Adobe CS4

Well it doesn't seem 5 minutes since Adobe CS3 was released but on Tuesday there was a live launch broadcast for Adobe CS4. A fair few tweaks and enhanced features especially in the integration of flash and dreamweaver. There are new feature tours and the full hour launch broadcast available on AdobeTV 

an issuu solved?

Get your own - Open publication

Well I was eager to have a play around with the previously mentioned issuu.com so above is Issue 1 of SpeakOut Magazine. I have to say overall I'm very impressed. It will help extend the reach of a small run/ limited budget printed magazines/ brochures but also enable creatives who may not have the web skills to develop a full online portfolio but need to reach potential clients screens. 

The account features and uploading are easy to follow and can be done by pretty much anyone (as long as you are able to put together a multipage PDF). I'm loving that they have invested the time in making it easy to upload your magazines onto blogs, facebook etc and (unlike some flash based viewers) the display keeps text easily readable. Alternate viewing and navigation modes along with easy printing options complete the package. 

I'm not without a few grumbles though, the search options seem limited at the moment so finding other decent magazines/ folios published on the site is a bit of a trawl. Hopefully this is something they will address with advanced search options. A note of caution for those generating PDFs from InDesign, it doesn't like any effects you may have added, transparencies, drop shadows etc. I tried several PDF options to try and solve the problem but ended up just taking all the effects off the original document. If anyone knows a way round this I would be grateful! 

issuu.com

Get your own - Open publication

Well fuzed magazine is always a well designed and interesting read but my main reason for this post is to check out the embedding features from issuu.com Online publishing of your own material via the site offers some interesting possibilities which I for one will be exploring a bit further. 

ScrnShots

If you are anything like me you spend a fair amount of time trawling the net for interesting new sites, blogs and inspiration. Often when you stumble across a good site you don't have time to view in depth and you end up clogging up your bookmarks bar or forgetting the web address. ScrnShots is a neat, free application that lets you take a snapshot of any sites you want to keep and upload it's details onto your own profile page. From here you can also search other peoples links and add to your favorites. You can check out my page here.

Should give a nod to Spoon Graphics Blog for pointing me to this one, a great blog to keep an eye on especially if your after vector based tips & tricks.

Design Your Own Trainers

This is so much fun! Check out the trainer templates on PIG Mag, download the PSD file and (as long as you have photoshop) start playing around with your own designs. The sections are all set up in separate layers so it's super easy. You can import imagery too for a truly personalised look, can see many an hour slipping by already, really should go to bed! Above are two of my quick designs with anatomy and poker-esque graphics. 

4talent Photos

As you can probably tell I've gone a bit snap happy today, so while I'm at it here's a couple of pics including my spread for 4Talent Magazine and the nice cover illustration by Petra Stefankova. The article was shortened to one DPS in the end which was a bit of a shame as it compromised the layout a bit but here it is. 

Lift Leaflets

Again in a quick follow up to my previous post, here's a few photos of leaflets I produced for the 'lift' project, still two or three more to come as the project develops. 

SpeakOut Issue 1

Further to my earlier post the 1st issue of SpeakOut is now out (click on photos above to enlarge). Keep your eye out around town to get your hands on a copy and if you want any work to be featured in the next issue get in touch with the editorial team

Bak Magazine

There is some great online magazines around at the moment and I'm always pleased to find a new one. Bak is a downloadable flash magazine with loads of great photography and illustration, and a pretty nifty interface. Personally I prefer a good old fashioned PDF as the text legibility tends to suffer on the flash versions, but to be honest I'm pretty much in it for the pictures anyhow. 

If you like this then check out Candy Magazine too, though I think they maybe having a bit of a web refurb at the moment, as the back issues aren't currently on there. If anyone has any more to share please post a link.