Showing posts with label tutorials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorials. Show all posts
Now and again you might find yourself needing to grab a screenshot from your computer, whether it's because of a tech issue you need help with or something you just need to share.
Luckily both PC and Mac come with built in tools to assist and make this a super easy and quick task.
Let's start with the PC. There are actually quite a few different ways to accomplish a screenshot on a PC, but by far the easiest, imo, is the following method.
To create and save the screenshot, just tap the Windows key + Print Screen key at the same time. The screenshot will then be saved to your Pictures > Screenshots folder.
And it's just as easy as that. Should you really not want to share the entire picture you just snapped, you can quickly crop out the parts you want to hide, or you can use one of the tools or methods listed in this handy article that covers all the ways to screen grab.
Here's a keyboard pic showing where the Windows and Print Screen keys are:
So let's cover the Mac desktop now. My favorite tool that I use all.the.time is the Screenshot application. You'll find this in Finder > Applications > Utilities. I drag it to the dock so it's always handy because I use it so often.
Just click the program to open it, then position and size the box you get on your screen to fit what you're capturing and click 'Capture'. The image will then be automatically saved to your desktop.
Mac also has a few other methods to do a screenshot such as keyboard shortcuts, but I much prefer the tool and find it faster and easier to use.
Need help with screenshots on other devices? Find all the other instructions here from CNET.
I use RTF files for delivering download links on my digital products whenever I can't upload the actual files directly. It's a helpful alternative that's commonplace practice in the digital realm, although different sellers may use different types of documents to do the same thing.
So what exactly is an RTF file?
Basically it is just a simplified document file, a sort of up-scaled version of the TXT file. What makes it useful is that it is a universal document type that can be opened in a wide variety of word processing software on either PC, Mac or Linux. It means the file is easily shareable to absolutely anyone.
I like using it for that very reason, but it's also super quick for me to make and save the file too. As an added security bonus, RTF files cannot transmit viruses or malware (unlike word or pdf docs). So it's a super safe file type to use when sharing really simple data.
How do you open an RTF file?
The first thing you should try is to just double-click (or tap on mobile) to open the RTF file directly.
You likely have an app already built-in or installed on your system for opening RTF files. To start with, if you’ve got any word processing app installed—Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, AbiWord, for example—you can open an RTF file with it.
Most file services—like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive; will have built in viewers that let you at least read an RTF file, while Google Docs also lets you edit RTF files.
And most operating systems will have a built-in editor that can open RTF files. In Windows, that would be WordPad and in Mac it's TextEdit or Apple Pages.
If you prefer that an RTF file opens with a different app than the one currently set as your default program you can easily change that to your preferred app. On Windows or Mac, just right-click the file and you’ll see an “Open With” command or something similar for choosing the app you want to use. Change your default app for RTF files by selecting the “always use this app to open .rtf files” option.
And that's all there is to it. Simple and easy peasy. :)
When you purchase art work online, whether for your website or blog, a digital craft project or to print out and use as a physical product it is handy to know and understand the file types that are being offered with your purchase.
The following is a list of the most common image file types and design file types offered with a digital art work purchase:
Common Image Types
JPEG - this is the default file format for photographs and is ideal for any image file with complex color gradients. JPG does not support transparency and if repeatedly edited and saved will be degraded in quality each time. Usually provided by artists for printing purposes.
TIFF - used mainly in professional photography printing this file type is not widely supported by web browsers but may be offered as a format from photographers for printing purposes.
PNG - used specifically for clip art as this file type offers transparency enabling images to be easily layered into design work. Well supported by web browsers, PNG files are lossless and often provide a sharper web image for illustrations containing simple color blocks. Useful then in graphic design and web design.
SVG - there is a lot more to this file type than I will describe here, but the basics are that this image file is scalable, meaning you can resize up or down without any quality loss. This is a popular file type for use with cutting machines like Cricut or Silhouette and compatible with all cutting machine brands.
DXF - this is a type of AutoCAD file and typically presents as a simple outline of a graphic. this is now commonly used by cutting machine users wanting to edit and personalize graphics in their cutting machine software.
GIF - this file type has been around for a long while and is suitable for static images with few colors and a simple design. It's popular for mini animation with a low file size perfect for web applications.
Image as Document File
PDF - a file format that is used to present and share documents containing text or graphics independent of software, hardware or operating system. this offers a reliable way to present printable art work or design files. PDF files can be either fixed or editable depending on how they are designed and set up.
Software Specific Files
AI - Adobe Illustrator software files which can only be opened in software programs compatible with this file extension
PSD - Adobe Photoshop software files which can only be opened in software programs compatible with this file extension
EPS - typically created by Adobe Illustrator, the advantage of an EPS version is that it can be opened in other software programs aside from Adobe. however depending on which software you have used to open it with you may only be able to access the image preview.
When you purchase a computer there will already be a selection of fonts installed on that machine. However, while these included fonts are always tried and tested classics you may eventually have the need for something with a bit more flair.
Installing new fonts to your computer is super easy and something that you needn’t be daunted by.
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Here are the steps for PC Desktop and Laptops:
- first download your new font file folder, this will most likely be a zip file
- unzip the font folder
- right click on the font file and select install
- that’s it, all done
- same as above, download and unzip the font folder
- double click the font file and press install
- done
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Font files can come in 2 formats: .OTF (open type) or .TTF (true type) So what are the differences?
It’s all about what kind of extra detail is included within the design of the font and the explanation gets a bit complicated, so as a beginner all you really need to know is that both file types work on either Mac or PC, and regardless of which format you’re given, it will work on your machine.
Different fonts you download will have one or the other file type in the folder and sometimes you will receive both options together. OTF files usually come with extra or alternate lettering options (something you might choose to learn about later) so otherwise just stick to the TTF file when there's a choice. But know that either way, you’ll be fine!
Another thing to look out for and know... some purchased fonts will come with a choice of ‘desktop’ fonts and ‘web’ fonts. Always install the desktop font file. The web font version is specifically for web designers.
Have errors during installation? Ensure you are clicking on the extracted font file (not the still zipped up folder file) or that you have administrator privileges on your machine.
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Font terms of use: as with any artwork you download from the internet, fonts will have terms of use associated with them. Many free fonts are for personal use only. Some will allow commercial use with a donation and many fonts require the purchase of the font if you wish to use it commercially.
Always respect the creator's terms of use. Artists work hard to earn a living and their generosity should not be taken advantage of. Plus you might get into trouble later.
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WHERE TO FIND FREE FONTS
DaFont - this popular site has a big collection of fonts and while a good many are for personal use only you can find some that allow commercial use
1001FreeFonts - a site very similar to above, both sharing a lot of the same fonts
FontSquirrel - a site that offers links to free fonts, all of which are available for commercial use
PremiumFreeFonts - the free section offered by FontBundles.net has an ever-changing selection of free fonts with a commercial use license, it's worthwhile to sign up for their newsletter as you will grow your font collection in no time at all
TheHungryJPEG - a site with way more than just fonts, they have a free section and weekly freebies include many fabulous fonts, all with a commercial use license
Creative Market - this site is a designers marketplace and they offer up free resources every week with at least 1 or 2 fonts each week, again with a commercial use license
Do you have another favorite place to source free fonts? Share in the comments!
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