Let’s do a quick Photoshop filter tutorial today.  Instagram filters have become so popular, but the final images are too small to print and frame.  If you want to achieve an “antiqued” or “vintage” filter and maintain the high pixel count, you can do it in Photoshop.

I downloaded this free image to use as an example from the wallpaper site www.wallpapersus.com.

The first step is to find (or create) an antiqued texture with lots of vintage touches.  This will serve as our “filter”. I found this one here.

Open your main image in PS, and then create a new layer (ctrl+shift+N). Insert the texture onto the new layer.

Next, change the Blend Mode of the texture layer. I suggest trying a few of the different modes to see what works best. Sometimes, the colors on your texture layer are too bright to work well with “screen” but look great with “overlay”.

I used overlay to achieve this initial filtered look. I brought the opacity down to 80%.

The colors in this photo are lovely, but if you want to go a step further, consider adjusting the hue and saturation.  To do this, add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer.  Select Layer>Add Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation.

Click ok with the preset options.  Then, click “colorize” and adjust the hue to create a sepia tone-style look.

Looking good, right?

Next, select (ctrl+shift+E) to merge the layers down.  If you want to make your image even more “vintage” by adding a grainy look, go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise.

By checking “Gaussian” and “Monochromatic”, you can get a very old-timey look easily.

That will cause your image to look like this:

To go even further, consider using the Burn tool to darken some areas (I did the corners and the shadows on her arms and legs).

Here’s the final result!

LinkedIn is an excellent place to be if you’re seeking new employment.  Recruiters are constantly searching for job candidates!  If you want to pop up in those searches, you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile to include buzz words.

You’re probably used to seeing profiles that look like this:

Notice the generic title I’ve listed.  It’s vague and doesn’t indicate where my expertise lies.  LinkedIn asks you to choose an industry, so you can see I’m working in the eLearning field and that’s about it.  When people are searching on LinkedIn, they usually only see your name and title.  Take a look at this generic search for eLearning:

Now let’s look at some properly optimized titles:

To include the RIGHT key words in your own profile, follow these two easy steps:

1) Make a list of your skills and professional accomplishments.

You might be a Manager or a President, but those words don’t matter as much (in this case).  Determine what you want potential connections, recruiters, and employers to know about you.  Have you increased sales by 500%?  Did you write a successful marketing e-book? It’s okay if you don’t have any specific examples like the ones listed above; industry key words are more than enough!

2) Incorporate those key words into your profile.

Take a look at my title description now:

Now, anyone searching the major terms used in the eLearning industry are going to find me, and so are people looking for design work.  Before the changes, none of those people would have seen me because my “formal” title is too vague to accurately convey what I can do.

I recommend spending a little time on step one.  Do some research on others in your field.  You can also ask those closest to you; sometimes they can shine a light on skills and accomplishments you haven’t considered.  Enjoy!

 

We give thanks to @corey_bos at HUBSPOT for an excellent article about creating great social media content fast! Let’s look at her tips:

“How you can whip up some blog posts quickly to feed your social media presence:

• Reach out to guest bloggers — they’ll create your content for you!

• Curate content — round up the best blog posts, data points, infographics, etc. on various subject matters.

• Jot down the answer to a common question — people love a good FAQ.

• Publish excerpts from existing content, like ebooks and white papers.

• Conduct a quick interview — either on video or via email — and let your subject matter expertise blow your audience away for you.”

You can download these tips and many more in her e-book here!

When a warning-fueled blog post about a dramatic news clip covering online stalking started circulating through social media, I wanted to know what made this so interesting since most of us know that posting online makes us visible to the world (that’s the point right?)…

After watching the clip I learned that even people who are not choosing to freely share their locations are still subject to high-level internet stalking due to geo-tracking through mobile phones.  This technology, like the GPS in your car, embeds your location when your upload an image to a social sharing site.  Free browser add-ons allow ANYONE to turn data from your pictures into a map and start stalking you.

Put simply, online mapping is so advanced that people interested in stalking you can use it to find and follow you without ever leaving their home. Stalking with geo-tracking is scary and it’s a real threat – so please turn geo-tracking OFF your smartphone’s camera.

This link offers easy directions for most phones (settings for newer models are close if not the same). Some phones offer app-specific location services as well. http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/11712/how-to-disable-geotagging-on-your-smartphones-camera-android-iphone-blackberry/

We’re all doing our best to build our brands and gain followers, but let’s make sure they are the right kind of followers.

Watch the news clip referenced above here.