Visual Resources Collection History of Art, UC Berkeley

What size should images be for PowerPoint?

2011-08-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

For clarification on the sometimes muddy issue of image resolution for PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft has a good explanation on their website.

In short, the resolution of your images will only display as large as the projector's (and your computer's) capabilities. The standard size for projection output typically has been 1024x768 at 96 dpi, but this is changing as technology changes. The new Christie projectors that we have just installed in Moffitt have an output resolution as high as 1920x1080. However, if your computer is only capable of projecting at 1024x768, it defaults to this as an output if you have the monitor mirroring setting enabled.

For more information on the Christie DHD800 projector specifications, see their website. You may also view information on the new Panasonic projectors here.

Projector troubleshooting tips

2011-08-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have created a document with the most common projector problems and instructions on how to resolve them. You may download the projector troubleshooting guide here. Educational Technology Services is also available to help, should you encounter a problem during class. ETS can be reached at 510-643-8637. They also offer one-on-one classroom equipment orientations. You may schedule your orientation on the ETS website.

Is Your Mac Projecting Too Dark?

2011-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

If your Macintosh is displaying too dark when projected, you may need to change your color profile. You can access the color profile options under the display preferences on your Mac. Education Technology Services has outlined simple instructions on how to select the best display settings on their website help center.

ARTstor Goes Mobile!

2010-11-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

ARTstor registered users can now access the ARTstor image database through the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Read-only features such as searching, browsing, zooming, and viewing are available in the mobile format. Log-on to ARTstor from your mobile device by going to http://library.artstor.org in the Safari browser. For more details, visit the ARTstor Help page at http://help.artstor.org/wiki/index.php/ARTstor_Mobile.

Media Vault Program Ending

2010-10-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

The three-year, grant-funded UC Berkeley Media Vault Program comes to an end this month. Although the program officially comes to an end very soon, they will be extending online access to our Portfolio website through the end of January 2011. At the end of January, the site will be removed and you may no longer access our collection images through this portal.

A new service, dubbed the Research Hub (was originally named Media Hub), will be introduced soon. The Research Hub team is currently working on pricing and terms of service for their limited release this fall. For the most recent news (as of this date) on the program, see their news site.

Super High-Resolution Images from the Uffizi Gallery

2010-10-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Have you every wanted to see Caravaggio’s Bacchus so close up that you could see the dirt under his fingernails? Or see the individual characters on the pages of text in Leonardo’s Annunciation?

Well, now you can, thanks to HaltaDefinizione’s propriety technology Real High Definition (RHD). HaltaDefinizione is an Italian company with an agreement to photograph 24 masterworks from the Uffizi Gallery’s collection. Leonardo’s Annunciation, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Caravaggio’s Bacchus and Bronzino’s Portrait of Eleonore of Toledo (1545) are some of the works available for viewing on the HaltaDefinizione website.

These images are of such high-resolution that you can zoom into the image to see every little brushstroke and crack of the paint. In fact, their image of Botticelli’s Primavera is so high-res that it contains 28 billion pixels which is about 3000 times the resolution of a typical digital camera.

You can read more about it in the posting on Wired.com, featuring commentary by UC Berkeley’s Associate Professor of Art History, Todd P. Olson.

Featured Collection: The British Museum

2010-09-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

The British Museum has over 500,000 of their collection images available through their online database. The images are available in download sizes of 1024 pixels wide, or greater, and are approved for non-commercial education use.

In addition, the British Museum offers high-resolution images (2500 pixels wide) free of charge, that can be used for non-commercial publications with a print-run of less than 4,000. You may order up to 100 of these high-resolution images per month. See their website for more information on obtaining their high-res images.

Download online videos

2010-09-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

If you would like to show an online video in a lecture but are afraid you won't have reliable Internet access, it might be a good idea to download that video to your hard drive first. You can quickly and easily download videos from sites such as YouTube or Google Videos by using a free service at Savevid.com.

