Photo Shading Effects Photoshop Tutorials

Step 1

Start by opening photo and then go to Image > Image Size to update it´s width to 600px and height to 800px.

Step 2

Background is too white so we need to reduce brightness of whole photo by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels.

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Step 3

We need to increase contrast by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

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Step 4

Go to Window > Channels and create a new channel there. This new channel will be filled with black color on channels thumbnails. Make sure you have all channels visible and your photo will look like mine.

Select Elliptical Marquee Tool to make selection similar to mine.

After that feather selection with Select > Modify > Feather Selection.

Select Paint Bucket Tool to fill selected area on newly created channel with white color (#ffffff). Deselect selection with Ctrl+D.

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Step 5

Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise.

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Step 6

Apply Filter > Brush Strokes > Angled Strokes.

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Step 7

Hold Ctrl button and click on Alpha 1 channel thumbnail on Channels palette to load selection of this channel.

Apply Select > Inverse to invert selection.

Create a new layer above photo layer and fill selected area with white color.

9:46 AM - By Anonymous 0

Suspended Text Effect Photoshop Tutorials

Step 1 First create a new document, 1000×500 pixels, with a black background. Then, create your text in white. The font used is Verdana, and the size is 120pt. Choose Bold from the Font Style selection box next to the Font Family box in the Options bar.

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Step 2

Create a new layer on top of the Background layer and call it “Gradient”. Select the Gradient Tool, and set the Foreground color to White. Create a Foreground to Transparent gradient from top to bottom.

Press the Ctrl key, and click on the text layer thumbnail (icon) to create a selection.

Select the “Gradient” layer so that it is the active layer, and press Ctrl + J to copy the selection and paste it in a new layer, call the new layer “Gradient Letters”. Then, click on the eye icons next to the text and “Gradient” layers to make them invisible.

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Step 3

Pick the Rectangular Marquee Tool, and click the Intersect with Selection icon in the Options bar. Reselect the text (Ctrl + Click on the text layer thumbnail), then draw a rectangle around the first letter.

This will make the letter S the only selected letter.

Create a new layer on top of the “Gradient Letters” layer and call it “Colored Letters”, then change its Blend Mode to Screen. Fill the selection you created with the color #ff0000, then press Ctrl + D to get rid of the selection.

Repeat the same process to each letter. (Ctrl + Click on the text layer thumbnail to create a selection, draw a rectangle around the letter you want to color, fill in the selection, and press Ctrl + D to get rid of the selection at the end.) The colors used here are as follows:
S – #ff0000
U – #ff7e00
S – #fffc00
P – #a2ff00
E – #06ec00
N – #00d8ff
D – #004eff
E – #7200ff
D – #f000ff
This is what you should get:

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Step 4

Set the Fill value for both the “Gradient Letters” and “Colored Letters” layers to 60%, and duplicate each one of them.

Select the original “Colored Letters” layer, then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and set the Raduis to 5. Do the same thing for the original “Gradient Letters” layer.

Merge all 4 layers together (select them all, then go to Layer > Merge Layers).

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Step 5

Now, create a selection from the original text layer again (Ctrl + Click on the original text layer’s thumbnail), use the Rectangular Marquee Tool, and click the Intersect with Selection icon in the Options bar, then draw a rectangle around the first layer.
Once the letter is selected, press Ctrl + J to copy it and paste it in a new layer.

Repeat the same process for each letter. Don’t forget to select the “Colored Letters copy” layer after you press Ctrl + J each time.
Once you’re done, you should have each letter in a separate layer. Remove the eye icon next to the “Colored Letters copy” layer to make it invisible.

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Step 6

Set the Foreground color to #e5ffff, and pick the Pen Tool. Make sure to clik the Paths icon in the Options bar as well.

Create a new layer on top of all layers and call it Rope. Draw a path as shown below:

Choose a hard round brush and set its Size to 3 px. Then, pick the Pen Tool once again, right click on the path you’ve created, and choose Stroke Path.

Use the settings below:

This should stroke the path with the brush you modified. Hit Enter to get rid of the path.

Duplicate the “Rope” layer, then select the original one, and apply the Gaussian Blur Filter once again (You can press Ctrl + F to do so).

