Dublicator

For All Your Blinds

Blinds in George

For All Your Blinds custom make and install blinds and offers the best prices and service.  They are based in George on the Garden Route and have been operating since 1998. For All Your Blinds cater for all budgets and no job is too big or too small. Blinds you can choose from include:

• Vertical Blinds
• Venetian
• Wooden & Aluminum Blinds
• Bamboo and Material Roller Blinds
• Roman Blinds
• Skylight Blinds

Custom Made Blinds in the Garden Route

For All Your Blinds provide blinds to homes, businesses and clubs in George and other Garden Route Towns like Mossel Bay, Hartenbos,, Wilderness, Knysna and as far as Tsitsikamma.  Curtains and curtain rails are also available.  Contact For All Your Blinds for a quotation for your new custom made blinds.

Manufacturers of Shutters and Awnings in George

For All Your Blinds in George also manufactures shutters and awnings.  Both indoor and outdoor shutters can be made according to your specific requirements. With more than 15 year experience in the blind, shutter and awning industry you can be assured of the best service and quality products.

Professional Cleaning and Repair of Blinds in George

Let For All Your Blinds wash and repair your blinds. A professional blind cleaning service is offered in George, Mossel Bay and surroundings. Your existing blinds can also be repaired.

For All Your Blinds will take care of all your blind needs in the Garden Route!

Grow your own

This category is all about Grow your own.

Psychic Readings Online

Psychic Readings Online by Delia O’Riordan celebrates its first anniversary online! We at the Semiomantics Team wish to congratulate the eminent psychic reader, who is well known under “Just Ask Delia”, for taking her offline business into the competitive Internet arena and building a professional reputation based on knowledge, decades of experience and – what counts most in this field of expertise: intuition!

If links are cut on a syndicating website, go here: http://psychic-delia.com and find the shop on the BLOG (navigation menu).

Psychic Readings Online

Psychic Readings Online started its journey exactly one year ago on the anniversary of founder and psychic expert Delia O’Riordan.

Quietly and far away from any noise and hype, this elegant website which offers a fabulous wealth of knowledge and information has carved its way into that apparently vague region “…between heaven and earth…” that may not be seen or sensed by most human beings, but where there is this fascinating ‘more’ of many things that we are all after yet may have difficulties to fathom.

Just Ask Delia

“Just Ask Delia” is for the serious, discreet searcher.

What do I mean?

If you are not on this quest yourself – which often but not only means investing into your own research studies, workshops, yoga, meditation and prayer to name a few – to find answers to the most important questions in your life and the way it’s enfolding – be it in the areas of career, love or destiny – , and your emotional stress is building and affecting your health and wellbeing, however, you don’t know where to turn to find – within the global haystack of  competing psychics, mediums, astrologers, specialists, channellers etc advertising their supernatural powers on the web – that professional, serious and extremely dedicated and precise psychic consultant that you may want to entrust with those haunting questions that so urgently need an answer – then… “Just Ask Delia”.

It’s fast, affordable and you will have your answers to work with – just click on the image below and check it out.

Book your Psychic Reading Today

What better proof than Psychic Delia clients returning after years, thrilled to finally find psychic reader Delia O’Riordan Online, and say how right her psychic guidance had been at the time, seen with hindsight after years… and booking a new consultation on the Psychic Delia Shop today?

What are you waiting for – CLICK HERE to find out more! Easy from your mobile phone…

How to use the Crop Tool on Google

In my previous article HERE I explained how to use the crop tool in the new Adobe Photoshop CS6. Here I do my daily SEO and monitoring to keep an eye on how my articles perform on Google Top 10.

How to use the Crop Tool on Google

On the above screenshot you see the performance of my above article on how to use the Crop Tool on Google – an amazing rank 1 on 349,000,000 search returns! That’s the power of a WP based Semiomantics XO Script set up properly and correctly edited and published. You must agree a smashing result… and this within less than 24 hours!

