layers 2008-09-10

D E S I G N

P H O T O G R A P H Y

V I D E O

THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR EVERYTHING ADOBE

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E D U C AT I O N

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

2 0 0 8

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DISPLAY UNTIL NOVEMBER 18, 2008

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Q 9 E B K C D I S '.S Design Makeover: Bright Ideas—Jake Widman

((S Artistic Expressions: Reflecting Details—Bert Monroy

Q J K J E H ? 7 B I S **S Adobe Photoshop Lightroom:

*&S The Digital Camera: Love That Daylight Fill-In Flash —Rick Sammon

Local Control—Chris Orwig

+&S Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers:

,*S The Art of Type: A Walk on the Wild Side —James Felici

Mirror, Mirror—Seán Duggan

+*S Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Designers:

..S Digital Video Solutions: Custom Background Animation —Rod Harlan

Repeat After Me—Dave Cross

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+.S Adobe Illustrator CS3: Feelin’ Groovy—Corey Barker

,,S Adobe InDesign CS3: Create an Interactive Portfolio —Mike McHugh

-(S Adobe Acrobat 9 Professional: Optimizing PDFs—Taz Tally

-.S Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 Public Beta: CS4 Test Drive—Janine Warner

.*S Adobe Flash CS3 Professional: Out of the Box—Lee Brimelow

Q : ; F 7 HJ C ; D J I S .S

Letter from the Editor

'(S Layers News (,S The Digital Canvas (.S Photographer Spotlight '&.S Tips & Tricks ''(S Creative Suite Q&A

Q E D J > ; 9 E L ; H S Chris Clor has more than 27 years’ experience as a commercial photographer working with clients such as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, and DuPont. Chris uses color, contrast, and composition to tell a story with every image he produces. Look for Chris’s unique imagery throughout the magazine. \Disjt!Dmps^

')&S Design Contest

/&S Adobe After Effects CS3: You’ve Got the Key—Steve Holmes

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/*S Adobe CS3 Production Premium: Great Green Screen and Virtual Sets —Richard Harrington

'&'S DesignMerge for InDesign—David Creamer '&(S Eric Meyer’s CSS Sculptor—Cyndy Cashman '&(S BannerZest Pro—Cyndy Cashman

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)&S Protecting What’s Yours

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'&&S Poser Pro—Bruce Bicknell '&'S NTI Media Maker 8 Premium—Dave Huss

Q 9 E L ; H  I J E H O S Are you a designer or photographer? If yes, then we’re willing to bet that you have at least one, if not hundreds, of your images somewhere on the Worldwide Web. With today’s technology, it’s more important than ever to protect your copyright. We show you all the steps you should take to do just that.—Rob Sylvan

'&)S AKVIS Enhancer 9.2—Dave Huss '&*S Sorenson Squeeze 5 Pro—Erik Kuna '&+S modo 302—Bruce Bicknell '&,S Toon Boom Studio 4—Marcus Geduld

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'&,S deskUNPDF—David Creamer

),S Large Format: A Matter of Size

As a designer, it’s important to have the skills to design for any type of media your clients throw your way, and that includes large-format projects such as billboards and bus wraps. Learn the secrets of creating large designs with very small file sizes.—Corey Barker

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Whenever you see this symbol at the end of an article, it means there’s either additional material or a download for that story at www.layersmagazine.com. So be sure to visit the website and check it out.

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Q J K J E H ? 7 B I S We’re always adding new tutorials to the Layers website, so be sure to visit often. And don’t forget to sign up for our graphics tip of the day and to read RC’s daily blog, Living in Layers. Here’s a small sampling of some of the tutorials that you can find at the site now:

QF>EJEI>EFS www.layersmagazine.com/category/photoshop Retouching Eyes in Photoshop CS3 (Video): The eyes are the most important part of your subject. Learn how to remove a catch light, recolor, get rid of red streaks, and much more.—Chris Alvanas

Q?BBKIJH7JEHS www.layersmagazine.com/category/illustrator Blending Gradients in Illustrator (Video): How do you make a gradient in Illustrator bend to the shape you’re creating? The answer can be found in the Blend tool.—Corey Barker Creating 3D Shapes in Illustrator (Video): Need a really cool background graphic? Create a stroke in Illustrator and apply 3D effects. We’ll show you how.—Corey Barker

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Hosted by Corey Barker and Rafael “RC” Concepcion www.layersmagazine.com/tv Be sure and join Corey and RC in their weekly video podcast. From killer tips and tricks to full-blown tutorials, Corey and RC cover all of your favorite print, Web, and video apps.

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Q : ; I ? = D  9 E D J ; IJ S www.layersmagazine.com/designcontest.html Every issue, we have a new Layers Back Page Design Contest where you can show us your skills. Be sure to visit the Layers website for all the details and to see the cool prizes that you could win.

Q D ; M I B ; J J ; H S www.layersmagazine.com/category/enewsletter Want to keep up to date on all the latest tutorials on both the Layers website and in the magazine, as well as all the latest industry news? Visit the Layers website now and sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.

QS www.layersmagazine.com/category/flash Flash Buttons with ActionScript 3 (Video): Creating buttons that call to URLs has changed from ActionScript 2. RC explains these changes and guides you through the latest version of ActionScript.—Rafael “RC” Concepcion

Q:H;7CM;7L;HS www.layersmagazine.com/category/dreamweaver Feathered Transparency with Photoshop & Dreamweaver: Most Web designers are very aware of the difficulties of working with transparency, but with the latest technology and CSS you can achieve some amazing transparency effects.—Geoff Blake

Q < ? H ; M E H A I S  NEW SECTION! www.layersmagazine.com/category/fireworks Fireworks CS4 Overview (Video): You’ve been asking for Fireworks and we’ve delivered. In this 10-part video series, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the new Fireworks CS4 Public Beta.—Rafael “RC” Concepcion

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I7<;=K7H:?D=OEKH?C7=;IEDB?D; It wasn’t that long ago where if you created an illustration or produced a photo for a client, chances were your final image would end up in print—a brochure, a flyer, an annual report, or maybe an ad in a magazine. So the only person you were really concerned about stealing your work was your client. You just wanted to make sure he didn’t repurpose or reuse your brochure cover image for a direct mail piece or a nationwide ad campaign without first compensating you for the usage. But today, more than likely your image is going to wind up at some point, in some form or another, on the Web— usually with your consent (even if it was designed for the client’s brochure) and often under your direction. But now you’ve got a new worry: You’re not just worrying about your customer misusing your image; you’re worried about your customer’s customers (people who visit their website) using your images. Although there’s a lot of pressure being applied in Congress, and plenty of talk about photographers’ rights and changes to the copyright laws, I’m still amazed at how little (if anything) is being done to educate the public, or even other designers, when it comes to what they can and can’t do with other people’s imagery. Because there’s so little

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information on the topic, and nobody is seriously trying to educate our industry or the public, the best thing to do at this point is learn how to protect your images yourself. That’s why our feature story this issue, “Protecting What’s Yours” (by Rob Sylvan), looks at some strategies for protecting your images online, from registering your work with the copyright office to watermarking your images, and even tracking down unlicensed uses of your work. It starts on page 30. (Note: If you’re a photographer, make sure you check out two live interviews I did with intellectual property attorney Ed Greenberg and photographers’ copyright advocate Jack Reznicki on my daily blog, Photoshop Insider at www.scottkelby.com.)

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Also in this issue, our own Corey Barker takes a look at designing for large-format output. (Corey knows this topic inside and out; before he came to us, he worked at a large-format service bureau.) We also have in this issue special guest writer, Mike McHugh, who not only works for Adobe as a Creative Systems Engineer in Australia, but also hosts the podcast Creative Sweet TV, and is author of the book, How to Wow with InDesign CS2. Mike has a fascinating tutorial on how to create interactive PDFs right out of InDesign. This interactive design is really getting lots of buzz right now, so if you haven’t had a chance to see what all the fuss is about, turn to page 66 to check it out.

In addition, Janine Warner gives you a tour of the recently released Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 Public Beta to get you up and running fast (it starts on page 78). One last thing: We’ve been continuing our popular “Designer Spotlight” column where we interview a designer or photographer, and then showcase his or her work throughout the entire magazine. This issue, we’re honored to present the amazing images of photographer Chris Clor. Of course, all your favorite columns and tutorials are here, along with our reviews on all the latest gear and software from mmm$b Wo[h icW]Wp_d[$Yec

a review team that has become one of the most trusted sources for straight, no-nonsense, to-the-point, product reviews. We

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appreciate the trust you’ve put in us. Your support has helped the magazine grow and thrive, and I’m glad you’re with us as we head into the fourth quarter, where I’m thinking some very exciting things are headed our way. Can’t wait! All my best,

Scott Kelby Editor and Publisher

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All contents © COPYRIGHT 2008 Kelby Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any use of the contents of this publication without the express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Layers magazine is an independent journal not affiliated with Adobe Systems, Inc. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Some of the views expressed by contributors may not be the representative views of the Publisher. ISSN 1554-415X

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!!!!sjdi!nfejb!tfbsdi!po!uif!Xfc Adobe Systems Inc. is helping search industry leaders to improve search results of dynamic Web content and rich Internet applications (RIAs). The company is providing optimized Adobe Flash Player technology to Google and Yahoo! to enhance search engine indexing of the Flash file format (SWF). The aim is to provide more relevant automatic search rankings of the millions of RIAs and other dynamic content that run in Adobe Flash Player.

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Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 2, the photographers’ software for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of photos. Enhancements include dual-monitor support, advances in nondestructive localized image correction, and streamlined search capabilities. As Adobe’s first application to support 64-bit operating systems, Lightroom 2 provides improved memory performance for dealing with large images. Lightroom 2 continues to improve the digital photography workflow, allowing photographers to batch process, convert, and apply metadata to photos upon import. The new Graduated Filter allows photographers to create graduated areas of adjustment over large portions of the image, including Exposure, Sharpness, Saturation, Clarity, and more.

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Ofx!fyusbt!gps! ! Gjsfxpslt-!Jmmvtusbups Graphicxtras.com is a resource site with hundreds of products for use in Photoshop, Illustrator, Painter, and many other applications. The company recently announced the release of 130 unique radial and solar symbols for Adobe Fireworks. The new royalty-free symbols pack includes many different radial designs that are all stored in PNG symbols libraries format for use in Fireworks and can be imported simply via the Libraries folder.

Although search engines already index static text and links within SWF files, RIAs and dynamic Web content have been generally difficult to fully expose to search engines because of their changing states. Moving forward, RIA developers and rich Web content producers won’t need to amend existing and future content to make it searchable— they can now be confident it can be found by users around the globe. Google has already begun to roll out Adobe Flash Player technology incorporated into its search engine and can now better read the content on sites that use the technology, helping users find more relevant information when conducting searches. Yahoo! also expects to deliver improved Web search capabilities for SWF applications in a future update to Yahoo! Search.

Lightroom 2 gives users multiple viewing and comparison options, as well as the ability to adjust and enhance color, exposure, and tone curves nondestructively on more than 190 RAW file formats. It also can track image changes automatically, allowing users to explore possibilities and return to any version of a photo with a single click. The estimated price is $299 for new users, with an upgrade price of $99 for registered users. (For more information, visit the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Learning Center sponsored by the NAPP at www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom2.)

MIKE MACKENZIE

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The Fireworks set comes with many different colorful designs, to which users can apply effects, modify colors, and combine in thousands of ways. The radial set also comes with documentation hints and tips. The company also released a new pack of 130 vector radial symbols designs for use in Adobe Illustrator. The radial symbols come in many different high-impact designs, and all the symbols are stored in native AI format. The set comes with documentation, a gallery, and scripts. Users access them via the Symbols panel in Illustrator, and they can be modified and turned into brushes. Find out more by visiting www.graphicxtras.com.

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High-quality, free textures for your graphic design and photography projects

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Nikon (www.nikonusa.com) introduced the D700 digital SLR that offers several key features taken directly from the professional D3 camera, but at a fraction of the price. The two cameras share the same 12.1-megapixel CMOS full-frame sensor; EXPEED processing chip; ISO range; 51-point autofocus system with 3D tracking; 920,000-dot LCD screen; and scene recognition system. Despite sharing many of the D3’s features, the D700 is smaller, lighter, and significantly more affordable at $2,999.95 for the body alone or $3,599.99 bundled with a 24–120mm VR lens, compared to $4,999.95 for the D3 body alone. Nikon also rolled out the SB-900 Speedlight, offering higher light output, wider zoom range coverage, and more advanced light-pattern control than the popular SB-800. The new flash, which should be available now for $499.95, offers three selectable light patterns and the ability to move the flash tube and reflector system independently, allowing the system to tailor the light pattern to match the subject. In further camera news, Nikon introduced the new PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D lenses, expanding a series of lenses that allows photographers to effectively correct perspective and depth of field. When shooting subjects, such as tall buildings, with a conventional lens, composition often calls for tilting the axis of a camera. This can result in distortion of converging lines. The PC-E NIKKOR lens shift control provides correction for this type of distortion. Their versatility makes these the perfect lenses for myriad applications, including photographing architecture, nature, interiors, and still-life, especially product photography. The PC-E NIKKOR 45mm and 85mm lenses should now be available for an estimated price of $1,799.95 and $1,739.95, respectively.

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Photoshop brush sets from animals to outer space

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Canon (www.usa.canon.com) introduced the EOS Rebel XS, which Canon is marketing as an entry-level digital camera for consumers looking to begin shooting with an SLR. According to the company, the EOS Rebel XS was designed as a fast, nonintimidating, lightweight, easy-to-use camera that produces excellent images and starts emerging photographers off on the right foot. The new model boasts an Optical Image Stabilized kit lens for crisp focus, as well as Canon’s DIGIC III image processor; 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor; Live View; Auto Lighting Optimizer; 7-point, wide-area autofocus (AF) sensor; and 3 frames-per-second continuous JPEG burst rate. The estimated retail price is $699.99. Canon also unveiled the new Speedlite 430EX II, which succeeds the 430EX. The new model realizes an approximately 20% reduction in recycling time compared to its predecessor. Like the 580EX II, the 430EX II allows users to control flash functions and input settings using the camera’s LCD monitor, and also offers a quick-lock attachment system. The new Canon Speedlite 430EX II will carry an estimated price of $329.99.

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F^ejei^ef9I)Fem[hJekh Pittsburgh, PA (September 26, 2008) Covington, KY (September 29, 2008) www.kelbytraining.com

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8[ij_dj^[IM0cej_ed&. October 12–15, 2008 Albuquerque Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, NM www.motionconference.com

9h[Wj[9^Wei(&&. October 13–17, 2008 Orlando World Center Resort Orlando, FL www.createchaos.com/08

:_]_jWbL_Z[e;nfeM[ij November 4–6, 2008 Los Angeles Convention Center Los Angeles, CA www.dvexpo.com

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For those managing and storing digital information, Data Robotics has launched the second generation of its award-winning Drobo product. The enhancements include an upgraded core processor; two FireWire 800 ports; dramatically increased USB 2 performance; and newly optimized firmware that addresses the needs of any user seeking a reliable method of managing vast amounts of data without sacrificing performance. Drobo is ideal for use as primary storage for media applications, such as photography and video editing, as well as secondary storage. The second generation Drobo is priced at $499 and also comes in a 2-TB version for $899, and a 4-TB version for $1,299. All are available for immediate purchase from www.drobostore .com. For a list of vendors or to learn more about Drobo, visit www.drobo.com.

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There’s a new black-and-white photographic plug-in from Nik Software on the market. Silver Efex Pro, which runs under Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture, uses a range of advanced imaging algorithms that protect against unwanted artifacts. It also features a collection of 18 emulated black-and-white film types, and a state-of-the-art grain engine that Nik claims will truly mimic the silver-halide process for the highest quality black-andwhite images from scanned or digital color photographs. Silver Efex Pro begins by presenting photographers with a basic neutral conversion of their color image to black and white. Oneclick adjustments can be made from a choice of more than 20 presets that emulate the most popular film types and shooting styles. In addition, color filters, variable toning controls (including sepia, selenium, split-toning, and user-defined colors for maximum flexibility), and vignettes are included. Additional sliders for global brightness, contrast, and structure, as well as smart filter compatibility within Photoshop and multi-image support in Aperture, provide the ultimate level of control. Silver Efex Pro is available for $199.95. For more information, visit www.niksoftware.com.

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Artlandia, Inc. has released Artlandia LivePresets, a new plug-in that allows for simultaneous interactive editing of multiple objects in Adobe Illustrator. By introducing a variety of formerly “static” Illustrator presets, such as symbols and pattern swatches, LivePresets is designed to increase productivity and open new possibilities for the use of repeating design elements in a wide range of applications. LivePresets allows the designer to interact with a single editable copy of the symbol and apply edits simultaneously to all instances of the symbol in the artwork. Live pattern swatches supplied by LivePresets similarly allow for editing and modifications of repeat patterns. In addition to live symbols and pattern swatches, LivePresets features unlimited snapshots that are automatically added to the Symbols and Swatches panels in Illustrator, a special mode for insertion of new objects, instant linking and unlinking from the artwork, as well as support for editable complex objects in pattern swatches. More information is available at www.artlandia.com.



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anergy started in the renewable energy business about four years ago, specializing in photovoltaics (converting solar energy to electricity). In the U.S., they market their products to consumers through catalogs such as Hammacher Schlemmer, in-flight magazines, and televised home shopping networks. Outside the U.S., their markets are primarily in third-world countries, which they reach through organizations such as the United Nations or UNICEF. The company also sends representatives to trade shows and overseas trade missions where they distribute sell sheets describing their products. Typically, several sell sheets will be inserted in a folder with a cover letter. Eva Csige, Nanergy’s Vice President

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of Marketing, asked if Layers could come up with a more effective design for the sheets. Csige likes several things about the current sell sheets: the layout is neat and clean, and the angled rules makes them look modern. But they’re inconsistent and not terribly eye-catching. One problem is the color scheme. Because the current logo is red and blue, she says, they had a hard time coming up with a background color to work with it. They decided against green because it’s such a cliché in the renewable energy field; the yellow they settled on is meant to suggest sunlight, the source of the power for their products. The corporate image Csige would like to project is informal and friendly, but at the same time polished and high tech. “More Apple than IBM,” she says. We gave three designers a pair of spec sheets and the cover of a four-page brochure and asked them to generate a new look that could represent Nanergy’s efforts across the entire product line.

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Brochure cover

raphic design is about organized communication. In the case of commercial design, it’s vital that information is clear and accessible. The challenge is to distill simplicity out of complexity and reduce detail to the essentials. I started with the Solar Home Systems brochure cover. It needs to entice viewers to investigate further—to make them interested in the product and to draw them in. I decided to take a magazine-cover approach, using large images and treating the product features as bold “story subjects.” As for the design details, I tried to pull together elements that subtly suggested the product and the brand: the translucent blue of photovoltaic panels, with bits of the logo swirl in the top bar echoing the logo at the bottom. I set the type in Avenir Black, Medium, and Light for its modern feel and clean, easy-to-read characters.

Sell sheet

My approach to the Always Light data sheet was to repeat elements from the brochure for consistency, to soften the stark feel of the original, and to organize the information and highlight the important details. Placing all the information into one vertical space, starting with a list of product features and ending with the tech specs, makes it easy for someone who is scanning to find the most important points quickly. The background has a subtle grid pattern over a gradient tone that softens the look while adding a “technology” feel. This was my attempt to address the slight conflict in the client’s request for a warm, casual image and a modern, high-tech look. Nanergy makes some interesting and relevant products. I wish them good fortune with their business.

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Jake Widman is a writer and editor who lives in San Francisco. He’s been covering the intersection of computers and graphic design for about 20 years now—since back when it was all called “desktop publishing.”

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Greg started as a photographer in 1990. He worked for agencies and design studios shooting images for ads, annual reports, lifestyle marketing pieces, and catalogs. The years of crafting images honed his eye for the important details. He found himself drawn to the entire design process, and a combination of self-instruction, trial by fire, and a Design and Advertising Certificate program at Rhode Island School of Design enabled him to expand his skills and services. Going into business as gwcreative in 2000, Greg began to design and produce appealing, user-friendly, and effective websites, print projects, and photography. He now stays busy with freelance work, wedding and event photography, and a day job as the lead Senior Graphic Designer for GTECH Corporation’s Sales and Product Marketing Department in Providence, Rhode Island. He lives in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, with his wife and two teenage children, who are his favorite people in the world.

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anergy’s current look is not only inconsistent among their marketing materials, but also in communicating a clear brand message (which starts with a suitable and successful logo). The original logo’s brush stroke effect makes it look either artistic or handmade, and the colors are harsh and misleading. I set out to create a mark that illustrates the main characteristics they use to describe themselves: high-technology, environmental, polished, and people-focused. My revised logo uses crisp lines that suggest energy being dispersed as rays of light. The combination of bright green (representing both the environment and the vibrancy of the sun’s energy) and blue (symbolizing the sky and solar panels) evokes a feeling of freshness. I set the company name in lowercase Futura to complement the icon and provide a friendly but sophisticated tone. The rays-of-light theme is carried through on the brochure cover where the use of ample negative space communicates an overall feeling of expansiveness and clean energy.

