3D Poker Looks to be the Future of Online Poker Games

Online Poker has been a huge hit over the past several years, and it looks to be that way for time to come. Some of the major Online Poker Rooms have updated their software regularly to improve the game play, but there is only so much you can improve on when dealing with a traditional poker room software.

The latest in Online Poker seems to be 3D Poker, which is growing at a very rapid rate. The best way to describe playing at a 3D Poker is that it's similar to that of an advanced poker video game that you will find on game systems such as a PS3 or an Xbox 360. The main difference with playing 3D Poker on the Internet is that you have the ability to play for real money rather than just for fun.

3D Poker is still far from becoming the standard version of Online Poker, so whether it actually happens or not seems to a ways a way. However, with rate that technology improves, it doesn't seem very unlikely that it could happen in the coming years.

3D Poker offers features and experiences that traditional Online Poker Rooms can't even come close to. For example, at one of the highest rated 3D Poker Rooms, players have the ability to make their own unique character and even send a photo of themselves to the room to make the face of that character look like the photo. While playing, players can make different expressions or emotions to help keep the table exciting and even try to throw off an opponent's potential read.

There are still a couple downfalls to 3D Poker that will likely change as technology improves. The biggest downfall is 3D Poker takes a much faster computer to run the software than the traditional online poker rooms. Another downfall, that some players may or may not care about, is that players won't be able to see as many hands per hour since the actual game play is slightly slower than that of a traditional poker room.

There is one major 3D Poker Room that sticks out above the rest, and that is PKR. They first launched in 2006 and have been improving their software on a regular basis. PKR pretty much offers the best in everything when compared to other 3D rooms. They are even one of the fastest growing online poker rooms on the market today, which is quite the feat considering they are a fairly young room.

Whether someone is interested in 3D Poker or not usually depends on their intent. If a player is looking to play multiple tables at once to see as many hands per hour, then 3D Poker probably is not the best option for them. If someone if looking to add a little excitement to their play, customize their very own unique table character, and even make table expressions like that of real life play, then 3D Poker is probably something that would interest them.

Article brought to you from 3dpkrpoker.com, the all in one resource for PKR Poker content. Get started by reading our full PKR Poker Review to get a better feel of what the 3D Poker Room has to offer. You will also be able to pick your own PKR bonus offer from our PKR Bonus Codes page.

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Photography: Comparing Built-In Flash to External Flash

External flashes, or accessory flashes, have several benefits over built-in, pop-up flashes seen on most cameras today. Here is a summary:

Flash Heads

When it comes to physically setting up an external flash, most come with swivel and bounce heads, to allow more realistic and softer lighting effects by bouncing light from a white card or reflector above or to the side of the subject. These are things that a pop-up flash cannot do.

Zoom heads on external flashes allow for coverage adjustment when the flash is used in conjunction with a wide-angle or telephoto lens. The path of light covered by the flash will be modified to suit the angle of coverage by the lens. Ring flashes are a particular type of external flash that forms a ring around the barrel of the lens - they are best suited to macro or portrait photography where large lenses can get in the way of pop-up flashes and cause a shadow.

Bulb Power

External flashes have much more power than built-in flashes. Think of how many times it took you to learn that your built-in flash's light fell short of the intended subject and lit only the near objects in your scene.

Metering with Flash

Modern external flashes allow exposure to be metered with TTL (through-the-lens) flash metering, which allows the unit to regulate the amount of light output in auto-exposure modes. The flash acutally cuts off light when enough has been dispensed on the subject. Flash exposure compensation allows further fine-tuning whereby adjustments can be made to allow more or less light than the TTL metering suggests. Thus, today's external flashes only have a guide number for flash power comparisons. The guide number on a typical pop-up flash is fairly low - perhaps 40 - whereas the guide number on an external flash easily has a guide number upwards of 100 or 200. For comparison purposes, you need to understand that a guide number of 80 is four times (two stops) more powerful than 40.

Flash Proximity to Subjectv
External flash also allows you to distance the flash light source from the lens. This becomes very important for macro photography where pop-up flashes can actually cause shadows of the lens, based on its proximity to the large barrel. It is also more likely to cause red-eye in portrait shots, and means you cannot conveniently counteract another light source since the built-in flash is not moveable. With infrared or radio slaves, motion detectors or photo cell sensors, multiple flashes can be triggered remotely in sync, no matter how far away from the camera they are.

Fill Flash

Most accessory flashes have the ability to shoot at less than 100% power, so as to enable fill-flash in appropriate situations. Built-in flashes must be manually covered with a diffuse fabric in order to be successful at providing fill-light (e.g. brightening a flower, or combining fill-flash with slow shutter speed for fast-moving wildlife). Variable power in external flashes makes fine-tuning aperture or flash proximity to subject very easily. Some external flashes have infrared sensors that sense the distance to the subject automatically, thus synchronizing the camera to suggest a correct aperture and shutter speed.

