CreativeTechs » QuickTips #139

CreativeTechs QuickTips #139

Week of March 19, 2007

Creative Tip: Photoshop Techniques circa 1995.

Digging through an old server in the CreativeTechs network closet, we unearthed copies of Photoshop Techniques — a newsletter we published years ago in the younger days of Adobe Photoshop.

With all the buzz in our office around Adobe's upcoming launch of Creative Suite 3, we thought it would be fun to dust off the old files and publish the whole collection in PDF format:

Photoshop Techniques Collection

Remember when a beveled edge took four pages of detailed steps?

Source: This tip inspired by Adobe's upcoming release of Photoshop CS3. On March 27, 2007, at 12:30 p.m. Seattle time, Adobe announces Adobe Creative Suite 3 at a special live webcast from New York. The next day, join us to talk about it (check out "Gratuitous Self Promotion" below).

Tech Tip: Manage multiple libraries in iTunes 7.

Apple slipped a nice bonus into their iTunes 7 upgrade: The ability to easily manage multiple music libraries.

Switching libraries is simple; hold down the option key on your Mac (or shift key on Windows) when you launch iTunes. You'll be presented with an option to create a new library or choose an existing library you want to use.

This is a wonderful feature if you want to separate a collection of audio books, or kids music from your main iTunes library.

Source: This handy tip has been featured on a number of our favorite sites, including CreativeBits.org, Barkings!, lifehacker.com, and Mac OS X hints.

Seattle Events: Gratuitous Self Promotion.

There is a lot of cool stuff coming up in the next couple months. With your forgiveness, we'd like to take a moment to plug a few of the big ones:

Free Talk: Getting Ready for CS3, Leopard & New Macs.
Wed, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. The day after Adobe's official CS3 announcement, join us at Seattle's School of Visual Concepts to discuss the implications for your studio. We'll also talk about the new version of Mac OS X Leopard, and new Mac hardware on the horizon. Register at SVC's website.

Workshop: Font Management for Designers and Art Directors.
Thu, April 19 all day. Spend a day with CreativeTechs' font guru Craig Swanson and we'll help you get your fonts managed and under control. This is a $265 full day hands-on workshop based on our popular free font talks over the years. Register at SVC's website.

Free Software Training with CreativeTechs' Jason Hoppe.
We still have a few slots open for free training sessions with our new software expert, Jason Hoppe. Topics include high end production training, photo retouching, color correction, and other creative workflow issues. Full information at the CreativeTechs's website.

Tell a Friend! Referrals from our clients and readers are what keeps CreativeTechs healthy and in business. As a small thank-you, every week we send iTunes gift cards to new Seattle-area subscribers, plus the friend or colleague who referred them:

Designer Joshua Campbell at Brown463.
Referred by Jessika Merrill.

Clare Kittle of Clare Adams Kittle Co.
A past client from the days of Swanson Tech Support.

Marketing manager Nina Brown at Washington Mutual.
Referred by Tim Pearson also at Washington Mutual.

Terra Droney at Soltner Group Architects.
Referred by CreativeTechs' own Jason Hoppe.

Annette de Sotoy, Director of Programs at The Matale Line.
Originally referred by Apple Enterprise account executive Joe Fleck.

Tyler Fobes.
From one of Jason Hoppe's software classes at SVC.

DDB Seattle: Jason Walden, Derek Sparks, Sharon Chow, and Heather Long.
Referred by Matt Mooseless.

QuickTips is a free weekly e-newsletter from CreativeTechs, Inc. Each week we publish a fresh mix of left-brain and right-brain tips based on our real world experience supporting hundreds of creative teams in the greater Seattle area. For a complete archive of previous tips, visit www.creativetechs.com/tips

Your referrals wanted! CreativeTechs relies on word-of-mouth introductions. If you know a Seattle-area creative team who might benefit from our unique mix of computer support for creative professionals, please introduce us. We are never too busy for your referrals. Email help@creativetechs.com, or call us at 206-682-4315.