Using TinyURL Effectively: Tutorial

Many times we encounter URL’s that are so long they are hard to copy and paste without “breaking” the string. Consequently the URL ‘s are ineffective as we attempt to share with others. There is a wonderful solution and the solution is what is known as a TinyURL.

I continue to discover there are many members who do not know how to use the Tiny or either they are unaware of the program. I hope to resolve this issue in my article. First of all go to http://www.tinyurl.com/ and take a look at what we have. I will attempt to walk you through the process of creating a TinyURL. Now choose a site and copy the URL and change to a Tiny using the following instructions.

Use your regular browser to locate the desired site.
Look at the top of the displayed site and you will see the URL in the address window.
Highlight the URL by left clicking on the string with your mouse. Make sure the entire string is highlighted.
Next, using your mouse, right click on the URL and click on the “Copy” option.
You will now need to go to http://www.tinyurl.com/ I keep the Tiny saved to “Favorites” so I can simply drop down and it is instantly ready to use.
In the center of the TinyURL page you will see a box that states ”Enter a long URL to make tiny” Place your mouse cursor in the box, right click and click the “Paste” option. Your long URL will be pasted in the box.
Next, click the button to the right that states “Make a TinyURL”
Instantly you will see a much-shortened version of the once long URL. What was once a URL of 40 characters has been reduced to 10 or so characters.
You will now need to copy and paste the TinyURL anywhere you would normally have copied and pasted the long and cumbersome URL. Please practice until you have learned the program and practice copying and pasting until you feel comfortable with TinyURL.

I hope I have explained the Tiny well enough to enable you to use the program effectively. I will be happy to answer any questions. I love this little program and I hope you get as much use from it as I do.. God Bless.. Jerry..

When Is A Coin No Longer A Coin?

Is the coin I have attached to this article still a coin in spite of its deterioration? If so, at what point in the process of deterioration does the object cease to be a coin? If the coin remains for years in the same place until we have only a small pile of sediment, would we say we still have a coin or at this point would we say we have the remains of a coin?

Allow me this premise. What if I am left with a pile of sediment but knew the coin in its better days, visually.. Would the coin be real? Would it not be real in my memory? If you sell your car is the car still real? Yes. It simply is no longer in your visual realm. Or is it? As you image the car in your mind is that not your reality of the car?

Let’s try this. What if I select a perfectly good bronze Roman coin and melt it with a torch.. Is the coin still a coin as we observe the molten lump of bronze? We have changed the entire appearance of the coin but is the image within our mind our reality? What if I shift my presentation and tell you I found the attached image amongst a group of rusted nuts, bolts and washers? I think your opinion will suddenly change.

So is it true that perception is reality or is it true that your perception is your reality? Thank you for reading and feedback is invited. Please bookmark.. God bless.. Jerry..

PhotoPlus Free Editor Has PS Like Features?

I fully acknowledge that the following PhotoPlus 6 Free article was developed by the freewarezoom.com staff. I take no credit for writing the article. The program is free and I think all our coin photography members should take a good look at the program before purchasing a photo editor. To download, perform a "Free PhotoPlus 6" search and locate a good download site.

With PhotoPlus 6 you can enhance your photos for the best possible results, adjust brightness and color and even remove red-eye - and all for free!. Put your creative abilities on display for all to see and impress your family and friends! Packed full of fantastic features normally reserved for high-end, high-priced applications, PhotoPlus 6 is ideal for complete beginners and professionals alike.

Features:
Creative Tools. Paintbrush, airbrush, clone, smudge and erase tools with adjustable brush settings including size, shape, softness and fade are all at your fingertips.
Digital Darkroom. Enhance, repair and tweak your photos for the best results possible. Adjust brightness, color hue and saturation, contrast, sharpness and more. Even remove red-eye!
Layer Effects. Add Bevel or Drop Shadow layer effects for a sophisticated 3D look on text or other image elements. The layer manager lets you alter and preview specific image layers. This is how the professionals do it.

