![]() The Good – Create and edit neural TTS audio and video together in an online editor The Bad – No support for neural TTS, and the available voices are already widely used by YouTube creatorsīest for those just beginning to experiment with video lessons The Good – Straightforward, no frills text-to-speech software with flexible pricing The Bad – More expensive than either Google or Amazon (neural TTS is twice the price)īest for creators with a large amount of text to process looking for a cheaper option than Amazon, Google, or Azure The Good – Azure also offers greater voice customizability than either Google or Amazon The Bad – Slightly more expensive than Amazon Pollyīest for creators who want to create audio content with a one-of-a-kind voice ![]() The Good – Reportedly offers better user support than Amazon Polly, along with more voices and languages The Bad – Aggregated reviews suggest Google Text-to-Speech offers better user supportīest for creators who are ready to pay for TTS and value user support The Good – Full-featured, with standard and neural TTS support at the best price point compared to competitors The best text to speech tools money can buyĪ summary of the best text to speech tools we reviewed: Text To Speech Toolīest for creators who are ready to pay for TTS with neural capabilities ![]() To date, the only way to get free neural TTS services is to sign up for a trial for a paid service. Even if it’s more expensive than standard TTS, neural TTS can create some truly lifelike-and listenable-audio. In essence, a computer program is fed thousands of hours of human speech, accompanied by text, and learns how to imitate a human reading something aloud. Neural TTS draws on neural network technology, or AI, to generate more natural-sounding speech.Plus, a lot of the software available today lets you make adjustments to standard output, so you can change the length of pauses, the speed of speech, and how words are pronounced. But standard TTS has the benefit of being cheaper than neural TTS. When you think of artificial, stiff sounding TTS, you’re thinking of this. Neural TTSīefore diving into the world of text to speech, it’s important to know the difference between standard and neural TTS tools. In fact, once you’ve got a TTS tool set up the way you want it, your only major time investment is writing the material. In all these instances, TTS saves you the time it would take to record an audio track in person. Accessibility for the visually impaired – text to speech is a great way to accommodate those who can hear better than they can see.Repurposing blog content by turning articles into a narration that you can use in voiceovers, and videos.Video adds flavor to your course, giving your students a break from course materials and quizzes.Audiobook versions of self-published eBooks open up a new revenue stream-people who would never read a 300-page book about your subject might be willing to buy something they could listen to on the drive to work.Audio versions of course texts make it easier to access course material for students who are visually impaired or struggle with reading comprehension.Recorded presentations let you create the experience of attending a lecture.There’s a variety of circumstances where TTS can help keep students engaged and learning. We’ve reviewed the best text to speech software you can use in 2021 to repurpose content and increase student engagement:īut first-why bother? Why use text to speech? turn articles from your blog into videos on youtube.turn a text lesson into an audio or video lesson.And with technology advancements, they’re sounding less and less like robots–and more like natural human readers.Īlong with many other practical use cases, text to speech can help you: That’s where the latest generation of text to speech (TTS) tools come in handy. Plus, converting text into natural speech the old way can eat up hours better spent developing or marketing your course. The more formats you can use to deliver your online lessons, the more accessible they’ll be, and the better your students will learn… Turning text into speech for an audio lesson, a voiceover, or a video is a great way to repurpose text-heavy content for new formats.īut not everyone is born with the dulcet tones of, say, Morgan Freeman. We all remember how robotic the early text to speech tools used to sound, and how hilarious a computer with a potty mouth can be… But is this still the case? Is text to speech technology ready for the world of digital content creation? Let’s find out!
