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	<title>Design-Design &#187; Software</title>
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	<description>Designing for business, academia and the arts</description>
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		<title>YouTube Video Editor</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/editing-video-with-youtube/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/editing-video-with-youtube/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:30:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital camera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[editing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[experimentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nikon d7000]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[youtube]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=1158</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently I have been experimenting with the YouTube video editor and some HD video created with my Nikon D7000 digital camera. I wanted to know if the YouTube could provide a simple but effective HD editing tool.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/improving-your-digital-footprint/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Your Digital Footprint'>Your Digital Footprint</a> <small>Having a significant digital footprint of quality content is not...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/mark-hillary-and-google-youtube-i/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google vs Mark Hillary'>Google vs Mark Hillary</a> <small>What happens when a blogger comes up against the disapproval...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/google-wave/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Wave'>Google Wave</a> <small>Google Wave is set to redefine the way we collaborate...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Overview</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/editor_window.jpg" rel="lightbox[1158]"><img src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/editor_window_small.jpg" alt="YouTube Video Editor Window" title="YouTube Video Editor Window" width="300" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1231" style="float:right; margin-left:15px;" /></a>The YouTube Video Editor is free to access and use to edit clips together if you have a YouTube account. I created a Simcoemedia YouTube account and channel for my video portfolio and a hidden channel called VisualSnippet for my experimental videos. These hidden videos give me opportunity to try out some of the YouTube features without the risk of interfering with a channel I use as a portfolio of Simcoemedia commercial productions.</p>
<p>If you upload some videos to your YouTube Channel you can view them and edit them together with the YouTube Video Editor using a variety of transitions and titling tools. In addition you can add a soundtrack and even incorporate creative commons video to add additional clips appropriate to your narrative. </p>
<p>During experimentation with the system these features were tried out and 1080p HD video edited together. For maximum compatibility I used <a href="https://www.google.com/chrome/" title="Google Chrome Browser" target="_blank">Google&#8217;s Chrome browser</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BPFIS4Sd7dY?rel=0&amp;hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2>Advantages</h2>
<ul>
<li>The YouTube video editor will handle video up to 1080p and will edit clips together with a variety of transitions, most of which I would not recommend for the majority of video work. However, having used the fade and horizontal wipe to join clips these provided some useful alternatives to cutting clips directly.</li>
<li>Titling is simple but reasonably stylish if used carefully, though the choice of a single font and centre alignment of text does prove limiting if text goes onto two lines. The titler will only handle three lines of text.</li>
<li>The built in royalty free audio library is extensive and varied. With a bit of patience a suitable soundtrack can be found for the majority of circumstances. As audio makes up a significant proportion of the video experience, it is worth spending time selecting the best track.</li>
<li>Video is created on Google&#8217;s own YouTube servers therefore rendering 1080p video quickly and without using your own computers resources which is valuable if you need to get on with other tasks and onlt have one PC. Usually a 5 minute video can be ready within 40 minutes.</li>
<h2>Disadvantages</h2>
<li>When adding a soundtrack to the edited 1080p sequence, the audio noticeably stuttered and restarted within the first 10 seconds which essentially made it unusable. This problem was replicated several times.</li>
<li>Fade transitions were not completely smooth. The final part of the fades on 1080p video noticeably seemed overcompensate on the bright areas of the video creating a distracting oversaturation on bright areas just prior to completely fading.</li>
<li>When using both fade transitions and audio an internal server error occurred when I tried to publish the video. This occurred on all attempts until the music track was removed and only the original audio used. Audio can be added once the clips have been edited together but this is not clear during the main editing processes.</li>
<div class="conclusion">
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>The YouTube video editor provides a useful tool for those people who want to create video but do not necessarily have the processing power to deal with the high volumes of data used when processing HD.</p>
<p>The online editor is not without its problems such as dubious transition accuracy and some of the fine tuning related to audio but overall it makes editing 1080p or 720p video accessible to those users with severely underpowered machines by allowing &#8216;The Cloud&#8217; to do all the work. <div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 5px; float:right;"><script type="text/javascript">submit_url = 'http://www.design-design.co.uk/editing-video-with-youtube/';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.designfloat.com/evb2/button.php"></script></div>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/improving-your-digital-footprint/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Your Digital Footprint'>Your Digital Footprint</a> <small>Having a significant digital footprint of quality content is not...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/mark-hillary-and-google-youtube-i/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google vs Mark Hillary'>Google vs Mark Hillary</a> <small>What happens when a blogger comes up against the disapproval...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/google-wave/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Wave'>Google Wave</a> <small>Google Wave is set to redefine the way we collaborate...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Finepix Real3D printing</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/finepix-real3d-printing-service-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/finepix-real3d-printing-service-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:28:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hardware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3D]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FujiFilm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[images]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lenticular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[printing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real3D]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=854</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the renewed interest in 3D viewing technology and the creation of products such as the Finepix W3 3D digital cameras, FujiFilm have created an online printing service for their 3D .MPO format. Design-Design reviews.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-real3d-w3-3d-camera-review/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Finepix W3 3D Review'>Finepix W3 3D Review</a> <small>Review of the FujiFilm Finepix W3 3D Digital Camera -...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/sample-mpo-3d-images-for-television-display/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Sample .mpo 3D Images'>Sample .mpo 3D Images</a> <small>A selection of .mpo files for you to view on...