Computer Arts (August 2003)

Citation preview

NEW: FLASH MX IN-DEPTH SERIES Part1: Master the vector and drawing tools

THE WORLD’S BEST–SELLING CREATIVE MAGAZINE

PHOTOSHOP • ILLUSTRATOR • PAINTER

CREATE AMAZING IMAGERY

Combine photography and illustration techniques to create this stunning image

DV EXCLUSIVE

IEWED AFTER EFFECTS 6 PREV L N TUTORIA DISCREET COMBUSTIO

ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP THE ESSENTIAL CREATIVE RESOURCE FOR PC & MAC OVER 120 MB LAYEREOF IMAGESD

EXCLUSIVE TO CA READERS!

FRO TASTE M MEDIA

REALSOFT 3D 4.5

Use the special edition of this 3D modelling, rendering and animation software to create great 3D imagery PC ONLY

PHOTOSHOP TOOLKIT Full Photoshop plug-ins and royalty-free images

PC & MAC

DISCREET EXCLUSIVE:

COMBUSTION 2.1

DIGITAL VISION INFINITY02

Use the demos of combustion and cleaner XL to create and compress a dynamic animation PC & MAC

The secrets of Infinity02 series unveiled - all the resources for our 9-page Photoshop tutorial included

PLUS All the files you need to follow the tutorials inside the magazine Some applications on the disc will require Internet registration

Create light and organic effects with Digital Vision

41 NEW CREATIVE PRODUCTS ON TEST 10 XPress and InDesign extras, 14 Web tools and much more Printed in the UK

Outside the UK and Éire £6 C$ 19.95

AUGUST 2003

£6

08 9 771360 537024

INTRO T

READ DEREK LEA’S STORY OF CREATING THIS MONTH’S COVER IMAGE. WHAT STARTED AS A COMMISSION FOR A CANADIAN BAND’S CD ARTWORK HAS TURNED INTO A TALE OF HIRING PERUVIAN BUTTERFLIES…

ime isn’t something that many of us have in abundance, and time to sit in front of a computer working on improving our illustrations, designs, Websites, 3D models or video work is often a luxury. Computer Arts tutorials always have the aim of showcasing new techniques as clearly and quickly as possible, but this month we’ve introduced a new kind of tutorial – the Shortcut, a one-page tutorial offering fast, accessible insight into a wide range of creative software. We’ve kicked off with five this month – Dreamweaver, Painter, Illustrator, 3ds max and Photoshop – but if there’s anything you’d like to see explained by our host of professional creatives, then email us on the address below. Read on for an absolute wealth of creative insight and advice this month, all tied into our packed CD-ROM. Add 3D elements to your work with the exclusive edition of Realsoft 3D on your CD (see page 6), or turn your maps into zoomable applications for your Website in the first part of our new Flash MX series (page 38). We’ve also teamed up with stock image giant, Digital Vision to bring you insight

COVER ILLUSTRATOR

into the techniques involved in the creation of an image for its Infinity02 series. Jens Karlsson of Chapter3 Digital Creations is behind this mammoth nine-page Photoshop tutorial – see the incredible illustration on page 48. And if you only read one thing this month, make sure it’s Derek Lea’s story of creating this month’s cover image. What started as a commission for a Canadian band’s CD artwork has turned into a tale of hiring Peruvian butterflies and meeting a group of musicians called the Universal Panzies. Digital art isn’t just about software and a mouse you know – or it shouldn’t be… Finally, great news. Computer Arts has been nominated for a Magazine Design Award in the Best Use of Typography category, so watch out on our Website and forums to see if we win – fingers crossed! Until next month, enjoy the issue and let us know your thoughts about the magazine or the creative industry on [email protected] VICKI ATKINSON Editor, THE WORLD’S BEST-SELLING CREATIVE MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL DEREK LEA Canadian illustrator Derek Lea has been producing stunning artwork, covers and tutorials for Computer Arts for over four years. In the creation of this latest piece, he wields the power of three leading illustration packages with stunning results – a successful combination of natural media, 3D models and paint effects. Turn to page 22 to see the inspiration and the story behind the image, before following the tutorial to create your own amazing artwork. If you’re impressed with Lea’s work, find out more in Computer Arts Projects magazine this month, for which he creates an Eastern-themed mural in Photoshop. WWW.DEREKLEA.COM

THE CA TEAM VICKI ATKINSON EDITOR [email protected] ESTHER LAMB ART EDITOR [email protected] RACHEL ELLIOTT OPERATIONS EDITOR [email protected] ROB CARNEY REVIEWS EDITOR [email protected] MARK PENFOLD STAFF WRITER [email protected] MATT GALLIMORE CD EDITOR [email protected]

CONTACT Computer Arts magazine, Future Publishing, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW PHONE 01225 442 244 EMAIL [email protected] SUBS 0870 444 8455

Computer Arts_August 2003

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CONTENTS SUBSCRIBE TODAY

AUGUST

ISSUE 86

AND SAVE £36.99 PLUS CLAIM YOUR FREE GIFT

FULL LIST OF CONTENTS

NEVER MISS ANOTHER ISSUE –TURN TO PAGE 44

12 The all-new Apple Power Mac G5 14 New JVC HD cameras 17 The latest music promos and DVDs 18 Subversive digital art at the ICA

NEWS

TUTORIALS 22 Create amazing imagery using Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator 38 Flash MX in-depth 48 Photoshop to Infinity 68 Realsoft 3D – FREE on your CD 76 combustion 2.1 and cleaner XL

FEATURES 30 I ♥ illustration 60 Inside The Animatrix 74 Clementine Hope

SHORTCUTS 43 Dreamweaver MX 59 Painter 8 65 Illustrator 10 67 Photoshop 7 73 3ds max 5

REVIEWS 85 Full listing 86 After Effects 6 and Premiere Pro 90 Final Cut Pro 4 97 Designer 7 100 Creative Stuff 104 Web Extras Group Test

REGULARS

ILLUSTRATION BY CLEMENTINE HOPE See page 74 [email protected] Have your work featured here – email CA Art Editor [email protected]

10 Your letters 44 Save £36.99 and get a FREE copy of The Flash MX Handbook when you subscribe 66 Win one of ten Panasonic DVD-burners worth £200 each! 82 Back issues 116 Exposure 122 Retrospective

ON THE COVER 22 CREATE AMAZING IMAGERY

Industry-renowned illustrator Derek Lea guides you through the process of creating our fantastic cover image. Fire up Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator and discover the secrets and techniques of dynamic and surreal imagery

38 FLASH MX

In part one of our in-depth series, we show you how to create a fantastic zoomable map using Flash MX’s vector drawing and trace tools

48 ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP

22

EXCLUSIVE: Massive illustration tutorial byJens Karlsson and stock image giant Digital Vision

76 COMBUSTION 2.1 & CLEANER XL

Exclusive tutorial from the experts at Discreet on creating eye-catching motion graphics

38

48

86 AFTER EFFECTS 6

You read it here first. World exclusive preview of Adobe After Effects 6 and Premiere Pro

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS 30 I ♥ ILLUSTRATION

Illustration is back, re-born for a hipper and more visually aware audience. We pick out ten of the world’s most wanted illustrators

60 30

60 INSIDE THE ANIMATRIX

The secrets behind the brand new series of animated shorts based on The Matrix

68 FREE: REALSOFT 3D

EXCLUSIVE: You’ll find Realsoft 3D Special Edition on your cover CD. Learn how to model a fantastic dune buggy with our expert tutorial

68 99

99 HP DESIGNJET 120

Brand new A1+ printer on test, offering great value for money and outstanding print quality

FULL LIST OF CD CONTENTS

^

PC FULL PROGRAM

EXCLUSIVE

REALSOFT 3D SPECIAL EDITION

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e strive to bring you the best full products and creative resources on your cover CD, and this month is no exception. As well as the awesome Realsoft 3D Special Edition, we have a bursting Photoshop Toolkit with fantastic Taste Media royalty-free layered PSD files and exclusive full Flaming Pear plug-ins. We’ve also got all the files you need to complete this month’s tutorials, superb product demos from Discreet, and the exclusive demo version of Canon’s new software, 3D SOM.

CD86 CONTENTS REALSOFT 3D SPECIAL EDITION (PC ONLY) EXCLUSIVE FULL PRODUCT: Turn to page 68 for our expert tutorial on using your free copy of Realsoft 3D Special Edition to create a fantastic dune buggy illustration. See right for further details on the app, and how to upgrade to v4.5 for a bargain price. The files you need to complete this are in the Realsoft folder on your CD

Create fantastic illustrations with this awesome 3D modelling, animation and rendering tool – free on the CD

W

hen we reviewed Realsoft 3D 4.5 back in issue 83 we found it to be an incredible 3D application, with comprehensive modelling and shading tools and a great raytrace renderer. We liked it so much, in fact, that we’ve teamed up with Realsoft to bring you Realsoft 3D Special Edition – a fantastic 3D tool built exclusively for Computer Arts readers. The only limitations of this Special Edition is the number of surfaces it can render (still a whopping 30,000), the texture resolution (limited to 400x300 pixels) and the final output size, which is limited to 640x480 pixels. Animations are limited to 100 frames in length. Realsoft 3D Special Edition is not savedisabled, meaning you can save your work and

come back to it any time – and this is a program that you’ll want to keep using. The tool gives you incredible scope to create illustrations using a professional 3D modelling, shading and rendering toolset – and for absolutely nothing! You have the benefit of Subdivision Surfaces, NURBS and other fantastic modelling tools. Turn to page 68 for our expert tutorial and learn how to put the modelling tools to use, creating our dune buggy illustration in the process. Once you’ve explored the toolset of your free Special Edition, see below for details on how to upgrade to the full version of Realsoft 3D 4.5 – along with a free upgrade to version 5 when it’s released – for a discounted price.

FLAMING PEAR PLUG-INS (PC + MAC) FULL PRODUCT: Two free Photoshop plug-ins from industry-renowned plug-in manufacturer Flaming Pear. Give your images an embossed metallic appearance or simply play with their colour balance. See opposite for more

TASTE MEDIA LAYERED PSD FILES (PC + MAC) EXCLUSIVE: Use these fantastic PSD files – all layered, hi-res and royalty-free – in your commercial projects. You’ll find eight free images in the Photoshop Toolkit folder on your cover CD. See page 7

CANON 3D SOM (PC ONLY) EXCLUSIVE DEMO: Take Canon’s latest software release for a spin and quickly transform a series of images into 3D models. See page 8 for further details and check out the review on page 92

DISCREET DEMOS (PC + MAC) NEW DEMOS: Check out the latest demos of combustion and cleaner XL, then turn to page 76 for our exclusive tutorial from Discreet

TUTORIAL FILES All the source files you need to complete this month’s tutorials are here. See your CD inlay for further details

UPGRADE Upgrade to Realsoft 3D 4.5 and save £50 There’s no doubting that the Special Edition of Realsoft 3D on your CD is a fantastic 3D modelling, animation and rendering tool, but there’ll probably be a time, as your models grow in surfaces and your skills improve, that you’ll need the power of Realsoft 3D 4.5. We’ve teamed up with Realsoft to bring you the chance to get your hands on the full version of 4.5, plus a free upgrade to v5 when it’s released for £550 – saving you £50. Students and schools will get 50 per cent off this offer price. Just head off to the Web shop at www.realsoft.com and select the product ‘Upgrade From Special Edition.’ When filling in the order form, enter the code CA0703 into the ‘Upgrade From Licence’ field. INFO www.realsoft.com

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On the CD

^

ESSENTIAL RESOURCES

PHOTOSHOP TOOLKIT Computer Arts brings you the best in Photoshop plug-ins, royalty-free images and other essential add-ons for Adobe’s world-famous image-editing application

SAPPHIRE INNOVATIONS

TASTE MEDIA LAYERED PHOTOSHOP IMAGES

(PC ONLY)

OVER 120MB OF

FREE IMAGES

I

f you’re looking for crazy imagebending and colour effects to add to your images, then Andrew’s Filters, distributed by Sapphire Innovations, could be just the ticket. Now on volume 12, the filter sets have gained a reputation for being incredibly good value and extremely easy to use, and they can be used to generate a host of interesting results.

We have demos of volumes 9, 11 and 12 on this month’s cover CD – that’s a total of 40 filter effects for you to try out. The demos are fullyworking, but will place a cross over your image. This means you’ll be able to see exactly what each effect does to your image. Volume 9 is a mixed set of filters, and includes such effects as Crossing for applying a random, sketched effect to your image, Lightenup for subtle blur and

(PC AND MAC)

T

his month, we’ve teamed up with Taste Media to bring you some out-of-the-ordinary stock images. The futuristic images in the Taste Media folder on your cover CD are layered PSD files: you can take them apart, alter them, and if you like a particular part of the image, simply use that layer within your designs. They’re royalty-free and can be used for commercial projects – see the licence agreement in the Taste Media folder. We’ve included eight hi-res images, taken from Taste Media’s range of layered PSD collections entitled Energy, Digital Reflections, Elements, Borealis, Reaction and Fusion. These collections contain ten PSD files and cost $199 each. Check out the Website for more on each individual collection. INFO www.tastemedia.net

FLAMING PEAR PLUG-INS (PC AND MAC)

F

laming Pear has a reputation for producing some of the best Photoshop plug-ins around, and that’s why we’ve included two more exclusively on this month’s cover CD. Both plug-ins are yours to keep – with no time limit or other disabled features. The first of the plug-ins is Electroplate (pictured below left). This enables you to create an embossed effect, making your image look as if it has been pressed into metal. It features the typically intuitive Flaming Pear interface, with a host of

sliders enabling you to finely control the effect. There are a number of presets that you can tweak – Steel, Brass, Tinsel, Blue Velvet, Aluminium, Mercury and Nacre – and you can adjust Brilliance, Relief, Chunkiness and Melting. You can apply random effects at any time, as well as save and reload frequently used effects settings, making it a versatile tool. Your second free plug-in is Zephyr (below right). This is a simpler add-on, enabling you to add coloured effects to your image. Your best plan is to apply the plug-in a number of times, building up the amount of effect. Try experimenting with layers and Blending modes as well. INFO www.flamingpear.com

out-of-focus effects, and Smudge Line for darkened, smeared RGB effects. Volume 11, entitled Mixed/Blur, enables you to create all sorts of strange blurring effects. These include Gradient blends, Intensity effects, and other colourising filters. Finally, Volume 12 gives you a huge range of gradient filter effects that are easy to configure and apply. INFO www.sapphire-innovations.com

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^

PC DEMO

CANON 3D SOM EXCLUSIVE This brand new imaging software creates sophisticated 3D models from digital

photographs – and this version gives you the chance to try it for yourself (PC only)

C

You begin by placing an object on a stand in the centre of your calibration mat, using a highly contrasting backdrop. You can capture up to 20 images using a digital camera and tripod.

anon’s new release, 3D SOM (3D Software Object Modeller), is a powerful tool that enables you to create sophisticated 3D models of any object using just a PC and a standard digital camera. With a batch of between 15 and 20 still images, 3D SOM is capable of producing intricate, fully textured models, quickly and efficiently. You can then use these models for 3D animations and illustrations, online catalogues, corporate presentations and mobile handsets. Expanding on the feature-sets of similar photography-based modelling apps, Canon’s release provides a complex suite of editing tools to refine modelling and textures to remove abnormalities. All of these editing features are available in the non-time limited trial version on our coverdisc.

GET STARTED Once you’ve installed the trial version via the CD-ROM interface, access the example folder to see a typical finished product. Once you’ve chosen an object

stages through 360 degrees. Take a total of 15-20 images – these should provide sufficient front, side and rear views. Think about which angles are best for capturing the object. Make sure it’s securely fixed to the stand and that neither moves from its position when rotating the mat. For best results, use a neutral colour backdrop to make your object stand out. You can also experiment with different lighting to achieve a variety of effects.

YOUR VERSION This trial version on the CD includes all the functionality of the full version, although you won’t be able to save any model projects you create. To obtain the full version, which costs £995, visit www.cre.canon.co.uk/3dsom or contact [email protected]. We’ve tested 3D SOM in our review section this issue – turn to page 92 for the full lowdown.

WITH A BATCH OF BETWEEN 15 AND 20 STILL IMAGES, 3D SOM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING INTRICATE, FULLY TEXTURED MODELS

Once you’ve loaded the images into the software, 3D SOM automatically masks them.

Once your images are masked, the program generates a wireframe mesh for your 3D model.

8 Computer Arts_August 2003

to model, set up a digital camera and tripod. To ensure the photographs are accurate, print out the calibration mat by clicking the Print icon from within the program. Place the object you wish to model on a stand on the mat and begin to photograph it, rotating the mat in

A flat-shaded view of the mesh makes the shape of the model easier to view. You can easily edit the model at this stage of the process to correct any abnormalities.

Textures are added automatically to create the final model. A copy and paste function enables you to edit texture maps in third-party applications and then reapply them.

LETTERS EXPOSURE SUPPLEMENT I really enjoyed your Graduate Showcase supplement last month. The quality and range of work was really impressive. Then I thought it would be a great idea to do a Best-of Exposure supplement, featuring some of the best reader work over the past year. You have such a wide readership, it would be really interesting. You could split it into 2D and 3D and do a special disc with DV and multimedia. Go on, it would be great. It would go down a storm with new and regular readers. How about it? For giving you the idea, I’d insist you put my work on the cover! Mark Daly

HAVE YOU GOT A POINT TO MAKE ABOUT THE MAGAZINE, A CREATIVE PRODUCT, A SHOW OR THE INDUSTRY AT LARGE? EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS TO THE TEAM AT [email protected], OR JOIN US ON THE COMPUTER ARTS DISCUSSION FORUM AT FORUM.COMPUTERARTS.CO.UK. FOR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS, SEE SHORTCUTS LISTING IN CONTENTS

Screen section of our weekly email newsletter. As to your excellent suggestion, all that remains is for us to find a willing sponsor… All offers to [email protected]. Until then, enjoy the range of imagery starting on page 116 and keep on submitting your work for next month. You could win an Epson Stylus Photo 900. Details of how to submit work are on page 120.

Nice idea, Mark. We always feel that six pages isn’t quite enough to showcase the entries we receive each month. The CD would be great, too. Print isn’t always the best way to showcase Web and multimedia work, hence the Exposure On Our yearly Graduate Showcase continues to win the support of key industry players and graduates alike.

CREATIVE VS COMMERCIAL I’ve just finished reading the feature in issue 85 on Creative vs Commercial and found it a valuable discussion of what’s an extremely difficult subject to explain. Not only is the whole area very subjective, but it can also vary from brief to brief. I left college four years ago with the expectation that a career in Web design would be the chance to loosen my creativity and push the boundaries of digital design… me and hundreds of others. What followed was a couple of pretty dull design jobs working on corporate Websites, following the rules of navigation and Web-safe colours to the letter. It’s taken me a long time to find that creative vs commercial balance, via experience of working with clients, usertesting and feedback from fellow designers. I now run a small design studio in Manchester and while promising to meet the commercial needs of my

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DISAPPEARING TUTORIALS I’m a big fan of your Website and have used it as a resource for two years now. Recently, though, I’ve visited and, although you’ve redesigned it, all the tutorials are missing. There are just a handful left. Are you planning on bringing these back any time soon? Marie Johnson

Finding the right balance between creative expression and the practicalities of design in the 21st century proved to be an issue close to many readers’ hearts.

clients, I see it as a crime not to let any creative instincts loose in a project. Jamie Doyle We’ve been wanting to address this issue for some time, Jamie, but you’re right: it’s a tough one to put a finger on. Still, we’re always up for a challenge. A designer is by definition commercial, but the increasingly used term

‘creative’ seems to cross the boundaries. Talking to all the different designers about their own approaches to the issue was fascinating. Everyone has their own ideas. The topic was also worth discussing for the benefit of the enthusiast who wants to turn their design or illustration work into a freelance or full-time venture. Congratulations on finding your own balance.

The Website was redesigned to integrate more effectively with the Maximum PC network (www.maxpc.co.uk). In the pipeline is an improved tutorial system with downloadable PDFs and the chance to subscribe electronically to the magazine. So while the number of tutorials and reviews will be increasing each week, look out for the all-new system, due to launch at the end of the summer. Until then, see you at www.computerarts.co.uk

Streamlined and better than ever, the latest configuration of the CA Website is set to add many new exciting features.

NEW LOGO? Why the logo change? In issue 85, you don’t mention the new logo at all and, to be honest, I only just noticed it myself, being too busy buried in the Illustrator tutorial. The new one isn’t better or worse, but why? Janet Crowe

NEXT MONTH COMPUTER ARTS 87 FREE ADOBE DV SUPPLEMENT!*

The logo was redesigned to emphasise the digital, computer-based focus of Computer Arts. The qualifier underneath changed at the same time – now we’re the world’s best-selling creative magazine. Well-noticed…

Next issue will come with a free 20-page magazine showcasing Adobe’s new digital video collection, featuring exclusive tutorials on After Effects and Premiere Pro, plus interviews with the beta testers

SIGGRAPH 2003 Just reading the Production Show news and the SIGGRAPH preview – since when was this year’s event in Texas? It’s actually in San Diego, folks. I hope no-one heads off to San Antonio! Dan Church They won’t if they go to the Website at www.siggraph.org or read their registration form – thankfully, we got it right in the Coming Soon section in news!

QUIK N DIRTY

WRITE IN AND WIN! Letter of the month wins a Contech Photoshop Logickeyboard, worth £75 upgrade keycap sets to transform your Mac Pro keyboard into a fully fledged Photoshop tool. The company currently offers keyboards for Adobe Premiere and Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Avid XPress DV, Pinnacle Edition and more. Mac and PC boards are available – you choose. For more info, go to www.contech.co.uk, [email protected], or call 01438 315 757.

Digital techniques have revolutionised traditional comic book illustration. Leading graphic artists reveal how and why

A4 SCANNER GROUP TEST

REAL 3D TEXTURES

We put five of the latest desktop scanners from Umax, Epson, Hewlett Packard and Microtek through their paces

3D artist Pete Draper demonstrates how to create stunning textures for 3D models using 3ds max and Photoshop

© 2003 Rebellion

Each issue, the writer of our star letter receives a Photoshop logickeyboard from Contech. Worth £75, the keyboard features colour-coded keys that enable you to edit in Photoshop like a pro. The keyboard helps you to work efficiently in Adobe’s app, providing handy tool references and keyboard shortcuts – you’ll never forget a key command again. Contech also offers

GRAPHIC NOVELS GO DIGITAL

Melbourne-based illustrator Anna Augal showcases her fascinating portfolio of work (www.quikand dirty.com) and talks to us about her techniques and what inspires her

FLASH MX Part two of our Flash series looks at navigation and timelines as you create a fully interactive online comic using Macromedia’s vector app

REVIEWED SOON Encore DVD After Effects 6 Premiere Pro Shake 3

DVD Studio Pro 2 QuarkXPress 6 Illustrator 11 Vegas Video 4

Mimic 2.0 Daz|Studio Canon EOS 10D New Sony digital cameras

ON SALE 7 AUGUST

*Supplement available to all subscribers and UK newsstand customers only. Subscribe now to ensure you get your copy +44 (0)870 4448455 All contents correct at time of going to press

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NEWS

SEND ALL NEWS, COMMENTS AND LINKS TO MARK PENFOLD AT [email protected]

APPLE LEAPFROGS THE COMPETITION HARDWARE The fastest PC in the world is now an Apple Mac

“ SOFTWARE QuarkXPress 6

for OS X ships 31 July p13

HARDWARE The first truly

affordable HD camera? p14

W

e are pleased to announce the world’s fastest desktop computer,” said Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, during the exciting announcement of Apple’s Power Mac G5s at the end of June. “The 64-bit revolution has begun, and the personal computer will never be the same…” The top-spec G5 boasts twin 2GHz 64-bit processors, is able to handle up to 8GB of 400MHz DDR-RAM, and can be equipped with a 500GB hard drive. Shipping in August, it will cost £2299. At the lower end of the spectrum, a

single 1.6GHz G5 with 256MB of RAM and a built-in NVIDIA FX 5200 graphics chip will cost £1549. The astounding leap in Apple’s hardware suite is the result of a new chip developed in partnership with IBM. At WWDC 2003 in San Francisco, Jobs said, “I am thrilled with the partnership, which has enabled Apple to catch up and pass our competition.” Marking the beginning of Apple’s next-generation launches, Jobs claimed the next year would see it move from a top spec of twin 2GHz G5 machines, with 1GHz front side bus, to an awesome twin 3GHz. These machines not only out-perform the fastest PC money can buy – the dual Xeon – they cost less. Could Apple finally have PC manufacturers on the back foot?

This new generation of Macs will house a brand new operating system, OS 10.3, known as Panther. Among more than 100 new features, OS 10.3 has some seriously useful additions. These include a new codec enabling fast video transfer and PDF viewing and rendering technologies. The next step for Apple with its explosive new range of hardware will be to push the hundreds of software developers to take advantage of the 64-bit platform. Interestingly, even Adobe has only been working on optimisations for the new processor for a few months. With these machines, the next 12 months could see Apple take over the number-one slot in the professional graphics, video and 3D markets, leaving PC developers wondering what happened. INFO www.apple.com

DVD Super Furry Animals

reinvent the music DVD p17

EVENT Subversive digital art

at London’s ICA p18 WEEKLY UPDATES

www.computerarts.co.uk

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The all-new G5, arguably not as pretty as previous models, but the new processor makes up for it.

News

SOFTWARE SOHO SHORTS FESTIVAL

Covert by Blackwatch Productions.

MACROMEDIA AUTHORWARE 7 Authorware is Macromedia’s dedicated solution for creating interactive e-learning content. V7 now enables developers to import Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, play back content on Mac OS X, use industry-standard JavaScript scripting and easily integrate content with Learning Management Systems (LMS). Prices for Authorware 7 start at $2999. www.macromedia.com

Flybye by production company Sherbert.

STRATA 3DPRO 3.8 FOR WINDOWS Strata has begun shipping its Windows version of Strata 3Dpro 3.8. This new iteration runs on Windows 98, ME and XP, and features photon light refraction and reflection, Stochastic sampling for enhanced realism, and toon rendering for cartoon images. A commercial licence will set you back $695. www.strata.com

FESTIVAL Fifth year for new film showcase

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ow in its fifth year, the Rushes Shorts Film Festival will be held across cinemas, bars and cafés throughout London’s fashionable Soho district between 26 July and 1 August. The annual event gives much-needed exposure to short films across five categories, including Best Newcomer and Best Animation. This year, the festival has seen an unprecedented level of entries, with over 1000 submissions coming in from around the world. An important networking event, the free screenings bring together upcoming film-makers and established industry professionals. As Joce Capper, Festival Organiser, explains: “The strength of this festival

is that it’s very informal. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an established director or a newcomer. You have equal exposure.” Ellen Deakin’s animated short Lula Fantastic is one of many being shown. Dealing with the rampant ego of a pop princess, it was animated in Adobe Premiere and After Effects from illustrations Deakin created in FreeHand and Photoshop. “As a firsttime film-maker, the whole process was an intense learning experience,” she says. “The Soho Festival is a great opportunity to have your work shown to a wide and relevant audience.” For a full timetable of screenings, visit the Soho Shorts Website. INFO www.sohoshorts.com

How To Cope With Death by Tandem Films.

Ellen Deakin took her FreeHand illustrations into Premiere and After Effects for Lula Fantastic.

Old Fools, directed by Ruth Lingford.

QUARKXPRESS 6 SOFTWARE

XPress 6 for OS X 10.2 is finally here

teve Jobs has called it “The most anticipated application of the year for our professional customers.” He’s referring, of course, to QuarkXPress 6 for OS X, a long-awaited release that looks set to offer vast levels of improvement. Running on OS 10.2 or later, v6 sports several vital new features. The two main workflow advances are Project Files and Synchronized Text. Project files consist of a set of Layouts which format content according to its purpose, be it Web, poster or print. Synchronized Text is a natural addendum to the Project File, enabling easy content-sharing between layouts. QuarkXPress 6 will be available in the UK from 31 July for £1287. Upgrades are set to cost £350.

S

INFO www.quark.com

The latest releases, updates and software news

With version 6, XPress finally becomes compatible with an operating system used by the majority of its target audience.

MICROSOFT FRONTPAGE 2003 Microsoft’s Website creation and management program, FrontPage 2003, will now be specially geared towards constructing dynamic, Extensible Markup Language (XML)based, data-driven Websites. A fully WYSIWYG XSLT editor will also enable users to work with live data. The program is due out in the second half of the year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed. www.microsoft.com OPENEXR PLUG-IN FOR 3DS MAX SplutterFish, the brains behind the Brazil renderer, has developed a Bitmap I/O plug-in for use in Discreet’s 3ds max that supports OpenEXR, a new open-source image file format developed by Industrial Light & Magic. ILM released the format code in January to the open source community, to serve as an industry standard for computer imaging applications. The plug-in is available as a free download from the SplutterFish site. www.splutterfish.com SHAVE AND A HAIRCUT FOR C4D Maxon is now shipping Shave and a Haircut 2 for Cinema 4D, a major upgrade to the popular hair-generation system by Hollywood visual effects guru Joe Alter. Top of the new features list is a unique tiling system, which enables you to render hair using under one per cent of the RAM previously required. The new package retails for $215. www.maxon.net

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HARDWARE Stay abreast of the latest art-enhancing technology

DELL DIMENSION 4600 Dell’s new Dimension 4600 workstation offers nearly the same level of expandability as its predecessor, the Dimension 4550 – but in a significantly smaller chassis. £1000 will provide you with a 2.66GHz P4 processor, 512MB Dual Channel DDR-333 memory, 60GB 7200rpm hard drive, 48X CD-RW drive and 15-inch flat-panel monitor. www.dell.co.uk IBM THINKCENTRE RANGE IBM has just unveiled the first PCs in its redesigned ThinkCentre range. With a significantly smaller footprint, the ThinkCentre S50, M50 and A50p feature an easy-access, tool-free chassis design that aims to simplify maintenance, upgrades and servicing. The A50p start at £1000. www.ibm.co.uk FUJIFILM FINEPIX A210 ZOOM Fujifilm’s 3.2-megapixel A210 has been specially designed with the non-digital camera user in mind after research showed customers were intimidated by the apparent ‘complexity’ of the new technology. You can snap one up for around £160. www.fujifilm.co.uk LACIE PHOTON18VISION LaCie has added an 18-inch LCD to its ‘photon’ range of flat-panel displays. The photon18vision supports resolutions up to 1280x1024, and is equipped with Wide Viewing Angle technology. The new display is also compatible with VGA, DVI and ADC connectors, so users can toggle between Mac and PC. It costs £586. www.lacie.com COMBUSTION 2.1 & CINTIQ 18SX Wacom and Discreet have teamed up to offer a bundle deal on combustion, the high-end desktop effects package, and the touch-sensitive Cintiq display. Available at a 20 per cent discount when bought together, this compositing and special effects bundle now costs just £3500. www.discreet.com HI-GRADE NOTINO 3600 For £705, you can walk away with a 2GHz Hi-Grade Notino notebook. At this base price, the device comes with 128MB of RAM, 14.1-inch TFT display and DVD-ROM/CD-R drive. The Notino uses an integrated AGP graphics solution which shares the system RAM and has a wide range of connectivity options. www.higrade.com

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DV CAMERAS VIDEO New JVC devices push the

envelope for affordable digital video

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VC Professional has just released its new and affordable HD video camera, the JYHD10U. The well-priced model makes High Definition video more of a realistic proposition for creative professionals, and it uses a single CCD to produce 1280x720 progressive images in 16:9 native format at 30 frames per second. The new camera is able to record at HD resolution from its 1.18-megapixel CCD to ordinary mini-DV cassettes using a new compression codec. Recognising the professional interest that this will arouse, JVC has also added a number of other pro features to the unit. These include twin XLR mic inputs, audio metering and a 180,000pixel LCD viewfinder. The flick of a

switch reverts to a standard DV shooting mode. Also launched as part of its ‘Progressive World’ campaign is the GR-PD1, a fully progressive DV camera. The significance of the word ‘progressive’ is that the new JVC CCD doesn’t interlace its images, but rather records a full image at 30fps. This seriously boosts image quality. The High Definition HD10U is expected to sell for under £3000, while the GR-PD1 should set you back under £2500. Both models will be available in the UK from September.

