SouthWest ouisiana PC Users

SouthWest
February 2004
ouisiana PC Users
Founded by Bob Pierce Nov. 1984
Volume 19
Issue 2
From The President’s Personal Computer
Hello to all . We will be continuing with our picture series. Last month we showed you
how to bring pictures into your computer , using different kinds of processes like; PC
Camera, digital cameras, scanners, memory card readers using different flash media, USB
thumb drive, floppy disk and cd’s. We also showed you how to print basic photos using
Windows XP’s photo wizard.
Woody Bearden
President
This month we are going to show you how to modify the pictures that you now have in
your computer. We are going to have a demonstration of Paint Shop Pro 7 with Corinne
Griggs showing some basic resizing , cropping and adding special effects like sharpening,
contrast, lighting, darkening ,embossing & other filters. These features will help your
pictures look like professional photos.
We will also be having a demonstration on Photo Shop with Garrett Manuel . He will be
showing some of the features that this high end software can do. We will also be handing out
a list of these and other popular photo software that you can download and /or buy.
You don’t want to miss this meeting !!!!!!!
To follow up with this series of photo software’s, next month we will be showing you what you can do with
your pictures now that you have them formatted the way you want them. We will be demonstrating ways to use
them in your e-mails, word processors and to make, greeting cards, invitations and posters using Print Shop.
This will be demonstrated by Lane Oliver & Woody Bearden . If any of you have made things with your own
pictures and would like to show the club, we would like for you to bring some samples to share with us. Hope
to see you there!
In April, we are going to shift our focus to help you make your Windows XP run smoother and faster. Larry
Hansen has offered to help show us some technics on enhancing the performance of Windows XP . He will
show how we can tweak settings and turn on or off features to stream line performance.
In May, Terry Benoit and Woody Bearden are going to instruct you on how to do minor maintenance and
upgrading some of the devices in your computer. We will have full computer systems for demonstrating . We
will also have close up video shots on the tv monitor so you can follow more closely . This will be a meeting
you don’t want to miss!!!!!!
Due to no availablity on our regu;ar meetimg night
this month’s meeting will be the 2nd Tuestay, Feb. 10.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the meetings!
Woody Bearden
UPCOMING EVENTS
Board of Directors
FOR THIS MONTH
Regular Meeting
2nd Tuesday - February 10, 2004
6 P.M. - 9 P.M.
Calcasieu Parish Central Library
301 W. Claude St.
Lake Charles La. 70605
This Month
Demo’s - PaintShop Pro 7 - Corinne Griggs
Photo Shop w/ Garrett Manuel
Next Board Meeting
Dot Akins home....
Elm Street
4th Monday
7 P. M. - Internet Sig - Woody Bearden
6804 Bonne Meadow Drive
Lake Charles LA.
Ph# 479-0527
General Information
(337) 477-1937 or (337) 528-2771
Web Site www.bmaweb.com/swlapcug
or
www.hello.to/swlapcug
President:
Woody Bearden..... 474-8287
Vice President:
Gene Dugas.......... 527-0184
Past President:
Ted Baehr............. 474-8287
Treasurer:
Dot Akins............... 433-4215
Secretary:
Robin Richard......... 477-1937
Club CD Chairman
Woody Bearden....... 479-0527
Publishing
Editor:
Lane Oliver............. 528-2771
ASST. Editor:
Corinne Griggs........ 477-1937
Publisher:
Corinne Griggs
Web Host:
Ed Carpenter
SIG Chairman
Beginners & Windows 95/98/ME & XP
Tom Spindler.......... 478-8301
Stuart Griggs........... 477-1937
Internet:
Woody Bearden....... 479-0527
WordPerfect:
Lane Oliver.............. 528-2771
Corinne Griggs........ 477-1937
Our web site has our monthly news letter posted
in color & remember to check out the
“Tips “
section for new ones.
Change of E-Mail Addresses:
Ed English - ee15803@cox-internet.com
What Have You Learned
Today?
Pass It On ! ! !
Hellooo Hollywood
by Charles W. Evans
DVD recording is here:
This very large "CD" is becoming a standard
appliance on new systems and the price is
quickly dropping. DVD was originally
considered an archive media, but now it is put
to so many more active uses, such as wedding movies,
music collections and large data files to travel shows,
your personal photos and videotapes.
Buy the best quality media (silver or gold) since it will
last longer. As mentioned in a separate "101" article, CD
and DVD "speeds" are not comparable. That is, a DVD
"1x" equals about "9x" in CD terms. My only
disappointment with the current recorders is that the CD
record speed is generally 16x, which is slow. However, if
you only burn a few CDs, it doesn't matter.
jumper position (typically, not
necessary), and plug in the power.
