Get a Free Copy of Adobe Photoshop

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Get Your Free Legal Copy of Adobe Photoshop CS2

by Cliff Ping

If you need to edit or modify images, Adobe Photoshop is the best image editor on the market. This program is used by graphic artists, photographers, newspapers, advertising agencies and serious image editors. The program is expensive (around $700) and it is difficult to understand.

cliff ping adobe photoshop box

Adobe is offering a free version of its Photoshop program.

The free version is not limited just to the Photoshop program. Adobe is giving away a full copy of the Creative Suite 2. This suite includes full working copies of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat Pro. You can download the entire suite or just the modules you want to use.

Creative Suite 2 is a few years old, and does not have all the new features (the current version is Creative Suite Cloud, CS7). The Creative Suite 2 version of Photoshop is still a very powerful and capable image editor.

How can you get a copy?

Go to this link below:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=cs2_downloads

  1. If you do not already have an Adobe account you will be required to create one before being able to download the software.
  2. Next select the module you want to download, write down the product serial number and download the software.
  3. Once the software is downloaded, install it.
  4. After the install is complete you are ready to start using the program.        enjoy

 

cliff ping

 

 

Cliff Ping can train you on how-to better use your Adobe and Microsoft software. Get started with Cliff or ask him a question by sending him an e-mail at CliffPing@gmail.com

Microsoft Ends Support of Office 2003

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Microsoft ended support of Office 2003 in 2014 on April 8th.

by Cliff Ping

You will still be able to use your Office 2003 programs. They will operate fine. This just means that support and updates for Office 2003 will no longer be available. office 2003 logo

What does not having support mean?

Your PC could be vulnerable to attack. If you share documents with others, this risk is real. If you only use your documents, the risk is much less. Unfortunately, new vulnerabilities in Office 2003 are always being found.

The old Office file formats (.DOC, XLS, .PPT, etc.) were based on a technology that allowed hackers to infect with malicious code.

Office 2007, changed the file format code (.DOCx, XLSx, .PPTx, etc.) to a more secure code that is much more difficult to infect. Microsoft allowed upward compatibility for Office 2003 by creating the Office Compatibility Pack. This update gave Office 2003 users read/write compatibility with Office 2007 users.

What Can Office 2003 Users Do?

  1. If you wish to continue using Office 2003, use the newer Office 2007 file formats. If you have not installed the Office Compatibility Pack update then download and install it. This newer Office 2007 file format should be used instead of the old Office file format. This option still has risks but much less than using the old Office file formats. This option allows you to continue using your current Office with no added expense.

Office ribbon ui vs office file ui

 

  1. Solve the problem with an upgrade to Office 2007 or 2010.This will cost money. Some old hardware might not support this newer version of the Office software. You will also have to learn the new Office ribbon. This new user interface replaced the old familiar Office menu interface. This was the single most complained-about feature in the new Office 2007 software.

 

  1. Solve the problem with an upgrade to Office 365.
    To use this web based product you need to be using the most current or one version back of your browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari). If this requirement is met then you can spend the money to upgrade to this version of Office. Office 365 also uses the ribbon user interface.

 

  1. Solve the problem with a switch to another product like Open Office or Google Docs.

 

 

cliff ping

 

 

 

 

Cliff Ping can train you on how-to better use your Adobe and Microsoft software. Get started with Cliff or ask him a question by sending him an e-mail at CliffPing@gmail.com

Windows XP support is not dead

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Windows XP support is not dead.

cliff ping windows xp screen

That is if you have the money to get Microsoft support.

Continued XP computer support will cost $200 per XP computer, with a minimum cost of $150,000 per year.

This means only large companies with at least 750 XP computers will have their XP machines updated.

For the rest of the XP users, Microsoft says go spend some money.

Microsoft doesn’t care that your XP computer meets your needs. Microsoft doesn’t care that your computer budget doesn’t include money for new hardware.  Microsoft doesn’t care that your XP software will not run in Windows 8. Microsoft doesn’t care that your hardware peripherals will not work with Windows 8.

Microsoft and their partners do care that you spend your money on new equipment.

Microsoft and their partners do care that they haven’t received some of your money for 10+ years.