As we’re currently still busy with the Ycademy Seminar (June 2012), I can add another interesting fact about the Crop Tool: even after cropping, I can still move the image ‘below’ the ‘cropping frame’ to position things optimally. While I did not find cropping a difficult task in previous Photoshop versions, this definitely saves time and hence presents an excellent addition to the new Photoshop CS6.

Trendwise with Semiomantics XO2012

In a world of infinite choice, we all have our personal preferences when it comes to creating the Web Design for our personal websites and blogs – and this is exactly what many of our customers will tell us, especially if they have a business with set colors, fonts and logos. Of course, there are also those who haven’t thought about this issue, who may not want to be bothered with it (as this takes ample time and thought) and who expect us to suggest, advise and guide. This is where we should know and focus on current trends, put our personal priorities on the backseat, and design something fresh, modern and appealing where we are absolutely “Trendwise with Semiomantics XO2012″, which is currently going through a testing phase and will soon be released.

Most importantly, we need to think forward to adapt to the incredible developments and momentum on the mobile web: can people see our web design work on their iphones, smart phones and tablets? This is currently the driving power behind many decisions and as we want our customers to get the traffic and results they expect, this is what we need to focus on and ensure that they too see the advantages of certain essentials they might not initially agree with.

It’s all about functionality and thinking customerwise: let them see what your website is all about fast and in an attractive way, make navigation clear, quick and easy like a dynamic show. And let there be balance!

Trendwise with Semiomantics XO2012

With the new trends 2012 having been set, how can we at Web Design South Africa be trendwise with Semiomantics XO2012, the best WordPress based script to be released soon, and give our website or blog a New Look 2012?

How to give your Author Blog a Trend 2012 Look

Here are a few pointers as to how to give your Author Blog a Trend 2012 Look:

1. Color Trend 2012

I already wrote about the Color Trend 2012 HERE.

To repeat it quickly, the color of the year 2012 is a warm orangy red called “Tangerine Tango”.  It’s not too far off the color I am always using in my personal color scheme that marks “Web Design with Passion”. However, there are other trendy colors like ‘solar power’ and the ‘sodalite blue’ I used in my example above, in connection with ‘tangerine tango’.

Here you want to think of backgrounds, fonts, menu, graphics, links, hover effects etc. – however, don’t overdo it when setting it off against another shade or complementary color. What I learned in Typography many years ago with one of Europe’s two leading authorities in the field and a true friend, Professor Tuenn Konerding (Staatliche Kunstakademie Duesseldorf, Germany), still applies today: experiment massively… but then reduce, keep it simple, don’t use more than 2… maximum 3 colors.

I wish I had a better photo – but I am happy I can call at least this one up – for an extraordinary mind and spirit that left our planet far too early…

Interesting also the trend towards one-page websites and a comeback of the magazine theme (full layout Semiomantics XO). Of course, Apple-style layouts are still en vogue as they are a modern classic and simply good.

2.  Typography 2012

The focus is on bold letters and custom fonts that can easily be read on mobile phones. Interesting here the Google Font Library that can be added in form of a plugin and loads fast while making the look of the website more appealing.

Textures, shades and reflections are ‘in’ as well…

 3. Large High Quality Images

Less text but large, high quality images – meaning all forms of sophisticated Media Design – be it photos, graphics, videos… – especially for backgrounds but also for graphics, sliders (we will come to these) and whatever you integrate into your Website Design to attract and captivate.The use of light or shadow boxes – where pictures can be enlarged in an overlay-  is very much in the trend.

Actually, we have been ahead of this trend with Semiomantics XO 2011 already, and particularly with our comprehensive work on Evolution, my personal favorite… yet unfortunately on Flash which is currently not seen on mobile phones due to power plays between the ‘big boyz’ … but this too shall change one day once even they get it that ‘competition’ is out and ‘cooperation’ is in to save our planet – and this is NOT a trend but a Truth! Ask Steve on Cloud!

Meanwhile Evolution will… well, evolve!

