Photos are nothing but memories. As we grow up we are used to the face and appearance we have at the moment and we hardly remember what we looked like when we were children. But photos are testimonies of out appearance in the past: they caught a certain moment in our past and can bring it to life when we look at them. It's a bit nostalgic to look at your photo as a little child when you are a responsible grown up with your own children or even grandchildren. Not to mention the fact that sometimes photos are the only things that remind us of some people who left us , who no longer live. From time to time we miss them and want to talk to them and in those moments we speak with their photos. it's better than nothing and certainly better than our human memory that  has the nasty habit of forgetting a face after a long time of not seeing it. We are born, grow up, get married, have children and then grow old and wait for our children to come home from time to time and miss them very much. That's the circle of life and that's how it should be. But here comes a time in our lives when all we have left are memories. And then we take out the photo albums and talk to the photos, sweet replacements of our beloved. And that's when you wish you had taken more pictures at the right time and that's when you live on memories.
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That is why it is very important to take photos in all the nice moments of your lives, even if you may think there are too many photos and you just don't know where to store them: photos are never enough, never too many, as they are sweet memories.

But you don't always have a professional photographer available , so the next best choice is to get a photo software, even better if this software is for free. The top photo editing software is designed for professionals, but if you are a normal person, that is an amateur photographer and you want to use a photo editing software without having to pay too much for that, you may even have the possibility to do that for free. There are a few websites that allow you to use such a free photo software, in exchange for your registering, of course. So you have to provide your information and after that you will have the possibility to use the software. Most of the times it's only a demo version of the real software package, has limited features or is interrupted by commercials. nevertheless it is worth the trouble, because you only want to edit some family photos for the family album.



One of the best free photo software is Photoscape , designed for Windows. It offers the user a variety of features and still manages to remain easy to use. You can view the photo in normal manner or thumbnail and you can rotate it or even edit it . This part of the software (editing) has a lot of features and you can choose and add a lot of effects or make some adjustments to your photo. You may load a Photo there, edit it and then save the changes you made.

You can change color and tone, apply an effect and if you have a video you can apply many filters like noise reduction. There is a possibility there that you choose a frame for your photo in order to make it look like a picture or to give it as a gift to someone. The editor also contains an object tab where you can add text and shapes. You can also choose to add clip art pictures and add them to your photo. If you are unhappy with the size of the photo you can resize it or even crop it if you are interested in only a part of it. Some of the editing tools allow you to remove the unpleasant parts of a picture like red eyes or moles.  If you change your mind about something that you did or just don't like it there's always the "undo" option or even "undo all".



The batch editor lets you apply all the above mentioned features to multiple files at the same time. You can even save the changes you've made as presets for later editing.

What's amazing about this software is the number of features you can choose from and apply to your photos: combine multiple photos in a strip either horizontally or vertically, AniGif - create animation from a big number of photos, splitter- you can cut your photo to pieces , screen capture, colour picker - allows you to take samples of colour from different spots on the photo, raw converter and rename.

I was absolutely fascinated by this software as it has so many features and functions and it's still easy to use. However, it is available online, so you can only edit one photo at a time. If you want to edit another one, you must save the first one, close the file and then work with the second one. Photo shape is designed for non commercial use only and that's why it's Free and it's compatible only with Windows.



Of course that was the description of only one such free photo software. But there are lots of them available for free on the internet, that have more or less the same features: Picasa Digital Photo Software from Google, GIMP 2.6, IrfanView, Adobe Photoshop (trial for free), FastStone Image Viewer, Paint.NET, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, Snagit.

Some of these soft systems are compatible with all operating systems, some only with Windows; some are them allow only a few features for free download, others are online, some are simple and yet some complicated and more complex. But they are all used for the same purpose: to make our photos look better and to give them a personal touch.

Of course you can use this software to make your body look perfect, but if that is far from reality you end up being a different person than the one in the photo. Any way, use this free photo software for any purpose you want to as long as it makes you happy.

