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New Horizons Webinars are a great opportunity for business decision-makers, training professionals, developers, engineers and project managers to see the real value these new technologies can bring to your organization. With new topics every month, there's something for everyone. Go to www.newhorizons.com/webinars to enroll in all events.

APRIL

Introduction to Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Office 2007 (Level 100)

Get the most out of the Microsoft Office 2007 System. As someone beginning to use Microsoft Office 2007, you will learn about new features and timesavers to help in your day-to-day work. This session is good for beginner, intermediate, or advanced users – everyone will learn something! The Microsoft Office System has evolved from a suite of personal productivity products to a more comprehensive and integrated system. This presentation will demonstrate useful tips and tricks for Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern
• Click here to register: www.newhorizons.com/webinars
  

Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Outlook 2007

Attend this webinar and witness how Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 delivers the functionality to provide better information sharing including publishing and sharing calendars, and exporting Outlook data. Also, see how Outlook 2007 can be configured using settings, trust, add-ins, and customized appearance and content. In this session, we also provide a better understanding of some of the terms used for communications and the capabilities; see Really Simple Syndication (RSS) versus XML, phishing, signatures, and other useful features of Outlook 2007.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern
• Click here to register: www.newhorizons.com/webinars

MAY

Intermediate Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Office 2007 (Level 200)

Get even more out of the Microsoft Office 2007 System. As someone who has worked with the Microsoft Office system for some time, you will discover efficient ways to configure, customize and utilize Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook to get the most out of Microsoft Office. The presentation will demonstrate useful tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. In addition, you will see useful ways to interact between these Microsoft applications.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern
• Click here to register: www.newhorizons.com/webinars

Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista® for Microsoft Office 2007 Users (100)

This webinar introduces to those familiar with Microsoft Office the features of Microsoft Vista that best suits them. You will see the advantages of using Windows Vista and Office together including better file origination, starting programs, search, communication, and Internet navigation. Get tips & tricks to better share and find your files, discover the consistency of search capabilities throughout Windows Vista, and navigate the new features of Internet Explorer. From this session, you’ll get a number of tips to help you immediately benefit from installing Windows Vista into your Microsoft Office 2007 environment.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern
• Click here to register: www.newhorizons.com/webinars

In the March 2009 issue of The Elevate Newsletter from New Horizons:

Microsoft Office Productivity
Three ways to protect your Excel data with confidence
Sometimes you need to keep your Excel data away from prying eyes. But you can protect your data in so many ways that the whole process gets confusing. We’ll break it down for you so your data never stays vulnerable. more >

Information Systems Protection
Twelve ways to harden your domain controllers and prevent security breaches
Domain controllers (DCs) hold a lot of valuable information about your Windows server, which means that you must secure them. We’ve compiled a few ways for you to keep intruders out of your network by strengthening your domain controllers. more >

Web Design & Development
Employ interactive elements to keep users on your site
Finally, nothing drives away online visitors like a boring website. We’ll introduce you to a few ideas for adding interactive elements to your site so visitors want to stay. more >

_____________________________________

New Horizons' goal is for our students to become more productive and successful in their daily activities. With this in mind, we have created Elevate, a newsletter specifically created for New Horizons students. In this free monthly publication you will read articles on how to put what you learned at New Horizons into action.

Simply click on the following link to access the March issue of Elevate.
http://www.newhorizons.com/uploadedFiles/ElevateNewsletter/Elevate_March2009.pdf

Good luck on your path of lifelong learning.

Enter for a Microsoft training giveaway from New Horizons Computer Learning Center!
New Horizons Computer Learning Center is offering a free Microsoft training course worth up to $2,500 to be given to one lucky Microsoft Subnet reader. Deadline for entry is March 31.

http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/microsoft/


How can Microsoft Certification help you and your career?

View Microsoft Certification Movie Clip >

Microsoft Certification has proven effective for growing skills and gaining professional recognition. According to a study conducted by Applied Research Consultants, 90% of Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) said certification was extremely useful in their work. In another study, managers and supervisors felt their Microsoft Certified Professionals were significantly more competent than non-certified employees. This is valuable proof that certification means increased knowledge and enhanced credibility.

New Horizons Computer Learning Centers conducts more Microsoft technical training and certification courses than any other training company. New Horizons is the world's largest network of Microsoft Gold Certified Partners for Learning Solutions and Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions (CPLS). We provide courses to thousands of students each year - more than any other company.

