Monday, May 12, 2008

Digital Signage Software

Digital signage is perfectly positioned to assist with the relaying of information to large crowds of people in the event of an emergency. Recent events such as the school and university massacres in the United States of America have highlighted the need for authorities to communicate and update people that are trapped in these situations.

Gone are the days when institutions and authorities had to rely on static and prearranged emergency plans hoped that word of mouth and speakerphones would transmit their instructions to an often frightened public. Instead they are now able to transmit up-to-date instructions which can be adjusted to meet a variety of situations and can be delivered as a consistent message to all affected people. This ultimately increases public safety and emergency response times and leads to saved lives.

Institutions and emergency services can use digital signage in a variety of ways:

* Provide visual and dynamic demonstrations of current escape routes
* Communicate with large crowds of people in a consistent and clear manner
* Provide real-time information on the crisis as it unfolds
* Allow for varied messages for people in different areas of the venues
* Use the signage for a variety of other uses and communications during non-emergency times

Essentially digital signage can allow rescue, crowd management and crowd communication efforts to be infinitely more efficient and effective in a cost-effective manner, resulting in increased public safety. These are just some examples of the ways digital signage can be used to increase public safety in times of emergency.

Digital Photography Software

Digital photography has exploded the possibilities available for capturing, sharing and manipulating photos. The increased attention has peaked the interest of many amateur photographers and the market is responding accordingly. There are many software products available for download as well as purchase. These products offer various ways to edit and organize your photos as well as provide instruction. I offer the following review of products that I found to be of good quality.

Kodak Gallery is a free online site for editing and storing photos. They also offer a number of services including gift ideas, personalized products and online tutorials. Shutterfly and Winkflash are very similar to Kodak Gallery offering a number of products such as greeting cards, calendars, mouse pads, etc. that can be personalized using your enhanced digital photos! These sites offer printing services and allow you to create a slide show to be shared via email. You are able to set various controls such as whether or not the recipients can view, print and or order any photos. It is always recommended regardless of which site you use that photos be back up on a disc in case of any server problems.

Before we move on to reviews of software products that have a variety of features that cover the photo taking process from start to finish. I can not resist mentioning, Tourist Remover Software. In the same way that HDR photos can take all the best bits from multiple exposures of the same subject and combine them into a single photo, FutureLAB's cleverly named Tourist Remover Software can remove tourists your travel photos. Simply snap a few shots of a building, statue, etc., happy tourists and all. Their software will combine all of the un-touristed sections of each picture into a single tourist-free photo.

Many software products are being offered that have camera control and recovery tools. I suggest the following software as I find it to be reasonably priced and of good quality.

Digital Camera Photography Professional Edition by Tradetouch Inc.

Features include:

Camera Control Tool which shows the user how to set capture time, control a remote camera, reduce the camera's shudder etc.

Photo Management Tool allows you to classify your photos, record the time, and present them in an album or other format.

Advise and Teach Skills such as adjusting light, choosing shooting time, and managing instruments.

Photo Edit Tool will help you cut or add something fun to photos, change color, compile several photos into one etc.

Recover Tool allows you to recover deleted photos from your PC's disc or camera's RAM.

Drivers for your camera are included with this software.

No Installation or Hard Disk space used, Browser based interface is extremely fast.

Digital Photos by Atari

Digital Photos is interactive software for editing, printing, and organizing your digital photos. The popular series is available for your computer. This is user friendly software that can help you with your everyday computing digital photo needs. Features include:

Educational Features will help you take superior photos by showing you how to adjust the ISO, focus manually or use auto focus, balance your white and colors and catch a moving target.

Printing Tips such as advice on what printers and paper are best for photo printing.

Photo Enhancement Tools which include instruction on how to avoid over compression and how to use the best formats when saving photos for different uses.

Automatic Storage of your photos, simply plug your digital camera into your computer and the software automatically transfers, classifies, and saves your photos.

Creating Fun Keepsakes using your software's wizards, you can create your own digital photo albums and put your albums on Web sites. You also can add transitions and music and turn your pics into slide shows. Or you can print your photos and design your own gifts.

Specialty software is also available! For example;

Secrets to Kids' Photography by Select Soft Publishing

This software introduces professional secrets that can mean the difference between taking an ordinary snapshot and capturing an incredible photo. An instructional video guides you through a real shoot. The user learns about different kinds of poses, how to give instructions, composition, creating a work area, equipment and props, high-key lighting etc.

Secrets to Fashion Photography by ARC Media

Allows you to follow along with the instructional video as experienced top fashion photographer Desmond Williams guides you through a real fashion shoot covering a wide range of assignment types. Learn about working with models, creating poses, makeup, equipment, lighting effects, marketing etc.

Digital photography has exploded the possibilities available for capturing, sharing and manipulating photos. There are many computer software products available for download as well as purchase. These products offer various ways to edit and organize your photos as well as provide instruction. Photography software enables amateurs and professionals to get the most out of their camera and pictures!