Sell sheet

Besides inconsistency, I thought the sell sheets suffered from lack of hierarchy, poor interaction of elements, and weak use of photography. Nanergy’s mission combines compassion for humanity with environmental awareness, and this became the force behind my concepts. I decided to use typography and negative space in a very pure and simple manner to communicate an overall feeling of expansiveness and clean energy. I wanted the product sheets to organize the information, but have some dimension and hierarchy. I did this by establishing a grid, assigning levels of importance to type through size treatment, and bringing out specific features in bold sidebars. The type in the sidebar sits between parentheses and remains lowercase, maintaining the techie-yet-friendly nuance. Different colors selected from the same overall palette distinguish one product from another. I added images that evoke feelings of well-being and attention to the environment and the betterment of humanity.

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hile reviewing the existing Nanergy marketing collateral, several issues became very clear, most notably that the company wasn’t capitalizing on aesthetic communications for green energy, the product capabilities, or the refinement of solar technology. When you leave any piece of material with a potential customer it should always be eye-catching and clever. The new design needed to be modern, sleek, and refined, communicating to a market of sophisticated customers with the interest and funds to invest in clean, green energy for their homes and lifestyles. To accomplish this, we took a minimalist approach, drawing on Swiss Modernism, and reduced the color scheme to shades of gray and sky blues. The resulting design is modern and elegant.

The Always Light sell sheet was challenging if only for placing so much information in too small of a space. Our team decided to transform the page into a two-sided one sheet; the front displays the simplicity of the product and the back details the product specifications. We capitalized on the fact that the product emits light to make the top half of the front of the sheet (starting where the light is) a pale gray, while the bottom part of the sheet is dark to create contrast and ground the design. The previous Solar Home Systems brochure cover also contained too much text. Continuing the clean and simple presentation established with the Always Light sheet, we removed all the product information from the front of the brochure and simply showcased the product. The information inside the brochure is presented in a similar format as the back of the Always Light one sheet. The design should remain consistent in this way between all collateral items, creating a standard design for the brand.

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Fueled by her passion for designing the art of meaningful communication, Cristy Vallee established her own design studio, vallee:design, in 2003. Cristy received her Masters of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Boston University and worked as a designer for a number of design studios, an advertising agency, an exhibit design firm, and as a freelancer. Her experience covers a wide range of media, including branding, print and marketing collateral, and large-scale experiential design projects. Cristy also enjoys teaching graphic design at Bridgewater State College, where she’s continuously reminded of the importance of meaningful and fresh design. “What I enjoy most about design is the creativity and collaboration, but even more the point at which successful design does more than simply attract a viewer, but reaches out to inform and inspire. It’s at this point that I believe design shows its true strength and power to ignite change and growth.”

DYKEMAN’s Graphic Design Services, located in Everett, Washington, provides clients with print, Web, and environmental design services. Notable clients include Safeway, ICON, Krispy Kreme, Top Foods, and Housing Hope. Andrea Jensen has worked in the design industry for the last four years as a copywriter, marketing manager, and graphic designer. Her myriad skills assist DYKEMAN Graphics in design, as well as business development and marketing ventures. Andrea has worked with the Washington State Ferries, PEMCO Insurance, and the Urban Mobility Group. Michael Olson has worked in the design industry for the last eight years as a graphic and Web designer. As a graphics director at DYKEMAN Graphics, Michael contributes his award-winning talent and entrepreneurial experience. Michael has worked with PEMCO Insurance, Ignite Analytics, and the Diocese of Olympia.

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sfgmfdujoh!efubjmt Making things look real is what I always strive for in my work. I never guess at how something should look: I really look at things in the world around me. You might be tempted to make it up, but if you’re off by even a tiny bit, that mistake will stand out and make the image look wrong. So, if you want to create something realistic, study the world around you. Understanding how things should look is a matter of going through life with your eyes open.

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In my studio, I have many objects and toys that serve as models when I’m trying to figure out how something will cast a shadow and how it will reflect other objects around it. And reflections are what we’ll focus on in this issue. How you handle the surface of an object that you’re creating in Photoshop will be determined by what it’s made of. Photoshop isn’t a 3D application: it won’t automatically create shadows or reflections within a scene. Sure, there’s a layer style that creates drop shadows, but these are shadows cast by an object onto a surface directly behind it. In a three-dimensional space, shadows take on a shape of their own. For instance, an object sitting on a tabletop won’t cast a shadow onto the air behind it; the shadow will travel along the surface of the table. Also, if an object falls within the area where a shadow’s being cast, the shadow will change direction and follow the shape of the object blocking it. But let’s talk about reflections (we’ll cover the concept of shadows in more detail in a future issue). If an object is made of glass, polished stone, or shiny plastic, it will reflect other objects that lie beside it. There’s no layer style, easy trick, or button to push to accomplish this. This detail needs to be handled with a little effort and skill. You might say, “I’m a photographer, not a painter!” But what if you’re combining two of your photographs into one and they contain reflective objects? If a reflection doesn’t exist, the image is lost and you’ll have to go in there and create the reflections. Many times, it’s simply a matter of making a copy of the object and flipping it horizontally to make your reflection. Other times, you have to take your time and do a little manipulation to make it look right.

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When the reflections are on a window, then they need to be subtle so as not to clutter the scene behind the window. Just a hint of a reflection might be all that’s needed. This painting, Pic n Pac, at the top of the next page, was the first I created after I moved to California in 1993. The store has big, plate-glass windows in front and, in the closeup of the window facing the viewer, you can see the interior of the shop. There’s also a reflection from some object outside that’s out of our field of view. It’s not necessary to create that reflection from scratch.

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Raven closeup you’ll see that I took the Pic n Pac painting and flipped it horizontally for the reflection. (Fortunately, no one has sent me an email [to date] complaining that there’s no such place across the street from the Raven movie theater.)

Nbojqvmbujoh!b!sfà!fdujpo Pic n Pac closeup Here’s the layer for the reflection: a rough drawing I made with the Brush tool, depicting a reflection of me standing by my car taking the picture with my old Nikon camera. As you can see, there’s not much detail; just enough to get the point across. In the Raven painting, the movie theater has a ticket booth that faces the street. It’s glass and of course, it’s reflective. How did I create that reflection? If you take a good look at the closeup of the ticket booth,

Reflection layer

As mentioned above, there will be times that require some manipulation to make a reflection look right—the painting, marble and matches, at the top of the next page, is one of those instances. In the closeup, you can see that a reflection of the matchstick is visible along the edge of the marble that faces it. The marble is smooth glass; the matchstick is right next to the marble; therefore a reflection is needed. The surface of the marble is rounded so it will distort anything that’s being reflected onto its surface. Don’t believe me? Go look at a marble! Here’s how to manipulate this: Duplicate the layer containing the matchstick onto a new layer (Command-J [PC: Ctrl-J]). Then apply a spherical filter (Filter>Distort>Spherize) to the duplicate layer. One important consideration is that the Spherize filter creates the distortion outward from the center of the overall shape of a layer or selection. So, to get the proper distortion of the matchstick, place it

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marble and matches

Shoe Repair offset it to the right, then lowered the layer opacity and clipped it with the layer containing the orange plastic letter shapes. But…there are places where the neon tubes are bent to either travel under other tubes to form the letters or to connect them into the sign. In these cases I had to do a little modification to the reflection layer. The closeup below shows one of these instances.

at the far right of the layer being distorted before going into the Spherize filter. Next, lower the Opacity for the layer of the distorted matchstick and place this layer in the Layers panel above the layer containing the marble. Use the Move tool (V) to position the distorted matchstick where the reflection should be in the marble. Then Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the line between the matchstick and marble layers to turn them into a clipping group and complete the effect. This will “clip” out any of the matchstick outside the marble.

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At other times, it might require some handwork to modify the layer for a reflection. Say you wanted to show someone looking at himself in a mirror. If you duplicate the layer with the person on it and flip it horizontally, you’ll get that reflection; however, if the mirror is being held at an angle, then you’ll need to distort the reflection. And if the mirror is below the person, then you’ll need to do some major work, because you’d see the bottom of the person’s chin and the nose in the reflection. In the example at top right, the Shoe Repair painting shows a neon sign with the word “PAUL’S” suspended over orange plastic, which is smooth and thus reflective. The basic reflection was easy to create: I simply duplicated the layer containing the neon tubes and

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Notice that the neon tube is bent to travel beneath another tube and then connect into the sign. The original reflection traveled in the same direction as the tubes. The reflection of the tube being bent toward the plastic has to look as if it’s being reflected outward to meet the reflection of the bar connecting it to the sign. Another factor in this example is that you’re looking at it from an angle, which will cause the shape visible within the reflection to appear longer than the tube that’s being reflected. Try this: Hold your finger against a mirror so that it’s pointing at an angle similar to the tube in the painting and you’ll notice that you can see more of the finger reflected in the mirror than you can see of the actual finger. In the closeup, the angle and size of the tube has been modified to look the way that it should. So, is there a science to all this? Do you have to go out now and study physics? No! Just study the world around you. Open your eyes and look at how things work. The answers are all out there.

Bert Monroy is considered one of the pioneers of digital art. His work has been seen in many magazines and scores of books. He has served on the faculty of many well-known institutions, written many books, and appeared on hundreds of TV shows around the world.

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ALL IMAGES BY BERT MONROY

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Illustration: Z06 ] [ Personal Work ] [ Designer: Edward Eksi ] [ Software: Adobe Illustrator ] [ Website: www.edwardeksi.com Illustration: Lethargy ] [ Personal Work ] [ Designer: Megan O’Brien ] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 ] [ Website: http://starsandtea.blogspot.com

Children’s Book Illustration: Mandy and Pandy and Their Friends ] [ Client: Mandy and Pandy Co. ] [ Designer: Ingrid Villalta ] [ Software: Adobe Illustrator ] [ Website: www.wallsforfun.com

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Illustration: Follow You ] [ Personal Work ] [ Designer: Megan O’Brien ] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 ] [ Website: http://starsandtea.blogspot.com

Illustration: Ghosts Lay Here ] [ Personal Work ] [ Designer: Megan O’Brien ] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 ] [ Website: http://starsandtea.blogspot.com

Illustration: Jack Be Clever ] [ Personal Work ] [ Designer: Megan O’Brien ] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 ] [ Website: http://starsandtea.blogspot.com

Children’s Book Illustration: Mandy and Pandy Visit Great Wall of China ] [ Client: Mandy and Pandy Co. ] [ Designer: Ingrid Villalta ] [ Software: Adobe Illustrator ] [ Website: www.wallsforfun.com

Design: Book cover for Whispers from the Bay ] [ Client: John Tkac ] [ Designer: Marcus Laurinaitis ] [ Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3 ] [ Website: www.firstteamadv.com

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

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was sporting an illustrative style long before digital manipulation was available. His photos are products of his imagination and are sometimes dark and other times more humorous. Lush lighting and color dominate his work, which is often described as cinematic.

Layers: Your images seem to tell a story. Do you stumble across these without forethought or strategically plot them out?

Layers: What applications do you work with regularly? Do you have a favorite?

Clor: I typically sketch an idea on paper first, then begin the process of photographing the individual elements and backgrounds. Sometimes I’ll come across unusual backgrounds, objects, or people, and these will be the impetus for an image. I also have a cinematography background and try to instill a cinematic feel in my work.

Clor: I use Photoshop CS3 the most for image editing, as well as Corel Painter for certain projects. For the computer generated (CG) elements you see in some of my work, I use Maxon Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, and Vue d’Esprit. I’ve been incorporating CG-rendered elements into my work since 1993.

Layers: Do you have a typical workflow you use to process your images?

Layers: Do you have a favorite lens you shoot with? If so, why?

Clor: Of course, I capture in RAW for digital and process these in either Adobe Photoshop CS3, LightZone, or Canon software. I also shoot film, utilizing a fluid-mounted, HDR-scanning technique that’s incorporated into the scanning software.

Clor: My favorite lens is my Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS lens. It is unbelievably sharp, and I always shoot it wide open. Unfortunately, I can’t use the 300 for everything. I have most of the Canon glass available but would have to say the 24–70 and 70–200 see the most use. They are great workhorse lenses.

Layers: How long have you been working as a commercial photographer? How early did you know you wanted to be a photographer?

Layers: Do you rely more on lighting and camera settings or digital manipulation to achieve the signature highcontrast effect that marks your images?

Clor: I’ve been working as a commercial photographer for more than 27 years. I became

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interested in photography at the age of 12 and have had a camera in hand ever since.

Clor: It is really a combination of things. Generally, my lighting is justified—meaning there is a natural or practical source for the light to be there, not just edge lighting for no apparent reason. The makeup, lighting, and contrast ratios are designed to support the digital manipulation later. This allows for the greatest degree of control in postprocessing. Contrast is added in various layers with masks that are painted in or removed precisely. I build the color in much the same way, utilizing many colors and overlays to define the palette.

Layers: How did you discover your current style? Did something in particular serve as the creative impetus? Clor: I did a lot of darkroom printing early in my career, learning from a master printer who taught me how to interpret a negative and really understand it. Dodging, burning, and color correction were always part of the creation of every print. Pulling detail from shadows; darkening areas of the print to lead the eye to the subject; creating lush, beautiful images that were often mistaken for paintings…This was the very beginning of what has become the illustrative look evident in my work to this day. I also used montage techniques and multiple exposures to create my compositions— yes, even during the film days. Now, of course, I use the computer to assemble the images. But I rely on my earlier darkroom experience to guide my hand.

[CONTACT] Chris Clor www.clorimages.com

ALL IMAGES BY CHRIS CLOR

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What’s Yours

Many designers and photographers use the Web to share their work with as many people as possible. But once your images are on the Web, how can you protect them? Here are some of the best ways to safeguard your copyright online.

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he Worldwide Web is awash in images and I expect that some are yours, as there’s probably not a digital camera owner out there who hasn’t shared a photo with a friend, family member, or the world via the Web. Whether uploading to your own website, a blog, a stock agency, or one of the many sites dedicated to sharing photos, once your digital photo leaves your computer, it becomes part of the vast growing sea of intellectual property that is the Internet. I couldn’t guess how many photos are out there, but if you want to start counting, I can tell you that the 2-billionth photo was uploaded to Flickr last November. Let’s just call it billions and billions (to misquote Carl Sagan).

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1. Open a photo in Photoshop, or select one in Bridge, and go to File>File Info to open that dialog. 2. Choose Copyrighted from the Copyright Status drop-down menu and then enter your Copyright Notice and Copyright Info URL. 3. Select IPTC Contact from the list on the left side of the dialog and fill out all fields. 4. Select IPTC Status and fill out the Rights Usage Terms. 5. Click the flyout menu arrow at the top of the dialog, choose Save Metadata Template, give it a name, and click Save. Then click OK to close the File Info dialog.

We put our photos online for many reasons, from simply sharing moments of our lives to earning our livelihoods. The problem is that the very nature of making a photo viewable on the Internet involves putting it into the digital possession of the viewer. Imagine a shopping experience where instead of going to a store to pick what you want to buy, you could have every item delivered right to your house for free, but with the understanding that you’d pay for the items you keep and throw everything else in the trash. That’s an extreme example of the “ultimate honor system,” but kind of how the Internet works. Even the act of displaying a photo on a monitor puts it a screen capture away from being saved by the viewer, and a digital file can be reproduced an infinite number of times without loss of quality. All the files you view in a webpage are saved into a special file on your computer (the browser’s cache), which is periodically cleared out.

In trying to get a handle on how much of a problem unauthorized image usage is, I spoke to Niran Amir, the Director of Marketing & Sales for PicScout (www.picscout.com), a company that specializes in using its proprietary image-recognition technology for finding its client’s rights-managed images being used online in commercial projects. (Their client list reads like a who’s who of stock photo agencies.) All matches found by their Image Tracker technology are passed on to the client, and if a use is determined to be unlicensed, PicScout will assist in recovering financial compensation for that use. According to Niran, 80–90% of the matches they’ve found were illegitimate uses. (I expected the percentage of unauthorized uses to be high, but that’s a staggering figure.) Reasons for unauthorized uses by image consumers include ignorance of copyright, mistakes in the image acquisition and approval chain, and plain old bad decisions. While it may be impossible to prevent a determined person from using your work without your permission, there are a couple of things you should do to protect your work: Establish yourself as the copyright owner; make it harder for the wrong people to use your work; and make it easier for the right people to find and contact you when they want to use your work with your permission. Compromises may have to be made and costs considered, and although not every solution will be suited for every place you upload images, it’s best to focus your attention on the areas that are within your control—right before you click the Upload button.

Register your copyright

According to U.S. Copyright law, you own the copyright to your original work the moment it’s created (assuming it’s not a “work

In the future you can easily apply this metadata template to all your work via that same flyout menu. for hire”) without having to register it and without having to affix a copyright notice on the work. Registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office creates a public record stating that you’re the copyright owner. In this digital age, everything you can do to cement the connections between you and your work is in your best interest. While this won’t prevent your photos from being misused, it’s a required legal formality before you can file a copyright infringement suit. If you register your work within three months of publication, or prior to an infringement, and a court decides an infringement took place, you’ll be able to recoup legal fees and punitive damages in addition to actual damages. If you register your copyright after an infringement has taken place, your award is limited to actual damages, which means your legal fees come out of your pocket! You can register both published and unpublished work through the U.S. Copyright office (http://copyright.gov) by mail for a fee of $45 per registration. With an eye to the future, the Copyright office is now offering an online registration service called eCO (electronic Copyright Office), which is intended to be faster and cheaper ($35) than the traditional paper-based method. Go to http://copyright .gov/eco if you’d like to give this new service a try. Keep in mind, however, that you’re limited to a 30-minute upload session, so your connection speed will determine the number of photos you can upload per $35 fee. Pros: Creates a legal public record of your copyright ownership, required before filing a lawsuit, and increases amount of award when infringement is determined. Cons: Costs a nominal fee and takes some time. Verdict: So, what are you waiting for?

Embedding metadata

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s all too easy for the end user to strip out the metadata, but just because someone could remove it, shouldn’t prevent you from including your copyright notice and contact information in every photo that leaves your computer. Plus if you’re using Adobe Photoshop, Bridge, or Lightroom to manage your photos, you already have the means to add this to your workflow at no additional cost.

If you’re using Lightroom, it’s just as easy to create a similar metadata template that you can apply to every photo as part of the Import process. Here’s how to do that from the Import Photos dialog: 1. Click the Metadata drop-down menu and choose New, which will launch the New Metadata Preset dialog. 2. Complete all the fields in the IPTC Copyright and IPTC Creator sections. 3. Enter a name in the Preset Name field and click Create.

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With Bridge and Photoshop, here’s how to create a metadata template that contains your essential copyright and contact information (feel free to add more information) and easily apply it to all your photos:

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sion. On the Web, the resolution of a photo is simply a function

Pros: Easy to implement, resulting in smaller file size, which leads to

of its pixel dimensions (that is, x pixels long by y pixels wide). You

faster upload time and less storage requirements.

may often hear people say, “Only put photos at 72 ppi on the Web,”

Cons: Too small size can reduce visual impact.

be applied to the metadata of all your

but the term “ppi” (pixels per inch) is meaningless in regards to

Verdict: Err on the side of being a little too small.

imported files. Just make sure that you

Web display; it’s just a metadata tag that tells a printer how large to

always select that preset on future

print a given photo. Onscreen, however, it’s pixel dimensions that

imports as well.

determine the size (and usefulness) of the photo.

in the Metadata field back on the Import dialog, which means that information will

Of course, the key here is not to

address it here. Some people use the lossy nature of the JPEG-compres-

strip this data out when saving your

Photoshop and open the Image Size dialog (Image>Image Size),

sion algorithm as a means to slightly degrade the photo in an attempt to

JPEG file destined for the Web. In

you can uncheck the Resample Image box and set the Resolu-

decrease its usefulness to others. While this can be effective to a certain

Photoshop, if you choose File>Save

tion field to any number you desire. Let’s say we set it to 300. All

extent, I find that degrading the photo quality usually runs counter to

As, then all the metadata is pre-

we’ve done is set the document size to print that photo at 300

most reasons for why you’d put the photo online in the first place. It may

served, but if you choose File>Save

ppi—the photo’s still 800x600 pixels.

also give the impression that the quality of the original file is poor, which is the last thing you’d want people to think.

notice and copyright URL are left in the metadata, unless you check Include

Saving images as JPEGs is part and parcel of putting them online, There are a slew of free watermarking tutorials for Photoshop

so choosing a compression level will always come into play. Generally

XMP from the Save for Web & Devices

out there (including some at www.layersmagazine.com). Just do

speaking, you always want to use as much compression as possible to

flyout menu. In Lightroom, just remem-

a search for “watermark.” But the simplest way is to use the Type

reduce file size (which has ramifications for file storage and bandwidth),

ber to leave Minimize Embedded Metadata

tool (T) to enter the © symbol and your name. (To create the copy-

but without introducing visible JPEG compression artifacting. If you

right symbol, just press Option-G [PC: hold the Alt key and enter

want to use artifacting as a theft deterrent, then you’d add a little more.