The entire installation should take
no more than 10 minutes.
The 420N includes two CDs of bundled software.
Bundled programs include Pinnacle Systems' Pinnacle
Studio Version 8SE (reviewed in a prior Magazine issue
and a powerful video editing tool), TDK Digital
MixMaster (for audio) and InCD, for packet writing. The
most useful program is NEROExpress, a lighter version
of Ahead's hugely successful and powerful Nero Burning
Suite v.6 software. Overall, the software package is well
rounded, practical and easily understood. (See separate
review of NERO v.6.)
NEROExpress is powerful, and requires only a short
learning curve - very intuitive interface. Burning a DVD
Three past issues of the Magazine included a more
is a similar to burning a CD and no one should have
definitive series about DVD. Although parts are rather
trouble with it. NERO takes the worry out of burning.
technical, it would help you by speed-reading this
informative series. The November
DVD performance tests used:
Burning DVDs for Dummies class is
Buy the best quality media (silver
NERO DVD Speed 053 and CDVD
basic and not about DVD technology or gold) since it will last longer...
Benchmark 1.02. The score is the
but just what the newbie needs.
average of two of the same test.
DMA has been enabled for all IDE devices supporting it.
When you see good deals on DVD blanks, read carefully.
Many "specials" are 2.4x speed, rather than the current 4x
Test Results
speed. By the time you read this, there will be more
Average transfer speed (CAV) - 4.7x
burners on the market and the prices will be even more
Burst speed - 15.8MB/Sec
enticing. A semi-technical note: install your DVD on an
Average access speed - 116ms
IDE connection separate from whatever drive will serve
as the "source" from which you copy.
DVD write 4x - 12:44 minutes
Enjoy,
(3.71GB movie sampler)
Charles W. Evans, Reviews Editor
TDK indiDVD 420N+ Recorder/Rewriter
TDK Electronics is one of the most respected names in
the storage industry. Thanks to their good looks and
impressive specs, their CD and DVD writers have been
popular with consumers right from the start. The 420N
includes features like 16x CD writing speeds, 32x CD
read speeds and support for buffer under run protection
(no coasters). If you need a DVD burner, do not hesitate
to consider the TDK indiDVD 420N. Its sleek look
matched with its high power and low price are definitely
worth the buy. But for the price, the CD writing speed is
mediocre.
To install, connect the drive's IDE cable, adjust the
Unfortunately, the 420N's performance is not perfect.
The 420N writer was able to read single layer DVDs at
about 12x, but it was noticeably slower reading other
types of DVDs.
It did very well in DVD writing tests, burning 3.71GB of
data in as little as 12:44 minutes. Unfortunately, when it
came to rewriting, the 420N wrote at 2.4x. However, the
drive's 16x writing and 10x rewriting speeds are OK for
an infrequent CD burn, but don't toss your CD-RW.
Some comments and suggestions:
Provide support for Mt. Rainier format
Eject button, at least make it a different color - too hard
to find
Great documentation
Excellent under run technology
Add a headphone jack and volume control
The indiDVD 420N offers many of the things we've come
to expect from TDK including good looks, lots of
features, excellent software package and impressive
performance. Your retail box includes a new IDE cable,
but no audio connection to listen to DVDs! You can buy
this DVD+ for around $160, by the time you read these
reviews. On a five-point scale, this unit is a 4.5 and you
cannot go wrong with this hard working, high
performance drive. TDK's available support: e-mail, webbased FAQs and their unique, real time, on-line chat with
a live person! There is a firmware update and software
updates, available at
www.tdk.com.
LaCie DVD +/- DVD Burner
Occasionally you'll see the LaCie brand at the computer
stores. Not a household name, yet, but big in PC devices.
This is one of a newer series of industry drives that will
burn either of the two major formats, the plus or the
minus. Since standards are yet to be determined, this is a
sensible approach to selecting a burner. Not all DVD
players can play both formats, especially the rewritable
disks. LaCie has included a very nice software package,
which includes Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator, the wellrespected Sonic MyDVD Video Suite (video edit), and
Intervideo WinDVD (one of the top DVD/Video CD
players on the market). It'll read a CD at 32x or DVD at
12x and write at 16x and 4x, respectively. DVD re-write
is about 2x.
What this drive lacks in style is made up for inside.
