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When I first started designing webpages I was very adamant about hand coding everything. I knew how web page editors could mess up the code. My first website was on a geocities page. Do you remember when everyone had geocities, back in the mid-90s? Well, I was only 16 years old and I remember learning HTML coding, the bare necessities, from my brother. I thought I was so cool because I actually was able to pick up simple coding pretty quickly. In no time, I was posting images, links and even making tables!
Well, then geocities came up with a web design editor. My curiosity was peaked and so I used it to do all kinds of other crazy text effects and things that would now look rather gaudy to someone with a trained eye in design. Of course, I didn’t realize I was sacrificing my hand coding to an evil editor. It chewed my code up and spit it out in mangled form. I was depressed and vowed to avoid using a web design editor, no matter the cost.
Fast forward several years and I’m running multiple businesses. Some of them call for repetitious coding. Hand coding takes forever. It’s slow, but its accurate. Still, if only there was a way I could have saved time, I would have taken it. Around this time, the big two web design editors were by Macromedia and Microsoft. I could only stomach two minutes in the Microsoft program, also known as FrontPage. It added in all this unnecessary Microsoft coding and messed up my pages. I was told by a designer friend to try Dreamweaver, the other editor option. This was in the program’s early days. Still, my code was much cleaner in Dreamweaver than it was in other editors. Dreamweaver showed remarkable promise.
That brings us to today. I am now a loyal user of Dreamweaver. Now an Adobe product, I’m currently using Dreamweaver CS 4. As the program continues to grow and develop, I’ve realized how much time I can save using Dreamweaver. I still do part of my coding by hand, but Dreamweaver cuts the work out on things like making tables and setting up my CSS documents.
Dreamweaver has the potential to be incredibly newbie friendly due to it’s array of easy to use, easily labeled panels and tabs. I know that if I’d have had Dreamweaver around when I was learning to code, I wouldn’t have made nearly as many mistakes, coding wise. This program would have saved me an incredible amount of time!
When you look at something like Dreamweaver and compare it to a program like Photoshop, you aren’t going to be as likely to see the benefits of the changes in the upgrade quite as much in Dreamweaver. The program works so well now, on its own, that upgrades often include what I like to call “tweaks” as opposed to actual feature changes and inclusions. The next step Adobe is going to have to make is to have Dreamweaver construct vast layouts in one click, for a variety of webpage styles. Of course, that takes most of the fun out of designing.
When I first started designing websites and graphics, Photoshop was my program. I used it for nearly all my design needs. From professional design projects to personal image work, this was the program I used. Then I learned how to use Adobe Flash. Suddenly, the world of design shifted from a Photoshop world to a Flash world. I could do nearly everything I wanted design wise and then some, in Flash.
I still used Photoshop, especially when it came to editing, resizing and
improving photos. That’s pretty much my entire purpose for using Photoshop these days. With this in mind, I wondered what the new Adobe Photoshop CS4 would have to offer someone like me. I don’t use Photoshop every day (unless you include using it to resize pictures), but when I do, I want to know that I have the best, most powerful software that I can use.
I was surprised by all of the changes Adobe has made to Photoshop CS 4. There are some really great improvements, especially when it comes to photo editing. It seems like many of the complaints I had with Photoshop were listened to and corrected. Now, nearly anyone, whether they are a professional photo editor or not, can use the point and click style of editing that Photoshop now offers.
Another improvement to Photoshop CS4 is the layout for the program. There seems to be a universal setup style for the layout of the majority of the products in the CS4 line. Panels line either side of the workspace, but unlike the CS3 release of Photoshop, I’m not as quick to minimize these panels. The auto adjustment panel is just one of the new sidebar offerings that are not just there for show. These panels are program necessities and nothing is easier than popping up a panel and clicking whatever adjustments need to be made.
Release Information:
Adobe Photoshop CS4 was released in a standard edition and extended edition, and in various CS4 packs, such as the Adobe CS4 Master Collection. All of the CS4 programs were released on October 15, 2008. The latest version of Adobe Photoshop is a vast improvement from the software I used in the early days of Adobe. It’s incredible to see the improvements in this version, having used one of the early versions of Photoshop.
