecs audio e video che dovranno perciò essere installati in seguito.

Avviando da CD, vengono riconosciute e montate le eventuali partizioni windows presenti (queste ed altre informazioni sul sistema in uso sono accessibili semplicemente cliccando su My Computer) sulle quali è possibile scrivere.

Il filmato che vi propongo non è indicativo del reale tempo di avvio, perché testato su macchina virtuale e poi editato per tagliare i “tempi morti”, è però utile per dare una breve rassegna dei software inclusi con un occhio di riguardo a quelli di uso più comune:

• navigazione web: Konqueror e Firefox 3.5 (plugin flash non incluso ma scaricabile dopo l’installazione)
• posta elettronica: KMail
• chat: Kopete, Konversation
• torrent: KTorrent
• ufficio: OpenOffice.org
• grafica: Gwenview (viewer), Gimp (editor), digiKam, showFoto
• audio: Amarok
• video: Kaffeine
• navigazione file: Dolphin

Interessante la scelta di proporre Marble.

Da quanto vi ho appena descritto, è chiaro che un intervento, seppur minimo, dell’utente è richiesto perché il sistema si adatti alle nostre esigenze.

Litera

Zapewne znacie program GIMP. Jakiś miesiąc temu odkryłem w nim nową funkcję – tworzenie animacji. Po lewej widzicie moją pierwszą animację w tym programie. A oto, jak ją zrobiłem:

1. Stworzyłem nową warstwę.
2. Narysowałem krótką linię.
3. Stworzyłem nową warstwę.
4. Narysowałem krótką linię, itd.

I tak, aż stworzyłem literę F. Potem zapisałem to jako animację w formacie GIF, i gotowe!

The Middle Way is not In Between Any Thing Else. In Between is no fun. I am not a total grown up gimp at the pool during gimp hour with my Dad. I am not completely normal during lap swim. I still look mostly normal.

Yesterday wind chill kicked in neuropathy in my hands. Fingerless gloves not enough. Hands captured by that Pirate my bff Pain. Hands become prawns in a game. Useless flippers. One hour intense activity. Peripheral circulation and endorphins kick in. Adaptation for the Great One. After my coma tumors grew rapidly along hands and feet.

Being In Between an Idiot and a Savant with a Brain Injury is not easy. Mostly at the playground I have no friends. I’m not black or white. I ask about affirmative action. Everybody Else thinks it’s a joke. I don’t see the other freaks like me. I could invent new Identities for new Friends.

I think being Alive is messy enough without inventing more imaginary peeps.

Besides. I Work hard to look normal. Even with Deep Seeing Techniques. I work hard to make being a gimp look easy. Week 19. Seventy Five Weeks to Go.

The last few weeks I have been busy designing a logo for a company. Once the logo was finalized I had to design a business card and letterhead. I have been successful and now am avaiting the feedback from my client once he has the cards and letterhead printed.

It has been an interesting adventure. It has been many years since I designed a logo and visiting card. I have been design book jackets for more that ten years now. Hence the idea of giving a company an identity through the logo was an experience. In the course of my work I had to learn a new software called Inkscape. It is an open source software for vector graphics. It is similar to Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw which I have worked with before. Some of the tools were unfamiliar. So I had to browse through many tutorials on the internet.

The other thing I had to learn was the different formats that a file has to be saved in. It is important to know the purpose and media that is the final output. For example. PDF and EPS formats are good for the print media. The logo I have designed has to be used on the website as well. So I had to find out how to save it as PNG or JPEG. PNG is better because you can have a transparent background. I am still trying my hand at it. Especially on how to create PNG from a vector based graphic.

I have also been asked to provide graphics for the website of the company. Now I am learning another software, open source once again, called GIMP. Yesterday I spent the whole day trying to create a reflecting button!! Somehow I am stuck on a major step of creating new layers. I seem to be missing an essential step. I am sure I will figure it out once I give a rest to my mind and eyes.

