Paint.NET

Today I am going to show you how to create a rainbow text effect like in the following picture.

1 Create a layer with a black background.

2 In the background layer type in white colored text what you want. (EX: Techno Newbie)

3 Then add a new layer.

4 In this new layer use you paintbrush tool to cover all of the text with different colors of text. TIP: Make the brush width the size of your text.

5 Once you have covered it all, at the top go to "Effects".

6 Then go to "Blurs".

7 Then select Gaussian Blur, and change the text box on the right of the pop-up box to 44., and click okay.

8 Then double click on the "new layer" (It might be named "Layer 2" for you.)

9 Click the drop-down box and change the mode to "darken".

10 Click okay, and then you are done!

Pie charts, an advanced feature of Microsoft Excel software, take text data and create virtual representations. Excel has several layouts and custom colors to help users create visually appealing charts for business meetings and presentations. Knowing some of the basic functions and options for Excel pie charts is the start of a more intuitive spreadsheet design.

Data

The pie chart in Excel is created using the data from a spreadsheet. When creating a pie chart, there needs to be enough data in the spreadsheet. A pie chart does not work well when only a few lines of data is available. For instance, a pie chart is best used when there are several pieces of data such as total customer sales, customers who returned product for a refund, and customers who canceled orders. The pie chart would represent the total sales and customers in the spreadsheet. The pie chart is created using the data from either totaled columns or directly from each record.

Creating a Pie Chart

Creating a pie chart in Excel is accomplished by first highlighting all the data on the spreadsheet. After highlighting the spreadsheet data, select "Insert" from the main menu and select "Chart." This opens the configuration window to set the visual components of the pie chart. Some pie chart creators use colors that match the company website or logo. The pie chart can also be made using 3 dimensional graphics or a simple, flat chart. If the selection of data included labels, Excel automatically adds the labels to the pie chart. This is a quick trick for those who want a a shortcut for labeled sections of the pie chart.

Once the pie chart is created, save the file. There isn't any more input needed for the pie chart, but the user may want to change the color combination. This is accomplished by right-clicking the pie chart and selecting "Properties." If the pie chart has an error from the data, change the data and the pie chart automatically changes settings.

Pie charts are such a common way to express absolute values and percentages in business that many word-processing, presentation, database and spreadsheet programs include them as a standard charting option.

Definition

A pie chart shows the size of a series of numerical values, proportional to the sum of all the items.

Pie

Each value appears as a wedge, representing a percentage of the whole pie. Each wedge often assumes a different color for more clarity.

Uses

Pie charts can express home and business budges, sales figures and survey results. They are specially useful for reducing numerical information into more comprehensible pictures.

Formatting

Some formatting options include specifying a two-dimensional or three-dimensional appearance, changing wedge colors, and magnifying either one wedge or all the pieces.

Programs

Some Microsoft components that have pie charts include the Excel spreadsheet, the Word documents and Access databases.

Create a pie chart in Microsoft Excel and make it show everything you want. Pie charts represent proportions very well, and it is a very useful way of demonstrating who gets how much of the "pie." See how the numbers in the spreadsheet can be made to reflect all the data in the chart easily, including the total.

Setting Up The Data

Create a pie chart from a spreadsheet of data ordered in two columns. Use the left column to count the rows, one through five, let's say. And the right-hand column will be the actual data. The top of the right column will be the title of your data sample. We could call it January Sales. So the left column might be the performance of five salesmen in a team. Alongside number 1 we could type "222", and for number 2, "168", number 3, "457" and so on until all the figures are accounted for. Under number 5, in the next row down, we can type "Total:" and then, using the "sigma" symbol, we can total up all the figures from the right hand column. Let's say that salesman number 4 came in with "150" and salesman 5 did "500"-- we would then have a total of $1,497 at the bottom. Don't forget to format the cells in the way you want them to appear on the chart. (Click the mouse in the bottom cell under the last amount, 500, and then click the sigma sign, Σ, in the toolbar at the top, and it will "find" the numbers it needs to sum in the column above.

Creating the Pie From the Figures

Create a pie chart from the figures. Drag the mouse from the top to the bottom of the right hand column and highlight the values from one to five. Create the pie chart. With all the figures (except for the total) highlighted in the right column, go to the top and select "Chart Wizard." It is hard to miss since it actually looks like a miniature Bar chart. Click on it, and the wizard will open. Go down the list of charts a little. About a third of the way down are the Pie charts. Click there. Another box opens. You can choose what you like, but we'll choose the default. Click "Next" and you will see what it is going to look like. Check the "Value" box on the left and immediately all the amounts will be displayed next to the appropriate pie sections. After you click "Next" again, it will ask whether you want to create a new sheet or have the chart as an object in the current sheet. The choice is yours. But for the purposes of this demonstration, choose the embedded chart (the default option or lower of the two choices.)

