Layers 2010-01-02

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 W W W. L AY E R S M A G A Z I N E .
C O M
From EPUBs and PDFs to iPhones and Kindles,

learn how Adobe InDesign can help solve your
digital
daze
DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 15, 2010
TEN SECRETS TO SEVEN AMAZING STORIES

ATTRACT CLIENTS OF HOW PHOTOSHOP CS4
& INCREASE INCOME SAVED THE DAY
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com
] JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010
[ CONTENTS] ] VOL. 6, NO. 1
] WWW.LAYERSMAGAZINE.COM
[ T U T O R I A L S ]
44 ] Digital Photography:
The Beauty of the Blur—Seán Duggan
50 ] Adobe Photoshop CS4:

Get Creative with Adobe Bridge—Dave Cross
61 ] Adobe Illustrator CS4:

Re-creating a Logo—Corey Barker
68 ] Adobe InDesign CS4:

Create Photo Albums for Print—Terry White
74 ] Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro:

Go with the Flow—Taz Tally
78 ] Adobe Dreamweaver CS4:

Adding Ecommerce to Your Site is Easy
—Janine Warner
84 ] Adobe Flash CS4 Professional:

Create an Old-School MP3 Player
out of Thin Air—Lee Brimelow
VLAD KOLAROV
[ C O V E R S T O R Y ]
16
34 ] Going Digital
With the popularity of eBook readers, online publications, and smart-
phones growing every single day, it’s important that you make your
content available to as many different devices as possible. Terry White
shows you how easy it is to use InDesign to prepare your documents
for the digital revolution.—Terry White
[ F E A T U R E S ]
www.layersmagazine.com
20 ] How Photoshop CS4 Saved the Day

We asked Layers readers to share with us how Adobe Photoshop CS4
saved their bacon when everything was on the line. We now share
seven of their most inspirational stories with you.—Nancy Massé
40 ] Build a Better Business

As a freelance designer or photographer, it’s more important than
ever that you find creative ways to grow your business and to make
more money. Larry Becker uncovers 10 amazing secrets for doing
just that.—Larry Becker Page 34
04

05
LAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

[ D E P A RT M E N T S ]
8 ] Letter to Layers Readers
12 ] Layers News
16 ] Designer Spotlight
18 ] The Digital Canvas
96 ] Tips & Tricks
98 ] Creative Suite Q&A
110 ] Design Contest

Page 20
[ C O L U M N S ] [ O N T H E C O V E R ]
24 ] Design Makeover: Vlad Kolarov has been making people
High-Flying Redesign—Jake Widman laugh for more than 20 years. A cartoon-
ist, humorous illustrator, designer, and
30 ] Artistic Expressions: animator, Vlad’s work has been seen in
Fabrication—Bert Monroy numerous newspapers, magazines, and
websites. Read our interview with Vlad
on page 16, and look for his illustrations
66 ] The Art of Type: throughout this issue of Layers.
Dash Away All—James Felici
[Vlad Kolarov]
[ R E V I E W S ]
88 ] Universal Type Server 2—David Creamer
89 ] Continuum Cartoon Look—Richard Harrington
90 ] Eizo FlexScan S2242W LCD—Steve Baczewski
90 ] Flash Decompiler Trillix v4—Cyndy Cashman
91 ] Eye-Fi Pro—Brad Moore
91 ] DroboPro—Rod Harlan
92 ] 3ds Max 2010—Bruce Bicknell
94 ] Anime Studio Debut 6—Bruce Bicknell
94 ] Strata Enfold 3D CX—Bruce Bicknell
95 ] Pixelmator 1.5—Steve Baczewski
95 ] Sorenson 360—Erik Kuna
Whenever you see this symbol at the end of an article, it means there’s either additional material or a download
88
for that story at www.layersmagazine.com. So be sure to visit the website and check it out.

] JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010
ON THE WEB] ] VOL. 6, NO. 1
] WWW.LAYERSMAGAZINE.COM
[TU TORIALS]
We’re always adding new tutorials to the Layers website,
so be sure to visit often. And don’t forget to sign up for our
graphics tip of the day and to read RC’s daily blog, Living
in Layers. Here’s a small sampling of some of the tutorials
that you can find at the site now:
[PHOTOSHOP]
www.layersmagazine.com/category/photoshop
Importing 3D Content into Photoshop CS4 (Video): Learn how
to import your 3D objects from third-party progams into 3D
layers in Photoshop CS4 Extended.—Stephen M. Burns
[ILLUSTRATOR]
www.layersmagazine.com/category/illustrator
Border Effects in Adobe Illustrator (Video): Create really cool
border effects on your photographs and other art using
custom symbols in Illustrator.—Corey Barker
Live Color in Adobe Illustrator CS4 (Video): With a little experi-

mentation, you can use the Live Color options in Illustrator to
add new life to complex art and photographs.—Jeff Witchel
[INDESIGN]
www.layersmagazine.com/category/indesign
Using Layer Comps in InDesign (Video): We'll show you how
to import your Photoshop layer comps into InDesign and then
teach you how take advantage of them.—Dave Cross
16 Designing a Business Card in InDesign (Video): Using layers,

libraries, and object styles, you can quickly create great-
looking custom business cards in InDesign.—Christy Winter
[ LAY E RS TV ] [FLASH]
Hosted by Corey Barker and Rafael “RC” Concepcion www.layersmagazine.com/category/flash
www.layersmagazine.com/tv Stealth Objects in Flash CS4, Parts 1 & 2 (Video): Find out how
Be sure and join Corey and RC in their weekly video podcast. From killer to use the FLVPlayback component or ActionScript to attach
tips and tricks to full-blown tutorials, Corey and RC cover all of your favor-
stealth video to your Flash projects.—Tom Green

ite print, Web, and video apps.
[SOCIAL NETWORK] [PREMIERE PRO]

http://twitter.com/LayersMagazine www.layersmagazine.com/category/premiere-pro
www.facebook.com/LayersMagazine Customize Transitions in Premiere Pro CS4 (Video): You can
Want to stay up to date on everything happening at Layers? Of course customize your transitions in really cool ways using hidden
you do. Just follow @LayersMagazine on Twitter and be sure to join our controls and features in the transition settings of Premiere
Facebook Fan Page, as well. Pro.—Franklin McMahon
06

[A LETTER TO LAYERS READERS]
J O H N { } L O I A C O N O
expand your horizons

NOW’S THE TIME TO RESOLVE TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
The New Year ushers in holiday sales, spirited resolutions, and of course, a fresh, positive outlook
on work and life. Like you, folks at Adobe enjoy our holidays, and when we return to work, we’re
even more energized to create wicked-cool products that help you further push the envelope to
create standout design.
Each New Year signals a new beginning. For those with creative professions, it’s a fresh chance
to update your design career by learning new styles and treatments using the latest tools, technologies, and delivery
media. Traditional print design executed in the form of magazines, newspapers, collateral, or packaging will continue
to be a core part of our daily content consumption pattern. But social media engines, rich interactive websites, mobile
apps, and e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader offer immediate and consumer-driven ways to digi-
tally digest content. Designers can capitalize on this growth opportunity by going beyond
[No longer are they the comfort zone of their favorite tools, investing time and education in learning cross-media
design skills. And you can start that education right here in the pages of Layers with this
issue’s cover story, “Going Digital,” by Adobe’s very own Terry White, who teaches you how
satisfied with just to go beyond the printed page (p. 34).
This year more than ever, the designer’s challenge is not only to master key tools found in
looking at beautiful Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign (including discovering some features you haven’t tried
yet), but to experiment with Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, and the soon-to-be-released
Flash Catalyst (now on http://labs.adobe.com), where you can have fun learning the art of
images—they want, motion graphics and interactivity for websites, banner ads, and other rich online experiences.
Experiment with creating and exchanging graphics among the many Adobe applications, and
or rather expect, an you’ll find that “multiscreen design” for print, Web, or mobile devices will open new creative
possibilities and, just as importantly, profitability.
We’re experiencing a significant shift in how people consume content. No longer are they
engaging experience.] satisfied with just looking at beautiful images—they want, or rather expect, an engaging
experience. For most, this change isn’t an option, it’s a must. Edgy designer Von Glitschka
said, “Embrace change or become a Design-o-saur.” At Adobe, we’re dedicated to creating new and innovative
solutions that allow you to embrace this new evolution, so not only can you create the most compelling and impactful
content, but you can also monetize your content for this new generation of consumer.
Happy New Year to all!
Best regards,
www.l ayer smagazine.com
John Loiacono
Sr. Vice President and General Manager
Creative Solution Business
Adobe Systems
08

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With
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Steve Baczewski • Corey Barker • Peter
NEW! Vivid Bauer • Larry Becker • Bruce Bicknell
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Inks Rafael “RC” Concepcion • David
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representative views of the Publisher. ISSN 1554-415X

[layers news]
graphics design news • new products • digital video news • other stuff
Running on Beta versions of Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 are now available at http://labs
.adobe.com. New features in AIR include the ability to open documents with user’s
default applications, access sound data directly from a microphone, and detect mass
AIR storage devices. Other improvements center on packaging AIR applications in a native
application installer, such as DMG (Mac) and EXE (PC), so that AIR applications can now
launch and communicate with native processes. The new version also supports multi-
touch and gesture events. The AIR 2 beta is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Flash Player 10.1 also supports multi-touch and gestures and takes advantage of
native mobile device capabilities such as mobile input models and accelerometers.
Designed for mobility, the new player even works on platforms with limited memory
and processing resources by leveraging hardware acceleration of graphics and video
and other performance improvements, such as rendering, scripting, memory utiliza-
tion, start-up time, battery, and CPU optimizations. Flash Player 10.1 is available for
Mac, Windows, Linux, and x86-based notebooks. It’s expected to be available across
various smartphones and other Internet-connected devices in 2010. For more infor-
mation, visit Adobe Labs.
Adobe Lightroom 3
goes beta
Following what has become standard procedure, Adobe has released the
next version of Adobe Lightroom as a public beta on Adobe Labs. In the
latest iteration of their very popular application for organizing, enhancing,
and sharing digital photography, Adobe has gone under the hood and
fine-tuned the processing engine not only to improve responsiveness but
also to help Lightroom better handle larger image libraries.
MATT KLOSKOWSKI
Adobe has also made it easier than ever to publish collections to photo-
sharing sites. Users can drag-and-drop images directly into their Flickr Photo-
streams, and if you have a Flickr Pro account, you can automatically sync
your images and view Flickr comments right inside the Library module.
You’ll also find improved Capture sharpening and Color Noise Reduction tools, as well as a new Grain tool for adding film-style grain to images.
Two new vignette modes are also available for creating more natural looks. Slide shows can now be exported as videos along with audio and title
screens. And finally, there are new watermarking capabilities and more control for creating customized print layouts.
If you’re a Lightroom user (or if you’ve ever wanted to try Lightroom), head to http://labs.adobe.com right now and download the beta today
and start sending your feedback to Adobe. This is your chance to make the next version of Lightroom better than ever.
Learn Adobe Creative Suite

with Terry White
www.LAYERSMAGAZINE.COM
If you’re as big a fan of Terry White as we are, then you probably know that he has a very popular video podcast called Adobe Creative Suite Video
Podcast that features lots of great tips and tutorials. Taking his podcast a step further, Terry has now made it easier than ever to access the nearly
300 episodes through his brand-new iPhone/iPod touch app, Learn Adobe Creative Suite with Terry White.
Once you install the app, you can instantly stream any of Terry’s episodes to your iPhone, and you can rewind, pause, or skip ahead at any time.
But the best part of the app is that it comes with bonus material. That’s right, this app contains content that you won’t find at iTunes. Terry records
at least one new tutorial each week, and he plans to provide bonus content with each new episode. You can get all of that for just $1.99 at the
App Store. (But don’t get so caught up in the new app that you forget to read Terry’s InDesign column here in the magazine on page 68.)
12

Adobe Photoshop Web Watch
goes mobile, again [more cool sites for creatives]
Less than a month after announcing Photoshop.com Mobile for

iPhone, Adobe announced that the free app is now available at
the Android Market. Users of the Google Mobile operating system
can now crop, rotate, and flip their digital images, as well as adjust
exposure, saturation, and tint. They can also convert their images
to classic black and white. The original photo always remains safe,
as all edits can be undone.
Unique to the Android platform, users of Photoshop.com Mobile
can upload images to Photoshop.com in the background even when
http://kelbytv.com
the app isn’t running. Plus, the Android API allows users to view local Online shows for creative professionals,
and online content through a tab-based interface. For more info, including Photoshop User TV, Layers TV,
visit http://mobile.photoshop.com/android. and much more
Now you can take your eBooks

to more places than ever before
Adobe and Barnes & Noble have joined forces in an attempt to help standardize the open EPUB
and PDF eBook formats. (EPUB is a reflow-centric, XML-based, open standard format for eBook
readers that has support from the publishing industry and the Association of American Publishers.)
With this collaboration, eBooks from Barnes & Noble can be read on a wealth of devices, including
Barnes & Noble’s nook, iPhones, PCs, BlackBerrys, and other smartphones that use the Barnes &
Noble eReader software. In addition, any device that uses the Adobe Reader Mobile SDK will soon www.penscrappers.com
be able to read content from www.bn.com. Wacom has refreshed their site dedicat-
Barnes & Noble is also adopting Adobe Content Server so all their eBooks will be copy protected. ed to the digital scrapbooking commu-
nity for learning about digital workflow
In return, Adobe will be integrating Barnes & Noble’s eReader social content protection technology and the Wacom tablet
into Adobe Reader Mobile SDK in early 2010, and then into Adobe Content Server and Adobe Digital
Editions in late 2010.
For more on Adobe Digital Editions and the EPUB format, turn to “Going Digital” on page 34 by Terry
White. Terry shows you just how quick and easy it is to make your very own InDesign documents mobile.
Quick corrections How would you like to be able to make corrections

without the selections to light and color in specific areas of your Photo-
shop documents without first making a selection or
layer mask? Well, you’ve actually been able to do
that for some time now with Nik Software’s Viveza www.dpbestflow.org
Photoshop plug-in. And now they’ve made a great A place to learn about best practices
and workflow for digital photography
product even better with the release of version 2.
Viveza uses Nik Software’s award-winning U Point
technology, which means that with a simple point-
and-click, you can use easy sliders to adjust bright-
ness, contrast, saturation, structure, red, green,
blue, hue, and warmth in any area of a photo in no
time at all. New features in Viveza 2 include global
image adjustments, levels and curves adjustments,
shadow recovery, fine detail structure enhancements,
increased precision of selections, and more.
Viveza 2 supports Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom,
and Apple Aperture, and should be available by the
http://thedesigninspiration.com
time you read this for $199.95. For more info, visit Daily design inspiration for logos, illus-
www.niksoftware.com. trations, websites, and photography

[ n e ws ]
We can see
Upcoming Events clearly now…
Athentech Imaging Inc. has released a Photoshop plug-in version
MACWORLD 2010 of its patented Perfectly Clear image-correction technology. With
February 9–13, 2010 one click, this plug-in optimizes the exposure, color, depth of
Moscone Center field, tint, sharpness, and noise of each separate pixel in a digital
San Francisco, CA photograph. Users can than compare before and afters to
www.macworldexpo.com determine if they need to fine-tune the corrected file using a
dozen unique, independent, patented corrections. Because all
corrections function independently, adjusting one setting, such
PMA 2010 as exposure, won’t change another setting, such as vibrancy.
February 21–23, 2010
Users can select from presets or create their own customized settings.
Anaheim Convention Center The plug-in is currently available for Windows for $199 but should be available for the Mac
Anaheim, CA by the time you read this. For more info, visit www.athentech.com.
www.pmai.org/pma2010_home.aspx
GRAPHICS OF THE AMERICAS Astute Graphics extends

February 25–27, 2010
Miami Beach Convention Center
Phantasm CS line
Miami Beach, FL Reaching out to high-end designers and pre-press professionals, Astute Graphics has added a
www.graphicsoftheamericas.com third product to its line of award-winning and highly acclaimed Phantasm CS plug-ins for Illustra-
tor. The latest addition, Phantasm CS Publisher, builds upon the success of Phantasm CS Studio
by adding several new and advanced features.
WPPI The new plug-in includes an Exposure Filter and live Effect that work with all embedded art-
March 4–11, 2010 work; advanced Swap Channels tools, adding the ability to swap process and spot channels, plus
MGM Convention Center the copying of channel levels; an advanced Ink Coverage tool that provides individual ink usage
Las Vegas, NV levels; Bitmap Alpha adjustment in Curves and Levels tools, giving contour control of standard
www.wppionline.com/storage/ live Effect Drop Shadows, Outer Glows, and Blurs; and link embedded images, allowing for easy
lasvegas/home.html image extraction and storage for common use across multiple documents.
Phantasm CS is available now for £139. The other versions, Phantasm CS Designer and
Phantasm CS Studio, are available for £49 and £89, respectively. For more information, visit
PHOTOSHOP WORLD
CONFERENCE & EXPO www.astutegraphics.com.
March 24–26, 2010
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
www.photoshopworld.com
Squeeze your video
for everything it’s worth
AN EVENT APART
April 5–7, 2010 Sorenson has announced the release of Squeeze 6,
Bell Harbor Conference Center their total workflow solution for encoding and
Seattle, WA publishing video. According to the company,
this latest version is 500% faster than Sorenson
http://aneventapart.com
Squeeze 5 when it comes to encoding H.264 and
VP6 formats. The quality of the encoded video has
NAB SHOW 2010 also been improved through the addition of new video filters
April 10–15, 2010 such as blur, RGB, tint, white balance, and timecode.
Las Vegas Convention Center Users also receive a complimentary one-year Sorenson 360
Las Vegas, NV Review & Approval account, which includes 5 GB of storage,
www.nabshow.com 100 streams per month, and a max video length of 30 minutes.
Once a job is completed, Squeeze can automatically send the
HOW DESIGN CONFERENCE 2010 encoded video to a client’s desktop or iPhone for comments
June 6–9, 2010 and approval. Squeeze can also send users and clients emails
Colorado Convention Center and text notifications to let them know when an encoding job
Denver, CO has been completed.
www.howconference.com Sorenson Squeeze 6 is available for $799 and Sorenson Squeeze 6 for Flash is available for
$499. For more information, visit www.sorensonmedia.com.

[v l a d k o l a rov ]
[ DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT]
C H R I S { } M A I N
Vlad Kolarov is a cartoonist, humorous illustrator, designer, and animator living in Canada. Born in Rousse,
Bulgaria, he became one of the “Wind of Change” generation cartoonists after the collapse of communism in his native country. Hired by the
largest Bulgarian newspaper publisher, 168 Chasa Ltd (168 Hours Ltd), Vlad created the first Bulgarian comic strips: Birdie and Phil the Cat, which
appeared in the 24 Chasa Daily Newspaper (24 Hours). In 1998 Vlad moved to Vancouver, BC, and became a full-time freelancer. His cartoons,
published by numerous newspapers, magazines, and websites—including Reader’s Digest, Yahoo!, and Regards.com—are available through the
Internet. He’s currently working on various projects through his company Cardsup Greetings Ltd., and also operates one of the largest cartoon
licensing websites, www.eToon.com.
Layers: So what’s it like to be the person who introduced the comic Kolarov: Wow! 20 years? Time really flies, doesn’t it? I went digital
strip format to an entire country? in 1998, and I found it to be quite a natural transition. After all, the
computer is just another tool to help the artist work faster. And I like
Kolarov: Well, I’m still waiting for the announcement of Vlad Kolarov’s
that, as it gives me more freedom to experiment. I do my drawing on
Comic Strip Day, but I have a funny feeling it’s not going to happen this
a Wacom tablet, and use mainly Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Painter,
year—again. Seriously though, I had a blast drawing those comic strips.
and SketchBook Pro. I still work with pen and paper, only because I
Birdie was an experiment. It appeared in the first Bulgarian afternoon
can, not because I have to.
daily newspaper with the same title (Vrabetz). I created the characters
and then together with another artist did it every day for a year—until Layers: How would you describe your style as a cartoonist?
www.LAYERSMAGAZINE.com
the paper went bankrupt. Because it proved to be popular, I was given

Kolarov: Funny, I hope. Cartooning as an art form is quite flexible, but
the chance to make a new comic strip for the largest Bulgarian news-
what really matters is whether you can make your audience smile. I
paper, 24 hours. I came up with Phil the Cat, a strip about a cat (sur-
come from Europe and have been heavily influenced by that type of
prise!), a dog, and a parrot. Unfortunately, there was a creative conflict
humor, but as a teenager I discovered Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes,
with the editors, so it got canceled about a year and a half later.
and The Far Side, which opened my eyes to a whole new cartoon
Layers: You’ve been working as a professional illustrator for more universe. I’m extremely grateful to artists like Lynn Johnston, Jim
than 20 years. Can you describe your transition from pen and paper Unger, and Charles Schultz, who wrote encouraging letters to that
to computer and software? 20-something-year-old kid in faraway Bulgaria.
16

17

Layers: Can you tell us a little more about your various websites?
Kolarov: I fell in love with the Internet the moment I heard about it. I saw
the potential of being silly in front of a computer and having millions of
people laugh at you before YouTube came around. That’s why I decided
to make different websites like eToon.com and 2ecards.com, a free ecard
service. GoodLuckPuppy.com showcases the charming character I came
up with, and SafeJungle.com is designed as an online playground for
kids. Some are successful, some are not. Others like EggPeople.com are
still ideas which need funding—but that’s the name of the game, right?
Layers: How hard is it to make people laugh these days? And how hard
is it to find inspiration?
Kolarov: People will always laugh at what’s funny. The amazing power
that humor has is that it gives an artist the chance to reflect or comment
on a subject in a unique way. That’s why it can always be fresh and
diverse. I find inspiration the easy part—the hard part is work. But the
funny thing is: the more you work, the more inspired you are.
Layers: Your online portfolio is pretty diverse: kids’ illustrations, greeting cards,
logos, comic strips, etc. Do you have any advice for aspiring cartoonists?
Kolarov: One year after I moved to Canada, I had landed one large client,
a New York-based website for which I was making animated ecards, as
well as several small Web clients. But when the Internet bubble burst, all
my clients suddenly disappeared. It took more than a year to get back
on my feet and build a new clientele, but this time it was really diverse.
The life of a freelancer is a nonstop roller coaster, so you have to be
prepared for the ups and downs and always have a “throw up” bag
close by. If you know that you want to be a cartoonist, that means you’re
already infected by the cartoon virus, but to be a successful one, you
need to work hard, learn new skills, read, and market yourself 24/7.
[CONTACT] Vlad Kolarov www.evlad.com ALL IMAGES BY VLAD KOLAROV

[ gallery]
[ the digital canvas ]

showcasing the design work of our readers
Design: Nature’s Oasis ] [ Client: Personal Work ] [ Designer: Ryan Forshaw

] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 ] [ http://ryuneo-designs.com
www.l ayer smagazine.com
Design: Father Nature ] [ Client: Personal Work ] [ Designer: Ryan Forshaw

] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 ] [ http://ryuneo-designs.com
18

19
l AY E R S M A G A Z I N E ][ ja n / f e b 2010
Design: Secrets (Book Cover) Design: Fielder Poster
] [ Client: North Star Publishing / David P. Holmes, author ] [ Client: Fielder
] [ Designer: Jeff Holmes ] [ Designer: Steven Elmore
] [ Software: Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, and InDesign CS4 ] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Illustrator CS4
] [ www.loosepaint.com ] [ www.stevenelmoreportfolio.com
Design: Sea Dog

] [ Client: Personal Work
] [ Designer: Jim Sawyer
] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3
] [ www.artwanted.com/jimsawyer
The staff at Layers magazine appreciates

the time and effort involved in the creative
process, no matter how large or small the
project. With this in mind, we offer you the
opportunity to display your work on The
Digital Canvas. Please submit your print, Web,
or packaging design (jpeg or eps format) to:
cmain@layersmagazine.com. Please include
name of piece, client name (if applicable),
applications used, and any website where
our readers can view more of your work.

