texts: Adobe Illustrator: Can't make a very simple clipping mask

texts:
Of course, I'm a total newbie with Illustrator, but as per title I can't get the clipping mask tool to work in this basic situation:

The dialog says:

Unable to create a clipping mask. The top selected object should be a path, composite object, text or a group of these elements.

But my top item is a path, made with the pen tool.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.


texts: How can I visualize the render of a design on a cylinder object in Inkscape?

texts:
I'm not sure Inkscape can do that but I did a sketch of a sticker and I'd like to visualize it on a cylinder object (bottle).

I know Inkscape is not about 3d (even if you can do some things).

What I would like is have my model on the left and a cylinder on the right, and with some tricks moving the model on the left would move a copy of itself curved on the cylinder (to simulate a rotating cylinder).

It's just a global idea and maybe there is something a lot more easier but I didn't find anything useful for now.


texts:
I've being doing some research regarding how to present a good quality technical document (to be more specific, a PhD Thesis).

It seems to me there is some consensus regarding the fonts (as described in What font types are good for a technical document? and Fonts for technical reports), which makes me very happy because I really like when standards are around.

So, since my thesis is in biomedical engineering, I've come to two conclusions: to use Times New Roman and to set the main font at 12pt (most of my readers are over 40 years old).

Now what I need to know as one of the most general characteristics is what the text block should be.  I've read some Tschichold's guidelines, and it can be summarized like this:

textwidth=0.66666667\paperwidth,%
inner=0.123\paperwidth,% (inner margin)
textheight=0.666666667\paperheight,%
bottom=0.22222222\paperheight,%
headheight=1em,%

(Look here for a graphical description)

Now, it seems that is somewhat The Standard (although yesterday I was in a bookstore and I didn't see any book following Tschichold's scheme) for writing books, but is it OK to assume this should be the layout for a technical document?  If not, what other set of rules can I follow?


texts: Adobe Illustrator pictures to be played on a scoreboard with the dimensions of 1280 x 424

texts:
Ok, I want to make a video for a wedding, to be played on a stadium scoreboard.  The scoreboard's dimensions are 1280 x 424.  I was told to make my images this size and make a DVD in either .wmv or .mov.

My issue

How do I make the pictures that I have made with Illustrator, and make a video with them? Can I make the video's dimensions fit the scoreboard?

FYI, I have been using illustrator for 2 years, but nothing in this capacity.


texts: How to create a cartoon effect to the most basic sketch?

texts: How would I go about creating an effect such as the people in this image.  I like the simplicity of only a few colors and shapes.  Is there a filter I could use?


texts: Are there any downsides to a dark theme?

texts:
I'm not a graphic designer - I'm a web developer.

I'm looking at creating a portfolio website, and hiring a graphic designer to design it for me.

By default, I personally like dark themes - and the web applications I build  for myself typically use one.

So I could instruct the graphic designer to create the design with a dark theme in mind.

The question is - are there any downsides to a dark theme? Any issues with accessibility?

If not - why are dark themes rarer in the wild?


texts: How to display an user-defined logo in a Metro dark themed application?

texts:
For a Windows application currently under development we have chosen a dark Modern UI theme. As I don't have any representative screenshot at hand, let's say our look and feel is somewhat similar to the Mango Theme for Orchad or the Windows 8 Metro:

As our clients will be allowed to integrate their logo In the start page of the application, I'm wondering how to integrate it so that it's not looking awkward?

As we won't have any control on the image file set by the client, what can be done to ensure that the logo looks as integrated as possible?


texts: Does the typographic baseline grid manage images and other elements as well?

texts:
Since we build a baseline grid to rule our copy on the web, on articles I read, it's not clear if we should use this base line for giving spaces to other elements of the web as well, such as images for example. Say, for example the baseline is 6px height, so margins of pictures would be multiple of 6px. And same with any dimension I use, my pictures should be then always be a number than can be divided by 6px? having all elements on my web built with that rule. If the baseline is only for the copy, then I can't see how I could keep the baseline properly for the copy.

UPDATE:
Please have a look to what I have. http://gyazo.com/c2db7fb79a8f1b6ae3b34cd4591e6bbf
My baseline is 6px and sizes and spaces of elements follow that as well. I was not aware of "the grid for layout and logical sections." Would we have two horizontal grids? where could I see that?


texts: How to fill a closed path with a gradient that follows a path?

texts: This is a follow up to this question where they describe the procedure about how to "paint" a gradient that follows a path. So, my question is whether this could be used to fill a closed shape like the one in the figure bellow, where the left side of the hand has a linear gradient that does not reflect the curvature of the contours.


texts:
this might not be the place to ask this question, but I don't know anyone else in my field.
I work for a book publisher. I design around 90% of their 100+ books per year. I have worked there for 7 years, since I got out of college. In addition to designing covers (minimum 3 comps each), set them up for print, and troubleshoot any preflight problems, I interface with authors, do the quarterly catalog (of 100+ projects), and maintain administrative work.
Lately, this work has been added to with a number of drop-in projects (4 in the last month, including a kid's book to paginate).
So...

Is this is considered a regular workload?
Am I paid enough? $22/hr.

Thanks for reading.


texts: Adobe Photoshop - how to move the entire group not just a single layer?

texts: When I select the group, and then take my mouse and drag to move, I end up moving an individual layer. I end up having to use my keyboard to move things around, but thats very inefficient. Any suggestions?


texts: Best List lots of Address BUT SIMPLE as well

texts:
I am trying to get a clean look yet not give up detail when displaying quite a bit of addresses.

Here is the current method using toggling:

But from a user looking at this, they can't tell which center or location
they are looking for. Thus it is quite hard to find the place they want.

I am open to any ways to display this info that is straight forward yet not crowded.


texts: How to use Macbook Air's trackback to click Illustrator icons under the top icon?

texts: I want to get the icons behind the top icon, how can I get them visible? I am using Macbook Air without a mouse.


texts: How to save an .AI & .TIFF file with transparency

texts:
A client asked me to send the following files .ai, .eps, .pdf, .psd, .tif ( created in Adobe Illustrator) with transparent background. After searching through this site, I found out that I can save the .eps, .pdf & .psd with transparent backgrounds.

When I open the files in Preview and click on Show Image Background, the white background disappears and I can view the design with a transparent background.

I tried to do the same with the .Ai and .Tiff formats but it doesn't seem to be working.

In fact when I open the files with Preview & click on Show Image Background the image remain the same, just a block of white. I opened the .tiff in illustrator too using the outline mode command + Y but it still doesn't work.

Is it possible to save .AI and .TIFF files with transparency?


texts:
I'm fairly new to Illustrator, but I'm working on this vector:

Right now this is accomplished by circle paths, white fill color, and also two strokes. The blue stroke is 4px and then there is a white stroke of 6px under that, which is how I'm getting the gap between the circles.

I need to ultimately have the image be transparent, with no fill, and the white stroke gone. How is it that I can cut out the need for the white stroke and fill?

My first thoughts were to try and do each overlapping circle separately and do a "Minus Front", but this doesn't work because the blue is a stroke and will just redraw along the line of the overlapping circle that cut the bottom path.

Second thought is that if there was a way to turn the stroke into a path with a fill instead of a stroke on a circle, that this would be possible. I Found Object > Path > Outline Stroke which does this, and I can kind of get it working, but then the steps to accomplish would be:

Edit > Expand Appearance each circle
Edit > Path > Outline Stroke each circle
Copy/PasteInPlace a overlapping circle and subtract the copied circle from whatever is beneath it. (for each overlap!! So I'd have to do this 7 or 8 times!?)
Reorder layers (because each path merge messes with the layer order?)

And those steps would work, but it takes a hell of a lot of time to do that, and I'd have to save the file before all of these steps because if I want to change the image after this (ie stroke size), I'd have to do it and re-do all of these steps again.

So is there any way to accomplish what I want to do without that mess?


texts: Image size and quality decrease when I save my image as PNG with Photoshop

texts:
As you see, the image in Photoshop is smaller than the saved one. The image gets bigger after saving it.
There's a noticeable decrease in photo's quality after I save it. The one in Photoshop is higher quality than the saved as PNG one.

Why do these two weird things happen after I save the image as PNG? (or even JPEG and save for web)? I tried to save the image in different formats but that gave the same result.


texts: Illustrator CC changing color of half my file on PDF export

texts:
Using Illustrator CC, we save all our CMYK illustration files in PDF format. I just encountered a file where the copied half of the file (the design just copied over to the second half of the paper) printed with darker colors. I tried copy/pasting the correct half to a new file and duplicating the design, thinking maybe the file was damaged somehow, but that newly copied second half in that file also became darker upon printing.

I also tried duplicating the layers to copy the design with the same ending. I exported the file as a tiff and no such discoloration happens, so it's not in my layer settings. To work around for now, I've exported the design as a tiff and reimported & resaved it as a pdf. That appears to have it printing as expected, but is not a great permanent solution as the tiff is not editable.

Should I need to make changes in the future, I'll have to go back to the original PDF file, edit, export, import & resave all over again. I'd appreciate any insight as it's super bizarre.


texts: How to get specs of UI elements from PSD file for IOS?

texts:
I'm going to make an IOS app, and I will get interface mockups of my app from a designer. But I don't know in which format he will send me the interface, whether in PSD or JPEG format.

With the given format i want to find all specs like X-Y coordinates, width, height and distance between each element present in the interface in points or pixels.

So, is there any tool to get all the specs? I have searched and found xScope but i have not used it yet. Is this tool effective or not? Are there any other free tools?


texts: What does 'alpha' mean in design software?

texts:
I've never done any graphic art or design. So I have a super basic question. I'm learning to use Krita. I keep seeing the word "Alpha", what does this mean/refer to?

When I choose to create a new document in Krita, a dialog box pops up so that you can select different options for the document. The options for color model all have "/alpha" next to them. So the options look like this:

RGB/alpha
CMYK/alpha
Grayscale/alpha
XYZ/alpha
etc.

Each option has that after it.