0169 using the numeric keypad]).

This is very subjective and you, as the artist, need to be satisfied with

unchecked on the Export dialog, or it will leave only your copyright notice, usage terms, and copyright URL in the exported copies. Tip: If you do need to strip out all but the copyright notice and copyright URL for certain uploads, make sure there’s adequate contact information for you at the copyright URL you designate.

When exporting photos from Lightroom, you can leverage

how your work is displayed.

the copyright metadata you already entered and check the Add

The Save for Web & Devices dialog in Photoshop is great for getting

Copyright Watermark box on the Export dialog. This pulls the

a visual on the effect of the amount of JPEG compression being applied.

data you entered in the Copyright field and displays it as a small white watermark on each exported photo. For a more configurable

It even has five JPEG presets (Low, Medium, High, Very High, and Now, keep Resample Image unchecked and change the

Maximum) that correspond to the Quality setting being used. The High

watermark option from Lightroom, I highly recommend the LR/

Resolution to 72 to set the document size to print that photo at

preset uses a Quality setting of 60, which is often a good starting point,

Pros: Embeds your name and detailed contact information into the

Mogrify Export plug-in (donationware) at http://timothyarmes.com/

72 ppi. But it’s still the same 800x600-pixel image we had before.

as it reduces file size quite a bit with minimal artifacting. You can then

photo, no cost involved, and easy to incorporate into your workflow.

lrmogrify.php. And there are also low-cost watermark applications

Nothing about the pixels has changed.

adjust the Quality slider as needed. Here’s an example at the Low setting

Cons: It’s not permanent and easily removed after it leaves your control.

for both Mac and Windows, such as iWatermark (http://scriptsoft-

that works as advertised. Note: I’m referring specifically to settings used

Verdict: Make it part of your workflow now.

ware.com/iwatermark) and Dropwatermark (http://dropwatermark

for displaying your work, not for delivering to a client or stock agency

.com) that are great for batch watermarking large groups of photos.

where high quality trumps file size and minimal compression is desired.

Adding a visible watermark

With the legal formalities out of the way, the next consideration is

Pros: Literally puts your name on your work where people can

the application of a visible watermark, which can be anything (name,

see it, and there are lots of options for how it looks.

logo, copyright symbol, etc.) that’s placed somewhere on the photo

Cons: Can detract from the eye appeal of the photo; may not be

and “burned” right into the pixels. Ideally, adding a watermark

appropriate for every place you upload photos to; and can be

should serve three purposes: making the photo less useful to those

digitally cropped or removed.

who may download it; stating that it’s copyrighted; and identify-

Verdict: Do it when you can, and as appropriate for that outlet.

ing the copyright owner. According to Carolyn E. Wright (a.k.a. the Photo Attorney), a simple watermark that includes the copyright symbol and your name works great to achieve those ends. Think of

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While I’m not a big fan of this method, it’s used often enough that we’ll

For example, if you take a photo that’s 800x600 pixels into

for Web & Devices, only your copyright

)(

JPEG over-compression

Diminish usefulness with diminished sizes

If you saved a copy of that photo at 300 ppi and another copy at

it as digitally “signing” your work. With that kind of visible notifica-

People can only use what you make available. The usefulness of a

72 ppi and put them both in a webpage, they’d both take up exactly

tion embedded in the image, it reduces the number of people who

photo decreases as its pixel dimensions decrease, and of course

800x600 pixels onscreen. There would be absolutely no difference

can claim they didn’t know it was copyrighted; it further cements

the eye appeal decreases at the same time. The sweet spot you’re

in the quality of the two photos and anyone who downloaded either

the connection between you and your work; and it may facilitate the

looking for is just large enough to meet the needs for which you’re

one could just as simply set the resolution to any value just as we did.

right people making contact with you for legitimate uses.

uploading the image—and no larger. Whether you’re making

So, how large is large enough will vary with your needs. After

comps available to potential customers, posting photos to Flickr,

polling some of the staff at Digital Web magazine (thanks to Nick

size, location, and opacity. While you want to deter people from

or uploading them to your blog, the reason you’re uploading the

Fink and Matthew Pennel), a slew of photographers, and the Photo

stealing your photos, you don’t want to turn off your paying custom-

image is the determining factor in how big is big enough.

Attorney, the dimensions of 800x800 pixels seemed to emerge as

Three key variables to consider when applying a watermark are:

ers, so finding that sweet spot between just enough and too much is a subjective decision that we each have to make.

Before we go any further, there’s a huge point of confusion around the word “resolution” that often enters this type of discus-

the upper limit you should consider making images available for display purposes.

Lightroom doesn’t offer a visual during export, but it does use the same 0–100 quality scale, so start with 60 and check your results.

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You’ll see that your preset name appears

Pros: Reduced file size, speeds upload time, and decreases storage

any work on the Web that you absolutely wouldn’t want to see

demands.

used without your permission, you shouldn’t be afraid to share your

Cons: Too much compression can degrade visual impact.

work with the world. Just remember that the power to protect

Verdict: Use with caution, as you don’t want to give the wrong impression.

your copyright starts with you.

Finding your photos in use

Okay, so you’ve registered your copyright, embedded your metadata, applied a conspicuous (but not too obtrusive) watermark, resized the photo to a size you feel will get the job done, applied a suitable amount of JPEG compression, and released your photo to the wilds of the Internet. Now what? How will you know if they’re used without your permission? Admittedly this isn’t an easy task but there are some interesting technology solutions available. We already mentioned PicScout and if you’re a photographer dealing with rights-managed work and not already using the service (or not

Resources Copyright Office: http://copyright.gov Photo Attorney: http://photoattorney.com Picture Archive Council of America’s Copyright Education Program: http://pacaoffice.org/library.shtml PicScout: www.picscout.com TinEye: http://tineye.com

submitting work to an agency that is), you might want to consider giving it a test drive. There are fees involved but there’s also great potential to recoup losses on unauthorized usages. Go to www.picscout.com to learn more. For the rest of us, there’s an interesting alternative called TinEye that’s currently in private beta release. This image search engine uses its own proprietary image-recognition technology to compare your photos against its (growing) search index of images found on the Web. TinEye is constantly building its search index by crawling the Web and analyzing each image it encounters. With more than 1 billion images already indexed, Leila Boujnane (the co-founder and CEO of TinEye’s parent company Idée) expects to have tens of billions of images indexed by 2009. To use this technology, you just upload a photo, paste in a link, or use a browser plug-in to quickly search the Web to see if your image is found. Head over to http://tineye.com to learn more and request an invite. The days of wondering where your images are used online will soon be over. Putting your photos on the Web involves a series of decisions and com-

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promises, but there’s a lot to be gained. While you should never put

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Don’t Orphan Your Work! Have you heard about the Orphan Works bill that’s currently moving through the House and Senate? The goal of this bill is “to provide a limitation on judicial remedies in copyright infringement cases involving orphan works,” which has huge implications for all copyright owners. The original bill was born in 2006 after the U.S. Copyright Office released a study of the problems related to using so-called orphan works (meaning copyrighted material whose owners are considered impossible to identify and locate); for example, an archive of photographs owned by a museum that lacks any identification of the copyright owner. The concern is that fear of litigation over copyright violations keeps these works from being shown, reproduced, and used in new creative works by those who would be willing to get permission and pay the copyright holder—if they could find them. Although the original bill died in subcommittee back in 2006, a new orphan works bill was drafted in 2008. Advocates of the bill want to be able to use these orphaned works after performing a diligent search for the copyright owner, without fear of having to pay punitive damages if the copyright holder comes forward; while opponents of the bill feel it’s an encroachment on the rights of copyright holders. The main concern expressed by those opposed to the bill is that it’s too easy for works to become orphaned in this digital age, and there’s no satisfactory way to search for and find the copyright owners. While the fate of the bill has yet to be determined, there is a prevailing opinion that some form of an orphaned works bill will be passed in the future. Whatever the outcome, it’s in your best interest to take all possible steps to keep your work from being orphaned in the first place. Go to the U.S. Copyright Office website (www.copyright.gov/orphan) to learn more about the origin of the bill and complex issues surrounding it.

Rob Sylvan is a Help Desk Specialist for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, host of Peachpit’s Lightroom Reference Guide, author of Lightroom for Dummies and Site Director for iStockphoto. Check out his Lightroom tips and tutorials at lightroomers.com.

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IMAGES: ISTOCKPHOTO ILLUSTRATION: NICOLE PROCUNIER

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By Corey Barker

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Over the past several years we’ve been inundated with really big images. They’re everywhere: billboards, buses, banners, even on the sides of buildings. Of course, large-format printing is nothing new (it’s been around for quite some time) but it seems until recently that it was the domain of only those with virtually unlimited advertising budgets. Even today, while the technology has improved tremendously, the processand-materials cost can be very high. So, if you’re going to venture into large-format production (or even if you just want to get a little more familiar with it), then you’ll want to learn some of the basic aspects.

hen it comes to file preparation of large-format imaging, there’s a different mode of thinking. The traditional rules of file dimension and resolution used in standard offset printing don’t necessarily apply. Where traditional print methods have you working in the 300-dpi (dots per inch) range, large format basically reverses that thinking altogether. This is where a number of traditional print designers and desktop publishers find themselves in unfamiliar territory. There’s a common misconception that bigger files need more resolution than normal print jobs—this is simply not true. All this does is give you a really huge file size.

The Eye Plays Its Part When you’re getting started on a large-format project, the very first thing you must consider is how you got into this mess (just kidding)! No, you must first consider the viewing distance, which is perhaps the most critical aspect of how you go about preparing your file. When I was working in large format several years ago, this was always one of my first questions to the client. So let’s consider the aspect of “viewing distance” for a moment. The human eye is a curious and fascinating piece of biology: perhaps one of our most sophisticated and, at the same time, one of our most flawed organs. That’s because the human eye is easily fooled, especially when it comes to viewing color and tones. Consider a rainbow, for example: When you see a rainbow in the sky, it really

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Content and Design

It isn’t just the viewing distance that needs to be considered; it’s also the content and design of the image. The interesting thing about large format, especially when it comes to billboards and vehicle wraps, is that you have only a few seconds to grab the viewer’s attention. This makes your design choices more critical. Here’s what to consider: t

.FTTBHJOH What do you want to say and what is the quickest way to say it?

art into a working Illustrator file but this would be a resolutiondependent element that will print using the resolution settings from the original file. Also, embedding raster art in an Illustrator file will result in a ridiculously huge file size, which will take much more time to RIP (see “RIP What?” below). So you’ll want to use Illustrator for sharp, clean graphics and text and Photoshop for photos and continuous tone images.

Try it yourself: When you’re out in the world, get really close to a large print and examine the quality. It most likely doesn’t look that great. Then move away and look at it from a normal viewing distance. Simply put, the perceived resolution decreases the closer we are, and increases as we move farther away. It helps the large-format designer, therefore, to be aware of the human visual system. When you find yourself in heavily populated areas (big cities), take a really good look at the billboards, bus wraps, and mural prints and think about where they’re located. The production artist has considered the location and set up the file accordingly. If a large mural print is at eye level, then it’s been output at a higher resolution than say, a billboard that’s 100' in the air. Yet somehow they both have the same sharpness and detail. That’s our remarkable and flawed human eye at work.

COREY BARKER

What Do I Save the File As?

File Preparation So why does the preparation of files for large-format output seem to have traditional print designers scratching their heads in perplexity? Let’s consider how viewing distance factors into how we set up a Photoshop file for large-format output. Let’s say that we have a client who wants a 4x12' full-color banner with photos and text. The first thing to consider is: Where is the final image going to be located and how far is it going to be viewed from? Well if it’s going to be viewed from less than 3' (like a wall mural), then we’re going to need some detail in there—around 150–200-ppi (pixels-per-inch) Resolution. So a Photoshop file at 48x144" and 150–200-ppi will give us a file between 400 and 800 MB. That’s a lot of data because there are so many dots in a single square inch.

Now if the image is going to be viewed from a considerable distance— say 10' or more—then we can certainly decrease the resolution to around 100 dpi. Now you’re looking at a 200-MB file. On some occasions, you can go even lower than that. This is where some designers start to get nervous, but they don’t need to worry. Just remember that the dot size is relative to the viewing distance. The closer your viewer will be to the image surface, the smaller the dots need to be; the farther away he is, the larger the dots. Relative to your eye, the dot is the same size. Just to give you an idea, a friend of mine recently completed a banner print that was 6x84' and he set the Photoshop file at 20 ppi (he could get away with this because the banner was going to be viewed from 25' or more), which resulted in a file size of approximately 85 MB. Now that’s a much more manageable size of document. That same file at 300 ppi would create an 18-GB file! You can also keep in mind that if you’re using Photoshop to build your large-format file, Photoshop will only handle a maximum pixel dimension of 300,000x300,000. And since Photoshop CS, there’s a large-document file format designated PSB, which will support your large files while maintaining layers, styles, etc.

What about Adobe Illustrator? We know that Photoshop is a pixel-based application, which means that it’s resolution-dependent (you may have heard that term before). On the other hand, Illustrator is a vector-based application, which means that it’s resolution-independent.

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Pixel-based art

Vector-based art

Vectors are geometric shapes based on mathematical equations, which means that they can be scaled to virtually any size without even the slightest loss of quality. So if you can get away with designing for large format with all-vector art, you’ll get very high-quality art and a very manageable file size. Here’s the caveat: This only applies to vector art. Yes it’s true: You can import raster- or pixel-based

Well most typically, a TIFF or EPS file would be the preferred format to save to, but you’ll want to contact your printer to determine their file specs. And always save a copy. Don’t flatten your original file and then send it to print. Always keep an editable version somewhere. Believe me, you don’t want to have to rebuild a bus wrap design.

RIP What?

What’s a RIP? Ah yes, the RIP. And no, it doesn’t mean, “rest in peace,” although many professionals who use large format probably think it should. Anyway, RIP stands for Raster Image Processor. It’s a computer system that’s either built into your large-format printer or a standalone PC. What does it do? It takes your final file and renders it to create the final print file for your specific printer. Because there’s a tremendous amount of data to process, it necessitates its own system—especially if you’re using a printer with more than the traditional four CMYK colors. Most large-format inkjets can have up to 12 colors, sometimes more. The RIP station needs to basically separate all the color plates internally and tell which print heads to print where on the substrate. So as you can probably tell, an 85-MB file will RIP much faster than an 18-GB file.

Of course, if you’re looking to outsource your project to a largeformat printing company, they’ll always be happy to answer your questions. You should always find out what type of printer they’re using and how they want the files set up. The more they can sort out on the front end, the less difficult the job is on the back end, and then everyone can see the big picture. There’s a wealth of information on large-format printing but we could only fit a few of the basics in this article. My hope is that this has provided a good primer for you to approach a large-format project with a little less confusion. Corey Barker is an Education and Curriculum Developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. His expertise in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator has earned him numerous awards in illustration, graphic design, and photography.

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isn’t there. The mist in the air from a rainstorm is bending the light that’s passing through it (like a prism), which in turn makes the spectrum visible. But here’s the kicker: It’s only visible to a processing system like the human visual system, which can detect the sporadic wavelengths of light and generate the multicolored rainbow that we all know. The point is that our visual system is responsible for meeting us halfway by processing and rebuilding what we see. Everything we see in the world is merely reflected or transmitted light. The dimension and color of objects is the result of varying wavelengths of light that enter the eye. Detail is lost, however, in an object seen at a great distance because, as your angle of vision to that object becomes narrower, the eye cannot distinguish details, and simply clumps them together. The science of a large-format imaging exploits this visual phenomenon to achieve its apparent clarity. Say you’re driving down the interstate and see a really cool billboard with a seemingly sharp photo. You may be surprised to know that if you stood 3' away from that billboard, you would see that the image is made up of very large scattered dots and the image itself is barely distinguishable. Yet from 50' or more away, it appears sharp and colorful. Why is this? It’s because the clarity of this image relies on the functions of the human visual system. The farther we are from the image, the narrower our angle of vision becomes to that image and the dots appear to combine, resulting in a sharp image. Conversely, as we get closer to an image, we can see more details and the dots making up the image become visible. So the closer an image is to be viewed, the more resolution or dots per inch (dpi) are needed to make the image appear sharp and colorful.

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pictures when the camera is set to the Aperture Priority mode; however, the aforementioned easy method offers more control over the

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scene’s lighting. If you want to darken the background, increase the

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shutter speed or f-stop so less available light reaches your camera’s sensor. The flash exposure of your subject will remain the same (as long as you’re within the flash’s range). If you think that using daylight fill-in flash isn’t worth the effort, here’s an example of what happens when you don’t use a flash and

Technically speaking, every picture in this issue of

simply set your camera to Program mode and point and shoot in a

Layers has the same main subject: light. Therefore,

backlit situation.

when we take a picture, all we’re doing is recording light. It may sound simple but in reality, it’s not that easy. Here’s why. Our eyes have a dynamic range of about 11 f-stops, which is why in a high-contrast scene we can see details in shadow areas and highlight areas aren’t washed out. Our cameras, however, don’t “see” exactly what we see. Digital cameras have a dynamic range of about five f-stops. Sure, we can expand that range in Photoshop— and expand it greatly with high dynamic range (HDR) photos, as illustrated by my Photoshop buddy Ben Willmore in his lectures, books, and articles. Expanding the dynamic range of an image is only one option to getting a good exposure: compressing the contrast range of the scene is another. Photographers basically have three techniques for compressing the contrast range of a scene: use a diffuser to soften shadows; use a reflector to fill in shadows; and use a flash or several flashes to fill in shadows. In this issue, we’ll explore using a single flash for what’s called daylight fill-in flash photography. To illustrate the technique, I’ll

Here, I set the shutter speed at 1/125 to prevent camera shake and subject movement. You’ll understand why I’m telling you this when you see the motion blur example later in this article.

STEP TWO: Turn on your flash and set it to TTL (through-the-lens, automatic exposure). Now, on your flash (or in-camera), reduce the flash output by –11/3. Take a shot and check your camera’s LCD monitor. If the subject is too dark, try setting the flash output at –1 or even –1/2. If the subject is overexposed, reduce the flash output until you get the correct exposure. For my daylight fill-in flash portrait, I had my flash reduced to –11/3.

share some photographs that I took on my recent photo workshop to Papua New Guinea. The photographs were taken with my Canon

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and Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter.

We can add to the natural look of our flash pictures by using a

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diffuser over the flash. For this portrait (of the security guard at the Ambua Lodge where our group stayed), I used the Micro Apollo

Check out the picture of a Huli Wigman that opens this column. It

flash diffuser from Westcott (www.fjwestcott.com) that attaches to

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doesn’t look like a flash picture because the light from the flash is

the flash head with Velcro. A flash diffuser softens and spreads the

balanced to the ambient (available) light. Actually, that’s my goal

light, which is useful when taking wide-angle photographs.

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when I take flash pictures (indoors and out): I try to balance the

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light so my pictures don’t look like flash pictures—pictures with harsh shadows. Following is the simple technique, illustrated with three pictures I took of a woman who lives in a remote village on the Sepik River.

STEP ONE: Set your camera on Manual and adjust the shutter speed and f-stop for the correct exposure of the background or surrounding area. As illustrated in this backlit picture, the background will be correctly exposed but the subject will usually be too dark. Keep in mind that the brighter the background, the darker the subject.

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Some newer digital SLRs provide darn good daylight fill-in flash

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An essential accessory for the serious daylight fill-in flash shooter is

Of course, the motion blur picture was not my first attempt to

a wireless transmitter. A transmitter fits in the hot-shoe of the camera

create this effect during the photo session. I had to experiment with

and triggers a flash (or flashes) remotely. One advantage of wireless

different slow shutter speeds and moving the camera at different

flash photography is that you have more control over where the light

speeds to get the desired effect. If you like this technique, plan on

from the flash falls (i.e., the direction of the light). In this example,

taking more than a few shots to get just the effect you want.

taken during a sing-sing (local festival), I positioned the flash high above my head so that the light from the flash didn’t overexpose the foreground elements (the shoulders of other Huli Wigmen).

