You can view a newly updated “Guide to CSS Support in Email: 2007 Edition” over at the Campaign Monitor Blog. It’s a fantastic resource for anyone who has to send HTML emails…
Category: Design
Posts on graphic and web design.
-
Photoshop CS2 Script for SlideShowPro
If you use Photoshop CS2 and Todd Dominey’s awesome SlideShowPro, you’re going to dig this free script from developer Matt Johnson. It takes all of the hard work out of setting up an XML file for use with SSP.Written in the Javascript language for the Adobe Photoshop DOM, this script quickly produces folder structures, optimized images, and outputs the XML source needed for the creation of galleries in SlideShowPro.
Feature List:
- Creates folder structure
- Populates the album title
- Populates the album description
- Populates IPTC / Photoshop Captions
- Custom fit-image resize using Bicubic Sharper
- Export large and thumbnail size images
- Saves space using “Save For Web” compression
- Closes original images without saving changes
- Ready to use, just publish your swf file to the same directory
(Hat tip: SlideShowPro)
-
Upgrading to CS3
Currently I’m using Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium. On a limited basis, I’ve been testing out the Photoshop CS3 Beta and figured I should give CS3 a test drive before upgrading the rest of the guys in my department.I was given the go-ahead to upgrade to CS3 if I wanted to a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve struggled with what version to get. I was torn between getting the Design Premium and Web Premium versions… Honestly, I’ve been toying with the idea of not upgrading at all considering a few of the reviews I’ve read. This morning I ordered Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium (that’s a mouthful!). The source of contention in deciding which version came down to one thing: InDesign CS3.
We do a little bit of print design at PowerServe, but most of it can be done in Photoshop and/or Illustrator without the need for InDesign. As a matter of fact, in the time I have had InDesign I have only used it for one project. (Hardly enough justification to get an upgraded version of the app.) With CS3 Web Premium I’ll gain access to Contribute CS3, Flash CS3, Fireworks CS3… which I definitely think fit in more with the kind of work I do now.
I’m looking forward to using it, and if all works out I’ll be picking up copies of it for my three coworkers in the near future.
-
Optimization
In an effort to conserve GPUs on my new web host, I’ve been taking the advice of OpenSwitch’s Ben Gray and trying to optimize this site as much as possible. I’ve temporarily killed the Flickr photos I had displayed on the sidebar, and made a few other tweaks to cut down on the number of queries on page load… I usually get less traffic on the site during the weekend so now’s a perfect time to do some testing and optimization of the site.
-
Buying Photoshop CS3?
Just got a friendly tip/reminder via email from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals that I thought I would pass along:
If you happen to be working on an older version of Photoshop (Photoshop 6, 5, 4… you get the idea) then you can save some money upgrading to CS3 if you move quickly. You see, previously Adobe let anyone with a registered version of Photoshop (even Photoshop 2.0, etc.) upgrade to the latest version by simply paying the regular upgrade price. But, with the release of Photoshop CS3 , you’ll only be able to upgrade at the standard upgrade price if you have Photoshop 7, CS, or CS2. So, if you are still using Photoshop 6.0 or earlier, you should upgrade to Photoshop CS2 in the next few weeks (a cost of around $169), then you can buy the upgrade to CS3 when it comes out at the regular upgrade price. This workaround will literally save some of you hundreds of dollars over having to the buy a full version once CS3 and CS3 Extended ship.
-
Naked Day
Nope, you’re not seeing things: Today is April 5th and that means it’s NAKED DAY! The stylesheet has been disabled on this site in support of the 2nd Annual CSS Naked Day. (This is the first year that I’ve participated in the event. Last year had 763 official participants!) The idea behind NAKED DAY is to promote Web Standards. Plain and simple. This includes proper use of (x)html, semantic markup, a good hierarchy structure, and of course, a good ‘ol play on words. To learn more more about why styles are disabled on this website visit the Annual CSS Naked Day website for more information.