Also I just learned what an alpha channel is. So... I guess I've really only seen it twice, but still, I want to know that means. Are there other "alpha" things too that I haven't learned about yet?


texts: How to not show shadow through transparent shape in figma

texts:
In figma, I have a rectangle shape which is white with 50% transparency.  I want to apply a shadow only to the outside of this shape, but when I apply the 'drop shadow' effect I see the shadow behind the shape - the shape turns slightly grey.

I was hoping to make it work like CSS box-shadow whereby the shadow only appears outside of the shape.  Is there a way to make it do this?

Thanks


texts:
In designing a machine to paint pictures using watercolors, a problem is that the media is usually white and watercolors are transparent making it difficult to paint dark colors.

To solve this, color printers use black ink mixed with the colored inks.

My question: What is a good way to convert a color specified as RGB into RGB plus Black.


texts: Reverse layer positions from a layer group (batch)

texts:
Do you know how can I create batch script in Photoshop that reverses the position of all the layers inside a layer group?

I have like 400 layer groups, each with 1-20 layers like this:

Group 1
 - layer 1
 - layer 2
 - layer 3
 ...

And i want to reverse position so it becomes like this:

Group 1
 - layer 3
 - layer 2
 - layer 1
 ...

This is because I'm adding new layers constantly and they are always placed in front, so it makes sense to put older layers last


texts: I am currently designing shirts in Photoshop. The place where i print shirts only accepts PNG, JPEG or JPG. What should i do to ensure higher quality?

texts: So the reason i'm designing in Photoshop instead of using vectors is because i am incorporating photos into the designs. The shirts will be printed using DTG Neo Pigment. What steps should i take to ensure higher print quality? Is there any specific color mode to use, or what file format should i use? Please advise and give any tips, thank you in advance.


texts: Inkscape SVG → print-ready EPS/PDF workflow

texts:
I realize similar questions have been asked here and there, but I'm still a bit confused.

So, the task is basically to make a print-ready EPS/PDF for some vector art prepared in Inkscape [on a Unix-like OS] with some guarantee that the colors are not going to be messed up when printed.

The main problem is that Inkscape is not able to export ICC-profile-aware EPS/PDF files. As is suggested e.g. here and here, Scribus is the way to go.

The workflow is as follows:

get the ICC-profile your prospective printing centre recommends and link it in Inkscape ("Document Properties" → "Color Management")
when assigning colors to objects first go to the CMS tab and choose the right profile
save the file as plain SVG
import the resulting SVG in Scribus
choose the right ICC-profile in "Document Setup" → "Color Management"
go to "Save as PDF" and before clicking "Save" choose "Color" → "... intended for: Printer"

My concerns in this respect are:

Is the outlined approach valid in terms of bringing the desired outcome? grep -ia icc doesn't yield any hit for the resulting PDFs (tested with Scribus 1.4.2 and 1.5.1)
What does "Save as EPS" do in Scribus?
Even being very careful (avoiding gradients, shades etc.) doesn't help to make Scribus (both 1.4.2 and 1.5.1) render big SVG files correctly: some things get messed up. It is also highly preferable to do the SVG to EPS/PDF conversion in a command-line tool. Is there any appropriate one? It seems, Uniconvertor is no alternative, because there is no way to specify the ICC-profile, is this statement correct?

Here is a file to play with. It contains two boxes with colors bound to the ISOcoated v. 2 ECI profile (downloaded here, saved in /usr/share/color/icc/ISOcoated_v2_eci.icc) (the boxes being black in browsers is as expected).

Update

Here are the settings I choose for the test SVG in Scribus (1.5.1).

"Document Setup"  → "Color Management"

"Save as PDF"  → "Color"


texts: Social media icons size for business card

texts:
I'm designing a business card for a client, and for the first time I'm going to use social media icons, such as Facebook/Instagram etc. I've been going through some of their guidelines and in the case of Instagram for example, they've stated the minimum size for the icon can be no smaller than 29px, which works out a little over 10mm. That seems like a ridiculously MASSIVE icon for a business card, to my eye anyway. I've looked at lots of cards on pinterest etc for comparisons and most cards that use icons seem to have them quite small...as in smaller than the styleguides suggest.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has designed a business card with social media icons and what sort of size did you make them? To my eye something more in the range of 5mm squared seems appropriate.


texts: What's an effective way to electronically distribute a trifold brochure for review?

texts:
I have a design for a Trifold brochure that was presented at our company's board meeting. I had a small run printed before the meeting so it could be distributed in its intended format.

During the meeting, people wanted to provide feedback. I was asked to provide it digitally so that people could provide some comments (probably mostly on text, but being the nature of design work, I expect aesthetic commentary as well)

I'm not inclined to just send out the print-ready PDF. Things that are obvious in print are not on the PDF, such as where it gets folded, and how two flaps that aren't physically adjacent on paper are when it's folded. I also don't want to just put all the text in Word, because people may not appreciate how text changes could affect design.

What are some effective ways to electronically distribute a trifold brochure for review?


texts: How to determine the size of a picture for a website?

texts:
I recently started building WordPress websites and I am a little puzzled when it comes to dimensions of photos/banners etc. I am currently working on a template which has a huge photo at the top of the page and the person I am building the website for wants his photo on it instead of the stock one obviously. I need to understand how to determine what resolution the photo has to be and if there are other parameters I need to follow in order to always know the size of the desired photo.

You can find the photo of the DJ at the top of this page: Click Here

Also, if you scroll down a little you can see the banner where on top there are links (See Bellow). I was wondering how I find the resolution of that too, I am pretty sure it is a separate image which compliments the colors of the photo above to make it seem like a single object. I cropped it out and pasted it below (I didn't crop it perfectly that's why you see the white line below the banner) Hope you can help.


texts: My indesign page is really small and I dont know how to fix it

texts: Ive been working on a project lately and all of a sudden one or my pages shrunk. I tried to fix the pasteboard and to delete the page itself. Nothing I've done so far works and I don't have time to set up a new Documeny. Please Help!!!!


texts: Illustrator action to embed all external objects

texts:
To embed all external objects in Illustrator I do this:

Open the Links panel
Select all the linked objects (select first, shift+clik on last)
Select Embed object(s) from the dropdown menu in the panel

But when recording those actions (macro), they are not being saved.

Is there a way to automate this process? Script?


texts: small lines when printing to PDF from Illustrator

texts:
I have an Illustrator file that's behaving strangely when I print it to PDF. Basically, it adds small lines around shapes; I included a zoomed-in screenshot.

If I save the file as PDF, the lines don't appear but then the file itself is huge: 30MB. Has anyone seen this issue and if so, how do you solve it?

Thanks.


texts: Cropping single layer crops entire cavas?

texts:
I don't know what's going with my Gimp, but for some reason when I tried to crop a single layer it cropped the entire canvas. I know that this is abnormal because I've been using Gimp for about a couple weeks for fashion/outfit design (instead of Polyvore) and I have had no problem with cropping before.

All I do is just drag the rectangle over my image, press enter, and I'm done.  I can position my image next to any pair of shoes I want...  Did I accidentally press something on my keyboard to change the settings?


texts: Inkscape: Maintaining size when saving as PDF?

texts:
when I save SVGs as PDFs from Inkscape, all dimensions seem to be decreased to 80% of their width.
For example, a 100 x 100 box, the PDF will be 80 x 80.

SVG:

    <rect
       y="280.93362"
       x="162.85715"
       height="100"
       width="100"
       id="rect3336"
       style="opacity:1;fill:#3023ae;fill-opacity:1;stroke:#000000;stroke-opacity:1" />
  </g>

PDF:    /MediaBox [ 0 0 80.800003 80.800003 ]

I have tried experimenting with the resolution field, to no avail.

Any ideas?


texts: How to create this realistic glossy preview of a business card?

texts: I am trying to create the effect posted in this image. How can this can be created?


texts: Anchor Text empty reference issue in InDesign

texts:
I have two .indd files, one with a typical chapter text and the other with references in alphabetical order. I want to include a specific name to reference my references (instead of a Paragraph number or the whole Paragraph text), so I create a Hyperlink destination with Text Anchor = "Socrates, 5 a.c.". Then I go to the text and place a cross reference, I choose the reference in the other .indd file and use the "Text Anchor Name" to be displayed.

For some strange reason, I get displayed an empty reference [], and even in the Hyperlinks window, the cross reference name is empty. I can see the : symbol on the reference, marking that there is a hyperlink destination there. And for some reason, sometimes I edit the anchor and save straight away and then everything works and it is displayed correctly. But sometimes I cannot make it work no matter what I try...

What can be the reason?

=== EDIT:

The two files will be part of the same book of course. In case my explanation is not clear: I am just putting a cross reference from one file to the other. But when I place the reference (Anchor Text) te text is empty. I am using Indesign CS4 if it is of any importance.

=== EDIT 2:

I can put cross references between files, this is not a problem. I have done it many times and it works perfectly. The only problem is when I "display" the reference. If I use the option "Paragraph Number" or "Paragraph Text" or any other, it works fine. When I use "Anchor Text" it prints nothing.

=== EDIT 3:

I haven't used the book command, but the files are not in a book yet and it is not actually what I need. What I want is to put a cross reference (as I have done with sections, figures, etc) but instead of printing the "Paragraph Number", which works fine, printing the "Anchor Text" which prints a blank space - even though I have created a "Hyperlink Destination" and create an Anchor Text Name.
So this is what I have done: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1030649  but the Anchor Text is not showed (however it shows the Pararaph Text, Paragraph Number or any other option I select)

=== EDIT 4:

Yes, the Definition originally showed

 "<txtAnchrName />"

and I change it to:

<txtAnchrName />

=== EDIT 5:

This image can help to see what it is happening. The link is actually there. I can print Paragraph Name, Paragraph Text, Page number.. anything. Except the Text Anchor Name, which appears empty. However, if I edit the hyperlink destinations I can see it there.