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-finepix-anaglyph-3d-photography-image-gallery/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Anaglyph 3D Images'>Anaglyph 3D Images</a> <small>Following the interest received in Design-Design's 3D MPO files, we...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Design-Design has recently reviewed both the <a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-real3d-w3-3d-camera-review/" target="_blank">FujiFilm Finepix W3 3D Digital Camera</a> and the <a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/3d-lenticular-technology-printing-television/" target="_blank">lenticular printing technology</a> used to create the visual illusion of depth when printing 3D images. One of the services provided by FujiFilm is an online 3D printing service where .MPO files can be sent via the web interface at <a href="http://www.fujifilmreal3d.com/" target="_blank">http://www.fujifilmreal3d.com/</a>. The files are printed onto special lenticular sheet, a semi-transparent sheet that displays the image by splitting the two halves of the MPO image [one from each lens on the Finepix camera] and digitally printing it into the relevant strips of image information so as to give the illusion of 3D depth. See Design-Design <a title="3D lenticular printing" href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/3d-lenticular-technology-printing-television/">review of lenticular printing</a> for more information.</p>
<p>According to FujiFilm, the images are not a direct translation of the MPO files to 3D effect as the images must be converted to 12 seperate levels of depth [as opposed to the very high levels of depth provided by anaglyph and digital TVs that create realistic 3D] and the illusion is enhanced by creating areas of focus. This adjustment is mainly completed by the software with enhancement from the operator.</p>
<h2>Cost Comparison</h2>
<p>Images are around <strong>£5.00 each</strong> and with an <strong>additional £5.00 packaging</strong> and delivery it is worth grouping several images together. At this point it is worth mentioning that it is currently very difficult, if not impossible, to find any print company using lithographic techniques [high quality printing method] who will print low quantities of lenticular lens images for this sort of price. Most companies are quoting in the range of £400.00 &#8211; £600.00 each for 10 x A2 lenticular images of products. This should provide some perspective as to how flexible and low cost this process is.</p>
<h2>Test Images</h2>
<p>During March 2011 I sent around 20 different images to FujiFilm ranging from desert images to skaterboards performing midair stunts to products such as Playstation 3 controllers and guitars. Essentially, the range demonstrated a full range of scenes from close-up macro style to items in the distance.</p>
<p>FujiFilm&#8217;s website does contain some advice on the type of images that work best on the Real3D printers at <a href="http://www.fujifilmreal3d.com/printguide" target="_blank">http://www.fujifilmreal3d.com/printguide</a>. The website makes various recommendations through the use of example photographs which in the end limits the user to arrange objects and scenes within around 10 &#8211; 200m for optimum results.</p>
<h2>Print Quality</h2>
<p>Having discussed cost and convenience, of which the process wins on both accounts, the quality of prints is what will make or break this service.  To be blunt, whilst the images do give an impression of 3D the quality is disappointing on several levels:</p>
<ul> <a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/errors_on_lenticular_printing.jpg" rel="lightbox[854]"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-871" style="float: right; margin: 10px 0px 15px 20px;" title="Error on Lenticular Printing from FujiFilm Small" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/errors_on_lenticular_printing_small.jpg" alt="Error on Lenticular Printing from FujiFilm" width="300" height="175" /></a>&nbsp;</p>
<li>There are significant errors on the images &#8211; some areas are poorly selected by the software so that objects like trees or flowers with branches that form a connected shape around the background are not all filled with depth on the level. Other images have odd inaccuracies such as the guitar strings on the electric guitars I photographed and large blocks around people where they had not been selected accurately &#8211; even with people in high contrast to the background.</li>
<li>Taking images close up to objects is difficult with FujiFilm&#8217;s camera and printing does even less justice to the image. I was testing the service out with a view to creating images for Loughborough Design School&#8217;s Degree Show in June 2011 and New Designers.</li>
<li>Images do not display the same colour accuracy as the original &#8211; they are much higher in contrast and lacking much of the detail. The resolution of the lenticular sheet also plays a part in reducing the quality &#8211; there are only so many lenses that can fit onto the sheet for the pricing bracket they are within and so images are degraded by this also.</li>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/fountain_sydney_anaglyph.jpg" rel="lightbox[854]"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-865" style="float: right; margin: 15px 0px 15px 20px;" title="Fountain Sydney Anaglyph Small" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/fountain_sydney_ana.jpg" alt="Fountain Sydney Anaglyph Small" width="300" height="175" /></a></p>
<li>Images do not show depth in a similar way to the camera by a long shot and is fairly disappointing when you have been amazed by the results on the camera screen, television and in anaglyph images.</li>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/fountain.zip"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-862" style="float: right; margin: 10px 0px 15px 20px;" title="Fountain Sydney MPO example 3D" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/fountain_sydney_mpo.jpg" alt="Fountain in Sydney MPO example 3D" width="300" height="175" /></a></p>
<li>The 3D effect seems to be more realistic on the Real3D print when images include elements that are too close to the camera and out of focus on the camera screen and anaglyphs. The example MPO on the right demonstrates the type of image that seems to work well. The water close to the camera is blurred &#8211; this seems to enhance the 3D effect.</li>
</ul>
<div class="conclusion">
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Overall, whilst the images are novel for a short time and the price makes the printing accessible to many, the 3D effect is weak and there are too many errors in the images which demonstrate that the software needs further development to improve accuracy. The range of sizes that can be printed is very limited and this reduces the potential for presentation purposes.</p>
<p><strong>3/10 &#8211; novel, relatively low priced, but disappointingly flawed. Not recommended.</strong><br />
<div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 5px; float:right;"><script type="text/javascript">submit_url = 'http://www.design-design.co.uk/finepix-real3d-printing-service-review/';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.designfloat.com/evb2/button.php"></script></div></p>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-real3d-w3-3d-camera-review/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Finepix W3 3D Review'>Finepix W3 3D Review</a> <small>Review of the FujiFilm Finepix W3 3D Digital Camera -...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/sample-mpo-3d-images-for-television-display/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Sample .mpo 3D Images'>Sample .mpo 3D Images</a> <small>A selection of .mpo files for you to view on...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-finepix-anaglyph-3d-photography-image-gallery/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Anaglyph 3D Images'>Anaglyph 3D Images</a> <small>Following the interest received in Design-Design's 3D MPO files, we...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Augmented Reality Review</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/augmented-reality-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/augmented-reality-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:30:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3D]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[augmented reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interactivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[multimedia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=687</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Augmented Reality is a developing technology in commercial and entertainment settings and whilst it has been around for many years conceptually, advances in technology are allowing us to use it in the home and office