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![]() If you need some inspiration, check out this list of 40 printable Easter egg hunt clues. When the kids get to the last egg, they'll find their Easter baskets or fun prizes. Then, each egg will contain a clue to where the next egg is. Start by printing out a clue to help your kiddos find the first hidden egg. Eggs for little ones go at their eye level in easy spots, while older kids' eggs can be more tricky to find. If you've got kids of multiple ages, assign each one a color and hide the eggs accordingly. ![]() They can then turn their eggs in for a prize or treat. Have the kids go on a scavenger hunt for different flowers, leaves, rocks, and other items from nature to fill their eggs. Provide kids with a checklist and challenge them to find one egg of each design. Pattern Scavenger Egg Huntĭecorate your eggs with a Sharpie, putting simple patterns like polka-dots, stripes, and zig-zags, etc. Have kids hunt for eggs in different patterns. RELATED: 20 Kid-Pleasing Easter Desserts, Easter Recipes, and Easter Brunch Ideas Then, they have a fun puzzle to put together. First, your child has to find all the eggs. Puzzle Scavenger Egg Huntįorget candy: Pop a puzzle piece in each egg. Or, get the whole neighborhood involved by making a map of the entire block and having kids follow clues to find their eggs. Treasure Map Egg HuntĬraft a treasure map of your backyard and have the kids use it to navigate their way toward hidden Easter eggs. Once they've found all the eggs and have everything they need, reward them with a spa day. Stuff their eggs with their favorite beauty supplies. Tweens and teens love hair ties, earrings, lip balm, nail polish, and other beauty items. Once the kids find all the eggs, challenge them to build something fun out of all the pieces. LEGO Scavenger Egg HuntĬomb through the LEGO bin and use loose pieces and mini-figures as Easter egg stuffers. Don't be surprised if they ask you to put on the blindfold next! 4. Slap blindfolds on your kids and let them hunt by clue, as you tell them whether they're ice cold, cold, cool, warm, hot, or burning hot. As they find each egg, text a close-up of the next egg. Text it to them as a clue and then send them searching. Hide an egg and take an up-close picture with your cell phone, revealing only a bit of background. If your big kids think they're too cool for an Easter egg hunt, involve their tech. Challenge each kid to find all of the eggs that spell their name. ![]() To activate the LED bubble balloon and make it glow in the dark, please fill the balloon with air or helium, and then put 2 batteries in the battery box.Spell your children's names out by writing one letter on each egg. They need to be inflated with a helium tank or an inflator)ĥ. (Note: Do not inflate the balloons with your mouth. 20 x balloons, transparent sealing stickers. It is also very suitable for setting mood for weddings, birthdays, etc.Ĥ. Our balloons are the perfect decoration for your garden, bedroom, balcony, terrace, or as decorations for Valentine's Day, Christmas and other festivals. Suitable for birthdays, parties, weddings, anniversaries, pool parties, dance parties or any other special occasions worth celebrating.ģ. Our balloons have passed quality certification and are safe and reliable.Ģ. The transparent balloon is made of environmentally friendly TPU, tasteless and durable. ![]() I immediately shot a 30-second exposure of the focus star and using the ‘Heuristic display mode’ I was able to check that the star images were crisp and the long diffraction spikes were single. The ‘Focus V-Curve’ certainly isn’t a smooth ‘V’ shape, but the point of best focus was pretty accurate. The graphs look a bit ragged but the ‘Maximum Pixel Value History’ and ‘Half Flux Diameter (HFD) History’ are moving in the right direction. On the right is a long exposure of the focus star showing tight, single diffraction spikes and a crisp star image.įigure 2 shows the results of the first focusing run. Once the curve is complete, the point of best focus can be computed. The bottom graph shows the V-curve, where the focuser is driven through the point of best focus. Figure 2:Once the autofocus procedure has started, you can monitor progress using the Focus Graphs. I’d initially guessed a value of 500 for the Focus Range and it worked well. Dividing 2,468 by 4.06 gives a value of 608. Unfortunately, I was unable to remember the step-size of my focuser, so I went online and found a similar model that had a step-size of 4.06 microns. This number then has to be divided by the distance-per-step figure of a particular focuser. The user manual (which is very well written and comprehensive, but