Posts by Jeff Hipp

[ June 29, 2010 ]

Faking a print piece from a flat working file

Imagine that you just got done comping a print piece and now it''s time to show the client via web conferencing.  You want it to look as real as you can, but something is missing - it looks too flat.  Here's a simple & fast way to suggest what it will look like when actually printed.

[ April 22, 2010 ]

Making the Tweetsie Website 3-D!

NewCity has a talented bunch of people working here.  Many of us have hidden talents that don't always get used on a day-to-day basis.  One of mine is sculpture and paper sculpture.  NewCity concepted and designed a 3-D paper train which was presented to Tweetsie R.R. Theme Park

 

[ November 10, 2009 ]

Helpful Photoshop Layer Organization

How to use a simple system for Photoshop layer structure to allow one to quickly find an item buried in the layers.  This will not only increase the speed of your design, but allows others to access and edit in your absence.

[ August 26, 2009 ]

Adobe Illustrator Math Bug

One great thing in Adobe Illustrator is the ability to duplicate and move an object - then repeat that action as many times as you need. This is a handy tip, but also a "be aware of a problem".

I love a lot of Adobe products, Photoshop and Illustrator are cutting-edge software that no Designer can do without. However, there is a bug in Illustrator that has been on the top of my list of "things that piss me off" for years. It's a bug in their duplicate function - and has been there since…

 

[ June 19, 2009 ]

Combining multiple steps using single photoshop layers

Streamlining any process in Photoshop and simplifying the quantity of layers can really speed up your project. Here are two simple steps that I use every day and always find myself teaching to design interns and junior designers.

Duplicating an object within a single layer

Say you have a bulleted list or navigation column that needs a graphic next to each topic – in this case we'll use a red arrow. Most-often when you have a Photoshop document with hundreds of layers – ease of editing and…

[ May 18, 2009 ]

Easy Design Path Rules in Photoshop

The ability to create professional and useable paths in Photoshop (and Illustrator) is very important.

original photo - background needs removing

original photo - background needs removing

Paths are an essential design tool for lorez web work, and especially important in hirez print work. I don't know how many times I've had to train design interns and new hires on this basic process.

We've probably all seen poorly pathed images that have that halo on the edges. Sure ideally you would shoot the image on a background suitable for what…

 

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