You know that, right? Design industry is flooded with self-proclaimed designers who brag about being featured in various galleries. But, are galleries even rejecting designers? Design galleries are like survey companies. Their numbers are sky rocketing and this makes it pretty tough for us to gauge their authenticity.

Designers have ceased to exist in this era of Photoshop and XHTML/CSS. Look for one and you will meet multiple “expert designers” who can design an outlook after reading couple of tutorials and quick tips. One might end up paying few hundred dollars for a re-designed idea that is actually an inspiration from multiple ideas already floating around the Internet.

Don’t let technical terms fool you.

One might argue that a Manager’s job (especially the one who did his/her MBA from a prestigious B-School) is to use overly complex jargon to excite clients. Marilyn Monroe was famous not only for her painfully romantic roles, but also for the similar image that she carried in her real life. She had moulded herself to be what you saw her in movies. This is exactly what happens to most of the Managers out there. They carve themselves so well in their shells that they (by default) believe that they aren’t fooling their clients with jargons. It simply results in the over usage of terms that have no meaning and no useful end results.

Same is the case with designers. Terms, like “increased user experience”, have been used by multiple designers to squeeze out few extra dollars off their client’s pocket. Such designers believe that their new design ideas will enhance user experience, but they fail to understand that the “new” idea is nothing but a derivative of the pointless Internet design industry.

Take inspiration but be different.

We all get inspired by things around us. Our brains have been designed like this and nobody can avoid this fact. I am not asking you to close your eyes and do your own thing. Rather, I want you to sit and study a design. Ever thought why a particular font was used while creating the logo for Amazon? Ever wondered the reason behind the colour theme of TechCrunch?

You might have walked across a design that you could have done better but ever wondered why that designer was getting the recognition and why you weren’t? I am asking you to dive head first into the world of design and understand “why” the famous designers do things that have made them famous. Don’t think about how they do it? Think about why they do it? It is about standing in front of a mirror and asking yourself what you like? Keep questioning yourself till you know the right answer. Ways to achieve your dreams will come up themselves. First, you got to start dreaming.

Design principles make hell lot of difference.

Heard of principles like Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, Chunking, and The Grid? Well, these are few of the very famous (I meant it) design principles that are the reasons why the real designers are able to come up with master pieces that leave you full of jealousy.

If questions like “How can a particular design look awesome?” or “Why aren’t my design as good as that of the famous designer?” killing your night’s sleep then I will suggest you to learn these design principles. I can assure you that the end results will blow your clients away!

History repeats itself, henceforth you better be aware of it.

Path to expertise is lengthy in every career. People have been covering the same since years and it is suggested that you read the history behind your career before you get going with your career. Design Archives will help you understand how designers were able to come up with flawless designs even when they did not have access to complex technology. Such design archives are full of inspirational designs that will force you to think about your abilities. It’s a faceoff with reality that you must experience.

Instead of a lengthy article I will like to leave you on your own. Ask yourself if you are really designing unique ideas or are you just re-designing the old ones. Figure out your client’s needs and not the zeroes in his account. Money will flow in when you are worth it!

Over the years, jQuery become very popular with designers and developers who want to create dynamic effects without using cumbersome programming languages.  The talented community creating plugins to help designers moving ahead with creating effects within no time, instead of wasting time around programming.

Here we tried to 10 best jQuery Plugins to enhance your images

1. Full Screen Plugin

2. Lite Accordion

3. Slider Gallery With Jquery

4. PikaChoose

5. Exposure Jquery Plugin

6. Jquery gal view 2

7. Gallery Plugin

8. Galleria

9. J Crop plugin

10. Minimalastic Plugin

Author Bio - Lief is a creative designer, blogger and iPhone app developer. He works for several companies as freelancer contributing brushes, filters and helping designers across blogosphere. In his free time he participates in logo design contest at LogoArena to showcase his talent, In fact he won few contests too.

Let’s see what is meant by DSLR, before entering into the concept of understanding the controls of DSLR. What is DSLR? DSLR is a digital single-lens reflex camera, which comes within the foremost priority for any serious photographer.

Be it shooting film or digital, a photographer is satisfied with no less than a DSLR. It is not so that other lens cameras are not used but among the so called serious photography, if we compare between the usage of DSLR and the other lens camera used, the percentage of former usage is much ahead than the latter. Other than DSLR, there are cameras having SLR-like lens which are popularly used as well after real SLR cameras. Few advantages of DSLR cameras that has a great step in making it popular among its users:

• High sensitivity and reduced noise: DSLR cameras generates low noise such as at ISO 800, and produce acceptable images such as at ISO 1600, ISO 3200, and beyond.

• Depth-of-field Control: While the larger sensors require lenses with longer focal lengths, so the DSLR use regains the control over depth-of-field and this becomes an important creative tool.