As you can tell, I’m big fan of daylight fill-in flash. In fact, I never leave home without two flashes and two wireless transmitters because I always want backups. I’m also a big fan of Papua New Guinea, mainly because the country offers unlimited on-location portrait opportunities. I’m not a big fan, however, of the travel time to and from Papua New Guinea: basically 2.5 days each way. What’s more, the malaria medicine (mefloquine) produces very strange dreams, and Imodium A-D kinda dries you out. It’s great fun being a travel photographer!

We can also use daylight fill-in flash to add a sense of motion and drama to a still picture. In the sharp shot of the Huli Wigman warrior at the right (he’s actually a nice guy!), I used a shutter speed of 1/125 to ensure no

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subject blur. In the motion blur shot

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(honestly not created with the Motion Blur filter in Photoshop), I set the shutter speed to 1/15 and, just before I took the picture, started to move the camera from left to right.

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Rick Sammon’s newest book, Face to Face: The Complete Guide to Photographing People, offers more tips on daylight fill-in flash pictures. Rick’s “On Location Photography” class on Kelby Training (www.kelbytraining.com) also touches on this all-important topic. ALL IMAGES BY RICK SAMMON

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Flow Amount 25 Same Brush, Same Effect — Lowered Exposure. Different Amount of Brush Strokes.

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So what exactly is Flow? Recently, someone described Flow as “Flow-

The brush Density controls the overall intensity, or transparency, of

pacity,” alluding to the idea that Flow works like Flow+Opacity in

the effect. Think of this control as the “Boss” that has the final say in

Photoshop. In technical terms, Flow controls the rate of application of

the matter. For example, if you have a low Flow amount and paint

the adjustment, and controlling Flow is essential for making seamless

brushstrokes multiple times (as in the previous step), you can only

adjustments. Therefore, you can use a low Flow amount and then

build up the effect as high as the Density control, which “trumps” or

paint back and forth to build up the effect for a more natural look. In

determines all of the other controls’ overall strength. In this example,

this example, a low Flow amount of 25 was chosen and additional

the Size, Feather, and Flow are identical. The only difference is that

brushstrokes of the darkening effect were progressively painted in

the Density is lower on the left and higher on the right.

from left to right.

There’s a groundswell of excitement surrounding the new local correction tools (Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter) that are now included in Lightroom 2—and rightly so! These new tools can make nondestructive corrections and enhancements to specific areas of your image. Not only do they provide new raw processing functionality, they also dramatically speed up your workflow, as there’s no render or save time, and they don’t significantly increase the file size. Adjustment Brush Pin

Feather - 100

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Begin by navigating to the Develop module and selecting the

Now that you’ve been introduced to the Adjustment Brush, let’s

The Adjustment Brush is smart too. The Auto Mask option proves

Wondering how the effect in the previous photograph of Russell

Adjustment Brush (K) from the Toolbar that’s located just below

learn how to control and work with the brush Size and Feather. You

that the Adjustment Brush truly is the “sharpest tool in the shed.”

Brown was accomplished? Actually, it was quite simple using the

the Histogram. To become familiar with the brush, select an effect

can change the Size and Feather with the slider controls (shown

This time, we made the same adjustment in both images but the

Adjustment Brush. Decrease the Saturation to –100 and increase

from the Effect pop-up menu. You can “add” to the effect by

in Step 1), but since this is a tool that you’ll use frequently, you’ll

Auto Mask limits the adjustment to a specific area. When you turn

the brush Size, Flow, and Density to 100. Paint the entire image

modifying any of the sliders below (if you see + and – icons, click

want to learn these shortcuts: press the Left Bracket key ([) on the

on Auto Mask, Lightroom analyzes the area of the image that you’re

to desaturate it. Next, click on Auto Mask, click the Erase button,

the Show Effect Sliders button to the right). Position the cursor

keyboard to decrease the brush Size and the Right Bracket key (])

painting based on color, tone, contrast, edges, and more. It then

choose an appropriate brush Size, and paint to erase the desatu-

over the image and you’ll see three concentric circles. The cross-

to increase the Size. Press Shift-[ to decrease Feather and Shift-]

proceeds to limit the adjustment to that area. While this example is

ration (i.e., bring back the color). While this illustrates how you can

hair circle reveals the center painting area; the next brighter circle

to increase the Feather.

specific, keep in mind that Auto Mask works incredibly well with all

erase any of the effects you’ve added, most often you’ll use the

of the different effects!

Erase option to clean up or back off the effect rather than take it

denotes the brush size; and the final lighter circle reveals the extent of the brush feathering.

out completely.

Adjustment Pin

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I used the Adjustment Brush to clean up the wall in the background

Burning refers to the traditional darkroom technique of darken-

of this photograph of my wife and daughter. The Adjustment Pin

ing an area of an image to create visual interest. The composition

on the image not only shows where the painting began but it’s

of this image is good, but the sky needs to be darkened. While

also dynamic. Hover your cursor over the pin to view a mask of the

there are different ways to accomplish this, let’s use the Adjust-

affected area, or hover over the pin and click-and-drag to the left

ment Brush with Auto Mask turned on (so that the hills won’t be

or right to decrease or increase the effect, respectively. Finally, to

affected). Decrease Exposure and Brightness, and slightly increase

delete the effect, click on the pin and press Delete (PC: Backspace).

Contrast. Using a medium-sized brush, with a medium amount of

(Note: To add additional Adjustment Pins, click the New button and

Feather and Flow, paint back and forth across the sky. (We painted

begin painting in a different area.)

the fields in this example as well.)

Before

After

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Dodging refers to the traditional darkroom technique of brighten-

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The Adjustment Brush can be used to work with color in really unique

ing an area of an image. Being able to do this from right inside

ways. While this tip is creative, keep in mind that the technique

Lightroom is freeing, as it’s something that we need to do quite fre-

can also be used to correct color problems. To modify or change

quently. In this image, the natural light was soft, but the eyes were

the color of an area in an image, it’s most important to lower the

too dark. After increasing the Exposure, Brightness, and Contrast

Saturation amount to –100, choose a color from the Color swatch,

(increasing Contrast is key because when you brighten something,

then paint over the image to change the color. For more subtle color

it tends to lose contrast), we used a relatively small brush with a

effects, use a higher Saturation and a less saturated color.

medium amount of Feather and a low Flow amount. continued on p. 48

after

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The Adjustment Brush can be used to make a wide range of special-

Clarity adds extra midtone contrast to your photos. Think of it as

ized image enhancements, such as teeth brightening and whiten-

adding more dimension or shape to the image—it has the poten-

ing. To whiten teeth, we’ll follow similar steps as illustrated above

tial to make a subtle improvement that helps photos pop. First,

to modify color. First, change the Color back to white, then lower

select the Adjustment Brush and choose Clarity from the Effect

the Saturation but be careful not to lower it too far as it will result in

menu. Choose a medium brush Size, a high Feather, and a low

colorless or lifeless looking teeth. Increase the Exposure, Brightness,

Flow. Paint back and forth in the image where it needs more punch

and Contrast as needed. Turn on Auto Mask and use a small brush

until you’ve built up enough Clarity. Press the Backslash key (\) to

size with a low Flow to paint in the effect.

toggle the before/after view of the image. To better illustrate the effect of Clarity, this graphic has Clarity painted on the top half.

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Recently, I photographed Ben Harper, the musician, and at the show,

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Softening skin can subtly enhance a person’s photograph, but

another photographer asked Ben to smile. He responded, “I smile

over-softened skin can create a fake look. You can easily accomplish

with my eyes.” I thought that was a perfect answer, because the

subtle yet significant skin softening with the Adjustment Brush.

eyes tell us so much about a person. That’s why it often helps to add

Select Soften Skin from the Effect menu and then choose a brush

sharpening to the eyes. Select the Adjustment Brush and choose

Size and Feather amount that’s large enough to cover the skin area

Sharpness from the Effect menu. Choose a small brush Size, a

but not affect areas that need to be sharp, such as the hair or eyes.

medium Feather, and a low Flow. Paint in the sharpness on the eyes

Typically, it works best to use a medium-to-high Feather. Next,

and the surrounding face.

choose a low Flow amount like 20 and turn off Auto Mask. Paint in the softening effect with multiple brush strokes.

Q

Chris Orwig, photographer and author, is on the photography faculty at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California. His publications include a number of best-selling Lightroom and Photoshop training titles at Lynda.com as well as his books, Adobe Photoshop CS3 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques by Adobe Press. For more inspiration, visit his website at www.chrisorwig.com. ALL IMAGES BY CHRIS ORWIG UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

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Choose Image>Canvas Size. Use the Anchor grid to determine

After adding the extra canvas area, make sure the top duplicate layer

where the original image will be placed in relation to the added

is active and choose Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal (use Flip Vertical

canvas. In this example, let’s mirror the image on the left side of the

if the reflected layer will be placed above or below). Choose the Move

original, so click the right center square to denote this as the posi-

tool (V), press-and-hold the Shift key, and drag the flipped layer into

tion of the original image. Uncheck the Relative box (if it’s checked),

position to create the mirror effect. If the Snap feature is enabled

and change the units for the Width to Percent (the Height will

under the View menu, the edges of the two layers should snap into

change as well). Enter 200% for the Width if you’re mirroring to

alignment. You may need to zoom in for a close view to ensure that the

the left or right (as is the case with our image) or 200% for the

edges line up well. With the Move tool active, you can nudge the layer

Height if you’re mirroring the image above or below, and click OK.

one pixel at a time using the Arrow keys on the keyboard.

Some of the most simple, yet very satisfying types of collages are image “mirrors” that are created by duplicating the image and flipping it to form a reflection. Landscapes, clouds, natural patterns and textures, as well as architectural structures all work very well as image mirrors. Along the way, we’ll also use smart objects and smart filters, and then finish up with a tip on using gradient masks to create reflections on polished surfaces.

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Cropping the file prior to the mirroring process is not required, but

Start by opening an image you want to use for a mirror, or you can

For this image, we’ll also apply a Shadow/Highlight adjustment. In

Since the layers that create the mirror effect are grouped into a smart

for some photos it can produce a more interesting reflected image,

download the Mono Lake file from the Layers website (if you do

order to preserve flexibility and keep our changes nondestructive,

object, we can apply the Shadow/Highlight effect as a smart filter.

and it’s always good to keep this in mind. For the Mono Lake

use the Mono Lake image, crop it as shown in the previous step).

we’ll first convert the two layers into a smart object. Click on the

This gives us adjustment layer-type functionality, which means the

example used here, I decided to crop it as shown since I knew this

Double-click on the Background layer. Click OK in the New Layer

bottom layer in the Layers panel, then Shift-click on the top layer to

change isn’t permanent, allowing us to revisit the settings if needed.

would result in a mirror where the tufa formations would look more

dialog that appears to turn it into a regular layer. Next, make a copy

select both of them. Open the flyout menu for the Layers panel and

Choose Image>Adjustments>Shadow/Highlight and click the Show

like an island. Study your own images to see if cropping will result in

of the layer by choosing Layer>New>Layer via Copy, or by using the

choose Convert to Smart Object.

More Options checkbox. For both the Shadows and the Highlights,

more intriguing results. The more you play around with image mir-

very useful keyboard shortcut Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J).

rors, the easier it will be to see the possibilities that a certain crop might provide.

[If you’d like to download the images used in this tutorial to practice these techniques, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.]

set the Amount and Tonal Width to 40% and the Radius to 90 px. Click OK to complete the image.

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The clock in this example was photographed on a black cloth back-

Reflections on polished surfaces are stronger and brighter the closer

ground and cast no reflection, but it’s very simple to add one. The

they are to the object. To further fine-tune the reflection, we’ll add

basic steps are essentially the same as the image mirror shown in the

a layer mask and use the Gradient tool (G) to feather the “lighting”

previous steps (the one difference is the addition of extra canvas area

on the reflection. Click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of

that’s black). Since we have already covered that, I have jump-started

the Layers panel to add a layer mask to the top layer (the reflection).

the process and prepared a clock file with a reflection layer already in

Choose the Gradient tool and in the Gradient Picker in the Options

position. To make the reflection more realistic, lower the Opacity of

Bar, select the third swatch to set the gradient to Black, White. In the

the reflection layer in the Layers panel to 50%.

Options Bar, make sure the style is set to Linear Gradient, the Mode to Normal, the Opacity to 100%, and Reverse is not checked.

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Choose View>Screen Mode>Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar.

As a final step, let’s add an adjustment layer to color the reflection

Zoom out (Command-–PC: Ctrl-–]) to see the entire image sur-

a cool tone to suggest that the clock is resting on a colored surface.

rounded by the gray canvas. With the Gradient tool active, click

To do this so it only affects the reflection layer, hold down Option

below the image in the gray area and Shift-drag a line up to the

(PC: Alt), click the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom

top clock. Let go between the number 6 and the center point of

of the Layers panel, and choose Curves. In the New Layer dialog,

the clock (see illustration). The gradient in the mask now creates a

click the checkbox for Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask,

feathering effect so the brightness of the reflection fades out as it

and click OK. In the Curves dialog, choose the Blue channel and

moves away from the clock.

drag the lower part of the curve up a bit to add a blue cast to the image. Click OK to complete the reflection.

Q

Seán Duggan is co-author of The Creative Digital Darkroom and Photoshop Artistry. He teaches regular workshops on Photoshop and Lightroom for photographers. Sign up for his free digital darkroom newsletter at his website, www.seanduggan.com. ALL IMAGES BY SEÁN DUGGAN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

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Hold down Command (PC: Ctrl) and click on the rounded square

Press Shift-Command-Option-T (PC: Shift-Ctrl-Alt-T) to make addi-

layer thumbnail in the Layers panel to select it. Press Command-

tional copies of the square the same distance apart. Press the same

Option-T (PC: Ctrl-Alt-T) to activate Free Transform—with a twist:

shortcut repeatedly until you get the number of copies that you

The Option (PC: Alt) key tells Free Transform to make a copy of the

require. (Because the square was selected, all the copies appear

original. Hold down Shift and drag the copy of the square to the

on the same layer.)

right as shown. Press Return (PC: Enter), but don’t deselect.

s!fqfbu!bgufs!nf! Although it’s not a layout tool, Photoshop does have a very powerful step-and-repeat function—if you know just a couple of tricks. Once you learn these tricks, you can create a whole series of evenly spaced objects in no time at all.

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First, open a new (File>New), 16x12" document at 72 ppi. Click

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on the Foreground color swatch in the Toolbox, choose a color for

Hold down Command (PC: Ctrl) and click on the layer thumbnail

This technique can be used for a variety of objects. Create a new

your background (in this example, R:98, G:109, B:139), and click

to select all of the rounded squares on that layer. Press Command-

layer, switch to the Ellipse tool, choose a gray color, hold the Shift

OK. Press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill the Background

Option-T (PC: Ctrl-Alt-T) to copy the row of squares and enter Free

key, and draw a circle at the intersection of the four top left squares.

layer with your new color. Click the Create A New Layer icon at the

Transform. Hold down Shift and drag the line of squares down

Then use the same method to make multiple copies: Select the

bottom of the Layers panel to add a new layer. Choose a different

until they’re the appropriate distance form the first row of squares.

circle, press Command-Option-T (PC: Ctrl-Alt-T), drag while holding

color and use the Rounded Rectangle tool set to Fill Pixels in the

Press Return (PC: Enter) and then press Shift-Command-Option-T

Shift, and press Return (PC: Enter). Next, press Shift-Command-

Options Bar to create your first shape. (Our shape is 2.75x2.75"

(PC: Shift-Ctrl-Alt-T) to make additional copies equally spaced

Option-T (PC: Shift-Ctrl-Alt-T) to make additional copies. After

and R:65, G:36, B:40.)

apart. Press Command-D (Ctrl-D) to deselect.

you’ve made all of your copies, drag the layer of circles below the layer of squares in the Layers panel.

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If you need to space objects numerically, such as spacing lines 50 pixels apart, try this: On a new layer, use the Line tool to add a line at the very top of the document (hold the Shift key to keep it horizontal). From the View menu, choose New Guide. In the New Guide dialog, click ©ISTOCKPHOTO

Horizontal and then in the Position field, enter the distance you want for the spacing between all the lines. (The dialog defaults to inches [in] but you can type “px” after the number to measure in pixels.) Click OK. Now we’ll use the same method to create and transform multiple copies.

Q7::=H7F>?9IM?J>F7IJ;?DJESS Click on the squares layer in the Layers panel to make it active, and use the Magic Wand tool (W) to select the top-left square. Hold down Shift and click on the three surrounding squares to add them to the selection. Open a photo, press Command-A (PC: Ctrl-A) to select it, press Command-C (PC: Ctrl-C) to copy it, and then

1. Hold down Command (PC: Ctrl) and click on the layer thumbnail to select the line. 2. Press Command-Option-T (PC: Ctrl-Alt-T) to activate Free Transform (with a copy). 3. Holding Shift, drag the line until it snaps to the guide (make sure View>Snap is turned on).

switch back to the layout document. From the Edit menu, select

4. Press Return (PC: Enter) and then Shift-Command-Option-T

Paste Into—this will create a layer mask in the shape of the selected

(PC: Shift-Ctrl-Alt-T) to make additional lines spaced

squares. Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) for Free Transform to scale

50 pixels apart.

the pasted photo to fit. Repeat this operation to add photos to

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IMAGES: ©ISTOCKPHOTO; DESIGN: TAFFY ORLOWSKI

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different squares.

Add text and ornamental graphics to finish the layout.

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Dave Cross is Senior Developer, Education and Curriculum, for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. He is the author of Photoshop Finishing Touches and The Photoshop CS2 Help Desk Book, and is featured on a series of Photoshop training DVDs.

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If Illustrator is already open, quit and restart it to load the new font.

Press Command-C (PC: Ctrl-C) then Command-V (PC: Ctrl-V) to create

Otherwise, go ahead and launch Illustrator. Select the Type tool (T),

a duplicate of the type. Move the duplicate off to the side for now.

click on the artboard, and type “GOIN’ RETRO.” With the text

Select the original type and set a really thick 30-point black stroke.

selected, go to the Font pop-up menu in the Control panel and look for the SF Groove Machine Extended font. Set the Font Size to about 150 pt and set the Fill to black. Switch to the Selection tool (V), go under the Type menu, and choose Create Outlines. Ungroup

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the text (Shift-Command-G [PC: Shift-Ctrl-G]) and reposition as you see here. Then regroup by selecting all the objects and pressing Command-G (PC: Ctrl-G).

Okay, I admit it. I’m a retro fan. In fact, I caught myself watching I Love the 70s on VH1 just recently and was inspired yet again. So this time around, let’s launch Illustrator and take our own trip back in time. Groovy!

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First, we have to start with the right font. For that we’ll turn to

Next, you need to install the font into your system. To do this you

Go under the Object menu and choose Expand. Make sure that

With the Select tool, select both the shape you just created and the

one of my favorite sites: www.DaFont.com. Once on the site, enter

can either simply double-click the icon for each font and follow

Stroke is the only thing checked in the Expand dialog and click

duplicate text that you created in Step 4. In the Control panel, click

the word “groove” in the Search field, and click the Search button.

the onscreen instructions (PC: Right-click and choose Install), or if

OK. This will turn that thick stroke into a regular shape. You can

the Horizontal Align Center icon and then the Vertical Align Center

When the Groove Machine font shows up, click the download button

you use a font-management tool, go through the normal steps to

see the original shape of the text as well. We need to combine

icon to center the duplicate in front of the larger, original shape.

to the right. Notice you can download both Mac and PC versions.

activate the font.

the text and the expanded stroke into one shape, so go under the Window menu and choose Pathfinder. With all the objects selected (excluding the duplicate object, of course), Option-Click (PC: Alt-Click) the Add to Shape icon in the Shape Modes section of the Pathfinder panel.

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Now that we have our shape, we need color. For this, we’re going to

This is where you can get a little creative with the color. You can

use the built-in Kuler feed. Go under the Window menu to Adobe

either use the same color scheme shown here or experiment

Labs and choose Kuler. Click the Accept button in the resulting

with your own combinations. To apply a color, simply select

dialog and the Kuler panel will appear. We’re looking for retro colors,

either the duplicate text in the front or the larger shape in back

so enter “70s” in the Search field. You’ll see a number of seventies-

and click on one of the new swatches in your Swatches panel

style color schemes. Simply choose one (we chose 70s Purple) and

(make sure that you’re applying it to the Fill and not the Stroke).

click the Add to Swatches icon at the bottom of the Kuler panel.

For the background shape, we also added a new 10-point

This will put that set of swatches in your Swatches panel.

stroke set to a bright pink.

