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This classic user guide to QuarkXpress 8 is an interactive, easy-to-read manual which will give you the competitive edge you'll need.
And if you're already familiar with QuarkXpress, check out what's new with QuarkXpress 8. The new features give you the ability to work faster and more efficiently.
Calling All Teachers!
This Teacher Resource Guide has everything you need to get you and your students up-to-speed with QuarkXPress.
The Guide is applicable for students learning the software for the first time as well as experienced QuarkXPress users. It is available for both Mac and PC users in a single, downloadable file.
The Guide contains a sample syllabus, 14 training modules, and an outline for deploying the modules in a classroom environment. The syllabus includes a capstone project for students to develop as part of the course, with class-time suggestions, and a sample grading scale.The training modules are designed with standard system fonts, so it is easy to deploy in your class as well as for take-home work. You can teach the software from start to finish, or you can pick and choose individual modules that complement your class.For New to Advanced StudentsAnyone brand new to page layout or QuarkXPress should start with module one — QuarkXPress Basics — and get up to speed quickly with the essential elements of working in QuarkXPress, from creating a new project to collecting for output. To prepare your students with basic skills for the creative job market, you will want to cover core modules in Text and Typography, Page Elements, Transparency and Drop Shadows, and PDF Output.
You can also explore more advanced topics such as Job Jackets and Shared Content to broaden your students’ skills in work-flow and collaborative design.
For a limited time, you can save up to $670.04 - or 70% - on the QuarkXPress 8 and VisTablet Back to School Education Bundle!
QuarkXPress 8 allows you to:
- Work faster and design more in fewer clicks
- Design across media—share high-fidelity print content across the Web and in Flash format without learning code
- Control text alignment with a designer’s eye
- Work easily with Illustrator and create illustrations directly in QuarkXPress easily without it
- Open and print a QuarkXPress 8 project created anywhere in the world
QuarkXPress 8 equips all designers with the expertise, confidence, adventure and control needed to perfect all of their projects.
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If you're an avid user of Sony Creative Vegas Pro software, take a look at these excellent Top Ten Tips for efficiency in Vegas Pro!
1. Prepare in advance.
Create intros, "outros," theme music, and templates before you go. A well-produced intro sets the tone for a video; don't spend hours doing that on-site.
2. Use Sony Cinescore software for "instant soundtracks."
Nothing helps make a video more professional than a good soundtrack, and Sony Cinescore software delivers. However, rather than using Cinescore "hints" to control how the soundtrack unfolds, I prefer to generate 15 to 20 minutes of music for a 5 to 10 minute video, then rearrange (cut and paste) different sections within Vegas Pro software.
3. After transferring clips and stills to your hard drive, label them.
"Clip1.avi" doesn't mean much, so take a few minutes to give all your data descriptive names. You'll save time overall.
4. Don't bring an audio interface—USB mics are great.
It's a good idea to record the narration first, then lay in video to match the audio. However, not all USB mics work well for narration.
5. Bounce while eating, render when showering.
Do something else while your computer is tied up. For example, at hotels I start bouncing a one-hour tape over to the hard drive, then go to dinner—which typically takes just under an hour. Rendering while showering also saves time.
6. Create a test video using all the gear you'll take on the road.
This verifies that everything works, and when it's time to pack up, you won't forget anything—simply bring the gear you used to make the video.
7. Install both 64- and 32-bit versions of Vegas with 64-bit computers.
64-bit computing is in its infancy; install Vegas 32-bit also in case you have problems.
8. Take still shots to cover rough edit points.
Rather than trying to fix tough edits—for example, if someone walked in front of the camera—take lots of still shots. Drop them in, then add some zoom and pan to give action. 
9. Use Sony Sound Forge software to clean up audio tracks.
Sound Forge software can solve audio problems fast, thanks to tools like noise reduction. Also, if there are level variations with narration, you don't have to draw gain envelopes in Vegas Pro software—use the Sound Forge Wave Hammer processor to even out the dynamic range.
10. Exploit the Vegas Pro "Paste Event Attributes" command.
Often, several pieces of video or stills will need the same processing—for example, video clips that were shot in a room with low light, where all the clips require brightness and contrast adjustments. Get one clip right (before you do any pan, zoom, or other actions specific to that clip), copy it, then right-click on each of the other clips and select "Paste Event Attributes." This transfers all your settings to the clip.
Original Content By Craig Anderton
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School’s almost back in session, and with it comes life-lessons in money management for students. But personal finance can be easy, even if you’re just starting out. You just have to know how it works.
Money Management
- Join a credit union. Don’t just sign up for a random bank giving away t-shirts or frisbees at registration.
- Don’t get a credit card unless you absolutely need one.