Installation takes about ten minutes. Check or adjust the
jumper setting, slide it into the computer and put the
screws to it. Plug in the power and turn on your system
and you are ready to burn a DVD. LaCie has thoughtfully
included an audio cable; an IDE cable would be
appreciated.
Install the software and you can now burn DVDs. Well,
not quite. You see, Roxio requires at least two
installations. Why? The first one will disable any CD-type
drives. So you need to go into your registry and delete
two entries, restart your system and reinstall Roxio.
(Roxio, however, has a complete uninstall option on its
CD, so it's easy to remove the program). How do I know
this? Last summer I spent one frustrating week trying to
figure out what happened to my two CD drives.
Fortunately for me, and now you, I knew the two magic
words."modem Bob". He found the exact web page that
solved the problem. So when you come across this
problem, simply point your browser to
support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;enus;314060 (Knowledge base #314060) and say "thanks,
modem Bob".
The WinDVD has a comprehensive, but easily
understood, feature set that plays several video formats
and a flexible configuration. Aside from a few comments
about Roxio, read the full review of this version 5.5 in an
earlier issue of the Magazine. Its set of features and
options is all-inclusive. For instance, to copy a CD or
non-protected DVD, simply click on Roxio/CopyCD and
press OK. How is that for simple? Easy CD/DVD
Creator will automatically recognize the media and, if a
DVD, its speed. There are five other major options,
including Video CD and one to compress a larger disk's
files onto a smaller capacity CD or DVD. It will not,
however copy, copy-protected DVDs.
Sonic is an old-line, well-respected developer of highend video editing software, but this one is designed for
consumers. Editing video is not like writing a letter, but
less complicated that you'd think. Sonic's MyDVD is
well-designed and will shepherd you through its several
options. Store files and use your DVD as an archive or
use for current digicam files or photos or sporting events.
I'd suggest you start with the storyboard approach. The
time-line method is a bit more complicated.
Test Results
(similar for the minus)
Average transfer speed (CAV) - 4.58x
Burst speed - 16.8MB/Sec
Average access speed - 121ms
DVD write 4x - 13:39 minutes
(3.71GB movie sampler)
Like most other DVD re-writers, it wrote at less than
2.4x. Unfortunately, that is a typical re-write speed. But
I doubt you'll be using it as a big floppy.
All the controls are accessible right on the front of the
drive. This LaCie product is a significant, value-added
drive, burning both major formats. I didn't see any
firmware updates, but there are software updates.
Photoshop Tip: Cloning Basics
Duplicate your friends, your family, a dog, the grass, or even your sister's latest pimple.
By Alex Lindsay
Video Highlight
"For this month’s Photoshop trick I'll show you how
to use the Clone Stamp Tool, a powerful aid in
retouching photos. You can remove blemishes, fix
tarnished landscapes, or just have some fun
duplicating your friends.
1.
Select Use All Layers
from the Tool Palette. You'll
be able to clone from one
layer to another without
doing any work on your
original.
Click the Stamp icon and select Clone
Stamp Tool. The Pattern Stamp Tool is
a whole different lesson.
Select the Splatter Brush. Thirty-nine
pixels is a good place to start.
2.
Create a new layer. This
will be the layer you
clone to.
You need something with
texture or you'll see softening
in the area of cloned grass.
3.
Select Aligned in the Tool Palette.
This will continue to move your
cloned region with each brush
stroke. If left unselected, it'll always
return to the original sample. This
isn't what you want.
Double-click the
Magnifying Glass to
bring the image to
100 percent view.
You always want to
do image work while
looking at every
pixel
4.
5.
If you need to move
around your image
(you'll be doing it a lot),
hold down the space bar
and drag the image
around quickly.
Select the sample you want to
copy to another area of the
image by making sure the
Clone Stamp Tool is selected.
Now Option-click or Alt-click
the area of the image you want
to copy.
6
7
In other areas, look for
patterns you can
repeat. Option-click or
Alt-click and paint in
similar areas. For
example, select part of
a stone to erase
subjects from areas
such as walls or
buildings.
Break up repetition in repeating
areas by selecting a new region
and dabbing the repetitive
pixels.
Begin painting the area
you want to remove.
Photoshop copies your
selection from one
place to the other
“Happy Valentine’s Day”
Saving your workspace arrangement in Photoshop 7.x
Do you like the way your
workspace is set up and want to
quickly retrieve the arrangement
every time you open a
file? In Photoshop 7.x,
you can save your
workspace
arrangement. Choose
Window > Workspace
> Save Workspace. In
the resulting Save
Workspace dialog box,
enter a workspace
name in the Name text box. To
retrieve your workspace
arrangement after you've opened
a file, go to Window >
Workspace and select your
workspace setup from the menu.
