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How To Create a Custom Brush in Adobe Photoshop – 60 Second Tutorial

Kyle — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:33:48 +0000

Time again for another 60 second tutorial from the guys (and gals) here at SoftwareNewsDaily and SoftwareMedia.com. In this tutorial, Kyle -our resident multimedia wizard- will show you how to create a custom brush in Adobe Photoshop CS5 in less than one minute.

Video Transcript
Kyle here again from SoftwareMedia TV. Last time I showed you how to create a custom brush in Illustrator, and today I am going show you how to do the same thing in Photoshop.

What you want to do is you want to start with an image. It can be an image you import into Photoshop or something you draw. I’m going to do a little squiggly line.

Then, using any selection tool (it can be anything… it can be the magic wand, the lasso or the marquee, it doesn’t matter) select your image.

Go to edit > define brush preset. And you can name it whatever you want. I am going to call it “SoftwareMedia TV.” Hit “Enter” and it will show up in your brush presets. Deselect, and grab the paintbrush tool, and here’s your brush.

You can edit the parameters by going into the brush panel, and you can add noise, smoothing, anything you want, it’s really all up to you. You can do whatever you want with this brush.

It’s a really awesome tool, so go forth and experiment.

Premiere Pro Audio Cleanup – 60 Second Tutorial

Kyle — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:25:58 +0000

Audio is one of the key components to good quality video, and let’s face it, the built-in microphones in most consumer (and many professional) video cameras are somewhere between crap and garbage. While this problem can usually be avoided by using an external lapel or shotgun microphone, not everyone has access to the equipment, and many consumer cameras do not support external inputs.

In this Adobe Premiere Pro tutorial, I will show you how to clean the hiss and noise from the audio in your Premiere project, by using the integration with Adobe Soundbooth (both are included in the Production Premium and Master Collection).

Video Transcript:

Hey everybody, and welcome to SoftwarMedia TV. My name is Kyle and today I’m going to show you how to use Adobe Soundbooth to reduce the noise in your Premiere Pro project.

So, what you want to do is you want to right-click here. Go to “Edit in Adobe Soundbooth,” “Render and Replace.” This will open up Soundbooth, and it will have your clip in it to edit.

You can hear that.

So what you want to do is you want to highlight your noise, go to “Processes,” “Capture Noise Print”.

Now you want to right-click, go to “Processes” again, “Reduce Noise”.

Make sure that “Use captured noise print” is selected. You can see that it’s already reducing that frequency, and you can mess with the levels here a bit, to get it how you want it.

Hit… save it.

You can X out, go right back into Premiere Pro and your audio is cleaned up.

And it’s that easy.

AutoCAD 2012 LT New Features

Kyle — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:35:42 +0000

In March, Autodesk released its 2012 product line, including AutoCAD 2012 LT. We understand that some people are hesitant to immediately upgrade to a new version of a software product before they really get a chance to see some of the new features, improvements and upgrades that have been made to the program. So, we have put together a little video overview of some of the cool new features in AutoCAD 2012 LT. We think you’ll be as amazed about the advancements made to this version as we were!

Right now, you can buy AutoCAD LT 2012 at mega-low prices and qualify for a $300 mail in rebate!

For all of the latest software tutorials, free software guides, licensing overviews and product tours, check out our YouTube page! Our subscribers have access to all of our news and videos, plus exclusive promo codes, discounts and free software giveaways!

Adobe Premiere Pro Tutorial – Learn How to Chroma Key

Kyle — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:41:52 +0000

Chroma keying (using a green screen to superimpose an actor onto a background) is one of the most often used and -at one time- difficult digital effects to execute well. Achieving a professional-quality key used to require countless hours of tedious, detail-intensive work. Now, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 has an awesome tool called the Ultra Keyer which makes chroma keying easier and faster than ever. In fact, it sort of makes me wish that I didn’t spend $60,000 for 4 years of film school and just shelled out a few hundred bucks for Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and a video tutorial program like Total Training for Premiere Pro. At any rate, I have put together an Adobe Premiere Pro tutorial video to help you learn how to chroma key, and begin your journey on the path to becoming a special effects Jedi… er editor.

Whether you think the old-school Muppets still look better than Jar-Jar, digital effects and computer generated imaging have become a staple in the modern film industry and the fact remains that computer imaging and effects are here to stay. However, despite the sad reality of the decline of Hensonesque animatronics and puppetry (Disney Corp. actually bought out the Jim Henson Creature Shop), there still exists a rich and interesting world of cinematic opportunity to explore, and digital effects are not nearly as difficult as many would have you believe.

AutoCAD LT Tutorial – Construct and Dimensioning a Jig

Lansia — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:33:31 +0000

Our SoftwareMedia.com buddy, Devin, has taken the long hours to put together our next, exciting AutoCAD LT tutorial — such a coincidence today is also the debut for AutoCAD LT 2011, huh? As a mechanical engineer, Devin has modeled a number of projects in various 2D and 3D systems. The bulk of his AutoCAD experience is actually derived from his interactions with other Autodesk products — such as Autodesk Inventor and Maya.