However, the bottom line is nothing can be created with a software unless one has the design in the head first. I have decided to start sketching again. Eventually I will be learning how to create websites from scratch and designing them as well. Wish me luck friends…

Re-touch Them Old Photo’s For Free

Article by:  Simon Henry

A lot of people scan old photo’s onto their computer’s so they have a digital copy which can be backed up and is safe from spillages, fires, dog’s chewing etc.  The other benefit apart from duplication is that old photo’s can be re-touched to enhance and re-create what was originally viewed by the photographer.  One of the best tools I have come across to do this is GIMP – a free program tailored around many of Adobe Photoshop’s features.  GIMP was born in 1995 when Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis began developing the original project during a semester.  The first public release of GIMP – version 0.54 was made in January 1996.  Since then GIMP has been developed and tweaked to become a highly recognised and functional software package which provides users with a non-bloated experience (the download is around 16MB) and a feature rich range of tools.  Whether you want to re-touch photo’s or let out your creative side and create something unique from your photos, I’m sure GIMP has something to offer!  GIMP is what’s known as Open source software so is free to use as it’s built and maintained by a network of volunteer programmers.  If you would like a free copy of this great program then feel free to download it from their web-site http://www.gimp.org.  If you would like a full downloadable eBook with many lessons and extra’s then head over to http://www.masteringdigitalphotography.org to claim your free report!  Best regards, Simon.

When starting GIMP, several windows are opened including (usually) a Layers Dialog box which gives you a way of manipulating the layers of a composition. When closing, however, the temptation is to close all the windows visible.

Big mistake.

All you need to do is to close the main window (the one with the File menu).

By closing the Layers Dialog before the main window, next time GIMP will not display that dialog.

In previous editions, there was a Dialog entry under File to help you to recover the missing window. However, in the current (2.6.7) version, you must go to Windows | Dockable Dialogs | Layers to restore sanity.

GIMP missing Layers options

Beim Laden eines vermoderten aber nicht minder schweren Schrankes, ist es passiert. Ich rutsche mit der Fußsohle vom Einstieg meines VW-Sprinters ab und falle mit dem vollen Gewicht aufs Knie. Glücklicherweise wird mein Kopf danach sanft von modrigem Holz abgebremst. Nach fünf Minuten konnte ich weiter arbeiten, war aber gestern zu einer Zwangspause gezwungen, denn der Schmerz kam über Nacht zusammen mit einer blau-grünen Färbung.
Das Positive an der Sache ist, ich hatte mal wieder Zeit zum Fotografieren. Da es aber neblig, kalt und feucht war, habe ich mich schon beim Zusammenpacken der Ausrüstung auf den Makro-Bereich konzentriert. Beim Motiv war ich nicht sehr wählerisch; das erstbeste Pflänzchen mit Wassertropfen wurde fotografiert. Da die Sonne durch Abwesenheit glänzte, habe ich mit dem Metz Systemblitz die Szene etwas aufgehellt. Dabei hat sich einmal mehr mein Austeck-Falt-Softbox-Diffusor für eine ordentliche Ausleuchtung gesorgt. Das Ding kostete keine 15 Euro und stammt von eBay. Im Prinzip handelt es sich um eine billige Variante der Mini-Softbox von LumiQuest ( -LINK- ).

Technisches:

• Olympus E-510, Zuiko Digital 50mm  f/2.0, Metz Megablitz 58
• iso 100 – 1/160 sec. – f/4.0

Bearbeitet wurde das Foto mit Photoshop. Dabei wurde mir klar, dass ich den nicht wirklich brauche. So toll ich ihn anfänglich auch fand, muss ich heute feststellen, dass auch hier nur mit Wasser gekocht wird. Einstellebenen, CMYK und Geschwindigkeit sind mir das viele Geld nicht wert. In wenigen Tagen läuft meine Testversion ab, dann werde ich Photoshop Elements testen, mich aber wieder mehr auf GIMP konzentrieren.

Gruß Florian

Assalamu’alaikum Guys…

Ada tutorial baru neh…
Cuman… maaf klo terlalu singkat… 
Klo ada yg kurang, ditanyakan aja… 

Filenya sengaja diresize, klo mo donlot, klik link imagenya…

Après de nombreuses heures à travailler et à essayer de comprend le fonctionnement de Gimp, voici le résultat assez primaire d’une première ébauche et de mon archarnement pour mon affiche. Je ne baisserai pas les bras!!!

Oh, how I love the Sundays where there’s basically nothing important to do and you can go anywhere you want and have as much fun as you can.

Today was one of such days.

With a flask of hot coffee, we set off for a trip somewhere, didn’t know where ourselves.

The weather was beautiful, very lovely for November.

I managed to take FOUR pictures. Usually, I make a few hundreds on a day like this (yeah, hundreds, I am a maniac).

The reason of my modest camera use today was very prosaic – I had let my camera ON for the whole night before. Accidents happen (and in my world tragically often).

Nevertheless, I finally managed to find out how to make darkened edges on a picture.

I am so glad…

And now I am going to show you something secret, so don’t tell anyone…

This is the original picture (or the SOOC – Straight out of Camera picture):

Don’t be looking at this for too long please, it might be detrimental to your eyesight!

Dear GIMP, thank you, you’ve saved my life again!