Genopal is a color scheme generator software application I just stumbled across, and it’s pretty interesting.
Instead of the standard color wheels most color scheme generator/explorer software programs utilize, Genopal doesn’t give you the option of choosing a color model such as Complimentary, Triadic and such. Instead there are two sliders, one for Color Diversity and one for Lightness Diversity. There’s a “Generate” button which them cycles though color schemes as analagous or as wild as you set the sliders.
Continue reading 'Genopal Color Scheme Generator Software: Weird Name, Cool Tool'
by George Coghill -
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Adobe’s Creative Suite 3 arrived this morning, and was immediately installed on both my trusty G4 and the MacBook. Here are my very initial thoughts on the first run of the main software applications: Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
Continue reading 'Adobe Creative Suite 3: First Thoughts'
by George Coghill -
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Here’s a cool little idea from the geniuses at CreativeTechs.com: “cheatsheets” for Adobe software that are designed to print on a 3×5 index card, complete with space reserved to punch holes for a binder. Designed with the GTD/Hipster PDA crowd in mind. And they’re free!
This link is to the PDF cheatsheet for the Adobe pen tool, since most (or all) of it’s features work the same across the Creative Suite. A real cool visual reference guide, and just one in a series of cheatsheets for Adobe apps as well as other computer and Mac related info that you just sometimes need at your fingertips.
Looks like they are just starting out with these, so be sure to subcribe to the RSS feed and collect ‘em all!
by George Coghill -
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Creative Bits has a neat informal poll going on about readers preferences for working on concepts: do you sketch with pencil & paper, or jump straight to the computer and work on the graphics software to start?
You can read my 2¢ in the comments section regarding the gradual takeover of the Wacom tablet and my Photoshop sketching habits. I still work on paper, but I find myself more and more finishing up sketches in Photoshop due to the endless flexibility I have to tweak and refine while I am perfecting things.
by George Coghill -
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James Dempsey over at the CreativeGuy design blog, has a post up recommending using native graphics files when placing them in layouts. This is something I am all in favor of as well, and have been doing so since picking up InDesign.
Continue reading 'Using native graphics files in layouts'
by George Coghill -
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Recently I came across an embedded font error when trying to place a PDF created in InDesign into a Quark Xpress 4.1 layout (a place I do contract work for is still on Quark 4.1 – the computer I work on was originally registered to Fred Flintstone).
Granted, this is probably not a very common occurrence, not only because there seems to be a tidal wave of movement towards Adobe InDesign, but also due to the archaic nature of the version of Quark Xpress being used. This could affect later versions of Quark as well, and regardless it’s a good reminder of looking in non-obvious places for solutions. Continue reading 'Embedded Font Problems In PDF? Check Your Slug.'
by George Coghill -
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A set of free, printable keyboard shortcuts cards for Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and more are available for download over at ComputerArts.co.uk.
The set includes keyboard shortcut cards for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator CS, Macromedia Freehand, Cinema 4D and 3D Studio Max. These are CS1 versions, but from what I can gather the shorcuts should be pretty much the same for the newer versions. Not too sure about the Macromedia apps (which are now Adobe apps) as I have never used any of them.
As anyone who has read this blog can tell, I am a huge keyboard shortcut junkie, and you should be one as well. I cannot even begin to emphasize how much knowing these will enhance not only your pleasure on using graphics software (and software in general), but how much of a marked increase in productivity you’ll see.
I cringe in geek pain when I see a fellow Photoshop or Illustrator user laboriously hauling their mouse over to the Tools palette, or even to the menubar for anything but the most arcane of Menu items.
Download. Print. Learn. Kick massive butt.
See also:
• Annotated Keyboard Graphic With Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
• Keyboard Protective Cover With Photoshop Shortcuts
by George Coghill -
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Here are some super handy keyboard shortcuts for switching between open document windows when working within the Adobe Creative Suite applications (Illustrator, Photoshop & InDesign). These are Macintosh-only keyboard shortcuts since I do not have access to a Windows machine. Sure to increase your productivity.
- Illustrator: Command (Apple) + ~ (that’s the “tilde” key, to the left of the numeral one, otherwise known as “the little squiggly line thing”)
- InDesign: same as Illustrator
- Photoshop: Control + Tab
Continue reading 'Tip: OS X Window Switching Keyboard Shortcuts for Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop & InDesign)'
by George Coghill -
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Wacom has just updated their graphics tablet driver software for Macintosh and the release notes PDF tells us that a new feature has been introduced, “Scroll Click” (my nickname for it). This is an awesome new feature that allows the user to set a pen button to the “scroll click”, and then when pressing that button, you can drag the pen on the tablet to activate scrolling. In addition to this being very cool, it’s a feature that I suggested to the tech & PR departments a few weeks ago, I can’t help but assume this was implemented due to that request. I was initially given a not-so-encouraging response, basically because the Intuos line of tablets has the Touch Strips srcoll/zoom hardware touch-sensitive areas. Of course, their other tablets do not have these.
Continue reading 'Wacom Tablet: Scroll Click'
by George Coghill -
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I have been holding off on writing up a review of the Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet until I had a chance to work with them for some time and really get a feel for real-world usage, particularly for cartoonists & illustrators. Oddly enough I had a hard time finding an in-depth review specifically geared towards artists that draw. There were some big questions that needed to be answered, most importantly that of how the Wacom tablets worked with Adobe Illustrator. Continue reading 'Wacom Intuos3 Graphics Tablet Review for Cartoonists & Illustrators'
by George Coghill -
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