The BEST software program for making eComics!
I bet you’re thinking you know what program we’re going to talk about….
Adobe Illustrator? Nope.
Adobe Photoshop? Not on yer life.
Adobe InDesign? Hehe…not even close.
In fact, it’s not even an Adobe product at all.
This is a program that’s considered the workhorse in my arsenal when it comes to eComic production.
It assists in the creation of the eComic, the development of promotional material, web content, optimizes all artwork, and can perform all the needed functions many artist rely on Photoshop for.
What is it?
PhotoImpact Pro
This single program is a lifesaver when it came to the creation of WANTED:HERO. It performs effect art, such as beveled edges, visual effect, word manipulation, panting effects….not with layers (though it has that as well), all with the click of a button. No more working with Photoshop for 20 minutes on an effect, when you can click a button to get the same results and move on. The current version as of this article is version 13;
PhotoImpact® Pro 13 is the ideal choice for digital photography, creative design and web graphics – all in one powerful suite. You’ll get everything you need to organize, edit, manage, and share digital photos – and so much more!
Whether you’re new to digital photography or a seasoned professional, you’ll appreciate the award-winning power and flexibility of PhotoImpact Pro. It not only delivers state-of-the-art image editing and high-end photo filters for enthusiasts, but it also caters to first-time users with an improved Basic Mode plus more than 1,500 photorealistic scrapbook embellishments. PhotoImpact Pro offers dozens of other new features including RAW File Support, White Balance Correction, and the revolutionary SmartRemove Scene Compositor to create a perfect image by combining the best elements of several photos.
Yes, I have Photoshop as well and yes I use it. I get plenty of people wanting to go rounds about the power of the program and how it’s the best on the planet for…whatever. I’m not arguing the validity of any program. I love Photoshop. I just found PhotoImpact far easier to learn, easier to follow, cheaper to buy and it did everything I needed in less than 1/3 the time without having to know the tricks of the trade. It’s just my opinion, and well worth investigating.
Take a moment and check out this remarkable program. Not only is it amazing, it’s very affordable.
So now you know.
Read MoreSecurity: Associations
This is a touchy subject for me as a parent, because I feel it’s so important. Some will agree, some won’t and I have met many who simply don’t care.
A child should have good associations. That means having friends that you approve of and have influence in such connections. Can you monitor everything? Not likely. Should you? That’s debatable. The general concept here I want to make, is that your children should have associations that minimize the risk of ‘contamination’.
That’s the word that seems to offend: “contamination”.
Here’s what I specifically mean:
I don’t want my children to be associating with others who influence or boldly take them away from the values, beliefs and structure we teach in our home…until such a time that my children display an ability to reason and work out the matters on their own. From there they can choose for themselves, knowing full well the consequences of making such connections and how it will affect their life.
Now in English:
If your kid cusses, tells dirty jokes about whores and plays with Tarot cards, they won’t be welcome in my home, nor will my kids be hanging out with them. Why? Because I don’t want my kids to be like your kid. Plain and simple.
Am I over protective? I don’t believe so. Tool strict? Most likely, but proud of it, actually. I’ve had a great deal happen to me in my life, especially while growing up, to know that no one is going to actively protect my children but Kathi and I. No one loves them like we do. No one wants the very best for them like we do. No one would sacrifice for them like we do. Thus it stands to reason that no one else should have a say in how they are raised like we do. So if you feel like arguing, zip it.
Children are a lot like water storage. If you have ever stored water over a long period of time, you know to place river rocks under and around the barrels. Why? For the taste. If they are left in dirt, they eventually taste like dirt. It seems water has a perfect memory and hold an impression. So do our kids. How many times does a kid of 3 yrs. old have to hear a swear word before they start repeating it?
So consider the youth who are smoking, drinking, having sex,doing drugs, looking at pornography and actively talking badly about their parents and ask yourself if you’re willing to take the chance with your children associating with those types of personalities.
If you create structure in your child’s associations, always letting them know why you are doing such things, I promise you that a situation will arise that will vindicate your efforts in the eyes of your child. Something will happen that they will see your reasoning and support the work you have done. It’s not always easy to stand firm, but again I promise you…it’s worth every battle.
Don’t Get Confused…
Don’t panic if you go to Wanted Hero and feel a bit disorientated. I’m making some big changes to start fresh here in 2010, so i can build the blogs as I’ve wanted to for years. The struggle I’m coming up against is the timing and date stamps of the entries.
