Wednesday, May 17th, 2006
CMX Weekly Newsletter
Check the News!
Microsoft Readies The Latest Dreamweaver Killer
Microsoft has made available their answer to Macromedia Studio. It's called Microsoft Expression, and is made up of three components: Graphic Designer, Interactive Designer and Web Designer. To make sure you know what to purchase, Microsoft has conveniently made the box for Graphic Designer orange, like Fireworks, and the box for Web Designer green, like Dreamweaver. Thanks, Microsoft! Seriously, this is a giant step forward for MS, whose FrontPage program was a nice beginner program, but nowhere near ready for prime-time. Like Studio, Microsoft Expression products integrate closely with one another, helping make you a more productive developer. We haven't had a chance to try it yet, but we did notice that Expression supports ASP.NET 2.0 (surprise!), which is at least one thing it's got over Dreamweaver. We'll try to post a review if we get around to playing with it. You can learn about the features at Microsoft.com, or read a quick overview at TechWorld.com.
For Those Who Want Action(s)
Are you feverish for effects, apoplectic for actions or panicky for plug-ins? You'll have plenty choose from at TheLightRightStudio.com. You'll find plenty of free actions and scripts for Photoshop like their color enhancer, color compensating filters and more. Thanks go out to DigitalMediaMinute.com for providing the link.
Forget About That Phone Bill For The Next Seven Months
Skype is one of the more popular VoIP services available, and through the end of the year, they're offering free calls when you go through Skype to any phone within the United States or Canada. Usually these types of calls had a small fee attached to them, so this is quite a deal. Learn more and download it at Skype.com.
We Can Finally Stop Writing On Little Scraps of Paper
Google has another new feature for folks their account holders. It's called Google Notes, and you can use it as ... yep, you guessed it. An online notebook. With Google Notes, you can keep a wish list, make vacation plans, keep track of important links or just take notes. The nice thing about Google Notes is being able to access it anywhere. We're not sure if we'd use it, but still, it beats having to haul around a bunch of pieces of scrap paper.
Microsoft and MTV Get Into The Music Download Biz.
Microsoft and MTV have teamed up to challenge iTunes by offering their own music download service, called Urge. By the time you read this, Urge should be available at MTV.com. It will also be integrated into the next update of Windows Media Player. Tunes will run ninety nine cents each with a monthly subscription, and spokespeople for MTV say that exclusive video content will also be made available. The songs can be downloaded and played on any portable music player - except an iPod, of course... More on this at Independent.co.uk.
Satisfied Customers Speak Out!
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"Thanks for the very cool tips. I enjoy the Fireworks tutorials and articles very much."
CMX Subscriber John S., commenting on Kim Cavanaugh's tutorial "Creating Metallic Effects with Curves"
Whether you're just starting out or need advanced support, Community MX will give you answers and ideas to work through your tough issues. Don't miss out. Learn more about CMX or sign up for a free trial today!
Great Quotes:
"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
It's Time To Use The "Subliminal Advertising Really Works" Defense
Most cable companies offer some sort of digital video recorder with their service now, and drazillions (that's a lot!) of people are fast-forwarding through all of the advertising that drives television network revenue. Recent Nielsen studies have shown that DVRs are rapidly gaining popularity, and advertisers are very much less than thrilled about it. Meanwhile, some of the major US television networks participated in a study that indicated that DVR users are actually more likely to see the commercials within a program than non-DVR users. Frankly, we think advertisers should just have commercials that work like the old street signs used to do: Flash one giant word at a time, like "Eat"... "At"... "Joes" Read more on this at BusinessWeek.com.
What Doesn't Kill It Only Makes It Stronger
Apple is being sued yet again for patent infringement. This time it's Creative Technologies, maker of the Zen mp3 player. It's a popular media player, but not nearly as popular as the iPod, which Creative says infringes on the patent they hold for navigating through their player's menu. Creative applied for their patent in 2001, and received it in 2005. Apple applied for a patent for an extremely similar navigation system in 2005, but was denied because Creative had just been awarded a patent for virtually the same navigation system. More about this story at NewsFactor.com.
Adobe Proves They're Still Spry
A public beta of Adobe's Spry Framework for AJAX has been released. Spry gives developers who have wanted to adapt AJAX applications into their workflow a platform to work from that doesn't require learning AJAX from the ground up - although a working knowledge of XML is very helpful. Using HTML, CSS and JavaScript libraries, Spry can give you a head start on building some pretty powerful applications with not a lot of effort. You can see several examples of what Spry can do for you at Adobe Labs. The gallery is pretty impressive. The incomparable Massimo Foti took the Spry-generated gallery one step further by setting up a shopping cart/download system that integrates well with the gallery. You can see it at Olimpo.ch. Read more about Spry at Adobe.com.
