Top 10 Tips For Working With Layers In Photoshop Elements (PSE)
February 20, 2012 | 
Author In my opinion, the absolute best feature of photo editing software like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements (PSE) and Paintshop Pro is the Layers Palette. Working with layers gives you so much flexibilty to try different elements on your layout design without accidentally ruining another area of it.
So for those who are just getting used to layers in their life, here’s Ten Top Tips to help you love your layers (note: this is PSE oriented but the principles are the same for all editing software, you just need to translate the appropriate function names and locations).
10 Top Tips for Working with Layers
Always make a copy of your original layer before modifying it. Then if you don’t like the way it’s turned out you can discard it and easily start again on another copy of the original.
To create a new empty layer, click on the New Layer icon at the top left of the layers palette. A new layer will appear immediately above the layer you currently have active.
To duplicate a layer, activate the layer by clicking on it in the layers palette and drag to the New Layer icon at the top left of the palette
View and hide your layers by clicking on the Eye icon beside the layer thumbnail in the layers pallet. This is handy if you’re trying to decide on the merits of different elements on your layout. You can just toggle their visibility and invisibility so you can easily compare the look of different options.
Use the Layers Styles and Effects palette (usually above the Layers Palette to apply different styles (eg drop shadow, bevel) or effects (eg. Photographic effects to convert your photo to sepia or to a coloured tint).
If you want to rotate a layer but not the entire image make sure you use the layers command section at the bottom of the Image>Rotate menu.
Group layers that go together (eg. photo, matt, frame and accent) consecutively in the layers palette (just click on the layers and drag them up and down). Then you can easily select all of them with the Shift key and link them together by clicking on the little chain link icon at the top of the layers palette. If you do this then you can change the position and size of all these elements together and maintain your proportions easily.
Keep each individual element on a separate layer. Each time you drag a new element into your layout PSE will automatically put it on a new layer. But if you create your own elements (eg. using the Select tool to make a journal box which you can fill with colour before adding your text) make sure you do so on a new layer. That means you can move them about the page and resize them without affecting other elements.
Try creating your own backgrounds by placing two different backgrounds on top of each other in the layers palette. Then with the top one active , click on the blending modes pop up menu (top left of the layers palette) and play with the different options in the menu. You can create some really cool effects this way. Don’t forget you can reduce the opacity as well to control how much of the top layer dominates the overall effect. I am enjoying playing with blending using photos over a background paper such as in my Independence layout.
If you’re going to adjust colour and/or contrast use an Adjustment Layer. Activate the layer you want toadjust (click on it in the layers palette), then click on the black and white circle icon next to the New layer icon at the top of the layers palette. Select the type of adjustment you want to make (eg. hue/saturation) then make your adjustment in the adjustment layer. This will take effect on the layer underneath. But the beaut part about doing your adjustments this way is that your adjustment settings are saved and you can easily change them even after you’ve saved and reloaded the file.
So you can see how powerful a tool the layers palette is. There are plenty more wonderful things you can do with your layers once you get started playing. I’m sure that many of you have your own particular favourite tips that I haven’t covered here. Please feel free to add your own favourite Layer tips in the comments section.
And lastly I’d like to talk about flattening layers. Frankly I’m not a big fan of this. I know it reduces the size of the file for storage but it also removes any flexibility to go back and change it later. A perfect example is the Always Best Friends layout that I submitted to Scrapbooking Memories. In a fit of madness I flattened the image before printing (don’t ask me why) and then saved the flattened image. All my beautiful layers were lost forever. Then when I wanted to offer the template that I had made as a freebie I had to recreate it from scratch because the original was buried in the layers of my layout and gone for ever (also breaking Rule No. 1). As everyone knows, there is nothing like consequences to make you learn a lesson.
So what I would suggest is before saving your file for the very last time, you do a bit of housekeeping and drag any layers that you really don’t need into the Trash Can at the top of the Layers Palette. These may be backgound layers and elements that you dragged into your layout to see how they would look and hidden using the Eye icon beside the layer or have placed under another layer so you can’t see them. Cleaning out these unwanted layers will reduce the size of your file for storage. Always save the file in its native format (eg. .PSD for PSE and Photoshop). Then you can reduce the size to 72dpi and save another copy for the web or email as a .JPG.
Then if you want to modify your layout at a later date all your lovely layers will be there waiting for you.
Role of Budgeting in Planning, Control, and Resource Allocation Process in UAE Companies
Budget
Before understanding the key concepts of budgeting, it is important to understand the meaning of budget. A budget is used to make a documentation of the translation of plans into money. So, the amount of money that needs to be spent in the planned strategies of the company would lie under the budget of that company. These planned strategies include the expenditure that a company incurs and also the income that the company predicts to make. So, in other words, a budget helps one to make an estimation of the amount of money that would be required for the company to handle the projects undertaken by it. It must also be understood that a budget is not made permanently. There are conditions under which a company can make changes in the budget and go as per as the needs of the market. As for example, if a company sees that the use of computers is not as had been planned in the budgeting; it would either replace it with something or not make any investment at all in the field. This is where the utility of controlling comes into the picture. Other than this a budget is also significant from other perspectives. If one talks about the resource allocation, budget has an equally important role to play in it. The reason for the same is that let’s say that a company has budgeted that it can afford a certain amount of power supply for a certain project that is conducted in a village. Under the conditions, the amount of human resource that would be required to carry out the project can be determined from the budget itself. Normally a budget is of three types. They have been mentioned as follows:
Survival Budget: This form of budgeting is important in the boundary conditions. It estimates the minimum resources so as to complete a particular project. So, if a company has a look at the survival project, there is one obvious analysis that can be done. This is that under the most optimistic of the situations, the resources allocated would be sufficient. There would be very little margin of error under the conditions.
Guaranteed Budget: This budget is formulated when there is a guarantee of a particular amount of income at the time of formulation of budget. So, when a budget is made from this perspective, this income is taken into consideration. If somehow, the debtors are not able to provide the income that the company used as guarantee before making the budget, it would have to switch over to the survival budget formation.
Optimal Budget: The third form of budget is the optimal budget. This budget is used under the conditions when there is extra money in the company accounts or else the company feels that it could raise extra money from the market. So, if the position of the company is good then this form of budgeting can be applied. As for example if we consider a very famous company in the infrastructure sector, Emaar, we would find that the company has the ability to raise a lot of extra capital from the market. So, Emaar can hope to use it in utilizing the money to plan a few more interesting projects like it had made the longest mall in the world and the tallest tower in the world. Both these projects were outcomes of an optimal budget made by the company.
Budgeting Responsibilities
Owing to the circumstances under which a budget is fruitful, the organizations should be highly selective in handing over the responsibilities of making the budget. There are a few pre-requisites of making a budget. They are as follows:
The concerned employee should have a clear understanding of the company’s values, strategies, and plans that lie in the near future.
The employees must know the importance of cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Also, the concerned employee must have knowledge about the resources that would be used to generate and raise funds.
The above pre-requisites are essential for the company if they have the motive of using budgeting in the planning, controlling and resource allocation purposes.
