Tag - GraphicDesigner

JPEG Artifacts Removal - An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation
18Aug

JPEG Artifacts Removal – An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation

In October 2020 Adobe Photoshop added new "Neural Filters" that use AI to alter or improve photos. While it may not be the fanciest of the group, JPEG Artifacts Removal has become essential in my daily workflow. Pixelation is a big problem when clients send me image files. Pixelation is essentially blurriness that can be caused by multiple factors. When I'm designing a website, or adding content to a website, I want to use crisp, clear images. Photoshop's JPEG Artifacts Removal Neural Filter is unbelievable at cleaning up any pixelation or blurriness in photos.

To use the JPEG Artifacts Removal tool follow these simple steps:

  • Open an image file
  • In the top menu go to Filter -> Neural Filters...
  • You'll see JPEG Artifacts Removal under FEATURED. Slide the toggle to activate the filter.
  • I prefer to set the strength to High and the Output to Current Layer so I don't have additional layers to worry about. Click OK and that's it!

A client sent me the image below and I immediately noticed the pixelation. The next image was after applying the JPEG Artifacts Removal tool.

JPEG Artifacts Removal - An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation
Before JPEG Artifacts Removal Tool
JPEG Artifacts Removal - An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation
After JPEG Artifacts Removal Tool

Not bad for a couple of clicks! Now let's say I need the image to be larger than it was sent to me. Enlarging photos definitely creates pixelation and is always an issue.  The below images we enlarged from 700x525 pixels to 1000x750 pixels. I took the original pixelated photo and enlarged it, creating more pixelation! After the JPEG Artifacts removal tool was applied there was a tremendous improvement.

JPEG Artifacts Removal - An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation
1000x750 Pixel Enlarged Image Before JPEG Artifacts Removal Tool
JPEG Artifacts Removal - An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation
1000x750 Pixel Enlarged Image After JPEG Artifacts Removal Tool

Definitely check out these Neural Filters. In addition to JPEG Artifacts Removal, there are tools to smooth skin in photos, add smiles to faces, decrease "facial age", increase hair thickness, colorize black and white photos, and a ton of other cool tools. If you need any website or graphic design assistance contact me today. I'd love to help you out.

Graphic Design, , , , , , , , , , ,
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InstantCard - Great ID Cards and a Great Company
09Aug

InstantCard – Great ID Cards and a Great Company

When a customer asks me for ID cards I know just the place to go. InstantCard is a company I've worked with for a few years and I've always been very happy with their product, staff and turnaround time. You may think an ID card isn't anything fancy, but you would be surprised how fancy you can get. Aside from the design they also offer holograph's, QR codes, smart chips, mag stripes, barcodes and more.

Every order I have placed has been shipped out the day I ordered it or the next day. Their UI (user interface) is very well designed and easy to use. You can save ID card templates so when it's time to order you simply click a button. Their ID cards cost $7.80 per card (volume discounts available). If you need ID cards designed contact me today for an estimate.

Graphic Design, , , , , ,
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Uptime Robot - Know When Your Website Goes Down
13Jun

Uptime Robot – Know When Your Website Goes Down

Web servers are not perfect and they crash. I use InMotion Hosting for my web servers and they guarantee a 99.9% uptime... it's not 100%. Yesterday InMotion was having some data center issues and I knew about it within a minute of the servers going down because of a great tool from Uptime Robot. Their free plan will ping your website every 5 minutes and you can add up to 50 websites. If you need more monitors or want them to ping your website more often, they offer very competitive pricing.

If you have a website you should use Uptime Robot. Knowing there's a problem is step one to fixing it. If you need website, graphic design or marketing services, please contact me today.

General, Website Design, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Signs Direct - Quality Signs at a Great Price
31May

Signs Direct – Quality Signs at a Great Price

Today I want to share with you a great company that I use for all types of sign printing. Signs Direct is a company based in Bloomington, IL that offers yard signs, sidewalk signs, freestanding signs, lighted signs, sign hardware and much, much more. I do a lot of research before I work with a print company and I assure you that for the price you can't find a better deal. They even have stock signs for common things such as indoor and outdoor safety signs and road / parking signs.

The most common product I order from Signs Direct is their yard signs. Their production and shipping is always incredibly fast and I've always been happy with their quality. I am a bit partial because they're not only based in the US, but my home state of Illinois. If you don't live in Illinois they don't charge sales tax. If you live in Illinois... well you know.

If you need signs designed for printing through Signs Direct contact me today. I'd love to help you out.