• Digital SLRs work like a camera, not a VCR: DSLR works like a camera and not a VCR. While shooting or using the controls in any non SLR to zoom in or out, one needs to go through the manuals or press a number of buttons to get the particular adjustment. On the other hand with DSLR, a scroll a zoom ring in the lens and you are done with the adjustments. There are different buttons for different adjustments and the control requirement is very small and simple.

• Faster in operation: A DSLR is much faster in operation than the rest. The gap between taking two pictures won’t be more than seconds. While the rest takes a lot time in auto adjustment and such things, DSLR allows you to shoot pictures much faster.

These were the advantages of DSLR which are beyond its featuring the single-lens reflex. Below are few important advantages of DSLR those are unique to DSLR related to its single-lens reflex design:

• Better lenses: DSLR’s zoom lens provides better and sharper pictures than a non DSLR lens.

• Easy upgrading: One can enhance the capabilities of a DSLR by purchasing the add-on needed and also can avoid the features that are not required. Thus, one can customize the feature one needs with a DSLR.

• Better usage of Power: DSLR has a better usage of power than the non- DSLR s. As DSLR has larger batteries, you can take more than 1,500 shots within a single charge. On the other hand DSLR saves power as it switch off automatically if it is not used for some time.

• Better view-finders: DSLR gives you better viewfinders than the rest. With DSLR, what you see is what you get.

Few disadvantages of DSLR:

• Super wide lenses: DSLR lacks super wide lenses and therefore to get better and true wide angle coverage, one should own a full frame DSLR having super wide lenses.

• No LCD preview or composing: The LCD on DSLR can be used only for previewing and working on the menu.

• Dirt and Dust: One need to make sure to clean the dirt and dust that accumulates in your lens once you change your digital SLR.

• DSLR doesn’t allow shooting movies:  As per the way a DSLR operates, one can’t shoot movies using it.

After going through the features of DSLR, its advantages and its disadvantages, let’s understand the controls of DSLR and how to master these controls in detail. Here are the basic controls common to almost all DSLRs:

• Autofocus lock: This feature allows to lock the focus zone at its current setting so that one doesn’t switch to another focus zone while shooting.

• Cursor movement pad: There is a four-way cursor control can be used to navigate menus and move indicators for different usages.

• Delete Photo: An option to delete photos directly from your DSLR.

• Information: This control is used to change the status information display.

• Jump: This control allows one to go to a next group og photos while reviewing some other group.

• LCD screen: The LCD screen on your DSLR allows you to review your photos and view the menu options of the camera.

• Main command dial: The main command dial control is used to command features such as exposure value (EV) or shutter speed.

• Memory card access lamp: This lamp illuminates when the camera is writing to the memory card.

• Memory card door: This is the cover over the SD or Compact Flash slot.

• Menu: The Menu allows one to press and navigate to other features such as settings for different options.

• On/Off switch: The on/off switch is used to switch on and off your DSLR. However, most DSLR switch off automatically if it remains unused for some time.

• Playback: The playback menu is used to activate a picture review.

• Print/share: This control allows one to display photos for print or for sharing photos.

• Zoom in/zoom out: The zoom in and out control is used to magnify a photo or area before and after shoot and vice versa.

Let’s now look into the details of the controls of your DSLR which you use for everyday shooting:

1. Exposure controls: The most important fact about photography is to have the correct exposure and having the proper focus of the image. Correct exposure is a necessary learning of DSLR because no lens can capture each detail in every possible light level. Therefore, either the number of photons available should be increased to register details in dark areas or decrease the number of photon in the reverse case. Digital camera auto exposure systems are optimized to attempt to preserve highlight detail at the expense of shadow detail. The changes in the exposure are done to improve the quality of image captured y your camera.

2. Tonal Range: The tonal range means the range of dark to light tones of a camera, it includes from the complete absence of brightness level to the brightest possible tonal level. While we distinguish photos as black and white or grayscale, they are not so in the truest sense, because the blackest black in a photo is not the true black because some source of light is reflected there; on the other hand the whitest white is not the true white because the lightest area too absorbs some light. However, one can adjust the tonal range of DSLR very easily. One can get the effect of tonal range change both before and after capturing the images.

3. Histogram Basics: Digital SLR cameras include histogram displays which are charts on the LCD that show the number of tones being captured at each brightness level of the camera. Histograms in DSLR should be viewed after capturing an image.  A histogram is a simplified display showing the number of pixels used in each brightness level while capturing an image. With the help of histograms one can understand the pixels and contrast of an image and using the contrast settings, one can change the view as per their requirement.

4. Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual Exposure:  Although DSLR includes fully programmed exposure to control the shutter and aperture priority, yet the users of DSLR prefer using manual exposure for these features as they identify better what kind of subject matter is being framed. As for example: while shooting sports, one needs a higher shutter speed as normal. A user needs to decide what amount of speed is required for what kind of situation. Manual exposure is used for many reasons and few are stated below:

1. When a specific exposure for a special effect is required.

2. While using an external light meter in tricky lighting situations or for total control.

3. While using an external flash that is not compatible with cameras TTL flash metering system.

The DSLRs usually have different shutter and aperture controls that can be easily adjusted unless the camera is put in fully automated exposure mode.

