| So you know what each application in the suite is supposed to do. You also have a pretty good understanding of where each application fits in the workflow and when you would use each of them. Now you'll take a look at how the applications work and how they are used. As you'll find out, many tasks and concepts apply to all the applications in the suite. One thing that Adobe does extremely well is make its applications look and feel the same way. The different applications also play very well together. These combined aspects of the Creative Suite are referred to as integration. One of the main benefits of working with the suite is this high level of integration, and we talk about many of these aspects in this chapter. Before we get to the applications themselves, I want to spend a few moments talking about your computer setup. After all, it's what you'll be using to run the Creative Suite. System Requirements for the Real World Adobe puts a list of system requirements on the box, but those should be treated as an absolute bare minimum. What I list here are items that I feel are important for the needs of the graphic designer. Use this only as a guideline, of courseyour budget most likely dictates what you have at your disposal. Computer I'm not even going to touch the whole Mac versus Windows issue because I believe that you should use whatever you're most comfortable with (my own personal preference is a Mac). What's important, though, is that you have a system that can handle whatever you have to throw at it. Hard-drive space (storage memory) is always important because graphics files tend to be quite large. It would also be wise to have at least 1GB of RAM (working memory) on your machine because that will enable you to run several applications at the same time (instead of having to continually open and close them). If you're planning to use a digital video camera, you need to get a system with a FireWire (also called IEEE 1394 or iLink) port. Monitor Your monitor is your workspace and can prove to be a very important factor as you design. Remember that, as a user of the Creative Suite, you'll have several applications running at the same time, and Adobe's user interface is palette-happy (we talk more about palettes later in the chapter); the more screen real estate you have, the better. From a design standpoint, there's really no difference between flat-panel and CRT screens, although I'll admit that I'm addicted to my 22-inch flat-panel Apple Cinema Display. Input devices No doubt your computer came with a mouse and a keyboard, but depending on what kind of work you'll be doing, you might want to explore other options as well. Photoshop CS2 and Illustrator CS2 both have built-in support for pressure-sensitive tablets for such tasks as photo retouching, painting, and drawing. Trackballs offer a different feel than a mouse, and mouse devices are available that offer a scroll wheel, several programmable buttons, and other features. By the Way Being comfortable with your input devices is essential if you make your living working on a computer. Ergonomic input devices are more than just hypethey can mean the difference between having fun at your job and having painful wrists, a sore neck or back, stressed eyes, headaches, and more. I'm not suggesting that you buy every product out there with the word ergonomic on the box, but doing some research (trying things out at stores or at a friend's workspace) can prove to be very helpful. I've personally found that switching between a mouse and a pressure-sensitive pen every so often relieves the pressure on my wrists.
Internet connection A DSL or cable connection is essential for many reasons. The Internet has much to offer today's designer. The Adobe Stock Photos service, which enables you to quickly find just the images you're looking for and use them for comps and to download high-resolution versions instantly, requires a broadband Internet connection. User forums and websites offer a tremendous resource for tips, tricks, or even help. If you're the type who loves fonts, you can purchase just about anything your heart (or client) desires on demand, and more. Most important, with a high-speed connection, you can easily download software updates and patches. A fast Internet connection also makes it easier to email PDF proofs to clients. Scanner A scanner is important for several reasons. You'll always need to scan photo prints or logos for design jobs. Many people also like to start their designs as sketches on paper (or napkins over a lunch meeting with the client) and might want to scan those in and work from there. Finally, I've found that a scanner can be very useful for experimenting with fabrics and materials for interesting backgrounds, or even from other sources (when it's legal to do so, of courseI'm not advocating copyright infringement). Some scanners require a FireWire connection; most also offer a (slower) USB connection. Digital camera A digital camera can do a lot more than just take pictures of the family. It's a great way to get quick concepts onto your screen. You can scout out scenery, take photos for comps to show clients and photographerseven take simple product shots. Just about any camera with at least 2 megapixels should work fine for these tasks. Archiving When a job is done, you'll want to keep it somewhere that's easy to find and get to (a client will always ask for a small update to a job they did several months ago). I find that copying jobs to CDs or DVDs can be the easiest and cheapest, although there are plenty of other methods. Choose a system that you can be comfortable with and that you can track easily. I like the CD or DVD method because most computers come with drives that can easily record these, the media is cheap enough, and the technology won't become obsolete anytime soon (remember SyQuest drives?). If possible, it's also a good idea to keep copies in a separate location, to avoid a catastrophic loss (such as burglary or fire). Backup Nothing could possibly be worse than losing your data just when you need it the most. You've invested a lot into your work, and the only way to protect it is with a decent backup system. You'll find many different solutions out there (DAT, AIT, CD, DVD, and so on), and you should use what ever fits your budget and your work patterns. Work area Sometimes you have no control over where you'll be workingbe it a cubicle in an office, a small desk tucked into the corner of your bedroom, a home office, or a decked-out design studio. But you should take some things into consideration. Bright sunlight can make it difficult to see your computer screen and can make colors look different on a sunny day than on a cloudy one. Desk space is also important. If you can, try to use as large a workspace as possible. Cramped work areas are the main cause for repetitive strain injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome), to say nothing of making it harder to find that fax the client sent you yesterday (one of the reasons I fill my fax machine with yellow paper, by the way).
Launching the Applications Even though all the applications in the suite were installed at the same time, you still have to launch each one individually. In other words, if you need to do a task in Photoshop only, there's no need to launch the rest of the applications in the suite. You launch any of the Creative Suite applications the same way you launch just about any other application. You might want to create shortcuts (or aliases) for your applications on your desktop (on Windows XP, you can place them in the Quicklaunch toolbar). On a Mac, you might want to put the applications on your Dock so that you can find and launch them easily. Did you Know? To create a shortcut in Windows, right-click the application's icon and choose Create Shortcut. On a Mac, drag the application's icon onto the Dock.
So what are we waiting for? Let's get started by examining some of the Creative Suite applications and learning about the similarities among them. |