Getting The Total Displayed In Chart

Click "Finish" and the chart appears in the spreadsheet. You can put your mouse on it and drag it to where you want it to be. With the chart still highlighted, press the "=" key and click your mouse on the total figure in the spreadsheet. Hit "Enter" and the figure will appear in the center of the chart. Again, you can move it to where you want it to be. Also you can re-size it a little, too. To get the word, "Total" there too, you need to press the "=" key again, with the chart highlighted, and then click on the spreadsheet where the word "Total" appears. This will be a separate label, so you need to line it up.

Graphing software is the collective name for software that produces a graph given some type of input (usually a list of numbers or an equation). There are many different types of graphing software. From programs aimed at elementary school children to complex software for graduate students and engineers, there's a variety to suit every need.

Beginner Graphing

Beginner graphing programs introduce the student to the concept of creating a graph from a set of data. These basic graphing utilities are usually limited in scope to simple charts like bar graphs, pie charts and line graphs. An example of a beginner's graphing program is the circle graph software at the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics website.

Hand-Held Graphing Calculators

Graphing calculators are popular in schools and colleges, especially for statistics and calculus classrooms. The graphing calculators are programmed with software that can create graphs on a small (usually less than 10 inches square) screen. Many graphing calculators also include a Computer Algebra System (CAS) that is capable of performing advanced analytical functions like differentiation and integration.

Software for the Home Computer

Software is available for home computers that emulates the functions of a graphing calculator. For example, Grapher for Mac OS X is a basic graphic calculator, and TiEmu is an emulator for the PC. These utilities sometimes require the purchase of a graphing calculator---the software from the calculator is downloaded to the computer, allowing the emulation on the computer screen.

Online Software

Free graphing programs are available online for everyone from the beginning grapher to the advanced user. Beginning programs usually have an easy to understand interface, large buttons and clear instructions. For example, the graphing calculator at Shodor's website allows you to graph coordinates through a basic table format that the calculator converts to points on a graph. More advanced programs provide students in classes like calculus and statistics with an advanced graphing calculator to evaluate functions.

Advanced Software

Engineers, mathematicians and advanced college students use graphing software that is capable of evaluating multivariate equations and producing a complex, 3D graph. These types of graphing program (like Maplesoft's Maple or Wolfram Research's Mathematica) are often command line software (where you have to type the commands into a line at the bottom of the screen). They often require a fairly high knowledge of mathematics to interact with the interface.

Software programs help you organize information and make it presentable to others. Microsoft Excel is one of those programs. It's a spreadsheet application which focuses on using numerical values and data to create graphs,charts and reports for statistical analysis. Data labels are a feature of Excel.

Data Labels

Data labels tell readers what they're looking at on a chart. Data labels give a name to a numeric value or general data so that it makes sense. For example, in a economic chart data labels tell the reader that the numeric value on the horizontal line represent people in the millions. The information on the intersecting vertical line represents another set of labels such as unemployed, employed and homeless. Data labels clarify the relationship between the data provided.

Adding Data Labels

Click the chart and open the "Toolbox" icon. Create the data table by choosing style from the formatting palette. Matthew MacDonald, in his book "Excel 2010," suggests, "You can create even more advanced labels by choosing Chart Tools > Layout > Data Labels > More Data Label Options. The Formal Data Labels dialog box appears, with a number of options for customizing data labels."

Options

You can show data labels or hide them. You can even determine where the data labels will be located near the chart if they are visible. Tall or wide charts are more ideal for visible data labels; otherwise it could make the chart hard to read when the point was to make it more readable.

When displaying information with visual aids for presentations, brochures, websites, magazines and newspapers, you can use pie charts and bar charts. Both enable you to make succinct points quickly, by allowing viewers to take in a large comparison of data at a glance. Each type of chart has advantages and disadvantages, so it is a matter of selecting the right chart type for each situation.

Pie Chart

A pie chart consists of a circle that collectively represents the entire group of what is being measured. Each specific statistic is represented by a slice, or sector, of the pie chart. The different slices are represented using different colors, and viewers can compare a large amount of individual stats at one time. Because viewers can understand pie charts at a glance, such presentation tools are often used as teaching aids for children.

Bar Chart

A bar chart, or bar graph, uses a graphing layout with bars laid out on the x-axis, which extend upward to be charted along the y-axis. Each bar represents a data segment being graphed, and the y-axis usually represents quantities or other values that can apply to each segment. Horizontal bar graphs are another type of bar chart, in which the axes are switched so that the y-axis contains the primary data segments and the x-axis monitors quantities or other values.

