How to...

Apply effects and wow your viewers in 5 easy steps
Effects add subtle nuances to your photos and make them more meaningful. Applying them is simple, here's how...
Ashampoo Photo Commander 11	Step 1: Download and install Ashampoo Photo Commander 11
Expanded View	Step 2: Select an image and click the arrows to collapse the side and bottom panes to avoid visual distractions.
Effects Browser	Step 3: Switch to the Quick-Fix tab and click Effects to open the effects browser. Select your desired affect and adjust its strength through the bottom slider. Here, Vivid Colors was selected. Repeat the process with as many effects as you like. In this How-to, Zoom Blur was additionally be used.
Applying a Shape Outline	Step 4: Shape outlines are great to add additional flair to your photos. Select Create > Frame/Card > Shapes and pick your desired outline. Here, Fog was used. Click Yes to apply the effect.
Adding Text	Step 5: Finally, add text to communicate your message. Select Objects > T and draw a selection into the image to create a text area. Double-click it to edit its text.
That's it! Feel free to experiment with the various available effects in Ashampoo Photo Commander 11 and create your own combinations.

How to...

Organize your photo collection in 5 easy steps
Keeping large photo collections manually organized requires a lot of time and effort. With Ashampoo Photo Commander 11, you can get and stay organized in no time. Here's how ...
Ashampoo Photo Commander 11	Step 1: Download and install Ashampoo Photo Commander 11
Folder View	Step 2: Enable the folder view and browse to the root folder of your collection.
View Modes	Step 3: Select your desired file view and group mode. Here, Thumbnail-Groups was selected as file view with By Date (Day) Ascending as sorting.
Batch Processing	Step 4: Select as many image files as you like and click the batch processing icon to select your desired file operation. You can easily convert and rename files or even find duplicates. Depending on the selected view mode, you may also assign ratings either using the stars below the thumbnails or the respective dropdown menu next to the batch processing icon.
File Operations	Step 5: Once batch processing is complete, it is time to modify the file structure. Right-click the selection to bring up the context menu. Use common file operations suchas Move To and Delete to modify the file structure or simply drag images onto the folder view at the top to move them.
That's it! With a few clicks, you have successfully processed and rearranged your files with Ashampoo Photo Commander 11.

Review: Wacom Bamboo Stylus duo

Who Wants a Stylus?

 

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, he spent a great deal of time stressing the importance of your fingers as the most natural and intuitive input device. And indeed, where old technology in the form of resistive touch displays made you feel outright clumsy using your finger(nails), todays highly responsive screens almost feel like they were built around your hand.

So who really needs a stylus? 

Our fingers may be the most natural pointing device but they lack precision. Pressing adequately sized controls and turning virtual knobs may not pose a problem, but writing text and creating sketches does. Writing on touch displays using your bare fingers is like finger painting. It may produce works of art but not necessarily legible writing.

The Product

All tests were done using a "Bamboo Stylus duo" from renowned pen display manufacturer Wacom.

The pen is made from metal and feels sturdy yet comfortable due to its smooth texture. It weighs 20g at a length of 131 mm or 136 mm depending on the position of the cap. It can either be used with touch displays or as a traditional pen by holding it on the opposite end. Both nib and reservoir are replaceable. The ballpoint mine that comes with the product, however, requires a lot of pressure and undermines the otherwise smooth feel of the product.

Our Test Devices and Applications

DELL XPS One 27 Touch (Windows 8): Fresh Paint, Word 2013

Microsoft Surface (Windows RT): Fresh Paint, Finger Paint, Note Anytime, Word 2013

Medion Lifetab P9514 (Android 4): Infinite Painter, Write

iPad 2 (iOS 6): Bamboo Paper, Tiny Painter, Sumo Paint, How To Draw

The Tests

#1 Handwriting

One of the first thoughts that comes to mind when picking up a pen, at least for this author, is handwriting. Critics may argue that handwriting is too slow for our times and minds, yet, when it comes to quickly jotting down a few notes including annotations and drawings, no current technology beats handwriting. I love to scribble and I scribble a lot because I like the freedom of putting my thoughts anywhere and connecting them, e.g. to quickly come up with a cluster map.

Taking notes on either device, except the DELL XPS, feels natural using the Bamboo stylus. The tip of the stylus is soft but not flabby and the material is hard enough to avoid that rubber feel you get with erasers. Users may need to zoom in and out to achieve a higher level of detail since the tip of the styles is considerably wider than that of traditional ballpoint pens. Also, it is important to not tilt the stylus too much while applying a lot of pressure because then, the metal ring around the tip might touch and scratch the screen surface.