- Avoid non-academic debt.
- Save and then splurge. If you you just have to have something, wait until you can pay cash.
- Pay your bills on time.
Organization and Planning
- Track your spending. Good records will prevent you from getting overdrawn at the bank or charging more than your credit limit. This habit also allows you to detect spending patterns.
- Make a budget. At the start of the month, estimate how much money you’ll receive and decide where needs to go.
- Save your receipts. You’ll need to be able to compare them with statements at the end of the month. And some you’ll need to keep for several years.
- Guard your vital stats. Don’t give out your social security number or your credit card info except to known and trusted sources.
Campus Life
- Buy used textbooks. You’re just going to sell them back at the end of the term.
- Skip spring break. Forget the long road trips. You can have a lot of fun for cheap close to campus.
- Live without a car. Cars are expensive: gas, maintenance, insurance, registration, parking.
- Don’t hang out with big spenders.
- Take advantage of campus activities. Get the most from your student ID!
Personal Life
- Go to class. What you learn and do now will have a profound impact on the rest of your life.
- Get involved. It will help you build skills and form social networks that will last a lifetime.
- Stay active. A healthy body costs far less to maintain than an unhealthy body. You don’t have to do much to avoid gaining weight in college.
- Eat healthy. It’s possible to eat well on a small budget if you know what you’re doing.
- Limit vices. Alcohol and cigerettes are expensive. They are also bad for your body and mind.
- Learn the art of the Cheap Date:
o Take advantage of mother nature
o Go for coffee
o Use CitySearch to track down cheap food and activities
o Attend campus events
- Have fun! Your college years will be some of the best of your life. Make the most of them.
Decision Making
- Make smart choices. Decide what’s important to you, and pursue that. Remember to leave time for yourself.
- Don’t buy on impulse. When you want to buy something, ask yourself “Do I need it?”
Making Money
- Spend less than you earn. Don’t earn much? Then don’t spend much.
- Be an outstanding employee. Good work habits can pay enormous dividends, leading to recommendations and contacts that you can use after you’re out of school.
- Start your own business. Charge cheap rates and exceed expectations. Word will spread. When you’ve built up a customer base, you can raise your rates a little.
- Learn to invest. Find a discount broker and begin making regular investments.
Original Content from Get Rich Slowly
By Laura B. Whitmore
At some point, you have probably thought about doing some recording using your computer or laptop. If you've finally decided to jump in, then you probably need an audio interface. An audio interface's purpose is simply this; it helps you bring audio signals into your computer. Here are some of the things you need to think about when choosing the best interface for you.
In or out of the box?
Most audio interfaces are external devices that you can connect to your computer using a high speed USB or Firewire connection. However you can actually install an audio interface into your computer using an interface card. You’ll have to open up your computer and use one of your card slots.
Connection options
It’s important to know what kind of ports your computer has available for connecting your interface. Your choices are: USB 1.1 – if you have a computer that is over four years old or so, you might have this port. USB 2.0—the faster, newer version of USB, has been a standard port for more recent computer models. And finally Firewire – fast and widely available on newer Macs.
The ins and outs
Think about what are you going to plug into your interface and how many you’ll plug in at once. If you are recording multiple instruments at once, you’ll want more ins. And don’t forget about outs! Use these to connect your computer to some great sounding monitors, a PA or even your stereo. The important thing is to plan ahead and get what you think you’ll need up front.
Sample rate
When you convert audio through an interface, it does the conversion at a particular sample rate. The standard sampling rate is 44.1 kHz, the same resolution that is used for audio CDs. However, if you are working in a high-end recording situation, you might want to consider a higher rate like 192 kHz resolution and a more high-end interface.
Microphone essentials
All microphones require their signal to be boosted so that the levels are hot enough for recording. If your interface has a microphone in, it will have some pre-amplification for this purpose, but if you prefer to use a condenser mic, you’ll want an interface that also has phantom power. This is not included in all interfaces, so you’ll have to look for it.
Software choices
Check to make sure that the interface you choose is compatible with the software you are using for recording. For example, Digidesign’s Pro Tools will only work with a Digidesign or M-Audio interface, depending on which version you are using. Also, some interfaces come with recording software, so read the fine print!
Learn how to create rollover images in Adobe Dreamweaver!
What is a rollover image?
- A rollover increases the interactivity between the user and the page and physically involves the user "rolling the mouse cursor over the button," which causes the button to react visually.
So how can I create a rollover in Adobe Dreamweaver?
- First, choose two separate images with the same height and weight that you would like to use for your web page.
- Next, place the cursor of the mouse where you want to insert your rollover image.
- Click on "Rollover Image" on the "Insert" pallet line or choose Insert --> Interactive Images --> Rollover Image
- In the window that pops up, in the text field "Image Name," write the image name (but be careful not to use special characters).
