Digital images are measured in pixels.

4″ x 6″ inch file for the web that measures 400 pixels by 600 pixels

4″ x 6″ file for printing that measures 1200 pixels by 1800 pixels

The following chart shows us that pixel dimensions are the key measuring system for digital images. The more pixels = more information = larger file size and better quality image

1000kb = 1mb

kb, kilobytes and mb mega bytes is how much information is contained in the file. For a high resolution file suitable for printing its gonna be 5 or 6 mb but for the web it would be around 100 kb.

We try to keep the file size lower for the web so it doesn’t take too long for the image to load on your computer screen. One way the web developer does this is by using jpeg format.

Jpeg is a compressed format. It shrinks the final file size while maintaining the number of pixels. It’s like a painter who is in a hurry and says oh the sky is blue so he pulls out a large brush and paints in a blue sky. The jpeg formatting fudges some of the pixels making for a smaller file which can be emailed or downloaded but destroying the subtleties in the image.

It is ok to save a copy of a file as jpeg if it has been sized correctly for its final place on the web, however if you send a jpeg to a site for display and they decide they want it a bit larger or smaller it is like making a recording of a recording the quality deteriorates drastically.

For printing we use a non compressed file such as a tiff or pict file. The file size is usually 300ppi so looking at the chart 4″ 6′ inch image for a printed book should be 1,200 pixels by 1,800 pixels. That is the key measurement in this scenario, how many pixels across, how many down, however printers request stuff in different ways so we can use the chart or let the software do the work.

via 7 Keys to Effective Blog Re-Designs | Vandelay Design Blog.

here is an excerpt which pretty much sums up the social networking value for small business.

For small businesses that can’t afford to do traditional advertising, could they do all of their marketing solely through social channels?

More and more, the answer is yes. I think they need a good product and they need commitment and passion. Money cannot buy passion, and that’s the most powerful marketing tool. As a marketer, I want to create the environment for passion to happen, and then amplify that passion. Small businesses are more committed to their product and their customers than any, and I think that the more they reflect their core values and their culture, the more people will respond and become part of that.

We need to tell stories, as marketers. If we document our journey and people come along for that journey, the commitment that they make is huge. The key is to create a narrative and let people be part of it. Let them actually affect the narrative. And that is what social media marketing is. Creating a narrative that somebody can join. Like any great narrative, there are twists and turns and unexpected things, and if you do that well, your audience will come along for the ride and become extremely vested in your success.

Race for the Sky is a music peace project commemorating the spontaneous acts of expression on the New York City streets after September 11, 2001. In the hours after the attacks, New Yorkers instinctively began to gather in the streets and transform them with artistic expressions and improvised rituals. Through music and song, Race for the Sky lifts in memory this remarkable event and offers it on the web as a gift for the future.

Lisa will join a panel discussion of the legacy of the spontaneous, ephemeral memorials created all over New York in the weeks after the attack. Panelists include: Martha Cooper, renowned documentary photographer; Dr. Harriet F. Senie, Museum Studies Dir., City College; Kay Turner, Folk Arts Dir., Brooklyn Arts Council; and Steve Zeitlin, City Lore Dir. Followed by a book signing for the launch of Martha Cooper’s Remembering 9/11 (Mark Betty Publishing, 2011). More information: http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/documents/1715.

Return, Remember: Ephemeral Memorials in the Legacy of September 11th
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 • 6–8PM
The Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Dumbo

Karen’s songs are regular features at a number of events this time of year and throughout the year with Holiday and special occasion songs.

Tues., September 6, 2011, 11:00 AM CDST
Paulette Pipe
will include “The Call”
in her segment ‘Touching the Stillness’
as part of her UnityFM.com program
streamed live.
Karen will be reading two prayers for peace
during the show as well.
www.unity.fm/program/TouchingTheStillness

Thurs., September 8, 2011, 6:30 PM PDST
“The Call”
will be included in the
World Day of Prayer Service at
Christ Unity Church of Sacramento, CA
Streamed Live at: www.ChristUnity.com

Sun., September 11, 2011, 10:00 -11:30 AM PDST
Unity Temple of Santa Cruz, CA
“The Call”
will be performed by
Sheila Gautreaux-Lee
www.unitysantacruz.org

Sun., September 11, 2011, 10:30 AM EDST
Unity Church of Venice, FL
will include
“The Call”
featured background anthem of
’9/11′ Video Produced by C.J. Hatter
www.VeniceUnity.com