ABOVE The JY-HD10U: the first truly affordable HD camera? BELOW The GR-PD1 provides full progressive scan imaging.

INFO www.jvc.co.uk

MEGAPIXEL MADNESS CAMERAS Canon and Nikon release two new prosumer digitals

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anon and Nikon have just unveiled high-end additions to their impressive digital camera ranges. Both companies are keenly targeting the ‘prosumer’ with these models, which combine serious functionality and high image quality at a price point attractive to the average consumer.

ABOVE With its 5-megapixel CCD and 12 shooting modes, Canon’s G5 is a fine replacement for your old SLR. RIGHT Nikon’s feature-rich Coolpix 5400 even sports a fold-out LCD, so you can frame your shots perfectly.

Canon’s G5 is an extremely stylish addition to the popular PowerShot range of consumer digitals. Equipped with a 5-megapixel CCD, 4x optical zoom and 12 shooting modes, it’s the perfect replacement for your ageing film-based SLR, even accepting interchangeable lenses. Unlike its analogue relative, however, the G5 can store more than 400 high-resolution images when equipped with its optional 1GB Microdrive kit. Nikon’s Coolpix 5400 comes equipped with a new 5-megapixel CCD, 4x zoom and boasts a mighty 15

shooting modes. Like the Canon, it’s aimed squarely at the semiprofessional, and is packed with features to satisfy the more creative photographer. Chief among these are time-lapse mode, macro shooting down to 1cm and the five-shot buffer. Both cameras come in at a similar price, with the Canon weighing in at £679 and the Nikon at a slightly cheaper £650. INFO www.canon.co.uk, www.nikon.co.uk

WEBSITES The hottest sites and services on the Web…

HORIZONZERO www.horizonzero.ca HorizonZero is a monthly Web publication dedicated to the Canadian digital arts and culture scene, and displays some of the most exciting illustration, design and multimedia work you’re likely to see on the Web. It also commissions work, providing a valuable forum for new talent. EVIL PUPIL www.evilpupil.com Evil Pupil continues to produce fantastic-looking work. Whether he’s creating Flash games or bizarre interfaces, Yohan Gingras is forever experimenting – and the results are invariably unique and inspiring. Check out the superb ‘Immortality & Cycles’, but don’t miss the archive. NAKD www.nakd.tv Forget the intriguing moniker; this site is, in fact, a showroom for Rio-based digital creative agency Nakd. Work for clients such as Virgin, L’Oreal and Nike happily sits alongside intelligent and well-crafted design for lesser known outfits. Crossing almost every barrier, Nakd’s creativity commands respect. DROP POD www.droppod.com Californian agency drop pod has some serious clients on its books. To its credit, though, work for the likes of the US Navy and Coca-Cola is balanced by some interesting and highly experimental design work. A clean style and visual humour make this site an interesting one to visit. IDANDA www.idanda.net The new kid on the creative block, Idanda (International Design and Advertising) promises a global review of the most exciting contemporary design, illustration and photographic work. Currently on display are design collective Honest, products by Touch Design and illustrations by Paul Davis. KINGS OF TOMORROW www.kingsoftomorrow.com It’s all about content, as this home page dedicated to one of today’s best house music DJs and producers demonstrates. Sandy Rivera’s Kings of Tomorrow site has all the information you need about new releases, tours and deep, funky house music. The site was designed by Matt Mau.

WANT YOUR NEW SITE FEATURED? Send the link to [email protected] with the subject header ‘Websites’.

16 Computer Arts_August 2003

ABSOLUT DIGITAL Vodka sponsors more digital art INTERACTIVE

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bsolut is debuting its first fully digital artwork at this year’s Venice Biennale, the internationally celebrated arts exhibition. 20 years after Andy Warhol’s famous interpretation of the Absolut bottle, it has commissioned renowned British sculptor Richard Wentworth and emerging artists at Semiconductor to develop a piece that will evolve as people from around the globe interact with it over the Web. Visitors to the Absolut Website are currently being invited to take part in the new artwork, which combines Absolut bottles, a few personal details and sound to generate a landscape specific to your locale. INFO www.absolut.com RIGHT Visitors

to the site are invited to create their own Absolut environment.

LEFT The

Next Generation piece is part of the Absolut Generations project.

LEARNING CURVE DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, 3D, WEB DESIGN AND VIDEO – KEEP YOUR SKILLS UP TO SCRATCH LEARNING IT Stirling and Glasgow Learning IT runs a diverse range of multimedia courses from its stateof-the-art studios based in Stirling and Glasgow. Fast Track to ColdFusion MX: 3-day course, 23-25 July, £850 Fast Track to Fireworks MX: 2-day course, 5-6 Aug, £550 www.learningit.com MEDIA TRAINING London Media Training provides a range of professional software training courses for the design, publishing, Internet, print and multimedia industries. Courses are authorised by Macromedia, Quark and Adobe. Adobe After Effects Introduction: 2-day course, 7-8 Aug, £529 CorelDRAW Introduction: 2-day course, 7-8 Aug, £476 www.mediatraining.ltd.uk PARITY TRAINING London, Leeds, Edinburgh Parity runs many graphic design and Web software courses. Courses can be booked online and run at multiple venues throughout the UK.

Photoshop 7 Introduction: 2-day course, 21-22 July, £699 Design Techniques with Macromedia Flash MX: 2-day course, 16-17 Sept, £699 www.paritytraining.co.uk HOXTON BIBLIOTECH London Industry-trained professionals deliver both scheduled and individually tailored courses, covering 3ds max, Flash and Dreamweaver. Photoshop Level 1: 2-day course, 4-5 Aug, £600 XML Level 1: 2-day course, 2-3 Sept, £600 www.biblio-tech.net TRIMAC London Trimac offers hands-on training in a range of programs dedicated to print, graphics, Web, video and multimedia. Groups are limited to four people maximum and can be on-site or at the Trimac studio. Adobe Premiere: 2-day course, 30-31 July, £588 Apple Final Cut Pro: 2-day course, 21-22 July, £588 www.trimac.co.uk

News

SUPER FURRY DVD Welsh band’s innovative multimedia DVD

release set to reinvent the music DVD format

T APOLLO 440 ANIMATED PROMO MUSIC VIDEO New promo inspired by Warner Bros legend he video for Apollo 440’s raucous new single, Dude Descending A Staircase, features a huge cast of messed-up 2D cartoon characters, created by Simon Henwood. The artist was inspired by the classic work of Tex Avery – the animator behind characters like Daffy Duck and Droopy Dog – and the retro result reflects the boisterous nature of the track perfectly. Henwood decided early on that the cast should look like a bunch of Tex Avery rejects. He first hand-drew the characters, then scanned them into

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Flash for tidying up. Depth was achieved using Adobe After Effects. The designer was commissioned through creative production company Nexus, whose Directors Kuntzel and Deygas won the new ‘People’s Pencil’ at this year’s D&AD Awards for the title sequence to Catch Me If You Can. Still, the production didn’t go quite to plan… “A shoulder was dislocated in the process of trying to demonstrate the way a large randy rat might play the bongos,” remembers Henwood.

he Super Furry Animals is releasing a music DVD to coincide with the launch of its new album, Phantom Power. The entirely original content was produced by a team of animators and designers who’d worked previously on the band’s first DVD release, Rings Around The World. Without a pop video in sight, the DVD aims to enhance the listening experience with an explosive menu system, 14 animated intros and 14 brand new animations for each song. Led by Producer and Director Rob Giles, Cardiff-based studio No.Brake was responsible for the menus and intros, and worked closely with the creators of the song animations, Pete Fowler and Neil McFarland. “We had loads of ideas floating around after working on the band’s last DVD,” says Giles, who won a BAFTA Interactive Award for his previous project. “We knew that in order to get the best results, nothing but complete control over the production would do for us.” Created using Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, 3ds max (for the menus), combustion (for overall grading) and Flash MX (for the song animations), the result is unlike anything else you’ll have seen before on a music DVD. “It’s not just a sequel to Rings Around The World, either,” adds Giles. “It’s got its own set of surprises and characterisations.” But the hard work has clearly paid off. “A lot of time and thought went into this,” explains Giles, “and just on that basis its exciting, because it’ll be a stand-out product.” The DVD is due out 21 July, and will cost £16.99. INFO www.no-brake.com

INFO www.nexuslondon.com

GUEST FONT

This month’s font, Loop, was designed by Studio Liddell. It comprises ten type styles and is available for £50 per type style (£160 for the full family) from [email protected].

CANVAS PRO 9 Deneba’s reputable technical drawing SOFTWARE

application released in a trio of new flavours

ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

he latest edition of Canvas Pro 9 comes in three distinct iterations: Pro, GIS Mapping and Scientific Imaging. Each module adds extras layers of functionality to Deneba’s already comprehensive design,

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illustration and layout package, tailoring it to different requirements. Key new features include a 64-bit co-ordinate system, a zoom of up to 114,000 per cent, and a two billion object limit per document. Among many workflow improvements is the new Smart Toolbox. This constantly tracks and displays all drawing tools that are related to the last tool selected. You can also resize and lock toolsets so that they’re always available. Canvas Pro 9 has an estimated street price of £300. INFO www.deneba.com

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RADICAL ENTERTAINMENT

EVENT ICA plays host to an exhibition of subversive digital art

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his month, a group of digital artists will be exploring the creative potential of emerging digital technologies at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts. The exhibition, entitled World X-1, is on from now until 26 July. Focusing their critical talents on media from video games, the Web and surveillance systems, the artists behind World X-1 aim to make viewers look differently at their games consoles and Websites. US programming ensemble BEIGE, for example, has hacked two Nintendo cartridges (see image above). By reverse-engineering the cartridge for Hogan’s Alley, it’s created I shot Andy Warhol, in which players are presented with the chance to shoot at 8-bit versions of characters like Flavor Flav, Andy Warhol and the Pope. Explaining the work, Cory Arcangel of BEIGE says: “It’s part computer hacker video-synth fantasy, and part nerd experiment…” Also present is the Paper Rad Collective, which has brought together advertising, video game and Web images to produce a somewhat anarchic set of film clips and interactive Flash experiments. Joining the mayhem are Negativeland and Disney animator Tim Maloney with their controversial animation Gimme The Mermaid.

Negativeland joined with Disney animator Tim Maloney to create its Gimme The Mermaid animation.

INFO www.ica.org.uk

Paper Rad Collective has a flair for appropriating mass media imagery.

As well as developing Flash-based projects, Paper Rad subverts the 8-bit gaming aesthetic.

Paper Rad creates montages using images from the Web, computer games and the mass media.

THE WEB’S WORKING WEB DESIGN Macromedia survey

suggests dark times for Web studios, but designers disagree

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esearch conducted for Macromedia indicates that more and more UK businesses are producing their corporate Websites in-house. But despite the news, Web designers and studios are confirming that commissions are on the increase. The survey, Making The Web Work For You, was conducted among The Times’ top 2000 businesses in January. Results suggest that 53 per cent of the companies rely on internal teams for all Web design and development. Of the remainder, only 30 per cent claimed to use external agencies, freelance developers and designers, and 17 per cent worked collaboratively with external teams. In response, Mark Bennett, MD of leading Web agency Graphico expressed surprise. “We’ve seen an upturn. There’s a big demand for online marketing and viral campaigns – efforts to drive traffic to Websites.” While businesses have the inhouse design expertise, they may lack the resources to work on marketing schemes. Ryan Carson, BD4D founder and designer at Fingal Design, also reported a healthy time for Web studios. “The demand for designers to produce video work internationally is on the up. We’re seeing a lot of activity amongst the larger brands in consumer and corporate work.” While Website production and content management in-house is on the increase, companies are still turning to the experts for specialist requirements. Bennett concludes: “Outsourcing to Web agencies is essential. We focus on what we do and how to do it well. We’re the ones who are aware of trends and technologies in a fluid marketplace.”

INFO www.macromedia.com/uk, www.graphico.com, www.bd4d.com, www.fingaldesign.co.uk

COMING SOON A CALENDAR OF ESSENTIAL RELEASES AND EVENTS FOR DIGITAL CREATIVES

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Computer Arts 87 On sale 7 August Closing date for entries to Animex Student Animation Awards 1 August Computer Arts Projects (previously Computer Arts Special) issue 49 On sale 22 August RealViz MatchMover Pro 3.0 for OS X Due now MindAvenue Axel 3D 2.5 Out this month

Computer Arts 88 On sale 4 September Discreet 3ds max 6 Due now Computer Arts Projects issue 50 Buy it from19 September New Epson desktop printer range Due to launch Corel KnockOut 3 Due for release Adobe GoLive 7 Predicted to be announced around now

Digital Arts World Opens 28 October Computer Arts 89 On sale 1 October Computer Arts Projects issue 51 Hits newsagents on 16 October Computer Arts 90 Out 28 October combustion 3 Should be ready for release Adobe InDesign 3 Available by the end of this month

The Matrix Revolutions – Will Zion survive or was it all just a dream? Out 5 November Computer Arts 91 On sale 27 November Adobe Photoshop 8 Buy it now Adobe Illustrator 11 Scheduled for a November release Martial Arts epic Hero from Zhang Yimou Due for release Computer Arts Projects issue 52 Get your copy on 12 November

18 Computer Arts_August 2003

in association with

and

EXCLUSIVE INVITE

SEE THE ADOBE DV COLLECTION IN ACTION

Adobe invites you to an exclusive showcase of its brand new DV suite

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o accompany the launch of Adobe’s brand new DV suite, the leading graphics and imaging software manufacturer invites video and production professionals to an exclusive event at the Imax theatre, London on 20 August. The new collection includes the latest versions of animation and special effects program After Effects 6, video-editing package Premiere Pro, new DVD authoring tool Encore DVD, and recently acquired audio editor, Audition – see page 86 for our preview. The DV Collection Pro Edition will complete the creative line-up by including all the above tools plus Photoshop 7 and Illustrator 10. As Premiere Pro is only available on the PC, Adobe has engineered the suite to be as efficient as possible on the PC platform, emphasising time-saving workflow and creative flexibility for post-production houses and DV professionals. Registration to this exciting event on 20 August 2003 is completely free

© Warner Bros 2003

EVENT: ADOBE DV SEMINAR DATE: 20 AUGUST 2003 EVENT: IMAX THEATRE, THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE, LONDON

See The Matrix Reloaded on the very big screen at the Imax theatre.

20 Computer Arts_August 2003

(see Web address below), and includes real-life product demonstrations from two leading industry professionals who have been beta testing the new product suite within their own studios for months. In two insightful presentations, Kevan O’Brien from Passion Pictures (Gorillaz promos, Rover Mini commercials) and Nick Scott from Fashion Flix (Vidal Sassoon, Max Factor promos) will be demonstrating the effects the new DV suite had on their own studios’ workflows in terms of both creativity and efficiency. This is the only chance to see the new software suite in action before IBC2003 in September. To end the event in style, Adobe invites you to a special screening of the recently released blockbuster The Matrix Reloaded at The Imax Experience. Stick around to see the Wachowski brothers’ sequel – four times larger and ten times clearer with 12,000 watts of digital sound. INFO To register, go to www.adobe.co.uk/events. See page 86 for our full preview of Adobe’s latest releases

The all-new, PC-only Premiere Pro.

The eagerly awaited After Effects 6.

CREATEAMAZINGIMAGES

Canadian illustrator Derek Lea walks us through one his current projects – creating the artwork for a music CD using Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator and some rented butterflies A brief for a CD cover is something that will land on the desks of most illustrators, and it poses its own unique challenges. Here, making use of three programs – Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator – we’re going to create an image that is futuristic, yet painterly and tactile, too. The content of this dynamic and surreal illustration is the result of what came to the mind of digital artist Derek Lea when he was recently commissioned by independent British band Universal Panzies to create a CD cover image. The subject matter was inspired by the philosophy of the Universal Panzies as much as the band’s music, and the techniques employed are a combination of digital processes and natural media simulation. Create the illustration yourself using the tutorial and the files on the CD, and get up to speed with the processes involved in generating successful CD artwork. INFO Artwork, photography and words by Derek Lea: [email protected], www.dereklea.com.

ON THE CD The files you need to complete this tutorial are on the cover CD in the folder Tutorial\Cover. All files are for personal training purposes only and not to be reproduced elsewhere.

ILLUSTRATION BY DEREK LEA

www.dereklea.com

22 Computer Arts_August 2003

Tutorial

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23

CONCEPTUAL ILLUSTRATION

Before we begin the task at hand, we talk to Derek Lea about the things to bear in mind when creating CD covers, and get the background on this real-life job for Universal Panzies

Derek Lea rented this butterfly specimen from a local importer of obscure items. He photographed this one using a Fuji FinePix s2 Pro camera. “The shop is a goldmine for bizarre props,” says Lea. “Whether I need a monkey skull, whale bone, nautilus shell or butterfly, I can always find it there.”

Spend the necessary time doing detailed roughs. Having a proper template to work from and to submit for approval is essential before you begin. Here are a couple of roughs Lea submitted. Take a good look at the unused option – you may see it pop up on the cover of a later Panzies release.

Lea was eager to convey the organic nature of the Panzies’ music; the fact it’s played by real people on real instruments and not computers. A scan of a watercolour painting (used in the background) helps to suggest this.

It’s important to have sufficient size and negative space when creating an illustration for CD packaging. This gives you the flexibility to experiment with different positions on different parts of the package: (top-left) the CD print, (top-right) rear of jewel case print, and (above) back and front of the CD booklet.

24 Computer Arts_August 2003

Creating a CD cover is usually one of the projects illustrators relish the most. There’s room to explore the conceptual side of the illustration, and let the subject matter be defined by the music itself. The following project is a perfect example. Derek Lea created this illustration as CD cover artwork for the Universal Panzies. The Universal Panzies aren’t your average band. They create a nebulous and spiralling aural landscape, with many long instrumentals clocking in at ten minutes plus. “The thing that really struck me about the Panzies is their ability to take the listener on a sort of journey. Their music has an other-worldly and timeless aspect to it, exactly the kind of thing I love to listen

interested in the process of creation, not the marketing of a product,” states Lea. Panzies’ recordings are described by Christophe F. as: “People hanging out and being creative for non-commercial reasons. It’s never been about the money.” The majority of the music is recorded live to DAT with no studio tricks or overdubs. They are a real rock band playing real instruments. The music, which can at times be quite similar to contemporary trance music, is organic, not computer-generated. “I wanted to convey the organic nature of their music as a very subtle texture. That is where the incorporation of the water colour paint texture came from,” Lea explains. “THE THING THAT REALLY STRUCK ME The final illustration was created ABOUT THE PANZIES IS THEIR ABILITY at a larger size than required, with a TO TAKE THE LISTENER ON A JOURNEY” considerable amount of extra background area. According to to while working,” says Lea. This was a main Derek Lea: “It’s often a good idea to provide enough contributing factor to the overall feel of the extra size and area in the image, so that when the illustration. According to Lea: “The image had time comes to lay out the cover, the booklet and the to have a surreal atmosphere to it, I wanted the print on the actual CD itself, you have quite a few viewer to be unsure where this was all taking options in terms of what sections of the image are place, possibly underwater, or in some bizarre placed where. And there must also be sufficient atmosphere.” This is why he opted for the blue negative space to accommodate text.” monochromatic colour palette. Universal Panzies leader Christophe F. states: “All the Panzies’ gigs and recording sessions from 1997 until 2001 were performed or recorded on Pagan days, full moons… Pagan wandering and seasons had a direct affect on the way we played. I wanted a mix of undemocratic direction coupled with improvised anarchy.” This is what set Derek Lea’s imagination in motion. “There is a strong sense of purpose to the Panzies’ music, so I wanted to come up with an identifying symbol. Perhaps a motif that could be used again in whole or in part on The acclaimed Universal Panzies (left to right): other Panzies CD cover art. This is where the Fried, Christophe F. and Mandy Neu Snee. Although butterfly came from.” a rather colourful group of characters, The Panzies wisely opted for a conceptual illustration rather Lea believed that the butterfly was an excellent than putting the obligatory band photo on the metaphor for the fruition of an idea. “I wanted this front of the CD. A wise choice indeed. butterfly to have an immediate look of religious significance. That is why it looks slightly like an Egyptian scarab. However, it was also important to convey the light-hearted and contemporary nature of the Panzies. That is why the body of the butterfly looks like a bizarre insect from outer space.” As this strange winged creature passes through the surreal atmosphere of the image, it leaves an ethereal wake behind, filled with gears and cogs. “The gears and cogs represent the process of the music as a verb not a noun. The Panzies are

Tutorial

PART 1 BUTTERFLY WINGS

PART 2 THE BACKGROUND

By combining two different butterfly photos and placing them in position on the background, we’ll lay the groundwork for the illustration

Using photographs, adjustment layers and a desktop scan of a watercolour painting, we’ll create the initial background

4

In the Output Levels, drag the left slider to the right until the dark areas are lightened, then click OK. Command-click the vector mask icon in the Layers palette to generate a selection from it. Create a new Levels adjustment layer from the pulldown in the bottom of the Layers palette.

7

Open the file red paint.psd, then use the Move tool to drag the layer into the working file. Position it slightly to the right. In the Layers palette, move the layer down below the butterfly set, then change the mode to Multiply. Choose Duplicate layer from the Layer palette sub-menu to copy the paint layer.

1

Open the files butterfly1.psd and butterfly2.psd from the cover CD. Use the Polygonal Lasso tool to draw a rough closed selection around the bright wing in butterfly2.psd. Now use the Move tool to drag the contents of the selection into butterfly1.psd as a new layer. Use Free Transform (Command+T) to resize, rotate and reposition the layer so that the new wing fits nicely with the image.

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Select the yellow channel from the pulldown menu and adjust the sliders until the input levels read: 0, .63, 255. Now select the black channel and adjust the sliders until the input levels read: 66, 1.00, 238. Click OK. Choose Merge Visible from the Layers palette sub-menu to merge all of the image and adjustment layers into a single layer.

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Open the file sunset.psd and use the Move tool (holding down the Shift key) to drag the layer into the working file in proper position. Change the mode to Luminosity and reduce the opacity to 50 per cent. Duplicate the layer and change the mode to Overlay, then increase the opacity to 100 per cent.

2

Use the Pen tool to draw a closed path tightly around the edge of the new wing. Don’t worry about the body, just close the wing path. Choose Layer>Add Vector Mask>Current Path from the menu. Select the underlying layer in the Layers palette. Create a new path in the Paths palette by clicking on the Create New Path button.

PART 3 ATMOSPHERE

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Open the file background.psd. Use the Move tool to drag your butterfly layer into the sunset file, then use Free Transform to flip it horizontally, resize, rotate and reposition it to the upper left. Duplicate the layer and change the mode to soft light. Reduce the opacity to 26 per cent. Now create a new layer set and add the butterfly layers to it.

^

3

Draw a closed path around the other wing on this layer using the Pen tool. Again, choose Layer>Add Vector Mask>Current Path from the menu. Duplicate the top layer in the Layers palette and change the Blending mode to Soft Light. Choose Image>Adjustments>Levels from the menu.

Here we’re going to use channels to create a gaseous cloud, stack layers to create an ethereal wake – and introduce some pansies

INSIGHT UNIVERSAL PANZIES Harking from Wallsend in the North of England, Universal Panzies formed in 1997 and have released several CDs. Their most accessible, Transcendental Floss, was released under Julian Cope’s Head Heritage record label. They also contributed the track Ambient Metal to Cope’s L.A.M.F. CD. Visit www.headheritage.co.uk or email [email protected] for details.

9

Create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and adjust the Hue to +163 and the Saturation to +100. Create a levels adjustment layer. Affecting all channels, move the sliders until input levels read 16, .92, 219. Open the rendered layered file ether1.psd. Drag the layer set into your working file and position.

Computer Arts_August 2003

25

10

Inside the set, change the Blending mode of the bottom layer to Overlay. Duplicate that layer and change the mode to Soft Light. Open the file gas.psd, Select All (Command+A) and Copy (Command+C). Click the Create New Channel button in the Channels palette in your working file and paste. Switch on the visibility of your CMYK channels.

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Move the contents of your selection within the channel over the butterfly. Use Free Transform to adjust the size. Command-click the alpha channel icon to generate a selection from the channel. With this selection active, return to the Layers palette and create a new layer. Now set the foreground colour to white – and select the Gradient tool.

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Draw a square marquee around the contents of this layer, then choose Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Enter 30. Now set the Blur to Zoom and the Quality to Good. Deselect (Command+D) and duplicate the layer. Specify a light yellow foreground colour in the picker. Now create a new layer and generate a selection from your alpha channel.

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Select Edit>Stroke from the menu. Set the width to 2 pixels and the location to inside (leave the other settings alone) and click OK. Change the Layer mode to Soft Light and Deselect. Duplicate the layer, change the mode to overlay and the opacity to 30 per cent. Use Free Transform (Command+T) to rotate the contents of the layer about 45 degrees.

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Open the file panzies.psd. In the Paths palette, Command+click the existing path to generate a selection from it. Now use the Move tool to drag the contents of the selection into your working file as a new layer. Use Free Transform to resize and reposition them to the lower-left of the image. Change the Blending mode to Luminosity and reduce the opacity to 14 per cent.

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Duplicate the layer, change the opacity to 100 and the Blending mode to Overlay. Create a series of duplicate flower layers. Use Free Transform to vary the size and rotation of the layers and scatter the flowers around the edges. Use varying opacity settings and Blending modes. Create a layer set and add all the flower layers to it.

PART 4 THE ETHER AND THE BUTTERFLY It’s time to give this butterfly a body and scatter some gears

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Choose Foreground To Transparent from the Gradient presets. Leave this setting alone from now on – we’ll use it for the rest of the tutorial. Select the Radial Gradient option. Draw a gradient within your selection from the centre outwards. Deselect. Change the Blending mode to Overlay and reduce the opacity to 44 per cent. Now duplicate the layer and set the mode to Normal and the opacity to 100 per cent.

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Open the previously rendered, layered file named ether2.psd. Drag the set into your working file and position it so that it overlaps the previous ether set. Inside the set, change the Blending mode of the bottom layer to Overlay. Create a new layer and select the Radial Gradient tool. With a white foreground colour, create several small gradients under the centre of the butterfly.

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Draw a closed path using the Pen tool around the lower-inside black area of the butterfly wings. Generate a selection from the path and create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Click the Colourize box, change the Hue to 0, the Saturation to +100 and the lightness to +5. Drag the adjustment layer into the butterfly set and duplicate it.

26 Computer Arts_August2003

Tutorial

PART 5 VECTORS Time to open up Illustrator and create some vital vector art

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Open body.psd – the finished rendering. Generate a selection from the alpha channel and drag the contents into the working file as a new layer. Use Free Transform to distort, resize and rotate the body of the insect into place between the wings. Open the file gears.psd, generate a selection from the channel and drag the contents into the working file.

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Position the gears over the ether and duplicate the layer. Change the duplicate’s mode to Overlay. Add a layer mask to the lower gears layer and select the Radial Gradient tool with a foreground colour of black. Click and drag to create a gradient within the layer mask to mask out the gears on the layer closest to the butterfly.

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Deselect and open the file c2.psd. Generate a selection from the alpha channel and drag the contents into the working file as a new layer. Move it to the top of the Layers palette and position it close to the butterfly surrounding the ether. In the Channels palette, generate a selection from the channel you just created, by Command-clicking the channel icon.

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Launch Adobe Illustrator and open the file rings.ai. Select All (Command+A). From the menu, select Object>Path>Outline Stroke to create new objects based on the strokes of the existing lines. Zoom in on any part of the image and you’ll see that some of the objects are overlapping.

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Choose Layer>Add Layer Mask>Reveal All from the menu. Select the Radial Gradient tool with a foreground colour of black. Create a gradient or two inside the selection on the mask to mask out areas of the layer, so it looks like the shape surrounds the ether. Open c3.psd and c4.psd and follow the same procedures to incorporate these files, too.

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To remedy this, with all the objects selected, direct your attention to the Adobe Pathfinder palette. Click on the Add To Shape Area button, then click on the Expand button. This will combine all of the objects into one, more easily configured object. Select it and choose Edit>Copy from the menu. Return to your working file in Photoshop.

^

INSIGHT FREE TRANSFORM

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In the Layers palette, locate the bottom layer inside your first ether set, hold down the Command key and click the layer icon to generate a selection. Now locate the bottom layer in the second ether set and Command+Shift-click its icon to add its shape to the current selection. Choose Select>Save selection from the menu to save it as a new channel.

The Free Transform tool is much more than a bounding box that enables you to rotate and resize the contents of a selection. If you hold down the Control key and click anywhere within the bounding box, you’ll see a pop-up menu that reveals the tool’s full functionality. Functions such as Scale and Rotate are immediately obvious, but others, such as Skew, Distort and Perspective, are a little less apparent, though just as useful. Also nested here is the ability to rotate and flip the contents of the box either vertically or horizontally.

LAYER SETS When adding layers to a new layer set, it’s important that they end up inside the set in the same order they were outside the set; otherwise the look of your layer stacks will change. The easiest way to add layers to a set in order is to drop them onto the set icon itself – it doesn’t matter if the set is open or closed. Start with the top layer, then the second one down, then the third, and so on. Always drag layers into your set from top to bottom to keep them in the correct order.

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Paste. Select Path from the Paste As options. Use the Path selection tool to select the new path and use Free Transform to resize, distort and skew the path. Reposition it to the right of the image. Command-click the path icon to generate a selection from it. Create a new layer under the butterfly set in the Layers palette. Select a white foreground colour.

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^

INSIGHT PAINTER & PHOTOSHOP With the latest release of Painter, it’s much easier to bounce files back and forth between the app and Photoshop. Painter 8 now supports channels, while the Layers palette and masks work in exactly the same way as they do in Photoshop. One main hurdle to overcome is that of adjustment layers. Painter 8 wants to flatten them when it opens a layered Photoshop file containing them. That’s the reason why we merged our Photoshop layered file before we brought it into Painter.

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Choose Edit>Stroke from the menu and add a two-pixel stroke inside the selection. Deselect and change the Layer mode to Soft Light. Add a layer mask and use the Radial Gradient tool with a black foreground colour within the layer mask – this will blend out the edges and soften certain areas. Now select your new path in the Paths palette.

Change the Hue to 256 and the Saturation to 47. Create a new layer set and add these new layers to it. Add a layer mask to the set. Use the Radial Gradient tool on the layer set mask to blend the outer areas and soften any sharp areas. Choose Layer> Flatten Image from the menu and save your file.

PART 6 PAINTER Now we’ll put Painter’s natural media tools to good use, enhancing the organic feeling we hinted at earlier when we incorporated the watercolour painting

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Use the Direct Selection tool to select an inner area of your path. Hold down Shift and click on some more inner areas. Now click on the Load Path As a Selection button in the Paths palette. Create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Change the Hue to +13 and the layer Blending mode to Overlay. Duplicate the layer and change the mode to Normal.

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Choose Sponges from the Brush category, and select Smeary Wet Sponge 60 from the brush variants. Using various size, opacity and grain settings, sponge-blend together paint on the current layer. Create another new layer. Select Digital Watercolour from the brush category and Spatter Water as the brush variant.

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Launch Painter 8 and open your Photoshop file. Use the Eyedropper to sample colour from the background, and use the Apply Colour tool (paint brush) to paint the sampled colours into the Mixer palette. Now use the mixer palette Mix Colour tool (palette knife) to mix the colours in the Mixer palette.

FINAL STEP

P

aint with the Spatter water brush on the new layer, using colours from the Mixer. Save the file when finished in .psd format. Open the file in Photoshop and add a layer mask to the first paint layer. Now use the Radial Gradient tool on the mask, with a black foreground colour to soften any painted areas you feel are too strong. Do the same thing with the second paint layer if you like.

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Reload the selection by Command-clicking the adjustment layer mask icon in the Layers palette, then create a new selective colour adjustment layer. In the Neutrals section, reduce the yellow and black, but increase the magenta and the cyan. Reload the selection again and create another hue/saturation adjustment layer. Enable Colourize.

