Company Marks 10-year Milestone with Limited Edition Anniversary Book

Launched in late 1999 and created as a successor to Adobe® Pagemaker® software, Adobe InDesign® revolutionised the publishing industry with its unrivalled technology and features. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Adobe is releasing a commemorative book titled “Page by Page: 10 Years of Designing with Adobe InDesign” that highlights the product’s evolution and features designers who have helped make InDesign a success. The PDF version of the book is available on Adobe.com and the limited edition print version will be available through Blurb in mid-April. Additionally, to mark the occasion, the company will be releasing 10 new InDesign tips and tricks video tutorials on Adobe TV.

Rapid Innovation in an Evolving Market

As publishing evolves, Adobe continues to lead the industry, revolutionising how creative professionals design and produce publications. Entering its second decade, InDesign is poised to change the publishing industry again, allowing designers and production professionals to deliver page layouts beyond traditional print to online media and mobile devices, including eBook readers, smart phones and a new generation of tablet devices due later this year. Adobe has changed the course of desktop publishing with InDesign, giving creative professionals the freedom to create what once seemed impossible and to extend delivery of engaging documents to more than one channel.

“Page by Page: 10 Years of Designing with Adobe InDesign”

Designed to provide an inside look at the company’s stewardship in moving publishing from print to digital solutions, the 10th anniversary book examines the role of InDesign and the InDesign Family in transforming the layout and editorial workflow at agencies, corporate publishers and traditional publishers worldwide. The book also details the evolution of InDesign from its public debut in 1999 to today and includes sample work created by designers for publications such as Marie Claire, publishers like Condé Nast, and cutting edge design agencies such as Modern Dog and Mucca Design.

John Loiacono, senior vice president, Creative Solutions Business Unit at Adobe comments, “InDesign took on an entrenched competitor and won through innovation and customers who demanded more from their software. Now InDesign is seen as an essential tool for enabling publishers to deliver in print and build new businesses around digital publications.” Suzanne Sykes, creative director, Marie Claire adds, “InDesign was the breakthrough publishing had been waiting for, and Marie Claire was lucky to be one of first to take advantage of it.”

For more information log onto http://www.indesign10anniversary.com/

Hello to you all and apologies for not posting for a while. I have been busy experimenting with various things, all of which will be making their appearance soon. One of the experiments consisted of seeing how a layered file would work for a scrapbook background and the result is here! You have a separate layer for the paper colour, the lines and also the type of ring binder used, all of which can be turned on and off with ease. Plus, of course, you can edit to your heart’s content. Click the link below to download the file and also check out a couple of variations that we have come up with.

Click here for the file

SHOWCASE YOUR PROJECTS IN E-ON SOFTWARE’S 2010 SHOW REEL

E-on software, maker of the leading solutions for natural 3D environments, today announced it is seeking submissions for its upcoming 2010 show reel.

Following the success of the 2009 show reel, e-on software invites all Vue artists to submit recent commercial projects that involved Vue or Ozone for inclusion in the 2010 show reel, whether film, commercial, TV show, broadcast, music video, game cinematic, architectural walkthrough, or any other form of commercial animation project.

All submissions included in the show reel will receive full credit in a standardized format during playback of the corresponding sequence (at submitter’s discretion: company logo, project title and/or client name).

E-on software’s 2010 show reel will be showcased throughout the year at different tradeshows and conventions and in particular at Siggraph, July 25 – 29, Los Angeles (CA – USA).

Furthermore, submitted materials may also become the subject of online interviews and press advertising (if submitter agrees), providing permanent and worldwide exposure:

www.e-onsoftware.com/spotlight

E-on software is also interested in receiving high resolution imagery for inclusion in its marketing collateral.

Submission Process

The deadline for submitting video content for the 2010 show reel is May 14, 2010.

Entrants should send video excerpts, sample frames or web links to press@e-onsoftware.com, with a small project description (including the name of the client, if appropriate), full contact information, and their company logo.

Preferably, final video material should be available in a format of at least 720p (other formats accepted).

There are no restrictions as to what third party application is used in combination with Ozone or Vue (if any).