Drag the two “Rope” layer so that they are under all the letters’ layers.

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Step 7

Rotate and move the letters to place them on the Rope.

Ctrl + Click the “Rope” layer’s thumbnail to create a selection.

Pick the Eraser Tool, and select the Letters layers, one by one, to erase the outer edges so that the letter looks like its really hung on the Rope.

This is how the text should look like:

Now choose a hard round brush for the Eraser Tool, set its size to 5 px, and again, select the Letters layers one by one, to erase the parts where the Rope and the Letter meet.

You should end up with a result similar to this.

Step 8

We’re going to make the background more colorful. So create a new layer on top of the Background layer and call it “BG Colors”. Then, select a soft round brush, and scatter some different sized spots on your canvas using different bright colors, for example #fe5a00, #ffe100, #7cff00 and #00fff5.

Use the Eraser Tool with a soft round brush to erase a bit of the colors at the center (around the text).

Set the “BG Colors” layer’s Opacity to 25%. And we’re done!.

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Final Image

9:44 AM - By Anonymous 0

GPS Mount - Don't Take Them Lightly

For anyone out there who is a fanatic about snowmobiles and GPS devices, there is a heavy duty GPS mount made just for you! In addition other types of GPS systems, it accommodates the Garmin Nuvi beautifully! RAM appears to have solved some of the most troublesome problems encountered by snowmobilers using, say a bicycle mount on their snowmobiles - and other such clever adaptations.

Typically, these sorts of makeshift GPS mount applications don't work because some of the extreme conditions common to snowmobiles are totally foreign to bicycles. As a result, our GPS device functions below optimal levels. We don't often consider that possibility when we're suited up and ready to roll. However, it is best to remember that GPS mount tend to be specific to the device for which they were designed. You'll find very little, if any, crossover in this arena.

Whether you want to mount the GPS PND (personal navigation device) on your hip, your bicycle, motorcycle, snowmobile, Cessna Skyhawk or your 40 foot catamaran, there is a specific mount for the job. Getting the right GPS mount will save you hours of frustration while adding to the overall enjoyment of your craft and/or vehicle - recreational and otherwise. Trust me, I've been there.

10:12 PM - By Anonymous 0

Causes of weak cell phone signals and regulating cell phone signal boosters

Have you been experiencing many dropped calls lately? Are you living or working in a cell phone signal dead zone? If you have answered ‘yes’ to these questions then you definitely need cell phone signal boosters.

Cell phone signal boosters are devices that are used to increase and improve your service provider’s signal strength. They are also known to reduce noise and to improve the sound quality of phone calls and even increase your battery life. Cell phone signal boosters extend the range of any cell phone signal. There are two ways in which cell phone signal boosters can be used; by connecting the signal booster directly to your phone or by using a repeater (or an amplifier) which requires no physical connection to your phone.

Weak cell phone signals are caused by various reasons. Building size affects signal strength by attenuating the signal and interference by objects that reflect the signal inside the building is also to blame. This is common in large buildings such as factories and is the same in the basements of big buildings. In these situations Cell phone signal boosters with external amplifiers can be mounted at various locations on the building to improve signal reception.

Some materials used in building construction also attenuate the signal. Old buildings which have lead in their roofing materials block signal reception. Buildings with very thick concrete walls and floors, fiberglass insulated roofs and metallic window screens are known to block radio signals. Buildings with such materials therefore require cell phone signal boosters mounted on them to amplify the cell phone signals and thus allow users to roam freely without worrying about dropped calls.

Cell phone signal dead zones can also be caused by signals taking different paths and bouncing off buildings. These signals then are transmitted as destructive signals and require directional cell phone signal antennas to align them and transmit them properly. This is to prevent them from affecting the signal frequency ranges used by cell phones.

Companies dealing with cell phone signal boosters are bound by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and guidelines as much as it gives the mandate to allow data roaming by carriers. The FCC’s role is to ensure that signal boosters do not interfere with carrier networks and their goal is to facilitate the deployment and development of high quality signal boosters that do not interfere with transmission of carrier networks. This is considered necessary considering that quite recently some carrier networks recently argued that certain cell phone signal boosters interfere with their towers thus leading to dropped calls complaints by their subscribers.

