5 of the best keyboard shortcuts you probably aren't using | Ladders

It’s safe to say you probably abide by the basics, but there are numerous keyboard shortcuts you’re probably missing out on. (Seriously, there’s so much more to the world of life-changing shortcuts than Command + F.)

Each and every time you lift your hand off of your keyboard (or trackpad) to reach for that mouse, you are wasting valuable time. It’s safe to say you probably abide by the basics, but there are numerous keyboard shortcuts you’re probably missing out on. (Seriously, there’s so much more to the world of life-changing shortcuts than Command + F.)

Regardless of whether you’re a Mac or a PC loyalist, we’ve got you covered. Here are five of the best keyboard shortcuts you’re probably not using but definitely should be.

1. Paste without carry-over formatting

Since you’ve probably already mastered the basic copy-and-paste shortcut, this keyboard hack is the next best thing. It helps you avoid any unwanted variance in font size, typeface, bold treatments, you name it.

• Mac: Shift + Command + V
• PC: Control + Shift + V

2. Access the emoji keyboard

Who doesn’t like to add an emoji or two to the end of their messages? Instead of using the old-school smiley face (colon and closed parenthesis), use this shortcut to access a full emoji keyboard. This way, you’ll never send a boring message again.

• Mac: Control + Command + Space Bar
• PC: WIN + Period Mark

3. Quickly hide everything

Have you ever experienced the panic of having your boss walk by when you have a window up on your computer that you really don’t want anyone to see? Here’s your quick fix so that you never have to endure that trauma again. This keyboard shortcut will save you valuable seconds in minimizing those open windows.

• Mac: Command + H
• PC: Alt + F4

4. Log out and change users instantly

This keyboard hack is a helpful way to seamlessly change user profiles. Just know that on Macs, you will always be asked to confirm your log out. If you want to log out immediately without confirmation, simply add “option” to the shortcut.

• Mac: Shift + Command + Q
• PC: Control + Alt + Delete

5. Make an application fullscreen

Whether you are watching a movie or just need a distraction-free screen, this keyboard shortcut will allow you to focus solely on what’s in front of you within a fraction of a second.

• Mac: Control + Command + F
• PC: WIN + Shift + Enter

Using keyboard shortcuts are a great way to increase productivity and make everyday tasks significantly easier. The best part? You don’t need to be a tech wizard to learn these computer tricks. Once you start using them, you won’t miss the days of dealing with your mouse.
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This article was originally published on Swirled.com.

Clipped from: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/5-of-the-best-keyboard-shortcuts-you-probably-arent-using

Copyright © 1992-2019 Glenn D. Littrell www.glenns-world,com www.glennlittrell.com

Free and powerful photo editing software:

If you’ve seen any of my websites or Facebook post you’ve probable noticed that I do a lot of photo editing and create a lot of my own graphics. Everything from montages to cropping, labeling, to banners for videos. I do a lot of what is sometimes referred to as ‘photo-shopping’ pictures.

Some examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Plus the banner at the top of this page.

For over 8 years now I have not used any of the:

1. “Photo/Graphics” free software (Microsoft/windows, etc.) that has come with any of my computers(3),

2. I also haven’t used any of the Photo software that has come with any of my camera purchases (4),

3. nor have I purchased any photo or graphics software… ever.

Why not?

• Because from one computer to the next if the free software changes you have to learn the new software all over again.

• Because from one camera to the next not only do you also need to learn the new software, but when you change computers the software that came with your new camera may not work on your new computer.

• When you purchase software it’s difficult enough to install it on your current computer, imagine if it doesn’t install or work on your next computer. (this happened to me on a $400 Microsoft web editing program (FrontPage) that was discontinued)

• Then there’s always the disaster that occurs when the file format for hundreds of pictures and graphics have to be converted from one format to another and the software manufacturer doesn’t supply a conversion utility.

So what do I use? How much does it cost? Where do I get it?

• paint.net.
• free.
• download it.

How about updates? What about support? Does it measure up?

I have been using it since 2007, it was free then and its free now, you download it from the internet, it will do automatic updates or manual, you can put it on more than one computer at a time, when you get a new computer you just down load it to the new computer and transfer your old files (pictures & graphics) to your new computer (via flash drive, or whatever), it has on-line tutorials and forums, and yes, its just as powerful as Adobe^® Photoshop^®, Corel^® Paint Shop Pro^®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.

“Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for PCs that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.

It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel^® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.”

http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

You must hold down the “Alt” key while using the ‘number keypad’, not the number keys above the alphabet keys.
Alt + 0153..... ™... trademark symbol
Alt + 0169.... ©.... copyright symbol
Alt + 0174..... ®....registered ­ trademark symbol
Alt + 0176 ...°......degree symbol
Alt + 0177 ...±....plus-or ­-minus sign
Alt + 0182 ...¶.....paragr­aph mark
Alt + 0190 ...¾....fractio­n, three-fourths
Alt + 0215 ....×.....multi­plication sign
Alt + 0162...¢....the ­ cent sign

How2 Scan Photos

[updated and reposted from 8-24-08, new information/notes are in bold purple italics]

One of the wonderful things that computers can do for us, is to help us organize and preserve our old documents and photos. But, because today's home scanners offer higher resolutions and finer quality scans than ever before, their output produces really huge files that can quickly grab all your disk space.