4. Sliders are en vogue

And yet another feature where Semiomantics has been well ahead of the trend: sliders are en vogue! Besides that, in my view they are brilliant, practical, interactive, attractive, seen on the mobile web and add to the functionality of a website. At tleast the ones we use – they do come at a cost, but it’s well worth it – quality always had its price!

5. Connect to Social Networks

Finally, websites and blogs need to offer easy ways – meant are rather ‘loud’ icons (… I leave this to your personal taste…) – to interlink and connect to Social Networks like Twitter, Facebook, Google + etc. Today, people look out where they can connect, follow, share and register … and so the cybernet expands continuously and I sometimes wonder what all of this really means at the end of the day and for our environment! But that’s a topic for another day!

For now… let’s be aware of current trends and advise customers accordingly… there’s lots to play with!

Best Cape Town Weddings

Cape Town Weddings are a hot topic on Google right now as the Mother City and South Africa as a whole are exploding with the most glorious summer weather and Nature is in full bloom. However, at the end of the day, the best Cape Town Weddings don’t depend on a specific place but on the intention of the people gathering to celebrate the happy event! It’s always about the people – family and friends – who bring their love, joy and genuine goodwill to bless the new couple and ensure that they will be remembering their wedding day as the happy beginning of their united lives.

Best Cape Town Weddings

Of course, it’s also high season for photographers and videographers who aim at shooting the best moments of these Cape Town Weddings – each one with their specific style – some super-glamorous, others more journalistic or with an artistic touch, some like it colourful, others simply black and white. What is important is to capture the atmosphere and those very unique instants – mostly totally unexpected – that have a profound meaning and really touch our heart. In this respect the wedding preparations leading up to the event may be just as important as the wedding itself – and – as on this photo here – there are many things going through a loving mother’s mind when she ‘releases’ her daughter into a new and promising bond.

Wedding Website

I was asked why I was preparing a Wedding Website when normally people go for a so-called “Wedding Album”?

Well, one doesn’t exclude the other … and a form of a wedding album was delivered already to satisfy all those who wanted to see photos ‘now’, almost as it happened…. – however, and especially in today’s Internet-oriented world and with so many families being spread across the planet, there are many advantages to having a wedding website:

Firstly, you can seal your new bond by buying your new name (as a .com of course!) – it has something solid and lasting to it, don’t you think? That’s a good start…

Second, a wedding website can be fast and easily viewed on many devices by anyone who is given access from all over the world, and this for at least 35 years!

Third, a wedding website can be very interactive; friends and family can leave comments and, of course, the new couple can continue writing and adding pictures, videos and audios of their new life… like an online family-bio…

Fourth… and this I think is simply the best: you can easily turn a Wedding Website into a Family Website … adding the new events like the birth of a child, its first steps, its first drawings, its first so many things… as well as trips to exotic holiday destinations, their favourite recipes, when he meets the Queen or Donald Duck… or anything of importance that the young couple wants to share…

Fifth: a wedding website is a brilliant investment in your future, it is something that’s alive, vibrant and communicative – and it’s growing… extending that first moment when you gave meaning to your words into the future with all its promises, traps and surprises… for sure something your grand-children will enjoy !

Last but certainly not least: this wedding website belongs to YOU – it’s not exposed to the volatilities and risks of any social network where someone else is in control – no, this is entirely YOUR STORY – YOU ARE IN CONTROL!

And that alone is priceless!

Good Morning from Noordhoek

Good Morning from Noordhoek is an inspiring greeting showing Life in a Day, each day, in Noordhoek, South Africa

Good Morning from Noordhoek

It’s the 11th of October 2011 and – according to the Mayan Calendar it stands for “Fruition”!

Well, for me it started off as a tremendous day in terms of “Fruition” (which I will go into in another post) … and with glorious sunshine to accompany my search for the photo of the day “Good Morning from Noordhoek” that I dedicate to YOU – wishing you a blessed day filled with joy and fulfillment!

