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Written by Xilocex
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Upgrading any computer whether it be a Macintosh or a Wintel PC has always been somewhat problematic and at times frustrating. The previous fact made a re-emergence in my life recently when I finally decided to upgrade from my trusty old PowerPC driven Macintosh to a shiny new Intel based iMac, only this particular change included additional frustrations beyond just the need to upgrade a large amount of my applications.
Usual upgrade frustrations aside this particular computer upgrade required a series of updates that I have never had to perform before namely my QuickTime components were not universal, subsequently tarnishing my dream of higher speed video encodes and decodes. At first I couldn’t find any definite solutions due in large part to the fact that searching for QuickTime components brings up all sorts of not clearly labeled, universal or not, components. I searched for quite a long time for replacements for the components I already had only to find that there were no upgrades for them. Finally I realized I was asking the great Goggle the wrong questions, namely I needed to ask for what I wanted not for upgrades to that which I already had. This new line of questioning finally revealed Perian.
What is Perian you ask? Perian according to perian.org is, “The swiss-army knife for QuickTime” and this certainly is the case. Further, Perian is a universal QuickTime component that supports the playback of AVI, FLV, 3ivX, DivX, Flash Screen Video, MS-MPEG4, Sorenson H.263, Truemotion VP6, Xvid and AVI support f or: AAC, AC3 Audio using A52Codec, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3.
To install Perian first you must download it from http://perian.org/ . Once downloaded all you have to do is mount the .dmg and drag the "Perian.component" to the conveniently provided QuickTime alias located on the Perian .dmg. After you have installed Perian you should be good to go but if you upgraded from your old Power PC based computer like I did, using the migration tool and a firewire cable, you may also want to remove all non universal Quicktime components. To do this all you have to do is double click the QuickTime folder located on the Perian .dmg and right click "Get Info", or alternatively you can select the offending component and press ⌘ i to do the same thing, which will bring up info regarding the component including whether the component is universal or PowerPC based. |
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Written by Xilocex
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There are many different things that one must learn when getting into the publishing industry.
Misregistration is when gaps or misaligned publication elements occur during printing. Misregistration occurs when knock out printing is the method used. Knock out printing basically means that you print all publication elements without overlap of any of the elements contained in the publication. Misregistration can be avoided through the practice of overprinting which is also called spot color use. This overprinting method solves possible publication mistakes by overlapping elements that are defined as spot colors with background elements. So in other words over printing prints what's behind first and then prints spot colors found on top of background elements so gaps do not occur.
InDesign utilizes the knock out approach by default for all graphics and all fonts larger than 24 points. Black fonts smaller than 24 points are over printed in InDesign. If you want to override these default behaviors in InDesign all you have to do is select element/fill and stroke from the menu bar and then make sure the overprinting check box is selected. The previous method can be used to overprint anything that has a stroke, a fill or both. You can also make everything overprint that has a particular color by using the color options panel to apply an overprint characteristic to any color and therefore any object that is of that color. Lastly overprint behavior can be adjusted through the file/preferences/trapping menu selection.
Inline graphics are basically graphic elements that occur within a line of text. These inline graphics can be a useful way to spice up any publication's copy. To use this feature of InDesign all you have to do is select the place within an area of text that you want an inline graphic to be placed and then use the file/place command like you would for any other external publication object. Once you have activated the above command InDesign will automatically select the inline graphic option from the resulting place dialog so all you have to do is select your inline graphic and you're done.
The links manager is another very useful and complex tool available to the user of InDesign. This program option does what its name implies; it manages all the links to external files that are used in a publication. In other words much like a website’s code, the links manager defines the what and the where nature of various elements in a document you create. The links manager is also an excellent tool,that you can use to understand what types of files make up your publication. How the links manager tells you what types of files your using is through symbols that are attached to various elements in a publication. These symbols tell a user what kind of file a particular element is, where the element is located in a publication, the status of the elements link with the publication and many more. The link manager can also be used to repair any broken links that a publication may have.
The save for service provider tool in InDesign is found under the plug-ins menu item and is one of InDesign’s most invaluable resources. The save for service provider plug-in is used to package a copy of your publication for your printer. This plug-in has many necessary abilities like the ability to gather all fonts and all linked elements of a publication together in a folder to be brought to your printer. One of the most useful features of this plug-in is its capability of setting up a publication’s separations.
