SYMPTOMS OF TESTOSTERONE DEFICIENCY

A complete medical examination by a doctor is must for the diagnosis of testosterone deficiency. If you feel you may be suffering from androgen deficiency, please contact your doctor; however, some of the symptoms of testosterone deficiency are as follows:

• Erectile dysfunction (the inability to get or maintain an erection)
• High cholesterol levels (having high cholesterol or high blood pressure causes hardening of the arteries, which can decrease blood flow to the testicles and cause enough damage to lower testosterone)
• Obesity, especially around the waist
• Depression
• Anxiety or mood swings
• Problems with concentration and memory or other cognitive and intellectual functions
• Low sex drive
• Decreased bone density, possibly leading to osteoporosis.

Best E-Books for Web Design and Development

Posted by Rakesh Sharma

If you are looking for free e-books for Web Design and Development then this post is for you. Here I have shared some very useful e-books with direct download link. This is best collection of e-books for helping Web Designers and Developers. Here's the following:
HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide (6th Edition)

HTML: The Definitive Guide is aimed at beginners as well as those who have more practice in Web-page creation. The authors assume at least a basic knowledge of computers, including how to use a word processor or text editor and how to deal with files.

Book Author: Chuck Musciano
CSS The Missing Manual OReilly

To get the most out of CSS, your HTML code needs to provide a solid, well-built foundation. This book shows you how to write better, more CSS-friendly HTML. The good news is that when you use CSS throughout your site, HTML actually becomes easier to write. You no longer need to worry about trying to turn HTML into the design maven it was never intended to be; instead, CSS offers all the graphic design touches you'll likely ever want.

Book Author: David Sawyer McFarland
Beginning Ajax with PHP: From Novice to Professional

Ajax breathes new life into web applications by transparently communicating and manipulating data in conjunction with a server-based technology. Of all the server-based technologies capable of working in conjunction with Ajax, perhaps none are more suitable than PHP, the world’s most popular scripting language.

Beginning Ajax with PHP: From Novice to Professional is the first book to introduce how these two popular technologies can work together to create next-generation applications.

Book Author: Lee Babin
HTML & JavaScript for Visual Learners

This book provides step by step solution to build first-rate Web sites by using HTML and Javascript. Over 150 screen shots and diagrams guide beginners step-by-step through common tasks.

Some Featured Chapters:
-Set up a Web site
-Format pages and text
-Create links and insert graphics
-Lay out pages with tables and frames
-Enable interactivity with forms and style sheets
-Employ practical Javascript to create rollover graphics and open new windows
- Set up a Web site-Format pages and text-Create links and insert graphics-Lay out pages with tables and frames-Enable interactivity with forms and style sheets-Employ practical Javascript to create rollover graphics and open new windows.

Book Author: Chris Charuhas
The Photoshop Anthology: 101 Web Design Tips, Tricks

The Photoshop Anthology is full-color, question-and-answer book for Web Designers who want to use Photoshop to build Websites and create better looking web graphics more effectively. The book covers:
- Photoshop interface tricks & shortcuts
- Basic Skills: Transparencies, rounded corners, blending images, matching colors and more
- Buttons: Creating buttons and tabs in various shapes and form factors
- Backgrounds: Making various gradient and textured backgrounds
- Creating text effects, texturing and shadowing text, wrapping text around a curve, and more.

Book Author: Corrie Haffly

Importance of Website Design and Development

Posted by Sharon Lepcha

A website is an online identity of a company or of an individualinvolved in Internet Marketing. The task associated with the website is to represent a company, sell company’s name,attract more visitors, generate more business leads, promote more sale of company’s products and services andultimately, help to gain more return on investment.

In this era of advanced technology, electronic commerce have highly dominated the marketing practice, and due to easy availability and affordability of the Internet, people are running after it and making huge profit at the comfort of heir home.

As a serious online business person, what is important for your business is, to prepare a website that is well designed, attractive, easy to navigate, highly usable, good content, full of relevant information, enough functionalities and are capable of retaining visitors for long and make them come back again.

We know, Web is the visual interface and what people look on the Web will be manipulated and interpreted into their mind and perception. So being a website designer and programmer, you must be careful about the use of color effects, lights, visual effects, positioning and size of contents and use of search engine friendly technology, so that people must remember your website name first and search you first on the Web.

To achieve all the above mentioned strategies, your website building needs a professional touch from qualified website designers and developers who can put their best acquired knowledge and experience to make a suitable portal that can turn each visitors into potential buyers.

In fact, there are two types of website design such as; static and dynamic website design. You can opt for static as well as dynamic website design where former is based on simple HTML code and latter is developed with advanced and sophisticated technologies based on the information provided in the database. Dynamic website is actually selling these days, because apart from its beauty and diverse applicability, it gives the ease of quick and self information updating facility to site administrator without being proficient technically.

Another important factor for a well designed and programmed website is the quality search engine optimization (SEO) service. SEO is the basis of search engine marketing success, because website optimization process spice-up the website with relevant keywords, facilitate one-way link, enhance link-popularity and place website at top or near the top of search engine result page that ultimately help in attracting motivated buyers and more traffic to website.

If you want to excel high in your online business, aforesaid strategies of website design and development must be dealt with great care. There are numerous such companies which can give promising website designing and development solution at an affordable rate, at the same time, false promise making dudes are also in plenty. For affordable Website design and development, you can even think of any offshore website design and development company with thorough research on their portfolios.

Goal of Income Tax Planning

The goal of income tax planning is to minimize your federal income tax liability. You can achieve this in different ways. Typically, though, you'd look at ways to reduce your taxable income, perhaps by deferring your income or shifting income to family members. You should also consider deduction planning, investment tax planning, and year-end planning strategies to lower your overall income tax burden.
Postpone your income to minimize your current income tax liability

By deferring (postponing) income to a later year, you may be able to minimize your current income tax liability and invest the money that you'd otherwise use to pay income taxes. And when you eventually report the income, you may be in a lower income tax bracket.

Certain retirement plans can help you to postpone the payment of taxes on your earned income. With a 401(k) plan, for example, you contribute part of your salary into the plan, paying income tax only when you withdraw money from the plan (withdrawals before age 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent penalty). This allows you to postpone the taxation of part of your salary and take advantage of the tax-deferred growth in your investment earnings.

There are many other ways to postpone your taxable income. For instance, you can contribute to a traditional IRA, buy permanent life insurance (the cash value part grows tax deferred), or invest in certain savings bonds. You may want to speak with a tax professional about your tax planning options.
Shift income to your family members to lower the overall family tax burden

You can also minimize your federal income taxes by shifting income to family members who are in a lower tax bracket. For example, if you own stock that produces a great deal of dividend income, consider gifting the stock to your children. After you've made the gift, the dividends will represent income to them rather than to you. This may lower your tax burden. Keep in mind that you can make a tax-free gift of up to $13,000 (2009 figure) per year per recipient without incurring federal gift tax.

