Creating PDF Files with Adobe Illustrator
Vootie (190 points) | Fri, 2010-04-23 15:24
Adapted from Adobe Acrobat 9 PDF Bible
By Ted Padova
Adobe Illustrator, as with other Adobe programs, is built on core PDF technology. In fact, the native Adobe Illustrator file format is PDF, and as such it is one of the best applications supporting direct export to PDF.
Illustrator has evolved to a sophisticated integration with PDF and supports the following: transparency, editing capability, layers, blending modes, text, and filters. Further integration with the program in non-PDF workflows embraces exports for Web design, where its current iteration supports one-step optimization for formats such as GIF, JPEG, PNG, SWF, and SVG.
To export PDF files from Adobe Illustrator, you use the File > Save command. The format options available to you include the native Adobe Illustrator format (.AI), Adobe PDF (*.PDF), Illustrator EPS (*EPS), Illustrator Template (*AIT), SVG (*SVG), and SVG Compressed (*SVGZ). In Illustrator, choose File > Save from a new document window. A Save dialog box opens that enables you to name the file, choose the destination, and select one of the formats just noted.
Adobe's Flash to iPhone app converter to be shut down
Ivan | Wed, 2010-04-21 13:36
Apple a little over a week ago Apple essentially banned iPhone apps from the app store that were created with the upcoming Adobe CS Flash to iPhone app converter. Details here.
Amidst a huge uproar in the development community and Adobe's public complaints Apple took stand and didn't change it's policy claiming such applications may not be as fast and stable as native applications written in Apple's development environment.
I guess the CS5 Flash to iPhone converter is still useful if somebody wants to release an app for jailbroken iPhones, but clearly the exclusion from the app store is a huge blow for Adobe.
Flash always performed poorly on OS X and was never supported on the iPhone platform. It was kind of expected that Apple will not allow the converted apps into their stores. I think Adobe took a huge risk putting effort and resources into the development of this converter without any prior assurance from Apple.
Now Adobe's Principal Product Manager for developer relations put an end to the story saying they will still release the feature for CS5 even if the apps created with it will not be allowed into the iTunes Store. However, they will not develop the feature in the future and will focus on Android instead. This was a good move.
If I had a say in Adobe's direction, before anything else I would concentrate on making sure Flash on OS X is fast and stable. Then, implement Flash to run on iPhone within a custom browser and release it for jailbroken iPhones to demonstrate how well it can perform. This would prove without doubt that Flash has a future on the iPhone platform.
Dear Adobe: Why I won’t upgrade to the latest Creative Suite 5
JimD (2566 points) | Tue, 2010-04-20 02:33
With the recent announcement of Creative Suite 5 by Adobe this past week, and the subsequent complaining that always seems to accompany such an announcement, I thought I would type-up a quick complaint letter that interested people can copy & paste into an email and send off to Adobe. Perhaps if those of you who aren’t happy with the direction Adobe is going in send this letter to them, they’ll completely toss 20+ years of successful software into the bin and start over from scratch!
Sustainable printing using the Ecofont
Ivan | Sat, 2010-04-17 09:29
Ecofont is a design award winning software that inserts small holes into your printed letters. While this has no effect on legibility it reduces the the ink or toner use by 25%. This not only saves money but also saves some of the burden on the environment associated with production of printing supplies.
You don't have to use this software to take advantage of the idea. You can download the free Ecofont Vera Sans.
Using this pierced font for both copy and headlines can be fitting for any environmentally friendly business.
Going Beyond Web Site Type Defaults
Vootie (190 points) | Fri, 2010-04-16 02:51
Excerpted from Fluid Web Typography
(New Riders)
By Jason Cranford Teague
When you talk, you modulate the tone of voice for different audiences. Your voice and cadence alter depending on whom you are speaking to. If you are talking to your boss, your voice (hopefully) sounds very different than if you were talking to your lover, even if the words are the same. Whether you adjust your voice to be formal, informal, humorous, serious, sensuous, or angry, it informs your audience about the meaning of your words.
Many Web designers allow the default values imposed by the browsers or by perceived limitations to dictate the voice of their designs, which dictate the scale and rhythm, and usually not well. It’s like talking to everybody you know in exactly the same voice. Like a robot.
Finding design inspiration outside the digital world
JimD (2566 points) | Fri, 2010-04-16 00:59
With just a few years under your belt as a graphic designer, you’ve no doubt come across a time or two when you experienced a complete and total lack of creativity; a sort of designer’s block, if you will. If it hasn’t happened to you, you either haven’t pushed bounds of creativity yet, or you’ve been darn lucky. Either way, it WILL happen.
The best way to fight it is to seek-out and find creativity in places and things that you wouldn’t normally look for it. The key is getting your butt out from in front of the computer screen and into the real world. For some, it’s easy to do – for others, it’s not as simple. Where to go to look for inspiration? And where to find it once you get there?
