Creative Notes

Artbeats offers daily free stock HD video clip

Digital Arts Staff — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:39:00 -0800

Stock video company Artbeats announced that it is offering a free downloadable HD clip every day at its Web site

InDesign tip: tinting grayscale photos

Pariah S. Burke — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:00:00 -0800

Sure, you can tint photos in Photoshop. But with InDesign you have the freedom to tint, adjust, and retint as often as you like, with only one linked image file to manage.

Upgrades for Linotype FontExplorer X Pro and Server

Jackie Dove — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:05:00 -0800

FontExplorer X Pro 2.5 font management software for individuals and FontExplorer X Server 1.5 for workgroup administrators is now available.

HDR PhotoStudio launches for the Mac

Jackie Dove — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:30:00 -0800

HDR PhotoStudio’s 32-bit floating-point technology and Beyond RGB color space are designed to accurately depict and edit all the colors the human visual system can recognize.

Wacom announces Intuos4 Wireless pen tablet

Jackie Dove — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Wacom's Intuos4 Wireless pen tablet will feature Bluetooth connectivity.

The iPad: great for designers and illustrators

Neil Bennett and Matt Egan — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:30:00 -0800

So the long-anticipated Apple iPad is finally here. It's a device that's supposed to take on netbooks at their own game and win. What are the benefits for artists and designers?

Create your own navigation bar in iWeb

Adam Berenstain — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:15:00 -0800

It's difficult and time-consuming to create a new iWeb template from scratch, but as Adam Berenstain discovered, just creating a new nav bar can give your iWeb design a unique look.

Design your own T-shirt

Chris McVeigh — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:15:00 -0800

So you have a T-shirt design you're dying to wear. Here's how to get it printed.

Color-correct your video in iMovie

Jeff Carlson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:30:00 -0800

iMovie '09's easy-to-use color correction controls let you improve the quality of your videos. Jeff Carlson shows us how.

Verdana Pro: Not just another pretty face

Jay J. Nelson — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:15:00 -0800

Two of the Web's core fonts—Verdana and Georgia—are overhauled with new pro versions.

NAMM Briefs: AmpliTube 3, The Bridge, drum kits, mixers, more

Jackie Dove — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Music vendors of all types converged on the Anaheim Convention Center for the International Music Products Association’s four-day winter meet-up. Here’s a brief wrap of what’s been going on.

Quark online service offers marketing templates

Jackie Dove — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:00:00 -0800

New Quark online service makes it easy for businesses to create marketing materials.

Digital Anarchy updates ToonIt! plug-in

Jackie Dove — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:15:00 -0800

Digital Anarchy upgrades cartoon plug-in to Photoshop, Elements, and Aperture.

iPresentee releases Keynote 3D Stuff 3.0

Jackie Dove — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0800

Version 3 of iPresentee's Keynote 3D Stuff collection offers over 180 3D objects for $25.

Illustrator tip: Live Trace

Pariah S. Burke — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:15:00 -0800

Pariah Burke shows us how to turn a painting into a drawing using Illustrator's Live Trace feature.

Logic Studio (2009) gains 64-bit support

Jackie Dove — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:00:00 -0800

Apple releases software update for Logic Studio (2009)

Optimize photos for your digital scrapbook

Katherine Murray — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:15:00 -0800

A scrapbook is not the same thing as a photo album. Katherine Murray walks us through the process of editing and choosing photos for a scrapbooking project.

Design basics: Creativity through contrast

Lesa Snider — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:45:00 -0800

In this last of our four-part series on design basics, Lesa Snider discusses the concept of contrast and why it's critical for good design.

Corel releases update for Painter 11

Jackie Dove — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:45:00 -0800

New update delivers on numerous requests from the Painter community,

Customize your Twitter background: tiled image technique

Chris McVeigh — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:30:00 -0800

Twitter opens up a huge opportunity for self-expression, and part of that is undoubtedly visual. Chris McVeigh shows you how to create an original tiled (or patterned) Twitter background.

Customize your Twitter background: single image technique

Chris McVeigh — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:30:00 -0800

Get noticed for both your tweets and your style. Create a unique Twitter background.

Secrets of the world's best designers and illustrators

Craig Grannell — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:15:00 -0800

The best and brightest of today's designers share their unique insights into the creative process.

Kinetic typography: Language in motion

Lynn La — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:45:00 -0800

Kinetic typography is an old art that has recently returned to the spotlight. Macworld intern Lynn La tells us why she likes it so much.