Versatile Deform Tool. This “Swiss Army Knife” of image tools lets you rotate, resize, skew, reshape, or add perspective to any selection or layer. Easy to master, yet incredibly powerful.
Animation. Allows you to easily edit or create animated GIFs for use on the Internet or in presentations. With a few simple clicks, an entire animation can be created for you.

I have tried PP6 in the past and just as with any new program there is a slight learning curve. I highly recommend.. God Bless.. Jerry..

Penny Coin Photo Contest

This is a close to last minute notice to join out “Penny Coin Photo Contest” at our group, CoinPhotography. We are a Yahoo group and it appears we are growing rapidly. We invite all to join our CoinPhotograpy group and join the in the contest fun.
You will need to join our group at the following URL in order to participate:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coinphotography

We are primarily focused on coin collectors but the doors are open to all. If you join as April 17 you will have more than a week to prepare coin photos. Out focus is on a US penny and on a US State quarter. Once you join our steering directors, Carlos and Ron, will point you in the right direction.

I can assure you we are a great and friendly group and we will be happy to share the photography information we have. Conversely, we would like for you to share with us.. Don’t hesitate, join and help us enlarge our Photography Family.. God Bless.. Jerry..

No! Not Another Copy Stand In Progress

Yep! I am building a heavy duty copy stand using cold rolled steel and I thought some readers might like to see the work in progress. I am using a piece of 1" cold rolled steel for the vertical and the other parts are also being machined from cold rolled steel. Please click on the following link to see the parts: http://www.flickr.com/ As I indicated the vertical rod is a 1" piece of shafting material I picked up at the local foundry. It is very heavy and very sturdy.

You will also see the bottom flange that has been machined. It will be bolted to the copy stand surface. I have two set screws in this piece to make it even more sturdy. In another photograph you will see the sliding sleeve that will be used to raise and lower the camera. I can feel no "play" in the sleeve at all. It is machined to 0003. tolerance. I think that is the way I am supposed to write 3/thousandths.

I will have a vertical arm attached to this piece and it will be used to hold the camera. I will be replacing the hex-head bolt with the thumb bolt. I am considering a few different ways to attach the camera but I think I have pretty much settled on one device. I will share photos of the finished product. Thank you for viewing and if you have questions, I will be happy to answer.. God Bless.. Jerry..

I Finished My Latest Copy Stand

Well I have finished my latest copy stand with the exception of painting the head. I plan to spray the head with flat black paint. I am sharing the unit with my readers with the intent of turning someone else on to building a copy stand. I used a simple point and shoot camera so my photos could have been better but I think you will get the idea. I used an old Beseler enlarger and stripped away the head and other non-essential parts.

I constructed the new head using wood and aluminum. I am pleased at how strong the unit is. I was also able to fabricate the head in such a way as to keep it parallel to the copy stand base and of course this is very important. Please take a look at my photos and I think you will get a good idea as to how I constructed the unit: http://www.flickr.com/ I will be happy to answer any and all questions about the copy stand. Thank you for looking and God Bless.. Jerry..

Photos Created Using The Sterilite Light Tent

I am sharing a couple of photos made using my Sterilite light tent. The more I use the unit the happier I am. The light distribution is wonderful and I am using two 60 watt GE incandescent bulbs. I will add that these are the first photos made using my new photo copy stand I made from and old Beseler enlarger.

The copy stand is working really well and I feel really good about it. Back to the coin photo. The Sterilite plastic light tent I wrote about in an earlier article is even better than I thought. I have run the gamut of coin photos and the light distribution really makes for good photos. I will remind you that I bought my container from a Dollar Store for either $2 or $2.50.

I saw the same container at WalMart for $2.17. If interested in creating the unit please refer back to my earlier article where I provide a step by step process for creating the tent. See the photos on the left and let me know what you think. We have a Coin Photography group and I know some of the members are beginning to use the unit. If you need more information about the unit you can write me and I will be happy to respond.. God Bless.. Jerry..