slightly out of date) states that best results come from using a value that is approximately 40× the size of the critical focus zone. ‘Focus Range’ is a little more complex and requires some user input to get the best results with any particular focuser. The reason for this is that if the seeing is poor, multiple images can be averaged to produce a truer value. ‘Averaging’ is the number of images taken per focus sample, so for each of the eight samples I chose, the software can take multiple images before moving the focuser. ‘Samples’ is the total number of images taken for both sides of the optimal focus position and for this I chose eight (i.e. Focus rangeįigure 1 lists the parameters that I selected for use with my Moonlite focuser. From here there is a choice of using two focusing aids, or a new addition, (more of which shortly). To set up the focusing run, you need to click on ‘Focus Tools’ in the Camera menu. I don’t think has changed much since my review of an earlier edition of The Sky in 2018, so I was able to use the same parameters as before and they worked extremely well. ![]() The first, known as is a comprehensive automatic focusing routine that slews to a star of appropriate brightness, places a small sub-frame around the star, computes a suitable exposure time and then finds the critical focus. TSIE features some good tools for attaining sharp focus. Unsurprisingly, the use of a good quality electronic focuser is required to obtain the best results. With my telescope imaging without the focal reducer at f/8, the critical focus zone enlarges to 0.14mm. As the f-ratio increases, the critical focus zone becomes wider. For those that prefer ‘real world’ figures, it equates to 0.0618mm. ![]() This is a preposterously small focus zone. Inserting this into the calculation gives 5.32 × 2.2 = 61.8 microns. Using my GSO 254mm Ritchey–Chrétien telescope, equipped with a 0.67× focal reducer, I have an f-ratio of f/5.3 (and a focal length of 1,340mm). The critical focus zone is calculated by multiplying the square of the focal ratio by 2.2, with the result delivered in microns. This is a zone of sharp focus that is smaller in ‘fast’ optical systems with steep light cones, making fast telescopes more difficult to focus. The point of best focus in an imaging system is known as ‘critical focus’. It’s also essential for any scientific imaging such as photometry. Attaining sharp focus is incredibly difficult and is a make-or-break decider of image quality. This issue, I’d like to assess how well TSIE performs when autoguiding, as well as judging its autofocusing accuracy. With a model containing just 61 stars, I was able to significantly improve the accuracy of my Paramount ME equatorial mount. The latter allows for the integration of imaging cameras, autoguiders, filter-wheels, focusers and so on to the planetarium software used for controlling equatorial mounts and navigating around the sky. This new edition of The Sky comes with both TPoint and the Camera Add-on. Last issue we assessed The Sky Imaging Edition’s (TSIE’s) capabilities in creating a precise pointing model for equatorial mounts using its TPoint module. The options at the bottom help to automate and speed up the process of finding a suitable guide star. Here you can choose how many images to take when autofocusing and whether to average multiple exposures together (during poor seeing) and you can determine the Focus Range of an electronic focuser. A dopp kit filled with pre-shave cream and high-end razors will keep him looking cool and clean every day. Maybe he’s getting tired of having a beard. Socks? There are so many funky, funny and classic options to choose from. T-shirts with old-school graphics on them? Check. If you need ideas for stylish guys, you’ll be able to find something that fits their style in a snap. High-tech gadgets like a Bluetooth speaker for his man cave or kitchen is a perfect gift idea, so he can blast all his fave tunes while he sips a beer or cooks up something tasty. A leather-wrapped flask with a bottle of his favorite drink (bourbon whiskey is a classic) is a personalized gift that doesn’t have to come with a high price. ![]() A leather wallet or leather gloves are great small gifts that are iconic and stylish. A duffel bag, sneakers and high-quality, top-rated over-ear headphones would make a perfect gift for men going to and from the gym. If you have an outdoors man you’re shopping for, you could build a manly gift box of a multi-tool, a button-down flannel shirt and an eco-friendly water bottle. Beard oil is a thoughtful gift that can be considered a bit of a splurge