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*** DesignGeek ***
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Tips and techniques for the digital designer
In this issue:
-- Introducing DesignGeek Central
-- Photoshop File Browser Tweak Pt. 1
Issue 33, 1/6/05
Written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion
... for her clients, colleagues, random contacts and interested subscribers
© 2005 Seneca Design & Training, Inc.
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Introducing DesignGeek Central
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As most of you are aware, I didn't send out ANY DesignGeek issues in December. My apologies! But I have a good reason ... I was working on something that I hope you'll find just as useful as a couple issue's worth of tips, if not more so. And I just didn't have time to do both.
It's a project that I actually started back in July 2004; and I couldn't see going into the new year without finishing it. I took down the old "Tips, Pubs and Downloads" section of my web site and installed a shiny, new "DesignGeek Central" section in its place.
I think I was inspired by the HGTV show "Clean Sweep." ;-)
Now, instead of what you used to find in that awkwardly-named section -- an unorganized collection of random tips, recommended mailing lists, and links to old plug-ins -- you'll find a series of design software resource pages and the new home for this e-zine.
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DesignGeek Resource Pages
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Every time I do a training session, I'll recommend one or another Plug-in or XTension that the client would find useful, or a white paper from Apple's site, or a great book on Amazon, or whatever. And of course I can never remember the URL of what I'm recommending, so I have to jot down "send Gloria the link to the that PDF about transparency on adobe.com" and hope to remember to follow through when I get back to the office.
So primarily for the benefit of my training clients (which includes all of you, in a way, right?), I assembled *all* my frequently-recommended resources for each program I teach and each topic I've written about or given a seminar on, and put them up on my site, one page per program/topic. I've done eleven resource pages and I'll be adding new ones in the coming months.
The software resource pages that are up there now cover Adobe InDesign, Adobe InCopy, Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe GoLive and Adobe Acrobat; as well as the following "special topics": OS X for Designers, Managing Fonts in OS X, Marketing Online for Creatives and OpenType.
Each resource page includes links to related DesignGeek articles, great links from the developer site, user communities (forums, listservs, user groups), links to online and video training, recommended books and magazines, and my favorite "fanzine" type web sites related to the subject.
There's no way I could've listed *every* resource for these programs and topics; as I said they just list what I personally find very useful or what people who are trying to master the subject would find useful. There were many URLs I had in my own collection that I didn't include just because I have to keep the resources manageable ... I limited myself to one page per program.
Still, I know there's probably a few fantastic resources I'm not aware of; so each page carries a small "suggest a resource" form in case someone's feeling like "I can't believe she didn't list acme.com! It's way better than the ones she's got up here!"
I'm really happy with how these pages came out. If I had all the time in the world I'd make each topic its own web site; but even in its abbreviated form, it's going to be a huge help to me when I'm teaching or doing seminars. When I recommend a certain resource that'd be perfect for the audience, I can just direct them to that program/topic page on my site.
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DesignGeek e-zine
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The section is also home to the DesignGeek e-zine. I re-did the archives page to make it easier to use. The full titles of the articles are included with each issue link, I added a Search DesignGeek Archives field, and I made each old issue an actual HTML (actually PHP) page instead being buried in an unbookmarkable pop-up frame, which was how they used to appear.
The opening page of the DesignGeek Central section contains the current issue and links to the subscribe page (yes, I fixed the form so people from outside the US have a place to enter their province ... got a lot of grief on that) and the archives.
I would like to spend more time on the DesignGeek archive issues to "pretty them up" with graphics and CSS, or at least add some illustrative screen shots, but I have many other irons in the fire. So for now, they'll remain as plain as the format you're receiving them in via e-mail.
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Feedback appreciated
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When you get a chance, please stop by the new section and meander through a few pages:
http://www.senecadesign.com/designgeek/
If you find anything particularly useful, let me know, if you think I missed the boat on something, let me know that too. This new section is "version 1.0" -- actually I'm still putting the final touches on it -- so your comments will have a great impact on their development.
Thanks, and thank you again for your patience through a DesignGeek-less December. I have a fat backlog of great topics so there's a lot of good content coming soon.
