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Equipment
Software
Programs
 Are
you somewhat new to computers or are there bits of terminology that have
always confused you a bit like -- what is the difference betweent RAM
and ROM? This section focuses on some common pieces of the computer puzzle.
Want the whole story? Try
reading our equipment overview!
Adobe
Acrobat: Lots of Versatility in One Package
Personally, I think
that Acrobat is one of the most amazing and useful programs to come along
in a long time. With PDF files (created by Acrobat) being so prevalent
on the Internet, most people have the software to read and view Acrobat
documents already installed on their systems. This fact alone makes it
a powerful design and business tool. Acrobat was developed...read
more
Drawing
the Line with Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator is a flexible and versatile
tool that you can use to create and modify vector-based artwork. By connecting
vectors (points that you "plot" on a page), you can create illustrations
and logos. This artwork can be reduced or enlarged as needed without any
loss in quality. This is because the plotted points refer to specific
coordinates in the file and can be mathematically enlarged or reduced
as needed without sacrificing image quality. Illustrator is a production
tool that can be used to create artwork suitable for use in print, multimedia
and online graphics. With Illustrator, you can...read
more
What
Are Pagemaker and InDesign for?
PageMaker and InDesign, like their competitor
QuarkXPress, are page-layout
programs. Both of these programs are published by Adobe which is the
company that produces the standard for image manipulation, PhotoShop.
PageMaker has been around since the mid-eighties, was created by a company
by the name of Aldus, and was the clear standard for page-layout programs
at the time. It was the first of its kind to allow a designer to...read
more
Adobe
Photoshop: Changing What We See
Photoshop
is an image-editing
program which means that it works with bitmap-based
artwork, like photographs, scanned art or any other artwork with soft
edges. Photoshop is produced by Adobe, the company that also produces
programs like Acrobat and Illustrator,
and has been around for several years. Using Photoshop's basic features,
you can do things like...read
more
Macromedia
Fireworks: Something to Celebrate
In the age of such industry-standard
programs as Photoshop,
Quark and Illustrator,
it's hard to impress a graphic designer with a new product. Our needs
are usually well-covered. But, a few years ago, Macromedia started producing
a program that has greatly increased my productivity and efficiency in
creating web graphics. There's no easier way to win a designer's heart
than by saving him time and to make his life easier. Fireworks, published
by the same folks who publish the high-tech wizardry of Director and Flash,
is a vector
and bitmap image creation/modification program. The program is set
up to do one thing...read
more
Macromedia
Flash: Adding Some Magic
 If
you surf the Web with an up-to-date browser (and you should keep up with
the new browsers; they are free after all) with plug-ins, then you're
probably noticed more than a few sites sporting some very flashy animation
and interactive forms. Unlike web animation (animated GIFs)
predecessors, a program from Macromedia has redefined animation options.
Here's a few reasons why...read
more
Microsoft
Powerpoint: Making a Good Presentation
For business presentations, particularly
those that need to be produced in a timely manner and transported from
one system to another, PowerPoint is far and away the most comprehensive
presentation tool around. The program's usefulness certainly isn't hurt
by being part of the immensely popular Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office
seems to be present on most every computer in the world in one form or
another. But what can PowerPoint do? Well...read
more
What
is QuarkXPress?
QuarkXPress
is a page-layout
program that you can use to bring graphic elements and text together
into a single or multi-paged document layout. Similar products include
PageMaker and InDesign.
Quark was created back in the 1980s and quickly rose to become one of
the market leaders in the world of electronic page layout and design.
Available on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms, you can use Quark
to...read more
Mac
Files Too Big? Go StuffIt!
Like
its Windows counterpart ZipIt, StuffIt has been around for some quite
sometime and is so popular that it's considered an essential Macintosh
utility program. Most designers just assume that others have the latest
copy of the program installed. If you're not familiar with StuffIt, it's
a useful utility that compresses file sizes so that you can fit more files
on a hard drive,
server or transport
media. Then, when you're ready...read
more
Tip: There are Graphic Design
classes in your area. Sign
up for FREE information from top design schools.
 Some
Links You May Find Useful
- LogoJeez:
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