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There are a lot of excellent graphics programs on the
market these days, but just because they come with a
premium price tag doesn’t mean they are the only option. Take a look at this list of our favorite, and free, alternatives to some of
those pricey programs.
Gimp
– Very powerful image manipulation program, great for photo retouching and image creation. There are other downloads,
GTK and runtime environment for this program to work properly. This program currently runs on Linux, Windows (XP and
Vista), Mac OSX, and some Unix based systems.
Ultimate Paint – Image creation and manipulation program for Windows systems. This is a pretty compact and fast running
graphics program with plenty of features.
Skencil – An interactive vector drawing program for Unix and Linux operating systems built on the Python language. This
program has tons of features like gradient fills, bezier curves and you can bend text along paths to name a few.
Pixia - Originally a Japanese only edition, Pixia is a very nice paint tool with full layers support and many other features. The
English version website does lack information and support so you will likely need to search the web for information on learning
to use this tool. This is currently a Windows only program and does support some drawing tablets.
InkScape – If you have been looking the free answer to Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw, IncScape is a great alternative. This
is a full featured vector graphics editor. The website has a tons of information, tutorials and galleries of work created with the
program, to give you a good idea of what you are getting involved with.
http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/
Paint.net – A free image and photo editing software for Windows based PC’s. This program was voted #19 out of the top 100
programs of 2007 by PC World. It has full support for layers and special effects, the tools are top notch and highly
recommended by many users. There is a strong online community for support and frequent updates to the software. Comparable
to Adobe Photoshop .
SmoothDraw NX – A freehand drawing tool designed for use with tablets. Several choices of brushes and pencil strokes for
creating realistic drawings. Also auto smoothes lines if you are using a mouse to draw with.
ImageForge – An image editing and creation program for Windows systems. Although this program is a little rougher than
some of the others it still has some nice features like easily creating 3D text, red-eye removal and you can easily create your
own Windows screen savers.
Brush Strokes – Free graphics editor, with support for many of the popular and common image formats. It isn’t as full
featured as some of the other programs but it is a good choice for less technical or light users.
Project Dogwaffle – A painting and drawing program developed for the PC. Has a nice set of tools and very functional,
although does lack features of some large programs.
Sodipodi – This is a vector based drawing program that operates on most Unix and Windows systems. It has a ton of features
like out of center gradients, patterned lines, dynamic xml editor and you can easily create vertical text.
Karbon14 – Another nice, full featured vector based drawing program released under the GNU license. This program comes
as part of the Koffice project which includes a whole suite of tools in KDE.
ArtWeaver – A freeware paint and drawing program for Windows designed to simulate natural brush tools and effects for
artists used to working on canvas. It supports most common file formats, has the standard editing tools like found in many
popular graphics programs and offers a few effects filters.
GimpShopdotnet – This is a modified version of Gimp, designed to work and feel more like Adobe Photoshop, allowing
Photoshop users a comfortable free alternative.
ImageMagick – A nice command line program for editing and creating images. There are a whole bunch of useful features
like shearing and transforming images, flip, mirror and rotate images and a whole lot more.
Terragen
– Create amazing scenery and photorealistic images with this program. This program comes with a lot of features including,
terrain sculpting tools, water and cloud generators, realistic sunlight creation and so much more. Works with Windows and Mac
OS systems.
http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/
Google SketchUp – A powerful 3D software that allows quickly build 3D models. The program is pretty easy to use and you
can design and build everything from your dream house to a favorite skyscraper. Works on Windows and Mac systems.
Art of Illusion – An open-source 3D modeling and rendering studio written in Java and usable on most Java Virtual
Machines. On the website you can find some comprehensive tutorials on creating a human figure, working with triangle meshes
and more to give you a little better understanding of how to use this nice program.
Blender – A top of the line 3D graphics program available for most operating systems. This is a very powerful tool but does
have a strong learning curve if you are not familiar with these types of programs. On the website you can find a bunch of great
tutorials, galleries of previous work created with this application and a busy community to answer any questions you may have.
