Designer's Tipps

Get updates, tipps and tricks in software and media design

[James Fritz @jamesfritz]

#InDesign Tip: Clean up your swatches. Swatches Panel Menu > Select All Unused. Click on trash can. Swatches Panel Menu > Add Unnamed colors

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[InD] Use PDFs to create a perfect inherited workflow: always write pdf/x3 and place them into new documents, write pdf/x3 again.

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[InD] Make an automaticly resizing box around your text with underlines. Screencast: http://designtipps.tumblr.com/post/78712519/

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[InD] Bring Master Page elements on top of your layout, screencast: http://designtipps.tumblr.com/post/78611256

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[PS CS2+] extract images from a PDF: open in PS and choose "Images" in open dialog and get a list of all images. will open full resolution

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[AI] some objects bother you while designing (you always select them)? quick mute & fix them: Apple+2. reactivate all with Apple+Alt+2

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[InD] try the power of quickapply Apple+Return: quickly apply styles, menu commands, even scripts (enter s:crop to add cropmarks!). Quick!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[InD] have (small) links you are sick to carry along with your InD-File? Embed them into InD-File (file gets bigger!) in window "links"

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

Consider adding time and version into your filenames. eg: YYMMDD_Ver_Name.psd like 090123_01_abc.psd! system will order perfectly for you!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[PS] Down-Saving: on saving "maximize compatibility?" Yes! highly compatible: smart objects get plain layers in old version.

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

[InD] Down-Saving: Export as Inx-Files for next lower version. But update lower version to X.0.1 (compatibilty update). get down!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

InD: illegitimate hypenation? insert a discretionary Hyphen right BEFORE word to disable for this word. use search/replace. 200-9!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

InD: when working with RGB colors be sure that transparence color mode is also set to RGB (menue "Edit"). what happens in RGB stays in RGB!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

Screendesign in InDesign/Illustrator? set rulers to point,grid to 1point,activate "snap to grid" and use only whole numbers! get the look!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

ID: easily lower type size: Apple+Shift+, or increace: Apple+Shift+. (use Ctrl on Windows). There you go in lightspeed you type bastards!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

ID: use this shortcut to get better keyboard perfomance: Apple+K, Apple+6 and set last three values to: 1pt, 1pt, 5/1000.

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

ID: miss Illustrators Finish-Button in InDesigns Print-Dialogue? save as a preset like "(Temp)", override it every time. there you go!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

dont misprize the power of undo: InDesign and Illustrator have a huuuge amount of undo! be aware: save as and the are all gone. Save ya ass!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

ID: elements on masterpages don't have to be in the background. just layout them into a top layer and they will top everything. Top!

[Designer's Tipps @Designr]

PS: when cutting out hair, there is always a sweet trick: copying the hair directly onto the mask. Preview: http://tinyurl.com/4v4l4k