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CreativeTechs
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CreativeTechs

Isolate a Logo on a Transparent Background.

You’ve been provided an image file with your client’s logo sitting on top of a flat background color. You want to quickly remove the background so the logo is isolated on a transparent layer in Photoshop. This is a classic production challenge, and we’ve seen production artists tackle this issue dozens of different ways. In […]
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August 4, 2008
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Easily Remove an OSX System Preference Pane.

Here is the easiest ways to remove System Preference Panes you’ve added over time and no longer need. Simply control-click, or right-click, on a preference icon in the Others section of your System Preferences (the Other section contains the custom preferences installed by users). A pop-up menu lets you remove the selected preference pane. This […]
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August 4, 2008
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Free eBooks to Help Grow Your Studio.

For this week’s tip we’re breaking away from our normal weekly format. We’ve compiled links to over a dozen free eBooks, PDFs, and Manifestos, containing a plethora of sales, marketing, and management strategies to help you run and grow a successful creative studio. We’ve linked directly to the PDFs for several of these books: The […]
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July 27, 2008
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Discover Copy Merged in Photoshop.

There is something immensely satisfying about discovering a Photoshop feature that’s been sitting in front of you for years. The Copy Merged command has been waiting patiently in Photoshop’s edit menu for well over a decade. Yet I’ve missed it all that time. A quick poll of savvy Seattle Photoshop production artists tells me I’m not […]
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July 21, 2008
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Instantly Darken your Mac’s Monitor.

Here is a nice, quick one. If you’re working on an (ahem!) important confidential document and someone walks into the room who shouldn’t see your screen, you can instantly darken you Mac’s screen by pressing ctrl-shift-eject. To turn the brightness back to where it was, press any key or move the mouse.
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July 21, 2008
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Prototype Packaging using Photoshop Smart Objects.

Are you working on a product packaging job? Here’s a way to combine digital product photography with Adobe Photoshop Smart Objects in CS2 or CS3 to create quick virtual prototypes. The process is fairly easy once you understand the technique, and can be used for some pretty remarkable results.
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July 14, 2008
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2008 Annual Designer Salary Survey.

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The AIGA|Aquent Survey of Design Salaries 2008 is now available.

This survey is widely recognized as the most comprehensive look into how creative professionals are compensated. The results are drawn from responses from more than 6,200 design professionals across the United States.

Link: Design Salaries 2008

Curious how you stack up with your peers? The website has a location-based salary calculator that lets you compare average salaries using a wide range of variables.

Link: AIGA|Aquent Salary Calculator

Play with this handy tool and you can uncover a wealth of details:

  • What’s the average salary for a Creative Director in Seattle?
  • How do salaries compare between design studios and in-house design departments?
  • How do different cities compare in creative salaries?
  • What is the trend for designer salaries over the last several years?

Enjoy the research.

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July 14, 2008
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Avoid the Finder’s Odd Sort When Opening Files.

Try this test on your Mac: Select a collection of ten image files in the Finder and open them in Photoshop. You can either double-click the files, or drag them together onto the Photoshop icon in your dock. Do they open up in the order you expected? Do they open in alphanumeric or chronological order? […]
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July 7, 2008
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Track Craigslist Opportunities using RSS.

RSS feeds are a great way to stay updated whenever new articles (or tips) are posted to your favorite blogs. But the usefulness doesn’t stop there. As you become more comfortable using RSS feeds, you’ll discover all sorts of handy ways you can use RSS to grow your business. For example, you can turn any […]
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July 7, 2008
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Reader Survey: What Online Workshops Do You Want?

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Each week we get emails and phone calls from readers outside of Seattle who want to sign up for one of our workshops. We’ve been promising an online test of these classes for people in other parts of the country.

So we’re opening the question up to you: What topics are you most interested in? Visit this quick survey and simply check off any topics you’d like to see offered as an online webinar:

Survey: Creativetechs Online Workshop Topics

The responses we get to this survey will help us determine whether to offer online workshops. So if you are interested, please participate.

July 6, 2008
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