Savevid.com will give you the option to download the streaming video in eith FLV, AVI, MOV, MPG or WMV formats, which you can then run directly off of your hard drive or insert into a PowerPoint presentation.

New ARTstor collections

2010-04-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

Several new collections are available in ARTstor. The Metropolitian Museum of Art contributed 900 images of art and architecture from along the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route. Bryn Mawr College has made a collection of 8,000 images of architectural monuments and plans of archaeological sites available. You may also find new images of the architecture of Le Corbusier from Dalhousie University. Photographer and art historian, Barbara Anello, contributed 750 images of art, architecture, and culture of Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Morocco.

MS Office 2008 file converter

2010-04-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

If you are a Mac user with an older version of MS Office (e.g. 2004 or older) you may find that you are unable to open files created with MS Office 2008. This is especially true if you are trying to use the new batch download feature in ARTstor, which creates PPT 2008 files.

A converter plug-in from Microsoft should resolve these file conversion issues. Follow this link, and download the plug-in at the bottom of the page where it says 'Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.0.2'.

Featured Collection: SFMOMA ArtScope

2009-12-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

This month's featured collection is from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. You may search from among 4,627 digital images representing SFMOMA's collection holdings, or explore the collection with their ArtScope visual browsing tool. The ArtScope tool works like a 'digital Lupe', allowing for serendipitous discoveries while browsing the images on their 'digital light table'.

Video Tutorials from UT Austin

2009-12-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Visual Resources Collection in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin has posted several professionally produced video tutorials on their YouTube channel. Many of the videos are of interest to art historians teaching with digital images. Topics include: slide scanning; digital images; ARTstor help; and web resources. The video featured here is on PowerPoint image sizing tips.

Guide for Using Digital Images in Teaching and Learning

2009-10-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

The University of Reading has created an excellent online guide to using digital images in teaching and learning. The online guide provides information on how to create images, use them in presentations, and manage them on your computer. It is a great reference for learning how to size images for PowerPoint and print, as well as how to name files and choose file formats. The guide also helps users get started with image management software such as Picasa and iPhoto.

Featured Collection: New York Public Library Digital Gallery

2009-10-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

Every month I will be highlighting an on-line digital image collection. This month's featured collection is the New York Public Library's 'Digital Gallery'. The NYPL Digital Gallery is a searchable database of over 700,000 digital images available for free download.

The collection includes illuminated manuscripts, vintage posters, rare prints, historical maps and more. Browsable headings include: arts & literature; cities & buildings; culture & society; and industry & technology, among others.

New Digital Image Order Form

2009-09-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

We have created a new form for requesting digital images. The form will replace the multitude of order forms we currently use — our hope is that it can function as a singular form for all types of orders. The form can be used for either personal orders or collection orders. However, if you are requesting a combination of personal images and collections images from the same book, please fill out two separate forms and specify the order type on each form.

The form is electronic, and available for download here. I will post the form on our blog and our website for easy access. You may either print out a copy of the form and complete it by hand, or fill it out on your computer and then generate a printed copy. The form can only be saved in PDF format if you wish to save a copy on your computer. As always, please bring the completed form into the VRC along with the corresponding materials you wish to have captured digitally.

The California Digital Library Image Collections

2009-09-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

The California Digital Library is a scholarly digital repository serving all of the UC campuses. The CDL provides the UC community with access to licensed content such as electronic journals, electronic books, and digital image collections.

Of particular interest to History of Art faculty and students are the many image collections the CDL has made available through Luna Insight. More than 30,000 images reside in the Luna Insight collections. You can access the collections from the CDL website. Here is a brief list of the collections offered:

--Catena Historic Gardens & Landscapes
--Claire Holt Indonesian Art Images
--David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
--Hoover Institution Poster Collection
--Pratt Institute Fashion Plate Collection

I have created a 5-minute instructional video on how to search and download the collection content using the Luna Insight java client. You can view the video below, or from the YouTube website.

