Discover the power of GREP in InDesign CS3.
Can’t Eject a Disk? Find Which Files are Open.
Have you ever tried to eject a disk or shared server, only to be told that it could not be ejected because a file was in use on that disk? How annoying.
Here is a terminal command that generates a list of all the files open on that specific drive.
lsof | grep /Volumes/WorkspaceNote: You must replace /Volumes/Workspace with the path to the specific drive that is refusing to eject. Read on for further details.
Second CS4 Preview Tonight at Creativetechs.
Last week’s CS4 Social at Luminous Works was a hit. Hours after the Adobe unveiling, a lucky group of Seattle designers and photographers had a chance to see CS4 in person (including some of the new 3D features in Photoshop CS4). Tonight, we’re holding another CS4 preview at the Creativetechs office in South Lake Union:
Register: Tonight’s CS4 Preview
Source: Trainer and founder Steve Laskevitch’s fun CS4 presentation helps illustrate why Luminous Works has been ranked the #4 Adobe Authorized Training Center Worldwide. Check out the Luminous Works Calendar of upcoming classes.
Select and Distribute Guides in InDesign.
Need a series of equally spaced guides in your next layout? No problem. You can select and align ruler guides as easily as any other objects in InDesign.
Simply use the Selection tool (the arrow) and shift-click on several guides to select them, or drag a selection box over multiple guides. Then click on the horizontal or vertical distribution buttons in the Control Panel. You can also use InDesign’s Align panel (Window > Object & Layout > Align).
Note: You can’t select guides and other objects at the same time. When you drag your marquee over multiple guides, make sure not to select any other objects on your page.
Source: This tidbit found in the September 2008 issue of Design Tools Monthly. Seattle creative teams with a Creativetechs support plan receive a complimentary subscription to Design Tools Monthly in their monthly care package.
Check your Battery’s Health with coconutBattery.
Flood of CS4 Blog Posts Hit the Web.
Creative Suite 4 (CS4) Revealed Tomorrow!
If you haven’t registered for tomorrow’s Web Broadcast that kicks off Adobe’s Creative Suite 4, you still have time:
Link: Something Brilliant
We’re sworn to secrecy until Adobe lifts the curtain. But tomorrow night in Seattle, we’re throwing a party with our Seattle-area training partner, Luminous Works, to celebrate all the new CS4 goodness.
Source: Tomorrow’s CS4 party is seriously overbooked. If you signed up for the waitlist, we are hosting another CS4 Social on Monday, September 29, a week from today at the Creativetechs office in South Lake Union.
Expand Selections Without Rounding Corners.
If you’ve ever wanted to slightly expand the size of a selection in Photoshop, you may have experienced this frustration. When you choose Select > Modify > Expand, Photoshop expands the size of your selected area — but it rounds the corners in the process.
Next time, choose Select > Transform Selection instead. Photoshop’s traditional transform box appears around your selection. Drag a corner to resize it, or type new values into the Options Bar. Ta-da. An enlarged selection, with square corners!
Source: This tidbit found in the July 2008 issue of Design Tools Monthly. Seattle creative teams with a Creativetechs support plan receive a complimentary subscription to Design Tools Monthly in their monthly care package.
Resize Your Web Browser with Bookmarklets.
Here is a fun trick to try in your favorite web browser. Paste the following snippet of javascript code into the address bar where you normally type a web address:
This tiny script tells your web browser window to jump to 800×600 pixels in size. A handy shortcut for web designers proofing sites. Here are a collection of resize links based on that simple javascript code:
Resize Link: 640×480
Resize Link: 800×600
Resize Link: 1024×768
Resize Link: Full Screen
You can save these links as Bookmarklets — small javascripts saved as normal bookmarks — to easily resize your browser windows on the fly.
In the rest of this tip we’ll walk you through adding Bookmarklets in Safari.
Seattle CS4 Social Event!
If you live in the Seattle area, be one of the first to experience CS4 in person. We’re partnering with Luminous Works in Ballard for a special CS4 social gathering.
Join us September 23 from 6 to 8 PM, the day of the official CS4 announcement, at the Luminous Works Schoolhouse in Ballard. Instructor Steve Laskevitch will give a demo of the Best of CS4, we’ll have light refreshments and drinks, and perhaps a few surprises!
Register: Luminous Works & Creativetechs CS4 Event!
Note: Space is limited, and this event has proven very popular (it is almost entirely full). When the remaining tickets run out, we’ll add a special Waitlist for a second CS4 event. We’re still working out the schedule and logistics for that.