I remember that I was very proud when I was a kid because my grandma used to sew my initials on all my clothes, so that I wouldn't lose them or mistake them for someone else's or something like that. It seemed to me that I was really special for having those little curious letters embroidered on my shirt sleeves or on the corner pf my every handkerchief. Now I know that the real purpose of those embroidered initials was very pragmatic, but somehow I felt I belonged to a different social class, that I was above the "normal" people around me. Of course, I was very little back then and my head was full of adventure films where the princess rescues by pirates always had a silk handkerchief with her initials embroidered on it. You can imagine how enthusiastic I was about it, the fact that I shared something with a real princess made me feel a princess, too.
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Apart from those funny but sweet memories from my childhood, I think that every craft is worthy of respect and very personal. I think that women who perform embroideries on the clothes of the family members also sow a piece of their heart there, on the sleeve, in order to watch over that person and protect him or her.



The origins of embroidery go back in time, but nobody knows for sure when people started it as a means of embellishing clothes. However, the oldest archeological evidence belong to Ancient Egypt, Iron Age Northern Europe and Zhou Dynasty China. It was used as a means of decorating clothes, table cloths curtains and other things made of fabric. Furthermore, it was characteristic to upper classes and, in the Middle Ages, the tailors who made the clothes belonging to very important people, kings and queens and noblemen used gold or silver threads for embroidery.It was kind like a form of art and it took a long time to do that, but the result was amazing.

In the modern times this artcraft that used to be transmitted from generation to generation has almost died. There were a few attempts to turn it into a mechanical process, but it wasn't very successful, especially as the 50s and 60s introduced synthetic materials used for clothes, which were inappropriate for embroidery. I really thought I was going to see it only in history books and museums, but, happily, I was wrong.



I don't know what caused this but apparently during the last years people have returned to family values and traditions. Even career  people who seemed to live only for their work gave up on some of their responsibilities in order to have a healthy family life. To my surprise people, especially form USA started being interested in embroidery again after so many years. But this time technology was combined with tradition to get the best results. Now women use automatic sewing machines  also capable of making embroidery or special machines used only for this. Furthermore, all the designs and models are made on the computer, as these machines use special embroidery software and special screens that can offer you a preview of your future model.

The latest embroidery software even allows you to invent your own model and then transform it into a model for your machine and then directly onto your pillow case or download nice models from the internet and integrate them in your machine. Isn't it amazing? You are no longer limited to a number of patterns and colors, but you can choose from thousands on the internet or use your imagination to create new ones.



This is a new way using a computer I wasn't aware of: sewing and embroidering machines can be integrated with computers to make it easier for the user. The software offer is really wide and you can purchase it from the store or directly on the web, without much trouble and without spending too much money. These software have a lot of functions: print, edit, organize, split or convert embroidery designs as you see fit. There are, of course, different levels of software from beginner to professional, all very user friendly and with available help step bu step.

If you are creative and want to create your own personal design here are the steps for doing it:

First buy or create a digital embroidery design. Then edit the design or combine it with other designs to obtain a more sophisticated result. Load the final result of the file in the embroidery machine, put the fabric in and stabilize it. Then all you have to do is supervise the whole operation and be happy with the result.

Make sure what format is your machine using in order to purchase the right one and to be compatible with it, or else it won't work.



I looked for opinions from people who used this kind of software and I found a top ten with the best embroidery software available on the market:

1. Bernina Embroidery Software 13.0
2. Becker CPA Review Course Final Review 2009
3. Bernina Embroidery Software 5.0
4. Designer SE 3D Embroidery Software 7.2
5. DRAWings evaluation edition 4.0
6. Designer I 4D Embroidery Software 8.1
7. Creative DRAWings evaluation edition 4.0
8. Embroidery Machine Communication Software 8.2
9. Autodesk Design Review 10.0
10. Embroidery machine Communication Software 8.1

So choose one of the listed software, purchase it and have fun creating new models. I don't know if I will ever do that, but it sounds like fun for other people.