While Photoshop may seem to be a bit expensive, what you get for the price you’ll pay is well worth it. The price for the standard version of Photoshop CS4 is $699. You can upgrade to the latest version of Photoshop for just $199. Of course, you can try before you buy with a free trial of the software available at Adobe.com. There are also a few different collections, which offer Photoshop as one of the main products. I received Adobe Photoshop in the Adobe CS4 Master Collection.
Developer: Adobe Systems Inc.
Release Date: October 27, 2008
Retail Price: Adobe Flash CS4 Upgrade – $199, Adobe Flash CS4 – $699, Adobe Master Collection Upgrade – $899 Adobe Master Collection – $2499
Available for Purchase on: Amazon for $693.99 – The Adobe Website for $699
In the past few years I’ve become a competent designer. Well…at least in my own mind. I’m a self-taught web designer. I started out in PSP (of all programs) though I hate to admit I ever used such a substandard program. It wasn’t long before I started using Photoshop. This was way back in 2002. I was new to Photoshop and while I was told that all of the “pros” were using the program, I found it to be much harder to learn than the previous programs I’d used.
Still, I was persistent. I wanted to use what the pros were using. In time and with a lot of help from tutorials (as well as other designers) I became quite proficient in Photoshop. From there, the next logical step was to learn Flash. I was absolutely fascinated with Flash. I started trying to learn Flash back in late 2002. I was obviously quite dependent on tutorials and assistance from other designers in these early days. Flash was in one of its earliest editions, but it was offering a revolutionary new approach to design and illustration. I definitely wanted in on the Flash bandwagon.
Sometime in 2003, I found an excellent Flash tutorial website, Cartoon Smart. The site was (and still is) run by a man named Justin Dike. For a fair price, I was able to receive easy to follow and in depth lessons in how to do many of the things I wanted to learn to do in Flash. Since 2003, I’ve been a loyal fan and customer of Justin’s. I highly recommend all of his tutorials, no matter your level of proficiency in Flash. While I know quite a bit more, and have become quite competent with Flash on my own, I still find Justin’s lessons invaluable. I often buy new lessons and modify what he teaches to suit my own designs and illustrations. Without him, I don’t feel I’d know Flash nearly as well as I do today.
I’ve been using Flash for years. In fact, it’s one of my favorite programs to use for anything from web design to playing with graphics. I have no formal training when it comes to design. I just try to use my creativity and intuitive nature to figure out what I’m doing. Back in the day, you had to know a little bit about how Flash worked in order to use it. I struggled for some time, trying to figure out simple design concepts.
Like many other, struggling, self-taught designers, I scoured the web for tutorials, affordable courses, and anything else I could find. This brought me to the Cartoon Smart website. I’ve had a personal work relationship with Justin, the founder of Cartoon Smart for years, only he didn’t know about it until recently. You see, it’s Justin who has taught me everything I’ve needed to know about using Flash. Justin has taught me everything from animation techniques to Actionscript. Every step of the way, as I’ve learned Flash, Justin has been there.
Justin has been creating Flash Tutorial/Training lessons since before 2003. I know this because I have payments for lessons dating as far back as that year. I took some of his earliest courses and feel I’m all the better for it. Justin’s courses are unique because they make it easy for people of nearly any learning style to learn how to use Flash.
Those who are visual learners can watch the video and then copy what Justin does in their own projects. Auditory learners can listen to the instructions Justin gives on his videos. They are casual, informal and downright entertaining. Hands on learners have the opportunity to jump right in and get to using Flash as Justin is explaining how to do it. These tutorials are just so comprehensive, nearly anyone can and will be able to learn how to use Flash, thanks to Justin.
On the Left: Dominick – mid-tutorial on Part One On the Right: Justin's Completed Part One Tutorial Images
*Click on the Image above to see it in a bigger, easy to view form.