-
Avalonstar
I’ve been following Bryan Veloso for a couple of years now. He’s one of the most talented designers I’ve seen online. It saddens me to know that Avalonstar is offline… I’m not sure what’s going on, but I hope Bryan (and Jen) know that there are people praying for them… Hopefully they can work through whatever’s going on…
The last thing anyone’s heard from Bryan was a Twitter post three days ago:
says — It’s something that I can’t really control at the moment… not really in the mood to talk about it. Thanks for the concern though.
Between that blurb, and the note currently on the site, I’m definitely concerned for them.
-
Organic Workspace
One of the running jokes here at PowerServe, is that I can’t keep my desk the same way for more than a few weeks. But it’s true. For as long as I can remember I’ve made it a point to change up my workspace at least once a month. I try to think of my workspace as being an organic, evolving environment… The subtle changes that I make to my workspace are really exercises in discovering configurations that work best for me. Some configurations stick. Others don’t. Sometimes people notice the change, most of the time they don’t. What does matter is that I notice. Having a desk that is constantly changing, constantly evolving to fit my work-style and my work environment helps me to stay better focused on the tasks at hand…
In the creative department, we’ve taken this idea a step further by decorating the walls with posters each of us enjoy. I’ve got several Clerks: The Animated Series posters up, a Spider-man poster and a Superman poster. I’ve also got tons of action figures and toys at my desk. From the ceiling, I’ve got a 12in Superman hanging, along with a Naboo Fighter and an American flag… Patrick‘s got movie posters and a Misfits flag hanging on his walls. A huge British flag is hanging from the ceiling in front of his desk. Don‘s got a few Mental Soup posters, a Star Trek Nemesis poster and a U2 poster on his walls. He’s got a few toys here and there… and a Led Zepplin flag hanging on a bookshelf… Josh is probably the minimalist of us all… he’s got two posters up… one he made, and another of a Triumph motorcycle…Regardless of whether we have a lot around our desks, or just a little… we’re encouraged to make our workspaces environment’s we’re comfortable in.
Give it a try sometime… Don’t settle for how your workspace currently is, unless you’re really happy with it. Try configuring your desk differently… have it point in a different direction. If you’re facing a wall, move things around so you’re facing the center of the room… Hang some artwork on the walls… Do something different! You might be surprised at the results.
-
Far From Done
Well, the new site design is here… sort of. I’m still working on a lot of behind the scenes stuff… but I felt like where I am with everything is much better than where I was with the previous iteration of the site. So, without further adieu, here’s Effercio – version 14 of cdharrison.com. There’s still a lot more to do at this point…
- Integrate hAtom and hCard support.
- Fix paging glitch when browsing categories.
- Search and Archives need to be improved… The paging glitch is effecting these as well.
- Fix notifications.
- Create alternate, high contrast stylesheet.
- Fix rendering bugs…
- And much more…
It’s getting there though. Let me know if you encounter any problems while using the site.
-
Suitcase for Windows Released
Well, it finally happened: Extensis released a new version of Suitcase for Windows today. I’ve been hoping for an update for quite some time, and the day I complained about it – a new version was announced.From the Manage This blog, here are some of the new features:
Updated Suitcase Server client – When serialized properly, Suitcase for Windows is an updated client for a Suitcase Server. It can also be used in a stand alone, or single-user capacity, if desired.Microsoft Vista™ compatibility – We are now compatible with the 32-bit version of Vista, as well as Windows XP and 2000.Automatic font activation plug-ins – Through the use of plug-ins, fonts can be automatically activated when a document is opened. We provide activation plug-ins for the most common creative applications, including Adobe InDesign CS2, Illustrator CS2 and QuarkXPress 7.The Font Vault – When used in a single-user or stand alone capacity, users can take advantage of the new Font Vault. Basically, this is a secure repository in which Suitcase for Windows can store all of your fonts. This keeps all of your fonts in a single location, rather than all over your hard disk.
Once I’ve used the new version, I’ll try to post a more thorough review.