Model Construction and Training¶
This chapter describes how to build models with Keras and Eager Execution using TensorFlow 2.
Loss function of the model:
Optimizer of the model:
Evaluation of models:
Object-oriented Python programming (define classes and methods, class inheritance, constructor and deconstructor within Python, use super() functions to call parent class methods, use __call__() methods to call instances, etc.).
Multilayer perceptron, convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks and reinforcement learning (references given before each section).
Python function decorator (not required)
Models and layers¶
In TensorFlow, it is recommended to build models using Keras (
tf.keras), a popular high-level neural network API that is simple, fast and flexible. It is officially built-in and fully supported by TensorFlow.
There are two important concepts in Keras: Model and Layer . The layers encapsulate various computational processes and variables (e.g., fully connected layers, convolutional layers, pooling layers, etc.), while the model connects the layers and encapsulates them as a whole, describing how the input data is passed through the layers and operations to get the output. Keras has built in a number of predefined layers commonly used in deep learning under
tf.keras.layers, while also allowing us to customize the layers.
Keras models are presented as classes, and we can define our own models by inheriting the Python class
tf.keras.Model. In the inheritance class, we need to rewrite the
__init__() (constructor) and
call(input) (model call) methods, but we can also add custom methods as needed.
class MyModel(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self): super().__init__() # Add initialization code here, including the layers that will be used in call(). e.g., # layer1 = tf.keras.layers.BuiltInLayer(...) # layer2 = MyCustomLayer(...) def call(self, input): # Add the code for the model call here (process the input and return the output). e.g., # x = layer1(input) # output = layer2(x) return output # add your custom methods here
tf.keras.Model, we can use several methods and properties of the parent class at the same time. For example, after instantiating the class
model = Model(), we can get all the variables in the model directly through the property
model.variables, saving us from the trouble of specifying them one by one explicitly.
Then, we can rewrite the simple linear model in the previous chapter
y_pred = a * X + b with Keras model class as follows
import tensorflow as tf X = tf.constant([[1.0, 2.0, 3.0], [4.0, 5.0, 6.0]]) y = tf.constant([[10.0], [20.0]]) class Linear(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self): super().__init__() self.dense = tf.keras.layers.Dense( units=1, activation=None, kernel_initializer=tf.zeros_initializer(), bias_initializer=tf.zeros_initializer() ) def call(self, input): output = self.dense(input) return output # 以下代码结构与前节类似 model = Linear() optimizer = tf.keras.optimizers.SGD(learning_rate=0.01) for i in range(100): with tf.GradientTape() as tape: y_pred = model(X) # 调用模型 y_pred = model(X) 而不是显式写出 y_pred = a * X + b loss = tf.reduce_mean(tf.square(y_pred - y)) grads = tape.gradient(loss, model.variables) # 使用 model.variables 这一属性直接获得模型中的所有变量 optimizer.apply_gradients(grads_and_vars=zip(grads, model.variables)) print(model.variables)
Here, instead of explicitly declaring two variables
b and writing the linear transformation
y_pred = a * X + b, we create a model class
Linear that inherits
tf.keras.Model. This class instantiates a fully connected layer (
tf.keras.layers.Dense`) in the constructor, and calls this layer in the call method, implementing the calculation of the linear transformation. If you need to explicitly declare your own variables and use them for custom operations, or want to understand the inner workings of the Keras layer, see Custom Layer.
Fully connection layer in Keras: linear transformation + activation function
Fully-connected Layer (
tf.keras.layers.Dense) is one of the most basic and commonly used layers in Keras, which performs a linear transformation and activation on the input matrix . If the activation function is not specified, it is a purely linear transformation . Specifically, for a given input tensor
input = [match_size, input_dim] , the layer first performs a linear transformation on the input tensor
tf.matmul(input, kernel) + bias (
bias are trainable variables in the layer), and then apply the activation function
activation on each element of the linearly transformed tensor, thereby outputting a two-dimensional tensor with shape
tf.keras.layers.Dense contains the following main parameters.
units: the dimension of the output tensor.
activation: the activation function, corresponding to in (Default: no activation). Commonly used activation functions include
use_bias: whether to add the bias vector
bias, i.e. in (Default:
bias_initializer: initializer of the two variables, the weight matrix
kerneland the bias vector
bias. The default is
tf.glorot_uniform_initializer1. Set them to
tf.zeros_initializermeans that both variables are initialized to zero tensors.
This layer contains two trainable variables, the weight matrix
kernel = [input_dim, units] and the bias vector
bias = [bits] 2 , corresponding to and in .
The fully connected layer is described here with emphasis on mathematical matrix operations. A description of neuron-based modeling can be found here.
Many layers in Keras use
tf.glorot_uniform_initializerby default to initialize variables, which can be found at https://www.tensorflow.org/api_docs/python/tf/glorot_uniform_initializer.
You may notice that
tf.matmul(input, kernel)results in a two-dimensional matrix with shape
[batch_size, units]. How is this two-dimensional matrix to be added to the one-dimensional bias vector
[units]? In fact, here is TensorFlow’s Broadcasting mechanism at work. The add operation is equivalent to adding
biasto each row of the two-dimensional matrix. A detailed description of the Broadcasting mechanism can be found at https://www.tensorflow.org/xla/broadcasting.
Why is the model class override
call() instead of
In Python, a call to an instance of a class
myClass(params)) is equivalent to
myClass.__call__(params) (see the
__call__() part of “Prerequisite” at the beginning of this chapter). Then in order to call the model using
y_pred = model(X), it seems that one should override the
__call__() method instead of
call(). Why we do the opposite? The reason is that Keras still needs to have some pre-processing and post-processing for the model call, so it is more reasonable to expose a
call() method specifically for overriding. The parent class
tf.keras.Model already contains the definition of
call() method is invoked in
__call__() while some internal operations of the keras are also performed. Therefore, by inheriting the
tf.keras.Model and overriding the
call() method, we can add the code of model call while maintaining the inner structure of Keras.
Basic example: multi-layer perceptron (MLP)¶
We use the simplest multilayer perceptron (MLP), or “multilayer fully connected neural network” as an example to introduce the model building process in TensorFlow 2. In this section, we take the following steps
Acquisition and pre-processing of datasets using
Model construction using
Build model training process. Use
tf.keras.losesto calculate loss functions and use
tf.keras.optimizerto optimize models
Build model evaluation process. Use
tf.keras.metricsto calculate assessment indicators (e.g., accuracy)
Basic knowledges and principles
The Multi-Layer Neural Network section of the UFLDL tutorial.
“Neural Networks Part 1 ~ 3” section of the Stanford course CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition.
Here, we use a multilayer perceptron to tackle the classification task on the MNIST handwritten digit dataset [LeCun1998].
Data acquisition and pre-processing with
To prepare the data, we first implement a simple
MNISTLoader class to read data from the MNIST dataset.
tf.keras.datasets are used here to simplify the download and loading process of MNIST dataset.
class MNISTLoader(): def __init__(self): mnist = tf.keras.datasets.mnist (self.train_data, self.train_label), (self.test_data, self.test_label) = mnist.load_data() # MNIST中的图像默认为uint8（0-255的数字）。以下代码将其归一化到0-1之间的浮点数，并在最后增加一维作为颜色通道 self.train_data = np.expand_dims(self.train_data.astype(np.float32) / 255.0, axis=-1) # [60000, 28, 28, 1] self.test_data = np.expand_dims(self.test_data.astype(np.float32) / 255.0, axis=-1) # [10000, 28, 28, 1] self.train_label = self.train_label.astype(np.int32) #  self.test_label = self.test_label.astype(np.int32) #  self.num_train_data, self.num_test_data = self.train_data.shape, self.test_data.shape def get_batch(self, batch_size): # 从数据集中随机取出batch_size个元素并返回 index = np.random.randint(0, self.num_train_data, batch_size) return self.train_data[index, :], self.train_label[index]
mnist = tf.keras.datasets.mnist will automatically download and load the MNIST data set from the Internet. If a network connection error occurs at runtime, you can download the MNIST dataset
mnist.npz manually from https://storage.googleapis.com/tensorflow/tf-keras-datasets/mnist.npz or https://s3.amazonaws.com/img-datasets/mnist.npz ,and move it into the
.keras/dataset directory of the user directory (
C:\Users\USERNAME for Windows and
/home/USERNAME for Linux).
Image data representation in TensorFlow
In TensorFlow, a typical representation of an image data set is a four-dimensional tensor of
[number of images, width, height, number of color channels]. In the
DataLoader class above,
self.test_data were loaded with 60,000 and 10,000 handwritten digit images of size
28*28, respectively. Since we are reading a grayscale image here with only one color channel (a regular RGB color image has 3 color channels), we use the
np.expand_dims() function to manually add one dimensional channels at the last dimension for the image data.
Model construction with
The implementation of the multi-layer perceptron is similar to the linear model above, constructed using
tf.keras.layers, except that the number of layers is increased (as the name implies, “multi-layer” perceptron), and a non-linear activation function is introduced (here we use the ReLU function activation function, i.e.
activation=tf.nn.relu below). The model accepts a vector (e.g. here a flattened
1×784 handwritten digit image) as input and outputs a 10-dimensional vector representing the probability that this image belongs to 0 to 9 respectively.
class MLP(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self): super().__init__() self.flatten = tf.keras.layers.Flatten() # Flatten层将除第一维（batch_size）以外的维度展平 self.dense1 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=100, activation=tf.nn.relu) self.dense2 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=10) def call(self, inputs): # [batch_size, 28, 28, 1] x = self.flatten(inputs) # [batch_size, 784] x = self.dense1(x) # [batch_size, 100] x = self.dense2(x) # [batch_size, 10] output = tf.nn.softmax(x) return output
Here, because we want to output the probabilities that the input images belongs to 0 to 9 respectively, i.e. a 10-dimensional discrete probability distribution, we want this 10-dimensional vector to satisfy at least two conditions.
Each element in the vector is between .
The sum of all elements of the vector is 1.
To ensure the output of the model to always satisfy both conditions, we normalize the raw output of the model using the Softmax function (normalized exponential function,
tf.nn.softmax). Its mathematical form is . Not only that, the softmax function is able to highlight the largest value in the original vector and suppress other components that are far below the maximum, which is why it is called the softmax function (that is, the smoothed argmax function).
Model training with
To train the model, first we define some hyperparameters of the model used in training process
num_epochs = 5 batch_size = 50 learning_rate = 0.001
Then, we instantiate the model and data reading classes, and instantiate an optimizer in
tf.keras.optimizer (the Adam optimizer is used here).
model = MLP() data_loader = MNISTLoader() optimizer = tf.keras.optimizers.Adam(learning_rate=learning_rate)
The following steps are then iterated.
A random batch of training data is taken from the DataLoader.
Feed the data into the model, and obtain the predicted value from the model.
Calculate the loss function (
loss) by comparing the model predicted value with the true value. Here we use the cross-entropy function in
tf.keras.lossesas a loss function.
Calculate the derivative of the loss function on the model variables (gradients).
The derivative values (gradients) are passed into the optimizer, and use the
apply_gradientsmethod to update the model variables so that the loss value is minimized (see previous chapter for details on how to use the optimizer).
The code is as follows
num_batches = int(data_loader.num_train_data // batch_size * num_epochs) for batch_index in range(num_batches): X, y = data_loader.get_batch(batch_size) with tf.GradientTape() as tape: y_pred = model(X) loss = tf.keras.losses.sparse_categorical_crossentropy(y_true=y, y_pred=y_pred) loss = tf.reduce_mean(loss) print("batch %d: loss %f" % (batch_index, loss.numpy())) grads = tape.gradient(loss, model.variables) optimizer.apply_gradients(grads_and_vars=zip(grads, model.variables))
Cross entropy and
You may notice that, instead of explicitly writing a loss function, we use the
sparse_categorical_crossentropy (cross entropy) function in
tf.keras.losses. We pass the model predicted value
y_pred and the real value
y_true into the function as parameters, then this Keras function helps us calculate the loss value.
Cross-entropy is widely used as a loss function in classification problems. The discrete form is , where is the true probability distribution, is the predicted probability distribution, and is the number of categories in the classification task. The closer the predicted probability distribution is to the true distribution, the smaller the value of the cross-entropy, and vice versa. A more specific introduction and its application to machine learning can be found in this blog post.
tf.keras, there are two cross-entropy related loss functions
tf.keras.losses.sparse_categorical_crossentropy. Here “sparse” means that the true label value
y_true can be passed directly into the function as integer. That means,
loss = tf.keras.losses.sparse_categorical_crossentropy(y_true=y, y_pred=y_pred)
is equivalent to
loss = tf.keras.losses.categorical_crossentropy( y_true=tf.one_hot(y, depth=tf.shape(y_pred)[-1]), y_pred=y_pred )
Model Evaluation with
Finally, we use the test set to evaluate the performance of the model. Here, we use the
SparseCategoricalAccuracy metric in
tf.keras.metrics to evaluate the performance of the model on the test set, which compares the results predicted by the model with the true results, and outputs the proportion of the test data samples that is correctly classified by the model. We do evaluatio iteratively on the test set, feeding the results predicted by the model and the true results into the metric instance each time by the
update_state() method, with two parameters
y_true respectively. The metric instance has internal variables to maintain the values associated with the current evaluation process (e.g., the current cumulative number of samples that has been passed in and the current number of samples that predicts correctly). At the end of the iteration, we use the
result() method to output the final evaluation value (the proportion of the correctly classified samples over the total samples).
In the following code, we instantiate a
tf.keras.metrics.SparseCategoricalAccuracy metric, use a for loop to feed the predicted and true results iteratively, and output the accuracy of the trained model on the test set.
sparse_categorical_accuracy = tf.keras.metrics.SparseCategoricalAccuracy() num_batches = int(data_loader.num_test_data // batch_size) for batch_index in range(num_batches): start_index, end_index = batch_index * batch_size, (batch_index + 1) * batch_size y_pred = model.predict(data_loader.test_data[start_index: end_index]) sparse_categorical_accuracy.update_state(y_true=data_loader.test_label[start_index: end_index], y_pred=y_pred) print("test accuracy: %f" % sparse_categorical_accuracy.result())
test accuracy: 0.947900
It can be noted that we can reach an accuracy rate of around 95% just using such a simple model.
The basic unit of a neural network: the neuron 3
If we take a closer look at the neural network above and study the computational process in detail, for example by taking the k-th computational unit of the second layer, we can get the following schematic
The computational unit has 100 weight parameters and 1 bias parameter . The values of of all 100 computational units in layer 1 are taken as inputs, summed by weight (i.e. ) and biased by , then it is fed into the activation function to get the output result.
In fact, this structure is quite similar to real nerve cells (neurons). Neurons are composed of dendrites, cytosomes and axons. Dendrites receive signals from other neurons as input (one neuron can have thousands or even tens of thousands of dendrites), the cell body integrates the potential signal, and the resulting signal travels through axons to synapses at nerve endings and propagates to the next (or more) neuron.
The computational unit above can be viewed as a mathematical modeling of neuronal structure. In the above example, each computational unit (artificial neuron) in the second layer has 100 weight parameters and 1 bias parameter, while the number of computational units in the second layer is 10, so the total number of participants in this fully connected layer is 100*10 weight parameters and 10 bias parameters. In fact, this is the shape of the two variables
bias in this fully connected layer. Upon closer examination, you will see that the introduction to neuron-based modeling here is equivalent to the introduction to matrix-based computing above.
Actually, there should be the concept of neuronal modeling first, followed by artificial neural networks based on artificial neurons and layer structures. However, since this manual focuses on how to use TensorFlow, the order of introduction is switched.
Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)¶
Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is an artificial neural network with a structure similar to the visual system of a human or animal, that contains one or more Convolutional Layer, Pooling Layer and Fully-connected Layer.
Basic knowledges and principles
Convolutional Neural Network in UFLDL Tutorial
“Module 2: Convolutional Neural Networks” in Stanford course CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition
“Convolutional Neural Networks” in Dive into Deep Learning
Implementing Convolutional Neural Networks with Keras¶
An example implementation of a convolutional neural network is shown below. The code structure is similar to the multi-layer perceptron in the previous section, except that some new convolutional and pooling layers are added. The network structure here is not unique: the layers in the CNN can be added, removed or adjusted for better performance.
class CNN(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self): super().__init__() self.conv1 = tf.keras.layers.Conv2D( filters=32, # 卷积层神经元（卷积核）数目 kernel_size=[5, 5], # 感受野大小 padding='same', # padding策略（vaild 或 same） activation=tf.nn.relu # 激活函数 ) self.pool1 = tf.keras.layers.MaxPool2D(pool_size=[2, 2], strides=2) self.conv2 = tf.keras.layers.Conv2D( filters=64, kernel_size=[5, 5], padding='same', activation=tf.nn.relu ) self.pool2 = tf.keras.layers.MaxPool2D(pool_size=[2, 2], strides=2) self.flatten = tf.keras.layers.Reshape(target_shape=(7 * 7 * 64,)) self.dense1 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=1024, activation=tf.nn.relu) self.dense2 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=10) def call(self, inputs): x = self.conv1(inputs) # [batch_size, 28, 28, 32] x = self.pool1(x) # [batch_size, 14, 14, 32] x = self.conv2(x) # [batch_size, 14, 14, 64] x = self.pool2(x) # [batch_size, 7, 7, 64] x = self.flatten(x) # [batch_size, 7 * 7 * 64] x = self.dense1(x) # [batch_size, 1024] x = self.dense2(x) # [batch_size, 10] output = tf.nn.softmax(x) return output
Replace the code line
model = MLP() in previous MLP section to
model = CNN() , the output will be as follows:
test accuracy: 0.988100
A very significant improvement of accuracy can be found compared to MLP in the previous section. In fact, there is still room for further improvements by changing the network structure of the model (e.g. by adding a Dropout layer to prevent overfitting).
Using predefined classical CNN structures in Keras¶
There are some pre-defined classical convolutional neural network structures in
tf.keras.applications, such as
MobileNet. We can directly apply these classical convolutional neural network (and load pre-trained weights) without manually defining the CNN structure.
For example, we can use the following code to instantiate a
MobileNetV2 network structure.
model = tf.keras.applications.MobileNetV2()
When the above code is executed, TensorFlow will automatically download the pre-trained weights of the
MobileNetV2 network, so Internet connection is required for the first execution of the code. You can also initialize variables randomly by setting the parameter
None. Each network structure has its own specific detailed parameter settings. Some shared common parameters are as follows.
input_shape: the shape of the input tensor (without the first batch dimension), which mostly defaults to
224 × 224 × 3. In general, models have lower bounds on the size of the input tensor, with a minimum length and width of
32 × 32or
75 × 75.
include_top: whether the fully-connected layer is included at the end of the network, which defaults to
weights: pre-trained weights, which default to
imagenet(using pre-trained weights trained on ImageNet dataset). It can be set to
Noneif you want to randomly initialize the variables.
classes: the number of classes, which defaults to 1000. If you want to modify this parameter, the
include_topparameter has to be
weightsparameter has to be
A detailed description of each network model parameter can be found in the Keras documentation.
Set learning phase
For some pre-defined classical models, some of the layers (e.g.
BatchNormalization) behave differently on training and testing stage (see this article). Therefore, when training this kind of model, you need to set the learning phase manually, telling the model “I am in the training stage of the model”. This can be done through
or by setting the
training parameter to
True when the model is called.
An example is shown below, using
MobileNetV2 network to train on
tf_flowers five-classifying datasets (for the sake of code brevity and efficiency, we use TensorFlow Datasets and tf.data to load and preprocess the data in this example). Also we set
classes to 5, corresponding to the
tf_flowers dataset with 5 kind of labels.
import tensorflow as tf import tensorflow_datasets as tfds num_epoch = 5 batch_size = 50 learning_rate = 0.001 dataset = tfds.load("tf_flowers", split=tfds.Split.TRAIN, as_supervised=True) dataset = dataset.map(lambda img, label: (tf.image.resize(img, (224, 224)) / 255.0, label)).shuffle(1024).batch(batch_size) model = tf.keras.applications.MobileNetV2(weights=None, classes=5) optimizer = tf.keras.optimizers.Adam(learning_rate=learning_rate) for e in range(num_epoch): for images, labels in dataset: with tf.GradientTape() as tape: labels_pred = model(images, training=True) loss = tf.keras.losses.sparse_categorical_crossentropy(y_true=labels, y_pred=labels_pred) loss = tf.reduce_mean(loss) print("loss %f" % loss.numpy()) grads = tape.gradient(loss, model.trainable_variables) optimizer.apply_gradients(grads_and_vars=zip(grads, model.trainable_variables)) print(labels_pred)
In later sections (e.g. Distributed Training), we will also directly use these classicial network structures for training.
How the Convolutional and Pooling Layers Work
The Convolutional Layer, represented by
tf.keras.layers.Conv2D in Keras, is a core component of CNN and has a structure similar to the visual cortex of the brain.
Recall our previously established computational model of neurons and the fully-connected layer, in which we let each neuron connect to all other neurons in the previous layer. However, this is not the case in the visual cortex. You may have learned in biology class about the concept of Receptive Field, where neurons in the visual cortex are not connected to all the neurons in the previous layer, but only sense visual signals in an area and respond only to visual stimuli in the local area.
For example, the following figure is a 7×7 single-channel image signal input.
If we use the MLP model based on fully-connected layers, we need to make each input signal correspond to a weight value. In this case, modeling a neuron requires 7×7=49 weights (50 if we consider the bias) to get an output signal. If there are N neurons in a layer, we need 49N weights and get N output signals.
In the convolutional layer of CNN, we model a neuron in a convolutional layer like this.
The 3×3 red box in the figure represents the receptor field of this neuron. In this case, we only need a 3×3 weight matrix with an additional bias to get an output signal. E.g., for the red box shown in the figure, the output is the sum of all elements of matrix adding bias , noted as .
However, the 3×3 range is clearly not enough to handle the entire image, so we use the sliding window approach. Use the same parameter but swipe the red box from left to right in the image, scanning it line by line, calculating a value for each position it slides to. For example, when the red box moves one unit to the right, we calculate the sum of all elements of the matrix , adding bias , noted as . Thus, unlike normal neurons that can only output one value, the convolutional neurons here can output a 5×5 matrix .
In the following part, we use TensorFlow to verify the results of the above calculation.
The input image, the weight matrix and the bias term in the above figure are represented as the NumPy array
b as follows.
# TensorFlow 的图像表示为 [图像数目，长，宽，色彩通道数] 的四维张量 # 这里我们的输入图像 image 的张量形状为 [1, 7, 7, 1] image = np.array([[ [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], [0, 1, 0, 1, 2, 1, 0], [0, 0, 2, 2, 0, 1, 0], [0, 1, 1, 0, 2, 1, 0], [0, 0, 2, 1, 1, 0, 0], [0, 2, 1, 1, 2, 0, 0], [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0] ]], dtype=np.float32) image = np.expand_dims(image, axis=-1) W = np.array([[ [ 0, 0, -1], [ 0, 1, 0 ], [-2, 0, 2 ] ]], dtype=np.float32) b = np.array(, dtype=np.float32)
Then, we build a model with only one convolutional layer, initialized by
b 4 ：
model = tf.keras.models.Sequential([ tf.keras.layers.Conv2D( filters=1, # 卷积层神经元（卷积核）数目 kernel_size=[3, 3], # 感受野大小 kernel_initializer=tf.constant_initializer(W), bias_initializer=tf.constant_initializer(b) )] )
Finally, feed the image data
image into the model and print the output.
output = model(image) print(tf.squeeze(output))
The result will be
tf.Tensor( [[ 6. 5. -2. 1. 2.] [ 3. 0. 3. 2. -2.] [ 4. 2. -1. 0. 0.] [ 2. 1. 2. -1. -3.] [ 1. 1. 1. 3. 1.]], shape=(5, 5), dtype=float32)
You can find out that this result is consistent with the value of the matrix in the figure above.
One more question, the above convolution process assumes that the images only have one channel (e.g. grayscale images), but what if the image is in color (e.g. has three channels of RGB)? Actually, we can prepare a 3×3 weight matrix for each channel, i.e. there are 3×3×3=27 weights in total. Each channel is processed using its own weight matrix, and the output can be summed by adding the values from multiple channels.