10:11 PM - By Anonymous 0

Prevent The Computer Breakdown With IT Services

The IT services Miami not only provides data backup but also helps prevent computer breakdowns by getting rid of hampered operations on the system. The IT service professionals, who are well-versed with application development and maintenance, provide solutions for data backup, firewall, server management, and any other requirement which needs remedy. Importance of Data Backup and Recovery Services The loss of crucial data due to accidents, virus attacks, or human errors can leave an organization in ruins. Therefore, backing up files against accidental loss is very crucial for the enterprises. The leading causes of data loss are as follows: * Malfunction of hardware * Physical damage to storage media * Human error * Software corruption * Computer viruses * Theft * Natural disasters. Florida is prone to hurricanes and tropical cyclone threats in addition to the technology-related issues. Therefore, it is highly essential to hire managed services South Florida to be on safer side. If the backup plan fails due to some unavoidable condition, the only option left is to approach a data recovery service to avoid the loss of data. Data recovery basically means restoring or retrieving the data from damaged or corrupted files. With escalation in virus and hacking attacks, the number of people needing data backup and recovery plans is increasing steadily. Services Offered by Data Backup Miami Studies show that computer outage lasting more than ten days can put nearly 50 percent of companies out of business within five years. Therefore, it is critical to hire the services of data backup Miami to get the business back on track in case of data loss. The competent IT services Miami offer wide array of backup plans, recovery of data, and other computer-related services at an affordable price. Generally, around 80--90 percent of data is recoverable. But, if an IT service fails to recover the data, the organization will not have to pay for the services. If an unreliable source declares the data to be irretrievable, it is sensible to get a second opinion from a reliable data backup Miami service to be sure of their diagnosis. Advantages of Hiring Managed Services South Florida It is not easy for every organization to keep up with progress to take competitive advantage of the technological innovation that is taking place in the scientific world. Under such circumstances, the organizations hire IT managed service provider to impart the technology-related competitive advantage to their business. Managed IT Fort Lauderdale services provide small and middle size businesses with professional services and technological expertise to succeed in their trade. The highly skilled professionals of the managed services South Florida understand the need of the business, and therefore deliver technology solutions and support services that are designed exclusively for the organization. IT-dependent companies often hire the services of IT management services with ease to manage monthly payment so that they can focus on the growth of their business rather than worry about managing the technology issues. The managed IT Fort Lauderdale and IT services Miami provide good deals on application development and maintenance in South Florida. For the companies that rely heavily on their treasured data, it is critical to hire the IT services Miami. These services help protect their computers, servers, and software programs along with data backups to save their businesses from running into irrecoverable losses.

10:10 PM - By Anonymous 0

Internet Marketing On Mobile Web And T-Mobile 4G Networks For 2011

LocalNet360-Last September 2010, Google announced at a New York trade show that YouTube had become the number two (#2) search engine on the internet and that by 2015 about 50% of all online ads would be pay per view videos. As expected, in the next 3-4 years, Internet usage is going to multiply by up to 10 times what it is today due to the availability of the next generation of cell phone service called 4G. While it is still early for most small businesses to buy into the concept of online marketing, the truth is that now is the time to get started to build your Company’s presence online. In this article, we will discuss the importance of buying in to Online marketing to increase business as the availability of 4G skyrockets.

Mobile Web And 4G Marketing-Good or Bad?

Within the next 3-4 years, the 4G network is expected to be available in every city in the United States. What this means for businesses is an increase of real-time searches for your company, thanks to faster download and uploading times and/or streaming of content for websites on phones. No longer will potential customers be tied down to a PC or laptop on an Internet connection in order to conduct research or find a company that fits their needs. In fact, the majority of your customer searches will soon come from a mobile web search run on a 4G network.

It is estimated that a good 90% of all site views will be coming from a SmartPhone user browsing for a company that fits their needs on mobile web by 2015. In fact, in the past year where 4G was tested in select markets, the number of local searches nearly doubled, even though total market penetration is still small. What does this mean for your small business?