By Nancy Massé
ast August, Adobe teamed up with Layers magazine to learn how our readers have used Photoshop CS4
to either get out of a jam at work, come in with a win under a tight deadline on a project, or wow the
toughest client against all odds. For seven weeks, the stories poured in and the final results revealed a
diverse collection of anecdotes from creatives of all walks of life that truly illustrates how one little program
can be used in so many different situations.
Each weekly winner received a copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2, an Adobe 18-1 Card Reader, an
8-GB USB Drive, and a three-year subscription to Layers magazine. The grand prize winner (chosen by Adobe
from the seven weekly winners) also received Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium, a complimentary pass
to Photoshop World Conference & Expo, a one-year subscription to Kelby Training’s Online Training, and $250
in books and DVDs from Kelby Training. Congratulations to all our winners! Here are their stories. (To view each
winner’s submission in its entirety, please visit www.layersmagazine.com/savetheday-winner.)
Grand Prize (and Week 3) Winner

Martha DiMeo at Melody the Artist
http://melodytheartist.com
Martha’s Art Director chose the one image (from hundreds) that was
grossly underexposed for the Fall/Winter cover of Wedding Style
magazine. Rather than risk telling her boss that the shot chosen was
a no-go (and we all know how much bosses like to hear stuff like
that), Martha created four different RAW conversions of the same
image using the Exposure, Fill Light, and Contrast sliders to correct
for exposure in different areas of the image. She then combined the
four converted images using layer masks. To refine the combined
images, two Curves adjustment layers with masks were used, along
with a few whacks with Gaussian Blur, the Patch tool,
Healing Brush, Clone Stamp tool, and Brush tool to
create an absolutely stunning cover!

“The nondestructive nature of RAW conversions
and adjustment layers holds the power and beauty
of the process. In a nonlinear sequence, any of the
steps could be altered, redone, or deleted. With
Photoshop, the photograph was transformed, making
it worthy for a cover of a national magazine.”
20

21

Week 1 Winner
Nancy L. Minor at Zefon International • www.zefon.com
Nancy works for a company that manufactures securement devices for feed-
ing tubes and other lines on patients, which isn’t exactly where you’d think a
Photoshop story would come from. When Nancy had to provide a photo of
one of their devices in use on a newborn, she discovered that the expense
of a photo shoot like that was out of the question. That’s when Photoshop
and some purchased stock photography saved the day.
“My boss and co-workers were very impressed. They didn’t know that
I could do something like that. Photoshop CS4 is like a powerful tool in the
hands of a creative surgeon…. Because I was able to use various layers and
special blending effects, the securement device looks like it was naturally on
the baby, and it didn’t cost very much to put it together. Thanks Photoshop
CS4, you saved my day and my company a lot of money!”
Week 2 Winner
Axel Becker at Forty Two Graphic Design • www.fortytwo.de
Axel has collected random images of the number 42 (which happens to
be the name of his graphic design company) for the last ten years. These
images resided on his old website and the collection had grown incredibly
large over the years. When Axel decided it was time to make a new website,
he wanted the images to appear in grayscale but change to color when
they were hovered over. That meant Axel now had almost 600 images that
needed to be rebuilt and converted to grayscale—a daunting and time-
consuming task if ever there was one.
Using Photoshop CS4, Axel actually saved more than one day of work by
creating a droplet containing a series of actions that automatically converted
his entire collection in a matter of minutes.
Week 4 Winner
Tim McCarty • http://seabreezephotography.com
Warren Civic Theater was putting on a production of Oliver and the director
approached Tim for a project:
“I need an 8x10 green screen photo of each cast member superimposed

onto a cool background,” says the director.
“By when?” I ask.
“Opening performance—day after tomorrow.”
“Ahhh, shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Okay, it’s a deal. I’ll tell the cast,” he replied.
“By the way, how many are in the cast?”
“200.”
My jaw drops.
The photo shoot took Tom three hours (less than a minute per member).
Doing the math, he quickly realized it was going to take him almost 17 hours
using his standard workflow to place each member on a new background. Luck-
ily, with the help of Photoshop CS4 and a Layers tutorial on the new Masks panel
(using the Color Range selection feature) and the Adjustments panel, Tom mixed
the panels into a workflow and captured the whole process in an action (including
adding a background layer). Then, he batch processed all the photos using his
new action, and 30 minutes later, he was done!

Week 5 Winner
Craig White • www.craigwhiteillustration.com
A while back Craig was presented with a “small” problem regard-
ing a rush job for a book cover illustration. The model Craig hired
was supposed to be rather muscular. Unfortunately, the only one
they could find on such short notice didn’t quite fit the descrip-
tion. Using the Liquify filter, Craig was able to give the model the
muscles the illustration required—along with a slightly wider face,
angular nose, and raised cheekbones.
“I was stunned by what I saw. It actually worked and it looked
good! Flipping between the before and after images was a delight.
What an amazing application…. Thanks Adobe, you saved the
day (again!).”
Week 6 Winner
Craig Stocks • www.craigstocksarts.com
When Craig first got into submitting stock photography, he thought he had
the guidelines down until his photo was rejected because the pattern on
the subject’s T-shirt constituted an artistic design and had to be removed.
Oops! Because stock photography is closely scrutinized, Craig admits that
he nearly gave up without trying.
“The challenge here is to remove the design without removing the
texture. Simply using the Clone Stamp tool would never work. Photo-
shop CS4 to the rescue! I realized that the pattern was mostly color and
tone, but it had the same texture as the rest of the shirt. What I needed
was to make the pattern the same color as the shirt without changing the
texture. What I needed was a Curves adjustment…. That did 90% of the
job…. The next step was the Clone Stamp tool, but I only needed to clean
up the rough edges that the Curves adjustment didn’t get…and when it
was all done, I was surprised at how easily I had pulled it off.”
Week 7 Winner
Jole Simmons • www.joledesign.com
When Jole started a job at a local Chamber of Commerce, he had to put together
a conference booklet filled with pictures of the board and staff members. Since
everyone already had his or her portrait professionally done, Jole’s boss told him
he needed to arrange to have his own portrait professionally taken offsite. Unfor-
tunately, he never got around to it, and his picture was the last thing he needed to
include before printing.
Now, normally we wouldn’t reward slacking (then again, yeah we would) but the
fact that Jole photographed himself secretly in his office and matched the lighting
and background to the other photos perfectly in Photoshop CS4 really made us grin.
Plus, he saved himself the personal expense of having to pay for his own photo shoot—
and he came clean to his boss in the end.
22

[ DESIGN MAKEOVER]
J A K E { } W I D M A N
client:
Good Bird Magazine!] [www.goodbirdinc.com
before
high-flying redesign
G ood Bird Magazine! is just one part of Good Bird Inc., a source
of information for owners of parrots and similar birds. The
complete product line includes DVDs, books, and the magazine;
there’s also a YouTube channel, MySpace and Facebook pages, a
Yahoo! Group, and a Twitter stream.
The entire operation is the handiwork of Barbara Heidenreich.
T JONKER
Heidenreich is an animal trainer with a history of presenting bird shows
at zoos. She noticed that after the shows, people would line up to ask
her about their parrots’ behavioral issues. That led her to write a book
EE & ROELAN
on the subject (Good Bird! A Guide to Solving Behavioral Problems in
Companion Parrots), which led to a second book, which led to the launch
GRACE INNEM
of Good Bird Inc.
Heidenreich launched the magazine in 2005 “with no budget,”
she says. “In fact, I sold subscriptions before the first issue was even
printed in order to have the money to pay for printing.” Of the 2,000
copies printed per quarterly issue, more than half are sold to subscrib-
ers and through specialty pet stores and other independent retailers.
The rest are sold at the speaking engagements she still pursues.
Twelve of the 92 pages per issue are printed in color, but the whole
magazine is printed on inexpensive uncoated paper (except for the
cover). Heidenreich’s goal is to turn the magazine into an all-digital
product, and to that end she has begun sending subscribers PDFs as
well as their printed versions, “to wean them off the hard copy.”
Most of the photographs in Good Bird are supplied by Heiden-
reich’s friends, who also happen to be good photographers. She likes
the fact that the photos often show the personality of the bird. “I don’t
have a huge number of subscribers,” she says, “but the ones I do
have are really into their birds.” Her only regret is that most of the
photos don’t have people in them, because her friends don’t usually
put themselves in the shot. She wishes that the cover especially would
demonstrate the connection people can have with animals (see the
magazine’s tagline). She does pay her cover photographers a modest
amount, so she could transfer that budget to stock photography, a
course she hasn’t yet explored. We gave our designers that option
and asked them to bring out the personality of Good Bird Magazine!
I don’t have a huge number of subscribers, but

[ Jake Widman is a writer and editor who lives in San Francisco. He’s been covering
the intersection of computers and graphic design for about 20 years now—since
back when it was all called “desktop publishing.” ] the ones I do have are really into their birds.
makeover submissions
We’re looking for product packaging or labels, print advertisements, websites, and magazine covers that are currently in the marketplace for
future “Design Makeovers.” So if you or someone you know has a design that you’d like us to consider making over, or if you’re a designer
and you’d like to be considered for a future “Design Makeover,” drop us a line at letters@layersmagazine.com.
24

25
lAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

after
DESIGNER: Amane Kaneko
www.amanekaneko.com
P arrots and cockatoos are such fun and fascinating birds in

terms of looks, personality, and intelligence, and I wanted
the design to reflect their playfulness. For the cover particularly, I was
looking for a good quality photo with a lot of personality. I browsed
O/CREATISTA
a stock agency’s website and wound up selecting four images for the
pages I redesigned, including the cover. The licensing fees would be
$12 for each photo, still less than what the client is spending now for
©ISTOCKPHOT
the cover photo alone.
Next, I started the process of choosing a typeface for the mast-
head. I felt that a round sans serif font along the lines of Futura, Gill
Sans, or Century Gothic would work best for this publication. I finally
INNIE
selected Avant Garde as the magazine logotype.
ADYM
In the original cover, all the type elements, including the masthead,
OTO/L
were in black, which gave the layout a heavy and monotonous look. To
CKPH
add more fun and give the cover a lighter feel, I varied the type colors,
©ISTO
from yellow for the logotype to white for the cover lines where the photo
is dark to black on the white clouds.
The original table of contents spread across three pages with lots of
large, widely spaced type. I replaced all that with a single page that
can be scanned at a glance, and I added some fun stock photos of peo-
ple interacting with their birds, which sets a tone for the whole magazine.
I also added a small section that talks briefly about the cover photo.
The original’s “What Is Your Bird Saying?” section covered three
pages—a right-hand opening, a second page with photos, and a third
page that appears further back in the magazine with the answers. I felt
the pages lacked consistency and that it wasn’t really necessary to force
readers to turn to another part of the magazine, so I integrated all three
©ISTO
pages into a single cohesive spread. CKPH
OTO/D
ONNA
COLE
MAN
[To see Amane's redesign of “What Is Your Bird Saying?” visit www.layersmagazine.com/magazine-downloads.—Ed.]
For the cover particularly, I was looking for a good quality photo with a lot of personality.
[ A B O U T T H E D E S I G N E R ]
Amane Kaneko] [www.amanekaneko.com
Amane Kaneko graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City with a BFA in Communica-
tion Design. He now works full-time as a freelance artist on both design and illustration projects. Being
both designer and illustrator enables him to enjoy working on a wide variety of projects from book cov-
ers to magazine illustrations, sometimes combining both disciplines.
Amane’s father was a Japanese Foreign Service officer, so he grew up in several different coun-
tries, including India, England, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong. About his design sensibility, he says, “I think my
style is a mixture of the many cultures that I have experienced in my life.”
His current client list includes Wiley-Blackwell, Elsevier, the State University of New York Press, the American Bar Association,
and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. His illustration work has appeared in various publications in Canada, the U.K., Austra-
lia, and Japan, as well as here in the U.S., including The New York Times.
APPLICATION USED: Adobe Photoshop

[ des i gn make ov e r ]
after
DESIGNER: Robert Todd
www.roberttodddesigns.com
M y first impression of the original cover was that it looked

outdated. I tried to come up with a design that had more of
a sense of fun to it yet maintained a simple and modern look. For the
logo and the type along the bottom of the cover, I chose to go with
the font American Typewriter. I think it has that feeling of fun yet it’s
still easy to read. I used Myriad Pro for the tagline across the top of the
cover and the cover lines, and Century Gothic for the word “Magazine”
in the logo—I thought that both these sans serif fonts worked well
with the slightly serif American Typewriter to give the effect I wanted.
The original cover featured a nice use of space around the cover
lines, but the type was too small and lacked character. I tried to keep
all the cover lines and beef them up while still maintaining enough
space so the type doesn’t look all bunched together. I also added
some pictures from a free stock photo site to the bottom of the page
to give the cover more visual appeal.
For the standing “Profile of a Pet Lover” department, I stayed with
a simple yet attractive look. I used a combination of four stock photos
that would cost about $5 or $10 each from an online stock house.
I kept the use of color to a minimum because these pages in the
magazine are printed in black and white, although I wanted to add at
least some color for visual interest because the client said the maga-
zine would eventually be sent out in digital format. I used American
Typewriter again for part of the department title and Arial and Times
ON
on the rest of the page.
BRYS
OTO/J
CKPH
©ISTO
I tried to keep all the cover lines and beef them up while still maintaining
enough space so the type doesn’t look all bunched together.
Robert Todd] [www.roberttodddesigns.com
Robert’s love for graphic design was born out of his passion for photography. When one of his favorite
local bands asked him to take some promo pictures, he discovered that doing flyers and posters for their
shows was a lot more fun than just doing the photography.
In the spring of 2007, he started work toward his Graphic Design certificate at a nearby technical
college and bought himself a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 3. While going to school, he’s continuing
to pick up freelance work. Robert is part of the creative team at Substance Church in Fridley, MN, and he continues to do
photographic work for that same band that originally sparked his creative fire, as well as other bands in the Minneapolis
area. He’ll be starting his hunt for a full-time graphic design job sometime this winter.
APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop
26 continued on p. 28

[ des i gn make ov e r ]
after
DESIGNER: Natesan Mohan
http://natesanmohan.blogspot.com
M y objective for this redesign was to create something that

would stand out on the shelf while being attractive, colorful,
and reader friendly. A good masthead is very important to a maga-
zine, so that’s where I started. I set the magazine’s name in a simple
and uncluttered font (Futura) and made it one word (and dropped the
word “magazine”). That gives the name a unique identity—it’s now a
name, not just two words—but I set each separate word in a different
color to make the name clear and readable. The world graphic in the
CK
“o” of the word “Good” conveys the sense of “world’s best.”
©SHUTTERSTO
I also created a parrot mascot, which will provide a unique brand for
the magazine and can be used for any communication or promo-
tional materials. For example, on one of Good Bird Inc.’s DVDs, the
mascot and the spinning globe could make for an interesting anima-
tion. And at live events like the client’s speaking engagements, the par-
rot can be used on point-of-purchase displays that hold the magazine.
On the cover, I wanted to convey the idea of the main feature in a way
that would entice the reader to open the magazine. That’s why I chose big
bold letters (Futura Bold) with a question mark. I added a bottom band
to the layout to hold the company’s URL and to give a tight, compact feel
to the cover. The cover photo can change each issue, as can the color of
the bands and the name, while the well-defined layout can be maintained
throughout all issues.
The top and bottom bands are carried through to the departments
and other standing elements inside the magazine, as on the Table of
Contents page. The parrot mascot shows up again as your guide to the
rest of the magazine.
The parrot mascot will provide a unique brand for the magazine and can
be used for any communication or promotional materials.
Natesan Mohan ][http://natesanmohan.blogspot.com
Natesan was born in Chennai, India, where he developed a lifelong interest in fine art and advertising.
In 1997—after working for 12 years in India on brands such as Grundig TV, Lumber Jack Shoes, and BPL
Home Appliances—he moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. There he works as the cre-
ative director of the Adline Advertising agency. He has helped develop a new identity program for the
UAE Exchange currency exchange house and create advertising concepts for international exhibitions
such as IDEX (defense exhibition), ADIPEC (oil and gas exhibition) and Environmental Exhibition.
His advertising work has received an award from Gulf Air and the Best Public Service Campaign award from the Dubai
Ministry of Health. He has also won an online competition for a Siemens Mobile ad concept from the Dubai-based Soura
photography magazine. Besides his commercial work, Natesan has also worked on public service campaigns for breast
cancer, diabetes, and HIV.
He lives with his wife Mythili and daughter Pragathi.
APPLICATIONS USED: Adobe Illustrator CS3 and Adobe Photoshop CS3

28

[ t h e d i g i t a l s t u dio ]
[ ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS]
B E R T { } M O N R O Y
fabrication
In the seemingly never-ending saga of my painting,
Times Square, I have yet another little tidbit to share
with you from that piece of work—the creation of
fabric. There’s a large billboard in the scene that
shows a model wearing a soft, white blouse. The blouse is loosely
draped over her body. The billboard is quite large, and when viewed
within the parameters of the painting, it will be almost life-size. That’s
why rather than just making a collection of tones as shown in Step
One below, it’s necessary to make the texture of the blouse look
more natural.
To achieve this realism, the texture or weave of the fabric needs to
be more visible in areas where the folds bend toward the viewer. The
texture of the fabric has to encompass the entire area of the blouse,
so it’s best to create the texture as a pattern. In this tutorial you’ll see
I M A GE S: © I STO C K PH OTO I LLU STR ATI O N : TA F F Y C LI F F O R D
how to create this patterned weave and distort it to make the cloth
appear realistic.
STEP ONE: You’ll need to start with an image similar to the one
shown here that contains the various tones that simulate the folds
in a fabric. These folds are nothing more than a series of soft, dark
shapes. You might want to take an actual piece of cloth and use it as a
model. Position the cloth to simulate how the folds flow through a
garment. To create the tones, use a large, black soft-edged Brush (B)
set to a low Opacity in the Options Bar. Soften the folds further by
applying the Gaussian Blur filter (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur).
[ It’s that extra 10% that
makes an image stand
out from the rest. ]

STEP TWO: In a separate document, click the Create a New Layer

icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. In this layer, draw a long,
thin rectangle with the Rectangular Marquee tool (M). Click on
the Foreground color, select a light-gray color (R:221, G:221, and B:221)
30