Hey, It Could Happen To Anyone...
Imagine you're a specialist on downloading music, and you're waiting in the reception area of a TV station to be interviewed about the outcome of the Apple vs Apple lawsuit when all of a sudden you see yourself on the monitor, being introduced and even interviewed. But... it's not you. It happened to Guy Kewney, who was supposed to be interviewed by the BBC. Somehow, a cab driver was pulled onto the stage, introduced as Kewney and interviewed as if he was an expert on music downloads. This is what the terms "mistaken identity" and "freaking hilarious" were created for. Read all about it at TimesOnline.co.uk.
We Couldn't Be Bothered to Find a Better Article
Wired.com has a list of "Gadgets for the Lazy" that includes the wireless cooking thermometer, a gadget that flips the "bird" for you and an electric fly swatter. Call these gadgets what you want, but some of them look pretty handy. Now, if someone would just get on the internet and order them for us...
CMX MapLink v1.0 - Server Behavior
- The CMX MapLink Server Behavior creates a link to Google Maps. You can use static values, or dynamic values from the data sources palette. The behavior creates a link around a selection (text, image, etc...). The only parameters are: Address, City, State, Zip. US Addresses only (sorry international users). ASP Server Behavior Only
Check out the Extension by CMX Partner Joel Martinez
Fun and Freebies
Nothing Beats Those Old-Time Cartoons
Today's cartoons are ok, but they've got nothing on those great cartoons of the past like Krazy Kat, Betty Boop or Felix the Cat. If you've been wanting to see some of those oldies, look no further than Bibi.org. Bibi has posted over thirty old cartoons for your perusal. Scroll down the page to find them all.
We're Not Small-Minded. Just Small.
Thanks to a link at Digg.com, we found this page at comagz.com that illustrates how the earth stacks up against the other planets, using our favorite educational aid: Pictures!
StrongBad Gets Tech Support
For you fans of StrongBad, he was in need of technical support because he wasn't able to download a great animated gif as fast as he'd like. See what happens when he calls tech support, aka Home Star Runner, at HomeStarRunner.com.
Introducing CMX Design Element Gold
- I am sure you remember that the symbol for Gold, Au, comes from the Latin word "Aurum". No? You don't remember that? Well, then maybe you remember this: gold is one of the most valuable commodities in the world of commerce. And a good design is also one of the most valuable commodities on the Web. It catches your visitors' eyes and encourages them to stay and explore - and perhaps even to buy. There is almost no price tag for a great design, and fortunately you don't have to come up with one all by yourself. Gordon has done the creative work for you in our latest CMX Design Element Gold. Read all about it in this article.
This free article by CMX Partner Sheri German can be found here.
Weekly Content Listing
Masks in Motion [FREE]
As you know movie clips can be created using ActionScript and they have properties like position and size that can be manipulated. In this exercise we are going have a quite a few masks — up to 30 at any given time — moving across the screen and the color of the video will change based upon the position of the mouse on the screen.
Approximate download size: 2.2MB
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
In Part Six of our series we look at four more Firefox extensions that let us zoom images individually or with text within a browser page, go up through the levels in a site in case you've landed on a deeply nested page, open long URLs without worrying about wrapping or copy and paste problems and add functionality to the regular computer clipboard. Join us as we look at Image Zoom, Go Up, Open Long Urls, and Clippings for the Firefox browser.
The Low Cost Developer Tools Series:
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part One - Firefox Extensions
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Two - Toolbars
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Three - Screen Rulers
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Four - Grab Bag 1
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Five - Grab Bag 2
Low Cost Developer Tools: Part Six - More Firefox Extensions
Transferring Emails, Email Account Settings and Bookmarks From Mozilla Applications [FREE]
I recently bought a new laptop and wanted to transfer all my emails and my email settings from Thunderbird to the new machine. Along with these settings I also wanted to export and re-import my bookmarks from Firefox.
With this in mind, rather than doing it all manually I had a quick Google to see if there were any applications out there that would automate the task for me. There was, and what a neat little application it is too; better still it is freeware and works a treat.
The Ins and Outs of InDesign [FREE]
If you ever create multi page layouts such as brochures, newsletters or booklets there is an application that is made for you. InDesign, which can be purchased as a stand alone product or as part of the Adobe Creative Suite, has many, many tools for streamlining the process of setting up and working on these types of projects.
It is possible and I have often seen people use programs such as Illustrator and especially Freehand to try and setup multi page documents. However, once you use an application that is built specifically for this type of project you will wonder why you didn't start using it sooner. In this article we will look at what InDesign is for and highlight some of the features that set it apart from other applications.