As more and more customers begin searching on the go, your business could significantly benefit. Being readily available on the internet through sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can significantly improve your business volume. Take YouTube for an example. Currently, roughly 24 hours worth of video is uploaded every minute, which equates to about 35,000 hours, or roughly 4 years of video content daily. With the increased availability of 4G networks, and download speeds of up to 12 Mbps, streaming a video from YouTube could take as little as a few seconds. In fact, most SmartPhones using a 3G or 4G network already offer applications to watch YouTube videos on the go.

Investing time to properly advertise your business on the Internet will pay off. As more and more customers begin searching for companies on the go, your business should follow suit. If you begin getting your name out there now, the less you have to do when 4G markets become available in your market and also nationwide. Even expanding into test sites can significantly improve traffic to your website within the next few months.

Of course, the expansion of mobile web and 4G are but examples of how the Internet can be used for marketing the products and services of small businesses. And that should the market for 4G networks continue to grow as suggested by Google, many small businesses can begin to use this evolving resource to help grow their businesses regardless of whether they develop specific promotions or choose to use mobile advertising in a more general way such as highlighting the company’s products or services.

As you begin to develop and/or expand your presence on the Internet for your business consider this: Websites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are good solutions to help jumpstart your mobile marketing campaigns online, as most major sites already offer mobile versions of their main sites. However, you will need to develop more comprehensive strategies, since no one way will work for all businesses as you begin to build a customer base that you can then market to online on a regular basis. As stated earlier in this series, in order to rise above the crowd you will need more than just a website. Therefore, implementing several Internet based solutions over the next 12-24 months will be critical to the long term success for virtually every small and local business in America.

10:08 PM - By Anonymous 0

Ways to take advantage of Facebook’s 2011 updates

Your initial step is to have a good look at Facebook’s promotion guide and determine what you want to achieve clearly before jumping into it. Subsequently, you would develop plan on how to achieve your goal and be willing to embark on the required efforts towards achieving your goal. Ensure that you are always timely, then be as simple as possible. It also pays off well to promote on your other marketing platforms or channels.

For novices just entering Facebook platform : where should be your starting point?

This is very important for beginners on Facebook. Your first step is to create a Facebook Fan or Place Page. Ensure that you define your audience clearly to enable you structure the right content and grow an editorial library. Take advantage of content that your audience is likely to find interesting and valuable – device a simple way to share the content and ultimately engage your audience.

How does a Place Page differ from a Fan Page?

For those who have a physical location where followers can check in, you can make it a Place Page, which can be mapped with a given address. For instance, if you run a concert show, a Place Page would be more suitable - the venue will be the address featured in the map.

10:08 PM - By Anonymous 0

How does Craigslist Make Money

The craigslist service entered 1995 produced by Craig Newark, it started out a message list of pals that featured local even in San Francisco Bay Area. It became an internet based service after having a year and possesses grown to expand to different cities and countries.

The site has over 20 billion view on a monthly basis rendering it as the 33rd most viewed website across the world and 7th through the US. Craigs list 80 million new advertisements every month it is the best choice in classified service due to the industry. It received a couple of million job listings monthly so that it is as among the top job boards around the globe. It's got different categories which you could put your posts from trade to dogs to jobs and also real estate property.

What makes Craigslist Generate profits

It has become a controversial topic to many people because most will wonder so how exactly does craigslist makes money because they offer free posting on classifieds. One has to only go the craigslist homepage to see that not all posts are for free some have to have a fee which needs to be paid per posting. Samples of necessities such as $75 per post in the Bay area San francisco bay area. Some areas like Austin, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Portland, Sacramento and North park are just a some of the cities this charge $25 for job postings. That means that whenever they should post any extra job then there is another fee to pay. If you still wonder how does craigslist earn money then wonder forget about, with more than Two million job posts on the spot a month I'm certain how the site has become profitable to keep in the business. How can Craigslist Make Money

Also, in Ny there exists a fee of $10 for posting apartment rentals from brokers and through the US posts for therapeutic services charges $10 per post and $ for reposting it.