However, look out for the kiddie tax rules. Under these rules, for children (1) under age 18, or (2) under age 19 or full-time students under age 24 who don't earn more than one-half of their financial support, any unearned income over $1,900 in 2009 is taxed at the parent's marginal tax rate. Also, be sure to check the laws of your state before giving securities to minors.

Other ways of shifting income include hiring a family member for the family business and creating a family limited partnership. Investigate all of your options before making a decision.
Deduction planning involves proper timing and control over your income

Lowering your federal income tax liability through deductions is the goal of deduction planning. You should take all deductions to which you are entitled, and time them in the most efficient manner.

As a starting point, you'll have to decide whether to itemize your deductions or take the standard deduction. Generally, you'll choose whichever method lowers your taxes the most. If you itemize, be aware that some (or all) of your deductions may be disallowed if your adjusted gross income (AGI) reaches a certain threshold figure. If you expect that your AGI might limit your itemized deductions, try to lower your AGI. To lower your AGI for the year, you can defer part of your income to next year, buy investments that generate tax-exempt income, and contribute as much as you can to qualified retirement plans.

Because you can sometimes control whether a deductible expense falls into the current tax year or the next, you may have some control over the timing of your deduction. If you're in a higher federal income tax bracket this year than you expect to be in next year, you'll want to accelerate your deductions into the current year. You can accelerate deductions by paying deductible expenses and making charitable contributions this year instead of waiting until next.
Investment tax planning uses timing strategies and focuses on your after-tax return

Investment tax planning seeks to lower your overall income tax burden through wise investment choices. Several strategies exist. These include investing in tax-exempt securities and timing the sale of capital assets properly.

Although income is usually taxable, several investments can generate tax-exempt income. For example, the interest on certain Series EE bonds (these may also be called Patriot bonds) used for education may be exempt from federal, state, and local income taxes (tax-exempt status applies to income generated from the bond; a capital gain or loss realized on the sale of a municipal bond is treated like any other bond for tax purposes). Also, you can exclude the interest on municipal bonds from your federal income. And if you earn interest on tax-exempt bonds issued in your home state, the interest will generally be exempt from state and local tax as well. Keep in mind that although the interest on municipal bonds is generally tax exempt, certain municipal bond income may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. When comparing taxable and tax-exempt investments, you'll want to focus on those vehicles that maximize your after-tax return.

In most cases, long-term capital gains tax rates are lower than ordinary income rates. You may be able to time the sale of your capital assets (such as stock) so as to minimize your income tax liability. For example, if you expect to be in a lower income tax bracket next year, wait until then to sell your stock. You may want to accelerate income into this year, though, if you have capital losses this year and need to offset them with capital gains. Note that capital gains increase your AGI, which in turn may affect the amount of your itemized deductions and personal exemption.
Year-end planning focuses on your marginal income tax bracket

Year-end tax planning, as you might expect, typically takes place in November or December. It involves timing your income so that it will be taxed at a lower rate and claiming deductible expenses in years when you are in a higher income tax bracket. This usually means postponing income to a later year and accelerating deductions into the current year. For example, assume it's December and you're entitled to a year-end bonus. However, you're in a higher tax bracket this year than you expect to be in next year. The solution? Ask your employer to pay it to you in January of next year, rather than now. This will allow you to postpone the taxable income. Also, if you have major dental work scheduled for the beginning of next year, reschedule for December to take advantage of the deduction this year. If you expect to be in a higher tax bracket next year, however, you should accelerate your income into this year and defer your deductions until next year.

50 CENT SLAMS ROSS FOR PAY OFF 'LIE'

50 CENT has blasted reports he has offered his rap rival RICK ROSS $500,000 (£340,135) to end their war of words, insisting the HUSTLIN' star has fabricated the allegations.
The In Da Club hitmaker's lyrical sparring with Ross has been dominating rap headlines for months.
Ross recently posted a video online, claiming he had turned down a big money pay off from a 50 Cent employee to bring their dispute to a close - but the rap superstar insists he would never even consider such a move.
He says, "I saw that (video clip) on YouTube. He made that up - I don't think anybody interpreted that as if it was true. People looked at that like, 'Huh? ... How much more of a fool can you make of yourself?' People look at it like, now you can't take anything from him serious."
And 50, real name Curtis Jackson, admits he thrives on the buzz he gets from exchanging lyrical jabs with his enemies, including Ja Rule and The Game.
He adds, "I competed with them just to keep the culture (of rhyme battling) active. Ask me: 'Do I need (to beef with) Rick Ross?' I don't have a release date right now."

Will HGH Injections Make Me Look Younger?

Some Doctors would recommend invasive surgery or chemical treatment to help the appearance of your skin, but many would also discourage you from having HGH injections. In this article I will cover some of the reasons why HGH injections are considered to be bad and what these injections can actually do for you.

Having HGH injections is all well an good but unless you actually change your eating habits and exercising habits their effect might not be long lasting. It is important to eat more vegetables and fruit to help maintain the health of your skin.

In fact, many experts actually tell you to start a special diet and exercise program to assist the effects of HGH injections.

Unless you take this advise seriously, all the HGH injections in the world won’t change the fact that you are lazy and have poor eating habits.

You will need to eat healthier foods and do more exercise as this will soon begin to make you feel and look younger and mentally if will have a huge effect on your confidence about your appearance.

Doing simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the shops or joining a fitness center can all be managed into our busy lives.

Of course the major factor in deciding whether you have HGH injections or not will be the price. For a 30 day treatment the cost could run to $2000 or more. Now, if that does not put you off immediately, then you should also consider the fact that you will need to have continuous treatment over time, so eventually the cost will run into many thousands of dollars.

There are many very effective anti aging skin care products available which can have the same effect and actually be healthier for you to use. Some products now have amazing ingredients to protect your skin from the aging process and at the same time make you look younger instantly.

Before embarking on an expensive course of HGH injections, make sure you check out the alternatives as not only are they much cheaper, but they could also end up providing healthier and better results for your skin and appearance.

Try searching online to find anti aging products with ingredients such as Acai, Mangosteen and Goji, as these tropical fruits are now known to have tremendous abilities to improve our health and appearance.

Consult you Doctor if you are still unsure as to whether or not have HGH injections as I am sure they will be able to help you decide what is best for you.

Eminem's Next Single, '3 A.M.,' Leaks Online

Rapper says darker track is representative of his Relapse album, due May 19.

Posted By Jayson Rodriguez

With all the hoopla surrounding the release of Eminem's first solo album since 2004, it seems like everyone is forgetting about Slim Shady.

Well, Em's evil rhyme persona blasts his way back on the Detroit lyricist's "3 A.M.," a track from the upcoming Relapse that leaked online Thursday night (April 23). Over a menacing Dr. Dre beat, Shady exhibits a pronounced zigzag flow as he paints the picture of a fictional late-night homicidal crusade.