Here you will find a free sketch image of this rather beautiful Geisha. We used the sketch to create a wonderful stained glass effect in issue 42 of Photoshop Creative, but you can use it in any way you wish.

Click here for the sketch

Here they have listed the top 50 desktop supply sites – some free, some to buy, all looking great!

Follow this link to get your search on now – http://dezignus.com/top-wallpaper-websites/

Fad or functional personalised apparel product? We experiment with Sneakart’s latest adhesive Sneakskin to find out

Sneakskin from Sneakart is another exciting apparel customisation product. However, what gives this unique elastic film the edge is its recreational use. The Sneakskin is a self-applied adhesive design that can be attached, removed and replaced at any time.

The Sneakskin has its pros and cons, as with any item. Flexible, durable and waterproof are key factors that make it a worthy investment – considering its retail price of £9. These aspects lead to Sneakart’s assurance that your design will last for months, if not years, when treated with care. Limitations do occur with this product, with the adhesive only applicable to leather-type shoes. You’ll also need a shoe design with suitable panels that your Sneakskin can be applied to, making overall application far more successful.

Design template: The tutorials at www.sneakart.com show you how to prepare your artwork. Log onto http://sneakartblog.com for official Sneakskin news updates and opportunities

The Sneakart Sneakskin service is first class. Log onto www.sneakart.com and you can browse through a plethora of varied designs. The website also has a designated search engine, grouping design types into style-related categories – including glamour, sketch, urban and fashion.

Not losing sight of the accessible nature of this product, Sneakart offers consumers the chance to personalise Sneakskin designs with upload capabilities on the website. Accessed through the Custom option, designers can experience preparation tutorials and obtain Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator templates. Just be mindful that a pattern or repeating pattern that works with the scale of the shoe is, again, the best option for a good outcome. Design turnaround time is one to two business days when a single item is ordered through the website. Volume orders are offered on a 14-day service for a custom order in retail-ready packaging.

Mock up: The Sneakart site allows you to browse Sneakskin styles with consummate ease, with a contemporary-themed search engine. Thumbnails of designs are clear and comprehendible, allowing you to see live on-screen mocks, matching with trainer templates

When we did receive and apply our Sneakskin, we discovered a few fundamentals that you should know. First, it’s best to order your initial samples in quantity. It won’t take you long to get to grips with the application of this adhesive item, but unless you have a keen eye and are up on your textiles then you may need a little practice. Second, we did question the durability of the item. It sticks fast and is impressively waterproof.

However, our Sneakskin sample did show signs of lifted ink when peeling back the sticker template. This isn’t ideal, but disrepair was minimal and, considering the price and leisure of this product, it’s a worthwhile risk.
Sneakskin isn’t quite the future of sneaker design, but it will appeal to those who are big on creative individuality and fashion choices. Overall it’s a non-permanent method of customising trainers, eliminating the risk of ruining your shoes if you make a mistake. The site also offers a really good platform for showing off your artwork and style to other like-minded enthusiasts.

For more information log onto www.sneakart.com

Here artists from around the globe can share styles through contemporary catergorised themes – including Photoshop, Flash, CSS , 3d, Logos, Motion, Posters and even Business Cards.

It’s free to join and easy to browse through simple drop options – searching for the latest uploads from over the last year, to as recent as the past week. Those looking to employ the skills of innovative talents can directly email Creattica artists through live portfolio links.

So go ahead and check it out – indulge in some inspiring digital design!

http://creattica.com/

Press release

Canon and Getty Images Gallery celebrate 100 years of Hollywood with new exhibition

‘Hollywood through the lens – celebrating 100 years of Hollywood’ opens at the Getty Images Gallery, London on Monday, 8th March 2010.

United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 3rd March 2010, Iconic images of Hollywood stars from the early days of the silver screen through to present-day box office heavyweights will be displayed in an exhibition to celebrate Hollywood’s 100th anniversary. Sponsored by Canon and running from 8th March to 3rd April, ‘Hollywood through the lens – celebrating 100 years of Hollywood’ will take visitors on a journey from the 1920s, showing the evolution of Hollywood portraits through the golden age of cinema through to modern icons.

