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Adobe Web Time Machine: In conjunction with the University of Washington, Adobe is moving towards changing the way we interact with the web with Adobe Zoetrope. Instead of a static page, we will be able to scroll through a website and see historical changes. In addition to seeing an entire page as it appeared in an earlier time, we will be able to create “Time Lenses” to note a particular piece of data, let’s say the price of a webcam, and see how that price changes over a period of time. Even better, you can link lenses from different websites and create graphs. This is still very much in the Beta stages, and there will only be certain sites available in the beginning. Zoetrope is recording a thousand sites every hour, and this will be a challenge in the future for it to be robust enough for more than just the casual browser . - Jori Curry 

December 15th, 2008
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While working in the beta of Photoshop CS4, it became apparent that there were many menu items that Adobe deemed not necessary and had hidden. What was a annoyance at first has become a full fledged speed bump since many of those items I use every day. While it is possible to go to Edit > Menu and edit each individual menu item, Chris Koerner has kindly created a one-step workaround to turn on all the hidden menu items. This is a much needed addition to Photoshop CS4, and hats off to Chris! 

December 3rd, 2008
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Photoshop Express

Photoshop Express, a component of Adobe’s Photoshop.com, is a web-based application that lives on Adobe’s servers designed for the non-professional user and hobbyist. Its’ Flash based interface provides a sleek user experience, and seems to be another step in the direction of the future of Cloud Computing. Professionals using CS3 or CS4 probably won’t be as dazzled asthose that don’t have Photoshop on their desktop. It’s a fairly stripped version of the full application–about 25% of features in the desktop version of 

Photoshop live in Photoshop Express. Those of us who are used to massive amounts of RAM and lightning speed processors may be annoyed that it’s not nearly as fast as we’re used to, but it does include some nice features for the hobbyist and that seems to be the new, untapped market for Adobe.

Photoshop Mobile

In addition, you get 5 GB storate, or 20 GB of storage withthe “Plus” plan for $50/year, and connectivity to Facebook, Picassa and Photobucket. Photoshop Elements 7 will also be compatible with Photoshop.com.One concern is that once you publish your images, by agreeing to the terms you effectively are granting Adobe “a worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce and modify your content for purposes of operating the service.”

Photoshop.com has also just released a free Mobile app. WhenI first saw this, I was a little shocked since the idea of Photoshop on a phone seems quite impossible. Then I learned that this is in a nutshell a conduit to upload photos to Photoshop.com. Previously Adobe has offered only a PDF reader for mobile users and Flash Lite. It’s currently available for Windows Mobile smartphones, including the Samsung BlackJack I & II, the Motorola Q9h and Q9m, and theTreo 700w/wx and 750. Because there don’t seem to be any confirmations that Flash Lite is going to be available for the iPhone, the app won’t be availablefor iPhone users. The user interface of the new Adobe Mobile App is quitesleek, and can automatically upload photos from your phone to yourPhotoshop.com account.

New Competition: Sumo Paint

Where Photoshop Express is offering a truncated Photoshopuser experience, a new app in Beta called Sumo Paint is actually offering amuch closer Photoshop CS3 interface–and it’s all online. You have the choice ofopening files from your Sumo account, your computer, or a URL. My first reaction was when is the lawsuit going to start–it’s so closely similar toPhotoshop, that this can’t be legal. The Magic Wand tool works with Tolerance just like Photoshop, There is an eyedropper, a Clone Stamp tool, and layers. Whilethe professional will probably always be married to Photoshop, this seems like a more in depth application than Photoshop Express.

- Jori Curry 

October 10th, 2008
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Photoshop CS4

Photoshop CS4 creates a more flexible, faster and more integrated way to accomplish tasks. Photoshop CS4 gives us a tab-based interface with dockable self-adjusting panels. Experience earth shattering 3D editing to compost directly onto 3D models and convert 2D images to 3D in a snap.

With the addition of the Adjustments and Masks panels, non destructive editing becomes a more unavoidable part of the workflow. Feeling much more like Camera RAW, you can move between all the adjustment types without committing to the change. The Photoshop CS3 Masks panel is a centralized location for both Vector and Bitmap masks, and the ability to access Refine Edge is a welcome addition.