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Click the New Layer button in the Layers palette to create a new layer. Select the Brush tool and oils from the Brush category, then Thick Wet Oils 10 as the brush variant. Using various brush sizes, opacity and grain settings, paint strokes throughout the image on your new layer. Use the Eyedropper tool to sample colours in the Mixer.

28 Computer Arts_August 2003

I ILLUSTRATION BY MAGICTORCH www.magictorch.com

30 Computer Arts_August 2003

Look around you. Illustration is back. Re-born for a hipper, more visually aware and demanding audience. This issue, we take a snapshot of contemporary illustration by selecting ten of the world’s most wanted

Feature

I

llustration is hip. That’s official. From the pages of monthly style guru The Face to the T-shirts for ultra-cool fashion company Silas, design’s lesser-known cousin has finally come in from the cold, revivified for the 21st century. But this has been no sudden transformation. For some time now, an underground group of individuals, many of whom once considered illustration a ‘dirty’ word, has been spearheading these amazing changes. Over the next few pages, we meet ten illustrators who have helped instigate illustration’s dramatic return to form, and those in the process of instigating the

next key advances. Of course, creating a list is controversial. Our criteria were simple: excellent work for excellent clients. A broad remit, for sure – and one met by a vast number of illustrators – but space dictated that we choose only ten of the best, and agree or disagree with the list, one thing is certain: this is definitely work that is helping to define illustration today. INFO Lawrence Zeegen (www.zeegen.com) is an illustrator and educator. He has worked on commissions for newspapers and magazines, for design companies and advertising agencies, and is Academic Programme Leader for Communication and Media Arts at the University of Brighton.

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IAN WRIGHT

y, or maybe even the Ian Wright is the Dadd porary illustration Granddaddy, of contem

Ian Wright’s work has spanned four decades. His career begins at the end of the 70s, illustrating the cover of The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks seven-inch single. It then moves on to his frenetic weekly black and white portraits for the New Musical Express in its 80s hey-day, to an in-your-face billboard campaign for Fosters Ice in the 90s and his unique in-store installation for Issey Miyake in New York City in the noughties. No small achievement. Ian Wright never planned on a career in illustration. He didn’t even plan a career in art and design. It was while working in a clerical job for the NHS in Old Street that his colleagues persuaded Wright to get himself off to Art School. A year of evening classes, another on a Foundation course, and three years sharing a desk with new pal Neville Brody at the London College of Printing saw Wright enter the industry just as punk rock became new wave. In May 1980, The Face launched its first ever issue, and Wright’s work featured within. Mixing fashion, style and music with contemporary design, it was the perfect outlet for Wright’s fresh approach to image-making. His work, 23 years later, bears little resemblance to those early manic drawings, but the spirit within is just as visible. The use of materials throughout Wright’s career have changed from job to job, and he’s created images using just about anything that has come to hand. An early portrait of Grandmaster Flash saw Wright work entirely with salt to replicate cocaine as a reference to the seminal rap track, White Lines. He also adopted photocopiers at an early stage, creating images by changing single colour toners to mimic the screen print process. Portraits of Mike Tyson, Björk, Ian Brown, Pete Townsend (the list goes on) for record sleeves and the music press have enabled Wright the luxury of slipping effortlessly between the analogue and the digital. Currently creating a portrait of civil rights campaigner Angela Davis from 1000 mascara brushes (for Black Book magazine in the US), and another of Henry Wellcome made from reflective dots (for The British Museum), it’s not likely Wright’s inventive image-making methods will ever be tamed. Having demanded huge respect for his left-field approach to image-making, would-be illustrators and designers often approach Wright at his studio in East London for advice. “Simple,” he says. “Keep The Faith!” INFO www.mrianwright.co.uk

JASPER GOODALL

er Goodall is dark, The visual world of Jasp xual ly se moody, raw – and high “A mag from Japan called Tattoo Burst, a book of erotic Chinese art, a Korean book that categorises thousands of animals and gives 50 different stylised representations of each of them…” Jasper Goodall is describing what’s on his desk in his Brighton studio. “Loads of empty tea and coffee cups,” he continues. “Bills I haven’t paid, bits of paper with my drawings on them and, oh yes, all my computer shit.” The fact that Goodall’s choice of hardware – a G4 Mac with Photoshop and FreeHand, a Wacom tablet, scanner and all manner of digital devices – seems to excite him less than his felt-tips, pop-a-point pencils and wealth of global visual reference materials is an indication of how this illustrator approaches his creative work. Drawing upon a range of interests , Goodall has become pretty adept at creating fashion-based but gutsy illustration work on major ad campaigns for a range of clients, including Levi’s and Nike. It is, however, his work for The Face that has always excited him most, as creative control remains firmly within his own grasp. “I hate clients that dictate – I once worked on a very big project for a stressed art director who slammed the phone down on me, so we only communicated via email. One email, demanding changes to my work, angered me so much that I spat at his message on my screen!’” Angry maybe, but prepared to stand by his principles: Goodall recently attacked The Observer for making changes to one of his illustrations, removing a semi-erect penis, without his permission. A monthly design publication ran a two-page feature on the fiasco, looking in-depth at issues of digital manipulation and ownership of copyright. “The best thing about working in illustration is the freedom, but the worst thing must be the number of talentless art directors who desire control!” explains Goodall. Sex remains at the forefront of much of Goodall’s work. Citing pornography, Gary Numan and Bret Easton Ellis as influences, his images are littered with fashionable, beautiful women, often vacant, sometimes powerful. It seems fitting that he’s just finished his first fashion range: a line of bikinis launched in tandem with his agent, Big Active, at a chic gallery in West London. Goodall’s 2D fashion world finally meets the real world in 3D, harnessing the same attitude captured in his illustrations. Girls, wear a Jasper Goodall bikini and feel the power! INFO www.bigactive.com

JOE MAGEE

er and gallery-exhibiting This talented film-mak om in saying ‘No!’ ed fre e tiv ea cr ds fin r to illustra

From Liverpool to London to Manchester to Bristol, Joe Magee has been on the move. Having studied in his home town of Liverpool before going on to the London College of Printing and then, at MA level, at Manchester Met University, Magee has finally made Bristol his home. Now immortalised across the city for an exhibition at the Watershed, Bristol’s cultural melting pot, people will often say, ‘Ah yes, the rabbits’, as they nod in recognition. The rabbits were part of an animated piece about memetics (mind viruses), and included endlessly replicating white rabbits on a red background that have, according to Magee, “found their way into many people’s psyches… so the idea worked.” Magee’s images always garner responses from his audience; he provokes reactions through his work and finds he’s commissioned because his pieces have a point of view. He cites his most memorable job as the Penguin cover for A Clockwork Orange, and counts among his heroes Peter Saville, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, David Lynch and William Heath Robinson. Having utilised digital media for many years, Magee continues to create images that have their own look and feel. He puts this down to retaining creative freedom. “I’ve never been motivated by making lots of money, and I think this has really helped facilitate creative development. I’ve always felt compelled to remain independent and tried to feel comfortable about what jobs I’ll accept. The reality of saying no to big bucks for an artistically or ethically challenged job is harsh, but always feels good in the end,” he explains. Magee works at a prolific rate. He has to, fashioning two illustrations for The Guardian and one for The Observer every week of the year. But other commissions arrive on a regular basis. “I’ve always had a steady stream of work from the USA, having worked for The New York Times, Boston Globe and LA Times,” he says. “I’ve also worked regularly for Libération in France for years.” But it’s the extra-curricular projects that keep Magee motivated. Currently in production is a short film about addictive behaviour on a deprived council estate. “I’m becoming more interested in making films. I’ve made about ten in the last five years and I’m getting more commissioned,” he explains. And then there are the exhibitions. “I like the freedom of taking on independent noncommercial projects, like generating a series of large digital prints for an exhibition at an interesting gallery.” For further details, check out his Website. INFO www.periphery.co.uk

KAM TANG

s This Vector Master take

two jobs at a time

For the guy who won the Creative Futures Award for best up-andcoming illustrator in 1998, Kam Tang’s first commission was hardly the biggest job on the planet. The brief? An image that measured 6x3cm for a radio listing in the Radio Times. Five years on, however, and Tang has worked for clients across London, Tokyo, New York, Munich and Amsterdam. Initially recognised for the finest vector drawing abilities around town, Tang was commissioned by design group GTF to create illustrations for the annual prospectus of The Royal College of Art. The artist had studied at the RCA himself and knew how best to represent the hallowed sanctity of the place; he created a vast hand-drawn illustration of the exterior of the building using just a few minimalist vector lines. The beauty of the piece was in an extremely detailed, exquisitely full-coloured rendering of the ice-cream van that parked outside the RCA on a daily basis. Reflecting on his own design approach and philosophy, represented in the early RCA commission, Tang keeps it simple: “Ideas first.” It has been this unfussy attitude, coupled with unmatched vector drawing skills, that have impressed a whole range of clients. Tang now counts CD sleeves for Merz, billboard and magazine advertising campaigns for Adidas, and recent identity work for The Design Museum, as among his most favoured commissions. Work continues to flood in, and although Tang describes his role simply as “being my own boss and making my own works,” it’s clear that the flood is not without pressure. Juggling deadlines, clients and commissions from his studio at home in South London, Tang admits, “You can output an incredible amount of work in the final moments of an impending deadline, but never at the start!” He goes on to offer advice for aspiring illustrators, based on his own early experiences: “Never take on more than two jobs at once.” Watching Stanley Kubrick’s movies, as well as old Bruce Lee kung-fu films, listening to Mozart piano sonatas, catching up on comic artworks created by Jack Kirby and George Herriman, as well as “investigating nature and science,” as he puts it, are all key influences. New Yorkers Saul Steinberg, Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast are all admired by Tang, too, but it’s perhaps his own left-field take on the world that enabled him to see the beauty in that ice-cream van outside the country’s highest seat of art and design learning. INFO www.kamtang.com

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SHONAGH RAE

tional printmaking Rae has replaced tradi e Photoshop techniques with Adob

“In my pre-computer days, I worked using relief printing, a very long-winded process that often meant all-night sessions in the studio to meet deadlines,” explains Shonagh Rae from Studio 100 in East London, which she shares with around 20 designers, architects and other illustrators. “Occasionally,” she elaborates, “I would have to courier work that was still drying. One time, I got a copy of the magazine that an illustration appeared in and realised that the artwork had completely stuck to the inside of the envelope in transit. The art director had made a vague attempt at peeling it off, but it had gone to print anyway! I booked on a Photoshop course the next day.” That early lesson was a tough one, but it did change the course of Rae’s work in a way she couldn’t have imagined. Currently one of the busiest illustrators in the editorial and publishing fields, Rae has successfully developed her timeconsuming, labour-intensive print techniques into a digital process that echoes her earlier work, evoking much of its textures and richness. Still, doing it digitally has brought its own set of problems. “One of the worst things about what I do is having to be your own IT specialist’” she explains. The fact that Rae is currently working on numerous projects means that she may well be on the way to employing her own IT professional in the future. “I’m working on a piece for Mamm Magazine, an American publication for women suffering from breast cancer, three book jackets for novelist Jake Arnott, another for a new author, Louise Dean, images for New Scientist magazine, others for an annual company report and some editorial stuff.” Represented by the Heart illustration agency, Rae fully understands the value of having an agent: “Like a lot of flimsy illustrators, I don’t like the messy business of talking money!” Rae is very happy with her current studio set-up, but the route to joining Studio 100 wasn’t straightforward. “My first studio was above Burger King in Camden, and in the years since it seems like I’ve shared a studio with pretty much every illustrator in London,” she explains. Rae’s approach to her work is echoed in the advice she gives to those just starting out: “Develop a personal way of working and then decide where you might fit into illustration, rather than the other way around. You can pick up the IT skills on the way.” INFO www.heartagency.com

SPENCER WILSON

ilson’s work ethic Perfectionist Spencer W lf, rather ‘boring’ mse is, to quote the man hi

Reliable and efficient may be an apt portrayal of this illustrator, but he would disagree. “My approach has always been boring. I always get jobs done on time, I make sure that I never work past 11pm and, if I can, always anticipate what the client may ask for next,” he insists. “I make a regular point of visiting Zwemmers, Magma and Waterstones bookshops so I can keep abreast of what’s happening in design. The last book I bought was Graphic Design for the 21st Century – how boring is that?” It has been this singular vision and professional outlook that has assisted Wilson in winning commissions as a busy illustrator, combined with a great eye, a sense of humour and a unique style of work. As one eleventh of illustration collective, Peep Show, Wilson is another drawn to the personal project and the exhibition. Peep Show has held shows at locations around Hoxton and Shoreditch, putting itself on the map and, at the same time, creating traffic to its Website at www.peepshow.org.uk. The members of Peep Show, many of whom studied together at the University of Brighton, gather monthly to discuss projects. “The solitude is the toughest thing about working from a home studio,” explains Wilson. “I began working in a large basement living/work space in Bethnal Green with two other Peep Show members. The place was dark and rough around the edges, but the positive side was the mad landlord, who let us do what we liked. I worked on a small desk using a chair I found on the street and an orange iMac, which I loved.” Wilson is organised at maintaining contacts. He keeps in touch with clients through regular emailed illustrated images reflecting current interests. A recent piece pictured three advertising creative types around a table responding to the question ‘How many art directors does it take to change a lightbulb?’ with the witty one-liner ‘Does it have to be a lightbulb?’ It’s been this type of humour in Wilson’s work, along with his neat quirky little character, that have led to work on ad campaigns for Ski, Buzz airlines and Sky Premier. “I enjoy the buzz of being briefed and creating drawings, and I like the lifestyle, working to my own agenda and getting personal projects out there too,” explains Wilson, without even a hint of boredom in his voice. INFO www.spencerwilson.co.uk

PAUL DAVIS

xton, full of dubious We visit a studio in Ho am gloom and bits of flots drawings, impending “Last year, during the World Cup Finals,” Paul Davis recounts, “I called a client to say I was ill and needed a few more days to finish a job. At the same time, I clumsily moved on the sofa, sitting on the remote control. The volume increased dramatically and the client heard, ‘And that’s a beautiful goal from Ronaldo!’ Needless to say, I lost the job.” As well as his legendary love of the game, Davis is also a big fan of at least two Soho private drinking clubs, claiming the award, in his own words, “‘Drinker of the Year’ – ask any landlord.” In reality, Davis has picked up awards such as ‘The Best Illustrator Working Today’ and ‘Cartoonist of The Year’, as voted for by journalists. Instantly recognisable, Davis’s wry take on fashionable Hoxton and Shoreditch types has been spotted across the pages of various magazines, including Dazed and Confused, Time Out and The Independent. In fact, it was an eight-page fashion feature for The Independent on Sunday magazine, commissioned by Art Director Jo Dale in 1997 that Davis attributes to being a career-defining moment. “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since,” he says. “I’m currently working on a book for a Canadian publisher, a series of images for an exhibition in Paris, a set of prints for a gallery in Tokyo and a calendar for Save The Children.” Davis initially adopted digital technology as a means to document, archive, market and distribute his work, and when asked to describe his working space says little about his choice of hardware. In fact, he dryly lists the following items: “A computer, a cup of tea, a pile of papers I’m too scared to look at, external hard drive, bits of flotsam, scanner, dubious drawings, impending gloom, video camera, mouse, dodgy erotica.” Which tells you more about Davis’s state of mind than his modus operandi… Much of his art is done on the move. David works in small sketchbooks, capturing conversations, moments and moods, before translating them into final pieces back at his Hoxton studio. Quick sketches, doodles, drawings and observations are a vital part of his method. He’s certainly come a long way since his first commission for the London listings magazine, City Limits: “I got paid 12 quid. Honest!” His earlier World Cup ‘honesty’ springs to mind once again. INFO www.copyrightdavis.com

MARION DEUCHARS

lly important for this Work and play are equa iked illustrator ell-l well-established and w “I’ve had numerous incidents of missing artwork,” says Marion Deuchars, recalling a time when all her illustrations were created outside the computer. “The best was a returned A2 painted illustration, folded carefully into quarters and squeezed into an A4 envelope. My mouth remained open, in shock, for some time afterwards. Nowadays, most of my work is sent digitally.” In fact, Deuchars learned to love the computer early on in her career, and prior to representation by her agent, Heart, she mailed digital portfolios saved onto floppy disks to clients, way before CD-ROM technology was an affordable option. A new body of work that began from scanning drawings and paintings, later combined with her digital photographs, presented itself well digitally, way before most illustrators had even considered such an approach. Deuchars is among a rare breed of illustrators who continue to adapt and push their work in new directions – her studio set-up encourages such R&D. “I have two desks,” she explains. “On the computer desk right now, there’s a G4, a Wacom tablet, a calculator, a Nikon Coolpix, a telephone, a diary and a list of things to do.” She makes an attempt to define the other desk: “My play desk is full of stuff – paints, paper, three large tubs of brushes in water, four different plastic palettes, six different rolls of tape, tubes of gouache, a box of charcoal, various boxes of stencils… that’s all I can see right now.” Working in illustration since graduation from the Royal College of Art at the tail-end of the 80s, Deuchars now teaches there and can count numerous working illustrators as former students of hers. She believes that getting out and meeting clients is the best way to generate commissions. “Agents are not a good idea at first – it’s important to ‘pound the boards’ and meet and understand one’s own industry personally,” Deuchars explains. “Some of my original contacts are people I still work with and have good relationship with.” Having picked up a Creative Futures Award, membership of the prestigious Alliance Graphique International (AGI), as well as an enviable client list – current ongoing projects include three book jacket designs, a chair design for a company in Helsinki, colour studies for the Cricket Building in Derby and 15 portraits for Wallpaper* Magazine – Deuchars is in huge demand. She would have it no other way. “I like making images – being paid for it is a bonus.” INFO www.mariondeuchars.com (late July launch)

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BRETT RYDER

es and painting Staring at album sleev ted Brett Ryder’s career motorcycle jackets star “Getting a computer was a career-defining moment after graduating from the MA programme at Central St Martins in 1994,” admits Brett Ryder. His eclectic approach to image-making, a combination of images and ephemera, collaged together with his own drawings, made the transition to digital an interesting one. He has a keen interest in old motorcycles, and rebuilds the manifold on his BSA 650 with a dexterity that translates well in his use of Photoshop to ‘build’ images. “I did loads of stuff as a kid,” offers Ryder. “I was the one everyone came to when they wanted their favourite album or band painted on their leather jacket – I even had my own airbrush. We did have some strange characters turning up on our doorstep, though.” Linked to that early career move, Ryder talks a little about his dream project: “I’ve always dreamed of doing The Rolling Stones tour stuff – stage props, animations for their videos, T-shirts – the whole deal.” In fact, music has always featured highly in Ryder’s life. His own name is even a touch rock and roll, appearing as the strange marriage of Shaun Ryder of The Happy Mondays and Brett Anderson of Suede. “Staring at album sleeves was once a full-time occupation for me,” he admits, and insists that the once-stylish Roxy Music is his all-time favourite band. Working from a studio at home, his sartorial elegance is no match for his hero Bryan Ferry, though. “I can sit around all day in my pyjamas, and nobody is any the wiser,” he explains, in a manner that could be best described as tongue-in-cheek – a phase that can also be applied to a great deal of his imagery. “And for me, finding socks with no holes in, or if you’re lucky, a pair, is the right start to a creative day.” Ryder’s work is cheeky; it retains a playful quirkiness, first developed in his student pieces, and combines the real with the unreal, the literal with the imaginary. His illustrations regularly greet readers of The Observer, The Guardian, The Independent and The Times. It’s perhaps the surreal nature of his images that works so well with journalism published by the cream of Fleet Street. Despite the constant flow of work – most recently including projects for BP, Natwest and Penguin Books – Ryder still worries about his fate. “The best thing about working as an illustrator is that it’s all I’ve wanted to do and it’s all I know,” he states. “The worst thing about being in illustration is the knowing it’s all I know.” INFO www.brettryder.co.uk

JAMES JARVIS

gang of plastic toy Existentialism meets a mes Jarvis figures in the work of Ja Chances are, you either own a piece of work by James Jarvis or would like to. He’s best known for a range of plastic figures created for Japanese fashion company, Silas. Completely collectable, these lovable characters fetch silly money on eBay – if you can find them. The Silas Policeman was recently priced at £72, with two days still left to bid! Not bad for a toy figure made from moulded plastic that stands no more than eight inches high. The complete range of toy figures inhabit an imaginary world – the World of Pain – and live by the rules that Jarvis, as their creator, sets out. World of Pain existed as a Website and comic, and the narrative followed the lives of Steve, Rhonda, Lars, Keith, Evil Martin and Bubba. Jarvis sees himself as an illustrator rather than a toy designer, though. Studying Illustration at undergraduate level at The University of Brighton, before embarking upon a Masters course at The Royal College of Art, Jarvis always followed his own agenda. It was his very first commission, creating ads for cool London skateboard company Slam City Skates, that started the ball rolling into an area of illustration that his RCA tutors knew very little about. Now working in London for clients in Japan, where his work is recognised and adored, Jarvis has been creating a huge body of work for Toto, the country’s national lottery company. The project includes a range of posters, adverts and a new set of characters. These folks differ from the Silas bunch, having strange hairy-headed features rather than the large, simplistic, over-sized Silas heads. In his recent work, the perfected clean, vector lines of World of Pain have given way to a more sketched feel. Despite operating from a G4 PowerBook, Jarvis depends on basic materials for his creative starting point – “pen and paper.” The fact the hand of the creator is more visible makes the work seem more familiar. When it comes to defining influences, Jarvis has his own favourites: Herge, Tintin’s creator, and New York-based comic artist/painter/illustrator Gary Panter sit alongside Sam Peckinpah and Popeye. He cites modernism and existentialism as key influences, too. With a new range of toy figures for his company, Amos, launched earlier this year, it’s clear that although he believes our universe has no intrinsic meaning, the worlds his figures inhabit certainly do. INFO www.jamesjarvis.co.uk

ILLUSTRATION BY STUDIO OUTPUT

www.studio-output.com

38 Computer Arts_August 2003

Tutorial

VECTOR GRAPHICS

VECTOR DRAWING IN FLASH MX We get to grips with some of Flash MX’s core tools – namely the program’s unique drawing features – and create a zoomable map for a Website Despite the best efforts of the marketing people at Macromedia, Flash is still most famous for its animation capabilities. But such perception does it a disservice, because in Flash MX we have a package that can do much, much more. It’s a fullyfledged Web authoring system, complete with its own programming language and database connection capabilities. In this three-part series, we’ll explore the key features, starting this month with the very core of the program: its drawing tools. Vector graphics lie at the heart of Flash. Although it’s grown into a multimedia tool that supports bitmap images, video and sound, vector images are the glue that holds these cumbersome components together. While bitmap images are made up of individual pixels, each one requiring its own entry in the data file that describes it, vector images are made up of co-ordinates. Think of them as points on a grid, describing shapes, lines and fills. As a consequence, vector images are smaller in file size, can be scaled to any dimension, and they don’t suffer from the same loss of quality that plagues optimised bitmaps. There are other vector formats on the Web – but the fact that they’re not in regular use is testimony to Flash’s popularity. The World Wide Web consortium is trying to pioneer the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) format – a dynamic graphics language created in XML. The format has many interesting features and is supported in Illustrator, CorelDRAW and FreeHand, but like Flash it requires a plug-in to function. WebCGM (Computer Graphics Metaformat) is a subset of SVG that can be viewed directly in current versions of Internet Explorer. Despite these ‘official’ standards, Flash is the only vector format to have had any real impact on the Web. Part of it could be down to player distribution; around 98 per cent of browsers have the Flash plugin. On the other hand, it could be down to Flash’s great toolset – a handy bunch of widgets that enable you to create images with the smallest number of points. Flash MX has all the tools you’d expect from a professional-level vector drawing

package, including freehand and Bézier editing features. But it wasn’t always that way. Until quite recently, the program featured a reduced drawing toolset that gave the illusion of reduced functionality. In fact, Flash’s unique approach to vector illustration is flexible and produces files with far fewer points than ‘traditional’ tools. Drawing and editing lines, curves and fills is easy with the simple, contextsensitive tools available. Over the next few pages, we take you on a tour of Flash’s drawing complement, as we complete a project in Flash. The brief is to create a zoomable street map. Our tutorial is structured so that you can create a map of any place you like. We simply outline an approach to the task and provide you with some suitable techniques to follow. Using vector graphics in Flash will enable you to make artwork that is resolution-independent, and that you can transfer to the Web without any loss in quality.

Rob Collinet uses Flash to develop illustrations with a retro feel. His site currently includes example artwork and Flash games. His work’s easy to find at www.robcollinet.com.

Team Artonomy creates its impressive vector artwork in Illustrator, but when designs are destined for the Web, the results are often imported into Flash by its clients. Find out more at www.team-artonomy.com.

INFO Tutorial by Karl Hodge, [email protected]. Thanks to Time Out magazine (www.timeout.com) for permission to use its map for the purposes of this tutorial.

ON THE CD Look on your coverdisc for the folder named Tutorial\FlashMX, where you’ll find the files you need to follow this section. These are for personal training use only, and are not to be used commercially or reproduced elsewhere.

Someone has to create backgrounds for all those Web animations, and at www.urbanentertainment.com, it’s Sylvia Cziglenyi. Her portfolio site at www.sylviac.com lets you get a look at the original artwork for classics such as Undercover Brother.

Though he boasts mainstream clients such as Time Magazine and the Discovery Channel, Jack Mortensback fuses his Flash illustration with trippy, hippy vibes. Check out his portfolio at www.illoboy.com.

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PART 1 LINE DRAWING Flash gives you a flexible set of line drawing tools to choose from

INSIGHT CONTEXTUAL PEN The Pen tool behaves in a context-sensitive way, altering its function according to the circumstances. Create a closed shape with it, for instance, and said shape is automatically filled with the current chosen fill colour. Similarly, clicking points within a closed shape deletes those points. The same hold true for anchor points within a line.

PENCIL MODES With the Pencil tool selected, choose Straighten under the Options section of the Tools panel to quickly draw perfect squares, ellipses, circles and rectangles. However, although the fill colour box is active in the Tools panel when the Pencil is selected, you’ll have to fill the shape with the Paint Bucket once you’re done.

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In our example, we’ve used the Line tool to trace over a series of streets with a straight grid structure. When drawing in straight lines, don’t worry about overlapping. We’ll show you how to clean up loose ends with Flash in a moment.

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We’re drawing a street map, and although there are several ways to convert the data into a vector format in Flash, the easiest is to start with a bitmap image of the map you want to convert. In our case, we used a scan of a street map – this one has been used with the kind permission of Time Out magazine, the arts and entertainment weekly. For more info, see www.timeout.com. Please obtain permission of the copyright holder if you are going to use a scanned-in map – otherwise, draw your own.

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Flash gives you a number of different ways to draw lines – and lines are what we need to trace our complicated street map. For most drawing package aficionados, the Pen tool will be the obvious first choice. Bring it up from the Tool palette.

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For curved areas, we’ve used two different techniques. The Pen tool comes in handy for meandering lines. Select the Pen and place a start point, then place a second point at the end of the curve, holding down the left mouse button.

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Create a new document in Flash and set the size of the movie to the same size as the bitmap image – 700x700 pixels is probably about right. Import the map image to the stage and use the Align panel (Window>Align) to centre it. Click the Insert>Layer button on the timeline.

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In actual fact, Flash provides a number of alternatives to manipulate lines, alternatives that make the Pen tool seem positively cumbersome. For straight lines, it’s best to go for the Line tool – switch on Snap To Objects from the View menu to join consecutive lines. Use the Properties panel to set the Stroke height to 2 pixel and the type to Solid.

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Double-click on the new Layer 2 label and name it ‘Streets’. Double-click the Layer 1 label and name it ‘bitmap’. Select the layer labelled Streets. Now manually trace the bitmap image using Flash’s tools.

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Move the mouse to adjust the curve of the line until it fits. When you’re done, release the mouse button and click on the last point you placed to deselect it. Click the final point a second time if you wish to continue drawing from that point.

Tutorial

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The more ‘traditional’ way to create curves in Flash is to draw a straight line between two points of a curve, then switch to the Arrow tool. Hover the cursor near the line and the arrow switches to the curve adjustment icon. Click and drag to change the straight line to a curve.

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Whichever method you use to trace or draw your lines, they always remain editable, either directly or via adjustments that you make in the Properties panel. The method of editing you choose is entirely independent of the tool used to create the original line.

One important thing to keep in mind as you trace over the streets in your street map is not to leave gaps. In the next steps, we’ll be filling in the traced areas with colour. In our example, we ‘closed off’ streets that continued ‘off the edge’ of the map.

PART 2 VECTOR EDITING It’s not all points and Bézier handles in Flash. You can edit shapes and lines in a more intuitive way

For example, you can manipulate a curve drawn with the Pen tool using the curve adjustment features of the Arrow tool. Similarly, if you select the Subselection tool, click on any line and you can individually move and edit anchor points, whether they were created by the Pen or Line tool.

When you’ve finished tracing the outlines of your street map, lock the layer containing the original bitmap, switch its visibility off and select the layer with your newly traced map.

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As you trace your map, the Pen and Line tools will be your obvious first choices, but did you know Flash also features a Pencil tool that you can use for drawing freehand lines? Handily, the app cleans up these lines on the fly.

Using the Arrow tool, you can also adjust the length of single lines or edit corners. Hover the Arrow tool over a corner or the end of a line until the cursor icon changes, then click and drag to adjust.

Select the Paint Bucket tool and choose a colour for the streets in your map from the palette. We’ve noticed through experimentation that Flash is better at filling in less complex shapes created with lines than larger or more complex areas.

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INSIGHT

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In the Options panel, choose either Smooth, Straighten or Ink to set the drawing mode. Ink simply anti-aliases the line you draw, Smooth reduces the number and complexity of curves in your line, while Straighten speaks for itself.

BRUSH TOOL Although we don’t use the Brush tool in this project, it can be handy. Essentially, it enables you to paint with any fill, including bitmap fills. With modes that enable you to paint in front or behind objects, inside lines or over lines, it’s a more liberating way to add colour.

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INSIGHT USING SHAPES For this project, we created shapes using the Line and Pen tools, but you can also create simple shapes made up of line and fill combinations using the Oval and Rectangle tools. Uniquely, the line and fill are independent of each other when placed – and you can select and edit them individually. In Flash, overlapping shapes of the same colour on the same layer are automatically joined. If you use a shape of a different colour, the shape on top cuts a corresponding piece out of the shape below.

ZOOMING IN

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Click within the lines you’ve drawn to start filling the ‘streets’ with colour. If it doesn’t appear to work, try ‘closing off’ smaller areas, drawing single lines to seal any open shapes. Continue in this way until all the streets are filled.

PART 3 ADVANCED FILLS

The finished version of our map has a zoom facility built in. To achieve this, we used Jack Lender’s Zoom Me movie from www.flashkit.com, which you’ll find on the CD in Tutorial\FlashMX. This is a ready-built ‘shell’ with ActionScript and UI elements that you can slot your movie clips into. Open zoom_me.fla in Flash MX, go to the library and find our movie clip zoom_this (on the CD). To use your own map, replace the artwork in this clip with your own, then save the whole file under a new name. Use Control>Test Movie to try it out.

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A two-colour, black-to-white linear gradient is created by default. Click either colour to select, then edit it using any of the various methods available in the colour mixer. Use the Paint Bucket to fill an area with the gradient.

Next, use a splash of colour to bring your line art to life

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You can alter the orientation, centre-point and dimensions of the gradient fill using Fill Transform. Select the tool, then click on the filled area you wish to edit. The cursor changes as you select the rotate or scale handle of the gradient selection.

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Switch to the Arrow tool. Earlier, we stated that you could easily clean up overlapping lines in Flash. Using the Arrow tool, you should be able to select any overlaps and simply delete them. In this way, you can tidy up edges, remove lines used in the filling process and clean up the street ‘grid’.