All job posts expire between 30 - 45 days dependant on the city. That means that there is a consistent flow of income due to the should repost the position ads monthly. The site has been able to create a strong foundation on its income and it seems that there is no need to question so how exactly does craigslist make money?

- How can Craigslist Earn money & Safety on the Website

Since craigslist is a free service the first is cautioned against posting their personal information on the posts for example email or telephone no. as some utilize this to take advantage of the viewer who respond by gathering information which can be used in order to scam or get unwanted telemarketer calls later on.

How can craigslist generate profits ? There has been a great deal of concern also on the legality of some posts on the spot for example the adult content category and private sections as it has been known to connect partners together even lesbians.

Also about the buy/sell category be cautious while using purchases you make as is available no chance to look for the authenticity in the service so prior to you buying seek advice from the owner try to obtain a warranty or request to meet in public areas to look for the object on the market. Following this information about how does craigslist generate profits.

10:07 PM - By Anonymous 0

8 Of The Best Plugins For WordPress

WordPress is an amazing tool, I use it on so many websites, I really would be at a loss without it, but what one of the things that makes it so great is the over whelming amount of plugins that are available. If there's something you want to do in WordPress, there's normally a plugin to help you do it.

SEO Ultimate - I think this plugin deserves more recognition than it's gotten up till now. I have never seen a plugin with such a massive array of features, this does everything that platinum SEO and All In One SEO, also throws in the functionality found within SEO Smart Links and a number of other plugins it is essentially the swiss army knife of WordPress plugins. Some examples of its additional features include; code inserter (for use with adding Google Analytics, Adsense section targeting etc) Webmaster verification assistant, Link Mask Generator, Robots.txt editor and there's even an option for exporting your SEO Ultimate settings to a file so you can import later or use on another blog if you need to, along with support for importing post meta data from All In One SEO - and there's more, well worth checking out.

W3 Total Cache Plugin - This plugin when fully configured can give at least 10x improvement in overall site performance and give you up to 80% bandwidth savings via minify and HTTP compression of HTML. In A/B testing this great WordPress Plugin beats other optimisation plugins like WP Super Cache hands down in terms of page load time, and not only that but it has Amazon S3 integration. This plugin is so good at performance optimization that it is trusted by sites such as mashable.com, smashingmagazine.com and many others.

Cbnet Ping Optimizer - Within your WordPress admin panel, if you click on the writing option within the settings tab, you will see at the bottom a section called Update Services, now each time you publish a post or update a post WordPress will ping the sites in this list. So if you update a post frequently, some of these services may blacklist your site, this handy plugin stops WordPress from pinging these services when you edit a post, but allows it to ping them when you first add the post, removing the possibility of being blacklisted as a spammer on those services.

TinyMCE Advanced - WordPress uses the standard version of TinyMCE as its WYSIWYG editor, this is the advanced version that will add 17 plugins to TinyMCE. These include: Advanced HR, Advanced Image, Advanced Link, Advanced List, Context Menu, Emotions (Smilies), Date and Time, IESpell, Layer, Embed Media, Nonbreaking, Print, Search and Replace, Style, Table, Visual Characters and XHTML Extras.

WPtouch - Once this WordPress plugin is installed and activated it will transform your blog into an iPhone application-style theme when it is viewed from an iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Palm Pre, Samsung touch and Blackberry Storm/Torch mobile devices. With web browsing via mobile devices this is an extremely important plugin to utilise, as it will provide fast and user-friendly browsing from the mobile devices mentioned and this will not affect your desktop theme in anyway. On top of that you can customise various aspects of its appearance within the admin panel and it will also display ads from Google Adsense which is very handy.

Maintenance Mode - This nifty plugin will add a splash page to your blog to let its visitors know that your WordPress blog is down for maintenance, it will also inform the visitor when the site will be accessible. The message is completely customisable and logged in administrators will get full access to the blog including the front-end.

Broken Link Checker - It can be quite frustrating for the reader of a page on your blog who has become engrossed in whatever article/post it is they are reading when they try clicking a link within your page and the site is broken. However this will always happen from time to time and can't be avoided, but when you've been blogging for a while and you've amounted a sizable archive of posts and articles it would be impossible to check them all.