"I duck and I splash/ Lights and gas/ Last night was a blast/ I can't quite remember when I had/ That much fun with a half-pint of the Jack/ My last Vic and half/ A flashlight up Kim Kardashian's ass," the rapper spits on the third verse of the more-than-five-minute opus.

Eminem appeared on his Sirius satellite radio channel Shade 45 on Thursday morning and discussed his project. The rapper said Dr. Dre produced the majority of the album, with the exception of one track Em did himself. He said stepping away from the boards enabled him to play with his flow more, resulting in different rhyme styles from the rapper.

"I tried to pick the [Dre beats] that challenged me, rhythm-wise," Em said. "I ended up experimenting with a bunch of different flows. I try to do that every album, but this time I had a chance to go all out with it. Make every flow different and pick unique beats."

Em also confirmed that he had filmed a video recently for "3 A.M." The rapper said the clip was shot in Detroit and would be the next video from his project, which is due May 19. Em called the darker song more in line with what his album would sound like. The first single from the effort, "We Made You," is a spoof track that takes aims at celebrities.

A quick review of HGH benefits

The HGH benefits form a long list because of the roll HGH plays in the body. HGH stands for human growth hormone, which is made, stored and released from the pituitary gland. HGH is responsible for prompting the body to make new cells and regulating cellular regeneration, as well as playing a part in homeostasis, which is the normalization of the body.

Though the type of HGH benefits most people purchasing HGH products are interested in are related either to anti aging or body building, the first accepted medical use for it was the treatment of underdeveloped children. When human growth hormone first began being used in a medical context the only option was to extract the hormone directly from the pituitary gland.

Today we can either use artificial hormones or a secretagogue to stimulate the production and release of HGH, and there have been multiple studies into HGH benefits on adults. Our levels of HGH are at their peak during childhood because our bodies’ are still developing and we need a large amount of HGH to stimulate this growth. After our twenties there is a sharp drop in levels of HGH, and by the time we are sixty we have less than half the levels of HGH we once did, and the effects of this are obvious. Because of lower levels of HGH, the body can no longer repair itself at the rate it used to. Poor skin, fatigue, greying hair and poor eyesight are brought on by a lack of HGH, because the cells that make up the body cannot repair the tissue properly.

HGH treatment intended for aging adults is scientifically proven to enhance strength, give more energy, improve bone density and generally improve health and well being as sited in the New England Journal of Medicine. HGH benefits apply to nearly every part of what makes up a healthy young body. One of the most recognized of the HGH benefits is how it speeds metabolism, which results in a lower level of body fat. HGH has also been shown to increase lean muscle mass and boost energy, the second point is another factor of a sped up metabolism. Recent studies have shown HGH to increase bone density and bolster immune system by creating new cells. Greying hair and thinning hair are common among the middle aged and elderly. Male pattern baldness is a trait found especially in older men but there are a number of women who suffer from thinning hair as well. This is another one of HGH benefits. By keeping hormones properly regulated HGH can stimulate hair growth by helping to deal with the problem of excess DHT. It also helps keep hair’s vibrant, youthful colour longer.

The best way to replenish your body’s supply of HGH is with an HGH releasing supplement, which will stimulate your pituitary gland to produce and release more HGH into the body. This is much safer than injections of artificial hormones and the supplements are available without a prescription. Other than HGH releasing supplements, some good, natural ways to boost hormone levels and feel the HGH benefits are to: Exercise more often, this prompts some release of HGH for creating new muscle cells. Drink little alcohol, as this inhibits the function of the hypothalamus which controls the release of HGH and be sure to get at least 8 hours sleep because most HGH is produced while you are sleeping.

50 Cent Says He Delayed Before I Self Destruct So He Could Release More Singles

Posted by By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash and Kim Stolz

" Im just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material"

NEW YORK — No big conspiracy here: 50 Cent said he decided to delay the release of his Before I Self Destruct album from December 16 until next year because he needed more setup time.

"I'm trying to leave the same way I came in," he said Sunday night during "Total Finale Live." "February 4 [2003], Get Rich or Die Tryin' came out. I drop this album February 3. The time frame. It used to take six to eight weeks for us to position a hip-hop record. Now, it's taking 12 to 14 weeks.

"Just the positioning," he continued. "I'm not comfortable where I'm at right now. My song 'Get Up' is performing great. I'm happy with 'Get Up.' It moved faster than 'I Get Money' at radio. But I'm just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material [prior to the album's release]. It's not the strongest effort on my album; it's just a great start for me."

The video for "Get Up" is out now. Besides paying homage to the Will Smith blockbuster "I Am Legend," Fif also comes full circle with a nod to his own "In Da Club" video. With the release of Before I Self Destruct, he will fulfill his contractual obligation to Shady/Aftermath and Interscope Records for new recordings. A greatest-hits collection will follow if he does not ink a new contract with Interscope.

"We may put out a greatest-hits record then, [when] we start the renegotiations," he said of his talks with Interscope.

Although he's publicly expressed disdain for the way Interscope and its chair, Jimmy Iovine, have handled projects such as Curtis and the G-Unit's T.O.S., Fif did tell us he'll let bygones be bygones for the right price.

"I think all artists have things they can point to that have been done wrong at different points in their career," he said. "It's cool. I'll get over it. They can just pay me."

6 Bookkeeping Tips For Starting Your Own Business

Starting your own business can be a very rewarding experience. You will enjoy freedom and flexibility you never imagined. You will also work harder than you ever have before but it feels completely different when you are working for yourself. Here are some tips to help you get off on the right foot with your record keeping.

1. Keep Receipts For All Transactions From The First Day Onword. If you pay for everything with a check, debit card, or credit card this may not seem necessary. As a tax accountant I can assure you that it is. The IRS will disallow deductions if you do not have receipts to accompany your bank and credit card records.

2. Avoid Cash. I can tell you the easiest way to get into hot water with the IRS is to pay for things with cash and then not have a receipt. For many of us we are in a habit of using cash from the time we were kids. For your own business though, you need to avoid cash.

3. Deposit All Your Income. It is very tempting to withhold cash from your business receipts but I advise you do not. Instead be aggressive with your expenses. If you are in an industry where cash deals are common the IRS will look for evidence of cash deposits in your checking account. If they are absent you will have a lot of questions to answer.

4. Use QuickBooks. Inuit owns 80% of the small business accounting software market and for good reason. Their software is easy to learn and easy to use. Within a few hours after installing you can be producing your own professional financial statements. It is the software I use for my own accounting/tax business and also what I use to produce client Financial Statements and Payroll Reports.