Our example map includes vector artwork representing a train. We created this in a similar way to the map. After importing a bitmap image of a train into Flash, we then traced over the subject’s edges with the Pen and Line tools. You’ll find the original image (train.bmp) on the cover CD.

FINAL STEP

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elete the bitmap image from your file before publishing. Our finished map used almost every tool in the Flash drawing toolbox, from Line to simple shape-creation tools, and many, as shown, are interchangeable. The secret is to use functions that you feel most comfortable with.

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You can use the Eraser tool to delete line sections that you can’t select with a single click. Alternatively, use the Marquee or Lasso tools to make a selection, then hit the Delete key.

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When filling the shapes within the train, we used a series of gradient fills. Select the Paint Bucket to begin with, then open the Colour Mixer panel (Window>Colour Mixer). Choose Linear from the dropdown menu in this panel.

Quick Tutorial

SHORTCUTS

www.studio-output.com

DREAMWEAVER Creating page layouts in Dreamweaver can be a complicated process for inexperienced users. Without a reasonable understanding of how such elements are created, many opt for the freedom of layers, but, as we’ll explain, there are other, far more reliable methods.

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he latter part of HTML stands for Mark-up Language, which refers to the code developed to make basic text formatting changes (emboldening characters, for instance). It was never intended to be a method for managing complex page layouts. But with the development of browser standards and increasing user expectations, elements such as tables (introduced for displaying information in a tablature format) quickly became used to plug the gaps found within HTML’s limitations. Thanks to apps such as Dreamweaver, a new generation of Web designers are now

USING LAYOUT VIEW

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Create a new page and access the Layout tab contained on the Insert bar. Choosing this option brings the Layout Table and Layout Cell tools into action. Select the Layout Table tool, then create what will be your containing table.

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Note how new Layout Cells conveniently snap to existing row or column boundaries This helps to maintain perfect alignment, as well as provide the most efficient code for the final table.

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Turn on your rulers and use the anchor points to resize if necessary. Then, with the Layout Cell selected, draw the shapes for your primary cells within your Layout Table, again resizing where necessary with the anchor points.

With the basic layout completed, you can fill the cells. Now revert to the Layout tab’s Standard View option to convert your page into an HTML table with improved support across multiple browsers and platforms.

quite happy to create complex content with only a basic understanding of what’s going on at the source code level. For many, the development of page layouts is made easier thanks to more flexible layers. Layers are increasingly being used to determine the layout of a page. They offer a great way of assigning areas of content that you can freely move around. Tables, on the other hand, require forwardplanning to determine the required rows and columns and their defining attributes. Layers effectively provide micro-pages embedded into your main document. But while, theoretically, you can leave a page as layers, this can present rendering inconsistencies, as different browsers and platforms interpret how the page is built differently. An example of problematic behaviour is overlapping layers – particular care must be paid to the stacking in order to render a page successfully. Tables, on the other hand, are better established and therefore more reliable. You’ll still need to be aware of how content defines the final results, though. For example, the width attribute to a column is fairly consistent, but determining the height of a cell or row is still best defined by embedded images. That said, there’s nothing wrong with mocking up a page layout using layers and converting it into tables afterwards. To achieve this, use Modify>Convert> Layers To Tables, but be wary of avoiding the aforementioned overlapping issue. An alternative approach is to use Layout View – here, Dreamweaver offers a kind of halfway house. When working on a new page, access the Layout tab of the Insert bar to move into Layout View. In this mode, you can draw the approximate range of the main table using the included Layout Table tool, and easily resize using provided anchor points. You then add Layout Cells using the corresponding option in the Layout tab. Dreamweaver now automatically generates a table to suit. From here, just continue to add, resize and move cells about until you’re satisfied with the results, then move back into Standard View to have Dreamweaver automatically create the necessary HTML table. This method enables you to plan a more universal table layout than the layer approach, as well as move content around more freely. INFO Expertise supplied by Chris Schmidt, [email protected]

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WEB DESIGN WINNERS The results of the 2003 Mando Student Web Design Awards were announced last month, with ten lucky finalists demonstrating their exceptional talent within the interactive medium. This year’s line-up features educational sites, portfolios and promotional tools. We talk to the winners and finalists about the inspiration behind their work – and their plans for the future

ON THE PODIUM

TIM KETTERER

ROSS FEATHERSTONE

CHRISTINA HANDFORD

PROJECT NAME Balloonsender WEBSITE www.balloonsender.co.uk

PROJECT NAME Badlystitched WEBSITE www.badlystitched.co.uk

PROJECT NAME Pollen Park WEBSITE www.pollenpark.co.uk

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irst prize, including a trip to New York, went to Tim Ketterer from Bath Spa University College for his interactive take on the message-in-a-bottle theme. “The idea was to create a random communication network,” explains Ketterer. “Once registered, you receive your own virtual balloon and attach a message to it. You’re then invited to join a game to catch someone else’s balloon, randomly selected from a database, and reply to them.” It’s not just the novel way of communicating that made this particular Website the winner. Its illustrative design and animated character draw the visitor in and reflects Ketterer’s Fine Art background. “I wanted the site to have a childlike quality that would charm the viewer into a kind of utopian world. I took inspiration from toys and cartoons, such as Rhubarb and Custard, for its hand-drawn feel.” Ketterer fashioned the Website in Flash, Illustrator and Dreamweaver, using these tools to create something that would give equal weight to both design and interactivity. “I’m hoping it will appeal to users on different levels. First, for its design; second, for the concept; and, third, for the pure entertainment of people’s messages.” He hopes the site will expand with users communicating directly by email, “I’m looking forward to the first Balloonsender wedding!”

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inning the second prize of £300’s worth of felix blow clothes was Ross Featherstone of Bournemouth University. His Badlystitched is a Flash-based promotional site for a fictional t-shirt company. Featherstone chose to display the company’s range of eight designs via a virtual scrapbook which invites users to turn the pages for an interactive browsing experience. “I researched a number of fashion-based sites and admired their use of Flash in the mainstream market,” explains Featherstone. “I decided early on to follow this trend, but was keen to escape the vector styles seen on so many sites.” Its fine balance between functionality and creativity assured Badlystitched a place in the final Big Three. Featherstone made a concerted effort to create a visually exciting and interactive catalogue without the bells and whistles. Designed using Flash, Dreamweaver and Photoshop, the site was originally intended for broadband – until Featherstone decided to make it accessible to all users. “Although I had to sacrifice a lot of initial designs, I hope that I’ve still managed to achieve a scruffier style.” Graduating this year, Featherstone will soon be on the look-out for jobs in new media. He is currently working on a freelance project at www.creativelystitched.co.uk.

his ambitious and comprehensive e-learning project has earned its creator, Christina Handford of Staffordshire University, a Sony PlayStation 2. Pollen Park is a children’s online learning application, specifically developed for Key Stage 2 children studying the subject of plant reproduction. Working closely with a teacher of a local primary school, Handford was eager to make the topic easier for 9-11 year old children to understand – and her highly visual and interactive site design does just that. “We chose this topic, because it’s notoriously difficult to teach in a classroom,” she explains. “The park metaphor works, because it‘s an environment that all children can relate to and is generally perceived as a place of adventure and exploration.” The bright colours, and large, familiar shapes certainly suit the site’s target audience. Children are led around the Flashbased site by a honey bee character who provides background information and explains each activity in detail. With its clever mix of games and animation, the site has already secured a place in one school’s curriculum. “While studying at Staffordshire, I‘ve developed a passion for e-learning and multimedia for children,” enthuses Handford. “I get a great deal of enjoyment from this area and I’m currently on the hunt for a job in this sector.”

Award Winners

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ow in its fourth year, the Mando Student Web Design Awards (originally known as the Webshed Awards) sees a total of ten talented finalists, including the three winners featured on the facing page, gaining an enviable kickstart to their new media careers. The ten projects present an eclectic range of Websites, each reflecting the importance of both thinking creatively and using design tools as effectively as possible. Each finalist will receive a year’s subscription to Computer Arts magazine, plus VIP tickets to Cream to keep their social lives afloat post university.

CONTENT RULES 2003’s winning entries ranged from educational projects to portfolio sites and unique promotional ventures. High-quality e-learning applications were demonstrated by Simon Jobling’s Hitting the Target site (www.hittingthetarget.com), which teaches younger pupils the concept of angles via animated examples in cricket, tennis, football and snooker. Accessible and effective Flash portfolio sites were provided by Ulster’s Shay McCloskey and Leeds Metropolitan’s Jamie Craven and Adam Rix. McCloskey’s Inky Pixel site (www.inkypixel.com) presents work in a contemporary vector environment, and was selected for the graphics’ brief load times. Craven and Rix chose to present their work against a clean photographic backdrop (www.dontdenyit.com).

pushing a local nightclub’s band evening, is Stephen Lockhart’s Purr Interactive (www.purr.org.uk/ interactive), a Flash-based promotional tool featuring games, photography, video and audio. “I wanted to create something that echoed the music of Purr in terms of its rawness and immediacy,” says Lockhart. “It had to be gritty and urban, while maintaining a slightly subversive sense of humour.” One entry that set itself apart from the others was Inderjeet Singh’s 0point5. Using both music and imagery, this interactive journal explores Britain’s hybrid Eastern and Western culture. The site cleverly combines illustration, typography and photography, and works as a 360-degree installation travelling East to West, and vice versa. “The space has been divided into two parts,” explains Singh. “Traveller emphasises the arrival in Britain of an individual from the East, and Homeland portrays the result of experiences in what is considered the new home.” You can view this online installation on the Mando site (www.mandogroup.com/ competition/inderjeet_singh).

TESTING, TESTING

Usability continues to rear its problematic head, of course, with the testing of Websites against the target audience now a vital part of every project’s schedule. First-prize winner Tim Ketterer recognised the importance of user-testing only mid-way through his project, and it led him to make some significant changes to his site. “IT HAD TO BE GRITTY AND URBAN, WHILE “I learned that users rarely read MAINTAINING A SLIGHTLY SUBVERSIVE instructions,” he reveals. “As a SENSE OF HUMOUR” – Stephen Lockhart, Purr Interactive result, the game always restarts with the instruction page, for those who missed it the first time round.” Of the music-orientated sites, James Sutton’s However, while most usability tests resulted in promoted upcoming female artist, Harry (www. improved navigation and download times, Bath’s h-a-r-r-y.com. This black and red HTML site, the only Stephen Lockhart admits to wanting visitors to his Purr top ten entry not to use Flash, reflected Harry’s musical Interactive site to be bemused at times. “This aspect style, as well as providing vital video and audio. It’s was just as important , because it reflects who Purr are, this parallel between the music and design that Sutton with their subversive sense of humour…” thinks is the secret behind the site’s success: “It reflects Harry’s music: dark, industrial and rock, but polished to INFO For news of the upcoming Mando Student Awards 2004, don’t forget to bookmark www.mandogroup.com/competition near perfection.” Along a similar theme, but this time 1. Adam O’Dwyer and Christopher Thompson (Bath Spa University College) created the Departure Lounge Website to publicise their end-of-year show (www.departureloungebath.co.uk). 2. Inderjeet Singh (University of Portsmouth): 0point5 (www.mando group.com/competition/inderjeet_singh).

3.James Sutton (Coventry Technical College) made it into the top ten with this promotional site for singer Harry (www.h-a-r-r-y.com).

5. Shay McCloskey (University of Ulster) uses his site to display his commercial and experimental work in graphic and interactive design (www.inkypixel.com).

4. Simon Jobling (Staffordshire University) uses a variety of sporting activities to help young people learn about maths (www.hittingthetarget.com).

6. Stephen Lockhart (Bath Spa University College) designed the interactive arm of his Purr site to promote a local club’s band night (www.purr.org.uk/interactive).

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COMPUTER ARTS PROJECTS Create a Website in a weekend – it’s easy! The next issue of Computer Arts Projects (formerly Computer Arts Special) focuses wholly on creating a fully functional Website in just one weekend. This complete project comes with a CD-ROM packed full of all the assets, files and programs you need to create a fictional site for a design studio, including company information, portfolio pages, online sales and search engine. Tutorials cover site-planning in Photoshop, Cascading Style Sheets, using Dreamweaver extensions and configuring a shopping cart extension. This must-have issue is on sale between July 28 and August 21 and is available to buy from all good newsagents, including WH Smith. To buy online, please visit www.future net.com/secure/single1.asp?ID=75 during the on-sale period.

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ILLUSTRATION BY JENS KARLSSON www.chapter3.net

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Tutorial

ILLUSTRATION

PHOTOSHOP TO INFINITY We’ve teamed up with stock image giant Digital Vision and designer Jens Karlsson of Chapter Three to bring you full insight into how to create the layered masterpieces of the popular Infinity02 series. Read on for our biggest ever Photoshop tutorial Launched a year ago, Digital Vision’s Infinity02 stock illustration catalogue (www.digitalvision.com) brought together work from some of the world’s most talented illustrators, offering a range of futuristic and explosive imagery. Each artist demonstrated his/her own bag of tricks while working towards a common goal – to deliver cutting-edge imagery which the end user can make use of as a whole image or as individual layers. This opens up endless possibilities for customising Digital Vision images, which explains their increasing popularity. Generally, each image in the Infinity02 collection consists of 3D elements, created with packages such as 3ds max, Softimage and Maya, rasterised typographic and linear elements from vector packages such as FreeHand or Illustrator, and manipulated photographic imagery in Photoshop. Following the step-by-step tutorial on the next few pages, we’ll uncover the Photoshop techniques used to build up the image shown here. The files vital to the construction of this image – 3ds max renders, digital photography and vectors (all provided on the CD) – may not seem too impressive alone, but using Photoshop’s excellent Free Transform tools, colourisation methods, brushes, Blending tools and masks, we’ll create a vivid and futuristic underwater environment. INFO Artwork and expertise by Jens Karlsson of Chapter Three Digital Creations: [email protected], www.chapter3.net. Thanks to James Widegren of www.idiocase.com for the creation of the futuristic seaweed render.

ON THE CD You’ll find the files you need to follow this section on your coverdisc in the folder Tutorial\Infinity.

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PART 1 CONSTRUCTING THE ENVIRONMENT

INSIGHT USING A MAC? This tutorial was created on a PC. For Mac users, simply Ctrl-click where it says right-click, and hit Apple where it tells you to hit Ctrl.

Create a complex, textured, abstract image using a simple 3D render and your copy of Photoshop

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The result of all operations so far should match what you see here in this screenshot. To adjust the colour of layer 02, press Ctrl+U and check the Colorize box, then set Hue to 200, Saturation to 79 and Lightness to 0 and press OK. Name the layer ‘02’.

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To transform the perspective of the metallic environment, highlight 01 and press Ctrl+T to bring up the Transformation handles. Right-click the handles, select Distort from the dropdown menu and replicate what you see in the screengrab above. Hit Enter to render the transformation.

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Open the file 3d_metal.psd from the CD and save it locally on your hard drive – this is a 3D render that we’ll turn into a highly textured image in Adobe Photoshop. (It doesn’t take much expertise in 3D apps to create a render like this – a 3D artist could generate it in less than an hour. Experiment with your 3D package.) Load the selection of the image alpha channel (Select>Load Selection>Channel: Alpha 1). Right-click on the selection and choose Layer Via Cut from the dropdown menu. Name the new layer ‘01’. Select layer 01 and fill it with a solid black, then select the entire canvas by pressing Ctrl+A and Edit>Fill. Create a new empty layer (Ctrl+Shift+N), name the layer ‘16’ and fill it with a solid R28 G17 B48, then set the Blending mode to Screen.

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Open up the file called 3d_purple_metal.psd from your CD, then make a selection using the Free Lasso tool with a feather value of 25. Close the file.

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Select the Eraser tool from the toolbox and erase sections of layer 01, using a brush diameter ranging from 30-500 pixels and brush Opacity of 60 per cent to make it look like the image above. Duplicate layer 01, set the layer name to ‘blur’, set the Blending mode to Screen, then add Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur with a radius of 19 pixels. Merge the blur and 01 layers by pressing Ctrl+E.

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Next, we’ll be using sections of layer 01 in multiple layers, but for now, make a back-up copy of layer 01 (Layer>Duplicate Layer), name the layer ‘backup’, place at the top of the layer stack, then hide it. Select layer 01 and press Ctrl+L to bring up the Levels dialog panel. Set the input levels (from left to right) to 19/1.00/237 and click OK. Press Ctrl+U to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog panel and set Hue to 11, Saturation to -61 and Lightness to -14.

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Duplicate layer 01, press Ctrl+A to select the whole canvas, then Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur with a radius of 17 pixels. Set the Blending mode to Multiply and, using the Eraser tool with a diameter of 400 pixels and Opacity set to 80 per cent, erase the area marked red in the screenshot above.

Paste the clipboard into our main composition, position it as in the screengrab above, set the Blending mode to Screen and name the layer ‘temp 01’. Press Ctrl+U and set the following: Hue/Saturation – Hue: -32, Saturation: -28, Lightness: 0 and press OK. Press Ctrl+L and adjust the levels accordingly to 63/0.76/255, then adjust the Saturation of the layer by hitting Ctrl+U and inputting a Saturation value of -61 (leave the other values at 0).

Tutorial

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Now duplicate the layer and name it ‘temp 02’. Set the Blending mode to Soft Light and add Gaussian Blur with a radius of 17 pixels and press OK. Now merge layers temp01 and temp02 by pressing Ctrl+E, set the layer mode to ‘Screen’ and name the resulting layer ‘boxes01’. Next, using the Eraser Tool from the toolbox, erase parts of boxes01 to make it look like our screenshot above.

Open up the file called 3d_sparks.psd from your CD. Press Ctrl+A to select the whole canvas and Ctrl+L for the Levels Adjustment dialog. Set the value (starting from the left) to 10/1.0/200 and press OK. Next, to adjust the colours so that it matches our main environment, giving it a blue colour, press Ctrl+U for the Hue/Saturation dialog, check the Colorize box and set Hue to 207, Saturation to 25, and leave the Brightness at 0.

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Now select the Smudge tool from the toolbox and pick a soft brush with a pixel radius of 35. Set the Strength to 30 per cent, then start from the brightest areas of the centre of the layer and start smudging out bright white so that it looks like the screengrab above. You may have to adjust the strength and use different brush radius sizes to complete this stage.

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Next, using the Free Lasso tool from your toolbox with a feather of 10 pixels, make a selection like in the screengrab above, right-click on your selection, and from the dropdown menu choose Layer Via Copy.

Duplicate the layer and name it ‘blur’, add Gaussian Blur with a radius of 6 pixels and press OK. Set the Blending mode to Screen with an Opacity of 60 per cent. Press Ctrl+U for the Hue/Saturation dialog, set the Saturation to +50 and leave the other values at 0, then press OK. Merge your two layers by pressing Ctrl+E. Now hit Ctrl+A to select the whole canvas, and Ctrl+C to copy the selection. Close the document, go back to our main canvas and paste the clipboard into the layer stack below layer 16, then name the layer ‘sparks01’.

16

Now make a selection around the top-right area of the layer which still has its cloud texture intact. Use the Free Lasso tool from the toolbox with a feather radius of 35 pixels, then right-click the selection, select Layer Via Cut and name the new layer ‘clouds’. Using the Eraser tool, with a brush radius ranging from 10 to 200 pixels and low Opacity levels ranging from 5-40 per cent, start brushing out the brightest parts of the layer, leaving only the subtle cloud texture.

14 11

Name the layer ‘part of boxes01’, then press Ctrl+T to bring up the Free Transform handles. Distort the selection (as in the screengrab above, press Enter to render the selection, then set the layer Opacity to 60 per cent. Merge down the layer by pressing Ctrl+E, and make sure the resulting layer is named ‘boxes01’ and the Blending mode is set to Screen.

Next we’re going to reuse the ‘sparks01’ layer many times, first duplicating it, then duplicating small selections and transforming these to finally create a light source that resembles an explosion. Start by duplicating the layer and naming this ‘sparks backup’. Hide it, then select the ‘sparks01’ layer again and select the Eraser tool from the toolbox. Right-click on your canvas to bring up the Brushes palette and pick a soft brush with a radius of 300 pixels. Set the brush Opacity to 100 per cent and erase the edges of the ‘sparks01’ layer to end up with something like the image above.

17

To add some detail we’re now going to create small, blurry, star-like dots inside of the cloud area on the sparks01 layer. Select the Brush tool from the toolbox, and use a soft brush with a pixel radius ranging from 4-20 pixels, brush Opacity 20 per cent and colour R175 G206 B232; start clicking around in the centre of the layer to create small blurry dots. Next, merge the clouds and sparks01 layers by pressing Ctrl+E, then make sure the name of the resulting layer is still ‘sparks01’ and the Blending mode is Screen.

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18

To continue increasing our level of detail, we’re going to be doing some manual work that can’t be explained in the space here! But in short, using the Free Lasso tool with a feather value ranging from 10 to 200, begin by making a circular selection in the brightest area of the layer. Duplicate your selection by selecting the Move tool from the toolbox, then Alt+drag your selection to the edges of the explosion. Repeat this about 50 times until your explosion looks close to the screengrab above. Note that the feather value of your selection, as well as the size, should be different every time you make a duplication.

19

Next, we’ll quicken the process of creating the second explosion. Simply duplicate the sparks01 layer and name the duplicate ‘sparks02’. Move the layer down towards the centre of the metal boxes and press Enter to render your transformation. Using the Eraser tool, erase any sharp edges of the layer that might be visible.

20

Using the Smudge Tool from the toolbox, with Strength at 10 per cent and a 35-pixel soft brush, start smudging out the edges of the layer to create a subtle, blurry fog covering the surroundings of the explosion.

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24

Press Ctrl+L to bring up the Levels adjustment dialog, then set the output levels to 0/80 and press OK. Next, to create a fog-like effect, bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog by pressing Ctrl+U. Enter the following values: Hue: 250, Saturation: 60, Lightness: 65, then press OK.

21

To bring out a little more detail in the texture of the explosion, go to Filter>Sharpen> Unsharp Mask. Set the Amount to 180 per cent, Radius to 1.1 and Threshold to 0, then press OK.

22

Now for some more sparks. Using the same techniques as before, we’ll continue duplicating selections from the brightest parts in the centre of the explosion. Select the Move tool and start Alt+dragging star-like shapes to the outer areas of the explosion, using selection feathers ranging from 5-200 pixels. The point of this technique, is that your random selections and random positioning of the sparks is what makes the image unique.

23

Select the sparks backup layer, press Ctrl+T and transform it so the layer’s cloud texture contents get nicely spread out over the canvas surrounding the explosion. Don’t worry about the fact that we’re scaling up a layer; normally this would be against the rules, but since we’ll blur and distort the layer it’s not a problem.

25

To add some movement in the fog-like blur, select the Smudge tool from the toolbox at Strength: 100 per cent, then start smearing around the contents of the layer to add texture.

26

In the Layer palette, link the layers boxes01, sparks01, sparks02 and sparks backup, then press Ctrl+E to merge them. Name the resulting layer ‘03’ and set the Blending mode to Screen.

Tutorial

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Press Ctrl+A to select all, then Edit>Copy Merged. Press Ctrl+V to paste the merged composition into a new layer and name it ‘04’, then set the Blending mode to Soft Light. Using the Eraser tool with a soft brush, a radius of 300 pixels and 100 per cent Opacity, erase the parts of the layer that are marked red in the screengrab above.

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Duplicate layer 05 and name the new layer ‘07’, then press Ctrl+T to bring up the Free Transform handles. Rotate the layer 180 degrees, then scale it down in the lower-right corner so it looks like the motion blur is shooting out from the centre of our composition. Press Ctrl+U and set Saturation to -43, leaving the other values at 0, then press OK. Using the Eraser tool and the Smudge tool, with a 50-pixel soft brush and Strength set to 20 per cent, start smearing the layer so that more of the background is showing through. Do this by smearing the less textured (darker) areas of the layer into the brighter areas. Since we’re using the Screen layer mode, the darker areas will be transparent.

33

Set the Blending mode of 09 to Screen and press Ctrl+T to bring up Free Transform handles. Distort the layer so it looks like it’s matching up with the focal point of our composition. Using the Eraser tool, start brushing out the areas in the middle and at the edges so it blends into the background.

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Now hide layer 04. Again, press Ctrl+A to select the entire canvas, then go to Edit>Copy Merged and press Ctrl+V to paste in a new layer, naming it ‘05’. Turn layer 04 back on, then position layer 05 above 04 in the layer stack. Select layer 05 and press Ctrl+A to select All, then Filter>Blur>Radial Blur, Amount: 99, Blur Method: Zoom, Quality: Good. To add some detail in the layer, we’ll sharpen it a little by going to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Input these settings: Amount: 272 per cent, Radius: 1.9, Threshold: 0, then hit OK. Press Ctrl+L to bring up the Levels Adjustment dialog and enter Input levels 33/1.27/255. Finally, press OK.

31

Open the file called 3d_bubbles.psd on the CD. Select>Load Selection>Channel: Alpha1 and press OK. Copy the selection and close the document. In our main composition, paste the clipboard into a new layer, name the layer ‘08’ and place it above layer 07 in the layer stack. Set the Blending mode to Screen and layer Opacity to 42 per cent.

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Go to the backup layer again and make a selection of the upper-left part of the layer. Copy and paste your selection to make a new layer, naming this ‘10’ and placing it above layer 09.

29

Now we need to add more texture to the layer. Start selecting areas of the layer that have texture using the Free Lasso tool with a feather of 90 pixels, then Alt+Drag the selection out to the less textured areas. Press Ctrl+T to bring up the Free Transform tool and make it follow the motion lines of the Zoom Blur. Repeat several times, and use the Eraser tool at an Opacity of 20 per cent to brush out the areas covering the metal to make it shine through. At this point, you should end up with something like the image above. Now set the Blending mode to Screen and layer Opacity to 92 per cent.

32

Select the backup layer at the top of the layer stack and make a selection around the depth of the image using the Free Lasso tool and a feather of 80 pixels. Right-click the selection, and from the dropdown menu click Layer Via Copy. Name the layer ‘09’ and place it above 08 in the stack, then hide the backup layer.

35

Hide the backup layer again. Press Ctrl+T and distort the layer according to the image above, also erasing out the right-side edges of the layer so it blends into the environment.

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^

INSIGHT MATCHING UP Try to match each step of the tutorial with its screengrab. In case you notice any major differences, locate the layer that might be holding the mismatching effect by hiding all your layers at first, then turning them on one by one – try and locate the step where we created that layer and make sure nothing went wrong.

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Next we’re going to use Illustrator to create some line art that looks like it’s shooting out from the brighter parts of our composition. In Illustrator, make a new document and use the Pen tool to create a curvy path.

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Make a new layer, name it ‘12’ and set the Blending mode to Multiply. Now, using the Brush tool from the toolbox with a 300-pixel soft brush and 70 per cent Opacity, start brushing black into the upper-right and lower-left corners to cover the brighter parts. By doing this we’re narrowing down the composition to the diagonal that spans from the upper-left to lower-right.

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To add some more detail to the focal point of the image, hide all the layers above layer 03 in the layer stack and make a selection as pictured above. Copy and paste your selection to make a new layer, name the layer ‘14’ and place it above 13 in the stack, then turn on layers 07 through to 16.

PART 2 CREATE THE ILLUSION OF DEPTH Next we’ll add volumetric light effects, more texture and colour, and do some touch-up work

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Press Ctrl+T and distort the layer slightly so it doesn’t look like a repeated element, then position it in the focal point of our image. The upperleft corner is a little too bright, so we’ll darken it down. Select layer 10, set the Blending mode to Multiply with Opacity at 80 per cent. We are now done with the base construction for the environment.

Select the path, and in the Stroke palette set the line weight to 5pt and Cap: round Join: round. Next, select the dashed line box, and in the first box from the left enter 1pt, and in the second enter 10pt. Copy and paste the path into our Photoshop document. If you don’t have Illustrator, an EPS file containing the curved line can be found on the CD. In Photoshop, go to File>Place, locate the file on your CD and import it into our composition.

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Open up circuitboard.jpg from your CD. Copy the contents of the file into our main composition, then close the JPEG file. Name the new layer ‘13’. Using the Lasso tool with a feather of 50 pixels, select the lower-left area of the circuitboard where there is sharp detail. Invert the selection (Ctrl+Shift+I), then hit Delete and set the Blending mode to Colour Dodge. Press Ctrl+T and transform the layer into the metal environment; use the perspective lines of the existing environment for reference on how to distort the layer to match the composition, adding more detail. Using the Eraser tool, brush out any parts of the layer that become too bright; the purpose of this layer is only to create subtle texture. Duplicate the layer, scale it down by 50 per cent and rotate it 180 degrees, then blend the duplicate into the lower-right area of the image. Press Ctrl+E to merge down the layer, and make sure the resulting layer’s Blending mode is Colour Dodge.

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43 40

Before we start adding additional elements to the composition, let’s adjust some flaws. Make a new layer called ‘17’, place it above 16 in the stack, then brush some white into the areas marked red in the screengrab using the Brush tool from the toolbox. Set the layer mode to Screen.

Rasterise the EPS file using the pixel method, then press Ctrl+I to invert the layer. Name the new layer ‘20’. Press Ctrl+U to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog, then check the Colorize box and set Hue to 223, Saturation to 37, Lightness to -39 and press OK.

Tutorial

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Next, from the Layer Style button at the bottom of the layer stack, select Outer Glow. In the Outer Glow dialog box, set Opacity to 75 per cent, Noise to 0 per cent, Technique to Softer, Size to 32 pixels and Colour to R204 G222 B238. Press OK.

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Paste the seaweed element from the original file again to add a midground element in the upper centre of the composition, and name the layer ‘22’. Paste in a third layer of the seaweed render and name it ‘25’, then to create a fake depth of field go to Filter>Gaussian Blur with a 5-pixel radius. Press OK.

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Go back to the 3d_futuristic_seaweed.tif file and copy the selection once again. Paste it into our main composition and Free Transform it using the the Ctrl+T command, then create a series of four duplicates looking like they’re shooting out from the depth of the image to the lower-right corner. Name the layers ‘26’ through to ‘29’. Use the Blur tool from the toolbox at 100 per cent intensity to blur areas of the layers that look like they are ‘close to the camera lens’ to fake depth of field.

45

Next, using the Free Transform handles (Ctrl+T), add perspective to the line so it looks like it’s shooting out from the brightest area of our image. Duplicate the path twice and distort each duplicate a little further using Free Transform. Merge the three curvy lines together and, using the Eraser tool from the toolbox and a brush with a low Opacity setting, gently erase the most upper parts of the layer.

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Select layer 22, duplicate the layer and invert it by pressing Ctrl+I, then name the layer ‘24’. Set the Blending mode to Overlay and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, setting the radius to 50 pixels, and press OK.

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Create a new empty layer and name it ‘30’, then select the Brush tool from the toolbox, a soft brush with a 200-pixel radius and 70 per cent Opacity. Brush some black into the lower-left corner area, then set the Opacity of the layer to 24 per cent and the Blending mode to Overlay. Delete the layer named backup – we won’t be using it anymore.

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Open the file called 3d_futuristic_seaweed.tif from your CD. Go to Select>Load Selection, Channel: alpha01, then press OK. Copy the selection and paste it into our main composition, naming the new layer ‘21’. Press Ctrl+T to bring up the Free Transform handles and transform the layer according to the screengrab above. Keep the 3d_futuristic_seaweed.tif document open.

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Open up the file called technical_details.psd from your CD. Ctrl+A to select all, then copy the image and paste it into a new layer in our main composition. Name the layer ‘23’ and place it above 22 in the stack. Press Ctrl+T and distort the perspective of the layer so it matches the perspective of the light shooting out from the focal point toward the lower-right corner. Set the Blending mode to Screen and Opacity to 53 per cent.

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Locate layer 05 in your Layer palette, duplicate it, then name the layer ‘31’ and place it at the top of the layer stack. Use the Eraser tool from the toolbox and a soft brush with a radius of 500 pixels. Erase the main part of the layer, leaving only the parts that are overlapping our image focal point.

Create a new adjustment layer using the Channel Mixer. Set the Red channel values to Red: +62, Green: +60, Blue: +38; the Green channel values to Red: +24, Green: +42, Blue: +50; and the Blue channel values to Red: -32, Green: +16, Blue: +108. Press OK.