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Now select the background shape and copy-and-paste a dupli-

Position this shape in the upper right above the original shape.

cate like you did in Step 4. Double-click the Scale tool (S) in

We’re going to apply a blend, and we want the blend to appear

the Toolbox and set the Scale in the Uniform section to 25%.

behind the original shape, so go under the Object menu to Arrange

Make sure that the Scale Strokes & Effects option is checked

and choose Send to Back.

on and click OK.

continued on p. 62

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To apply a blend, first select both the original background shape

One last thing: Grab the Direct Selection tool (the white arrow

along with the smaller duplicate. Double-click the Blend tool (W) in

tool) and select just the small shape. Double-click the Rotate

the Toolbox. Select Specified Steps from the Spacing pop-up menu

tool in the Toolbox to bring up the Rotate dialog. Enter –90˚ for

and set the number of steps to 20. Click OK. Then press Option-

the Angle and click OK. There you have it. Oh, we also added a

Command-B (PC: Alt-Ctrl-B) to apply the blend.

groovy disco girl for a final touch using the same Fill and Stroke as the background shape. Groovy!

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Groovy Rock Radio!

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Corey Barker is an Education and Curriculum Developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. His expertise in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator has earned him numerous awards in illustration, graphic design, and photography.

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b!xbml!po!uif!xjme!tjef! Typefaces that imitate freestyle lettering aren’t usually very convincing. But a little creative “tweakery” can create a fresh and unique look to your informal type. When it comes to setting type, I’m generally a law-abiding citizen…but not this issue. This time we’re going to break sacred rules, abuse glyphs, and toss logical alignment to the wind. Everything will be eyeballed, and any resemblance to graphic coherence will be strictly coincidental. The goal? To try to simulate a hand-lettered look with an off-the-shelf font, to produce a subtle lack of consistency so the characters don’t look like the cookie-cutter shapes they really are.

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Bmufs!tibqft!boe!psjfoubujpot InDesign and Illustrator give you several ways to alter the shapes and orientations of individual characters, and by combining these, you can create the impression that every character is unique. Here’s a list of the controls we used to customize the sample type: UÊœ˜ÌÊ-ˆâiÊ­ œ˜ÌÀœÊ«>˜i® UÊÊ6iÀ̈V>Ê-V>iÊ­˜ iÈ}˜p œ˜ÌÀœÊ«>˜iÆʏÕÃÌÀ>̜Àp …>À>VÌiÀÊ«>˜i® UÊÊœÀˆâœ˜Ì>Ê-V>iÊ­˜ iÈ}˜p œ˜ÌÀœÊ«>˜iÆʏÕÃÌÀ>̜Àp …>À>VÌiÀÊ«>˜i® UÊ-ŽiÜÊ­ œ˜ÌÀœÊ«>˜i]ʘ iÈ}˜Êœ˜Þ® UÊ >Ãiˆ˜iÊ-…ˆvÌÊ­˜ iÈ}˜p œ˜ÌÀœÊ«>˜iÆʏÕÃÌÀ>̜Àp …>À>VÌiÀÊ«>˜i® UÊ-ÌÀœŽi\ÊL>VŽÊœÕ̏ˆ˜iÊ̜Êv>ÌÌi˜]Ê܅ˆÌiʈ˜ˆ˜iÊ̜Êψ“Ê`œÜ˜Ê­-ÌÀœŽiÊ«>˜i® UÊÊ,œÌ>ÌiÊ­˜ iÈ}˜p,œÌ>̈œ˜Ê̜œÊˆ˜Ê̅iÊ/œœLœÝÆʏÕÃÌÀ>̜Àp …>À>VÌiÀÊ ,œÌ>̈œ˜Êˆ˜Ê̅iÊ …>À>VÌiÀÊ«>˜i®Ê /…iʺLivœÀi»Ê`ˆÃ«>ÞÊÌÞ«iʭŜܘʅiÀi®Ê…>ÃÊLii˜ÊÃiÌʈ˜Ê ˆÌstream’s Impress, a face designed to look like freehand commercial brush lettering. But as loose and free as the letterforms are, no

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Wbszjoh!dibsbdufs!tusplf!xfjhiu!jt!usjdlz! For letters that consist mostly of vertical strokes (A, l, r, in this typeface, at least), you can simply make their set width greater. But this doesn’t work for letters with strong horizontals (E and e, for example) because horizontal strokes keep their original weight while the verticals get wider or narrower. Character proportions can become seriously distorted. Making characters bolder is easier, because you can use the Stroke panel to add an outline to them. But you can’t apply a stroke to an editable character that will make it thinner unless you first convert the character to outlines, using the Type>Create Outlines command. At this point, if you select the character outline, you can now choose how to apply your stroke in the Stroke panel: to the outside of the character’s outline (Align Stroke to Outside), centered along that outline (not too useful in this instance), or inside its outline (see “Stroked”). To create a thinner version of a character, convert it to outlines, then apply a white (or “paper”-colored) stroke, and click the Align Stroke to Inside icon in the Stroke panel. This has the effect of trimming down the thickness of the character’s stroke by the weight of the stroke you’ve chosen. Note that this “paper”-colored stroke will only be invisible against a paper-colored (read, white) background; against any colored background it will apper white. Varying the baseline is another way to knock the stiffness out of type, even if, like Impress, it’s pretty loosey-goosey already. The idea is to use baseline shift to push selected characters up or down. A random wobble is best rather than any patterned or calculated alternation.

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,+ one’s going to think they’re hand-drawn when they see identical consecutive letters, such as the “m,” “e,” or “l” in this ad. Making them look different is a first priority. Let’s start with the two “m’s” in Summer. For the first “m,” we used the InDesign text Control panel tools to squeeze its width (Horizontal Scale to 82%), raise the Baseline Shift 2 points above the baseline, and give it a slight slant (Skew) of 2°. For the second “m,” we’ll go in the opposite direction, bumping up its Font Size a bit, sinking it 1 point below the baseline, and using a backslant of –1°. To make it chunkier, we used the Stroke panel (Window>Stroke) to add a 0.4-point (Weight) black stroke to surround the character.

InDesign can add a stroke to the outline of typeset characters that can be additive or subtractive. In this example, a lowercase Helvetica Bold “x” (top) has been stroked in three ways. The middle row shows in red the stroke position when it’s aligned outside the character outline (left), centered along the outline (center), and inside the outline (right). The lower-left sample has been stroked on the outside with black, making the character appear bolder. The lower-right sample has been stroked on the inside with white, making the character appear thinner (Note: This only works on a white background.) The blue lines indicate the characters’ original baselines.

notice our sample is heavily kerned. That’s because characters that have been converted to outlines lose their side bearings, so they need to be kerned to loosen up their spacing. Happily, when it comes to kerning, InDesign doesn’t distinguish between normal characters and those that have been converted to outlines.

B!xpse!pg!xbsojoh All of the above shenanigans are best performed on informal faces, such as those that mimic handwriting (for example, Tekton or Comic Sans) or brush-painted letters (such as Dom Casual, or Flash). Avoid using these techniques with script faces that have connecting letters because variations in stroke weight will seem out of place. And by all means, don’t apply them to text faces, because the result will make a big mess, and I refuse to be held responsible. Here’s our finished type in a poster.

Bojnbuf!uif!mjof InDesign also lets you skew characters to give them a fake italic or oblique slant. Using a negative value (add a hyphen before your numeric value) creates what’s called a backslant. Again, the light touch is the right touch—the variation you’re after is that which you’d find in the range of normal informal hand lettering. Rotating individual characters also helps animate the line and knock some of the stiffness out of the setting. We did this to the two “l’s” in the word “All,” with the first “l” leaning to the left and the second to the right. Alas, InDesign can’t rotate individual characters—you have to convert them to outlines first. Illustrator can perform this trick, however, from within the Character panel. Even in a whacky setting like this, spacing is crucial, and you’ll

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James Felici is the author of The Complete Manual of Typography (Adobe Press), former managing editor of Publish magazine, and contributor to The Seybold Report, Macworld magazine, PDFZone.com, and Publish.com.

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dsfbuf!bo!joufsbdujwf!qpsugpmjp! Supplying your portfolio in printed form is so last century. Everybody who’s anybody is using PDF as the means to deliver their portfolios. So let’s learn not only how to create an easy-to-email PDF but how to make it interactive as well—with navigation buttons and even movies!

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Using the same method as Step 2, we can create an email link in

PDF bookmarks make it easy for viewers to quickly navigate through

our PDF. Instead of typing in a Web address that would typically

a document. Here’s how to create them in InDesign. Use the Pages

start with http://www.someaddress.com, we simply type in some-

panel to go to the page that you wish to create a bookmark for

thing like mailto:[email protected]. This will then link to

and then choose Window>Interactive>Bookmarks. Click the New

the reader’s default email software when clicked. The New Hyper-

Bookmark icon at the bottom of the Bookmarks panel. Rename it by

link dialog also has some Appearance options. In this case, we

selecting it in the panel and typing the new name.

don’t want the email link to have a box around it or an underline,

Note: Bookmarks can also be generated automatically in InDesign

so we’ll select Invisible Rectangle from the Type pop-up menu in

if you’re taking advantage of the Table of Contents feature (found

this Appearance section, then click OK.

under the Layout menu).

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Setting up master pages for your portfolio is a great idea and it

InDesign has a Hyperlinks panel, so you can work with hyperlinks

Select the object you want to convert into a button. You can select

Choose Window>Interactive>States. The States panel contains

allows you to include items such as corporate branding, as well as

the way you work with links, layers, and other features. Open the

an imported graphic, an object you drew in InDesign, or a text

only the Up state, which is the default state for a button. In order

navigation buttons and hyperlinks so they’ll appear on each page.

Hyperlinks panel (Window>Interactive>Hyperlinks), select the

frame. In our document, we’re using the navigation buttons that

to change its appearance, we’ll need to create another state. Click

In InDesign CS3, master page items are always in the back of

object you want to be the button (make sure you’re on the master

reside on the master page. The buttons are a single, placed Illustra-

the Create New Optional State icon at the bottom of the States

objects on regular pages so, to overcome this, place master page

page if it’s a master page item), then click the Create New Hyperlink

tor file with multiple layers for different rollover states. Choose

panel. InDesign adds a Rollover state to the panel. If you click the

items on their own layer. We can also easily recognize items on the

icon at the bottom of the panel (or choose New Hyperlink from

Object>Interactive>Convert to Button. If you’re in Normal View

same icon again, InDesign adds a Down state to the panel. Don’t

master pages, because frame edges are displayed as a dotted line,

the flyout menu). In this case, we’ll select URL as the Type and

mode, InDesign identifies the button onscreen with a small button

forget to repeat this for each button and then give each button a

rather than solid. Using master pages is also going to make your

then type in our URL. This is a great way of creating a basic link to

icon on the frame. (Note: If you can’t see the button icon, try going

sensible name at the top of the States panel. In this case for navi-

document easy to update later.

your website from a PDF.

to View>Show Frame Edges.)

gation, we chose Next, Home, and Back.

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Initially, each state is identical, but there isn’t much point in having

Our buttons won’t be any good unless we can get them to actually

different states if the button doesn’t give any feedback. Select the

do something. Anyone clicking the Back button expects to go to

Rollover state for our button in the States panel, then use the Direct

the previous page, so let’s set it up that way. Choose Button Options

Selection tool (A) to select the button on the page. At this point we

from the States panel flyout menu then click the Behaviors tab in the

simply need to change the button’s appearance and we can do this

Button Options dialog. For the Event, we chose Mouse Up, so the

in a variety of ways. In this case, we selected Object>Object Layer

Behavior will occur when the mouse button is released after clicking.

Options and chose a different layer to be visible from our placed

And, because this is the Back button, for the Behavior we chose Go

Adobe Illustrator file. To see how your button works, select each

To Previous Page. Click Add and then OK. Choose the appropriate

state in the States panel. Repeat for each button.

Behavior for each button.

The board is a fantastically versatile board that can be ridden as well backwards as it can be forwards. Designed by Birthday Boy

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You place a movie in an InDesign document just the way you’d

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Let’s create a hidden information field; for example, when the cursor

place any other file. Choose File>Place, and then select the movie

rolls over an image, the related text should appear next to it. First,

file—QuickTime, AVI, and MPEG. (QuickTime 6.0 or later is required.)

we need to convert the related text frame to a button. Select the text

Click where you want the movie to appear. Select the movie with the

frame with the Selection tool, and choose Object>Interactive>Convert

Selection tool (V) and choose Object>Interactive>Movie Options to

to Button and give it a descriptive name in the States panel. By default,

set play options. Check the Play on Page Turn box to play the movie

this button should be invisible. We only want it to show when some-

automatically when a viewer turns to that page in the PDF file. You can

one moves the cursor over the graphic related to it. So choose Button

also provide buttons that will control it (Show Controller During Play).

Options from the States panel flyout menu. In the General tab, choose

Click OK.

Hidden from the Visibility in PDF pop-up menu and click OK. continued on p. 70

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Now we need to convert the related graphic to a button as well, so

This is where you really appreciate good naming conventions.

select it with the Selection tool and choose Object>Interactive>

Click next to the name of the button you want to reveal when

Convert to Button. This will be the button that triggers the hidden

someone rolls over the graphic; an Eye icon appears next to it.

text. Open the Button Options dialog again and click the Behav-

Now the field we named “googgy egg” will show when the cursor

iors tab. Choose Mouse Enter for the Event, because we want the

enters the button area. Click the Add button, then select Mouse

Behavior to occur whenever the mouse cursor enters the button

Exit for the Event and Show/Hide Fields for Behavior. Click the

area, then choose Show/Hide Fields from the Behavior pop-up

box twice next to the same button name and a red slash appears

menu. Don’t click OK yet.

through the Eye icon. Now when the cursor leaves the button

PAUL BURNETT

area, the text field will disappear. Click Add, then click OK.

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When you’re done, it’s time to test your work. To keep this simple,

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Adobe is always looking to deliver innovative tools and solutions

let’s use the built-in PDF export preset for Smallest File Size. Choose

and is currently working on technology that will allow InDesign

File>Adobe PDF Presets>Smallest File Size. With this setting we

users to directly export a layout created in InDesign to a new

just need to make a couple of tweaks. Choose a name and location

interchange format called XFL. You open these XFL files using the

for your PDF in the Export dialog and click the Save button. In the resulting Export Adobe PDF dialog, let’s increase the Compatibility to Acrobat 8.0 and turn on Bookmarks, Hyperlinks, and Interactive Elements in the Include section. When done, click Export. Finally, open your PDF in Acrobat reader and test it out.

Adobe Flash authoring tool, which will make it extremely easy for designers to publish their layouts to print and digital formats. Once in Flash, a layout can have an unlimited amount of interactivity and animation added to create sophisticated, engaging experiences in the Flash player.

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Mike McHugh is an Adobe Creative Systems Engineer in Australia. He’s also the author of How to Wow with InDesign CS2 and How to Wow with Photoshop Elements 5, both published by Peachpit Press. Mike also hosts a popular video podcast, Creative Sweet TV (www.creativesweettv.com). ALL IMAGES BY MIKE MCHUGH UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

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Further reducing the file size of this PDF can involve a combina-

To know where to concentrate your digital weight loss efforts, it’s

tion of removing document components, reducing the resolu-

handy to know where most of the file size is contained. For many

tion of contained images, and compressing file components.

PDFs, the majority of the file size is contained in the graphic files.

You’ll want to carefully consider which combination of these

To see a detailed analysis of the content of your PDF, click on

techniques you’ll employ to decrease the size of the PDF. Your

the Audit Space Usage button located at the upper-right corner

goal—and challenge—is to minimize quality loss while maximiz-

of the PDF Optimizer dialog. For our example, you can see that

ing file size reduction. The PDF Optimizer provides plenty of

99.73% of the file size (45.8 MB of the 45.9 MB) is contained in

control over file size and quality, so choose Advanced>PDF

the images. So we know exactly where to focus our weight loss

Optimizer to open the dialog.

program: the images.

TAZ TALLY

PDFs are created with specific output in mind. Prepress-bound PDFs are usually large files with high linear resolutions and CMYK color spaces that aren’t optimized for other uses, such as sending via email or viewing on the Web. You can use Acrobat 9 to adjust the content and characteristics of a print-oriented PDF to repurpose it for just such a use.

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In Acrobat 9, open a commercial, print-oriented PDF (here a two-

Choose File>Save As to save this PDF as another PDF (we named

Click OK in the Audit Space Usage dialog and then click on

The amount and kind of compression you apply will determine

page brochure with uncompressed, 300-ppi, CMYK images). To

ours Brochure_Web_1). View this new PDF’s file size in the Docu-

“Images” at the top of the list on the left-hand side of the PDF

how much tonal or color values you’ll lose. To prevent image data

determine its file size, choose File>Properties (Command-D [PC:

ment Properties dialog and it’s now 43.85 MB—about 40% smaller

Optimizer dialog. This is where you control the amount and

loss, try Zip Compression. This will result in less compression (thus

Ctrl-D]) and view the Advanced section of the Description tab.

than the original file. Performing a simple Save As will often result

method of resolution reduction. For both Color Images and

less file size reduction) and works best for black-and-white images

Notice the current file size in this example is 73.29 MB—fine for

in the deletion of unnecessary file components that have been

Grayscale Images, try 100 ppi in the Downsample fields. (Don’t

(and okay for grayscale images too). For substantial compression,

commercial printing, but you’ll want to make this PDF substan-

retained in the PDF, dramatically reducing the file size without any

use 72 ppi, as this may not be sufficient resolution for display-

assign JPEG, which typically varies from 5:1 to 100:1 compression

tially smaller to make it appropriate for sending or viewing over

reduction in the PDF’s output quality.

ing on a variety of monitors.) Also select Bicubic Downsampling

and reduction in file size. For viewing only, you can often use

the Internet. You could create another PDF if you had the original

To (the default choice) as your Downsample method to produce

Medium Quality (substantial but not maximum compression). If

layout files, or you can use the following Acrobat 9 tools to repur-

the smoothest tonal transitions in your image. For Monochrome

you intend to use these PDFs for desktop printing as well, you

pose your PDF.

Images, try 300 ppi. Don’t click OK yet.

might want to choose High or Maximum. Experiment!

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To prevent the Optimizer from applying unnecessary downsam-

In any type of PDF file optimization, you typically want to retain

pling or compression, be sure to check the Optimize Images

the original font files that have been embedded to maintain the

Only If There Is a Reduction in Size box. Even with this option off,

typesetting integrity of your document. Click on the Fonts list

Optimizer will automatically ignore any images that are lower than

choice and check Do Not Unembed Any Font. While it’s true

the prescribed resolution, such as Web images or screen grabs

you can reduce the file size of your PDF by unembedding fonts,

you may have placed in your layout (although there are none here

the file reduction is usually minimal (here embedded font files

in the commercial print PDF, and there better not be!). Note: You

command only 19 KB or .04% of the file size) and the typesetting

can protect delicate images from downsampling by saving them in

consequences are often significant.

EPS format prior to placing them in the original page layout before creating your PDF.

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Flattening transparency can help reduce file size in your PDF docu-

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Objects such as form components, JavaScript actions, and alternate

ment; however, this may have little or no effect depending on the

images can add significant file size to your document. To selectively

amount and complexity of the transparent areas. If the Transpar-

remove the various types of objects that can be included in a PDF

ency box is checked on, this flattening will be applied prior to any

document, click on the Discard Objects choice on the left of the PDF

other optimization, such as image downsampling and compression.

Optimizer. (The PDF document we’re using doesn’t have many of

If you use this feature, try using the High Resolution setting to

these objects.) Look through this list carefully though, as there may

flatten the transparent areas, as this doesn’t convert text or strokes

be some objects that take up little space but may be very helpful,

to outlines, and then count on the image processor to control the

such as bookmarks. Caution: Avoid checking the Convert Smooth

resolution and compression.

Lines to Curves to prevent any unpredictable line alterations.

continued on p. 76

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Just like Discard Objects, Discard User Data allows you to selectively

The Clean Up setting panel allows you to remove document

reduce file size by removing various file components such as hidden

content and apply compression to document components. But

layers, comments, forms, multimedia, and file attachments. In our

the most important option here is to Optimize the PDF for Fast

document, this accounts for less than 1% of the document, but in

Web View. This allows your website-placed PDF to be served up

other types of PDFs, this content may be significant. Again, pay

one page at a time rather than demanding the whole document

attention to those document elements that you may want to retain,

at once. This can really speed up Web viewing! Select Acrobat 5

such as comments.

and Later from the Make Compatible With pop-up menu to provide all-around viewing and opening compatibility of your PDF.

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Once you’ve set up the PDF Optimizer to suit your output needs,

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Finally, convert your CMYK images to RGB. Choose Advanced>

think about saving these settings (click the Save icon located at

Print Production>Convert Colors. Under Matching Criteria, choose

the top of the dialog). That way, you can easily use these settings

Image for Object Type and Any CMYK for Color Type. Under

again in the future. Now you’re ready to click the OK button to

Conversion Attributes, choose Convert to Profile for the Convert

apply the PDF Optimizer settings. Acrobat will ask you to create

Command, sRGB IEC61966-2.1 (for generic Web viewing) for the

and name the new PDF. After you save the new PDF, choose File>

Conversion Profile, and Use Document Intent for the Rendering

Properties to view the file size. Note that our file size is now only

Intent. Check the Embed option on to provide color profile guid-

728.88 KB—a 99% reduction in file size!

ance when your PDF is displayed on various monitors. Click OK. This doesn’t reduce the file size by very much, but it will give you a better idea of how your PDF will appear when it’s displayed on the Web.