If I hold on the link as suggested in a comment I get: "name_of_the_file.indd Page:10 Text Anchor Name Source text:14"

=== EDIT 6:

For some reason I have found something that seems to work (most of the time, but not always): 1. I highlight the text in the references.indd (f ex "Socrates") and add the hyperlink. 2. I insert the cross reference in chapter.indd, with text anchor and it shows empty.  3. I go back to references, place the cursor at the beginning of the paragraph (without highlighting anything), edit the hyperlink, left marked "set to current..." and Save. 4. Go back to chapter and I see the cross reference panel alerts with the yellow "!" that there was a change. Update and ready.

This tedious process works most of the times but not always.


texts: Why stroke angles in Illustrator do not behave equally?

texts:
Those vector shapes have the same stroke configuration, and on the pointy end there's only 1node.

So why this happens?


texts: Adobe Fireworks CS5 only allows me to select a restricted range of colors

texts:
I'm having problems selecting colors in Adobe Fireworks CS5 because when I select a color (either through the color swatches, the color mixer or the windows color picker) it will snap to one of those which are already present in the swatches window. So say I select color #2a2a2a, Fireworks will transform it into #333333 and I'll only be allowed to use that one.

Is there a way to stop this behavior?


texts: Is there a way or software for non-designers to customize PDF design?

texts:
In the organization I work with - we often have PDFs we use for Sales that I have to customize to the client we sell to. This happens often with the same PDFs.
The salesmen want the flagship document I've designed in Indesign, to be customized with a picture of the client and the client's logo somewhere on it, also some change in language sometimes. So this requires me to open Indesign and make those tweaks each time, and I'm the only designer in the org - so sometimes they have to wait.
The salesmen were wondering: Is there a way I can create a PDF and upload it to some sort of software where they can just make those small tweaks to images and text? This way, they can send the document whenever they'd like instead of waiting on me. We agreed that them learning InDesign wouldn't be efficient - is there another way?
Thanks so much!


texts: How do I automate batch processing of product photography to get a perfect white background?

texts:
I am taking very large volume of product photography. I am using a photography tent and shooting on a white background but I need the finished images to be of the image on a perfectly white background.

I am looking for a way to automate this process as much as possible as I am going to be generating and processing thousands of images.

Does anyone know of a way to automate this process in photoshop? If not photoshop, any other software that can do this for me? All help is much appreciated.

Kind regards

edit: I have added a sample image to the post. I am looking for a way to make the background perfect white but to automate the process as much as possible so I can batch process them. The products are all food and drink products. Thanks in advance for any help and advice offered.


texts: Use PDF editor for book publishing (including conversion to PDF/X)

texts:
I know that there is dedicated software for book publishing, such as Affinity Publisher, Adobe Indesign, and so on, but I have used for a certain project LaTeX, which would produce a PDF.

Since most of the typography is taken care of in LaTeX, I am interested in possibly doing some finishing touches in a PDF editor. These touches could be simple removal or simple additions of elements, and at least and necessarily conversion of the PDF to PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002. (They could also include greater acts, if I'd fancy it, such as realigning page margins.)

I don't use Adobe (nor they me), and I will need a PDF editor.

So, in this case, if one does not use Adobe software, needs the said conversion (or export), and wants to do some light (or heavier) PDF editing, is it good and a safe choice to go for a dedicated professional non-Adobe PDF editor?

Extra information or subquestions possibly relevant or important:

Of course I would want the resulting end PDF/X to comply to the standard properly, and I am also interested in knowing about the resulting visual quality. If a well-known trusted company existing and serving for a long time states they have PDF/X compliance, then chances are this is true. But should one use it for book publishing and PDF conversion at all?
Should I just import my PDF in Affinity Publisher, do my edits there, and then use a dedicated professional PDF editor to convert to PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X3:2002 (as Aff. Publisher doesn't have these two options (and I even read that their PDF/X conversion wasn't that good, though I don't know that last one for sure))?


texts: How to create a concrete surface texture to use as background

texts: I am trying to achieve this noisy background behind the cards. How can I recreate this effect?


texts: What is the use of registration black in the InDesign swatches palette?

texts:
InDesign displays [registration], 100% of each ink colour, as a swatch in the swatches palette. It's impossible to remove the swatch.

Why is this? I have never had the need to actually use [registration] in my works, as far as I know it's only ever used to create printer's marks, and that's done by InDesign when exporting a .pdf.

Lots of beginners are confused by the two instances of black in the palette, possibly ruining their work when using the incorrect one. So why is [registration] still there?


texts: How can I edit the color of text once it has been warped?

texts: In Illustrator I have warped text in an envelope and I can't figure out how to modify the color.  Is this possible, if so how?


texts: Why a bigger picture than page is enlarged rather than shrinked in InDesign?

texts:
We want to prepare a book for electronic publishing on iPad by using InDesign. Hence in the InDesign's Document Setup we entered as intent 'Digital Publishing' and as page size 2048px X 1536px.

We took a photo output from a Canon 5D Mk III and processed in Photoshop CC and imported it (by Place) in InDesign eiter via TIFF or PSD.

The image(s) is/are 5380px X 3704px (a very small crop was done). The dimensions are according with Photoshop CC's info and XnView MP Properties pane - I mention just two programs which say the same. Also knowing Canon's 5D3 sensor's resolution, the numbers are quite logical.

However, in InDesign CS6, the photo appears as a 1614px x 1111,2px image and in order to fit it to the width of the 2048px page, we must enlarge it at 126,88%

Why is that? Why a 5380px X 3704px photo is placed in InDesign as an 1614px x 1111,2px image? (approx. three times smaller)

Perhaps I should note that the recorded DPI in Photoshop's file is 240x240 but I assume that since I set up the InDesign document to be for 'Digital Publishing' and the units are pixels, my image should remain at the same pixel dimensions.


texts: Lock the position of text box on the artboard but NOT the contents so text remains editable

texts:
I am using Illustrator 2018 on Windows.

Is it possible to lock the position (and if possible the size) of text box on the artboard but NOT the contents so text remains editable?

I find that when working on a text box I move it by accident often with out realising which causes all of the other text in the box to be out of place with the other elements in my design.

After searching on here I have found a thread about this issue but within Indesign so I tried the solution given for Indesign but it does not work in Illustrator 2018.

The solution offered for Indesign is:

  Lock the text box/frame (Ctrl+L), then go to preferences (Ctrl+K) and
  UNCHECK 'Prevent Selection of Locked Objects'. This actually means
  Select (& Editing), so the position is locked and editing is not.

I know how to lock a object on a layer but once locked it is not editable so I wonder if there is a solution similar to one above but Illustrator specific?


texts: Is there a printing press that can print a book directly from the RGB space?

texts:
I have a book ready for printing. But, of course, it was done in RGB. In fact, I stretched the RGB gamut beyond its normal range in order to make it more painterly etc.

When I saw it converted to CMYK, I almost passed out. All the great colors I had achieved in RGB had been dulled and "grayed". It was a great disappointment even after infinite tweaking of the CMYK colors in a futile attempt to get them back to match the original RGB colors. Worst of all was the color blue. No matter what I did in CMYK to restore this very important color, all I got was a gray-blue.

Is it possible in this remarkable age of technology that there is no printing press that can print a book directly from RGB?


texts: New "professional" branding perceived as "dull"

texts:
I manage an open-source project (Rubberduck, an add-in for the VBA editor), and up until the latest release this was the splash form:

Since 2015 the branding more or less revolved around swirling VBA code and that rubber ducky stock image, with the "RUBBERDUCK" lettering in a signature Showcard Gothic font I'm using everywhere since the very beginning of the project, and that I'm not mentally prepared to let go of.

Long story short, last night I released version 2.2 with a new splash form based on the 2018 branding, a much more sober design that I was hoping would come across as more professional. The stock ducky is replaced by a "shadow ducky", a slightly blurred SVG version of the duck:

The design is based on the 2018 community ad material that's actually doing quite well on Code Review SE, but since the project originated on that site and I've been a moderator there since 2015 it's possible that that's a skewed perception of a decent design.

I ran a quick poll on Twitter (it's up all week), and so far the results (okay, only 7 votes so far) indicate that the new splash form is being perceived as "rather dull" (57%), as opposed to "more professional" (43%) - I'm not taking Twitter polls as scientific or accurate measurement in any way, but the fact that half of the feedback so far deem the new splash "rather dull" is somewhat worrying me.

I'm not a graphic artist, but it's one of the many hats I have to wear as part of this project, so I'm looking for feedback from this community, to hopefully identify how the new design/branding could be improved to reduce the "dullness" and enhance the "professionalism".

What I'm trying to convey, is that the tool is targeting professionals and that it sees through its users' code, with a design that doesn't feel as cluttered/playful as the original one, i.e. a concept that's epurated yet doesn't come across as "dull" or boring (I was hoping the signature Showcard Gothic font would be helping with that).

I need your help to understand where & how the new design might be failing to convey its message, and what I can change to help it not being perceived as "dull"; I'd also appreciate to know whether I'm violating any design principles I'm not aware of: perhaps I'm not seeing a flagrant contrast issue, or I'm using a bad font that's too small (Gill Sans MT), or there's something that's unbalanced in the layout (lettering placement vs. ducky, status label positioning, etc.) - one fellow contributor is pointing out that the blurring isn't helping and that a sharper ducky would come across as less amateur-ish, ... I'm sure all of these are objectively quantifiable by design professionals.

If it's any useful information, the splash screen is displayed for approximately 3 seconds at startup, when the Visual Basic Editor loads its add-ins.


texts:
On my instagram feed I stumbled upon an app that let's you do dithering that sort of looks like a reaction diffusion algorithm. I tried to find it, but only found Ivan Murits app TexTuring, which is definitely not it.

I want to translate an image to a vector file that uses the reaction diffusion style to dither the image? How would you do that?


texts: Illustrator - Document Raster Effect Settings - no effect to PDF file size

texts:
I had a little research, but I can't explain this little anomaly I have here.

When I save a PDF with Document Raster Effect turned to 72 dpi it will have the same size as the file when I switch these settings to 700 dpi.

both 62kb.

The printer shop wants the pdf to be 300 dpi and saved as pdf. But where is the value when it's the same file size?