Trusting your Ability to ride Change

Because it is so significant in its content, and bearing in mind that “Trusting your Ability to ride Change” was written by Ian Xel Lungold many years ago, I’d like to quote him:

“We came to play hard and we came to play smart.

We came to tear Karma and Spirit apart.

We are on a quest to conquer duality

Stage by stage through our evolution

From within, to and through-out all duality

And so through-out all of Creation

The sum total of which is, Unity ()

This means we must confront and master duality.

And practice makes perfect.”

Leaving you with these thoughts for today . . .

Communication Design 10

You can read and gain more HERE.

How to Create Web Graphics

In yesterday’s post on “How to Create Web Graphics 9″ we looked into yet another interesting option to affect the colours in our image – and with this the image itself.

While this hopefully inspired and motivated the artistically inclined amongst you, You may also have realized not only how complex this entire process is but also how important it is to know your ‘graphic engine’ inside-out. This only comes from patiently learning the techniques and trying to understand how we could combine them to attain certain effects. For this it’s essential to invest a lot of time in experimenting with absolutely everything we find in our Graphic Tools Program – be it Photoshop, Gimp or any other. And this takes a lot of effort, guts and time…

And then you must know that this process is never finished!

"Seascape" Example for Demo Purposes by Bianca Gubalke

Graphic Design Services

What I show you is only one example.

To explain and demonstrate my points, this example is always based on the same picture I created from scratch: the “Seascape” in a yellow light. You can follow this on the Layers as presented on the Screenshots; in the one above I show you another Image Adjustment Mode called “Posterize”. Nothing is hidden – but if you were to undertake these adjustments you’d always have to make your own decisions, based on your eye, your style, your personal perception, your own inner music. If I choose a value of say 7 in this particular case, you might choose 5 or 10 – and get a completely different result.

In fact, each step within the creative process is always a matter of choices – and with the incredible tools at our disposition online today they are truly limitless. Which makes it miraculous in one way, but also difficult: the more choices, the more possibilities! So here experience counts as it finds the right solutions amongst the many options.

This is particularly important when offering your Graphic Design Services to clients – as here time is money.

They want it now!

And then you are lucky if the client knows what he wants! Often enough they come with a vague idea, they may show you what they like as they saw it elsewhere. Alternatively, they like and trust your style and understanding of what they want as well as your fairness when it comes to pricing – and they let you do.

What is important is that you know what “the job” is for and who the target audience is.

Author Blogs

Taking our next Ycademy Seminar (August 2009) where we will focus on the Author Blogs, someone who has a background in Jewellery and Gemstones like Barry Bell needs a different approach than say Eileen Cupido who focuses on Childrens’ Books or Boruch Rappaport who targets his price-conscious Hosting clientele.

Some factors however apply to everybody:

How to create a Web Graphics Header

The needed Header size is always the same: 500 x 80.

Here’s an example I did for Barry Bell that is in harmony with his NewsCast Blog:

Header for Barry Bell

And the same for Eileen Cupido… the font and colour speak for themselves, don’t they… :

Header for Eileen Cupido

How to do a Web Banner

The Banner size in the Header area also remains the same: 468×60 – the usual web banner size.

Here’s what I did for Barry Bell for his Online Newspaper Blog and which he will be using again to possibly lead people from his brand-new Author Blog to his NewsCast Blog:

Banner for Barry Bell

… and for Eileen Cupido:

Web Banner for Eileen Cupido

Backgrounds

And then there is a background that needs a colour.

As everybody learned during the Ycademy Pre-Seminar Call, the background needs a picture that will be tiled. It can be a tiny thing of 8 x 8 pixels or a little larger. I created this one for Barry Bell to go with the elegant Gemstone Theme on his NewsCast Blog:

Background Image for Barry Bell- to be tiled

I hope you see it? The light is so brilliant right now that I don’t see much, however, I know what I did and it looked promising at night :) Let’s see what the tiling brings… that still needs to be seen!