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Open 3d_glowcloud.psd from your CD. Copy its contents and paste into a new layer at the top of the layer stack. Using the Eraser tool, a soft, 500-pixel radius and 100 per cent Opacity, erase the part of the layer that covers our focal point, leaving only the surrounding environment affected. Set the Blending mode to Screen with an Opacity of 34 per cent. Name the layer ‘35’.

FINAL STEP

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Name the adjustment layer ‘34’, then select its mask in the layer stack. Using the Brush tool with a soft brush, radius of 400 pixels and Opacity at 10 per cent, start brushing some black in random places in the mask. This will make the underlying colour adjustments shine through, and get rid of any monotony in the colour scheme.

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We’re done with the image composition – now let’s do some final colour and contrast adjustments. Using the Lasso tool with a feather of 200 pixels, select the uppermost 25 per cent of the image, then from the bottom of the layer stack press the Adjustment Layer button and select Brightness Contrast. Set the Contrast to +16 and press OK. Name the layer ‘32’. Create a new layer at the top of the stack, name it ‘33’ and fill it with a solid R109 G13 B49. Set the Blending mode to Colour and the layer Opacity to 36 per cent.

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o further increase the sense of depth in the image, Ctrl+A to select all, then Edit>Copy Merged. Paste into a new layer, name it ‘36’, place at the top of the stack, then Blur>Gaussian Blur with a 12-pixel radius and press OK. Using the Elliptical Marquee tool with a 200-pixel feather, make a big selection and leave only the corners unselected, then hit Delete. To optimise the file size before we save the final image, Ctrl+A to select all and Edit>Crop to get rid of any layer contents outside of the canvas area. Mission accomplished! If you want to experiment further with this slightly Surrealist, abstract style, take a look at some of these sites for inspiration: www.chapter3.net, www.idiocase.com, www.digitalvisiononline.co.uk and www.threeoh.com.

Quick Tutorial

SHORTCUTS

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PAINTER Paper grain is one of the unsung features in Painter’s impressive natural media toolset. Often overlooked, its existing paper grain features can lend a wonderful sense of the tactile to your images. Experiment with it to add idiosyncratic flair to your design work.

F

ully in keeping with the tactile realm, many of Painter’s tools offer different results when applied to surfaces with different paper textures. As you’d expect from real world natural media, Painter enables you to control the paper texture of your canvas to achieve stunning results. In Painter 7, existing paper textures are available in the Art Materials palette by clicking on the triangle next to the word ‘Paper’. In version 8, the papers have their own dedicated palette, which you can view by selecting Window>Show Papers from the menu.

USING TEXTURE

1

In Painter 7, using a low grain setting of 21 per cent, we select a basic paper texture and draw four strokes. Note the differences in appearance that’s possible by simply scaling the paper grain by 100, 200, 300 and 400 per cent.

2

To create a paper texture in Painter 8, simply select a preset pattern from the pulldown menu in the Make Paper dialog. Once you’ve adjusted the spacing and angle, you can then name and save the paper texture as a preset.

4

3

Again, in Painter 7, we select the Dry Cracks preset. For the first stroke, we leave the paper set to default; for the second, we increase contrast to 300 per cent; and for the third we increase brightness to 80 per cent. Note the effect.

In Painter 8, we draw three strokes. We then increase the size and contrast of the texture. See the difference between the settings in the Grain slider in the Property bar. The strokes are set at 5, 10 and 15 per cent.

In both versions of Painter’s Paper palette, you’ll find three main sliders. The first is the Scale slider, which enables you to resize the paper grain as small as 25 per cent or as large as 400 per cent. Be careful about scaling large textures in Painter – it can consume valuable RAM and cause things to get rather sluggish. The second is the Contrast slider, which, as you’ve probably already guessed, enables you to adjust the contrast of the paper grain. The third slider enables you to adjust the overall brightness of the grain. You can choose from any of the preset papers in the palette as a starting point, or you can create your own by choosing Make Paper from the palette menu arrow. The Make Paper dialog box enables you to generate your own paper grain by making use of the existing patterns in the Pattern pop-up menu. By default, the Basic Paper presets are displayed in the Papers palette. It is possible to load other paper presets in the Papers palette by choosing Open Library from the palette menu arrow in version 8, or Load Library from the paper pop-up in version 7. Then navigate to your additional libraries. So how does it work? Well, first, try to imagine paper grain as a threedimensional entity, just like it is in real life. The whites act as extruded areas, being the highest points. The black areas act as the recessed points, being the deepest areas. All greyscale values fall into place in-between. Versions 7 and 8 of Painter each offer an Invert function for your paper grain in the Papers palette. Version 7 has an Invert checkbox, and version 8 has an Invert button with a rather obvious inversion icon on it. And just how does all of this affect your painting? Well, for the answer, you need to redirect your attention from the Papers palette to the Grain slider. The Grain slider in version 7 is located in the Brush Controls palette. In version 8, it’s situated in the Property bar at the top of the screen. This powerful slider controls how much of the paint from your current tool penetrates or soaks into the paper texture. A low-grain setting means that less paint penetrates the recessed areas of the paper, thus showing more of the grain. A higher grain setting means that more paint penetrates the paper, so less of the grain is revealed and your strokes appear more solid. INFO Expertise supplied by Derek Lea, [email protected]

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INSIDE THE ANIMATRIX We take a look at the brand new series of animated shorts based on The Matrix trilogy, and see how it’s given Japanese animation a welcome kung fu kick into the mainstream

T

he Matrix is a cinematic phenomenon without precedent. Its dark universe of computer hackers, sinister machines and stunning martial arts moves has captured the imagination of millions. The Animatrix is equally an animated phenomenon, adding to the cult status of its live-action origins and bringing the Japanese Animé style of moving graphics into the mainstream. Released on DVD following the launch of The Matrix Reloaded in May, The Animatrix features nine shorts which expand on the story and its origins. The Matrix’s special effects sequences and the look of the characters and scenes are so clearly inspired by Animé that it was a natural move for the films’ makers, Andy and Larry Wachowski, to pay back the compliment with this series of shorts. Commissioned from a raft of leading directors and studios, including Square USA, the makers of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, each one of The Animatrix episodes contributes to the mythology and history of The Matrix. Far from being a marketing gimmick, The Animatrix is a tribute to the source of

An early scene from Renaissance Part 1.

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the movie’s mood and imagery. Three years in the making, the result is a compilation of animated shorts showcasing the very latest in Animé and cutting edge 3D animation.

A BREATH OF LIFE The plan to develop and release the animated movies was conceived by the Wachowski brothers during the press tour of Japan in support of the first film. Four of the storylines were developed and written by the Wachowski brothers themselves; all they had to do was find a band of willing animators. As Joel Silver, Producer of The Matrix, comments, “They were looking for high-end Animé directors who could bring their own style and imagination to the table and very much make these films their own.” Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers soon recruited Michael Arias, an American Effects consultant living in Japan, who introduced them to a wealth of animation talent. Once the project had been commissioned, Arias set to work recruiting directors: “We knew we weren’t going to be able to get all the people we wanted for the project. Many of

them were hard at work on their own films.” That some film-makers weren’t willing to drop everything for Warner Bros’ mighty Matrix is an indication of just how seriously animation is taken in Japan. It’s not confined to a form of children’s entertainment, but has long been accepted as a fully-fledged film genre. However, the final line-up of directors (see box on page 62 for the nine directors) were eager to contribute. Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the talent behind Program, claimed that, “The Matrix convinced me that a new breed of film-making had arrived.” The efforts put into recruiting the right people undoubtedly achieved the desired result. Each short has its own distinctive style. From the amazing photo-realism of Square USA’s Final Flight of the Osiris to Shinichiro Watanabe’s dark, sepia world of Detective Story, this collection successfully expands on the creative forces that inspired The Matrix trilogy.

ALL SUBSTANCE Seven of the nine features were created by Japanese directors, who’ve each

Feature

The machine ambassador addresses the UN in an attempt to broker peace with the warlike humans in Mahiro Maeda’s epic two-parter Renaissance.

made a film that is unique in style and storyline. Program, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and produced by Madhouse Studios in Japan explores a feature of the Matrix universe touched upon in the first movie – Cypher’s betrayal of the ship’s captain, Morpheus. Even knowing The Matrix to be false, some humans prefer its dreamlike experiences to grim reality. The two non-Japanese shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, directed by Andy Jones at Square USA

of the second. Beginning with a life-like martial arts fight sequence before segueing into a battle scene, it tells the story of a ship’s crew who are trying to warn the human colony in Zion about the arrival of an army of Sentinel robots. While the 3D realism of the single US offering is a striking contrast to its fellow shorts, it sits comfortably within the series and is a dramatic start to the collection. It demonstrates that 2D animation hasn’t been superseded by 3D, rather how the two can complement each other with spectacular results. “THE WACHOWSKIS WERE LOOKING FOR Matriculated, written and directed HIGH-END ANIMÉ DIRECTORS WHO COULD by Peter Chung, features a band of BRING THEIR OWN STYLE” – Joel Silver, The Matrix Producer humans who trap their robot oppressors in a virtual world of their and Matriculated by Peter Chung at DNA studios in own construction. Designed to seduce and convert Seoul, South Korea. For Square’s contribution, the the machines to the human cause, they are animators pushed the techniques they established in eventually victims of their own success. Final Fantasy to the limits. Andy Jones describes the Each episode provides a visually stunning look difference: “In Final Fantasy, we had a lot of cloth into The Matrix via a superb range of styles and covering the characters all the time, but in this we stories. Despite the immense creative freedom needed to see the skin and the muscles deforming.” offered by the Wachowskis, questions on the nature Final Flight of the Osiris acts as a stepping-stone of history of The Matrix would be fired at the brothers between the story of the first movie and the opening to ensure accuracy. Michael Arias was impressed by

these encounters: “I always got a very eerie vibe in our meetings with the Wachowskis – they’ve really got the Matrix story mapped out in great detail, from hundreds of years before the first feature begins.”

THE ORIGINS OF ANIMÉ Andy and Larry Wachowski will openly admit they took a great deal of inspiration for the look and feel of The Matrix from Japanese Manga and animation. This animated style has been growing and expanding in Japan since the end of WWII and has many links running back many centuries in Japanese culture. Peter Chung, fills in the details: “The Matrix looked like a live-action animated film. The brothers used digital technology to blend the two mediums. In many cases, it seemed as if they were actually animating their actors.” The modern evolution of Manga, and later Animé, blends traditional Japanese wood-block printing techniques and American comic books. Having no film industry at the time and a long-running tradition of communicating narratives in this visual style, a huge catalogue of comic books soon began to accumulate. Today, Animé is highly respected in

The ideas behind Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s training program were taken to heart by the Wachowski brothers.

Shinichiro Watanabe’s filmnoir animation, A Detective Story, features the voice of Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity.

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Square USA turned in stunning 3D action for Final Flight of the Osiris.

The archivist from Renaissance, guardian of Zion’s archives. The mandala imagery plays on the semi-mystical overtones of the movie.

THE MAGNIFICENT NINE The nine shorts which make up The Animatrix vary in length from six to 16 minutes. Here’s the full line-up 1 Final Flight of the Osiris Square USA pulls out the big guns for the story of a doomed hovercraft crew desperate to warn the last human city of an impending attack. 2 & 3 The Second Renaissance Parts 1 & 2 Written by the Wachowski brothers and directed by Mahiro Maeda at 4 °C Studio Japan, these two epic animations tell the story of the birth of the Matrix. Visually stunning, The Second Renaissance is probably the most Western of the Animé selection. 4 Kid’s Story Another Wachowski script, this one deals with the story of a young sidewalk surfing dreamer’s escape from the Matrix. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, it also has voiceover from Reeves and Moss as Neo and Trinity.

Japan and the proliferation of Manga comics is as vibrant as ever. The demand for animated features quickly outstripped the production capacity and budget of the fledgling industry. The speed in which new filmmakers and studios met this demand led to the development of new techniques, which gave Animé its distinctive flavour: the use of layered, backgrounds to achieve parallax, for instance, and panning across large still images. Such techniques were originally developed out of necessity, but have since become established shorthand, giving animators a rich visual lexicon to play with. Films like Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s Akira, which first took Japanese animation outside of Japan, are now more than 15 years old. Classics like Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell and Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Vampire Hunter D also enjoy a concentrated but loyal following the world over. The advent of The Matrix and the permeation by other Animé features

into Western consciousness ensures the genre continues to gain mainstream acceptance. Even the purists are pleased about the success of The Animatrix and its live-action parent, and that’s unusual for this type of cult venture. Included on the DVD is an excellent documentary on the history of Japanese animation, complete with comments and interviews from leading directors and critics. This provides a perfect introduction to the significance of Japanese animation. There are also valuable commentaries from the directors themselves, talking mainly about the many ideas that inspired their storylines and imagery. The Animatrix looks set to provide the catalyst for a long overdue explosion of interest in animated features in the West. INFO The Animatrix, published by Warner Home Video, is currently on sale for £16.99. See the Website and download some free episodes at www.theanimatrix.com. Words by Mark Penfold, [email protected].

Master animator Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Program explores the possibility of a return to the Matrix via a favourite Samurai training program.

5 Program Legendary animator Yoshiaki Kawajiri develops a thread from the original film. It seems some people would choose the Matrix even though they knew it wasn’t real. 6 World Record Yoshiaki Kawajiri again deploys his visual originality in support of a sporting hero who breaks more than just records. 7 Beyond Directed by Koji Morimoto, the Animation Director on Akira, this film tells the story of a group of kids who stumble upon a disconcerting anomaly in the Matrix. 8 A Detective Story Shinichiro Watanabe’s film-noir animation pitches you straight into the monochrome world of a down-on-his-luck detective as he searches for a computer hacker named Trinity. 9 Matriculated Peter Chung directed and wrote this piece which was animated at DNA Studios, Seoul. Beautifully illustrated, this story turns the tables on the robots and puts them in a Matrix manufactured by humans.

Mahiro Maeda created Renaissance Parts 1 & 2, detailing the pre-history of the Matrix.

62 Computer Arts_August 2003

Quick Tutorial

SHORTCUTS

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ILLUSTRATOR The numerous Blending modes available in Illustrator 10 are quite similar to those in Photoshop. However, even veteran Photoshop users will begin to see the possibilities when they realise that Illustrator’s Blending modes aren’t necessarily limited only to layers…

A

pplying blending modes to an object is easy enough in Illustrator – simply select the object and then open up the Transparency palette. Here, you’ll find a pulldown menu containing a selection of Blending modes that will be immediately familiar to regular Photoshop users. Often, Photoshop users expect to find the Blending modes within the Layers palette. Remember, they don’t belong in the Layers palette within Illustrator because they’re not limited to layers only. When you assign a Blending mode to an object, it varies the way the colours of

BLENDING MODES IN ACTION

1

By changing the Blending mode of this object in the Transparency palette, we can affect the way the colours of objects blend with those of objects underneath. Underlying objects can be on the same layer.

2

We select a single object, then select the stroke in the Appearance palette and change its Blending mode to Soft Light. Now we select the fill in the Appearance palette and change Blending mode to Multiply for a better effect.

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First, we select and group (Command+G) the new object with some of the skewed rectangular objects in the illustration. Then, with the new object group selected, we click on the Isolate Blending checkbox.

Finally, we click on the target icon of our top layer to select all that layer’s objects. Now we change the Blending mode to Overlay in the Transparency palette, essentially changing the entire layer’s Blending mode.

that particular object blend with the colours of underlying objects. Unlike Photoshop, where Blending modes are layer-specific, Illustrator enables you to use different Blending modes for objects within the same layer. Normally when you assign a Blending mode, it affects all underlying objects. However, with Illustrator, it’s possible to change the behaviour of Blending modes so that only members of a selected group are affected, not the objects underneath. To isolate a Blending mode, simply select and group two or more objects to which various Blending modes are applied. Make sure that you’ve correctly grouped the selected objects – selecting more than one object at a time does not create an object group. To create a proper object group, you must select more than one object by clicking on the first object, Shift-clicking subsequent objects, then selecting Object>Group from the menu. Clicking on any part of the group selects the entire object group. With the object group selected, click on the Isolate Blending checkbox in the Transparency palette. You’ll see immediately that the Blending modes of isolated objects affect only each other and no underlying shapes. The colour variations prompted by the altered Blending modes only affect objects within this group. It’s also possible to use different Blending modes on strokes and fills within a single object. Once you’ve selected an object, bring up the Appearance palette. Here, you can select the stroke and fill of an object independently of each other. Simply click on the stroke in the Appearance palette to select it, then change the Blending mode in the Transparency palette. Note how this only changes the mode of the stroke, leaving the fill untouched. It’s also possible to change Blending modes of entire layers – which will please Photoshop users no end. Just click on the target icon (a small circle) on a layer in the Layers palette. This then selects all shapes on the layer. Once you’ve selected all the shapes on a layer, change the Blending mode in the Transparency palette. Isolating the blending of the contents of an entire layer is an excellent way to preview how a layer will look against other layers in Photoshop after exporting your Illustrator file in PSD format. INFO Expertise supplied by Derek Lea, [email protected]

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Competition

WIN A PANASONIC DVD-BURNER II Your chance to win one of ten awesome DVD-RAM/DVD/DVD-RW combo drives, worth £2000, courtesy of

I

f you’re creating digital content of any kind, then you know that steadily escalating file sizes means storage space can quickly become a nightmare. Whether you’re editing video or developing an interactive DVD, your options are limited by the volume of information your computer can handle. You need space to be creative, which is why we’ve teamed up with Panasonic to bring you a chance to win one of ten superb DVD-burning drives. The Panasonic DVD-Burner II has combined DVDRAM, DVD-R and DVD-RW to make the ultimate combo drive. DVD-RAM has it all: high capacity, rewritability, durability and random access for harddrive style performance. This format gives you the flexibility to test entire DVDs or CD-ROMs before finally burning. As well as providing a storage medium that can be overwritten thousands of times, DVD-RAM disks also have a shelf life of over 30 years. If that isn’t enough, the Panasonic DVD-Burner II also burns to DVD-R at 2x speed. To quote our review of this product in issue 83, “It’s the ultimate accessory for anyone requiring archiving solutions or a mastering drive.” And you can’t argue with that. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these fantastic Panasonic drives is answer our simple question.

INFO www.panasonic.co.uk

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QUESTION WHAT IS THE MINIMUM SHELF LIFE OF A DVD-RAM DISK? TO ENTER Try the easy way, via our Website at www.computerarts.co.uk/competitions. Click on the Panasonic Competition and enter via the link at the bottom of the page. Answer the question, fill in the rest of the form, then click Submit Entry. If you don’t have Web access, you can still enter by sending us your answer on a postcard to: Panasonic Competition, Computer Arts, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW. Please include your address and a telephone number, so we can contact you if you win.

RULES Closing date is 15 August 2003. Employees of Panasonic, Future Publishing and their agents and families are not permitted to enter. Multiple entries are not accepted. The editor’s decision is final and there are no cash alternatives. No other correspondence will be entered into. If you are entering by post and do not wish any of the companies involved in this competition to contact you with further offers, please indicate this on your entry. We will not pass details on to third parties.

SHORTCUTS

www.studio-output.com

PHOTOSHOP Photoshop was originally conceived as a photo-retouching tool, back in February 1990. Now, of course, its image-editing capabilities are endless, and PS7 offers an advanced feature-set for manipulating photographs. Here, we look at giving a regular photo a retro style in both colour and tone.

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s anyone who has experienced Photoshop will know, there are many ways to change the colours of an image, and several methods for aging photographs. Here, we’ll offer a few solutions for creating the effect quickly, then apply one technique ourselves in the mini walkthrough below. The first thing to consider when ageing photographs is the decade you wish to recreate. Older photographs tend to be less saturated then modern ones, and they usually have a colour cast. The colour cast depends on the era from which the photograph was taken. Photos from the

GOING RETRO

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This is the original photograph that we’re going to apply our effects to in Photoshop. It’s quite a modern-looking image, but it will serve our purpose well. Make sure your image is in RGB to access the relevant filters.

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Now we go to Filter>Artistic>Film Grain and set the Grain to 5, Highlight Area to 6 and Intensity to 4. This gives a grainy effect in the midtones and shadows, and it removes the grain from the highlights for a natural look.

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The first thing to do is go to Filter>Noise>Median… Here we’ve set the radius to 2 pixels to flatten the colours in the image. This degrades the image slightly, and softens the highlights to make it look like an older photo.

To create a colour cast we’ll add a Colour Fill layer filled with 70 per cent Magenta, 100 per cent Yellow. The layer is set to Overlay at 50 per cent Opacity to complete the retro 70s effect.

70s generally have an orange cast, while pictures from the 60s have a greater amount of yellow in them. It depends on what look you are trying to achieve. If you are looking to create a 50s look, for example, a little airbrushing will be in order to get that flattened effect, especially on peoples’ faces. It’s pretty simple; you’ll need to add a layer with the Blending mode set to Colour to paint on. Choose a colour palette that reflects the era – in this case the colours will be mainly pastel shades. Then, with a soft-edged round brush, you can add a touch of colour to the cheeks and lips on your subjects’ faces and airbrush over their clothing. Alternatively, some simple but quite effective solutions can be achieved simply by using Photoshop’s indigenous filters and adjustment layers. For example, try using a Colour Balance layer – you can get good results by sliding the triangles from left to right, changing the whole look of an image. In our case, for creating a retro style, experiment with swapping the Cyan, Magenta and Yellow for Red, Green and Blue respectively to create the right colour cast for the era you are aiming for. The Tone Balance can be left on Midtones to affect the general appearance of the image, or you can adjust the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights individually for a more precise result. Filters, such as Film Grain, give wonderful results when used carefully and subtly, especially when used after applying the Median filter to flatten the image slightly first. The beauty of this filter is that the intensity of the effect can be altered in the highlight areas – this bleaches out the grain and gives a more natural photographic look to the image. Follow the quick walkthrough here, where we’ve used these PS features to make a modern photograph date back to the 70s. After that, whether you’re a new, intermediate or pro Photoshop user, you’ll find a mass of further information in the latest issue [47] of Computer Arts Projects (previously Computer Arts Special). This complete Photoshop project begins with a photograph and ends with a stunning piece of artwork by Canadian illustrator Derek Lea, offering in-depth tutorials on retouching, re-colouring, blending and more. On sale until 27 July, it’s available at all good newsagents, or at www.futurenet. com/secure/single1.asp?ID=75. INFO Expertise supplied by Frank Bartucca, [email protected]

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ILLUSTRATION BY SIMON DANAHER

[email protected]

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Tutorial

3D MODELLING

REALSOFT 3D 4.5 According to our reviewer, “Realsoft 3D 4.5 is one hell of a package.” This month, we bring you the full Special Edition on the CD, and show you how to use the program’s key features to model this dune buggy Regular Computer Arts readers will already know what we think of Realsoft 3D 4.5 – in issue 83, we tested the new release and gave it four out of five stars. Our 3D expert wrote, “In terms of price versus performance, Realsoft 3D is simply unbeatable… “ It normally retails for £600, but – alongside the likes of combustion and cleaner XL demos, plus the Photoshop Toolkit – this month the full Realsoft 3D 4.5 Special Edition (PC only) comes on your packed CD. Realsoft is a powerful 3D system with comprehensive modelling and shading tools and a great raytrace renderer. In this tutorial, we show you how to go about modelling this cool, detailed dune buggy using the app’s superlative Subdivision Surface, NURBS and Analytic modelling tools. Once you get used to the way the program works, you should be able to model just about anything, given enough time and patience, of course. The Special Edition of Realsoft 3D 4.5 on your CD is limited only by the number of surfaces it can render (30,000), the texture resolution (capped at 400x300 pixels) and final output size (640x480 pixels). You can, however, render higher-res still images to the screen, so if you need bigger output, just increase the resolution of your monitor and take a screengrab. The best thing is that the program isn’t save-disabled, so you can retain all your hard work. Until the end of August, Realsoft is offering CA readers the chance to save £50. You can purchase the regular edition of v4.5 at a discounted price of £550 – including VAT and a free upgrade to v5 when it’s released. Just go to the Web shop at www.realsoft.com and select the product ‘Upgrade from Special Edition’. When filling the order form details, enter the code CA0703 into the ‘Upgrade from Licence’ field. INFO Illustration and words by 3D expert and author, Simon Danaher: [email protected]

ON THE CD This month’s coverdisc contains the Special Edition of Realsoft 3D 4.5, plus all the files you need to follow this tutorial in the folder Tutorial\Realsoft. Find more about the program at www.realsoft.com.

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PART 1 THE FRAME We’ll kick off by building the dune buggy’s frame using NURBS

INSIGHT AVOID CONFUSION To get rid of the input grid, toggle it off with the G key or use the button on the right of the interface. Turning Perspective on (* numeric key or button) activates a ground grid, but this is not used for drawing on. This is one of the most confusing aspects of Realsoft, so don’t fall into the trap of trying to draw in Perspective.

RESETTING Click the Reset Grid to Native State button to reset the input grid to its default position.

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From the Transformation toolbar tab, choose the Mirror tool. You’ll need to hold down two keys during the next step – Shift (which constrains rotation to 45˚ increments) and Alt (which creates an instance from the selected object). In a Side view (this shows the front/rear of our model, since we started drawing in the Front view), click to set the point of rotation, then move the mouse up to rotate the object. The original reappears once you finish the operation.

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Realsoft is sometimes tricky to get to grips with, but we’re still going to dive right in and start modelling a few simple NURBS objects for the dune buggy. Make sure you have the default layout active (Environments>Default). Down the left side, there are the view and grid tools. Select Front view, deactivate Perspective and enable Input Grid display. Hover your mouse over the icons to find out which is which.

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Align the circle to the start point of the curve you’ve just drawn. Use Alt-right-drag to rotate the view and the handles on the object to move it along the x, y and z axes. You can click and drag on a handle, or click to highlight an axis, click to start moving, and click to end. Select the circle then the curve and choose Sweep from the Options toolbar that will be displayed. Set the mode to Orthogonal, and click OK in the toolbar.

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From the Unified tool tab, click the small triangle next to the Curve tool and choose Cubic Curve. Most tools have further tools and options in a submenu like this, plus you can make the current tool the default one. Draw an outline for the side of the buggy, as illustrated above. Right-click and choose Accept to finish drawing the curve.

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We adjusted the curve of the frame so that the two halves meet at the front. A quick render shows how the model looks at a higher resolution, but it’s still a bit choppy. To fix this, open the Surfaces’ Properties panel (right-click and choose Properties…), and in the Spec tab enter a V count of 32. Note that if you change the Count on a surface and then edit the source curves, it returns to the original values.

PART 2 SUBDIVISION SURFACES Creating the buggy’s wheels using Subdivision Surfaces modelling

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Activate OpenGL view (from the toolbar on the right), select the curve and right-click to choose Edit from the pop-up menu. Select points on the curve and, using the handles, reshape the frame for the chassis. When you’re done, choose Edit again to return to Object mode. Right-click on the objects in the Select Window to rename them. See the file Frame.r3d on the CD.

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Switch to Front view and zoom in a little (use the View tools in the toolbar on the right or use Shiftright-drag). Select the Circle>NURBS Circle tools from the Unified tool tab and draw a small circle. One click defines the centre, another the radius.

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Save that and create a new document (see the file Frame2.r3d). We’ll create the wheels next, this time using SDS (Subdivision Surfaces). In Front view, activate the Input Grid and disable Perspective as before. Choose the Circle>Subdivision Cylinder tool from the Unified toolbar and enable Snapping. Now click to set the centre and once again to set the radius.

Tutorial

PART 3 EXTRA DETAIL Use Boolean rendering to add essential detail to your model

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Rotate the view to see that the cylinder has been created with a default depth. Enable OpenGL and Perspective, and turn off the input grid and snapping. We’ll now introduce a new way to access tools and options – namely, the compass. Right-click and quickly flick the mouse; the Compass menu should pop up. Choose Edit Faces.

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Create another SDS cylinder, but this time change the number of points from 8 to 12 in the Options toolbar. Subdivide the front face and shrink it quite small to make the centre of the rim. Extrude this a few times if you like.

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To create fancy drilled brake discs, we’re using Booleans. Create an Analytic Cylinder (Unified tab, Circle>Analytic Cylinder) in Front view. Now make another small one, using the points at the ends of the handles to scale if necessary (disable Snapping, too). Also scale the larger one along the z-axis. With the small cylinder selected, choose the Rotator tool from the Creation toolbar tab, and click with snapping enabled in the centre of the large cylinder.

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Select the 12 faces on the front of the rim and use Subdivide, but this time set the mode from Groups to Separately. This creates individual indentations. Use Extrude to deepen these, then click the Destroy button to open them up. You can also remove the large rear cap in this way.

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Select both the front and rear caps of the cylinder and then drag on the red tips of the face handles to scale them up until you get roughly the proportions of a car tyre. In the toolbar, you’ll see the Subdivide option; click that, then click to start the subdivision of the faces and release. Now drag up to set the inset. It helps to disable Snapping. Click again to end the process.

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You should see three other cylinders appear in an array. Double-click the Rotator object in the Select Window to access its properties and set the Angle to about 8 degrees. Select the folder called Rotator and right-click choosing Drop To A Level. This groups the Rotator hierarchy into another folder, essentially a Null object. Now you can move and rotate this to get the arrangement seen here.

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Select the outer sides of the rim object and use Extrude set to Selected Face Vertex to widen the outer edge of the rim. Select the new row of faces created at the front of the rim and extrude them to create a lip. Here we have modified the tyre so it’s a little thinner and moved the rim into place. See the file Wheel.r3d on the CD.

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Subdivide once more to create the wall of the tyre, then again to create an edge. Extrude this remaining face inwards, then right-click-drag to access the Compass menu and choose Tunnel. This connects the two opposite faces to make a hole. See file Tyre.r3d on the CD.

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INSIGHT UNIFORM SCALING

With this level selected, use the Rotator tool again to make another array. This time, enter an angle of 20 degrees and set the number of instances to 18. Because they’re all instances, you can go in and scale the original cylinder and all the instances will update as well. Select the large cylinder and the top level of the rotator hierarchy and choose Drop To A Level to group them.

Hold down the Shift key when using the scale handles to constrain to uniform scaling.

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INSIGHT SELECTIVE LOADING To avoid loading multiple materials, turn on Selected Sections Only in the Load dialog and only select Objects.

APPLYING MATERIALS

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You should now have the following hierarchy: a folder under Root containing the large disc and the array folder. In the Properties panel, set this folder to Volume inverted in its Gen tab, then set folder above this (containing the array folder and the large disc) to Boolean Intersection (AND) in the Spec tab. Basically, we’re intersecting the two objects/ levels, but making one inverted so that it creates the holes. You’ll only see the holes during rendering, so do a test to make sure. See the file Disc.r3d on the CD.

To apply materials to objects, select the object, go to the Material tab and drag and drop the desired swatch/name onto the object in the 3D view. Building VSL materials in Realsoft 4.5 is a whole other tutorial in itself, but you can get started by looking at the presets and then customising them.

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Drop the suspension spring group into the wheel group, or group them together in a new level. Move the suspension spring (we’ve added some extra parts using a NURBS rotate and a cylinder) into position by the rear wheel, and then make an instance using Edit>Instance menu. Scale this slightly and move it to the front of the buggy. Group the rear and front wheels and instance this group. Use the Mirror tool to flip them to the other side of the buggy, as shown.

PART 4 SUSPENSION SPRINGS Next, we’ll create the springs using Helical curves and the Rotate tool

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To get rid of the over-extended ends of the Helix, open its properties and in the Spec tab change the End Condition to Phantom. Move the view to update it and you’ll see the coil truncated at each end. Now it’s the right shape. See the file Coil.r3d on the CD.

PART 5 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

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To create suspension springs, we’re going to use the Helix curve tool. Go to Top view, enable grids and Snapping and turn off Perspective. Select the NURBS tab and choose the Helix tool, then set the type to Cylinder. Click in the centre of the view and once again a few units upwards. Now ‘dial’ in the number of turns by rotating the mouse – we’ve used 8. Click once more, still in Top view, for symmetry.

