Balance text columns with InDesign CS5

 InDesign  1 Response »
Jun 162011
 

A question on a recent training course reminded me of InDesign’s Balance Columns feature which is easily overlooked.

If you’re the kind of person who can’t stand unbalanced text you’ll recall it used to take a fair bit of manual adjustment to make columns line up evenly.

Screenshot of unbalanced text columns in InDesign

Unbalanced text columns

In CS 5, the Balance Columns checkbox was added to the Text Frame Options dialogue box.

The feature works only on multi-column text frames. Select the frame and got to Object> Text Frame Options (ctrl/cmd+B).

Screenshot of InDesign's balance columns option

Columns are balanced  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...

Using InDesign's gap tool

 InDesign  6 Responses »
Jun 132010
 

With InDesign CS5 you get a lovely new tool, the Gap tool. Basically it allows you to manipulate the gaps between boxes, thereby changing the size of the boxes themselves.

For example, if you layout eight rectangles and, using InDesign’s gap tool, you can change the position of the gaps between each set of frames, whilst the frames resize.

By default, it will move the gap that you have. However you can also…

…use the gap tool between frames and the edge of the page  Read more...

Flash CS5 and the iPhone

 Flash  1 Response »
Apr 142010
 

If you haven’t heard already Apple has changed the terms and conditions of it’s developer program to stipulate that all applications must be written in native code, and that software created using “an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool” are prohibited.  Whilst this hits a number of products out there such as Titanium from Appcelerator it’s hard not to see it as a shot at Flash CS5 and it’s new built-in tool for creating iPhone apps, especially with the announcement made just a few days before the widely publicised CS5 launch.  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 Flash CS5 Professional

 actionscript 3, Flash  2 Responses »
Apr 122010
 

Flash Professional CS5 software is the industry-leading environment for interactive authoring and delivery of immersive experiences that present consistently across personal computers, mobile devices, and screens of virtually any size and resolution. Design expressive content, write code precisely and efficiently, and deliver superior-quality video to audiences practically everywhere.

A powerful new text engine, expanded support for mobile and consumer devices, and enhanced coding tools are among the new features in Adobe Flash Professional CS5 software, the industry-leading interactive authoring tool. Flash Professional CS5 offers unrivaled integration with Adobe Photoshop®,  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...

 Older Entries