Some readers may notice that, following the method described above, the result after each convolution will be “one pixel shrinked” around. The 7×7 image above, for example, becomes 5×5 after convolution, which sometimes causes problems to the forthcoming layers. Therefore, we can set the padding strategy. In
tf.keras.layers.Conv2D, when we set the
padding parameter to
same, the missing pixels around it are filled with 0, so that the size of the output matches the input.
Finally, since we can use the sliding window method to do convolution, can we set a different step size for the slide? The answer is yes. The step size (default is 1) can be set using the
strides parameter of
tf.keras.layers.Conv2D. For example, in the above example, if we set the step length to 2, the output will be a 3×3 matrix.
In fact, there are many forms of convolution, and the above introduction is only one of the simplest one. Further examples of the convolutional approach can be found in Convolution Arithmetic.
The Pooling Layer is much simpler to understand as the process of downsampling an image, outputting the maximum value (MaxPooling), the mean value, or the value generated by other methods for all values in the window for each slide. For example, for a three-channel 16×16 image (i.e., a tensor of
16*16*3), a tensor of
8*8*3 is obtained after a pooled layer with a receptive field of 2×2 and a slide step of 2.
Here we use the sequential mode to build the model for simplicity, as described later .
Recurrent Neural Network (RNN)¶
Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) is a type of neural network suitable for processing sequence data (especially text). It is widely used in language models, text generation and machine translation.
Basic knowledges and principles
Recurrent Neural Networks Tutorial, Part 1 – Introduction to RNNs
“Recurrent Neural Networks” in Dive into Deep Learning。
RNN sequence generation: [Graves2013]
Here, we use RNN to generate Nietzschean-style text automatically. 5
The essence of this task is to predict the probability distribution of an English sentence’s successive character. For example, we have the following sentence:
I am a studen
This sentence (sequence) has a total of 13 characters including spaces. When we read this sequence of 13 characters, we can predict based on our experience, that the next character is “t” with a high probability. Now we want to build a model to do the same thing as our experience, in which we input a sequence of
seq_length one by one, and output the probability distribution of the next character that follows this sentence. Then we can generate text by sampling a character from the probability distribution as a predictive value, then do snowballing to generate the next two characters, the next three characters, etc.
First of all, we implement a simple
DataLoader class to read training corpus (Nietzsche’s work) and encode it in characters. Each character is assigned a unique integer number i between 0 and
num_chars - 1, in which
num_chars is the number of character types.
class DataLoader(): def __init__(self): path = tf.keras.utils.get_file('nietzsche.txt', origin='https://s3.amazonaws.com/text-datasets/nietzsche.txt') with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as f: self.raw_text = f.read().lower() self.chars = sorted(list(set(self.raw_text))) self.char_indices = dict((c, i) for i, c in enumerate(self.chars)) self.indices_char = dict((i, c) for i, c in enumerate(self.chars)) self.text = [self.char_indices[c] for c in self.raw_text] def get_batch(self, seq_length, batch_size): seq =  next_char =  for i in range(batch_size): index = np.random.randint(0, len(self.text) - seq_length) seq.append(self.text[index:index+seq_length]) next_char.append(self.text[index+seq_length]) return np.array(seq), np.array(next_char) # [batch_size, seq_length], [num_batch]
The model implementation is carried out next. In the constructor (
__init__ method), we instantiate a
LSTMCell unit and a fully connected layer. in
call method, We first perform a “One Hot” operation on the sequence, i.e., we transform the encoding i of each character in the sequence into a
num_char dimensional vector with bit i being 1 and the rest being 0. The transformed sequence tensor has a shape of
[seq_length, num_chars] . We then initialize the state of the RNN unit. Next, the characters of the sequence is fed into the RNN unit one by one. At moment t, the state of RNN unit
state in the previous time step
t-1 and the t-th element of the sequence
inputs[t, :] are fed into the RNN unit, to get the output
output and the RNN unit state in the current time step
t. The last output of the RNN unit is taken and transformed through the fully connected layer to
The code implementation is like this
class RNN(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self, num_chars, batch_size, seq_length): super().__init__() self.num_chars = num_chars self.seq_length = seq_length self.batch_size = batch_size self.cell = tf.keras.layers.LSTMCell(units=256) self.dense = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=self.num_chars) def call(self, inputs, from_logits=False): inputs = tf.one_hot(inputs, depth=self.num_chars) # [batch_size, seq_length, num_chars] state = self.cell.get_initial_state(batch_size=self.batch_size, dtype=tf.float32) # 获得 RNN 的初始状态 for t in range(self.seq_length): output, state = self.cell(inputs[:, t, :], state) # 通过当前输入和前一时刻的状态，得到输出和当前时刻的状态 logits = self.dense(output) if from_logits: # from_logits 参数控制输出是否通过 softmax 函数进行归一化 return logits else: return tf.nn.softmax(logits)
Defining some hyperparameters of the model
num_batches = 1000 seq_length = 40 batch_size = 50 learning_rate = 1e-3
The training process is very similar to the previous section. Here we just repeat it:
A random batch of training data is taken from the DataLoader.
Feed the data into the model, and obtain the predicted value from the model.
Calculate the loss function (
loss) by comparing the model predicted value with the true value. Here we use the cross-entropy function in
tf.keras.lossesas a loss function.
Calculate the derivative of the loss function on the model variables (gradients).
The derivative values (gradients) are passed into the optimizer, and use the
apply_gradientsmethod to update the model variables so that the loss value is minimized.
data_loader = DataLoader() model = RNN(num_chars=len(data_loader.chars), batch_size=batch_size, seq_length=seq_length) optimizer = tf.keras.optimizers.Adam(learning_rate=learning_rate) for batch_index in range(num_batches): X, y = data_loader.get_batch(seq_length, batch_size) with tf.GradientTape() as tape: y_pred = model(X) loss = tf.keras.losses.sparse_categorical_crossentropy(y_true=y, y_pred=y_pred) loss = tf.reduce_mean(loss) print("batch %d: loss %f" % (batch_index, loss.numpy())) grads = tape.gradient(loss, model.variables) optimizer.apply_gradients(grads_and_vars=zip(grads, model.variables))
One thing about the process of text generation requires special attention. Previously, we have been using the
tf.argmax() function, which takes the value corresponding to the maximum probability as the predicted value. For text generation, however, such predictions are too “absolute” and can make the generated text lose its richness. Thus, we use the
np.random.choice() function to sample the resulting probability distribution. In this way, even characters that correspond to a small probability have a chance of being sampled. At the same time, we add a
temperature parameter to control the shape of the distribution, the larger the parameter value, the smoother the distribution (the smaller the difference between the maximum and minimum values), the higher the richness of the generated text; the smaller the parameter value, the steeper the distribution, the lower the richness of the generated text.
def predict(self, inputs, temperature=1.): batch_size, _ = tf.shape(inputs) logits = self(inputs, from_logits=True) # 调用训练好的RNN模型，预测下一个字符的概率分布 prob = tf.nn.softmax(logits / temperature).numpy() # 使用带 temperature 参数的 softmax 函数获得归一化的概率分布值 return np.array([np.random.choice(self.num_chars, p=prob[i, :]) # 使用 np.random.choice 函数， for i in range(batch_size.numpy())]) # 在预测的概率分布 prob 上进行随机取样
Through a contineous prediction of characters, we can get the automatically generated text.
X_, _ = data_loader.get_batch(seq_length, 1) for diversity in [0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.2]: # 丰富度（即temperature）分别设置为从小到大的 4 个值 X = X_ print("diversity %f:" % diversity) for t in range(400): y_pred = model.predict(X, diversity) # 预测下一个字符的编号 print(data_loader.indices_char[y_pred], end='', flush=True) # 输出预测的字符 X = np.concatenate([X[:, 1:], np.expand_dims(y_pred, axis=1)], axis=-1) # 将预测的字符接在输入 X 的末尾，并截断 X 的第一个字符，以保证 X 的长度不变 print("\n")
The generated text is like follows:
diversity 0.200000: conserted and conseive to the conterned to it is a self--and seast and the selfes as a seast the expecience and and and the self--and the sered is a the enderself and the sersed and as a the concertion of the series of the self in the self--and the serse and and the seried enes and seast and the sense and the eadure to the self and the present and as a to the self--and the seligious and the enders diversity 0.500000: can is reast to as a seligut and the complesed has fool which the self as it is a the beasing and us immery and seese for entoured underself of the seless and the sired a mears and everyther to out every sone thes and reapres and seralise as a streed liees of the serse to pease the cersess of the selung the elie one of the were as we and man one were perser has persines and conceity of all self-el diversity 1.000000: entoles by their lisevers de weltaale, arh pesylmered, and so jejurted count have foursies as is descinty iamo; to semplization refold, we dancey or theicks-welf--atolitious on his such which here oth idey of pire master, ie gerw their endwit in ids, is an trees constenved mase commars is leed mad decemshime to the mor the elige. the fedies (byun their ope wopperfitious--antile and the it as the f diversity 1.200000: cain, elvotidue, madehoublesily inselfy!--ie the rads incults of to prusely le]enfes patuateded:.--a coud--theiritibaior "nrallysengleswout peessparify oonsgoscess teemind thenry ansken suprerial mus, cigitioum: 4reas. whouph: who eved arn inneves to sya" natorne. hag open reals whicame oderedte,[fingo is zisternethta simalfule dereeg hesls lang-lyes thas quiin turjentimy; periaspedey tomm--whach
Here we referenced https://github.com/keras-team/keras/blob/master/examples/lstm_text_generation.py
The working process of recurrent neural networks
Recurrent neural network is a kind of neural network designed to process time series data. To understand the working process of RNN, we need to have a timeline in our mind. The RNN unit has an initial state at initial time step 0, then at each time step , the RNN unit process the current input , modifies its own state , and outputs .
The core of RNN is the state , which is a vector of fixed dimensions, regarded as the “memory” of RNN. At the initial moment of , is given an initial value (usually a zero vector). We then describe the working process of RNN in a recursive way. That is, at the moment , we assume that is known, and focus on how to calculate based on the input and the previous state.
Linear transformation of the input vector through the matrix . The result has the same dimension as the state s.
Linear transformation of through the matrix . The result has the same dimension as the state s.
The two vectors obtained above are summed and passed through the activation function as the value of the current state , i.e. . That is, the value of the current state is the result of non-linear information combination of the previous state and the current input.
Linear transformation of the current state through the matrix to get the output of the current moment .
We assume the dimension of the input vector , the state and the output vector are , and respectively, then , , .
The above is an introduction to the most basic RNN type. In practice, some improved version of RNN are often used, such as LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network, which solves the problem of gradient disappearance for longer sequences), GRU, etc.
Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)¶
Reinforcement learning (RL) emphasizes how to act based on the environment in order to maximize the intended benefits. With deep learning techniques combined, Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is a powerful tool to solve decision tasks. AlphaGo, which has become widely known in recent years, is a typical application of deep reinforcement learning.
You may want to read Introduction to Reinforcement Learning in the appendix to get some basic ideas of reinforcement learning.
Here, we use deep reinforcement learning to learn to play CartPole (inverted pendulum). The inverted pendulum is a classic problem in cybernetics. In this task, the bottom of a pole is connected to a cart through an axle, and the pole’s center of gravity is above the axle, making it an unstable system. Under the force of gravity, the pole falls down easily. We need to control the cart to move left and right on a horizontal track to keep the pole in vertical balance.
We use the CartPole game environment from OpenAI’s Gym Environment Library, which can be installed using
pip install gym, the installation steps and tutorials can be found in the official documentation and here. The interaction with Gym is very much like a turn-based game. We first get the initial state of the game (such as the initial angle of the pole and the position of the cart), then in each turn t, we need to choose one of the currently feasible actions and send it to Gym to execute (such as pushing the cart to the left or to the right, only one of the two actions can be chosen in each turn). After executing the action, Gym will return the next state after the action is executed and the reward value obtained in the current turn (for example, after we choose to push the cart to the left and execute, the cart position is more to the left and the angle of the pole is more to the right, Gym will return the new angle and position to us. if the pole still doesn’t go down on this round, Gym returns us a small positive reward simultaneously). This process can iterate on and on until the game ends (e.g. the pole goes down). In Python, the sample code to use Gym is as follows.
import gym env = gym.make('CartPole-v1') # Instantiate a game environment with the game name state = env.reset() # Initialize the environment, get the initial state while True: env.render() # Render the current frame and draw it to the screen. action = model.predict(state) # Suppose we have a trained model that can predict what action should be performed at this time from the current state next_state, reward, done, info = env.step(action) # Let the environment execute the action, get the next state of the executed action, the reward for the action, whether the game is over and additional information if done: # Exit loop if game over break
Now, our task is to train a model that can predict a good move based on the current state. Roughly speaking, a good move should maximize the sum of the rewards earned throughout the game, which is the goal of reinforcement learning. In the CartPole game, the goal is to make the right moves to keep the pole from falling, i.e. as many rounds of game interaction as possible. In each round, we get a small positive bonus, and the more rounds the higher the cumulative bonus value. Thus, maximizing the sum of the rewards is consistent with our ultimate goal.
The following code shows how to train the model using the Deep Q-Learning method [Mnih2013] , a classical Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithm. First, we import TensorFlow, Gym and some common libraries, and define some model hyperparameters.
import tensorflow as tf import numpy as np import gym import random from collections import deque num_episodes = 500 # 游戏训练的总episode数量 num_exploration_episodes = 100 # 探索过程所占的episode数量 max_len_episode = 1000 # 每个episode的最大回合数 batch_size = 32 # 批次大小 learning_rate = 1e-3 # 学习率 gamma = 1. # 折扣因子 initial_epsilon = 1. # 探索起始时的探索率 final_epsilon = 0.01 # 探索终止时的探索率
We then use
tf.keras.Model` to build a Q-network for fitting the Q functions in Q-Learning algorithm. Here we use a simple multilayered fully connected neural network for fitting. The network use the current state as input and outputs the Q-value for each action (2-dimensional for CartPole, i.e. pushing the cart left and right).
class QNetwork(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self): super().__init__() self.dense1 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=24, activation=tf.nn.relu) self.dense2 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=24, activation=tf.nn.relu) self.dense3 = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=2) def call(self, inputs): x = self.dense1(inputs) x = self.dense2(x) x = self.dense3(x) return x def predict(self, inputs): q_values = self(inputs)
Finally, we implement the Q-learning algorithm in the main program.
if __name__ == '__main__': env = gym.make('CartPole-v1') # 实例化一个游戏环境，参数为游戏名称 model = QNetwork() optimizer = tf.keras.optimizers.Adam(learning_rate=learning_rate) replay_buffer = deque(maxlen=10000) # 使用一个 deque 作为 Q Learning 的经验回放池 epsilon = initial_epsilon for episode_id in range(num_episodes): state = env.reset() # 初始化环境，获得初始状态 epsilon = max( # 计算当前探索率 initial_epsilon * (num_exploration_episodes - episode_id) / num_exploration_episodes, final_epsilon) for t in range(max_len_episode): env.render() # 对当前帧进行渲染，绘图到屏幕 if random.random() < epsilon: # epsilon-greedy 探索策略，以 epsilon 的概率选择随机动作 action = env.action_space.sample() # 选择随机动作（探索） else: action = model.predict(np.expand_dims(state, axis=0)).numpy() # 选择模型计算出的 Q Value 最大的动作 action = action # 让环境执行动作，获得执行完动作的下一个状态，动作的奖励，游戏是否已结束以及额外信息 next_state, reward, done, info = env.step(action) # 如果游戏Game Over，给予大的负奖励 reward = -10. if done else reward # 将(state, action, reward, next_state)的四元组（外加 done 标签表示是否结束）放入经验回放池 replay_buffer.append((state, action, reward, next_state, 1 if done else 0)) # 更新当前 state state = next_state if done: # 游戏结束则退出本轮循环，进行下一个 episode print("episode %4d, epsilon %.4f, score %4d" % (episode_id, epsilon, t)) break if len(replay_buffer) >= batch_size: # 从经验回放池中随机取一个批次的四元组，并分别转换为 NumPy 数组 batch_state, batch_action, batch_reward, batch_next_state, batch_done = \ map(np.array, zip(*random.sample(replay_buffer, batch_size))) q_value = model(batch_next_state) y = batch_reward + (gamma * tf.reduce_max(q_value, axis=1)) * (1 - batch_done) # 计算 y 值 with tf.GradientTape() as tape: loss = tf.keras.losses.mean_squared_error( # 最小化 y 和 Q-value 的距离 y_true=y, y_pred=tf.reduce_sum(model(batch_state) * tf.one_hot(batch_action, depth=2), axis=1) ) grads = tape.gradient(loss, model.variables) optimizer.apply_gradients(grads_and_vars=zip(grads, model.variables)) # 计算梯度并更新参数
For different tasks (or environments), we need to design different states and adopt appropriate networks to fit the Q function depending on the characteristics of the task. For example, if we consider the classic “Block Breaker” game (Breakout-v0 in the Gym environment library), every action performed (baffle moving to the left, right, or motionless) returns an RGB image of
210 * 160 * 3 representing the current screen. In order to design a suitable state representation for this game, we have the following analysis.
The colour information of the bricks is not very important and the conversion of the image to grayscale does not affect the operation, so the colour information in the state can be removed (i.e. the image can be converted to grayscale).
Information on the movement of the ball is important. For CartPole, it is difficult for even a human being to judge the direction in which the baffle should move if only a single frame is known (so the direction in which the ball is moving is not known). Therefore, information that characterizes motion direction of the ball should be added to the state. A simple way is to stack the current frame with the previous frames to obtain a state representation of
210 * 160 * X(X being the number of stacked frames).
The resolution of each frame does not need to be particularly high, as long as the position of the blocks, ball and baffle can be roughly characterized for decision-making purposes, so that the length and width of each frame can be compressed appropriately.
Considering that we need to extract features from the image information, using CNN as a network for fitting Q functions would be more appropriate. Based on the analysis, we can just replace the
QNetwork model class above to a CNN-based model and make some changes for the status, then the same program can be used to play some simple video games like “Block Breaker”.
Keras Pipeline *¶
Until now, all the examples are using Keras’ Subclassing API and customized training loop. That is, we inherit
tf.keras.Model class to build our new model, while the process of training and evaluating the model is explicitly implemented by us. This approach is flexible and similar to other popular deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch and Chainer), and is the approach recommended in this handbook. In many cases, however, we just need to build a neural network with a relatively simple and typical structure (e.g., MLP and CNN in the above section) and train it using conventional means. For these scenarios, Keras also give us another simpler and more efficient built-in way to build, train and evaluate models.
Use Keras Sequential/Functional API to build models¶
The most typical and common neural network structure is to stack a bunch of layers in a specific order, so can we just provide a list of layers and have Keras automatically connect them head to tail to form a model? This is exactly what Keras Sequential API does. By providing a list of layers to
tf.keras.models.Sequential(), we can quickly construct a
model = tf.keras.models.Sequential([ tf.keras.layers.Flatten(), tf.keras.layers.Dense(100, activation=tf.nn.relu), tf.keras.layers.Dense(10), tf.keras.layers.Softmax() ])
However, the sequential network structure is quite limited. Then Keras provides a more powerful functional API to help us build complex models, such as models with multiple inputs/outputs or where parameters are shared. This is done by using the layer as an invocable object and returning the tensor (which is consistent with the usage in the previous section). Then we can build a model by providing the input and output vectors to the
outputs parameters of
tf.keras.Model, as follows
inputs = tf.keras.Input(shape=(28, 28, 1)) x = tf.keras.layers.Flatten()(inputs) x = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=100, activation=tf.nn.relu)(x) x = tf.keras.layers.Dense(units=10)(x) outputs = tf.keras.layers.Softmax()(x) model = tf.keras.Model(inputs=inputs, outputs=outputs)
Train and evaluate models using the
evaluate methods of Keras¶
When the model has been built, the training process can be configured through the
compile method of
model.compile( optimizer=tf.keras.optimizers.Adam(learning_rate=0.001), loss=tf.keras.losses.sparse_categorical_crossentropy, metrics=[tf.keras.metrics.sparse_categorical_accuracy] )
tf.keras.Model.compile accepts three important parameters.
oplimizer: an optimizer, can be selected from ``tf.keras.optimizers’’.
loss: a loss function, can be selected from ``tf.keras.loses’’.
metrics: a metric, can be selected from
fit method of
tf.keras.Model can be used to actually train the model.
model.fit(data_loader.train_data, data_loader.train_label, epochs=num_epochs, batch_size=batch_size)
tf.keras.model.fit accepts five important parameters.
x: training data.
y: target data (labels of data).
epochs: the number of iterations through training data.
batch_size: the size of the batch.
validation_data: validation data that can be used to monitor the performance of the model during training.
tf.data.Dataset as data source, detailed in tf.data.
Finally, we can use
tf.keras.Model.evaluate to evaluate the trained model, just by providing the test data and labels.
Custom layers, losses and metrics *¶
Perhaps you will also ask, what if these existing layers do not meet my requirements, and I need to define my own layers? In fact, we can inherit not only
tf.keras.Model to write our own model classes, but also
tf.keras.layers.Layer to write our own layers.
The custom layer requires inheriting the
tf.keras.layers.Layer class and overriding the
call methods, as follows.
class MyLayer(tf.keras.layers.Layer): def __init__(self): super().__init__() # Initialization code def build(self, input_shape): # input_shape is a TensorShape object that provides the shape of the input # this part of the code will run at the first time you call this layer # you can create variables here so that the the shape of the variable is adaptive to the input shape # If the shape of the variable can already be fully determined without the infomation of input shape # you can also create the variable in the constructor (__init__) self.variable_0 = self.add_weight(...) self.variable_1 = self.add_weight(...) def call(self, inputs): # Code for model call (handles inputs and returns outputs) return output
For example, we can implement a fully-connected layer on our own with the following code. This code creates two variables in the
build method and uses the created variables in the
class LinearLayer(tf.keras.layers.Layer): def __init__(self, units): super().__init__() self.units = units def build(self, input_shape): # 这里 input_shape 是第一次运行call()时参数inputs的形状 self.w = self.add_weight(name='w', shape=[input_shape[-1], self.units], initializer=tf.zeros_initializer()) self.b = self.add_weight(name='b', shape=[self.units], initializer=tf.zeros_initializer()) def call(self, inputs): y_pred = tf.matmul(inputs, self.w) + self.b return y_pred
When defining a model, we can use our custom layer
LinearLayer just like other pre-defined layers in Keras.
class LinearModel(tf.keras.Model): def __init__(self): super().__init__() self.layer = LinearLayer(units=1) def call(self, inputs): output = self.layer(inputs) return output
Custom loss functions and metrics¶
The custom loss function needs to inherit the
tf.keras.losses.Loss class and override the
call method. The
call method use the real value
y_true and the model predicted value
y_pred as input, and return the customized loss value between the model predicted value and the real value. The following example implements a mean square error loss function.
class MeanSquaredError(tf.keras.losses.Loss): def call(self, y_true, y_pred): return tf.reduce_mean(tf.square(y_pred - y_true))
The custom metrics need to inherit the
tf.keras.metrics.Metric class and override the
result methods. The following example re-implements a simple
SparseCategoricalAccuracy metric class that we used earlier.
class SparseCategoricalAccuracy(tf.keras.metrics.Metric): def __init__(self): super().__init__() self.total = self.add_weight(name='total', dtype=tf.int32, initializer=tf.zeros_initializer()) self.count = self.add_weight(name='count', dtype=tf.int32, initializer=tf.zeros_initializer()) def update_state(self, y_true, y_pred, sample_weight=None): values = tf.cast(tf.equal(y_true, tf.argmax(y_pred, axis=-1, output_type=tf.int32)), tf.int32) self.total.assign_add(tf.shape(y_true)) self.count.assign_add(tf.reduce_sum(values)) def result(self): return self.count / self.total
LeCun, L. Bottou, Y. Bengio, and P. Haffner. “Gradient-based learning applied to document recognition.” Proceedings of the IEEE, 86(11):2278-2324, November 1998. http://yann.lecun.com/exdb/mnist/
Graves, Alex. “Generating Sequences With Recurrent Neural Networks.” ArXiv:1308.0850 [Cs], August 4, 2013. http://arxiv.org/abs/1308.0850.
Mnih, Volodymyr, Koray Kavukcuoglu, David Silver, Alex Graves, Ioannis Antonoglou, Daan Wierstra, and Martin Riedmiller. “Playing Atari with Deep Reinforcement Learning.” ArXiv:1312.5602 [Cs], December 19, 2013. http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.5602.