31
in the Color Picker, and click OK. Press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Back- Style>Create Layer. This will put the dark edges into their own layer
lAYERS MAGAZINE ][ Jan / feb

space) to fill the rectangle with the light-gray color. With the Move tool and clip them with the layer containing the lines so that the dark tones
(V) active, press-and-hold Shift-Option (PC: Shift-Alt) and click-and-drag are visible only along the outside edges.
the rectangle to the right to duplicate it. Repeat this three times to
produce four, equidistant vertical lines to represent the vertical threads STEP FIVE: Select both layers and drag them to the Create a New
of the fabric. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect. Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. This will duplicate both
layers while maintaining the clipping group. With the two new dupli-
STEP THREE: Double-click on the layer in the Layers panel to cate layers still selected, choose Edit>Transform>Rotate 90° CW to
summon up the Layer Style dialog. We need to create a dark, rotate the layers so they are perpendicular to the four original vertical
even tone on both sides of each line. The only layer style that will lines. Use the Move tool to position them in place. These lines repre-
produce an even tone on all sides of a layer’s content is Inner Glow. sent the horizontal threads of the fabric.
2010
Click on the color swatch and choose a dark gray for the color.
Changing the color of the Inner Glow from its default yellow to a
color that’s darker than the color in the layer makes the effect disap-
pear from the four lines. This is due to the fact that the Blend Mode
is set to Screen to produce a glow effect. Change the Blend Mode
to Multiply—the mode used for shadows. The dark tones along the
edges will now appear. You can adjust the Size of the effect to fit
your needs. Click OK to close the dialog. Note: Always study what
a feature can do rather than what it’s called—slight adjustment of
the controls for any of the filters or layer styles can create some
unexpected effects.
STEP SIX: In the Layers panel, Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) on the

thumbnail preview for the layer containing the vertical lines to select
them. Click on the layer containing the horizontal lines to target that
layer. Use the Eraser tool (E) to erase the portions of the two central
horizontal lines (as indicated here by red circles) to make them appear
to be interweaving between the vertical lines. Only the two central
lines in either direction are necessary to create the pattern. The
additional lines on the outer edges were created to aid in the precise
selection of the pattern shape in the next step. Press Command-D
(PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect.
STEP FOUR: In a later step, you’ll be erasing portions of the lines to

create the woven effect of the threads intertwining through each other.
Since the layer style will automatically conform to the edges of the
contents in the layer, it’s necessary to separate the layer style into
its own layer; otherwise, the dark tones will appear at the edges where
the threads overlap. With the layer selected, choose Layer>Layer

[ t h e d i g i t a l s t u dio ]
STEP SEVEN: Click on the Background layer and press Command-I (PC:
Ctrl-I) to Invert it so that the spaces between the threads are black. Flat-
ten the image (Layer>Flatten Image). Drag-and-drop the image over to
the image where the texture will be applied. It will fall into its own layer.
Scale it down (Edit>Transform>Scale) to match the size you want the
threads to be. Use the Zoom tool (Z) to zoom into the threads. Select
the central portion of the threads as shown here, making sure the selec-
tion is centered within the black spaces between the threads.
STEP TEN: The final step needed to make it all look perfect is to
apply a layer mask to the layer containing the pattern (click the Add
Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel). Using a soft-
edged Brush with the Opacity set to 50% in the Options Bar and the
STEP EIGHT: Choose Edit>Define Pattern. Name your pattern and Foreground color set to black, apply strokes along the edges of the
click OK to save it. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect. The texture where you want it to be hidden. Note: The lowered opacity
layer containing the original scaled threads used to create the pattern will allow you to softly control the edges of the mask.
can now be dragged to the Trash icon at the bottom of the Layers When all the masking is complete (including the button on the
panel to delete it. blouse), lower the opacity for the layer. The effect will be a soft hint
Create a new layer. Choose Edit>Fill (a shortcut for this action of the fabric texture along the folds of the fabric.
is to press Shift-Delete [PC: Shift-Backspace]). Choose Pattern from
the Use drop-down menu. Click on the Custom Pattern thumbnail to
open the Pattern Picker, choose the fabric pattern you created, and
click OK. The layer will be filled with that pattern. Lower the opacity
of the pattern layer in the Layers panel to around 15%.
It might seem like a lot of work, but the end result will be a faithful
representation of cloth. Without the woven pattern and shading,
the fabric would appear to be made of plastic. It’s that extra 10%
that makes an image stand out from the rest. It’s that extra 10% that
makes an image come to life!
STEP NINE: Select portions of the layer that fall within the Remember that all these steps are subject to your interpretation
areas where the texture will be visible, and using the Warp tool and the particular needs of the image you’re creating. Your image
(Edit>Transform>Warp), distort the texture to follow the contours of might require a different color or the material you’re trying to create
the folds in the fabric. In the example shown top right, you see one might be that of a coarser fabric. The appropriate alteration to any of
area in the process of being warped while the area to the left of it the steps will give you the effect you’re trying to achieve. The point is
has already gone through the warp function. to have fun and be creative.
32
[ Bert Monroy is considered one of the pioneers of digital art. His work has been seen in many magazines and scores of books. He has served on the faculty of many well-known
institutions, written many books, and appeared on hundreds of TV shows around the world.
ALL IMAGES BY BERT MONROY UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

]
Imag
es: iS
tockp
hoto.c
om L
ayout
D esign
: Taffy
Cliffo
rd
going digital
35
lAYERS MAGAZINE ][ Jan / feb

by terry white
he move to digital began with the Worldwide
PRINT MAY BE KING, BUT THE FUTURE IS DIGITAL Web in 1993. Every company that mattered scrambled
to get their websites up so they could put their infor-
People are consuming information mation, brochures, product information, etc. on the
Web and customers could just go there to get it. In theory, this
meant less printing. For example, look at tradeshows today: There
much differently these days and it’s
2010
was a time when you could go to a vendor’s booth and pick up
literature; now, at best, you’ll get a postcard-sized document that
your responsibility to make sure your points to all the Web resources.
Today, it’s all about mobile devices but it’s estimated that in just
content is available for the most popular a few short years, more people will be using mobile devices, such
as cell phones, rather than using computers to access the Internet.
forms of consumption. Here, we’ll take This has a tremendous impact on the way we design our content
for the Web. And it means that content needs to be designed for
a look at distributing content through other forms of delivery, too.
everything from Zinio to Amazon’s eBook readers

Let’s take a look at the successes and failures of eBook readers.
Kindle to Apple’s iPhone. I remember when eBook readers first hit the scene. They were all
the rage; but like most new technology, if no one steps up and
creates a standard that everyone can adopt, consumers don’t feel
Personally, I’ve been a fan of the comfortable investing a lot of money or time into something that
could be obsolete within a year. So eBook readers fell off the map
“digital movement” for years and I for a while after the initial introduction.
Then Amazon introduced the Kindle. Being the largest online
believe that Adobe has realized that while retailer in the world carries a lot of weight, which meant that, whether
we want to believe it or not, Kindle’s format became the “standard.”
print is king, the future is digital. Some will The question really boils down to: Which format is going to last the
test of time? Amazon isn’t going away anytime soon, so if I buy a
argue that paper will never go away and Kindle, I can feel pretty comfortable that I’ll be able to enjoy my
book collection in this format for years to come.
Amazon also realized that while they have a popular eBook
I’m not going to get into that debate. But device, it’s really a one-trick pony: You have to be really committed
to buying one of these devices because all the device will do for you
if you take a look around, you’ll find a is allow you to read the books you download or the PDFs you put
on it. Sure you can get newspaper subscriptions and such, but this
growing trend of content moving more to device isn’t going to replace other devices that you already carry.
It was smart of Amazon, therefore, to make a Kindle app for the
electronic delivery—as opposed to print. iPhone. There’s no arguing the success of the iPhone; just take a
look at the ever-increasing number of users. This helps convince
people like you to publish in eBook format, because there will be
a potentially larger audience if the format can be read on more
devices than just the Kindle.
Using eBook readers

I’m the first to admit that I’m not a book reader. I don’t buy novels;
however, I do read how-to books, such as Scott Kelby’s Digital
Photography Book series. I love them and have read them from
cover to cover. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to remember
all of the techniques that Scott covers. I like to use the books
for reference but I don’t want to carry around the physical copies;
instead, I have them in Kindle format on my iPhone using the free
Kindle app. When I’m shooting and thinking, “How did Scott say
that I should set my camera for this?” I can pull out my iPhone and
go right to the bookmark for that page.
In his current role as Director for North America Creative Pro Core Business for Adobe Systems, Inc., Terry White leads a team of creative professional product specialists. He’s also
the author of Secrets of Adobe Bridge and co-author of InDesign CS/CS2 Killer Tips and The iPhone Book 3rd Edition. Check out his tech blog at http://terrywhite.com/techblog.

Now address this same concept for
magazines. You know there was a tech-
nique or an article that really interested
you last year in Layers magazine. Do you
still have that issue? Do you know where
it is? Do you remember which one it was?
Zinio.com aims to put all of this info at your
fingertips by allowing you to buy subscriptions to
your favorite magazines online. Then, not only will
you be able to read them on your computer, you
can also search them for topics. Zinio is Flash-based
and offers a reading experience that I like. Rather
than reformatting the publication in boring black-and-
white text (like Kindle does), it represents the publica-
tion exactly the way it looks, or would look printed.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula on Adobe Digital Editions
original document from which it was created. If, however, layout

is less important than the content (text), especially on a portable
device, that’s where EPUB fits. EPUBs reflow to fit the screen on
which they’re being viewed, while PDFs have to be zoomed and
panned on small screens to be read effectively.
In addition, although you can certainly secure a PDF with a pass-
word, that’s not enough for content or book publishers who are sell-
Layers magazine viewed in Zinio Reader ing their work electronically. You don’t want someone buying your
book online and then simply posting the password on a website for
the world to see (and perhaps pirate your work). Through Adobe
Where does Adobe fit? Content Server 4 (www.adobe.com/products/contentserver), EPUBs
All right, now it’s time to talk about Adobe’s answers to this “going- can be tied to a specific account via Digital Rights Management.
digital” transition and what makes sense for you. For the last decade, You can even electronically “share” your book with others, although,
Adobe has been working on solutions for going digital, starting while it’s being shared, you can’t read it. Once the sharing expira-
with the Adobe PDF format back in 1993. Think about this: PDF is tion date has passed, the person you shared it with doesn’t have to
already the standard for electronic delivery of information and has “return” your book; they just can’t read it anymore.
helped us toward going paperless already. As you can see, the EPUB format offers many advantages over
With each new version of the PDF format, we can do more to PDF, depending on the content that you’re publishing and your
provide our clients or customers with engaging experiences. With intended audience.
Acrobat 9, for example, you can even do Flash inside PDFs. So if
you’re making PDFs today, you’re already on your way.
Amazon recognizes that customers want to read their PDFs on It’s all about the tools, man
as many devices as possible so, with the introduction of the Kindle Now that we’ve talked about the trends and the technology, let’s talk
DX, they’ve included PDF support. In addition, you can view PDFs about the tools you’ll need to publish in these formats. The good
on your iPhone and iPod touch, and many of the Sony eBook read- news is that you can probably use the tools you’re already using. In
ers also handle PDFs. InDesign CS4, for example, you’re already there: You can export to
PDF as you always have and you can also export for Digital Editions
(.epub) right from the File menu. At this point, anyone with Adobe
When PDF isn’t enough Digital Editions can read your EPUB file. In addition, anyone with a
Adobe also has another reader called “Digital Editions,” and sup- mobile device that uses the Adobe Reader Mobile 9 SDK can also
ports a file format known as EPUB, designed specifically for the read your files. (For a list of these devices, visit www.adobe.com/
distribution of books and other protected content. Adobe Digital products/digitaleditions/devices.)

Editions is a free, lightweight, eBook reading application for Mac and Well that was easy. But what about Kindle’s format? Although InDesign
Windows. EPUB (created by the International Digital Forum, to which doesn’t export directly to Kindle’s eBook format, you can download
Adobe belongs) is a reflow-centric XHTML-based eBook format. a free conversion utility called Calibre at http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/
If you’re scratching your head and wondering why EPUB and not download that will convert your InDesign exported EPUB files to MOBI
PDF, think about it this way: In the Zinio.com example mentioned files, which can then be imported and read on a Kindle device.
above, I liked the fact that the magazines look exactly like the
printed version, and that’s how a PDF works. It looks exactly like the
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37

to specify a URL for the publisher so that someone who receives
the eBook can visit the webpage and purchase the eBook.
Base for CSS Styles: This option determines which text formatting
is included in the eBook stylesheet. If you specify Local Format-
ting, local text formatting is retained in the style, in addition
to defined paragraph and character styles. If Defined Styles is
selected, the stylesheet includes the defined paragraph and char-
acter styles without local formatting. If Style Names Only is selected,
the stylesheet contains empty styles.
If your InDesign document contains local formatting (a manu-
ally bolded or italicized word without a character style applied
to it, for example), make sure you select the Local Formatting
Jinx the Black Cat Activity Book self-published by Mike Hogue is an option. Local Formatting export is supported in the latest version of
interactive children’s eBook available for Adobe Digital Editions. InDesign CS4 (v. 6.0.3). If you’re using InDesign CS3, only charac-
ter styles, paragraph styles, and object styles are preserved during
Digital Editions the export.
Let’s take a closer look at exporting your files to the EPUB format
by running through the settings in the Digital Editions Export Bullets: Select Map to Unordered Lists to convert bullet paragraphs
Options dialog. If you’re working with a long document with into List items, which are formatted in HTML using the <ul> tag.
an expected final file size more than 300 KB that you intend to Select Convert to Text to format using the <p> tag with bullet
display on a device, you’ll first want to separate each chapter into characters as text.
a separate InDesign document. To export all the chapters into
the same EPUB document, start by creating an InDesign book Numbers: This determines how numbers are converted in the HTML
(File>New>Book). From there, add the individual chapters using file. Map to Ordered List converts numbered lists into List items,
the Book panel (which automatically appears when working with which are formatted in HTML using the <ol> tag. Map to Static
a book), and then select Export Book for Digital Editions from the Ordered List converts numbered lists into List items, but assigns
Book panel’s flyout menu. a <value> attribute based on the paragraph’s current number in
InDesign. Convert to Text converts numbered lists into paragraphs
General category that begin with the paragraph’s current number as text.
We’ll start with the options in the General category, then make our
way through the Images and Contents options. Include Embeddable Fonts: This option includes in the eBook all
fonts that are allowed to be embedded. Fonts include embedding
bits that determine whether the font is allowed to be embedded.
In general, all fonts used in the document will be embedded in
the resulting EPUB file. Note that although EPUB supports font
embedding, the MOBI format as displayed on the Kindle does not.
Consequently, you’ll see the standard Kindle font in your final docu-
ment when displayed on a Kindle device. In EPUB, OpenType fonts
are supported during the export, as are most TrueType fonts—but
you should always test to ensure you see the results you expect.
View eBook after Exporting: Launches the Adobe Digital Editions

Reader, if present on your machine. An alert message appears if your
system doesn’t have a reader configured to view EPUB documents.
Include Document Metadata: With this option turned on, metadata

from the document (or the style source document if an InDesign
Book file was selected) is included with the exported file.
Add Publisher Entry: Use this field to specify the publisher

information that appears in the eBook metadata. You may want

Images category
The Images section of the Digital Editions Export Options dialog
includes the following options:
loaded. (Files created with this option are slightly larger and require
more RAM for viewing.) Choose Baseline to make each JPEG file
display only after it has been completely downloaded; a placeholder
appears in its place until the file displays.
Contents category
The Contents section of the Digital Editions Export Options dialog
includes the following option:
Copy Images: This drop-down menu determines how images are
exported to HTML. Original exports the original image to the
Format for EPUB Content: Specify whether you want to use the
eBook. When this option is selected, all other options in the Images
XHTML or DTBook format.
category become unavailable. Optimized lets you change settings to
determine how the image is exported.
Include InDesign TOC Entries: Select this option if you want to
Before entering the Digital Editions Export Options dialog, you’ll
generate a table of contents on the left side of the eBook. From
want to anchor your images to the relative area to which they belong
the TOC Style drop-down menu, specify the TOC style you want
in the text, or else they may all end up at the beginning or the end of
to use in the eBook. In InDesign, you can choose Layout>Table of
the document. To achieve pefect image positioning, you may need
Contents to create a special TOC style for your eBook.
to manually style the EPUB file after export.
Suppress Automatic Entries for Documents: Select this option if you
Formatted: Preserves InDesign formatting, such as rotation or scale,
don’t want the document names to appear in the eBook’s table of
as much as possible for Web images. If the Formatted option is
contents. This option is especially useful when you’re creating an
checked on, the exported images will be reformatted to the size to
eBook from the Book panel in InDesign.
which you have scaled them in your InDesign document, reducing
the file size of the final EPUB file.
Image Conversion: Lets you choose whether the optimized images

in your document are converted to GIF or JPEG. Choose Automatic
to let InDesign decide which format to use in each instance.
GIF Options—Palette: Lets you control how InDesign handles

colors when optimizing GIF files. The GIF format uses a limited
color palette, which cannot exceed 256 colors.Choose Adaptive
to create a palette using a representative sample of colors in the
graphic without any dithering (mixing of small spots of colors to simulate
additional colors). Choose Web to create a palette of Web-safe colors
that are a subset of Windows and Mac OS system colors. Choose
System (Win) or System (Mac) to create a palette using the built-in Now that you’ve gone through all the settings in the Digital Editions
system color palette. This choice may cause unexpected results. Export Options dialog, you’re ready to click the Export button. Once
the EPUB file is ready, simply use the Calibre application mentioned
JPEG Options—Image Quality: This determines the tradeoff above to convert it to a MOBI file for Kindle. (Note: A portion of the
between compression (for smaller file sizes) and image quality above was included in the Adobe white paper eBooks: From Adobe
for each JPEG image created. Low produces the smallest file and InDesign to the Kindle Store.)
lowest image quality.
The future of eBooks and magazines
JPEG Options—Format Method: Deter- It’s uncertain how long we’ll have paper around, but one thing is for
mines how quickly JPEG graphics display sure: More content is being viewed electronically than on paper. And
when the file containing the image is this trend will only continue with devices like the Kindle and iPhone.
opened on the Web. Choose It won’t happen overnight. After all, it’s already been 16 years
Progressive to make the JPEG in the making. I’d dare predict that our kids will have less paper
images display gradually and in than we did growing up and that their kids may not have any paper
increasing detail as they’re down- documents at all when they’re our age!
38

By Larry Becker
secrets to
attract clients
and increase your income
W hen it comes to small businesses and freelancing, there’s no shortage of business
books on the market. They cover all the traditional, important stuff about business
plans and tried-and-true marketing campaigns. That’s not what this article is about. Instead,
this is a collection of key ideas about street-smart marketing and good ways to make
money. And even though these ideas were intended for designers and photographers,
they should work for all kinds of small businesses.
As the Executive Director of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP),
I talk to lots of freelance photographers and designers who are just getting started or who
are having tough times. Many of them ask for advice. This article is based on some of the
things I share with these folks, and I know these things work because I’ve been there and
I’ve tried them.
On the surface, you may have heard of some, if not all, of the following ideas, but
make sure you read beyond the titles because there are secrets hidden in each of the ten
that people often miss.
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41

1 Decide where you want to be in the marketplace
And then design your materials, packages, and your attitude to fit that image.
Also consider basing your image on the kind of clients you’d like to have.
The obvious, easiest place to position yourself in the marketplace is to
compete on price, but this introduces a couple of major problems. The first
and biggest problem is that you have to do a lot more work to match the
income of someone working at higher prices. And when you’re not working
on a paid project, you’re usually scrambling to find more work. You simply
won’t have the luxury of time to ever give your clients an extra photo treat-
ment they didn’t ask for, or one or two additional logo options. Those extras
make clients happy and loyal.
The other big problem is that it’s hard to ever raise your prices. If your
clients view you as the low-price provider (because that’s how you’ve
marketed yourself) then anyone with a lower price is going to take your
3 Be seen as an expert and get out there
Make presentations at the chamber of commerce, Kiwanis and
business. There’s very little loyalty when a client makes decisions based Rotary lunches, business clubs, the local library, or wherever
primarily on price. And there’s no shortage of people willing to do what you can find an audience.
you do for less money. This should not be a sales pitch. In fact, many clubs even
prohibit or strongly discourage sales pitches at their meet-
ings, so don’t talk price or packages. Your presentation
should be an informative overview that tells people what
you do and gives them some insight into your craft. Try to
make it interesting. Funny and self-deprecating is good too.
2 Offer something truly unique