3D Canvas – A real-time 3D modeling and animation tool. Easily create 3D scenes with drag-and-drop controls.
Customizable toolbars and interface and frame by frame animations are only the start of this programs features.
Graphix – An open source graphics editor built to edit and create both raster and vector images. Works one WINE and
WinXP operating systems.
3D Plus – This program definitely lacks some of the features of other full scale 3D programs, but it is very ease to use and
works well for small quick jobs. You can also purchase the extended version for $9.99.
Daz 3D – Calls itself a figure posing and animation tool, basically you can use pre-created people, animals, vehicles, scenes
and more, to edit and manipulate them to create your own 3D and animated scenes. The program itself is free, however most of
the additional add-ons will cost you money. With that said this is a very nice program to use for people of all skill levels and
highly recommended by many.
Anim8or – A 3D modeling and animation program, that is available for download, but kind of a still in progress program. It
does have its bugs but is a very nice program created by one person to handle what they wanted out of 3D software. Some of its
features include, a built in 3D object browser, true-type font support, 3D modeler, jointed character editor and a bunch others.
Synfig – A very powerful, well developed 2D vector animation program. This program was designed for studio quality
animations, why it was released under the GNU license for free, I have no idea, but I am glad it was. It is currently available for
Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.
BRL-CAD – A cross platform 3D modeling program that includes ray-tracing for rendering, interactive geometry editor and
more. This program is not recommended for non-tech users.
MindsEye – A nice freeware 3D modeling and rendering suite for Linux users. Features include a multi-scene/user concept
that allows multiple people to work on the same scenes or visa-versa, object oriented modeling, network support in the
MindsEye kernal and more.
Maya Personal Learning Edition – Maya is an excellent, although expensive 3D graphics program. This is the free edition
developed to give you the opportunity to learn and use the program before purchasing. This edition has most every feature
available as in the standard version but it is for non-commercial use and your images will be watermarked among other things.
Miscellaneous Programs
Picassa
http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/
– A free image editing program available in the Google Pack download. This is a very light program but does support red-
eye removal, photo correction and most of the standard editing tools.
IcoFX – A freeware Windows program for creating icons with more than 40 different effects and custom filters.
Pixel Toolbox 1.1 – A nice suite of tools for creating desktop graphics on Windows systems. With the program you can create
wallpaper tiles, icons and cursors to name a few. Easy to use interface and of course free to download.
ColorPic – A magnified color picker, designed to create color palettes of up to 16 colors at once. You can easily pick any
color from the screen, colors shown in hex and decimal, adjust hue saturation and it works in Firefox, Internet Explorer,
Photoshop and many other applications.
Favicon Generator – This is a very nice web-based favicon generator. You can easily and quickly convert your images to
favicons for your website.
FastStone Image Viewer – A full featured image browser, converter and editor. There are many features including, red-eye
removal, cropping, emailing photos, color adjustments and more. Program supports all major file formats and is compatible
with Windows systems.
Icon Studio 1.2 – A free, simple to use icon editor and creator. You can create icons in multiple sizes and color depths, flip,
rotate, import from EXE and more.
See also:
14 Personalized Homepages Compared, Feature by Feature
230+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Top Web Services
Online Photography Toolbox: 90+ Online Photography Tools and Resources
Video Toolbox: 150+ Online Video Tools and Resources
Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers
Online Productivity Toolbox: 30+ Resources to Get Things Done
Analytics Toolbox: 50+ Ways to Track Website Traffic
Related Entries:
The Daily Poll: Battle of the Online Photo Editing Tools
Feedburner Now Offering PRO Features for Free
20 Icon & Graphics Generators
20+ Button & Badge Makers
TAKE STOCK: 30+ Background & Stock Image Sites
Second Life Acquires Winward Mark for More Realistic Game Play
20 Tools For Working With Fonts
25 Comments »
http://systems-overload.blogs pot.com/2007/11/mashab le.html
http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/
PinkFox 2007-11-28 09:33:42
Very good site very good info keep up the good work
All The Best
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http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/
Brief
Process and skills
Step 1: Visual research
Step 2: Combine images with layer masks
Step 3: Add type
Step 4: Print
Step 5: Extension - graphic effects
Brief
Design a double-sided flyer for a forthcoming club night or music event.
