InDesign Secrets Contributor

I just wanted to announce that I am now a contributor on InDesignsecrets.com
Check it out, it is an amazing resource for all things InDesign.

Top 10 Reasons to Attend Photoshop World (#09)

Ok continuing with the Top 10 Reasons....

Number 9 is The Guru Awards

This special Photoshop competition is just for Photoshop World attendees. 

Winners will receive awesome trophies, prizes, and have their work showcased in Photoshop User magazine. Their work willl also be prominently displayed for all to see at Photoshop World.

Seriously, there's no better (or more fun) way to get your work noticed by your peers and the industry! Having entered at last years event, I can tell you that the competition is tough! Be sure to check out this years winners here.

Printing - How it used to be

Please take a moment to watch this 1947 video about careers in printing. It's fascinating! I also love the web site that hosts the video, www.ilovetypography.com.

Enjoy!


Printing—your life work series (1947) from ilovetypography.com on Vimeo.

I Make Videos, Why Should I Upgrade?

Ok, so maybe you are like me and you see these new enhancements to Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc. and you wonder why, as a video editor/graphics person, you should upgrade to Creative Suite 4. There are not nearly as many 'sexy' updates on the video side as we may have seen before. I know exactly what you are saying:

"With Cs3, After Effects had some really neat updates to After Effects like the Puppet Tool and the Brainstorm function. This version just seems to have some dumb filter called Cartoon."

Ok, yes. Cartoon is dare I say it...pretty useless. Someone else has mentioned it out there but it is basically there to do the Richard Linklater effect which is apparently now in vogue now with those Charles Schwab commercials (which seems to be a really silly use of the effect, in my opinion).

Before I get to After Effects, let me start with Premiere. As a Final Cut Editor, reading down the list of improvements, I certainly notice a lot of, let's say, similar functions which have been added to the product. But they really were worth adding on. The functionality has been greatly improved.

The neatest part of Premiere however is definitely the Speech/Transcription function which labels clips with searchable metadata. Now before you get out your credit card - this is not an effective automatic transcription. But it is pretty good. And you can edit the text easily. Plus you can just edit based upon these words which are tagged to the time code.... I hope I am not the only one that thinks that this is incredible. It is not yet perfect - but it is sure pretty cool.

Now back to After Effects - two really neat things (neither having to do with Cartoon). Ok not the most interesting thing, but very useful: Improved composition navigation. Mini-flowcharts and keyboard shortcuts makes it SO much easier to jump into your precomps. I have always hated how difficult it is to go four comps deep...and I really like to precomp.

Second thing, Unified Camera tool. Ok this should have been a no-brainer several versions ago, but Adobe put this into place where you do not need to switch between three different camera tools, just to change between x, y , and z movement. I was amazed at how much easier Motion's camera was when it came out, but this is now once again comparable. All you need is a three button mouse and it work much like some popular 3-D programs work.

So final verdict...you'll be fine with CS3 if you don't want to outlay the cash. If you are CS2 or earlier, it is definitely worth it for you to update. These updates are not nearly as essential as something like Flash CS4 is or as I felt AE 6.5 and 7 were - but still cool enough to venture a look.

Oh - and all of the products now have trials available for download....FINALLY.

Top 10 Reasons to Attend Photoshop World (#10)

With Fritz out of the office attending Adobe HQ in Seattle (sooo jealous!) I am posting the top 10 reasons why you should attend Photoshop World coming up in Boston this spring. 

My number 10 reason to attend Photoshop World is the Portfolio Reviews and a Help Desk - LIVE! 

Check out the links or go to www.photoshopworld.com to register!

Interesting Retro Type Video

CS4 Upgrade Policy

I have been asked alot lately about what the upgrade policys and costs are to upgrade to CS4. Thankfully, Adobe has made a very simple webpage that answers all of your questions.

CS4 Upgrade Policy

Suitcase Fusion 2 is coming out soon!