5. Report Employee Earnings Timely. There are several services on the market that will be glad to do your Payroll Reports and process your employee checks. Shop around and get the best deal. This market has become more competitive which means there are some good deals out there for you. For example, if you are in a high risk industry you can get a reduced WCF rate with a company like ADP. With the amount you save in disability insurance for your employees your Payroll Tax preparation expense is essentially free.

6. Use A Business Credit Card. Using a business credit card has many benefits. You can usually find one with no annual fee, 0% introductory interest rate and even cash rewards. But for the purpose of this article one of the primary benefits is for your record keeping. At the end of the year you will receive a summary of all your expenses by category. Give this to your accountant along with your other records at tax time. This will make your accountant's job easier which should lower his/her fees.

There are many other items to consider when starting your own business and I recommend you speak to an accountant as soon as possible. If you already have someone preparing your tax returns then you can start with them. Make sure they are familiar with hiring your spouse and children, medical reimbursement plans, business plans and entity structuring. Do not stay with an accountant who is not familiar with these because you cannot afford to

10 Quick Website Maintance Tips

Posted by Tim Priebe

1. Keep all your images in a subfolder. If your file is something.com/index.html, then your images for that should be in something.com/images/Justify Full

2. Save a template for creating new pages. Create a page that has all your website design elements, including your menu and header, but lacks content. Then, when you create a new page, start out by copying that template.

3. Use some sort of CMS for frequently updated pages/sections. For example, if you have a news page, set up some blog software to make updating it much easier.

4. For pages that may have a lot of material added in the future, set the pages up so they can expand vertically. In most cases, you don't want your design to be set up where the page cannot expand vertically. Instead, the design needs to be set up where more content later won't break it.

5. When referring to periods of time, use absolute terms. For example, instead of saying I wrote an article 1 month ago, I would say I wrote it in May, 2006. That way I don't have to go back later and change the number of months. Also avoid words like "recently," "yesterday," and "soon."

6. If you do update a page frequently, make a back up copy each time you're getting ready to update it.

7. Keep a list (whether it's posted on your website or not) of the exact pages you've changed, when you changed them and what you changed.

8. If you have a page with pictures, make sure you keep any new pictures the same width and/or height as the others. Which one of those looks best will vary from layout to layout.

9. If you have a prominent picture on your front page, change it out every once in awhile. Make sure the new one is approximately the same size, though.

10. Don't use a lot of different colors and sizes in your fonts. And don't have tons of bold and italicized words and sentences. That detracts greatly from the professionalism of your site.

Are You Focusing Too Much on Your Home Page?

I've been talking with a client who wants some changes made to her home page. She has a lot of ideas and pointed me to several other competitor sites for examples of the sorts of things she wanted.

However, while her home page can likely be improved by some redesigning, the question nagging at me is "should it be redesigned?"

Her home page has an overall bounce rate of around 30-35%. The bounce rate from Google is about 12%, and the average time on page is around a minute (there's quite a lot of content) so clearly it is doing something right.

Sure, I could refresh the colors and move some content around. But is this a good use of my time and her money when the home page represents 20-25% of page views?

Yes, that's a lot for a single page. However, when the other pages on her site represent over 75% of pageviews, it makes sense to spend most of my time on their maintenance and improvement rather than on the home page.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. It's a small site, so almost all of those pages play an important in driving business.

However, I don't remember when some of these other pages haven't had their content updated. And, visually very little has been done from a design standpoint.

This is why I tried to explain that her home page is actually far less important than she thinks.

Your Home Page is Like a Hotel Lobby

Jared Spool argues that it is the least important page on your site, and while I'm not sure that I could go that far, I feel that its importance is certainly overstated in the minds of most people.

I explained to her that she should think of her home page like the lobby of a hotel (an idea coined, I believe, also by Jared Spool).

When visitors arrive at your hotel, certainly they should find that the lobby represents the hotel favorably. It should be attractive, spacious, with elegant lighting, welcoming colors, and the odd feature here and there.

The lobby should make it easy for the visitor to orient themselves — to see where the front desk is and where the lifts are. It should make it easy for the guest to find out any important information at a glance — upcoming events or where the conference is being held.

However, hotels are ultimately judged by the quality of their rooms. The last hotel I stayed in was the W in Seattle. While it has a nice lobby, it's the rooms that really make a stay there memorable.

And so it is on the web. A web site will live or die on the quality of its 'rooms' — the content and design of its interior pages, be they news articles, product pages, or social networking tools.

The home page, like a hotel lobby, is something that visitors pass through to get to where they want to go. It is not a destination in and of itself.

Consequently, it should be treated as such and the time spent updating and enhancing it (or even designing it in the first place) should reflect its importance to the organization compared with the rest of the web site.

Clients and stakeholders love to focus on the home page, forcing designers to endlessly tweak this and move that (particularly the colors, for some reason). In fact, designers tend to overly focus on the home page too, often giving the page design for rest of the site short shrift.

I actually prefer to design web sites from the 'ground up,' starting with the interior template(s). Since most of a web site is going to use this template doesn't it make sense for it to be the main focus of your design efforts?

For a recent redesign project, I asked the designer to start with a key interior page template and not worry about the home page design. It was hard for them to do, but now we have an excellent design for our core product information pages.

The home page design has come fairly naturally and organically out of the design of these interior pages. It just made sense to:

1. Lay it out in a certain way which highlights the key information we want to call out
2. Use a particular design style to make it fit with the rest of the site

As a result, the home page design went through far fewer revisions than I expected, which left us with more time to focus on the design of the rest of the site.

John Cena Wants To Work With 50 Cent: 'Hit Me Up!'

Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena said he's listening to a lot of vintage country music these days, from Willie Nelson to Waylon Jennings, but
he's still heavily into hip-hop. On Wednesday in New York, he was in Cold Stone Creamery, freestyling and telling MTV News about a few rap collaborations he has coming up even while he was touting his new action flick from "Cliffhanger" director Renny Harlin, "12 Rounds.".

"Still trying to keep in touch with the hip-hop," said Cena, who will be trying to get his belt back at a World Heavyweight Title Triple Threat Match on Sunday at "WrestleMania XXV" against Edge and the Big Show. "I did a song with Snoop. I'm about to do something with Rick Ross. Doing some stuff with [Tha] Trademarc — he helped me do my solo project, so I'm returning the favor there. Freddie Foxxx [a.k.a.] Bumpy Knuckles, who did our track "Bad Bad Man," which is featured on Seth Rogen's new trailer [for] 'Observe and Report.' [Seth] kinda hooked it up. A good look for us there. I'm doing some stuff with him. And I'm kinda on call. I did some stuff for Back40 Records, which is an independent label owned by Carl Edwards, NASCAR driver. ... I'm getting in where I fit in."

Cena said his busy schedule as a wrestler and actor doesn't afford him much time to focus on a follow-up to his 2005 rap debut, You Can't See Me. However, he does want to work with the G-Unit on some things.