InDesign CS4

Increase Productivity with Fluid Workflows

Adobe InDesign CS4 enables more productive workflows with other Adobe applications, especially Flash. A step behind Quark, InDesign CS4 now can export directly from InDesign to Flash. Layouts are completely preserved including text editability in XFL. While Acrobat has included Page Transitions for quite a while, now InDesign has native page transitions including fade, dissove, wipe, and more, making Adobe quite a competitor of PowerPoint!

Adobe InDesigns’ Live Preflight allows for production glitches to display in real-time format without having to enter Preflight. InDesigns’ CS4 Preflight monitors your document as you work, looking for issues such as overset text, and low res images and suggests solutions to the problems.

- Jori Curry

September 29th, 2008
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With the campaign “It’s Going to be Brilliant,” Adobe has announced the release of the newest Creative Suite, CS4. The broadcast can be viewed at the Ascend Training Chicago facility with the Chicago Area Adobe User Group Sept. 23rd at 11am, or viewed online at http://adobe.istreamplanet.com/

The release of CS3 saw major modifications in the original Adobe apps such as Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. While there were improvements in Dreamweaver and Flash, since the purchase of Macromedia occurred in the middle of the development cycle, the biggest change there was just getting these apps into the Creative Suite.

With the release of CS4, we can plan to see not only major leaps in the web apps, but tighter integration between the entire CS4 family. According to a Comscore report, 82% of online video viewings in the US and 73% worldwide use Adobe Flash technology. With the newest release of the Flash 10 Beta, code named Astro, expressive features and visual performance improvements.

Register for the Adobe Webcast at Ascend: http://www.ascendtraining.com/events.php

- Jori Curry

September 18th, 2008
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To be honest with you, there were days that I want to go back to a rotary phone and a typewriter. Things seemed so much more straightforward then. That is, until I broke my finger. REALLY broke my finger, to where my neighbor came over to assist and SHE nearly passed out. I wish I had a good story like snowboarding, skydiving, but I simply tried to open the back door at an odd angle, and voila–emergency surgery.

The point is, that when I woke up with a full arm cast on Monday, I realized that I had 9 days ahead of me of complete uselessness. You see, I have to admit that I am right handed, completely and utterly addicted to my digital life, and had no right hand to facilitate any of this. Of course, when in a crisis in my neck of the woods, you call Tristan who usually has the answer and is kind enough to make that answer happen. Tuesday morning he showed up with MacSpeech Dictate. I ensured him I could set it up–I do teach Photoshop so that should guarantee I have SOME technological skills.

I went through the install, and had to spend about 15 minutes speaking paragraphs so that it could get to know me and my speech patterns, then I was on my way. Similar to the automated voice at United or American Airlines, I found that when I spoke too slowly, it was confused. I had to entrust that the software actually did listen to me, and I didn’t have to speak as if I were talking to a 2 year old.

  Amazingly, it did interact quite well with Photoshop, Mail, Word, and iChat among other things.  As the week went by, there were absolutely many times I had to go back and “Hunt and Peck” on the keyboard so I didn’t come across as a lunatic in email correspondence. The end result was that yes–as an alternative to not being able to communicate, it was an essential, wonderful tool. Does it replace the quickness of my typing–no, but I certainly am grateful that this kind of technology exists.

- Jori Curry

September 14th, 2008
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Adobe now has an online resource to compete with Lynda.com and Total Training…and it’s free! Using Adobe Media Player, Adobe TV allows us to view informational videos on Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, Dreamweaver or any other Adobe software application. “Adobe TV is the online video source for anyone with wants to see how Adobe tools are being used to create stunning work,” said Bob Donlon, executive producer for Adobe TV.

 “It brings together experts from Adobe and the creative community to inspire and teach how to get the most from the software that is empowering the delivery of high-impact print, online, video and mobile communications. It’s also the perfect showcase for Adobe’s broadcast video technologies in action.” Bringing together developers, designers, publishers and illustrators, Adobe TV could be the next big thing on the web.

- Jori Curry

August 22nd, 2008
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While we sit chewing our nails deciding to run out and buy the new iPhone 3G, one can only wonder how much time it will be before Mr. Jobs’ “Next Big Thing” will be? I myself could use the more accurate GPS navigation, but can’t help but wonder which will come first: A 32 GB iPhone, or an iPhone Nano?