So, it is generally recommended that a company has a budgeting team that has an optimal size so as to prevent any discrepancy with the formation of the budget. Under all situations where the concerned members of the finance department have difficulties in planning the budget, they would have to consult the board of members for the same. For a situation like this to arise, the planning in the company must certainly have been wrong. So, we can see that the new planning would depend solely on the fact that budget allows the same to happen. Under all other conditions, the estimated plan would have to change. (Budgeting, 2010)
Role of Budgeting in Planning
Here we are taking the telecommunication giant, DU into account to understand the role played by budgeting in the planning process. It was only about a couple of years ago that the company introduced its new plan. This new plan was about introducing the pay-by-the second plan amongst the services of the company. This was done as per as the optimal budget plan of the company. DU had formulated a budget where it got the option of introducing a new facility with the extra money that it hand in hand. As the company analysis shows that DU was climbing the ladders of success even then, so this was certainly a major step in the making. Moreover, the funds that had been allocated in the budget were enough for the fact that the company could start this service any time it wanted. So, it chose the time when the nearest rival company Etisalat had screwed up its plans after introducing the Blackberry services. As an optimal budget is that which allows the time for starting a new investment, this was just the time and DU made the most of the opportunity. Today this plan is among the most revenue-fetching plans that the company had ever introduced in its services. So, budget played an extremely important role in the planning of this success of the firm. Had the company planned to use the extra money as a surplus or retained or reserve, it would never have been able to introduce this service. So, one can see the importance of making the right budget at the right time can help in planning for great successes in a company. There are other examples also where one can see the planning being aided by preparation of budget. The tourism department of Abu Dhabi was guaranteed of the fact that it would have a considerable amount of income from the flourishing tourism in the country due to the onset of some of the most peculiar activities in the country. Under the situation, the department used the guaranteed budget to enhance the cultural activities of the country. A number of museums have been renovated because of a planned budgeting under the guaranteed budget plan. The department had planned that with the money they would have from the already existing resources in tourism, it would evoke a cultural feeling in the country and its natives, It has been able to do it successfully as per as the statistics of the museums of the region are concerned. So, once again we see that budgeting has helped in planning of such an important landmark in the country.
As in general one can say that budgeting is about aiding a company to make plans for the future. It is that process where a company can be assured of the fact that it would have enough money so as to carry out the requisite projects. We are all acquainted with the fact that the world is about competition as of today. Every company needs to plan new projects so as to show its core competency. Under the conditions, no company can automatically start investing on its research and development. It has to come through a substantial degree of planning which could only be possible after the budget of the company allows it to do so. In all other situations it would finally have to terminate the services with an excess of demand or supply.
There are also other instances where a company can use the principles of budgeting in order to carry out its planning. This can be seen in the case of training. Every planning of training has to be supported by budget. This is one of the foremost criteria of training. There are a number of instances in the country where the Government is implementing programs like Emiritzation. If the budget of the company does not support such plans they would certainly not be executed. The loss can be huge under the conditions. The first case would be a monetary loss as an incomplete training would actually be of no used as it would be insufficient to fulfill the company’s criteria. If some small companies do place employees with an incomplete bit of training, it would make the company even smaller!
So, we can see how budgeting governs this chain of planning which of not executed in a suitable manner could bring about adverse results. (The Importance of Budgeting, 2010)
Role of Budgeting in Controlling
As in the case of planning, budgeting also has a special role to play in controlling of an organization. We have seen that a plan would simply lay the conditions of taking on a particular activity. What follows is its controlling in the implementation phase. Let’s say that a company wishes to promote its products or services in the trade fare of Dubai. This is one of the places where controlling comes into play with respect to budgeting. Dubai Trade Fare is one of those occasions when a number of companies use the best of means to promote their products. With an adequate amount of control, the companies would never be able to compete in the pool of so many. So, a budgeting has to be done to choose the HR and marketing department which would be responsible to control the scenario.
Without a proper budgeting in this respect, the company would make inefficient decisions and after a while, there would be no control over the promotional measures of the company.
There are also a number of chances where a company goes with leisure expenses. It does increase the value of the company for a particular period of time but after a while there has to be an end to it. Now, with a planned budget under the conditions, the companies would be able to restrict themselves from over-spending as the budget would not suit their expenditure. This requires the company to make a survival budget. As we can see a survival budget would certainly take care of the budgeting requirements of the company. If the employees are aware of the fact that they would not be able to complete their respective projects with the type of expenditure they are doing, they would certainly shift to other economic reasons. This way a company can also control the activities of the employees. Once a planned budget is produced the whereabouts of the employees can also be checked as they would be on a hire. The amount of time given to them in the budget would be fixed. If they are unable to finish their respective works in this stipulated time they would see the effect on their salaries or wages. So, this way, the company’s activities, employees, time and money can all be under control with the introduction of budget in the company’s financial plan. The company would certainly become more efficient if it works in a controlled manner. So, this would be for the mutual benefit of both the employees and the company as well. (Controlling a Budget, 2010)
Role of Budgeting in Resource Allocation
A company’s success is highly dependent on the resource allocation. This has to be done optimally so as to complete a certain project. The law of economics suggests that a company has the least resources and has to make the most of it. So, only an appropriate resource allocation would help this happen. This would be in terms of human resource, raw materials, equipments, money, time and all other attributes that take for making a project successful. Here again, the budgeting of the company plays an important role to play. The reason for the same is that in all the sectors that have been talked about here, only a planned budget could decide the maximum a company can afford. Let’s say that ADNOC has the plan of staring a new subsidiary. Under the conditions, it would have to make a budget where the company could allocate the amount of human resources in order to make this happen. Not only this, there are a series of activities that would have to be done in the process. Much of the time, there would be two processes going on and at times even one. So, a planned budget would estimate the amount of money that the company can afford throughout the process. Based on this, the processes would have to be allocated in a manner where the company can make the best use of the human resource available. If ADNOC has 200,000 AED for the purpose, and there are 10 slots, rather than allocating 20,000 AED per slot, the company would have to see the priorities of each slot. If a particular slot requires double the number of processes than the others, the resources would have to be allocated accordingly for the same. Now this can only be possible with an appropriate amount of budgeting. If the budget of the company does not allow double resource allocation for a particular slot because of other activities, then the company would have to come up with other alternatives. Had there been an inability of a budget, the company would allocate double resources and finally land up with none available for a process that has little requirement. So, we can see that even the process of resource allocation requires budgeting to a large degree.
Talking about the company Emaar, as per as the organizational size of the company, there has to be a proper budgeting done. The reason for the same is that every department requires an adequate amount of human resource and funds. If the company’s budget for a particular project is 200 million AED, the company would also have this budget divided into different departments. Every department would have to use only the allocated funds to support its human resource and all other requisites prior to conducting the project. If the construction department spends so much that the company is not able to use any funds for its advertisement, in this world of competition, even a company like Emaar would have to bow down to others in the league. There are so many options that people have for residents that promotion under forced conditions could change every profitability ratio of Emaar. So, here again we see the hierarchy that could be affected because of the inappropriate use of resources that would result from the non-availability of a budget that could suit the purpose. (The Basic Budgeting Problem, 2010)
Conclusion
So, one can see that a budgeting process has a number of utilities in the projects of a company. This could be from the perspective of planning, controlling or resource allocation. Every company has the desire to be at the top. Finance has a special role to play in the same. Te steps of laying down an appropriate budget are as follows:
Firstly, the concerned person should lay down all the places of investment with respect to a particular project.
Next, make an estimation of the unit cost of every product that would be manufactured in the process.
Next, analyze the resources that would be sufficient to provide for the unit costs found.
Next make a proper budget format so that it is clear to all the departments and they the amount of allocation for them in all the respects.
It is also advisable to make notes so as to be able to explain the budget better.