I’d been waiting for that blue and white box to come in the mail, with a sense of anticipation. I knew that I would be getting Sonik Synth 2 to review, so when it finally came, I was absolutely ecstatic. You see, for the greater part of the past 20 years, music has been my life. Due to limitations (mainly being in a wheelchair) I had to find other activities to partake in as a child, while all my friends were out playing sports. What I discovered was a love for the arts, and in particular…a love for music.
For years, I filled my days with music in any way I could. I took vocal lessons for over 14 years with professional voice teachers. I taught myself how to play the piano. I played in my school’s band. I was involved in Opera Camp and musical stage productions. Anything I could do to get involved in music, whether it was singing, playing, or composing on the piano, I was doing it.
When everything became computer oriented, it only seemed natural for music to do so as well. I am what I would call, computer competent. So, when I found this entire community of individuals who were as creatively driven as I was, it seemed natural to want to know what they were using.
I compiled a list of all the innovative programs that were allowing people a whole new level of music composition and creation from their home. Names like Cubase, Reason, and SampleTank became a normal part of my vocabulary, and then I heard those two magical words…Sonik Synth. I knew I had found one program I wanted to use no matter what software I was using with it to compose my music. I just had to wait until that medium-sized blue and white box arrived at my door before I was off into my own little world…a world where music creation and composition reign supreme.
The industry-standard sample workstation just got more powerful!
September 2007, Modena, Italy - IK Multimedia is pleased to announce that SampleTank 2.5, a powerful update for the top-class sample workstation plug-in SampleTank 2, is now available. It includes many new features such as an enhanced built-in multi-effects system with send and master effects, the addition of a high-quality studio reverb, the ability to read all Powered by SampleTank instruments and more.
New effects section with SEND and MASTER effects. IK Multimedia has added an expanded FX system that now includes 5 new Master insert effects and 5 Send pre/post effects, in addition to the previous 5 effects per part. All are selectable among the expanded list of high quality effects (including DSP taken from IK¹s award-winning AmpliTube and T-RackS). This means you have an effects powerhouse for your sounds with up to 15 effects per part (and up to 90 per instance). SampleTank 2.5 enables you to produce more creatively and efficiently with one of the most sophisticated effects routing systems and high-quality effects around.
Includes a high quality reverb from the award-winning Classik Studio Reverb. The addition of a high-quality reverb derived from our popular Classik Studio Reverb brings the overall list of available DSP effects in SampleTank 2.5 to a staggering number of 33 effects (more than any other sample-based instrument on the market). This astonishing reverb, which emulates the sound of high-end classic studio reverbs, will give your sound a spaciousness and character that simply cannot be achieved with other instruments.
Extended feature set. The addition of several convenient features like the new Global Volume/Pan, Master Loop sync or the new selectable Portamento curves, extend the feature set of what has become the industry standard in sample-based virtual instrument workstations.
I am a visual person. In fact, the most visually stimulating games attract me the most. That is why I was entranced when I was given the chance to play the new game out by Playfirst, “Dream Chronicles”. While I must admit, I’m also much more of an action fan when it comes to gaming, it is nice to slow down and play a casual game from time to time. Sometimes I will find a game I enjoy. Other times, I will find a game I’ll want to avoid. With that in mind, I set out on a quest to discover if “Dream Chronicles” was a game I would enjoy…or not.
The Enchanted Plot
In this game, whether you are female or not in real life, you play the role of a young woman named Faye. When the game begins, you have just discovered that an evil woman who has magical powers, Lilith, has cast a sleep spell on your entire kingdom! You also discover that your beloved husband, Fidget, is missing! You deduce that he must have been kidnapped by Lilith. In the meantime, you are the only one who is awake to solve the mystery. Even your daughter, a young and beautiful little girl named Lyra, is entrapped within Lilith’s sleep spell and you are her (and everyone else’s) only hope.
In the meantime, you must find out what secret Fidget has hidden from you, why Lilith has cast the sleep spell and kidnapped Fidget, and several other questions about your past life, to reveal secrets you never knew. You discover these secrets through Fidget’s diary, which he has written, to accompany you on your journey and provide clues to both the present and the past.
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