Happy Birthday Mac

Believe it or not, the Apple Macintosh turns 25 this Saturday. Everyone give a collective cheer for the two geniuses responsible for saving our creative lives. 

Also, be sure to check the Apple website Saturday for a surprise. 

What is Adobe Fireworks?

A common dilemma when creating websites is the efficient interaction between the designer and the programmer. When the designer isn't happy, the design suffers. When the programmer isn't happy, the site suffers. Success is dependent on the compromises made between the two.

Adobe Fireworks is the middle ground between these individuals. Its environment caters to both the designers and the programmers. Fireworks supports native Photoshop and Illustrator files (which makes the designers happy) and it exports flawlessly to Dreamweaver (and the programmers rejoice).

Advantages for the Designer:
Fireworks is a pixel editor and a vector editor, which means it is a combination of Photoshop and Illustrator. It also supports multiple pages and paragraph styles just like InDesign. Since InDelutratorshop wasn't a very good name for a program, Fireworks had to do. Rollover buttons, hotspots and drop down menus can be designed without having to touch any code. Common elements like form elements and buttons are built into the program which makes laying out a webpage a breeze.

Advantages for the Programmer:
WYSIWYG features for the designer are great, but if they caused the programmer grief when they build the webpage, trouble might be brewing. Thankfully, image exporting for the web is fantastic. With the entire layout intact, you can choose exactly what pieces or area that you would like to export and fine tune the compression settings to the level that you require. Even form elements that the designer put in the layout can be exported into correct form tags in the HTML.

Exporting a click-through website is a hidden strength of Fireworks. Anyone can easily export the prototype of the website for a client to test drive. This is not a finished website by any means, but it will give your client an understanding of the functionality of the site. It can contain rollovers, drop-down menus and hyperlinks, all without the need for any programming. This is important because if the client changes their mind, you are still early enough in the design stage that you can accommodate the change without having to retool everything.

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of Fireworks. Don't miss out on this month's $5 Friday and see Fireworks in action. When you are ready to learn more, contact Kate about our upcoming Fireworks classes.

Photoshop Goodies and Fun

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Goodies

Check out this great article by Derrick Story from Macworld.com. Some of the features are just mind blowing (bird's eye view) and others will really help push your workflow in a faster direction. 

Whats in Photoshop CS4?

Scott Kelby and the gang at Photoshop User TV have come out with a series (this is part 1 of 4) on what is so great about Photoshop CS4. A lot of good inside tips and tricks are revealed and some bad jokes as well.  

Keynote 09

As a designer, I use the Adobe Creative Suite on a daily basis, however there are some projects that require me to use other apps. One of those that come up more frequently than most is creating a presentation or slideshow. 

Now I know what you are thinking - PowerPoint right? Nope. Keynote. I actually used PP for years and still teach it from time to time, but ever since Apple launched iWork with Keynote, I haven't found a compelling reason to switch back.

At this year's MacWorld Conference Apple announced iWork 09. Now in the spirit of full disclosure, I don't use any of the other apps in iWork except Keynote. If you use Pages, stop reading, look to the left of your screen and take an InDesign Class. 

Here are some of the new features of Keynote:

Better Animations and Transitions. Apple has really ramped it up with Text Based Transitions, including Anagram, Slide In and improvements to Shimmer, Sparkle, among others. Slide transitions include the very cool Object Zoom, Object Push, Twist and many more. Even object animations are greatly improved with Magic Move. Click and record the movement for easy animations. 

Enhanced Themes. Not that I use themes a whole lot, but these are a very cool way to start a new presentation quickly and just modify for an original look. 

3D Charts and animations. This was an unexpected improvement. 3D Charts were around in previous versions, but now the animations are specific to Charts. Watch them pop up and enhance your graphs. 

Keynote Remote. This is still a big unknown with me. It has the potential to be cool if 1) you have a iphone and 2) you have a WiFi connection to run your presentation through. A less expensive alternative is to use your Apple Remote. 

The only draw backs that I have noticed and its really been an ongoing issue, is that with each new advance, Keynote becomes less and less compatible with PowerPoint. This is a critical issue in mixed usage workflows. You can create a cool preso on a Mac, but then when you export it for your client or coworker to work on in PP, all hope is lost for keeping your cool design. The other is I wish Apple would sell Keynote as a stand alone app, and not part of a package with other useless apps (anyone use Numbers instead of Excel?)

New Years Resolutions for Photoshoppers

After reading all the posts on the net about the "Year in Review", I thought it would be good to have a "Year in Preview" for Photoshop Users. This is my list of things to look forward to in 2009 and have the potential to make you geek out in a good way.

First is the advances in Photoshop CS4. We've all talked about it, posted about it, and shown you a lot of cool things, but I know people are slow to adopt. But when you do, watch out and be ready for a great time. CS4 makes Photoshop fun again (not that it really wasn't before...).

Second is Photoshop World Conferences. With Apple pulling out of MacWorld after this year, and Adobe following suit, this poises PSWorld to be the biggest Adobe related conference outside of the über expensive MAX.

Be sure to check out Photoshop User Magazine and subscribe here. PS User Magazine and its counterpart, Layers are the two best resources for Adobe Creative Suite applications that I have found. Plus, as they are the main sponsors of PS World and The Photoshop Tours, you get insider information and discounts to events hosted by them. The website alone is worth the subscription cost. Be sure to click the link posted here for a bonus DVD with your order. 

Next, I am really looking forward to the new Intel chips (dual-core nano processors, etc.) and what they can mean to both Mac and PC users. Im expecting a big ramp up on speed and in turn more Photoshop wow from Adobe. 

And lastly is something that I talk about from time to time – Adobe Labs. This is Adobe's cutting edge tech available for you to preview and read about before it is released to the masses. 

Adobe has released two really awesome applications/plug-ins for Photoshop in the past two months and they are really going to push the app into the new year.

First is Pixel Bender. If you haven't hear the gossip about this, Pixel Bender allows everyday users an interface to create their own complex filters using simple coding interfaces and a small number of tools that are sufficient to write complex image-processing algorithms (ie. Filters or Effects.

Next is Configurator. This Flex App allows you to create your own custom Photoshop panel with tools, menu options and information specific to your needs. Think of it as a way to simplify all the panels in Photoshop to fit your workflow. 

So that is my short list of what I think will be the big news for 09 with Adobe Photoshop. Id love to hear what geeks you out with your favorite app. 

Steve Jobs Responds to Rumors

Apple has published a letter today from Apple CEO Steve Jobs that addresses speculation surrounding his health. Steve Jobs reveals that he has been recovering from a hormone imbalance that has been causing an unhealthy weight loss.

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I've decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause - a hormone imbalance that has been "robbing" me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple's CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve


Apple's board of directors also distributed the following statement:
It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world.

As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue to fulfill his duties as Apple's CEO, you will know it.

Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its Board.