Of our test devices, only those running Windows come with built-in handwriting recognition which reliably converts handwriting into typed letters. However, other than for nostalgic reasons, I still prefer the onscreen or hardware keyboards for machine typing. Note that Wacom offers a free but functionally-restricted edition of Bamboo Paper for Android and iOS which feels very responsive and is definitely worth a try.

#2 Drawing and Painting

I am not an accomplished artist but I occasionally like to turn ideas into paintings. In the past, I mainly used a traditional graphics tablet and an application called ArtRage on my Windows PC that aptly simulates a traditional canvas with realistic brush effects. Combined with a styles and a decent app, any tablet computer can become a canvas.

The image below was put together by one of our designers on a Microsoft Surface tablet using Fresh Paint in a few minutes without any prior knowledge of the app.

The Bamboo stylus handles painting equally well as handwriting and will prove a fun tool in the hands of any aspiring artist.

#3 Other Applications

As an extension of the hand, the stylus can be used to operate any tablet that uses a capacitive screen even while wearing gloves, a feat that is not possible with most touch displays using fingers alone. And Hygiene fanatics will appreciate no longer having to touch their displays with their bare fingers. Also in theory, the smaller tip may allow the creation of much more feature-rich user interfaces.

Conclusion

Do you really need a stylus? If you plan on doing any drawing or painting with your tablet, the answer is a definite yes. Surprisingly, I often found myself using the stylus to operate my favorite Android music app but I am not entirely sure why.

Pros

- high build quality, smooth design

- weight helps apply the right amount of pressure with no wrist strain

- rubber tips and mines are replaceable

- leaves almost no marks on touch displays

- works with any capacitive touch display

Cons

- high price tag

- integrated ballpoint pen requires a lot of pressure

- metal ring around the tip may create scratches when too much force is used

Photo sharing made simple

How to share photos through email in 5 steps
Sharing images through email should be an easy and joyful experience. However, numerous email provider constraints can quickly turn it into a hassle. Images have to be manually resized, trimmed and split up into several emails to meet email restrictions. Here's the most simple way to do it:
Ashampoo Photo Mailer	Download and install Ashampoo Photo Mailer
Adding an email account	Add your email account Just follow the steps shown on the left and fill in your name, email address and email account password. Ashampoo Photo Mailer will automatically add your server settings. The application will then verify your account settings and allow you to send a test email.
Adding photos	Add photos Either drag your photos into the application or click "Add photos" to select them through the Windows file chooser dialog. You may alternatively drag/select entire image folders. Ashampoo Photo Mailer will automatically skip any non-image files.
Adding recipients and texts	Add recipients and texts You can either manually enter email addresses or use the integrated address book (provided that you have added contacts before). As with any email application, Ashampoo Photo Mailer allows you to add subject and content texts.
Setting the quality	Set the image quality Ashampoo Photo Mailer gives you control over the quality of your images. Depending on the setting, your images may have to be split into separate emails. Ashampoo Photo Mailer will do this for you automatically. Once you select the right arrow, Ashampoo Photo Mailer will perform all necessary image processing and send your images.
Successful delivery