Every morning I look at myself in the mirror and I see the same face and the same haircut for years. From time to time I get bored of the same image every single day and I go to the hairdresser. Sometimes my need for a physical change comes after a special experience, when you feel like you are somebody else and need to change your face, too. It happened to me when I was pregnant. My body went through many changes and my emotions and feelings changed me as a person. that's when I needed a radical change and I decided to have my hair cut really short. When I got married I decided to change my hair colour. But every time I'm so scared that she will do something wrong or the haircut will look bad on me and so on. So I don't dare make radical changes. But I would like to see if I look nice in a different colour without having to actually dye my hair.
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And there are a lot of people like me all over the world. That is why some smart people (I bet their wives had the same problem I do) invented some smart hairstyle software that helps you change you haircut and hairstyle, all in a virtual manner, without sacrificing your precious hair.

For example Maggi hairstyle and make up software offers you the possibility to combine a new haircut with a new make up and see the result. You can upload one of your digital photos directly on the site and choose from a wide range of hairstyles. There is an option of choosing your face form and then looking for the best haircut the suits it. You can change the colour of your hair and customize hundreds od available fashionable hairstyles or even add new hairstyles. Then you can play with the colour of your eyes, lipstick and shades until you find the perfect match between hairstyle and make up. Besides, the support is now available in 6 languages: English, German, french, Spanish, Catalone and Italian.



Stellure.com offers the right choice for you, whether you are a salon owner, a stylist or a simple person. It works online, so you don't have to download anything and it's absolutely free. You can enter the Stellure 3D Hairstyle studio that allows you to see your future hairstyle from every angle due to the 3D feature. You can try on celebrity hairstyles and browse through a really wide range of hairstyles.

But the nicest things about this software isn't the possibility to change and try on over 100 hair styles, the most important thing for a person who wants a significant change is the tips they give you, the help offered and the guidance. You learn which colour and hair length goes with every shape of a face or the length of your neck (for example when your neck is too long, don't choose a short haircut because it will make your neck look even longer and unaesthetic).



Almost all hairstyle software contains all the haircut samples arranged in groups , foe example men and women hairstyles, celebrities' hairstyles, wedding, parties and so on. They also differ according to length: long, medium, short hair. There are extra features for men that include beard, moustache or no hair- shaved head.

Some of us just don't know how to match their body shape and face form with the right hairstyle in order to get advantage out of it. That is why we need guidance. You know what they say: The right person in the right place. That's true. You can't possibly know everything about all the things in the world. That is why you'd better listen to an expert when they give you advice. Even if you are not convinced that it's right for you, try it and you'll see the difference. So why don't you follow all the professional advice and find the perfect hairstyle for you? It's free and, besides, it will change you and make you look better. I think it's worth it.



If you want to try a new hairstyle for free at home, without spending money or even getting out of the house, go to www.freedownloadscenter.com and you will find there Hairstyles 1.0, Maggi Hairstyle and Make up software 6.0 or enter thehairstyler.com, makeoversolutions.com and many others and you'll get help and definetely leave with a satisfaction smile on your face. Of course you cannot change your appearance by simply visiting these web sites or using this particular hairstyle software: you still have to go to the hairdresser's. But when you do this you will know exactly what you want and what suits you best. That's because you consulted a hairstylist, even if a virtual one, while most hairdressers aren't stylists; they just perform the action of doing a haircut. We all need a change from time to time and this is so true mostly for women. And it should be like that, as it is boring to be the same for let's say 20 years. You can adjust your appearance and hairstyle to your age and body shape. Not to mention the fact that a person who takes care of her appearance and always looks fine and adds something new to her look gives more confidence in herself and transmits this feeling to the people around her. She inspires respect and self-confidence, femininity and style.