Naturally, most of us think "bigger is better,"

HOW2 Setup Your Monitor: The Kim Komando Radio Show

Setup monitor basics - Tips, Reviews and Advice on All Things Digital - The Kim Komando Radio Show: "Q. How can I tell if my monitor is set up properly? There are so many options to set brightness and contrast. What should be done with what? Go easy on me. I've got old eyes."

How2 Use System Restore:

One problem with Windows Vista is that when it creates System Restore points it doesn't remove the oldest Restore point.  This leads to an accumulation of a lot of outdated files that can eat up plenty of hard drive space.  If you have a small hard drive like I do this leaves you with too little free space at the most inopportune times.  So once every week or two I have to go in and delete the older Restore Point files.

But Restore Points are important.  To understand them click here to view an explanation and How2 at Tiplet.

GlennDL

How2 Keep Your Picture Files From Degrading:

 

Your JPEG photos are not degraded when you merely open the files. Rather, they degrade every time you edit and save them.

The JPEG format uses lossy compression. Compression is used to keep file sizes small; it's very common with photo formats. However, some data is discarded when JPEGs are compressed; hence the "lossy" part. And, each time you save a JPEG photo, it is further compressed. That means you

How2 Capture Screen Images:

According to Gabe Goldberg at Tiplet:

It’s often desirable or necessary to capture — that is, record into a file — what’s on your Windows screen. Windows has two basic tools for this: the Print Screen (or PrtScreen or some other variant) key captures the contents of your entire Windows desktop onto the Windows Clipboard; pressing Alt and PrintScreen captures only

How2 Speed Up Internet Explorer:

Try these tips and tricks to make Internet Explorer faster for Web browsing and downloads.

[click to view]

From Tiplet Newsletter: 2-23-09

1-21-2015 UPDATE: Still using Firefox (from the 2010 Update) and on its worst day its more reliable and faster than IE on it best day. Best tip EVER! Make the switch.

3-29-10 UPDATE:

I recently was having so much trouble with IE8 that I switched over to Mozella Firefox about three weeks ago and have had no problems. Kelly and her

HOW2 Improve Wireless Internet Reception and Get Free WiFi Legally

Tips on improving wireless reception between your wireless router and different rooms in your house.  [click the link below]

Tiplet:expert tips & tech support

Related Link:   How To Set Up a Wireless Connection

How2 Read Office (Word, Excel, etc.) Files without Buying Expensive Office?

UPDATE: 1-21-2015
I have been using Open Office (see the 3rd option below) now for almost 4 years, over 3 different computers, and as a result didn’t even let the last computer activate Microsoft Office. With the exception of whatever version of Windows Mail/Outlook I no longer use any of the major free (supposedly) versions of Microsoft bundles.
The original conversion of old files is easy but could be time consuming and the learning curve awkward, as the non-Microsoft versions are similar but not the interface is not identical

2-12-09
by Gabe Goldberg
from the ‘Tiplet’ blog

While Microsoft’s Office applications suite dominates the Windows landscape, it’s expensive and not universally used. And if you only need occasional access to Office-format files, you surely don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to buy software you’ll rarely use, and even then only in limited fashion.

Fortunately, several free alternatives let you

How2 Tweak Your Windows Vista PC

Top 10 Windows Vista Performance Tweaks

1. Turn off Windows Search Indexing.
2. Turn off Remote Differential Compression. 
3. Turn off Automatic Windows Defender Operation.
4. Turn off Automatic Disk Defragmentation.
5. Add a 2GB or higher USB Flash drive to take advantage of Windows Ready Boost (Additional Memory Cache).
6. Turn off Windows Hibernation. 
7. Turn off System Restore [*warning*]. 
8. Disable User Access Control (UAC).
9. Disable excess Windows Services that Auto-Launch at Startup. 
10. Disable Excess Windows Features

Read the How2 and just as importantly the ‘Why’ at PCTuneups.  Its important

How2 Master Computer & Internet Maps

Website Maps: A Tutorial

or: What do you do when there are no instructions because its supposed to be 'intuitive'.

Whether you use MapQuest, Google Maps, Google Earth or some other mapping software the fundamentals are basically the same. Google Earth is a great personal mapping program but has a slightly harder learning curve due to its added features and power. The samples used here and on my website are from CommunityWalk's website which uses Google Maps. Remember that all mapping software may not use the same terminology as we use here and all map elements may not always appear on all maps, but the basics are here as well as features that may not standout on basic maps. Just use a little imagination when you encounter a term or element that doesn't match up to one of our examples and above all else click it and see what happens. You can always start over. GoTo Map Tutorial.