Can someone explain?


texts: How to get in Isolation Mode from Layers panel in Illustrator?

texts:
The most known way to get into Isolation Mode in Adobe Illustrator is by double-clicking on the image.

Nonetheless, is there a way I can get into this mode from the Layers panel?


texts: Colors in PNG inconsistent between Windows and Mac

texts:
I have a PNG file on my Windows machine of a proposed logo that someone sketched out in PowerPoint. I am tasked with making a master version in Illustrator, and then saving various copies for web use, Word, etc.

The logo is a uniform red color, with white lettering.  Simple enough.

Here's my question: When I open the PNG on my Windows machine (where I have PowerPoint) and also on my Mac (where I have Illustrator), the red shade looks darker on Windows.  At first I thought it might be that my crappy Dell monitors weren't calibrated as well as my new MacBook Pro, but when I check the color with the eyedropper tool I get RGB values of (181, 10, 0) on Windows, and (188, 0, 10) on the Mac.  Same PNG file, totally different colors.

What could be causing this difference? I'm not well-versed in color management profiles, is that what's tripping this up? And how do I ensure that the final logo looks the same across different devices?

EDIT:
Here is a cropped portion of the PNG in question:

On Windows with Paint.NET, the uniform color shows up as (181, 10, 0)
On Mac OS X with Pixelmator, the uniform color shows up as (188, 0, 10)
On Mac OS X with Illustrator CS3, the uniform color shows up as (188, 0, 10)
On Mac OS X with Photoshop CS3, the uniform color shows up as (181, 10, 0)

What does it show up as on your computer?

EDIT 2
I created the PNG by taking a screenshot of the logo, with the indention of tracing it in Illustrator, so this is not a problem with PowerPoint exporting badly.  The problem is with the colors in the resulting PNG file.


texts: How do I delete part of a path between the nearest two intersections in Inkscape?

texts:
I'm fairly new to using Inkscape and have been trying to make an SVG version of a logo I had made for myself a while back in a 2D CAD/CAM program exported to a bitmap.

So far this is all I have been able to get to by using guide circles to create the curved corners, however I'm not entirely sure how to delete the arcs within the actual main logo.

Is there a way to delete the parts of the circle paths that intersect another path such as the main logo? I haven't been able to figure out how to use the path operations properly for this.


texts: I've had this issue with Photoshop where some dark blues are displayed in black on Photoshop if I'm in RGB mode and selecting dedicated graphics in the performance preferences. If I don't select dedicated graphics or change to CMYK the issue gets fixed although I would like to be able to work in RGB mode and have the dedicated graphics on. What can I do?


texts:
i want to draw scale floorplans in AI for interior room layouts, whats the best way to do this as i would like to draw them at 1:1 but for printing they need to be at 1:50 is there a way that i can use "viewports" (the way that vectorworks handles this problem) or is there another way that you could think of, other than selecting the drawing and using
object > transfer > scale > 2% ?


texts:
I would be very grateful if someone can tell me the name of this font:

It´s very similar to ITC Kristen but not the same. I have spent time looking for it in google but I haven´t found it.

Thank you very much.


texts: How to export tiny icons in Illustrator to PNG?

texts:
I know this question has been asked many times but I still can't find a solution.

I'm redesigning icons that are going to be used on a web application. The former icons were placed on a PNG sprites sheet and the icons were 16x16px.

On Illustrator, I redesigned the icons with the 16x16px size but when I export them, they are blurry.

They are already blurry on my PNG file after the export.

I don't really know what to do. I tried the export for devices menu, everything... I even tried making a screenshot of my Illustrator artboard at 100% but then you lose transparency.


texts: How to clean file linking errors on Illustrator?

texts:
I have an AI file that contains several linked files, all sorts of psd and image files.

The problem is I don't have access to any of them, which is okay since I don't need the files to complete my job.

So, Illustrator always shows this message upon opening the file, asking to ignore or replace the files. Trying to replace each file is a no go, since there are too many and the names are dubious.

So my question is: Can I clean all the linked file references some way?

The file size is also very big for what it contains, maybe cleaning these nonexistent linked file references will chop the file size as well.


texts:
How may I transfer a frame animation from one PSD file to another?

Recently, I created a short frame animation of a logo in Photoshop CC. I would like to integrate this animation into a larger animation, saved in a separate PSD file.

I have tried copying and pasting frames between the files, however, I seem to be unable to resize the frames I have copied so that they fit into the second PSD file in the way I desire.

Many thanks for helping me out!


texts: Problem with hyperlinks from an InDesign generated PDF - only works if browser is open

texts:
I'm at a new job so I'm not sure if this is a Firefox issue or hyperlink issue. Haven't experienced it before.

I created a few hyperlinks (three spots for our company website, two for company email) as part of a catalog created in InDesign. Did PDF export and ticked to include hyperlinks.

If Mozilla Firefox is running then all of the links work. Website opens in new tabs, email opens in Thunderbird (what we're using here). However, if I close Firefox then it freezes up and crashes Acrobat.

Anyone know what might be causing this?


texts: Changing colour of a layer without affecting any other layers in photoshop

texts: I am trying to adjust the colour of a single layer in photoshop. I have tried using adjustment layers, layer masks and clipping masks, but everything I have tried just affects all the layers or groups below.  I am going crazy.  Does anyone out there know if this is possible?


texts: Dull colors in Adobe Illustrator CS6 with RGB mode

texts:
I'm using Adobe Illustrator CS6. I have a document in RGB mode, with Web preset. My color settings are:

  [Working Spaces]

  RGB: sRGB IEC61966-2.1 CMYK: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2

  [Color Management Policies]

  RGB: Preserve Embedded Profiles CMYK: Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked
  Profiles)

  [Conversion Options]

  Engine: Adobe (ACE) Intent: Relative Colorimetric

And my colors are duller than normally. If I open my document in another computer, I can see the correct colors.

Just look at my color picker:

And as it should look like:

Any ideas? Thank you.


texts: Sketch3 | Is it possible to create a text table?

texts:
Just a super simple text table...

I'm fairly new to Sketch, and I'm sure I haven't cracked even a quarter of what can be done with the program. So I wasn't very surprised when I realized I have no idea how to make a table.

I searched through the application, as well as Sketch resources online, and I am surprised to see that it may not be possible! I haven't even seen anyone bring the T word up in the same sentence as Sketch. Is it possible that a web design application wouldn't have tools for one of the most basic HTML elements? Or am I missing something very obvious?


texts: Is it possible to remove the corners to get the rounded and smooth edges using smooth tool?

texts:
Using Pen Tool, I tried to draw the hair of the user account icon. The Smooth Tool helped its best, but, sill there is need for smooth curves in the hair of the icon. Any tips which might improve my icon design skills? Thank you in advance.

SVG source file: https://svgshare.com/i/L6S.svg


texts: Convert to outlines not working in Acrobat

texts: I have this PDF that I have converted the fonts to outlines but when I open it in Illustrator I still get a missing font error. Everything looks to check out in Acrobat. Before I apply convert to outlines, under Document Properties>Fonts, there are fonts listed. And after I apply convert to outlines there are no fonts listed. So I'm not sure why I'm getting this error in Illustrator. Does anyone have any suggestions?


texts: I have a sample of a layout that I would like to do on a specific size of paper and I need all of the professional layout tips and tricks I can get. I have a sample drawn up of what the finished product should be, as well as the notations and trimmings that need done to lay it all out properly. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's as simple as pointing me towards a link that has a tutorial on how to layout print documents. I work for a print shop and this is the kind of work their graphics department deals with, mainly. I'm just curious and like to learn as many skills as I can to hopefully get a good job in graphics.  Thanks in advance for any help that is offered.


texts:
I read somewhere that before you save your photo you should merge the layers, including watermarks, before saving then save. My question is this:

Is there any benefit to merging the layers (or merging a copy of the original layers) before saving the photo as a JPG?

Note: I am using Photoshop CS6 and PS's Save for Web


texts:
I'd like to animate a circle like here http://canvasjs.com/html5-javascript-pie-chart/ using a design tool, not code.
I tried with Animate CC and After Effects but can't get ahead of it.

The output shall be used in web and have several other elements to be animated and combined.  (so it's not only that part of the animation but also several others, so I can't actually use the linked js-animation therefore)

This is the image, and I guess you can thereby estimate what I want: 4 times an effect with that circle opening up. Each after each other:

How can I do that?


texts: Resizing scientific figure in illustrator without changing font size of the labels

texts:
I am trying to prepare scientific figures in Illustrator.

I want to keep the font size of the text constant while rescaling the figure.
Is it possible to do in CS6?

Thanks a lot for inputs.
 To elaborate my question, I have a screen shot of illustrator artboard as an example. Here I have two graphs, with text font size say of 6 (arbitrary), now I decide to add one more graph. In order to do that I need to rescale the existing two graph to make space to third one. Now when I rescale two graphs , the font size also changes . How can I avoid this? How can font size be kept constant? Rearranging figures is very common while preparing scientific figures and posters. So I cannot decide beforehand on the figure positions and there are like 20 figures to work on. So overtime if I rescale figures I cannot individually change the font size for all 20 figures. I am sure there must be a way to do that as Illustrator is a very preferred software in scientific community . I am just not able to find it.

I hope this is a better explanation of my question.


texts: How can I make consistent designs for similar items?

texts:
Salutations! I have remarkably little experience in graphic design, and I'm running into a tools problem; I am not sure what I can use to get the effect I want. To wit, I am working on mocking up some cards for use in an RPG. Right now, they look like this:

I would like to place some text in the white areas on this card. However, since there are quite a few different cards I am mocking up, I would like to do so in a consistent manner, preferably one that does not involve me having to count pixels to make sure each line of text is appropriately lined up. (If it was only the one card, I'd just wing it)
I've experience using Windows 7 Paint and Paint.net, but as near as I can determine, neither of these programs has the tools to handle such a case consistently. Can anyone offer some advice or point me in the right direction?
P.S. I am aware that there is a "nuclear option", as it were, which would be to write a program and PDF-creation library to dynamically and generically create each card with the input text / colors (I've done something similar at my job), but I think that's overkill at this point, and I'd rather devote time to other things if I can help it.


texts: Indesign workflow for cover jacket design

texts:
In Indesign, I know the accepted way of creating 3 pages (back, spine, front) for a spread that will be used as a paperback cover. I use a 5 mm bleed as well.