"There was awhile where it was cool to beef with everybody," Cena said of the 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross feud. "I think that stuff has died down. So I don't know the legitimacy of this beef. And 50, if you're out there listening, I love 50 Cent,/MTVNLINK>. He's one of my favorite artists. I love G-Unit. Lloyd Banks is also one of my favorite artists. If you want to meet up and you want to do some cool stuff, don't think I'm being biased towards Rick Ross. I certainly don't care about the personal issues you guys have — that's your business. I'm just doing what I'm doing. I'd love to stay right — 50, call my cell. You've got my number. Hit me up. Hit my people up."

Cena's new movie "12 Rounds" hits theaters Friday.

This report is from MTV News.

Tax services spent $220 million for advertising

Nielsen showed that the funds spent on advertising in 2008 by tax services have reached $220 million, which is an 11% increase from 2007.

78% of the amount (about $171 million) was spent by H&R Block, American Tax Relief, Jackson Hewitt, JKH Holding and TaxMasters (TMIRS Enterprises).

It is also known that most of the amount was spent during the first and fourth quarters in traditional media such as TV and radio. Nielsen estimates 35% of the funds ($76.9 million) to have gone toward cable TV, another $40.5 million on spot TV and $35.7 million on network TV. 16% of total tax services advertising ($34.4 million) was stated to have been spent on network and spot radio combined. $6.4 million (3%) of total tax services ad spending was spent online.

Considering that there are expectations on higher taxes coming from a new presidential administration, ad spending by tax services firms may also increase in the future.

Best HGH

So which is the best HGH on the market?

The market is filled with various types of HGH products including sprays, pills and other HGH supplements. There are more than 50 different products we have used. I have also received atleast 800+ recommendations from our readers who have used them. Best on those recommendations we have come up with 3 best hgh supplements in the market.

Best HGH Spray
The best HGH spray in the market today is SYTROPIN. So if you the fan of the sprays instead of pills, then there is nothing better than Sytropin. So we have decided to recommend Sytropin as the best HGH spray supplement.

Best HGH Pills
If you are looking for the best HGH pills in the market, then our recommendation is for HGH ENERGIZER. HGH Enertizer is the best hgh pills which produces the fastest results.

Best HGH Products
If you are looking for overall best HGH products which will not only work for anti-aging but will also improve your overall life-style, then our recommendation is for GENF20. GenF20 may not produce the results as fast as HGH engergizer but will work better and is surely the best HGH product available in the market today.

Best HGH Releasers
All the three products recommended above are the best HGH releasers only. They are not the pure form of HGH but are supplements which will help you release more HGH in your body naturally.

Results Drawn From Human Growth Hormone Therapy

Though every individual being different, here are some statics of research on how the HGH replacement benefits a typical growth hormone user.

• Weight Loss - 82% progress
• Wrinkle Reduction - 61% progress
• Increase in Energy Level - 84% progress
• Increase In Lean Muscle Strength (along with regular exercise) - 88% progress
• Improvement of Sexual Potency - 75% progress
• Emotional Stability - 67% progress

WEB DESIGN FEATURES

It is easy to make a dorky web page. It's also easy to make a very nice, clean, professional-looking web page even if you don't have much design experience. Often the difference, even for beginning designers, is simply a matter of eliminating certain features that are guaranteed to make a page look amateurish. Go through the list of things that people--designers and non-designers--from around the country have cited as the things that make the difference between a well-designed and a poorly designed web page.

One of the elements of Good Web Design is a lack of the elements that make bad web design. If you stay away from everything listed on the page about dorky web pages, you've probably got a pretty nice web site. In addition, keep these concepts in mind:

Text
Background does not interrupt the text
Text is big enough to read, but not too big
The hierarchy of information is perfectly clearColumns of text are narrower than in a book to make reading easier on the screen

Navigation
Navigation buttons and bars are easy to understand and use
Navigation is consistent throughout web site
Navigation buttons and bars provide the visitor with a clue as to where they are, what page of the site they are currently on
Frames, if used, are not obtrusive
A large site has an index or site map

Links
Link colors coordinate with page colors
Links are underlined so they are instantly clear to the visitor

Graphics
Buttons are not big and dorky
Every graphic has an alt label
Every graphic link has a matching text link
Graphics and backgrounds use browser-safe colors
Animated graphics turn off by themselves

General Design
Pages download quickly
First page and home page fit into 800 x 600 pixel space
All of the other pages have the immediate visual impact within 800 x 600 pixels
Good use of graphic elements (photos, subheads, pull quotes) to break up large areas of text
Every web page in the site looks like it belongs to the same site; there are repetitive elements that carry throughout the pages

Keep in mind that the point of eliminating Bad Features is not just to make the page prettier, but to communicate more effectively.

Bad Design Features

Below are features that can make a web design look dorky. These are not just my personal opinions, but are ideas I have collected from speaking to groups around the country. Examples of many of these features and more detailed explanations of the problems and solutions are in my book, The Non-Designer's Web Book, written with John Tollett.

Backgrounds
Default gray color
Color combinations of text and background that make the text hard to read
Busy, distracting backgrounds that make the text hard to read

Text
Text that is too small to read
Text crowding against the left edge
Text that stretches all the way across the page
Centered type over flush left body copy
Paragraphs of type in all caps
Paragraphs of type in bold
Paragraphs of type in italic
Paragraphs of type in all caps, bold, and italic all at once
Underlined text that is not a link

Links
Default blue links
Blue link borders around graphics
Links that are not clear about where they will take you
Links in body copy that distract readers and lead them off to remote, useless pages
Text links that are not underlined so you don't know they are links
..(If you're not going to underline your links, please make darned sure
..that each link is perfectly clearly a link! Don't make me wander around
..with my mouse checking to see if randomly colored text is a link!)
Dead links (links that don't work anymore)

Graphics
Large graphic files that take forever to load
Meaningless or useless graphics
Thumbnail images that are nearly as large as the full-sized images they link to
Graphics with no alt labels
Missing graphics, especially missing graphics with no alt labels
Graphics that don't fit on the screen (assuming a screen of 800 x 600 pixels)

Tables
Borders turned on in tables
Tables used as design elements, especially with extra large (dorky) borders

Blinking and animations
Anything that blinks, especially text
Multiple things that blink
Rainbow rules (lines)
Rainbow rules that blink or animate
"Under construction" signs, especially of little men working
Animated "under construction" signs
Animated pictures for email
Animations that never stop
Multiple animations that never stop

Junk
Counters on pages -- who cares
Junky advertising
Having to scroll sideways (800 x 600 pixels)
Too many little pictures of meaningless awards on the first page
Frame scroll bars in the middle of a page
Multiple frame scroll bars in the middle of a page

Navigation
Unclear navigation; over complex navigation
Complicated frames, too many frames, unnecessary scroll bars in frames
Orphan pages (no links back to where they came from, no identification)
Useless page titles that don't explain what the page is about