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Taz Tally is the author of Acrobat and PDF Solutions from Wiley Press, as well as numerous other digital imaging books on Photoshop, scanning, digital photography, and prepress. Visit Taz’s websites www.taztallyphotography.com and www.tazseminars.com.

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Dreamweaver CS4 for Windows

QD;MBEEAS As soon as you launch the CS4 beta, you’ll notice the new interface, which is now more consistent with other programs in the suite, and is still quite similar on the Mac (shown in Step 1) and PC (shown here). According to Adobe, the gray color is intentional: The idea is to cut down on distractions and let the colors of your beautiful Web designs dominate the screen. And if you miss those cute little colored icons, just run your cursor over any one of them and the color will appear as your cursor hovers over it.

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QCEH;M7OIJE9KIJEC?P;MEHAIF79;S Dreamweaver has always made it easy to switch between different workspace layouts, including a preset optimized for designers that’s different from the one for developers. In the CS4 beta, you’ll find even more options and more ways to customize your workspace, including the ability to compact the panels at the side of the screen, making more room for your document. And you can save your customized workspace layouts to use again anytime, just as you could in CS3.

The Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 public beta has a fresh new look and loads of new features, including improved CSS support, a new preview environment called Live View, and better integration with all of the other cool programs in the Suite. All that and more makes this an upgrade worthy of the 10th anniversary of Dreamweaver.

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JANINE WARNER

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Dreamweaver CS4 for the Macintosh

Q:EMDBE7:79EFODEMS Adobe has made Dreamweaver CS4 available as a public beta, which means that you can download a copy right now by visiting http://labs.adobe .com/technologies/dreamweavercs4/. Just beware that beta means “not quite ready for prime time.” Adobe makes no promises that it has worked out all of the bugs and no software company will ever suggest you should use beta software for mission-critical projects. If you have a serial number for Dreamweaver CS3, you can use the CS4 beta until the full program ships. If not, it’ll time out in 48 hours.

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If you loved the convenience of the Insert bar at the top of the work-

To cut down on confusion when creating CSS, the Property inspector

space, you can always click-and-drag it back there, but before you do,

at the bottom of the workspace now has two modes: CSS and HTML.

try it out in its new location as a panel at the top of the panels section

This division makes it faster and easier to create and use styles as you

(located on the right in the Designer workspace and on the left in the

work, but it takes a little getting used to if you’re the kind of designer

Developer workspace). Keeping all of your tools in one place has

who simply adds formatting from the Property inspector without

some advantages, and you can now choose to view the icons alone or

worrying about styles. If you’re that kind of designer, this change can

icons with descriptions (shown here), which provides a handy reference

save you from inadvertently creating styles with names like Style1 and

for each tool.

Style2 and help make it more intuitive to create styles intentionally as you create your designs.

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The new Code Navigator is a handy way to check your CSS code

as it would be displayed in a browser so you can see AJAX and

as you work. You can Control-click (PC: Right-click) anywhere in

other interactive features in action without leaving Dreamweaver.

a webpage and choose Code Navigator to open a small window

Live View uses the WebKit rendering engine (the same open source

that details the CSS on the page. Roll your cursor over any of the

option used in Safari). Not only does this save you from having

listed styles and you’ll see a little pop-up with details of the style

to launch a browser to test these kinds of features, you can also

rule. Double-click on a style name and Dreamweaver takes you to

disable JavaScript as you use Live View to do things like freezing a

the style in the CSS code, making it quick and easy to edit styles

drop-down menu in action so you can more easily edit the CSS

as you work in Design view.

that controls its display.

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Just above the workspace, you’ll find the new Related Files bar with a

The Spry menu was added in Dreamweaver CS3, but you’ll find

list of associated files and scripts for any open documents, including

new additions and enhancements in the CS4 beta. Spry makes it

external CSS files, Server Side Includes, JavaScript files (such as those

easier for nonprogrammers to add interactive AJAX features, which

created with the Spry features in Dreamweaver), and other pro-

combine CSS and JavaScript, to create drop-down menus, collaps-

gramming files. Not only is this a handy reference that can help you

ible panels, form validation, and many other interactive features.

keep track of all the files in your site, it’s also a shortcut. Click on any filename to automatically open the file, and you can edit and apply the changes automatically to the HTML page you’re working on.

continued on p. 82

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If you’re a former GoLive user, you’ll be pleased to find that Adobe

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Normally, if you click on the Split view icon at the top of the work-

added smart objects to the CS4 beta. Smart objects make it possible

space (circled), the code and design views will be split horizontally.

to drag-and-drop a PSD file into a webpage in Dreamweaver and then

If you'd like to see the Code and Design views side by side, try

use the Image Preview dialog (shown here) to optimize and resize it

using the Vertical Split view (View>Split Vertically). If you’re not familiar

on the fly. Another great benefit is if you update the original PSD file

with the integration between Code and Design views, here’s a tip:

later, Dreamweaver adds a little red arrow to the optimized version in

Click on any element, such as the thumbnail photo selected here, and

your webpage. Click the Update from Original button in the Property

Dreamweaver automatically highlights the corresponding HTML code

inspector and the changes are automatically applied.

in Code view.

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Previous versions of Dreamweaver included a Check In/Check Out

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feature to prevent designers from overwriting each other’s work by

the Dreamweaver CS4 beta, you’ll find additions to the Code Hints

requiring that a page be checked out (thus locked to other design-

for AJAX and JavaScript. As you write in Code View, these hints auto-

ers) before it could be worked on. The idea was great in principle,

matically appear, making it easy to complete or verify your work.

but the system was clunky and slow in practice and many designers simply turned the feature off. Although I haven’t had time to test it fully yet, the integration of Subversion software to handle this kind of file management, as well as versioning and rollbacks, is a promising addition to CS4.

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Janine Warner has authored more than a dozen books about the Internet, including Dreamweaver CS3 for Dummies (and soon the CS4 version). She’s also the host of more than 50 hours of video training in Web design for Total Training. A popular speaker, she has been working online since 1995. (www.JCWarner.com).

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The TweenLite library consists simply of an ActionScript file that

After downloading the TweenLite library, you need to import

you’ll be including in your project. Open a browser and navigate

those files into your Flash project so that you can use them. Select

to http://blog.greensock.com/tweenliteas3. Click on the Download

the first keyframe in the actions layer and open the Actions panel

Now button to download the latest version as a ZIP file. Unzip it to

(Window>Actions). The way that you import external ActionScript

your desktop. Inside of the TweenLiteAS3 folder you should see a

files into your project is by using the import command. Enter the

folder named “gs.” This folder needs to be in the same folder as

code shown above into the Actions panel. This imports all of the

your FLA file. Since the orb.fla file is on the desktop, drag the gs

ActionScript files found in the gs folder.

folder to the desktop.

pvu!pg!uif!cpy With each release of Flash, Adobe tries to add as many cool new features as possible. Despite this, there are many community-based projects that have arisen to fill any missing gaps. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the open-source TweenLite library to achieve some effects that would be next to impossible to duplicate using the Timeline in Flash alone.

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Download the project files at the Layers website and unzip it to

Now you’ll create the movie clip that you’ll animate using TweenLite.

Double-click on the orbButton movie clip on the Stage to enter

your desktop. Open the orb.fla file in Flash CS3. This Flash file

Select the first keyframe in the clips layer and drag out a copy of the

edit mode. We need to create a hit state for the button that will

contains two layers in the Timeline: one is named actions and will

orb movie clip from the Library to the Stage. With it selected, give it

trigger the animation. Double-click Layer 1, rename it “orb,” and

contain all of your ActionScript code; the other is named clips and

an Instance Name of “innerOrb” in the Property inspector. We need

click the Insert Layer icon to create a new layer above it. Rename

will contain all of the visual assets. The frame rate has been set to

to wrap this movie clip inside of another, so press the F8 key to open

this layer “hit.” Get the Rectangle tool (R) and draw a rectangle

30 to make the animation nice and smooth. In the Library panel

the Convert to Symbol dialog. Give this new movie clip a name of

over the innerOrb movie clip. It should cover the clip, so look at

(Window>Library), you’ll see an image of a glassy orb created in

“orbButton” and then click OK. Give this newly created movie clip

the Property inspector to make sure it’s positioned roughly at X:0

Photoshop and a movie clip that contains the orb.

an Instance Name of “orb1” in the Property inspector.

and Y:0 on the Stage. Since this rectangle is only for the hit state and shouldn’t be visible, remove any Stroke color and set the Fill Alpha value to 0% in the Color panel (Window>Color).

[If you’d like to download the files used in this tutorial to practice these techniques, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.]

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Type the next function into the Actions panel. When the orbOut

Select the first keyframe in the actions layer and open up the Actions

Convert to Symbol dialog. Name it “hit,” select Movie Clip as

panel. The first thing you’ll need to do is import some ActionScript

function is called we’re again calling the TweenLite.to( ) function,

cate your work to create a row of orbs. This could be useful as a site

the Type, and click OK. Now give it an Instance Name of “hit” in

classes that describe the various types of easing effects that you

but this time we’re animating the orb back down to its original Y

navigation element or quasi-Dock-look from a Mac. Click the clips

the Property inspector. In the final movie, when the user rolls over

can use with TweenLite. These include effects such as bounce and

position. Another difference is that we’re using Bounce.easeOut as

layer in the Timeline, drag out additional orbButton movie clips

the hit movie clip, the orb will animate up, and when they roll off,

elastic easing. Type in the second line of code you see above into the

the easing type, which will make the orb bounce back into place.

from the Library panel onto the Stage, and align them as shown.

the orb will return to its original position. Click Scene 1 under the

Actions panel directly below the import statement that you entered

Test the movie by hitting Command-Return (PC: Ctrl-Enter) and roll

Give each an Instance Name of orb along with the next number in

Timeline to go back to the main Timeline.

in Step 3. With these two ActionScript libraries imported into your

your mouse over the orb to see the animation. In the next step you’ll

the sequence. For instance, the next orb would have an Instance

project, you can now begin writing the code to handle the rollover

duplicate your work to add some more orbs.

Name of “orb2,” etc. In this example we’ve added a total of five

.

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With the rectangle still selected, press the F8 key to open the

and rollout mouse events.

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Now that you’ve successfully animated a single orb, you can dupli-

orbs but you can add however many you like.

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I’ve shown you one effect out of potentially thousands that are

There are two mouse events that Flash needs to listen for. The first

Enter the next few lines of code into the Actions panel to assign your

is the rollover event that gets fired anytime the user moves their

function. When the orbOver function is called, the TweenLite.to( ) func-

to duplicate some of the ActionScript code. Click the first frame in

possible using this code. You can play with animating differ-

mouse over the object, and the second is the rollout event that fires

tion is called to make the animation start. The first thing we pass to the

the actions layer, copy lines 4 and 5, paste these lines for each

ent movie clip properties besides the Y property. You can also

when the user moves their mouse off of the object. Type the next

function is the object we want to animate. In this case, it’s the innerOrb

additional orb, and change the Instance Name for the two events.

change the animations duration and easing types to achieve a

two lines of code into the Actions panel. In this code you’re telling

clip. The second item is the time in seconds that we want the animation

The functions were written in such a way that they don’t need to

wide range of different effects. TweenLite is just one community

Flash to call the orbOver function when the rollover event fires. In a

to take. Lastly, we pass in an object containing the destination values

be duplicated. All of the orbs will call those two functions. That

ActionScript library that makes things much easier for Flash devel-

similar fashion you’re telling Flash to call the orbOut function when

for whatever properties that we want to animate. Here we’re animating

way if you want to change something in the animation, you only

opers. You should never reinvent the wheel unless you really

the rollout event fires.

the Y position to –50. The ease property is set to Exponential.easeOut,

need to do it in a single place.

have to.

which gives a strong easing effect.

Q

Lee Brimelow is a Platform Evangelist with Adobe and an award-winning interactive designer. Lee runs the free tutorial site at www.gotoandlearn.com and a Flash-related blog at www.theflashblog.com. He is also the author of several titles for Lynda.com dealing with Flash and After Effects.

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\ ! w j e f p h s b qiz ! ^ HI:E;DJG/ Now we’ll add a motion blur (Filter>Blur>Motion Blur) with the following settings: Angle 90˚; Distance 100. Click OK to close the dialog.

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Last issue, I showed how to create an After Effectslike animation in Photoshop Extended that involved playing video inside the graphic of an iPhone. For that technique, I used a background animation clip that I’d created in Photoshop CS3. Since then, readers have been asking how they can make their own animated background—what filters to use, etc. So, I thought that would make a good tutorial for this “Digital Video Solutions” column.

ROD HARLAN

HI:EH>M/ Using the Move tool (V), drag the stretched fibers down

Final image While I’ll use a specific set of filters in this tutorial, you’ll find that using any of the Render choices under the Filter menu and combining them with at least one choice from the Distort folder will always yield interesting results. So, let’s begin.

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Option- –(minus) (PC: Ctrl-Alt-–) to zoom out while keeping your window the same size. (You might also drag out one corner of your window for better visibility.) Make sure your layer is unlocked. If it has a little padlock beside it in the Layers panel, then it’s locked, so double-click on the Background layer, rename it Layer 0, and click OK. Now press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to bring up Free Transform. In the Options Bar, change the Width to 200% and the Height to 1600%. Press Return (PC: Enter) twice to commit the transformation. This stretches your “fibrous” object vertically 1600% and creates slightly fatter strands of fibers.

HI:EDC:/ In Photoshop CS3 Extended, create a new document (File>New) at the size you want your final output to be (720x480 pixels in this example). In the Layers panel, this will give you a locked Background layer that you need to convert to a smart object: Click on the Layer menu, go under Smart Objects, and choose Convert to Smart Object.

so that the top of the object is aligned with the top of the canvas. This will be the starting point for your animation. Open the Animation panel (Window>Animation) and twirl down the arrow beside Layer 0 to see the layer’s properties. Now, click on the Time-Vary Stopwatch beside Position to set a Keyframe at the 0 second mark in the Timeline.

HI:EC>C:/ To add a colorize layer, click on the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Click on your Foreground color to bring up the Color Picker, choose the color you want to fill your layer (we used R:10, G:140, B:210), and click OK. Press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill the layer with your new color. Change the blend mode of this new layer from Normal to Screen in the Layers panel. HI:EI:C/ Next, let’s apply the Polar Coordinates filter to the smart object layer. Click on that layer in the Layers panel to make it active, then go under the Filter menu and choose Distort>Polar Coordinates. In the dialog, click on the Rectangular to Polar radial button and click OK. HI:E:A:K:C/ The trick to adding the cool vertical lines back into your animation is to edit the filter blending option for the Polar Coordinates control. To do this, double-click on the little “lines” icon to the right of the Polar Coordinates name in your Layers panel. Choose Darken or Darker Color for the Mode to get a similar effect to what’s shown here and click OK. As always, feel free to try the other blend modes for lots of different-looking results. Click the Play icon in the Animation panel to test your animation.

HI:EH:K:C/ In the Animation panel, drag the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to the 10-second mark. Drag the stretched fibers straight up so that the tail end of the object is aligned with the bottom of the canvas. This should automatically add a keyframe for the Position property at 10 seconds.

HI:EILD/ Double-click on the Smart Object icon that appears on the layer in the Layers panel to work “inside” that smart object. Next we’ll fill the smart object with 50% gray. Press Shift-Delete (PC: Shift-Backspace) to open the Fill dialog. Make sure Use: 50% Gray is selected then click OK.

HI:EI=G::/ Press D to set your Foreground color to black, then go to the Filter menu and choose Render>Fibers. In the dialog, type in 15 for Variance and 10 for Strength. These low settings will give you smoother-looking fibers with more “white” areas. Click on the Randomize button until you see about a 50:50 ratio of black to white fibers in the Preview, then click OK. [If you’d like to preview the final movie from this technique, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.]

And that’s all there is to a custom background animation with infinitely variable possibilities that you can create yourself anytime…and more importantly, own all the rights too!

HI:E:><=I/ Close the smart object (Command-W [PC: Ctrl-W]) and

Rod Harlan is a video industry veteran and founder of the Digital Video Professionals

Save your changes. You’re now back in your regular document with a single smart object layer containing your animation. We’ll now add a layer to colorize the animation as well as bring dimensions to our background clip.

Association. Through his company DriveDV Inc., Rod works on special projects for Fortune 500 clients such as Adobe and private institutions such as the NAPP. His popular industry blog is packed with tips, tutorials, and industry insight and can be found at DVconfidential.com.

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Let’s work at the size this was intended for—NTSC Widescreen. So

Select your Green_01 clip and drag it straight into the Timeline.

go to Composition>New Composition, and in the Composition Set-

Now, when keying a large area like this with a small subject area,

tings dialog, set the Width and Height to 960x540 (16:9) with a Pixel

it’s best to first remove as much of the background as you can

Aspect Ratio of Square Pixels (when working on keying, it’s easier to

so the keyer has less work to do. In the Tools panel, select the

see clean edges and results when not viewing expanded rectan-

Rectangle tool (Q), then click-and-drag a rectangle around the

gular pixels). Set the duration to at least the length of your clip (2+

subject to remove everything except our dancing Marina. This

seconds), then click OK. Finally, go to Composition>Background

is removing all the “garbage” we don’t need—hence the name

Color, click the color swatch in the Background Color dialog, and

Garbage Matte.

choose white in the Color Picker.

z! pvÖwf!hpu!uif!lfz With the accessibility of green screen setups these days, it’s easier to get keyable footage than ever before— opening up creative options without set or color restrictions. Once you have your footage, After Effects has some wicked tools to key and extract—and when combined they can create some wonderful results. [For techniques to capture your own footage turn to the “Production Premium Tutorial” on page 94.—Ed.]

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Starting out in Adobe After Effects CS3 with a blank project, double-

Go back to the main Selection tool (V) and scrub the Current Time

With the layer selected, go to Effect>Keying>Keylight to apply

click in the Project panel to bring up the Import File dialog. Locate

Indicator (CTI) in the Timeline to check that none of your subject gets

the effect. In the Effect Controls panel (ECP), click the Eyedropper

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and select the green screen clip(s) you plan to use and click Open.

cropped during playback. In the case of people dancing, jumping,

tool next to the Screen Colour swatch and click on a midrange

Here, I’m importing three clips of our intern, Marina, shot in HD in

and moving, arms, hands, or feet can easily go outside the garbage

green in the image. Then, click on the Toggle Transparency Grid

the green screen studio. One of these clips “Green_01.mov” is avail-

matte later down the line without you realizing. Simply double-click

icon at the bottom of the Composition window to view the alpha

able (shortened) for you to download from the Layers website. Click

on the edge of the mask border to resize and move it accordingly—

channel—certainly not great at this point. To further illustrate this

the Create a New Folder icon at the bottom of the Project panel,

but keep it as tight as possible to the focus on the shot.

point, choose Status in the View pop-up menu in the ECP to view

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[If you’d like to download one of the clips used in this tutorial to practice these techniques, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.]

name the new folder, and drag your clips into it to store them.

the simple transparency information.

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Twirl down Screen Matte in the ECP, and drag the Clip Black until

Turn the Transparency Grid off to return the white backdrop. This

the gray area around Marina is black (around 48–50). Drag the

reveals that we have slightly jagged edges, but we can easily

fectly, terribly, or be somewhat usable—depending on the clip.

In the ECP for Keylight, we adjusted the Clip Black value to around 20 to reintroduce some of the softness around the hair. Then, under

Clip White to get Marina as white as possible, leaving some green

smooth them out. Go to Effect>Matte>Matte Choker, and in the

We’ve added two more clips from the green screen shoot to the

Matte Choker, we changed the Geometric Softness 1 to 10 and the

(around 80). Now choose Screen Matte in the View pop-up to see

ECP adjust Geometric Softness 1 to around 4 and Choke 1 to

Timeline, one medium distance and one close-up (you can use

Choke 1 value to 1. This softened the edge of the matte for this

the actual matte, then adjust Screen Shrink/Grow to –0.2 to trim

around 2 pixels (no more). This gives us a much better edge to

your own footage or drag in the same clip that you used for the

medium zoom image quite nicely. Now, moving on to the close-up

the edges of the alpha channel slightly. Now switch View to Final

the key—perfect for an image like this at this size. If you scrub

previous steps). To use your new preset, select a clip in the Time-

Green_03, this is a true test of keying settings—loose hair transpar-

Result, and the first part of the key is complete.

your Timeline now, the key is looking good, so let’s restore some

line, go to Animation>Recent Animation Presets, and choose

ency! Selecting the clip, we applied the same Animation Preset

color into the clip and give it some punch.

