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How to Repair an Image in PhotoShop

If you are brand new to Adobe PhotoShop, then a great way to get started at an entry level is to learn the basics of image repair and retouching and photo restoration techniques. In fact, image restoration in PhotoShop introduces many of the tools and basic design techniques which will help you to get a grounding in using PhotoShop for graphic design and image compositing later on.

Read the full article here.

17 Excel Functions for Absolute Beginners

In this video from our YouTube channel we walk you through 17 basic Excel functions in just 15 minutes. As an absolute beginners guide to Excel functions this tutorial will give you enough foundational knowledge to get started with Excel functions and give you a launch platform to start learning more indepth spreadsheet techniques.

Watch the video here.

Where to Find Free Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 Courses that are Microsoft-Authored (including tutorials with live instructors)

Our Top 10 Free for Commercial Use Design Resources in 2023.

There are thousands (if not tens of thousands) of free graphic design, image editing tools and design resources available these days, ranging from basic effects to sophisticated features and functions, right through to AI picture correction tools. From these, we've cherry picked what we think are the top 10 when it comes to getting the best results for creating just about anything digitally.

In our top ten free design tools we've done our best to cover all bases including free resources and tools for graphic design, illustration, animation, 3D modelling, text, audio, video and even live streaming.

Read the full article here: Top 11 Free for Commercial Use Tools for Designers.

SharePoint Planning and Implementation Checklist in Plain English

With SharePoint Online running straight out of the Microsoft 365 box (so to speak), its easy to get ahead of yourself. So, let's take a quick moment to look at some of the fundamental questions that you really should be asking before you get started.

We have put together a short checklist of SharePoint implementation considerations that you need to think about in order to get SharePoint inline with your business processes and day-to-day activities.

Read the full article here: SharePoint Planning and Implementation Checklist in Plain English.

How to Stop Microsoft Teams Opening on Startup

Annoyed when MS Teams launches automatically?

You are not alone.

When we fire up our devices first thing on a morning many of us will have noticed something new over the past couple of years. Now that so many of us depend upon virtual meetings, when we launch Windows its impossible not to notice that MS Teams leaps out and launches itself automatically.

Here's how to stop it in just three easy peasy steps.

Read the full article here.

How to Make Custom Image Bullets Points in Microsoft Word

If you have ever wondered how to create custom bullet images in Microsoft Word, then here's how you can do it really quickly. We've even made a few simple picture bullet icons for Word that you can download for free.

Read the full article here.

Excel XLOOKUP Function Tutorial (with Pirates)

In this XLOOKUP Function tutorial we walk you through several examples of this incredibly useful Excel function in action, from the most basic three-part XLOOKUP to performing vertical and horizontal lookups with XLOOKUP, using [if_not_found], [match_mode] and [search_mode] arguments and also nesting XLOOKUP inside other functions including the =IF and =CONCAT functions to construct some more powerful formulas.

Read the full article here.

Quickly Reduce Background Noise in VSDC Video Editor in Just 4 Steps

If you are working with a video in VSDC Video Editor that has too much background noise and interference then using a gating filter is often the quickest way to gain some real improvement in your audio quality. In this short tutorial we show you how to reduce background noise in the free VSDC Video Editor in just a few quick steps.

Read the full article here.

Using LAB Color for Movie Posters in PhotoShop

Its common to learn LAB color in PhotoShop by making subtle changes to a landscape image in order to improve its richness and vibrancy, but perhaps its better to start out with something that requires more drastic alterations before moving on to such subtleties and there's perhaps nothing quite so drastic in terms of imagery than the horror genre. This is also a good way to get anyone new to PhotoShop thinking not just about how to improve the tone and depth of an image but also about how to manipulate the mood of an image.

Read the full article here.

How to Make Customised Mouse Pointers for Demos and Presentations in Windows 10

In this tutorial we take a look at how to customise your mouse pointer in Windows 10 to lend clarity and professionalism to your demonstration and presentation media. You will learn how to tailor the size and colour of your pointer and also how to create a really effective custom highlighter mouse pointer which gives more focus to where on the screen you want to draw your audience's attention.

