Adobe Creative Suite: Introduction to Using Layers
Creating designs in Adobe CS programs is a little like making a collage–various materials are put together to make one composition. The key difference, however, is that a composition in Photoshop has to be treated as if it were in 3D. As in, you don’t slap materials next to each other. Rather, materials are stacked on top of each other. Be it text, photos, or an original design, if there is more than one source material for your project, you need to know how to manage layers in Adobe Creative Suite (CS) programs. For an easily-digestible overview on layers, check out our October...
read moreThe ABCs of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
Adobe’s Creative Suite (CS) products have been around a long time – the first commercial CS program, Illustrator 88 (logo above), launched in 1986. Technology has come a long way since rat-tails, cassette tapes, and New Kids on the Block were in style. Like the New Kids, Adobe CS has grown with the times. Today, there are over 15 CS programs, offering tools for digital media, print, video, multimedia and more to create anything from basic graphic designs to the avant-garde. Most people use two or three CS programs, and amongst all of the programs, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign...
read moreVector Items Are Clean, Smooth
[Originally published in The Coloradoan on 3/23/12] Last week, I began discussing the differences between raster and vector graphics in digital images. This week is part two of the discussion and focuses on vector graphics – what they are, and how they can benefit you and your business. Whereas raster graphics, discussed last week, are made up of a grid of pixel information, vector images are not. Rather, vector images are mathematically created images made up of lines, curves, anchor points and shapes. Vector graphics can be used for simple or complex logos, diagrams and more. If you...
read moreChoose Graphics Program Based on Type of Images Handled
[Originally published in The Coloradoan on 3/16/12] Many of my students ask me whether Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator is the correct program for their graphic design, print media or image editing needs. And it’s always a tough question to answer. To understand what choice makes sense for you or your business, you must first understand the definition of the two major types of digital images used in graphic design: raster and vector graphics. A raster graphic is a graphic made up of a grid of pixels, often referred to as a “bitmap” format. The word raster is really just...
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