Creative Suite Workspaces

 InDesign, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 312012
 

Another often overlooked aspect of most Creative Suite apps is their ability to store preset panel combinations. Adobe call these workspaces and they can be extremely useful for rapidly loading specific panel sets or just carrying out general tidying up.

Workspaces can be found in two locations: under the View>Workspaces drop down menu or, in the Application bar on the right hand side.

Screenshot of InDesign workspace switcher

InDesign workspace switcher

I this example I’m using InDesign. The current workspace (Essentials) is displayed in the application bar next to the search field. Click on the downward triangle to see a list of preset workspaces (this is known as the workspace switcher).  Read more...

Creative Suite 5.5 Printing Guide

 InDesign  No Responses »
Jun 262011
 

Adobe has just released the Creative Suite 5.5 version of its ongoing Printing Guide. If you haven’t seen it before, this is an extensive document updated for each version of Creative Suite. It explains in detail a myriad of technicalities related to getting your documents to print correctly in a commercial environment. Even if you have read it before it’s always worth reading up on new features and how they affect existing print workflows and for known problems. You may not be aware, for example, that InDesign cannot honour all Photoshop blend modes, which can cause unpredictable problems on output. The printing guide also acts as a great overview to the new features of the various CS apps and as introduction to some of the more difficult workflow concepts such as colour management and transparency flattening. Best of all, it’s free.  Read more...

The Perfect Gloss

 Photoshop  No Responses »
May 042011
 

With so much of the world looking for subtlety in effects for logos and icons, it can sometimes be hard to know what is the right way to use the many exciting Photoshop filters and effects in the right way from a design perspective. The ‘Gloss’ effect is becoming an important finishing touch to many designs, especially now smart phones are driven by app icons that need to look perfect in order for it to get noticed. Developers are starting to notice why a good, finished design is essential.  Read more...

20 Killer Tips for Photoshop

 Photoshop  1 Response »
Apr 272011
 

Here are some of the must know tips for any Photoshop Guru. Once you have a few of these under your belt, your colleagues will be referring to you as Obi Wan.

These Tips and Tricks work similarly in previous versions of Adobe Creative Suite.

10 Shortcuts to make your life easier

1. Shift + Tab

Most people known that Tab will hide the palettes and toolbar (If you didn’t there’s one bonus tip) but Shift + Tab will only hide the palettes. This will help those on smaller screens.

2. Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z  Read more...

What's new in Illustrator CS5

 Illustrator  2 Responses »
Apr 122010
 

Create distinctive vector artwork for any project. Used by design professionals worldwide, Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power with sophisticated drawing tools, expressive lifelike brushes, a host of time-savers, and integration with Adobe CS Live online services*.

Perspective drawing, variable-width strokes, a new brush that lets you control bristle characteristics, and innovative ways to quickly build shapes, are among the new features in the comprehensive vector environment of industry-leading Illustrator CS5.  Read more...

What's new in InDesign CS5

 InDesign  1 Response »
Apr 122010
 

Publish engaging documents for print, online, and mobile devices. Lay out compelling pages, brought to life with interactive media to attract new audiences and deliver enhanced reading experiences.

Adobe InDesign CS5 software lets you focus on your layout, with the flexibility to publish your pages to a wide range of media. Whether you’re creating print or digital documents, you can save time with online services* that integrate with and are directly accessible from InDesign, as well as other substantial productivity enhancements. Whether you need to reposition an image within a frame or change the radius of a rounded corner, InDesign CS5 helps you work more efficiently. A robust set of new tools let designers create interactive documents that capture readers’ attention both online and offline.  Read more...

What's new in DreamWeaver CS5

 DreamWeaver  3 Responses »
Apr 122010
 

Work visually or directly in code, develop with dynamic third-party application frameworks like WordPress, Joomla!, or Drupal, and troubleshoot efficiently with CSS inspection tools. Simplify advanced website development with custom PHP code hinting. Work more securely in a team environment with enhanced support for Subversion® software. Integration with Adobe BrowserLab—a new Adobe CS Live online service*—gives you access to fast and accurate browser compatibility previews, including dynamic content and user-generated interactions.  Read more...

What's new in Photoshop CS5

 Photoshop  2 Responses »
Apr 122010
 

For the last 20 years Photoshop has been the leader in “digital image manipulation” but the reality today is that this description no longer does it justice, when it is capable of so much more.

Photoshop CS5 takes the time and frustration out of making precise image selections and masks, providing you with a faster way to extract subjects from their backgrounds and create realistic composites. New intelligent selection technology offers better edge detection and faster, more accurate masking results of complex subjects, like hair. Automatic color decontamination helps you eliminate background color around the edges of a selection, resulting in more seamless compositions when placing extracted subjects on new backgrounds.  Experienced Photoshop users know that the best selections are created by constantly adapting the selection technique for differences in the subject’s edges—one method for hair and another for the edge of a building.  Read more...