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- by Jori Curry

Adobe has done it again–moving forward in taking what once was only available to the elite and bringing it down to earth. Yes–I’m talking about Flash for everyone. Opening up Flash Professional can be a daunting task, especially for those migrating from the print industry.

Will Flash Catalyst make Flash more accessible for all?

The goal is to divide the designers and programmers into 2 camps: Those who design (ie don’t want to touch code with a 10 ft. pole) and developers who happily spend their day immersed in Actionscript.

It is very reminiscent of the day when there were two camps in web design: Those that used strictly HTML or at a minimum, BBEdit and those that were beginning to use Dreamweaver and GoLive. I remember code purists having fits about the tainted code coming from these GUI website packages. I think we are going to see the same kind of outcries with Flash Catalyst.

The designer camps, especially those new to Flash will be wowed by how easy it is to create animation, and I’m sure the freelance developers will be happy with the new projects that come their way  that the designers decide need an extra layer of pizazz.

Flash Catalyst is going to be a game changer–and with all the effort Adobe has put into it, I think we’re going to see some remarkable shifts in our industry.

Ascend Training will be offering Flash Catalyst classes as soon as the application becomes available to the public.

February 11th, 2010
Categories: Future Computer Technologies . Author: Blog . Comments: No Comments

Now you can take Adobe Photoshop with you wherever you go! If you have an iPhone, and Android device, or even a mobile device with Windows Mobile, you can can edit, crop, and color-correct all your images just like you can at home…but you probably already knew this–what’s important is that, now that the iPad is out, we’re all going to be paying a lot more attention to Mobile Versions of things–that is, if the trendsetters at 1 Infinite Loop have again set the trend.

Adobe’s Photoshop Mobile is limited, to be sure, but its basic uses are the same as those used by many Photoshop (regular?) users; as aforementioned you can crop, color, and resize, but you can also make specialized albums, apply certain filters, add nifty effects. Perhaps coolest of all, you can add vignettes and things like “Warm Vintage” to your photos (this makes them look a little like old photos scanned from your parents’ wedding albums, with lots of red and brown and even more contrast).

At my job, we were all wondering (with, I think, good reason) if the Mystery Tablet would run Adobe software–and it will, sort of. This type of mobile approach to high-powered, sophisticated applications is not new, but it does seem to be the trend; stripped-down mobile browsers, mini-players for all sorts of files, and games that run on the (comparatively) itty-bitty screens of mobile devices have become the norm. In the effort to make mobile phones and devices that can do anything a desktop or laptop can do has made it more of a priority than ever for companies like Adobe to go mobile. Photoshop Mobile (cruise over to photoshop.com to check that out, by the way) is a step in the right direction, but where’s my Illustrator Mobile and (dare I suggest it?) Flash Mobile? At Ascend, we’ll teach you how to program for your iPhone, and how to use Photoshop, but isn’t it time we could combine them?

We all wait with baited breath for when we’ll be able to get an email of user requirements, build and code a website with interactive content, and mock up some examples for the client, all on the train from our phones. ‘Till then.

-This Blog sent from my iPhone

February 4th, 2010
Categories: Adobe Authorized Training, Adobe CS4, Future Computer Technologies, Photoshop tutorial, Technology, Training, flash for the iphone, iPad . Author: Tristan . Comments: 1 Comment

It’s definitely a war–it’s just that it’s a Cold War.

Since Microsoft released Silverlight, (and by the way, watch what happens when you surf over there) their answer to Adobe Flash, in 2007, there’s been a (sort of) silent war going on behind the two software giants about who gets to play your movies.

When you go to a site like Youtube or Hulu to watch videos (and who among us does not, these days?), isn’t it awesome how fast it is? How clear? How the videos you watch don’t take up space on your hard disk or really even slow down what you’re doing in the background? That’s because when you go to those sites (and soon others like Vimeo and possibly Dailymotion), your browser loads a plugin to let you read the Flash Video that someone has posted and that the website has slightly reconfigured–and plays it right from the source, like you’re looking through your computer to where the video really is, somewhere else. This means that anyone, anywhere can see it, which is good news for video producers and marketers alike. Just as Mac OSX, Windows, and Linux can all (usually) read the same types of files, now we can all see almost any type of video–the trouble is that not everyone feels like they’re making enough money this way.

