Homeschool Creations

Monday, August 16, 2010

You Asked! 4: Software and Clip Art

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about what I use to create my documents and printables and graphics….and where I get my clip art.

For most of the printables that I create, I use Microsoft Publisher and then convert the files to pdfs so that you all can download them. Publisher has been a program that I’ve had for years and is part of the Microsoft Office Professional software pack. Many of the pieces of clip art that I use are from the Microsoft clip art collection {you can also access the images online}. Two other sites that I like to browse and use are clipart.com and fotolia.com. Both of those sites require either a membership or that you purchase download credits.

When I make headers, buttons, etc… for blog designs and such, I use Photoshop Elements 8. I actually picked up our software at Costco when they had a coupon for it and have LOVED it! It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the full Photoshop has, but it also has a better price tag for me…especially since I’m just fiddling around. :) I’m still learning about much in the program, but it allows me much more freedom in creating graphics.

Hopefully that answers a few questions for you all! If you have other questions, leave a comment and let me know and I can hopefully answer it in a future post…or point you in the right direction.

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8 Comments:

  • I love photoshop, I only have version 7 and haven't had time to upgrade yet.
    Here is another place to get clip art and many are royalty free. Be careful searching though, they are not always appropriate!

    http://www.fotosearch.com/

    By Blogger Bekki, At August 16, 2010 at 10:26 AM  

  • Very fun! I was trying to use Word to make some printables.. but I hate that it auto formats things for you. I need to get a copy of publisher.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At August 16, 2010 at 12:30 PM  

  • Ok- here's my question! How do you upload your PDFs so that people can download them straight off your blog without having to use a third party platform like Scribd? Thanks!

    By Blogger Chic Mama, At August 16, 2010 at 4:24 PM  

  • I never did have the patience to figure out Photoshop, but I LOVE PSE too. I have version 7. I go between it and Paint Shop Pro for creating images. But I absolutely love Lightroom for editing pics!!

    By Blogger Susana, At August 18, 2010 at 11:16 PM  

  • I just left you an award at http://5littleteeth.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-first-award.html!
    Thank you for all your ideas!!!

    By Blogger Amy, At August 19, 2010 at 1:12 AM  

  • So much great information. This is my second year of homeschooling. I wish I would have found you last summer. Thanks for sharing all this with us.
    www.mukweto.blogspot.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At August 19, 2010 at 10:10 PM  

  • I've just gotten Publisher but hadn't tried it, I tend to make things in Excel and Word since I know them better. I'm trying Publisher now and loving it! If you don't have the 2010 version of Office it is incredibly worth it. They've made many changes, it's so easy to use. I don't know how many times I've said to my husband "Have I told you how much I love the new Excel?" You can also save as a pdf file now instead of having to use a pdf creator. Thanks for sharing, I will be using Publisher a lot more now!

    By Anonymous Sheryll, At August 20, 2010 at 11:34 PM  

  • So much great information. This is my second year of homeschooling. I wish I would have found you last summer. Thanks for sharing all this with us.
    www.mukweto.blogspot.com

    By Anonymous Jacquie, At December 15, 2010 at 12:58 PM  

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