Next, it is required to take a feedback on the budget so as to see whether it is applicable to all the departments or not. If not, then it would have to be re-planned.
Finally, make the final documentation so as to be able to help in planning, controlling and resource allocation as has been suggested earlier.
With all the above processes followed, a company can afford to perform all the financial activities in its respective projects. It must be remembered that only a systematic design of budget as has been concluded could be used for the mentioned cause.
Handover Procedures in Commercial Property Leasing
In commercial property the handover of premises is a critical time to take note of important issues and matters requiring attention. These notes can later support the tenant or the landlord in any matters of debate or dispute. There is a handover and the beginning of occupancy and again at the end of the occupancy.
In all respects the occupancy of the tenant and the premises handover should be in accordance with the lease. This says that you as a property or leasing manager must read the lease and understand it. Even in a single property with many different tenants, the leases can be different and usually are. The ‘make good’ clauses and the ‘handover provisions’ of the lease are unique and should be understood relative to each tenancy.
Taking photos also is part of the documentation of premises at handover time. It is recommended that the photographs taken are date and time stamped in the camera, and the photographs are later saved as ‘gif’ files and not ‘jpg’. This is because ‘gif’ files are a more stable and fixed format that cannot be manipulated by software editing tools such as ‘Photoshop’. If you want the photograph to be evidence of something important, then the ‘gif’ format is a reliable choice.
Whilst every tenancy is unique, let’s set some rules to give you some benchmarks to work with at handover time. You can then add some other matters that may be applicable to the location or property that you work on.
Take ‘gif’ format photographs as evidence of important things and levels of presentation
When taking photographs it pays to put a scale reference such as a ruler into the picture
Take notes of any comments or agreements from any parties to the lease
Check all walls and painted surfaces for damage and or current condition, taking photographs as appropriate to record the current condition
Check ceiling tiles and t-bars for ceiling presentation and integrity
Look above ceilings for the satisfactory removal of any unnecessary cabling that should have been removed
Check all floor coverings for any damage or deterioration beyond normal ‘wear and tear’
Look for any floor or wall penetrations that exist or need to be remedied noting that any penetrations must be fire rated to the standards of the local building codes.
Check air conditioning function and note any need for air conditioning balance due to fitout or altered or installed partitions in the leased space
Check lights and light switches for function and safety. It may be necessary to replace all tubes in the light fittings as part of the make good provisions of the lease
Check all doors and locks for safety and security. Do not overlook the need for doors and locks to comply with all building codes. All keys to the doors should be provided or returned as appropriate. If a master key system is installed in the building then check that the keys all comply with the master system
Check windows for function, security, and safety
Check electricity supply to the tenancy and any metering of consumed energy
Check the installation and compliance of any signage for the premises and that such is in accordance with architectural rules set for the building.
Look for any matters of change to the structural integrity to the building and the premises
As part of the checking process it sometimes pays for the landlords contractors to inspect the premises and provide a full report of any complex or sensitive issues. This will support any later legal dispute over make good terms and conditions.
When keys are exchanged between the tenant and the landlord, or the landlord and the tenant, a receipt should be obtained as a record of handover of the keys. The real estate agents actions in the handover to any tenant should also be supported by notes. It is surprising how many disputes arise later when you least expect it; in such case your notes are invaluable.
Never hand back any bond money or bank guarantees to tenants until you are absolutely certain that all make good requirements of the lease have been satisfied. It is also of note that all make good must have been done at and before the expiry of the lease; it is not something that is done after lease expiry.
Efficient make good and handover procedures are a critical skill for the real estate agent to develop and implement on every lease situation.
Photo Christmas Cards – 7 Unique Ideas For This Year’s Holiday Card
Your friends, relatives and neighbors are eagerly looking forward to your annual Christmas photo cards. But how do you make this year’s holiday card really fresh and original? Here are seven ideas to help you make your new photo Christmas cards stand out.
1. Go black and white photo for a dramatic look. Many digital cameras have a setting that will enable you to take your photo in black and white. Or you can change a color snapshot to grayscale in your photo editing software. If you don’t know how to do it yourself, most photo card companies can do it for you at no extra charge.
2. The more, the merrier. This year, include more than just the kids in your photo Christmas cards. Get in the picture with them! One year my uncle remarked that while he enjoyed receiving a photo of the kids every year, he would like to see a picture of us, too. So, gather the entire family, even the pets. And if you have an opportunity during the year to attend a large family get together with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, you might consider using a large group family photo.
3. Pack the Santa hat on vacation. Whether you’re going to the beach, sightseeing in the city or pumpkin picking in the fall, bring along a holiday prop or two, such as a Christmas stocking or ornament. When you’re taking photos of your family excursion, include a few with everyone holding or wearing the Christmas props for refreshingly different holiday photo.
4. Think personality. While you might enjoy a posed photo of your children all cleaned up, in nice clothes, with not even a hair out of place, it doesn’t show off their real personalities. For more interesting photo Christmas cards, try taking some candid photos of your kids doing things they enjoy. Or pose them with props that reflect their interests or accomplishments.
5. Scrapbook a page. If you’re creative, you can put together several cropped photos and your greeting on holiday background paper, then photograph or scan it to be used as your photo Christmas card. Since most photo card companies use 4 x 6 inch photos to produce your cards, trim a standard 12 x 12 inch scrapbooking page to 12 inches wide by 8 inches high as your background for your layout.
6. Embellish it. Even if you have already ordered standard photo Christmas cards, you might still be able to jazz them up a bit. Check out the scrapbooking aisles in your local craft store for tiny embellishments, such as bows, ribbons, and other holiday dimensional items. These are practically flat, since they are meant for a scrapbook page, so they will still fit into your envelope after you glue them on your cards.
7. Shop around. There are so many photo Christmas card companies on the internet that are offering unique, original, personalized designs. Some designs can even contain multiple photos, so you don’t have to worry about getting that one perfect snapshot. Or they will put your photo into the shape of an ornament, tree, or other holiday symbol. Many companies will let you write your own message, so you have more choices and options. They come in all price ranges, so it pays to do some browsing.
So, don’t be afraid to try something a little different with your photo Christmas cards this year. With a little imagination, your holiday photo cards will be truly special.
Booming: Television News Channels in India
News programmes have suddenly become hot property and are vying for attention with other popular programmes telecast in different channels. All major television broadcasters are including at least one news channel to their bouquet. The biggest headache for launching a satellite channel is programme software for round the clock. In this juncture, newsgathering is a major task for the 24-hour news channels. To cater this task, the emerging electronic channels have always made an attempt to cover all the incidents irrespective of position, location and time. These channels not only revolutionized the concept of news on Indian television but also changed the news formats. Before 1990s, Doordarshan had monopolized newscast on Indian television and also turned the news programs into a dowdy exercise. Now the private channels made the news an essential commodity like food, cloth and shelter. The strong point of all today’s news bulletins is their topicality, objectivity, glossy editing and high-quality visuals. News has traveled a long way from the DD era. From Local events to International events, breaking news to news analysis, television soap to page3 news, every happening comes under purview of news. In this article, we have covered some significant changes in news broadcasting in India before and after the Gulf War.
