|
After you've edited and created a terrific image in Photoshop, you can do all sorts of stuff with your work of art. For instance, you can print the image, export it to page layout programs such as PageMaker or InDesign, post it on the Web, and even use it in a PowerPoint presentation.
Some of the ways you can play around with Photoshop cost money, and some involve the use of programs other than Photoshop, but the following options provide food for thought.
Printing and dispersing
Just about everyone who has a computer also owns a printer. Desktop color printers have improved by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years. You can buy a high-quality color printer for the price of a couple nights out on the town. Epson and Hewlett-Packard have low-end printers that sell for the ridiculously low price of about $50. Both reputable manufacturers also have other printer models offering various features that cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000.
If you want to go one notch above a color inkjet printer, try the new personal dye-sublimation printers that are coming on the scene. A dye-sub printer creates images that look just like photographs — no little dots like you see in newspaper photos, just smooth-tone colors. For around $500, Olympus offers a dot-free, continuous tone dye-sub printer that spits out a full-color print in 90 seconds.
Invest in some nice, glossy paper. It costs anywhere from 20 cents to $2 per sheet. Many printer manufacturers make their own paper, which is specially formulated to work well with their particular printer. Olympus offers a paper called Pictorico that sports a proprietary ceramic coating. Pictorico paper is smudge free, water resistant, and works with just about any inkjet printer. If you can't find Pictorico paper, any generic glossy paper works fine.
 | When printing on glossy paper, make sure that you print your image at the highest resolution your printer offers. You may want to take a look at the manual that came with your printer for settings. |
Ordering prints and making books
For you Mac users out there, Apple has developed a wonderful product called iPhoto 2. iPhoto 2 allows you to import photos from your digital camera, CDs, or directly from your hard drive. The program catalogs, stores, and displays the images on-screen. You can create digital photo albums, organizing them by date or event. Also, you can create custom books from your photos, choosing from several designs, and even adding a story or captions.
For Windows users there's Photoshop Album. A great product that lets you do everything iPhoto does. Organize your photos into catalogs, create books, calendars, and note cards.
And the fun doesn't stop there. Both iPhoto 2 and Photoshop Album enable you to order Kodak prints over the Internet. You can create slide shows along with your favorite music. You can e-mail photos to family and friends. And finally, you can post your images to a personal Web page.
Turning your face into a mouse pad
Now that more and more folks are acquiring the ability to produce digital images, copy shops offer a plethora of products on which you can print your image. You can have your favorite Photoshop image transferred onto a mouse pad, coffee cup, T-shirt, calendar, and a whole bunch of other items that are guaranteed to be a big hit during the holiday gift-giving season. Check with your local copy shop for information on any image size, resolution, or file format requirements you need to follow when preparing your image.
Posting your image on the Internet or an online service
America Online (AOL) has Photoshop forums where members can upload images to make them available to other members. Remember, it takes time to upload and download images — so keep the images fairly small and save them in the JPEG or GIF format.
Also, tons of Photoshop-related sites are on the Web. If you enter Photoshop in your favorite search engine, you'll be surprised at the number of matches you see.
If you happen to have your own Web page — or know someone who does — you can also add your image to the page, making them available to Web surfers worldwide. You can post your images easily by choosing File --> Automate --> Web Photo Gallery. Mac users can use iPhoto and Windows users can use Photoshop Album to create an easy Web page that displays Photoshop images.
| 