Finally, we’ll assemble and place our objects to create our buggy

T

o render an image or animation to disk, first add a camera. The best way to do this is to set the view as you want it, then click the Camera tool (Creation toolbar tab) and Accept. This places the camera at the current point of view. To link this camera to the view, right-click in the view and choose Camera>Tracking. In the Render tab of the Select window, drag a render preset into the view to make it active, then either render the view or choose the File>Render command to render to a file. Job done!

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Draw a straight, two-point curve along the length of the Helix at its centre, then create a small NURBS circle for the cross-section. Select the curves in the order Axis, Circle, Helix, then click on the NURBS Rotate tool to create the coil. Move the Circle to the end of the curve, perpendicular to it to get a proper coil. Because the resolution is low in the OpenGL preview, render or use Wireframe.

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FINAL STEP

The rest of our buggy is built using various procedures similar to those outlined in this tutorial. You can continue to add detail to the model as you see fit, but note than the software has a limitation of 30,000 surfaces during rendering. The finished model has about 20,000, so there’s loads of scope for your imagination. Assemble your files by loading them, unchecking the Replace box as you do so. Afterwards, move the objects into place.

Quick Tutorial

SHORTCUTS

www.studio-output.com

3DS MAX A few issues back, we covered how to create reflective caustics using 3ds max 5’s base kit. Now we’ll cover how to produce refractive caustics – and the best way to do this is by faking it. Copy the files from the Tutorial\ 3dsmax folder on the CD before you start

rendered off with a square 1:1 aspect; if a non-square aspect is used, the projection map will be distorted and will not line up correctly when re-used.

shadows. Ensure that shadows are turned off for this light. The mixed map set-up should be dropped onto the Projector Map slot of the caustic emitter light (using instanced copying should you require to easily tweak settings later on).

Note that there are imperfections in the glass; these are generated using bump mapping to simulate a mass-produced product that has been sealed and contains some heat distortion. These imperfections can add to the effect. The resulting render is of a black background with white highlights generated by the glass material. With the keylight Viewport rendered off, you can re-import this image into 3ds max and use it in a clone of the original keylight. However, in the original photograph the caustic effect becomes dispersed and more diffused the further away it gets from the glass. To simulate this, we can combine two (or more) copies of the rendered images with different blurring intensities. To do this, use a Mix map with an intense blur assigned to one copy and a lesser (or none) blur to the other. To control the mixing, use a Gradient Ramp map to set how far away from the glass (or how far up in the Viewport if viewed from the key light’s Viewport) the maps should change. Because of this blurring, some intensity is lost, so the Output amount in the render’s Bitmap map should be significantly increased to generate that high-intensity glow around the base of the glass, where the light is immediately focused. Finally, we can project this map using a copy of the main keylight (the light from which the highlight pass was rendered). Copy the light and turn on Raytraced Shadows in the original light. Increase the original light’s Falloff/Field to illuminate the environment a little more. In the key light copy (the caustic emitter), exclude the bottle from receiving light or casting

The light is excluded from illuminating the bottle, because it’s already being illuminated from the original keylight; lighting the bottle with the caustic emitter would generate an undesired effect. And below we have our final result. It’s not technically accurate, but it gives a visual interpretation of a caustic effect that can add subtle realism to a scene.

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irst and foremost, why would we want to fake something that could be easily produced with a thirdparty renderer? Two reasons: time and money. Rendering photon-based lighting can take an age if it’s not set up properly, and to produce effective results you’ll have to have a lot of photons flying around. The only way to produce such caustics ‘properly’ is by buying a thirdparty renderer for 3ds max, and these can cost a fair amount. Using a faked effect is far more feasible. Refractive caustics are displayed around the base of a wine glass (for example), where the main key light has been refracted and focused through the change in material density, internal reflection, and emitted onto a surface such as a table.

This can be simulated by using a projection map emitted from a clone of the original keylight, set up to just illuminate the surfaces that receive the caustic effect. Okay, a relatively simple solution, but how can we create our projection map? With our scene already set up, we can utilise the reflective properties of the glass object, in this case a bottle, to generate our caustic projection map. The key light is focused directly onto the bottle and

WHY WOULD WE WANT TO FAKE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE EASILY PRODUCED WITH A THIRDPARTY RENDERER? TWO REASONS: TIME AND MONEY

To add further detail to the effect, try blending an overhead rendered position of just the bottle on a black background (as before) with the original render, then project this through the keylight copy to create some concentric-circle caustic effects. This is particularly effective if an imperfect wine glass is used as our model. If glass or other refractive material is used that has a colour tint, the caustic will also be tinted. This is because the glass acts as a gel – a coloured filter. You can simulate this by tinting the caustic map; you should also tint the bottle’s shadow colour to simulate this gel effect. INFO Expertise supplied by Pete Draper, www.xenomorphic.co.uk

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PROFILE

CLEMENTINE HOPE PHONE 07973 767 277 EMAIL [email protected]

The contemporary style of freelance illustrator Clementine Hope has so far attracted clients such as The Guardian, Macmillan Publishing, Time Warner and Penguin Books. Her well-defined technique combines line drawings with wide spaces, digital photography and muted colours, and retains an appealing sketchy, hand-painted feel. Her compositions are created first on paper, before being scanned and constructed in Photoshop. Hope’s work has been commissioned for book covers, editorial illustrations and corporate identities, and she’s been working professionally for the last two years. Born in Edinburgh but now living in London, she finds inspiration for her work throughout the City, which also fuels the other vocational passions in her life: sculpture and furniture design.

1

What image is on your desktop?

A photo of stuffed animals. Which Website do you visit most?

Google. What are you obsessed by?

Trees and silhouettes. Name one brilliant illustrator/designer

Paul Rand – an influential American graphic designer whose work includes logos for IBM and UPS. What are you working on now?

I’m working on three different book covers for a UK publisher, with three very different subjects: impending motherhood, friends, and war between Greece and Turkey. For the last of the three I’ve actually got the manuscript, which is really exciting for this kind of work. I’m also designing a new piece of my own furniture, and talking to people about some T-shirt designs. What is your strangest client experience?

So far, everyone has been scarily normal and straightforward. What is your ultimate ambition?

To have two successful careers as an illustrator and as a furniture designer – the best of both worlds. I’ve always been interested in furniture design, and when my table design came second in a Heal’s and Elle Decoration magazine competition, I caught the bug. Favourite city?

London, where I live now. How do you celebrate completing a project?

I put the computer off. I’ll try and have a lazy day, go to a gallery, reacquaint myself with friends – that sort of thing. Best album to work to?

My new favourite is The Horse by The Chap. If you weren’t busy being a designer, what would you be doing now?

The garden. What keeps you awake at night?

My neighbour’s wind chimes. 2

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Profile

3

4 1. Dog With Strawberries was a page from a promotional book for Mercier Gray Advertising. The story followed the exploits of the dog (representing value) and a cat (representing image). It was printed to look like a thick, cardboard children’s book, and was sent out to prospective clients. 2, 3 & 6. “These images – Juice St, Music Roadie and Park Scene – are all work I did independently when I was trying to discover my own illustrative style.”

4. Havana Cuba is another piece of personal work, in which Hope experimented with pen, ink and textures. 5. This illustration is the cover of Louise Wener’s first novel, Goodnight Steve McQueen (you may know this author better as the singer with 90s indie band, Sleeper). Hope has also completed the cover for Wener’s second novel.

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6

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ILLUSTRATION BY ROB CHIU

[email protected]

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Tutorial

MOTION GRAPHICS

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION Another exclusive! This issue, we bring you demos of combustion 2.1 and cleaner XL on the CD, complete with this tutorial from Discreet’s resident experts. Find out how to use this killer combination to the full If you’re in the creative industry, chances are you’ll have heard of – and possibly even drooled over – Discreet’s Academy Award-winning visual effects solutions: the power behind the visual effects in blockbuster films such as Gladiator, Titanic, The Matrix films, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and more. The good news is that this same core technology is now available in a desktop version at a fraction of the cost in the guise of combustion, Discreet’s unified paint, effects and compositing software for the Mac and PC platforms. combustion is already acquiring an impressive array of film credits all its own, from the Harry Potter films to the title sequence for Catch Me If You Can. In this tutorial, we’ll take you through the software’s core functions, demonstrating how easy it is to combine video footage with animated layers and graphics to stunning effect. But we won’t stop there. Once you’ve created your multi-layer animation, we’ll also show you how to master it for a wide variety of formats – CD, DVD, PDA, and so on – with Discreet’s industry-standard encoding software, cleaner. For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll be using cleaner XL (for Windows), largely because it’s brand new and it has some major feature additions that are pretty cool. However, you could achieve equally good results with cleaner 6 for Mac. INFO This two-part tutorial has been co-written by Grant Kay, Discreet’s resident combustion guru, and fellow cleaner expert, Daniel Loshak. Further info on all things Discreet can be found at www.discreet.com or by phoning 020 7851 8000.

ON THE CD Look on your coverdisc for trial versions of combustion 2.1 (Mac + PC) and cleaner XL (PC – you’ll need Win 2000/XP and RealPlayer). In the folder Tutorial\Discreet, you’ll also find the final workspace file, CA_final.cws, plus four source files: bottom.mov, top.mov, earth.mov and weather.ai.

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^

PART 1 THE BACKGROUND Start by creating the background using movies and an Illustrator file

INSIGHT ANIMATION You can animate almost every value in combustion. Animation can be achieved using the sliders, a text entry, the calculator or directly in the timeline. Inside the timeline, you can view the animation in two ways: via keyframes over time or keyframes on a graph. Because layers are animated, you can see the animation path in the viewports and fine-tune them using the different entry methods above.

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1

Launch combustion and select File>Preferences. Under the General option, make sure ‘Display time as’ is set to Frames (from 1). This ensures that your timing matches the rest of the tutorial.

4

In the workspace layer panel, rearrange the layers so that the Weather layer sits above the Top layer. When working in layer-based applications such as combustion, prioritising layers helps determine how your visualisation will appear within the screen’s 2D environment. You determine which layers will be in front and which will be in the background.

Next, we’re going to re-position the Weather layer in relation to the other layers. Do this by selecting the Weather layer, then, in the Transform menu of the composite controls, change the X Position to -260 and the Y Position to 235. With the Weather layer still selected, now go to Operators>Distort>Resize on the windows menu, set the Method to Tile and adjust Corner 2’s X value to 1000.

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Next, adjust the way the Weather layer interacts with the surrounding layers. Again, click on the Weather layer in the workspace panel to bring up the composite controls. Select the Surface sub-menu, change the Transfer Mode to Overlay and set the Opacity to 25 per cent.

2

Next, select File>New to create a workspace and a composition within the workspace project. In the pop-up window, select ‘Composite’ for Type, enter ‘Weather Opening’ for the Name, and set the Format to PAL D1and Duration to 75 frames. Finally, don’t forget to set the Mode to 3D.

5

At this point, the layers may appear disjointed, rather than as a single image. Worry not – you can solve this by using transitions to subtly blend the layers together. Select the Top layer, and on the menubar go to Operators>Transitions>Linear Wipe. In the Transition menu, set Amount to 50 per cent and Feather Amount to 40.

3

Now bring the footage into the composite. Simply select File>Import Footage, then in the browser navigate to the ‘footage’ directory. Using the Ctrl key, multi-select Bottom.mov, Weather.ai and Top.mov and click OK. You can display this as thumbnails or a list.

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Now create a duplicate of the Weather layer by right-clicking on that layer in the workspace panel and selecting Duplicate. Select the Weather layer again and click on the Transform sub-menu in the composite controls, changing the Y Position to -235.

Tutorial

^

INSIGHT FLEXIBILITY In combustion, you work within a single workspace or project, but you can have multiple compositions inside the project. This gives you enormous flexibility in the way you work, all in a single workspace. It also means you can create elements as separate parts and then join them together at a later stage. This is a real boon for motion graphic designers, who are able to focus on a single element in the composition without being distracted by other layers. By using the multiple viewports in combustion, however, you can also view your layer in and out of context of the composition.

15

Finally, double-click on Composite in the workspace panel to see all the layers together. Holding the Ctrl key, select ‘Weather’, ‘Weather (1)’, ‘Top’ and ‘Bottom’ layers. In the composite controls, select the Layer sub-menu and change Depth Order to Background for the selected layers.

9

And now for the fun part! Turn the Animate button On (Red). Change the X Position of Weather layer to -490. Go to frame 70 and change the X Position to -260. Select the Weather (1) layer and set the X Position to -490. A motion path is now created for each layer, after which you should turn Animate Off. Hit Play to see the results of your handiwork, but always remember to return to frame 1 once you’ve stopped playback.

PART 3 ANIMATION Time to add layer animation and parenting – and bring things to life

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Next, we’ll show you how to add animation to the Text layer in the composite. Click the Timeline tab and select Graph mode and turn Animate On. At frame 70, select the Text layer and double-click on Y Rotation and type 360.

PART 2 THE FOREGROUND The foreground element for this project is a QuickTime movie with an alpha channel embedded

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To add the text element into the scene, you need to create a new layer. First, return to frame 1, right-click on the composite in the workspace and select New Layer. Change the Type to ‘Text’ with a Duration of 75 frames with Transparent enabled, and call the layer ‘Title’.

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Double-click on X Rotation and type 0. Go to frame 1 and change the X Rotation value to 75. In the graph timeline, combustion has calculated the animation between 1 and 75 frames. Now turn Animate Off and, if you feel it needs finessing, adjust the Bézier handles to smooth out the motion.

10

Now to import the movie. Select File>Import Footage, then in the browser navigate to the Footage directory, select earth.mov (on your CD) and click OK. The file should now be imported.

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Now, in the Basics menu of the text controls tab, click in the Text Editor and type ‘Earth Wind Fire Water Earth Wind Fire Water’. Change the Font to Arial, set the Style to Bold and set Font Size to 62.

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To make sure the text follows the Earth, combustion is able to lock layers to one another. Click the Composite controls tab and click the Transform sub-menu. Select the Text layer and change the Parent from (none) to the Earth layer.

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The image of the Earth is quite large and needs to be reduced in size for the animation. So select the Earth layer and in the Transform controls menu, scale the Earth layer to 55 per cent with the Proportion button enabled.

^

14

Click the Advanced button and change the Path Options Type to Loop. Turn Animate On and go to frame 70. Adjust the Path Offset to 100 per cent, turn Animate Off and press Play. Once you’re done, press Stop and return to frame 70.

INSIGHT COMBUSTION + PHOTOSHOP? combustion sits comfortably with other design packages, and supports many formats including Adobe Illustrator and layered Photoshop files. Vector art remains editable for animation when imported into combustion. There’s also support for 3D animation packages such as Discreet’s 3ds max, with RLA, RPF and IFF formats all being accepted. combustion also supports most generic file formats, enabling you to input and output whatever format you choose.

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^

INSIGHT VIEWPORTS

PART 4 FINAL TOUCHES

Your composition is always displayed in a viewing area, which is called the Viewport. You can create four Viewports in all, each one operating independently of its neighbours. This enables you to look through your camera at different perspective angles when compositing in 3D. Viewports also enable you to see and work with a layer behaving in and out of context simultaneously.

Enhancing compositing using 3D

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At frame 1, turn Animate On. Click on the Workspace tab, select the Earth layer and change the Z position to -700. Go to Frame 70 and change the Z position value to 0. Turn Animate off. Believe it or not, you’ve just animated a layer in 3D space (and you thought it was going to be hard!).

25 20

Now select the Light object in the workspace panel (you may need to scroll the box down). Select the Settings sub-menu in the composite controls. Under Render Effects, turn on Shading. The illumination of the composite now changes.

23

Select the Text layer in the workspace panel and select the Surface sub-menu. Change the transfer mode from Normal to Difference. Now just press Play to see the final result. You can now render this composite out as an uncompressed source and import it into cleaner XL for output in other formats.

21

Repositioning the light enables you to re-light your composite completely. Select the Transform sub-menu and change the position of the light. Set the X Position and Y Position to 0, but the Z Position must be -710. At this point, you could add multiple lights to your scene if you like.

For the Input Profile, navigate to the Expert Folder. Choose Non-Square PAL 4x3 Progressive. (This assumes you’ve rendered out using 720x576 non-square pixel, progressive, 25fps.) Now add the source clip. Right-click in the source plane (or Ctrl+Shift+A) and navigate to the ‘weather.mov’ clip on the CD.

PART 5 CLEANER XL Next, we’re going to take the full-res animation (weather.mov) and master it to a variety of formats

24

This combustion clip is a breeze for cleaner XL to encode. Fire up your demo (or cleaner 6 if you’re on a Mac) and you’re presented with a default ‘NTSC to Windows Media 9’ job window. From the File menu, choose ‘New Job From Template’, navigate to the Expert folder and choose Blank.

22

To access the light settings, select the Light sub-menu. Change the Light Type to Spot. Now change its Intensity to 80 per cent, the Cone Angle to 75 and set the Soft Edge to 300.

26

Now you need to add some Output Profiles. cleaner XL comes with lots of presets for all the popular formats that are great for video, but not so good for computer-generated content. What format you encode to will depend on where your clip is going to be viewed. Here, we’ll add QuickTime, Windows Media 9 and MPEG-2. Right-click on the Output Profile box to add a saved profile. Navigate to QuickTime/PAL 4x3, and select ‘QT6 PAL 4x3 download medium’. Next, expand the Monitor window, which should be nestling quietly in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

27

Now to preview the video. First, expand the Preview window; to preview the source, use the controls in the Monitor window, and set In and Out points using the buttons (marked above). Play around to get familiar with the three preview options.

^

INSIGHT ADJUSTMENTS Quite often, a clip can benefit from some slight colour adjustment. The aim is to get the black areas as black as possible and the whites as white as possible. Our clip doesn’t really need any adjustment, but play around with the settings and preview the results.

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Tutorial

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28

Next, set up audio and video filtering. Click on the Filter Settings dropdown in the Job window. By default, Noise Reduce and Colour Adjust are switched on. This is a perfectly clean source, so switch this off. Finally, apply a Normalize filter to the audio. Under the Audio filter tab, check Normalize and leave it at the default 90 per cent.

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Preview the clip again using the controls mentioned in step 27. After previewing this clip a few times, you’ll probably notice that we’re getting some pixellation in the background. To fix this, you need to go into the Encoder settings and adjust a few things. First off, choose Edit from the Encoder Setting dropdown.

Adjust the settings as shown above (Audio – Codec Fraunhofer MP3, 44.1KHz Stereo, bitrate 160). Change the Keyframe rate to 0 and data rate to 1000kbps). Don’t close the box. Right-click on the QT6 PAL output profile. Choose Duplicate. Rename this ‘QT6 PAL Full screen’. In the Encoder Settings, change Image Size to 640x480 and Data Rate to 3000kbps. Load in a Saved Output Profile called ‘WM9 PAL 4x3 download Full screen’, remember to switch off any video filtering, and enable Normalize audio. By default, cleaner places encoded files in your ‘My Documents’ folder, so we’ll add another for WM9 content. With the WM9 profile selected, right-click in the destinations plane and choose Add New…. Choose Browse and create a new folder, calling it ‘XL WM9 Animation Encodes’. Give the Destination a name and uncheck the Cleaner Output Destination. Lastly, add an MPEG-2 Output Profile, but close the preview window before doing this to keep everything nice and speedy. MPEG-2 ‘Elementary’ will give you separate audio and video files, suitable for DVD authoring applications, and ‘Program’ will give you a single file containing both audio and video. Again, remember to switch off the video filters, and you don’t need to Normalize the audio this time. Create a Destination for the MPEG-2 file.

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Now save the job, giving it a useful name so that you can easily locate it. From the Job menu, choose ‘Encode Now…’ (or Ctrl+Shift+E). The encoding process now begins. At the bottom of the Job window, click the button to expand it and see what stage of the process cleaner is at. A small, chequered flag means that the file has finished encoding; double-click on it to play the encoded file. The encoding should be over in a couple of minutes. Looking at the encoded files, you’ll see how we’ve taken the size down from nearly 20MB to 675k, even at full screen. The luxury we have here is that we can increase the data rate to generate even higher quality and still end up with a manageable file size.

FINAL STEP

A

nd here’s the final result. Good, isn’t it? Before we go, though, here’s a quick note about Watchfolders… A Watchfolder job is set up in a similar way to a normal job: Output profiles and Destinations are added, but instead of adding media, you add or create a folder that watches and waits for media to be placed within it. As soon as this happens, cleaner XL starts encoding automatically.

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BACK ISSUES IF YOU SPOT A BACK ISSUE YOU WANT, CALL THE HOTLINE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE ALL BACK ISSUES ARE SELLING OUT QUICKLY

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Issue 80 – SOLD OUT 30-day trial of Director MX, Maya 4.5 PLE full app, plus expert FlashMX and Photoshop tutorials.

PHOTOSHOP Special – COSB0047 Discover how to fashion this startling image in Photoshop.

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FLASH Special – SOLD OUT Design and animate a full-length Flash cartoon from scratch.

REVIEWS ★★★★★

SOFTWARE

OUR FIVE-STAR RATING EXPLAINED

After Effects 6 preview p86 Premiere Pro preview p87

For a piece of software or hardware to make it into Computer Arts’ reviews section, it has to reach a certain standard. Truly dire products will be ignored, which is why you’ll rarely see one-star ratings. Our reviewers are experts in their own fields. We assess tools from the viewpoint of the professional designer. Does the product do what it’s meant to do? Is the interface clean? Is it quick, reliable and useful? And is it good value? Computer Arts Recommended awards are only given to products that are particularly good value, or truly excel in what they do.

Final Cut Pro 4 p90 Canon 3D SOM p92 InDesign and XPress add-ons p94 Amapi Designer 7 p97 HARDWARE

Sharp LL-T2020H p98 LG Flatron L2010P p98 HP Designjet 120nr p99 Creative stuff p100 GROUP TEST

WEB EXTRAS p104

Moho 4.2 PSD2FLA WildFX 3.0 Flix Pro 3.2 Linx KoolMoves 4.01 PhotoWebber 2.03 PhotoCaster 3 Freeway Pro 3.5 FlashCast 1.2 Web Menu Builder 2 SWiSH 2.01 FlashMorph 1.1 StudioLine Web 1.1

A few weeks ago, I visited Adobe and got the latest on its already impressive range of video tools. I wasn’t that surprised to see new versions of After Effects and Premiere lined up, of course – but a few revelations did get me genuinely excited. The first was just how impressive the new release of AE looks set to be. Adobe has worked extensively on both the Standard and Pro versions to ensure this compositing and motion graphics tool will rock like no other. And then there’s the news that Premiere Pro, the latest incarnation of Adobe’s DV tool, no longer supports the Mac (most probably because FCP already dominates the platform). Turn the page for our exclusive preview of both mighty applications. We also payed a trip to Apple HQ this month, and came back with probably the first copy of Final Cut Pro 4 in the country. It’s a stunning release – see page 90 for the CA verdict. We’ve also got Canon’s new software on test, and rounded up ten InDesign and XPress add-ons. Add to this reviews of two 20-inch LCD panels, HP’s huge Designjet,14 Web extras and more, and you have 41 products on test. Enjoy them! Rob Carney Reviews Editor [email protected]

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AFTER EFFECTS 6 & PREMIERE PRO PREVIEW Hot off the press: full details of updates to Adobe’s Digital Video Collection

WORLD EXCLUSIVE

PREVIEW CONTACT Adobe Buy online www.adobe.co.uk

PRICING AFTER EFFECTS ● After Effects 6 Pro: $999 ● After Effects 6 Standard: $699 ● Upgrade from previous Production Bundle: $299 ● Upgrade from previous Standard: $199 ● Upgrade to Pro from previous Standard: $499 PREMIERE PRO ● Premiere Pro: $699 ● Upgrade from previous version: $199

The third quarter of this year will see major DV releases from Adobe, namely After Effects and Premiere, as well as introducing Encore DVD and Audition, the latter a renamed and rebadged version of the recently bought Cool Edit Pro. First up is After Effects 6 – the latest incarnation of Adobe’s motion graphics and compositing tool. Previously, the software has been available in Standard and Production bundles – the latter featuring higher-end compositing tools. While the split is still here in terms of feature-sets, Adobe has renamed the higher-end product After Effects 6 Pro. Across the board, though, After Effects receives a major feature upgrade, most prominently in the guise of new tools such as Brush and Clone. These are the basis of the new Vector Paint Engine in both Standard and Pro versions of AE 6. Taking its lead from Photoshop, After Effects now features a Brush palette, along with options for adjusting Brush Dynamics (specifying Wacom Stylus tilt, pressure and so on) and Spacing, Stroke Opacity and Size. Because these brushes are vector-based, you can edit strokes at any time, too. Naturally, you can use these for touching up footage, rotoscoping and creating effects where you paint over time. A new Eraser tool is also present. The Clone tool, again, works very much like it does in Photoshop, and will no doubt come in handy when

rotoscoping and cleaning up footage. You can clone within a single frame, across a sequence of frames on the same layer over time, and between different layers. For example, you could clone a person walking over a number of frames to give the impression of two people – a job that would previously require relatively complex masking.

SUPREME TEXT CONTROL Just like Photoshop, AE receives a massive upgrade to its text tools in version 6. You can now type directly into the After Effects Composition Window, and with all kerning and other standard shortcuts in place, text entry is a breeze. In addition, a Character and Paragraph palette are included – now standardised across the Adobe portfolio. You can also mix and match fonts and sizes within a single text layer. Where After Effects 6 takes it all a step further, though, is in the way animators can control the text. Text no longer needs to be broken apart, with each letter on a separate layer in order to be able to animate characters individually. This is made possible by an awesome new text animation system that enables you to define the letters or words you wish to animate (called a Selector in AE), and then animate the Selector. You can create multiple Selectors and animate them individually, with each Selector capable of animating multiple properties such as position, opacity and even kerning and tracking. Needless to say, Selectors work with

After Effects 6, Premiere Pro, Encore DVD and Audition will ship in the third quarter of 2003. UK pricing yet to be confirmed.

SYSTEM AFTER EFFECTS 6 PC Pentium III • 128MB RAM • 150MB HD space • Win 2000/XP MAC PowerPC • 128MB RAM • 150MB HD space • Mac OS X 10.2.4 PREMIERE PRO PC Pentium III 800 • 256MB RAM • 600MB HD space • Win XP

VERDICT After Effects 6 looks like being an extremely impressive release indeed, with Adobe adding a substantial amount of new features, as well as speeding up the application. Premiere Pro will give Windows users just about all of the functionality of FCP on the Mac and XPress DV at a decent price.

The ability to animate text without having each individual letter on a separate layer will save motion graphic artists a serious amount of time.

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FEATURES AFTER EFFECTS ● Vector painting engine ● Motion tracker (Pro version) ● Keylight keying (Pro version) ● OpenGL ● Compositing and motion graphics ● New Text tools ● Liquify tools

AE 6 Pro’s new motion tracker promises to be easier to use and more powerful – with the ability to track an unlimited number of points.

Premiere Pro comes complete with customisable keyboard shortcuts, as well as a refined interface that makes everything easier to access.

3D layers, so you can animate text easily in 3D. Animating text along a path is similarly easy, with Path options being available on the timeline for each and every text layer.

integration with Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro. AE 6 is available in the third quarter of this year for Mac OS X (no OS 9 support), Win XP and 2000.

BROTHERLY LOVE? Another Photoshop-inspired addition to After Effects 6 comes in the shape of Liquify and Warp tools. The former includes the brush-based tools from Photoshop, but makes it possible to animate the effects over time. The Warp effect gives 15 preset warps that bend, stretch and bulge layers. The effects can be animated over time using keyframes. New filter effects (18 of them in total) in After Effects 6 include Scribble for creating a drawn-on effect, Dust and Scratches for cleaning up footage, 3D Glasses, and Magnify – the latter simulating the effect of a magnifying glass over an area of your image. For the full list of new filters and effects, check out www.adobe.co.uk. But AE 6 has much more to offer. For a start, in terms of performance, it looks to be much speedier. This is mainly due to support for OpenGL, making comp previews superfast – almost instant, in fact, when you scrub along the timeline. Try that in AE 5.5. After Effects now also supports background rendering – meaning you can continue to work as the preview renders. In the Professional version, Adobe has added Render Automation – a scripting engine that controls the render queue, enabling you to quickly perform

The new Vector Paint Engine gives an amiable nod to Photoshop – you can now use a variety of brush-based tools to rotoscope or clean up footage.

PREMIERE PRO

Premiere Pro is the latest release of Adobe’s powerful DV-editing tool, and rather unsurprisingly (thanks to Final Cut Pro and Express dominating the Mac platform), it’s Windows only. The main improvement that Adobe is pushing here is a render-free environment. While this entirely depends on your set-up (a PIII 800 is the minimal requirement, but the app is optimised for P4 3GHz systems), the step is clearly good news for editors. Rather than stick with real-time previews, as in the last version of Premiere, Premiere Pro goes all out to show you exactly what your footage will look like without rendering at all. On 3GHz systems, this works extremely well – but wait for the review coming soon in CA to see how the technology fairs on older systems. Another major new addition is multiple, nestable timelines. This sort of feature, seen in Final Cut Pro on the Mac (called Sequences), enables you to work on multiple timelines within the same project. This effectively means you can work on different parts of a project in different timelines and then put them all together at the end – eliminating a huge, complex, single timeline. While we’re on the subject, the Premiere Pro PREMIERE PRO LOOKS TO BE A FANTASTIC timeline has also been significantly revamped, supporting multiple timelines and streamlining APPLICATION FOR ANYONE AFTER THE editing tasks. In another influence from FCP, POWER OF FINAL CUT PRO ON THE PC dropping clips into the timeline brings up Overwrite and Insert icons, so putting together cuts is much routine processes, such as import footage, send emails quicker as a result. Other enhancements include the ability once render jobs are completed, and so forth. to apply transitions to any video track, and automatically Also in the Pro version of AE 6 is a new motion tracker. apply default transitions to overlapping clips. You can also Improvements include the ability to track an unlimited select and trim multiple edit points at once. number of points, and a new palette-based interface – The Project window has also been rejigged. The sporting VCR-like controls for stepping through footage Storyboard view shows clips in an orderly grid, the list and frame by frame. Where the Pro version really excites, thumbnail views are combined to give you info as well as a though, is in its new Keying tools. AE now features Keylight visual preview, and you can view in/out points, offline – the keying tool developed by Computer Film Company properties, shot/take and other user-defined info. The and the same tool that features in Apple’s high-end Monitor/Source window has been enhanced, too, compositing tool, Shake. The keyer is extremely easy displaying still images, audio (waveform), colour mattes to use, and has made its name for being excellent at and titles. New controls in the Source and Program views distinguishing reflections, semi-transparent areas and include a safe margin button (for toggling title safe areas), a hair. It’s an awesome addition to After Effects – we’ll have magnification menu, various tools for marking video in and more about it in the full review, coming soon. out, and a Match Frame button to match the frame at the Other additions (to both Standard and Pro versions) timeline’s edit line with the frame in the source clip. include Placeholders for missing effects, a wider range of Motion paths are made a whole lot easier in this version. output options (including Windows Media 9) and better Adopting a similar approach to FCP, they enable you to

The new release of After Effects delivers a host of new effects filters, including Scribble – which enables you to create an animated hand-drawn effect.

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MORE FEATURES PREMIERE PRO ● Multiple, nestable timelines ● Three-point colour corrector ● ‘Render-free’ editing ● New timeline functionality ● New audio controls ● Improved motion path tools

The new colour-correction tools give you the ability to correct footage in real time using highlights, midtones and shadows.

The Premiere Audio Mixer has been refined to handle the new surround sound functionality of the app.

interactively move picture-in-picture effects using transformation handles in the Monitor window. The same goes for effects. You now have the ability to keyframe effects over time in an Effects control palette directly to the left of the Program window – just like in Final Cut Pro.

ENCORE DVD AND AUDITION

COLOUR CORRECTION

The remaining pieces in Adobe’s DV jigsaw

Also new is the three-point colour correction tool. Yes, you’re right, when we saw these we immediately thought ‘Final Cut Pro’. And, sure enough, the tools are very similar, enabling you to correct hue, saturation and lightness for highlights, midtones and shadows. Rather unsurprisingly, considering the obvious influence from Apple, Premiere Pro also includes a built-in vectorscope, waveform, YcbCR Parade and RGB Parade monitors. A split-screen feature enables you to see the before and after effect in the same Monitor window. Very handy. Where Premiere Pro looks to be greatly improved is in its audio support. New tools for enhancing audio are abundant in this release, and exceed most video-editing tools in terms of functionality. The old Audio Mixer from Premiere 6.x is here, but has been enhanced to deal with the new 5.1 surround sound functionality of Premiere Pro (although you’ll need a bolt-on export plug-in to export the 5.1 audio), and you can capture audio directly to the timeline – handy for voiceovers. New Reverb, Dynamics, DeNoiser and Pitch Shift tools are also here, and you can adjust clips with the precision of up to 1/96000 of a second. The ability to exchange projects with pro video workstations using the AAF format will appeal to those darting between lower-end systems and say, Avid Symphony, and improved device control and capture settings will please, well, everyone. Of course, integration with AE 6, Encore DVD, Photoshop and Illustrator is superb, and Premiere Pro can confidently export to a plethora of video standards, including MPEG1, MPEG2, AVI, DV, Windows Media 9 and QuickTime. Premiere Pro feels very much like a Final Cut Pro for the PC, which is no bad thing. The decision to leave the Mac platform alone for this release is in no doubt a nod to Apple for its efforts on FCP and FCE, and with Premiere Pro, Adobe could have the same conquering force on the Windows platform. With Encore DVD (previewed next issue) and Audition also on their way soon, the company has visibly bolstered its digital video portfolio. After Effects 6 looks to be the best release yet, with exciting new tools for the professional motion graphics artist and compositor, while Premiere Pro looks to be a fantastic app for anyone after the power of Final Cut Pro on the Windows platform. Exciting times lie ahead – look out for the in-depth reviews soon and turn the page for our exclusive on FCP 4.

Due out this summer, Encore DVD is Adobe’s DVD authoring software and puts a range of professional tools at your fingertips. Giving you access to audio, video and subtitle tracks in a remarkably similar way to, say, Premiere. it’s been specially configured to integrate seamlessly with Adobe’s smart new DV line-up. The menu creation tools, as you’d expect from Adobe, look simply stunning, while excellent Photoshop integration ensures that you can mock up menus in Photoshop and easily port them over, layers intact, to Encore. In addition, menus are now stored in PSD format which means you needn’t worry about flattening

layer effects, blends, text and so on. With integrated video and audio transcoding, you can also forget about file types on import. Then there’s integration with Premiere Pro and After Effects, which could see an end to you having to manually update imported files. The final addition to the Adobe Digital Video collection is Audition. As we go to press, Audition is simply the new name for the recently acquired Cool Edit Pro audio-editing software from Syntrillium. Adobe hasn’t done anything with the tool yet, but expect integration with Premiere Pro, After Effects and Encore DVD, as well as a tweaked interface sooner rather than later.

Premiere Pro’s multiple, nestable timelines means you can now break down your projects into more easily manageable sequences.

Premiere Pro includes options to export directly to Encore DVD – Adobe’s brand new DVD authoring application.

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The real-time colour correction tools will be invaluable to any editor – and are pretty similar to those found in Final Cut Pro on the Mac.

FINAL CUT PRO 4

MAC £799

DV Apple’s video-editing application goes from strength to strength CONTACT Apple Buy online www.apple.com/ukstore

SYSTEM MAC 500MHz PowerPC G4 ● Any Dual Processor Power Mac G4 or PowerBook G4 required for RT Extreme and Soundtrack ● QuickTime 6.1 ● 384MB of RAM ● 1GB HD ● 14GB HD for Soundtrack and LiveType content ● DVD drive

FOR Superb editing toolset Excellent titling tools ● Vast format support ● Extremely easy to use ● Great value ● ●

AGAINST ●

Only available for the Mac

VERDICT

★★★★★ Final Cut Pro 4 is nothing short of superb. Apple has obviously thought long and hard about this release, and has added a number of enhancements for workflow and creativity. The bundled apps truly excel, as does FCP itself. An intelligent, well-crafted and wonderfully easy-to-use suite of tools.

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D

igital film-makers on the Mac platform have embraced Final Cut Pro like no other application. With version 3, Apple’s Non-Linear Editor really came of age, bringing a host of powerful and intuitive editing tools, as well as support for almost every format imaginable. It’s no wonder then, that version 4 has been so highly anticipated. Originally announced at NAB back in April, Final Cut Pro 4 has finally shipped, and even at first glance it feels like being a top-class application with a great deal to offer. With FCP 4 you actually get five Apple applications – all of which open up separately, but all of which are integrated with one another beautifully. As well as the main application (Final Cut Pro), you also get LiveType, Soundtrack, Compressor and Cinema Tools 2. A copy of Bias’ Peak Express 3.3 comes bundled in the box too for editing audio. Final Cut Pro has undergone a pretty major revision, but it’s the addition of the new partner applications that makes this upgrade stunning. Apple has obviously worked extensively to improve the workflow and functionality of Final Cut Pro itself, and this is borne out in virtually every new feature.

The Timeline keyframe editor enables you to edit keyframed effects filters and motion directly within the timeline. Keyframes are colourcoded, so you know if you’re editing effects or motion keyframes.

you can tone down the real-time effects by means of a pop-up menu on the timeline. Here, you specify the level of real-time effects, as well as playback quality. This makes FCP usable as a real-time editor on machines as old as G4 700s. On our Dual 876MHz test machine, we cranked up the RT to Unlimited and the playback quality to Full. Frames were dropped during playback, so by adjusting the RT and playback settings we came to a compromise between speed and quality. On a Dual 1.42 though, packed full of RAM, expect Unlimited RT to fly. Timeline enhancements include a new keyframe view on video tracks, enabling you to quickly adjust keyframed effects without going back up to the Viewer window. It’s possible to resize individual tracks in the timeline – both audio and video – and save the resulting layouts for use in other projects. To the top-right of the timeline lies a button bar – and this is just the beginning of the new customisable FCP interface. The Tools menu now has an option enabling you to specify user-defined keyboard shortcuts. And FCP 4 has one of the most intuitive ways of assigning key commands. A keyboard diagram appears, enabling you to visually assign shortcuts; from the diagram you can drag tools to the button bar above the timeline. This enables you to set up a variety of different toolsets for different editing operations. Apple has added two new default screen layouts to the application: Multiple Edits and Audio Mixing. The latter takes advantage of the new Frame Viewer tab – enabling you to compare multiple frames from the same sequence, split-screen (horizontally or vertically – fully adjustable) or picture-in-picture, to match up lighting across the sequence. This is extremely handy. The Audio Mixing tab contains the new Audio tools in FCP 4 – complete with solo and mute buttons, a stereo panning slider and a volume fader for each track. One of the most exciting additions to the editing toolset is the ability to apply variable speed to a clip. This enables you to change the speed of parts of your clip, using either the Time Remap tool in the Tool palette, or the Time Graph (with a keyframe-based approach) in the Effects tab in the Viewer window. There are, in fact, too many minor enhancements to FCP to list here – ranging from editing tweaks to enhanced capturing tools and better organisation of preferences and settings. One enhancement in particular that grabbed us is Auto Render – enabling you to set up FCP to begin

The LiveType interface literally takes a couple of minutes to fathom. The process of creating keyframed, animated text with all manner of effects is made extremely simple.

Thanks to RT Extreme, you can specify virtually every effect and transition to play in real time, without rendering the timeline. It’s all dependent on the power of your Mac, though.

REAL-TIME EFFECTS Possibly the most notable new feature is what Apple is billing as RT Extreme. This builds on the real-time architecture of FCP 3, enabling you to specify virtually every effect and transition to play in real time, without rendering the timeline. That’s the theory anyhow. On older machines,

Review

SOUNDTRACK FCP 4’s inventive new music app Soundtrack is Apple’s new music scoring application bundled with FCP 4. Like LiveType, everything is royalty-free, and you get hundreds of loops and oneshots. This app has been aimed at video editors, rather than audio editors. The process of creating a soundtrack for use with your FCP project is simple. You simply choose an audio category from the Search tab on the right (as long you’ve installed all the data from the FCP CD), preview a loop or

one-shot from the list that appears and then drag it onto a track. To extend the loop, grab it and drag – it’s easy to use. Like LiveType, you can import your video from FCP to match everything up. You can also change the volume and tempo using keyframes to match the mood of your footage. There’s everything here from mandolins to car screeches and hip hop beats. Again it’s royalty-free, so you could produce a stereo AIFF file from Soundtrack and sell

rendering the timeline after a specific amount of time. Great for utilising the G4 for every minute you’re away from it.

PURE GENIUS LiveType, the new bundled titling app, immediately strikes you as an addition to FCP that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. The interface is simple and intuitive, and professional-looking results can be achieved in no time at all. Like FCP, and any video-editing app, LiveType works with tracks on a timeline, with text (individual letters or

ANIMATING TEXT IS A CINCH, AND THE IMMEDIATE RESULTS MEAN BOTH VIDEO ENTHUSIASTS AND PROS WILL LOVE IT entire words) being keyframable over time. This makes it incredibly easy for anyone used to FCP to get to grips with. LiveType creates an alpha channel by default, enabling you to easily composite your creations within FCP. A Media Browser palette within the app gives you the ability to place textures (backgrounds) and objects (animated clips) within your title, as well as apply LiveFonts. These are 32-bit, animated fonts, and the supplied fonts are all extremely classy – making it possible to produce some extremely interesting animated text effects in the time it takes to press the Apply button. Expect these appearing on

FEATURES RT Extreme real-time editing environment ● Capture, edit and render in virtually any format ● Customisable interface ● Enhanced editing tools ● Time re-mapping tools ● LiveType – title-generation application ● Soundtrack – score-creation program ● Audio-editing tools ● Compressor – an app for batch-encoding media ● Cinema Tools app ● Pro colour-correction tools ●

it on if you wish. It also means you don’t need to worry about licensing when creating music for your sequence. You can, of course, import your own audio files (AIFF, WAV and ACID).

Soundtrack encompasses what this FCP release is about: taking complex tasks and making them easy for the video editor – cutting out several (expensive) people in the process.

foreign TV shortly. In addition, the FontMaker utility enables you to create your own LiveFonts. The Inspector palette is where you type in your text, adjust effects (LiveType comes with a huge range of keyframed effects that can be edited using the Inspector palette or directly on the timeline), adjust timing and so on. There’s a wireframe preview that constantly updates you on the position and timing of your text, and everything stays editable at all times. If you need to sync titles accurately with your footage, you export your sequence from FCP and place it in the background in LiveType. It’s so simple, yet capable of such exciting results. Animating text is a cinch, and the immediate results mean both video enthusiasts and professionals will love it. Project templates enable you to quickly build an animated title, and you can save your own projects as templates for use at a later date. Every font, texture and object is royaltyfree, as well. Add to this Soundtrack (see boxout), Compressor (a tool for batch-encoding MPEG-2, MPEG-4, QuickTime, AIFF and TIFF files), and Cinema Tools 2 (for translating edits made in FCP to film lists), not to mention the real-time colourcorrection tools and unrivalled format support introduced in v3, and you have an amazing suite of video tools. It may be a bit of an investment to shell out £800 for FCP if you’re an enthusiast, but believe us, you won’t regret the decision. Pros – what are you waiting for?

FCP 4 introduces the Frame Viewer (top-right of picture), which enables you to compare multiple frames, split-screen, from the same sequence to match up lighting across your footage.

The ability to customise keyboard shortcuts has finally been included in Final Cut Pro. The keyboard diagram is logical to use. You can also drag tools into a customisable button bar to the top-right of the timeline.

Compressor offers a quick way of batch-encoding your Final Cut Pro movies to a variety of formats, including MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.

With version 4, you can set the application up to automatically begin rendering after a certain amount of time. Great for those extended lunch hours.

By either using the Remap Time tool in the Tools palette, or the Time Graph in the Effects tab of the Viewer window, you can apply real-time variable speed effects.

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CANON 3D SOM

PC £995

3D Is Canon’s 3D model-building utility in with a chance of outranking its established rivals? CONTACT Canon 01344 354 800 www.cre.canon.co.uk

FEATURES 3D object-capture from photographs ● Fill textures in with extra uncalibrated images ● Automatic camera calibration ● Automatic masking ● Automatic mesh creation ● Automatic texture capture ●

SYSTEM PC 33MHz Pentium 3 ● 128MB RAM ● Windows XP/2000

FOR One-button construction for well-photographed models ● Use of uncalibrated images improves texturing ● Easy-to-adjust mesh resolution ●

AGAINST Expensive Limited masking tools ● Few export formats ● ●

VERDICT

★★★★ If you use relatively professional lighting and studio setups, and can lay your hands on a decent backdrop, SOM will give you results faster than any other package. For more challenging projects, however, you might want the added flexibility of rival apps. Either way, prices are high right now, and it’s likely that in a couple of years this kind of software will be bundled free with cameras, 3D packages and Web design software.

C

anon’s 3D SOM (Software Object Modeller) is one of a new generation of packages that enables you to construct 3D models of objects from sets of photographs. It joins the likes of UZR 3D and D-Sculptor, and more adaptable if less automatic products such as PhotoModeller and ImageModeller (although these are aimed at the more demanding user). SOM requires a little more Blue Peter work in the photographic studio than its peers before you can start to shoot your model. Not only do you have to place it on a specially designed marker pattern (so that the software can recognise the position and lens type of the camera), but you also have to construct a suitable stand to hold your model above the pattern. In addition, you need a solid colour backdrop for the automatic masking tools to work properly. When you load up SOM, you’re presented with a surprisingly simple interface: a few icons for loading and saving objects and images, and a couple of buttons. The rest of the screen is divided into two sections – one for displaying the original photos, and the other for the finished model. Look closely and you’ll notice a row of buttons at the top of the screen. The first is labelled ‘Make all’. Surely, the process of extracting a bona fide 3D model from a set of images hasn’t been refined to the point at which it requires just one click? Well, let’s see. Hit the button and your PC starts working. First, it masks the images (calibrating the camera is done automatically as the pictures are loaded). This is calculated

REACH OUT One key feature beats SOM’s rivals One thing SOM offers that other 3D object modellers don’t is the ability to incorporate additional photos – as long as you take them using the same camera and zoom settings as other images in the set. Simply load in the image, then rotate your model until it fits the angle correctly. This tells the software where your camera is positioned,

enabling it to grab textures from the image and place them correctly on your model. In this way, you can texture those infuriatingly hard-to-reach places – the underside, for instance – more easily. Better still, you don’t have to take these additional photos in any particular way or have them masked, because they don’t contribute to the shape of your model.

textured model is reproduced. Yes, it really is as simple as that – presuming, of course, that you’ve selected, lit and photographed your object perfectly. If you haven’t, then extra work is required. For improving the mask, SOM really provides only one tool, but a powerful one at that. It’s a simple paint brush – just paint in areas on any image that are part of your model, and paint out any areas that aren’t. ONCE IT’S MASKED THE SHAPE, THE APP Afterwards, you can re-make the model and GENERATES A MESH, EXTRACTS TEXTURES discover whether your refinements have made AND REPRODUCES A MODEL IN MINUTES the differences you were expecting. You can refine the finished item fairly easily using the colour of your backdrop, so it’s important that the using more photos (see boxout) and then export it as a objects you photograph contrast strongly against it. 3DS, Shockwave or VRML file. Other common 3D formats Fortunately, the backdrop doesn’t have to extend to the would be useful, but aren’t provided (LightWave, Maya edges of the frame, and the software automatically masks and DXF formats, for example). Instead, there’s the rather out the calibration pattern. unusual MascotCapsule format – designed for Web use Once it’s masked the shape, the package generates a and for 3D on mobile phones. mesh and extracts textures. In a couple of minutes At just under a grand, 3D SOM isn’t exactly cheap, but (depending on the speed of your processor, and the its point-and-click usability will certainly win it big favours number and resolution of your images), a complete with the less tech-savvy 3D modeller.

ON THE CD You’ll find a trial version of Canon 3D SOM on the coverdisc – turn to page 8 for full details.

The main interface is surprisingly uncluttered, with most of the work done using just one button. This model was created in a few minutes.

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Accurate modelling demands good quality photographs and wellselected backdrops that contrast strongly with your subject.

NEW! MONTHLY SOFTWARE ROUNDUP

INDESIGN & QUARKXPRESS ADD-ONS Enhance your copy of InDesign or XPress with these plug-ins and XTensions. As we go to press, none are yet available for XPress 6 for OS X, but they’re sure to be appearing very soon

COMPUTER ARTS RECOMMENDS INTOOLS 1.01

£59

PC AND MAC

INDESIGN Bring an Illustrator-like toolset to Adobe’s premier design package CONTACT ALAP Buy online www.alap.com

VERDICT

I

n terms of tools for the creative layout artist, Adobe InDesign has it all. Well, most of it anyway. The point of ALAP’s InTools is to bring extra functionality to the program’s toolset, ensuring that you spend less time going back and forth between your vector application and more focusing on layout.

★★★★★ A fantastic plug-in suite that provides a fine mix of creative and workflow-orientated tools. At $100 (£59), this is a bargain. The pathfinder functionality InTools adds to InDesign is worth the price alone.

QX-TOOLS PRO XPRESS

£150

PC AND MAC

SMART STYLES INDESIGN

£89

★★★★

app. QX-Viewer acts exactly like the InDesign/Photoshop Navigator palette. Very useful. QX-FindChange enables you to search across documents for any XPress item, and QX-Scaler and QX-Character present all the tools you need to alter objects in a box. Finally, QX-Collect & Send gathers job files and fonts ready to be sent to the printers.

PC AND MAC

www.woodwing.com

★★★★

Quickly apply multiple effects to an InDesign object with Woodwing’s Smart Styles

Woodwing Software, purveyor of InDesign plug-ins from almost day one, here turns its attention to that staple of art and copy editors: the style sheet. Just as in Illustrator and FreeHand, where you can create styles (specifying such properties as dropshadows, fills and so on) and reuse them on objects, Smart Styles enables you to quickly set

QX-EFFECTS

£100

PC AND MAC

up presets that use dropshadows, feathering, coloured fills, text colour and so on. Simply drag the one you want out from the library and onto your text box. Very handy. Smart Styles also enables you to set up multiple text properties in one text box. Great for setting up heading, strap and body copy styles with just one visit to the library.

www.extensis.com

★★★

Create effects in XPress – just like in InDesign – using this add-on from Extensis

Unlike InDesign users, XPress users have always relied on crafty tricks or external image-editing apps to create such effects as dropshadows, glows and bevels. QX-Effects looks set to redress the balance. From its own menu in XPress, you select an object, then choose to apply shadows, bevels and glows via

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www.extensis.com

Extensis favourite continues to add new functionality to XPress

Users of XPress 4 will undoubtedly find this an excellent addition to Quark’s tool – though version 5 of XPress has made some functionality redundant. Of notable interest is QX-Layers. For v4 users, this adds true layer functionality and works brilliantly. QX-Import is also handy, enabling you to import Excel and Powerpoint docs directly into the

XPRESS

InTools brings six tools to InDesign 2.0. InStarburst adds an efficient way of creating starburst effects for flashes and the like. Slider controls over spike count, depth and twist give you control over the burst, with a preview residing to the right of the palette. When you’re ready, you use the InStarburst tool added to the InDesign toolbar – then fill with an image, flat colour and so on. The superb InPathfinder is exactly like Illustrator’s pathfinder, enabling you to make complex combinations of picture or text boxes. InNudge is another handy palettebased tool, providing a quick way to adjust the position of objects, as is InItemMarks, enabling you to place custom crop marks and registration marks for individual objects and pages. InPrint gives a nod to FreeHand, enabling you to output an area of an InDesign page to a printer or a file, including JPEG, EPS, PDF and TIFF. InModify enables you to alter the properties of either a selected object or group of objects, and it rounds off a superlative package.

intuitive dialogs with big previews. Dropshadow is the big puller here, although note that the effect is saved as an image file and placed in a box behind the original image. Similarly, after applying a glow or bevel effect, QX-Effects saves out the new image with the effect applied. This works with XPress 4 or 5, but expect a version for v6 soon.

Reviews

INBOOKLET 2.1 INDESIGN

£59

XPRESSIMAGE 5.04

£118

The plug-in appears in the File menu, enabling you to set up your document to print, specify page ranges, printer marks, and choose an imposition style: 2-Up Saddle Stitch, 2-Up Perfect Bound, 2, 3 and 4-Up Consecutive. It offers a great solution for users looking for extra functionality – we wish this kind of feature was built into InDesign, but InBooklet is the next best thing.

PC AND MAC

SMART LAYOUT 2.0 INDESIGN

£352

★★★★★

of a cover for a Website, for example, without resorting to photography. It enables you to set up batch automation, quickly converting many XPress pages into graphics. The tool is also added to the XPress toolbar, thus enabling you to quickly export part of an XPress page as a graphic at a moment’s notice. Brilliant.

PC AND MAC

www.woodwing.com

★★★★

The second of Woodwing’s add-ons in this roundup – this time a layout tool

Despite it being the most expensive plug-in in this roundup, we had high hopes for Smart Layout. It aims to make it simple to repeat frequently used layouts – applying certain defined styles (to, for example, header strap and body), as well as layout positioning, in seconds. You simply set up frequently used layout grids and drop them into your pages from an InDesign library.

3DXPRESS XT/TWISTER XT

Feature-wise, it’s clever stuff. The plug-in adds to the InDesign toolbar, enabling you to create a smart layout. As you drag, the tool automatically runs around picture and text boxes you’ve already created – thus creating the basis of your grid. Its other tools enable you to refine this layout, then save the lot in a library ready for reuse. Excellent value, but still a little pricey.

£Free

PC AND MAC

www.jintek.com

★★★

3D and 2D text effects directly in XPress from Jintek, and they’ll cost you nothing

Everyone loves a freebie, so we thought we’d include these two rather good XTensions from Jintek. They’re getting old now, but will work with XPress 3, 4 and 5. 3DXPress XT enables you to create 3D text directly in XPress: simply click on the 3DXPress tool added to the XPress toolbar, drag a box and double-click. A dialog

PROSCALE ID 2.3.4 INDESIGN

£59

appears, giving you all sorts of control over your 3D text. Twister XT works in a similar fashion, enabling you to create skewed and warped text effects, though text isn’t editable once created, as it’s exported to an EPS file. Not the greatest-quality XTensions, sure, but as free downloads you can’t complain.

PC AND MAC

www.gluon.com

★★★★

Gluon’s Proscale ID is a comprehensive scaling solution

“I actually screamed and jumped for joy after using it yesterday,” says Tracy Shaw. No, not the words of the former Coronation Street actress, but a testimonial on Gluon’s Website about Proscale ID. While we weren’t quite as enthusiastic, this tool is certainly impressive. It adds a range of scaling tools to InDesign, enabling you to scale to non-constrained proportions while

TREASURE XT XPRESS

www.gluon.com

Use Gluon’s add-on to create an image file from any XPress page, object or selection

At its simplest level, Gluon’s superb tool enables you to take a page, spread or selection and export it to different types of image files at different resolutions. And it works a whole lot better than exporting an XPress page as an EPS. It’s a lifesaver when you quickly need to get proofs of XPress pages sent over email to clients (or the boss), or need a mock-up

XPRESS

★★★★

Create printer-ready documents in no time at all with ALAP’s tool

Preparing documents to be sent to the printers is often as time-consuming as designing them. There’s absolutely nothing worse than spending hours toiling over a spread to see it return from the printers looking wrong. Well, for $100 (£59), this ALAP plug-in promises to demystify the realms of perfect-bound, saddle-stitch and creeps, and it’s simple to use.

XPRESS

www.alap.com

PC AND MAC

£59

keeping your graphics and text proportional, choose specific elements through your document to scale, use step-and-repeat scaling, and scale a combination of groups and ungrouped selections. The dialog palettes are easy to use, too. For anyone resizing graphics and text on a regular basis, Proscale ID will prove very useful indeed.

PC AND MAC

www.jintek.com

★★★★

Jintek’s Treasure XT offers image management within QuarkXPress

Treasure XT is similar in style to Portfolio from Extensis (although less comprehensive in its archiving options), except that it works within XPress. Adding images to Treasure XT is dead simple – via a Catalog dialog, you browse for file types supported by XPress on your hard drive. The best bit is that you can then drag these images

from Treasure XT into your XPress docs – a time-saving alternative to the Apple+E command if you’re working with lots of images on a page. You can also play an image slideshow in your Catalog, print out a contact sheet, even export the lot as an HTML file for online databasing. This extension may not be new, but it still works well.

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Review

AMAPI DESIGNER 7

PC AND MAC £359

3D Eovia’s quirky modeller returns with a tamed interface and refined feature-set CONTACT Eovia UK Buy online www.eovia.com

FEATURES Advanced NURBS toolset 3D modelling ● Sub-D surfaces ● Dynamic Geometry ● Clone Modelling/ Object instancing ● Basic texturing and rendering tools ● Export to 3DS, OBJ and more ● ●

SYSTEM PC Pentium • 128MB RAM • Win 98/ME/NT 4 (SP 3)/2000 /XP • 24bit colour display • 3D graphics accelerator card MAC 400MHz Power Mac • 128MB RAM • OS 9/OS X 24-bit colour display • 3D graphics accelerator card

FOR Excellent modelling tools Intuitive to use ● Improved interface and stability ● ●

AGAINST Mac version is very slow Dynamic geometry can be confusing ● Rather basic material system and rendering ● ●

VERDICT

★★★★ A great modelling tool that outclasses the competition in certain key areas, but it’s still a bit glitchy. Mac users may find it painfully slow, too.

D

on’t let the version number fool you – this is not, strictly speaking, an upgrade of Amapi 6. In fact, there are many features that have been removed from the program, so could this version actually be a downgrade? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, because Amapi Designer 7 is not the full version. It’s a simultaneously cut-down and improved iteration, aimed at designers, although really it’s a modelling app geared towards anyone requiring nifty modelling tools. Gone are the limited animation, some of the advanced NURBS tools, and the texturing and shaders capabilities. Version 7 is strictly and proudly a modeller – which actually turns out to be a good thing. Previous versions were increasingly buggy and bloated. As Eovia added more features to make the app more competitive with other more efficient 3D animation apps, the software became about as stable as an upside-down Weeble. Now that Eovia has an all-round 3D animator in the shape of Carrara, Amapi no longer needs animation and texturing, so the Designer version strips away the junk to leave a streamlined app that focuses on what the app’s always been best at – modelling. The famous, quirky interface has been tamed, too, and is now much more conservative, sporting all manner of interface conventions , including docked toolbars, multiple 3D view panes and option panels with title bars. You still flick your mouse off the right edge of the screen to change the tools around, and view manipulation is best done using

The improved interface features, among other things, improved OpenGL display and multiple, configurable views.

derived objects; you can even revisit other operations such as face extrudes and rounding of edges. Not all operations are stored, though, so it’s easy to collapse the stack by applying a tool you cannot store. After this happens, you’re left with a straight polygon mesh (and no way to Undo and return to your dynamic geometry parameters). Once modelling is complete, you can either export your model for rendering in another application or let Amapi do the job for you. Amapi ships with a collection of shaders, but they’re very basic. There are editable FEATURE-WISE, AMAPI IS STRONG, material channels, but no textures or procedurals SPORTING INTERACTIVE POLYGON, NURBS that you’re free to edit and apply to channels. All AND SUBDIVISION SURFACE MODELLING you get is a Density slider which alters the density of the procedural shader’s patterning. Rendering the cursor keys and numeric pad, but the overall feel is is just as basic, but then Amapi is only a modeller and it’s much improved. Which means most people will be much perfectly acceptable for previewing purposes. more at home using it. If you’re looking for an all-encompassing 3D solution, Feature-wise, Amapi is certainly strong. It sports then Amapi clearly isn’t going to be it, unless all you need interactive polygon, NURBS and very good Subdivision to do is build 3D models. However, as a companion to an Surface modelling, plus something called Dynamic existing 3D program, such as Bryce, Cinema 4D or Strata Geometry. This is similar to modelling history, but a little 3D, Amapi could well be worth the meagre investment. more limited. Amapi stores parameters of some modelling Shame it’s so glitchy and slow on the Mac, though. operations so that you can go back and edit them later. This is more than merely modelling relations with curves and

STABILITY OVER SPEED

The tools on offer make Amapi Designer 7 a much more versatile and capable modeller. Notable features include the interactive Rounding tool and Subdivision Smoothing.

Amapi is available for both PC and Mac, the Mac version being able to run in Classic or OS X. Version 6 and earlier – which had many more features, such as 3Space Web output and rendering – was crashprone, both on Mac and PC. Thankfully, this pareddown iteration is much more stable, but on the Mac at least, you trade speed for stability. The interface is incredibly sluggish, for starters. Even changing

the toolbar takes too long – a second or two, rather than instantaneously. This slowness is all-pervasive, giving the impression the Mac version has been rushed out the door without the optimisation that’s apparent in the Windows version. Still, Amapi on the PC isn’t entirely bug-free, either – the navigation buttons, for example, sometimes don’t work at all. Not the most stable of offerings, then.

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SHARP LL-T2020H

PC AND MAC £2000

MONITOR Are all LCD screens the same – or does it really pay to spend a bit more? CONTACT Sharp 0800 262 958 www.sharp.co.uk

VERDICT

★★★★

S

harp has an enviable reputation for making some of the world’s finest LCD monitors, particularly at the upper end of the market, where performance is paramount. This 20-inch widescreen LCD builds on that reputation, its unique technologies offering distinct advantages for graphics professionals. For example, the LL-

A great-quality panel from Sharp that’s bright, offers fast response times and the ability to tweak Cyan, Yellow and Magenta, as well as RGB. It’s only marred by a design flaw in the stand – sort this out and Sharp’s onto a winner.

The LL-T2020H presents a great picture, but the stand appears to have a serious design flaw. Hopefully, Sharp will rectify this promptly.

LG FLATRON L2010P

T2020H uses something called Advanced Super-V technology. This offers fast response times and a viewing angle of 170 degrees in any direction with minimal loss of colour information. It works well, as does Sharp’s astonishingly effective anti-glare technology, which uses special interference and ‘cancelling’ techniques to reduce screen reflectivity to a mere 1.5 per cent. The most exciting feature, though, is the 10-bit image control, and the fact you can set seven colours individually to achieve just the colour balance you want. Not only are the Red, Green and Blue channels adjustable, but you can also tweak Cyan, Yellow and Magenta channels, along with the gamma. An ICC profile is also provided. The 1600x1200-pixel display is perfect for use with the likes of Photoshop, and the quick response time ensures movie projects play smoothly. All inputs are catered for: two DVI sockets accept digital or analogue signals. Now to the downside – namely, that the monitor stand doesn’t appear to be tough enough for the job. Our review unit wasn’t at all stable; one of the three fairly small screws used to fix the foot of the screen to its adjustable height column had sheared off completely. This is unacceptable in a monitor of this type, and it’s something Sharp needs to investigate urgently. This problem aside, the LL-T2020H delivers one of the sharpest and brightest images we’ve seen to date.

PC AND MAC £1154

MONITOR This 20-inch wide-aspect LCD has clearly been designed with Photoshop in mind CONTACT LG 01753 500 400 www.lge.co.uk

VERDICT

★★★★★

Y

ou might think that LCD screens are supposed to be lighter than their CRT counterparts, but this monster from LG seems to have lead in its stand. That’s quite reassuring, though, because you don’t want a flimsy, lightweight piece of hardware when you’re spending over a grand on a screen. And for your money, you do get a lot of screen here. The native resolution of

A first-rate screen with a choice of inputs, big native resolution and a neat design. Great value for those looking for a dualinput monitor that doesn’t have a large desktop footprint.

The LG 2010 has a dainty-looking stand, but it’s more than up to the job of supporting the hefty screen. The picture is first-rate.

