Learn a Foreign Language on Your Computer!

Before I was able to graduate from college I was required to learn a foreign language. Never one of my strong suites I struggle through several classes, eventually choosing to do a summer study abroad in France in order to immerse myself in the language and satisfy the foreign language requirement. Foreign languages can be tough to learn, and as more and more foreigners move into the US a foreign language is always a good thing to try and learn. Your computer can be a valuable tool in a quest to learn a foreign language. I always learn a little … Continue reading →

Screenshot software

If you want a little more functionality with your screen captures, you may want to think about investing in a professional screen capture utility. Most software packages can be purchased for $30-$50 and are easily downloaded via the Internet. You can capture as well as edit screenshots with most packages that you can buy. If you are wondering what screenshots are all about, check out an introduction to screenshots. You can read about basic screen capturing that doesn’t require any special software (expect and operating system). Writer’s UA reviewed a number of screenshot utilities back in December 2005. Check out … Continue reading →

Creating screenshots without any special software

Screenshots are digital pictures that you take of your computer screen. You don’t need a digital camera or any special equipment to do so. You can use special software, but it’s not required. Earlier, I introduced screenshots and some of their uses. Now, I want to give a quick guide to capturing screenshots and then later today introduce some of the more popular screenshot capture utilities. Capturing screenshots without any special software Both Microsoft Windows 2000 & XP, as well as Mac OS X can capture screen images. Microsoft Windows The Print Screen key (sometimes Prnt Scrn) will capture the … Continue reading →

Screenshots – Capture pictures of your computer screen

Screenshots are very useful and easy to create. Today, I want to introduce screenshots, answering a few questions I have received from readers about them. What is a screenshot? Quite simply, it is a picture of all or part of what is being displayed on your computer monitor. Screenshots are also sometimes called screen captures or screen dumps. While most people tend to use the terms synonymously, others use each term to distinguish the type of screenshot being taken. For example, some will only use the term screen capture to describe capturing video of your screen over time. For general … Continue reading →

Foxit Reader – Free PDF reader and a little more

If you are a regular reader of the Computer, Internet, & Electronics blog here on Families.com, you’ve probably noticed that I enjoy finding free, useful computer software. Earlier, we discussed CCleaner, a neat little program that helps clean up your computer’s hard drive from lots of scattered, needless files. Now, I want to pass on a free PDF reader that offers a little more than just a way to view PDFs. PDF Review If you are wondering what PDFs are all about, you may want check out the first in a series of blogs I wrote about PDFs. You will … Continue reading →

CCleaner and 101 free software utilities

Do you like free computer software? I do. Not that I’m unwilling to shell out a few bucks for useful, can’t-live-without software. But I just can’t help myself when I find free software that works great! Over the past few months, I have mentioned a few freeware and shareware (free, but limited) programs that I regularly use. Today, I want to pass on a one more free program and bring your attention to an upcoming mega-list of free software utilities from PCWorld magazine. CCleaner Every time you install a new piece of software or use the Internet, small files are … Continue reading →

Microsoft Photo Story – Completing your project

Over the past couple of days we have been discussing the creation of digital photo slideshows using Microsoft Photo Story 3. This blog will finish the series by discussing the final steps of creating your very own slideshow. If you missed any of the other blogs in this series, just click on one of the topics below to go directly to that blog. Photo Story 3 introduction Organizing your pictures Importing pictures Arranging pictures Editing pictures Titles, effects, and narration Motion and transition effects Background music Completing your project Once you have selected your pictures, added any effects, and included … Continue reading →

Microsoft Photo Story – Adding music

One important aspect of digital slideshows is the background music you use (or don’t use). Adding music to a slideshow created by Microsoft Photo Story 3 is a relatively easy process to do. I’ll cover this task in this blog and Background Music Adding music to your slideshow will really liven up the whole production and make it more enjoyable for all to watch. If you have some music in mind, you can easily add it to your slideshow. If you don’t have any music of your own to add, you can use the music generator included with Photo Story. … Continue reading →

Microsoft Photo Story – Motion and transition effects

Creating a slideshow of your favorite digital pictures can be quite an experience. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be producing slideshow after slideshow like a professional. This blog continues the series of blogs that discuss creating digital slideshows using the free Microsoft Photo Story 3. Today we’ll cover the fun motion and transition aspects of slideshows. Customize motion Have you ever heard of the pan and scan effect used in films? I am sure you have seen the effect in action, probably in a documentary or movie that used photos in some way. Basically, the pan and … Continue reading →

Microsoft Photo Story – Titles, effects, and narration

We’ve been walking through creating digital slideshows using Microsoft Photo Story 3. Today, we’ll discuss adding titles to your pictures, using picture effects, and recording your own personal narration. You can find the first blog in this series here. Adding titles to pictures Adding titles to pictures can be helpful for viewers and is easy to do for you. Use the text box next to each picture to type a title (see screenshot below). You can select different fonts or change the position of the title. I usually only use titles to either indicate where or when the picture was … Continue reading →