The world of photography is changing, and while freelancers have always had an opportunity to participate in this lucrative realm, it is becoming more and more accessible to the masses as the price for equipment and software falls. The difference between a good and great photography business isn’t simply based on the camera you choose. More important is the way you cut through the waves of images, carefully selecting, editing, and printing the best of breed.

If you want to be competitive, you need to learn to hone your workflow. There are many ways to accomplish the task, and in this review we are taking a closer look at Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. Is it mature enough to provide the necessary tools for the trade? Can it give one an edge in their own market? Read on to find out.

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It’s hard to believe that in 1993, Adobe first released Adobe Acrobat for the Mac. Within a few short years, this new “.pdf” format became the standard. Although there were many who provided free and always interesting ways to create Portable Document Format files, Adobe continued to improve the technology, adding capabilities along the way that still had businesses and freelancers alike purchasing the original application. And now, in 2008, Adobe has released Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. Quite different than it’s humble origin, we’ve taken a close look at the new features and present our thoughts and findings for you.

Flash of Brilliance
While the feature list is extensive (check here for the full matrix), the one feature that really catches the eye is the new native Flash support. Now you can insert .flv or H.264 video for playback. Not just as attached files either. Part of the new portfolio feature includes the ability to use Flash as the welcome header. Personally, I can’t wait to see how this changes .pdf documents in the future (in both good and bad ways).

Thankfully, all the new functionality hasn’t caused a speed degradation. In fact, Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 is faster than ever. Continue Reading

“Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed.” – George Burns

Let’s be honest. Who of us isn’t interested in money? Which of us wouldn’t love to be making six figures or more while Freelancing? But how many of us really know how to tap the market to best take advantage of the skills we have, turning our precious time into cash?

With the staggering number of self-help titles on the market today, each promising secrets, tips, and guarantees, there is an obvious desire to achieve these elusive ends. Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett recognized this need, and with their 2008 “Problogger: Secrets for Blogging You Way to a Six-Figure Income” hope to inspire others to accomplish their dreams. The verdict on their 220 page manual of blogging advice? Read on to find out.

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As the gap between analog and digital realms continue to merge, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase our efficiency while maintaining the sense and idea of the dreams that we are trying to bring to life. Wacom, a well known contender in this field, with product lines from the Bamboo to the Intous (among others), are hoping to continue the momentum of their past 25 years with the release of the Cintiq 12WX.

A pen tablet with a 12.1″ LCD display that is targeted at not only the professionals who have been able to resist the Cintiq line thus far, but also amateur artists and photographers who are interested in keeping a natural feel in their digital workflow. Can a small screen with a big history provide the tools to bring the analog world even closer to the digital universe? We took a few weeks to take a closer look at this hybrid display, and now present our results. Continue Reading

With the start of the New Year upon us, the likelihood of you deciding to head off into Freelancing full-time may be tickling your senses. We understand your passion to make it on your own, and present our Top 10 Freelance Resolutions for this coming year. Already freelancing? Hopefully some of these concepts will help you recommit to your endeavor, and subsequently bring you success in the years to come. Continue Reading

Wish I had backed up
All that I wrote, deleted
I’ll start it again
- Benjamin Spencer

As more and more of our lives are converted into tiny 0’s and 1’s, we become increasingly dependent on the data we create. But how many of us, especially in the freelance world, have a plan or procedure in place to avoid the bane of our electronic existence: data loss. The excuses for this lack of disaster preparedness range from pure laziness, to inexperience (with the backup method or storage material), or just plain backup failure. There are solutions, and with the technology of today, no excuse should be valid anymore. Mozy, newly acquired by EMC, with their MozyHome and MozyPro backup solutions, hope to help you on the path to recovery. Let’s take a closer look at the options, and how well their products performed.

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If you are confused about Adobe’s new offerings, you aren’t alone. Currently, one can not only purchase Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web and Design Premium, but also both variants in a Standard edition, plus Production Premium and the all-inclusive Master Collection. The Premium differences? Well between Web and Design Premium, the dollar difference is $200 USD. On the application side, Web Premium nets you Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Fireworks, Acrobat 8 Professional, Contribute, and Bridge. Design Premium has InDesign, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Acrobat 8 Professional and Bridge. So what you need to decide is: do you want Fireworks and Contribute, or InDesign?

Of course, there’s more to the decision than that. The real question at hand is should you upgrade (if you already have CS/CS2) or purchase Creative Suite 3. We’ll be taking a closer look at the individual products and the enhancements they’ve received in this newest version to help you figure it out.

