Technology & tools
Topic overview
Various pieces of software and hardware that you'll be using to produce the yearbook will be discussed here. Links will be provided; however, this e-Learning course will not teach you how to use these tools.
Remember to consult your yearbook publisher for the correct settings and file formats that they accept. They are extremely strict with this– non-compliance may end up with a bad looking yearbook
Computers
Whether your school has PC's or Macs, there's lots of software out there for you to build your yearbook with. Depending on what your yearbook organization already has, working with either PC's or Macs have both their advantages and disadvantages.
Your computer lab may be out of date for the software required to create the yearbook. Although Macs tend to be more expensive than PC's, many voices claim that Macs take much longer to become obsolete. This is something to consider if your expenses budget is low.
Operating systems
Depending on what your yearbook publisher accepts, the programs that you use to assemble your yearbook may or may not be available on your operating system. Generally, there's Windows, Mac OS X, and various Linux distributions out there.
Page layout software
Page layout software is where everything falls into place– your articles, photos, writeups, captions, and graphic designs all get placed into page layout documents.
- Adobe InDesign : the professional page layout solution. OS X and Windows.
- Scribus : an open-source, free alternative to page layout software. OS X, Linux, and Windows.
Word processors
Word processors are handy in rapid production of copy. They're usually embedded with a dictionary or thesaurus of some sort, making it easier to come up with brilliant captions.
- Microsoft Word : most people are familiar with Microsoft Word. OS X and Windows.
- OpenOffice : an open-source, free alternative to word processors. OS X, Linux, and Windows.
Photo and graphics editing software
This piece of software is used by graphics and photo editors when creating graphics and processing photos.
- Adobe Photoshop : the professional photo and graphics editing solution. OS X and Windows.
- Adobe Illustrator : the professional graphics editing solution OS X and Windows.
- GIMP : an open-source, free alternative to photo and graphics editing software.
What you've learned from this topic:
- Different kinds of proprietary software
- Different kinds of open-source, free software
Next topic : Page ladder
Always consult your yearbook publisher for technical details with your yearbook!