- Now, insert your two images.
- Click "Browse" and insert images for both the Original Image and the Rollover Image.
- In the text field "When clicked, Go to URL," you'll need to insert the URL location for your rollover image.
- For Alternative Text, use whatever text you like - but it is suggested that you use text which describes your image as much as possible, without going over 15-20 characters.
- Also, you don't have to insert Alternative Text, but it will help you get a better search ranking and will also help users using older browsers because they won't be able to see the rollover image, but only the Alternative Text.
- Finally, just click "OK!"
Click here for more helpful tips in Adobe software and don't forget to check out all the great summer deals from Academic Superstore!And right now, you can SAVE 50% on Adobe Dreamweaver with your Academic Superstore discount!
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Sibelius 6 is a giant leap forward in notation software - with amazing new features and improvements for educators, students, composers, arrangers, copyists and musicians of all kinds.
Sibelius 6 allows you to:
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Look no further than Vegas Pro 9 from Sony Creative!
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Are you faced with an abundance of free time and a lack of money? If you're a full-time, part-time or substitute teacher, it's easy to get bored during the summer and find yourself with a lot less "spending money." Here are some ideas to make the most of your summer and make a little extra cash while you're at it.- Tutoring - whether in your subject area or even teaching English as a second language, tutoring is very lucrative and you can earn up to $30 + an hour in some cases.
- Grade Exams - marking exams, such as AP and year end exams, is not only a good way to earn a little extra money, but also enables teachers to prepare their students for their future exams. These types of positions range anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000!
- Teach Night Classes - there are many opportunities at high schools and universities to teach evening classes. And the hours are usually flexible and work with a teacher's schedule. Contact an organizer with your class proposal - organizers are always looking to add more courses to their brochures.
- Teach English Overseas - if you speak English as a first language, you can teach English as a second language! This opportunity is perfect for those looking to travel and even find a better paying position in another country or just looking to relocate.
But if you're looking to try something different and get away from teaching all together, you can always try out some of these ideas: - Babysitting - great for K-5 level teachers! Although it's not as much money as tutoring, the hours may be much better for your schedule.
- Summer Camp - host summer camp for a week or so over the summer and plan activities for the children. If you're a mother, this is an easy way to have fun with your kids over the summer and give your friends or neighbors a break from theirs!
- Online Auctions - try selling a few items lying around your house on eBay or Craig's List. You'll be able to clean out your house and make a few bucks at the same time.
- Vacation Helper - many people go on vacation during the summer and are looking for trustworthy, reliable people to water their plants, take care of their dogs, pick up their newspaper or mail, or just watch their house. This is a great opportunity for you to take advantage of your free time and make some extra money.
Original Content By Dustin Cannon, owner of JustArticles.com
Click here to read the original article
Original Content By Laura B. Whitmore
Back in December, Digidesign released Pro Tools 8, a new version of the industry standard recording software. Both Digidesign and Sibelius are a part of Avid Technology Inc., and if you are already familiar with Sibelius notation software, and even if you aren’t, you’ll be happy to know that Sibelius and Pro Tools have enhanced their partnership in Pro Tools 8, providing increased integration and functionality for Pro Tools’ notation features.
What does this mean to you? For starters, with Pro Tools 8 you can readily see and manipulate the notation for the recordings you are working on. You can choose either a full score window, which allows you to see your music as notation on the entire screen. Or, you can split the screen and select the part you want to see as notation. Then the notation appears at the bottom. You can zoom-in, edit, transpose, add chord symbols or just simply see what the notation for a passage looks like.
Editing features include inserting or deleting notes, lengthening notes, and much more. You can adjust the score spacing and layout, add more tracks to the score, or just zoom-in on parts. This is particularly useful for composition and arranging students who can connect the music notation to the score, see and hear changes immediately or just follow along. Then, when you’re all done, you can export the score to Sibelius for even further tweaking and finesse.
Educators find this feature useful for pulling out parts for rehearsals and changing scores to accommodate the instruments available in your school ensembles. Students can record their original compositions then create parts for their peers to play live. When you’re ready, you can print out notation directly from Pro Tools, too.
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Whether you're a student, parent, teacher, administrator or professional, a proficiency in Microsoft Office 2007 is becoming a necessity.
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And for Mac users, check out the Make it With Microsoft book bundled with Office 2008.If you need some extra tutorials or looking for free advice, you can find a wide array of online tips and tricks for Microsoft Office here.
Check out this tip sheet for all Microsoft Office 2007 Programs, or for more interactive tutorials, Microsoft also offers webcasts, podcasts, and video tips or you can sign up for a tip a day via e-mail!
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