If you use the most recent versions of Adobe Creative Suite, exercise caution in installing Apple's latest version of OS X, Lion, which was released on Wednesday.
In a tech note, Adobe lists a series of issues in Creative Suite applications running Lion, and offers recommendations on how to solve some of these problems. The following is a summary of some of the product-related issues and Adobe’s recommend actions. The tech note contains additional links to more detailed explanations.
While the overall number of issues discovered so far is not astronomical, some will present problems that may cause you to delay a Lion upgrade. It depends on how you're using the suite and which applications you depend on.
Adobe recently debuted its Subscription Editions, a brand new Software as a Service model for Creative Suite 5.5 software. With CS5.5, users can subscribe on a month-to-month or yearly basis to any of Creative Suite's individual packages or suites. But what are the advantages and disadvantages—both from a cost and a user standpoint—of owning rather than renting CS5.5? Macworld asked industry veterans David Blatner and Pamela Pfiffner to weigh in on the pros and cons of renting vs. owning Adobe's professional creative software. Below is the case in favor of ownership. See Pamela Pfiffner's opposite take in favor of renting. Macworld takes no position on this issue, and the views expressed in these articles are those of the writers only.
I love my local library—I love browsing and borrowing books that I want to read. I even love checking out e-books for my iPad reading pleasure. But when I find a book I really like, one I want to use as a reference, or read multiple times, or even just have on my bookshelf to remind me of the time I read it, the library is of no use to me. I want to own it.
So when Adobe offers me a chance to borrow Adobe InDesign, or Photoshop, or even the entire Creative Suite, I cringe a little. Sure, they call it a subscription model, and assure me that it’s the future, but ultimately it’s a loaner in which I give them some money and they let me use the software for awhile. I’m not saying they shouldn’t offer—like I said, a lending library is a great way to test the waters, or take advantage of a short-term use. But if you’re serious about publishing with these tools, you’re going to opt for ownership. After all, when it comes to renting software, you have to ask yourself some important questions.
Adobe recently debuted its Subscription Editions, a brand new Software as a Service model for Creative Suite 5.5 software. With CS5.5, users can subscribe on a month-to-month or yearly basis to any of Creative Suite's individual packages or suites. But what are the advantages and disadvantages—both from a cost and a user standpoint—of owning rather than renting CS5.5? Macworld asked industry veterans Pamela Pfiffner and David Blatner to weigh in on the pros and cons of renting vs. owning. Below is the case in favor of subscriptions. See David's opposite take in favor of ownership. Macworld takes no position on this issue, and the views expressed in these articles are those of the writers only.
One predictable response to Adobe's recently unveiled Subscription Editions software rental plan is outrage. It all sounds so suspicious, as if the company whose products you've grown to depend on is pulling a fast one on you. Some might think that Adobe is forcing you to pay for your software every month, like paying protection to a neighborhood enforcer.
But that's not the way Adobe's software subscription plan works. First of all, it's an option, not a requirement. Subscribing is not the only way to get Adobe software. You can still buy the product, or start a 30-day free trial, just like you always did in the past—nothing has to change. If your livelihood depends on, say, InDesign, you'll want to buy what we used to call "shrink-wrapped" software. No argument there.
Ready to send in the clowns? Announce their arrival with Teatral (free), Tobias Sommer’s digital salute to classic wood type. An added plus to this TrueType font: Math signs are included in case the whole honking herd stampedes towards accounting.
This free download throws every character into the ring with rugged block serifs and shading inside and out. Teatral comes with 188 characters including yen, pound and euro signs. Handy stuff if your clowns want to work the international markets with style. Using Rob Meek’s FontStruct application, Sommer has made clever use of modular elements to build a series of diamond details into the interior of each letter. This behind-the-scenes piecework doesn’t come easy. The result is a modern take on traditional chiseled decoration.
Like its non-digital cousins, Teatral is ideal for headlines, logos, and labels. Consider using individual elements, such as brackets and arrows, as standalone embellishments for plain-Jane memos—or go bold. Etch one exclamation mark into your favorite beer mug. Whatever you do, keep it personal. This download is covered by a non-commercial license. Contact the designer for permission to go to market.
Extensis has announced the newest release of its Digital Asset Management (DAM) software, Portfolio Server 10, which includes new iPad and HD video capabilities that enable worldwide access to digital media.
"Employees and clients are infinitely mobile and over 75 percent of businesses plan to deploy tablets by the end of 2013," said Davin Kluttz, Extensis' senior product manager for DAM solutions. "Our goal is to deliver the tools that keep them efficient."
Portfolio Server's Media Engine, powered by the Equilibrium MediaRich Server, simplifies common production tasks and enables fast file processing on the server. Users can deliver files for mobile devices or different platforms by converting them into the desired format without slowing down their personal workstation.
Planning on inviting the horde over for summer-evening poker? Type like a Viking (or at least like Canadian font designer Peter Rempel). Send a hearty “hail thee” with font PR Viking and its brother, symbol set PR Viking Alternatives (free).
Rempel’s Nordic bad boys contain a crew of over 200 TrueType characters ready to ransack the first page they land on even as they cast a spell over it. The main set includes accents, diacritics, full punctuation, and all the numerals you need to total up and divide the pillage. Instead of a lowercase there are alternative capitals. For instance, type cap O for one version and lowercase o for its decorative second.
A hint of pagan can be found in the accompanying symbol set. With PR Viking Alternatives, an industrious warrior can cast a heavenly horoscope or seduce the earthly elements, then switch to PR Viking and charge by the Yen, thanks to the full range of international monetary signs.
In graphic art and design, a mask is a tool that lets you isolate part of an image from the area surrounding it. Once isolated, you can apply adjustments (for example, special effects or color balance) to that area alone, or use the mask to eliminate the background completely. With Adobe Photoshop CS4 and CS5, you can create masks using both pixels and vector paths, but masks created with vector tools are almost always more accurate than those created using pixel-based tools. Moreover, vector masks are easier to edit later on. Here are some quick steps you can use to create a vector mask.
Step 1. Prepare your file
Use Photoshop to open an image you’d like to edit; for this example, I’ll use the photo of a coffee mug. Once open, locate the Layers panel (Window -> Layers). You should see only one layer, called Background. Control-click (or right-click) this layer and, from the contextual menu, choose Layer from Background. You’ll be asked to name the layer; to keep it simple, just call it Photo. From the main menu, choose Layer -> New Fill Layer -> Solid Color. Stick with the default name (Color Fill 1) and click OK. Choose a color you want to use as a background (this will help illustrate the mask later on), and once again, click OK. You’ll notice that your picture disappears behind the solid color, but we'll fix that now. Return to the Layers panel and drag the Color Fill 1 layer below the Photo layer. This will keep the color fill layer hidden for the time being.