Process and skills
Collect digital and real examples of the product for a presentation and display
Take or collect source images
Create the design in image manipulation software: use layer masks to combine
images; the type tool and layer styles for typography; rulers and guides for layout
Print
Front of demo flyer
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
Back of demo flyer
Top
Step 1 Visual research
Many top graphic designers kick-started their careers by designing stylish flyers for club nights
and music events. To communicate its message effectively good graphic design matches style to
audience, content to form. Designers understand the fundamental principles of balance, alignment
and "gestalt" (or the harmony of the whole over the parts).
Collect as many real club flyers as possible for a display and supplement these with a search on
Google-Images for other examples: key in 'club flyers' or 'DJ flyers' or 'music flyers', but check the
sites for suitability.
Graphic Design - PowerPoint presentation [337 KB]
The presentation has 20 slides and examines iconography, typography, use of colour and layout,
with sample flyers for pupils to deconstruct and evaluate. Don't forget to check out the notes!
This presentation is also being hosted online in Macromedia Breeze by Buckinghamshire Grid for
Learning: http://breeze.bucksgfl.org.uk/p16032027/
Extra resources
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
Download a PowerPoint presentation as a lesson starter or topic introduction to adopt or
adapt with your own examples. Discussing the examples and comparing their design
elements will support planning, helping students develop their own designs.
You could design your own evaluation sheet, or use my example.
You can also download a printable version of this worksheet here:
Word document [55KB] PDF [36KB]
Pupils could complete the Word document electronically or on paper.
You could also use the interactive whiteboard lesson starter on using colour.
Construction of meaning: introducing semiotics
As with any graphic medium, a semiotics has developed for flyers that clubbers recognise and
decode subliminally - your pupils may well be aware of some of these coded signs already. For
example, a picture of a city scene means "this is urban and hip"; a glass building denotes
"techno"; a high-rise equals "drum'n'bass"; a picture of a girl suggests you'll find plenty of female
clubbers there; a girl in a bikini connotes "sexy house music"; a girl's "booty" is code for R'n'B.
[Source www.studio-output.com]. This is a good way to introduce the concept of signification in
ads and to encourage pupils to deconstruct the messages conveyed by images. [See Roland
Barthes "Rhetoric of the Image" in " Image, Music, Text", Fontana Press, 1977].
Barbican Education's e-learning website
http://www.barbican.org.uk
This is an exciting interactive site that showcases work from the 2004 Communicate exhibition
about graphic design from the 1960s to the present. Aimed at KS4 and KS5, the site introduces
pupils to the visual language of graphic design and to design processes, from initial sketch to final
product. It is well-illustrated with key examples of graphic design and case studies that feature real
designers and real design briefs.
Colour scheme generator
http://www.wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html
Although the intended purpose of this interactive colour scheme generator is to help web
designers create "well balanced and harmonic" web pages, it is also a useful tool for exploring
colour palettes and combinations of 2, 3 or 4 colours with pupils planning any design or graphic
design project. You can see how accessible your scheme is for different types of visual
impairment. The author, Petr Stanicek, is Czech and the content of the web is bilingual.
Top
Step 2 Combine images
Having decided on a concept and made thumbnails of some design ideas in their sketchbooks,
students must collect, scan, draw or photograph source images for their flyer. The tutorial
examples use 4 source photographs:
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
From left to right: youth 1, youth 2, Hackney tower block being demolished, Liverpool construction site.
In Photoshop open a new file: on the File menu choose New then select centimetres as the unit of
measurement, making the canvas 21cm wide by 10cm high. As A4 sheets are 21cm x 30cm, this
will enable you to print 3 flyers on one page. For a CD-ROM cover design the dimensions are 12
cm x 12 cm.