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Photoshop File Browser Tweak Pt. 1
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I love the File Browser in Photoshop CS as much as the next guy, but there are a few tweaks I've found that make it much easier for me to work with.
Here's a good one to start off with. I'll cover more in subsequent issues.
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Open/Close from the Keyboard
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I think it's a pain that when you double-click an image in the Browser to open it, the File Browser remains open in the background (unlike in version 7, where it'd close automatically). I suppose if I had a 2-monitor set up I wouldn't mind so much -- I'd just keep the Browser open in the side monitor -- but my 2nd monitor has been on the blink for months, so I'm shoving palettes and windows around all the time on my single dinky screen. (OS X's Expose feature and Photoshop CS's workspaces feature are the only things keeping me sane.)
Command/Ctrl-Shift-O opens the File Browser but doesn't close it. Command/Ctrl-W closes it, just as that command closes most windows, but when I press that, I end up closing the image I just opened. Duh ... a brain glitch. I always forget to click on the Browser window to bring it to the front first.
So for a while I tried remembering to Option/Alt-double click an image in the Browser when I wanted to open it. That closes the File Browser automatically as it opens the selected image thumbnail(s). That brought me back to version 7 usefullness.
But since sometimes I wanted the Browser to stay open, what I really needed was complete keyboard control: One single command that would open the File Browser and close it, regardless if it was active or not.
I noticed the Options bar going across the top of the screen had a Toggle File Browser button that did exactly what I wanted. (It looks like a little folder at the far right side of the Options bar.) Regardless of which window or tool was active, clicking the same button would either close the Browser or open it.
I looked through all the entries in Edit->Keyboard Shortcuts to see if that button had a keyboard equivalent. Nope. However, I did notice there was a shortcut-less entry for File Browser in the Window menu section. Ah-ha! I assigned a keyboard shortcut to it and voila, I had complete keyboard control.
Now I just double-click an image in the File Browser to open it. If I decide that the Browser window is too distracting, I just press my keyboard shortcut and it closes ... I don't have to click it to bring it to the front first.
Shangara Singh, a Photoshop guru I admire on the Photoshop listserv, suggested a tweak to my tweak recently: Use the same default keyboard shortcut for the File Browser (Command/Ctrl-Shift-O) for the custom one you add to Edit -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Application Menus -> Window -> File Browser.
Photoshop will show a warning that it's in use, but just click the Accept and Go to Conflict button to override it, and then click the OK button to close the dialog. Now Command/Ctrl-Shift-O both opens and closes the File Browser. Woo-hoo!
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BRING HERGEEKNESS ON-SITE
Do you like what you read in DesignGeek? Find anything useful? Bring me in for a session or two of hands-on software training for your workgroup; here in Chicago or any other city near an airport, and you can have me all to yourself. LOL .... I don't charge an arm and a leg, and you'll find we usually go far beyond teaching which dialog does what. I pay attention to your particular projects and workflow, and teach how you can best use the software to get it done easily, accurately and efficiently.
To learn more, or hear what other clients have to say, contact me or fill out the no-obligation "Request a Training Quote' form on Seneca's site:
http://www.senecadesign.com/training/request.html
Recent training clients in Chicago and throughout the U.S. include Loyola Press (InDesign, InCopy); Unity Christian Publishing (InCopy); High School District 214 (InDesign); Marquette University (InDesign); Gensler (InDesign); Think Design Group (InDesign, InCopy); Republic Windows & Doors (OS X, Quark 6, Illustrator CS); and Cadence Design Systems (OS X, Quark 6, Acrobat).
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DesignGeek is a free bimonthly publication written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion, a cross-media designer and authorized Adobe and Quark training provider. She owns Seneca Design & Training, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois (http://www.senecadesign.com/).
To subscribe to DesignGeek or read archived issues, go to its home on Seneca's site:
http://www.senecadesign.com/designgeek/
To unsubscribe, follow the link at the bottom of this page.
Contact Seneca by phone at 312-946-1100 or e-mail at info@senecadesign.com
Copyright 2005 by Seneca Design & Training, Inc.
Please forward without cutting. Please contact Seneca for reprint permissions. We don't guarantee accuracy of articles. Company or product names mentioned in DesignGeek may be registered trademarks, we use the names in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement.
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