As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partners for Learning Solutions, New Horizons maintains the rigorous standards required by Microsoft. Every Microsoft course follows the Microsoft Official Curriculum and is taught by a Microsoft Certified Trainer.


The New Microsoft Certifications Provide a Better Fit

The new generation of Microsoft certifications was created to be more cost effective and more targeted to enable IT professionals to work toward certification that truly meets their needs. Microsoft's new certifications are more specific in order to directly relate to the latest technology and your specific job role. These new certifications, starting with Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 and Microsoft Visual Studio™ 2005, help confirm your skills as an IT Professional or Professional Developer.

New Horizons offers a full range of Microsoft offerings, including courses mapping to the following certifications:

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)

Individuals with expertise in a particular Microsoft® product can pursue the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) credential. MCPs have demonstrated in-depth knowledge of at least one Microsoft technical product. The MCP credential provides a helpful first step on the way to other Microsoft technical certifications. more >

Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP)

The new Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) credentials provide IT professionals with a simpler and more targeted framework to display their technical and professional skills. Now you can distinguish yourself as an IT professional with the current skills and proven job-role capabilities to work effectively with a comprehensive set of Microsoft technologies. The Microsoft Certified IT Professional paths include: Business Intelligence Developer, Customer Support Technician, Database Developer, Database Administrator, Enterprise Messaging Administrator, Enterprise Project Management with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Enterprise Support Technician, Enterprise Administrator and Server Administrator. more >

Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)

The Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) credential demonstrates your ability to use Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET Framework to excel in a specific, real-world job role. There are three MCPD certification paths: Windows Developer, Web Developer, and Enterprise Applications Developer. more >

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist credential enables professionals to target specific technologies and distinguish themselves by demonstrating in-depth knowledge and expertise within their area of specialization. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialists are consistently capable of implementing, building, troubleshooting, and debugging a particular Microsoft technology. more >

Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)

Candidates for the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator on Windows Server 2003 (MCSA: Windows Server 2003) verify their knowledge as system administrators of Microsoft Windows operating systems. MCSA certification can help advance your career by confirming that you have the skills necessary to successfully manage and troubleshoot system environments. The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certification helps you advance your career by ensuring that you have the skills you need to manage and troubleshoot network environments running on the Windows operating system. more >

Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD)

The Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) credential provides industry recognition for professional developers who build powerful applications using Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET and Web services. Responsibilities include implementing requirements, developing, testing, deploying and maintaining department-level applications components, Web or desktop clients, or back-end data services by using Microsoft tools and technologies. more >

Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA)

The Microsoft® Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) credential is the premier certification for professionals who design, implement, and administer Microsoft SQL Server™ databases. more >

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST)

The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) credential proves that you have the skills to successfully support end users and to troubleshoot desktop environments running the Microsoft Windows operating system. more >

Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD)

The Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) credential is the premium certification for professionals who design and develop custom business solutions with Microsoft development tools, technologies, and platforms. The credential covers job tasks ranging from analyzing business requirements to maintaining solutions. more >

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

Candidates for the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Windows Server 2003 (MCSE: Windows Server 2003) verify their ability to analyze the business requirements for information systems solutions, and to design and implement infrastructures based on Windows Server 2003. more >

Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)

The Microsoft Office Specialist program is globally recognized as the standard for demonstrating desktop skills with the Microsoft Office suite of business productivity applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook) and the Microsoft Project applications. With an Office Specialist certification, thousands of people have demonstrated increased productivity and have proved their ability to utilize the advanced functionality of these Microsoft applications. more >

Design, Media & Graphics

Sometimes when creating an advertisement or marketing piece, you’ll need to convey a certain image. But does your model really want to dye her hair purple just for your photo shoot? Whether you’d like to complement your model’s skin tone, go with a funky ‘do, or simply darken those locks, there’s a simple approach to colorizing hair in Photoshop — and it doesn’t require a trip to the hairdresser.

Make a selection

We’ll start by selecting the hair on our model shown in Figure A. You can do this any way that works best for you, but we’ll make a Quick Mask selection.

To make a Quick Mask selection:

1. Double-click on the Edit In Quick Mask Mode button located at the base of the Tools palette to display the Quick Mask Options dialog box.
2. Select the Selected Areas option button and set the opacity to your liking. We set ours to 50 %, as shown in Figure B.
3. Click OK.
4. Select the Brush tool from the Tools palette, choose a soft round brush, and set the diameter to whatever size you’re comfortable painting over the hair with.
5. Paint over the hair.
6. Press Q to exit Quick Mask Mode and preview your selection, as shown in Figure C.