General Design
Entry page or home page that does not fit within standard browser window (800 x 600 pixels)
Frames that make you scroll sideways
No focal point on the page
Too many focal points on the page
Navigation buttons as the only visual interest, especially when they're large (and dorky)
Cluttered, not enough alignment of elements
Lack of contrast (in color, text, to create hierarchy of information, etc.)
Pages that look okay in one browser but not in another

Content and Technical Writing Services

At Cyber DesignZ we recognize that effectively communicating with your users is vital when you are providing a product or service. We must be able to clearly and unmistakably show our users the benefits of using our products, as well as how to use them.
You can outsource all your technical writing and content writing needs to us. Our content writers have superior language, research and communication skills.
Whatever your industry, our technical writers work together with subject matter specialists(SMEs) to ensure that the final product is accurate, clear and up to date.
CMS (content management systems) enable us to organize, manage, edit and publish our documents (text, audio, graphic etc), so that we can work more efficiently and collaborate with others easily.
We work fast, delivering clear, documents with attractive, easy to follow layout and simple language. Our goal is to ensure your customers absorb what you have to say as quickly and easily as possible.
We provide
€ Web Content
€ User Guides
€ Hardware Documentation
€ Policies And Procedures
€ Training Materials
€ Marketing Communications

We can help you with all your text needs. Just let us know what you want!

Testosterone Therapy

Testosterone is a male hormone produced by the testes and responsible for producing and maintaining male sex characteristics. The testes are the male reproductive gland. Testosterone is the major androgenic hormone made by the testes in response to luteinizing hormones from the pituitary gland. Testosterone hormones promote the development of adult male characteristics including deep voice, strong muscle and bone mass, and sperm. High levels of testosterone promote good health in men and lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack. Testosterone also stimulates metabolism and the burning of body fat. During puberty, testosterone levels are at a lifetime peak. These levels begin to decline about the age of 23.

Testosterone Therapy Benefits:
•Increased muscle strength and mass.
•Increased sexual potency and frequency.
•Lowers cholesterol levels.
•Increased energy, stamina and endurance.
•Improved mental function
•Improves mood and feeling of well-being.
•Protects against heart disease
•Improved concentration and focus

New Business Startup Services

Avicenna understands problems faced by small and newly established
businesses. We've been working with entrepreneurs like you since 1992, responding to the tax questions, financial management issues, and cash flow concerns that can make or break a small business. We know what you're up against, and have the skill to help you minimize losses and maximize profits.

* Preparation of business and individual Federal tax returns
* Preparation of business and State tax returns
* Payroll processing
* Preparation of business and individual Federal and State tax returns

Benefits of Human Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy

Medical researchers have proven that after age fifteen there is a significant decrease in the body's production of human growth hormone (HGH) with resulting human growth hormone deficiency in adults. As the level of growth hormone declines, the immune system begins its decline and the disease processes associated with aging also commences.

•Reverses the effects of aging/overall
•14% loss of body fat on average after six months, without dieting
•9% increase in lean muscle after six months, without exercise
•Increase energy level, endurance and exercise capacity
•Enhance sexual performance
•Reduce stress level
•Enhance immune system function
•Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
•Reduce fatigue
•Elimination of cellulite
•Reverse heart disease Increase cardiac output and exercise performance
•Reverse osteoporosis
•Better kidney function
•Accelerate wound healing
•Remove wrinkles and produce younger, tighter, thicker skin
•Improve memory retention and cognitive functions
•Improve sleep
•Reverse muscle wasting
•Enhance brain function and grow neuron dendrites
•Prevent chronic, degenerative disease
•Improve vision

Eminem Set To Perform At MTV Movie Awards 2009, Relapse release on May 19

Eminem aka Slim Shady has agreed to perform at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Sunday, May 31.

The performance will come 12 days after the release of his highly-anticipated album, Relapse.

According to MTV, viewers will be able to vote starting today (April 13) online and on mobile phones to select nominees for the show. On May 4, the the nomineees will officially be announced, and viewers will the vote for their favorites (once again via phone and onl... read full story

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Therapy

For ages HGH has been known for the lovely benefits it gives to the people. It is a natural hormone deep down in the body that keeps men and women youthful in a plenty of ways.
Human growth hormone has become a unique healing option for adults having GH (Growth Hormone) deficiency. Most recent studies show that a number of metabolic and psychological abnormalities related with HGH deficiency can be inversed with HGH replacement therapy, even at a lesser dose which does not carry any side-effects.
Benefits of HGH therapy are many as it is the supreme anti-aging recipe responsible for;

•Increase Lean Muscle and build muscle mass
• Improves Memory
•Enhances Sex Drive
•Reduces Stress Levels
•Overall Energy Increase
•cell production and growth stimulation
•increasing height
•keeping bones healthy
•checking and regulating sugar and insulin level
•preserving calcium in the body
•reducing fat in men and women

Web Application Development Services

With the beginning of high speed internet and widespread internet use, web applications have become increasingly popular over the last five years. The ability to store and process important information online from any location worldwide has been used in a number of ways.

Online gaming, word processing, spreadsheets, document storage, web based presentation tools, graphics manipulation, online accounting and other popular web applications are changing the way we do business today.

A web application is almost indispensable today. E-commerce applications (such as Amazon, online banking, Ebay) enable us to buy products and services, communicate, share information, pay bills, track shipments and do many other things online. This saves us time, money and provides the convenience of round the clock access to information and services from any location globally.

CMS (content management systems) enable us to organize, manage, edit and publish our documents (text, audio, graphic etc), so that we can work more efficiently and collaborate with others easily.

Social networks (such as Myspace and facebook) are growing explosively. Companies are finding it a source of rich direct consumer marketing to participate on a social network.

Database driven web applications are an efficient way of storing, managing and accessing your data online. We create a hidden database and enable you to access the data using specific commands, or scripts.

At Cyber DesignZ we believe in keeping ahead of the times. We can develop any web application you need. We use the latest tools and technologies.

Startup embeds Web photos with shopping links

By RACHEL METZ

NEW YORK (AP) — Inspiration comes in many forms, and in the case of James Everingham, it appeared as a pair of knockoff Christian Dior shoes.

Everingham's vision ultimately became Pixazza, an online advertising startup that converts photos on Web sites into interactive advertisements.

Mouse over an image, and tiny price tags appear over handbags, dresses and other items. Hover on top of one, and a balloon pops up with images and links to similar items you can buy online. Move your mouse away, and the balloon disappears.

Even Google Inc. is interested: The online advertising and search leader, through its new venture-capital fund, is among those that have recently invested a combined $5.8 million in the company.

Everingham came up with the idea after his wife spent hours figuring out what shoes "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker was wearing in a photo ($1,000 Christian Diors) and hours more looking for a similar, cheaper version.

