A filter is used in Photoshop to change the appearance of an image or layer. The filter tool can be extremely powerful and easy to use to dramatically change the effect of your image.
First
Let’s open Adobe Photoshop. To launch Photoshop select the Photoshop icon from the Menu Bar on the bottom of the screen. This is the Photoshop icon:

Second
Photoshop may take a few seconds to launch, don’t panic. Once Photoshop has launched we need to select an image to edit. You can use an image that you’ve taken using one …

Keynote is a program available in the Digital Media Lab that will aide you in creating presentations. Do you need to create a presentation for school, a business meeting, or an upcoming family event? We recommend using Keynote as it allows you to make beautiful presentations easily. In this module we will make a simple keynote presentation and save it as a pdf or power point file so that you can use it at any computer.
Keynote Introduction
First
Launch Keynote by selecting the Keynote icon from the menu bar. Once Keynote is …

The Skokie Public Library Digital Media Lab comes equipped with our very own Green Screen. We painted one of the walls in the Digital Media Lab so that you can use the Green Screen feature that many of our products offer.
What is a Green Screen and how does it work?
Green Screen Definition
Chroma key compositing (or chroma keying) is a technique for compositing two images or frames together in which a color (or a small color range) from one image is removed (or made transparent), revealing another image behind it. This …

Garageband is an easy to use music editing program and is part of the iLife suite. We have compiled some GarageBand basics here. In this tutorial we would like you to create your first Garageband song using at least three different loops. Export the song to mp3 format and share it with your friends.
First:
Launch GarageBand by clicking on the GarageBand logo on the menu bar. This menu bar is on the bottom of the screen. GarageBand is represented by a guitar icon, select the GarageBand icon to open GarageBand.

Select Loops. …

The Skokie Public Library Digital Media Lab has Flip Mino HD cameras available for rental. The Flip Mino is a digital recording device that is extremely easy to use for capturing video. This module will cover the basics of the Flip Mino camera from operation to importing film.
First
The Flip Mino cameras can be checked out at the Second Floor in the Computer Lab. Once you have obtained your Flip Mino they fairly easy to use.
Second
Turn your Flip Mino on and begin shooting. On the right side of the Flip Mino …

In the world of Digital Media the Podcast has become extremely popular. You can make a Podcast in the Digital Media Lab using GarageBand. In this module we will cover the definition of a podcast and begin working on a podcast of our own.
But first, what is a Podcast?
A podcast is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication.
The mode of delivery differentiates podcasting from other means of accessing media files over the Internet, such as direct download, …

The Digital Media Lab is equipped with two Canoscan 8800F color film/negative/photo scanners. In this module we will cover how to scan something using one of the scanners.
First
Make sure you select one of the computers that has a scanner connected to it. At the point of writing this article it would be the Digitization Station (Station #3) and the Digital Design Station (Station #1). Turn your scanner on by pushing down on the ON/OFF button on the top left hand side of the scanner.
Second
Once your scanner is turned on launch …