Special services, unique products, and cutting-edge design
Your primary goal is to be seen as an expert so that anybody
who might be looking for your services will think of you. And
if you’re shy about public speaking, start by joining a local
will help you stand out from the crowd. The added bonus is Toastmasters to get used to being in front of people, and
that if you’re doing something no one else is doing, you set then do some presentations at middle schools until you’re
the price for it. Maybe your special something is a type of comfortable talking to a crowd.
graphic border you do on your work. Maybe it’s one of your Next, make sure you’ve got a compelling topic and title.
output offerings (like photo books, wall clings, canvas wraps, Something like, “The Secrets of Good Design” is kind of
printing on crystal, etc.). The point here isn’t what you should lame and folks will fall asleep just reading the title. But if your
be offering, but that you should make yourself fully aware of program is “The Top Five Things Designers Never Tell their
all the latest looks and trends, and stay ahead of the pack. Clients,” you’ll hook them. The added bonus of having a list
And you’ll need to constantly research your industry to stay of five or ten things is it’s unlikely that the host will cut you off
in the lead, because your competition is sure to start copying because the meeting is running over a couple of minutes.
what you do as soon as they learn how. And if you want to add that extra punch to your presenta-
For example, if you’re a photographer, there are some tion, hand out a nice, professionally designed card that has
popular “looks” that can put you out in front of your com- the main points of your presentation, along with blank lines
petition. One of those looks (though it’s coming to the end for them to take notes during your talk. People who follow
of its cutting-edge status these days) is high dynamic range along and write things down on the card are much more likely
(HDR) photography or even simulated HDR. Most people to take that card when they leave than if you just passed
buying photography think HDR looks amazing. They’re even out business cards. And, of course, you have all your contact
willing to pay a premium for it. If you’re a photographer or information strategically on your lecture card.
designer who uses photography, and you don’t offer HDR
or simulated HDR, do it today while there’s still time!
LARRY BECKER

4 Dowork,
some charitable
both strategically
and altruistically
Most people understand right away why
they should do strategic charitable work.
WINTER
Everybody wants to be seen giving to charity
and lots of corporate folks who make purchase deci-
CHRISTY
sions also participate in charitable work as volunteers.
If your charitable gift is a designed poster or a large,
meaningful framed photograph you shot, you have
6 Have
strategically given in a way that your gift is potentially
both a tax write-off and an advertisement. a great website (but remember, not
But you should give altruistically as well. Pick a everyone sees your site the way you do)
charity you believe in and give monetarily, volunteer These days, if you’re a freelance designer or photographer and you
time, or donate your professional work—or all of these. don’t have a great Web-based portfolio, you’re immediately cut-
In my decades in business I’ve discovered that almost ting your potential market in half, or worse. No excuses, you’ve
everyone prefers to do business with people they like. got to have a great portfolio online. All your competition does.
There are exceptions, but they’re rare. Truly giving, The problem with an online presence is that everybody has one
when you expect nothing in return, can quite possibly (so you’re not unique) and an even bigger issue is that the com-
open some doors you never expected to walk through. puter your prospective client is using to view your website, often
And the worst that could happen is that you’ll actually stinks. Most cool portfolios are Flash-based and I have yet to see
help someone in need. a Flash-based portfolio that runs as fast as a busy ad agency exec
would like to flip through the images.
Remember that thing earlier about offering something extra
or unique? It applies here too. Imagine that the typical ad agency
exec in charge of hiring photographers has just a few minutes to
look at your work. Sure, they’re used to looking at websites, and
if that’s what they prefer, you should have something for them
to view. But if you also had a coffee-table-style hardback book
5 smart,
Work really hard, work really
get really busy, then
dump some clients
of your images to give to your possible client, now you stand
head-and-shoulders above the crowd. Not just a portfolio with
prints shoved in sheet protectors; I’m talking about a thoughtfully
Okay, you don’t really dump them but hand them off to designed book with subtle marketing messages and all your con-
someone else. tact information on the cover. The book will sit on their desk after
If you pick up almost any book on business, you’ll find you leave, even when they’re reviewing other portfolios online. It
a reference to the “80/20 Rule.” Essentially, it says that might even go home with them one evening.
80% of your income will come from 20% of your clients. These books can be created affordably at Mpix, Apple, Blurb,
This means that you should work extra hard to keep those or any of a dozen places online, and they add a dimension and
special clients happy and well served. One of the best presence to your work that a website alone can’t touch. This might
ways to do this is to pass some of your least income- just be the extra advantage you need.
JU
producing, most time-intensive clients off to others in your

LI
A
DR
industry. If you do the handoff right, both your former

ES
CH
clients and your competitors (who now have new clients,

thanks to you) now like you, and you have more
free time to chase and serve better
income-producing clients.
And it usually turns out that most
of the clients who pay a little more for
professional work tend to treat you more
like a professional. In my experience, 80%

of my headaches and complaints came from
the bottom 20% of my clients, and all too often,
those were the clients I got as a result of being
a low-price bidder. It’s good to put those clients
behind you whenever you can.
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43

7 Hang out with professionals
(in other industries)
Sure, if you’re a designer, you might join the local advertising or
9 Use templates, actions, and any other
tools you can get your hands on to
streamline your workflow
PR club. If you’re a photographer you’ll probably find yourself The key is getting the maximum possible work done in the least
attending some rubber-chicken dinners at the local photography amount of time.
club. That’s almost a given. But there’s an equally large benefit to I often talk to people who want to learn how to do various effects
joining a group or two of local professionals outside your industry. directly in Photoshop without using any plug-in software. That’s fine
They might become prospects, or they might not. But if you have a if your goal is the knowledge itself. But if the goal is to save money
couple of business-smart friends, you can ask them for their views so you don’t have to buy the plug-ins in the first place, let’s consider
on things happening outside your industry—a lot of times you can the time saving of the plug-in vs. the investment cost.
use this information to get ahead of people that have become For instance, there’s a great plug-in on the market for softening
“stuck” in your industry. There’s definitely value to these profes- and smoothing skin called Portraiture from Imagenomic (www.image-
sional meetings, as they keep your finger on the pulse of more nomic.com). I found a setting that does exactly what I want and it
than just your industry. does it consistently in just 10 to 20 seconds. I know how to do this
in Photoshop but it takes me about 10–15 minutes, depending on
the image. Even if you’re really fast at something like this in Photo-
shop and this plug-in only saves you around four or five minutes per
8
image, it can still pay for itself in no time at all.
Enter contests so you can be an award- And it’s not just plug-ins. There are full-blown design templates,
winning designer or photographer special effects, and collections of actions that can all speed up
Don’t enter for the prizes, because the goal is to win awards; the your workflow. Consider what you spend most of your time doing
prizes are just a little bonus. repetitively, and then see if there’s a template or an action that can
People want to hire proven experts. Ironically, it doesn’t matter do it for you.
if your awards are local or from some industry-related magazine
10 what
or website. The point is that you’ve won awards for your work.
This puts clients at ease because they know your work has been
When it comes to business advice, take
recognized by industry experts. Do you think clients would rather you want and leave the rest
hire Angela Harrison, Designer, or Award-Winning Designer, This is one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given. If some of
Angela Harrison? the advice you just read doesn’t make sense to you, ignore it. Do
And if you want to take this a step further, join a national what works for you.
association, take a couple of classes and some tests, and then The important thing to remember is that very few people actu-
add some abbreviated credentials to your business card and ally have an entrepreneurial mind. I can’t tell you how many times
marketing materials. I shared business ideas with friends and family and they responded
with all the reasons it wouldn’t work, only to discover later that I was
right and my ideas actually did work.
Don’t get me wrong, your friends and family are the people who
really want you to succeed. They have your best interests at heart
and they don’t want to see you get hurt or be disappointed. They’re
just telling you that they wouldn’t do what you have in mind because
they don’t understand it. Don’t be discouraged and don’t get angry.
In fact, it’s not always a good idea to try to explain things fully and try
to convince them. Sometimes you just have to go ahead and show
them that you can do it.
Larry Becker has worked as a freelance graphic and multimedia

designer and owned a number of small businesses over the past 20
years, including an advertising agency, publishing company, Web
design firm, and a computer training company. Currently, Larry is
the Executive Director of the National Association of Photoshop
Professionals (NAPP).
BR
AD
MO
OR
E

VLAD KOLAROV
[DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIAL]

S E Á N { } D U G G A N
the beauty of the blur

Sharpness is an important element in any photograph, but a creative use of blur—whether from shallow depth of
field, motion blur, camera motion, or applied with the Lens Blur filter in Photoshop CS4—can also work to enhance
an image. In this article we’ll take a look at several ways to take advantage of the beauty of the blur.
[controlling sharpness in the camera]

24mm Image stablilized lens
1/60th 1/8th
(KNOW YOUR MINIMUM SHUTTER SPEED] [VIBRATION REDUCTION TO THE RESCUE!]

Creative use of blur begins in the camera, but before you can Lenses that have image stabilization or vibration reduction let you
effectively use “unsharpness,” you need to know how to control get by with much slower shutter speeds than lenses without this
sharpness. So let’s begin with a look at a few ways to ensure that the feature. As the old saying goes, your mileage may vary, so you
photo is sharp. For handheld shots, use a fast enough shutter speed should test your lenses to get an idea of what the slowest usable
so that camera shake doesn’t render an unsharp image. A common speed is. Any form of camera motion is more likely to be apparent
rule of thumb is to calculate minimum shutter speed using the focal in shots made with a telephoto focal length, so brace yourself or
length of the lens. For example, with a 100mm focal length, the the camera as much as possible when taking the shot. If it fits the
shutter speed should not be less than 1/100 second. situation and your photographic style, a tripod is often an essen-
tial component.
[If you’d like to download the images used in this tutorial to practice these techniques, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.]
44

45
[creative use of subject and camera motion]

Lens is wide open (ƒ/2.8) for …but the current aperture (ƒ/11) is
focusing & composition… used when shutter button is pressed.
[DEPTH OF FIELD PREVIEW] [SLOW SHUTTER SPEED TO BLUR MOTION]

Regardless of what the aperture is set to, when you look through The combination of a tripod-mounted camera and slow shutter
the viewfinder of an SLR, the widest aperture is used to allow as speeds can create intriguing motion blurs from the movement of
much light as possible for composition. It doesn’t stop down to the subject. Night photography is well suited for motion blur since
the specified aperture until the moment of exposure. So you may the lower light levels require longer exposures. During the day you
think that you have a soft, shallow depth of field, only to find can use a solid neutral density filter to cut back on the amount of
later that much more is in focus than you intended. Fortunately, light entering the lens and force a longer exposure. In Dresden
most DSLRs have a Depth-of-Field Preview button that will pre- Streetcar above, the image was exposed for 10 seconds as
view the actual depth of field using the current aperture setting. the illuminated streetcar passed by, creating a ghostly blur.
Find this button and use it! Because the camera was on a tripod, other elements in the scene
remain in focus.
[creating shallow depth of field with lens blur]
Original exposure
After background blurring

with Lens Blur
[SLOW SHUTTER + CAMERA MOTION] [CONTROL BLUR WITH DEPTH MAP]

Slow shutter speeds can also create interesting motion blurs through The Lens Blur filter provides a way to create the look of shallow depth
the purposeful movement of the camera during the exposure. In of field after the fact. To control how the blur is gradually applied to
Cowboy Poet above, both camera motion and subject movement the image, you first have to create an alpha channel that can be used
were used. The exposure time was 4 seconds and the camera was as a depth map. The intricacy of the depth map will vary depending
panned to the right during the exposure to follow the man as he on the needs of each image, which makes the Lens Blur feature as
walked through the scene. Sharpness isn’t a part of this image but much about good masking as it is about blurring. Open an image
the unexpected combination of subject and camera motion made it where you want to add a gradual blur to the background or you can
the most interesting photo I took that night. download the image used in our example.

END
BEGIN
Quick Mask
[DEPTH MAP 1: QUICK MASK]

Select the Gradient tool (G); click on the Gradient Picker in the
8 [DEPTH MAP 2: COPY THE QUICK MASK]
The red overlay that appears indicates the black areas of the mask.
Options Bar; and choose the Black, White gradient (third swatch The area where it fades to clear is where the blur will begin to
from the left in the top row). Set the style to Linear Gradient (the appear. The totally clear areas will be fully affected by the blur. In
first icon), Mode to Normal, and Opacity to 100%. Click the Quick the Channels panel (Window>Channels), copy the Quick Mask by
Mask icon at the bottom of the Toolbox or simply press Q on dragging it to the Create New Channel icon at the bottom of the
the keyboard. Click-and-drag in the image to apply the gradient. panel (or you can choose Duplicate Channel from the panel’s flyout
Where you begin is where the blur will begin and where you end menu). Return to standard selection mode by pressing Q and then
is where the blur will be applied at full strength. choose Select>Deselect. Double-click on the Quick Mask copy
channel’s name and rename it (ours is Background Blur Mask).
9 [DUPLICATE THE BACKGROUND LAYER]

Click on the RGB channel to make it the active channel and turn off
10 [APPLY LENS BLUR]
In the Lens Blur dialog, open the Depth Map Source menu and
the visibility of the new alpha channel by clicking on its Eye icon. Nor- choose the channel you created. If the blurred areas are reversed,
mally, to keep a filter effect flexible and protect the original version click the Invert checkbox. You can also click in the preview where
of the image, we’d apply it as a smart filter; however, Lens Blur isn’t you want the image to be in focus. In the Iris section, the Radius
available as a smart filter. So, let’s go to the Layers panel and make a slider will control the amount of blur (in this example, we used 30).
copy of the Background layer by clicking on that layer and using the Blade Curvature, Rotation, and the Shape menu will determine
Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) shortcut, then choose Filter>Blur>Lens Blur. the visible characteristics of the virtual lens iris, but this will only be
apparent in images with bright points of specular highlights. Click
OK if you like the effect.
46

47
[combining hard and soft masks]

11 [EDITING THE DEPTH MAP CHANNEL]
If you decide the depth map isn’t creating the exact effect you
12 [COMBINE HARD AND SOFT MASKS 1]
The key to an effective use of the Lens Blur filter lies in the accuracy
want, click Cancel and return to the Channels panel. Click on of the masks you create for the depth map. Each image will have its
the depth map channel to activate it and then turn on the RGB own challenges, depending on the area that needs to be masked.
channel’s Eye icon so you can see the mask as a red overlay. Use For photos where a foreground object extends up into an area to
the Gradient tool to create a new gradient to replace the exist- be blurred, you’ll need to create a depth map mask that combines
ing one. When you’re satisfied with the new gradient, click on both hard and soft edges. In this rough road example, we started by
the word RGB at the top of the Channels panel and then apply making a gradient mask using the Quick Mask method shown earlier.
the Lens Blur filter again to preview how the mask edits affect
the blur.
[creating a fake tilt-shift effect]
13 [COMBINE HARD AND SOFT MASKS 2]

Using the Pen tool (P), create a precise path around the sign and
14 [THE TILT-SHIFT EFFECT]
The Lens Blur filter can also be used for creating a fake, tilt-shift
then click on the Load Path As a Selection icon in the Paths panel. effect. To create this optically, you need to use a tilt-shift lens—a
With the gradient mask alpha channel active in the Channels panel fairly pricey purchase. These lenses are commonly used for architec-
and black as your Background color, press Delete (PC: Backspace) to tural images to control perspective. On the right type of scene, such
fill the selected area with black, then deselect (Command-D [PC: Ctrl-D]). as looking down on a city or landscape, the very shallow depth of
This creates a mask with both precise and gradual transitions that field can create a sense of looking at a miniature scene. If used too
can then be used for the depth map in the Lens Blur filter. much, it can become gimmicky, but I’ve seen it used to good effect
on fine art photographs and even in editorial illustrations.

1st Gradient
2nd Gradient
Option/Alt-click
15 [CREATE A WHITE ALPHA CHANNEL]

To try this, you can open one of your own images looking down on
16 [ADD TWO GRADIENTS]
Select the Gradient tool, make sure that the Black, White swatch
a scene or you can download our example. First, hold down the is selected in the Gradient Picker, and Opacity is set to 100%.
Option key (PC: Alt key) and click on the Create a New Channel Drag the cursor from the bottom of the image about one-third of
icon at the bottom of the Channels panel. In the New Channel the way up. Where you stop dragging, the image will be in focus
dialog, under Color Indicates, choose Selected Areas, and click once the Lens Blur is applied. Now, change the blend Mode
OK. This will create a white alpha channel. Turn on the visibility for of the gradient to Darken and drag down from the top about
the RGB channel by clicking where the Eye icon should be. Since one-third of the way. The Darken blend mode lets you add a new
the new alpha channel is all white, no red overlay will be visible. gradient to the channel while preserving the first one.
17 [WHY NOT USE THE REFLECTED GRADIENT?]

You could also use the reflected gradient style to get this same effect,
18 [add LENS BLUR; boost SATURATION]
Click on the RGB thumbnail in the Channels panel to make it active
but it doesn’t offer as much control. I often have to drag it several and turn off the alpha channel’s Eye icon. In the Layers panel, copy
times to get it right, and the areas that will be rendered in focus (the the Background layer (Command-J [PC: Ctrl-J]) and then choose
white areas) are typically much narrower than what I want. I prefer Filter>Blur>Lens Blur. In the Lens Blur dialog, choose the new alpha
to use the method shown in the previous step because it gives me channel as the Depth Map and adjust the Radius slider to taste. If the
maximum control over which areas will be in focus and which areas wrong areas are blurred, simply click in the preview on the area that
will be blurred. you want in focus. Click OK to close the dialog. Finally, add a Hue/
Saturation adjustment layer and increase the Saturation to make
things look a bit more plastic and toy-like.
[ Seán Duggan is the co-author of The Creative Digital Darkroom and Photoshop Artistry. He teaches regular workshops on Photoshop and Lightroom for photographers and offers customized
online consulting. Check out his website, www.seanduggan.com. ]
48
ALL IMAGES BY SEÁN DUGGAN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

VLAD KOLAROV
[P HOTOSHOP TUTORIAL]
D A V E { } C R O S S
get creative with Adobe Bridge

Many people, understandably, think of Adobe Bridge as a visual file browser, and of course, that’s its strength. But thanks
to the Output module, Bridge also offers some interesting design possibilities. In this example, we’ll use Bridge to create
both a filmstrip of images and a mosaic.
[SELECT PHOTOS IN ESSENTIALS VIEW] [SWITCH TO OUTPUT MODULE]

In the Essentials module of Bridge, navigate to the folder of images With the photos selected, switch to the Bridge Output module:
you want to use and select the photos you want to include in the Window>Workspace>Output or click on the Workspace drop-down
filmstrip. You can either simply select them, or label/rank them. menu (down-facing arrow at the top, just to the left of the Search field).
You can also click on the double dotted line to the left of the Work-
space menu and drag to the left to display the main workspaces,
and then just click on the name of the workspace you want to use.
50

51

[SET DOCUMENT SIZE] [SET LAYOUT OPTIONS; REFRESH PREVIEW]
Click on PDF at the top of the Output panel. In the PDF options, go to In the Layout section, enter 10 for the number of Columns (because we
the Document settings and enter values for the Width and Height of have 10 photos) and 1 for Rows. Leave everything else at zero, press
the document. As we want to create a filmstrip of photos, the docu- the Refresh Preview button, and a preview will be generated based on
ment has to be very wide and not very high. Based on the number of the information you’ve entered. Once the preview is finished, you can
images, we guessed at 12x2" (as you’ll see, it’s okay to guess, because alter any values and press Refresh Preview again. For our example, we
we’re going to be working with a preview). You also enter the Quality added a small value (0.13 in) for the Horizontal spacing.
(resolution): for this example, we used 150 ppi.
[TURN OFF OTHER OPTIONS; SAVE AS PDF] [PLACE PDF FILE IN PHOTOSHOP]
In this example, we don’t want Filenames, Page Numbers, Playback In Photoshop, open or create a document, and then use File>Place,
options, or Watermarks, so make sure all of these are turned off (no navigate to your PDF file, and click Place. In the dialog that appears,
checkmark) or set to None. After Refreshing Preview one more time choose Page rather than Image, and click OK. Use the transform handles
just to be sure, press the Save button at the very bottom of the panel, to resize the placed graphic, if necessary, and press Return (PC: Enter).
name it appropriately, and click OK.

[ADD A LAYER BELOW; FILL WITH BLACK]
Press Command (PC: Ctrl) and click on the Create a New Layer icon
8 [START CREATING FILM SPROCKETS]
Add a layer above the black layer, and grab the Rounded Rectangle
at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a layer below the filmstrip Shape tool. Press X to switch your Foreground color to white, make
layer. Using the Rectangular Marquee tool (M), make a selection a sure the Shape tool is set to Fill Pixels (the third icon in the Options
little larger than the “filmstrip,” adding some extra space above and Bar) and that the Radius value (for the rounded corners) is 2–3 px, then
below. Press D to set your Foreground/Background colors to their click-and-drag to create the first sprocket. Hold down the Command
default Black/White and press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to (PC: Ctrl) key and click on the sprocket layer’s thumbnail in the Layers
fill the selection with black. panel to load it as a selection. Using Free Transform in copy mode
(Command-Option-T [PC: Ctrl-Alt-T]), hold the Shift key and click-and-
drag the sprocket to the right, leaving a space between the sprockets.
1. 0.
$ $

9 [FINISH CREATING THE FILM SPROCKETS]
Press Return (PC: Enter) and then Shift-Command-Option-T (PC: Shift-
10 [CREATE A SMART OBJECT; APPLY SMART FILTER]
In the Layers panel, select the black box layer and then Shift-click
Ctrl-Alt-T) repeatedly until your sprockets are all the way across. Com- the photos layer so both layers are active. Right-click on either layer
mand-click (PC: Ctrl-click) the layer to select all the sprockets. Using and from the menu, choose Convert to Smart Object. Then go to
the Move tool (V), hold down Shift-Option (PC: Shift-Alt) and drag a the Filter menu, and choose Distort>Wave. Take advantage of the
copy of the sprockets to the bottom of the filmstrip. Command-click preview in the Wave dialog to enter settings to apply a slight curve
(PC: Ctrl-click) on the sprockets layer to load both rows as a selection, to the filmstrip, then click OK.
click on the black box layer to make it active, and press Delete. You
can now drag the white sprocket layer to the Trash icon in the Layers
panel. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect.

