Chris Allen, Leading Open Source Flash Developer and Program Developer of this year’s Flash on Tap Conference joins hosts Scott Sheppard and Gene Gable for an in-depth look at their unique event featuring the best of Flash tools and design and a Flash focused beer tasting festival. The Flash on Tap conference combines world-class sessions with the best developers and networking opportunities built around casual locales offering fine brews and barbeques.

Chris explains the highlights, topics, and their all-star speaker lineup which includes sessions on Adobe AIR, red5, Flex, case studies, animation, actionscript, and inspiration. The speakers represent experienced visionaries of Flash development including; Dr. Woohoo!, tink (Steven Downs), Joe Berkovitz, Aldo Bucci, Trevor Burton, and of course, Chris Allen.

This year’s event is being held May 28-30, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts at The Castle and Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. Tickets are on-sale for $595 through April 28th, and several package, party, and session bundles are available. To sign up visit: http://flashontap.eventbrite.com/

For more information, details, and complete registration pricing visit: http://www.flashontap.com. Check out Chris’ blog at: http://blog.ff9900.org/

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

Jay joins us this week with some tips and reviews on font management tools. He recently completed some hands-on reviews including Monotype’s Font Explorer X, Extensis Suitcase Fusion 2, and Insider Software’s FontAgent Pro 4. Jay describes some of the unique features of these applications including floating font previews, and enhanced interfaces. Are font management tools critical to your workflow? Jay explains why using a font manager keeps you organized and your system running more efficiently.

For more on Jay Nelson and his Design Tools topics visit: http://www.design-tools.com

Ted Balderree, Industry Manager, Consumer Products, Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions joins hosts Scott Sheppard & Gene Gable to explain some tips about transitioning from 2D to 3D design. Ted discusses how Autodesk’s powerful digital prototyping tools can not only assist in final product and packaging development but also provide early images, renderings, and elements designers can use in marketing, brochures, web, and other promotional materials. Having access to “final” product images long before final production can have an enormous impact on shortening time to market for new product introductions.

AutoCAD has set the standard in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets since 1982. Their aquisition of Alias and Maya have greatly expanded their portfolio of products enabling creative designers to access these powerful tools and integrate them within their workflow. Ted shares some tips on how designers can get training on these applications and 3D design techniques. Many colleges and universities offer classes on  AliasStudio and Maya, Autodesk Resellers offer local training classes around the world, or you can train yourself using their “Autodesk AliasStudio Personal Learning Edition“. The learning versions include interactive tips and guides within the applications while you are working on a project file.

Autodesk provides exceptional design tools for product development, manufacturing, architechture, video, entertainment, animation, gaming and more. You can download free trial versions of both AliasStudio (Windows only), or Maya (Mac/Win)

For more information on their full range of solutions visit: http://www.autodesk.com. They also have an Autodesk Gallery at One Market Street in San Francisco, CA showcasing over 20 exhibits featuring amazing work. 

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

Jay shares his thoughts and experiences this week on the “Death of Macworld“, which he feels is greatly exaggerated. Even without Apple’s booth presence, Macworld remains a great place for networking, seeing a full breadth of Mac related products, and learn valuable skills in a range of areas. Looking ahead to next year’s event, Jay explains that although the nature of the show will be different without the famous Steve Jobs Apple keynote there will be plenty of interactive and experiential hands-on sessions that encourage social learning. See details, join their network, and stay tuned for Macworld 2010 at: http://www.macworldexpo.com/

Jay shares a tip on a font management tool – Type DNA – which adds a great deal of functionality as a plug-in to your favorite design applications including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Microsoft Office. Type DNA can recognize typefaces, organize them, and even provide suggestions on finding the perfect, complementary typefaces for any project. Check it out at: http://www.typedna.com

Jay maintains a special industry calendar with more details, dates, locations, and links at: http://www.design-tools.com/events/

For more on Jay Nelson and his Design Tools topics visit: http://www.design-tools.com

Matt Kloskowski the Education & Curriculum Developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals joins hosts Scott Sheppard and Gene Gable for some tips on how to get the most out of attending this year’s Photoshop World, held September 4-6, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Matt shares some of the highlights and also hints at Adobe’s technology previews planned at the event.

Photoshop World is filled with incredible instructors and many networking opportunities. Topics include how-to techniques on Photoshop, but also on the full range of Adobe Suite & Lightroom applications. Matt explains that photographers often double as designers, and of course designers are often faced being photographers for their clients. Gene asks to what level are attendees embracing working in a 3D space. Photoshop World is a place where you can learn, but as Matt discusses is also a great chance for the instructors to get interactive feedback and learn more aspects of the applications from their students.

For more information, and to register visit: http://www.photoshopworld.com

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

Jay Nelson joins us this week with an update on the exciting design oriented trade show and events planned in the next few months. Jay shares some highlights of the most popular including Print Buyer Certification Roadshows, Graph Expo for folks in commercial printing, Web 2.0 Expo in NYC, An Event Apart for Web developers, and many more. You can see a full list of events, courtesy of Design Tools Monthly, by visiting: http://www.design-tools.com/events

For more information about Jay and Design Tools visit: http://www.design-tools.com.

Rich Christianson, Founder, Featurific joins Inside Digital Design to explain his unique web flash gallery plug-in. Featurific, is an easy to use framework and Flash code available in two versions – an open Pro version that fits into any web site and a specialized free version built for WordPress blogs. Rich explains that most web developers and marketers are challenged by gaining conversions on their website, grabbing a users attention and keeping them on their site. Featurific provides an interactive slideshow gallery that allows you to highlight stories and images that are sure to keep visitors on your site and coming back.

The WordPress plug-in is easy to install and will automatically generate image gallery and headlines based on your blog entries. The Pro version supports various formats including added support for MP3 audio and FLV video! The system has many built-in templates but each is easy to customize without the need to know the code behind it.

For more information and to download a version today visit: http://www.featurific.com/