Tip: Save this selection as a channel in case you accidentally deselect it. Simply click the Save Selection As Channel button located at the base of the Channels palette.

Choose your dye

Now that you have an active selection, you can easily add a fill color and, with a quick blending mode switch, colorize the model’s hair any way you like.

To colorize the hair:

1. Click on the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer button located at the base of the Layers palette.
2. Select Color Fill from the pop-up menu to display the Color Fill dialog box. The color fill layer automatically masks around your selection so only the hair shape is colorized.
3. Set the color to R:149, G:51, B:4 for a reddish brown dye, as shown in Figure D, and click OK.
4. Set the layer opacity to Soft Light for results shown in Figure E.

Notice two things as you select colors. You can watch your model’s hair change colors as you choose different colors. You can also sample a color from your model by moving the mouse over your image and clicking on an area where the cursor displays as an eyedropper.


Clean up the edges

When we zoomed in to our model’s shoulders and face, we noticed the imperfections from the selection we made. We spotted hair color on the face and shoulder! That’s easy to fix.

To remove unwanted color:

1. Select the Color Fill layer’s mask thumbnail in the Layers palette.
2. Select a soft round brush and set the diameter small enough to paint on these areas.
3. Set the foreground color to black.
4. Paint over the areas that display fill color but shouldn’t.

Change the color

Don’t like the color you selected? It’s easy to change. Simply double-click the Color Fill layer thumbnail to open the Color Picker and select a different color. Figure F shows different RGB values and how they affect the model’s hair. So whether you’re going for punk or subdued, you can really spruce up your subject’s mane with this technique!


Related Courses

• Photoshop CS3 - Level 2
• Photoshop CS3 Photo Printing and Color
• Photoshop CS4 - Level 2

Graphic & Design eTips to Enhance Your Work

If you are an expert at what you do, then you want to sign up for FREE New Horizons Graphics & Digital Designer eTips. Each week you will receive expert advice from our experienced editors that will improve your productivity and enhance your work. Learn more about the applications you use everyday, including: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Pagemaker, Adobe Photoshop, Digital Photography and QuarkXPress. Imagine the possibilities with the skills you’ll gain!

Adapt for Word 2007

To create two columns in your Word 2007 document, go to the Page Layout ribbon and, in the Page Setup area, click on the Columns button and choose Two from the resulting dropdown palette. You may also select One from the dropdown palette if the technique calls for a one-column document.

When you’re ready to insert a column break, click the Show/Hide button on the Home ribbon in the Paragraph area (if necessary). Then, go to the Page Layout ribbon and click the Breaks button in the Page Setup area. Choose Column from the dropdown palette. You may also choose Continuous from this dropdown palette if the technique calls for a continuous column break.

To insert a table in Word 2007, go to the Insert ribbon and click the Tables button. Click and drag over the number of rows and columns you want to include. Format your Word table using the Table Tools contextual ribbons. On the Layout ribbon, click the Select button and choose Select Table to select your entire table. Adjust your table’s borders by going to the Design ribbon and clicking the Borders button. Finally, add space between your rows by returning to the Layout ribbon and adjusting the value in the Height spin box.


Related Courses

• 4008 Building Better Microsoft Office Word 2003 Documents in Less Time
• Word 2003 - Level 2
• Word 2007 - Level 2

Although columns can take your document from a text-heavy mess to an attractive and streamlined missive, many users avoid them because they aren’t always easy to format.

But if you master the basics, you can use columns to provide greater document flexibility and additional layout options. To get you started on the right foot with columns, we’ve focused on three readers’ questions with techniques that address the most common column problems.


1. Column basics

Q: I need a quick tutorial on columns. I’ve never been successful using them since I switched to Word from another word processing program. How can I set up a 2-column document that allows me to type in either of the columns at any given time?

A: Columns are a snap once you learn the right tricks for creating them. We’ll set up the two-column document you requested, and then we’ll ensure that Word allows you to type in each column separately, rather than simply flowing text from one column to another.

To create a two-column document:

1. Open a new Word document.
2. Click the Columns button on the Standard toolbar, and then select 2 Columns from the Columns dropdown list, as shown in Figure A.

Once you’ve created the 2-column document, the ruler’s appearance changes to display your two columns and the margin between them, as shown in Figure B.