©ISTOCKPHOTO
11 [VARIATION: MOSAIC OF MANY SMALL PHOTOS]
Bridge Output can also be used to create a mosaic of many small
12 [EXPERIMENT WITH SETTINGS]
Switch to the Output module and experiment with the settings.
photos. First, go back to the Essentials module and choose a folder Because we had 140 photos, we chose a layout of 14 Columns and
with many different photos, ideally containing many different colors. 10 Rows, with a document size that forced the images to be small
If you wish, you can filter the results—in this example, we used only with very little space in between. (This is an example of where you
JPEGs in landscape orientation. Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to show can take great advantage of the Refresh Preview button.)
only the thumbnails and get an idea of what you’re going to get. (You
may wish to drag files around to change the order.)
13 [OPEN THE PDF AND CREATE A PATTERN]

Save the PDF file and open it in Photoshop. Under the Edit menu,
14 [APPLY AS PATTERN OVERLAY]
Now we can apply the pattern in different ways: Either by using the
choose Define Pattern, naming the pattern if you wish. Edit>Fill command (to fill with the pattern at the size you created it)
or with the Pattern Overlay layer style. Here, we created a Text layer
and used the Pattern Overlay—click the Add a Layer Style icon at
the bottom of the Layers panel, choose Pattern Overlay, and select
your new pattern in the Pattern Picker—to add the mosaic pattern
at 50% of the original size. (Tip: While you’re still in the Layer Style
dialog, you can click-and-drag inside your document to reposition
the pattern.)
54
[ Dave Cross is Senior Developer, Education and Curriculum, for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. He is the author of Photoshop Finishing Touches and The Photoshop CS2
Help Desk Book, and is featured on a series of Photoshop training DVDs and on Photoshop User TV. ]
ALL IMAGES BY DAVE CROSS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

EGG PEOPLE ©VLAD KOLAROV
61

[I LLUSTRATOR TUTORIAL]
C O R E Y { } B A R K E R
re-creating a logo
Have you ever worked on a layout that required a specific logo but all you had was a photograph of that logo, and
no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t find a nice high-res or vector version to use? In this tutorial, we’ll take you
through one example of how you can re-create a logo in Illustrator based on a photo.
©ISTOCKPHOTO/ADAM BOOTH
[SELECT A PHOTO TO WORK FROM] [CREATE BASIC SIGN SHAPE]

Choose File>New to create a new RGB document. Go to File>Place, Select Layer 1 in the Layers panel and choose the Rounded Rectangle
locate the photo you’d like to use, turn off the Link checkbox, turn on tool (nested under the Rectangle tool [M]). Click on the artboard and
the Template checkbox, and click Place. Once placed, you can see in the Rounded Rectangle dialog, enter appox. 226 for the Width and
it has a lowered opacity. Open the Layers panel and double-click Height (this is the height of our sign at its current size), set the Corner
the Template layer to rename the layer and lower the Dim Images Radius to 40, and click OK. (Note: These sizes are based on the current
To option to 35%, and click OK. Then click the Lock icon next to the size of our template. Double-check your template to determine the
Template layer to unlock it. Choose the Selection tool (V), press-and- right dimensions.) Use the Selection tool to reposition and rotate the
hold the Shift key, and drag a corner handle to resize the photo pro- shape over the sign. In the Control panel, set the Fill to None and add
portionally (ours is about 525 pixels wide with proportional height). a 1 pt black Stroke.

[EXTEND SIDES OF SHAPE] [COMPLETE SIGN SHAPE]
To reassign the bounding box of the rounded rectangle to the shape Now the sides match up but the top and bottom are more rounded
of the sign, open the Pathfinder panel (Window>Pathfinder) and than they need to be. Press Command-R (PC: Ctrl-R) to Show Rulers,
click on the first icon under Shape Modes, Unite. Now Option-click then drag out a vertical guide and place it in the center of the shape.
(PC: Alt-click) on either the left or right control point and drag it out to Select the Add Anchor Point tool (+) then click to add points at both
the edge of the sign. This will give us the overall shape of the sign. places where the guide intersects the path. Then select the Delete
Anchor Point tool (–) and click the points on each side of the new
points. This will tighten up the top and bottom of the shape. Now
drag the center control points inward so the path conforms to the
shape of the sign.
[CREATE THE INSET BORDER] [LET THERE BE A LIGHT BULB]

Choose Object>Path>Offset Path and in the dialog that appears, Now let’s create the first of our light bulbs that surround the sign.
enter –12 for the Offset amount, leave the other settings alone, and Choose the Ellipse tool (L), press-and-hold the Shift key, draw a
click OK. As you can see, this created an inset for a border effect. small circle, fill it with yellow, and set the Stroke to None. Choose
With this shape still selected, go to the Control panel and set the the Direct Selection tool (A), select the bottom control point of the
Fill to white and make sure it has a 1 pt black Stroke. With the circle, and drag it down a little. Now choose the Rectangle tool (M),
Selection tool, select the outer shape and give this a yellow fill draw a small box over the bottom area of the bulb, fill it with black,
(you already have the stroke). and set the Stroke to None.
62

63

[MAKE A PATTERN BRUSH]
We want to repeat this bulb around the sign, and we’ll do that by
8 [SET THE PATTERN BRUSH OPTIONS]
In the Pattern Brush Options dialog, reduce the Scale quite a
making a pattern brush. If we make it a brush now it will center the bit and set the Spacing to 125%. Turn on the Flip Across setting
graphic to the path, but we want it to sit on top of the path. With because the position is reversed on the path, and click OK. Now
the Rectangle tool, draw a rectangle the same height as the bulb just select the outer shape of the sign and click on the new pattern
but very thin. Set the Fill and Stroke to None and position the top brush to apply it. If you need to make adjustments to the brush
of it at the bottom center of the bulb. Select all of these shapes and Scale or Spacing, double-click the brush in the Brushes panel and
open the Brushes panel (Window>Brushes). Drag the object into make the changes in the Pattern Brush Options dialog (turn on the
the Brushes panel. In the New Brush dialog that appears, choose Preview option so you can see your changes). You may delete the
New Pattern Brush and click OK. light bulb you created in Step 6.
9 [SET TYPE FOR SIGN]

10 [EVERYBODY’S WELCOME]
Use the Selection tool to select the sign you created and drag it out Now let’s add the WELCOME letters above the sign. Select the
of the way so can see the Template layer. Choose the Type tool (T) Ellipse tool (L), press-and-hold the Shift key, and drag out a circle
and click on the first word to start setting the type. Find the closest over the first circle on the Template layer. You can add the Option
font you have to each of the words on the sign and create a new (PC: Alt) key to draw the circle out from the center. Press the Space-
text object for each one (our fonts are Myriad Pro Regular, Brush bar to reposition as you draw. Set the Fill to white and the Stroke
Script MT Italic, and Helvetica Black, respectively). Use the Character to 1 pt black. Choose Effect>Distort & Transform>Transform, enter
panel (Window>Character) to adjust the size and tracking. Change 6 for Copies, turn on the Preview checkbox, then drag the Move
the color of the text, select each piece, choose Object>Group, and Horizontal slider to the right. You can see the shapes spacing out
drag your sign onto the type. as you drag. Keep going until the circles are just touching end to
end. Click OK.

11 [ADD TEXT]
Now choose the Type tool and set the word WELCOME in a font
12 [POSITION INDIVIDUAL LETTERS]
Shift-click the W to deselect it then press the Right Arrow key to
that closely resembles the original (we used a version of Helvetica). It move the rest of the word to the right until the E lines up in the
doesn’t have to be dead on, just close enough. Line up the W in the second circle, then Shift-click the E to deselect it. Repeat this pro-
first circle and set the font size for the text. When done, choose Type> cess for all the letters. When you’re done, just set the text color to
Create Outlines to convert to shapes. Then choose Object>Ungroup. red and hide the Template layer. We now have a logo that’s pretty
close to the original. At this point you can convert all of your type
to outlines and use the Direct Selection tool to alter the paths so
they more closely match the original text.
In just a matter of minutes you can re-create a logo from a photograph that closely resembles the original.
64
[ Corey Barker is an Education and Curriculum Developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. His expertise in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator has earned him
numerous awards in illustration, graphic design, and photography. ]
[ t y p o g r a phy ]
[ thE ARt OF tYPE]

J A M E S { } F E L I C I
dash away all

After quotation marks, dashes are the most abused
characters in the typographic stable. Dashes have
visual, typographical roles as well as grammatical
ones. These modest characters fall under the sway of
both copy editors and typesetters, and using them correctly depends
on knowing a bit of both disciplines. By the end of this article, you’ll be
a bona fide dashmeister.
There are three kinds of dashes: hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes.
The first two of these are often used incorrectly as stand-ins for minus
signs, so we’ll draw that math operator into the discussion as well.
Dashes are nearly always set “closed up”; without any space before
or after. A couple of exceptions are noted below, but in other cases
you’re free to adjust kerning before and after dashes.
I M A GE S: © I STO C K PH OTO I LLU STR ATI O N : C H R I STY WI N TE R
What does a hyphen do?

Hyphens play two roles: They link words in compound constructions
and mark the division of single words at the end of a line. That’s all!
The only time you see a hyphen followed by a space is in constructions
such as “pre- and post-manufacturing waste.” A hyphen should never
appear at the beginning of a line, although you often see this on web-
pages because browsers have such poor type composition engines.
There are two kinds of hyphens: hard and soft. A hard hyphen is
one you type from the keyboard and it’s a permanent part of the text
stream. A soft, or discretionary, hyphen appears only when needed;
for example, when your word processor or typesetting program is com-
posing type, it inserts soft hyphens where words have to be divided at
the end of a line. If the text re-rags, those hyphens disappear.
If you want to coax a line to break at a certain point—to create a
better rag, for example, or to hyphenate a word your program doesn’t
recognize—you can insert a soft hyphen yourself. In InDesign, the key-
board command for a soft hyphen is Command-Shift-– (PC: Ctrl-Shift- –).
Note: You can also choose Type>Insert Special Character>Hyphens
and Dashes to place a soft hyphen, but that’s too much work.
Don’t use a hard hyphen to force a word to divide because if the
[ Dashes have visual, text reflows, that hyphen will reflow with it, appearing someplace you
don’t want it. This is a very common mistake.
typographical roles as What’s an en dash?

The en dash is one en—that is, half an em—wide. Its job is always to
well as grammatical ones. ] connect. Use en dashes for a range of numbers, such as “pages 46–52”
or “the years 1227–1308.” They’re also used like hyphens in compound

constructions that would otherwise need multiple hyphens. For example,
instead of “pre-Revolutionary-War years,” you’d use a single en dash to
indicate the compound modifier: “pre–Revolutionary War years.”
To set an en dash, type Option-– (PC: Alt-0150 using the numeric
keypad on the right side of most keyboards).
66

67
lAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

En dashes, like hyphens, are always set closed up. And while an en
dash can end a line, it shouldn’t start one. Most text-processing software
Minus signs
The minus sign is a distinct character with its own width and weight.
takes care of this automatically, but you can run afoul of the rule when
There’s no substitute for a proper minus sign. In our example, the
breaking lines manually.
top sample uses a hyphen—too short; the middle one uses an en
dash—close, but badly spaced; and the bottom one—just right—
And the em dash? is the hyphen character.
Mercury Dips to
Em dashes are a full em wide, and as such, many people find them
The hyphen exists in nearly
too big. Nevertheless, they have a specific role to play—to separate—
and this explains their size. They’re used in a manner similar to paren-
all text fonts, including old
PostScript Type 1, but Adobe
-42 near Fargo
theses, to separate one thought from another or to insert an aside into
the middle of a sentence, as in the previous sentence. Despite their
applications make it hard to Mercury Dips to
grammatical role of separating, typographically speaking, they’re often
access. To find it, open the
Glyphs panel (Type>Glyphs),
–42 near Fargo
referred to as “joining em rules.”
To set an em dash, type Shift-Option-– (PC: Alt-0151). Em dashes
and in the Show pop-up menu, Mercury Dips to
can end or start a line.
select Math Symbols. You can’t
miss it—it’s the only one that
−42 near Fargo
In most text typefaces, em dashes have no side bearings, which make
looks like a minus sign. Bottom example uses correct
them appear very close to the words they separate. If this bugs you, feel hyphen character.
free to add some kerning space around them, but don’t add too much.
(To judge if the em dash in a given typeface has side bearings, place
the text cursor next to the dash and see if there’s a small gap between
the cursor and the dash.) The maximum space I’d recommend in these
cases is a hair space (Type>Insert White Space>Hair Space). Or you can
just manually kern open a small gap before and after the dash.
Note: An en dash flanked by word spaces isn’t a good substitute for
an em dash. It does create a break between words that’s an em wide
(a word space being a quarter of an em wide) but the dash looks too
wimpy floating in all that space.
There’s also a character called a “punctuating em dash” that’s
slightly shorter than a normal em dash and with generous side bear-
ings. Unfortunately, it’s rarer than hen’s teeth; it deserves to be more
Glyphs panel
popular. True type maniacs can fake a punctuating em dash by adding
two hair spaces before and two after an em dash and then using the If you don’t see the hyphen there, it doesn’t exist in that font; but
Horizontal Scale tool in the Character panel to decrease the em dash’s you can make sure it displays in the rank of Recently Used glyphs
width to 75%. across the top of the panel from a font that does contain that glyph.
Here’s an example of a typeface where the em dashes have no Alternatively, you can add it to a custom Glyph Set that you can create
side bearings, so they hew closely to the characters around them. from the Glyphs panel menu. Having a custom glyph set of similar,
For more generous spacing, you can use—or, more likely, create— hard-to-find characters will save you lots of time later on.
a punctuating em dash. Make sure you select only the em dash to
avoid resizing the hair spaces as well. Nice effect and a major hassle, Problems on the Web
this is only for the devout type lover. Websites tend to use lowest–common denominator (note that en
dash) HTML code for compatibility with all browsers and all comput-
But, in a larger sense, we ers. For this reason, webpages may display many so-called “special”
cannot dedicate—we cannot characters incorrectly. Unfortunately, this includes en and em dashes
consecrate—we cannot as well as minus signs.
hallow—this ground. Most Web designers have come to avoid these troublesome
characters, so it has become standard, sorry practice in text destined
But, in a larger sense, we for the Web to substitute hyphens for en dashes and to use double
hyphens (--) for em dashes. Minus signs are typically faked using
cannot dedicate — we cannot
hyphens. These are old typewriter conventions, dating to the days
consecrate — we cannot when the only characters you could type were those printed on the
hallow — this ground. keyboard (plus lowercase letters a–z [another en dash!]).
Bembo typeface em dashes have no side bearings (top); Some day this will get squared away—when all computer systems
Punctuating em dashes used (bottom) are Unicode savvy—but that day hasn’t arrived yet.
[ James Felici is the author of The Complete Manual of Typography (Adobe Press), former managing editor of Publish magazine, and contributor to The Seybold Report, Macworld magazine,
PDFZone.com, and Publish.com. ]
VLAD KOLAROV
[ INDESIGN TUTORIAL ]
T E R R Y { } W H I T E
create photo albums for print

Recently, I attended a seminar taught by wedding photographer David Ziser. While I learned a lot of good
photography tips, one thing that caught my attention was an app David showed for laying out wedding albums.
Typically, a wedding photographer has to narrow down his shoot to about 100 photos and then lay them out in
a book that will be printed for clients to either purchase or buy prints from. So how would I do this in InDesign?
[CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT] [BRING UP THE PAGES PANEL]

Choose File>New>Document. The size and number of pages will The next thing we’ll want to do is set up our master pages, so
depend greatly on what your photo lab supports. In this example, let’s bring up the Pages panel (Window>Pages). Double-click one of the
set up a 30-page album in spreads with page sizes of 12x12" with a A-Master page thumbnails in the panel to make it the active page.
.25" bleed (click the More Options button to access the Bleed and Slug Press Option-Command-0 (PC: Alt-Ctrl-0) to invoke the Fit Spread
options). Again, contact your lab and find out what size the pages need in Window command so you can see both master pages.
to be for the albums they print.
68

69

[DEFINE YOUR FIRST MASTER PAGE] [ADD YOUR FRAMES FOR IMAGES]
Typically, you’ll want something behind your images on each At this point, you’re ready to start building your pages. Switch to
page. It could be as simple as a solid color, such as black, or page 1 by double-clicking on its thumbnail in the Pages panel.
an image. It’s probably best to create a default color behind This page will be your cover. Using the Rectangle Frame tool,
all the images. Using the Rectangle Frame tool (F), drag out drag out a frame for the main image (we covered about two-
a new frame across the entire spread. In the Swatches panel thirds of the page). You can also place a smaller frame on the
(Window>Swatches), click on the Fill icon at the top left and page that you can later duplicate for supporting images if you
click on the Black swatch (or another color if you prefer) to fill like. Use the Rotate tool (R) to rotate the smaller frame about 15°.
the frame with black.
[SET YOUR FRAME FITTING OPTIONS] [STROKE YOUR FRAMES]

We want to make the placement of images as easy as possible once To give your album photos a little more depth and to make them
the structure is built. The Frame Fitting Options in InDesign CS4 can stand out from the background, let’s add a stroke. Select your large
be used to scale the images that we place so they automatically fit frame and give it a white stroke of 4 pts. You can add the stroke
the frame. Select your first large frame with the Selection tool (V), then either from the Control panel or the Stroke panel (Window>Stroke).
choose Object>Fitting>Frame Fitting Options. In the Fitting drop-down To make the stroke white, click on the Stroke icon at the top left of
menu at the bottom of the dialog, change the frame to Fill Frame Pro- the Swatches panel and click on the Paper swatch.
portionally, and click OK. Do the same thing for the smaller frame, too.