for a well-groomed dad or boyfriend who’s used to asking for more practical gifts. Conventional wisdom says that men with beards are whiskey-lovers and drink beer while that may be true for some, it’s not hard to go past the obvious ideas and find a unique gift. ![]() That’s why Target has created a unique, curated gift guide full of great gift ideas for men filled with things he’ll love. Sometimes, it seems like guys are the toughest people to shop for. ![]() It's definitely a GOTY contender for me for the solid core gameplay design and the spectacular presentation. I was satisfied by the game but wished there was just a little bit more to it. I am not super compelled to keep whittling away on these side-activities but I am at least enjoying them and working to maxing out my powers. Now that I'm trying to go through and see what the rest of the game has to offer, I'm disappointed by the lack of variety and potential that's not realized here. When I played through the game, I focused pretty hard on the story missions and then just did the odd side-activity along the way. The only area I think it really falls short is variety of stuff to do in the post game. Wish there was more back story / character development integrated into the game for the characters. The story was very enjoyable to go through. Wish there was a little more variety in the melee. The core gameplay is great combining the powers/combat and traversal and the city/level design. The technical, art and sound designs are just fantastic! It boggles my mind that with all this insanely complicated geometry that there aren't insane clipping and collision detection issues. Finished as good and done some side questing and I think it's an 9.0. It’s an example of how cross-platform can work without feeling forced, with neither side feeling out of place or designed by amateurs, and it meant that I feel even more satisfied with the overall game experience than I probably would have otherwise.I'll chip in. Other game-makers would do well to study how in-game met browser-based content with Infamous: Second Son. Sucker Punch has woven something genuinely cool and not at all tacked on to Infamous: Second Son with Paper Trail, and while I, like many of the community, would’ve liked to see the game’s hero inherit a new super power at the end of the plot’s conclusion, the experience itself was actually reward enough (and free), which is rare in a world where add-ons are seen as a route to additional revenue by most studios. It was virtual sleuth work that felt, at least most of the time, like the real thing instead of the standard repetitious busy work that too often accompanies game bonus content. And enjoyable unto themselves, regardless of the quality of the plot for the DLC (which itself was actually good, too, with tons of media, including live actors created specifically for the expansion). While the puzzles themselves were sometimes unnervingly frustrating for someone who’s more used to games where, generally speaking, you can punch your way around most obstacles, they were also in the end rewarding. inFamous: Second Son Paper Trail Revision Sucker Punch Productions Effective December 16, 2018, InFamous: Second Son’s Paper Trail DLC has been revised. Unraveling the tale meant in-game chases, fights and clue-gathering, paired with jumping out to the web to follow leads and decipher puzzles on websites created specifically for that purpose, including a mythical corporate intranet for the in-game super-terrorist police task force. ![]() Each episode had Infamous: Second Son’s protagonist tracking down a mysterious superpowered murderer, whose body count was rising. The Paper Trail tells the tale of another inmate of the DUP’s superhuman detention facility in Seattle, revealing a little bit at a time in micro-arcs that were released on Friday sequentially for six weeks after the launch of the game. PS4 Game Infamous: Second Son’s Paper Trail storyline is an exception, however, and one that had me playing along with the weekly installments the main game extension came in faithfully and diligently. For this puzzle, you'll want to connect the numbers in order starting with the first shape it asks for (circle) and you'll notice they form numbers. I’m not generally a person who plays very much DLC or post-release content on games for the most part, it comes out long after I’ve lost interest in the original title, and it’s a time suck, and time is not something I have very much of. Signing up for an account or logging in via Facebook on gained you access to a portal through which you could look at, analyse and investigate