Benefits

Many users believe bar charts offer a bit more flexibility than pie charts, because they can be used to chart multiple groups during multiple years. An example of this would be a different color bar in each section to represent a different year for the same group. A pie chart is ideal for making comparisons of subjects during the same time period, especially when a segment has a much higher value than any other segment. A pie chart is especially tailored for showing percentages, since the pie chart in its entirety equals 100 percent.

Criticisms

Pie charts are often criticized for the difficulty they provide in directly comparing separate data segments. Whereas a bar chart allows quick comparisons of any data segment, it can be hard to compare two values on a pie chart that are not right next to each other. A bar chart, on the other hand, doesn't highlight a specific value as well, especially if a value is a much higher value than any other stat being tracked.

Conceptual sculpture is a hard thing to define and even artists are torn on one specific definition. Typically it means that the artist is trying to convey certain feelings or thoughts through a piece and is using a machine to do it. This machine may be the artist's own hands or something more modern like a computer.

Identification

Artists who focus on conceptual sculpture share one thing in common: They're trying to make a piece that forces the viewer to think. The piece may be a large metal piece or it could be a 3-D image on a computer screen. The sculpture might ask the viewer to get involved and change the piece, or it could be static and unmoving. When an individual sees a piece on display that makes him wonder and think, that's a piece of conceptual sculpture.

History

The term "conceptual sculpture" is credited to artist Zhan Wang, who during the 1990s created large pieces in Beijing that rebelled against societal norms. However, American artist Sol LeWitt used the same term in 1967 when an interviewer asked about the future of conceptual art. The term grew more popular in the 1990s as underground artists became more popular and their pieces became larger. Following the new millennium, the term expanded to include the digital art that was slowly creeping into the mainstream.

Types

Artwork rendered into 3-D on the computer can be considered conceptual sculpture, and many of these pieces have appeared in galleries around the world. There are also sculptures done in old-fashioned materials such as plaster or ceramic, such as those by Andrew Barton. Other artists focus on using found objects to create large pieces. Still others work in a modern medium like plastic or metal. Conceptual sculpture can be created using almost anything.

Time Frame

Conceptual sculpture created using the computer screen first came about in the 1980s when many people had no access to the modern invention. During the 1990s the popularity grew and by the end of the century, there was a shift from sculptures made with real objects to those made on a computer. The new century brought forth a number of artists who chose this as their main medium, but this, too, has changed. Some artists are now using the computer as part of their artwork by showing it inside their sculpture.

Considerations

Those interested in conceptual sculpture should keep in mind that there are no limits when it comes to this art form except for the limits that exist in the artist's mind. Even someone who works primarily with glass or metal may make a change to a different medium like ceramic or paper. There is also no one way to interpret a piece.

When computers print a page, the best density of ink possible creates a beautiful document full of vibrant colors and sharp images. After a while of sitting in the window, or even in direct sunlight, the image becomes dull or even fades altogether. Understanding the way sunlight affects the printed page is a lesson in chemistry that everyone should know about.

Identification

Ink is a water-soluble dye that makes images on paper or whatever printing medium it is applied to. Because dyes essentially "ride on" the fibers of the media (paper), it is subject to some hazards that affect its clarity and color. One of these hazards is sunlight, which interacts with the chemicals that compose the pigment in ways that are both familiar and unwanted.

Significance

Sunlight emits energy in a series of wavelengths, ranging from the very weak to the very energetic. These wavelengths strike the surface of the paper and rebound, producing what our eyes conceive of as "color." But this is not a totally harmless process; light carries energy no matter what wavelength is used. That energy causes a chemical change in inks that can lead to a breakdown of the dye. For example, a color poster placed in a store window eventually fades into a blue-ish shadow of its former self.

Considerations

Some people who print opt to use pigment-based colors as opposed to dye-based colors. Dyes are essentially small grains riding on the fibers of the page. This increases their surface area, making it more likely that the molecules of the dye will react with the energy of the sunlight and break down (fade). Pigments, however, are larger molecules that have less surface area overall and react more slowly than dyes do. This allows a pigment-based ink to last longer when exposed to sunlight.

Prevention/Solution

Some companies, such as Epson, Hewlett-Packard and Brother, are working on fade-resistant inks that are intended to be used on photographic paper. When it first debuted, home printing of photographs lacked the quality and durability of professionally developed lab photos. Over time, however, the quality has improved with durability (including fade resistance) being emphasized by all major home printing manufacturers. Some also design special papers to assist with the resistance to sunlight. The papers act as a buffer, allowing the inks to remain relatively untouched by the sunlight's wavelengths.

