DesignSchool Podcasts

Set up which file opens with which application on your Mac.

When I get a new Mac, or set one up for a someone else, there are basic settings I change. Learn what I do to work more efficiently in the Finder.

Mac OS X - Learn how to reveal and easily access your Mac's Library folder in Mac OS X v10.7 (Lion). It's important to have easy access to this folder, since it holds your active fonts, your application settings and more.

Set up your Mac's Downloads folder to more easily see your new files. Nearly every Mac I look at has a really messy Downloads folder. I changed my settings so files download to the Desktop. That way, I can know what I've downloaded and I can deal with the files right away.

Mac OS X - Learn to use Automator to automatically rename multiple files with the (right) click of the mouse. You've certainly noticed the Wall-E looking character in your Applications folder. Let him help you perform repetitive tasks on your Mac. It's all drag and drop. No coding at all.

Have you ever wondered what that lightning bolt did at the top right of your screen in InDesign. Well, now you can know. It's the Quick-Apply button. It's a lightning-fast way to get to your most used commands in InDesign.

Learn how to set up your Applications folder in your Mac's dock to launch apps in a flash.

Learn how to use the different types of swatches in Illustrator. Global swatches are the cat's meow. Change the swatch colours and all of your artwork changes.

Learn how to manipulate placed images in InDesign CS5. Adobe changed the way we move and re-size placed images in InDesign CS5. Now it has a target in the middle of the image to help scale the image vs scaling the frame it is in.

Illustrator has pretty good graph building tools. What really makes it a graph design power-house is the fact that it's Illustrator! Once you have designed a basic graph, you can use Illustrator's awesome drawing tools to really make it sing. I cannot think of another program that can produce good looking graphs so easily. And the beauty is that they're great for on-screen use, as well as press-ready.

Learn how to bookmark Adobe's LiveDocs pages in your browser. You can use these bookmarks to quickly access Adobe's Help files in your browser, rather than their bloated help application. Click here to download the shortcuts to the LiveDocs pages. http://www.designschool.ca/downloads/CG1/Links_to_LiveDocs.zip

Learn how to work with blends in Illustrator.

Learn how to align and distribute objects on the page in Illustrator or in InDesign.

Learn how to create repeating vector shapes in Photoshop CS5.

Learn how to use Live Trace and Live Paint in Illustrator to get from a hand-drawn sketch to a vector illustration with colour. Thanks to "Comrad Clico" for the illustration.