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[gallery type="slideshow" ids="105876,105875,105874,105872,105873,105870,105871,105869,105868,105867,105866"] MANDALAY — On Tuesday, the day of his 86th birthday, veteran Mandalay artist Aye Myint launched a showcase of his traditional Burmese designs at Mandalay Hill Art Gallery, attracting both fresh and more seasoned artists and art goers. The gallery, opposite the hill’s famous figure of two white lions, was filled with colorful pieces by the artist, mostly featuring scenes from the Jataka tales. Accompanying the artwork were frames embedded with images of Burma’s currency and stamps adorned with pictures of the late General Aung San, some of which were designed by Aye Myint in the 1970s. Aye Myint is widely known for his old-fashioned designs, as his work is largely inspired by styles found in ancient stone carvings and murals dating back to the sixth century. After being expelled from Magwe Division’s Wazi, site of Burma’s national mint, Aye Myint moved to Rangoon to take up a job designing for a Buddhist literary magazine. Most of his artwork from this 11-year period was also on display to show milestones in his career. Today, at 86, Aye Myint has held onto his enthusiasm for designing—he is currently a consultant for a traditional weaving academy in Amarapura, Mandalay Division, and helps with the restoration efforts of the ancient Shwe Nan Daw Palace Monastery. Perhaps above all, the venerated artist’s wish for young people is to carry on learning about traditional Burmese art, even in the face of rapid cultural change. “We’re witnessing developments in many sectors, in culture as well. I want Burma’s youth to know the value of our heritage,” Aye Myint said. “We should preserve our culture.” Aye Myint’s exhibition will run at the Mandalay Hill Art Gallery, open from 9am to 9pm, until Feb. 6, and it is free of charge to anyone wishing to enjoy traditional Burmese art.
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Bungalow - 388 Rue des Bruants, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Discover the epitome of modern living in this meticulously crafted 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom residence. Built in 2017, this home seamlessly blends contemporary design with functionality, offering a harmonious living experience.
As you step inside, natural light floods the spacious living room, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The expansive kitchen, a focal point of the home, boasts modern finishes and ample space for culinary enthusiasts. From here, elegant glass doors lead to a stunning patio, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, perfect for entertaining guests or enjoying a quiet evening under the stars.
The four bedrooms are generously sized, providing comfortable living spaces for the whole family. The large bathrooms not only offer a touch of luxury but also include a convenient bonus laundry space, making daily chores a breeze.
Step outside into your own private oasis--an expansive outdoor area featuring a lush grass section and an inviting above-ground pool. The entire space is enclosed by a thoughtfully designed fence, ensuring both privacy and safety. It's the ideal setting for summer gatherings, barbecues, or simply unwinding in the sunshine.
This residence is strategically located, with proximity to schools, the picturesque ""des Bruants"" park, and a sports complex. Enjoy the convenience of easy access to public transportation, making commuting a breeze.
In summary, 388 Rue des Bruants is not just a house; it's a modern sanctuary that combines style, comfort, and practicality. Schedule your visit today and imagine the possibilities that await in this exceptional home. Your dream lifestyle begins here.