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/3d-lenticular-technology-printing-television/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 3D Lenticular Technology'>3D Lenticular Technology</a> <small>Lenticular printing has been around for many years but with...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/avatar/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Avatar'>Avatar</a> <small>James Cameron's new film Avatar was made using tools available...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/what-is-a-qr-code/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: What is a QR Code?'>What is a QR Code?</a> <small>Quick Response codes are quite common throughout Japan and many...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Augmented Reality can be defined as</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8230;..a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality  in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality. <small> &#8211; Wikipedia</small></p></blockquote>
<p>I have recently been asked to look into creating an example of Augmented Reality to promote the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.simcoe.co.uk/augmented-reality-loughborough/">Design School at Loughborough University</a>. Specifically the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lboro.ac.uk/lds/">Industrial Design and Product Design courses</a>. The promotional item brief was that a marker would be sent out to potential students on a sheet of A5 card and when the user clicks the link on the website and places the card in front of a web camera, elements will appear to rise from the card and give the impression of appearing in the real world. Here are a couple of excellent examples of AR that have inspired the research undertaken:</p>
<div style="float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:20px;">
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</div>
<div style="float:right;margin-bottom:20px;">
<object width="300" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UBW88MyfbPI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UBW88MyfbPI?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="300" height="250"></embed></object>
</div>
<p>The advantage that Augmented Reality has is that it is new and novel enough to get people interested in viewing promotional material that features the technology but is accessible enough through the use of <a target="blank" href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/">Adobe&#8217;s Flash Player</a>, which is loaded onto around 95% of computers, for many people to view it. So in a way, now is the time to explore and take advantage of the buzz surrounding this novel concept.</p>
<p>There are a variety of companies involved in the production of Augmented Reality products and they do vary in cost. For example, <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/augmented_reality.html" target="blank"><strong>FLAR Toolkit</strong></a> is freely available for programming your own creations &#8211; it does a reasonable job of optimising your PC or Mac to support Augmented Reality through the use of Adobe Flash Player.</p>
<p>However, if you are looking for a more bespoke solution with dedicated programming and development and do not want to use basic Flash open source programming, I recently got a quote from AR specialists <a href="http://www.t-immersion.com/" target="blank">Total Immersion</a> for an academic promotional item that would have cost £17,000.</p>
<p>So there are some differences in terms of expenditure&#8230;.but ensuring that the majority have the correct player to allow your creation to work may simply come down to a cost / distribution calculation that can quickly be made!</p>
<h2>Gaming Experience</h2>
<div style="float:right;margin-bottom:5px;margin-left:20px;">
<object width="400" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KywklJJoJ5s?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KywklJJoJ5s?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object>
</div>
<p>Particularly relevant is the release of <a target="blank" href="http://us.playstation.com/ps3/playstation-move/">Playstation&#8217;s Move</a> and Microsoft Xbox&#8217;s Kinect technologies. These will, in their own way, promote the AR cause through examples such as EyePet, where the user can interact with a 3D animal that appears in the same room as you or Sports Champions where the user can hold and manipulate sports equipments with great accuracy [ie it maps the movement of the user perfectly] and Start the Party is the closest example of Augmented Reality gaming with the user appearing on the screen with the other interactive elements [similar to EyePet].</p>
<p>Lets take Sony&#8217;s Sports Champions as an example. Whilst it does lack the polish and style of other Sony releases and plays like a series of minigames that were used as a demo for the Move&#8230;. so does the price tag. At £25.00 on release, this title provides the user with an interesting immersive experience in Frisbee, Table Tennis, Archery, Bocce, Beach Volleyball and Melee. The most flexible and natural experience is the table tennis where I would estimate 70% accuracy to real life. There are some glitches that detract from gameplay but overall its an enjoyable experience way, way superior to any Wii game due to the complex data transmitted from the Move controllers to the software. It really does allow you to get involved with the action.</p>
<h2>Mobile Experience</h2>
<p>Augmented Reality Apps on mobile phones use similar technologies to the <strong><a href="http://us.playstation.com/ps3/playstation-move/" target="_blank">PS3 Move</a></strong> in that the hardware must detect the orientation and direction of the user and then apply appropriate data [usually graphics] to the viewport. Mashable.com have provided a series of <strong><a href="http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/augmented-reality-apps/" target="_blank">examples of mobile phone apps</a></strong> that provide the user with additional information in their viewport [often on Android or iPhone based hardware] ranging from viewing the nearest tube station in London to understanding the approximate location and direction of people tweeting nearby.</p>
<p>Mobile phones do lack the hardware power that larger desktop PCs and Macs have but are able to handle some basic AR features that provide information or entertainment to their users.</p>
<div class="conclusion">
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>FlarToolkit, Mobile Phone Apps and the development of console gaming technology allowing immersive experiences all help to push the technology forward and explore the idea that users can physically interact with their worlds with more than their keyboard, Mobile Phone browser or PS3 / Xbox control pad. It allows the user to recognise information in a spacial context &#8211; siting direction and distance in many cases. There has even been some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94dg2D-jAhM" target="_blank"><strong>development work in vehicle design</strong></a> where simple AR is used to enhance the users view of a road or to make data about the surrounding area [such as navigation elements] more convenient by presenting them as part of the windscreen view.</p>
<p>As computing power and the quality of webcams increases, so will the capability of augmented reality to truely help us explore new dimensions and spaces from the comfort of our own home or office.</p>
<p><div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 5px; float:right;"><script type="text/javascript">submit_url = 'http://www.design-design.co.uk/augmented-reality-review/';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.designfloat.com/evb2/button.php"></script></div>