Indian Television – Flash Back
Television in India is undergoing significant changes in the current liberalized environment. To understand these changes, one needs to have some brief idea of the road covered by the television channels so far. The journey started as an experimental basis with a financial grant from UNESCO in 15th September 1959. The makeshift studio at Akashvani Bhavan in New Delhi was chosen for location of the experiment. The experiment started with one-hour program, broadcast twice a week, on community health, citizen rights, education and traffic sense etc. As far as news is concerned, it was launched exactly six years after the inception of television broadcasting. Daily one-hour program with a news bulletin was served to the Indian viewers. But one major drawback of television was that you could not enjoy the original colour of the objects because of black and white transmission. First multi-color programme was the Prime Minister’s address to the nation from Red Fort in Delhi on India’s 35th Independence Day. In the same day, DD National channel was launched. The aim of launching the National channel is nurturing national integration, and inculcating a sense of pride in Indians. Indian viewers also enjoyed the colored version of the Asian Games hosted by New Delhi in their drawing room. The coverage of major events and different occasions lend a big hand behind the infiltration of television signals to the nook and corners of the subcontinent. Indian Government had taken all possible steps to expand the television broadcasting demographically and geographically. In 1983 television signals were available to just 28% of the population, this had doubled by the end of 1985 and by 1990 over 90% of the population had access to television signals. In 1984, DD Metro channel was added to provide an exclusive entertainment for the urban viewers. In the beginning, this channel was confined to metropolitan cities.
As a public broadcaster, Doordarshan presented the news in naturalized manner. All controversial issues were pushed under the carpet. The ruling government had a strong hold on the television broadcasting. Doordarshan news bulletins were unable to provide the international news to the national viewers. Objectivity had been the first casualty as news was invariably slanted to suit the party in power. The news was liberated from the confines of the DD newsroom and gained in objectivity and credibility when New Delhi Television (NDTV) produced ‘The World This Week’ in 1988. Everyone was waiting for the Friday night to watch ‘The World This Week’. This was the only India-based programme, which looked out at the rest of the world. The World This Week was the best current affairs programme on the international scenario and carried good stuff of news, which the regular DD news was failed to carry out. This program is ranked as one of the country’s finest and most popular television shows. In 1989, NDTV produces India’s first live televised coverage of the country’s general elections. The critical and commercial success of the coverage sets a new standard for Indian television. After the Gulf War the media panorama has changed forever.
Golf War – The Catalyst
Post-1990 satellite television in India has become transnational in nature. It coincided with the entry of multinational companies in the Indian markets under the Government policy of privatization. International satellite television was introduced in India by CNN through its coverage of the Gulf War in 1991. In August 1991, Richard Li launched Star Plus, the first satellite channel beamed the signal to Indian subcontinent. Subhash Chandra’s Zee TV appeared in October 1992. It is India’s first privately owned Hindi channel to cater the interest of Indian viewers. This ignition followed by Sony and a little later by domestic channels such as Eenadu, Asianet and Sun TV. Entertainment programs had begun to occupy center stage in the organization’s programming strategies and advertising had come to be main source of funding. Doordarshan’s earlier mandate to aid in the process of social and economic development had clearly been diluted. Doordarshan had faced a stiff competition in news and public affairs programming with international channels like BBC and CNN. Doordarshan planned to sell some slots for news programme under sponsored category. In February 1995, NDTV becomes the country’s first private producer of the national news ‘News Tonight’, which aired on the country’s government-owned Doordarshan set a new landmark for Indian television because of its on-the-spot reporting with pertinent visuals. In the same year, TV Today Network occupied a 20 minutes slot in DD Metro channel and aired a Hindi and current affairs programme ‘Aaj Tak’. This programme became popular for its comprehensive coverage and unique style presentation by Late S. P. Singh. Still we remembered the sign-up message “Ye Thi Khabar Aaj Tak, Intizar. Kijiye Kal Tak”. Large number of viewers across India had been watching Aaj Tak as a daily habit because of its innovative style of news presentation. Besides that Nalini Singh’s five-minute fast paced, condensed daily news capsule Ankhon Dekhi, TV Today Network’s Business Aaj Tak and Newstrack was aired on the Metro channel of Doordarshan. This is the period when satellite channels concentrated on entertainment programmes for their respective channels. Doordarshan was still ruled the most wanted area ‘news’.
Major Players
Doordarshan’s monopoly was broken in 1992, when private television channels infiltrated into the Indian boundaries and entertain the viewers as much as possible. In the beginning of 1990s, the private channels offered only entertainment programmes. The entertainment programs include family drama, comedy serials, children programmes, cartoons, movies, talk shows, recipe shows, musical concerts, non-fiction programmes etc. Private entertainment channels added some infortainment programmes to their Fixed Point Charts (FPC). Keeping the demand of infotainment programmes in mind, the media houses started to produce news magazines, entertainment magazines and news programmes for different channels. India’s premier business and consumer news broadcaster and a leading media content provider, Television Eighteen India Limited (TV18) started India’s first ever entertainment magazine ‘The India Show’ on Star Plus in 1993. This emerging media powerhouse provided prime time television content to almost all leading satellite channels in India including BBC, Star Plus, Sony Entertainment Television, Zee, MTV and Discovery. After The India Show, TV18 produced a weekly business news program India Business Report for BBC World. Indian viewers had very limited options (like public service broadcaster Doordarshan, BBC and CNN) for watching the television news. For televised news, the viewers had to watch Dordarshan and some international news channels like BBC or CNN. In this race to provide more news, more information, Zee Television jumped into the battlefield by launching the news channel Zee News in 1995. This News and current affairs channel revolutionized the way news was delivered to the viewers. Since its inception Zee News has endeavoured to be the fastest to provide news, working towards a single goal of Sabse Pahle (Always First). The other round-the-clock news channel, the Murdoch-owned Star TV beamed its exclusively 24-hour news channels, Star News in 1998. Star made a contract of five year with Prannoy Roy-owned NDTV (New Delhi Television Company) to provide news content for this news channel.
The untiring exhaustive coverage of the Kargil war between India and Pakistan gained more publicity and attracted more viewers towards the electronic channel. This televised conflict also sets a news benchmark for wartime journalism. During the Kargil war, common citizens witnessed how their brave Jawans fought despite in hostile conditions and watched the war front live by the exclusively news channels, Star-TV and Zee-News. The live coverage of the battlefield helped to create a euphoria of patriotism among the Indian masses, which later facilitated into collecting huge funds for the welfare of the families of Kargil martyrs. Every news programme draws the attention of large number of viewers but Kargil war attracts private broadcasters to invest more money in the broadcasting business by launching a news channel. In November 1999, TV18 entered into a 49:51 joint venture with CNBC Asia to launch CNBC India. TV18 is the sole program provider to CNBC India, and produces 12 hours of local content per day on this 24-hour satellite channel.