The confusion arises when I have to work on a hardback, which needs the regular bleed for the jacket, but a bigger bleed for the pasted cover (the bleed will actually fold behind the endpaper).

What is your suggested workflow for this? Do I create separate files for jacket and cover? Most of my covers have the same design as the jacket.


texts: What should I keep in mind when designing a metallic duotone?

texts:
I'm working on a piece in process black (or possibly PMS black 7) and silver (metallic PMS to be defined) and want to include a photograph as a duotone. I've read around about metallic inks not behaving like usual inks. What are some issues I should keep in mind when working with metallic inks in duotones? What are ways to get a nice effect?

I'm wondering if I overprint the black on silver if it's going to look all metallic or if it's going to cancel the effect?


texts: How do I further remove this background?

texts: So, I have removed the background of the logo for my site, but the background of my site is a dark grey. As a result, the logo has a white border around it that looks messy. I use GIMP for editing and I'm not sure how I could remove the outline without spending hours removing each pixel. Thanks.


texts: Where do you get your type inspiration or how do you decide on the right type?

texts: Where do you guys get your inspiration for type and how do you decide the right typeface for your projects?


texts: Possible to use fill tool in grid cells?

texts:
I would like to reconstruct a simple bitmap to vector, so I have put a grid and a layer on top of it.

Is it possible to e.g. use the fill tool, to just fill out one of the grid squares at a time?

Or is there a better way?


texts: InDesign CS6 Liquid Layout print and mobile Version

texts:
I have to design multiple A4 document (always A4 and only one page per document).
these offers shall be downloadable online, so they shall have to be liquid (i guess) to be also mobile readable, without scrolling into it and to get a numb thumb.
So I read a hell of a lot and did´t got an answer, that worked.
So: How do I do it? With the option of an alternative layout? Or with a fluid Layout? And how can I get the text be scaling to a good size?

Thank you for help!!!

Charlotte


texts: Should you offer multiple logo design options to the client or just one final design?

texts: When designing a logo for a client, do you offer multiple options, so 3 different logos for example? Or do you offer just 1? How do you price for these?


texts: How do I reduce an image to a basic black and white line illustration in Photoshop?

texts:
I want to change a picture to a black and white line and shape picture.  Does anyone know how to do this? I think I have the black and white part down, but am confused on the line and shape portion. Thanks

Here is an example of what I mean:


texts: Understanding an interview question about CSS

texts:
Currently, I'm applying for a position which is for a sort of mixed web designer and front-end developer position.
I've passed the CV screening and received an interview from from the company.

I got stuck mid-way because I didn't get the meaning of one of the questions. It says:

  Can you do direct editing of templates in CSS to create beautiful designs directly in web front end development? Please give a few examples for your work.

I think they're asking something normal, but English is not my first language and it's the first time I've applied for a designer job abroad, so I'm really not sure what exactly they're asking.

Could you give me a hint or an example for answering this question?


texts: 1000 Photos to Virtual Canvas Gallery Wraps - Quick Method Needed

texts:
I have to make 1000 virtual canvas gallery wraps. Like this:

How would you get this done?

I use Xara X for most of my graphics work. After Photoshop 6, I faded away from Adobe due to the software cost and constant upgrades, etc. I worked with Illustrator this summer, so I can download tools and get it done.

Ideally, I can drag and drop 1000 images and poof, 1000 modified images, tilted, shifted and wrapped. A bulk solution is best. :)


texts:
Was finding a site/forum where I can get some design critique about a logo I am creating for my brand, for the vtubing industry, and found this forum by chance! :D I am not a professional graphics designer (self-learnt Photoshop, Procreate etc.) so please pardon me if my language is too layman.
I am trying to create a logo with the type of style similar to Japanese vtubers (cute-sy) and came up with the following (purple background just for contrast, not part of logo):

The colour of the Chinese words (which is basically a direct translation of 'Ayumu') and 'AY' is based on the hair colour of the vtuber. The 'UmU' portion is in black because I am trying to distinguish it from the rest of the words, and make it look like a face, where the 'U's are the eyes and the 'm' is a frowning mouth. I added the glasses of the character as well as red-pink circles for blushes to try and make it more obvious that the UmU is a face.
I have been working on this logo for the past 6h so my vision/opinion on the logo may be clouded - I am now seeing AY UmU instead of Ayumu.
So my questions are:

Is it obvious that the word is supposed to be "Ayumu"? If not, should I move "AY" and "UmU" closer together, or should I standardise the colour for "Ayumu"?
Is it obvious that the "UmU" is supposed to be a face?
Is the green font too light against the white stroke? Please provide your opinion on both the green Chinese words and the "AY".
Are the glasses reflection too glaring for the eyes?
Is the overall logo balanced? I have thought about centering the Chinese words and moving them to the bottom of the "Ayumu" word, but because the "AY" is smaller than "U" so there is this empty space above 'AY', hence I moved the Chinese words to where it is now.
Does the logo make you think of Japanese logos?

Thanks all in advance :)


texts: How to scale a shape to meet a dynamic element?

texts:
I have a PDF of a report which uses the above styles for section headings. I want to replicate these in InDesign. I am not sure how the original one was created.

The starting point for me seems to be creating a gradient and then somehow apply it to paragraph rules. Following is the progress I have made.

The issues are:
a) intended style is not exactly copied
b) I have used indentation in the rules, thus for a longer heading, the words and effect are overlapping.

Kindly suggest some ways to replicate this style. Thanks


texts: How to separate a rotated text box into two in Illustrator?

texts:
I have this rotated area type shape and I would like to separate it in two parts, while keeping all the text as it is. It seems to me like there is no simple way to do this in illustrator. What I'm trying to achieve is outlined in the two images below, which I composed in photoshop.

First, to make any modifications to the text area path, I have to copy the path alone, paste it, and do my modifications separately without the text. After I have divided the shape in two, then I can start adding the text again, which as you know, would just write itself horizontally along the shape.

Now, I could just rotate the shape, write the text, then rotate it back again, since this is an easy shape and an easy angle of rotation. But there has to be a simpler way to do this whole procedure, especially when dealing with more difficult shapes and obscure angles of rotation, no? Does anyone know of an easier way?


texts:
I'm really hard to get grep usage.. any tips on how I can achieve a character style using grep for this example (img):

Basically the structure is this:
(start)paragraph(shift+enter) [characters I want to style] (en dash) [chars of paragraph style + (.) + (single space)+[digit I want to style)

I'm strugling with the greps for it. :/ any help ?
Thanks in advance.
[]' :)


texts: How do I create an 8 x 8 square brush in GIMP?

texts:
How do I create an 8x8 square brush, with no smoothing in GIMP? Do I actually have to create a custom brush? You'd think that the pencil brush would work but the size seemingly doesn't line up with the actual dimensions of the square it makes.

I.e. The pixel brush at size 11 is a 9x9 square? What? Size 10 is 7x7 so it is skipping even numbers for some reason.

I'm on GIMP 2.8.14.


texts: How to export a pdf file with each stage of builds from Adobe InDesign?

texts:
I am using Adobe InDesign to create slides for an oral presentation at a conference (as a substitute for Microsoft PowerPoint). The end product that I want is a pdf file with my slides.

I am not able to (easily and elegantly) introduce basic animations such as object or text appearing or disappearing "on click" to build up a slide when I talk (basic function of Microsoft PowerPoint).

My current hack is to create several spreads for the same slide and to modify each spread so that object/text appears/disappears in the correct order. However, this is not a very elegant solution and this might cause issues if I want to add slide number.

Any advice on how to export a pdf with each stage of build would be greatly appreciated.


texts: black and white image prints purple-ish when transparency is changed in InDesign

texts: I have a black and white jpg placed on the page in InDesign CC. I'd like it to be a faint image behind text, so I changed the transparency to 20% but it prints with a purple-ish hue. I edited the graphic in PhotoShop by changing the saturation to 0, and it prints gray from PS but when I bring it back into ID and print, its purple hue is back. It looks good when I print it in grayscale, but I have other color images in this file that need to be printed in color.


texts: How can you blur your background only behind a specific box in sketch?

texts:
I came to this weird thing where I want to set a background blur via the option in Sketch to just select background blur on the specific box I want it to do, but nothing happens. Can someone please help me?

How I did it was just selecting the box I want and then go to blur and select background blur.


texts: Techniques to make type hard to indirectly read, but readable if focused on?

texts:
For a print end product: (Not sure if that makes a difference)
Are there any known techniques for distressing type so that once focused upon you can see what it says, but when not focused on, its very hard to 'accidentally' read it?
(Beyond the obvious upside down far away to the edge in a tiny font)

Links, tutorials, or even if this technique/effect has a name would be appreciated.


texts:
I just started my first high school graphic design class a couple months ago, and now I'm using Illustrator to make a logo for my software company.

Info on my company:

I develop applications for smart phones, sometimes games, and tools for other developers to use
I try to give users the power of complexity in a simple way (eg. an iphone has some complex soft and hard-ware behind it, yet it's extremely easy to use).
I try to look at how nature solves problems, and base my solutions around that.
I try to look at issues from a broad and narrow perspective as to come up with the best solution

Here's 3 versions of my current Logo I threw together:

How can I make my logo more visually attractive / noticeable?
How can I re-design parts of it to better promote my company's motos and ideas?


texts: How to fix photo perspective and crop to a perfect rectangle?

texts:
I have a picture of a document. The camera was not perfectly perpendicular to the document. The top is shorter than the bottom.