Misconceptions

It is nearly impossible to create a pigment, dye or system that will be completely resistant to the sun's rays. That is because of the amount of energy carried by sunlight; it eventually fades everything, even "bleaching" bones, wood and hair. Even with the improvements of printing companies in the area of durability, a poster, picture or document printed with ink cannot resist fading indefinitely.

One of the primary techniques photographers use to make money is selling stock photos. With the advent of microstock photography sites, professional photographers and skilled amateurs now have more opportunities than ever to sell their photographs. When a photographer submits photos to a stock agency, the agency reviews the photos and then licenses the ones that are accepted. The photos can then be used by anyone who pays a royalty fee. This process gives photographers an opportunity to generate significant income because each image can be licensed over and over.

Image Quality

Make sure your photos are high resolution. Often, stock agencies will offer multiple image sizes for each photograph with the larger sizes commanding higher royalty fees. Make sure your photos will maintain their quality at every size.

Content

Submit photos that send a clear, strong message. Every picture tells a story. A closeup of a smiling face communicates happiness, while a picture of a handshake symbolizes ideas such as business and cooperation.

Plan Your Photos

Have a target audience in mind when taking pictures. There are two main strategies to consider when selling stock photos. One strategy is to take a picture that will appeal to the largest audience possible; the other is to market photographs to a specific niche audience. In most cases, the best strategy is to focus on a niche and establish yourself with strong photos.

People

Take photos of people. Pictures of people are consistently among the most popular images offered by stock photo agencies. When photographing people, you will need each person you photograph to sign a release form.

Add Tags

Add tags to your photos. When you upload photos to a stock agency, tag each image with appropriate keywords. For example, if you submit a picture of an apple you might include tags such as "apple," "fruit" and "nutrition." The last tag doesn't refer to the image specifically, but rather to an idea that the image evokes. Relevant tags help interested parties find your images.

Follow Trends

Search out lists of popular images to stay on top of current trends. One of the best ways to find out what's selling is to visit a few stock photo sites to see if they have listings of the most popular photos. Use this information to your advantage by submitting photos on themes that are in high demand.

Stock photography refers to images of everyday places, objects and actions not tied to a specific event or individual. Stock photography is used in advertisements, in magazines and brochures, on book covers and as illustrations in corporate literature. Free stock photography is stock photos that require neither permissions or usage fees nor royalties.

Stock photo sites

There are dozens of free stock photography sites on the Internet. Sites like Stock.XCHNG, Public-Domain-Photos and Stockvault all offer free downloadable photos. Many of the photos offered at these sites and similar sites are photos that are in the public domain, meaning that either the photographer has released the photos into the public domain for free, unlimited use or that the photos are old enough to fall under public domain laws, making them freely available.

Restrictions

Be careful about the photo sites you use. Although Corbis and Getty Images advertise royalty-free stock photos, they charge a use fee for the photographs they sell and may impose limits on the ways you can use a photo. For instance, a royalty-free photo of a famous building might cost a use fee of $500 and be limited to appearing only on the inside of a book or magazine, and not on the cover. Be sure to read the fine print.

Logos and credit

Make sure the stock photos you use don't contain images that could be copyrighted. A free photo of a gas station might include the Shell or BP logo, and while the photo is free, you would need permissions of the logo owner to use the photo. Also, always give a credit line, citing the photographer when known and the source of the photos you use.

To send digital photos by email, most photo files must be re-sized to ensure they will be received. Email mailbox limitations and connection speeds determine what photo size is ideal. Due to the high resolution of digital photographs, almost all photos must be reduced in megabytes before they are sent.

Mailbox Size Limitations

The most common problem with sending large-sized photos by email is due to mailbox limitations. The majority of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) place limitations on the total space available for mailbox contents. Sending an email with a photo that is larger than the recipient's mailbox size, or the amount of space remaining, causes the email to bounce back to the sender. Limiting photo attachment size to under 2 megabytes (MB) total per email is a good rule of thumb to reduce the likelihood off exceeding a mailbox's limit.

Connection Speed

The email recipient's connection speed is another factor that determines how much to reduce the size of photos being sent. Large images take longer to download. For recipients with slower connection speeds, reducing image size to less than 2MB ensures that there won't be a long wait period for photos to download.

Maintaining Orginal Image Quality

On a final note, when you do choose to reduce the size of a digital photograph to send it by email, be sure to maintain your original photo file. Save the smaller-sized photo as a jpg under a different name than the original. Doing this will ensure that you still have a high resolution, high quality original available for future uses, like photo prints and digital photo albums.