After the huge success of news programme ‘Aaj Tak’, TV Today group launched a 24-hour Hindi news channel with the same name ‘Aaj Tak’, in December 2000, which covers India with insight, courage and plenty of local flavour. Within 11 months of its launch, Aaj Tak emerged as India’s number one news channel and was awarded Best News Channel award from Indian Television Academy Awards. Some mega events apart from regular interesting items (such as Kandhahar hijack, September 11 attacks, Afghanistan war, attack on Parliament, Iraq war, Godhra carnage and riots) have driven up the viewership. As time passed, NDTV’s five years contract with Star group for outsourcing of news and related programming expired on March 2003. With the expiry NDTV forayed into broadcasting business by simultaneously launching two 24-hour news channels; NDTV 24X7 – English news channel and NDTV India – Hindi news channel, which targets the Indian diaspora across the world. News crazy Indians received more news at faster speed from different channels. Any unusual happening can be caught by the television camera anywhere form Rastrapati Bhawan to bedroom. The power of TV journalism was become more visible by the major sting operations like Operation West End and Shakti Kapoor Case. This style of investigative journalism has brought about a change in the way we look at news, amidst new notions of editorial freedom. The world’s largest family ‘Sahara India Parivar’ launched a 24-hour national Hindi news channel, Sahara Samay, in March 28, 2003. It is the first ever city-centric satellite news channels covering 31 cities in India with their own city news bulletins. Keeping the demand of news in mind, the Union cabinet approved the proposal to convert the DD Metro to DD news in a meeting held on 3 October 2003. Consequent to these decisions, DD-News channel was launched on 3 November 2003. You might have noticed that the news channels are language specific. But DD’s news channel contains the round the clock news bulletins in Hindi/ English are also telecast twice a day on the National Network of DD National.
‘Aap Ki Adalat’ fame Rajat Sharma, Sohaib Ilyasi, the man behind the highly successful ‘India’s Most Wanted’ and Taun Tejpal, editor-in-chief of Tehelka roped together and launched a free-to-air Hindi news and current affairs channel India TV on May 20, 2004. Indian viewers had more expectations from this channel. The much-awaited news channel hopes to set itself apart from the existing ones by setting new benchmarks of responsible journalism. Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Rajat Sharma, chairman, India TV, said, “We aim to change the way broadcast news reporting is being conducted in the country. India TV will set new benchmarks by maintaining international standards of responsible and credible news reporting. We will stay away from graphic depictions of violence and sensationalism of news. We will uphold the viewer’s right to correct information and their right to truth and verity. India TV is not just a news channel, it is a movement.” NDTV as a pioneer in Indian television news, set to create a fresh revolution in high-quality business news with the launch of NDTV Profit. NDTV launched this 24-hour business channel on January 17th, 2005.
There is no saturation point in launching of news channel, just booming like sky as the limit. Entertainment channel to infotainment channel, infotainment channel to news channel, news channels to business channel and Business channel to lots more. Now the satellite channels become more topicality with international standard. When we are talking about topicality, CNBC TV18, the only business channel, continues to be the medium of choice for India’s decision makers, affluent audiences across the country since 1999. It has set the pace for the growth in number of television channels by launching a 24-hour consumer channel in Hindi called ‘ Awaaz’. This news channel focusses on empowering consumers on decision-making related to investment, saving and spending. All the programmes are catering to consumers across different walks of life, which included personal finance; variety of markets including commodity, stocks, savings etc.; small businesses; education & career guidance; and verticals like health, shopping etc.
Another news channel was finally launched into the already cluttered news space in Indian television. Jagran TV Pvt Limited’s news channel, Channel 7 up-linked to the air on 27 March 2005. The channel has been set up to cater to the vast Hindi-speaking audiences, already being targeted by a slew of news channels. Channel 7 developed every programme with a bid to cater to all types of audiences and not just pre-dominantly male audiences who get attracted towards news channels.
Regional Leaders
To cater the interest among the Indians, Doordarshan televises programmes in Hindi and associate Official languages. It has launched a number of Regional Language Satellite Channels (DD – 4 to DD – 11 and DD – 13) and telecast programmes in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Kashmiri, Oriya and Tamil. The Regional channels relayed by all terrestrial transmitters in the state and additional programmes in the Regional Language in prime time and non-prime time available only through cable operators. The Doordarshan regional satellite channels telecast major news programme with some entertainment programmes.
If you think about the private regional channels, they have followed the path of the Big brother (i.e Doordarshan). They are neither completely entertainment channel nor exclusively news channel. They are following the middle path and claiming themselves an infotainment channels. The private channels televise through the state dominant languages. Rising advertising revenues and increasing numbers of viewers have provided the impetus for many big players to enter into the business. Some regional media leaders like ETV, Sun TV, Asianet have a strong grip over the regional market. Some major players tried their luck in different states. Zee television has three regional channels; Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi and Zee Bangla. Star Network entered into Tamilnadu by launching Star Vijay, one of the most popular entertainment channels in India broadcasting in Tamil. Besides that ETV Network is a part of the well-established Ramoji Group, has created 12 dedicated infotainment regional channels. ETV network is the source of rich entertainment of eight different languages. Those are: Telugu, Bangla, Marathi, Kannada, Oriya, Gujarati, Urdu; and Hindi to viewers in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Every ETV Network channel focuses exclusively on its audience’s unique cultural identity, its aspirations and its distinct socio-political character. Let us think about the south Indian language Telugu, there are around twelve satellite channels are roaming around the sky with different taste and different flavour. These channels include three news channels, one song-based channels and rest are infotainment channels. When we confine ourselves into news, three channels (ETV2, TV 9 and Teja News) exclusively devoted to news programmes.
Sahara India Pariwar is proud to have five news channels as the bouquet of Sahara Samay. These channels are: Sahara Samay NCR, Sahara Samay Mumbai, Sahara Samay Bihar & Jharkhand, Sahara Samay Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh, and Sahara Samay Uttar Pradesh & Uttranchal. Sahara Samay has already managed to gain a loyal audience in India through a bouquet of National & Regional News Channels since its launch. These channels are youthful and vibrant channels targeting students and women, besides that hardcore news stuff. The regional news channels covers the entire spectrum of genre with specific programs on lifestyle, fashion, food, shopping, health and fitness, sports, education, career and city issues, besides giving user-friendly information on traffic updates, city events, train and air timings, etc. Now national news channels cannot confine its boundary to national level. They cannot ignore the regional news because of the stiff competition form the regional cannels. Regional news channels are entering into the competition with a strong will power and also with an aim to portrait regional issues in national and international level.
Conclusion
Now the television industry becomes more specific. In this competitive market, channels are targeting specific viewers. News channels attract more viewers beyond their target by producing interactive and interesting programmes. Every channel needs to do an extensive research on different concepts and different themes to attract more viewers and in the same time more advertisers. After all, advertisements are the bread and butter for the channels. With increased consumer preference for news programmes, television news channels have grown faster than other niche channels. News channels are booming just like sky as the limit. Those days are not far away, when we will get satellite news channel for every major city in India. Staying in abroad, we can update ourselves about all the happening of our hometown. Now news is not restricted to political happenings. It will be extended its limit to every unwanted and hided corners of the society. At last we can reach in the conclusion that anything, which is strange or disgusting, is news. There are no rigid rules, which defines news.
Source:
[http://www.audiovisualcat.net/publicationsing/Q14india.pdf]
http://www.equitymaster.com/research-it/ipo/ndtv.asp
http://www.mouthshut.com/index.php?url=#&image=http://www.mouthshut.com/imagefiles/logo-ms.gif
http://www.screenindia.com/jul25/tele2.htm
http://www.indianembassy.org/indiainfo
http://www.india-today.com/itgroup/
[http://www.studio-systems.com/broadfeatures/JFMA98/NDTV/63.htm]
[http://www.ndtvtravels.com/aboutus.asp]
[http://cnbc-tv18.moneycontrol.com/cnbctv18/about_tv18.php]
[http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0],13673,501030818-474534,00.html
[http://www.chennaionline.com/musicnew/Channels/05indiatv.asp]
http://www.prdomain.com/companies/s/sahara_india_pariwar/news_releases/200303mar/pr_sahara_india_nr_20030326.htm
[http://www.scatmag.com/tamreach_sept05.pdf]
[http://www.agencyfaqs.com/media/media_newslets/Media/4899.html].