The images featured in the exhibition have been specially selected by both Canon and Getty Images Gallery from Getty Images’ archives, to represent both the influential individuals and photographic styles which shaped the decades. In addition to highlighting the changing fashions and faces of Hollywood, the images also offer a unique insight into the changing technology, techniques and styles of portrait photography enabled by the early cameras to the high resolution professional digital SLRs of today.

“The early days of Hollywood showcase the passion and creativity of the photographers of the age, using available technology and processes to capture a split-second magical image which tell a rich story of the subject, the era and even the cinematic style of the day,” commented Getty Images Gallery Director Louise Garczewska. “Every image featured in the exhibit allows us to appreciate the skills of the photographers behind the lens, and share their vision of Hollywood captured at that moment.”

“At Canon we are passionate about empowering people to take stories with our equipment,” said Yuji Shimodate, Director Photo Products Management & Professional Imaging, Canon Europe. “Hollywood is a shining example of story-telling at its greatest and the images which make up this exhibition offer an insight into the more intimate stories behind the icons who made Hollywood great.”

The exhibition runs from 8th March, to 3rd April, 2010 and admission is free. The gallery opening hours are from 9am to 6pm. Monday to Sunday. www.gettyimagesgallery.co.uk

Plustek Technology Inc., a manufacturer of consumer, prosumer, professional and office imaging devices (including portable scanners, sheetfed/flatbed scanners, wide-format scanners and IP surveillance equipment), is delighted to announce its latest product – the OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution.

Book scanning has become a growing trend globally, especially in an age where sharing information and making it more accessible in an environmentally-friendly way is an important issue. The OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution was created based on the concept of book preservation, digitisation and sharing of printed material – but with a key usability benefit. Scanning can be done independently from a computer using a touchscreen display.

The scanner’s touchscreen panel means it can be used independently from a computer, making it easier to use in environments where users aren’t necessarily experienced at using computers. Scanned documents can even be sent via e-mail, uploaded to a Web site via FTP, or saved onto a USB flash drive in either PDF or JPEG format.

The OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution scans an A3-size page in just 2.4 seconds. The scanner also creates crisp images of the pages, which can then be turned into different formats for sharing and archiving. The OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution offers variable scanning from 50dpi up to 1200dpi, and is also robust enough to perform up to 3000 scans per day – ideal for busy office environments, libraries, schools, graphic designers, publishing companies, hospitals, law firms and even financial institutions.

Particularly useful with bound materials, the OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution includes a patented design that eliminates the book spine shadow and text distortion of traditional book copying and scanning. Plustek’s patent-pending SEE Technology (Shadow Elimination Element) combines a patented lamp light with a special edge design that allows the scanning module to scan right up to where the book spine is placed. This clever design avoids the need for a large, expensive overhead scanner or complicated image-editing software.

“The OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution is the ideal device for sharing resources around an organisation and for improving work efficiency”, said Edward Hill, Business Development Manager, Plustek. “The scanner allows users to create a paperless work environment without the need for a computer, and it helps save costs and the environment by reducing copy machine toner. In addition, administration controls provide document security and the touchscreen display improves work efficiency due to a short learning curve.”

OpticBook A300 Standalone Solution will be available in April from Covergold. Pricing to be announced.

New Cintiq provides enhanced pen performance and innovative ergonomics for more creative control, comfort and productivity

Wacom, today introduces its newly redesigned Cintiq 21UX interactive pen

display, delivering state-of-the-art pen performance and innovative ergonomics. Designed specifically to meet the demanding needs of professional photographers, designers, artists and animators, the new Cintiq 21UX offers unparalleled creative control, comfort and productivity.