Anyway… there will be some stunning results after the Ycademy Seminar; it will certainly boost each author’s image and Google Top 10 efficiency! Yet another step on our “Path to Profitability”.

As you see, it’s always about bringing it all down to its essence and then. . . allow it to flow…

What do we learn from this?

To understand your Customer, be a Customer yourself!

Either the client knows exactly what he or she want and provide you with images, logos, exact colour scheme and fonts that all go with their existing Brand or a new Brand that they want to establish – in which case you as a Graphic Designer just execute – and the more experience and skills you’ve acquired the faster and better you are in translating that briefing into the demanded result… which as a consequence affects YOUR reputation as a professional.

OR… you need to ask the right questions to get the answers you need to steer your activities into the right direction without losing too much time From here you present some ideas from which the client chooses… and from where you then develop and finish off “the job”.

Ycademy Seminars

All participants of this weekend’s Ycademy Seminar (August 2009) will be extremely privileged owners of visually sophisticated and at the same time Google efficient Blogs based on the Semiomantics XO Script as developed by Yorgo Nestoridis.

The better you are prepared, the more you will be able to understand and expand your databank of personal Knowledge and Skills. So don’t miss tonight’s Pre-Seminar Ycademy Call!

Don’t forget, you can read and gain more HERE.

. . .

Communication Design 9

You may also enjoy learning more HERE.

Designing Graphic Images

If you have an artistic streak and would enjoy designing  Graphic Images yourself for your Blogs and Websites, then I would recommend you invest in getting the right tools to develop your knowledge and skills. While I use other programs to create my digital pictures from scratch, there’s no way around Adobe Photoshop to edit, retouch, refine until the final stage is reached and you publish your article not only with original text content but also your own digital images.

That’s my personal view.

My series on “How to Create Web Graphics” is aimed at creative people who’d like to get some hints and inspiration to see what’s possible and who’d like to embark on a Photoshop Safari :)

It still needs your determination to go through everything step-by-step, follow tutorials and move towards your goal of mastering your graphic tools with consistency and dedication. Like a piano player practises each day, so you will have to do a minimum daily to exercise and keep improving. I’m far from knowing it all – but I know definitely that the more I practice
the more I achieve… and teaching something is always a way to solidify one’s knowledge and skills.

Free Tools for Web Graphics

A last thought:

If you use free graphic tools – like Gimp – you may find similar applications, but you’d have to look for them. What I show you here is Photoshop-oriented and an invitation to look, maybe comment and ask… and come along as I proceed in my own research, continued learning, applications and creations.

Editing your Pictures

In “How to Create Web Graphics 7″ we went through a few basic ways for editing your pictures – but by far not all.

When my ISP once again cut the connection during yesterday’s Ycademy Call and I ran a scan as the PC had significantly slowed down all of a sudden – due to a Trojan attack despite my updated AV as I found out rather soon -, I tried to drown my frustration in experimenting with the other adjustment modes. We never use all the features on a daily basis – but we have to know them in order to get the results we want when we need them. What’s a landscape here may be a portrait or a photo there – it’s about principles and how we use our tools to achieve the results and effects we want.

Remember, all I show you here is always based on the same simple original Seascape in a yellowish light… meaning I am influencing existing colours in my image. I invite you to do the same, applying the same image adjustments to your own test picture or photo.

How to use Levels in Photoshop

We were there … now let me show you something more!

Open your program, pull up your test picture and go back to Image > Adjustments. Click on “Levels”.

On the “Levels – Popup” you will find the various Channels with a dropdown menu. What you do now is move the central triangle underneath the graph to the left or right and watch what happens on your picture.
Of course, the black graph will change and so will the Input levels – let this not distract you. Focus on your image only… and work with a sensitive hand.

Important: to see the changes you need to check Preview.

This is just a demonstration. When I edit an image, I go through the various colours until I have the colour or effect I want – then I Save the layer… and if I want to use this picture as is, I save it for the Web.

