We all use backgrounds images for PowerPoint and MediaShout, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t know anything better than to use an image with plain text titles. Not only is this sometimes difficult to read, but it almost annoying to look at. Here’s an example of how you can easily turn a digital photo into a slick background image.

For our example, we’ll use a picture my wife randomly took of some markers. Right-click here and “Save File As/Save Target As” if you want to play around with the original image. I’m using PhotoShop CS2 in the screenshots below, but these tools are also available in the slimmed down PhotoShop Elements (available for Windows and Mac) and other image editing applications.

Screen shot #1 and #2. Open the image you want to use as a PowerPoint or MediaShout background and change the image size to the screen resolution you’ll use with the projector. In my case, I’ll use the typical 1024×768, which is probably sufficient for 95% of the cases. (This helps keep your PowerPoint file size smaller so you’re not embedding an 8.0 megapixel image into your slide show.)

Screen shot #3. The text should stand out from the background image, not blend into it, so let’s lighten the image a little. There are various ways to do this, but in the example below I create a new layer, use the Paint Bucket tool to paint it white and then change the layer’s Opacity to 66% so the background layer beneath shows through a little.

Screen shot #4. Next, create another new layer, select the Type Tool and type your title on the image. Change the text color to be something that easily stands out. In my case, I’ll use black. You can change the font and size in the toolbar at the top.

Screen shot #5 and #6. To make the title stand out a bit from the rest of the text that will be displayed in PowerPoint, l’ll add a new layer style to the text layer. First I zoom in to 100% under the View menu so I can see the title at it’s full resolution as I manipulate it. Now let’s try Bevel and Emboss. (Play around with the other layer styles in the left column sometime, too.) In this image I’m using the Inner Bevel style with the Chisel Hard technique to add a bit of 2D perception to the title. Click OK when you’re finished setting the layer style the way you like it. (Hint: Simple is better. Don’t use too many styles together.)

Screen shot #7. Now save the image as a JPEG. In PhotoShop, go to File, Save As, and change the drop-down format menu to JPEG. Give the image a name, save it and use it as your new PowerPoint or MediaShout background!

Here’s my final image if you’d like to see it full-screen or even use it for an upcoming presentation.

The other advantage to this is that you don’t lose your special fonts styles when you transfer the presentation to a computer that doesn’t have the same fonts installed. Everything stays in-tact perfectly.

1. Pick a niche and stick with it. Writing about your cat, in-laws and bad Chinese food is fine once in a while, but pick what you’re most passionate about and write about that.

2. Keep it short! Remember the Five Bs of public speaking also apply to blogging: Be Brief, Baby, Be Brief! Most people will not read a whole page of content, so keep it short and simple. If you have something that’s going to be long, break it up into a couple posts and make a series out of it.

3. Make it skimable. People sit down and read books, but they skim the Internet. Break up your paragraphs, make lists, make key ideas bold and see #2. Site visitors will glance over your post in a second or two to determine the gist of it and then decide whether to read it more carefully. Make sure they get the main idea of the post within that one or two seconds.

4. Post consistently. It doesn’t matter if it’s once a week or three times a day, just keep it semi-consistent. If you’re going to take an unusual break from posting for some reason, let readers know that so they’re not tempted to drop their subscription to your blog.

5. Optimize for SEO. Configuring your blog for Search Engine Optimization is critical for increasing traffic. About 90% of my traffic comes from sites like Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft Live because I put a lot of work into making this site as optimal as possible for their bots and search queries. A quick search for SEO and your blog platform will get you started in the right direction.

6. Don’t publish content immediately. Write a good draft and let it sit for a day or so and then come back to it. You’ll be amazed just how much you’ll want to tweak it and how much better you can make it sound by coming back to it with a fresh mind.

7. Be careful what you say. Never publish anything about someone if you don’t want them to read it because I will guarantee that somehow they’ll eventually find it. And be careful about criticisms unless you’re ready to stand by those accusations for the long-haul.

8. Offer new content and fresh perspectives. Saying the same thing everyone else is already saying doesn’t make you stand out. Offer new original content that’s your own. Offer a unique approach to your niche.

9. Be authentic. One of the reasons people read blogs is because they relate with the author on some level, so give them something they can relate to. Admit failures, celebrate success, don’t pretend to be the only expert in your niche, humbly learn from others and share personal stories. Be real.

10. Ultimately, it’s YOUR blog. Other people can give suggestions and input, but remember that it’s your blog and as such it should reflect you and your personality. So have fun with it! Readers will pick up on that sense of enjoyment and be attracted to it.

Bonus: Do NOT copy and paste articles from others. Although this doesn’t really fit the rest of the list, it’s probably one of the most common blogging etiquette mistakes I see around the blogosphere. The author of that material put a lot of time into creating it and deserves the traffic and incoming links it generates. Summarize it in your own words and post a link to the original instead. (UPDATE: Thanks to Adam in the comments for pointing out that is IS acceptable to copy a small portion of an article and cite the original source with link.)

It’s one in the morning and I probably shouldn’t be making a youth group announcement video right now in the first place, but despite my better judgment, not only did I make it, I’m even posting it here for you all to see. (I might regret this later when everyone makes fun of me and my lame tired performance. I just watched the video again and… wow… lol!) Here it is:

Here’s a quick tutorial on how I made it. Granted, these directions are for Mac since that’s what I use, but the same principle applies to Windows and can be done just as easily there, I’m sure.

Step One: Go to the free section of CrowdControlGames.com and download their free interactive host, LT. Unzip the package, open both Flash files and play around with him a little. It’s quite entertaining. He’s the high-tech puppet you always wanted.

Step Two: LT is intended to be used on two seperate monitors, but that’s too much work to set up when all I want to do is record LT on my screen. So I purchased a screencast program called iShowU (Mac only) for $20 and set it up to only record the section of my screen that contains LT, as in the image below.

Step Three: When you’re finished recording your announcement with LT using your screencast software, use your favorite video editing software to add music, text and whatever else is necessary. And wa-la! You have your video announcement! (Just please record a better accent than I did! lol)