When the shoes arrived in the mail, the two sifted through a number of blogs and spotted comments from consumers who also wanted to know where they could get celebrities' looks.

Everingham figured he hit on an online void. If all those people were spending that much time seeking out products they could buy, why not find a way to bring the products to them, without coming across as an obnoxious intrusion?

After all, ads work best when they don't resemble ads but rather a feature that helps shoppers find items they may already be interested in buying.

Pixazza was born out of that inspiration last August and has since added a number of Web site publishers, merchant advertisers and investors to its stable.

By working with the company, Web sites can earn money from the images they would have displayed anyhow. And while it introduces another type of advertising, Pixazza believes its flavor is different.

"Unlike other means of monetizing their sites, which come at the expense of the user's satisfaction, Pixazza increases the user's satisfaction while increasing (the site's) incremental revenue," Chief Executive Bob Lisbonne said.

Pixazza, based a few miles from Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., is modeled somewhat after Google's AdSense advertising program, which lets Web sites share revenue from Google ads targeted to the keywords in specific articles and Web pages.

But while AdSense is highly automated, Pixazza needs people to tag images because computers are not good at recognizing what is in a photo and determining which parts are interesting, said Everingham, Pixazza's chief technology officer.

Pixazza currently works with about 10 sites, including the celebrity gossip and fashion blog I'm Not Obsessed. Working from home, taggers link photos on those sites to more than 2 million products from dozens of merchants that have signed on as advertisers, including Amazon.com Inc., Overstock.com Inc. and Macy's Inc. Taggers aren't necessarily looking for originals, but rather similar items in a range of prices.

Users who run across an item of interest simply hover over it and click on the link to buy the product at the merchant's site. Image taggers are paid with a small portion of the merchant's commission; the remainder is split evenly between Pixazza and the Web site running the image with the embedded tag. Advertising merchants only pay a commission when a purchase is made, an appealing approach because they only pay when the ad works.

For now, Pixazza is focusing on fashion-geared images, but it plans to expand to other categories like travel, sports and home design later this year.

Bill Sweeney, who runs I'm Not Obsessed's business operations, began letting Pixazza tag the site's images in February after Pixazza approached the blog a month earlier.

Sweeney said Pixazza essentially offers a jazzier version of the "Fashion Finds" feature his site has already been producing. That feature identifies what celebrities are wearing and gives readers information about where to get those and similar items. Using Pixazza saves time, and its ads are more attractive than "Fashion Finds" was, Sweeney said.

He said readers like that the ads are inconspicuous, and Pixazza's advertising works because they are embedded in the celebrity fashion photos that are already one of the site's main attractions.

It has generated extra revenue for the blog, though it's just a start: Sweeney said Pixazza currently accounts for less than 5 percent of their overall ad revenue.

"We're not getting rid of them any time soon," he said.

Lainey Lui, a Vancouver, Canada-based entertainment reporter, has also been using Pixazza for several months to tag images on her blog, Lainey Gossip.

Lui doesn't yet see the ads as another revenue stream.

But she likes that Pixazza tags shoes, for example, in a photo that shows them as part of a complete outfit. By contrast, she said, a Google search will just give you links to Web sites selling those products.

Like Lui, eMarketer analyst Jeffrey Grau believes Pixazza's appeal is in its ability to show consumers how they could use a product, especially with photos on fashion and celebrity-geared sites.

"You're seeing someone you want to emulate wearing an outfit and think, 'Oh that's cool,'" he said.

Buying that kind of look is just a click away.

It's still too soon to tell what kind of money Pixazza can generate for Web sites, especially as the online advertising market is slowing because of the recession.

Regardless, Lisbonne believes that there's major potential for Pixazza, as Web sites are hungry for new sources of revenue, and images are prominent online but largely untapped for ads.



Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Ralphige Behind Call Offering Rick Ross Money To End 50 Cent Beef

Date: 2009-04-09

The fued between Rick Ross and 50 Cent has seen several shots thrown back and forth. Fif' enlisted Ross' baby's mother to damage Ricky's credibility, while Ross continiously threw disses at the entire G-Unit, via interviews and videos posted on WorldStarHipHop.com.

In a recent interview with TorchisNY.com, the Miami rapper made the claim that an employee of G-Unit, who he identified as Nelson Gomez, called him out of the blue and offered to pay him a lar... read full story

50 Cent's $50 Million Lawsuit Is Thrown Out

February 05, 2009 by: Ani Esmailian

Good news for Fitty! He doesn’t owe his ex-girlfriend $50 million! A state Supreme Court justice threw out the lawsuit brought against him by ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins.

Shaniqua claimed 50 Cent promised her half of his earnings for the rest of his life, plus the house that he bought.

Turns out that house burned down, and Shaniqua found herself houseless penniless. That would make any woman angry! But not entitled to $50 million!

A statement from Fitty’s lawyer says "Ms. Tompkins's claims pertaining to a $50 million verbal contract were entirely frivolous. In dismissing the case before trial, the court is sending a clear message. This is a complete and total victory for 50."

And it seems like 50 expected this outcome all along. He said in a statement, "I'm very thankful for this decision. I knew that once the facts were heard that justice would prevail. I hope now that we can put this behind us and move forward with our lives."

Bookkeeping Services

Bookkeeping, commonly referred to as keeping the books, is the process of keeping full, accurate, up-to-date business records. Proper bookkeeping can help businesses effectively manage cash flow, stay abreast of profits and losses, and develop plans for the future based on financial trends. Furthermore, accurate bookkeeping is required by both federal and local tax agencies.

Bookkeeping involves making a record of the monies received by a business as well as the monies paid out. It encompasses money a company owes to vendors, employees, tax agencies, contractors and any other individual or entity. Likewise, accurate records of amounts owed to a company by outside individuals and organizations are also recorded in a company's books.

Bookkeeping systems:

Two common bookkeeping systems used by businesses and other organizations are the single-entry bookkeeping system and the double-entry bookkeeping system. Single-entry bookkeeping uses only income and expense accounts, recorded primarily in a revenue and expense journal. Single-entry bookkeeping is adequate for many small businesses. Double-entry bookkeeping requires posting (recording) each transaction twice, using debits and credits.

Avicennas professional bookkeeping services cover the entire scope of bookkeeping and customers have the flexibility to choose what they require.
Our Outsourced Bookkeeping Services are focused at helping our customers with the management, accounting and tax preparation needs, thereby reducing their finance and accounts operating costs. We take responsibility for all aspects of your bookkeeping and accounting, we can manage your payroll processing and we can provide total backup support.
* Bank Reconciliation
* Financial statement report
* Payroll processing

Financial Crisis 'Far From Over,' Panel Says

Govt. May Spend More than $4 Trillion but Economy Faces 'Prolonged Weakness,' Oversight Panel Reports

By CHARLES HERMAN and ALICE GOMSTYN
ABC NEWS Business Unit
April 7, 2009
Though some economic measures are improving, the financial crisis "is far from over" and "appears to be taking root in the larger economy."
IMAGE: Tarp Report
On the six month anniversary of the passage of the bill that created the Treasury Department's $700... Expand
On the six month anniversary of the passage of the bill that created the Treasury Department's $700 billion to bail out the financial sector, the congressional panel charged with overseeing the bailout released a report predicting prolonged weakness for the U.S. economy. Collapse
(ABC News Photo Illustration)

This, despite the government's commitment to spend trillions of taxpayer dollars on a massive bailout of the financial system.