Layer merging tactics
Have you ever tried to merge a
layer with the layer below it and
lost all of the effects applied to
that upper layer? This is because
when you choose Merge Down
from the Layers palette's pop-up
menu, Photoshop only applies the
blending mode of the bottom to
layer to the merged version.
However, if you select Merge
Visible, and hide any layers that
you don't want combined, all of
your blending modes will be
preserved and your merged layer
will look exactly as is does
onscreen.
Adding line numbers in
Word to your documents
(97/2000/2001/2002)
If you work with lengthy contracts
or manuscripts, you'll often need to
verbally refer your colleagues or
clients to a specific passage as you
review the piece together. Chapters,
page numbers, section titles, and
descriptive headings can certainly
come in handy during a sit-down
review. However, Word offers
another reference tool that you may
not be aware of: line
numbers. To add line
numbers to your
documents:
1. Switch to Print Layout
view by selecting View |
Print Layout from the
menu bar. (If you're using
Word 97/2001, switch to
Page Layout view by
choosing View | Page Layout.)
2. Select the text you want
numbered. If you want to restrict
line numbers to just a portion of
your document text, select only the
text you'd like to number. (Note:
When you use this method, Word
will automatically sandwich the
selected text between Next Page
section breaks when it applies line
numbers.) Or, if you want to add
line numbers to a specific section,
place the insertion point anywhere
within that section. If you want to
number the entire document, you
don't need to select anything.
3. Choose File | Page Setup from
the menu bar (Format | Document
in Word 2001), and then click on
the Layout tab in the Page Setup
dialog box. Select the item you
want to number from the Apply To
drop down list.
4. Click the Line Numbers button.
Select the Add Line Numbering
check box in the Line Numbers
dialog box, and customize the
available numbering options as
desired. When you've finished,
click OK to close the Line Numbers
dialog box, and then click OK again
to close the Page Setup dialog box.
Word adds printable line numbers
in your document's left margin, in
accordance with the specifications
you made in the Line Numbering
dialog box. (Note: The Line
Numbers feature does NOT number
headers and footers, tables,
footnotes and endnotes, text boxes,
or frames.)
Review a WordPerfect's
Document Summary
before opening it (8/9)
Many of you use the Document
Summary feature to collect
information about a document. For
example, you might use the
summary to keep track of the
author, revision dates, or keywords
used in the document. If you use the
Summary feature, did you know
that you can view it even before
you open the document? To do this,
in WordPerfect choose File | Open
from the menu bar or click the Open
button to display the Open File
dialog box. Select the file name and
then click the Properties button in
the Open File dialog box. You can
also right-click on the file name and
choose Properties. In the resulting
dialog box click the Summary tab to
see the summary fields. You can
also view the summary from
Windows Explorer. In the Windows
Explorer window, right-click on the
file name and choose Properties
from the shortcut menu. Then click
on the Summary tab to see the
summary information.
Submitted by Lane
WELCOME TO THE SOUTHWEST
LOUISIANA PC USER GROUP, INC.
The "SWLAPCUG” consists of people who are interested in learning and sharing their knowledge about computers, in
particular IBM compatible microcomputers. The group was originally organized in November 1984. The general meetings are
held the second Monday of each month, at the Calcasieu Parish Central Library, corner of Claude and Ernest street. Call any of
the officers listed on the first page for the location of the next meeting. The first SIG (Special Interest Group - a small group
meeting to learn about a particular program, etc.) starts at 6:00 PM and the General Meeting at 7:00 PM. Dues are $24.00 per
year, per family. The money is used to deter operating expenses and print a monthly Newsletter.
Our Newsletter is a combined effort of members passing on their knowledge about computers. The minutes of the last general
and board meeting are also published. Articles for the Newsletter can be uploaded to the Internet, (oliv9174@bellsouth.net) or
give to Lane Oliver, our News Editor.
We are a informal and nonprofit club. If you are interested in joining or placing an ad in the News Letter, please fill out an
application that will help us to get to know you better. You may give your dues to the Treasurer or any Club Officer. You may
also send in your application along with your membership dues ($24.00), Ads ($35.00 business card size) for a year, to
SWLAPCUG, P.O. Box 1124, Lake Charles, La. 70602.
SW
PC USER GROUP, INC.
P.O. Box 1124
Lake Charles, La. 70602
Happy Valentine’s Day