Key & Color. In this example, the same settings from Green_01

once more.

are too harsh on Green_02, but the color adjustment matches fine. A couple of tweaks then...

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Go to Effect>Color Correction>Auto Color to auto-boost the color.

In the Curves controls, choose Blue from the Channel menu, then

Now go back and choose Levels from the same submenu, and in the

drag a point from the middle of the graph slightly up and left to

the hair softness back in. We adjusted the Clip Black to around

Now that you have your clip(s) nicely and very cleanly keyed, the After Effects world is your oyster. Add new backgrounds,

ECP, adjust the Input White to around 235 to boost the brightness

lighten the channel, bringing a little more red back into the image—

14, and then in this instance, turned off the Matte Choker effect

new effects, type titles, movies, logos—whatever works to com-

of the clip. To reduce the slight green colorcast that still remains, go

perfect! As keys and color adjustments go, this is a good template

by clicking the small fx icon next to its name in the ECP. Looking

plete your project and present your keyed footage as cleanly

back to Effect>Color Correction and choose Curves.

to use, so let’s save a preset for reapplication. In the ECP, Shift-select

pretty good! As you can see, an initial key created for one clip can

and strongly as possible. Enjoy! [If you arrived here from the

Keylight 1.2, Matte Choker, Auto Color, Levels, and Curves to select

easily be reused and adjusted for each future keying operation,

“Production Premium Tutorial,” return now to page 98 for some

them all, then go to Animation>Save Animation Preset. Name it “Key

with the simple use of an Animation Preset.

compositing techniques.—Ed.]

& Color.ffx” and click Save.

Q

Steve Holmes is the creative director at Energi Design in Sausalito, California, creating award-winning motion graphics and Web design for clients worldwide. He also speaks at various design conferences on the subjects of After Effects, motion graphics, and typography, and can be reached at [email protected].

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You’ll need to get the video into the Creative Suite in order to work

First, you’ll want to edit your clips in Premiere. Simply put, keying

with it. With Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium, you have

takes time—time to set it up and render. You don’t want to bother

Adobe Premiere Pro for digitizing or importing video. If working

keying footage you don’t need. Create a new sequence and get

with tape-based sources, choose File>Capture and use your deck

it edited in a rough form. It’s a good idea to leave one second

or camera to load footage. If working with tapeless sources (such

of pad on both ends of the shots you want to key (this is called

as P2 Cards or XDCAM) simply choose File>Import and navigate to

“laving handles”). This pad gives you overlap that you’ll use for

the clips on your hard drive. It’s a good idea to transfer the media

transitions (wipes and dissolves). You’ll add these after you’ve cre-

first to an edit-grade hard drive.

ated the composited image.

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The chroma key wall has come to be used for much more than just the weather. With improvements in both keying technology and cameras, it’s possible to get professional results on tighter budgets. How you key will vary on the footage you use, but Production Premium offers an integrated solution. Let’s explore how Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and After Effects can work together to take advantage of great keying.

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Cameras often have auto features turned on that can make keying

Adobe Dynamic Link works across many of the applications in the

In order to key, you’ll need a backdrop. This can be a stock back-

much more difficult. Turn off auto-exposure, auto-white balance,

Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium. It can significantly speed

ground, a 3D rendering, or a photograph. One of our favorite tech-

and auto-focus. If any of these are left on, this means the green

up your workflow as it provides the ability to create dynamic links

niques is to use a panoramic photo. This gives you a lot of options

you’re trying to key will constantly change as your model moves.

between applications, without a need for exporting or rendering.

as you can easily resize and reposition the backdrop for different

While you’re in the setup menu, be sure to turn off Sharpening.

In the Project window, select the sequence you want to share and

framings. To create a pano, use a digital still camera. Orient the

Keep your model and your camera as far away from the screen as

choose Edit>Copy. Switch to After Effects and choose Edit>Paste.

camera for portrait, then shoot three to five photographs. Be sure

possible. If your camera shoots progressive, take advantage of it.

A new composition that matches the settings of your Premiere

each shot overlaps the previous shot by 10–20% so the photos can

Fields definitely get in the way of a good key. If possible avoid DV

sequence is created and the associated media is imported into After

be stitched together easily. Load the photos onto your computer.

and HDV.

Effects. Double-click the new sequence to open it.

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The easiest way to browse your photos is with Adobe Bridge. This

The files you selected in Bridge are automatically loaded in the Use:

file navigation tool allows you to visually browse your media, which

Files list. There are several layout options, but we’ve found that Auto

comes in handy when looking for your background images. If

works very well most of the time. Be sure to check the box next to

needed, you can even rotate images in Bridge. Once you’ve found

Blend Images Together. Click OK and be patient—each image has

and selected your panoramic images, choose Tools>Photoshop>

to open. Photoshop will attempt to automatically align your images

Photomerge. If it’s not running already, Photoshop will launch and

and use layer masks to blend them together seamlessly.

become the active application. The Photomerge dialog presents itself and awaits your input.

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Once the image is built, you should optimize it for a video work-

Unfortunately, there’s no Dynamic Link between Photoshop and

flow. If you’re happy with the Photomerge, you’ll likely no longer

After Effects (but the workflow is still easy). Switch back to After

need layers. Choose Layer>Flatten Image to reduce the image to

Effects and double-click in an empty area of the Project panel (or

a flattened file. This will reduce render times and RAM overhead

choose File>Import>File). Navigate to the file just created with

for the After Effects Composition. Crop the image to a clean

Photomerge, select it, and click Open. Drag this imported file to

rectangular shape using the Crop tool (C). Save the file as a TIFF

the bottommost layer in the open composition (placing it below

image to your project folder.

your video footage). Now turn to the After Effects column on page 90 for instructions on keying your footage using Keylight, a powerful chroma keying plug-in from The Foundry. Then return here to composite your background with your keyed video. continued on p. 98

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Once you’ve nailed the key, you can tweak the background. The

Chances are that your backdrop is a little too clear. Most photogra-

advantage with an oversized background is that you can position

phers make it a point to take pictures in focus. But if this scene were

it to taste. This way, as your shot composition changes (such as a

really being filmed with a video camera, the backdrop would be out

medium shot to close-up), you can change the size and position

of focus due to depth of field. You can tweak this using a Gaussian

of the background. This also allows for a background to be reused

or Lens Blur effect (both under Effect>Blur & Sharpen) to soften the

on multiple interviews with greater flexibility. To access position

background and simulate depth of field. Gaussian Blur is faster than

controls, simply select the layer and press the shortcut key P. You

Lens Blur if you’re in a hurry, but Lens Blur offers some realistic set-

can then tweak the layer’s X Y Position to suit. To use Scale, just

tings you can tweak, such as Grain and Highlights.

press the shortcut key S.

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Your foreground and background elements will likely not match from

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It’s generally a good idea to invoke a full-quality RAM preview first

a color balance point of view, but it’s easy to tweak your colors. One

to make sure the key works well. Simply mark out a work area of a

effective way is to apply an Adjustment Layer (Layer>New>Adjustment

few seconds and check the key. When satisfied with your composi-

Layer) with a Photo Filter (Effect>Color Correction>Photo Filter),

tion, you’ll need to render it. This can be done via the After Effects

which offers useful presets for warming or cooling shots. Addition-

Render Queue (Composition>Add to Render Queue), which allows

ally, Keylight offers color-correction controls to match foreground and

you to create QuickTime, AVI, or FLV files. If further editing is needed,

background elements. Paying close attention to color will help make

simply invoke Dynamic Link (copy-and-paste) to return the compos-

the composite more believable. Additionally, you can use any other

ite to Premiere Pro.

Color Correction effects in After Effects to refine the shot. The professional workflow is to key the shot first, then tweak color and exposure.

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Richard Harrington is owner of RHED Pixel (www.rhedpixel.com), a visual communications company in Washington, D.C. Author of Photoshop for Video and co-author of Producing Video Podcasts, Richard is Program Manager for the NAB Post-Production World Conference and a regular speaker at Photoshop World. ALL IMAGES ©RHED PIXEL UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

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I’ve had the privilege of reviewing the past few versions of Poser and been pleased with the content and improvements made from the previous versions. Well, the newest version, Poser Pro, is no exception. The new enhancements left me with a big smile on my face and just so you know, Poser Pro is targeted at users who want to take their creativity and work to another level. Under new direction from Smith Micro Software, Inc. (which purchased the Poser line as well as some other titles from eFrontier late last year), Poser Pro was developed with a feature set and functionality that’s geared for professional content creators in studio and production environments. This version offers pro-level application integration, as well as a 64-bit render engine, COLLADA support, and advanced network rendering, which allows users to reduce their design and production time while allowing them access to thousands of rigged and textured models. Let’s take a look at the new features: UÊ Unrestrictive Network Rendering allows you to use unlimited computers/nodes to render your images. (This is limited to three nodes in the Base version. The Base version is a sidegrade option available to Poser 6 and 7 users only.) UÊ Queue Manager is a powerful tool that lets you manage your rendering process. UÊ Ê7ˆÌ…ÊBackground Rendering, you can work on Poser scenes in the foreground while rendering time-consuming images in the background. UÊ Ê/ …iÊ64-bit Firefly Render Engine takes advantage of today’s more powerful 64-bit systems. UÊ Gamma Control lets you specify gamma and apply the values to textures. UÊ Ài>Ìiʈ}…Ê ޘ>“ˆVÊ,i܏Ṏœ˜Ê“>}iÃÊ܈̅ÊHDRI support. UÊ ÊNormal Mapping support is a resource-efficient technique to add the appearance of complexity and surface detail to 3D objects. UÊ ÊDistributable Content is available with a set of four redistributable 3D characters to help you save production time. UÊ ÊPoserFusion Plug-ins include hosting plug-in licenses for Maxon’s CINEMA 4D and Autodesk’s 3ds Max and Maya. The plug-ins let users integrate Poser Pro scene files within these production applications. (These plug-ins are not available in the Base version.) UÊ ÊFull COLLADA support gives you unrestricted ability for import and export via COLLADA to assist with the integration of 3D

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character content and scene data into third-party applications. (Limited to export of geometry and textures in the Base version.) Getting into the product was familiar and as usual, the interface is very intuitive. Even newbies will be up and running once they familiarize themselves with the tools and take a run through the tutorials. I can see where designers, animators, and modelers in professional environments will benefit greatly from the Pro version of Poser, as the new features rocked and integrated nicely into both Maya and Max without a problem. Current users will find that the new features are well worth the upgrade. The network and background rendering, along with the 64-bit support, make this a must-have for anyone creating complex ÃVi˜iÃʜÀÊ«ÀœiVÌðÊ
``Ê̜Ê̅>Ìʜ̅iÀÊvi>ÌÕÀiÃ]ÊÃÕV…Ê>ÃÊ ,ÊiÝ«œÀÌ]Ê COLLADA import/export, normal mapping, and gamma correction, and this is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to create great content quickly and affordably.—Bruce Bicknell

Company: Smith Micro Software, Inc. Web: www.smithmicro.com

Price: $499.99 Rating: ● ● ● ● ●

Media Maker 8 Premium by NewTech Infosystems (NTI) is an all-inone CD and DVD burner for Windows users. It provides a suite of easy-to-use tools for creating and recording data (audio, photos, and video) onto CDs and DVDs, plus Blu-ray support for backups and creating data discs (but no Blu-ray video capabilities). Media Maker 8 features a Video Converter that allows you to convert videos for playback on an iPod, PSP, Zune, and other portable video players. It also includes the NTI Photo Maker, which enables users to quickly import, edit, and share their digital photos and slide shows; the NTI Ripper for ripping and archiving music; and NTI Digital Jack for playback of music collections All of these programs are opened from an application appropriately called Launch Pad. Many of the applications use a Windows Explorer-style view that allows you to drag-and-drop files you want burned or copied to a CD or DVD. Wizards, called EasySteps, guide you through the process. Perhaps the most important part of this program is its full-featured backup package called Backup Now 5. It takes only a few minutes to set up a system of scheduled backups to a hard drive on the network. Backup Now 5 also provides disc spanning, so you can archive portions of a library across multiple DVDs. The selection setup is a simple procedure to select which files or file types to back up, or to selectively restore. So what backup devices does it support? The list is too lengthy to include in this review, but if you can record to it, Backup Now 5 supports it.—Dave Huss

Company: NewTech Infosystems

Price: $79.99 (Upgrade $49.99)

Web: www.ntius.com

Rating: ● ● ● ●

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QMVH.JO!GPS!WBSJBCMF!EBUB!QSJOUJOH! DesignMerge is a plug-in that allows custom printing based on an exported database file. Why should you spend that kind of money (approximately $1,000–3,000) on a database plug-in when InDesign comes with Data Merge? Well, there are several critical differences between the plug-ins: First, DesignMerge merges the data during printing. Say your database contains 1,000 records, unlike Data Merge, the InDesign document doesn’t end up with a 1,000-page document; it prints a single-page document 1,000 times. More importantly, if you’re printing to a PPML supporting device, the common elements can be processed once, and only the changed data is processed per page. DesignMerge also supports multiup layouts for gang printing, allowing users to create multiple layouts on a single page and sequence the data to each template. Second—and perhaps the most important feature—DesignMerge supports conditional rules. Say the database contains information about a person’s gender (or other condition), the text, graphic, or entire layout can change based on the supplied data. Also included is a PostNet font for generating USPS codes and an add-in that can create retail-oriented barcodes. Third, DesignMerge includes the CopyFit plug-in that allows text to be resized according to set rules when the database text won’t fit in the allowed space. After you connect to the database file, just insert the fields and apply any conditional rules to them. Then using the onscreen preview, you can inspect the setup of the merged data before printing. One minor issue: The database text must be an exported (typically tab-delimited) file, as DesignMerge for InDesign doesn’t yet support direct database connectivity. The product is not inexpensive and, although its ease of use belies its power, DesignMerge can be worth every penny.—David Creamer

Hot: Covers every aspect of media creation and backup

Company: Meadows Publishing Solutions

Not: No Mac version

Web: www.meadowsps.com

Price: Quoted Rating: ● ● ● ●

Hot: Integration with professional applications

Hot: Variable data printing by conditional rules

Not:

Not: No ODBC connectivity in InDesign version yet

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CSS guru Eric Meyer, in collaboration with WebAssist, has released CSS Sculptor for Dreamweaver. This easy-to-use extension makes creating CSS layouts in Dreamweaver a snap. The last two releases of Dreamweaver included CSS templates; however, users needed an in-depth knowledge of CSS to modify the layouts. Enter CSS Sculptor! This template-based application makes it easier for both designers and programmers to quickly design CSS layouts. It’s easy to install this extension using the Manage Extension Command in Dreamweaver, and then the application is launched by choosing File>New CSS Sculptor Page. The interface contains six tabs: Layout, Box, Type, Design, Print, and Output. Each tab’s screen contains controls for customizing the look of the final page. Layout (the first tab) contains 41 different CSS layouts, including one-, two-, and three-column static, elastic, fluid, fixed, and hybrid layouts with optional header and footers. Users can select from the included color schemes or create their own. The ability to customize almost all aspects of a layout from margins and padding to borders and colors is a welcome attribute. I have to say that when I initially opened the program, I was skeptical of how useful it would be…but I quickly changed my mind. CSS Sculptor allowed me to generate a custom layout for a client that conformed to Web standards, was accessible, and best of all, contained the code necessary to correctly display pages in Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. CSS Sculptor is one of those programs where you might find yourself saying, “I don’t know how I got anything done without it!”—Cyndy Cashman

If you’ve ever wanted to add a professional-quality, animated banner to a website or blog, you’ll want to check out BannerZest from Aquafadas. This theme-based animation software makes it easy to quickly add Flashbased slide shows and animated banners without owning or knowing anything about Flash. BannerZest is available in two flavors: Standard or Pro. This review is based on experiences using the Pro version. Creating a Flash banner using BannerZest is surprisingly quick and easy. Upon launching the program, the first thing you’ll see is a designated drag-and-drop area. To create a banner, you must first select your images and drag-and-drop them onto the designated area. This action launches an Inspector panel that allows you to choose the layout and type of animation from a list of 27 themes. Once you select a theme, you can adjust most of the theme’s attributes, such as dimensions, background colors, gradients, borders, fonts, and transitions. Even though you must use a theme to create a banner, adjusting the settings allows you to create a custom look. Adding a URL link to the banner images is easy using the Media panel tools. The final step is to publish the banner. The Publish settings allow you to specify whether you want to publish the banner to a Web server or a local directory. Clicking the Show HTML button opens a window containing the code needed to integrate the banner on a server. Clicking the Show Banner button opens an HTML page displaying the banner.—Cyndy Cashman

Company: Aquafadas SAS

Price: $129 Pro ($49 Standard)

Web: www.aquafadas.com

Rating: ● ● ● ● ●

AKVIS Enhancer 9.2 is a multipurpose image utility that’s available as a standalone application or a Photoshop plug-in. The standalone version has three modes of operation: Enhancer, Focus, and HDR (highdynamic range), while the plug-in version doesn’t support HDR. In Enhancer mode, the application attempts to enhance images by intensifying color transitions between adjacent pixels. In testing, the results were uneven. Overall, most images were improved, but the default settings tended to oversaturate the images. Controls allow you to fine-tune the settings and save them as a custom setting. Enhancer also recovers lost detail in shadows, but the recovered areas exhibited an unacceptable amount of noise for professional use.

Price: $99.99

Web: www.webassist.com

Rating: ● ● ● ● ●

Hot: Cross-browser compatibility

Price: $81 (App); $69 (Plug-in)

Web: http://akvis.com

Rating: ● ● ●

Hot: Simplifies HDR creation Not: Excessive noise in shadow recovery

Where designers learn Photoshop ! ®

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Hot: Easy to use; ability to customize settings Not:

Company: WebAssist.com Corporation

Company: AKVIS Software Inc.

National Association of Photoshop Professionals

Image Courtesy of Ciro Marchetti, NAPP Member and Photoshop World Guru Award Winner ©2008

w w w . p h o t o s h o p u s e r. c o m o r c a l l 8 0 0 - 7 3 8 - 8 5 1 3 Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. *Prices are for U.S. residents only. Corporate, Educational and International rates are also available.

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Focus mode selectively improves sharpness of mildly out-of-focus areas of a photo, but it won’t convert an out-of-focus photo into a sharp one. In some tests, the autofocus focused on the wrong subject or sharpness was lost due to depth of field. To use Focus mode, isolate the area to be brought back into focus by outlining it with the drawing tools. The program made the blurry areas a little crisper if they weren’t too large and there was sufficient detail to recover. When using HDR mode from the standalone application, if you shoot RAW files, it’s necessary to convert them to a format that Enhancer accepts (I used 8-bit RGB TIFF). My test images of the Colosseum in Rome resulted in a properly exposed sky while retaining details inside the tunnel entrances. Alignment of the different images is done automatically. My test images were shot without a tripod, which made alignment problematic but still it did an okay job. It didn’t remove ghosts (subjects in the photo that move between frames). The finished HDR images were also a little oversaturated but can be corrected by finetuning the settings.—Dave Huss

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If you’re looking for compression and encoding software that’s easy to use and at the same time a fully featured professional application, look no further than Sorenson Squeeze 5 Pro. Building on Sorenson’s history of producing high-quality, easy-to-use, video compression software, Squeeze 5 has evolved into a one-stop shop for all your video encoding needs. Some may ask, “Why not buy a $23 shareware application?” Or, “Why not use the bundled encoder that came with my Suite?” I’ve used different encoders—shareware and bundled applications—and none but Squeeze has the accuracy in detail or clarity in compression, while allowing control over file size and bit rate. What does this software do so well? First, in version 5, searching and sorting encoding formats and filters has been totally redesigned to allow for a more efficient workflow. Also, Squeeze 5 allows for simultaneous encoding across multiple cores, with up to 1.5 files per core, which dramatically increases encoding times for multiple core machines. And this version permits simultaneous multi-encoding of the same file with different compression settings. This lets you mix Flash, QuickTime, Windows Media, MPEG-2, and much more in the same batch without having to baby-sit the application—a must for anyone having to deliver multiple files in multiple encoding formats efficiently. In addition, the improved H.264 encoder is one of the best I’ve seen so far, producing accurate, high-quality MPEG-4 files every time. The On2 VP6 Pro Flash video encoder cannot be beat. With 2-pass VBR capability (a feature that Adobe removed from their own Flash video encoder), VP6 Pro increases the quality of your FLV movies without sacrificing precious bandwidth and bit rates. Also, if encoding in Flash is important to you, the ability to encode in the new FV4 format will be a strong benefit if Squeeze 5 is added to your arsenal. If that’s not enough, Squeeze 5 has brand-new video filters (such as watermarking, sharpening, and saturation) that can be applied to your files in Squeeze before encoding. And speaking of filters, Squeeze includes new audio filters for adjusting volume. The Pro version includes Bias SoundSoap, a filter that will remove hum and noise right inside the audio filters tab without leaving Squeeze. Some other features worth mentioning are watched folders, Blu-ray support, and the optional WMV Component for Mac. With watched

modo 302 from Luxology is an amazing 3D program that honestly, until this review, had me very skeptical about its capabilities and position in the world of 3D. But after spending some time with it, I have no doubt that it’s a pro-level 3D modeling solution. I was up and running with the software in about an hour with the help of the tutorials available in the program. The tools were clear and I was able to import models that I already created in other programs without any problem. modo also allows you to export your model to many of the top programs.

