The Ultimate Keyword Guide Part 2

The Ultimate Keyword Guide

Welcome back to the second part of keyword guide everyone has been waiting for!! It has been awhile since the first edition in which we covered the Do's and Don'ts of descriptions.

Well, as promised we'll be focusing on keywords this time around. As keywording is a very wide and complicated subject, we'll be dividing it into a few categories for easier understanding. So, for a start, lets look into the first category which is Location. Stating an accurate name of a location is extremely important to avoid funny search results. Remember, these are just examples!

LOCATION

2.1 State the precise location/premises as shown in the picture

e.g., Kitchen, classroom, boardroom

Kitchen

When the word ''kitchen'' is mentioned, the first thing that comes into mind is food. But bear in mind that not all the food belongs in the kitchen. So do not add in the keyword ''kitchen'' into the keyword if you do not see a kitchen in the background.

GOOD - Add keyword "Kitchen"

NOT SO GOOD - Do not add keyword "Kitchen"

Classroom

If you have a clear view of students writing in the classroom, it is alright to add in the word ''classroom'' into the keyword. However, it is not advisable to add the same word in for a close-up picture of a kid's hand (in our example) writing on a book. You can't make assumptions that the kid is writing in the classroom.

GOOD - Add keyword "Classroom" as a classroom is clearly visible

NOT SO GOOD - Do not add the "classroom" keyword as we can't see the classroom in this image.

Boardroom

Boardroom is a room provided for business conferences. So, again if the image just shows a businesswoman sitting on an office chair, do not put in the keyword ''boardroom'' simply because it is business related.

GOOD - Add in "Boardroom" into your keyword list

NOT SO GOOD - Again, there's no clear view of a boardroom here, so leave the keyword out.

2.2 Enter the exact name of the location

Italy

State the precise location if the geographic location is an important aspect of the image. Key in Venice, Italy instead of just Italy.

The keyword ''Italy'' should not be added in if the image is of a cup of cappucino eventhough it is an Italian drink.

GOOD

NOT REALLY GOOD

Japan

Add in the name of the place only if it is a famous or recognizable place. The word ''Japan'' is not necessary for an image of a home interior in Japan since it is not a famous landmark or place.

GOOD

NOT SO GOOD

Alright, that's all we have in store for you this time. Till then, remember to add relevant keywords of what you see in the image and do not come out with a new location.

e.g.,

Indoor box for cats to relieve themselves is not called "bathroom" but "litter box" or "sandbox" >.<

The Ultimate Keyword Guide: Part 1

The Ultimate Keyword Guide

Hello there 123RF contributors! Check out what we've come up for you with the aim to enhance the accuracy of keywording and description for 123RF Submissions. Here we are sharing a series of guides for you to follow that will lead to a better 123RF for everyone.

This time around, we'll cover descriptions and how to write accurate descriptions before covering the complex stuff such as keywording! Description is an important part of your image submissions as well because our search engine also searches your descriptions for results!

1.0 Description

1.1 Write a concise but detailed description of what you SEE in the image

e.g.,

GOOD: Three business people having a discussion

NOT SO GOOD: Three young business people wearing light business outfit looking at document and smiling

Note: We can always cover what specific items are there in the image within the keywords itself.

1.2 Leave out on any terms that refer to a model's ethnicity or nation of origin

e.g.,

GOOD: Man drinking coffee

NOT SO GOOD: African American man drinking coffee

Note: The reason why ethnicity is left out is because we will add that information in the keywords section. In addition to that, if an image contains people with multi ethnic backgrounds it will be quite a task to fit everyone's ethnicity into the description.

1.3 However, it is alright to describe food or objects using national terms.

e.g.,

Woman enjoying Japanese food

Note: Again, the specific food type as in our case here can be covered in the keywords. As you can see, this is just one food type, if there are several, the person describing the image will be hard pressed to come up with a suitable concise description.

1.4 Trademarked words SHOULD NOT appear in the description

e.g.,

GOOD: Man playing wooden blocks

NOT SO GOOD: Man playing Jenga

Note: Your images and keyword list should never have brands such as Apple, or iPod or Dell, keep it generic such as, desktop computer, laptop computer or MP3 player. It must never endorse a certain brand.

1.5 Give the exact name if the geographic location is an important aspect of the image

e.g.,

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal park in Utah

Note: If you know exactly what you're photographing, it always helps to add it into the description, once again, not too long please!

1.6 Describe what you know to be factual or are extremely confident of

e.g.,

Cute little Yorkshire Terrier puppy

Note: Here, if we have a group of dogs, it would be more prudent to have a description that says, "A group of dogs ..... etc." as its description instead of listing down, "A cute Yorkshire Terrier puppy running in the park with a beige adult Labrador etc etc."

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So, remember folks... when you're describing images, keep it clear, concise and accurate. You can give out the exact location name and what you know to be factual as long as you're very confident about it. Then again, trademarked words and model's ethnicity are a definite no-no.

And lastly do remember, don't copy the entire paragraphs from Wikipedia as your description!

e.g.,

The Great Pyramid of Giza , also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt in Africa, and is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) and constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC.

We have the National Geographic or Discovery for those! :-)

All right folks, these is just a little teaser for what we will have for you in about 2 weeks time where we will produce the more exciting keywording guide.We hope you've benefitted from this article and will stay tuned to our next installment!

123RF Tutorial #1 : Running water effect

This tutorial will show you how to create realistic effects of running water which you can apply to water taps, hoses, or even with some tweaking, a waterfall!

You will learn how to use blend modes, the warp tool and how to create realistic textures using clouds, plastic wraps and apply some chrome effects.

STEP 1

Create a new document of 300x300 pixels in size. Press "D" to reset your color palletes to black and white.

Go to Filter > Render > Clouds

STEP 2

Once it's done, apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Set Value = 5

STEP 3

Now go to Filter > Artistic > Plastic Wrap

Set Highlight Strength = 15
Detail = 8
Smoothness = 8

STEP 4

Apply Filter > Sketch > Chrome
Set Detail = 1
Smoothness = 5

And go to Edit > Fade Chrome
Set Opacity = 100%
Mode = Hard Light

STEP 5

Go to Image > Image Size
Set Height = 600 pixels

UNCHECK the "Constrain Proportions" Option

STEP 6
Then go to Edit > Transform > Warp

Move the anchors around, and shape it like running water.

(Depends on what shape of water you would like to apply)

STEP 7

Open another image (Water Tap Image ID: 3076412, © Kiyoshi Takahase Segundo 123RF.com) and drag the running water into the water tap image.

Make sure to change the water layer's blending mode to "Hard Light"
(To create some transparency effect)

STEP 8

Press CTRL+T/CMD+T to transform and resize the running water till it fits the water tap.

STEP 9

Create a layer mask for running water (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal) to remove the excessive part of the running water.
(Layer mask tool is used instead of eraser tool to avoid accidentally erasing parts of the main image)

STEP 10

After completing the layer mask, go to Level or Curve to adjust the color and contrast of the running water.

P/S : all “Filter” values are appropriate recommendation for this project. Feel free to play with the setting to see what works best for you!

SAVE WATER!!! Make it a Photoshopped one :-)

If you liked our tutorial, feel free to share it with your friends or even bookmark it!

Also, don't forget to check out our Discover page for all your creative needs.