further from evidence collected. ![]() In addition to this lag, I found the lack of new content also disappointing. If, like me, you have played this game prior to its release on Nintendo Switch, you will also know how smooth these levels are supposed to run. I gave these maps a good few goes to make sure it wasn’t my console. In any levels involving movement, be it falling objects like ‘chutes’ or background animation like in ‘lighthouse’, this will pretty drastically slow your match down. Anything that involves many characters moving and functioning in different ways on screen will always cause a dip, but this is a pretty severe example. ![]() So although I didn’t expect it for this title, I am somewhat not surprised. It isn’t unheard of the Nintendo Switch to reduce the quality and FPS of games. Which is a shame considering how enjoyable and quick I know this title can be. Any sort of movement causes a pretty intense drop in frame rate. Whilst the title runs smoothly on Xbox and PlayStation, the Nintendo Switch release feels unfinished and laggy. Having experienced Gang Beasts on several platforms, playing it on the Switch felt lacklustre. Go against all known laws of physics to win GAMEPLAY: Out with the old but not in with the new Character style is very similar to Human Fall Flat, where you can push your inhuman body to its limits without feeling any repercussions. There are few games which have made me have to clutch my stomach with laughter, but Gang Beasts is definitely one responsible for that. You play a sort of, gelatinous character, with very little bone structure. There are numerous dangerous locations to brawl in, using the decaying city to your advantage. Which is what I would argue to be one of the main selling points to Gang Beasts.Įssentially, you are a citizen of ‘Beef City’ where you are constantly engaging in hilarious slapstick violence with fellow city goers. You can just pick up a controller and have a good time. You don’t have to worry about playing the same levels over and over again, mastering the script and knowing all the secrets to success. I think that’s one of the reasons it is such a popular party game. Unlike other fast paced co-op games like Overcooked or Castle Crashers, which both have a set in stone campaign to follow – Gang Beasts just doesn’t. There’s no campaign, no quest it is just a free for all from the beginning. If you weren’t already familiar with the party game, there isn’t a story to follow. PS4: hold L1R1, double-tap X Xbox One: hold RBLB, double-tap A PC: Left ClickRight Click, double-tap Space Swing-up Climb: When youve got your grip on a surface, you can swing your legs around and up.3.1) Something to rely on STORY: Good things come to those who wait However, while the basic controls are quite easy to grasp, there are manyĬombinations that you can pull to catch your opponent off-guard or deal an instant knockout blow. In this Gang Beasts controls guide, well detail the basic controlsįor PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC players as well as the more advanced moves that you can deploy.Ĭontents hide 1. Gang Beasts Basic PS4, Xbox One, and PC Controls 2. Gang Beasts Combos: Advanced PS4, Xbox One, and PC Controls 2.1. Gang Beasts Alternate Movement Controls 2.2. Gang Beasts How To Throw Controls Gang Beasts Basic PS4, Xbox One, and PC Controls From moving around to attacking and taunting, these are the basic controls that you need to know to play Gang Beasts. #GANG BEASTS CONTROLS PLAYSTATION HOW TO# Left Stick and Right Stick on either console controller are denoted as L and R. When two buttons need pressing at once, a will be used to indicate as such. The PC-exclusive controls are as follows: Action Key Menu Esc Fast Motion (tap for faster) Real-Time Speed 0 Slow Motion (tap for slower) Toggle Scoreboard Tab (hold) Toggle Nametags Q (hold) Toggle Day and Night F1 Spawn Opponents ShiftCtrl 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, or 8 Spawn Props 3,4,5,6, or 7 Spawn Forces 1 or 2 Gang Beasts Combos: Advanced PS4, Xbox One, and PC Controls With those basic controls locked down, you can start to combine them to create tricks such as new movements, special attacks, and some actions that combine the two.Ĭredit to Reddit user Amos0310 for discovering some of the more intricate Gang Beasts combinations listed below. Gang Beasts Alternate Movement Controls Handstand: To perform a handstand in Gang Beasts, you need to duck (hold O), grab the floor (L1R1), and then press jump to keep the legs up (X). #GANG BEASTS CONTROLS PLAYSTATION HOW TO#. |
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