The Cintiq 21UX experience starts with its new pen performance, capable of capturing the slightest nuance of pen pressure against the LCD surface, as well as offering 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Other innovative enhancements include two Touch Strips located on the left and right rear of the display. They are ideally placed for fingertip access while working. Both Touch Strips have a corresponding Touch Strip Toggle button that controls up to four different user-assigned functions per application. Users can easily control and toggle between functions such as zoom, scroll, brush size adjustment and canvas rotation. The overall design has been refined and updated to an all-black colour scheme, placing the new Cintiq 21UX in line with the sophisticated design of the Intuos4 range.

2048 reasons to work directly on the screen with the pen
The Cintiq 21UX Grip Pen features Wacom’s new proprietary Tip Sensor technology, offering users near-zero (one gram) starting pressure for the most sensitive interactive pen display performance to date. Now, pressure-sensitive support starts with an incredibly light touch, emulating the same organic feel, response and result derived from working with traditional brushes, markers and pens. Additionally, the pen delivers 2048 levels of pressure, doubling the resolution of the pen’s pressure curve to further enhance feedback and expand the creative effects within software applications that support pressure sensitivity. The Grip Pen also features a pressure-sensitive eraser and two side switches that can be customised for commands such as double-click and right-click.

New design elements improve workflow
With a new ergonomic design and productivity features, the Cintiq 21UX is the ultimate tool for creative professionals. Eight fully programmable ExpressKeys, located on each side of the display’s bezel, are instrumental in helping improve workflow and boost productivity by placing commonly used application-specific commands at the fingertips. Pressing the top ExpressKey loads an on-screen display showing the settings of all the ExpressKeys and Touch Strips. The close proximity of these tools to the actual work area is efficient and comfortable. It also saves valuable time by minimizing dependence on the keyboard whilst maintaining focus on the pen hand.

Also new to the Cintiq 21UX is the introduction of two user-defined Touch Strips, located on the back of the bezel and the two Touch Strip Toggle buttons which control the function of the associated Touch Strip. An illuminated LED on the perimeter of the Toggle button indicates the current function of the corresponding Touch Strip. Fully application-specific, the Touch Strips can be used for up to four functions such as zoom, scroll, brush size adjustment and canvas rotation per application. This new ergonomic treatment is extremely practical, allowing users to “toggle” with their thumbs while using their forefinger or middle finger to control Touch Strip speed and variation. The four-function Toggle combined with the new location of the Touch Strips provides increased comfort and measurable increases in productivity. Locating the Touch Strips on the back of the interactive pen display rather than the front prevents accidental contact when, for example, users employ flowing brush strokes and extend them beyond the screen’s border.

The new Cintiq 21UX shares the same technology platform with the Intuos4, making it fully compatible.

Removable and adjustable stand
The Cintiq 21UX’s patented stand allows users to recline the interactive pen display at any angle between 10 to 65 degrees to match the users ideal working posture. In addition to reclining, the Cintiq 21UX can be rotated up to 180 degrees in either direction to take advantage of natural drawing movements or offer a different viewing angle. If desired, users can easily remove the Cintiq from the stand for use on a table top or to attach it to an articulating arm (not included) using the standard VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) mounts located on the back of the display.

Cintiq 21UX pen stand
A new weighted pen stand is not only a convenient pen holder, but doubles as a handy twist-off storage compartment for pen nibs and a handy nib removal tool. Standard felt and stroke nibs are provided, allowing users to simulate the feel of working with a variety of traditional art and design materials.

Software download programme
Cintiq 21UX owners can choose valuable software applications based on individual needs. A selection from industry leaders such as Adobe, Autodesk and Corel are available via download to users following installation and registration of a Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display.

In addition, Cintiq 21UX users will appreciate the significant upgrades to Wacom’s powerful, user-friendly driver software, including the introduction of precision mode and radial menus for even more precise and accurate work.

Additional accessories
Also available is an Art Pen, which turns on the rotation feature in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel Painter 11 to deliver natural brush effects, much like a calligraphy pen, as well as an Airbrush that has similar form and finger-wheel control as a traditional airbrush and .enables users to create and define paint patterns within certain creative programmes.

The new Cintiq 21UX is priced at £1,799.90/€1,999.90 (including VAT) and will be available from late March / early April 2010.

Information on Wacom Europe’s range of products and services can be found at www.wacom.eu.