Are you worried about your life insurance policy or your annuity? Tell ABC News

These were the findings released in a report today by the Congressional Oversight Panel, the body charged with overseeing the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, the $700 billion plan aimed at bailing out the country's financial sector.

"We still have a long way to go. A very long way," Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who chairs the panel, said in an interview today with Bloomberg News.

50 Cent To Appear in a Film called Twelve

Ferrari F 50 aka Curtis Jackson has been chosen to star in the upcoming film Twelve alongside actors Kiefer Sutherland, Rory Culkin and more.

The story will be a film adaption of Nick McDonnell’s novel Twelve.Pic will star Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Ellen Barkin and Kiefer Sutherland. Gaumont chairman Sidonie Dumas and CEO Christophe Riandee will produce with Radar CEO Ted Field and Original Media CEO Charlie Corwin. Melamed also will be a producer with Bob Salerno; and Mike Weber will be exec producer. Production begins April 20 in New York. Eminem Shows Respect to Run DMC at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Who are they? CYBER DESIGNZ

Cyber DesignZ is an Offshore Software Development Company determined in providing the best Software Solutions to organizations globally. They aim to provide stable and high quality products at optimal rates, empowering our technical expertise to provide outstanding services and deliver on-time high quality solutions.They have worldwide experience, with offices in the USA, Canada, India and Pakistan.They have custom built, high tech premises with hundreds of trained and experienced professionals working 24/7 to ensure our customer's satisfaction. As an offshore outsourcing company , we offer rates as low as 60% off the market price.

Create A Photoshop Action For Screenshots

written by: Andrew Houle // stored in: Tutorials

Introduction

The other day I was writing a roundup style post here on MIB that required a bunch of screenshots. I was capturing the shots, bringing them into Photoshop, then tediously editing each individual one. It didn’t take me long to realized I was wasting a lot of time. A commodity which us designers never seem to have enough of. The simple solution was to create a Photoshop action to handle the dirty work of repetitive steps. PS actions are beautifully suited to save time for us lazy (I mean productive) designers. The result was so simple and easy, I wanted to share it here with you.

First, A Little Bit About Photoshop Actions

Actions are scripts you can set up within Photoshop to help you handle repetitive tasks. Quite simply, you can record your steps during a project, then play those steps back the next time you’d like to do the same thing. There is a very nice compilation over at Smashing Magazine of free actions you can download and use. You can find them here in: The Ultimate Collection Of Useful Photoshop Actions.

Now, The Tutorial

Here’s how to create a simple Photoshop action for tilting, blurring and vignetting screenshots.

Step 1

Open up Photoshop and start a new document at the size you want to use. Mine is set for 575px by 250px. Then grab a screenshot to use, to follow along with. Copy and paste it in your new document.

Step 2

Now bring up your actions palette. If you don’t see it in your panels, click window->actions. If this is your first time using actions, you’ll notice you have a bunch of default actions that Photoshop provides from the get go. Definitely check them out and see what they offer, some can be quite handy. For the purposes of this tutorial and future action additions, I suggest you make a separate folder. To do so, click on the small folder icon at the bottom of the palette just like you would within the layers palette. I called my folder, “My Actions”.

Step 3

Click on the Create a new action icon directly to the right of the New folder button you selected in the last step. Name your action then click Record.

Step 4

As soon as you create a new action you will notice the red record button is on. A few quick things to note about that. First off, don’t worry it’s not recording in actual time, your procedural steps are recorded and nothing else. Photoshop will wait for you to do something for days if you’d like, it will only record actually steps, so you’re there’s no rush. Also, as you make steps you’ll notice they will be listed below your action. If you don’t like a step, or change your mind you can always click the stop button and throw away (drag it to the trash) the step you don’t like, then click record again when you are ready.

The first thing we want to record is tilting the image, so click ‘command + t’ to bring up the free transform tool. In the properties at the top set the rotation to -5 degrees. Then click back on the image and hit enter to accept the tranform. Take notice of the step being recorded in the actions palette.

Step 5

Now we are going to move the image into place. Hit ‘command + t’ again and drag the screenshot to where you think it looks best. This step will vary depending on the screenshot you use. So we will should place a stop action on it. To add one, toggle on the stop action icon next to the check mark, as shown in the image below. You could very easily have combined this and the last step, but I like the flexibility of breaking them up.

Step 6

Next up, hit ‘command + j’ to make a copy of the current layer.

Step 7

In the next step we are going to blur the original copy of the screenshot, so we can eventually mask the top layer. So we need to select the original image layer, but by simply clicking on that layer, the actions will set up a direct command for that layer name. Therefore, our action for a different screenshot will not work when we try to reuse it. Fortunately, the keyboard shortcut says to select a layer in reference to the current one, so that does the trick. All that is to say, hit ‘alt + [' to select the layer below the highlighted one.

d

Step 8

Now set your blur. Click Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur and move the radius slider to around 2px and click ok.

Step 9

Next we need to select the top layer, so we can use a mask to reveal some of that blur. We will use the same technique as before, only this time we need to select the layer above the active layer, so press 'alt + ]‘.

Step 10

Add a layer mask to the top layer by clicking Layer->Layer Mask->Reveal All. Then grab the gradient tool (shorcut ‘G’ on the keyboard) and setup a white to gray to white gradient like the one referenced below. Click and drag from left to right on your image at an angle approximately like the tilt you setup earlier. This will reveal some of the blur at the edges.

Step 11

Create a new layer by clicking Layer->New->Layer. Grab the rectangle marquee tool (shortcut ‘M’ on the keyboard and make a selection like the one shown below. Feather the selection by clicking Select->Modify->Feather and choose 20px.

Step 12

Select the inverse by clicking Select->Inverse. Then set your background color to black and hit ‘command + backspace’ to fill your selection with black. This will feather a dark border around our image, it’s a bit overwhelming, so we’ll temper that in our next step.

Step 13

Change the layers blending mode to ‘Soft Light’ by clicking on the pull down menu in the layers palette where it currently says normal. I also would encourage you to add a stop action on this step because playing with the blending modes will give you different variations. Plus the effect will be dependant on the lighting of the image.

The Final Result

Here is what my result was after stepping through this action. Now, if you want to use the same technique on other screenshots all you have to do is grab the screenshot, bring it into a new document, and press play.