Reuters has announced that on July 5th, Apple filed a patent application that leads us to believe that an iPhone Nano is headed down the pipeline. IPod and iPhone accessory maker Digital Lifestyle also submitted a patent application for a new dock, to support a “telephonic portable digital media storage and playback device.”

Rumors have been swirling for over a year that an iPhone nano is emminant,  but does it make sense to cannabalize the larger sized iPhone when sales are higher than if there were a Beatles reunion tomorrow.

On the other hand, even with the recent decrease in initial cost of the iPhone, by raising the user-fee, it actually costs more to operate over a 1 year period. If an iPhone Nano did hit the streets with the same success as its’ predacessor, Apple could reap millions on the backend. And let’s not overlook the ramifications of the iPhone on Macintosh computers. The more people fall in love with their iPhones, the more OSX operating Macs will be sold. Apple sold nearly 2.5 million Macs this quarter, the highest number ever.

While I’m not sold on the release this year of an iPhone Nano, what does seem likely is a Big Screen iPod Nano. Apple Legal sent takedown notices to both Gizmodo and 9to5Mac who both obtained images of a big screen iPod Nano. 

- Jori Curry 

August 15th, 2008
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 It’s with a heavy heart that I pass along the news of Glenda Vigoreauxs’ passing. She was a true ColdFusion, Flash, Dreamweaver and Director guru, and taught for Ascend with an ever present smile on her face, and joy in her heart. She absolutely loved teaching, and was a true motivator. She always came to us bringing laughter, even after she moved from the Chicago area to Arizona. She was a regular at many conferences, and always a vivacious and energetic speaker. She had also been a child television star in her native Puerto Rico where she later served as a host, singer, and comedienne. The entire ColdFusion community, along with all developers have suffered a great loss. She will be sorely missed. 

Her husband has attributed her death to the succumbing to anxiety and insomnia. For all those of us who suffer from sleep issues, we truly understand her pain and wish we could have been of assistance. Glenda will always be remembered as a bright light.

July 24th, 2008
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QuarkXPress is doing everything it can to regain its’ luster from the early days of the 90’s. A snappy new website, a new Quark Version 8 with the gun directly aimed atInDesign–but are any of these things enough to pull users away from Adobe?

Quark 8 has added Bézier curves, a Picture Content Tool for scaling and cropping pixel-based images, and a polished new interface. In addition, the new version has more “Standard”keyboard shortcuts designed to reach those that are familiar with the shortcutsfrom other programs. They have even added web features such as SWF authoringand export to HTML and PDF.

While these things all sound good on paper, some of remember the release of QuarkImmedia which was supposed to be the revolutionary way for Quark users to publish to the web in a “truecross-media solution.” I can tell you personally that sitting in on a demo ofthis in 1998 still hurts my brain. Moving print to the web has never been aneasy task, and Quark does not have a solid track record in this area. Quark has been the veritable one-trick pony for a long time, and deviating from the publishing arena with QuarkImmedia was truly the beginning of the end. We mustask ourselves if we were saddled with Quark 3 for so long because all energy was spent on moving towards the web?

Another stumbling block is that younger users have never even heard of Quark, let alone used it. Adobe has invested a vast amount of time, money and energy into reaching younger-audiences, such as the Adobe Interactive Video Wall to promote the Creative License campaign. People were able to interact with a slider on the wall tochange the video montage in front of them, which lended itself to the hip image and culture that Adobe has achieved.  Adobe Video Wall.

In the early days of InDesign, it was the end user pushing for the move. Now, it has also become an accounting decision. To buy Photoshop and Illustrator separately totals $1248.To buy the Creative Suite (CS3) is $1199 that includes both Acrobat and InDesign. Quark expenditures on the corporate level are being denied partially because of the attitude of “You have InDesign on your computer already, why are we spending $799 for a full version, or $299 for an upgrade?”

While the changes in Quark 8 are commendable, the publishing ship has sailed, and InDesign has left Quark far behind. But we also said the same thing when Quark took over from Pagemaker…

– Jori Curry 

Ascend Training Website 

July 22nd, 2008
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