</div>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/3d-lenticular-technology-printing-television/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 3D Lenticular Technology'>3D Lenticular Technology</a> <small>Lenticular printing has been around for many years but with...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/avatar/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Avatar'>Avatar</a> <small>James Cameron's new film Avatar was made using tools available...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/what-is-a-qr-code/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: What is a QR Code?'>What is a QR Code?</a> <small>Quick Response codes are quite common throughout Japan and many...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Photography: dpBestflow</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/photography-dpbestflow/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/photography-dpbestflow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:40:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hardware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photoshop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[process]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[dpBestflow.org outlines best practice in taking and storing your digital images for your workflow and archiving. Establishing best practice now increases future productivity.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/finepix-real3d-printing-service-review/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Finepix Real3D printing'>Finepix Real3D printing</a> <small>With the renewed interest in 3D viewing technology and the...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/writing-skills-bournemouth-university-design-graphic/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Writing Skills for Designers'>Writing Skills for Designers</a> <small>Do graphic designers need good writing skills? This article looks...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/adobe-air-adobe-kuler/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Adobe AIR and Kuler'>Adobe AIR and Kuler</a> <small>Adobe have created their AIR framework allowing developers to utilise...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Establishing what constitutes best practice is always important for a designer &#8211; and not all designers realise this until they&#8217;ve built a few websites from tables, taken a series of important photographs on JPEG compression setting when Camera RAW is available on their Digital SLR camera or even sent a series of images to the printers without consulting them or reading their guidelines on getting the most from their systems. However, it is often overlooked that people involved with creating content such as photographs may not be designers or photographers in small to medium sized businesses on a limited budget and it is useful to have a basic guide to creating text, images or other material to pass onto designers. <a target="blank" href="http://www.dpbestflow.org">dpBestflow</a> has been established by The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) to assist people in creating, using and storing digital imagery.</p>
<blockquote><p>“Through dpBestflow, we are striving to make best practices in digital photography readily accessible to all professional photographers, no matter what their level or working style” &#8211; <small>Project Director Richard Anderson</small>.</p>
<p>“dpBestflow helps translate the intricacies of preserving digital images into useful information that can be incorporated into everyday workflow habits.” &#8211; <small>Senior Project Manager Peter Krogh</small></p></blockquote>
<p>You can see the results of their work at<a target="blank" href="http://www.dpbestflow.org">www.dpbestflow.org</a> where the <a target="blank" href="http://www.dpbestflow.org/node/284">glossary</a> is worth scanning through as a matter of interest or to find out about those acronyms you just did not understand in the handbooks! You can also download the <a target="blank" href="http://www.dpbestflow.org/node/406">Quick Reference</a> guide as a summary of the information they have on their site &#8211; a single page summary of the most important info.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/finepix-real3d-printing-service-review/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Finepix Real3D printing'>Finepix Real3D printing</a> <small>With the renewed interest in 3D viewing technology and the...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/writing-skills-bournemouth-university-design-graphic/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Writing Skills for Designers'>Writing Skills for Designers</a> <small>Do graphic designers need good writing skills? This article looks...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/adobe-air-adobe-kuler/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Adobe AIR and Kuler'>Adobe AIR and Kuler</a> <small>Adobe have created their AIR framework allowing developers to utilise...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>What is WordPress?</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/wordpress-cms-system-website/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/wordpress-cms-system-website/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:03:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[portfolio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[purchase]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[theme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wordpress]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=302</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Wordpress was originally designed as a free blogging system for the web but it is increasingly being used to build entire company, community and magazine websites. So what is it all about and why should I use it?


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/create-social-network-and-community-online/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Creating A Social Network'>Creating A Social Network</a> <small>There are so many opportunities to connect and create networks...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/design-tweets-this-week/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Design Tweets This Week!'>Design Tweets This Week!</a> <small>Latest Tweets from the Simcoemedia Network. These tweets are designed...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/design-design-designing-for-clients/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Brief Introduction to Design-Design'>A Brief Introduction to Design-Design</a> <small>"You need to tell the client what he wants and...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>WordPress is an Open Source blogging system with many famous users backing it such as No 10 Downing Street, . The most common incarnations can be found in three formats &#8211; a blog hosted by WordPress at <a title="wordpress.com" href="http://sitename.wordpress.com" target="_blank">http://sitename.wordpress.com</a>, a local hosted version blog created by installing it on a server with PHP and MySQL capability available from <a title="Wordpress.org" href="http://www.wordpress.org" target="_blank">http://www.wordpress.org</a> and the Multiuser version available from <a title="Multiuser" href="http://mu.wordpress.org" target="_blank">http://mu.wordpress.org</a> [though there are not many examples of this currently].</p>
<p>If a company requires a website and the WordPress engine is chosen for this purpose then there are several things to consider:</p>
<h2>Advantages</h2>
<ul>
<li>Free open source code available for personal or commercial use &#8211; WordPress has been adapted for a more Content Managed System approach in recent years which allows the creation of whole websites using the system.</li>
<li>Support from <a target="blank" href="http://wordpress.org">WordPress.org</a> in terms of software updates and upgrades</li>
<li>Support from a global WordPress community in the form of forums and template designers</li>
<li>Use of strict, high quality coding standards compliant with all major browsers</li>
<li>Ability to create additional functionality through the use of <a target="blank" href="http://wordpress.org/extend/">plugins</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Disadvantages</h2>
<ul>
<li>A good level of CSS knowledge and basic Photoshop and PHP [at least] are required to change and update a template</li>
<li>Some groups claim that it is not a true CMS system as its primary development purpose was for weblogging or blogging</li>
</ul>
<p>If you are looking to create a website for your company, organisation or academic project then WordPress is worth a look. Be aware that to create an individual feel to your site, it will require additional time and effort from a programmer and designer There are a variety of templates out there which will save a designer time but the trick is to apply these templates whilst remaining true to your company identity. You can see some examples of WordPress sites at <a target="blank" href="http://www.simcoe.co.uk">www.simcoe.co.uk</a>.</p>