The main difference between an approved marine-type fire detection system and a non-approved type lies in its design, construction, and compliance with specific safety standards and regulations for marine environments.
Marine-approved fire detection systems are specifically engineered to meet the unique challenges and hazards of maritime settings, while non-approved systems might not have undergone the rigorous testing and certification required for marine applications. Here are the key distinctions:
Marine environments are subject to various international and national regulations set forth by organizations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and local maritime authorities. Approved marine-type fire detection systems are designed and tested to meet these regulations, ensuring that they adhere to strict safety standards for marine vessels.
Durability and Reliability
Approved marine-type systems are built to withstand the harsh conditions of marine environments, including exposure to saltwater, humidity, vibration, and temperature fluctuations. These systems are more rugged and reliable compared to non-approved systems that might not be designed to withstand such conditions.
Testing and Certification
Marine-approved fire detection systems undergo comprehensive testing and certification processes to ensure their effectiveness in detecting fires accurately and quickly. Non-approved systems might lack this level of testing and certification, leading to potential safety gaps.
False Alarm Mitigation
Marine environments can be prone to false alarms due to factors like engine heat, humidity, and salt particles in the air. Approved marine-type systems are designed to minimize false alarms in these conditions, while non-approved systems might not have such specialized features.
Integration with Maritime Systems
Marine-approved systems are often designed to integrate with other maritime safety systems, such as fire suppression systems, navigation equipment, and alarm systems. This integration enhances overall vessel safety and emergency response.
Installation and Maintenance
Approved marine-type systems typically come with installation guidelines tailored to marine vessels. Maintenance procedures are also designed to accommodate the unique challenges of maritime environments, ensuring that the system remains operational and effective.
Marine-approved systems come with documentation that demonstrates their compliance with relevant safety standards and regulations. This documentation can be important for regulatory inspections, insurance purposes, and other compliance requirements.
Manufacturers of approved marine-type fire detection systems often have expertise in maritime safety regulations and vessel requirements. They understand the nuances of marine environments and design their systems accordingly.
The key distinction between marine-approved and non-approved fire detection systems is the level of design, testing, and certification that the former undergoes to ensure its suitability for use in maritime environments.
Marine-approved systems provide a higher level of safety, reliability, and compliance with marine safety standards compared to non-approved systems that might not be specifically designed for the unique challenges of maritime settings.


