I just won a Samsung Behold 2!
OK, I know this blog is primarily about Photoshop & Photography, but I want to share my elation! I just won a Samsung Behold 2 in an online giveaway! I saw an ad on facebook a couple of days ago advertising a free giveaway for the Behold 2. I’ve been looking at this phone for weeks now, even before it was officially released on November 18th. I clicked the ad fully thinking it was another one of those bogus ads requiring me to fill out 50 million surveys and recruit 10 friends to win. After doing diligent research about the giveaway, reading the TOS and the Privacy Policy, as well as doing a whois on the domain name and checking out the company promoting it, I decided the giveaway was legit.
I have been entering this competition several times each day since the 19th with only a very small belief that I had any chance to win. Today I was sitting in front of my computer reading some stuff online when Apple Mail dings at me indicating I had a new message. I knew that another hourly give away had just happened and had a vague sense of anticipation. I used my couchsquash.com email to register for the drawing and saw upon opening Apple mail that I had a single email in my couchsquash.com inbox. My excitement began to grow as I clicked the inbox for couchsquash.com. I scrolled to the top to see my new message and stared in disbelief at the subject line: “Samsung Mobile Be a Winner Giveaway: You’re a winner!”. Upon reading the email I began screaming out to my wife, “I WON, I just WON the phone!!!”. I’m totally stoked.
The new Behold 2 is android based and even comes with a 5.0MP camera with built in flash! I anticipate being able to get some great candid shots now, in situations where I wouldn’t otherwise have a camera with me.
Check out the screenshots below to see what the competition screen looks like after you’ve won and view a screen shot of the winning email message. You can click the images to see a full size version. I’ve blacked out certain parts of the screen shot to preserve my privacy and lesson the chance of increasing the amount of spam I already receive. The guy adamd in the screenshot won the phone in the drawing after the one I won in as you can see in the winner list. It took me over an hour to calm down and decide to create this post.
Oh, I almost forgot, you can try your luck at http://www.beawinnergiveaway.com
I won!
Screen Shot of the Email they sent me
Crop Photo Using Photoshop
Crop Photo Using Photoshop
Introduction:
Today you’re going to learn how to crop photo’s using Photoshop. There’s more than one way to go about cropping in Photoshop, so I’ll cover the two most popular and easy methods. We’ll be using a stock photo from everystockphoto.com which is royalty free. You can use the same photo as me while you follow along, or practice on one of your own.
Method One, Use Photoshop’s Crop Tool:
Open your image in Photoshop and Press C to select the Crop Tool. Now just click somewhere in the photo and drag out a rectangle or square. You’ll notice the part you’ve selected is still bright, whereas everything else is shaded. The shaded area will be cropped.
Method 2, Use Photoshop’s Marquee Tool:
This method of cropping photos using Photoshop is very similar to method 1, although it doesn’t give you quite as much control.
Open your image in Photoshop and press M to select the Marquee Tool, make sure it’s the square Marquee and not the round one. If you have the round Marquee Tool selected, hold shift and press M again to switch it.
Now, drag a selection around the area you wish to crop. Once you’ve selected an area you’re happy with, click Image from the top menu and then click “crop” from the drop down. It’s that simple!
Hopefully you’re happy with your results.
EOS Canon Rebel XT
EOS Canon Rebel XT Intro
For a camera which is very easy to use, affordibly priced, and some great features, get the EOS Canon Rebel XT. This camera is 8.0 Megapixels, and has Canon’s DIGIC II Image Processor. You can use over 50 different Canon EF lenses with it. This is a great Digital SLR that offers something for both the pro, and the serious amateur. Choose EOS Canon Rebel XT for an all around great camera.
What Makes The EOS Canon Rebel XT So Great?
The EOS Canon Rebel XT delivers 3,456 x 2,304-pixel images for images of 13×19 inches and larger. The ISO speed is adjustable from 100 to 1600. The optical view finder has some great features such as depth of field preview. The camera comes equiped with a 1.8″ backlit screen for viewing photos and settings. You can zoom in on your images with up to 10x magnification.
Although you can add as many Canon lenses as you’d like to this camera, it comes with a standard 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. You will find that the lens is coated to reduce lens flare.
You can shoot at three frames per second to capture action scenes. The EOS Canon Rebel XT shutter speeds are 1/4,000 all the way up to 30 seoconds and it has a bulb shutter mode too.
Even though the EOS Canon Rebel XT has loads of features it’s very easy to use and you won’t get lost in it’s menu or options.
EOS Canon Rebel XT Shooting Modes and Features
EOS Canon Rebel XT has full automatic shooting as well as landscape, portrait, close up, sports, night, portrait, and flash off. It also has full manual mode for those situations when you need absolute control over the look of your photograph. There’s also a built in red-eye reduction if you choose to use the built-in speed light.
You can connect the camera directly to a PC or a Mac Via USB 2.0 to view your pictures, and upload them to your hardrive.
EOS Canon Rebel XT Technical Details
* 8.0-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail on the EOS Canon Rebel XT for photo-quality 16 x 22-inch prints
* Includes Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm, f3.5-5.6 zoom lens
* DIGIC II Image Processor provides fast, accurate image processing; captures images at a rate of up to 3 frames per second
* Fast start-up time–.2 seconds
* Powered by rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (included, with charger)
EOS Canon Rebel XT Price and Availability
The EOS Canon Rebel XT Retails for $699.99. You cn get a EOS Canon Rebel XT at Amazon.com for as little as $440.00 new and $349.00 used. If you’re going to use the EOS Canon Rebel XT for professional photography, then be sure to get a new one. You wouldn’t want to discover something wrong with your camera in the middle of a shoot. Click the link below to grab a EOS Canon Rebel XT from amazon.com. Amazon is trustworthy and reliable. They are by far the best place to get your new EOS Canon Rebel XT.
