Reviews

Using Adobe Portfolio: CreativePro.com article

If “build my website” is still on your To Do list, Adobe Portfolio is a quick and easy way to get a focused body of work online. Especially if you’re an Adobe Creative Cloud member, since Adobe Portfolio is available only as a benefit of an Creative Cloud membership (including the $9.99/month Photography Plan).

How does Adobe Portfolio compare to the long list of other and often more established web-browser-based site builders? How easy is it to learn and use Portfolio? Does it have the features that photographers and designers need to show their best work?

I try it out and then tell you what I think in my article for CreativePro.com, which you can read at the following link:

Using Adobe Portfolio

 

 

 

Curious about Astropad? I reviewed it for CreativePro.com

Walk into a graphic design or photography studio and you’ll probably see a graphics tablet on the desk. With an app called Astropad you can use an iPad or iPhone as a graphics tablet for a Mac, painting and drawing with your finger or stylus. Astropad even supports pressure sensitivity with a compatible stylus or with 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. But how close does it get to using a Wacom graphics tablet?

To see what I think, read Review: Astropad, published on CreativePro.com.

Astropad review on CreativePro.com

Read my overview of Adobe Comp CC in InDesign Magazine

Read my overview of Adobe Comp CC in InDesign Magazine

It’s a time-honored tradition to sketch a design idea on the nearest piece of paper, such as the back of an envelope or a cocktail napkin. You then have to take that paper over to your computer and manually translate the sketch into a document you can take through production to final output. Today, with Adobe Comp CC on the Apple iPad, you can design layouts by sketching gestures with nothing more than your fingers. You can then send that design directly to Adobe InDesign CC, Adobe Photoshop CC, or Adobe Illustrator CC as a fully editable layout, ready for immediate refinement and production.

I take a step-by-step look at this mobile and fully digital idea-to-production workflow in Issue 77 of InDesign Magazine. If you just want to read the article, Adobe has made it available as a free PDF at this link:
InStep: Adobe Comp CC

Here’s the whole issue (paid):
InDesign Magazine, Issue 77: Fresh Tips

The issue’s called Fresh Tips because it features a long list of genuinely useful InDesign productivity tips…I’m learning from them myself! In addition to my article on Adobe Comp CC, the issue also introduces the new Publish Online feature in InDesign.

The article is part of an issue of InDesign Magazine that you can buy as a single issue or as part of a subscription. You can download a free trial issue, and you can save $10 when you sign up for a 1-year membership by using this coupon code: friend.

InDesign Magazine is a bimonthly PDF periodical devoted entirely to Adobe InDesign and to the thriving community of InDesign professionals. With editorial direction by page-layout guru and author David Blatner and CreativePro.com editor in chief Mike Rankin, InDesign Magazine brings you the in-depth features, reviews, and tutorials you need to master Adobe InDesign.

Read my review of Blurb Book Creator in InDesign Magazine

InDesign Magazine, Issue 70: Inspired Designs

The Blurb book publishing service provides several tools for you to design your own self-published book, but you may feel that those tools are limited. If you’d rather create a Blurb book using the full range of professional design and production capabilities in Adobe InDesign, the Blurb Book Creator plug-in may be for you. I reviewed Blurb Book Creator for InDesign Magazine (February 2015). I think it’s a great tool that simplifies Blurb book creation, and can help spot and resolve problems before they turn into costly printing mistakes.

Click the link below to read the article at InDesign Magazine:
InDesign Magazine, Issue 70: Inspired Designs

It’s a pretty strong issue overall, with lots of well-researched and informative content like Justin Seeley’s article on using Adobe Muse, Sandee Cohen’s article on the many ways to place graphics in InDesign layout, and David Blatner’s article on using RGB images for prepress.

The article is part of an issue of InDesign Magazine that you can buy as a single issue or as part of a subscription. InDesign Magazine is a bimonthly periodical devoted entirely to Adobe InDesign and to the thriving community of InDesign professionals. With editorial direction by page-layout guru and author David Blatner and CreativePro.com editor in chief Mike Rankin, InDesign Magazine brings you the in-depth features, reviews, and tutorials you need to master Adobe InDesign. You can download a free trial issue.

Read my Lightroom 4 review on CreativePro.com

My Lightroom 4 review just got published by CreativePro.com, so if you’re still on the fence about this major upgrade to Lightroom, you can read about my take on the new features and changes!

Go to Review: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 review