|Dimensions||20 × 20 × 0.5 cm|
Light grey potholder with a faux leather loop at one corner. Proudly display your pretty potholders in groupings with the towels and apron in our Kvarnåsen series. You can stick with the same colour, or mix and match to suit your own style and personality.
The fabric is 99% recycled material. Recycled materials have been manufactured from textiles that have been collected and recycled in a process that reduces both energy and water consumption by 30-50%.


ShvinTech offer end-to-end services to the businesses to build, scale, optimize, and manage cloud solutions on the AWS platform. Whether it be your first AWS application development or migration to AWS for the first time, we deliver innovative solutions and transform experience into the products that you expect.
We are a team of experienced AWS professionals, intended to provide you the best services in time. Our team consists of AWS certified professionals, experienced to work on the AWS platform. At ShvinTech, you get industry experts to develop and refine your cloud strategy,Migrate applications, manage solutions to maximize your investment with AWS services, and to get support on an ongoing basis.
AWS Cloud Migrations :
Our AWS Consultants will audit your existing infrastructure to get an understanding of the nuances of your current stack and come up with a design and strategy to implement your AWS cloud migration.
AWS Cloud Infrastructure Design & Strategy :
Our AWS Infrastructure Design & Strategy Engineers use proven design patterns to ensure we are creating an infrastructure that can easily be maintained, is scalable and secure to meet the demands of your organization. We will design your infrastructure to be 100% codified & automated, making it less error prone, more reliable and stable.