For more photography articles, please visit Jennifer Clarkson's website at http://www.jclarksonphotography.com. To learn more about the books in her eSeries on Digital Photography, or to promote sales, please visit the following sites:

Choosing your camera and accessories
Getting the Most out of your Camera's Basic Settings

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Canon Powershot SD880is

Better Stock Photos

If you are into taking and selling stock photos, I am sure you have experienced some good success and some disappointment. The photos that were rejected were probably very good, but failed to capture the eye of the photo editor. Here are some tips to keep in mind while you are clicking away with your camera.

Composition should be a priority. Balance your masses and centers of interest. A main interest, say a child's face can be low and to the left of center looking up toward a second center of interest, say an adult face. This face should be slightly further away (smaller) and placed higher and to the right of center.

Straight lines placed parallel to the edges of the picture create a static feeling. Diagonal lines foster a feeling of dynamics and action. Curved lines can be used to guide the eye to an important subject and generally help strengthen human emotions. Since English speaking people read left to right, start your curved diagonal line near the lower left corner to 'ease' the process of 'reading' the photo.

High contrast images demand more attention to silhouettes and edges. Clean silhouettes make a strong statement as opposed to busy, confused edges. Pure white backgrounds do help isolate the image, but often appear catalogue like and cold. Remember, pure white and pure black do not occur in nature.

If blue skies with clouds are an integral part of your photo, decide whether the sky is the main subject or there only for realism. If that is so, make sure the sky and clouds take up a minor portion of your composition. Horizons should be dead straight and never cut the photo in half. If the sky is the main subject, a horizontal image is to be preferred.

Nature photos are most interesting when side light is present. Near dusk photos contain a warm, rosy main light that skims your landscape, creating a three dimensional effect. The shadows are a complimentary bluish tone, supplying the needed contrast in color. These near dusk photos are so much more beautiful than other times of day, that you should consider this timing a must.

People pictures are the most difficult to take (well). Odd numbered groups create a more pleasant composition than even numbered groups. Try to place each face at a different height and slightly random in spacing. With some exceptions, no-one should be looking at the camera for a candid appearance. The story being told should be obvious and clearly stated. Expressions should be appropriate to the story: i.e. serious when concentrating and pleasant the rest of the time. Lighting can be available light when possible for a natural look or double flash when necessary. Newspaper photographers use a bare bulb technique for a foolproof photo that doesn't look like a flash picture but stock photos demand a more professional result. The flash on your camera can be muted with a diffuser and the second main light flash can be bounced off a reflector or a light wall and ceiling. This configuration gives a natural, well lit picture and has the advantage of freezing the action at 1/10,000th of a second. Don't be afraid to use your camera's ability to take three pictures in a row to make certain you have captured the best expressions.

Backgrounds should be as non distracting as possible in order to place the viewer's interest where it belongs. When presented with an opportunity to take a people picture, first scout out the available backgrounds and place your subjects within its borders. Pay special attention to the background immediately behind the faces for a clean look. Random distracting articles can easily be digitally remove later in Photoshop.

While these tips are but a small part of your photographic endeavors, they can make the difference between a good photo and a great one that sells.

About the Author: A retired portrait and wedding photographer, I enjoy writing , how to articles, helpful articles on photography and many other subjects. My hobbies include quartet singing, shop, bicycling and photography. Please visit my web site at http://www.photoartbyken.com [Articles, Digital Art, Poetry, Original sheet music.]

Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12mp
Canon Powershot A590IS 8mp

Dressing To Impress

It's not just one leg after another

Does it really come as a surprise that the more we know the more difficult things become? We create products to simplify our lives but in doing so make our lives more complicated-take cell phones and e-mail for example. It's great when you can check movie times or game stats while waiting in line at the bank but when all you want to do is sip a Pina Colada on a sandy beach, that email notification emanating from your Treo can get pretty darn old.

We know more about the human body, diseases and viruses than ever before, which is great-I mean we'll all be hooked up to machines until we're 185 years old-but in the meantime we live in fear of pre-packaged spinach and germy bathroom handles.

And what about fashion? Clothes, along with food, are necessary items but we are in a constant pursuit to keep them interesting and "fresh". But it makes sense-if we didn't keep innovating, we wouldn't have anything to look forward to. So while we must wear clothes-in most places anyway-why not have fun with fashion, and make your wardrobe work for you?

Shopping for clothes these days is more overwhelming than ever. The average American is exposed to 3,000 advertising images every day and has so many options available to them, oftentimes the result is straight out apathy.

Instead of getting bogged down by designer labels and the hottest trends, fashion stylists recommend focusing on quality, shape, color and patterns. Obviously there is a difference between a bargain basement suit and a custom-tailored Armani. But sometimes it's hard to tell what will look good in the real world. Buying clothes that look good on the rack is not the only benchmark for creating a polished look, so if you focus only on brands and trends, you could still end up on the Worst Dressed List-if A-list celebrities can get it wrong, so can you!

And guys, you don't get off the hook so easy. While you may not concern yourself with how round your rump looks or if your pants make you look stumpy or squat, others may be picking up on your unintentional fashion boo-boos-and regardless of lifestyle or career, no one wants to give off the wrong impression. So if your past plan was to roll out of bed and reach for the first pair of slacks that could pass muster without ironing, listen up ... and take notes.

Alan Au, client relations manager at Jimmy Au's for Men 5'8" and Under, suggests the following tips for looking your best at any height.

Dressing Tips for business wear

Stripes have an elongating effect and make you look taller. Choose wider stripes if you are trying to look bigger and narrower stripes if you are trying to look slimmer. Avoid loud plaids and windowpane patterns. If you like these patterns, choose more subtle tonal varieties in smaller patterns. When choosing solid colors, remember lighter colors tend to make you look bigger and darker colors tend to make you look slimmer.

Shirt Tailoring Tips

Have the sleeves tailored if it's too long. If you don't, all you will ever do is roll them up. Have the sides taken in if it's too full. No one wants to look like a flying squirrel.

Shirt Dressing Tips

Avoid large patterns of any kind, including stripes. Narrow and fine line stripes are best to give your torso length. Checks, houndstooths, and herringbones patterns should only be big enough to be appreciated at social distances. Lower shirt collars help elongate your neck. Avoid high collar styles. They make you look like a turtle.

Sweater Dressing Tips

Avoid large patterns in bold or bright colors, especially loud horizontal stripes. If you like horizontal stripes, choose more subtle color combinations. Avoid large gauge knits, especially cable knits. They are too thick and chunky. You will be lost in the sweater. Choose smaller gauge knits in small patterns or solids. Choose slim fits and v-necks. It brings attention to your head and chest.

T-shirt Tips

Avoid shirts where the sleeves go past your elbows. Avoid shirts that are too full. Most cannot be altered.

Dress Pant Tailoring Tips

Always take in pants that are too full in the seat, crotch and leg. The fullness leads to chaffing and discomfort. Plain hems are preferred because its angular hem will also give you a longer leg line.

Dress Pant Dressing Tips

Pleated pants are okay if the pleats are shallow and in a short rise. Avoid regular rise pleated pants. The pleats are too deep and make you look stubby. Wear dress pants at the waist where most are designed to be worn. To look taller, keep contrasts to a minimum with your portcoats. Go with more tonal combinations. Avoid large patterned pants, especially in plaids and windowpanes. Solids and marled shades are best, followed by stripes, small herringbones, and small checks.

A. Covington is a fashion writer with a sharp eye for men's fashion. Her men's fashion blog covers the essentials on how to dress well, from neckties and pocket squares to to men's casual clothes to work attire for men. She always knew she wanted to be a writer and always loved fashion - and finally found a way to revel in both. Her work has appeared in numerous regional magazines and ezines, including San Diego Magazine, San Francisco Downtown Magazine, Ranch & Coast Magazine and JustLuxe.

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Amazing Photography Editing Guide

You need not know anything about the technical aspect of editing, but can still edit digital images. You may have an imagined how that photo would turn up when you initially took a shot. Sometimes, the image may not reflect your thoughts. You land up in disappointment. Hey! Don't worry your disappointment can work magic. You just point out what all you do not like in the image you have just taken. You just describe how the image should actually look like. Have you. Aah! Now your becoming an editor. The next step is sit at your personal computer and start exploring ways to make the image look like how you want it to be.

Not what you shoot, it is what you show others in your digital photograph that matters. You may want to show something to someone, but the picture may have some features that you don't want them to see, you cannot tear it either. You see editing helps you in such situations.

Morphing, there are may photo morphing softwares available to morph your pictures. Have you seen in pictures, the hero; a child image may change to become the man; that is morphing, a kind of morphing. Well it is very simple you need two digital images, scan them and save to your computer. It can be your son's photo, and your husbands photo you can morph images of your son in to his father or his grandfather, or you can morph your own self to your mother...See all it requires is a morphing software, and the images, and a few clicks away see even you are editing! Great thing! Big achievement. You will feel you are creating graphics for a fairy tale!

It is always important to edit your photographs in order. Always start adjusting the light exposure effects and then land up adjusting the red eye effect. See follow this sequence, exposure, color, crop, eliminate red eye! You can work in any order, but a sequential methodology is a safe game for better results.

The light settings in a photograph can be adjusted with sliders, auto adjust option in the fix pane is a very effective idea. Even after you turn auto adjust you can further adjust the light settings if you are not satisfied with the output of the software! You can make your color pictures to black and white, and black and white pictures to color by adjusting the exposure mode. If you have a color photograph you can use the adjust color option in fix pane to change it to a black and white. Color picture can be changed to black and white, but the other way round may not be natural unless you are an expert editor and technically very sound!

Have fun with you picture. On side of photo editing on a computer is animated gif. You can take your photos and make them come to life. Making a moving butterfly in the background of a mountain shoot is awesome. Wow you friends and family next time you upload a photo to your blog from you latest family vacation.

The very many images you shoot and all the images you have edited, the effects you have created are of no use when you don't share or exhibit it to others. Show your friends and get some tips from them on how to edit images. Such a chat will enable you to understand what actually people do look in a photograph and what are the areas to be edited to create an effective photograph!

Would like to find out more about editing digital photography? Don't trust anybody's advice until you read this free report

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