Read the full article here.

DateDif() the Hidden Excel Function that You Should Know About

The =DateDif() Function in Excel is a feature that allows you to calculate the numerical difference between two dates and returns an answer in a choice of Years (Y), Months (M) or Days (D).

This Easter Egg Excel function hasn't been documented for around two decades now but its still there and it still works, even in Office 365. =DateDif() was originally there for the sake of compatibility with LOTUS-123.

Read the full article here.

Lightning Fast Screen Capture with Windows' Screen Snip Feature

What's the fastest way to take a screenshot or capture a screen image in Windows?

By far the fastest way to take a screenshot of your whole screen or capture a part of your screen in Microsoft Windows is to use the Screen Snip Feature.

The Screen Snip feature is mega fast and it opens up Snip and Sketch in active mode for a Rectangular Snip capture in just two clicks.

Read the full article here.

The Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft To Do to Create Task Lists

In this article we review some of the features of Microsoft To Do and weigh up some of the pros and cons of creating Task Lists with Microsoft's cloud-based task management application.

Read the full article here.

What is Microsoft SharePoint?

In this FAQ-based article we have provided a breakdown of Microsoft SharePoint and its main features for anyone who has never used Sharepoint before or for anyone who needs to understand the overlaying architecture of SharePoint and how it all fits together.

Read the full article here.

What is Power Platform?

In this FAQ-based article we have provided a breakdown of Power Platform and its main features for anyone who has never used Power Platform applications before or for anyone who needs to understand what Power Apps, Power Bi and Power Automate do within the Microsoft 365 environment.

Read the full article here.

Is your Organisation Microsoft Project Ready?

Use the sliders provided on our Microsoft Project Procurement Evaluation Tool to answer the questions about your Microsoft Project readiness and submit these answers to help you evaluate whether your organisation is ready to adopt Microsoft Project as your project management software.

Take the Quiz Here

How to Use Custom Branded Colours in PowerPoint

If you want to use custom branded colours in PowerPoint the good news is that its really easy and you can learn how to do it in just three simple steps. So it really is as easy as ABC.

Read the full article here.

The 10 Best Free Places to Download Microsoft Teams Background Image Filters

In this article we review the best ten places to get free MS Teams background image filters with links to all the resources. We have also provided a guide to customising your virtual backgrounds in Teams and you will also find some of our own MS Teams backgrounds that are free to download for either personal or commercial use (including the Kuala Lumpar MS Teams background that you see here).

Read the full article here.

The Best Places to Teach Yourself the Excel LAMBDA Function

The LAMBDA Function is a brand new feature of Excel which was released in early 2021 and only came out of Beta recently, so its not yet available on most advanced Excel courses (and its only recently become available to anyone who isn't a member of the Office Insider programme). As such, and for the timebeing, learning the LAMBDA function for yourself is usually going to be the only alternative. Plus, the LAMBDA function is really quite powerful and one of the most impressive Excel functions released to date.

Read the full article here.

A Brief History of Desktop Publishing Before Adobe InDesign

The genius of Adobe InDesign is that it amalgamates styles, layouts and formatting throughout a document into one seamless pre-print production process with features such as Master Pages, layer stacking and stylesheets.

It is very easy to take this desktop publishing process for granted in today's digital, multimedia age. However, only a few years before InDesign came onto the marketplace (and during the lifespan of InDesign's predecessor Adobe PageMaker - 1985-2001) things had been very different indeed.

Read the full article here.

Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Basics - Free Tutorial for Absolute Beginners

If you are wanting to learn a Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 software package (such as Excel, PowerPoint or Word) from scratch then it is a common assumption that you should start with a beginners course, which is of course fine for many people. However, if you are missing some of the core knowledge needed to navigate your way around the Windows environment then you might struggle to keep up regardless of whether you are self-learning from a book or a video tutorial or undertaking formal instructor-led training.