If you choose to keep your money and wish to continue using your XP computer then follow these 5 tips:

  1. Download and install the last Windows XP security patch.
  2. Update and keep updated your virus protection software.
  3. Install and keep updated a malware software program.
  4. Remove Internet Explorer from your XP computer. It will no longer get updates and it will not be a secure XP browser.
  5. Install a secure XP browser. Both Chrome and Firefox are secure XP browsers.

Finally, you will eventually need to upgrade your computer until then do these five steps and be careful browsing sites you do not know.

 

cliff ping

 

 

Cliff Ping can train you on how-to better use your Adobe and Microsoft software. Get started with Cliff or ask him a question by sending him an e-mail at CliffPing@gmail.com

Remove a Polaroid Cast

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a polaroid too yellow before

Before

polaroid-after

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Use Levels to Remove a Polaroid Color Cast

by Cliff Ping

Do you have any old Polaroid pictures that are turning yellow?

You can you fix this!

I will show you in this video how Photoshop’s Levels can be used to bring the color back to life in a yellowish Polaroid picture. The steps I discuss in the video are listed below.

press the words to the right to view the video: remove a color cast

 

Levels Set Highlight and Shadow Method

Step 1: Select, Image>Adjustments>Levels. (Ctrl+L)

Step 2: Redefine the high-light point first.
Select the highlight eyedropper and then click on the image where you think the brightest printable pixel (white) for that image resides.

Step 3: Now select the shadow eyedropper and then click on the image where you think the darkest printable pixel (black) for that image resides.

You can try more than one place. Your last choice is what the eyedropper sets as the shadow point.

The image might still need some color tuning and minor blemish repair but the color cast is gone.

 

cliff ping

 

 

Cliff Ping can train you on how-to better use your Adobe and Microsoft software. Get started with Cliff or ask him a question by sending him an e-mail at CliffPing@gmail.com

Lighten a Dark Image

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cliff ping dark new rlds building

Before

cliff ping dark new rlds building after

After

 

 

 

 

Use Levels to Lighten a Dark Image

by Cliff Ping

Digital cameras and phone cameras are great but sometimes the picture you took is too dark. How can you fix this!

I will show you in this video how Levels can be used to bring a dark image back to life. The steps I discuss in the video are listed below.

press the words to the right to view the video:  lighten dark image with levels

Step 1: Select Image>Adjustments>Levels. (Ctrl+L)

Step 2: As you evaluate the histogram of the dark image, you can see that the right-most side of the histogram is far away from the white triangle position.

Step 3: You want to select the white triangle and drag-it to the left, until it is at the edge of the histogram. The image highlight information will improve dramatically.

Step 4: Next, select the black triangle and drag it to the right a little.

Step 5: Now, select the middle triangle and darken the midtones of the image by adjusting its position to the right or lighten the midtones of the image by adjusting its position to the left.

Step 6: Click OK and you’re finished.

cliff ping

 

 

Cliff Ping can train you on how-to better use your Adobe and Microsoft software. Get started with Cliff or ask him a question by sending him an e-mail at CliffPing@gmail.com

 

Remove a Color Cast

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Remove a Color Cast

ImageImage

How-to Remove a Color Cast 

by Cliff Ping

Any image that has too much red, green, blue, or yellow is said to have a color cast. Now panic sets in. How can you fix this!

Take a breathe, I will show you in this video two simple methods that repair most color casts.

This method to remove a color cast will use Adobe Photoshop’s Levels to set a highlight and shadow point. The steps I discuss in the video are listed below.

press the words to the right to view the video:  contrast_repair

Step 1: Select, Image>Adjustments>Levels. (Ctrl+L)

Step 2: Redefine the high-light point first.
Select the highlight eyedropper and then click on the image where you think the brightest printable pixel (white) for that image resides.

Step 3: Now select the shadow eyedropper and then click on the image where you think the darkest printable pixel (black) for that image resides.

You can try more than one place. Your last choice is what the eyedropper sets as the shadow point.

The image might still need some color tuning and minor blemish repair but the color cast is gone.

 

cliff ping

 

 

Cliff Ping can train you on how-to better use your Adobe and Microsoft software. Get started with Cliff or ask him a question by sending him an e-mail at CliffPing@gmail.com