Welcome to all the new members who joined our group during this last week.

Just as things start getting back to normal, an update for my membership site script (in development) did not update and I am still trying to resolve the problem with the technical people at the supplier.

The newsletter is still hosted on another website until such time that newbieshelp.com is fully recovered.

There have been quite a few new product launches in the last two weeks, but I think that for those starting out in business they are a little expensive and really I cannot adjudge the content other than by purchasing them and then assessing them for myself, before recommending them to you.
It amazes me how certain "gurus" recommend certain products, which when I have bought them based on their recommendation, which I personally consider to next to worthless. So, unless I have reviewed the product in detail you will not get those recommendation emails from me.

The information product is still on the back burner and I'm afraid the product creation series of articles will have to wait another week.

During my work on the information product one of my needs was finding graphics for the product. The article today tries to show you some of the problems with using online graphics in your projects.

A short break for this week's sponsor.

This week's Article
Title - Find Good Clipart and Photos For Your Projects

Whether you are writing an ebook, putting together an HTML newsletter, or setting up a personal web site, you may find that you need good, quality artwork, either illustrations (clipart) or photos.

There are generally two problems you may encounter when you look for clipart or photos online. The first problem is finding something that you can legally use. If you do not know that you have the permission to use a piece of art, then you probably do not. You can use work that you have purchased the right to or have been given the right to use. You cannot use your favorite cartoon character or a professional photograph of your favorite singer.

The rule of thumb in looking for graphics online is to look for royalty-free clipart and photos. This means you may use the work without paying a continuing royalty fee for use. You may receive the right to use the artwork free of charge, you may pay a fee to access such artwork (say $15.95 a month for unlimited downloads), you may pay for the right to use that particular piece, or you may agree to link back to the creator's site in exchange for the royalty-free use of the artwork.

The second problem with finding clipart and photos online is that good royalty-free art may be more expensive than you would hope. This is changing rapidly as sites like StockXchange, iStockPhoto and Dreamstime make it easier for photographers to sell their work and for consumers to find clipart they need.

The key to finding exactly the right art for your project is to have a very good idea of what you are going to need before you start. Think about color, shape, size and resolution (whether it will be printed or posted online makes a difference).

While you cannot predict exactly what you want without looking at some art and having an aha moment, you can know in general what you are looking for. When you find the right art for your project, try to get a low-resolution file (sometimes called a comping image), to try in your layout. This image cannot be used in your project and will have a very large visible watermark on it but it will allow you to see firsthand how it will look.

Especially if you have selected a fairly expensive image, this is a crucial step in deciding whether you have found exactly the right image for your project. It is surprising how often the "perfect" image looks positively awful once it is placed.

The most important thing may be to realize that you are not going to find the "perfect" image and just go for what you believe works. You may find something that looks great, but your are tempted to keep looking to see if anything else can be found that is better. The advice is don't!

Decide what you need, find something that fits the bill, and move on with the rest of your project. Otherwise you may spend a waste a lot of time searching for something that may not exist. The biggest obstacle to finishing a project on-time and on-budget is trying to go from great to perfect, when great is usually good enough.

I hope that this week's issue was of interest to you, and maybe you found something that would be helpful in your own business. If so, I would appreciate any feedback you may have so that I can align future content to better suit your needs. Send them to newsletter@newbieshelp.com

Sincerely,
Derek Jones
Newbies Help - Editor

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