Color management is one of the most important concepts a designer must understand. Color management is basically a set of device specific profiles that define the color production capabilities and settings of any given color-producing device to one another. The reason this is very important is because in the world of desktop publishing what you see on your computer screen will only look like it does printed out if you use color management. InDesign and all other professional Adobe products allow you to set up color profiles as well as export them so that your printer can use them to print your publication exactly the way that it should be printed. |
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Written by Wordsmith
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Is it email or e-mail? According to Webopedia both are correct. Email like everyday life has etiquette guidelines. These guidelines are not mandatory but have become widely accepted.
When composing an email always include a subject. Be specific and meaningful when filling in the subject line. When a person receives large amounts of email it may be their only clue that this message needs immediate attention.
Pay attention to spelling and grammar. Email is all about communication and even though it is fast it shouldn’t be short changed when it comes to readability.
When composing email a block style, flush left, is used with two spaces between paragraphs. Keep sentences short and to the point.
Never type your message in all upper-case or caps. It’s hard to read and is perceived to be shouting or yelling. If you need to yell then use upper-case sparingly.
Don’t send flames or angry messages without giving yourself a break. Walk away and think about the situation first. Messages sent in the heat of anger usually inflame the situation and are regretted later.
Email is a fast way to communicate but devoid of any “body language”. The internet population has solved this by creating emoticons which are sometimes called smileys. A good rule for using emoticons is no more than two per email. (See emoticons at the end of this article.)
Never send personal or sensitive information. Never email passwords or credit card or account numbers. There is no such thing as a 100% secure email system.
Always use a signature. Provide your name and contact information. A good rule is no more that four to seven lines in your signature. When using a quote keep it short and make sure it isn’t offensive. Avoid quotes that might offend people based on religion, race, politics or sexuality.
And last but not least don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”. This may seem obvious but many people forget their manners when it comes to email.
Emoticons
All of the following emoticons can be made with the characters located on your keyboard.
:-) or : ) A smiling face is usually used to indicate a smile or amusement or that the comment
is intended to be funny or ironic.
(-: Left handed smiley.
:-( or : ( A sad face is used to express disappointment or sorrow.
:-D This emoticon is used to show laughter or a wide grin .
:-P or :-)~ Want to stick your tongue out or convey a lighthearted message?
:-0 Use this emoticon to show surprise or shock.
‘-) or ;-) Use this emoticon to express a wink or to say that your comment is intended to be taken with a grain of salt.
:-s This one means that you don’t know what to say or that is really disgusting.
:9 Something is yummy
>:0 or >:( Angry or yelling
0:-) A halo over the head means Angel or innocence.
};-) Eyebrows or horns. Being evil or mean, a devil |
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Written by Xilocex
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A Color Model is a defining method by which colors are reproduced for various different medias. In addition to pure light, which is based on reflected wavelengths of light at different frequencies, there are two other Color Models commonly used today, RGB and CMYK. These two Color Models are executed in very different ways, which makes them also useful in different ways.
The CMYK Color Model is a subtractive color system. Subtractive meaning that this Color Model is based on the use of dyes applied to a surface in order to absorb the visible wavelengths of light that one does not want to represent. In other words it is subtractive because media represented in this way actively stops the refraction of light that is not consistent with the color represented, thus only reflecting that which is meant to be perceived.
CMYK stands for the dyes cyan, magenta, yellow and the letter K stands for black. These colors are defined by the printing industry as the four process colors. These colors are applied to printed surfaces in a kind of uniform diamond shaped lattice that includes the necessary subtractive colors, in order to produce color images. CMYK can also be used to represent spot colors, which are simply the printing of a solid area of one color alone. The CMYK method is the primary Color Model used in printed media.
The RGB Color Model is an additive color system which achieves its colors, most of which are represented by the Pantone color set, through the layering of dyes or light to represent colors of different wavelengths. This layering method of color production is why RGB is the color method used for medias such as television or computer monitors, which basically utilize electrical processes to emit light of different wavelengths onto a sensitive dark, usually black, surface. By mixing colors on black translucent surface this color system produces light of different wavelengths, which is why it is considered additive in nature.
Now that the differences between the two color representation methods has been explained it is obvious why CMYK is superior, where printing is concerned, and why RGB is a natural choice for monitors. CMYK does not require the ability to emit light of different wavelengths, which is of course necessary for a color image to work on a piece of paper. That being said RGB is the best choice if one is producing a publication that is to be displayed on a monitor. |
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