Sun., September 11, 2011, 3:00 PM EDST
South Jersey WILL REMEMBER
at ‘Bridge of Faith’, an interfaith
Fellowship of Christians, Jews and Muslims
Dr. Beverly Vaughn
will perform “The Call”
at Beth El Synagogue
5090 N. Jerome Ave., Margate, NJ 08402
“The Call” is also heard on their website:
www.9-11MemorialSouthJersey.org

Sunday, September 11, 2011, 7:00 – 8:30 PM EDST
“The Call” will be a part of
‘A Night of Remembrance’at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
E. 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.)
Sponsored by
Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaze and
Turtle Bay Assn. in cooperation with NYC Parks & Recreation
For info: 212-826-8980
www.HammarskjoldPlaza.org
www.TurtleBay-NYC.org

Who decides what an essence is and how do we know when an abstraction is true to this essence? If defining our essence is an entirely subjective process, how can we then say that abstract art is communicative in any way? If abstract art purports to have a special connection to our interior world, why does it depend on the physical world and/or materials and objects, just like representational and narrative art does? Also, why would abstract works of art have a privileged relationship to our essence? Certainly it is not due to a superior communicative ability. Abstract art that purports to be about the formal qualities of the art making process, the limitations and strengths of the surfaces and materials the artist works with, is a fetishization of the physical. It is like saying that the materials artists use have more value than anything an artist might try to convey. Hence the plethora of boring uninspired art we are currently plagued with in the galleries.

Ambiguity can be just as intellectually bankrupt as uninspired realism or cliché narrative art. There is no form of art that is entirely mental. Even the most conceptual works of art, in any medium, exist in the context of the physical world and require some object or material, including people, to convey their meaning. So then we must agree that abstract art is always “about” objects in some way, and therefore, always has an element of representation and narrative to it, especially in the mind of the viewer. A person does not stand before or view online a work of abstract art without conjuring forth associations and parallels with specific memories, of other works of art, or anything else the visual machinery of the brain can manifest.

As long as an abstract work of art avoids being nailed down as a representation of one specific thing, is it a success? Does an abstraction fail if most people who see it say it looks like X and nothing else? Does abstract art want to avoid consensus? Abstract art has never gone beyond the overdone modernist aesthetic of ambiguity. If vagueness or fragmentation is a virtue, who besides people immersed in visual culture can get inspired by or excited about this stuff? Typically abstract art stood in opposition to pretty art, but who can say this is the case any longer? How does complexity enter the picture without the trappings of written language taking over and surpassing the experience of seeing the art itself?

Representational and abstract art have been equally co-opted by commercial artists, graphic designers, and interior decorators. Narrative art has fallen out of favor, when compared to these other modes of image making. Abstract art does not hold a superior position in terms of inherent aesthetic value. Usually we say that representational art is bad if it is poorly crafted or ingenuous. The wedding of abstract and representational imagery has resulted in many different styles, but usually this genre settles into the category of representation. Representational and abstract art can both claim to be about human essences. So is all art representational or abstract? When it comes to abstract art that is all about formal qualities, texture of materials and surfaces, tension and/or relationships between line, shape, color, picture plane, etc., and the juxtaposition of different materials, do we pretend there is no content, even though it is impossible for a viewer to experience things in this way? If the main intention of an artist who makes abstract art is to make content beside the point, then how are we to contemplate these objects, after we are done describing them? Is abstract art nothing more than a catalyst for pretentious analysis?

Addendum: My guess is that very few artists who exhibit in galleries would feel comfortable saying that their art is strictly abstract or representational. However, I think this is the case for the wrong reasons. I think there is a certain level of gullibility and much lax thinking that exists in the art world that is responsible for this false assumption that abstract art is more “real” or, by default, imbued with a spirituality that can’t be accounted for by the art itself, but entirely relies upon text to be communicated to viewers. If we are really happy with art that looks cool, or is fun, or is entertaining like mass media products, then someone should tell the academics, gallery owners and critics, because they are still busy making up stupid shit to justify their existence and to prop up art that is mostly bad. For abstract artists, making good art is no easier than it is for artists who work in a realistic vein. But unlike art that is primarily representational and/or narrative, abstract art relies on a premise that I think is false or entirely rhetorical. The small segment of the world that is aware of contemporary art and art history was alienated by and finally deified abstract art. I do not think that people view, digest, contemplate, etc., abstract art in the right way. This is because their thinking process has been tainted by years and years of reading horrible art writing, instead of living with the art, seeing where and if it takes them anywhere, and then recording their experiences in a novel and substantial and intellectually vigorous and analytical way. Of course seeing an exhibition, looking at art for a short amount of time and then having to write about the experience leads to the overuse of cliches and lazy formulations.