When it comes to updating your home, it's not just about enhancing your living space—it's also about making smart investments that yield a substantial return. In this blog post, we'll explore the top five home updates that not only elevate your lifestyle but also offer the best return on investment (ROI). From curb appeal to energy efficiency, these strategic updates strike the perfect balance between aesthetics and financial value.
*1. Kitchen Remodel: The Heart of Value Enhancement
The kitchen is often considered the heart of the home, and it's no surprise that a well-executed kitchen remodel can significantly increase your home's value. Focus on quality materials and timeless designs that appeal to a broad audience. Consider upgrading countertops, appliances, and fixtures to create a modern and functional space that stands the test of time.
*2. Bathroom Renovation: Luxury and Efficiency
Bathrooms are another high-impact area for potential buyers. A bathroom renovation can offer a luxurious feel while incorporating energy-efficient fixtures. Consider installing a low-flow toilet, energy-efficient lighting, and modern, water-saving faucets. A spa-like atmosphere combined with eco-friendly features is a winning combination.
*3. Curb Appeal: First Impressions Matter
The exterior of your home creates the first impression, influencing a potential buyer's perception. Enhance curb appeal by investing in landscaping, a well-maintained lawn, and an inviting entrance. Updating the front door, adding a fresh coat of paint, and installing outdoor lighting are cost-effective ways to boost your home's exterior allure.
*4. Energy-Efficient Windows: Sustainability and Savings
Energy efficiency is a top priority for modern homeowners. Upgrading to energy-efficient windows not only enhances your home's sustainability but also provides long-term cost savings. Opt for double or triple-pane windows with low-emissivity coatings to improve insulation and reduce utility bills. This update appeals to eco-conscious buyers and adds value to your property.
*5. Smart Home Technology: A Modern and Marketable Touch
In the digital age, smart home technology is a desirable feature for homebuyers. Invest in a smart thermostat, security system, or lighting control system. These upgrades not only add convenience to your daily life but also increase the perceived value of your home. Potential buyers are often willing to pay a premium for a home equipped with the latest in technology.
These top five home updates go beyond aesthetics; they are strategic investments that offer a significant return. Whether you're enhancing the functionality of your kitchen, creating a spa-like oasis in your bathroom, boosting curb appeal, investing in energy-efficient windows, or incorporating smart home technology, these updates not only elevate your lifestyle but also position your home as a valuable asset in the real estate market. Make thoughtful choices, and watch your home's value rise with these savvy investments.


Jabalaka LTD is a professional 3D/2D graphics studio. The company was established in 2015. Its founders – Lyubomir Todorov and Magdalena Simeonova, are both passionate artists with years of experience in the field of CGI and traditional art.
Both artists graduated as a 3D interactive designers in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which helped them bring their services on whole new level.
Lyubomir has strong background in advertisement and is passionate game designer.
Magdalena has more than 5 years of experience as a 2D animator and character designer.
The name of the studio originates from Bulgarian folklore, which fascinates and inspires the team.
Our artists have the right skill set to breath life into your ideas in any dimension or media you desire.
We can provide high quality art with competitive pricing.


Welcome to the world of Hanosi, where warmth meets innovation. We began our journey with one simple aim – transforming how you prepare your firewood. Our founder, an avid outdoors enthusiast with a background in engineering, faced the challenge of kindling wood for his fireplace. Seeing the inefficiencies of the manual process and the lack of innovative tools in the market, the idea of Hanosi was sparked. A brand that stands at the intersection of tradition and modernity, offering tools that make kindling a convenient, safe, and enjoyable process.
What We Do
At Hanosi, we have dedicated ourselves to developing the most reliable, effective, and easy-to-use wall-mounted kindling splitter. Our commitment to quality ensures every Hanosi splitter is designed to be user-friendly, durable, and environmentally responsible.
Our wall-mounted kindling splitters represent a perfect blend of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. Each piece is designed with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that it doesn't just do the job but enhances your overall experience. We believe in creating products that aren't just tools but an extension of the cozy ambiance you create in your home.
Our mission at Hanosi is to be more than a brand. We aspire to be a catalyst for change in the way we consume and utilize our resources. Our commitment to sustainability guides us in everything we do, from product design to packaging and distribution.
Join us in our mission to bring warmth, convenience, and sustainability to every home. Explore our products and learn more about our story. Here's to a cozier, greener future!


Beautiful executive home located in the prestigious gated golf community of Champions Retreat. This home was designed for entertaining and luxury living. As you enter, you will notice the custom foyer floor flanked by a traditional Georgian designed dining room and an inviting study with gas fireplace and bourbon bar. The great room has a 70” TV, gas fireplace, ample seating, and access to the covered porch. Additional living space is off the kitchen with another 65” TV in the keeping room. The kitchen comes equipped with a 48” gas range, double ovens, and a separate walk-in pantry with an additional refrigerator. The breakfast room has a fireplace and room for 9 with seating at the kitchen island. There is a wine room with available wine storage and a wet bar with sink and separate ice maker. Upstairs has a theater room with leather reclining seats, a large sofa, 120” screen, and surround sound. There are a total of 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms in this 6,500 square foot home. The master bedroom and one guest bedroom are located on the main floor. A second master bedroom and 3 additional large bedrooms are located upstairs. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom. One bedroom also contains a home gym. The covered back porch was designed to be an extension of the comforts of the interior of the home. You will find an outdoor kitchen, two TV’s, large ceiling fans, infrared heaters, and comfortable outdoor seating. The backyard has additional entertaining spaces around the pool including a dining table, firepit, lounge chairs, and a sitting area overlooking the pool and waterfalls. Spend your week at Champions Retreat and enjoy this beautifully designed home!


