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DesignGeek #12

December 17, 2003 - 2:00am

Dragging Drop Shadows in Photoshop

When you add a drop shadow to a Photoshop layer via Layer Styles, the Layer Style dialog opens. You may think that all you can do here is fiddle with the settings in the dialog's fields and drop-downs, keeping the Preview button checked to see the effects of your settings on your artwork.

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A Fix for Finicky HTML Tables

A recent tech support call from a previous GoLive student (yes, she actually remembered that all students receive 3 years of 24/7 support from me) involved diagnosing a mysterious problem she was having getting text to align properly in a web page table.

The table was for a survey form. Most of the rows contained survey questions and radio buttons for responses. The top row, though, contained header text for the survey itself.

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Photoshop 7 Batch Renaming Tip

Fans of Photoshop's Browse window know that one of its most useful features is the ability to automatically rename a selection of image files based on a naming pattern you specify. Being able to rename a pile of digital camera images from "DCS083.jpg, DCS084.jpg," etc. to "2003_Thanksgiving_01.jpg, "2003_Thanksgiving_02.jpg," etc. in a matter of seconds is a joy.

(In Photoshop 7, the Batch Rename… command is in the Browse palette's fly-out menu; in Photoshop CS it's in the File Browser's own menu bar, under Automate.)

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Table Cell Navigation in Quark/InDesign

Quark 5 and 6, and all versions of InDesign, let you create tables in your document. Entering and formatting text inside each table cell is essentially the same for both programs. But moving that text insertion bar from one cell to the next using the Tab key is handled differently. If you bounce back and forth between Quark and InDy, as I do, it can be hard to keep straight.

Here's a brief rundown:

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Just for Fun: Really Great Links

Did everyone catch the Dilbert comic strip this past Sunday? It speaks to the soul of graphic designers everywhere. Mine's on the fridge. If you missed it, here it is:
<http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20031214.html>

(You know, of course, that Dilbert creator Scott Adams and I are old and dear friends? Okay, I'm probably reading more into our relationship than exists, but he DID write me an e-mail once:more >

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