Archive for March, 2008

How to edit multiple type layers at a time in Photoshop

How to edit multiple type layers at a time in Photoshop

Adobe PhotoshopIf you want to change the font, color, kerning, or any other character or paragraph attributes, simply Command + Click or Shift + Click the type layers you want to edit, then adjust the settings to your liking in the Control Bar, Character or Paragraph panels. This tips works in Adobe Photoshop CS1, CS2 and CS3.

03/14/2008 Read More
How to add photorealistic perspective to your design

How to add photorealistic perspective to your design

Sometimes, flat just doesn’t cut it, and we need to find other, more attractive ways to present designs to our customers. One technique I’ve been using recently works remarkably well for text, logos and other vector artwork. It consists of taking a virtual photograph of the work by combining Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop filters. The dramatic end result can’t be distinguished from a real photograph. This tutorial from FontShop starts you out in Adobe Illustrator and finishes off with some adjustments in Adobe Photoshop using a few built-in filters. It’s quite easy, and produces dramatic results, as seen in the image above.

03/13/2008 Read More
Getting accurate colors when printing proofs from InDesign

Getting accurate colors when printing proofs from InDesign

In response to a reader question, David Blatner over at InDesign Secrets has offered some helpful tips and explanations regarding InDesign and getting accurate color proofs. On of my favorite tips from the article is to completely turn off Color Management in the print driver for your particular printer. Once you’ve done all the color management in Photoshop and InDesign, a printer driver can mess it all up. Turn that sucker off and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and headache.

03/10/2008 Read More
How to speed up your Mac

How to speed up your Mac

While there is no definitive cure-all for making your machine as good (and as fast) as day one, there are some basic things you can do that might help reclaim disk space, remove some clutter and generally speed up your Mac. Wired Magazine offers some insight and advice on how to speed up your Mac – what works and what doesn’t. If you don’t read the article, or you miss it, the one point I wish to drive home is that repairing file permissions and updating the prebindings will NOT speed up your Mac. It’s a myth that has lived too long.

03/10/2008 Read More
Save time with OSX Finder shortcuts

Save time with OSX Finder shortcuts

As with any program, the speed with which you use OSX’s Finder can increase your productivity quite a bit, and we can all use a few extra minutes a day can’t we? With that in mind, here’s a few helpful Finder keyboard shortcuts to help you save the extra few minutes. Finder Views:

  • Command 1 = Switch window to icon view
  • Command 2 = Switch window to list view
  • Command 3 = Switch window to column view
  • Command 4 = Switch window to coverflow view
  • Command Y = Toggle Quick Look on and off
  • Command Option Y = Toggle Slideshow mode

Open Items

  • Command Shift i = Open iDisk
  • Comand Shift k = Open Network
  • Command Shift a = Open Application folder
  • Command Shift d = Open Desktop folder
03/07/2008 Read More
Getting large layer icons in Adobe Illustrator

Getting large layer icons in Adobe Illustrator

When you’re working in Adobe Illustrator, keeping your artwork on different layers can be a huge time-saver and makes it much easier to edit with complex illustrations — much like Photoshop. But sometimes you can’t be bothered to name your layers properly and you rely on the little icons in the Layers Panel to tell you which layer you want to work on. The problem is that those tiny layer icons can be difficult to identify the more you put on each layer (See the image above). Thankfully, Illustrator gives you way to make the icons in the Layer Panel larger. First, open the Layers Panel flyout menu and scroll all the way to the bottom and select Panel Options. Next, select the Other: radio button and enter a pixel amount in the size box (I chose 50 pixels). Obviously, this is the size you want your Layers Panel icons to appear. I recommend staying 75 pixels or under — anything larger and you’ll be scrolling quite a bit to see the layers in the Panel. Now just click OK and you’re all set. As you can see by the image below, the icons in the Layers Panel are now much easier to decipher. Though my sample illustration isn’t difficult to begin with, you can easily see the advantage of making the icons larger when you compare it to the first image.

03/06/2008 Read More
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