How do I create a free form selection around the document in GIMP, and crop it to a perfect rectangle, gradually compacting/stretching the content so that the document looks perfect?


texts:
Can anybody help me have stroke of big rectangle(blue) for common part of the shapes? not red?
(First I drew big rectangle then the small one.Finally I colored them.). Thanks.


texts: Scaling image in gimp without losing definition of characters

texts:
I'm working with a .png (a logo with text) found here. When I import to gimp and try to scale it down, to fit my canvas, the text above "DON DAVIS LECTURESHIP... etc" becomes illegible from pixellation.

How should I go about solving the problem, if I can.


texts: How do I automatically add a margin to every even page?

texts:
I'm hoping this is the best community for this - Whilst not directly graphical, I'm thinking it is related to a print option in Adobe Acrobat, but, I can't seem to find it.

I have a bunch of bank statements that have rather a large margin on the left in order to be hole punched and added to a ring binder.

I unfortunately need to keep paper records, but, some of these statements are 6/7 pages, and I want to save paper, so, I want to print double sided.

When I print double sided, if I hole punch the first page, it goes through content on the other side!

Without going in to Illustrator and manually adjusting the PDFs, is there any easy/quick print option that can auto adjust the margin on every evenly printed page?


texts: Reaching out to previous agency's former client

texts:
A more professional based question, but I think it's a good one.

I left my old agency to start pursuing freelance design and development very recently. I recalled a client from 6 months ago that I really enjoyed doing work with, but they completely stopped working with the agency. More specifically, I put together the plans for getting their product on Amazon, building the web store, and designing/developing a brand website–strictly research, which the agency was paid for. I would be executing the plans if they were green-lit.

I'm assuming their hesitation was rooted in costs (paying an agency to set up an untested market would dig deep into any revenue it generated) and, acting alone, I would be able to cut those costs pretty drastically (freelance rate, no managers/directors involvement). It doesn't look like they've executed any of the plans I laid out. I have no issues in contacting them (NDA, agreements, etc) and have their contact info.

My questions are these:

Professionally, how do I approach a client that only knows me from a previous agency, but may not have known I wrote the entire research doc and would have been responsible for the entire design and development?
What repercussions should I be aware of from the agency? (IE, is this a unprofessional move? This is technically stealing a client.) I'd still like to use them as a reference in the future.
Because the research was done at the agency, I no longer have the document and would have to be working from memory, am I open for any liabilities? What if the company provides the document to me?

One part of me exclaims "FAIR GAME" but another asks "how professionally gauche is this?" Just looking for some opinions.

Thanks!


texts:
What comes to your mind, or you think this logo represents to you.
what do you think about this logo?


texts: Unsure of vector file formats in Photoshop

texts: I created a logo in Photoshop.. Yes I know this should be done in Illustrator, but I haven't mastered it yet. My question is, what would be the equivalent in Photoshop when a client asks for the vector file? Would it be the .psd itself?


texts: What is this style of illustration called?

texts:
I saw this Oracle illustration yesterday and it was produced by Google Ad randomly on a web page. I love the illustration in the background. I love 'corporate' illustrations especially when they are in a form of a 3D. Microsoft did a similar illustration for their "Visio" product. Now, my questions are:

What do you call these type of illustrations?
Is anyone familiar with this illustration?
Is there a gallery where I can find these type of 'corporate' illustrations?


texts: What is the technical term (if one exists) for this kind of website design?

texts:
I'm looking to define a website layout that's fairly common on a lot of websites but can never get the right word. The design is composed of generally a header banner (like StackExchange/Facebook/Twitter), a full width image, then seperate sections in a long-scroll. It's almost like an info-graphic on the web. Here's a few examples:

http://inky.com/

http://www.psd2html.com/


texts: Is it possible to structure document for XML in QuarkXPress?

texts:
I need to tag elements of the QuarkXPress document with tags defined in XML DTD, so later on I should be able to export data to XML file.

I know that this is possible and fairly easy done with InDesign (this article covers this topic - Structure documents for XML). But I was unable to find such feature in Quark.

Does QuarkXPress offers such functionality or is there a plugin available that implements it?


texts: Are there any schools with packaging design specializations in the US?

texts:
Mohawk College in Ontario, CA just opened a very nice design center which includes packaging machinery for the students to learn, it is a part of their graphic design program. http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/

It got me wondering if there's any programs in the United States with a similar program and facilities. Does anyone know of one?


texts: Adobe Illustrator Appearance Panel: Where Did My Effects Go?

texts:
Granted I'm new to Adobe Illustrator I'm having trouble figuring out the appearance panel.  Namely when I add an effect, I can't seem to select the right selection again to get it to come back up on the appearance panel.  It's extremely aggravating.

If I make a selection and add a texture and then grain, It seems if I make the same selection (I just drag across the same area) I no longer see grain on my new (and should be the same!) selection.  I'm getting very messed up in this.  Somehow when I try and change fills on a whole selection, or stroke, some change some don't.

What's the best way to make sure I'm affecting what I want to be affecting?!

Thanks,
Patrick

Update: I'll add some pictures to be more clear.

Here's the first one.  You can see that there is a stroke and fill of the same golden gradient.  But now let's say I want to remove the fill.  Well I can't just uncheck that because there is NO selection, as the appearance panel says. OK let's make a selection then:

Well great now I have a selection, and all my options for affecting the gradients have disappeared. Awesome.

I see the "mixed appearances", but I don't know how that came to be.  I've tried flattening the image to try and get a 'non-mixed' selection, but that didn't work.  How can I reduce this to a 'single-appearance'?


texts: Scribus - How to get automatic sequential page numbers in split document?

texts:
I have a book project, split in 10 files, one for each chapter. I have created them as I want them, and exported in pdf. Now, if I join the pdf files afterward, they will all have page numbers that start at 1 at the beginning of each chapter!
I have tried that, and then gone back to each chapter and changed the start of pagination for each chapter, but with many chapters, that is a very time consuming process.
Is there any way around that, except joining all the chapters before exporting the pdfs?
Thanks.


texts:
I designed almost 90% of the products on this website.

We are not getting sales. Aside from marketing and sales strategy.

What do you think is wrong with my designs?


texts: Illustrator: which size for document to be printed at different scale

texts: What size should I create my AI document in order to deliver to the client and allow her to print either really large or small without specifying a size?


texts: In Illustrator how to maintain an assigned graphic style after using Live Paint Bucket

texts:
In Illustrator, I noticed that any graphic styles assigned to various paths are removed when the Live Paint Bucket is applied. For example, I initially have the following:

Notice I have the "Green stroke" graphic style applied. When you select the path, the "Green stroke" highlights in the Graphic Styles panel. I then go on to use the Live Paint Bucket:

When I then select the same path, the "Green stroke" graphic style is not applied. Yes, the appearance does not change, but the path is no longer associated with the specific graphic style. (In addition, if I then reapply the "Green stroke" graphic style, it applies it to all paths making up the Live Paint group including the red rectangle.)

If I then try expanding the Live Paint group, same result. The graphic style is not associated:

Is there a way to maintain the graphic style assignments or apply different ones to individual paths after Live Paint Bucket is used?


texts: one long seamless pdf with multiple artboards - illustrator

texts:
Wondering if there's anyway in Illustrator that it's possible to make one long seamless pdf (1 page) from multiple artboards with different height?
e.g.:there are 11 artboards, 1 just want to create 1page seamless pdf instead of a pdf with 11pages. Much thanks in advance.


texts: Help with copying and pasting smart objects from indesign to photoshop (blank pixels at edge of objects)

texts:
So im copying vectors from indesign to photoshop (for a mockup) and when I paste some things, there is a blank space at the edge of the vector in photoshop. in the indesign document, I've checked that there are no random objects/boxes outside of what i'm copying and i've made sure to fit content to frame for the objects too but i don't know why there is still a blank space at the edge of the smart object when i copy and paste objects from indesign to photoshop.
do you know why, and is there a fix for this?..

screens for reference:

this is how it looks in indesign:

and then this is how it looks when pasted in photoshop (see the blank pixels at the top edge)

please help with this. thank you <333


texts:
I've been working with Adobe Illustrator for over 2 years now and I really love this program. I'd want to know if it's possible to create a window (just like pathfinder, layers etc.) with my favorite color's (or recent colors, and if possible I want to create my own list) so I can quickly change colors to quicken up the workflow.

Is this already possible by default, by installing a plugin or is it not possible at all?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I'm talking about real pens, not software!

I love drawing with Sharpies except that I often smear the lines with my sweaty wrists!
What's a similar black drawing pen/marker (felt tip or otherwise) that dries to a non-smearable state much faster (like within milliseconds)?

I would imagine that the type of paper used is a factor here too.  What kinds of paper are best for instant-drying of pen ink?


texts: How to cut out one shape from another using Photoshop?

texts:
Given have two shapes for example. a star (blue) and arrow (no fill). The arrow has a green stroke.

How can I make the portion of the star which is behind the arrow transparent, but retain the green stroke on the arrow?


texts: Why fountain fill color changes on rotation

texts: I use CorelDraw but have an issue regarding fountain fill. I have created a visiting card and given it a fountain fill. I created the visiting card vertically and send to an online printers. They rotated the card horizontally and printed it. When I recieved the printed card, the fountain fill direction was changed. I used a linear vertical fountain fill, but when it was printed (rotated and printed) the direction changed from right to left. Do you know why it changed or how I can lock the fountain fill, or how I can get the same effect when it's rotated.


texts: Is there a way to interactively rotate the canvas in Photoshop?

texts:
I'm aware of the "rotate canvas tool" in Photoshop CS 5 (which shares a spot in the tool menu with the "grabber hand tool").

What I'm wondering is if there's a way you can perform that function interactively, like you can with the zoom tool. I mean the kind of thing where you hold some key or key combo down and click and drag.


texts:
I designed this logo for a company called Finger Food, which provides finger food for other companies and events like parties, but mainly for companies (like the food your company gives you on Valentine’s Day). It’s all about good food and health, even if it’s fried. I am not a graphic designer, but I am designing their web, so I have to do this too.

Is this logo portraying what I’ve told you about the company?

If not, what would you recommend to change?


texts: How to make 4 gradient color on 4 side, each color make a triangle gradient in Illustrator

texts:
The question is a little confusing, just look at this example of gradient that I want to make.