WP-DBManager - The worst thing that can happen for any blogger is to put your heart and soul into writing great posts and then then just lose it all, whether it's down to your webhost or something else. This great WordPress plugin makes it so easy to back up your WP database, and even optimise and repair it too. It supports backup scheduling and allows you to either download the backup file or email it to you. This plugin is a must have for anyone who is serious about using WordPress.

10:06 PM - By Anonymous 0

Free PowerPoint template – Making your presentation more effective

Many of us have to make PowerPoint presentations to convey ideas more effectively. Many students also have to make presentations for their projects. Making an effective presentation is very important. The presentation not only becomes effective because of the content it carries, but also because of the way it looks and feels. It is very important that your audience can connect with you and your presentation and this can be effectively done with the help of free PPT template. A template for PowerPoint is actually a set of graphics laid on the blank view of PowerPoint. PowerPoint template does a lot to help you make an effective presentation. Firstly, you get to choose a specific template for your presentation. This helps your audience connect with your audience in a more effective and efficient manner. If you choose the template, such that it complements the subject matter of your presentation, than the look of the presentation would be more pleasing and the audience would also be able to connect with it in a much better way.

Secondly, a good template would also help you develop confidence about the things you are going to present, hence helping you in delivering an effective presentation all together. A free PowerPoint template is one way to impress your audience.

There are thousands of designs which you can choose from the internet and download with just a click. They are very easy to use and you do not need to be an expert to use them. They are used similarly the actual PowerPoint is used. You can also have custom designed free PPT template for your presentation. Many websites also provide this service for the convenience of their users. There are many websites which may also provide templates which have to be paid for use.

You will surely find a free PowerPoint template that suits your requirement. Templates are available very easily. There are many websites providing free PowerPoint templates. You should always be a little careful before choosing the website from where you wish to download the template. Make sure that the template is not available only for a trial period and is not copyrighted. Always remember, that the way your presentation looks will have an impact on the way your audience perceives your work and the subject matter of your presentation. If you are looking to deliver an effective presentation, it is always advised that you use a good template which suits your subject matter

10:05 PM - By Anonymous 0

Introduction To Microsoft Security Compliance Manager

The Microsoft Security Compliance Manager provides centralized security baseline management features, a baseline portfolio, customization capabilities, and security baseline export flexibility to accelerate your organization’s ability to efficiently manage the security and compliance process for the most widely used Microsoft technologies.

Key Features & Benefits

• Centralized Management and Baseline Portfolio: The centralized management console of the Security Compliance Manager provides you with a unified, end-to-end user experience to plan, customize, and export security baselines. The tool gives you full access to a complete portfolio of recommended baselines for Windows® client and server operating systems, and Microsoft applications. The Security Compliance Manager also enables you to quickly update the latest Microsoft baseline releases and take advantage of baseline version control.

• Security Baseline Customization: Customizing, comparing, merging, and reviewing your baselines just got easier. Now you can use the new customization capabilities of the Security Compliance Manager to duplicate any of the recommended baselines from Microsoft—for Windows client and server operating systems, and Microsoft applications—and quickly modify security settings to meet the standards of your organization’s environment.

• Multiple Export Capabilities: Export baselines in formats like XLS, Group Policy objects (GPOs), Desired Configuration Management (DCM) packs, or Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) to enable automation of deployment and monitoring baseline compliance.

• Security baselines for Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Hyper-V, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Windows Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft Office 2010, and Microsoft Office 2007 SP2

• Setting packs for Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8

System Requirements

________________________________________

• Supported Operating Systems:Windows 7;Windows Vista Service Pack 2

• This toolkit is intended to work with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and the desired configuration management (DCM) feature.

• Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats (available as a free download) can be used to open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office 2007.

• Microsoft Word or Microsoft Word Viewer (available as a free download) can be used to view Word documents.

The Security Compliance Manager Getting Started Guide is available on microsoft official website. Download this short guide to quickly set up and customize the Security Compliance Manager (SCM) tool. The guide also includes brief instructions on using the SCM tool to deploy and monitor security baselines for the latest server and client operating systems from Microsoft.

10:05 PM - By Anonymous 0