There are conservative people out there who dismiss abstract art. There is no doubt about that. But I think that any learned person would be hesitant to dismiss abstract art because they simply feel that it is poorly made and ill conceived. The claims of obtuseness and technical inability is not entirely wrong, and I think that the literature made within and for the art world, press releases, catalog and exhibition essays, art journalism, scholarly tomes, all make things too easy for abstract artists. I do not think that we should assume that abstract imagery is some sort of fast track to a world of essences.

Remember this site is for the user.

Who is the user?

Personas

It is helpful to clarify as much as possible who will be using the site, the user persona. it is also helpful to create a site persona. In the case of artists websites thats easy, its you.

Who is the person you want to visit your site? Possibly there are a few different people, give them names. Try to come up with 4. You can even find pictures of them on the web. Don’t forget to create your own persona.

? Name
? Profile type
? Age
? Gender
? Occupation
? Character
? Description
? Site usage – How will they use the site? buy? research? refer?.
? Web confidence and context – this will help us clarify how fancy we wanna be
? Brands they identify with – this is the fun part. We know people and love to define them

Mood Boards

A mood board is basically a collection of graphical elements that set the tone for your design. Typically these include examples of:
• Typography
• Imagery
• Colour
• Layout
• Style

If you can, collect the images from the web and paste them in to a photoshop document. Colors, textures, fonts, scenes. If you cant do photoshop or paste them in to a text document try putting them in an email or cut them out of magazines and make 4 sheets

• The initial gut reaction.
• Another which looks almost like a website
• A crazy loose one
• another which is way over the edge, daring and inappropriate

Once you have all 4 you can pick and choose the elements of each one which can represent your persona while appealing to the persona of your users.

It’s never to late to play with this stuff. As much as you love your site as is are you getting the results you expected? It doesn’t cost anything to cut some pictures out of magazines and will help you in other aspects of your professional life to clarify your clients and yourself.

2010.October.31

P.J.S. Exhibitions Presents “Grandpa’s Attic”
- A Collection of New Works Inspired by Nostalgia -

New York, NY (October 2010) – P.J.S. Exhibitions, an eclectic gallery in New York’s West Village (238 W. 14th between 7th & 8th Ave.), presents Grandpa’s Attic November 11 – December 24th.

Grandpa’s Attic transports patrons back to a time when they may have discovered a place of wonder, awe, fantasy and imagination; akin to an intriguing, long-lost memory of a child hiding out in grandpa’s mysterious, magic-filled attic.

Unlike traditional art exhibits, Grandpa’s Attic is an interactive shopping experience with all artwork and products on display available for purchase. Showcasing a variety of items such as art, guitar straps, skateboard decks, jewelry and furniture, Grandpa’s Attic will feature work by Jamie Bond, Brooklyn Mammal, Jordan!™, Natalia Krasnondebska, Jessica Sandek, Jason Shelowitz and Rachael Becker amongst others.

“We’re really excited about this show,” says Patrick Sullivan, owner of P.J.S. and co-curator of Grandpa’s Attic, “We’ve selected some amazing up-and-coming artists whose work blends seamlessly to invoke those feelings of nostalgia that make us all feel like kids again.”

The exhibit is co-curated by Patrick Sullivan and Bevin Robinson, who recently collaborated on the successful Metanoia exhibit at P.J.S. back in July.

“This show couldn’t have been better timed,” explains Bevin Robinson, “The work will be affordable and available right before the holidays. If a piece reminds you of someone or something, which is what we’re aiming for, you can take home or give it as a gift without typical gallery prices.”

All are invited to come and wander into Grandpa’s Attic this holiday season.