This what I have tried, I used mesh tool for 4 sides of the rectangle with 4 colors but didn't give a result that I expected

What should I do properly, I'm new to Illustrator


texts:
I'm looking for a better method of writing on my text than using the stroke effect.  The reason I need a better method is some of the text changes width in the letters and using this method I have to use multiple lines for each letter.  This can have an adverse effect as it will reveal portions of the letters I don't want to reveal yet.  Here is an example of the text I'm using....

After I have all my lines drawn on with the pen tool, I increase the brush size within the Stoke effect to cover all of the letters, set my paint style to "reveal original image", and set a start and stop for the stroke so it writes on the letters.  But with overlapping lines parts of the letters will reveal before others or not together.

What I would like to have is a method of writing this on/revealing it as smoothly as possible.  Any help is VERY appreciated!


texts:
I want to have a bezier curve with a double line stroke. The LinkedOffset option for paths, when I apply it to an unclosed bezier curve, creates a linked offset object that is closed - ie, it draws a direct line from the end of the curve to the start that I don't want.

Is there another way, or something I'm missing about this closure line?


texts: Inkscape: Adding an item to a distribution

texts:
I am aware of the "align and distribute" options in Inkscape. However, often I find myself having an existing distribution (e.g. 3 items with equal distances X) that I want to add another item to. I want to keep the distance X between all existing items and add the new item at a distance X from the last item. Just using "align and distribute" again is not useful, since it changes the positions of the other items. In pictures: I have items A, B and C aligned thus (with the distance X):
A <-X-> B <-X-> C

and I want to add another item C like this:
A <-X-> B <-X-> C <-X-> D

If I just add it to the row, select all elements, and use align and distribute->make horizontal gaps equal, I will get
A <-X'-> B <-X'-> C <-X'-> D

with X' different from X, unless I had already put D exactly at distance X from C.
Is there a way to achieve what I am trying to do?


texts: Term for derivative art where only the arrangement is changed

texts:
When I first started designing ~15 years ago, I spent hours trying to create banners completely from scratch, drawing all the shapes by hand. I always felt that I didn't want anyone else to ever be able to claim that they helped me with my art, so I had a personal policy (from a very young age) that EVERYTHING I CREATED WOULD BE 100% ORIGINAL.

After spending hours trying to painstakingly craft my own original images, I was told that I was doing it wrong and taking way too long. I was tutored in the fine art of grabbing pictures from the internet and then cropping, rotating, stretching, etc. to fit the design you are trying to create in Photoshop.

Although I felt a little like that was cheating, I discovered that it was a common practice at the time (2003), and in work situations that was often what was expected of you to produce work in a timely manner.

So, you can see how I started believing everything must be created from scratch or you are a thief and not as good as somebody who CAN create from scratch. Eventually I was exposed to the concept in business of "don't reinvent the wheel", meaning to use the tried-and-true concepts and components that already exist rather than trying to build everyhting from scratch. Now I have a more "middle-path" understanding that sometimes it can be quicker and useful to go grab some Creative Commons (0) image from Google or Pexels or whatever, than to try to find a way to set up a shot and photograph the scene myself.

So, what would be an accurate term for someone who takes art created by others, then makes something new out of it?

Since these are called "derivative works" (especially in a legal
      sense), perhaps the term "derivative artist" would be
      appropriate? But, I wonder if there is a catchier, more
      buzz-worthy term that those in the professional design
      business use that I am just not aware of?

  EXAMPLE: One prints out a photo of a starry sky from the internet, cuts it (with scissors) into a square, and then makes an origami crane out of it.

  EXAMPLE: One makes a collage of CC0 images found on the web.

  EXAMPLE: One attaches a calculator and two bicycle wheels to a small wooden box.

In all the above examples, something new and unique is born from the artist's arrangement and editing implementations.

NOTE: Cynical words like "plagiarist" or "thief" are not what I'm looking for.


texts: Image on browser at 100% is pixelated, create image 200% and scale half size is sharp

texts:
How can I host an image at 100% size on the web and keep a sharp image? Is the web browser down sampling my images?

If I create an image at 100% size (example 1000px wide), and display it naturally on a website, the image is somewhat blurry/pixelated. However, if I create the same image at 200% (2000px wide), and display at 50%, the image is sharp. The end result is both images being 1000px wide, but one image is blurry and the other sharp. We have experimented with resolution and dpi and the results stay the same.

I need the image 100% to be 1000px wide.

This is the image created at 100% and viewed in browser at 100%

This is the image if I create it at 200% and view it on browser at 50%


texts: Making coloured text links stand out and obvious that they can be clicked on

texts:
This is a redesign of my website:

As you can see, its largely a work in progress; I'm trying to do a flat user interface design.

I can tell you now that I am in no way a designer or UI/UX expert. I'm a developer; traditionally useless at design, but giving it my best shot.

You can see on the main content that there are three links, under the title 'Latest blog posts'; I have made them the same shade of red as my header, but I'm not sure that it looks right, is it OK?

Should it be more contrasting?
Should it be the standard blue?
How can I make it obvious that they are click-able links?

All suggestions are welcome.


texts: What is the recommended way to make a four-dot ellipsis?

texts: For a three-dot ellipsis, it is recommended to use the ellipsis character, …, but I can't seem to find any four-dot ellipsis character, for example as recommended by the MLA style guide for when more than one sentence is omitted. What is recommended to look consistent with the three-dot ellipsis characters in my document?


texts: What's the font on the table in the movie Casino Royale?

texts: I'm looking for the font used on this table or one similar to it.


texts:
Sorry if my question is silly :-(

I'm trying to create my personal website, but I am stuck with the graphics. I tried to create pictures myself but it was too hard, so now I want to use a prepared package. What I want are some pictures like the ones below. Can anyone give the name of this style or a way of creating them?

I took the second one from newspaper :-)


texts: Script to automatically save a PSD when saving a PNG

texts:
Can you give me a script which will save a PSD automatically when I save a PNG?
I found a script that saves a PNG when saving a PSD, I tried to reverse it but it didn't work :(

main();
function main(){
    var Name = app.activeDocument.name.replace(/\.[^\.]+$/, '');
    var Ext = decodeURI(app.activeDocument.name).replace(/^.*\./,'');
    if(Ext.toLowerCase() != 'psd') return;
    var Path = app.activeDocument.path;
    var saveFile = File(Path + "/" + Name +".png");
    if(saveFile.exists) saveFile.remove();
    SavePNG(saveFile);
}

function SavePNG(saveFile){
    pngSaveOptions = new PNGSaveOptions();
    activeDocument.saveAs(saveFile, pngSaveOptions, true, Extension.LOWERCASE);
}


texts:
Is it possible to move a bunch of guides together as a group in Inkscape?
I want to move all objects drawn on a page along with the guides that were used for drawing them to another part of the page. What would be the best way for achieving this?


texts: Tried a lot but I just can't quite get it, how do I achieve a translucent tab bar like this:


texts: Can I apply more than 1 transparency to one object in CorelDRAW?

texts: I have a background image with linear transparency applied on the top of my image. I would like to replicate the same transparency on the bottom of the image.  How can I do this?


texts: What application do most designers use to design websites?

texts: What's the industry standard application used for designing webpage PSDs? Photoshop? Dreamweaver? This is solely for creating a design in PSD format, not converting to HTML/CSS.


texts: Examples of Actions Workflow for PhotoShop?

texts:
I think I know what Actions does in Photoshop, but I never generally used it. I know someone who automated a work process of applying filters and effects using it, but I never touched it.

What's your favourite workflow using Actions?


texts:
I am a beginner in illustrator. I would like to make a button like this one:

See where the white light on the top left gradually fades and there is some white shade on the inside of the button as well which fades towards the bottom right.
This is my attempt:

I added a third gradient fill and added some offset to it. But now I couldn't think of anything else like how do I make the shadows fade and also how to add that inner white effect?


texts: What are design ideas or elements that fit between Winter and Spring?

texts:
I have to change a poster that is designed to be seasonal. The poster (below) is too "Xmas" for the office and it can't be a Spring design as we are located in Illinois. I think the wreath part & snowman in the poster could give off the Xmas feel but what are design ideas or elements that fit between Winter and Spring?

My thought was that the poster could be too gloomy and dark.


texts: Can I re-color my artwork programmatically?

texts:
I have a rather interesting issue.  I have columns in my web app that look similar to these guys:

I've been able to slice them up and build these guys out...but now I have an added requirement of "recoloring" the columns (as these guys might need to be in a variety of colors).  Rather than updating the assets each and every time with a different color, is there a way to do any of the following?

a.) Create these columns somehow through code (HTML/CSS)? And programmatically re-color the columns?

b.) Programmatically re-color these columns by reducing the opacity on the background image (each slice, essentially) and instead, do an overlay that is an RGB value of my choice? (only issue I'm worried about is that the slices are square.  Meaning, if you look at the top of the column, when I spliced this, the background on the actual splice is transparent.  However, i'm worried if I do an overlay on this piece, it'll overlay a color and color the transparent background of the shape -- let me know if that's confusing.  it's rather hard to describe this)?

Any ideas on how to do this without having to create differently colored assets every time?


texts: How to handle freelance designers that fail to meet expectations?

texts:
Lately we've been slammed we decided to out-source projects that a few designers would provide source files to.  Per the initial contract terms and requirements with a spec delivery sheet are agreed upon.  The expectations are noted and an initial brief meeting is setup to deliver the source files, etc. etc. and it is addressed what is expected.

When the project is delivered issues arise on the finish project, example:

Example 1

A designed piece, initially stated in the meeting and the contract, that all fonts to be used in the design must be Opentype and must be from our list because we have rights.  Access to our font list database was provided and font access was granted.  After reviewing the design we noticed that postscript fonts were used throughout.  When noted to the designer they came back and said they were not going to be able to meet the contract completion date.

Example 2

Outsourcing work to a different designer it was noted in the meeting and in the contract the purpose of the design and its intended usage.  We requested all vectors to be created in Illustrator because we were going to develop SVGs.  Three weeks before deadline we were informed the designer was unaware how to do the needed task and requested us to train them.

None of these example cases are from starting out designers.  All of the designers supposedly have more than five years experience and they did have pretty good portfolios.

So my question is how do you handle freelancers that do not meet expectations?


texts: In a logo, is it okay to break the company name in two lines as needed?

texts: I have been asked to create visual identity for a new company. Their name is really long (think 12+ letters). They use several words together as one word. But there's also not an even number of letters. So I was thinking to separate the words in two lines for the larger size of logo and put in one line in small compact sizes. Is this practice okay? They are not going for lettermarks by the way -- I need to use the full name.


texts: Remove identical pixels in two layers/images with free software

texts:
I've inherited a large set of button icons at work, which I'd like to use in another project, but with a different button background. The trouble is that the original files have been lost in history, so all I have is the flat PNGs.

What I've managed to do is extract a blank button background. Looking at this from a developer point of view, what I'd like to do is "diff" two images (or two layers on a same image), and turn the pixels which are identical in both images transparent.

For example, out of these two pictures I would like a transparent image/layer with just the spade on it:

I realize that the result wouldn't be perfect, especially around blurred edges on the icon, but it would get me a long way. I have about 50 of these, in three button states = 150 images, so bonus for any method which would allow me to play with tolerance.

I'm mainly using Paint.NET, but any free piece software would do. I don't have access to photoshop.

EDIT

I suddenly remembered that I'm actually a software developer and not a graphic designer, so I wrote a program to do this in batch. The C# source code can be found at: http://pastebin.com/mKmtdHT4

Problem solved for me, but I'll leave this open for some time in case somebody has a more generally applicable solution to pass on to other people who have the same problem.


texts: Can you draw a constrained straight line with GIMP's paths tool?

texts:
In GIMP, you can (in various modes) draw a constrained straight line which will "snap" the line you're drawing to the nearest 15 degree angle, making it easy to draw lines in a precise direction.  For example, in paintbrush mode, you do this by clicking one point, releasing, holding shift+ctrl, then moving the cursor to the next point of the line and clicking.

Is there any way to do this in paths mode?  I can't seem to use this method to get an exactly horizontal path segment, for example.


texts: Embedded display profiles vs absolute colorspace profiles inside pictures

texts:
I'm trying to understand color management, and have stumbled across an issue:

I've seen many people, and some tools (like the OSX system screen shot utility) that will embed the icc profile of the monitor inside the picture file.
My understanding is that the embedded profile should be the icc profile of an absolute colorspace such as sRGB/adobeRGB etc, not that of the particular monitor it was displayed on.

What am I missing here? Help me find the fallacy in my reasoning:

When you design an image on your computer with a profiled display you get to see the colors in your monitor's native colorspace, but the RGB color values are stored in some other (reference) colorspace. When you save the image, you save along the information of what this reference colorspace is, so when the next person opens it, his computer will transform this reference colorspace into his own display's native colorspace and reproduce the actual color.

Why would anybody embed the color profile of his display? How would this help? Even if one did, that would require to define it against a reference colorspace; then why do it in the first place?


texts: The nuns enforced it with a ruler: two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence. I, along with many others do this instinctively. Why is this considered incorrect/improper in printed materials and on the web?


texts: Wrong dimensions during printing from SketchUp

texts: I'm modeling in SketchUp and having issues printing output with correct dimensions. For example, if I download some precise model from the Internet (as a knob for music instrument) - it prints right away, I convert STL to GCODE in Cura and everything fits perfectly. But when I do model in SketchUp and convert it to GCODE in Cura at the print it shrinks model to a smaller size. Please help me figure out why my dimensions are incorrect. Thank you!


texts: Print Shop telling me file size is too big?

texts: I work for a company that needed a 44x10ft banner to be printed through a print shop that was local. As "conscientious" as I was about file size. (using vectors, flattening images and going down to 1/4 scale at 300res) my file size is 526mb. After sending it to the rep at the print shop, he is telling me that he needs it UNDER 100mb for him to be able to print it. I spent hours trying to compress the file down to size but to no avail. I am beginning to question whether that is even possible for a banner that size with at 75resolution full scale? If anyone could please let me know if there is some way I can make this happen it would be much appreciated.


texts: How do I draw these lines in Illustrator?

texts:
I am trying to reproduce a poster I found, but I don't know exactly how to reproduce these concentric red lines inside the black circle.

I tried to use spirals but it didn't quite do the work. I could draw one by one but I am sure there is a better way!


texts: Bluebeam: saving a cropped pdf without the rest of the image behind

texts:
Bluebeam 2018. Using Document > Crop Pages... to crop a single page pdf down to my requirements. I save the pdf file but it appears it just saves the entire document still with information on the cropping box. The file size is unchanged and when inserted into e.g. InDesign the entire pdf is placed. Furthermore, when I go back to Document > Crop Pages... the entire document is effectively still there.

My questions is: how do I save the cropped pdf as a true cropped pdf?


texts:
These images are a actual thermographs of floors with electric radiant heat. I'm a novice working under deadline pressure with access to the whole Adobe CC suite. I need to recreate the effect on a photo of an unheated floor. My thinking is that I create a shape with yellow lines on a red background (probably in illustrator) and then blend or blur them, then bring it into a photo as a slightly transparent layer. However the details of getting it right could cost me hours or days. Do I create yellow vector lines with width over a red background? A series of alternating-colored bitmap trapezoids? Any help either positive (do this) or negative (don't waste your time trying this) would be greatly appreciated. I'll share my results if anyone wants to see them.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wkobre3zwyo4gm8/2011-11-18%2014.11.11.jpg?dl=0


texts: InDesign doesn't want to start a new page with a subheading or new paragraph

texts:
The only way I can persuade InDesign to start a new paragraph (whichever of my styles I am using, and including the subheadings) on a new page, is to insert a Page Break.

Otherwise it splits the previous para and puts the last two lines of it at the top of the new page, leaving a clumsy white space at the end of the page before.

I don't want to do use Page Breaks, as while editing the book further this will mess with my formatting (if anything is added or taken away in the chapter, before that point).

I've checked the 'keep' options, and I've made sure my styles aren't based on other styles that might have those options ticked.

Does InDesign have something against starting on new pages with the start of a paragraph or a subheading? From a format perpective that would be weird! Or is there something I'm not spotting... aargh

Many thanks if anyone can help me! I'd like to keep as much of my hair as possible...


texts: Formatting: left aligned vs. justified body text?

texts:
I'm currently writing a business report and set up a single column design with many diagrams of varying sizes throughout the document.

I was wondering, which alignment is most appropriate, and why?

Screenshots:


texts: I am very familiar with template creation for Coreldraw but I have never done this before in Illustrator nor did I see the question from a search.  How do you properly create a template and where should you place it to work well in Illustrator with the command ShiftCtrlN?  If I save the file as an .ait will it save it in the default location?


texts: What do you call this kind of design with stripes with rounded corners

texts:
What's the name that classifies this style (the black rounded lines)?

(Source)

I've also made a variant without actually knowing what it's called.


texts: Exporting square tiles from a stripe - in Inkscape or Gimp

texts:
I am using Inkscape and Gimp to create assets for a word game and am looking for an advice from more experienced users of these great tools.

In Inkscape I have created a stripe with 26 letters and their values:

The stripe is comfortable to edit - I have enabled grid snapping there and also I can always revisit the SVG file and change font sizes or letter values.

Then I have exported the SVG file as a whole page to PNG files in different resolutions:

Unfortunately, loading a 6240 x 240 pixels PNG file does not work with Android (because of OpenGL width limitation for textures - 2048 pixels on many devices).

So I have to split the SVG file or the resulting PNG files in square images of 240 x 240 pixels for each letter (Android could process them without problems).

My question is if anyone knows a good way to perform such a split in Inkscape (that would be best) or in Gimp?

In Export Bitmap dialog of Inkscape I see a batch-related checkbox... Could it be used for my purposes?


texts: How to detect if Extension Manager for has already been installed?

texts:
I have Illustrator CS6 and want to install some common plugin. This plugin needs Extension Manager installed.

How can I detect if Extension Manager exists on my Mac?


texts: Using the pen tool to draw curved lines whilst staying at anchor points?

texts:
I always have this problem. I want to use the pen tool due to it's curves to draw beautiful vector curves. But I also sometimes want to draw a new path from a specific anchor point. When I try, it "blows" the curve out. Sorry I'm not very good at explaining.

Here is my example. I'm trying to recreate the shape you see in the image by drawing over it with the pen tool How do I do that?

I draw the first line and curve it as I draw:

I want to draw from that corner downards to make the curvy-square shape. But when I do, it creates a really wide curve

What's the proper way to do this?


texts: Reduce File size of PDF Created In InDesign

texts:
I created a simple PDF file in InDesign where I placed 15 jpegs of dimensions 2480x3508 pixels of 300 dpi and included a few hyperlinks. Each page has one image. The resultant file size of the pdf with 15 pages is 7.74 mb which is huge!

Output tab looks like:

Advanced tab looks like:

On the contrary, when I create the same pdf in Photoshop (excluding hyperlinks), the resultant file size is 2.28 mb.

How can I reduce the file size in InDesign without compromising quality?


texts: how do I stop perspectival alterations to Distort function in photoshop

texts:
Hello - this problem is causing me untold headaches as I just cant solve how to stop 'perspective' being added (which I specifically don't want). I want to distort some text (imagine its the word 'TEXT'), so that the letters are taller on the left hand side and shorter on the right hand side. In the normal way, its recommended to transform the text into a shape so that it remains vectorized and keeps its quality, and then simply to Edit / Transform path / distort. However, when I do this, distort adds an unwanted perspective which makes the smaller letters thinner and the larger letters fatter whilst altering the spacing. I only want to change the height from left to right. I don't want any perspective effects. I want all the letters to remain the same width and look like they are lying in the same plane rather than disappearing off into some perspectival hell. This, after all, makes the final letters almost illegible. Simple distort without perspective. How do I do it?

I include an image that shows what I want to do.