How to Create Web Graphics 9 by Bianca Gubalke

But now comes the kicker:

Click on “Auto” and see what you get now… and learn from this. The more often you practise the more experience you get – until you start playing your graphic toolbox like a musical instrument.

I think the result is pretty neat so far and reminds me of the windswept and isolated areas around our coastline where time becomes visible… burnt into rock in fascinating geological layers.

If you want to continue playing… click on “Options” and experiment with the Algorhythms and the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights by changing them to other colours and always observing what’s happening on your image.

You can always click “Cancel” if you don’t like the result – and go back and continue where you left it.

Enjoy… and watch out for more… or continue HERE !

. . .

Copyright © 2009 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/graphic-design-services/how-to-create-web-graphics-9/.

How to Create Web Graphics 9

Creating Web Graphics

If you have an artistic streak and would enjoy Creating Web Graphics yourself for your Blogs and Websites, then I would recommend you invest in getting the right tools to develop your knowledge and skills. While I use other programs to create my digital pictures from scratch, there’s no way around Adobe Photoshop to edit, retouch, refine until the final stage is reached and you publish your article not only with original text content but also your own digital images.

That’s my personal view.

My series on “How to Create Web Graphics” is aimed at creative people who’d like to get some hints and inspiration to see what’s possible and who’d like to embark on a Photoshop Safari :)

It still needs your determination to go through everything step-by-step, follow tutorials and move towards your goal of mastering your graphic tools with consistency and dedication. Like a piano player practises each day, so you will have to do a minimum daily to exercise and keep improving. I’m far from knowing it all – but I know definitely that the more I practice
the more I achieve… and teaching something is always a way to solidify one’s knowledge and skills.

Free Graphic Tools

A last thought:

If you use free graphic tools – like Gimp – you may find similar applications, but you’d have to look for them. What I show you here is Photoshop-oriented and an invitation to look, maybe comment and ask… and come along as I proceed in my own research, continued learning, applications and creations.

How to Edit your Pictures

In “How to Create Web Graphics 7″ we went through a few basic ways to edit and adjust your pictures – but by far not all.

When my ISP once again cut the connection during yesterday’s Ycademy Call and I ran a scan as the PC had significantly slowed down all of a sudden – due to a Trojan attack despite my updated AV as I found out rather soon -, I tried to drown my frustration in experimenting with the other adjustment modes. We never use all the features on a daily basis – but we have to know them in order to get the results we want when we need them. What’s a landscape here may be a portrait or a photo there – it’s about principles and how we use our tools to achieve the results and effects we want.

Remember, all I show you here is always based on the same simple original Seascape in a yellowish light… meaning I am influencing existing colours in my image. I invite you to do the same, applying the same image adjustments to your own test picture or photo.

How to work with Levels

We were there … now let me show you something more!

Open your program, pull up your test picture and go back to Image > Adjustments. Click on “Levels”.

On the “Levels – Popup” you will find the various Channels with a dropdown menu. What you do now is move the central triangle underneath the graph to the left or right and watch what happens on your picture.
Of course, the black graph will change and so will the Input levels – let this not distract you. Focus on your image only… and work with a sensitive hand.

Important: to see the changes you need to check Preview.

This is just a demonstration. When I edit an image, I go through the various colours until I have the colour or effect I want – then I Save the layer… and if I want to use this picture as is, I save it for the Web.

How to Create Web Graphics 9 by Bianca Gubalke

But now comes the kicker:

Click on “Auto” and see what you get now… and learn from this. The more often you practise the more experience you get – until you start playing your graphic toolbox like a musical instrument.

I think the result is pretty neat so far and reminds me of the windswept and isolated areas around our coastline where time becomes visible… burnt into rock in fascinating geological layers.

If you want to continue playing… click on “Options” and experiment with the Algorhythms and the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights by changing them to other colours and always observing what’s happening on your image.

You can always click “Cancel” if you don’t like the result – and go back and continue where you left it.

Enjoy… and watch out for more!

. . .

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