Graphic Design, Marketing, , , , , , , , , , ,
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Happy Saint Patrick's Day
15Mar

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day from my family to yours! According to Ancestry DNA, I'm 43% Irish but this weekend we are all Irish. Did you know Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival? Enjoy your corned beef and cabbage responsibly :)

Looking for a talented website and graphic designer who listens to your needs and gets your business noticed? I'm a freelance website and graphic designer who understands the difficulties of small businesses. I have helped business owners from many industries grow their business by implementing a comprehensive website and advertising strategy. Interested in learning more? Contact me today.

General, Graphic Design, Marketing, Website Design, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Google Fonts - Great Free and Open Source Fonts
22Feb

Google Fonts – Great Free and Open Source Fonts

Google Fonts says their goal is to make "the web more beautiful, fast, and open through great typography." They certainly have done that and their selection of fonts continues to grow. Every Google Font is free and open source, meaning that you don't have to worry about licensing issues. At the time of this article there are 915 to choose from.

I have been using Google Fonts on my websites for years. However, even if you're not a web designer you can download the fonts to your computer and use them in any document. To the right of each font you'll see a + symbol. Once you press that Google "adds" it to your downloads (a popup menu that appears in the bottom right after adding the font). If you click on the downloads (it will say # Family Selected) you will notice a download icon on the top right. To download the entire font family with different font weights and italic styles click on "Customize". On this screen you can select the entire font family if you want. Once you have everything selected, download the fonts and install them on your computer.

Do you have a website that needs better use of fonts? Interested in learning more about Google Fonts? Contact Me today and I'd be happy to show you how Google Fonts can improve your website.

Graphic Design, Website Design, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Buffer Makes Multi-Channel Social Media Posting Easy
15Feb

Buffer Makes Multi-Platform Social Media Posting Easy

It has been proven that a business who is active in social media ranks higher. It's part of Google's ranking algorithm. Another important part of Google's ranking algorithm is having fresh content on your website (ie a blog). How nice would it be to make a blog post on your website and have it automatically go to multiple social media platforms... That's what Buffer can do (with some plugins).

Buffer by itself allows you to schedule posts, analyze performance, and manage all your social media accounts in one place. Supported platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest. You can link to three social media platforms for free. If you want to post to them all (highly recommended) they currently charge $144/year. You can create posts within Buffer's website, schedule posts and very easily post to a single social media platform, or all at once.

The real power of Buffer is revealed when you integrate your WordPress blog with it. Wordpress to Buffer Pro is an awesome tool that allows your WordPress blog to connect to Buffer. You can choose to either send the posts to Buffer and review them there before posting, or just automatically post the article to ALL your social media platforms at once. That's what I do and I LOVE it. It saves me a ton of time.

I have implemented this solution for numerous clients and they have reaped the benefits by ranking higher. As I've mentioned before, SEO is not one or two things. It's many things that have to be followed in order to improve your ranking. This solution not only satisfies Google's need for fresh content on your website, but it also satisfies the social media aspect of SEO. If you're interested in implementing this solution on your website, contact me today.

Graphic Design, Marketing, SEO, Website Design, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Background Image Generator By SiteOrigin
01Feb

Background Image Generator by SiteOrigin

Small repeating images that create a background pattern are something I use in every website I design. Background Image Generator by SiteOrigin is my favorite tool for creating these patterns. They give users the ability to use ANY hex color (There are 16,777,216 hex colors) to change the color of their simple background patterns. Their customizable background images come from another great website, Subtle Patterns. They have hundreds to choose from. You can also add filters, change the intensity of the pattern and add noise to the background image. The patterns are well optimized so they load fast on websites.

There are other background image generators out there, but none with the great features Background Image Generator provides. It's also free so you can't beat that! Check out my portfolio to see the many different patterns I've used on clients websites or contact me today to learn more.

Graphic Design, Website Design, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Bulk Resize Photos - My Favorite Resizing Tool
25Jan

Bulk Resize Photos – My Favorite Resizing Tool

Often times I have to resize a TON of images for image galleries and they have to have some consistency. Ideally, I try to keep the image width consistent. Bulk Resize Photos makes the process so much easier than it used to be. They claim to be able to process 150 photos in under 60 seconds and I can attest... it's fast! Their website makes it extremely easy to set the parameters for resizing your photos with a sufficient amount of options (Scale, Longest Side, Width, Height, Exact Size or even add a watermark). Before you know it all your photos are the same size and downloaded to your computer. Too easy...

I have clients with hundreds of photos in their gallery and Bulk Resize Photos has saved me a tremendous amount of time. If you're interested in creating a beautiful image gallery with consistently sized photos, contact me today.

Graphic Design, Website Design, , , , , , , , , ,
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