Photoshop and Illustrator are among my favorite image editing tools. I use them daily for a number of things, from graphic design work to the simplest tasks, like re-sizing personal photos. But not only are they quite expensive, but the learning curve is tremendous.

It’s not easy for someone with little experience with these applications to install them and start using them fully. Heck, I don’t even use them to 100% of their capability and I have years of experience!

So what do non-designers do? What can you use to modify photos or do basic image optimization when the funtionality in the software that came with your digital camera or scanner is not enough?

Two of my favorite free image editors are Paint.NET and GIMP. I have used both on my second (and third) computers at home or at other locations when I’ve had to work in a pinch. Here are some details.

Paint.NET
Paint.NET is free and has a lot of features, including:

• Simple, intuitive, and innovative user interface
• Layers
• Effects such as blurring, sharpening, red-eye removal, distortion, noise, and embossing
• Adjustable brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, curves, and levels
• Simple tools for drawing shapes
• Unlimited history (I love this feature because it means you can undo and undo….and undo.)

I primarily use a Mac for my work and Paint.NET is only avaialble on Windows. But I have installed and used it on a PC, and it’s really easy to use…almost deceivingly easy with the amount of functionality it provides. There is virtually no learning curve here, so I vote this as a must-try for any non-designers interested in doing image editing work.

GIMP
GIMP is probably one of the most used open source image applications. It has pretty extensive functionality and mimics Photoshop in some ways. Some of the features GIMP has includes:

• Painting tools including brush, pencil, airbrush, clone, etc.
• Gradient editor and blend tool
• Unlimited number of images open at one time
• Layers and channels
• Editable text layers
• Transformation tools including rotate, scale, shear and flip
• Supports all of the major file formats

There are versions available for Windows and Mac. While it does have a lot of functionality, there’s a bit of a learning curve. If you have time to play around, do some tutorials and practice, you can do almost anything that can be done with Photoshop. One major downfall to note, however, is that GIMP doesn’t support CMYK, which makes it a no-go for any print design work. But this is still a very good, advanced (and free!) image editor.

So, have you used either of these? Are you up for giving them a try?

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Looking through magazines for gift ideas I stumbled upon something I hadn’t seen in years, a glass piggybank. I recall receiving one when I opened my first savings account. It forced me to continue to save because I didn’t want to ‘break’ it until it was completely full, or I had enough to purchase something I really wanted. My eyes were always on the prize.

By the ‘80’s piggybanks had changed; they had stoppers in the bottom to remove money whenever you wanted. By not having to keep adding to your savings until you’d reached your goal, many times they were never met. The bank became a place to gather loose change but it took away the demand that you reach a goal or lose it all, by having to ‘break the bank’.

I think about my business goals in somewhat the same way. I have to find ways of making myself accountable to reaching my goals. Last year, I setup several reminders to check on my 2008 goals. When I got the first reminder, I realized, – YIKES, now where did I put those goals? J I was not contributing to them as I would have liked.

It’s difficult when you’re the boss, isn’t it? How can we make ourselves accountable for the goals we need to keep our businesses afloat in these challenging times?

Many of us struggle with this, so I found someone who is willing to help me stay focused on achieving my 2009 goals. And I’m doing the same for her!

Now do not beat yourself up if you don’t achieve a goal. They are always evolving to meet the demands of whatever’s going on in your industry, or marketplace, to help your business stay strong.

So set some attainable goals for where you’d like to see yourself in 2009. Find someone you trust who will help you stay on track and make you accountable for the goals you’ve set.

Re-invent yourself and keep making deposits in your unbreakable piggybank of growth. Stay positive and watch what happens.

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To say that I’ve been stressed out this year, would be a huge understatement, sometimes though.. you just have to laugh. Many of you know, I run 2 Minutes With A VA and sometimes the recording don’t always go as plan…

To set this up, I was at my desk (off of the kitchen). My husband, Tom, was in the kitchen and someone was working on the roof. I don’t know why I thought I could do a video without distractions… listen out for my darling husband’s commentary as I mess up around the :35 mark…

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Well this isn’t a geeky post – but it’s still relevant.   And I’m not just posting a link because I’m featured in the book.    Okay, well, maybe I am!  LOL

Pam Ivey (one of our GeekGyrls) and Kristi Pavlik have just released the new book called The Business of Being Virtual which is now available!

This book brings you insights into some of the best known and successful virtual assistants in the industry.

You can learn more about the book at www.businessofbeingvirtual.com.

Here’s the table of contents:

Congratulations Pam and Kristi!!!

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Did you know that the Federal Government and Private Grant Foundations issue billions of dollars in grant money  each year?  Many of these grants are specifically earmarked for women and minority businesses.

Honestly, the processs can be quite complicated and confusing. UncleSamsMoney is an online web site that can help you in selecting and applying for grants.  They offer a directory of grants, grant writing software and more.

If you’re a minority/woman business owner, don’t ignore grants that were created especially for you! While the process can be intimidating, receiving thousands of dollars to invest in your business can take you to the next level!  Imagine purchasing a brand new lap top, software and office furniture for your office.  You can also use that money in education to further your business, learn new skills or software’s, and so much more!

Grant programs are not Loans. The money is yours to keep and never needs to be repaid. This grant money is non-taxable and interest-free! Grants are not an easy process.  You must research and apply for each grant that you are interested in and qualify for.

If you are not interested in using UncleSamsMoney to research grants, you can also manually research grants. Ask your local library for assistance.  I’ve listed a few books at Amazon below that may help you learn more about grant writing as well.

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I recently did a Squidoo page (lens) for an author and ran across 2 widgets that are perfect for a pre-release book launch.

One is a Countdown widget and the other is the Amazon Spotlight widget.

There are a couple of Amazon widgets that do different things, but Amazon Spotlight allowed me to specify the author’s book on Amazon.com.  What’s cool is that it has a Buy Now button and everything, allowing this Squidoo page to easily act as the book’s sales page, if you don’t already have one.

Squidoo provides many widgets to make your page interesting and interactive. The fun part is finding the ones that will give your page that extra pop.

The Countdown widget supplies an air of anticipation and excitement to the page when your book is scheduled to be published and you have the date. Not sure what it looks like after the date comes and goes. Will keep you posted on that one.

If you want, check it out at The Introverted Leader.  It’s a good example of how authors and writers can use Squidoo to promote their book.

Social Network Marketing to the rescue!

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