Wendell has started his blog while still in High School, but many of the previous entries have been on one version of the main site or another for the past five years. This could throw readers off, so I’m making changes. Any references to me or posts by me will be moved over to this blog, leaving the rest of the posts in the hands of the Gnomes and Wendell.
Read MoreFresh New Slate
January 2010.
I made a lot of mistakes and bad choices in 2009. Especially when it came to the development of the web sites I had. So much baggage to get rid of, with the tendency of a pack rat. Not a good combo.
So I decided to do a web version of a weight loss program and simply start over and only focus on what mattered to me online. My personal blog here at JaimeBuckley.com and WantedHero.com. Took me a few sleepless nights to come to that decision, but it feels really good.
So in between trying to keep a roof over the Buckley Family, I’m going to dig in my heels and get some serious work accomplished!
WooHAW!
Read MoreChildren are their oppressors.
A strange title for a post, but a good one after what I witnessed today. Kathilynn had the same experience, but gratefully, we saw seperate sides of the same situation.
We are camping at the moment. It’s our family reunion. The same place, every year, at the same time…and we all love this week more than Christmas. Well, as I was sitting out in the 98 degree sun, by the pool, watching my 10 children playing in the water, a lone child, between 7 and 9 years of age, came to join us. Hey, the more the merrier. My daughters said ‘hi’ and asked if she’d like to join their game of marco polo. She declined. That’s perfectly normal, we’re strangers to her…so good for her as far as I’m concerned.
The odd part came out when her father showed up.
Here’s a kind tempered man, who walks with a hunch, looks to be in his early fifties and worn to the bone. He comes to make sure his daughter has what she needs: her goggles, floating raft, towel, sun screen. What a great dad. Life resumes for a time, and then she starts to complain. It’s too hot, the waters too cold and she’s hungry. She doesn’t do anything about it–but rather sits on the floating device which her father just spent 15 minutes blowing up by mouth and yells for her father. He takes the childs order for food and rushes off. About 20 minutes later, he’s returned with the lunch, almost the way she likes it, but not quite. She makes sure her father, and the rest of us, know she is not pleased.
He says he wants to go do something while she’s in the pool, it’s important, but she screams at him to stay. He asks, always so kindly and attentive, what she needs and she, of course, tells him. She wants him to sit and watch…until she’s done. So he pulls up a chair and sits there waiting, as she swims. Ok, I can swallow it up to this point as a father–he seems to be a decent fellow, but in my own mind, this child doesn’t have a clue of where her place is, or any idea of how the world will put her in it eventually. But here comes the doosey:
A cell phone rings.
Not the dads. Hers. She’s a little child, and she has a phone. Ok, I see plenty of them around…but the father now rushes to answer it, fumbling through her towel and clicks it on. He panics and comes to the side of the pool and apologizes profusely to this child, for not answering it fast enough, and let’s her know it’s ‘Tony’. She gets out of the pool, runs over to grab the phone from her fathers hand and starts dialing, dripping over the phone and turning her back on her father with the snap of:
“Dad, you need to answer quicker next time–Tony is my boyfriend!”
The next 30 minutes was watching this kid walking around the pool, talking on the phone, dropping the call, calling back, mocking other children and telling Tony how dumb her dad is. My kids are in the pool, half of them want to vomit, but my 7 year old asks me frankly:
“Dad, why is she so mean to her own dad?”
I sat there in shock and disgust for may reasons, but I want to stay on point here in reflection of what my wife felt. My view ends quite abruptly with a swat on the butt and a list of chores. She was looking to the father, and how his kindness and love was unappreciated, unnoticed and that he was not receiving any respect due to him, should he have done nothing more than provide food and shelter. I agree with her. She watched the child and noticed the sad look on her fathers face, sitting there, obviously understanding that the world does not revolve around such personalities or demands, and that his lack of fundamental teaching wasn’t helping either of them.
Sure, if she gets into trouble, daddy can rescue her…for now. Yet how many of us fold on correct principles because it’s convenient? It’s only a couple dollars to get this, give that,…I’m so tired, etc. Yet compromising our principles are what cause so many problems in our own lives, our own families, communities and this country. As parents, I want to stress that you don’t have to settle. Being the strong, firm role allows for overall development not only for your child, but for yourself. This is NOT the environment where you can leave a child to their own design…because that design will turn out to be destruction.
It is my own personal belief that those parents who are worth even half their weight in salt, are those who seek to raise a better generation of children than the one they came from.
Sadly, I saw the fulfillment of scripture today in Isiah 3:12 12 ¶ As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.
Jaime Buckley can be contacted at jaimebuckley@gmail.com
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