In this three-part video series, Devin walks through how to construct and dimension a jig for making an “A” arm. Everything in AutoCAD rings Kryptonian to me (yeah, I’m a fine arts major…), so I’m glad we had Devin to explain. A basic to intermediate knowledge of AutoCAD software is recommended before jumping in, so feel free to check out our other tutorials that are focused more towards the beginner: Dimensioning | Getting Started and Align Command | Zoom and Pan Basics. As always, see more software tutorials by clicking on the SoftwareMedia TV tag or follow us on YouTube.

Adobe Flash and Fireworks Tutorial – Creating a Simple Animation

Lansia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:19:01 +0000

Andrew, our graphic designer here at SoftwareMedia.com, put together an animation tutorial using Adobe Flash and Adobe Fireworks (after much pushing and nagging from me, I admit). Learn how to apply motion to objects in Flash by using the classic tween feature.

If Andrew starts to bug the crap out of you, click on the image above to get him to stop waving and bobbing. Don’t worry, I got annoyed too — so I made sure he built in that click to bring things to a halt. Just kidding, Andrew… you rock, for making this tutorial….

First, Andrew reviews how to remove the background from an image using the magic wand and eraser tools in Adobe Fireworks. After the image has been cleaned up, Andrew describes how to copy it to your Flash library. He also touches on useful functions such as tracing a bitmap, creating symbols and working with the timeline in Adobe Flash.

For more software tutorials, click the SoftwareMedia TV tag or follow us on YouTube. Are there other Flash or Fireworks applications/functions/features you would like Andrew to capture a tutorial for? Let us know by leaving us comments!

Microsoft Open Business Licensing Explained – Part Two

Lansia — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:54:03 +0000

SoftwareMedia TV’s spotlight star is donning the sleek black look, once again. Experienced Microsoft sales rep, Todd Francis, is back for part two of our Microsoft Open Business licensing video series. In our first video, Todd explained how to purchase basic products through the Microsoft Open Business Program. He went over frequently asked questions such as how many licenses you will need, the different product options available and the benefits of buying a product with software assurance. In part two of this series, watch as Todd explains how to purchase the more complicated products available through the Microsoft Open Business Program. The following video also runs through the differences between the two available CAL licenses — user CALs and device CALs. In addition, Todd also explains other important terms, such as processor license and external connector.

For more information, see our Microsoft Open Licensing Guides. See more software tutorials by clicking on the SoftwareMedia TV tag or follow us on YouTube. Although this wraps up our Microsoft Open Business licensing videos, never fear! Todd will be b(l)ack soon.

Are there any topics you would like Todd to explain? Anything you want us to cover? Hit that comment link and let us know!

How to Enable Windows 7 GodMode

Lansia — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:11:21 +0000

Earlier this week, blog posts about Windows 7 “GodMode” fluttered the tech web. Jeremy was kind enough to capture a quick video for us. If you have Windows 7, just hit play to see how easy it is to enable “GodMode.” Oh, this is the code you will need (for the convenience of simple copy and paste):

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Ina Fried, from CNET.com, says “GodMode” also works with Vista, but with possible problems. Find out more by reading her Beyond Binary blog.

A few settings that GodMode uncovers include:

Manage Windows Credentials
Folder Options (show hidden files/system files)
Mouse Settings
Network and Sharing Center Settings
Parental Controls
User Account Settings
Advanced System Settings

Thanks to Jeremy for all the help!

Microsoft Open Business Licensing Explained

Lansia — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:01:20 +0000

Todd is back, and again in black! SoftwareMedia TV presents a two-part series on Microsoft Open Business licensing. Our seasoned Microsoft sales rep, Todd, explains how to purchase basic products through the Microsoft Open Business Program. This video covers frequently asked questions such as how many licenses you will need, the different product options available and the benefits of buying a product with software assurance.

For more information, see our Microsoft Open Licensing Guides. See more software tutorials by clicking on the SoftwareMedia TV tag or follow us on YouTube. Be sure to stay tuned for part two of the Microsoft Open Business licensing series; Todd will be back for another stab at internet fame. He’ll probably even keep to those sleek, sexy black shirts he’s been wearing. Uhh… Todd, do you read all my posts? I mean, those black shirts are macho and ruggedly handsome.

AutoCAD LT 2010 Tutorial – Zoom and Pan Basics

Lansia — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:46:42 +0000

Learn how to zoom and pan by simply using your mouse wheel. This video tutorial quickly walks through zooming and panning basics to easily navigate your drawing in AutoCAD LT 2010.

If you aren’t so much for videos, here’s a text overview:

ZOOM IN: scroll up on your mouse wheel
ZOOM OUT: scroll down on your mouse wheel
PAN: click and hold your mouse wheel, then drag to desired location (let go of the mouse wheel when you are finished dragging)
REGENERATE: type “regenall” in the dynamic input to regenerate your drawing if arcs and circles lose their smoothness or there is limited zooming
CENTER: double-click your mouse wheel to center your drawing within the window

View more video tutorials for AutoCAD LT 2010:
Dimensioning | Getting Started and Align Command