<h2>Templates</h2>
<p>Popular sites for downloading templates are:</p>
<p><a title="Theme Forest" href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/design-process-part-1/?administer_redirect_2=http://themeforest.net?ref=Simcoemedia" target="_blank">http://www.themeforest.net</a><br />
<a title="WP Remix" href="http://wpremix.com" target="_blank">http://wpremix.com</a><br />
<a title="Templatic" href="http://premiumthemes.net/members/go.php?r=869&amp;i=b3" target="_blank">http://templatic.com</a></p>
<p>Most of the time you will only require a single user license for which you will normally pay between $30 and $75 [$US]. Its worth browsing these templates to see what WordPress can actually do for you and what it has helped create already.</p>
<h2>A mini-website on a budget of $0.00</h2>
<p>If you re on a budget or simply want to try the system out have a look at <a href="http://www.wordpress.com" target="blank">www.wordpress.com</a> and sign up for an account. You can blog for free but there are a limited number of templates available to you and it is not as flexible as the version you download from <a href="http://www.wordpress.org" target="blank">www.wordpress.org</a> and upload to your own server such as those purchased at <a target="blank" href="http://www.34sp.com">34sp.com</a>.</p>
<p>If you want to see a brief video on signing up go to <a target="blank" href="http://wordpress.tv/2009/01/05/signing-up-with-wordpresscom/">WordPress.TV</a> and find out more. In addition, <a target="blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWYi4_COZMU">this YouTube video</a> has been useful to some people too.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MWYi4_COZMU&#038;hl=en_US&#038;fs=1&#038;"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MWYi4_COZMU&#038;hl=en_US&#038;fs=1&#038;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="false" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<h2>Community</h2>
<p>This is just an aside really, but I&#8217;ve recently discovered <a target="blank" href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/">BuddyPress for WordPress MultiUser</a> which, if you are creating a site for a group or groups of like minded people, allows contribution to different group blogs or even hosting of personal blogs on the same server with the main site acting as an overview of sitewide activity. I have found that the <a target="blank" href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bp-groupblog/">BP Groupblog</a> is a very useful part of this community based plugin. BuddyPress is excellent &#8211; but as of December 2009 seems to lack the ability to upload individual avatars for users. This will hopefully be resolved in a near-future update!</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<div class="conclusion">
<ul>
<li>Get some inspiration from the gallery, forum, wiki or online magazine examples</li>
<li>Try out the online demonstration of the theme thoroughly</li>
<li>Talk to your web designer about the pro&#8217;s and con&#8217;s of the template</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>&lt; <a title="home" href="/home/" target="_self">Home</a> &gt;</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/create-social-network-and-community-online/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Creating A Social Network'>Creating A Social Network</a> <small>There are so many opportunities to connect and create networks...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/design-tweets-this-week/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Design Tweets This Week!'>Design Tweets This Week!</a> <small>Latest Tweets from the Simcoemedia Network. These tweets are designed...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/design-design-designing-for-clients/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Brief Introduction to Design-Design'>A Brief Introduction to Design-Design</a> <small>"You need to tell the client what he wants and...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Resizing Photoshop images</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/resizing-photoshop-images-reduction/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/resizing-photoshop-images-reduction/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:33:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adobe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[image manipulation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[multimedia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photoshop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=219</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Want to get the best from Photoshop with the minimal effort? Here's a tip for setting your default preferences for efficient enlargement or reduction of image size.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-finepix-anaglyph-3d-photography-image-gallery/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Anaglyph 3D Images'>Anaglyph 3D Images</a> <small>Following the interest received in Design-Design's 3D MPO files, we...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/10-free-useful-online-tools/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 Free Useful Online Tools'>10 Free Useful Online Tools</a> <small>There are a few simple online tools that can assist...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-real3d-w3-3d-camera-review/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Finepix W3 3D Review'>Finepix W3 3D Review</a> <small>Review of the FujiFilm Finepix W3 3D Digital Camera -...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/photoshop_interpolation_1.jpg" rel="lightbox[219]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-221" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 15px 15px; float:right;" title="Photoshop Image Reduction" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/photoshop_interpolation_1-300x195.jpg" alt="Photoshop Image Reduction" width="300" height="195" /></a>If you shrink your images for a website using Adobe Photoshop on a regular basis then consider changing the default settings for the way images are reduced. The image to the right shows the <strong>EDIT &gt; PREFERENCES </strong>selection where it is possible to set all the defaults for the program. In this case we just want to look at the <strong>GENERAL</strong> settings where it is possible to change Image Interpolation [essentially the way that images are handled when enlarged, reduced or warped in some way] to Bicubic Sharper &#8211; therefore preserving and enhancing the sharpness of the original image as it is reduced. If you spend the majority of your time enlarging images then it is worth considering setting the default to Bicubic Smoother [though it would be ideal to invest in a paid plugin that enhances your image enlargement rather than the Photoshop engine - eg <a href="http://www.benvista.com/main/content/content.php?page=ourproducts&amp;section=photozoompro_1" target="blank">Photozoom Pro</a>]</p>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/photoshop_interpolation_2.jpg" rel="lightbox[219]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-223" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 15px 15px; float:right;" title="Photoshop Image Reduction 2" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/photoshop_interpolation_2-300x195.jpg" alt="Photoshop Image Reduction 2" width="300" height="195" /></a>Spend some time experimenting with these different settings and find the results that give you the best image quality. However, be guided by Photoshop&#8217;s instructions also ie Bicubic Sharper for reduction and Bicubic Smoother for enlargement. It makes a difference to the clarity of your product shots, environment photography and much more.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-finepix-anaglyph-3d-photography-image-gallery/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Anaglyph 3D Images'>Anaglyph 3D Images</a> <small>Following the interest received in Design-Design's 3D MPO files, we...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/10-free-useful-online-tools/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 Free Useful Online Tools'>10 Free Useful Online Tools</a> <small>There are a few simple online tools that can assist...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-real3d-w3-3d-camera-review/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Finepix W3 3D Review'>Finepix W3 3D Review</a> <small>Review of the FujiFilm Finepix W3 3D Digital Camera -...