MailChimp is a great tool for managing email subscriptions and marketing campaigns. It is free to use, up to 2,000 subscribers. I use it to send out notices about my recent work, upcoming events, and new blog posts. One of MailChimp's wonderful features is the ability to create RSS campaigns that automatically send email notices to your blog subscribers when a new post is written. I'll walk you through the steps of creating and sending an RSS campaign. Create a Campaign Log into MailChimp … [Read more...] about How to Create a MailChimp RSS Campaign
Software Tips
Create an Illustrator File with Bleeds
Adobe Illustrator is primarily a drawing tool for vector art. But, you can also use it as a layout program, and there will be times when you need to include bleeds if the final piece is going to be printed. Posters, magazine covers, business cards, and postcards are some of the 1- or 2-sided layouts you can create in Illustrator. If the project has more than 2 sides or pages, then I recommend using InDesign. Creating a file with bleeds in Illustrator is actually pretty similar to what you do … [Read more...] about Create an Illustrator File with Bleeds
Changing Image Opacity in Photoshop
There are times when you need to ghost back an image so that text can be read when placed on top of it or perhaps even another image can be seen below it. Reducing the opacity moves the image in a 2-dimensional space to the middle-ground or background. It also increases the transparency and enables us to see what lies underneath. There are a couple of simple ways to reduce opacity in Photoshop and the steps are outlined below. Option #1 - Opacity Setting Open the file in Photoshop. Make … [Read more...] about Changing Image Opacity in Photoshop
Create a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator
I love patterns! There are so many applications for them: website backgrounds and headers, books, posters, CD packages, wrapping paper, iPhone cases, fabric, and more. It's fun making them, too. My tool of choice is Adobe Illustrator and here's how I do it. Create a new document. The dimensions should be square. I usually make mine 600 x 600 pixels. The edges represent the seam. Place your objects around the edges of the square so that part of the object is visible inside the square and … [Read more...] about Create a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator
Placing a Logo in a Genesis WordPress Header
I use the Genesis framework for the bulk of websites I build in WordPress. The reasons are many, but quite simply Genesis rocks! Fundamentally solid with clean code, it's highly customizable and it has a generous, active, knowledgeable support community. In some cases, depending on the theme, uploading an logo to a Genesis header can be a really simple process. In other cases, it's still simple, but a few additional steps are required. I'll show you both scenarios. NOTE: Be sure to back up … [Read more...] about Placing a Logo in a Genesis WordPress Header
Saving a File From JPG to PNG
JPGs and PNGs are both compressed file formats. I tend to use each of them exclusively for the web. But there are occasions when you might need to send a high-resolution JPG to a someone who will convert it to a TIFF, PDF, or PSD format for print purposes. Digital cameras, for instance, save the file in JPG format. JPGs are terrific for continuous tone images, such as photographs of people, places, and things, as well as scans of artwork. The images have a full range of color or shades of … [Read more...] about Saving a File From JPG to PNG
How to Scan within Photoshop
I initially wrote this post in July 2010. I've added updated information to it a couple of times, the most recent one about Photoshop CC and OSX 10.10.5 Yosemite. I've always preferred doing my scanning from within Photoshop, since it offers a fuller range of control than most scanner software. It obviously interprets the RGB data extremely well. After turning on the scanner, launch Photoshop and scroll down the FILE menu to IMPORT, where you will see either the TWAIN option or the actual name … [Read more...] about How to Scan within Photoshop
How to Create a Watermark in Photoshop
I use Photoshop to create watermarks as a way to protect my online art. A watermark is a subtle graphic or text identifier: logo, copyright information, pattern, etc. It helps deter web viewers from downloading that image and using it without your permission. Steps for Embedding Text Select the Horizontal Type Tool Click anywhere on the image. This will automatically create a new layer on top of the existing image layer. Type the text you want. In my case, I type my copyright … [Read more...] about How to Create a Watermark in Photoshop
Best Alternatives to Photoshop
I recently had the pleasure of presenting a hands-on workshop to a friendly group of artists at the South Shore Art Center (SSAC) in Cohasset. We covered a lot of technical territory concerning the types of images you use for web and print and the software tools available on computers and iPads. The gold standard tool is still Photoshop, which is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription plan. That's a pricey option because it includes all of the Adobe products. If you don't need or want … [Read more...] about Best Alternatives to Photoshop
How to Export InDesign File to PDF
PDFs are created from InDesign files using the Export function in InDesign. There's no way to do a "SAVE AS" like you can in Illustrator and Photoshop. Watch this video tutorial to see the key steps in creating a print-ready PDF from an InDesign file. https://youtu.be/jsuoZfu_ybs … [Read more...] about How to Export InDesign File to PDF
How to Create a Video from iPhoto Slides
I recently made a video of our wedding photos. It's pretty easy to create a slideshow, but sometimes not so easy to share a slideshow with people (unless you host it on your website). There are obstacles, like platform incompatibilities and software requirements, that prevent some people from viewing the images. So, I decided to convert the slideshow to a video and upload it to Vimeo where family and friends could view it. Here's how I did it.... iPhoto Slideshow Create a new Album and give … [Read more...] about How to Create a Video from iPhoto Slides
Spot Color: How and Why to Use It
What is Spot Color? Spot color is one of 2 color types used in printing. It is a premixed, standard ink selected from a numbered list provided by the ink vendor, which is most commonly the Pantone Matching System (PMS) in the U.S. and Toyo Ink in Europe. Since the spot color is premixed, it uses only 1 plate (vs. 4 plates for a cmyk mix of a similar color) and does not change from page to page during the print run. The other color type used in printing is CMYK, also called 4-color process, … [Read more...] about Spot Color: How and Why to Use It
Easy Sharing Using Dropbox
I use Dropbox to share files with clients and colleagues. It's easy and simple. You can start off with a basic, free plan that comes with 2GB of space. Each time you invite someone who joins and installs Dropbox, you earn an additional 500MB of space. The limit is 16GB for the free plan. After that, you'll need to upgrade to a Pro plan. There are several ways to configure your Dropbox settings, and it's all a matter of preference. Some people just upload individual files. Others, like me, … [Read more...] about Easy Sharing Using Dropbox
How to Resize an Image in WordPress
Preparing Images Before Uploading to WordPress Before uploading an image to WordPress, it's best to optimize it. Optimizing means reducing the resolution to 72ppi, resizing to be compatible with the maximum column widths on your website, and compressing the image by saving it as a JPG, PNG, or GIF. Your website will load faster with optimized images. How do you figure out the maximum sizes? On most websites that I design, the maximum width of the site container is 1140 pixels. But there is … [Read more...] about How to Resize an Image in WordPress