Adobe

12/06/08 - Bert Monroy: Photo Realistic Artist

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Bert Monroy, The Digital Photo Realistic Artist, Author, & Lecturer joins hosts Scott Sheppard and Gene Gable for an inside look at his incredible photo realistic art techniques. Bert is known as a pioneer of the digital imaging era, and the definitive artist of this genre. His work in this space is truly extraordinary. Bert explains the early days of digital tools and how he was able successfully transition from traditional mediums to a completely digital workflow which became his medium of choice; trading his pencils and brushes for a stylus and Wacom tablet. He has written numerous books on Photoshop and his techniques and continues to enjoy teaching seminars and classes, never missing a Photoshop World conference, learning from his students as he takes them through the processes.

Bert’s work focuses on his fine art and also commercial work. He walks us through his creative process that often still begins as a sketch in his journal or a photograph. He explains that every element in his fine art pieces are done by hand with a stylus using a photograph as a guide, having completely adopted the digital canvas as his pallette. His commercial work, which is often more time sensitive, may begin as a scan or a trace and is then translated into vector art elements in Adobe Illustrator before finishing the pieces with Adobe Photoshop. His approach is to make the digital medium completely transparent, although his finished work may look like a photograph they are entirely digitally rendered - including the shadow highlights and details. Bert explains that throughout the process he will use the photographs as a guide and visual reference.

Bert also shares his experiences in learning how to use the Wacom tablet and stylus instead of a pencil or brush. He feels that with the introduction of their Cintiq tablet, many of the issues in the early versions have allowed him to gain a more natural technique. He also discusses his studio setup and how he has been able to adjust his environment to get the most out of his digital canvas. Overall, Bert prefers to hone his digital skills by completely relying on the application to replicate. He will incorporate outside elements and scans when time is a factor in his projects. He is known for his ability to replicate 2D and 3D objects within the application, creating his illusions almost from scratch vs. relying on the automatic extrusion and other tools built into the Adobe Suite.

Bert is also in process of finalizing an exhibition at the Hearst Art Gallery, Saint Mary’s College of California entitled: "Bert Monroy: Master Digital Artist Retrospective" being held January 24 through April 5, with a private preview and Artist Reception / Lecture on January 18, 2009. This exhibition will feature a look at Bert’s work through the years showcasing the capabilities of the Mac Desktop Publishing platform with real examples.

Find out more about Bert’s work at: http://www.bertmonroy.com. You can also view past episodes of his popular podcast PixelPerfect at: http://revision3.com/pixelperfect/

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

This week’s graphic news begins with a discussion of the recent PIA/GATF announcement of their new brand, partnership, and collaborations. Since 1887, the companies have been dedicated to educating and bringing together all participants in the printing and publishing industries. To better manage their brand and efforts they recently renamed the organization to Printing Industries of America and will soon be launching their new website - http://www.printing.org.

Jay also describes a new website developed by the DPC (Digital Printing Council) that helps designers better understand and decode some of the mysteries of going from web to print. Check out their site at: http://w2ptestdrive.com.

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

Inside Mac Radio

11/29/08 - Chad Siegel: Adobe Creative Suite 4

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Chad Siegel, Group Product Manager, Design Segment, Adobe Systems Inc. joins hosts Scott Sheppard, Gene Gable, and Jay Nelson to explain the latest features for designers in Adobe Creative Suite 4. Gene, an Adobe beta tester, feels strongly that this is Adobe’s most integrated application suite yet released since their acquisition of Macromedia in 2005. Chad confirms that this version is the most complete multi-media offering in terms of delivering a seamless, cohesive set of design tools for any creative professional.

Chad shares some anecdotes about the challenges Adobe faced in developing the integrated user interface and some of the benefits of now having an integrated UI across all components. Chad explains that their entire process from conceptualization, to testing in Adobe Labs, and final delivery have made most Adobe employees now feel like "kids in a candy store" with unlimited possibilities of integration and extensions among the platforms. A great example is Adobe Acrobat’s 9 integration of Flash technologies helping creatives develop interactive designs.

Some of the highlights include that the rendering and print engines have been integrated on the back end of the applications, what this means for designers is that now it’s easier to reliably export or output into a range of formats. Chad recently participated in the Adobe MAX 2008 North American Conference, held last week in San Francisco. He feels the key benefit of this conference was his ability to get live feedback and interact with users.

Chad also shares some tips on how the new 3D tools and overall video workflows within After Effects and Photoshop that can really open up some opportunities. Gene and Jay also open up discussions on how today’s economy can affect a designer’s ability to justify upgrading their software - Chad provides some key considerations that can expand a creatives capabilities which can not only bring them new business but open them up to new clients. Chad also explains that with the redesigned interface in Creative Suite 4, can also save time by requiring fewer keystrokes and with the tighter integration many fewer steps to accomplish the same tasks. Chad also shares a glimpse of some of Adobe’s future developments including the potential for a pay-as-you-go model currently being piloted in markets outside the U.S.

Find out more at: http://www.adobe.com, or see Adobe’s favorite social links by visiting: http://delicious.com/adobe/

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

11/15/08- Art 3.0 with Dr. Woohoo!

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Drew Trujillo, Designer –better known as Dr. Woohoo! joins hosts Scott Sheppard and Gene Gable this week to share his background and an inside look at his amazing design work. Fusing the best of art, technology, and design Dr. Woohoo’s technical and programming background help him to bring his visions to life. Drew explains, although his early background was in traditional mediums he soon became passionate about animation and digital art applications where his current expertise tests the boundaries of Adobe’s Creative Suite.

A renowned speaker, Adobe beta tester, and educator on Adobe Flash, AIR, and other interactive platforms. One of the best places to see his work in action is on In the Mod - Color Analytics: A Study of Color Palettes website. This site offers the ability to explore art, the interaction of color and palettes, and even lets you download your favorite sets directly to your Adobe apps. Dr. Woohoo gives us his description and experiences of the power working with Adobe AIR and how it integrates within the other Adobe Suite applications.

He has also published a book showcasing his work entitled, "Color Visualizations: Exploring the Circle, vol 02". Where he uses software he developed to generate his artwork by extracting millions of color pixels in each image, analyzing and organizing the color data and then building the composition with absolute precision.

In addition to pushing the limits of available technology, Dr. Woohoo’s art is truly unique. He combines the organic qualities of nature and textures and expands them using digital enhancements that stand out in multiple mediums. His work is available for viewing and purchase online, including his kinetic art - Dandelions.

For more information, news, tips, his art, and more visit: http://blog.drwoohoo.com/

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

Jay Nelson joins us this week to share the latest news and discussion about typefaces and a informative history of OpenType to celebrate the release of ITC’s Franklin - not Franklin Gothic offering a new range of options for larger display fonts. Jay and Gene, our resident "fontologists" share the use, sizing, and variations of this popular typeface. Jay also shares his review of the type focused movie - Helvetica, which recently came to his home town of Denver for a screening. PopChar celebrates it’s 20th birthday this month, which remains a great easy way to enter characters.

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