Any guesses who? (*coughSilverlightcough*)

Well, you’re mostly right, but it isn’t JUST Microsoft. There are plenty of people out to get Flash, now that it’s the standard for video playback on the web: Sun Microsystems (who makes Java), plenty of open-source proponents, and Apple have either resisted or worked around integrating Flash into their video products (iPhone, anyone?) but more than ever, Adobe is realizing that if they want their product to stay at the top, they’re going to have to get into some heretofore unexplored venues. To that end, the rumors are flying about new tools for developing iPhone apps using Flash, putative Flash support on the theoretical Apple Tablet (if it exists, right?), and more.

Microsoft is responding to this by leveraging their power toward pushing Flash out of certain areas; ever notice that the streaming function of Netflix is run on Silverlight instead of Flash?

So here’s the question: both Flash and Silverlight are proprietary software, and both are the big boys when it comes to video playback on the web–now whom would we prefer as the keeper of our vids? Because someones’s going to win this battle–and either way, it’s going to mean a lot about how we get (and what we can do with) our video.

January 25th, 2010
Categories: Adobe Authorized Training, Adobe CS4, Events, Future Computer Technologies, Technology, flash for the iphone . Author: Tristan . Comments: 2 Comments

What to do next with the coolest phone Ever?

So ok–it’s going to be a while until we get Flash for the iPhone, but I think we can all agree that it’s still pretty cool. The question is: now that you can do almost everything on the iPhone, like getting GPS Driving directions, reading e-books with the Kindle App, checking your email, stock quotes, and weather forecasts, and watching movies…what’s next for this niftiest of devices? I know! NEW APPS for it!

When the iPhone came out in 2007, most users were impressed and pleased with the number of cool applications you could get for it; in fact it’s this that makes the iPhone more of a palmtop computer than strictly a phone–you can load new software and get upgrades just like you can with your laptop or desktop. That said, the idea of WRITING software for the iPhone was, and still is for many, a black box. What’s involved in writing an app for the iPhone? Do you have to learn a new language? Does it mean you have to HAVE a Mac computer…or even own an iPhone?

With the meteoric takeoff of Apple’s App Store, it’s become clear even to the comparative luddite that someone is creating all these apps, and with the iPhone gaining (still!) in popularity, it seems likely that more and more people will learn how–but how?

Well, as far as that goes, there are a couple of ways to get going, but the best we can think of is a class on iPhone Application Development – how to use Objective-C, how to upload and test the apps, and how to get the most out of what you create.

Since the much-touted PastryKit is only a theory at this point, and since it’s gotten even easier to market new Apps with all the upgrades to the App Store, we think now is a fantastic time to start learning to program for what is STILL the coolest phone out there…and what can only be made cooler by a new app…by You!

January 5th, 2010
Categories: Adobe CS4, Future Computer Technologies, Technology, Training, flash for the iphone . Author: Tristan . Comments: 1 Comment

- by Jori Curry

While Apple continues to remain quiet on the iTab, industry insiders say a 2010 release date is imminent.

With the massive popularity of the Amazon Kindle, and the Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple is in a prime spot to take advantage of the wave of users flocking to the new tablet technology. With McDonalds joining Panera and Starbucks in offering free wireless, the iTab is poised to sell 10 million in the first year, according to Lee Kai-fu, a previous president of Google in China. Though the Kindle is a nifty device, the ability to utilize iPhone Apps, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and other Creative Suite apps will make it far more powerful than the popular E-reader. Where we are limited in the use of Flash on the iPhone, the iTab only should not only allow users to view flash, but to create Adobe Flash applications while enjoying a Big Mac at McDonalds–all without having to lug a laptop around.

Unlike the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iTab may utilize a new electronic pen. With the recent patent filed by Apple, it appears the new pen would even take advantage of an “Ink Manager” to communicate with applications that may not be designed to work with an electronic pen.

The patent document reads: “Even systems that attempt to improve this situation by using each stroke to determine the input field anew, such as the Apple Newton from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., can suffer from failure modes that make the situation difficult for both end users and for application developers,” the document reads. “For example, a word that accidentally spans two input fields even a tiny amount (due, for instance, to a stray ascender, descender, crossbar, or dot) may be broken up into multiple sessions, causing misrecognition and invalid data entries that must be manually corrected.”

Apple Insider has also elaborated on the delay of the iTab. They report that Nick Bilton of the New York Times has said one of the biggest reasons for delay was the lack of software for this kind of touchscreen platform. Now that the App store offerers a plethora of software, the iTab can only be around the corner.

Macquarie analyst Phil Cusick was quoted estimating the iTab will cost approximately $800 and sell 3-5 million tablets in the first year.

