With the advent of digital photography, news has become closer and more immediate. A combat photographer embedded with troops in Iraq can shoot a hundred pictures while out with the soldiers, and have them on his editor’s server minutes after he gets back, thanks to the magic of the Internet.

However, with digital photography comes digital photo editing, and the possibility of a photo that doesn’t reflect the truth.

One technique for faking news photos is cloning. This could be used in humourous ways, like putting Oprah Winfrey’s head on Ann Margaret’s body, as done by TV Guide in 1989. Several magazines have used this trick to make a point, and they generally document it in the credits (as in, image by one person, and head shot by another).

Cloning is also used to create photo montages–which can give the impression of things that didn’t really happen. New York Newsday merged images of Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan into one shot that appeared to show them skating together. Again, the magazine admitted to it, by calling it a “composite image.”

Montages can be deceptive, though. Los Angeles Times veteran photographer Brian Walski used montage techniques to combine two different photos, making it look like a soldier in Iraq was threatening civilians. Walski was fired for “improving” on his picture.

Even a simple adjustment in brightness can change the meaning of a photo. Both Time and Newsweek put OJ Simpson’s mug shot on their covers, but Time darkened the picture. This made Simpson appear much more threatening on the cover of Time than Newsweek, since Newsweek didn’t adjust the image. Similarly, USA Today published a poorly edited picture of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. The eyes of the picture had been sharpened or brightened far past the proper level, and the result gave her a feindish glare.

The multiplicity of graphic designs and the elements that make up the designs themselves sometimes seems overwhelming. How can you make your graphic designs stand out and shout. Yes! Shout! Shout to the customers they are supposed to reach! If your graphic designs shout, then they attract attention in an already over advertised world. Today every prospective customer sees at least thousands of messages a day. Which one will they remember? The one that rises above the others, the one that has be most to say, the one that speaks the loudest to them. And once it has their attention, the one that engages them the most.

Shout it out! Use visuals that make a lot of noise! The human brain is visual, so visuals are crucial to making graphic designs that have a built-in megaphone. The best visual megaphone is color. Wild vibrant color attracts the eye. Use visuals and color to make a statement that is loud and bold.

Visuals come in a lot of forms – original hand done illustrations, stock illustrations, original digital illustrations, stock digital illustrations, original photography and stock photography. The first question to ask yourself when choosing visuals for your graphic designs is, “Is it bold?” The Second, “Does it say what I need it to say?” The third is “Does it stand out?” Be careful of the use of Stock Photography and Illustrations and don’t use images that have been overused. Be aware of what looks and images are being used in the graphic designs you see around you in books and magazines and on the web. Try to stay away from those looks and images, or you’ll blend in with the rest. And you want to Stand out, Shout it out!

Ask bold questions in your graphic designs. Questions engage the mind, pull people in, and bold ones stay in the memory. Loud, memorable, engaging – that’s what you are going for. Engaging questions often remind the potential client of their pain, the problem they need to solve. Of course the solution is the product or service for which you are designing.

Speaking of what you need your graphic designs to say, be sure that your end statements are benefits, benefits, benefits. What’s in it for the customer or viewer. That’s what the whole game is about. If you don’t speak to how you can solve the customer’s problem, how you can bring the client value, then no matter how loud it is, they won’t remember or pay attention. It just won’t interest them.

And use bold and relevant type to ask the questions or provide solutions. Make it easy to read, and be sure that it visually and emotionally matches the message, the audience you are attempting to reach and the product or service that is being sold. Don’t use garbage type in graphic designs intended to speak to a more sophisticated audience, and don’t use sleek elegant type to talk to the younger crowd.

So in summary, design to have your graphic designs Shout to their prospective audience. Make sure they can be heard above the visual and verbal din of today’s commercial world. Be bold, use color to make noise, engage the mind and talk benefits, benefits, benefits.

When you are looking for great photo editing software for your PC, you may want to know why would you want to buy Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software. The answers are endless! This software is not just for editing, but also has hundreds of features available to increase your creative ability with your photos, be they for your own collection, or for your artistic endeavors, or both. Whether you are just beginning to learn about photography and photo editing, or if you are a seasoned pro, this program offers a wide variety of uses and beginning to advanced stages of photo editing and manipulation.