[DUPLICATE AND FREE TRANSFORM FRAMES]
The frames you’ve created can be used over and over again through-
8 [USE DIFFERENT SHAPES FOR FRAMES]
Using rectangular frames on every page can quickly become
out your document. Because they already have the Frame Fitting very boring. Take advantage of the fact that InDesign can use
Options applied to them, all you need to do is duplicate them as any vector shape as a frame. Try using either the Ellipse Frame
needed. Let’s start by making two duplicates of the smaller frame. tool (nested under the Rectangle Frame tool) to break things up
Using the Selection tool, simply hold down your Option key (PC: Alt a bit, or if you feel a little more confident, create custom frames
key) and drag it to the right. This will make a copy of it. Make one with the Pen tool (P). Also note that you can copy over vector
more copy and then use your Free Transform tool (E) to slightly rotate shapes from Illustrator as frames, too. Don’t forget to apply your
each frame. Frame Fitting Options to these frames, as well.
©ISTOCKPHOTO/AGNES CSONDOR
9 [LET’S SEE WHAT WE’VE GOT SO FAR]

We could keep building our pages, but you’re probably getting
10 [NOW ADD SOME TEXT]
Pretty pictures are great, but we need some text to make it personal.
anxious to see what things are going to look like. Let’s drop in some Try using a script font, such as Bickham Script Pro, for the larger text
images so you’ll feel better. First, click the Go to Bridge button in the and then a simpler sans-serif font, such as Myriad Pro, for any para-
Application Bar to launch Bridge, and navigate to the folder of images graph/body text. Using the Type tool (T), drag out your frames where
that you want to use. Select a few images and choose File>Place>In you want text to go, then key in your text. If you want to see what
InDesign. Once you return to InDesign, just drop the images into the your layout looks like without the distracting guides, simply switch
frames you want them to go into. Tip: Use the Arrow keys to cycle to the Selection tool and hit the letter W on your keyboard to enter
through the thumbnail images in your loaded cursor to select an Preview mode. Hitting W again will switch you back to Normal mode.
image to place in a frame.
continued on p. 72
70

11 [EXPORT YOUR PAGES AS JPEG]
Unfortunately, most labs that print these wonderful books are still
12 [ADD COLOR PROFILES FROM THE LAB]
Many labs provide color profiles for you to use so that the printed
only accepting the layouts as single-page JPEGs. So this means results will match more closely to what you see onscreen. Although
that you’ll have to take your wonderful layout and convert InDesign supports color management and profiles, you may want
the whole thing to a series of images. Luckily, InDesign lets you to open your exported JPEGs in Photoshop and assign the color
Export to JPEG format. Just choose File>Export, select JPEG in profile provided by your lab so that you’re sure they’re correct.
the Format drop-down menu in the Export dialog, and click Save. Once you have the JPEG open in Photoshop, choose Edit>Assign
In the Export JPEG dialog that appears, specify the resolution that Profile and select the profile provided by your lab in the Profile
your lab recommends, and click the Export button. drop-down menu. Then save the file.
13 [EXPORT A PDF]
You may also want a PDF for client review or for those labs that
14 [SAVE AS A TEMPLATE]
Now that you’ve done all this work, chances are you won’t want
can print from PDFs (we love those labs). Go back to your original to do it again from scratch the next time you have an album to lay
InDesign file, choose File>Export, this time select Adobe PDF as out, so let’s save it as a template. It’s probably best right now just
the format, and click Save. In the Export Adobe PDF dialog that to do a Save As with a different name so that you don’t mess up
appears, choose either High Quality Print for sending to the lab or the original. Then delete the pictures from the frames using the
Smallest File Size for sending as a proof to the client. You can even Direct Selection tool (A), and delete the text using the Type tool.
put the word “Proof” in big letters on each page in InDesign using Once you’ve emptied the document, you can then use the Save As
layers if you’re concerned about security. In the Security category command again, but this time choose InDesign CS4 Template as
of the dialog, you can also specify that the PDF can’t be printed the format.
without a password.
72
[ In his current role as Director for North America Creative Pro Core Business for Adobe Systems, Inc., Terry White leads a team of creative professional product specialists. He’s also the
author of Secrets of Adobe Bridge and co-author of InDesign CS/CS2 Killer Tips and The iPhone Book 3rd Edition. Check out his tech blog at http://terrywhite.com/techblog. ]
VLAD KOLAROV
[ ACROBAT TUTORIAL ]
T A Z { } T A L L Y
go with the flow

The ease with which you can move type and images between the Creative Suite applications allows you to
take best advantage of the specific capabilities of each application. In the following tutorial, we’re going to use
Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat to create, display, and distribute a sequential demonstration of power flow
from a wind turbine to an electric grid.
[PREPARE BACKGROUND IMAGE] [SET TYPE IN ILLUSTRATOR]

In Photoshop, prepare the background image you’d like to use. Using the superior type capabilities in Illustrator, select the Type tool (T)
Resize this image (Image>Image Size) to its final presentation and type the various phrases you want to use in your presentation.
dimensions of 1024x768 and assign a linear resolution of 72 ppi. Use the Control bar to set the Fill, Stroke, Font, and Font Size. We
In this example, we’re using a photo of a connection between assigned a green color to the type associated with the turbine energy
a wind turbine tower and the electrical grid at the Bear Creek (to represent green energy), and red to designate the electrical grid
Winery in Homer, Alaska. energy. We also added a two-point black stroke to help the type show
up when placed over the background image in Photoshop.
74

75

[CREATE ARROWS IN ILLUSTRATOR] [CONVERT TYPE TO OUTLINES]
Still in Illustrator, create a series of arrows you’d like to place over your As an option, you can convert your type characters and arrows to
image in Photoshop to represent the electrical flow. While you can outlines in Illustrator using Type>Create Outlines so you can edit
accomplish this in Photoshop, it’s much easier and faster in Illustrator. them as vector paths. Here, we converted one of the Zapf Ding-
There are many ways to create or import arrows, but we’ll use the bats arrows into outlines and used the Direct Selection tool (A) to
Glyphs panel (Type>Glyphs). Click on the artboard with the Type tool, create a custom curved arrow. After you alter the arrow shape, you
select Zapf Dingbats in the Font drop-down menu, and then double- can still color and stroke your path. Note: You may want to use
click one of the arrows in the Glyphs panel as a starting place. Create slightly different shades of green for your type and arrows to make
both red and green arrows to show both the turbine and grid input. them visually distinct.
Apply a two-point black stroke like you did with the type.
[PASTE TYPE AND ARROWS] [ARRANGE LAYERS IN PHOTOSHOP]

Use Edit>Copy in Illustrator and Edit>Paste in Photoshop to move your Once you’ve pasted all your type segments and arrows into Photo-
type and arrow segments into your Photoshop background image. shop, label and arrange your layers in the sequence you’d like them
Each pasted element will be assigned its own layer in Photoshop. Plan to appear in the demo. Use logical names for each of your layers
your copy-and-paste sequence to match the layer order in which you to make them easy to identify. Place the first layer that will appear
want the various type and arrow elements to appear to save yourself in the demonstration at the top of your layer sequence. Doing so
some layer-reorganization time in Photoshop (see next step). Your paste will make it easier to relate your layer sequence to the sequence of
options in Photoshop include: Smart Object, Pixels, Path, and Shape layer comps you’ll create in Step 10 below.
Layer. Choose Smart Object to preserve the edge quality of the vectors
during transformation in Photoshop, or Shape Layer to edit vector
paths in Photoshop.

[TRANSFORM TYPE AND ARROWS]
Using the Move tool (V), reposition your type and arrows to where
8 [EDIT TYPE AND ARROW SMART OBJECTS]
If you want to change the characteristics of your arrows, such as color
you want them over your background image. Use the Free Transform or stroke, or the formatting of your type—such as leading, color, or
command (Edit>Free Transform or Command-T [PC: Ctrl-T]) to resize, stroke—simply double-click directly on the thumbnail of the smart
reshape, and rotate your arrows to suit their various locations. Since object layer in the Layers panel. This will take you back to the original
you’ve placed your arrows as smart objects, you can transform them Illustrator object where you can apply your edits and save them. When
as many times as you like without loss of image quality. you return to Photoshop, the edits you made in Illustrator will auto-
matically update in your Photoshop file. This method is simple, easy,
and fast, and maintains the quality of all your smart object elements.
9 [CREATE LAYER GROUPS IN PHOTOSHOP]

To help you organize your many Photoshop layers into their display
10 [CREATE LAYER COMPS IN PHOTOSHOP]
The layer groups you created in Step 9 should be in the order in
sequences, group your layers together in layer groups. Perform this which you’d like them to appear in your demonstration sequence.
by Shift-clicking on a sequence of layers you want to appear together, Test this sequence to make sure it’s correct by turning off the
and then choose New Group from Layers from the Layers panel flyout visibility of all layers (click on the Eye icon next to each layer)
menu. Each layer group appears as a folder in the Layers panel. Once except the background image layer. Then, display (make visible)
again, label each layer group with easy-to-identify logical names. Click each group starting at the top and working your way down.
the triangle tick mark located on the left side of each layer group to Now, just display the first (top) layer group in your sequence and
display its constituent layers. Note: Whole groups or individual layers the background image. Then activate the Layer Comps panel
can be shown or hidden. (Window>Layer Comps), and choose New Layer Comp from the
flyout menu. Create a layer comp for each layer group.
76

77

11 [EXPORT LAYER COMPS TO JPEG]
To create a sequence of demo images, choose File>Scripts>Layer
12 [REVIEW AND ORGANIZE JPEGS]
Review your exported layer comp JPEGs in Bridge. Check to make
Comps to Files. This dialog allows you to export each of your layer sure each file contains the sequence content you’d like. If you’ve
comps as a separate file. Your series of layer comp files will contain paid close attention to the naming and organization of your layers,
your demonstration sequence. You can export as a variety of file layer groups, and layer comps, you’ll likely have fewer problems at
format types, including PDF; however, exporting as high-quality this point.
JPEGs (set Quality to 12) will reduce the size of your files. PDF and
PSD files exported in this manner are often large and require some
attention to reduce their file size.
13 [CREATE PDF PRESENTATION]

In Bridge, select the JPEG layer comp files, choose Window>
14 [TEST AND CONFIGURE INITIAl view]
Once your demo PDF opens in Acrobat, choose File>Properties
Workspace>Output, then PDF at the top of the Output panel. Assign and select the Initial View tab. Configure your Initial View as follows:
the same pixel dimension and linear resolution as your exported JPEGs Navigation Tab: Page Only; Page Layout: Single Page; Magnifica-
to minimize downsampling interpolation during the PDF creation pro- tion: Actual Size; Open to Page: 1; and Window Options: Open in
cess. In the Layout section, set Columns and Rows to 1. Add any Headers Full Screen Mode. These characteristics will control how your demo
or Footers, and assign Playback characteristics. Set the Transition to PDF will open and perform on someone else’s computer. Click OK
None to keep the background stable during playback. Check on the and Save. You can now take, send, share, open and display your PDF
View PDF After Save and then click the Save button to create your PDF. demo on anyone’s computer who has Adobe Reader or Acrobat.
[Taz Tally is the author of Acrobat and PDF Solutions from Wiley Press, as well as numerous other digital imaging books on Photoshop, scanning, digital photography, and prepress. Visit Taz’s
websites www.taztallyphotography.com and www.tazseminars.com. ]
ALL IMAGES BY TAZ TALLY UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

VLAD KOLAROV
[ DREAMWEAVER TUTORIAL ]
J A N I N E { } W A R N E R
adding ecommerce to your site is easy

In the last year, both Google Checkout and PayPal have added shopping-cart features to their most basic
ecommerce offerings, making it easy for anyone to sell multiple products on a website. For no upfront costs
and a competitive transaction fee, you can set up an entire shopping cart in an hour or two.
[CREATE/OPEN A NEW PAGE] [SET UP AN ACCOUNT]

I built this website to showcase my friend Jasper Johal’s photog- First, you’ll need to sign up for an account. I chose Google Checkout
raphy. In addition to displaying galleries of his photos, his bio, (http://checkout.google.com) because I like the interface, but PayPal
and contact information, he also wanted to sell a few prints and offers a similar service, and supports transactions in more countries
calendars. Thanks to Google Checkout, all I needed was to set than Google. Both offer services that are ideally suited for websites
up a Google Account for him, then copy-and-paste a little code where you want to sell only a handful of products and you don’t want
into a page In Dreamweaver. In this tutorial, you’ll see how I used to handle credit card processing yourself. With PayPal and Google you
Google to help him sell his beautiful photographs. get the shopping-cart features and transaction processing in one easy
package. (And did I mention no up-front cost?)
78

79

[LOG INTO GOOGLE CHECKOUT] [SET UP A CHECKOUT CART]
Log into your Google Checkout account with the email address If you want to sell more than one item, or offer different sizes or
and password you used to set up the account. Once you’re logged other options, your best choice is the Checkout Cart. When you
in, click on the Tools tab at the top of the screen to access the Buy click on the Checkout Cart link on the left, you open Google’s
Now Buttons (great if you only sell one item) and Checkout Cart Checkout Wizard, which makes it easy for you to create the code
(best for multiple products). You also find links here to Google’s you need to add a product listing to your shopping cart. You can
invoicing services and details about how to integrate Google create a Simple product listing with one name and price, or you
Checkout with third-party shopping carts, such as Zen Cart, if you can create new product listings With Multiple Options and Prices
want more advanced features or need to integrate sales with some based on size, color, quantity, etc.
kind of inventory or special tracking service.
[ENTER PRODUCT DESCRIPTION] [CREATE BUTTON CODE]

Enter a description of your product by filling in the form fields. As When you get the description the way you want it, click the checkbox
you see in our example, we’re setting up a shopping-cart item for a next to Yes, I Have Configured My Account to Accept Unsigned
set of prints with two options: Option 1 to buy one set; and Option 2 Shopping Carts (see next step for details). If you haven’t configured
to buy three sets at a special price. To create a new product listing, your account yet, you can come back and do it later—just make sure
just fill out the form with the text and pricing you want, and Google to check the box. To generate the code you need to add to your
automatically creates the code that lets you add these products to webpage, click the Create Button Code button and skip ahead
your site. to Step 8 to continue. If you prefer to take care of configuration
first, just follow along.

[SETTING UP TO ACCEPT UNSIGNED CARTS]
Because Google Checkout Shopping Cart works entirely in the
8 [COPY CODE]
If you create a Buy Now button, you can use one simple snippet of
Web browser, it’s possible for a site visitor to alter the pricing in code to place the button anywhere in a webpage. When you use the
Google checkout when they place an order. Unfortunately, there’s Checkout Cart option, Google generates two pieces of code, one
no way for Google to protect the secret key needed to sign a shop- that should be copied into the page where you want the button to
ping cart. To get around this limitation, you can allow the shopping appear and the other—the code that creates the cart itself—should
cart to work without being signed; but you’ll have to change that be pasted into the bottom of the page, as you’ll see in Step 11.
setting first. To accept unsigned carts, click the Settings tab and then
click Integration. Remove the check in the box beside My Company
Will Only Post Digitally Signed Carts, and then click Save.
9 [PASTE CODE INTO DREAMWEAVER]

Because you’re copying code from Google’s site, you need to paste
10 [COPY SECOND PART OF CODE]
Once you have the button code where you want it, return to the
it into the code in Dreamweaver. A great way to do that is to use Split browser window and copy the second string of code. Tip: You can
view by clicking on the Split button at the top of the workspace. Split use Right-click to copy code from the Google Checkout page.
view is great because you can see how the page will look in Design
view as you’re working in the code, which makes it easier to find your
place if you’re not familiar with XHTML or other Web technologies.
continued on p. 82
80

Online Shows for Creative Professionals.
Five Amazing Podcasts –

One Convenient Website
In a world where Photoshop® was king and And tho the people rejoiced, they cried out to
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One man and his rag-tag crew of “Photoshop watch what they wanted, when they wanted…
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They taught the masses all about Photoshop, And the fearless leader listened and said,
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Suite®, and how to make cat sounds. “Sure dude. Why not?”
www.KelbyTV.com
Adobe, Photoshop, Lightroom, and Creative Suite are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

11 [PASTE CART CODE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE]
The second piece of code goes at the very bottom of the page,
12 [PREVIEW TO SEE THE CART IN ACTION]
To test your product listings and Add to Cart buttons, preview your
and you only need to add it to the page once, even if you have page in a Web browser by choosing File>Preview in Browser and
multiple products on the same page. Again, just use copy-and- then selecting any browser you have associated with Dreamweaver.
paste to select the code and insert it into Dreamweaver. As (In Step 9, notice that the Add to Cart button doesn’t show up in
Google instructs, the best place for the shopping-cart code is Design view, but it does appear when you preview the page in a Web
just above the close body tag (</body>). browser.) When previewing this example, I decided that I should include
longer descriptions in the drop-down lists because the product title
only appears in the shopping cart, not the product listing.
13 [EDIT PRODUCT LISTING]

Although you can edit a product as you’re creating it in Google, if you
14 [TWEAKING FORMAT]
Experiment with formatting around the code to align the Add
want to go back later to change a product listing, you have to re-create to Cart button to the right of the drop-down menu as shown
it. The inability to save listings is one of the biggest limitations of here. (Tip: You can do this with an HTML Table or by creating
Google Checkout, IMHO. Although it would be more efficient if you styles for divs around the code.) Be careful, however, when you
could save your product information, you don’t have to start com- edit around Google’s code: You can split the button from the
pletely from scratch. You can copy your price and other information drop-down but you need to keep all of the code intact. And
from the code in Dreamweaver and paste it back into Google to save remember, if you make a mistake and the page doesn’t display
some typing. If all you want to do is edit the name of product, you can properly, you can always go back and copy-and-paste the code
change the text in Code view in Dreamweaver. in again.
[ Janine Warner has authored more than a dozen books about the Internet, including Dreamweaver CS4 for Dummies. She’s also the host of more than 50 hours of Web
design video training for Total Training. A popular speaker, she has been working online since 1995. To learn more, visit www.JCWarner.com. ]
82 ALL IMAGES BY JASPER JOHAL UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

VLAD KOLAROV
[F LASH PROFESSIONAL TUTORIAL]

L E E { } B R I M E L O W
create an old-school mp3 player out of thin air

Ever since the release of Adobe AIR, Flash designers and developers have been able to use their existing skills to create
full-featured desktop applications. They can continue to design and develop in Flash CS4 using the same techniques
used for building Web-based Flash content and they can simply choose to deploy it as an AIR application. In this tutorial
you’ll learn how to create and publish a simple, old-school MP3 player using Flash CS4 and ActionScript 3.0.
©ISTOCKPHOTO/NEIL SULLIVAN
[DOWNLOAD AND OPEN FLA FILE] [EXPLORE THE FLA FILE]

To get started, download the tutorial files from www.layersmagazine Let’s take a minute to look at the work I’ve done to set up the movie
.com. Open the file named OldSchool.fla in Flash CS4. This file is for you. On the Timeline you’ll see four layers. The back layer contains
a regular Flash file that’s set up to publish for Flash Player 10. It’s the cassette tape image, which is actually a movie clip with an instance
often better to start your AIR project in this way, as it’s slightly faster name of back. The buttons layer contains the Open Track and Close
to compile and test your movie. Only when you’re ready to start test- buttons. They have instance names of openButton and closeButton.
ing AIR-specific features do you need to change the publish settings. The text layer contains a dynamic text field with an instance name of
Another important point is that you must use ActionScript 3.0 when trackName that will show the track name. Finally, there’s a locked layer
developing applications with Adobe AIR. named “actions” that will hold all of the code for the project.
84
[If you’d like to download the files used in this tutorial to practice these techniques, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.]

85

[CONVERT TO AN AIR APPLICATION] [GET RID OF THE SYSTEM CHROME]
As mentioned above, this file is set to publish to Flash Player 10, so If you test your application now by choosing Control>Test Movie,
you’ll need to change it so that it publishes to an AIR application. you’ll see your running application. One of the things you’ll notice is
Click off the Stage to reveal the Publish settings section of the that there’s the familiar operating system window chrome around the
Property inspector (Window>Properties). Click the Edit button in the cassette tape, which we’ll need to remove to achieve the effect we’re
Profile section to open the Publish Settings dialog. Under Player, looking for. Click Edit in the AIR Settings of the Property inspector,
change the selection to Adobe AIR, and click OK. Note: You may change the Window Style to Custom Chrome (Transparent), and then
have a different version of AIR displayed based on updates you may click the OK button. Test your movie again to see the chromeless
or not have installed, but for this example, it’s not important which application. For now, you’ll have to close it via the Dock or Taskbar.
version of AIR you’re targeting.
[SET UP THE CLOSE BUTTON] [MAKE IT DRAGGABLE]

Select the first keyframe in the actions layer and open the Actions Right now you can’t move the application around, which obviously
panel (Window>Actions). The first event you’ll listen for is when the isn’t very good usability. To fix this, we need to listen for the mouse
user clicks on the close button; this way, you won’t have to close down event on the cassette tape movie clip. Copy the code shown
it from the Dock or Taskbar. Enter the code shown above into the here into the Actions panel. Line 8 registers the event listener to call
Actions panel. Line 1 registers the event listener to call a function a function named onDown. Lines 10–13 create the onDown function.
called onClose when it’s clicked on. Lines 3–6 create the onClose Line 12 calls the stage.nativeWindow.startMove() method to begin
function. On line 5, you call the stage.nativeWindow.close() method dragging the application with your mouse. Test the application and
to close the application. Test the application and click on the Close drag it around your Desktop.
button to close it.

