The Graphic Mac

VectorScribe takes vector path and shape editing to new levels

Illustrator / Site News
14 Jun, 2011

Please join me in welcoming The Graphic Mac’s latest site sponsor, Astute Graphics. The first time I heard of Astute Graphics was back in 2008 when I reviewed Phantasm CS, a new plugin suite for Adobe Illustrator. In that review, I called Phantasm CS “the most useful plugin set I’ve ever come across for any version of Adobe Illustrator.”

Today I want to introduce you to VectorScribe, the latest plugin from Astute Graphics. VectorScribe allows you to quickly and easily create and manipulate vector paths in Adobe Illustrator CS3 to CS5 through the use of several new tools and panels.

VectorScribe makes complex path operations easy

Because there are two versions of VectorScribe, Designer and Studio, and the tools are so incredibly powerful and in-depth, I’m just going to briefly overview them here. But before I do, let me just say that if you’re the type of Illustrator user who only opens AI once or twice per month to quickly edit an existing logo, VectorScribe probably isn’t for you. But if you spend a good amount of time in Illustrator, working as a logo designer, architect, illustrator, or cartographer, then you’ll definitely enjoy this plugin! (more…)

Startupizer: advanced yet simple to use login items handler

Mac & OS X
13 Jun, 2011

A few months ago I shared a fantastic app to customize the your login items at startup called DelayedLauncher. Customizing not only your startup items, but delaying the time between the individual apps launching can speed up the total amount of time spent waiting for your apps to launch. I recently came across Startupizer, an elegant app that does just that.

Startupizer ($5.99 in the Mac App Store) enhanches System Preferences login items by offering conditional startup based on your preferred criteria.

Startupizer for Mac allows for more control over your login items

Like DelayedLauncher, Startupizer allows you to specify an amount of time between each startup item launching, thus reducing the overall amount of time spent at startup just sitting there waiting. This is especially useful if you have apps that rely on databases when launched, such as Extensis Suitcase Fusion (if you use Fusion, you’re certainly familiar with the hard drive thrashing and launch delay at startup).

Startupizer goes a little further than the free DelayedLauncher in that it allows for more customization, such as the ability to set criteria based on time, or whether or not your laptop is running off battery or power cord.

Overall, I prefer the free DelayedLauncher because my needs are simple. I just want to avoid the gang of apps all trying to launch at once when I start up my Mac. For that, DelayedLauncher is perfect. But if your needs are more specific – such as the ability to have certain apps launch at specified times of day, etc., check out Startupizer.

Apple to build new alien spaceship headquarters

General
8 Jun, 2011

Resize Finder columns to fit long file names

Mac & OS X
8 Jun, 2011

Did you know that you can resize a Mac OS X Finder window when you’re in Column View to fit the widest folder or file name automatically? It’s a simple keyboard shortcut, and can save you a lot of scrolling and manual resizing.

Just hold down the Option key and double click the widget at the bottom of the column divider. I love working in Column View in Mac OS X’s Finder, and this shortcut makes it easier to get a view of full file names.

33 desktop wallpapers full of hot air

General
6 Jun, 2011

Click the image for 33 colorful hot air balloon desktop wallpapers at various sizes

The Graphic Mac Link Box #2

General / Internet
3 Jun, 2011

The Graphic Mac Link Box A collection of interesting or otherwise helpful links I’ve come across recently that you may not have seen:

Steve Ballmer’s days are numbered

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, has apparently done more to reduce the value of Microsoft than any other product, service or company. That bit of news comes to us from an in-depth opinion article by Ben Brooks.

Your next logo design: RGB vs. CMYK

MycroBurst attempts to answer the question of what color standard you should use when designing your next logo. It isn’t a particularly in-depth article, but I felt like it was a great lead-in for a list of 9 rules for logo design I wrote a long time ago!

25 Weird interview questions from large companies

I can’t say I’ve ever been asked any of these in a job interview, but I have been asked some odd questions that were clearly intended to set me off pace for the purpose of gauging my reaction.

Text Wrap and Fit Content Options in Adobe InDesign

New users of Adobe InDesign may find this article quite helpful. It covers the ins and outs of InDesign’s Text Wrap and Fit Content Options most excellently!

How to Create Eroded Metal Text with Photoshop

Creating eroded, grungy, nasty, weathered metal text in Photoshop is probably something you do 50 times a day, right? Ok, probably not. But if you did need to, this tutorial will make it easy for you!

Apple to introduce us to Lion: Maybe you’ve heard?

Ok, so that was a smartass question. If you’ve been on Twitter, Facebook or the web in general, you’ve probably heard that Apple has a lot to announce Monday at their annual WWDC conference. Expected in the announcement are details about Apple’s MobileMe replacement, iCloud. Also expected are announcements concerning the next release of iOS 5 which will reportedly include Twitter integration and much more. As for me, I’m prepping my hard drive for a rather large (and price discounted) download of Lion from the Mac App Store!

AOL email still a spammer’s dream

Internet
1 Jun, 2011

Most people who know their way around communicating on the web understand that most free email services result in receiving unwanted email (spam).

Over the years, two services have become well known for being major targets for spammers, Microsoft’s Hotmail and AOL. A few months ago I received an invite to beta test AOL’s latest webmail update, codenamed Project Phoenix, and decided to give it a try. My findings were pretty much what I expected. Unfortunately.
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Tips for controlling your DSLR autofocus

General
31 May, 2011

Digital Photography School offers a few tips for a better autofocus

Sometimes the autofocus on your DSLR camera can be really annoying. For some shots it’ll focus on the right part of your subject, but then the very next shot it may choose to focus on something far and away into the background.

Steve Berardi from PhotoNaturalist talks about three ways to get better control of autofocus in his guest-post at Digital Photography School.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Site News
27 May, 2011

For those of you who reside in the United States, I would like to take this time to wish you a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy your extended weekend with family and friends – just be sure to exercise great judgement if consuming alcohol is part of your celebration plan this weekend.

For those outside the U.S. who are not familiar with Memorial Day, it is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates men and women who died while in military service to the United States. First enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War, it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

Regular posting to The Graphic Mac will resume on Tuesday.

Free font: Kenyan Coffee

Resources
27 May, 2011

Click to download Kenyan Coffee: Free to use for your commercial projects

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