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Move the Inspiration Train Out of the Station
Inspiration is often elusive. A designer I know finds inspiration during the earliest stages of concepting a project by selectively surfing the Internet.
After brainstorming a list of project-relevant words (with the client or on her own), she types each of those keywords into Google Images.
All images with the keyword in their titles show up in the results pages. She conducts similar searches on flickr and
stock photo sites.
She doesn't use the resulting images in the project, but she does gain a window into the visual concepts thousands of
people attach to her keywords. Often, the results send her in fresh directions she hadn't considered. When it comes to
getting the inspiration ball rolling, thousands of heads can be better than one.
— Terri Stone, editor in chief
Weave Together Text and Images in QuarkXPress
Robert Underwood walks you through using Photoshop and QuarkXPress to weave an image underneath
and above a line of type. The end result is a 3D effect in a 2D layout.
"The trick is to make an image appear as if part of it is behind an object while the other part is
in front of it. In the example below, the snowboarder's arm appears behind the text while his head
appears above it, giving the effect that the snowboarder is hanging on the text."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/25858.html
This tutorial shows you how to do the same thing in InDesign:
http://downloads.indesignmag.com/sandwich/
Sweep Your Camera Clean
Sensor dust can mean tedious fiddling around in Photoshop — it can even ruin a good picture.
While rubbing things on your camera's sensor may sound as appealing as performing a DIY hip
replacement, Ben Long explains why it's worth it and how to do it with no risk to your expensive equipment.
"A set of Visible Dust swabs costs $35, while a bottle of cleaning fluid is another $35.
Seventy bucks seems steep when you can buy Q-tips and Windex for a fiver, but don't fool
yourself. The individual photosites on your camera's sensor are tiny. Tens of millions of
them fit into a very, very small space. On this scale, a Q-tip's cotton fiber is enormous,
and enormously coarse. Using any type of brush or material that's not specifically designed
for sensor cleaning can leave tiny scratches and smears on your camera's low-pass filter,
and these scratches can be visible in your final image."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/25884.html
For detailed instructions on using the products Ben recommends, read this article:
http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/23423.html
Fix Those Fonts
Fonts can cause all sorts of problems, but when you know how to diagnose them, it's easy to repair
them. Font medico Ted LoCascio helps you get well soon.
"The problem: When your fonts look jumbled and distorted onscreen or when writing PDFs, or you get
printing error messages that are font-related, your system's font cache may need to be emptied.
The solution: You can empty the system font cache manually by locating the proper files, trashing
them, and restarting. However, I highly recommend leaving this task to Font Doctor, Font Explorer, or Smasher."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/25269.html
Send your font questions to our TypeTalk columnist, Ilene Strizver: typetalk@creativepro.com
It's the Little Things
While the big, flashy features of InDesign get plenty of attention, what may seem like unimportant features
are the ones that really make you more efficient. Keith Gilbert shares his six favorites.
"Many of the icons in the Control Palette have a hidden back door that will display preferences or options
related to that icon. To open the door, just Option- or Alt-click an icon. You'll discover many ways to speed
up your work. For example, Option/Alt-click on the number of columns icon to display the Text Frame Options
dialog box, where you can designate column width, gutter, and text inset for the frame."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/25267.html
Have you downloaded this free sampler of the revamped InDesign Magazine?
http://www.indesignmag.com/idm/trialissue.html
Buy These Books
Eric J. Adams shares gems from his two favorites. One will appeal to the more theoretical designer, one to the more matter-of-fact.
"This book defines the word 'practical.' Krug is a master at looking at Web design from the user's point of view and turning the
knowledge around into practical tips for Web designers. There isn't a Web designer who shouldn't run out and buy this book immediately."
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/25226.html
If stingy clients have left you with no cash to buy books, check out this:
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/24065.html
Rearview Mirror: 20-20 Hindsight
Markzware ships InDesign To QuarkXPress v3
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/25867.html
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Adobe delivers Font Folio 11
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/25872.html
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onOne Software announces PhotoTools and PhotoTools Professional Edition
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/25876.html
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Wacom celebrates 25th anniversary with Intuos3 Special Edition
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/25878.html
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PaperSpecs announces "Designing for Digital" webinar
http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/25882.html
Wacky Web Site of the Week
Wow... Some of these animals look alien
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/23661.html
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