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>What is a Web Browser?</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/what-is-a-web-browser/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/what-is-a-web-browser/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:27:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[browser]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chrome]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[firefox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet explorer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=137</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Google are keen to promote their Chrome web browser. They present the four main browsers here in a stylish and easy to understand short YouTube presentation.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/adobe-air-adobe-kuler/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Adobe AIR and Kuler'>Adobe AIR and Kuler</a> <small>Adobe have created their AIR framework allowing developers to utilise...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/wordpress-cms-system-website/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: What is WordPress?'>What is WordPress?</a> <small>Wordpress was originally designed as a free blogging system for...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/10-free-useful-online-tools/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 Free Useful Online Tools'>10 Free Useful Online Tools</a> <small>There are a few simple online tools that can assist...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BrXPcaRlBqo&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BrXPcaRlBqo&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></p>
<p><a target="blank" href="http://www.google.com/chrome/">Google Chrome</a> web browser is an excellent choice for anyone wishing to simply and quickly browse as it is lightweight &#8211; ie does not use much of the systems resources. Don&#8217;t expect too many bells and whistles but do expect reliability and speed.</p>
<p><a target="blank" href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/">Mozilla Firefox</a> is the browser I use the most as it comes with a variety of available extensions including two of the most important browser plugins for any web designer &#8211; the <a target="blank" href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60">developers toolbar</a> and <a target="blank" href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843">firebug</a></p>
<p><a target="blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx">Internet Explorer</a> is the most popular of the web browsers and ships pre-installed on Windows based PCs. Known as IE, versions 7 and 8 of IE are only just becoming <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_standards">standards compliant</a>. Expect many sites to cater for this popular browser and popularity with hackers, fraudsters and other such &#8216;experts&#8217; &#8211; Microsoft patch security as part of the regular updates downloaded to your PC [you know the ones....the ones that keep asking you to shut down]. You can also expect frustration from your average designer who usually experience problems getting a website to look right in IE compared to the majority of other browsers!</p>
<p><a target="blank" href="http://www.apple.com/safari/">Safari</a> is the browser of choice for your average Mac user [though Mac users would certainly not consider themselves to be average <img src='http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> ] and it has some great features including one of the first applications of font smoothing, making text look less angular and more attractive &#8211; though uses more system resources.</p>
<p>There are some other browsers not mentioned here or only viewed on specific hardware such as <a target="blank" href="http://www.opera.com/">Opera</a> and AOL amongst the numerous mobile phone browsers, each having their own quirks and limitations, and some of the more dubious inbuilt console browsers such as Playstation 3&#8242;s contribution!</p>


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		<title>10 Free Useful Online Tools</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/10-free-useful-online-tools/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/10-free-useful-online-tools/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:08:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=171</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are a few simple online tools that can assist the client and designer in their daily office life - whether browsing, viewing the news, planning tasks, sharing your design work live on screen or creating documents.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/editing-video-with-youtube/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: YouTube Video Editor'>YouTube Video Editor</a> <small>Recently I have been experimenting with the YouTube video editor...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/designer-top-5-tips-success/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Design Tips for Success'>Design Tips for Success</a> <small>Recommendations on a variety of design related activities including use...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/adobe-air-adobe-kuler/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Adobe AIR and Kuler'>Adobe AIR and Kuler</a> <small>Adobe have created their AIR framework allowing developers to utilise...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com" target="blank"><strong>Remember The Milk</strong></a> &#8211; is a great FREE online tool for creating to do lists that can be shared between you and your colleague, client and designer. In fact, you can even send each other jobs and tasks if you want to cause friction <img src='http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />  This tool can be integrated into the Google home page, accessed by mobile phone and used in a whole browser window. Daily reminders are sent in list form which can be very handy when there are many tasks building up in a month.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/igoogle.jpg" rel="lightbox[171]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-185" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 15px 15px; float:right;" title="iGoogle homepage" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/igoogle-300x195.jpg" alt="iGoogle homepage" width="300" height="195" /></a><a href="http://www.google.co.uk/ig" target="blank"><strong>iGoogle</strong></a> as a web browser homepage &#8211; every time my browser opens or I use the home button the Simcoemedia Google page is shown. To create your account simply login / create a Google account then edit the settings for displaying your content by ADDING items. It is easy to set up and provides an informative and constantly updated dashboard for your business.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.xmarks.com/" target="blank"><strong>Xmarks</strong></a> &#8211; a great FREE plugin for Firefox or Internet Explorer web browsers. User&#8217;s bookmarks will automatically synchronise between all computers running the <a href="http://www.xmarks.com/" target="blank">Xmarks plugin</a> and logged into the same account. This is particularly useful if you have more than one computer for your browsing and general business &#8211; you may have an office and home machine or a main workstation and a netbook that can synchronise to avoid constant updating between browsers.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/yousendit.jpg" rel="lightbox[171]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-184" style="margin: 0 0 15px 15px; float: right;" title="You Send It" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/yousendit-300x195.jpg" alt="You Send It" width="300" height="195" /></a><a href="http://www.yousendit.com" target="blank"><strong>YouSendIt</strong></a> &#8211; is a useful program designed to help you send large files without blocking up someones email account or needing to set up tricky FTP sites. Its simple and you can send files up to 100Mb without signing inl. Paying customers can send up to 2Gb per upload with masses of FTP space and plenty of happy customers who can easily access their emails [ie you have not filled their inbox with your data!] and the file you&#8217;ve sent them!</p>