THE GALLERY IS OPEN TUESDAY – SUNDAY 11:00am – 7:00pm
RSVP
amayo@pitchcontrolpr.com

P.J.S. Exhibitions opened its doors May 20th 2010, and will be home to series of exciting exhibits rotating every 45 days with additional shows benefiting non-profit causes. After graduating from Christie’s Educational Program in Modern Art, Connoisseurship and the History of the Art Market, Sullivan has developed a keen eye for admiring and appreciating various media of artist expression. He aims to dedicate his space to being the premier location for displaying the works of exciting, modern, young and avant-garde artists.

www.pjs-exhibitions.com

For more information regarding P.J.S. Exhibitions or Patrick Sullivan, please contact
Sarah Cirkiel (scirkiel@pitchcontrolpr.com) or Ashton Stronks (astronks@pitchcontrolpr.com)
at Pitch Control Public Relations, 212.475.4919

###

Download a PDF of this press release by clicking here.

ppi and dpi both refer to the density of the image. How much information is contained in the file for the screen (ppi) or printer (dpi) to read.

The ‘size” (both file size and size in inches) of the image in inches can be all over the place by changing the density of the image using ppi

The problem is that an image we use to view on the internet usually wont have the amount of information (pixels) required for printing a smooth image. If we take the best image our camera can shoot it will be too large to see on the screen or take too long to download. Therefore we use different versions of our images for printing and viewing on the web. Generally 300ppi for printing (which converts to about 150 dpi in the printing process) and 72 or 96 ppi for viewing onscreen.

The above images are 600 pixels high and changing the ppi (Resolution or density) does not affect how they look on screen but you can see that the size in inches has changed radically. That is the size of your print. At 8.3 inches that flower will not look as dense and clear as it will at 2 inches. Thats why when you are asked for an image for printing they generally ask for 300 ppi. If when you change the setting to 300 ppi and the size is not large enough it’s time to look for a new version of that image. You could click resample Image and have the software try to fill in the gaps but you are doing your art a disservice. It’s best to maintain a folder of full resolution images in a non lossy format such as tiff or psd just not jpeg. From there you can always resample down to a smaller image for the web.

You can usually tell by file size if you are on the right track. for printing it’ll be 3 mb or more depending on how many inches it is at 300 ppi and for the web (72ppi) under a megabyte.

PPI-Pixels per inch

a screen measurement, usually 72 ppi for mac 96 for pc. No matter what setting you declare, 300 ppi or 72 ppi, the screen you are looking at has a certain amount of pixels to use and thats that. (see images below)

DPI- Dots per Inch

a printing measurement. The more dots the smoother the image will look. 300 dpi is good, Fine art books use 600dpi and newspapers 170dpi

Lisa’s new website features photographs of the art by Martha Cooper and a free cd of music, I’ll let her tell you:

I was in NY those days and was involved in some of the exhibits and spontaneous art-making but I had no idea until working on this website how prevalent it was. Lisa’s essays are brilliant and heartfelt guiding us through those days without pathos or sentimentality allowing the spirit of inspired creativity to shine.

In todays media saturated world we are in danger of losing our perspective. The view of those days from Lisa’s eyes is a welcome change and one I will hold on to.

Memories of 9/11, I have found, are deeply personal and reflect some of our most closely-held values and worldviews. Grief, loss, hope and fear move through us, shaping and coloring the lens through which we see ourselves, others, and our memories. This kaleidoscopic lens of our memories is important to remember, as an event as influential as 9/11 is brought to bear upon so many social and political decisions.

Race for the Sky remembers how individual and diverse New Yorkers gathered to mourn, sing, embrace, write, pray, and create together.

The trip was planned for winter in the hope of seeing the Aurura Borealis lighting up the night sky, which we did. Other favorites: the Icelandic horses, their coats so thick they can stay outside all winter with their backs to the (frigid) wind. The horse ranchers are very protective of their breed: no other breeds are allowed to enter the country, and if an Icelandic horse is shipped outside the country it can never come back. More amazing things: in the north, the icebergs were stationary in frozen rivers; the basalt and lava form compelling shapes and structures; the beaches are black with ground up lava, the thermal features and lagoons are quite beautiful. Iceland is heated geothermally.

I have travelled with most of this group many times. All of us started out as film photographers but at this point in time, only 3 out of the 10 were still shooting film, all 3 of us black and white. I was dismayed to find that the digitalists (as I like to call them) were so fast that I, with my totally mechanical Hasselblad, would just barely have my tripod set up at whatever site we were visiting (never mind about meter readings, changing film, lenses or filters!) and they would already be done photographing.

Although Iceland is relatively small, the winter climate changes significantly from the frozen north to the rainy south. We circled the entire island in 11 days, starting and ending in Reykjavik. The sun was up for about 6 hours each day, and the sunlight was deceptively weak. Although one would have many more hours to photograph in the summer, this winter scenery was very dramatic.

see Cali’s new images at http://caligorevic.com/