Here are few other programmed modes available in a DSLR:

Portrait: This allows capturing the portrait image with clarity leaving the background out of focus.

Night: This allows filling in ambient light in the background when flash is used.

Night portrait: It allows backgrounds to not sink into inky blackness.

Beach/Snow: It allows to over exposing a scene to over compensate in very bright settings.

Sports: It allows capturing fast moving subjects in the center of frame.

Landscape: It allows capturing the landscape more vivid.

Macro: It allows capturing close up scene modes.

5. Focusing: One of the important controls of DSLR and photography is focusing. DSLR provides you both auto and manual focusing which allows you to adjust the focusing of an image according to your requirements.

These were the controls of DSLR, an understanding of which allows you to understand photography in depth and thus allowing you to avail your DSLR controls at its best.

Carousel Lite is a jQuery plugin that carries you on a carousel ride filled with images and HTML content. Put simply, you can navigate images and/or HTML in a carousel-style widget. It is super light weight, at about 2 KB in size, yet very flexible and customizable to fit most of our needs. here are some amazing Short and sweet Collection of Carousel Plugins. Hope you will like it

1. Cloud Carousel

2. Round About-A jquery Plugin By Fred Le Blanc

3. Space Gallery

4. Carousel Word press Plugin

5. Horizontal and vertical Carousel

6. Wow Sliders

7. JCarousel

8. Jquery Liquid Carousel Plugin

9. Elixon Theatre2.2

10. Rotator Effect

What could be the reason for the hoopla behind HTML5 ever since its launch? Is it just the over excitement of web designers or it is more than that? Well, let’s dissect through the clutter created by bunch of critics (some of whom I respect a lot) and understand why HTML5 is more than just another markup language.

HTML5 cannot be tagged as an upgraded version of her grandparents because HTML5 is quiet a broad term. It encompasses not just the basic markups we are aware of, but it also covers completely revised markup specification that comes loaded with new features like canvas, video, geolocation and audio. The new features of HTML5 make the addition of graphical and multimedia content a cakewalk. A web designer can stay away from various forms of APIs and Plugins once HTML5 lends her helping hand.

Geolocation (in action)

Geolocation is part of Internet since years but HTML (versions older to HTML5) was shying away from the same. With the launch of HTML5 geolocation is now talk of the town (and very easy to implement.) The geolocation feature of HTML5 will work fine only if the user gives permission to the browser that runs HTML5. Once permitted, HTML5 will use one of the multiple sources like RFID, IP address, MAC address etc. to determine your location.

Check geolocation in action at HTML5Rocks.

Video & Audio (without using frames or scripts)

I remember the hours that I have spent searching for the best available JavaScript that would run an audio file smoothly on my website. With the advent of HTML5 life is going to be overly easy for web designers.

<video src=”myvideo.mp4″ autoplay controls></video>

document.getElementById(“video”).play();

The two lines of HTML + JavaScript above will do the job of running a video on your website. Similarly, the two lines of HTML + JavaScript below will run an audio file directly on your website.

<audio src=”myaudio.mp3″ controls></audio>

document.getElementById(“audio”).muted = false;

Preload Videos (but with care)

Did you already guess what Preload Videos will do? You are right! Preload videos will load the video before the page loads thus the website visitor won’t have to wait for the video to buffer. With this feature comes the requirement for website designer to do some analysis in order to understand the real website visitor.

Please be aware that preloading a video might just slowdown the website. To cover that up you will have to display some loading timer so that the visitor knows that he didn’t hit a dead end. To preload a particular video you can use the below attribute:

preload=”preload”

Cleaner Doctype

<!DOCTYPE html>

Ain’t that short, sweet and awesome? HTML5 saves you from the pain of using the overly lengthy XHTML DOCTYPE that was of course impossible to remember. Browsers that don’t understand the simpler form of DOCTYPE will render the respective markup in regular mode.

Edit content on the fly

Use the newly launched “contenteditable” attribute to make your live content editable while it is being displayed in a browser.  Simply use “contenteditable” as an attribute with the element that you want to make editable as show below:

<ul contenteditable=true>

Above code will make everything in between <ul></ul> tags as editable. Cute?

Email validation (without JavaScript)

Remember the days when you would use loads of JavaScript for form validation. If the end user enters text which does not look like an email address in the email address field then that JavaScript will ask the user to enter a valid email address. Well, HTML5 will do that for you without any JavaScript.

<input id=”email” name=”email” type=”email” />

See the type=”email” in code above? It does all the job of checking for a valid email address. It will display a warning if text which isn’t actually an email is displayed.

Please be aware that some of the old browsers might not recognize this new feature, henceforth they will consider the field as regular text field. Hold your breath and let the Internet upgrade!

Life, for sure, is going to be very easy for webmasters once HTML5 is understood by all possible web designers.