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/26/business/indianews27.php
Photo Montage (or Slideshow) Tips and Ideas
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got old photos in boxes, scattered pictures in various scrapbooks or albums, a computer hard drive with photos saved in places you don’t even remember, maybe even some undeveloped film (who knows what could be on there!). If you’re looking for something to do with all of it, why not make a photo slideshow on DVD replete with music and specials effects? It is a great way to keep a permanent record of all those photos as DVDs can last up to 100 years. There are plenty of companies that will perform that service for you (including the author’s) or you can do it yourself. If you want to do it yourself, here are some ideas to help you out.
Know Your Audience
The most important aspect in creating any photo montage is in knowing your audience. Ultimately, what you are doing with your montage is telling a story. To tell it effectively, you have to know who you are telling it to. The audience will play a large part in how many pictures you want to include, the type of music you want, and the length of the presentation. Here are a few specific ideas:
* If you plan on showing your montage to a larger audience (like a birthday, wedding reception/rehearsal dinner, or anniversary party) make sure you consider how you are going to present it. Is your slideshow going to be a backdrop for the party or is there going to be a time to sit down where everyone will gather to watch? If it is a backdrop, you probably want to use more pictures. That way, people can watch parts as they please, mingle, and then come back to watch different parts as the party moves on. If your montage is going to be displayed with the expectation that most people will stop what they are doing to watch, keep your presentation limited to about 4 songs (about 125 to 175 photos). This is a good length to create some nice emotions yet short enough that it will not interrupt the event.
* If you plan on showing your slideshow to a small and intimate audience, the best bet is to make it short and sweet. One to two personal songs with about 75 photographs makes a great surprise gift.
The Importance Of Order
There are a variety of approaches you can take in ordering your photographs (thematically, chronologically, etc). What usually has the best flow is a chronological order. Chronological order allows you to encapsulate all facets of a person’s life in a way that everyone will understand. It also creates a great nostalgia effect early on which will grab your audience’s attention right away.
Music
Generically speaking, songs with lyrics are best. Since the majority of your DVD will be pictures, having lyrics really helps to attach the photos to the music. If a particular lyric matches up to what is going on in a particular photo that is even better.
As to musical genre, that is a matter of personal taste. From experience, though, a mix is usually the most powerful. If you are making an upbeat, light-hearted presentation, then matching music is appropriate. If you are looking for something engaging and emotional, then think of your presentation like it is a great movie. You want a lighter side, a dramatic part, and a great ending. Depending on the number of photos you have, probably one or two up-tempo songs, one or two slower songs, and then the homerun song for the end.
When picking specific songs, it is a good idea to think beyond the more common popular songs. What is the person’s favorite song? How about a song from their childhood? Maybe one version of a song works better than another (like acoustic versus electric)? There is an amazing amount of music available online; it is a good idea to explore. You will know when you see it in your presentation if it really fits.
Photo Quality
A big issue related to creating a photo montage is photo editing. There is plenty of software that can clean up cracks, fix lighting, adjust color, remove spots, etc.; some works better than others (check out http://www.cnet.com for product reviews). The one problem no software can fix, though, is a grainy photo. Unfortunately, an out-of-focus photograph is going to remain an out-of-focus picture in your slideshow. When you are selecting the photos are going to include, you should choose the clearest ones you have. Keep in mind that your slideshow may have lots of transitions, backgrounds, pan and zooms, etc. so you want photos with a focal point that is as clean as possible. Clean photos help keep the flow of the presentation.
Video
A good way to add some flair to your montage is to add video. If you can find and isolate some good video clips, they add a great touch. If you do decide to add video, don’t make the clips too long. Remember, you have a story to tell and need to keep it moving. Keep the clip down to about thirty seconds and consider using video as a break point between “chapters” or songs.
Narrate It
Another great touch is to use personal voice recordings in your slideshow. If your presentation is a gift, hearing your voice makes it that much more personal (and memorable). Voice recording can be done on most home computers. Turn on the microphone and go for it!
Quotes and Poems
If you are really looking to create an emotional montage, use photo captions. They can be personal quotes, famous quotes, short poems, etc. Whatever your preference, a good quote can help to convey the true meaning behind a certain photo or draw out deep emotions.
Personalize It
What makes any gift special? The thought of course — especially the thought that comes from you. Since that is the case, some piece of personalization, however small, is critical. Think of it as your signature on a painting. Whether it is a song, a caption, or even a certain photo make sure to make it your own.
The End
Sometimes one of the best parts of a movie is the highlight reel at the end (think “Build Me Up, Buttercup” at the end of There’s Something About Mary). If you can come up with your own “bloopers reel,” it would be an excellent finishing touch to your slideshow.
Back-Up Plan
Once all of your pictures have been scanned, catalogued, and you are ready to start on your montage, don’t forget to create a file with just your originals in case you need to go back to them for some reason. It is a good idea to also create a separate folder with your edited photos. That way you have copies of both for a “Doomsday scenario.” This also provides you a way to preserve all your print photos which can degrade over time (cracking, turning yellow, etc).
Hopefully, these ideas are helpful to you. Creating a photo slideshow is a lot of work but it always turns out to be worth it in the end.
How to Start a Magazine in 6 Steps
Starting a magazine is not as hard as you would think. I have started several myself and successfully published them for years. Make no mistake, it is hard work, but if you can meet a few key requirements you can get your magazine off the ground.
What are those few key requirements?
1) You need some money to do this – Every business start up needs some capital and magazines are no different. How much do you need? As little as a few hundred dollars will work (not including your printing costs) to get your first issue on the streets and/or news stands. For a projected higher end book, you will need thousands of dollars dependent on what market you are entering and how big you are going right off the bat. The key will be to learn the skills you need to publish and do the tasks yourself rather than hire an office full of workers and payroll (I will hit on those skills in a minute and talk more about cash in a minute).
2) Equipment – At least one good computer capable of operating the various software you will need (Adobe InDesign and at least Adobe Photoshop), a good digital SLR camera like the Nikon D50 which runs about $750, a phone and a dependable vehicle.
3) The ability to sell – Magazines big and small run off of advertisements and yours will be no different. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a solid sales strategy in place before you take on this project. I will talk more about selling further along.
4) Creativity – You can’t survive without offering something new to your readers in an attractive package and for this being creative is a necessity.
Step #1 – Develop the Framework
You probably have an idea of what type of magazine you want to publish but from here you need to construct some basic framework. Pick a name for your magazine carefully, make sure you are not stepping on anyone’s trademark by searching the US trademark database.
Your website’s domain name is also something to consider when choosing your name. Search for open domains that match your magazine’s name as closely as possible. It is okay to use a few sudo-odd takes on domains for magazines like magazinenameonline.com or magazine-name.com. Register your domain and contact a web development company that you like to start work on your magazine’s new website. I personally like 22 Creative as they specialize in websites for magazines. Your website does not need to be awesome right out of the gate, just something professional that is clear about who you are and what your book is about – expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands here. A website is an essential part of this process though, do not skip out on this one.