January 4th, 2010
Categories: Future Computer Technologies . Author: Jori . Comments: No Comments

In November, it was leaked that Apple may be getting into bed with a few of TV’s major networks to begin offering a paid, subscription-based package of digital content using Apple TV. Apparently, for a tithe of about $30, subscribers will get to watch whatever they want using Apple’s existing network of streaming and downloadable content through iTunes. The latest seems to be that no major networks have agreed so far, but the larger question is: can Apple really compete with the likes of Comcast, AT&T, and DirectTV?

Not many people got really excited about the Apple TV when it came out; for sure, not enough people bought it for it to come down in price along with the rest of Apple’s line. Among the issues it carried in the door were enormous updates to install right out of the box, incompatibilities with various TV sets, and wildly variable streaming speeds. Nevertheless, their sales since then increased exponentially, and now it’s not that hard to conceive of a widely-used, Apple-based system for watching TV the way we already do. We’ll be watching to see which, if any, of the big networks sign on to become part of the new Apple TV Paid subscription system–and who signs up.

December 22nd, 2009
Categories: Technology, Training . Author: Tristan . Comments: No Comments

About a year ago (specifically last February), “Cloud Computing” was a fairly new techno-buzzword. In fact, when Jori blogged about it then, we got a fair few comments asking what it was. At the time, the “cloud” was a nebulous thing true to its name; when something went into the electronic “cloud,” just where was it going and how were you supposed to get it back?

For those who don’t know: the “Cloud” is the general name for the dynamic, functional space on the internet (so on servers all over the world) where data can be stored and accessed by anyone through the web. Think of your Gmail account; your messages live online somewhere, and when you log into Gmail to get them, you go out to the web instead of the messages coming to you. The same functionality can be applied anywhere, and we see it being used more all the time. Apple’s MobileMe (formerly .Mac) essentially rents subscribers a chunk of space on Apple’s servers to post photos, host a website, send and receive email, etc. Practically, the user doesn’t really do anything she or he didn’t already; you still put in a username and password and there’s your stuff, whatever it is–the difference is that all of that stuff used to have to be on a hard drive somewhere, and now it’s in the aether, floating around between computers, easy to access but impossible to locate-and for some, this is troubling.

But not everyone sees it that way; many respected institutions including universities, government agencies, and even corporations are beginning to see Cloud Computing as a way not just to maximize investment but a way to reach more people. In September of this year, the White House announced a multi-billion-dollar initiative aimed at streamlining the transition of much of its data into “cloud-accessible” form. Even NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) uses the Cloud, and in a way that would have been impossible without the architecture built by Google, IBM, Apple and others; Satellite data from multiple government agencies are aggregated together in “constellations”, or mini-clouds, so that anyone behind the firewall can see it all at once.

Speaking of making our jobs easier, I’d love to mention the success we’ve had at Ascend using Adobe’s Acrobat Connect, which in addition to being incredibly cool (think of a Wiki, only everyone can work on it at the same time), is incredibly useful. Ascend uses Acrobat Connect to hold online training sessions on Adobe’s own software–so now, thanks to the “Cloud” in which the class data and all the various users’ information can be temporarily housed, students in London can tune in and take a Photoshop class with students in Phoenix, which is good news, since most companies are going global faster than we can keep up.

Personally, I think the Cloud is awesome; I use MobileMe and Gmail for my email, PhotoBucket to share photos, and YouTube to express myself and get my daily dose of entertainment–but you know what? For the moment, I’m still making back-ups of it all on my external hard drive, and that sits on my desk…so I can keep an eye on it. Know what I mean?

For further reading:

White House unveils cloud computing initiative

Microsoft’s Azure

December 11th, 2009
Categories: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Authorized Training, Adobe CS4, Future Computer Technologies, Technology, Training . Author: Tristan . Comments: No Comments

- by Jori Curry

One of the slickest new features of Adobe Photoshop CS4 is Content Aware Scale. If you’ve ever wanted to turn a horizontal image into a vertical, without damaging key parts of the image, this is for you!

Step 1: Open your image and double-click on Background layer to turn it into Layer 0.

Step 2: Go to Image > Canvas Size to add space where you want to scale to. 

Step 3: Go to Edit > Content Aware Scale and transform the image into the empty space.

When skintones become distorted, you need to choose Protect Skintones from the Control Panel (formerly the Options Bar)

Step 4: You may notice that some areas aren’t working well, so Undo (or press ESC) and go back to Edit > Content Aware Scale. Now  on the Control Panel (formerly the Options Bar) click on the icon that looks like a Mens’ room icon  and now transform your image. 

