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BobinKy
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 948
Loc: Country road
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Here is what I want to do:
• Create a digital stargazer logbook (sketchbook) using Microsoft Word to record my night sky observations.
• My observation equipment will be binoculars mounted atop a parallelogram head and tripod legs. The parallelogram will allow me to sit with a lapboard.
• The logbook will consist of nightly entries. Each entry will include text and graphic.
• The text will be date, time, binocular magnification & aperture, target object, constellation, and such.
• Rough sketch: Manually draw what I see when I look through the binoculars at the tripod. I will be sitting on a stool in the dark, using red filtered light (to preserve dark adaptation of my eyesight), artist pencils, and lapboard.
• Later, at my computer, I want to reproduce the rough sketch in my digital logbook (Microsoft Word).
My QUESTION is: What graphics program could I use to create the file that will be inserted into Microsoft Word?
The drawing program within Microsoft Word does not have the capabilities to create the quality of graphic I want.
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Bob
38° Kentucky, USA
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neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Quote:
My QUESTION is: What graphics program could I use to create the file that will be inserted into Microsoft Word?
Depends on how much you want to spend and how good you want the software to be... but anything from Photoshop (superb but expensive, get an earlier version for much less) to Paint Shop Pro (powerful and cheaper), from The Gimp (free) to Corel Draw will more than do the job.
For existing observing logs, including computerized ones, see the recommendations in this thread, such as the Ultimate Messier Object Log.
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Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
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BobinKy
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 948
Loc: Country road
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Thank you for the recommendations and the links.
Many years ago (more than I care to count), I used a combination of Aldus Freehand and Pagemaker to design illustrations/publications in a Mac environment. Then I switched professions and got away from graphic design.
Now, in my retirement, I want to keep a logbook for stargazing.
Regarding a digital format, I am in a windows environment. I still have an old version of Pagemaker for windows (v. 6.5 Plus) that I use mainly for household forms. However, I thought MSWord would be easier for a running logbook. The filemaker program (The Simple Observing Log, R2.0) listed in the CN thread looks something like the page layout I want if I use MSWord. I also downloaded some interesting templates from Jeremy Perez's website listed in the CN Sketching forum.
And then, I am not sure about whether to use a paper format rather than digital. There is a strong part of me that wants to keep a paper logbook in spiral notebooks. I also have an unused sketchbook on my bookshelf (leatherbound, handmade paper, Japanese pen set) that I purchased at a local art fair last year.
I would like to get this down with some proficiency and conduct some community workshops, as well as provide some activity for my grandchildren. There is no astronomy club in my town--maybe even see if I can get one going.
The binocular mount arrives next week and I will start playing around on the back porch. Even in retirement I am a work in progress.
Thank you for your recommendations.
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Bob
38° Kentucky, USA
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BobinKy
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 948
Loc: Country road
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Neoweb:
If you don't mind, please hang with with me for another post . . .
It looks like Freehand is now back with Adobe. The list price for the software program in the Windows OS is $399. However, future support of the program is up in the air.
Pagemaker is also supported for Windows. Amazingly, a new version is only $99.00. (Hmmm, I remember paying much more before Quark Express and Photoshop came along.)
Adobe Illustrator is still supported for Windows. A new version is $599.00 and part of the Photoshop's creative suite ($1799.00, or something like that--I think I paid $1299.00 for Pagemaker for the MAC OS when Pagemaker was in its heyday--and using it on the little screen at the MAC SE was an eyeball popper!)
CorelDraw C3 is supported primarily for the Windows OS. A new version is $399.00. It appears CorelDraw CS is a graphics bundle of three programs: drawing, photo editing, and clip art, fonts, templates, and such, which allow import and export between the major Microsoft programs (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) as well as opening and editing pdf, scanned, and digital photo files).
I accessed some screen shots of CorelDraw at the Link you provided. It does not appear to be much different from what I remember about Freehand--I think the term was Vector design, or something like that.
My first QUESTION for this post:
Q1 : If I buy CorelDraw will I be able to use it to create/edit graphic files imported into Pagemaker, Word, Powerpoint, and web publishing?
My second QUESTION for this post is:
Q2A After the CorelDraw files are imported into the designated Windows file, do they become imbedded in that file and travel where that file goes? (For example, would my star sketches, created or edited in CorelDraw, become imbedded in my stargazer logbook (Word file) and travel with the Word file?)
or
Q2B Would the CorelDraw graphics and fonts accompany the Word file in a separate folder (the way we used to do it many years ago)?
I appreciate any suggestions you can pass my way.
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Bob
38° Kentucky, USA
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neoweb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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I'm no Corel Draw expert, but...
Quote:
My first QUESTION for this post:
Q1 : If I buy CorelDraw will I be able to use it to create/edit graphic files imported into Pagemaker, Word, Powerpoint, and web publishing?
I don't see why not, particularly if you stick to standard file formats such as jpeg, GIF, PNG etc.
Quote:
My second QUESTION for this post is:
Q2A After the CorelDraw files are imported into the designated Windows file, do they become imbedded in that file and travel where that file goes? (For example, would my star sketches, created or edited in CorelDraw, become imbedded in my stargazer logbook (Word file) and travel with the Word file?)
Depends how you save them. If you save a graphic as, say, a jpeg or gif, then import/paste that into Word it'll become part of the Word document and travel with it.
Quote:
Q2B Would the CorelDraw graphics and fonts accompany the Word file in a separate folder (the way we used to do it many years ago)?
You don't need to worry about this. Save and import the graphic as earlier mentioned.
Hope that helps. Check out Corel Paint Shop Pro as well.
--------------------
Celestron StarHopper 8" f/6 Dob
38mm Burgess 2" SWA | 30mm Ultima | 20mm Omni
17mm Hyperion | 12.5mm Baader Ortho
8mm TV Plossl | 6mm TMB/BO Planetary
Orion Shorty Plus barlow
15 X 70mm Skymasters
Saturn-like: desktop image
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BobinKy
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 948
Loc: Country road
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Neoweb:
Thank you for the many suggestions.
Your art takes me to places I want to go.
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Bob
38° Kentucky, USA
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