Adobe Updates InDesign CS3 to 5.0.4

According to Adobe, InDesign CS3 5.0.4 is a compatibility update, addressing issues with the recently released CS4. The update also provides fixes for File Size, Hyphenation, Performance, Anchored Objects, Character Alignment, Step and Repeat, Indexing and Table of Contents, Text and Fonts, Dictionaries, Color, Scripting, Import/Export Graphics, InDesign Interchange files (INX), XML, Library files, and Printing.

InDesign CS4's New features

Here is a listing of InDesign CS4's new features. This is not necessarily an exhaustive list, but it will definitely point out the newest features

Smart Guides/Spacing

Say goodbye to the align panel with smart guides. As you move frames around on the page, guides will temporarily pop up and help your frame snap to the right spot. If this annoys you, don't worry since you can always turn it off.

Spread Rotation

If you work on packaging, you will wonder how you ever worked without spread rotation. This alloys you to temporarily rotate a spread 90° and make changes. This will really save your neck.

Table editing in story editor

Overset text problems in tables are now fixed forever. Before CS4 it was impossible to edit the overset copy in a table, but now we finally can. As an added bonus, InCopy users will be able to track changes on tables too.

Redesigned Links Panel

The new links panel has been completely redesigned from the ground up with an almost ridiculous amount of information. You can now choose which information you want to see including effective resolution, thumbnails and status. The ability to sort the links by these traits is also incredibly useful.

Preflight Panel.

Preflight is finally fixed! This is hands down the most useful new feature. Preflight is now very customizable. You can set up warnings to stretched images, missing fonts, live area and much much more. The best part is that once you have a profile set up, ID is constantly checking it and will let you know if there is a problem and even offer how to fix it!

Flash Export

There are now two new different ways to get your ID layout on the web. The first option is the ability to export your pages as a swf. This lets you make a simple slide show of your work, or the ability to move between pages of a magazine. The second way is to export your layout as a XFL file which can be opened inside of Flash. This will allow a flash developer to add rich interactivity to your files and create a dynamic website.

CS4 IS SHIPPING

Just announced: Adobe is shipping Creative Suite 4 to domestic U.S. customers starting today! If you have chosen to be an early adopter and have ordered or will soon be ordering, let us know! We will be offering CS4 classes very soon and want to make sure everyone interested gets early notification. If you have any comments or questions about CS4, drop us a line via e-mail at info@c2gps.com and we will offer you some guidance. 

How to turn an inline object into an anchored object in InDesign

If you deal with manuals or longer technical data, InDesign's inline anchored objects are a huge time saver. Unfortunately, some people don't realize that it is possible to convert an inline graphic into a anchored object. Here are are the steps you need to take to convert an inline object into an anchored object.

1. Select your inline object with the selection tool.
2. Go to the Object > Anchored Object > Options menu
   
3. Change the position option from "inline or above line" to "custom"
4. Now it is an anchored object and you can freely move the graphic around the page.

Creative Suite 4 Highlights - Photoshop & Illustrator

Over the past two weeks, C2 has been hosting a number of Creative Suite 4 Launch Events.  I thought I'd highlight some of the new features in Photoshop and Illustrator (be ready to Ooo and Ahhh). Over the next week, C2 instructors will bring you some of the new features for the other Creative Suite 4 applications. 

First, let me tell you about the Creative Suite in general terms. According to Adobe, this is the biggest software launch they have ever done and I tend to agree. When CS3 was released it was only halfway through the Adobe product development cycle (which is 18-24 months normally), due to Adobe's acquisition of Macromedia. This endeavor put everything on hold - the sexy new features and updates to help accommodate the inclusion this new software. Creative Suite 4 brings you a full set of updates for all the applications including new interfaces and better compatibility between software. 

So, here are some of the new features for Photoshop and Illustrator. 

Photoshop

• Live, nondestructive corrections with the Adjustments Panel. This allows you to create nondestructive adjustments, similar to the Adjustment Layers available in CS2/3. With CS4 you have much more control and its all live on your document, no dialogue box or menu to go to. 

