New Quizzes in Adobe Captivate 5.5

The Amazing Mixer Brush in Photoshop CS5: Martin Perhiniak

Photoshop - Patch Tool Quick Fix

Cinemagraphs

10 Fantastic Typography-Based Calendar Designs

Photoshop: Space Scene

Why Every School Must Teach Design

I read a facinating article in 1stwebdesigner that I wanted to share. The article, by Salman Siddiqui, talks about design and why all schools should teach it. Here's an excerpt:

"Do something for me. Stand in front of the mirror and just look at your physical beauty. Can you imagine the immense amount of thought that would have gone into designing something as complex as a human being? I believe in evolution, and if you look at it, it looks a lot like the process a design might use to get to a final design. Imagine how the first human being came into existence. Think about how Earth was designed in a manner that it will have day and night. Humans were designed to work during the day and rest (as in sleep) during the night."

Interested? Here's the rest of the article. When you've finished, you might want to check out some other articles from 1stWebDesigner. 

Tip of the Week - Aligning Form Fields with Acrobat X

I was working on a form the other day in Acrobat X. Acrobat did a great job of creating form fields automatically, but the fields overlapped a bit, were too large for the space, etc. I knew how to align fields, but re-sizing so many seemed like a daunting task, so I figured there had to be an easier way. Lucky for me there is! Here's what you do:

1. Click on the first field you want to change
2. Hold the shift key down and click on the last field
3. CTRL right click the field you want to base the other fields on
4. Choose Set Fields to Same Size
5. Choose Height, Width or Both
6. Done! 

Once I had the fields all the same size, I clicked on the first field and holding the shift key down clicked on the last field in the column,  then right clicked > align > align left (or right, center, etc.). I repeated the process with each column. Now, I have a form that is easy to use. Give it a try and let me know what you think.  

Photoshop World - March 24-26, 2012

If you've ever thought about attending an out of state conference, you should seriously consider Photoshop World. The upcoming conference in Washing, DC (March 24-26) looks absolutely amazing! The speakers are some of the best in the world, including, Scott Kelby, Terry White, Ben Willmore and Bert Monroy. I've had the privilege of seeing each of the above speakers in action and they are not to be missed. The conference is for Photoshop users and photographers with several concurrent sessions and tracks.

The schedule is full of opportunities to learn and share. The experience will help you upgrade your skills - always important during these trying times - and give you a chance to talk to other professionals. There isn't another opportunity that I know of to listen to and learn from as many experts as you will see at this conference, so I strongly urge you to attend if you can!

Note: If you are a student, Photoshop World has a Dean Collins Photoshop World Educational scholarship award. You must apply by filling out their form by February 17th. The scholarship includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations and a full conference pass as well as a years membership to NAPP!

How to Make an Interactive PDF Form Using Adobe Acrobat X Pro (Beginners)

Tip of the Week - InDesign WYSIWYG Font Previews with CS5

If you are like me and have lots of fonts to choose from, you like that InDesign shows a preview of the fonts when you go to pick one. The problem is, that although it gives you a preview, it's not always that reliable when it comes to your text needs. I will often pick a font thinking that it is just what I need only to be disappointed when I apply it to the text I have in mind. Well, Adobe heard our complaints and has come up with a great new tool - WYSIWYG font preview. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) is probably familiar to you Adobe Acrobat users. What it is basically is a real time view of your file, font, etc. To use it with InDesign fonts:

1. Select your text (or at least a portion of it) with the Type (T) tool.
2. Press CTRL and 6 (MAC users Command and 6)
3. Click on any font in your font list and watch the text you have selected change to the font highlighted.
4. Arrow up and down or click on a specific font to view your text with the font. 

No more disappointing font choices! Enjoy! 

Photoshop Tutorial: Tips On "Brush Patterns"

Photoshop Hidden Gems - Correcting Distortion with Puppet Warp

The most popular fonts used by designers

There are lots of fonts out there to choose from. What's the most popular with designers? Is there a difference between print and web designers? Should you stick to just a few or go crazy? Check out this informative article from the Webdesigner Depot.

After you read it, let us know your thoughts. Do you agree with the article? What fonts you prefer? Do you have one set for the web and another for print? Why or Why not? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Tip of the Week - Photoshop CS5 Content Aware Fill

Now that many of you have Photoshop CS5, I thought it would be helpful to mention one of my favorite CS5 additions - content aware. You can remove a person(s) or other objects from an image and Photoshop will figure out what is needed to fill out the background as if the person/object never existed. It is truly amazing. Here's a link to step by step directions from Photoshop Essentials and below is a 5 minute video showing you how it works:

Photoshop CS5: Secrets of the Art History Brush

The Fundamental Elements of Design

Watch this short video on the fundamentals of design.
Simple, yet effective - as good design generally is.

Frosted Cookie Text Effect Tutorial

It's a new year and many of us have made resolutions to cut down on sugar. Try making the frosted text cookies in this tutorial from Photoshop Tutorials. They look yummy but have zero calories!

I'm sure they would spice up a flyer and teach you some new Photoshop skills at the same time. Happy Cooking!

Adobe TV - Sunrise Quick Fix - Photoshop

Introduction to the Overlay Creator Panel in InDesign CS5 - Part Two

Introduction to the Overlay Creator Panel in InDesign CS5 - Part One

Tip of the Week - How to Sharpen Non-destructively in Photoshop