Photoshop Extended

Let’s start off with one of the most recognizable members of the Adobe family, Photoshop. Right away, you are greeted with a new color scheme and the replacement of CS2’s Palettes with Panels. Each of the various panels can be grouped together, collapsed (individually or all together), docked, or even hidden. What this equates to is more available canvas area without losing easy access to your toolkit.

One of newest features that I’ve been using quite a bit is the new Quick Selection tool. Somewhat akin to the Magic Wand, but rather than clicking on areas that fit into the tolerance you set, one simply paints over the area, selecting as you go. You can then refine the edge transforming what was once a tedious process (for complex shapes) into something much simpler.

Been wishing for better control over your filters? Creative Suite 3 introduces Smart Filters, a new way to interact with your layers in a non-destructive way. And then, to make things even more interesting, once you’ve got a Smart Object (what a layer is converted into so that Smart Filters can work with it), you can stack multiple layers and produce even more astonishing results.
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THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

Ever wish you could draw pretty pictures all day and get paid for it? What if you had the opportunity to one up that lifestyle and even go at it freelance style? Von Glitschka, a freelance illustrator behind some very impressive art projects has recently released his Keyboard Characters into the wild. We sat down over coffee, chatted about Von’s world and now present 10 questions (and of course, answers) with this freelance art maven…

DA: Where is your office located these days?
VG: I work out of my home studio. I enjoy it and my cats like to visit me during the day which is nice.

DA: How did you end up moving into freelance work?
VG: Technically I have never referred to it as freelance. I started my own business, and incorporated back in 2002. I’ve averaged about a 15-20% growth each year but that is now starting to level off since I am my only employee.
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How little you know about the age you live in if you think that honey is sweeter than cash in hand.
- Ovid

Yes, we’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating for a review such as this: in the realm of freelancing, one of the most important tasks you have is tracking your time accurately and efficiently. But even if you can track the time, if you forget to ask to be paid, or have no way of tracking what you want to be paid for, your goals of becoming a successful freelancer will never come to fruition. Seeing that our goal here is to provide you with the resources you need to be successful, we are reviewing Cashboard, a web-based time tracking, estimating, and invoicing application.
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The Freelance Writer’s Bible: Your Guide to a Profitable Writing Career Within One Year by David Trottier.

The Freelance Writer’s Bible by David Trottier

According to Wikipedia, the term “Bible” may be used as a generic term to describe a book or text that any devotee to an idea should read, or a book that lays out a way to do things in a particularly well-accepted way. David Trottier, author of “The Screenwriter’s Bible”, apparently intends his new book, “The Freelance Writer’s Bible (Your Guide to a Profitible Writing Career Within One Year)” to be just that, an authoritative source for Freelance Writers. Can it live up to his and our expectations? Read on to see if we agree.

Are You The Touchy-Feely Type?
Alright, I’ll come right out and admit it, I’m the type of guy who enjoys a well-done chick flick as much as I enjoy a good action movie. But after the first two pages (essentially the introduction), things get a little, uhm, odd. Perhaps I should explain better. When I first started this review, I thought it would be another interesting title on freelance writing, covering the same topics I’ve read before, but perhaps giving a new twist here and there. What I didn’t expect was a lot of idioms and philosophical discussions about my inner Warrior or my Safe Harbour.

I understand that this will appeal to some. But to others, sentences like “Invariably, the first three pages will be crap…”, and “in the voice of Morpheus from The Matrix…” wear on the reader (at least this one) very quickly.

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Six Figure Freelancing (The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money) by Kelly James-Enger

Six Figure Freelancing by Kelly James-Enger

The title, when combined with a cover that looks like it came from the US Treasury, and using a dollar sign in place of the “S”, practically screams: “You too can make big, big money writing freelance!” Sure, we freelancers are interested in how to make more money in our particular fields. And self-help books can both help or hinder your goals. Could Kelly James-Enger’s version of bringing home the big paycheck be the definitive answer? We’ve read it from cover to cover and bring you the results.

But I’m Not A Freelancer Writer…
Let us get this first bump out of the way: just because you don’t write freelance for a living doesn’t mean that this book can’t help you. Kelly does focus mainly on the paper medium, as it is where she most successfully placed herself, writing for so many sources that you are bound to recognize a few. That said, her concepts could be easily adapted to any freelancer today, with a little translation to your specific world.
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By Dickie Adams

“The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it, and habit fills up what remains.”
- Marcel Proust

In the realm of freelancing, one of the most important tasks you have is tracking your time accurately and efficiently. It is your product (or creates it), and therefore, you need to simultaneously protect and distribute this valuable commodity. Unless you consistently bill and quote flat rates, you’ve likely experienced the extreme pain that timecards and time tracking can create. Seeing that our goal here is to provide you with the resources you need to be successful, we are reviewing Tick, a web-based time tracking solution from Molehill.
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