CreativePro.Com News

Last-Second Valentine Gifts

Editor in Chief — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:20:00 -0700

Whether you believe in Saint Valentine or Cupid, whether you likes hearts or roses, whether you're in a committed relationship or not, someone you know will be expecting a token of love today. As a creative professional you may feel under even more pressure than most folks to come up with a gift that's, well, creative.

While it's too late to create something as magnificent as the Taj Mahal — built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal — you can still give your loved one something better than an off-the-rack Hallmark card.

Facebook Gives Photographers Better Viewing Experience

Editor in Chief — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:45:23 -0700

If you've looked at photos on Facebook pages recently, you may have noticed that the viewing experience is a little different. This week, Facebook has been rolling out a new interface for viewing photographs that vastly improves how photos appear on screen. Once the change hits your account, you'll see that clicking on a photo in your album opens a second window that floats the image on a grayed-out window with text appearing on the right side.

Kodak Tosses Digital Cameras in the Dustbin

Editor in Chief — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:10:36 -0700

It's official: First they took our Kodachrome away, now Kodak is doing away with its digital cameras, too. The company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, has decided "to phase out its dedicated capture devices business — comprising digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames — in the first half of 2012." Kodak plans to focus on online and retail-kiosk image processing as well as inkjet printers.

Olympus Releases Another Micro Four-Thirds with Retro Look

Editor in Chief — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:22:30 -0700

The first model in a new line of cameras from Olympus has been announced. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system digital camera, meaning that it accepts interchangeable lenses that are compatible with the MFT system. Because MFT cameras don't use mirrors, they can be smaller than traditional SLRs.

The $1,299 E-M5 comes with a 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 lens and shoots both stills and HD video. Its sensor captures 16MP of data, and its ISO range extends up to 25600.

Cutting-Edge Conference for Print and Digital Publishing

Editor in Chief — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:25:20 -0700

The lengthy session list at the 2012 PEPCON print and ePublishing conference could be boiled down into one sentence: Attend this event or fall behind.

Seriously, just look at these session titles (which are only a sampling of the full list):

• InDesign to iPad and Android Apps
• Making Your Folio Come Alive: Embedding HTML and RSS
• XML for Print and Digital Publishing
• Stay on the Cutting Edge: Five Tools to Learn Now

How to Price Your Work

Editor in Chief — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:17:27 -0700

Jason Blumer is no fly-by-night guy; he's the chief innovation officer of an accounting firm that caters to creative pros. So when he recommends that you price your work higher than you do now, it pays (literally) to listen.

What's That Web Font?

Editor in Chief — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:56:43 -0700

Chengyin Liu, an undergrad in Computer Science at the University of Illinois, has developed a handy web browser add-on for people who want to identify webfonts in a jiffy. The add-on, called WhatFont, is compatible with Firefox 3.6 and later; Chrome 9 and later; Safari 4 and later; Internet Explorer 9; and, to a lesser extent, Internet Explorer 8.

How to Use QR Codes

Editor in Chief — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:44:35 -0700

If you have questions about QR codes, "QR Codes for Publishing and Marketing" may be just the ticket. While the $86 price is high for an impulse purchase, it's not much to keep you from marketing missteps. This 36-page eBook is actually several articles previously published in the venerable Seybold Report.

Download 3D Apps for Free

Editor in Chief — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:10:48 -0700

Digital Art Zone (DAZ) is giving away several of its 3D software programs from now until February 29, 2012. To download DAZ Studio 4 Pro, Bryce 7 Pro, Hexagon 2.5, and the 3D Photoshop Bridge, go to the special download page on the DAZ site.

Wide-Format Printers from Epson Aimed at Small Businesses

Editor in Chief — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:43:42 -0700

Epson has introduced three new wide-format models. The $299 WorkForce WF-7520 and $249 WF-7510 are both all-in-ones, capable of both printing (13" x 19") and scanning (11" x 17"). The $199 WorkForce WF-7010 is a wide-format inkjet printer that Epson says is the fastest of its kind at outputting both single-sided and double-sided prints: 15 ISO ppm black and 8.0 ISO ppm color single-sided; 7.8 ISO ppm black and 5.2 ISO ppm color two-sided.

Three New Sony Cyber-shot Digital Cameras

Editor in Chief — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:41:30 -0700

Sony has announced three new models in its Cyber-shot line of point-and-shoot. The most impressive is the $500 DSC-TX200V, which captures stills and HD video with an 18.2MP sensor. It can focus in as few as 0.13 seconds when you're shooting in daylight; when the light's low, it still needs only 0.25 seconds to focus.

The TX200V is waterproof, freeze-proof, and dust-proof, yet it's not housed in a hulking case. Instead, it looks more like a sleek new iPhone:

When It's Safe to Use Free Fonts

Editor in Chief — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:17:27 -0700

Many of us are intrigued by the idea of free fonts. However, the reality can be a little complicated. For example, if you use a free font on a client's project, you want to be sure that the use is legal. There's nothing worse than a type foundry calling your client with the news that the font wasn't licensed for commercial use.

Yves Peters has written a handy guide to keep you on the right side of the law. Called "Licensing 101," the guide is distributed by FontShop as a PDF.

Take a Peek at Photoshop's Near Future

Editor in Chief — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Photoshop's senior product manager, Bryan O'Neil Hughes, gives you a glimpse into Photoshop CS6. Although Adobe hasn't officially announced when CS6 will be released, the fact that this sneak peek is out in the wild makes me think it won't be, say, 2013!

Using a photo he shot with his mobile phone, Bryan demonstrates some of the new power and finesse in Camera Raw, the raw processing engine behind Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4 (now in beta).

J.C. Penney Logo Changes Again

Editor in Chief — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:06:56 -0700

Eleven months ago, J.C. Penney rolled out a new logo created by third-year graphic design student Luke Langhus:

They're Fond of Design

Editor in Chief — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:41:37 -0700

The stereotypical student stretches out a too-short paper with wide margins and large type sizes. But this trio of graphic design students from the University of the West of England had so much material after working on a professional practice project, they made a zine with the extra material, which includes interviews with designers and artists who specialize in editorial design. It's entitled "Fond of Editorial Design," and although it began life as a printed piece, Issue 1 is now available digitally.