<p><a href="http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page" target="blank"><strong>FreeMind</strong></a> &#8211; another FREE download that is great for formalising your spider diagrams, mind maps, brain-dumps [or whatever you like to call them] for presentation or submission purposes. Once the initial learning curve is overcome then creating diagrams is relatively straight forward, with a variety of options for highlighting, adjusting text, creating lists and nodes and other techniques for communicating your lateral thinking. Diagrams can be exported to PDF and various bitmap formats such as JPEG, BMP etc.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/skype.jpg" rel="lightbox[171]"><img src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/skype-300x195.jpg" style="margin: 0 0 15px 15px; float: right;" alt="Skype Interface" title="Skype Interface" width="300" height="195" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-187" /></a><a href="http://www.skype.com" target="blank"><strong>Skype</strong></a> &#8211; theres not too much you cannot do with Skype these days and I find it most useful when <strong>sharing my design work on screen whilst talking to my client on Skype at the same time</strong>. It is FREE to use and Skype to Skype calls cost nothing &#8211; which is particularly relevant when you consider that any phone with Skype, such as many of the 3 phones, can make and receive these calls for FREE also. It is also a great replacement for a landline at around £4 / month for any UK landline &#8211; but only if you have a speedy connection to the internet otherwise this system can create embarrassing lags in those business conversations when there is high traffic volume.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.quicktime.com" target="blank"><strong>Quicktime</strong></a> &#8211; if you have some digital video input as raw video via Firewire and just need a quick edit and professionally compressed look to your final output then you could do worse than spend the £25 Quicktime are demanding from you for a license to access Quicktime Pro. One of the best features of Quicktime Pro is the excellent H.264 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_codec" target="blank">Codec</a> that really shrinks your video size down but maintains high quality output. If nothing else, you should invest in this piece of software for that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_codec" target="blank">Codec</a> alone. Files are easily accessed from a PC or Mac with <a href="http://www.quicktime.com" target="blank">Quicktime</a> installed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/google-reader.jpg" rel="lightbox[171]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-183" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 15px 15px;float:right;" title="Google Reader" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/google-reader-300x195.jpg" alt="Google Reader" width="300" height="195" /></a><a href="http://www.google.co.uk/reader/" target="blank"><strong>Google Reader</strong></a> &#8211; Another part of the Google suite of free online products which basically collects the latest news from all of your favourite sites without you needing to visit those sites to check out the headlines. Personally, I keep up to date with the world of design through online RSS feeds grouped together in <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/reader/" target="blank">Reader</a>, grouped into an easy to read format and constantly updated. This can save alot of surf time and effort to get the news you really want to read.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.openoffice.org" target="blank"><strong>OpenOffice</strong></a> &#8211; Most people know about Open Office now, but in case you do not &#8211; it is a free suite of office programs very similar and compatible with Microsoft&#8217;s Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint products. There are occassionally a few compatibility or inconsistency issues but generally this makes a great alternative to shelling out £400 for the Microsoft products.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/acrobat-com.jpg" rel="lightbox[171]"><img src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/acrobat-com-300x195.jpg" alt="Acrobat Dot Com" title="Acrobat Dot Com" width="300" height="195" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-186" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 15px 15px;float:right;" /></a><a href="http://www.acrobat.com" target="blank"><strong>Acrobat.com</strong></a> &#8211; Adobe have created some excellent design software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. They have also created a website where the user has access to a variety of media production related tools including PDF conversion for those without Acrobat Standard or Professional, file sharing where a massive 5Gb file can be uploaded, ConnectNow for screensharing and professional online meetings and Buzzword, a document writer. PDF conversion requires payment to Adobe but other services are FREE.</p>
<p><a href="http://camstudio.org/" target="blank"><strong>CamStudio</strong></a> &#8211; is a FREE screen capture tool. With this free download you can record your on a computer screen then output a file containing video to a compressed file for delivery over the network. To put it simply, this is a great tool for creating a series of software training videos for your business! Beware though &#8211; lengthy screen captures from your PC will create large files. You might want to consider paying for a <a href="http://www.yousendit.com" target="blank">YouSendIt.com</a> account if you want to create and send this sort of data.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/editing-video-with-youtube/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: YouTube Video Editor'>YouTube Video Editor</a> <small>Recently I have been experimenting with the YouTube video editor...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/designer-top-5-tips-success/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Design Tips for Success'>Design Tips for Success</a> <small>Recommendations on a variety of design related activities including use...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/adobe-air-adobe-kuler/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Adobe AIR and Kuler'>Adobe AIR and Kuler</a> <small>Adobe have created their AIR framework allowing developers to utilise...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Google Wave</title>
		<link>http://www.design-design.co.uk/google-wave/</link>
		<comments>http://www.design-design.co.uk/google-wave/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:11:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Simcoe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[email]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[instant messaging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interactivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.design-design.co.uk/?p=63</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Google Wave is set to redefine the way we collaborate with each other in business and socially by developing our current uses of email, blogs, instant messaging and media sharing.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/fujifilm-finepix-anaglyph-3d-photography-image-gallery/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Anaglyph 3D Images'>Anaglyph 3D Images</a> <small>Following the interest received in Design-Design's 3D MPO files, we...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/mark-hillary-and-google-youtube-i/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google vs Mark Hillary'>Google vs Mark Hillary</a> <small>What happens when a blogger comes up against the disapproval...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.design-design.co.uk/improving-your-digital-footprint/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Your Digital Footprint'>Your Digital Footprint</a> <small>Having a significant digital footprint of quality content is not...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Google Wave is the next big thing from Google. It is built upon the Google Web Toolkit &#8211; a collection of modules that already provide us with maps, spell checkers, search engines and other free web tools &#8211; and makes a leap from our current habits and uses to a new method of working and socialising with each other via the net.</p>