Spring cleaning for your PC

SPRING CLEANING FOR YOUR PC - HOW TO FIND NASTY SHOWSTOPPERS
For many, consumer electronics have turned into ordinary household appliances that get the job done with minimum maintenance required. And while computers are usually quite responsive freshly out of the store, issues of speed and stability will most likely emerge over time. Systems get less responsive and applications start to crash. In the past, users would simply upgrade their machines and install more powerful processors and additional memory. With todays computers, not hardware but software tends to be the most likely culprit when machines become slow to a crawl and applications crash frequently.
One-Click Optimizer	ALL IN ONE GO: In a hurry with no time to spare for details? Simply select Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10's "One Click Optimizer" and lean back while the application does the rest. For details, please read on.
ISSUE #1: Slow system startup - too many programs too early Each time your computer boots up, Windows will look in certain folders and registry entries for applications to start up with Windows. And many applications come with tools and always-on utilities that are set as auto-start entries but rarely used. Some applications even install additional Windows services that are automatically launched on each startup.
StartUp Tuner and Service Manager	SOLUTION: Use Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10's "StartUp Tuner" and "Service Manager" to review and make changes to all auto-start applications and services. Simply select each module and uncheck unwanted applications and services. Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10's user interface provides ratings and valuable clues to help you decide.
ISSUE #2: Fragmented disk file system and Windows Registry No matter how fast your processor or your RAM, the slowest part in your PC is still the hard drive. Recent developments have seen more widespread adoption of SSD drives that come without any mechanical parts but at a high price point. For performance reasons, Windows will frequently split up larger files across separate disk clusters leaving the file system fragmented over time. Once fragmented, mechanical read and write operations become noticeably slower. This also applies to the Windows Registry database that serves as a repository for all application and user settings.
Defrag 3 and Registry Defrag	SOLUTION: Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10 comes with a powerful defrag tool that will rearrange file segments for maximum performance. Just select "Defrag 3", click the drive to defrag and hit "Start Defragmentation". You may even enable pro-activate defragmentation to prevent future disk fragmentation before it happens. Moreover, Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10 includes "Registry Defrag" that will also defrag the Windows Registry database and speed up your Windows performance significantly. Simply select "Registry Defrag" and click "Analyze > Defragment".
ISSUE #3: Too many junk and redudant files Applications just seem to love to create temporary and other files to store data and provide faster access should you require the information again at a later time. This is especially true for web browsers. The more files in your system, the longer it takes especially for mechanical drives to find individual files. Needless to say that high levels of disk use also foster disk fragmentation and further degrade the performance of your system. Some applications may even fail to remove temporary files after uninstallation alltogether and simply waste precious disk space.
Drive Cleaner and Internet Cleaner	SOLUTION: Use Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10's "Drive Cleaner" and "Internet Cleaner" modules to declutter and speed up your machine. Just select the two modules and Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10's intuitive user interface will guide you through each process.
THE BOTTOM LINE: You do not always have to invest in new hardware to improve the performance of a seemingly slow PC. Without maintenance, even new machines will inevitably exhibit slow performance over time. Software tools such as Ashampoo WinOptimizer 10 are easily affordable and clean and declutter your machine for years to come.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ashampoo Burning Studio 12's disc spanning offers virtually limitless storage space!
With support for BDXL, Ashampoo Burning Studio 12 can already burn Blu-ray discs with capacities up to 128 GB. Still, some scenarios more storage space or the use of different types of media. Manually restructuring huge data amounts to fit onto multiple discs is a tedious task. And simply burning your data as is will waste a lot of disc space. Ashampoo Burning Studio 12 solves this dilemma through (intelligent) disc spanning that does the restructuring for you so you don't have to!
Burning Studio 12: Main page	1. To use disc spanning, simply select this feature from Ashampoo Burning Studio 12's main page.
Burning Studio 12: Adding files	2. Then, add all the files. In this example, 2GB of data need to be burned to CDs.
Burning Studio 12: Getting ready to burn.	3. With the default setting, you will need to use 4 CDs.
Burning Studio 12: Folder splitting.	4. Once folder splitting is enabled, the selected data will fit on 3 CDs.
Ashampoo Burning Studio 12 will now restructure your data to fit on 3 CDs and start burning your files. You will automatically be prompted to insert additional discs until all data has been burned.

How to: Create a How-to!

Category: Multimedia Software, Level: Intermediate

1. Download and install Ashampoo Snap 6 at https://www.ashampoo.com/en/eur/pin/0824/Multimedia_Software/Ashampoo-Snap-6.
 

2. Right click Snap 6’s task tray icon and select Stop Capture / Edit File.

Snap’s task tray icon as displayed in Windows’ taskbar.

                                                    

 

Snap’s task icon context menu

3. To add text instructions, select Snap’s text tool and drag your mouse pointer over the image to create an area to write into. Then, double-click the selection to input your text. Repeat steps 4 - 5 as often as required.

Select Snap’s text tool

 

Drag your mouse across the image to create a selection and double-click to edit.

 4. Use the formatting options at the bottom to alter the font settings for your text. 

Text formatting options

                        

5. Use arrows to point out details. Select the arrow function and drag your mouse between two points in your image to create your arrows.

An arrow with visible start and end points.

 6. Insert numbers to add structure. Use Snap’s automatic numbering feature and left-click into the image to add numbers. Snap will automatically count up with each click.

Use the built-in numbering feature.

And add numbers to your instructions.

7. In the spirit of the season, apply a torn effect to make the outline of your image appear like torn paper.

Use the built-in numbering feature.

 8. Enjoy the result:

Happy Halloween!