Okay, you have a name and a website, what’s next? Figure out what you are going to include in your first issue by writing out an editorial outline. Fancy name but in reality, just write out what you want to feature, how many pages you want to devote to each item and how many pages for ads you want to stash away (this will be dependent on how many ads you sell for your first issue). How many pages should your magazine be? Two factors are in play here. One is the cost of printing the magazine as it costs more to print a bigger magazine obviously, the second is how much editorial can or do you want to produce? You do not need a 100 page book your first go around so, dependent on what your competitors are doing, aim for around 50 pages for a local or lifestyle magazine and 90+ for a magazine you want to distribute on national news stands.
Step #2 – It’s Time to Produce Content
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need an army of ‘journalists’ to publish your first issue. I have produced content for hundreds of magazines by myself or with the help of just a handful of people, it is not that hard.
Start with item number one on your editorial outline. Write your text first, making sure to follow basic guidelines for writing editorial (Google search it for tons of help). Have friends read the copy and get their honest opinion. Did you lose your readers attention at any point? Are your facts correct? Do you have any typos?
A picture is worth a thousand words literally. People like pictures, big, colorful pictures and lots of them. Decide on how many pictures you need for the piece and whether or not you can take the photos yourself or if you need to buy them/license them from a stock photo service. If you can take them yourself, head out and start snapping. Take clear, in-focus images and take lots of them. You do not want to have to go back and re-shoot anything because you did not get the shot. Also, set your camera to take 300dpi images, normal smaller resolution images will not work and will look pixilated in the final product – nothing comes off as more rookie than low-res photos in magazines. Remember if you have any people in your photos, get them to sign a ‘model release’ allowing you to use their image in your publication. If you need to buy an image from a stock photo website, make sure you buy a 300dpi image that is suitable for printing. Expect to pay anywhere from $3 – $10 for each photo, if you encounter a website that charges more, you would be over paying.
After you have knocked your editorial out, sleep on it and go over it yourself. Is it good? How many magazines have you seen that all regurgitate the same tired ‘electronics features’ of iPhones and some silly whatever that not many people care about? Lots. You have to have a new take on things if you want to see issue number 2, 3, 54, etc.
Step #3 – Start Selling Ads Yesterday
New publishers often fall into the trap of just focusing on the creative side of the magazine and not the sales. As an independent publisher, you have to wear both hats. Start by putting together a media kit for your new magazine. A media kit is a couple pages, printed out that act as a resume for your magazine featuring all of the details of who your magazine is for, how many you print, your distribution tactics, what ads you offer and how much they cost, etc. In the beginning most of your sales will not be because of your media kit, this is just an essential thing to have to leave with prospective advertisers. I could go on and on about how to sell ads for new magazines but if you read it, you would have to send me a pretty big check as that is closely held information by all in the industry. What I can tell you is start with a plan; call on advertisers that make sense for your magazine. It is a waste of time to try and sell an ad to Budweiser if you are a new magazine that is about quilting – it’s just not going to happen. Put yourself in that business owners shoes, would you consider it?
Now is not the time to get rich quick. You want to sell ads to pay the bills and hopefully recoup your investment and live. That means price your ad offerings in reality. For an idea of what reality is, try and find out what similar magazines in your market are charging. Do not go to low on your pricing however, believe in the value of your magazine – giving it away free almost guarantees future failure. I know of one magazine that just kept throwing money at itself, starting in new markets without first being profitable in one and to appear successful, they gave away their ad space. A couple years later and it is common knowledge in the media buying industry that no one pays for ads in that magazine ever. If a potential advertiser says they want it for less than you want to sell it for, pass on them politely and come back to them in a few months after you can prove a stronger value to justify your rate card.
Most importantly, offer value to your advertisers. There are a gazillion different ways to do this but it all starts with you delivering a strong, readable publication on time. The old under-promise and over-deliver adage works well here.
Step #4 – Layout Time
It’s crunch time. Layout is hardly ever pleasurable, my first issue I ever designed took me about 72 hours of work with about 6 hours of sleep in that period – not exactly what I call an awesome good time. Make sure you know how to use your software BEFORE you need to start laying out your pub. Pretty much the whole free world uses Adobe InDesign to layout their magazines. It is a reliable and easy to use program that will run you about $650 unless you can find a deal. You should seriously consider purchasing one of Adobe’s Creative Suites that bundles InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Those three programs will take you anywhere you want to go in publishing as I have been relying on them for years. Yes that is some expensive software but is essential and well worth the money if you are serious about doing this right.
If you flip through a random magazine here and there, you will notice that a lot of them have an inconsistent layout throughout the book, meaning that the fonts and styles change every few pages or every story. If this appeals to you knock yourself out, just know that it is not a good practice to follow. You need to aim for a balanced flow with your layouts. The first page of content should be very close to the last page and not stray too far in between. Use a text font at or above 8 points and never smaller. Don’t forget those pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Learn to use Photoshop to clean your photos up. I have spent at least 60 seconds with every photo I have ever placed in a magazine layout – it is a crime to run photos with zero post work done on them, just a straight up crime.
I won’t go into an InDesign tutorial, plenty of people have done that better than I can before.
What you need to ultimately do is end up with a PDF file for each page of your magazine that you will give to your printer. Name each file a standard p01_NAME.pdf. Covers will be labeled C1, C2, etc. You will have the option to view proofs of your files before your printer fires up the press to start your job (a big chunk of what you are paying them to do). Always look at every proof of every page; once it gets put on a plate and starts laying down ink, you are locked in.
Make sure you are happy with your printer. If you do not have a printer to print your job, start by talking to Las Vegas Printing to get a quote on your job. I recommend getting your finished magazines carton packed rather than skid packed and wrapped in plastic as this practice guarantees a percentage of waste due to not protecting the magazines on the outside of the skid.
Step #5 – Distribution Time
If you are starting a magazine that will have National or a large ranging distribution, head straight to one of the two major magazine distributors. I won’t name them because they, in my opinion, make it very difficult for start ups to get in the game. I will leave it at that.
If you are starting a locally distributed magazine, read on. Yes there are services that offer to distribute your magazine for you, they will do a poor job and charge you and arm and a leg for the privilege. Distribution is paramount. If no one sees, picks up or reads your magazine then it is just a waste of time, money and trees. A major part of your focus should be dialing in the best distribution strategy possible. Do not just toss magazines in front of stores, bars, etc. and expect them to take the time to place them out in a neat fashion – they will end up in the dumpster out back. Do your own distribution. Personally ask permission from each distribution spot, not only is this the right thing to do but it is a great way to get your name out there and meet a few potential advertisers.
Step #6 – Do it again, and again and again
The process never stops in the magazine game, it is a fight at all times. There will always be strong competition, new people looking for their share of a market and times where you feel like you are the only person that reads your magazine. But if you do not fight at all, it’s a guarantee that you will not win. Good luck!
How to Make Your Own Printable Invitations for Any Occasion
Even with modern technology like email and cell phones, printed invitations have remained the most common way to let people know about your upcoming party and will continue to remain popular due to the timeless rules of party etiquette. Invitations can be a major cost, especially for large parties, like weddings and some baby showers. However, with a little creativity and time, you can make your own printable invitations, even if you have no artistic skills.
1. The first step is designing your card. You can use a simple word processor like Microsoft Word and if you want, you can go to the Adobe’s website at http://createpdf.adobe.com to convert your file into a pdf file. Select the proper dimensions and print out a sample on some plain white paper just to make sure it is the right size.
2. Next, you will want to find the proper card stock to print out your invitations on. Your local office supply store will have these and you can purchase them inexpensively there.
3. Use the word processor to insert text boxes with the words you want on your invitation. Play around with the fonts and text color.
