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The Tragedy of Trajan

My Comic Sans post got me thinking.... about other over used fonts...

I must admit... I'm guilty of this one... Trajan.

Which is apparently the #1 font for movie posters.



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Safari Extensions Coming Soon

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Looks like Apple is making it easier to find Safari extension soon. The Firefox community is already pretty vibrant in this regard and I look forward to more coming out for my favorite browser.

Apple sent out an email today asking for submission to their "Safari Extensions Gallery".

We'll soon be launching the Safari Extensions Gallery, a new destination that provides you with an opportunity to increase the visibility of your Safari extension beyond your website.
The Safari Extensions Gallery will feature selected extensions that offer an innovative user experience. And a one-click installation process will allow users to seamlessly install extensions from a developerís website without ever having to leave the Gallery. MacRumors.com has early extensions that have already been released.

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Render and Email in After Effects

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After Effects supports scripts which can automate complex tasks. One of those scripts can actually render a file then email you upon completion. If you’re a tech geek, the gears in your head are already spinning. Just think, the leash has been cut! You are free to leave and relax while your machine churns away.

  1. Open up your General Preferences and be sure that the Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network box is checked.
  2. Add your files to the Render Queue like normal.
  3. Choose File > Run Script > render_and_email.jsx, you will now be prompted for your email settings.
  4. Enter server smtp address: such as mail.mac.com, click OK
  5. Enter the reply to address: such as the email you want to use to send the message.
  6. If your server required log-in (most do), click YES and enter your ID and password. Click OK.
  7. Enter the recipients email address. Click OK
  8. An email with the subject AE Render complete will be sent when the queue is finished.

How cool is that?

If you have an iPhone... you can also checkout apps like
LogMeIn and iTeleport to actually view (and control) your screen from your mobile device. I've actually set up rendered files and sent them via YouSendIt to clients remotely.

Into AE? Be sure to check out two new books – 
Photoshop for Video (Fourth Edition) and Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques
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The History of Comic Sans

This is a great short video about the history of Comic Sans and is told by the font's designer. It's really quite funny and he has a great sense of humor about it all.



And a little more followup.



Maybe I'll use it on a client project ;)
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Now I Really Want a BMW



BMW introduces the next level of automotive consumer electronic device integration by supporting Apple's new iPod Out functionality. The new feature allows applications on Apple devices to be controlled and experienced with the iDrive interface concept.

Of course my kids would probably destroy it.... maybe they's loan me one.


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Two Render Tips for AE

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Here are two quick tips to give you more control when you need to stop or re-render an item in After Effects.

A Better Stop


Normally when you click Stop on an item in the render queue, it adds it to the bottom of the list and will pick up where it left off. That may be what you want, but often you intended to bust the render, tweak it, and re-render. To stop a render and re-queue it to begin at the beginning, hold down the Option (Alt) key when clicking Stop Render. This will avoid the pickup and add the item to be re-rendered from the start of the original output settings.

Need to Re-render?

For one reason or another, it always happens, the need to re-render. Perhaps a small tweak to a keyframe or a timing issue. Chances are while your animation may have needed refining, the render queue was perfect. Save yourself some time and Re-queue that animation.

  1. Select a previously rendered animation.
  2. Press Command + Shift + D (Control + Shift + D) to duplicate the render item with the same settings and output name. This will rewrite over the previous file to the exact same destination.
  3. Save your work, then click Render when ready to output.

Into AE? Be sure to check out two new books – 
Photoshop for Video (Fourth Edition) and Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques
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One of My New Favorite Sites

One of my new favorite resource sites is dpBestflow.org produced by the American Society of Media Photographers and funded by the Library of Congress. This site contains a ton of great information about workflow, digital imaging, and photography. It's also totally free.

dpbestflow-home_masthead

The purpose of dpBestflow™ is twofold:
  • To create guidelines for refined production workflows, archiving methods, and best practices for digital photography based on a variety of capture methods and intended image use. The guidelines will be developed on the basis of research, analysis of software products and other tools targeted at professional photographers.
  • To publish the dpBestflow™ as a website open to the public. The adoption of the dpBestflow™ guidelines will be promoted to the professional photography community and the public through programming at industry trade shows and a nationwide series of training events at ASMP chapters, trade shows, and educational institutions.


Be sure to check out the site... it's really great. –
www.dpbestflow.org
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Creating Custom Actions in Photoshop

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If you’re a Photoshop enthusiast or professional, you should really be using Photoshop actions. Photoshop is an extremely efficient program, but you’re truly missing out if you don’t learn how to use its automation features.

Photoshop Actions record a series of commands for playback on future images. They can be used to generate extremely complex results. Actions should seem pretty appealing, let’s learn how to create your own.

You must first create a set to hold your personal actions. Sets hold actions, and there’s no limit to how many actions can be placed into a set or how many sets you can load. Let’s give it a try.

See the full article here for free

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Five More Timelapse Shots

Timelapse Technical Demo from Richard Harrington on Vimeo.



Here are five more shots... I've been experimenting with new techniques. Some subtle and not so subtle things here. Comments welcome.

Learn how to make timelapse clips
here.

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Free Online Crash Course on Photoshop CS5

My presentation on Photoshop CS5 from Adobe's booth at NAB. A highly condensed presentation with lots of info.

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You can see it here too –
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/adobe-at-nab-2010/adobe-photoshop-cs5-for-video/

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© 2009 Richard Harrington LLC