[CREATE SOME OBJECTS]
There are three objects that you’ll need to create so the application
8 [SET UP THE OPEN BUTTON]
When the user clicks on the Open Track button, you’ll be using some
works properly. The first is an instance of the File class that will allow AIR-specific code to choose and load in a local file. The first step is to
the user to select a file from his hard drive. The second is an instance set up the click event for this button. Copy the code above into the
of the Sound class that will handle the playback of the local MP3 file. Actions panel. Lines 19–25 create the event listener and the onOpen
Lastly, you’ll need an instance of the SoundChannel class that works function. Line 23 listens for the select event on the File class and it will
together with the Sound class to control the audio. Copy the code fire when the user selects a file using a native OS file chooser. Line 24
shown in this image into the Actions panel. opens the file chooser for the user to allow him to choose a file.
9 [PLAY THE MUSIC]

In the last step we told Flash to call a function called onChoose when
10 [FINISH IT UP]
As you probably noticed, there are a couple of issues with the player.
the user chooses a file from their computer. Copy the code shown First, if you’re playing a song and then load another, they play on top
above into the Actions panel to set up that function. Line 29 creates of one another. Secondly, you still need to set the track name of the
the new Sound object and passes in the URL property of the File class song. Copy this code into the Actions panel. Line 29 checks to see if
that contains the full path to the selected file. Line 30 starts playing the SoundChannel class is currently playing a song and if so, stops it.
the MP3 file and also assigns it to the SoundChannel object so that Line 30 sets the trackName text field to the filename of the MP3 that
you can control it. Test the application and load in a music file. was just selected. Test the application to see the finished result.
86

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11 [PREPARE TO PUBLISH]
Click the Edit button in the AIR Settings section of the Property
12 [CREATE A DIGITAL SIGNATURE]
To publish an AIR application, you need to create a digital signature
inspector. You can give your application a description and a copy- file. In the AIR settings dialog, click the Set (or Change) button in the
right message, although neither is required. In the download tutorial Digital Signature section. In the Digital Signature dialog, click the
files, there’s a PNG named icon.png that you can use as the icon for Create button to open up the signature creation dialog. All of the
your application. Click the Select Icon Images button and set the fields are required here but can contain anything you want. Don’t be
128x128 size to the icon image. As the other sizes will automatically overly concerned with the contents unless you’re planning to release
be created for you, delete them by clicking on the Trash icon, and your application to the public. Click Browse to select a location to
then click OK. save the signature file and then click OK. You’ll need to enter a pass-
word in the Digital Signature dialog and click OK, as well.
13 [PUBLISH THE APPLICATION]

Now you’re ready to publish your application to an AIR file that can
14 [INSTALL THE APPLICATION]
You’re now ready to install the old-school music player on your system.
be installed on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Open the AIR settings Double-click on the AIR file to begin the installation process. You can
window again, if it’s not already open. Click Publish AIR File to create just leave everything at its default value unless you want to store the
the AIR installer file—this may take a little while depending on a host application in a different place. You can now run the application and
of factors. You should see a confirmation that it was successfully load a nice, old-school song to get the full effect. What’s impressive
created. If not, double-check the previous steps to make sure you about this example is that it only took 33 lines of ActionScript code.
didn’t miss anything. You should now have an AIR installer in the Not bad at all!
same directory as the FLA file.
[ Lee Brimelow is a Platform Evangelist with Adobe and an award-winning interactive designer. Lee runs the free tutorial site at www.gotoandlearn.com and a Flash-related blog at
www.theflashblog.com. He is also the author of several titles for Lynda.com dealing with Flash and After Effects. ]
ALL IMAGES BY LEE BRIMELOW UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

[layers reviews]
the straight scoop on all the latest graphics gear
Extensis Universal
Type Server 2.1
FONT MANAGEMENT GETS BETTER,
STRONGER, AND FASTER
A year ago this past June, Extensis released version 1 of Universal
Type Server (UTS)—and now version 2 is hot on its heels with some
nice new features that are going to be of special interest to larger
companies with many users. While both the Pro and Lite versions
have had general speed enhancements and the obligatory bug fixes,
most of the major new features affect the Pro version.
The biggest new feature is the Directory Integration Module, which
client software can be installed on as many computers as one wishes—the
allows the continual one-way synchronization from Microsoft’s Active
server will automatically limit the users to the number the license allows.
Directory or Apple’s Open Directory. This is more convenient than
That way, a company doesn’t have to over purchase client licenses, but can
simply importing the information, since new users and changes are
maintain a number of floating licenses for occasional use.
updated automatically. The good news is this module was originally
Font compliance is easy to set up, albeit a tedious process. Once set
included free for a limited time in version 2, but is now a permanent
up, it will limit the number of users that can activate a font based on the
part of version 2.1.
font license restrictions, plus one can generate reports of usage, which
Another major new feature is the ability to use an external SQL
can be exported to a tab-delimited file. An admin user can see exactly
database to manage the font, workgroup, and user data rather than
who’s adding fonts to the workgroups and remove them if necessary.
using the built-in UTS database. The main advantage is an increase
Other enhancements include (to name but a few) better font cor-
in speed and response time by offloading some of the work from
ruption checks and repair; speedier auto activation for Adobe InDesign
UTS. However, this module is optional and costs $4,235, so this would
and Illustrator CS2/3/4, plus QuarkXPress 7 and 8; and cross-platform
be mainly of interest to companies with a large user base. Version 2
backup of the server database. In my tests, everything worked as
originally only supported Microsoft SQL Server, but version 2.1 added
expected without glitches.
support for the popular MySQL, which is cross-platform.
The cost of the product listed below is for new purchasers. The good
Installation of the server and the client software was very easy.
news is that owners of UTS version 1 Pro get a free upgrade since they
Once the server install is complete, the default Web browser opens to
received a one-year service agreement with their purchase. (Version 1
the Web-based admin interface. Since the administration is browser-
shipped on 6/18/08 and 2 shipped on 6/17/09.) If the service agreement
based, it can occur from any system. Just like the first version, Work-
expires, upgrades from Pro version 1 to version 2 are $1,061.45, and
groups, Roles, and Users are set up in the admin window. Users can be
Lite users can upgrade to UTS 2 Lite for $697.50. Extensis should be
assigned to multiple workgroups with different roles (permissions) per
commended for releasing this version within the one-year service
group, such as the ability to add fonts to the server in one workgroup
agreement time—they could have easily delayed the release and
but not another. Users can have their own personal workgroup to add
charged upgrade fees from every user.—David Creamer
fonts without those fonts being available to all users, plus these work-
groups can be stored on the server so they’re available at any com-

puter the user logs into or on a single computer. If the user attempts
Company: Extensis Price: $1,808.95 plus $163.35 per client (Pro);
to bypass UTS by adding problem fonts directly into the computer’s
$1,395 w/10 clients (Lite)
font folder(s), an administrator can turn on Enforce System Font Policy,
which limits what fonts can be added and will remove unapproved
Web: www.extensis.com Rating: ● ● ● ● ●
fonts automatically. Hot: Free upgrade from Pro version 1 with active one-year
service agreements; new features for large companies
The client interface looks very similar to Extensis Suitcase Fusion, so
it should be comfortable to users switching from Suitcase to UTS. The Not: PDF manuals are not bookmarked
88

89

Continuum Cartoon Look
BORIS FX BREAKS OUT THE CARTOON FILTERS
Everywhere you turn, you’ll spot the “look”: video footage trans-
formed to look like a cartoon. In a traditional workflow, the process Original
involves rotoscoping. An artist literally traces animation frame by
frame over the original source. The technique was invented by Max
Fleischer around 1915, and has been used by animators on classic
films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Cinderella,
as well as modern movies such as Titan A.E. and Waking Life.
The process is very tedious, however, so many video pros and
motion graphics artists have been on a quest for an easier solution.
These days you’ll find several products on the market to transform
your video footage to look like it’s a cartoon. Early options such
as Studio Artist ($379; www.synthetik.com) and market leaders like
ToonIt ($399; www.redgiantsoftware.com) have all seen heavy use. Boris Filter
While they’re not new to the plug-in market, Boris FX has released
their own take on cartoon filters. The Boris Continuum Unit: Cartoon
Look breaks out four filters from the larger plug-in package Contin-
uum Complete. The set is only $199 (significantly less than competi-
tors) and runs in several host applications including Adobe After
Effects and Premiere Pro, as well as Apple Final Cut Pro and Motion.
The four filters for stylizing your footage include:
• BCC Cartoon Look: This filter attempts to simulate the look of

rotoscoped animation. The original colors are preserved and the
edges thickened.
• BCC Pencil Sketch: The filter does a reasonable job of emulating AE Cartoon Filter
the look of a hand-drawn, pencil-sketched image. Edges are
enhanced, but most color is reduced or removed.
• BCC Charcoal Sketch: This filter quickly simulates the thick strokes The filter does render relatively quickly on modern computers. It
of a charcoal sketch. The resulting animation is drawn with thick also does a nice job of preserving edge details so the “drawn” lines
black-and-white lines. don’t jitter or suddenly disappear.
• BCC Watercolor: Watercolor paint-style animation is created with After Effects CS4 already includes a very versatile Cartoon filter.
this filter. These are typified by soft edges and intensified color. While its controls don’t match the Boris filter, the price to upgrade to
CS4 is only a little more and offers many more advantages.
For our testing, the effects were run under After Effects CS4. So ToonIt from Red Giant Software seems to offer solid results and
the question is simple: Is it worth it? The answer is it truly depends. is worth a head-to-head comparison for the serious buyer. Be sure to
First off, you’ll either love or hate the cartoon filter look as a whole. download the trials for each package and see which you find more
The look is very trendy and your clients may be asking for it. On the intuitive and eye-pleasing.—Richard Harrington
other hand, none of the filters on the market match the quality of
hand-drawn animation.
The filter offers precise controls with numerous options. What’s nice is Company: Boris FX Price: $199
the ability to blend the stylized image with the original, as well as control Web: www.borisfx.com Rating: ● ●
the thickness of lines.
Hot: Popular look with easy-to-use controls
While the effects offer presets, they don’t load with the standard
Adobe preset picker. The quality of presets also varies.
Not: Results don’t match quality of competing products

[ reviews]
Flash Decompiler
Eizo FlexScan Trillix v4
HANDY TOOL FOR CONVERTING SWF TO FLA
S2242W LCD
QUALITY LCD PACKS MORE INFO IN LESS SPACE
Flash Decompiler Trillix v4 by Eltima is an inexpensive tool for con-
verting SWF files into editable Flash files or extracting elements such
as images, sounds, videos, and fonts. Additionally, Flash Decompiler
The 22" Eizo FlexScan S2242W LCD features a high native resolution of converts SWF files created in Flex back to their source code.
1920x1200 usually found on larger sized monitors. This allows you to see When you open a SWF in Decompiler you can start, stop, and
approximately the same amount of information that’s visible on most 24" scrub through the animation. Context panels allow you to examine
displays but occupies less space. The best part is that this doesn’t com- each frame’s content and provide detailed information of all of the
promise image quality or create text that’s difficult to discern. elements within the SWF. Converting a SWF file to a Flash document
The 16:10 screen sits on a sturdy stand, and you can adjust its height, or extracting elements is as simple as clicking the corresponding but-
tilt, and swivel, as well as rotate it from landscape to portrait mode. The ton. Conversion is surprisingly quick, while extraction on the same file
display has DVI, VGA, and two USB inputs (but no HDMI). The control can be a bit slow.
panel along the bottom is a poorly designed row of 10 buttons; the sym- Decompiler does a good job converting SWF files containing anima-
bol and letter designations on the buttons aren’t clear as to what functions tion and basic ActionScript. Usually, you need to do very little tweaking
they represent. However, the onscreen menu offers a lot of features to to replicate the original movie. However, complex SWF files, such as
adjust the display, including gamma, brightness, contrast, color tempera- those created using Captivate, did not hold together. It extracted
ture, saturation, hue, and RGB color gain. the code but didn’t keep it organized in a manner that allowed the
The S2242W comes with factory presets for optimum viewing in program to function.
specific situations, and Eizo’s Auto EcoView uses a sensor to adjust the This latest release is available for both Mac and Windows; however,
screen’s brightness in an attempt to save energy. The company sells an the Mac version lacks some of the functionality of the Windows version.
optional software/hardware color management solution called EasyPIX Windows users are able to make minor edits to Flash objects, such as
for making customized ICC profiles. I calibrated and profiled the display images, texts, hyperlinks, sounds, colors, and lines within Decompiler.
resulting in an accurate match between screen and print. Color fidelity Mac users must first convert the SWF into a Flash file to edit the objects.
is impressive. The display reproduces 95% of the Adobe RGB color The Windows version also includes plug-ins for Internet Explorer and
space. Images were evenly illuminated across the screen, colors were Firefox that allow you to capture SWF movies from the Internet.
right on the money, and the screen’s 1200:1 contrast ratio revealed lots The bottom line is Flash Decompiler Trillix is a good but not per-
of detail in both highlights and shadow areas. The S2242W boasts a fect utility for decompiling SWFs. It’s a tool that can save you significant
wide viewing angle; however, there was some noticeable reduction in time if you ever need to edit a SWF file and you no longer have the
brightness at extreme angles. original Flash document.—Cyndy Cashman
This is a very good all-around monitor, but depending on your needs
the 22" size might be a limiting factor for graphics professionals.
—Steve Baczewski Company: Eltima Software Price: $79.95

Web: www.eltima.com Rating: ● ● ● ●
Hot: Easy to use and affordable
Company: Eizo Nanao Corporation Price: $879 Not: Fewer features on Mac; conversion of complex ActionScript
Web: www.eizo.com Rating: ● ● ● ● ●
Hot: 1900x1200 resolution
Not: Control panel
90

91

DroboPro
DUAL REDUNDANCY STORAGE
Eye-Fi Pro SDHC Card ARRAY OFFERS PEACE OF MIND
The DroboPro (big brother to the popular Drobo storage system) has
UPLOAD IMAGES FROM YOUR eight drive bays that can hold 3.5" SATA drives. Currently, 2 TB is the
CAMERA WITHOUT PLUGGING IN limit of a single drive (although 3TB is right around the corner), so a
DroboPro can hold 16 TB total. Data Robotics uses a proprietary stor-
The Eye-Fi Pro is the latest, most feature-rich wireless SDHC card age technology called BeyondRAID that allows you to mix-and-match
in the Eye-Fi lineup—and it should be given that it costs quite a bit storage capacities of different sizes and easily expand your overall
more than your typical 4-GB SD card. storage size in the future. Buy only the amount of storage space that
Setup is easy: Plug the card into your computer using the supplied you need now and add more when you need it. The DroboPro also
card reader, install the software, set up your account, tweak your set- offers dual disk redundancy so that if up to two drives fail at the same
tings, stick the card in your camera, and snap away. time, DroboPro can recover all your data and put it back on the new
Overall, I like the card and its many features. You can directly upload drives as soon as you insert them into the unit.
to Flickr, Facebook, and other online sharing sites. You have the DroboPro has dual smart fans that optimize speed based on cool-
option to upload everything you shoot, or upload selectively using your ing requirements to minimize noise, an optional rack mount kit, and
camera’s protect function (I recommend the latter). And you can turn a triple interface featuring iSCSI, FireWire 800, and USB 2. iSCSI uses
on upload notifications via email, SMS, or Twitter. a Gigabit Ethernet connection and a software “initiator” to create
Many users will find geotagging useful, and Wayport Hotspot access a high-speed connection between your computer and DroboPro.
will be handy for photographers in the field without a laptop who want Because iSCSI only requires a standard Ethernet cable, it’s a cheaper
to back up their selects from the day. You can also transfer to any com- option than many high-end RAID set-ups that require fiber con-
puter that has a wireless card via the ad hoc transfer feature; no need for nections, switches, special adapter cards and cables, etc. I tested
a router or Internet. the iSCSI vs. USB 2 and found it to be about 2.5 times faster when
While the Eye-Fi Pro is useful for backing up select RAW images transferring larger files.
(it takes roughly 30 seconds to transfer a 13-MB file), it’s not really a The only disappointment is that DroboPro isn’t capable of directly
viable option for downloading the entire 4-GB card (this would take working on a network. You can hook it up to one computer and then
nearly 2.5 hours). This isn’t Eye-Fi’s fault; it’s just the limitation of use your operating system’s built-in, file-sharing facilities to make it
wireless transfer speed. Kind of like trying to do video chat back in available to others, but this means your computer always needs to be
dial-up days, it’s a little ahead of its time. on to share files and you’ll have slower performance because of the
The bottom line is this card could be useful for field photogra- overhead associated with networking protocols.—Rod Harlan
phers who need to quickly upload selects to the home office. If all
the extra features that Eye-Fi Pro has to offer are worth the extra $100
to you, go for it!—Brad Moore Company: Data Robotics, Inc. Price: $1,499
Web: www.drobo.com Rating: ● ● ● ●
Hot: Easily expandable storage with dual redundancy
Company: Eye-Fi, Inc. Price: $149.99
Not: No direct networking support
Web: www.eye.fi Rating: ● ● ● ●
Hot: Easy to use; lots of helpful and useable features

Not: Price; wireless download speed

[ reviews]
Autodesk 3ds Max 2010

FULL-FEATURED 3D MODELING, ANIMATION,
AND RENDERING APP
It’s finally here! When I heard that the new version of 3ds Max was
ready, I was very curious to see what the folks at Autodesk had come
up with to make us run out and buy it. I was skeptical to say the least,
as it seems many of our favorite programs are being upgraded more
frequently and some of these upgrades are definitely not worth the
cost vs. the new feature benefits. But I have to say that Autodesk
3D Studio Max 2010 hasn’t disappointed; there are quite a few new
features (more than 100 new additions to the modeling toolset alone)
that make it a robust upgrade worthy of investing. The new features
are plenty, so let’s jump in and get right to them.
The first thing you’ll notice after launching the program is that the
interface has a fresh new look with a clean color palette that’s much
easier on the eyes. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but try
staring at your screen for a few hours and you’ll really notice the dif-
ference. The next feature that jumps out is the Graphite Tools Ribbon need to get the size down to a more manageable number. The new
Modeling interface (similar to Microsoft’s). These appear at the top Topology tool has been integrated into Max this go-around, as well;
of the viewport and this is where all of the new modeling tools are a very welcome addition, as it allows you to take a high poly model
stored. The Graphite ribbon is an amazing addition to the program. from Mudbox or ZBrush and simply “draw” new low poly onto it creating
Previously, a lot (if not all) of these tools were available as a plug-in, a new mesh. There are many more new features but I just don’t have
so it’s very cool that they’ve decided to include them in the new the space to cover them all here.
version of Max. This is where the bulk of the tools are and you’ll find In conclusion, I think that Autodesk has really stepped it up with
there’s more than enough to keep you busy creating for some time. this release of Max 2010. It seemed as though Maya was getting all
One really cool addition is the set of Loop tools, which makes it of the attention lately, but after seeing this new version and putting
easier than ever to clean up a model. You can select edge loops in it through its paces, have no fear my friends: the Autodesk gang has
one click and easily remove them, as well as add edge loops, making definitely not forgotten about the Max users and this release proves
the process much more interactive. The Insert Edge Loop tool has it.—Bruce Bicknell
been missing from Max—its counterpart, Maya, has had this function
for some time. This helps bring some additional functionality to Max
that we’ve all been clamoring for.
Company: Autodesk, Inc. Price: $3,495 (Upgrade: $895)
Another cool new feature is the ability to optimize your models.
Web: www.autodesk.com Rating: ● ● ● ●
Users can now perform intense mesh optimization and mesh-flow
tweaking without switching tools. Once this is engaged, you can Hot: Graphite modeling toolset; render-preview; enhanced OBJ
support; Containers
delete rings, edges, and loops with a single click of the mouse. This is
a great tool for those that find themselves with a high poly count and Not: Cost
92

[ reviews]
Anime Studio Debut 6 Strata Enfold 3D CX

CREATE PROFESSIONAL, FOLDED 3D DESIGNS
AFFORDABLE 2D ANIMATION SOFTWARE IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
Have you ever wanted a fast, inexpensive way to create your own Do you have a tough time with folded product designs? It requires
cartoons and animations? Well your wait is over! With Anime Studio a lot of trial-and-error to line up graphics across folds, making sure
Debut 6 you can get your 2D animations up to speed with your own that something doesn’t get out of line when the cuts are made. Well,
designs or you can use the pre-packaged characters, props, video, hold onto your hats! Strata has come up with Enfold 3D CX to solve
and sounds to create cool cartoons quickly. So let’s take a look at these problems. This product’s tools make the creation of packaging
what makes Anime Studio Debut 6 a great find and a significant extremely intuitive, allowing designers of all levels to create folded
upgrade from Anime Studio 5. 3D designs directly in Adobe Illustrator.
The two features that I’d say make this upgrade worthwhile are the The obvious important feature is the ability to do 3D modeling
amplitude-based lip-syncing and motion tracking. These two items in Adobe Illustrator, which allows you to see your folded designs in
can take a beginner’s animations to the next level. The drawing tools 3D (real time), make changes to the design, and view them on the fly.
include a great set of basic, vector drawing tools that provide freehand This makes the design process much easier—not to mention faster.
drawing, shading, and shape tools that, when used correctly, can be Another great feature is that you can bring in existing designs from
pretty powerful. Note though that you won’t be able to do complex which to create your packaging—no matter what it is, you can bring it
drawings as you can in Photoshop but you can get some great results in and create some great product designs. Probably the most useful
if you use the tools properly. tool is the Distribute feature, which lets you match up art across folds.
You can publish your videos straight to YouTube or other TV and If you’ve done this before, you know that this is one of the tough-
Web formats, giving you a polished final output to show off to the est tasks to accomplish when mocking up a design. Enfold 3D CX
world. Finally, the bone system has been upgraded for Anime Stu- automates this process, making life easier all around. Finish this up by
dio Debut 6. The bones now morph animated shapes more natu- being able to generate print-ready files and you’re good to go.
rally and allow a quicker, easier process to animate your characters. This is one awesome program: It moves a cumbersome process to
For the price, you can’t beat this software’s capabilities and features a more streamlined creative process that allows the designer to see
to produce animation. results quickly. Strata Enfold 3D CX saves you time and its feature set
Anime Studio Debut 6 is an easy-to-use program and a great (and is a must-have for designers who want to increase their productivity
inexpensive) tool for designers who want to get into character anima- when it comes to creating folded designs.—Bruce Bicknell
tion. It’s also a time-saver and with its feature set, it’s a must-have for
designers who want to improve their animation skills.—Bruce Bicknell

Company: Strata 3D Price: $695
Web: www.strata.com Rating: ● ● ● ● ●
Company: Smith Micro Inc. Price: $49.99 Hot: 3D mockups on the fly; import existing designs; intuitive
Web: www.mysmithmicro.com Rating: ● ● ● ● Not:
Hot: Bone system; lip-syncing; motion tracking
Not: Drawing tools aren’t advanced
94