In this foundational tutorial we will take a step-by-step look at some of the basic knowledge for the Microsoft Windows environment and the Microsoft Office packages that could really help you out before you embark on any beginners course.

Read the full article here.

How Long Does it Take to learn Excel?

The real answer to this question might surprise you.

In this article we walk you through how long you can expect to spend learning Excel at each level from beginners, intermediate and advanced, through to expert and specialist skills.

Read the full article here: How much time does it take to learn Excel?

How do I find Copy Text From Picture in OneNote?

OneNote OCR not working? If you are struggling to use optical character recognition (OCR) in OneNote with the 'Copy Text From Picture' feature, then you are not alone. The most common issue which people face appears to be that the menu option to convert an image into text just isn't there. The most likely explanation for this is that you are using the OneNote Web App.

So far as we are aware, if you are using the OneNote Web App then the OCR engine won't work and you can't change your settings to enable it.

Here's the fix that you need to get OCR image to text up and running in OneNote.

Read the full article here.

What is the HTML code for stopping video autoplay in Microsoft Edge?

The Microsoft Edge web browser's default setting to autoplay video and other media content can be a real nuissance. In many instances it both creates a poor user experience and also burns up server resources needlessly.

This autoplay problem is pretty unique to Microsoft Edge and doesn't affect other browsers such as FireFox and Chrome which respect that autoplay is set to none by default. As such, this quirk of Microsoft Edge can take you by surprise.

Read the full article here.

The Concise Guide to Time Saving Excel Shortcuts.

Mastering shortcut keys in Microsoft Excel is your passport to lightning fast productivity, giving you much more control over your data and much more time to analyse, forecast and make decisions based upon your data.

If you've ever been told that you'd never get anywhere in life by taking shortcuts, then Microsoft Excel is the digital proof that this advice is wrong!...

Read the complete tutorial covering 141 shortcut keys here.

The podcast below is part four of the Tutorial: Function Key Excel Shortcuts.

Super Easy Introduction to Excel Sunburst Charts Tutorial.

The Sunburst Chart is one of the most overlooked chart options in Excel. It is however incredibly useful when you need, for instance a visual representation of where your business strengths are over time. Whether you need to quickly identify your best sales people, or the best sellers in your stock inventory, the Sunburst Chart gives an impactful visual representation of what comes out on top, whilst pushing the lower performers to the back of the queue.

Read the full tutorial here.

Super Easy Introduction to Excel's VLOOKUP and IFERROR functions.

Across the full length of the tutorial we will spend a few minutes creating a basic VLOOKUP, followed by a few more minutes extending our VLOOKUP with a basic IFERROR function, with instructions and video demonstrations.

Read the full tutorial here.

Getting Started with Microsoft Forms Free Tutorial

This free Microsoft Forms tutorial will give you an introductory overview of creating a survey in Forms, including setting up your first Form and getting the most out of the functions and features available with the Question options which Forms provides. Plus there is a brief guide at the end which walks you through the options for distributing your forms.

Read the full tutorial here.

Is your Cloud Data Storage as Green as you Think it is?

On Wednesday May 5th 2021 a news story on Al Jazeera's environmental show Earthrise reported that our consumption of cloud storage space accounts for 1% of the entire global usage of electricity annually. This caught our attention since...

Read the full tutorial here.

We really ❤ love helping organisations to master Microsoft 365. Our only question is: Will it be yours?

Will Microsoft Viva Learning Reshape the Landscape of Learning and Development?

Viva Learning is an ambitious project to move all our learning resources into one integrated resource which Microsoft tell us will bring 'learning into one central hub' and allow us to 'seamlessly access content'. With Viva Learning users of Microsoft 365 will get learning recommendations and resources integrated within Microsoft Teams and powered by artificial intelligence which will analyse our working behaviours...

Read the full article here.