4. There are many sites that offer free clip art and pictures that you can use for your invitations. Just do a search for “free clip art” on the search engines and you will find many sites that provide these services for free. Browse through and download the pictures you want and then insert them into your card at the desired location.
5. If you use a background image, make sure it does not obscure the text on the card. Ideally, background images should be watermarked. Most word processors will allow you to select background images and make them watermarks. Another alternative is to click on all the text boxes and give them solid colored backgrounds.
6. Need a catchy poem or verse? Once again, you can search the internet for related verses. For example, if I am making baby shower invitations, then I can search for “baby shower poem” or “baby verse” and any other related phrases.
7. Save the master copy of the finished card and print out a sample copy on plain paper to see what it will look like. If it looks good, then you can start personalizing each card and printing it out on card stock.
8. If you do not have a color printer, then create a personalized copy for each guest and save it as a separate file on a disk. Take the disk to your local print shop and have them print out a invitation for each guest. Some print shops may even print out the invitations for you if you give them the guest list and template. A print shop will cost more than printing them out yourself, but probably less than buying invitations from somewhere else. Plus the product should look very professional and they may even have the right card stock available. Additionally, print shops can do engraved invitations as well, which are good for upscale occasions like weddings.
Some other guidelines include try to stick to a central theme, don’t try to use too many pictures and colors, and compare your card to others at card stores to get a feel for what a good invitation should look like. Remember that most invitations are simple and have just a few graphics and maybe one verse. As you can see, there are infinite possibilities when creating your own party invitations and not only is it a fun project, but will also save you money.
Start Your Own Photography Business from Home
Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can set up a home business, marketing photography. You need only to convert a room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.
With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.
It is not necessary to clutter yourself with equipment you do not need. You can hire equipment on and when you need it basis. You have the freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full time to photography. All you need to be is a serious photographer. There are two types of photographers that makes their living from photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer. You can always bookmark this link and then you can quickly access just about all you’ll ever need from here.
Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for photographs of virtually every type has widened, the world seems to have an insatiable appetite for photographs. However the price has fallen as the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more fields. For instance many people use car web sites, they simply did not exist ten years ago, and they sell their products as a result of photography. Cameras used by scuba diver’s are now an excellent quality, and whilst they are initially expensive, they have forged a new market. People celebrate special occasions more with photography, than they did years ago. The travel and advertising markets have a greater need for landscape, travel and nature shots.
It is now easier than ever to turn your dream into reality and create a worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However in today’s modern world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a picture. You need to be aware of marketing techniques, and here marketing simply means transferring ownership of a product, in this case an image from a buyer to seller. You also need to be aware of any local gaps in the market in your local area. You should also try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value your skills and not charge enough to cover your overheads is another matter entirely. Remember this, its an important point.
Use your skills to the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it. Writing a business plan helps to keep you focused on the areas you specifically want to exploit. A business plan helps you to define your goals and strategies, it will be changed and updated, but it will help you, to keep things in perspective. You can then refer back to it when things become confusing or complicated. Everyone’s business plan will be different, as every objective will be different, but there are certain common factors that make up a good business plan which will help your business grow. It allows you to develop a professional attitude to your business, which not only helps you to increase your earnings, but also help you to finance your business.
For the photographer it should include, your business name, or your own, with full details of the proposed location of the business, a copy of your logo, as well as details of your copyright notices. What is the form of your proposed business (sole ownership, partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation). This should be followed by a table of contents, which focuses on a logical order. There are resources that will give you further details on such as profitable-photography.com
Included after this should be the type of business you intend to pursue, in a fair amount of detail, and it should contain the services you intend to offer. This section should include any future gaols or avenues you would like to explore, stating your clear objectives. This is so you can check at a later date whether your objectives are on course, or if you have got sidetracked.
If you envisage at any time you may need financial help, then you should include your personal business history.
You should also state a clear and concise marketing plan that should demonstrate how your business will differentiate from the businesses of your competitors. You should be able to establish whom your customers will be, as well as where your market will be, as in wholesale or retail or a combination of both. You should also be able to determine how long this type of market will be available to yourself.
The next section should clearly define your opposition, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This should include the ways you may be able to exploit any gaps in the market in the specific area where you live. A section should follow this on how you intend to market and promote your individual services.
A financial segment should be included as to how you intend to manage the day-to-day bills of the business. How you intend to price your services, and what factors influence this pricing structure, which includes a section on your competitor’s financial structures. This means a fair amount of detective work as well as homework. Get your friends to ask from quotes from the local competition. Or try an even more direct approach, tell your competitor’s that you intend to start a new business, and that you do not want to undercut them, as this reduces the cake for everyone. They may well offer to help you construct a pricing structure that ensures everyone’s livelihood. It is in their interests to help. Not everyone will be cooperative, but it may mean you can get a truer picture of the market factors that govern your area.
Make a list of all the equipment you will need in your first year, as well as how and where you intend to purchase. Note any difficulties that may arise in obtaining your supplies. Note whether the prices of your supplies have a seasonal fluctuation, that may help you influence you when to buy. You should make a note of any local licenses that will be necessary, as well as any zoning restrictions, that may restrict the growth of your business. Your neighbours may not be thrilled at a procession of customer’s to your door, check whether they can restrict your services. Make a study of all your business insurance requirements.
The final segment should be devoted to how you intend to finance the growth of your business, as well as isolating what your financial needs will be. This should include a projection on your future earnings, as well as an accurate assessment of your outgoings’. This should be assessed on a monthly basis for the first year, and on an annual basis for the following three years. An important aspect of the financial statement is an assessment of the break-even point of your business, in other words the minimum you will have to take to pay your expenses.
The purpose of this documentation is to allow you to enunciate what the core elements of your business will be, in doing this it should help you to be able to quickly evaluate the success of your business objectives. If you are not clear on your objectives then you cannot possibly make a plan to bring about the success of those objectives.
How Does Green Screen Work? Explained Easy in Plain English
How Does It Work?
Using software, images or movies remove the green screen background, while superimposing the new picture so that the subject could stand against a backdrop or another layer of background video.
Examples of Images Edited with Chroma Key (Chromakey) Technique
Wedding Photography – Wedding photographers benefit from shooting pictures using chroma key technique and swapping images with scenes couples request. Posing in front of the screen, all of the sudden, couples can appear on the beach, inside the church, in Las Vegas, in countryside or whichever location possible.
Weather Broadcast – Weather men/women and news anchors stand in front of green screen inside the TV studio, and radar map or temperatures appear in place of the screen, enabling news crew to engage in interactive broadcasting.
Special Effect Movie Scenes – Video editing tools, such as Final Cut, Sony Vegas, and Adobe Premiere allow even the small budget production to add Hollywood style movie effects.
What Tools Are Required to Chroma Key?
1. Background - First and most importantly, a green screen. It can be a painted wall or rolled fabric, even a ready made product purchased from an online retail store will work.
2. Images – Images and backdrop to replace. Movie if replacing another movie clip.
3. Light – Lighting is the most challenging task. The subject needs to be evenly lit, and if there is not adequate light shooting indoor, shoot outdoor instead. Preferably, overcast weather days provide the right amount of light source.
4. Software - Tools such as Green Screen Wizard effectively removes the screen to superimpose an image or movie file.
Green screen allows a subject to appear in front of an image with the use of chroma key technique. Chromakeying enables the removal of the screen, and by layering another image underneath it, the subject appears over the image as she is actually in the image.