95

Pixelmator 1.5
LAYER-BASED IMAGE EDITOR FOR MAC OS X
Pixelmator has a practical feature set for creating, editing, and enhanc-
ing images. Originally released in 2007, version 1.5 for Mac is only
compatible with Leopard and Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later),
taking advantage of Apple’s OS X Core Image technology. And it’s
Sorenson 360
fast: booting in two seconds and processing and applying one of 50
VIDEO DELIVERY NETWORK SERVICE
effects filters to large files in approximately three seconds.
For almost 15 years, Sorenson Media has been a leader in video
Pixelmator does a lot within its layer-based architecture, 10 palettes,
encoding and compression technology. Building on their success,
and set of 20 tools. Added features include: Save for Web; image slic-
they’ve developed a new Video Delivery Network (VDN) service,
ing; a trim tool; and you can send a copy of your image to a new Mail
Sorenson 360. Like other Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), Soren-
message or your iPhoto library. Also, with one click, Pixelmator can take
son 360’s VDN allows for increased preference, quality, and scalability,
a picture via Apple iSight and add it as a layer into your composition.
without the high price of a CDN, such as Akamai or Limelight.
If you work with Photoshop, Pixelmator’s user interface—configu-
Although not for everyone, the 360 is designed for a small- or
rable palettes and a toolbar float on a slick, black background—will be
medium-sized business that needs a reliable way to deliver videos
warm, familiar ground, with many of the same keyboard commands.
in a customizable player along with accurate metrics. Also, it’s a
It supports more than 100 file formats including PSD, DNG, and most
subscription-based service with users paying by the length of vid-
proprietary RAW formats. Its layer-based architecture has layer masks
eos and number of “streams” (one stream equals one view).
and blending modes but it lacks nondestructive adjustment layers and
An interesting thing about 360 is that you don’t need Sorenson
blending styles.
Squeeze or any other compression software to use it. You can upload
Pixelmator offers an excellent brush and gradient tool and there’s
your uncompressed files to 360 and it will compress your video, all
a wide range of selection tools including a clever magic wand that
over the Internet. Even though I’d rather handle encoding locally, this
shows the selection as you drag across targeted areas. The extensive filter
is a great feature for small businesses that might not have extensive
menu has some wonderful effects with unique digital ropes that allow you
knowledge of video compression. Note: Those users with Squeeze 5.1,
to select the center of the filter’s effect. Third-party plug-ins are sup-
however, can compress files locally and upload the videos right to a
ported by Apple’s Core Image and Quartz Composer technology.
360 account without leaving Squeeze. Once the videos are uploaded to
What Pixelmator needs is to spruce up the text tool’s options
360, you’ll have the ability to customize the player, view detailed met-
and have a photo browser that can navigate freely. Currently the
rics, password-protect files for client-specific access, and much more.
browser can only open files saved to iPhoto or your Home picture
Sorenson 360 is really designed for small businesses that are
folder. But Pixelmator is a powerful program worth downloading
looking for a video CDN alternative and want to step above free or
and trying.—Steve Baczewski
cheaper services (such as YouTube or blip.tv), which require compro-
mises and carry certain “free” behaviors. If you fit into that market,
it’s a great service and, even if you don’t, Sorenson will customize a
subscription for you.—Erik Kuna
Company: Smith Micro Inc. Price: $59
Web: www.pixelmator.com Rating: ● ● ● ●
Hot: Fast Company: Sorenson Media Inc. Price: Starts at $99/month
Not: Photo browser Web: www.sorensonmedia.com Rating: ● ● ●
Hot: Reliable; customizable; duration metrics
Not: Expensive for most users

GOOD L UCK PUPP Y , © V L A D K O L A R O V
[ TIPS & TRICKS]
more hot tips for the coolest applications

[Adobe Photoshop CS4] [Adobe Illustrator CS4]
B Y P E T E R B A U E R B Y D A V I D C R E A M E R
RESAMPLING IMAGES REDUCE OVERHEAD

Do you find that you’re constantly changing the Resample If you plan on using numerous drop shadows, glows, or
Image option in the Image>Image Size dialog? Head to other raster-based effects while working on a low-power
Photoshop (PC: Edit)>Preferences>General, change Image (or low-RAM) system, try creating a Basic CMYK Document
Interpolation to the resampling algorithm you use most rather than a Print Document. The only difference is that
often, and click OK. That will change the default Resample the raster effects are set to 72 ppi instead of 300 ppi—the
Image setting in Image Size. lower resolution will reduce the overhead on your system.
Later, during proofing or final output, you can increase
QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST the setting to your required resolution by going to the
With brush-using tools, you can change numeric values in
Effect>Document Raster Effects Settings menu.
the Options Bar by using the number keys. When you (very
quickly) type 25 with the Brush (or Gradient, Paint Bucket, DON’T SELECT ALL
or the six clone, history, and eraser tools), the Opacity If you’re using multiple artboards, watch out for the Select
changes to 25%. With the toning and sharpness tools, All shortcuts. The traditional Select All shortcut—Command-A
the Exposure or Strength changes. When using the Color (PC: Ctrl-A)—now selects items on all artboards, so if you use
Replacement tool, Tolerance changes. And for the Sponge it to select objects to edit or delete, you could be in for a big
www.LAYERSMAGAZINE.COM
tool, typing numbers changes Flow. For any tools that have surprise. To select all objects on the currently active artboard,
both Opacity and Flow, add the Shift key to change the use the Command-Option-A (PC: Ctrl-Alt-A) shortcut.
Flow setting. If you’re like me and prefer the traditional shortcut to affect
only the artboard you’re working on, go to Edit>Keyboard
Shortcuts, select Menu Commands in the drop-down menu,
twirl down Select, and swap the Select>All and the Select>All
in Active Artboard shortcuts.
96

97
USE FIND AND REPLACE OFTEN

[Adobe InDesign CS4] Many people dismiss Find and Replace as a simple replace
B Y D A V I D C R E A M E R
script for code; they’re missing out on some incredible
features. Not only can you search code and random text,
BASED-ON TYPE STYLE you also have the ability to search within specific tags to
Here are a few simple guidelines when setting up a template
see if they contain certain attributes. And if they do, you
for long documents:
can add other attributes, substitute those with new ones, or
• First of all, be sure to use based-on settings. Long docu-
strip portions of the code entirely. You can even add custom
ments tend to have many variations of the basic Body
code before or after the elements you’re looking for, making
style, all of which should be based on Body. That way, if
it a great time saver when amending blocks of code.
something major changes, such as the font/type size, you
can change the “parent” style and have all the “children”
update automatically.
• Rarely should anything be based on the Basic Paragraph
[Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro]
style (I never say never, as there may be times where it
could be used).
• Break the document styles into general categories, such FINDING A SNOW LEOPARD IN A SNOWSTORM
as body-, subhead-, or table-based styles. Don’t base your So you upgraded to Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) and your
subheads on the Body style unless there’s a very good Adobe PDF Printer isn’t working. Not to worry; things have
reason. Table styles may or may not be based on the Body just changed a little. The Adobe PDF Printer has been moved
style depending on the design. to the print dialog’s PDF drop-down menu (in the lower-left
corner) and when you select it from the menu, it will work as
MASTER OF THE PAGE usual. If the print driver is still listed as a “normal” printer in
While you’re working on your based-on type styles, you the Printer drop-down list at the top of the dialog, you should
might want to start thinking about your master pages, and remove it via the System Preferences. If you update to Acro-
here are a few tips: bat 9.1, the print driver will be removed during the update.
• Just like type styles, master pages can be based on other
master pages. Although this requires more pre-planning A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FORMS
than duped master pages, it’s well worth the effort, espe- If you need to have “help” fields show up with instruc-
cially for longer documents. tions for forms when a user hovers her mouse over a field,
• Items on master pages can be positioned on different you can create text fields that contain the instructions. In
layers, allowing some master page items to be covered the Text Field Properties dialog, type the help info in the
up and making sure others are never covered. Default Value area (under the Option tab) and set the field
• You can override master-page items en masse or one-at- to Read Only and Hidden (under the General tab). Then in
a-time. To override all master pages items, use the Pages the field that requires the instructions, go to the Actions
panel flyout menu (the overrides are applied to any targeted tab and add two Show/Hide a Field actions: the first hap-
or selected pages in the Pages panel); to override a single pening on Mouse Enter or On Focus that shows the help
item, you can Shift-Command-click (PC: Shift-Ctrl-click) on field; the second on Mouse Exit or On Blur that re-hides
the object. the field.
• There are a couple of ways to prevent overrides to objects:
(1) Put the desired objects on their own layer and lock the
layer; or (2) select the object(s) and deselect the Allow [Adobe Flash CS4 Professional]
Master Item Overrides on Selection (it’s automatically on). B Y C Y N D Y C A S H M A N , P H . D .
USE VIDEO ASPECT RATIO

[Adobe Dreamweaver CS4] It’s a good idea when creating Flash animations for the Web
B Y R A F A E L “ R C ” C O N C E P C I O N
to use a video aspect ratio. That way, if a client decides she’d
like to use the animation in a video presentation, you’ll be
SPEED UP YOUR WORK USING COMMANDS able to quickly grant her wish.
There’ll be times when you’re working on a page and you
find yourself doing the same tasks over and over. Rather BEST PLAYBACK PERFORMANCE
than repeat the tasks and waste time, select the steps in The playback performance of the Flash Player may be
the History panel, click on the flyout, and select Save As affected if too many filters are applied to an object. Each
Command from the menu. This allows you to take those filter has three possible settings: High, Medium, and Low. If
steps, give them a name, and save them, so the next time you must apply multiple filters to create an effect, try using
you need to do those same steps, you can access that com- the lowest-quality setting possible to ensure the best play-
mand from the Commands menu instead. back performance.

VL AD KOL AROV
[CREATIVE SUITE Q & A]
sweet answers for suite questions

[Adobe InDesign CS4] [Adobe Illustrator CS4]
B Y D A V I D C R E A M E R B Y D A V I D C R E A M E R
Is there a faster way to change the units on a document When I paste text into Illustrator, I often see a little red cross
[Q] than taking a trip to the Preferences? [Q] in the lower-right corner of the text box. What is that and
how do I get rid of it?
Yes, simply Right-click on the Rulers (if you don’t see the rul-
ers, press Command-R [PC: Ctrl-R]). If you Right-click where The red cross represents overset text, or text that can’t fit into
the rulers intersect, you can select the new units from the the current text box. You didn’t mention that you weren’t able to
menu for both rulers at once. Or Right-click each ruler (hori- see all of your text, so I suspect that you simply have an excess
zontal and vertical) individually to change it. Most graphics of paragraph returns at the end of your pasted text (I call these
programs with rulers allow the increments to be adjusted by “dead returns”). Simply delete the returns until the overset mark
Right-clicking on the ruler, but not all allow separate vertical goes away. Tip: You may want to turn on Type>Show Hidden
and horizontal settings. Characters first so you can see the returns. If you’re missing text,
you need to make the text box larger with the Selection tool or
I noticed that my InDesign files seem to grow overly reduce the type size.
[Q] large as I work on them. Is there a way to keep the size
of the file in check? I received a file with lots of text, and everything was on one
[Q] layer. Is there an easy way to get the text onto its own layer?
www.L AYERSMAGA ZINE.COM
InDesign (as did its ancestor, PageMaker) saves the changes

made to a document to the end of the (computer) file, so it’s First, make sure the objects aren’t grouped (Object>Ungroup).
constantly adding to the file size. While this is necessary for Then, select the text elements using Select>Object>Text
the auto-save and for saving speed, it does bulk up the file Objects. When all of the text is selected, create a new layer,
size. The easiest way to reduce the size of the file is to do a and then move the selected text to this layer in the Layers
simple Save As. Tip: When performing the Save As, click on panel. If the previous user converted all the text to outlines,
the original file to load the same name, so you don’t have to you can only hope that he used a unique color swatch for the
type it in, thus preventing errors. text. Then you can use Select>Same>Fill Color.
98

99
L AY E R S M A G A Z I N E ][ ja n / f e b 2010
A third-party plug-in, such as Enfocus PitStop Pro would be
[Adobe Photoshop CS4] required to edit the PDFs without having the fonts installed.
B Y P E T E R B A U E R
If you’re doing more advanced edits than Acrobat allows, you
might want to check it out.
Every time I try to crop my images with the Crop tool (C),
[Q] they disappear. What’s going on?
How can I turn off the large purple banner that shows up
The Crop tool’s Options Bar uses the unit of measure specified
[Q] every time I open up a form?
in the Photoshop (PC: Edit)>Preferences>Units & Rulers. If the
You can hide “the Big Purple Monster” (officially called the Forms
Rulers drop-down menu in the Preferences dialog is set to pix-
Document Message Bar) by taking a trip to the Acrobat Prefer-
els and you try to crop to 8x10, you’re cropping to 8x10 pixels
ences. Then, under the Forms section, select Always Hide Forms
rather than 8x10 inches. You can remember to check the Pref-
Document Message Bar.
erences before you crop or simply enter your preferred unit of
measure right in the Options Bar; for example, in the Width and
Height fields, type “8 in” and “10 in” to specify inches.
[Adobe dreamweaver cs4]
Can I automate adding a copyright or logo to a folder of B Y R A F A E L “ R C ” C O N C E P C I O N
[Q] images using Photoshop’s Batch command?
I created an AIR app using the Dreamweaver extension but
Yes, using these steps to create an action: [Q] whenever I install it, I get a red x message that the content
1. First, create the logo/copyright as a separate layer on a trans- isn’t trusted. Is there a way that I can remove that?
parent background (and as the only layer), Save it as a PSD file,
When you create an AIR application using the extension for
then Close it.
Dreamweaver, there are two options for creating a certificate:
2. Go to Photoshop (PC: Edit)>Preferences>Units & Rulers, set a self-signed certificate or a Code Signing Certificate from a
the unit of measure in the Rulers drop-down menu to Percent. Certificate Authority. When you create your own certificate,
(Remember to change it back when you’ve finished recording you’re really doing this for testing purposes, making sure that
your action.) everything works OK. You can pass that app to others without
3. Open an image. a problem, but that warning box will always appear. If you
4. In the Actions panel (Window>Action), select a set of Actions want to appear more legit, it’s best to request a certificate
or create a new set. Click the Create New Action icon at the bot- from a company such as thawte. They’ll ask you to complete
tom of the Actions panel, name the Action, and click Record. a form and provide documentation on you and your business.
• Now open your logo file, Select>All, Edit>Copy, and As soon as that’s complete, they’ll send you a certificate that
File>Close. will make your applications look more genuine.
• Edit>Paste, position the logo using the Move tool (V).
• File>Save As, save as a PSD (but don’t overwrite your When you install Dreamweaver on your computer, are you
original file).
[Q] using it just to manage one website?
• Click the Stop button at the bottom of the Actions panel
Absolutely not! That’s the beauty of Dreamweaver. When
and your action is ready to use.
you define a site, you give it a specific name and point it
5. Close the “sample” image you used to create the action. to a root folder on the computer, which means that you
6. Now create a new empty folder anywhere on your hard can have many sites that you’re working on with a single
drive as long as it’s outside the folder of images you’re Dreamweaver installation.
going to batch.
7. In Photoshop, choose File>Automate>Batch. Select the
Action you just created, the Source folder of images you [Adobe Flash CS4 Professional]
want to batch, and the new empty folder as the Destina- B Y C Y N D Y C A S H M A N , P H . D .
tion. Turn on the option to Override Action “Save As”
Commands, then click OK to run the batch. What is the acceptable format for naming a variable in Flash?
[Q] Generally variables can be named anything you want as long
[Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro] as you follow these simple rules: no spaces in the name; the
name cannot start with a number; and no special punctuation
or symbols except for the _ (underscore) or $ (dollar sign).
Can I embed fonts in a PDF so it can be edited cross-platform?
[Q] It doesn’t matter if you embed the fonts or not: Acrobat [Q] Can I make a button symbol draggable using ActionScript 3?
requires that the fonts be installed on the computer system No, you must use a movie clip. This is because the drag
in order to allow edits. With that in mind, I’d recommend methods in ActionScript 3 originate with the Sprite class.
using OpenType fonts, which are cross-platform, or install the Movie clips can inherit functionality from a Sprite, whereas
Windows TrueType fonts on the Mac system and use those. buttons cannot.

101
For advertising information, please contact Kevin Agren,

VP, Sales at 813-433-2370 Fax: 813-433-5013
Email: kagren@kelbymediagroup.com
I N D E X O F A D V E R T I S E R S
4 Over, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102–103

www.4over.com
[K] [P]
[A] Kelby Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100, 104, 106 Peachpit Publishing Group . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
www.kelbytraining.com www.peachpit.com
Adorama Camera, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
www.adorama.com
Kelby TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Photoshop World
http://kelbytv.com Conference & Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55–60
Alien Skin Software.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
www.alienskin.com www.photoshopworld.com
Anthropics/Portrait Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

[L]
www.anthropics.com PrintRunner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
www.printrunner.com
Layers Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Artistic Photo Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 www.layersmagazine.com
www.artisticphotocanvas.com
[R]
[B] [M]
Really Right Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
B&H Photo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 www.reallyrightstuff.com
MacMall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC
www.bhphotovideo.com
www.macmall.com
Berthold Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 [S]

www.bertholdtypes.com Media Graphix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
www.mediagraphix.com
Boss Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Shutterstock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC
www.bosslogo.com www.shutterstock.com
Media Lab, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
www.medialab.com
[C] [T]
Corel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Mpix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
www.corel.com www.mpix.com The Tiffen Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
www.tiffen.com
[F]
[N]
Fotolia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52–53 [W]
www.fotolia.com
National Association of
[I] Photoshop Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
www.photoshopuser.com
Wacom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
www.wacom.com/americas
iStockphoto.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC–3
www.istockphoto.com [O] [Z]
I.T. Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 onOne Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Zoo Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

www.itsupplies.com www.ononesoftware.com www.zooprinting.com
Every attempt has been made to make this listing as complete as possible. However, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

[DESIGN ] LAY E R S B A C K P A G E
] WIN A $599 SHOPPING SPREE
CONTEST] TO KELBYTRAINING.COM
HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $599 SHOPPING

SPREE TO KELBYTRAINING.COM!
The Mission ] Picking up the theme from our cover story, “Going Digital” by
Terry White (p. 34), your mission is to create a print advertisement for what you think
an all-encompassing multimedia device will be like in the year 2020. The device
should deliver everything a user could ever want: magazines, newspapers, books,
games, TV shows, movies, music, the Internet, video chat, etc. But don’t let your
imagination stop there. Try to include some unique uses for the device above and
beyond just content delivery.
The Judging ] You’ll be providing one full-page ad for the judges. They’ll
be looking at the overall creativity, use of type, and the quality of illustrations and
other images used in the ad. They’ll also take into account the general impact of
the advertising message. (Note: Please proofread your designs, or have someone
proofread them for you. Typos have a negative impact on judging.)
The Prize ] The grand prize winner will receive a $599 shopping spree to
KelbyTraining.com. Just imagine the books, DVDs, online training, seminars,
and NAPP membership that you could score with that kind of money. It could
even offset the entire cost of a ticket to Photoshop World in Orlando if you take
advantage of the early bird registration and sign up by February 26, 2010.
Deadline ] March 1, 2010. The winner will be announced in the May/June 2010
issue of Layers magazine.
[FOR COMPLETE DETAILS, VISIT WWW.LAYERSMAGAZINE.COM/DESIGNCONTEST.HTML.]

AUGMENTED
REALITY WINNER
(Layers September/October 2009)
Title ] The Marker

Designer ] Benjamin Weatherston
Prize ] Newer Technology 1.5-TB Guardian
MAXimus and $200 in credits to Fotolia.com
110


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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 W W W. L AY E R S M A G A Z I N E .

From EPUBs and PDFs to iPhones and Kindles,

DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 15, 2010

TEN SECRETS TO SEVEN AMAZING STORIES

50 ] Adobe Photoshop CS4:

61 ] Adobe Illustrator CS4:

68 ] Adobe InDesign CS4:

74 ] Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro:

78 ] Adobe Dreamweaver CS4:

84 ] Adobe Flash CS4 Professional:

20 ] How Photoshop CS4 Saved the Day

40 ] Build a Better Business

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LAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

18 ] The Digital Canvas

96 ] Tips & Tricks

98 ] Creative Suite Q&A

110 ] Design Contest

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Live Color in Adobe Illustrator CS4 (Video): With a little experi-

16 Designing a Business Card in InDesign (Video): Using layers,

stealth video to your Flash projects.—Tom Green

[SOCIAL NETWORK] [PREMIERE PRO]

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expand your horizons

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Signature Worthy w w w .l ayer s mag azi n e.c o m

Series EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Scott Kelby

HOT and COLD Press Paper MANAGING EDITOR Chris Main

1.800.771.9665 www.itsupplies.com either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in

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Learn Adobe Creative Suite

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Less than a month after announcing Photoshop.com Mobile for

Now you can take your eBooks

Quick corrections How would you like to be able to make corrections

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GRAPHICS OF THE AMERICAS Astute Graphics extends

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the paper went bankrupt. Because it proved to be popular, I was given

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LAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

[CONTACT] Vlad Kolarov www.evlad.com ALL IMAGES BY VLAD KOLAROV

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[ the digital canvas ]

Design: Nature’s Oasis ] [ Client: Personal Work ] [ Designer: Ryan Forshaw

Design: Father Nature ] [ Client: Personal Work ] [ Designer: Ryan Forshaw

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Design: Sea Dog

The staff at Layers magazine appreciates

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Grand Prize (and Week 3) Winner

create an absolutely stunning cover!

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LAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

“I need an 8x10 green screen photo of each cast member superimposed

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I don’t have a huge number of subscribers, but

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lAYERS MAGAZINE ][ jan / feb 2010

P arrots and cockatoos are such fun and fascinating birds in

APPLICATION USED: Adobe Photoshop

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