Some of the highlights of this software are more all the teaching features for beginners and also, hundreds and hundreds of special effects for photo manipulation and improvement. Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software is a program that not only lets you edit your photos, but also to be creative with them. There are endless numbers of options that allow you to change your photo to your specific style and taste, as well as use different formats with which to display them. Just take a look at the options available to you online, or in your local distributor, and you can see how many things there are to do.

The options are endless, and so are your creative horizons, with this software on your computer. Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software is great for beginners, because it gives you a range of ideas with which to manipulate and change photos as well as edit them. By browsing through and playing with these different options, you could come up with ideas you have never thought of before, opening up pathways of creativity you have never dreamed possible! With today’s photo technology available to you in your own home, you never need to rely on an outside source to fix and improve your photos. Not only can it save you money but also it is more fun. You control all the changes, all the factors. If you do not like something, you can fix it. If you like one aspect more than others, you can enhance it.

If you are an intermediate or advanced photo editor, you can let Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software speak for itself. Corel is a long time trusted source for computer photo editing software. Their extensive and trusted website can answer all your questions and queries, making you feel confident that Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software is the software for you. Just take a look.

The great thing about using such a trusted source is that it is widely reviewed and information about it is available from all different sources. If you do a search online, you will find many positive reviews and comments on Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software. Because of this, you do not need to feel like you are buying a product you now nothing about, which is often the case on less reputable and lesser-known software. This software not only has a high rating overall, but many people have expressed satisfaction with the ease of set up, affordable price, and how easy it is to install into your computer.

These factors are important even for the most advanced in photo editing, and Corel knows how to do it right. In dealing with images and photos, which often have not only monetary but also sentimental value, it is important to have a program you trust, and know. Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software is that program, and if you do not believe it, just consult the various sources of information available. You will find once you are well informed on the best in the field, that Corel Paint Shop Pro X computer software is the software you want and trust to get the job done with your photography projects and editing.

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You have a new company or new product focused in the medical and health field and you want to do the best possible job of marketing it. How do you do that? You can go the traditional route and find an advertising agency or graphic design firm to assist you with getting your message out. Or, you can find a firm or studio that specializes in medical graphic design. They will have both a depth and breadth of relevant experience that will give you an edge in crafting your message and creating visuals that attract appropriate clients.

What services do I look for?

Medical Illustration. A key component of medical graphic design is medical illustration and the presence of a certified medical illustrator or an illustrator that is a member of the Association of Medical Illustrators. If it’s not online, ask to see their illustration portfolio.

Medical Animation. Telling the story of what your product or service does may require animation – either using Flash for your web site or 3-D Animation. Expertise in on-line rapid downloads, as well as producing CD’s and DVD’s for marketing and sales purposes is something you want to be sure of. A good medical graphic design studio will have either in-house ability or an on-going connection with medical animation resources.

Medical Web Design. Today, one of the most important marketing tools is your web site. And not just the design, but the optimization as well. The medical graphic design studio you are looking for will have success stories and their clients will fare well in internet searches. As part of your evaluation, assess if you like this medical graphic design firms web site, and then do the same assessment of their clients.

Medical Print Design. To go from web to print, the studio must show experience in translating 3-d explanations into 2-d graphics that focus on communicating the benefits of your product to your target audience. Benefits is the key word here. What’s in it for your potential client? Examine their portfolio. The work of a good medical graphic design studio will focus on benefits. If the brochure you see makes you want to know more or to buy, you have the right firm.

Photography for the Medical Graphic Design Field. Again, medical photography is a specialty. Does the studio have a medical photographer in-house or a relationship with one they use often? Check the portfolio. Look at the clients that have used their work.

Ask for References.

Finally, pick 2 or 3 firms that you like and ask for references. Then call the clients and ask about the firms services.

- How satisfied were they with the services they received
- Did the medical graphic design studio deliver on schedule
- Did the web site, brochures, etc. deliver the promised results
- Would they use them again? Why or Why not?
- Were they easy to work with when there were changes?

Rate each of the firms on a 1 to 5 scale. Putting your impressions into numbers often assists in becoming clearer about what you’ve learned in your interviews.