<h2>In Simple Terms</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/google-wave-snapshots-inbox.jpg" rel="lightbox[63]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-75" style="margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; float:right;" title="Google Wave Inbox" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/google-wave-snapshots-inbox-300x195.jpg"  alt="Google Wave Inbox" width="300" height="195" /></a>Google Wave is in simplistic terms a development of email and messaging systems &#8211; a stream of information that can be interacted with in ways that make the information more &#8216;live&#8217; and efficient. This is oversimplifying what is a development that could improve our online productivity considerably. Below are a few of the key features of Google Wave:</p>
<p>The system uses familiar interfaces and ideas when using email, messaging and word processing systems and therefore there is no need to relearn some of the basic techniques when interacting with Wave. When a participant edits or adds comments to a single Wave [or stream of information], the Wave will be moved to the top of the inbox ready for review. Wave becomes a tree structure of interactivity where certain participants in a stream of discussion can break off into another discussion.</p>
<h2>Live Interactivity</h2>
<p>A key feature of Wave is that as information is typed into the browser, unlike Skype, Instant Messenger and other IM systems, the individual keystrokes are shown as they happen with minimal delay over broadband connections. To avoid embarrassment or if a sentence needs to be more carefully crafted there is the option to bypass the live typing feature where necessary.</p>
<p>When a Wave discussion is occurring and live conversations between several participants is being recorded it is possible for all involved to be able to edit on the fly. If a series of comments are being written these can be changed as they are being written by other participants.</p>
<h2>Embedding In Blog Style</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/google_wave_embedded.png" rel="lightbox[63]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-86" style="margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; float:right;" title="Embedding a Google Wave" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/google_wave_embedded-300x159.png"  alt="Embedding a Google Wave" width="300" height="159" /></a>It is possible to embed entire Waves into web pages. Put in oversimplified terms &#8211; if  Google Wave allows more efficient interactivity between groups of people wanting to communicate ideas instantly then embedding a Wave is simply a case of allowing a standard web page to show this interactivity as it happens. This is in a similar way to the way Google Maps can be embedded into a standard web page easily.</p>
<h2>Mobile Friendly</h2>
<p>Google Wave will be available for mobile phones including Google&#8217;s Android and Apple&#8217;s iPhone allowing mobile participation and interactivity. You can see a demonstration of how this will work [though its not fully working] at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=25m25s" target="blank">25m 25sec</a> on the Google Wave demo video [links to YouTube in a new window]</p>
<h2>Finding, Filtering and Translating</h2>
<p>Another useful feature of Wave is that the user can essentially filter out the factual elements of a discussion and sent to a Wiki or other document so as knowledge is built up around a subject it can be stored and retrieved easily. Eventually Google expects that Spreadsheets and Presentation Tools will be built around the Wave system to reduce time needed to transfer information across to other systems.</p>
<p>Google Wave can support the use of different languages [and presumably the translation of these on the fly]. Hebrew and Chinese characters are demonstrated in the YouTube video below.</p>
<h2>Uploading Images</h2>
<p>Wave can handle uploading of images to the server and as these images are uploaded to the Wave conversation thumbnails are quickly generated to show other participants on the network what images are being processed. The image labels can easily be edited by the group / participants. A demo of this is shown at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=35m20s" target="blank">35min 20sec</a> on the Google Wave demo video [links to YouTube in a new window]</p>
<h2>Tagging Waves</h2>
<p>Tags are used to organise Waves and allow users / participants to search for different Waves on the system as they build up. This is similar to searching for emails in an email archive. A demo of this is seen at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=40m26s">40min 26sec</a>. Waves can also be cross linked &#8211; a link to another wave can be inserted into a wave and therefore cross linking is possible. See this at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=40m39s">40min 39sec</a> on the Google Wave demo video [links to YouTube in a new window].</p>
<h2>Advanced Spelling and Other Toolkit Modules</h2>
<p>Advanced spelling systems from Google Web Toolkit are integrated and there is an excellent example of how advanced this has become at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=44m15s" target="blank">44min 15sec</a>. Google have cute names for their various toolkit modules including Bloggy [for inserting Wave as a blog], Linky [intelligent method for inserting links] and Spelly. These all happen server side which means that information is all processed quickly on the server then the results transmitted over the web to the client computer [where the user sees the result].</p>
<h2>Polling Systems and Collaboration</h2>
<p>At <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=48m56s" target="blank">48min 56sec</a> an interesting poll system is demonstrated where users / participants can vote or indicate YES / NO / MAYBE interest live on the site. As people change their mind or vote the results are displayed in lists and graphs for analysis.</p>
<h2>Games and Progress</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/google_wave_inbox_chess.jpg" rel="lightbox[63]"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-85" style="margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; float:right;" title="Google Wave Games - Chess" src="http://www.design-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/google_wave_inbox_chess-300x177.jpg" alt="Google Wave Games - Chess" width="300" height="177" /></a>At <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=51m42s" target="blank">51mins 42sec</a> Google staff demonstrate Wave being used for interactive games and demonstrate the progress bar that highlights how the entire Wave progresses from its origins of a single stream of information and at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ#t=51m42s" target="blank">52mins 42sec</a> a demonstration of how Google Maps can be used to demonstrate interest in a holiday location is shown. Google hopes and anticipates that their examples are only a basic venture into the endless possibilities of what could be achieved with the system.</p>
<p>There are several other systems demonstrated toward the end of the presentation but essentially the features listed above would provide most effective for business and social development. Google Wave is currently in the final phases of development and a demo version of the system will be made available to a limited group of users in the near future. For the moment we just need to be patient before this exciting new technology creeps into mainstream workflow and daily activity.</p>
<h2>Other discussion and links</h2>
<p>Not everyone is so delighted about the arrival of Google Wave or, at least, they are skeptical of the benefits it may bring to the web community as a whole. Some interested articles are listed below:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/30/google-wave-there-will-be-backlash/" target="blank">TechCrunch: Google Wave &#8211; There Will Be Backlash</a><br />
<a href="http://lifehacker.com/5370738/google-wave-first-look">Lifehacker.com takes a first look at Google Wave</a></p>
<h2>Google Wave: A Brief Overview [8min]</h2>
<p>This is for the less programmer orientated viewer who may want an overview of what Google Wave can do for their business, academic project or social interaction!</p>
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<h2>Full Google Wave Demo [1h20min]</h2>
<p>Here is the full Google Wave demo before a live audience. Most of it goes according to plan. Recommended for those with both a programming interest, patience and a reasonable understanding of technical terms for the 1.5 hour demo [and general Google banter]. If this doesn&#8217;t sound like you then go with the overview above!</p>
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