NOTE: the original source images measured 22.98 cm x 16.93 cm, or 1600 pixels x 1200.
Open one of your key images. For this tutorial I started with youth 1.
To minimise the risk of saving changes over the original image I always work with a copy: Image >
Duplicate > close the original.
Select the Move tool [V] and drag the image onto the blank canvas. If the image won't drag, make
sure that it is RGB by checking the mode: Image > Mode. Use the Move tool again to reposition it.
I used the Rectangular Marquee tool [M] to select part of the photo only for the front of the flyer
and then Edit > Copy (Ctrl + C); Edit > Paste (Ctrl + V) to transfer it.
NOTE: check the size of the image you are working with against the blank canvas, as it is often
easier to make it roughly the same size now by selecting Image > Image Size (make sure the
Constrain Proportions box is checked). Fine-tune proportions using the Transform > Scale
command on the Edit menu. Press Enter/Return to apply changes.
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
Open your second source image, preferably a background - scanned textures, views, abstract
digital paintings made using the Paintbrush tools in your software are great for this. Duplicate it,
close the original as before, and drag it onto the canvas too. In my example I only selected the top
half of the construction site photo. Fine-tune scale with the Transform > Scale command on the
Edit menu as at step 3.
Change the stacking order of a layer if necessary by dragging it up or down on the Layer Palette
to bring the image forward or send it to the back. You can make the background image recede by
making it more transparent: select the layer and drag the Opacity slider at the top of the Layer
Palette e.g. to 75% .
Top
One of the most useful and effective methods of combining and merging images is by using
layer masks, which give great flexibility and control. A layer mask conceals part of a layer without
actually deleting it, allowing the layer below to show through. Differing degrees of transparency
can be achieved and can be brushed on using any of the paint tools: black gives total
transparency, white restores the layer image that has the mask (so it's easy to correct mistakes),
and different grey-scale values dictate degrees of transparency. The pixels are not lost until the
mask is applied, while the layer's original appearance can be restored by deleting the mask.
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
Select the layer you want to modify
e.g. to remove the background in
youth1. Click on the Add Layer
Mask icon at the bottom of the
Layer Palette. The mask is
indicated by a white thumbnail next
to the image thumbnail on the
Layer Palette. When the mask is
selected the border is bold.
Select the Paintbrush tool from the
toolbox and a brush size from the
Properties menu. Make the
foreground colour black and begin
painting on the image. The current
layer is "erased" allowing the layer
below to show through. Paint with
white to restore areas. Experiment
with different tones of grey to allow
for various degrees of
transparency.
For more detailed modifications,
Zoom in on the image and select
smaller brush sizes.
You can apply or discard the mask
at any stage by right-clicking
(PC)/Control-clicking (Mac) on its
icon and selecting Apply Layer
Mask or Discard layer Mask from
the pop up context menu. Do not
apply the mask until you are certain
that you will not need to make
further changes.
The screenshot below shows the effect of painting black on the layer mask The other example
combines an illustration of a schoolgirl with a graph, using different values of grey on a layer
mask.
Repeat steps 3 - 5 with any other images to want to add to the collage. Note that for effect I
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
exaggerated the angle of the collapsing high rise with the Transform > Rotate tool on the Edit
menu. Save your work as a layered Photoshop file: File > Save As > Photoshop *PSD, *PDD. Call
it flyer_frontRKM (with your initials for easy identification).
For other tutorials on using masks to make composite images follow the links below:
Compositing 1 [Masks] Photoshop 6 & 7
Compositing 2 [Masks] Photoshop 6 & 7
Compositing 3 [Masks] Photoshop 6 & 7
Top
Step 3 Add type
Typography has its own semiotics and, as with graphics, the connotations of different
typefaces or fonts must be carefully considered for appropriateness to the message and
context. The most successful designs will match these closely. Consider the 6 different fonts
below and what the type itself signifies, rather than the word. Which best matches form to
meaning? The names of the fonts do not always connote their style. In their sketchbooks
pupils could make a collection of fonts from different print publications and annotate them
with what the lettering conveys.