Step 5: If this still isn’t giving you the results you’re looking for, you can take it a step further by creating an Alpha Channel. Make a selection out of the area you don’t want scaled. Go to Select > Save Selection, which will give us an Alpha Channel we can use to protect this area.

The Alpha Channel allows you to designate specific areas not to be transformed.

Step 6: Choose Edit > Content Aware Scale, and from the “Protect” pull down menu on the Control Panel, select the Alpha Channel you just made.

Step 6: The "Protect" pull down menu allows you to use an Alpha Channel to keep areas from being transformed.

Step 7: Drag the handles, and decide if you need to go back to the Alpha Channel and add more white (the protected area) to that channel.

Finished Product

And voilà ! Photoshop transforms the areas that aren’t part of the channel! Not every photo works well with this technique, but when it works, it’s a lot of fun! 

Learn More About our Photoshop CS4 Level 1 Hands-On Class
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June 8th, 2009
Categories: Photoshop tutorial . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

- by Jori Curry

In 2009, the iPhone has 43% of mobile web access, while the Google Android Phone is catching up to grab 5%, but the incorporation of Adobe Flash might be enough to tip the scales in favor of Android. Adobe and Apple have had a long relationship, and Adobe was quoted early on that come hell or high water, there would be a version of Flash for the iPhone, but it seems that Adobe is moving forward with other vendors.

“We are excited to be working alongside Adobe to bring Flash technology to Android,” said Andy Rubin, director of mobile platforms at Google. “Adobe Flash is crucial to a rich Internet and content experience on mobile devices and we are thrilled that Google will be one of the first companies along with the Open Handset Alliance to bring Flash technology to the smartphone market.”

Steve Jobs has been quoted saying Flash Lite ““isn’t capable enough to be used with the Web.” Now it seems Adobe is moving forward with other partnerships with Google, Microsoft, Palm and Nokia, as stated at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Jack Gold, an anylist with J. Gold Associates was quoted with explaining the reasons Apple is blocking Flash on the iPhone: “Adobe wants Flash to run really well. To get high performance, you need to run in the lower layers of the OS or phone. Apple wants to push its own technology, in this case, QuickTime. It has its own interests at heart. Look at how long it took to get Flash onto Macs. I honestly don’t think you will see Flash on the iPhone anytime soon.”

With this shift in the “Adobe-Apple” relationship, will this open the door for the Google Android phone to take the lead? While Apple is rumored to enable video to be streamed via HTML5, will this be enough to fight the wave of Flash that has penetrated the web? According to Market Share, Mac users make up 9.81% of those using the internet. One can only assume that this increase up from the paltry 5% in 2001. The base of “Appleloonians” that have been lifefong users (I myself started out with the Apple Iie in 1983) is growing due to the iPhone, but many of us are seeing difficulties on the web without Flash.

In my opinion, just like Apple said that they would never develop for Windows, there will be little choice but to accommodate Adobe Flash, which is quickly taking over the internet as we know it.

June 5th, 2009
Categories: flash for the iphone . Author: admin . Comments: 1 Comment

- by Jori Curry

Adobe Labs is a fantastic arena to collaborate in the development process of Adobe. Users find pre-release access to software, hosted applications and more. Resources such as code samples and forums allow visitors to interact with like-minded Adobe developers.

The most current technology on Adobe Labs is Pixel Bender. Previously under the code-name Hydra, it first was supported by After Effects CS3 as an engine for image transformations and effects. It’s a way to create extensive effects in real time using the graphics card, not the processor. The Pixel Bender just-in- time (JIT) compiler allows developers to create real-time cinematic effects within Flash 10 Player, but Pixel Bender filters running inside are rendered via software, and not accelerated which could be a detraction.

“Pixel Bender always works with 32-bit floating point channels. No matter what data type is used with Pixel Bender, it will be converted into a 32-bit floating point and on output will be scaled back to the appropriate data size. It only appears to be 8-bit because all current examples of passing data to Pixel Bender so far have been bitmaps which use 8-bit channels.” Said  Justin Everett-Church, Senior Product Manager for Adobe Flash Player. 

In addition, we have Pixel Bender shaders to allow users to bypass the image effects that come with Flash and manipulate pixels in real time. In addition to graphics, shaders can be used for other CPU intensive processes in Flash. This could be a great leap forward for Flash, Flex, AIR and Photoshop in the coming months!

Check the Adobe Labs site often for the latest and greatest Adobe has to offer.

May 12th, 2009
Categories: Future Computer Technologies . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments