Issue #31
August 10, 2006

Welcome to Inside Freelance Design (IFD), your free, bi-weekly e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every other week, you can receive this special alert with secrets, tips, and insights from AWAI's graphic design pros to help you improve your skills and reach your goal of becoming a professional graphic designer in the fastest time possible.

IN THIS ISSUE:
  • Promoting Your Business with Dynamic, Easy to Make, Online Slideshows
  • Quick Tip: Using Quick Typography Shortcuts to Improve the Success of Your Promotions
  • The IFD Mailbag
  • EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
Promoting Your Business with Website Slideshows
By Kammy Thurman

Slideshows are a dynamic, creative way to showcase your designs on your website. They allow you to demonstrate your skills so potential clients can see your work … and see that you are “tech-savvy.”

But reality is, you don't have to be tech-savvy to put together a good slideshow for your website. All you need is the right software and about 30 minutes.

The easiest way to do it is by using Adobe Photoshop Elements (approximately $90) or Adobe Photoshop (approximately $600). These applications make it possible for you to add transitions – with narration and/or music – between the slides. However, remember that music can be annoying to visitors to your site. So use it sparingly (or not at all).

How to Do It

Begin by making a new folder and naming it something like “Portfolio Slideshow” (so you can find it easily). Then open your designs from your layout program with Photoshop or Elements and save as JPG files. Save all of your new images into the folder you created.

The slideshow will be created in ascending order, according to filename. To ensure your pictures are shown in the order you want, add numbers to the beginning of their names. (1-Filename.jpg, 2-Other Filename.jpg, 3-Different Filename.jpg.) In this way, they'll show in the correct order and you'll still be able to keep their original names.
A brief warning: Most visitors will not hang around to see all 124 of your favorite slides. So keep your slideshow short.

Neither Photoshop nor Photoshop Elements will open InDesign files. So if your designs are in InDesign format, export them in InDesign as JPG files and name them as described above.

You're now ready to create your slideshow:

  1. Launch Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
  2. From the File menu, select Automation Tools, then PDF Slideshow.
  3. A PDF Slideshow window opens. Click on the Browse button to select the images you want in the slideshow.
  4. Find the folder containing your images (“Portfolio Slideshow”).
  5. Select the images you would like to include in your slideshow. (Hold down the SHIFT key and click to select multiple images.)
  6. Click the Open button. (The image files will have been added to the Source files list.)
  7. Click on the Choose button under Output File. Name your output file something you will recognize later and click on the Save button.

  8. Under Slideshow Options, make sure to click the checkmark next to Advance Every 'X' Seconds.

    1. Fast = 2 to 3 seconds
    2. Average = 4 to 5 seconds
    3. Slow = 6 or more seconds

    Don't go higher than 8 seconds.

  9. Under Slideshow Options, check or uncheck Loop after last page. Looping repeats the slideshow from the beginning.
  10. Under Slideshow Options, from the Transition drop-down list, select a transition. You may need to create several versions with different transitions and speeds to see which one is appropriate for your slideshow. The most unobtrusive transition is Replace.
  11. Click on the OK button. Wait for a few seconds while your slideshow is generated.
  12. A small window will open. Click on the OK button there.

Congratulations! Your slideshow is ready in PDF format. To view it, open it in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. Now you're ready to load your slideshow onto your website and dazzle your prospects with your talent and ingenuity.

The Adobe website has free articles about generating slideshows with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Click the link here to view one of the many helpful tutorials Adobe offers: http://www.adobe.com/tips/phsel3slideshow/

If you do not own a version of Adobe Photoshop Elements or Photoshop, you can still create great looking slideshows at little or no cost. Here are some sites that offer free and shareware downloads for Windows.

If you're using a Mac and don't have either of the Adobe applications, you can use GraphicConverter ($30). This outstanding shareware program has many of the features of the Adobe applications. Instead of saving your slideshow as a PDF, it saves it as a “.mov” file. GraphicConverter will also do transitions and allows you to specify timing.

[Learn business-building tips from the most successful graphic designers in the industry. You can find out how Lori Haller, Peleg Top, Rob Davis, and other top designers built their careers at this year's FastTrack to Graphic Design Success Bootcamp. Click here to discover how Bootcamp can change your life: www.awaionline.com/graphicsbootcamp/]

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QUICK TIP: Quick Typography Shortcuts to Improve Response

Inconsistent use of typographic elements like ellipses and dashes is a speed bump for the prospect. Inconsistencies make reading more difficult and jeopardize the success of the package.

There's a good chance copy you get from copywriters will not have the ellipses and dashes formatted consistently throughout the copy. As the designer, it's your job to make sure they are.

The following shortcuts for ellipses and dashes guarantee consistency. They work in most layout as well as in many word processing programs.

Ellipsis: If you type three periods in a row to create three-dot ellipses (...), the result will be too light and too close together. If you type three periods with spaces in between (. . .), the result is too wide.

In InDesign, you can locate true ellipses in the Glyphs palette (under “TYPE” in the toolbar). Or use the keyboard shortcuts from the table below.

Em and en dashes: In InDesign, (1) go to Type > Glyphs, (2) go to Type > Insert special character, or (3) use the keyboard shortcuts from the table below.

Element

Mac

PC

Em dash (—)

Shift Option - (Press & hold shift, Option, and dash at same time.)

Shift Alt - (Press & hold shift, Alt, and dash at same time.)

En dash (–)

Option - (Press & hold Option and dash at same time.)

Alt - (Press & hold Alt and dash at same time.)

Ellipses ( … )

Option ; (Press & hold Option and semicolon at same time.)

Alt ; (Press & hold Alt and semicolon at same time.)

* * * * * * * * Advertisement * * * * * * * *

How to Avoid Expensive Graphic Design Software Mistakes

You already know:

  • You need it to produce top quality, top paying work.
  • Once you open it, you can't get your money back.

But do you know the 8 questions you should ask BEFORE you buy?

Find out: http://www.thedesignerslife.com/buyingsoftware/

FROM THE IFD MAILBAG…
by Kristin Schwarz

Hello, everyone!

We start off today with a question from Susie about one of the Graphic Design Program exercises.

Hi all,

I'm trying to lay out the second exercise in the Graphic Design Program, and I wondered if it was supposed to be laid out like a letter, or if it could be more of a magalog or issuelog or similar? Do I need to keep it simple, or can I play with graphics and such?

It's called both a “package” and a “letter” in the exercise. What's the difference?

Thanks for the help!

Susie H.

Dear Susie,

This exercise should be laid out as a sales letter. (It's the first 3 pages of an actual 8-page letter.)

The reason a direct-mail promotion is referred to as a “package” is that it usually consists of a letter plus an outer envelope, a business reply envelope, an order form, and often a lift note. The sales letter that you are laying out is only one element of the entire direct-mail package.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact us any time you have any questions regarding the Graphic Design Success Program ... or graphic design in general.

Dear AWAI,

Is there a quick and easy way to find out what size/resolution and color mode an image in InDesign is without opening the image up in another program like Photoshop? Sometimes clients will send me the original application file to make changes and updates. I would like to be able to scan the document quickly and find out if there are any potential problems.

Thanks,
Peter T.

Dear Peter,

If you are working in InDesign CS2, simply select the image and look at the left side of the Control palette (to the right of the image name). You'll see the image Color Mode (Grayscale, RGB, CMYK) and the PPI (Pixels Per Inch).

If the resolution is not high enough, scale down the Placed image with the Scale tool. This packs the pixels closer together, making the resolution higher. Or simply perform a Preflight and go to File>Preflight. This will alert you to any missing font, broken image links, or RGB color mode. We recommend always running Preflight before submitting your files to the client or the printer.

That's it for now. Best wishes to you all.

Kristin

[Ed. Note: If you have a question or comment for Kristin, please send it to:
insidefreelancedesign@awaionline.com, Attn: Kristin Schwarz.]

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Haverty Furniture has been a retailer of furniture since 1885. They need a junior graphic designer to work with their design team on online marketing materials including banner ads and websites. You must know Illustrator, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver, and HTML. Send your resume and salary requirements to resumes@havertys.com.
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Soft as a Grape, Inc., a specialist in resort clothing and other resort products, needs an experienced graphic designer to lead the way in creating designs for logos, marketing materials, and much more. The position is located in Wareham, Massachusetts. Send your resume to grapecontact@earthlink.net.
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Misaine, Inc., a developer of ceramic tableware, wants to hire a graphic designer with creative flair. You'll work in their design department both on product development and on the development of marketing materials. This position offers a designer the opportunity to be truly creative. You'll need to be good in a fast-paced environment and under pressure. Send your resume to employment@misaine.com.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
  • Master Designer Roger C. Parker talks about The Imperial Three Commandments of Effective Design
  • Quick Tip: A Free, Indispensable Font Utility From Linotype
* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

Inside Freelance Design is a FREE bi-weekly newsletter from American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.

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