Archived V.I.P. Content
2008
InPreflight vs. FlightCheck Test — Buying advice
To see how well InPreflight and FlightCheck Professional 6.x actually are, I ran a test on one InDesign file. As InPreflight is not available for QuarkXPress, the application’s value for QuarkXPress workflows could not be determined.
The file I tested contained a trapping error, several font errors, colour space errors and several linked images that were no longer available. I exported this file to a Certifed PDF (PDF/x-1a:2001). Then, as a reference, I ran this PDF file through PitStop Professional 08.
When do you need to preflight; the ROI discussion
The need for preflighting depends on the workflow and the job type. Magazine publishers will want to preflight early in the publishing process because they have no idea where the layout files they receive (adverts, classifieds, etc., for example) come from, and what the skill level of the layout designer of the file was.
When do you need a Font Server?
Market size: Font servers can be useful for workgroups as small as 5 people, but in such small workgroups individual, desktop-based font management may suffice. The decision to implement a font server will depend on the workgroup’s workflow.
Matching atomic content structures to a system
The AP report of June 2008 starts from the axiom that you already have an online presence that is well-established, which probably also means you will have a system in place that you can manage your content and design with. Since making sure the content becomes more palatable and attractive entails both design and content, the first thing to do is to examine whether your system is up to the challenge.
With many small to medium-sized publishers using a custom-developed system that bolts the layout and editing application to the online Content Management System (CMS), chances are most of these publishers will have to re-think their technology strategy because a loosely integrated system may not be flexible enough to accommodate for the new model.
Five rules to migrate a printed publication to an online one
Rule #1: You can simply migrate your printed publication-wide architecture and structure but you shouldn’t do that with the in-depth structure.
What this means is that you can use your main sections the way they are presented in the printed magazine --e.g. “News”, “Editorial"-- but you should seriously think over the use of vertical sections. Vertical sections are what bloggers call “categories”, and categories --or a taxonomy of topics if you will-- are very important to organise and manage atomic topics.
For example, you could have a “Lifestyle” section in your printed publication where you start with news on its first page, intermingled with an opinion piece and a start of a background article. On the web, you can re-use this visual structure, but your news item should be a category with background information on the new item created and stored in a separate category that the news story can relate to.
How Medium-sized Publishers See Publishing Evolve
Cross-media and dynamic publishing are two growth markets identified by Frost & Sullivan as well as other analysts. Many large companies and publishers are already turning towards technologies which support cross-media and dynamic publishing. They are buying or are planning to buy systems that integrate the complete workflow from concept over authoring to output into different channels.
Archived Public Content
2005
Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One
{REL[596100965][splash]EgfqRdgKREL}O’Reilly is busy publishing a complete series on creative applications such as Photoshop CS2, and Deke McClelland’s One-on-One tutorial is one of the stars in the series. The book comes with Total Training Video hosted by Deke McClelland himself. The DVD contains over two hours of lessons and companion material.
The Art of Photoshop
{REL[672328100][splash]EgfqRdgKREL}Is it a coffee table book or a tutorial? Both perhaps? Indeed, both. Daniel Giordan is a renowned Photoshop artist. He has written, or rather created, a book which can be used as a coffee table book --the first chapters contain a beautiful sample of his art. But it is a tutorial and reference book as well, teaching you how to achieve some of the results in his art pieces.
Photoshop LAB Color
{REL[321356780][splash]EgfqRdgKREL}Dan Margulis wrote a book on Photoshop LAB colour and the Canyon conundrum. Margulis calls LAB the most powerful colour space and explains why you should use it to enhance and correct photographs, and not only those that have a canyon as their subject.
Pixadex 2 Review
IconFactory has turned icon drawing into an art and a business. Icons are the visible tokens computer users rely on to see in a blink of an eye what a folder or a file relate to. Pixadex is the joint effort of IconFactory and Panic Software to manage icons.
Eovia Announces Carrara 5
Eovia, developer and publisher of leading 3D software tools, today introduced Carrara 5, the 3D solution. Carrara 5 delivers a robust suite of modelling, animation and rendering tools in a freshly updated user interface.
particleIllusion 3 Review
particleIllusion is a 2D particle effects application developed by wondertouch. With it you add visual effects to 3D animation, video, and images. It is not a plug-in, but a standalone program. This makes it possible to use it with the output of any 3D application, video files, or still images.
MotionBuilder 7 Review
MotionBuilder, Alias‘ 3D character building application has become more powerful, offering more integration with Maya 7, and many additional features in comparison with the previous version.
Dreamweaver 8 Review
Dreamweaver 8 is Macromedia’s newest attempt at developing the most compatible and powerful web site creator and manager. The experiences are mixed. Some of Dreamweaver’s already considerable power has been improved, while some other claims do not live up to expectations. But overall, Macromedia has made this version of Dreamweaver worthwhile upgrading for. And wasn’t that what software upgrades are all about?
Apple Aperture; who it competes with
Apple Aperture will be competing directly --albeit a subset only-- with the capabilities and features of Photoshop CS2. No doubt about that, and regardless of what Adobe may have to say. But Aperture competes with other applications as well. For example, with Digital Asset Management software.
Kodak P880 Prosumer Camera
Kodak has stopped making professional cameras. They’ve switched. To making prosumer cameras. Prosumer as in professional slash consumer. The professional part of this camera lies in its capabilities with respect to photographing modes it supports and its RAW capability. The consumer part undoubtedly includes its fixed zoom lens.
Hexagon 1.2 Review
Eovia releases version 1.2 of its Hexagon 3D-modeling application on October 19. The update looks more like an upgrade, with plenty of new features and improvements. The update makes life even simpler than before.
Fixer Bundle Review
FocusFixer, TrueBlur, NoiseFixer and ShadowFixer are all Photoshop plug-ins by FixerLabs, the British developer of SizeFixer XL. Two of these plug-ins take the same approach as SizeFixer: they depend on your camera for correcting the image.
Jewelboxing, The Art of Packaging Graphic Design
Art and design, as we know, is not limited to the content you’re creating. It has everything to do with the packaging as well. There’s probably no computer vendor in the industry who is mastering this as well as Apple. Graphics designers, advertising people, video creatives and others often deliver their creative content in digital format, on a CD or DVD. Jewelboxing supports creative packaging for this purpose.
Alias Maya 7
Alias, the 3D company being taken over by Autodesk, released Maya 7 some time ago. I had the chance to get to grasps with the new release and found it to be the best ever.
SoftCare to present preview of new version of K4
At IfraExpo, October 17th to 20th in Leipzig, Germany, SoftCare will present a preview of K4 Publishing System version 5.6 at stand number 2H805.
Eovia Announces Hexagon 1.2
Eovia today announces Hexagon 1.2, a significant free update for its popular 3D modeller for graphic creation.
Autodesk to acquire Alias
Autodesk today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alias, a privately held developer of 3D graphics technology, for $182 million in cash.
Web Assist Site Import
WebAssist Site Import is a plug-in for Dreamweaver MX 2004. It is a somewhat strange type of plug-in in that it offers functionality with which you can spy on other sites. WA Site Import enables you to download web pages into Dreamweaver and see how they’re structured.
Alien Skin: Eye Candy 5 Photoshop Filters
Eye Candy Nature and Textures are two Photoshop plug-ins that have been upgraded to version 5, just like Impact. They’re very nice plug-ins with which you can achieve great-looking results quickly and easily.
Smart Connection Enterprise integrated with Microsoft Word and Excel
Microsoft’s word-processing and spreadsheet program is now fully integrated with WoodWing Software’s powerful Smart Connection Enterprise editorial solution.
Eye Candy Impact Review
Alien Skin‘s Eye Candy 5 Impact is a Photoshop filter set that allows you to create a large number of interesting effects and art.