• Re-editable, feathered, density controlled masks. This is the companion panel to the Adjustments Panel, allowing you to edit your masks live on your document using the same controls as the Refine Edge command. 

• Enhanced Auto-Align, Auto-Blend, and new 360° panoramas. Photomerge now allows you to create 360° panoramas and in conjunction with the updated Auto-Align and Auto-Blend, is even more seamless than ever. Auto-Blend can now create an omni-focus photo from a number of Macro lens shots. Very cool. 

• Fluid canvas rotation. I love this feature, as it allows you to temporarily rotate your entire image on screen to get a better angle for painting, retouching, etc. similar rotating your sketchbook on your desk. See below for more info on this...

• Ultra-smooth pan, zoom, preview and painting tools. Photoshop CS4 now takes advantage of your computer's Graphics Processor (GPU).  This allows you to have fluid transitions including zoom, canvas rotation (see above) and allows you to throw your document around the screen. This new GPU utilization really speeds up the redraws in PS. 

• Breakthrough 3D editing and compositing. This is one of the biggies. You can now not only edit 3D directly in Photoshop CS4, but you can also CREATE 3D. Now instead of taking 4 steps to edit a 3D shape, you can paint, merge objects, and transform live in your document. Using the new 3D menu, you can take a panoramic shot and create a Spherical Panorama (3D bubble view), or a number of preset objects. Try the hat shape, its pretty funny.  

Illustrator

• Multiple Artboards. Nuff said. This has been the number 1 request of Illustrator and former Freehand users for years, and Adobe has come through and exceeded all expectations. Now you can have multiple artboards (not pages) and different sizes, orientations, crops, etc. You can export directly to a multipage PDF or to the Web as a gallery. Nice!

• Gradients. What can you possibly do to improve gradients you ask? How about the ability to create gradients with transparency! Or, how about an on-screen gradient interface. No longer will you need to use the gradient palette (except to change the format from linear to radial). The new interface is slick and a huge time saver. Love it!

• Blob Brush. Ok I admit, I love the name of this tool. But beyond that. The Blob Brush is the natural progression from the Eraser. You can now add to a shape by just painting - imagine that, illustrating in Illustrator. Using the Eraser, you can remove from a shape. 

• In-Panel Appearance Editing. This is a great feature and a HUGE time saver. With the new appearance panel, you can access your effects directly in this as well as stroke, swatches, and more!

• Separations Preview Panel. Now you can preview your color separations a lá InDesign in Illustrator. Huge plus for artists to double check their work before sending it down the food chain or placing it in another application. Now to just make sure that they use this!

So those are just some of the new features in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Creative Suite 4. Keep watching our 100% Fresh Blog for new posts and features on CS4 from C2 instructors and creatives. 

CS4 Launch Events

Adobe Creative Suite 4 has finally been announced and C2 is here for you with Live Creative Suite 4 Launch Events. Our first event was Monday at the Eisner Museum in downtown Milwaukee and had a great turn out. Thanks to all who attended and a special thank you to Tom Petrillo, Steve Cronin, and Tim Plumer from Adobe for their presentations. 

C2 instructors James Conway, Kevin Stohlmeyer, James Fritz and James Wamser from Sells Printing demonstrated some of the new and exciting features of Creative Suite 4. 

Thanks go out to the Milwaukee Adobe Users Group for the prizes and congratulations to our winners: Cynthia Akey, Dave Grady, Mike Selke, Rick Johnson, and Ed Heidenreich won t-shirts, Michelle Berenz won a Adobe User Group Cap, and Tami Weiss won a Photoshop CS4 "big box". 

A big congratulations to Candice Sullivan from Tribune Media Services, who won a FREE class from C2 and Chris Campbell from Finn Digital who won a copy of CS4 Web Premium!

Application Splash Screens

Take a stroll down memory lane and look at the history of splash screens from various graphic applications. It is a lot of fun to see if you can remember what you were working on with each version of the software years ago.
Splash Screens