Web: www.sorensonmedia.com

Price: Starting at $599 Rating: ● ● ● ●

Hot: Simultaneous multifile encoding; ease of use; quality Not: Can be pricey for some users

Company: Luxology LLC Web: www.luxology.com

Price: $895 (Free upgrade from 301) Rating: ● ● ● ●

Hot: Polygon and subdivision surface support Not: No rigging controls for character animation

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folders, Squeeze will encode any movie file that appears in the folder using the compression setting you’ve assigned. Now that Blu-ray has won the VHS/Beta war of the 21st century, support for Blu-ray encoding in Squeeze will be an invaluable asset moving forward. Also, the support for Microsoft’s VC-1 codec is a nice bonus since it has now been adopted as one of the encoding formats for Blu-ray. Finally, Mac users will benefit from being able to encode with the WMV format using Squeeze’s WMV Component (available at an additional cost) just in case you have a client who wants a WMV file. So, what’s the verdict? The new version of Sorenson Squeeze Pro offers a complete video compression and encoding package for around $600. Because of the cost, however, it may not be for the beginner. You’ll be hard pressed to find an easier-to-use, more comprehensive program, while still having complete control over quality and output. Squeeze is definitely worth a serious look for anyone having to encode videos in a professional setting.—Erik Kuna

Company: Sorenson Media, Inc.

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Although I use a few of the more expensive programs, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of features available in modo 302. These include 3D modeling, painting, rendering, and animation tools for artists who want to create 3D images without having to resort to other software. It supports polygonal and subdivision surface modeling and has impressive rendering capabilities along with an awesome Sculpting tool. Features new to this version are pretty impressive as well. The addition of PSD support, Physical Sun and Physical Sky (which provide more realistic outdoor scenes), and a new Flex tool are only a few of the cool new features available. I’d recommend this program to anyone who wants a very capable 3D content-creation program that has a very powerful set of tools. —Bruce Bicknell

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Be careful what you wish for: You might get it. That’s what happened to me when I moaned about Flash’s lack of pro-level animation capabilities. I wound up with Toon Boom Studio 4, a power tool for animators that can export to several popular formats, including QuickTime and SWF. While Flash is easy to learn (if you skip scripting), Toon Boom is a monster. But the flip side of the coin is that Flash doesn’t have many tools for the animator—that’s why it’s easy to learn. On the other hand, Toon Boom Studio, as the name implies, is an entire studio worth of tools: pro-level lip-synching, virtual cameras, vector tracing, a rotary drawing table, exposure sheets, forward kinetics, an advanced color palette system, and…well, you get the point; it’s feature-packed. Those of you upgrading from older versions of the program will likely enjoy its new interface, which is very similar to the one in many of the Adobe CS3 applications, with dockable panes you can drag to resize. Version 4 also includes feathered edges and the ability to import Illustrator files with layers intact. Toon Boom Studio isn’t a use-out-of-the-box application; you have to delve into the documentation (in addition to the docs that ship with the program, the Toon Boom Animation website is loaded with helpful tutorials and user forums). But the serious animator will willingly climb to the top of the learning curve. The view is spectacular from there. [As we go to press, Toon Boom announced the availablility of Studio 4.5. Visit their website for more info.—Ed.] —Marcus Geduld

Company: Toon Boom Animation Inc. Web: www.toonboom.com

Price: $399.99 Rating: ● ● ● ●

Hot: Swiss Army knife of tools for the pro-animator Not: You actually have to read the darn manual

DPOWFSU!QEG!GJMFT!UP!EPDVNFOU-!XFC-!BOE!JNBHF deskUNPDF is an easy-to-use PDF converter with some interesting features: It can convert PDFs to Microsoft Word, Open Document, HTML, XML, Sony ebook, Excel, and image formats. It can also batch convert. In my tests, I took three different PDFs—one created from Microsoft Word, one from Excel, and one from InDesign—and exported them back out to Word or Excel in an attempt to extract the text. deskUNPDF did an adequate job on both the Word and Excel PDFs, but the InDesign PDF was virtually useless, even though I tried all the text formatting output options available (word processing, page layout, line by line, per character, and unformatted) and changed the default font settings to the same as the font used in the InDesign document. (It should be noted that I only tested the Macintosh version; the Windows version may produce slightly different results.) Based on my limited results, I cannot recommend this product unless you use only conversions to Microsoft Word and Excel. Also keep in mind that according to Docudesk’s website, “deskUNPDF was developed in response to the feature most commonly requested by deskPDF customers—the ability to make changes to a PDF without the need for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.” So if you already have Acrobat Pro, a separate conversion utility isn’t really necessary because most of these features can be found in Acrobat Pro. Other than the Excel PDF, Acrobat did a better job with the conversions.—David Creamer

Company: Docudesk

Price: $69.95

Web: www.docudesk.com

Rating: ● ●

Hot: Supports many conversion formats Not: Doesn’t work well with complex PDFs

D I S J T!D M P S

Just as in InDesign, you can double-click with the Selection tool on text and automatically switch to the Type tool—and if you press the Escape key after typing, you’ll switch back to the Selection tool.

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output setting with Diffusion Dither, and Save As an LZWcompressed TIFF file.

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pixels, so there’s no additional image degradation. Use the File> Place command or Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Object.

5. In the Graphic Styles panel, choose New Graphic Style from the flyout menu to save the settings (and to globally update them if you change the colors).

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With the Move tool selected, you can align or distribute the content of selected layers in relation to each other. For example, if you want to space several shapes evenly in a row, select the (unlocked) layers in the Layers panel and choose the Move tool (V). Up in the Options Bar, align them as you like using the first six icons (their positions will be averaged), then distribute according to edges or centers using the next six icons. When using the distribute commands, you might want to start by positioning the first and last objects manually as they don’t move horizontally; then the others are distributed between them.

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PETER BAUER

When working with shape layers, did you know that you can assign a layer style before you create the shape? Choose the Shape tool from the Toolbox, go up to the Options Bar, click on the Shape Layers icon, and pick your Style from the dropdown menu. Then drag the Shape tool of your choice and you’ll see the shape develop with the style already applied. When making a series of shapes, create the first one, add a style, and that style will be retained in the Options Bar as you create additional shape layers.

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:E9KC;DJH7IJ;HI;JJ?D=I As a rule, you should use effects rather than filters (unless you have a good reason to do otherwise). That’s because filters become permanent when you use them (not counting undos). On the other hand, effects can be edited any time in the future. Plus, effects are affected by the Effect>Document Raster Effects Settings menu, which means you can work at low-res (72 ppi) to prevent slowing down your computer, and then increase the setting when proofi ng and for the final output. In addition, use the Effect>Rasterize menu command rather than the Object>Rasterize menu command. Just like filters, rasterizing objects is a permanent change.

The graphic style will auto-expand based on content. If you want the style to be the same size regardless of the text, use the Absolute Width and Height, rather than the Relative settings in the Shape Options dialog. Note: This cannot be saved as a Paragraph Style and should be used only on large point type.

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JH7DIF7H;DJ=H7OI97B; Most users know that grayscale images can have a solid-color background or, with the Direct Selection tool, be colored as a “fake” duotone. What if you need a transparent background? Technically it can be done and you can get good results with the following method: In Photoshop, convert the image to Bitmap mode (Image> Mode>Grayscale then Image>Mode>Bitmap) using a high-

In InDesign, simply place the image (File>Place). Note: It may not look very good onscreen at Typical Display so set it to High-Quality Display (View>Display Performance>High Quality Display), or turn on Overprint Preview temporarily. Here’s a standard grayscale (top) with a dithered bitmap (bottom) against a gradient background.

DAVID CREAMER

Here’s how you can create an auto-expanding box behind text: 1. Select the type with the Selection tool. 2. From the Appearance panel flyout menu, choose Add New Fill and move the Fill below the Characters item. 3. Add a second Fill, but keep this one on top of the Characters item. Select the top Fill and set it to the type color. 4. Select the bottom Fill in the Appearance panel and use the Effect>Convert to Shape menu. We’re using a rounded rectangle in this example. Adjust the settings similar to the ones shown.

JEEC7DOIFEJI If you like to use Pantone solid (a.k.a. spot) colors for processcolor jobs, reconsider. You can’t use Overprint Preview or Separation Preview. Unless your job is actually using 10 spot colors (possible, but unlikely), consider using a Pantone Process Guide, or at least the Pantone Color Bridge guide (formerly called the Solid to Process guide).

:EJ>;C7J> You may be aware that you can type different measurements in numeric dialog fields; for example, you can type in 6p and have it convert to 1 in. Did you also know that you can add different measurements? Say your field contains “3 in,” you can type in additional info, such as “3 in+18pt,” and InDesign will do the conversion and addition (3.25 in). You can also divide and multiply by using the slash (/) and asterisk (*), respectively. In some cases, you can even use percentages (50%). These settings work just about anywhere, including the Tabs panel. The units are as follows: in for inch, p for pica, pt for points, mm for millimeter, cm for centimeter, c for ciceros, and ag for agates.

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I9H;;D97FJKH;I In case you missed it, Acrobat includes the ability to create screen captures as PDFs. From the File menu, choose Create PDF, and you have the option of the entire screen, a user-selected window, or a user-selected area—great for

capturing a “moment in time” on your computer. The only downside is that you can’t capture menu selections, so it won’t replace a true screen-capture utility.

a ruler and a drop-down menu offers you common unit options that you can select.

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One of the best new features of Acrobat 9 is the addition of ConnectNow—an offshoot of Acrobat Connect and part of the new Acrobat.com package. Start it by going to the File>Collaborate>Share My Screen. You can have up to two other people online looking at your screen or even taking over your programs (with your permission, of course). Unlike Acrobat Connect, which was fee-based, ConnectNow is a free service. The major downside is that ConnectNow is limited to three people, whereas Acrobat Connect was limited to 15 (Acrobat Connect Pro has different package options).

While most times you’ll be designing Flash assets within the Flash app, sometimes you may need to make a quick button and don’t want to spend a lot of energy in Flash. Try this: Click on Insert>Media and select Flash Button. You’ll then see a dialog where you can specify the type of button you’d like, linking options, button text face options, as well as the options to get additional styles to add to Dreamweaver.

EKJFKJFH;L?;M Acrobat 9 has added some improvements to existing Output Preview features (Advanced> Print Production>Output Preview) and some new features too. For example, there are more options to choose from when previewing certain types of image formats (as shown). Also, a new feature called Object Inspector lets you click on individual images or text and get detailed information about the object.

I;J:;I?=DL?;MEDJEF I get confused at times when working with a Dreamweaver page in Split view because of the code at the top of the page. If you click on the View Options icon at the top of the window, you’ll be able to choose Design View on Top. As the code is now at the bottom of the workspace, this helps to provide an unobtrusive way to design and code at the same time.

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9KIJEC?P;JEEBIF7D;B You can use the Customize Tools Panel to group paint and fill tools. Just open the Customize Tools Panel by choosing Flash (PC: Edit)>Customize Tools Panel. Click the Paint Bucket icon. Select the Brush tool and click the Add button. Select the Gradient Transform tool and click Add. Click OK to close the panel. The Brush and Gradient Transform tools are now grouped under the Paint Bucket tool.

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Last issue, we had a tip on how to maximize desktop real estate using Zoom; however, there may be times where using the zoom is tedious because of the number of mouse clicks you’d need. But did you know that if you hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key, you can use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out of the page? Tip: Remember to zoom back to full view so that you don’t design really large pages.

EF;DJ;IJCEL?;?DJ78I Did you know that you can set your test movie to open in a tab instead of a new window? Choose Flash (PC: Edit)> Preferences to open the Preferences window. Click on the General category and under the Workspace section, check the box next to Open Test Movie in Tabs.

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Rulers are a great way for you to position and lay out items on a webpage but sometimes your ruler won’t necessarily match what you’re trying to do. This is an easy fix: Just Control-click (PC: Right-click) anywhere on

To permanently remove deleted items in a Flash document, reduce the document’s file size, and decrease the amount of time it takes to publish a document, select File>Save and Compact.

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How can I create an auto-expanding box with rounded corners behind my text in InDesign? You can fake it by creating a custom Stroke and using Paragraph Rules. Starting in the Stroke panel (Window>Stroke), click on the flyout menu (at top right), and choose Stroke Styles. Then click on the New button. In the New Stroke Style dialog, name your style, choose Dotted for Type, set Pattern Length to 0.0035 in, Preview Weight to 5, and click OK. Now choose Type>Paragraph Styles, double-click on a style to open the Paragraph Style Options dialog, and choose Paragraph Rules from the list on the left-hand side of the dialog. Click on the Rule On checkbox; then choose your custom stroke in the Type drop-down menu. Set the Weight to larger than your intended point size of the text, and choose the Color for the stroke that you want to appear behind the text. Finally, change the Width drop-down menu to Text and set the Offset to –0.125 in, and both Indents to –0.25 in. Click OK. [To learn how create an auto-expanding paragraph rule in Illustrator, turn to “Tips & Tricks,” page 108.—Ed.]

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Photoshop is stuck on the Hand tool. What did I do? First take a look at the keyboard and make sure that there’s nothing pressing down on the Spacebar—it might be your Wacom tablet, the book from which you’re working, a plate of homemade cookies, that sort of thing. Next, check the connection between the keyboard and the computer. If you’re using a wireless keyboard, it might be time to change the batteries or there could be an electronic device between the keyboard’s transmitter and the receiver.

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Although I set my digital SLR to shoot grayscale, my images show up in color in Bridge and Camera Raw. What’s up with that? Your camera always captures RGB. When you have it set to Grayscale or Black and White, the camera simply embeds a Desaturate command in the file’s metadata. That’s a nonstandard instruction, meant for use with the camera’s own software, so Bridge and Camera Raw can’t read it. No worries! Simply create a grayscale image in the HSL/Grayscale panel in Camera Raw, where you have far more control over the final appearance.

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I’m using a Mac and when I copy my files to a server, they become generic gray icons and won’t open when I double-click the file. What’s happening?

Most likely, you’re not keeping the file extension on the filenames. When you first save, type the name of the file before you navigate to the storage location. That way, the file extension is left intact. If you navigate first, make sure you leave the extension intact or just type it in. If you add the extensions on the existing files, as long as you’re positive they’re the right program and format (for example, .ai versus .eps), the file will be recognized properly.

QGS

How can I convert multiline point type to paragraph text?

Select all the point type, copy, then click-and-drag a text box, and paste. Unfortunately, you’ll have to manually remove all the point-type paragraph returns because the Find and Replace feature can’t find paragraph returns in CS3. (I’ll never understand how this was left out.)

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Can I break a PDF into separate files at certain locations in the PDF?

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Why does my Flash document Library panel contain symbols named “Tween 1,” “Tween 2,” etc.?

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How can I draw a glowing sun in Flash?

Is there a more efficient way to add editing comments when proofreading a PDF? It seems that constantly using the Comments Toolbar isn’t the best way.

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Acrobat 9 has the ability to add popular editing comments: Just highlight the text, and Control-click (PC: Right-click) to bring up the menu choices. If you do lots of commenting in PDFs, that could be worth the price of the upgrade right there!

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How can I validate my pages against different versions of HTML? There’s a drop-down menu to the left of the Check Page option that allows you to validate the code for an individual file, selected files, or the entire site. Clicking on one of those options runs a check based on what you’ve chosen in the Settings option. Clicking on the Settings option in the drop-down will take you to the Validate Markup tab of the Dreamweaver options, which lets you select the versions of HTML, XHTML, or other technologies you’d like to validate your code against.

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In Acrobat 9, you can add Bookmarks to the PDF in strategic locations and then use the Document>Split Document feature. It can break the file up by Top-Level Bookmarks. If using Acrobat 8, you’ll have to use the Extract command and do it manually or look into a third-party utility.

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Dreamweaver files are now opened in tabs, so what are the keyboard shortcuts to tab through the pages? If you want to cycle through the open pages, press Command-` (PC: Ctrl-`) to cycle forward to the page on the right of the tab. Pressing Shift-Command-` (PC: Shift-Ctrl-`) will allow you to move back to the previous page on the left. If you’re someone who doesn’t like to use tabs at all, you can turn them off by clicking on Dreamweaver (PC: Edit)>Preferences, and unchecking the Open Documents in Tabs option in the General section.

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You could use the PolyStar tool and Glow filter to quickly make a glowing sun. Click the PolyStar tool then click the Options button at the bottom of the Properties inspector. In the Tool Settings dialog, choose Star from the Style menu, enter 18 for the Number of Sides, 0.50 for Star Point Size, and click OK. Then click on Fill Color and choose a Radial Gradient. To create the sun shape, just click-and-drag the PolyStar tool on the Stage. Now select Modify>Convert to Symbol, choose Movie Clip, and click OK. In the Properties inspector, click the Filters tab, then click the plus sign, and choose Glow from the filter menu. Adjust the glow settings until you’re satisfied with the results.

C O N C E P C I O N

What are design notes? Design notes (located under the File menu) are notes that you can save separately from a file, giving you an area to make comments and talk about the specific project. The good part about design notes is that the information doesn’t appear in the source of the page; the information can only be seen from within Dreamweaver. In the design

Flash automatically converts objects or shapes to symbols when motion tweening is applied between two keyframes in the Timeline. These are the symbols you’re seeing in the Library. It’s better to convert objects and shapes to symbols before applying motion tweening; otherwise, you’ll have a Library full of symbols with names that are meaningless.

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notes, you can also set a status flag for the note to control if you want this note to appear as soon as the page is opened. This is great when you want to alert someone immediately of something on a specific page.

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Print Factory, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128 www.GoPrintFactory.com

Copy Craft Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 www.copycraft.com



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PrintRunner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127 www.printrunner.com



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Really Right Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 www.reallyrightstuff.com



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Digital Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118–119

Markzware Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 www.markzware.com



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eprintFast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 www.eprintfast.com

Microsoft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 www.microsoft.com

Zoo Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 www.zooprinting.com

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GO BEYOND

P H OTOS H O P

®

As a creative professional these days, you

Layers is the only magazine that brings you exclusive

need to be multifaceted. You need the

tutorials and in-depth articles for every application

skills and versatility to create stunning

in the Adobe® Creative Suite®. And with the latest

designs, vibrant Web content, and

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dynamic video. You need to be a

contests, you’ll find yourself more inspired, creative,

Photoshop guru and so much more…

and competitive than ever before.

Subscribe online at www.layersmagazine.com/gobeyond pricing can be found at www.layersmagazine.com or by calling 877-622-8632. Layers is produced and published by Kelby Training, Inc. – www.Kelbytraining.com. t o o r d e Subscription r c information a l land8 00 - 2 0 1 -7 3 2 3 o r g o t o w w w. k e l b y t r a i n i n g. c o m Adobe, Photoshop, and Creative Suite are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

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Download the image of the tiger (at right) taken at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, from www.layersmagazine.com/designcontest.html.

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Use any portion of the tiger in conjunction with elements of your own creation to compose a unique Flash banner for a website. You can use illustrations, photography, animation, or video in combination with the tiger (just make sure that you either own all the copyrights to anything you use for your final design or you get permission to use any images that you don’t own).

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Finally, upload your Flash banner at the Layers website for a chance to win.

SCOTT KELBY

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J^[J^[c[S Protecting What’s Yours (which also happens to be this issue’s cover story). Create a Flash banner advertising a fictitious company or piece of software that protects a photographer’s or designer’s images from being stolen online. J^[Fh_p[SThe winner will receive an Epson STYLUS PRO 3800 valued at more than $1,200! This professional 17"-wide printer uses Epson’s UltraChrome K3 inks and will produce beautiful images every time. But don’t forget that if you really want to claim the prize, your final piece has to make our judges jump up and say, “Wow!” The overall design and level of creativity is what they’ll be looking for.

J^[:[WZb_d[S November 3, 2008. (The winner will be announced in the January/February 2009 issue of Layers magazine.)

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(Layers May/June 2008)

J_jb[S Leap Responsibly :[i_]d[hS Mark Riggan Fh_p[S $300 Kelby Training

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