The Concise Guide to Time Saving Excel Shortcuts

You can learn Excel shortcut keys at your own pace by studying our categorised lists of shortcuts and by also listening to their accompanying free Excel shortcut exercises in the form of 'listen and repeat' memory assistant audio files. We also provide a free Excel shortcuts PDF cheatsheet to download.

Read the full article here.

Microsoft Viva: The Challenges of Governance, Strategy and Adoption

With the release of Microsoft Viva, Microsoft is providing a game-changing platform in the ways in which we engage with our workforces in terms of nurturing and monitoring their development and wellbeing. But Microsoft is also making a huge ask of us. Microsoft Viva is built on the assumption that SMEs and enterprises are...

Read the full article here.

Excel CONVERT Function Toolkit

The Excel CONVERT function is both a powerful workhorse and a cumbersome beast. With this downloadable Excel CONVERT Function Toolkit we have attempted to tame the beast for you so that you can get more out of the workhorse.

Read the full article here.

How to attend a training course via Microsoft Teams Live Event Video Conferencing

Attending a virtual classroom training course via a Microsoft Teams Live Event is now one of the most popular ways of delivering training for a wide range of learning needs across Microsoft and Adobe products and beyond. All your learners need is a laptop or PC with a camera and microphone and we will send the link for everyone...

Read the full article here.

How to Install and Set Up Webex for Video Conferencing

Getting a Webex account so that you can enjoy the benefits of live virtual training via Webex video conferencing is really easy. Follow the instructions below to set up your Webex account so that you are ready for your virtual training course.

Read the full article here.

How To Get Microsoft Office Totally Free Forever

If you have been wondering what is the best way to get Microsoft Office for free or about cost free ways to get individual packages within Microsoft Office such as Excel, Word, Outlook or PowerPoint, then here we will show you how.

Read the full article here.

How to get an Adobe Creative Cloud Free Trial without a credit card

If you need to get a seven-day free trial of Adobe Creative Cloud as a temporary solution so that you have enough licenses for your training needs then you can setup a free trial by visiting Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription web page.

However, this method involves providing your credit card details and we have found that not everyone is perfectly comfortable with doing this. If this applies to you then you can get...

Read the full article here.

What Are The Benefits of Virtual Training?

At very the start of the Covid-19 pandemic we started offering distance learning via the medium of live virtual classroom as a means to continue providing learning to our customers in a safe manner. Since then it has become very clear that the virtual learning experience is just as good as face-to-face learning with comparably beneficial learning outcomes.

Live virtual classroom training is fully interactive just as if the trainer was...

Read the full article here.

We really ❤ love helping organisations to master Microsoft 365. Our only question is: Will it be yours?

How do I translate Excel Functions into other Languages?

With Microsoft's Excel Functions Translator Add-in you can quickly convert your Excel functions from the naming conventions and syntax used in one language into a different language. This is especially useful for organisations that have a presence in multiple countries, for providing useable spreadsheets to colleagues in their own first language and for translating spreadsheets which have been produced in languages which aren't your native tongue.

Read the full article here.

Read this article in other languages: Afrikaans, Albanian, Bahasa, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, Czech, English, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Welsh.

In today's world we all have many passwords to remember and, in fact, we can't do without them. We need them to access our money, our computers, phone, social media and work. They are a crucial part of our daily existance.

Perhaps as a consequence of us having so many of them to remember, many of our password choices are inherently weak and vulnerable to simple hacking. In fact, we all have a tendancy to choose passwords that are easy to remember because of the significance to us of the words that we choose such as pet names, birthdays, the names of relatives, spouses and so forth.

This makes these common passwords vulnerable to both dictionary-based hacks and, even worse, half of them could even be guessed from your social media profiles.

Read the full article here.

Windows 3D Viewer: A Glitch in the User Experience

Its not often that we have a gripe about Microsoft products these days but there is something decidedly jarring about the initial user experience of Microsoft's Windows 3D Viewer which has been sat there since 2017 now.

Read the full article here.