Posts Tagged ‘indesign’
Pen Tool [p] and Fignütts : no#2 : Illustrator Revolve Tool To Evolve You
Posted on: November 24, 2009
Introducing a new form of education tool. This will be a series of helpful tips for software / design etc that I’ll continue until I get the correct legal documents or bribe needed to stop it…
I am starting off with an easy one…
Pen Tool [p] and Fignütts : no#1 : DYI Illustrator Patterns Rated R (for Really mature designers over the age of 18 will hate this)
Got Indesign?
Got frequent work with clients with a lot of fiddly adverts that chop and change a lot meaning you have to open multiple versions (I’m sure we used that star burst in last weeks ad?) and cut and paste etc?
Well here is a little tip that if used creatively could help you out and make you look like some kinda Graphic Design Ninja…
Now focus on this… I can feel your mind wandering… (It’s been like more than four lines and this freak hasn’t even got to the point… GET TO FREAKIN’ THE POINT MAN….)
In Indesign you can make libraries of objects text, whole ads etc even random groups of crap… using a well hidden libraries file…
Goto FILE > NEW > LIBRARY
This will open a panel (just like a library in flash etc) which lets you grab groups of content and throw it into it like a digital cork board…
You can name this content, give it a description, even search for it etc…
Then when it’s needed you can just drag and drop it onto the page..woo!
You can make multiple libraries and open multiple libraries at once, these can be saved like a normal file and saved to any place.
The libraries can be viewed as thumbnails or as descriptive lists… Libraries will probably remove the necessity of having huge layered files with alternatives and different graphics etc. They may even bring a new dawn to humanity and remove the need for places like Starbucks…
Possible uses:
- Ads with content that change weekly etc eg. Car adverts that chop and change cars and deal graphics
- Keeping an Illustration library - if you are odd and use indesign for illustration etc keep a library of facials or backdrops etc…
- Alternative ideas for ads
- If you have a need for a huge library of graphics…
There are a thousand time saving reasons to use this neat little feature… it may take you a while for it to sink into your beer soaked mind but you will get there and pump your hammy fist in the air and praise the mighty Library feature…
That is all… back to whatever it was you were doing with that paper clip…
10,006 layers in your 300DPI photoshop file?
Computer smoking from its vents?
Here is a little tip that can help Photoshop move past snail speed…
If you have not already got a second hard drive… do so! hard drives are now officially cheaper than water… get three even!
So the idea is to set up one drive as just for your OS and the second for your personal files… (even this is a great help for your poor computer)
Now go into Photoshop > Preferences and change the “scratch disk” to your new disk (You can select multiple drives here put the biggest / fastest one at top)
With my own system i have noticed a great improvement moving my files and changing the scratch disk preference to my new disk (it now has hundreds of gigs to play with 
)
If you are building a rig why not use a more expensive faster / smaller hard drive for the OS and then a few large ones for your files etc)
Hey there,
First tip of many…
Productivity Tip for Indesign / Graphic design
This tip is to help you speed up the monkey work so you can get on to the fun stuff
Do you frequently have work that involves a lot of typing out of long names / places / mechanical terms etc…
Maybe for a book / car advert / medical brochure etc?…
Here is a tip that may help you speed up your workflow substantially…
Write a list of these annoyingly long, tricky or repetitive words…
Now open Indesign’s Preferences > Autocorrect…
Enter in your tricky words and then enter a shortcut for this. This could be the start of the word, or a special code anything that isn’t a typical typed word (you don’t want the autocorrect feature to change your everyday words all the time)
Example:
“Productivity Lesson”
“PL”
Something quick to type out is a good idea 
Now make a huge list of time saving shortcuts.
maybe your full name and address, phone numbers, clients business names etc…
If you, say create a computer component catalogue for a client you could set up all the computer terms that are annoying to type or you are prone to spelling incorrectly…
Also make sure no file is open when you do this as or else Indesign just makes this a preference for the file that is open not as a default for all new files etc…
Now when you type in the shortcuts the full word will replace it automatically…
There you have it… just a little tip to start you off
Peace,
o0OdemocrazyO0o
