Cubase and Asio4All
on 11/8/2010 7:17 PM

It often happens that the Audio hardware (usually onboard) isn't able to reach the desired latency (delay between input waves and recording), which complicates the recording unnecessary. But with the right Asio Driver (universal Audio Driver / extended Interface) the latency can be reduced very well.
Asio4All a driver is called (there might be more...), which achieved this effect in my experience very well. But the installation of this driver with Cubase isn't really easy. Thatswhile here the steps to install the driver successfully:

1st Download driver from this site and execute it.
2nd Follow the steps in the installer, until the program is installed right there.
3rd Navigate to your programs folder (e.g. C:\Programs) and open "ASIO4ALL v2" right there.
4th Copy the files "asio4all64.dll" and "asio4all.dll" into the program folder from Steinberg into the "Asio" folder (e.g. C:\Programs\Steinberg\Asio).
5th Start or restart your Cubase and openip the Device configuration (Devices > Device configuration...) (This may depend on your Cubase Version)
6th Click on the Node "VST-Audiosystem" and select the ASIO4ALL driver on the right side.
7th Confirm by clicking "OK" and restart Cubase possibly.

How fast is your PC?
on 6/23/2010 3:31 PM

A Benchmark-Program helps you to get the performance of your Personal Computer.
I've already wrote such a free Benchmark Tool (in C++, for the freaks ;)). So you strain your computer with Simulation Tasks (such as 100 thousands of balls colliding) by pressing only one key.
Overall there are 3 tests, whence the used time and the gotten points will be calculated. To see, how much your computer is strained, just have a look in the Taskmanager (Windows + R > 'taskmgr' > Enter).

This program is free to download on this page. Depending to your system the program might run not properly as it should.

Holidays
on 6/26/2010 11:27 AM

I wish all pupils relaxed and great holidays.

PS CS5: New Functions
on 6/23/2010 1:00 PM

Since May Photoshop CS5 is available to by and I've considered the main innovations.
As many videos in the internet betrayed, is the Development of CS5 imho mainly due to a new algorithm, based on the search-similar-parts-in-image-Principle. This allows to fill huge areas in an image:

Content-Aware Fill

Or: What about resizing an image, without stretching any area in the image? (since CS4)

Content-Aware Image Resizing

U know it: You want to enlarge an image, without getting a pixeled result.
No problem anymore:

Content-Aware Fill (2)

In Photoshop CS4 was a part of the algorithm already introduced with the Content-Aware Scale. But Photoshop CS5 also includes Image Retargeting, Content-Aware Fill and partially Image Reshuffling/Patch Match.
The Content-Aware scale you may find under Edit > Content-Aware Scale, the Content-Aware Fill under Edit > Fill...

What I lack in CS5 is the full Patch Match tool. Thus, Adobe introduces of reshuffling the entire image content:

Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcJgnC9M_nY)

Also new in Photoshop CS5 is the refine-ability of masks (found under Edit > Refine Edge...)
This may help you to select hairs or something else.

All in All, Adobe presumably could have include these functions with an Update, but nevertheless, Photoshop became an indispensable tool now.

From Green to Red
on 6/22/2010 6:22 PM

Photoshop beginner tutorial - The green line of a trail should become red. Even, it's no problem with Photoshop, since there are the Blend-Options.

How to:

1st Open an image und select the desired area. (e.g by using the Quick-Selection Tool)
2nd Create a new layer
3rd Chose the new, desired color as the foreground color.
4th Fill the selected area with the fill tool.
5th Select 'Hue' instead of 'Normal' in the Layer-Window.
6th Optionally, you may flatten the image with pressing Ctrl + E.

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