Front and Center: Graphics for the Artistically Challenged

This chapter has shown you some techniques for developing graphics that can be used by both artists and non-artists. However, any amount of graphic design takes some investment in time and money. Even if you opt for PhotoImpact's $90 price tag as opposed to Photoshop's whopping $600 price, you will still have to invest a significant amount of hours into learning the product you choose. Many users of Photoshop have been using it for years and still don't understand more than half of its features. These applications are not easy to learn.

You might be better off going another direction. Many options are available for those who are artistically challenged or for those who simply don't have the time to invest in purchasing and learning a graphics application.

One option is to hire a graphic designer. If you have one specific need for some graphics, this might be a viable option. When you choose this route, you are paying for someone else's expertise and time, so the costs could be more than you're willing to pay. You will likely end up paying much more than the cost of a copy of Photoshop, but you will not have to invest in the time to learn anything.

Another option, and perhaps a better one, is to purchase stock graphics. Graphics can be purchased in collections containing tens of thousands of graphics, or they can be purchased individually online. A quick Internet search for "stock graphics" or "stock images"should turn up more sources than you can possibly imagine. Most of the collections that include tens of thousands of images offer graphics similar to Clip Art, but they also tend to include many photographs and Web-specific graphics as well.

One other option available to Web developers is to take your own photos to be used for your graphics. A digital camera can go a long way toward building a collection of high-quality and unique graphics. Most digital cameras offer a macro mode, which will allow you to take photographs at very close distances. Try using the macro mode on your digital camera and take extreme close-ups of simple objects around the house. You'd be amazed at how quickly you can build up a collection of great looking images.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
ISBN: 0789729547
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 443

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