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

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

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