Applying Filters and Blends Through ActionScript [FREE]
Filters and blends can be applied without the use of code. They are all available through the Property Inspector and can be applied singly or in combination with each other. The filters and blends can also be applied through the use of ActionScript.
In the first of two exercises, you will blur a video by dragging your mouse across it. In the second exercise you add a screen blend mode that simulates the effect of a video being projected onto an underlying image… but the image shows through.
Approximate download size: 4.1MB
Correcting an Overexposed Image Using Masks and Blend Modes
When you are shooting fast moving objects, sometimes you just have to react and hope your exposure is acceptable in the final image. Sometimes though, while you may get the shot you want, the exposure isn't good as it should be. In a past tutorial, I demonstrated how to quickly fix an over exposed image by creating a duplicate object and using the Multiply Blend mode. In this tutorial, we will build on the multiply technique by adding a custom bitmap mask and experimenting with different shades of grey when applying the mask. To help with a washed out sky, we'll make use of the Replace Color tool and the Burn tool to add density to the waves created by the windsurf board.
Winter in August?!
Want a COOL way to turn a summer scene into the dead of winter? Photoshop has it using Layer Blends and the Clouds filter.
Persistent Page Indicator [FREE]
When developing Web sites using good principles of usability, it is good practice to use an indicator showing what page the person is on as they surf through your site. Some people use bread crumbs as well as a persistent page indicator (many times like the down state of the button) indicating that "you are here." This page indication can be acheived by simply placing a class on the proper navigation item (and changing the item it's placed on from page to page). However, when using server-side includes, templates or library items in Dreamweaver, since the same menu is used on each instance of the page, it can be a more challenging process. Don't worry though -- CSS and the descendant selector handle the challenge quite nicely. Come along as we walk through the steps needed to create this effect.
Introducing CMX Design Element Gold [FREE]
I am sure you remember that the symbol for Gold, Au, comes from the Latin word "Aurum". No? You don't remember that? Well, then maybe you remember this: gold is one of the most valuable commodities in the world of commerce. And a good design is also one of the most valuable commodities on the Web. It catches your visitors' eyes and encourages them to stay and explore - and perhaps even to buy. There is almost no price tag for a great design, and fortunately you don't have to come up with one all by yourself. Gordon has done the creative work for you in our latest CMX Design Element Gold. Read all about it in this article.
CMX Design Elements - Gold
Welcome to the latest in our popular series of CMX Design Elements.
We have covered two elements of the periodic table already; Carbon and Krypton, and while those elements inspired us to create some attractive designs, they still remain rather bland in terms of chemistry. So, lets find something that's valuable in terms of design, chemistry and global value.
Think of that one element of the periodic table that stands out above all others in terms of monetary value… yes, you guessed correctly, it's Gold, and as far as Community MX is concerned, it looks like this:
Gold, represented chemically by the symbol Au (from the latin word "Aurum") is probably the most attractive of all elements found in the world, it's also a globally recognized currency that's value never decreases in any significant way.
I bet that you didn't know that there is approximately 1 milligram of gold present in every ton of sea water! Fortunately for you, we have extracted many milligrams of this expensive metal and forged it into a rather precious design. Let's have a closer look at CMX Design Element - Gold.
Approximate download size: 1.9MB
Better Sharpening Using Photoshop's Lab Mode
- If you've ever wondered if there's a better way to use the Unsharp Mask Filter in Photoshop, here it is. By using USM in conjunction with the Lab Mode in Photoshop, you'll produce image sharpening with less artifacting as well as have easier control.
Check out the Article by CMX partner Knut Kubenz
Tips, Tricks and Dirty Cheats!
This week's Tip, Trick or Dirty Cheat is courtesy of CMX partner Big John Gallant
Tricks With Borders and CSS
You can't always tell what's happening on a CSS page just by looking. Weird things often seem to occur with no visible explanation. Well the answer is simple. Make it visible! Simply put borders or background colors on page elements to define exactly where they really are. Be careful though, because borders will add to the dimensions of a rigid box. If that box is in a tight layout the test border itself can cause the layout to break. Backgrounds don't have this problem, but being opaque they can obscure important bug related clues. For a quick look, you can also use the Webdeveloper's toolbar, in Mozilla-based browsers, and choose the "outline" command to make red dotted outlines appear.
Borders and backgrounds are the single most powerful weapon in the CSS bughunter's arsenal, so use the heck out of them!
Would you like your tip published? Submit it to tips@communitymx.com.
That's it for this week. Stay tuned for the next CMX newsletter!