Ihnatko: Cheap comic fonts on New Year's!

Andy Ihnatko — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Andy Ihnatko recommends you buy Comicraft fonts on New Year's Day, when they'll be only $20.10 each.

2009 in review: The year for creatives

Jackie Dove — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:00:00 -0800

The Mac creative community saw positive changes and developments in 2009 and we look forward to innovations in the new year.

Replenish your iWeb themes

Adam Berenstain — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0800

The general consensus is that iWeb's template designs are cool. But what if you're sick of them and crave something new?

Batch conversion saves slow QuickTime clips

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:00:00 -0800

Rob Griffiths discusses a problem he had with extremely slow frame rates on some high definition video backgrounds. In the end, saving the clips required converting them to another QuickTime compression format.

From digital to print and back

Katherine Murray — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0800

The journey of an electronic scrapbook page to printer and back.

Last minute gifts for creatives

Jackie Dove — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:15:00 -0800

Creative folks are among the hardest people to buy gifts for under any circumstances. But if it's really late in the day, even on Christmas Eve, there are still plenty of great gift opportunities.

Camcorder tips for the holidays

Christopher Breen — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0800

To help ensure that the videos taken with your camcorder are as enjoyable as the events it captures, follow these tips.

Review: TypeStyler X (v.10.6)

Jay J. Nelson — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:30:00 -0800

TypeStyler X's breadth and depth of its typographic features and constant visual feedback make it perfectly suited for teaching many aspects of graphic design

Photojojo brings camera glasses to the masses

Nicholas Bonsack — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:57:00 -0800

Photojojo has released You-Vision Glasses, a pair of glasses that record video that would make any super spy proud.

Macworld's favorite podcast tools

Christopher Breen — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:00:00 -0800

The days of recording a podcast with your MacBook's microphone are over. Look to these tools to help improve your sound.

Hark! Holiday fonts

Jay J. Nelson — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:45:00 -0800

Looking for holiday fonts to give your cards, letters, and Web sites a festive touch? Check out these suggestions.

Photoshop tip: Masking 101

Chris McVeigh — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:45:00 -0800

Chris McVeigh shows you three masking techniques that can be used in Photoshop CS3 or CS4.

Ambient Design releases ArtRage 3

Jackie Dove — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Ambient Design releases ArtRage 3 Studio and ArtRage 3 Studio Pro, two new additions to the company's art-creation product line.

Safe fonts: Conquering the cross-platform divide

Jay J. Nelson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Font sharing across platforms, and even between previous Mac operating systems, can be tricky. Here are some of the problems you might encounter and some suggestions on how to solve them.

Holiday newsletters with Pages '09

Adam Berenstain — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Adam Berenstain walks you through the steps of creating a holiday newsletter in Pages '09.

Cooliris Express unveiled

Jackie Dove — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:15:00 -0800

Cooliris Express, a free online utility, makes immersive photo walls easy to create and share.

Design basics: Repetition rocks

Lesa Snider — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:50:00 -0800

In this third part of our Design Basics series, Lesa Snider walks you through the concept of repetition.

Photoshop tip: Vignettes add focus and character to photos

Chris McVeigh — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0800

The vignette effect can add style to your photos. Here's how to create a vignette in Photoshop CS4.

Explore your font characters

Jay J. Nelson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Jay Nelson talks about the American Scribe typeface, a digital version of the script that was used to write the Declaration of Independence.

Plug-in Suite 5 for Photoshop now available

Jackie Dove — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:45:00 -0800

onOne Software today announced the immediate availability of Plug-in Suite 5 for Adobe Photoshop.

Apple updates Final Cut Server

Jackie Dove — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:12:00 -0800

Apple releases minor update to Final Cut Server.

Ableton releases Max for Live

Jackie Dove — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Ableton and Cycling '74 release Max for Live, which integrates the Max/MSP audio visual programming language with Ableton's Live 8 digital-audio workstation.

Holiday newsletters with iWeb '09

Adam Berenstain — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:15:00 -0800

Save on paper and postage this season with a holiday-inspired Website built with iWeb '09.

Add, remove, and replace PDF pages

Pariah S. Burke — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Pariah Burke walks you through the process of adding, removing, and replacing pages in complex Acrobat Pro PDF files.

Fonts in the wild

Jay J. Nelson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

You don't have to be a font designer to enjoy identifying fonts in public places. Jay Nelson walks you through exploring fonts wherever you are.