Tonia has long been respected for her intelligent integration of architecture and interior design. Her design philosophy in both traditional and modern settings combines antiques from all continents with a poetic sensuality, blending old and new to create harmonious interiors. Her ability to combine antique European and Asian architectural details with contemporary lines, her use of exceptional objects and rich textiles, and her impeccable sense of color have made her one of the most sought-after interior designers working today. Most importantly, Tonia wants her clients to have comfortable and soulful interiors that express their unique spirit and bring a source of nourishment to their daily lives.
Since founding her firm in Santa Fe over 20 years ago, Tonia has designed an extensive number of distinctive projects throughout the country, including the most elegant urban residences, casual weekend retreats, noted residential developments, and innovative Santa Fe homes.
Tonia continues to be a major force in the design community of Santa Fe. Her work was recently on the cover of Su Casa Magazine, and is frequently featured in such publications as the Santa Fean, Trend Magazine, and Dream Homes International. Her interiors are featured in two coffee-table design books: Spa Living and Japanese Style, and her work has been showcased on the Home and Garden TV network.
The variety of styles in which she works reflects Tonia's eclecticism, and her authentic and welcoming interiors are inspirational treasure troves. A Chinese porcelain vase with an Italian table, or a Spanish relic atop a Burmese trunk. . . unusual objects combine to create a new sensibility. From the rustic charm of a Mexican Casita or the traditional warmth of a New Mexican Pueblo or Territorial home, to the classic elegance of a Spanish Colonial Hacienda or the modern allure of a Chicago Art Deco luxury apartment, Tonia's creations are perfectly in tune with the architectural character and history of each space.
Her interiors often inspire serenity, as in her creation of a peaceful mountain retreat or the design of a Japanese tearoom. "An important goal in designing a home for my clients is creating sanctuary, providing an environment to replenish not only the body but also the heart. Beauty elevates the human spirit, and combining beauty with comfort and timeless simplicity can a create an oasis of calm where the stresses of life can drop away.”
"Every project I undertake is an ongoing collaboration with my clients. We share this fascinating journey of discovery and creation together."


How to Create a Word Search Puzzle in CanvaBy Artjom,
Canva is a popular design tool that makes it easy to create professional-looking graphics and visuals.
In this guide, I will show you how you can create a beautiful Word Search puzzle with Canva in just 5 minutes!
1. Create A4 Document
Head to canva.com and make an account, or log in if you already have one. Canva offers a free plan that will be enough for our needs, so you don't need to spend a cent!
On the dashboard page, click Create a design in the top right corner of the screen. In the dropdown menu, select A4 Document in the suggested templates list. You can also choose a custom size if you wish, but I will stick to A4 because it will work nicely if you want to print out the puzzle later.
2. Create Letter Grid
Let's start making our puzzle by adding a grid - the essential part of any word search puzzle!
In the menu on the left, go to the Elements tab, look for the Table button right under the search field, and select the first table template.
You should now see a table appear on the canvas. It's a 3x4 table, rather small for a word search puzzle. Let's add more rows and columns. Ensure the table is selected, and then hover your cursor over the top left edge. You should see two + signs appear, one for the rows and another one for the columns. I will make the table 14x14.
Resize the table to be a perfect square by dragging it from the bottom right corner and moving your mouse around.
Center the table by clicking Position > Align to page > Center
3. Write Down the Words
Now let's write down the words for our puzzle. Let's go with the Pets topic and list some common pet animals.
In the menu on the left, go to the Text tab and select Add a little bit of body text.
In the text field that appeared on the canvas, enter your desired words one by one, starting a new line.
You can adjust text size and color in the settings panel at the top.
4. Fill in the Letters
Now that we have our grid and words ready, time to start assembling the puzzle!
Start filling the grid with the words. Remember that you can cross the words with each other or place them diagonally. This can make puzzles more fun and interesting to solve.
When all words are in, fill in the blanks with random letters, and you are all set!
5. Add Images (Optional)
You can add some images to make your puzzle more exciting and memorable. Luckily, Canva makes this process trivial.
In the left menu, select the Elements tab and search for an image you want to add to your puzzle. I will look for an image of a cat because our puzzle is about pets.
When you find the image you like, drag it to the canvas and position it where you want. Beautiful!
6. Download or Print
Now that your puzzle is ready, it's time to share it with others!
At the top right corner, go to File > Download. A popup will appear where you can select an image format and tweak settings. If you'd like to print out the puzzle, select File Type > PDF Print.
And that's how in just 6 simple steps, you can make an original, well-designed Word Search puzzle. I hope you found this guide helpful!
Also, check out our Word Search Maker online tool that automates the process of creating Word Search puzzles and makes it quick and effortless.


Combining style reminiscent of the Arts & Craft movement with modern touches, the Killarney counter height dining table is an elegantly simple anchor for the dining room. The Killarney features an on-trend counter height table with a butterfly leaf that will accompany four to six ladderback counter height non-swivel stools. Combining the finishes of a distressed black base and an antique espresso top make the Killarney ideal for special occasions and daily dining. The Killarney is constructed of hardwood and wood composites. Some assembly required.
Dimensions: 54D x 54W x 36H 18" Leaf extends to 54"W


Renew Leichhardt Project Call Out
Expression of Interest are now open for new Renew Leichhardt participants till the December 14th 2015.
Renew Leichhardt is an initiative of Leichhardt Council and affiliate member of Renew Australia. Renew Leichhardt is seeking Expressions of Interest from artists, designers, photographers, printmakers, architects, milliners, jewellers, publishers, animators and all creative enterprises in between to revitalise empty spaces in the Leichhardt Multiplicity. (Balmain, Rozelle, Leichhardt, Parramatta Rd)
Are you a creative enterprise and unique ventures looking for new opportunities? Are you ready to try your hand at retail / get out of the home office and work in a dynamic environment with likeminded enterprises? Renew Leichhardt may have an opportunity for you! We are looking for new creative and community projects to present to property owners and real estate agents.
The Expression of Interest seeks to attract creative entrepreneurs, makers and social entrepreneurs able to open at least 6 days per week, have at least 2 people in the enterprise/project to do so and are established in their ideas, projects and activation methods.
We are looking for creative shops, galleries, studios, or collaborative workspace to present to owners in the Leichhardt Multiplicity.
Selected participants will be given temporary rent-free access to an assortment of retail and office spaces, made available thanks to the support of the Leichhardt Municipal Council, and various private property owners.
You could be part of a growing creative movement to promote local economic, cultural and community development, the arts and creative industries across Australia
The “Renew” model
You get 30 days rent free – then, if the space hasn’t leased, you get another 30 days, and so on. A great way to test the market and try new things!


When planning a casino-themed event, it is important to pay attention to the details in order to create an authentic and immersive experience for your guests. Start by choosing a color scheme that reflects the glitz and glamour of a real casino, such as red, black, and gold. Incorporate elements like playing cards, dice, and poker chips into your decor to set the mood.
Consider hiring professional dealers to run the games and provide a realistic casino atmosphere. You can rent casino tables for popular games like blackjack, poker, and roulette to give your guests a variety of options to play. Don”t forget to provide play money or chips for guests to use during the event, so they can experience the thrill of gambling without the risk of losing real money.
To enhance the overall experience, consider adding entertainment such as a live band or DJ to keep the energy high throughout the night. Offer themed cocktails and appetizers to keep guests satisfied as they enjoy the games and socialize with one another. By paying attention to the details and creating a cohesive casino theme, you can ensure that your event is a memorable and enjoyable experience for all who attend.
Choosing the Right Decorations
When it comes to choosing the right decorations for a casino, there are a few key factors to keep in mind. First and foremost, you”ll want to consider the overall theme and atmosphere you”re trying to create. Are you going for a classic, glamorous feel, or something more modern and sleek?
Next, think about the colors and materials you want to incorporate. Rich, deep colors like red, black, and gold are often associated with casinos, while materials like velvet, leather, and metallics can add a touch of luxury.
Don”t forget to consider the layout of the space and how the decorations will fit in. You”ll want to create a cohesive look that flows well from one area to the next, so take some time to plan out where each decoration will go.
Finally, don”t be afraid to get creative with your decorations. Think outside the box and consider unique elements like custom signage, themed props, or interactive displays to really set the scene and make your casino stand out.
By keeping these tips in mind and putting some thought into your choices, you can create a stunning and memorable atmosphere for your casino that will leave guests feeling like they”ve stepped into a high-end, exclusive establishment.
Selecting Casino Games to Include
When selecting casino games to include in a casino, it is important to consider the preferences of the target audience. Different players may have different preferences when it comes to the types of games they enjoy playing. Some players may prefer classic table games like blackjack and roulette, while others may be more interested in slot machines or video poker. By offering a variety of games that cater to a range of preferences, casinos can attract a wider audience and keep players entertained.
Another factor to consider when selecting casino games is the popularity and profitability of each game. Some games may be more popular among players than others, leading to higher revenues for the casino. By including popular games in the casino”s lineup, operators can increase their chances of attracting and retaining players. Additionally, games with higher house edges can be more profitable for the casino, so operators may choose to include a mix of games with varying house edges to maximize profitability.
Lastly, casinos should also consider the overall atmosphere and theme of the casino when selecting games to include. Some games may be more fitting for a luxury casino experience, while others may be better suited for a more casual or laid-back environment. By choosing games that complement the casino”s overall theme and atmosphere, operators can create a cohesive and immersive gaming experience for their patrons.
Planning Entertainment for Guests
When planning entertainment for guests at a casino, it is important to consider the diverse preferences and interests of your audience. Whether your guests are looking for high-energy music and dancing, or a more low-key atmosphere with live music or comedy shows, it is crucial to offer a variety of options to cater to all tastes.
One popular entertainment option at casinos is hosting themed parties or events. Whether it be a retro-themed night with classic games and music, or a glamorous red carpet event with VIP treatment, themed parties can create a fun and memorable experience for guests.
In addition to live music and themed events, casinos can also offer interactive entertainment options such as casino games tournaments, magic shows, or interactive game shows. These types of entertainment can engage guests and create a lively and interactive atmosphere.
When planning entertainment for guests at a casino, it is also important to consider the logistics of the event. This includes scheduling entertainment at times that are convenient for guests, ensuring that there is adequate seating and space for all attendees, and providing clear information about the entertainment options available.
Overall, offering a diverse range of entertainment options, including live music, themed events, interactive entertainment, and considering logistical factors, can help create a fun and memorable experience for guests at a casino.
Creating a Customized Menu
When it comes to creating a customized menu for your casino, it”s important to consider the preferences and dietary restrictions of your guests. Offering a variety of options can help ensure that everyone has something delicious to enjoy. Consider including a mix of traditional casino favorites, as well as healthier options for those looking for lighter fare.
One way to create a customized menu is to work with a catering company that specializes in casino events. They can help you design a menu that reflects the theme of your casino and caters to the tastes of your guests. Be sure to consider any special requests or dietary restrictions when planning your menu, such as gluten-free or vegetarian options.
- Include a mix of traditional casino favorites
- Offer healthier options for guests looking for lighter fare
- Work with a catering company specializing in casino events
- Consider special requests and dietary restrictions
Setting Up a Photo Booth
Setting up a photo booth at a casino event can add an extra element of fun and entertainment for guests. To start, choose a location that is easily accessible and visible to all attendees. Consider setting up the photo booth near the entrance or in a high-traffic area to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to take photos.
Next, make sure to provide a variety of props and backdrops to enhance the photo-taking experience. Consider incorporating casino-themed props such as oversized playing cards, dice, and feather boas for guests to use in their photos. Additionally, choose backdrops that match the theme of the event, such as a red carpet backdrop for a glamorous casino night.
Finally, don”t forget to promote the photo booth to ensure that guests are aware of its presence. Use signage, announcements, and social media to inform attendees about the photo booth and encourage them to take advantage of this fun activity. By following these tips, you can create a memorable and enjoyable experience for guests at your casino event.