PowerPoint Guides

2009-09-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have created a new user guide for PowerPoint, downloadable from this link. It is a good introductory guide for using PowerPoint for image presentations. The guide applies to PowerPoint 2007 for PCs.

PowerPoint guides for older versions can be found at these links, both from the University of Chicago:

PPT 2000+ on PC platform
PPT 2008 on Mac platform

20,000 New Images from the College of Environmental Design

2009-09-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Now live in ARTstor, you can find 20,000+ new images contributed by the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. These images are accessible to all the UC campuses through the UC Shared Images collection hosted in ARTstor and are integrated with the ARTstor collection. A big thanks is due to Jason Miller, Director of the Visual Resources Collection in the College of Environmental Design, for making this collection available to the UC community.

The collection includes architectural photographs, site plans, floor plans, sections and more. A search on Le Corbusier, for example, retrieves a whopping 567 images from the College of Environmental Design.

New Batch Download Feature in ARTstor

2009-09-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

ARTstor has developed a fabulous new time-saving feature that allows you to download images in batches directly into PowerPoint. You no longer have to download images one-by-one for use in PowerPoint! Detail views may be included too.

Check out the 4-minute video tutorial below that I have created. To view it in full-screen mode, click the second icon from the right in the video menu. You may also view it directly on YouTube from this link:

Creating PDF documents with PCs

2009-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

PDF is the ideal file format for sharing your PowerPoint lectures and other documents on bspace. PDF documents are universally readable by the students with the Adobe Reader application, a free download.

Although Mac users have always enjoyed the ability to create PDF documents without the need for additional software, PC users have traditionally had to purchase Adobe Acrobat Professional to accomplish the task.

PC users now have a variety of PDF writer applications available to them as free downloads. Although there are several to choose from, one that I would recommend is the CutePDF Writer 2.8. You may download it for free from this site. Others that you may wish to explore are PDF Writer Pro, Solid PDF Creator, and Win2PDF.

Digital Resources Guide

2009-08-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have created a resource guide for the primary digital-image resources available to the UCB community. It includes information on accessing the History of Art Visual Resource Collection image database, ARTstor, the California Digital Library collections and more. You may find the resource guide at this link.

You may also refer to the list of image databases on the Art History/Classics library website for a more extensive list of available digital-image resources.

Tutorials on Digital Tools and Resources

2009-08-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Visual Resources Collection staff will be conducting informal training on the ARTstor image database, PowerPoint, and bspace for UC Berkeley History of Art faculty and graduate students. Click here or on the image to the right for the sign-up form. Please provide your name and e-mail address in the space provided on the form to sign-up for a session.

The sessions will cover the following:

Getting Started with ARTstor
--registering for an account
--features overview
--searching
--downloading individual images
--batch downloading to PowerPoint

Introduction to Powerpoint
--creating proper image file sizes for importing to PPT
--creating basic image presentations
--image resizing and layout
--adding text to presentations

Loading lectures to bspace
--setting up a bspace course
--configuring additional log-ins for GSIs
--preparing your lectures for upload
--uploading your lectures

I am open to additional times or training topics. Please contact me at lynncunningham@berkeley.edu to share your suggestions.

FLESH EATERS: an International Symposium on Roman Sarcophagi

2009-08-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Conference/Symposium: HISTORY OF ART — FEATURED EVENTS | September 18 – 19, 2009 every day | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Berkeley Art Museum, main auditorium

This conference examines afresh the distinctive imagery carved on Roman sarcophagi, some of the most beautiful and astonishing works that the ancient world ever produced. Gathering scholars from Germany, Italy, England, Canada, and the U.S., it features a keynote address by Paul Zanker. (For full program information, click here)

VPN Service is Changing

2009-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

The UC Berkeley campus is changing its VPN software. All current VPN users will need to switch to the new version before August 12, 2009. VPN software is used to access article databases, electronic journals, and other licensed resources found through the Library website and catalogs. Some programs require VPN for off-campus use: Luna Insight, MDL Crossfire Beilstein and Gmelin, SciFinder Scholar (client version only), the java client in UC Image Service, and the Connect function in EndNote. VPN will work with all web browsers and most types of Internet connection, except AOL. See this link for detailed instructions for downloading and installing the new version.