Fonts: Westminster, Times New Roman, Kids, Curlz, Old English, Palace Script.
Lay down some ground rules for typography:
keep it simple
keep it readable
use no more than 2 fonts
use a simple sans serif font like Arial or Univers for smaller text or body text as they
are easier to read
keep to as few different sizes and weights as possible for easy communication
align text but avoid justifying it
aim for a hierarchy of information - the most important should be the most
recognisable and have the most contrast
limit the number of colours for text
balance the typography by using guides and keeping it in blocks.
The front of my flyer had the minimum text, most of the information being located on the other
side. To make the reverse side of the flyer have the front design open and select Duplicate on
the Image menu. Save your work as a layered Photoshop file: File > Save As > Photoshop
*PSD, *PDD. Call it flyer_backRKM.
In order for the text to be more readable the flyer front can be simplified by deleting
certain elements (if new ones are added, visual consistency and coherence are important).
Just drag unwanted layers to the Delete Layer bin at the bottom of the Layer Palette. I
reduced the Opacity of the construction layer to 54% so that type would be more legible (see
2.4 above).
To lay out and align type use rulers and guides as below: on the View menu select Rulers,
then drag out as many vertical and horizontal guides as necessary from the rulers.
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
Top
Click on the Horizontal Type tool and select a font, size and colour on the Tool Options menu
bar. My demo flyer uses 2 fonts - Westminster and Arial: "hi-rise ravin'" = Westminster
(Regular, Sharp, 200px, white); "27th May" = Westminster (Regular, Sharp, 100px, blue);
"DJs: ..." = Arial (Bold 60px, Strong, dark red) etc. The smallest type is 36px. To type just
click on the canvas. Type can be repositioned with the Move tool.
NOTE: text is more manoeuvrable if you put it on separate layers.
Press Enter/Return to begin a new line as Photoshop is not a Word
processing program! See left for the type layers on the demo flyer
with their Layer Styles.
To apply drop shadows or other styles to the type in order for it to stand out, select a
type layer and click on the Add a Layer Style icon at the base of the Layer Palette. Choose a
style from the menu and adjust the settings in the Layer Style dialog box that appears, while
previewing the effects on the main image. The demo flyer uses Drop Shadow and Inner
Glow. Change the shadow colour by clicking in the colour setting box.
You can also manipulate type by using the Create Warped Text tool (Photoshop 7 and later).
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
For tutorials on different ways to use type in earlier versions of Photoshop: More Text
Effects
Top
Step 4 Print
To print multiple flyers on one sheet of A4, they need to be inserted into another program -
either dedicated layout software like QuarkXpress or InDesign, or simply word-processing
software such as Microsoft Word. To do this you must first save the flyer as a flattened JPEG
file, keeping the original layered PSD file for future editing.
Single flyers can be printed directly from Photoshop using the Print with Preview facility, and
checking the Scale to Fit Media box.
Select an appropriate paper type - thin card would be good for this - and double-sided printing
if your printer has that option. If not, you can feed the paper in again making sure it has been
turned over and the correct orientation has been chosen.
NOTE: Multiple prints can be laid out on the page in Paint Shop Pro 7 and Serif PhotoPlus 8.
Top
Step 5 Extension
More advanced students may want to manipulate their source images by applying Filter
effects before composing the montage. The sources used in the demo flyer were manipulated
using the following technique.
Open the image
Duplicate the background layer: Layer > Duplicate Layer
Make it grey-scale: Image > Adjustments > Desaturate
Make it a negative: Image > Adjustments > Invert
Select Colour Overlay as the Blending Mode on the Layer Palette
Add Gaussian Blur to give greater definition: Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Use the
Preview window to assess the radius needed as you drag the slider.
Save your work
http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm
Top
© RKM 2002 - 2007
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http://www.virtualartroom.com/graphic_design.htm