Hello, I’m Andy Cowles, founder of Inventive.media, an international design consultancy.
My passion, as both creative and content director, has always been to design for the audience first. In over 20 years of directing some of the world’s biggest media brands, I have seen that understanding people and how they relate to content is the key to creating successful business outcomes.
Wherever they are, strong brand stories need clarity, consistency and compelling ideas behind them. My mission is to create impact, build trust and deliver engagement that really makes a difference.
I love to work with progressive businesses committed to growth. Current clients include Cisco PLC, Ascential PLC, Centaur Media PLC, Time Inc. Bauer Media and Phaidon. Full-time roles have included editorial development director of Time Inc. UK, global creative director of Ink Global, creative director of Mademoiselle for Condé Nast and art director of Rolling Stone in NYC.
The enormous range of audiences I’ve worked with has shown me that identity is key to understanding how and why people connect with content. It’s not who you think you are, but who you want to be that counts. In short, how an audience feel about a brand is always more important than what they know.
I take great care over brand documentation, the key to making sure stakeholders are engaged throughout. I embed early and iterate quickly – maintaining momentum and ensuring learnings from every project are fully retained within your organisation.
Good design is good business, and always has been. My 360° approach and attention to detail delivers to Steve Jobs’ view; ‘The interface is the product’. Expect brilliant logos, outstanding typography and robust templates.
I have a strong record in new product development. I’ve designed twelve successful launches in both print and digital along with over thirty major brand reinventions, winning multiple awards along the way.
The Economist, Time Inc., Bauer, Future plc, DC Thomson, The Media Briefing, The PPA and Reed Business have all commissioned design training. Every brief is different, so every course is individually created.
‘Andy brings a laser focus and bold thinking to the task of better sales and happier readers. He delivers the triple benefit of graphic power, editorial intelligence and superb management of the strange creatures known as editorial staff.’
‘One of the best-known and most highly-regarded Creative Directors in our entire industry. I trust him like I do few others to get the job – any job – done to the highest standards.’
‘An extraordinary creative talent, Andy is also versatile – able to work in fashion, celebrity, food, shelter and news with skills spanning print, digital, mobile and video. ‘
‘Andy Cowles is a creative and commercial genius, the magic star dust we needed.’
‘Thank you so much for such a brilliant session. The team are still talking about it and we continue to use material from it to this day.’
‘After many years in the industry it’s become a less frequent event for me to see talks that are as enlightening and as engaging as yours yesterday. So thank you!’
‘We hired Andy to help us transition Farmers Guardian from tabloid to news magazine. He lived the project; our team loved working with him and learned a lot. The feedback to our new look has been overwhelmingly positive.’
‘Andy fixed all our logo development problems and many more. He gave us lots of options and listened to everything we said. He ‘got us’ as a business instantly, so the process was short, to the point and on budget.’
‘Andy empowered and guided the major players on the team so they can, and are, continuing the project’s evolution’
‘Andy Cowles had arrived, the brilliant designer of Q magazine.’
Keynote presentation on content trends at the Marketforce 2017 annual conference. More short videos of this talk can be see here.
Keynote presentation on content trends at Belgium’s annual publisher conference.
Keynote presentation on audience behaviour and cover trends.
Curator of UK’s biggest magazine conference. Co-ordinating over 60 separate speakers across six stages
Host of an all day 2015 PPA festival content stream focussing on digital trends, apps, mobile, freemium, vlogging, social sharing, digital watermarking, and more.
Sold out workshops at The Media Briefing’s International conference in both Spring and Autumn 2015 and 2016.
Keynote presentation at the 2015 editorial conference: ‘How to get more emotional engagement with your digital audience’.
Host of the 2016, 2015 and 2014 multi-platform content stream.
Keynote presentation at the 2015 PPA Independent Publisher conference.
Keynote presentation at the 2015 editorial conference.
Guest speaker at the 2014 session of The Future Of Publishing.
Presentation at the 2014 PPA Conferences in both London and Edinburgh.
Keynote speaker at the Content Marketing Association’s 2014 breakfast briefing on digital design trends.
BSME Mark Boxer Award
BSME Launch of The Year for Know Your Destiny
BSME Launch of the Year for Pick Me Up
PPA Designer of The Year
PPA Title of The Year for Empire
SPD Silver medal for illustration for Rolling Stone
SPD 20 Merit awards for Rolling Stone
D&AD Chair of Judges for editorial design
PPA Final judge for the publishing awards
PPA Final judge for the PPA independent publishing awards
PPA Scotland final Judge for the PPA Scotland awards
Final Judge for Immediate Media’s internal awards
Final judge for the BSME New Talent Awards
Managing and judging Time Inc. editorial awards between 2007 and 2013. Co-presented the ceremonies with Omid Djalili, Rob Brydon, Connie Huq and others.


If you’re looking for a premium fence material that offers you all of the many things that you expect from a fence, you’ve come to the right place. At Fencing Pros Perth, we are proud to offer our customers one of the best fencing materials available today and that’s COLORBOND®.
There are numerous valid reasons for choosing COLORBOND® steel fencing for your home or your business and each is just as important as the others. They include:
The fact is that, with COLORBOND® fencing, it’s an easy task to bet the exact look that you’re going for in your yard or around your business property. But, at Fencing Pros Perth, we know that it’s not just how amazing it looks but how it performs as well that matters. This type of fencing can do the job that it’s meant to do with ease while still looking good. In addition, it can make your life a lot easier due to its low-maintenance properties. It always looks good without you having to devote any time to it. So, it’s a win-win – good looks, excellent performance, and very low maintenance.
All COLORBOND® colours available have been inspired by the beauty of Australia. They range from light to dark, subtle to bold, and cool to warm. Take your pick. You can choose a colour that will help your fence to blend with your home or business. And, once you have chosen the perfect colour, you can start choosing your fence and gate design, personalising it if you wish with the addition of post caps, slats, and/or lattice. The 14 colors include:
So, contact us today to find out more about COLORBOND® steel fencing to get a free quote.


Rustic Love Lightroom Presets for Mobile and Desktop
Instant Digital Download
Discover the perfect look for your photos with Rustic Lightroom Presets that easily edit and enhance photos by applying one of these beautifully crafted ones. From subtle shades to vibrant colors, you can instantly transform your photos with just one click. Enjoy a unique editing experience with Rustic Love’s powerful tools and achieve stunning results in no time. Unleash your creative potential with Rustic Love now!
Get the perfect look for your photos with this Lightroom Presets! With this Rustic Lightroom Presets easily apply beautiful effects, tones, and textures to create stunning images in just a few clicks. Whether you're a beginner or a professional photographer, these presets will make your photos look amazing in no time! Take your photography to the next level with these presets and create unforgettable memories.
One-click automated Lightroom presets
Easily editable effects
Included In The Download :
18 XMPLightroom presets
18 DNG Lightroom presets
Lightroom mobile presets
Lightroom desktop presets
Adobe Lightroom CC
Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
Compatible with both Mac & PC
Compatible with mobile (iPhone and Android)
All our products are digital downloads. They are available for downloading immediately after purchase. After you complete the payment you will immediately have the option to download the product(s) from the final purchase page and you will also receive a download email shortly after.


As soon as you start the game, you'll find yourself trapped in a maze-like complex full of monsters, which you will have to blow to pieces if you want to survive. Luckily, you will start the game with a pistol and a machine gun... and with the possibility of creating many more weapons.
Dead Squared not only has 'cell shading' graphics that are similar to those of Borderlands, but it also shares the possibility of getting tons of different weapons. You just have to go to an object creation bank and start rifling through the objects in your inventory in order to create new weapons.
Though most of the rooms are very similar, the complex design is random, so you'll never play the same game twice. In addition, each time you kill enemies you'll gain experience to improve your character.
Dead Squared is a first person action game with role-playing aspects, and it has amazing graphics. The best thing about it is that this free game includes enough content to let you play for hours.