News from campus ETS

2009-07-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Our campus ETS is in the process of phasing out slide 
projectors in the classrooms. It looks as though all 
projectors will be removed from the classrooms as of 
Spring 2010.

Below is the e-mail they are distributing
announcing their plans for the art history classrooms.
You can also view this PDF for more information
about the changes in their equipment loan program.

Starting in Fall 2009 ETS will no longer loan slide projectors. This
includes the checkout equipment in DW 44 and the ETS closets.

We will also be phasing out slide projectors in classrooms. Here is a list
of rooms that will have slide projection for Fall 2009.

Moffitt 101, 102, 103, 106
Kroeber 160, 155
VLSB 2050
Dwinelle 155
Wheeler Aud (150)
Tan 180
LSA 101
PFA/Hearst Annex 1

Each room should have two working projectors, one dual wireless
remote and signage stating as of January 2010 we will no longer be
supporting slide projection in classrooms. Over the winter break we
will remove them from the above rooms.

Clients can contact ETS to have equipment transferred to their
department if they choose to continue to use this media.

Loading presentations to bspace

2009-07-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Would you like to load your class lectures up to bspace for student review? If the lectures were created with PowerPoint, it is preferable to convert the files to PDF format first. PDF files are easily readable by using the free Adobe Reader application, whereas PPT files usually require the (not free) PowerPoint application for viewing.

Follow these instructions to convert a PPT file to PDF. If you are using a Mac, the PDF file is not automatically compressed and can be too large for bspace to accept. Follow these additional instructions to compress PDF files if you are on the Mac platform.

If you are using a PC, you will need additional software to create PDF documents of your PPT lectures. See my blog posting on this subject for more information.

The end of Kodachrome film

2009-06-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

The news from Kodak this week is that they will be discontinuing their Kodachrome slide film. Here is a New York Times article for more information.

Cooliris

2009-06-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

For a faster and more dynamic way to view image search results in your web browser, try the plug-in from Cooliris. With a simple click, Cooliris converts a static web page of images into a '3-d wall' for quick viewing and selection. The Cooliris plug-in is compatible with Safari, Firefox, or IE and works on lots of different sites such as Google image search, YouTube, Flickr, Hulu, Facebook, Picasa and more.

Loading image groups into PowerPoint

2009-06-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

PowerPoint 2004 and 2007 for Windows has a feature called 'photo album' which allows you to load in groups or folders of images, and resize them to screen-size all in one step. This fantastic feature is not included in Mac versions of Powerpoint, but a plug-in exists which will do the same.

If you have PP 2004 for Mac, download and unzip this plug-in.
If you have PP 2008 for Mac, download and unzip this plug-in.

Please contact me if you have questions or need help, because these do not work with all operating systems.

Also, available for a small fee, you may download similar scripts for Macs running PPT 2001, 2004, and 2008 from this site: http://www.agentjim.com/MVP/PowerPoint/PPTHome.html

PowerPoint tips

2009-06-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you who wish to streamline your Powerpoint workflow, here is an article that may be of interest:

Ten PowerPoint 2004 Tips to Beat Tight Deadlines

ARTstor training on YouTube

2009-06-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

ARTstor has created several short training videos available on YouTube (all less than 5 minutes). Here are some good topics to start with:

Introduction to the new ARTstor

Other videos you might wish to view:
Register for an ARTstor account
Downloading images to PowerPoint

Archivision in ARTstor

2009-06-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

UC Berkeley now has access, via ARTstor, to digital images from the vendor Archivision. The Archivision collection consists of over 30,000 images of architecture from Greek, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, 18th & 19th Century and Modern sites. If you would like to browse their collection holdings in ARTstor, see the Archivision link under 'institutional collections' or try a keyword search for Archivision.