Child-rearing advice from someone who really knows

...And that someone is not myself. As I mentioned in class, my friend is a teacher and a mom. She recommends the Love and Logic series of about 10 books that focus on principles of discipline by natural consequences. Best of luck to all you brave parents out there! 

We are counting on you to raise the next generation of taxpayers who will support our social security system, if it still exists when we get up there in our golden years. No pressure!

Transform Adobe Photoshop Layout to Dreamweaver

Hi Team,

Image via Wikipedia

Adobe Fireworks is a great tool to help along in the transition process from comp page to website. If you laid out your website concept in Adobe Photoshop, you can import it into Fireworks to prep it for Adobe Dreamweaver. The best thing about Fireworks is it allows you to slice up your Photoshop layout into HTML and CSS. Yeah, I know. How sweet is that. In other words, it gives you jump start into creating that stellar website concept you are preparing for your client.

This no nonsense "how-to" video session is clean, short and direct. There's no way you can go wrong with video. I know we currently don't have the software yet. However, this video would be a feather in your web design arsen to use as a reference for when the class or you get there.

Interactive Indesign PDF & SWF

I know we haven't explored Adobe InDesign ,as of yet, in our Multimedia Design journey. However, this tidbit of information I had to share with the team.

If anyone is interested in adding a slick page curl to your website design, check out this visual treasure. The best thing about this technique is there's no coding. That's right! You can create an action without coding. It's a nice break from all the Adobe Action Script coding we've been doing. InDesign takes care of the coding for you. Also, you can save your InDesign creation as a PDF or SWF.

From Comp Page to Sample Website

Do you have an Adobe Photoshop concept page or idea scribbled out on paper for a website design? I know that's were I'm going to start for my class website project. Don't tell Mr. C. I still haven't gotten started yet...heehee. My excuse is. I still am waiting on the CS4 Software Suite, mainly because my Adobe Dreamweaver trial has expired and Adobe Flash Pro is about to give up the expiration trial ghost too.

Here's a great video's to help the website designer slacker, jump start their creativity. If you want to create a concept website for your client or yourself, you can use Adobe Fireworks and Photoshop to generate it. I found the how-to video helpful for doing just that. However, it has a lot of information to take in on one sitting.

Action Script 3 Basics

Here's a great 30 min. video to give you a quick 101 course in how to create action script 3 code.

Server Side Technology Tip

For those of us, like myself, that haven't started working on your website. Even if you have this is still a good tip if you didn't know it. Of course the first step to setting up a fabulous website is to have a layout. The next step is to go through the painless process of Dreamweaver's site definition. If you have been blessed with ownership of one of the sexy Mac laptops/Desktops, you have a few SWEET built-in features that enhance your web design. Mac has a built-in web server, PHP web server and MySQL. That's right folks! Mac developers get a development environment that comes out the box at no charge to you. Unlike the PC camp, we have to pay for those extra's to develop on a PC platform. Unless you're feeling like MacGyver and you desire to install and configure those server side technologies on a PC platform, you gotta pay to play. Maybe Mr. C will share his server side technology (Coldfusion server) with us who are developing on a PC platform...heehee

So, now it makes me wish I ordered the Mac CS4 version...ggggrrrr.

CSS Webinars

On this page you will find info about CSS (parts I and II) webinars on May 28 and June 25:

http://www.madcapsoftware.com/demos/webinars.aspx

Adding A Google Search Box To Your Website

Team,

I found a great website that explains and provides cut and paste code for a Google search that you can add to your website. It can be designed to have the user search the web or your site only. Here is the link to the article by Dave Taylor.


Enjoy.

Object Based Tweening Model - CS4 Flash Pro

Team,

Monday's animation tween process was a comprehensive mess for me. I thought it was an awful lot of clicks and frame pointer postioning to create an animation. Instead I prefer to use the new Object Based Tweening Model in CS4 Flash Pro. I think it makes it quicker, cleaner and comprehensively simple to preform on an object.

Here are the steps:

1. Create/draw your object on the canvas
2. Ctrl click the object and select "create motion tween"
3. Drag the object on the canvas to were you want the motion to end
4. Done

If you want to adjust the path, just drag and drop the path guide. Or if you want to adjust the animation path at a different point during the animation path, you can click on the object and drag and drop to a different path.

As an additional aid, you can check out the tv.adobe "how-to" video below.

Free InDesign Webinar

Join this free, 10-week class:
http://creativetechs.com/tipsblog/free-10-week-indesign-course/

Prior to this class, the same presenters will do a free, one-session intro to Flash webinar.

Registration is required for both.

For those of you who will be incorporating Adobe Flash video on your websites, how about the ability to have your speech translated into different languages. Here is the website that translates your video. Registration is free. Not to mention, this site had a great library of samples for you to review code too. I like the shadow box that fills your browser content window to show the video.

http://dotsub.com/

Enjoy