Type in any column

Now that we’ve created our columns, notice that you can only type in the left column.
Let’s set up the document so that you can type in the right or left column at any time. We’ll also show the invisible formatting marks so you can observe the change easily.

To allow typing in either column:

1. Click the Show/Hide ¶ button on the Standard toolbar to display invisible formatting, if necessary.
2. Select Insert Break from the menu bar.
3. In the resulting Break dialog box, select the Column Break option button, as shown in Figure C, and click OK.

Now you can click in the right or left column and add text and graphics to each one.


2. Limit columns to part of the document

Q: I want columns in my document, but not the entire document. Can I insert columns for the information at the beginning of the document, and then make regular text follow those columns?

A: Your procedure for creating columns in only part of the document depends on whether you’ve already started the document and typed its text or you’re starting from scratch. We’ll show you both methods.

To set up partial columns if you’ve already created the document:

1. Open your document or follow along with our sample document.
2. Click the Show/Hide ¶ button on the Standard toolbar to show invisible formatting, if necessary.
3. Select the text you want to format as columns. We selected the first paragraph in our sample.
4. Click the Columns button on the Standard toolbar and select 2 Columns from the resulting dropdown list.

When you insert the columns for your selected text, a section break automatically appears in your document.

To set up partial columns in a new document:

1. Open a new Word document and click the Show/Hide ¶ button on the Standard toolbar to show invisible formatting, if necessary.
2. Click the Columns button on the Standard toolbar and select 2 Columns from the resulting dropdown list.
3. Type your column data.
4. Select Insert Break from the menu bar to open the Break dialog box.
5. Select the Continuous option button in the Section Break Types area, and click OK.
6. Click the Columns button and select 1 Column
7. Begin typing your non-column text.

Note that when you inserted the break, your column text was automatically distributed among both columns, and when you clicked 1 Column the ruler changed from two columns to one.

Balanced columns on command!

You can insert a Continuous section break at the end of columns whenever you want them to appear balanced, and then continue adding text before the section break. Word keeps the columns balanced as you add text.

3. Vertically aligned columns

Q: I’m creating an itinerary for our company retreat. I want it in two columns—the first column contains the time of day, and the second column contains a description of the activity for each hour. Of course, each time needs to match its corresponding description. Can Word do this?

A: Word definitely can do this, but you’ll want to use a disguised table rather than columns. When you periodically start a new table row, Word aligns the information for you.

To create vertically aligned “columns” in a table:

1. Open a new Word document.
2. Click the Insert Table button on the Standard toolbar and select the 1 x 2 Table option from the resulting dropdown list.
3. Adjust the table and column size as you prefer.
4. Type the first time in the first cell in the first row, and then press [Tab] to move to the second cell in the first row.
5. Type the corresponding activity information in this second cell. Allow Word to automatically wrap the activity information as you type.
6. Press [Tab] to create a new row, and repeat steps 4-5 until you’ve added all of the information for your itinerary.

To disguise and format your table:

1. Select the entire table by selecting Table Select Table from the menu bar.
2. Click the Border button’s dropdown arrow on the Formatting toolbar, and select No Border from the resulting dropdown menu. (In Word 2004, you can find this on the Formatting Palette.)
3. To provide more distinction between items on the itinerary, select Table Table Properties from the menu bar.
4. To add space between rows, select the Table tab, click Options, and change the Top and Bottom spin boxes to .08”.
5. Click OK twice to accept your changes.
   

Related Courses

• 4008 Building Better Microsoft Office Word 2003 Documents in Less Time
• Word 2003 - Level 2
• Word 2007 - Level 2

Microsoft Office Productivity
Three ways to perfect your columns in every document
If you create publications with Microsof t Word, you know how important it is to get your columns right — and how frustrating it gets when your columns misbehave. We’ll solve three common column issues for you.

Information Systems Protection
Overcome Vista user control hassles and prove the critics wrong
Windows Vista gets a bad rap for its sometimes overbearing security features. We’ll give you the scoop about Vista’s User Account Control (UAC) and how you can put it to use without letting its constant security prompts overwhelm your users.

Media, Design & Graphics
Color your model’s hair many different shades — without the chemicals
Your photo shoots don’t always offer the look you imagine. But Photoshop can step in when you need to match your vision in spite of restrictive resources. Here’s how to change your model’s hair color without any time-consuming chemicals.

Download the Elevate in PDF format here: http://www.newhorizons.com/uploadedFiles/ElevateNewsletter/Elevate_Feb2009.pdf