SwainStyle
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
How to Remove an Image Background in Photoshop
This may be simple to some, however to this day I still get requests for help on removing the background from images. Some people are able to create an image or logo however don't know how to make it have a transparent background. This blog will show you how to do this in photoshop. I also have a video if you'd prefer to watch how it is done.
The Issue.
You have an image and want to post on the internet, maybe into a newsletter, or onto a flyer however the background in showing up.
Step One.
Open Photoshop and then the file you want to remove the background from.
Step Two.
Select the "Magic Eraser Tool".
Step Three.
Click on the background you want to remove.
Step Four.
Save the file as type: .GIF or .PNG.
That's it! Hope you enjoy!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
FREE Office Suite!

I was flying around on my computer today from program to program working on several projects when I reminisced about the times before I had an office suite. I remember only having Microsoft Word and having to use school or work computers for Excel and Access. The world was a lot tougher then... lol.
Then I thought, what if there's people out there that don't have an office suite. Or people like me that don't want to spend $500 for the next Microsoft Office business suite. OpenOffice has got the solution for you!
OpenOffice is a productivity suite that is available for FREE. It is an open source project so check back to their site regularly for updates. Just go to: http://www.openoffice.org/ and download. There are five main programs that come with OpenOffice:
- Writer - word processor. (MS Word)
- Calc - spreadsheets. (Excel)
- Impress - presentations. (PowerPoint)
- Draw - image editor. (PhotoDraw)
- Base - databases. (Access)
Hopefully this helps those of you that don't have Microsoft Office or just want another option. It is very simple to use. I believe OpenOffice is more user friendly than Microsoft Office. Enjoy!
Please like, follow, and share my blog with your friends.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
My Favorite FREE AntiVirus
Ever have a virus on your computer? It's kinda like asking have you ever sneezed. There are a plethora of choices out there when it comes to picking an antivirus software. There's the well known ones:
- Norton
- AVG
- McAfee
- Trend Micro
- Panda
This antivirus has a FREE version. Yes, FREE antivirus. No, it's not a trial it's just a FREE antivirus. Do I need to say it again? FREE ANTIVIRUS! I've used avast! for years and have had no problems.
Just click the picture above and you can download avast! FREE version. After filling out basic information, avast! will send you an email with a one year license. One thing I like is you can have this FREE antivirus software on all your computers. Another cool thing is once downloaded it automatically updates new virus definitions when they come out. For you gamers, you can turn on a silent gaming mode in which avast! won't pop up alerts while you're playing your full screen games.
So, just my advice... use avast!
- It works great!
- FREE!
- Well known in the online community.
- Can be installed on all personal computers.
Friday, June 3, 2011
QR Codes Simplified!

Have you seen these pictures around lately? Well this neato thing is called a QR code. Instead of going to wiki or some high tech jargon site to figure out what it is and does, I'll explain here.
It stands for Quick Response. Basically it's a way to send information quickly. Just think about when you meet someone for the first time. You two are at your kids' baseball game and the kids want to hang out the next day. You two type in your phones each others first name, last name, phone numbers, email address, home addresses, etc. This will take even the best texters a few minutes. Now, take that same situation and you each scan a QR code which automatically gives you the information. That's it! Cool, huh?!
How do you read a QR code? Those of us with smart phones can download an App (if one isn't already installed) to read the QR code. Your phone will scan it like just like a barcode scanner then display the information. After that you can choose to save the information.
How do you create a QR code? This is very simple. To create a QR code all you need is to go to a website that will do it for you!
Where do I go next? The App I use on my Droid X is ZXing. You can download the App from the marketplace or go to their website: http://zxing.appspot.com/. On this site you can also create your own QR codes.
That's it. QR codes simplified. I hope you liked the post. Please share if you do!
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