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1600x1200 pixels compares favourably with Apple’s own 20-inch Cinema Display with its 1680x1050 pixels. And while the LG is a smidgen narrower, there is more depth to play with, which should help when running multi-palette applications. The graphics card in our Mac had no trouble picking up the LG’s resolution. There are a few other differences between this and Apple’s entry-level 20-incher. The LG’s bezel is slimmer and the screen looks more up-to-date, for example. You also get a choice of inputs: one D-sub socket for an analogue VGA input, and a DVI socket for newer graphics cards. The Apple display is restricted to using Apple’s own ADC connector, which may be a problem for some. This means you can feed two signals into the one monitor and switch between them; if you have a PC and a Mac on your desk, then you can share the monitor between the two. Picture quality is first-rate. The illumination is even and we couldn’t find a single dead or stuck pixel. But then if LG – one of the world’s largest LCD manufacturers – can’t get it right, who can? We particularly liked the adjustability of the whole LG set-up, including the ample height adjustment and the ease with which you can swivel the stand. There are two handy USB ports built into the screen, too. The on-screen menu is a delight to use and reminded us of LaCie’s excellent Electron Blue monitor. In fact, we reckon these two emerged from the same stable.

Review

HP DESIGNJET 120NR

PC AND MAC £1363

PRINTER Accurate colour and stunning prints now within reach of even the smallest graphics studio CONTACT Hewlett-Packard 0845 270 4222 www.hp.com

FEATURES Closed-loop colour calibration ● 2400dpi resolution ● Network capability ● PostScript ● ColorSync and ICC profiles ● Offset press emulations ● Up to 50-feet printouts ● 24-inch width printing ● 1.5 minutes per A3+ page ● CMYK printing ●

SYSTEM PC Pentium II ● 128MB RAM 1GB HD space ● Win 98SE/ME/2000/XP/NT 4 MAC G3 PowerPC ● 128MB RAM ● 1GB HD space ● OS 9 (9.1, 9.2)/OS X 10.1

●

FOR Colour accuracy Top-notch output ● Network capability ● ●

AGAINST PostScript optional Dimensions are challenging ● Initially difficult to set up ● ●

VERDICT

★★★★★ Despite one or two teething troubles we had installing the driver software, the 120NR impressed us with its sheer subtlety and precision. For well under £1500, it offers instant in-house colour proofing on very large media, too. At the price, you really can’t go wrong.

T

he days of having to courier a job over to your local repro house for a colour proof could be over… and it’s all thanks to the latest model in the range of Hewlett-Packard’s Designjet printers. The Designjet range isn’t simply a large colour inkjet. It’s a proofing system by virtue of the fact that it can be accurately calibrated to produce consistent results from print to print and from printer to printer. For instance, if you have a Designjet installed in your studio and your print house has one, too, then you can both ensure complete consistency in your colour proofing, thanks to the Designjet’s integral colour calibration system. As long as each party uses the same media for proofing, then perfect results are pretty much guaranteed. The Designjet offers media handling of up to a very respectable A1+. In addition, you can fit it with a 50ft roll holder that handles paper up to 24 inches in width. This makes the proofing of posters and large-scale projects an in-house possibility. And you shouldn’t be hanging around long for the results, because the printer can finish a fullcolour A3+ printout in under two minutes. For most studios, the Designjet 120nr will fit the bill nicely, because it comes with an Ethernet port as standard so that everyone can access the device over a network. USB and Parallel are also provided, but with a printer of this size and calibre you’re going to want to share it with colleagues. The output from the 120nr is quite simply stunning. If you take a magnifier and examine printouts for dots, you’ll find none. In terms of quality, this has to be one of the finest inkjets we’ve ever seen – almost on a par with dye-sublimation, but without the cost. This exceptional quality is achieved through a combination of 2400dpi thermal printhead technology and HP’s own ink-layering system, which uses layer upon layer of ink to build up subtle colours. And speaking of colour, the printer uses six separate ink tanks for a much wider colour gamut. This also brings down running costs, because you only need to replace each colour as and when it runs out. Levels of all the ink cartridges are displayed in real-time via

MEDIA HANDLING For the price of a business inkjet, the Designjet 120nr offers an amazingly flexible range of media. Not only can it handle large 50ft rolls of paper, but the optional straight paper path can deal with pretty chunky media, too, which makes it ideal for special projects such as point-of-sale displays. Indeed, there’s a whole range of specialist media available that should suit most projects a design studio is likely to

undertake. In terms of capacity, the Designjet has an input tray that can handle up to 100 sheets and a collection tray for 50 sheets. In addition, there’s a manual tray that runs the entire length of the printer, and you can opt to use the rear straight paper path for manuallyfed media. Incidentally, you’ll need a fairly large area to house the Designjet, because it’s over a metre wide and half a metre deep.

a small LCD panel on the front of the printer. Refills aren’t cheap, but the generous 69ml dose in each tank should help increase the yield from each cartridge. PostScript emulation isn’t standard on the Designjet 120nr. That’s a software-based optional extra. Also, the driver supplied is a raster driver, so make sure all your graphics are TIFFs rather than EPSs. If you’re in any doubt, opt for the optional PostScript RIP and save yourself the bother of having to rasterize every graphic in your project. For a printer priced this competitively, criticisms are few. The software installation on our Mac was a little clumsy and network printing caused a few headaches. Chances are, though, you’ll buy the Designjet with a service package, so the setting up will be done for you anyway.

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CREATIVE STUFF

ESSENTIAL KIT FOR THE MODERN DESIGNER

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Review

FLASH TRAX

SONY PEG-NX73V

PRICE $499 (£297) COMPANY SmartDisk WEBSITE www.smartdisk.co.uk

PRICE £451 COMPANY Sony WEBSITE www.sony.co.uk

1

It’s what many of the Mac faithful wanted the iPod to be – a digital media device capable of storing images and video files, and playing music. And with its 30GB hard drive, the FlashTrax can certainly store plenty of data. It also supports CF Type I, II, CompactFlash and IBM MicroDrive – although other formats, such as Memory Stick, are only accessible using an adaptor (sold separately). The 3.5-inch LCD display is fine for viewing images and videos (complete with pan and zoom facilities), as well as text files. The device can even act as a portable hard drive. Despite all this, the FlashTrax lacks the looks and instant ‘want me’ appeal of Apple’s iPod, and with a battery life of only around two hours, you’ll need a power socket close by at all times to get the most out of it.

2

This is a toy (sorry, organiser) for those serious about computing on the move. Like most handheld companies, Sony is going mad for wireless connectivity at the moment, so it’s no surprise to find its latest Clié packed to the pretty fascia with wireless features. Aside from the ubiquitous Bluetooth, the PDA also comes complete with a CompactFlash card slot for an optional wireless LAN card – enabling you to stylishly surf the Web in your local Starbucks. The mandatory colour screen (capable of 320x480) works well, too, complemented by an MP3 player, built-in digital camera with 2x digital zoom, voice recorder and 128MB Memory Stick. The whole shebang is powered by a 200MHz processor. Being Sony, it looks good, too.

SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-U30 PRICE £TBC COMPANY Sony WEBSITE www.sony.co.uk

3

A few issues ago, we featured the Cybershot U20 in our Creative Stuff section, and while it remains a cool digital shutterbug to slip knowingly into your top pocket, the U30 just pips it in terms of looks. The U30 sports very much the same design as the U20, and is available in silver, gold, grey or blue. It also boasts the same resolution of 2.0 megapixels. But what’s new and exciting is the small circular reflective disc on the lens cover. Using this, you can frame self-portrait shots perfectly – and say goodbye to those smiley chin shots or gurning self-portraits where you’re concentrating too hard on getting the correct camera position to look your best. The ultimate poser’s digital camera, then – and we want one. Perhaps it’s time to trade in the U20…

PALM ZIRE71

JVC MARINE CASES

PRINTPIX CX-400

PRICE £245 COMPANY Palm WEBSITE www.palm.com/uk

PRICE £300 COMPANY JVC WEBSITE www.jvc.co.uk

PRICE £400 COMPANY Fujifilm WEBSITE www.fujifilm.co.uk

4

The original Palm Zire was somewhat of a breakthrough in PDAs – offering an extremely cheap way for those weaned on traditional organisers to step into the electronic age. Costing £245, the Zire71 is the next step up, and brings with it a range of features that designers will be falling over themselves to make the most of. The colour screen delivers a resolution of 320x320 and supports 16-bit colour, so much use will be made of the built-in digital camera (capable of shooting at up to 640x480), no doubt. A 144MHz CPU, 16MB built-in memory and an MP3 player round off the impressive feature-set. No Bluetooth, sadly, but it’s still not bad for the money.

5

With summer in full swing, and talk of turquoise seas and sandy beaches circulating stuffy offices everywhere, we couldn’t resist including these rather nifty marine cases from JVC. They’re available for JVC’s digital video camcorders and enable you to take your DV cam underwater for the ultimate in submarine cinematics. Perfect for diving and creating your next royalty-free footage. The cases can take your DV cam down to a depth of 30 metres and, with an extended handle, are sure to draw admiring glances from fellow divers who think you’re shooting the next low-budget Jaws. The entire case is transparent, which means both your footage and view of the LCD will be crystalclear. What a great idea.

6

A printer that needs no ink? Who’d have thought it, eh? Well, despite looking like a cross between an adding machine and a US Super NES, that’s exactly what Fujifilm’s Printpix CX-400 is. And it’s quite a nifty device, too. The only consumable you need to buy is the paper – specially coated paper, layered with cyan, yellow and magenta. The CX-400 uses heat and UV light to reproduce its images and is capable of printing up to 4x6-inch sheets (with or without borders) at 310dpi. More a neat toy for the affluent digital camera user, this is never going to oust your main printer – frankly, it looks too hideous – but at least the technology behind it is interesting.

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BOOKS

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY AUTHORS Ken Milburn and Ron Rockwell PRICE £37.50 PUBLISHER Wiley ISBN 0764549510

L

ike any Wiley Bible, and even The Bible, this is one very big book. Aiming to give you all the knowledge you need to become the digital David Bailey or Mario Testino of the future, Digital Photography Bible is split into a number of sections, beginning with the role of digital photography and the advantages and disadvantages of using it against traditional photography, right through to output and image-editing techniques. Throughout its pages, photographic terms are explained in depth, and while the book is clearly aimed at the intermediate user in tone, even the beginner will be able to grasp a few basic digital photography techniques en route. The book also deals with taking different types of

shots – from sports to portraits – and what you need to do with your camera to obtain good results. Once the technicalities are out of the way, the authors get down to image editing. Unsurprisingly, the book deals largely with Photoshop – but while coverage is comprehensive, at times you do find yourself reading about how to apply a filter. Yawn. That said, the Advanced Image Editing section deals with masks and compositing, as well as using actions to automate frequently used tasks. To the Photoshop beginner/intermediate user, this is well-focused and interesting. There’s even a section dealing with how to give your digital images a natural-media look using Painter. The final sections look at preparing images for the Web and choosing the right equipment for outputting images – giving a low-down of the best printers available at time of press. Unfortunately, with the printer market changing so rapidly, this is going to date fast. A comprehensive if a little rough-around-the-edges guide for anyone starting out in digital photography.

DREAMWEAVER MX – FAST

DIGITAL LIFE DRAWING

AUTHORS Janine Warner, Ivonne Berkowitz and Yanier Gonzalez PRICE £17.50 PUBLISHER Wiley ISBN 0764538942

AUTHORS Peter Ratner PRICE £38.50 PUBLISHER Wiley ISBN 0471215481

n flicking through 50 Fast Dreamweaver MX Techniques, you can immediately see that this tome lives up to its name. Featuring a host of quick projects (okay, 50) enabling you to do everything from

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create image maps to bust out of frames, it’s one of those books for quietly dipping into when you need a little technical advice for your site. Each technique comes in the form of a step-by-step tutorial and commentary, and while some (such as Formatting Multiple Table Cells) are plain handy, its technique to help you create a pop-under window is just plain misguided – hands up who likes it when a pop-under appears while surfing the Web? Other techniques of interest include how to create a library of common elements in Dreamweaver, how to hook up your site to a database, and how to create effective dropdown menus in Fireworks. 50 Fast Dreamweaver MX Techniques feels like an extended tips book, but will be of interest to the new/intermediate Web designer.

his Wiley title, 3-D Human Modeling and Animation, is a comprehensive look at the skills and techniques required to model and animate the human figure. This book covers everything from life drawing and the structure of the human form to basic polygonal or NURBS modelling and animation theory. While there’s plenty of information here, none of it is app-specific, so a novice could quickly find him or herself getting lost as techniques fail to pan out. For those with more experience, however, this title could be a valuable reference text. Note that the black and white illustrations quickly become difficult to follow, though. It’s always interesting for those with a grounding in 3D to see how other animators and modellers approach their subjects. In fact, this is probably the main source of learning for many

once they’ve mastered their chosen 3D package. 3-D Human Modeling is is bursting with useful information, for sure, but gaining practical advice from it does demand a lot of effort.

ILLUSTRATION BY ROB BREARLEY

[email protected]

104 Computer Arts_August 2003

ATTACK THE WEB Dive into our Group Test of 14 of the best Web utilities and tools – speed up your workflow, add animated content and make your site stand out from the crowd without breaking the bank Designing decent Websites never gets any easier. Unless you have the budget of a large studio and plenty of talented designers to hand, creating a site, adding animations and generally getting the thing out the door can prove extremely timeconsuming and expensive. As in any industry, there are standard applications that we all consider essential, but there is also a plethora of tools out there that can help you speed up the design process considerably – at the same time creating fantasticlooking and usable Websites. Over the following pages, we’ve looked at 14 Web utilities and tools that will do just this – help you create sites faster or add creative content without breaking the bank. The products range from drag-and-drop Web authoring apps to SWF animation applications and utilities that speed up the process of getting images out of Photoshop and onto the Web. There truly is something for everyone here, so take a look through – you’re bound to find something useful, if not invaluable, for your everyday design.

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MOHO 4.2

PSD2FLA

Quirky animation at an affordable price

Photoshop to Flash in a jiffy

CONTACT

CONTACT

Lost Marble Buy online www.lostmarble.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $99 (£59)

VERDICT

★★★★

W

hen we’ve reviewed Moho in the past, the tool always proved to be a little quirky, and often rather inefficient. However, with version 4.2, Lost Marble has obviously made efforts to improve the look and feel of its app. The premise of Moho is 2D animation – but 2D animation with a difference. This difference lies in the fact that you can add bones and IK skeletons to flat 2D figures. It’s a great idea – in theory, perfect for quickly animating 2D characters; in practice, however, it’s tricky to use. It’s all about points, you see. Too many of them and your bound skeleton deforms horribly. The animation process is carried out via keyframes on the tweaked timeline, which now enables you to work in a graph mode – giving accurate control over tweening. The drawing tools are merely functional, but an AI import makes it easy to import Illustrator characters. Export-wise, the app can output SWF or QuickTime movies – and export still frames to a variety of still formats. For $99, Moho 4.2 turns out to be much improved – and definitely a good buy for anyone after animation on the cheap. The learning curve is rather steep, though.

Media Lab Buy online www.medialab.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $89 (£53)

VERDICT

★★★★★

D

esigners lamenting the lack of direct PSD import in Flash MX will be pleased to hear of PSD2FLA. It’s an extremely simple tool with a very simple interface. It fits into your Photoshop Export menu, and the interface provides just two options: Open in Flash After Export and Export Hidden layers. There’s also an option for displaying random quotes from the Media Lab team – including Butch PSD and the Sundance FLA. Pointless, confusing and rarely amusing – but hey. The results that PSD2FLA generates are uniformly excellent. First of all, you save your image as an RGB PSD file (PSD2FLA will not convert CMYK docs automatically) and then export it. The FLA automatically opens in Flash, with each layer converted into a graphic (PNG) symbol. Note that gradients are not editable after export from Photoshop because they’re turned into a graphic on export. The purpose of PSD2FLA is to enable Photoshop designers to create layered PSD docs ready for animating, then pass them over to Flash coders for turning into a SWF. It’s not complicated, but it works – so it gets the thumbs-up from us.

WILDFX 3.0

FLIX PRO 3.2

At last, Flash text effects for everyone

Video in Flash never looked so good

CONTACT Wildform Buy online www.wildform.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $39 (£23)

VERDICT

★★★

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W

ildfx 3.0 is the latest incarnation of Wildform’s text animation tool, SWfx. While the name has changed, the premise of the app remains the same – to create SWF-based text effects for use in Flash movies or as standalone banners and the like. This may sound like a rather amateur pursuit, but the fact remains: animating text in Flash – having to break apart letters and keyframe and tween them individually – takes time. The idea of Wildfx is to speed up this process, and though pro designers will want optimum control and would probably prefer to do it by hand, this app offers those with a little less time or skill an easy way to create such effects. The interface itself is comprehensive enough, enabling you to change font, size and so on, as well as specify various SWF settings – even export HTML code with the SWF embedded. The idea of Wildfx is to choose a text effect preset from the list down the left-hand side of the interface, and customise the parameters. At any point, hitting Ctrl+P generates a preview. For quick text effects, this is a decent enough tool, although pros will dislike the often cheesy presets.

CONTACT Wildform Buy online www.wildform.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $149 (£89)

VERDICT

★★★★★

W

e’ve been impressed with Flix since its first release – it’s proved itself to be an excellent way of converting movies into Flash, shrinking file sizes without sacrificing quality. The essence of Flix is control – and loads of it. Flash itself enables you to convert video and embed it in an SWF file, but it doesn’t offer any of the bandwidth control provided by Flix. You can choose presets depending on your target audience (56k, broadband, and so on), and then further tweak the quality/size ratio and framerate in the Video tab of the interface. Once happy with the settings, you can export the SWF video file to a variety of formats – including Flash 3-6, MX or FLV (being the native video format in Flash). You can also export the HTML and create Win and Mac projector files for standalone projects. In addition, there’s a nifty vector video feature that enables you to create vectorised moving footage from any movie file. Intuitive sliders and options make this extremely easy to implement. Again, Flix Pro 3.2 is not a complicated tool, at least not on the outside, but it is one that will give video professionals an incredibly easy route to the Web.

Group Test

LINX

KOOLMOVES 4.01

Link SWF content without the usual expense

SWF animation for those on a budget

CONTACT

CONTACT

Wildform Buy online www.wildform.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $49 (£29)

VERDICT

★★★

F

lash is an expensive tool. Costing around £400, multiple licences for everyone in a team can prove pricey. Linx from Wildform aims to alleviate some of the cost, being an application that enables you to put together SWF files (hence ‘Linx’) and export them as an executable for Mac or PC, or as an SWF. Why would you want this? Well, cost for a start. If you have a team member who’s simply responsible for bringing together Flash movies coded by others, the £400 price tag for Flash may be a little excessive. Linx enables you to import any Flash file, including Flash movie files. There are no authoring tools on offer, but you can add mouse events and perform basic transformations and crops. There’s a library for managing content, and a layered timeline for positioning SWFs accordingly. By itself, this is a useful tool for designers and developers on a budget; combined with Wildform’s other products, it’s part of a very inexpensive SWF-making suite of tools. Linx is in no way a Flash replacement, and can prove buggy and clunky at times, but it does add a quick SWF compositing solution to your workflow for little outlay.

KoolMoves Buy online www.koolmove.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $39 (£23)

VERDICT

★★★★

K

oolMoves has been around for a while now, and has always been an effective solution for creating animated and interactive SWF files on the cheap. The company markets it as an extremely easy way to create interactive Flash animations – and with good reason. Everything within KoolMoves is clearly laid out and easy to follow. The interface is split into three tabbed workspaces – Basic, Advanced and Cartooning – and as you change tabs, the toolbar changes to display the relevant toolset. The interface will be familiar to anyone who uses Flash. A timeline sits by default at the bottom of the interface, enabling you to add keyframes and tween as necessary. And you can plan your movie using an innovative Storyboard workflow. The app also offers a huge variety of preset text effects. You can then customise the results by altering the keyframes. Drawing tools are well-catered for, too. In addition, KoolMoves uses a Library system similar to Flash’s, enabling you to store and reuse Movieclips, clip art and animations. All in all, a cheap and user-friendly Flash animation tool.

PHOTOWEBBER 2.03

PHOTOCASTER 3

Turn PSDs into HTML pages with ease

From Photoshop to Director, Web or CD

CONTACT Media Lab Buy online www.medialab.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $129 (£78)

VERDICT

★★★

P

hotoshop users can’t afford to be nonWeb-savvy nowadays, but for those rooted in print design and wanting to take designs to the Web with the minimum of effort, PhotoWebber is a good solution. A standalone app, it enables you to import a PSD, complete with layers and layer masks (although these are discarded when the file reaches PhotoWebber), and transform them into an HTML page. When you import your graphics into PhotoWebber, layers are, unsurprisingly, stacked in their original order, and you then have the options of optimising them on an individual basis – according to the type of graphic they are. For solid fills, you use GIF; for images, JPEG or PNG. It’s a shame that you can’t preview the output quality before you export the page, though – it makes the whole process a little bit hit and miss. You can also add interactivity – showing and hiding layers to create pop-up menus and add links and ALT text, accordingly. We’d only recommend PhotoWebber to Photoshop users who lack Web knowledge or have no desire to learn HTML and the tools associated with it (but still want to publish work on the Web). If that sounds like you, then PhotoWebber is ideal.

CONTACT Media Lab Buy online www.medialab.com

PLATFORM PC and Mac

PRICE $199 (£121)

VERDICT

★★★★★

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ike PhotoWebber, PhotoCaster is all about simplicity. Rather than creating a Web page from a Photoshop document, it adds Photoshop layers to the Macromedia Director cast. Multimedia designers will know that Director doesn’t currently support layered Photoshop files, so PhotoCaster immediately proves to be a useful, if expensive, tool. The tool is even more appealing now that Media Lab has launched the OS X version – making it compatible with Director MX. The tool also supports Director 5, 6, 7 and 8. The interface itself is no more than a dialog, but it offers a number of options that will increase productivity if you work regularly with Photoshop and Director. The Advanced Options enable you to define certain layers, import directly to score, make text graphics, merge linked layers and import hidden layers – very comprehensive. PhotoCaster supports Layer Effects (Photoshop 6 and 7) and alpha channels (Director 7 and up). And that’s about it really – an incredibly useful and time-saving tool for anyone working with Photoshop and Director. It’s a little pricey, but it could save you a lot of cash in the long run.

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FREEWAY PRO 3.5

FLASHCAST 1.2

CONTACT

CONTACT

Web design with a splash of QuarkXPress Softpress Buy online www.softpress.com

PLATFORM Mac

PRICE $229 (£139)

VERDICT

★★★★

F

reeway has gained a solid reputation among print designers and those less interested in the intricacies of code as being an easy way to start putting Web pages together. The interface itself is very reminiscent of QuarkXPress – immediately giving print designers a headstart. It’s as simple as you’d expect to import graphics, media and create text in Freeway – just like you would in XPress or InDesign, in fact. Rather handily, you can drag and drop many file types into the main workspace, including native Illustrator 10 docs, JPEGs, SWF files and MP3s directly from your iTunes library. Compositing graphics is also catered for – from Photoshop, you can drag and drop a PSD file, complete with transparency, into Freeway, with the transparency left intact. Freeway Pro adds FAST packs to the equation, bringing a neat DHTML menubuilding mini-app to the package (rather like Web Menu Builder) and the ability to make minor edits to graphics in the app without switching to a standalone editor. Overall, Freeway Pro 3.5 is a great tool for anyone wanting to quickly apply their print design skills to the Web.

Capture screen activity and output it to SWF multi.dimensional.media Buy online www.multidmedia.com

PLATFORM PC

PRICE £70

VERDICT

★★★★

C

reating video training tutorials and presentations may not be the remit of every designer, but guiding a less experienced colleague through an exact effect or design technique can prove a tricky and tiresome affair if done hands-on. But then there’s the fact video screencam software can consume so much valuable space – emailing such huge files is nigh on impossible. They often devour CD-ROMs (and DVDs), too. Even streaming over the Web requires a fat pipe. This is where FlashCast comes in, and it’s such an ingenious idea that we’re surprised no-one’s thought of it before. In a nutshell, it captures (user-defined) screen activity, complete with sound (if a microphone is attached), and exports it as an SWF file. The resulting file is, of course, much smaller than a .mov (or similar) equivalent. The process is extremely simple, and FlashCast captures bitmaps as it goes along, so you can check the stages of your presentation. A minute-long Painter demo, for instance, resulted in a 700k file. Not bad at all. We can see this being popular with training companies – if only it was available for the Mac as well as XP and 2000.

WEB MENU BUILDER

SWISH 2.01

Knock up JavaScript menus in an instant

The SWF animation tool gets even better

CONTACT Visionary Technologies Buy online www.v-tech.ws

PLATFORM PC

PRICE $49 (£30)

VERDICT

★★★

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D

ropdown menus – don’t you just love them? Over the last few years, the dropdown menu has almost become synonymous with Web design, enabling designers to create navigational devices that take up very little screen space. However, coding these menus requires a fundamental knowledge of JavaScript – not a tricky language by any means, but one that can take a while to get to grips with, particularly if you’re not the programming type. Thank Visionary Technologies, then, for Web Menu Builder 2.0 – it provides the less code-savvy with a way of creating dropdown menus pretty quickly and with the minimum of fuss. The interface seems a little confusing at first, but soon becomes clear – while the process of building a menu proves extremely simple indeed. You can incorporate images into the menus if you wish (for a little customisation), and the resulting code is extremely easy to integrate into your site. If you’re looking for a cheap utility to add JavaScript dropdowns to your site, and aren’t that bothered about learning code, you’ll find Web Menu Builder 2.0 extremely handy.

CONTACT PTY Ltd Buy online www.swishzone.com

PLATFORM PC

PRICE $50 (£31)

VERDICT

★★★★

S

WiSH actually looks and feels a lot like Flash itself. The app has been around for some time now, and has positioned itself as possibly the budget Flash animation tool. The interface itself will be familiar to Flash users, with its stage, timeline, tools and other palettes. Drawing tools are comprehensive, with basic vector shape tools as well as a Bézier Pen for creating more complex shapes. The timeline feels very much like MX’s, too, and makes it easy to set up animations. As in Flash, you can create scenes to structure your movies. SWiSH also enables you to apply actions to objects. Although this feature isn’t as comprehensive as Macromedia’s, the basics are covered and they’re fine for those who don’t want to use ActionScript. There’s no Library for storing symbols, but you can store effects for use on objects later on. Very nifty. Building up movies is a matter of combining sprites (movie clips), Buttons, Text and Images, and all of these elements are catered for in SWiSH – you can even insert MP3 and EXE files. As solid as ever, then, for the designer on a tight budget. It’s not Flash, but it’s possibly the next best thing.

Group Test

FLASHMORPH 1.1

STUDIOLINE WEB 1.1

Bitmap morphing capabilities, Flash style

WYSIWYG Web authoring made easy

CONTACT

CONTACT

Develotec Buy online www.develotec.com

PLATFORM PC

PRICE £35

VERDICT

★★★

F

lashMorph is a slightly odd tool, but a highly versatile one. It takes two bitmaps and morphs between them, creating a SWF file (with individual, editable keyframes) for use in Flash projects. As a tool for morphing between faces, it’s fine – as long as original images or photographs are set up in the same manner. Setting up a morph is easy – simply load in two images and mark corresponding points at vital points. Align the nose, eyes and jaw and you have the basis for a morph (the more points, the smoother the morph). At this point, we must also say that the FlashMorph interface is one of the slickest we’ve seen. It looks as though it’s been built in Flash itself, and everything is laid out in an extremely logical manner. Menus glide down in an ultra-modern style and palettes whizz across when you select them. It sounds off-putting, but it’s great fun to use. Of course, you can use FlashMorph for more than faces. It provides a quick and easy way to warp between bitmaps – something that would be extremely difficult in Flash alone. If you’re worried about file sizes, you can trace bitmap on each frame and adjust the vectors accordingly.

CONCLUSION So which single application stands out in our Web head-to-head? You’ve checked out each product – now it’s time to deliver our verdict It’s extremely difficult to decide on a winner of this Group Test, because most tools cater for different aspects of Web design. Every tool reviewed here could be useful to you – depending on your current project. The winner in terms of animation tools is definitely Moho 4 – the latest version proving intuitive and fun to use. In terms of utilities, you can’t knock FLA2PSD and PhotoCaster – both essential apps for anyone using Photoshop with Flash or Director. FlashCast should also be commended. In terms of authoring tools, Freeway still rocks, although StudioLine is fighting hard on the PC front. Taking into account the usefulness, value for money and results achieved, the CA Recommended title goes to FLA2PSD, a tool that bridges the gap between Photoshop and Flash and is a godsend for designers everywhere – particularly now it works on the latest operating systems with the latest tools.

StudioLine Buy online www.studioline.biz

PLATFORM PC

PRICE £163

VERDICT

★★★★

S

tudioLine Web is a little different to the rest of the tools in this Group Test (excluding Freeway), but it’s worth a mention because it’s the latest in a line of tools that promises to help the non-HTMLsavvy designer build Websites quickly. In theory, this makes it a handy Web utility for anyone wanting to knock up sites from say, print work and illustrations. The interface is somewhat non-standard, grey from head to toe, and icons are difficult to see at first. Once you get up to speed, though, you’ll soon find that the app does what it promises: providing an easy way to import graphics, add text and add links to create sites. SWF files are supported, as are a variety of other formats including MP3, QuickTime and Windows Media. It really is simply a matter of dragging and dropping the content from the browser window into the work area. No Shockwave support, though. StudioLine Web also integrates perfectly with fellow StudioLine tool Photo Edition, which manages and archives images. Not as easy to use as Freeway, for sure, but it’s a little more powerful and certainly a good PC equivalent.

FLASH, DREAMWEAVER AND THE REST We’re not saying replace your tools – just expand them Throughout this Group Test, we’ve looked at Web utilities and how they can improve your workflow and site designs. If you already own Flash or Dreamweaver, you may think that some of these tools are inferior to such packages, and that you have no need of them. We urge you to think again. Although you may not be interested in Freeway or StudioLine if you have Dreamweaver, products such as Web Menu Builder could prove invaluable if a client

needs a menu, and fast. The same goes for Flash users – products such as Flix Pro 3 and Wildfx can speed up the creative process tenfold. Indeed, some of the products from Media Lab tested here will almost certainly speed up your workflow if you’re regularly using Photoshop alongside one or more of Macromedia’s products. So the moral of this feature is: Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – a $30 app could easily save you $300.

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◗RECRUITMENT CHANGE LTD Change is an agency with a difference. We have been providing a bespoke service to our customers for over three years and recruit exclusively for the Interactive Entertainment Industry. Change provides a friendly effective service to all sectors concentrating on the Gaming world. Our customers are loyal, which speaks for itself! Tel: 020 7241 4545 Mobile:07973 413060 Website: www.change-job.com

◗TRAINING SERVICES CORPS BUSINESS Recruitment and Training solutions since 1989. Training available in tailored & scheduled format. Authorised by Adobe, Extensis, Macromedia, Media 100, Maxon and Quark. Recruitment supplies staff on a temporary, permanent, contract and freelance basis. Tel: 020 7222 8484 Email: [email protected] Web: www.corps.co.uk ESCAPE STUDIOS – VISUAL EFFECTS TRAINING As Europe’s only dedicated school of Visual Effects Escape Studios courses provide the necessary skills to enter the Visual Effects and Games Development industries. Escape offer intensive day, evening and weekend courses in Maya, XSI, Shake, Combustion, Photoshop and RenderMan. Escape is a

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TO F E AT U R E I N T H E C R E AT I V E D I R E C TO RY T E L E P H O N E B RY O N Y WAT T S O N 0 1 2 2 5 4 4 2 2 4 4

EXPOSURE EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 900 FOR WINNING ENTRY! The leading entry to Computer Arts Exposure this month will win an Epson Stylus Photo 900 – the outstanding winner of our desktop printer Group Test in issue 85. The Stylus Photo 900 provides versatile paper handling, affordable operating costs and superb overall quality, and is both PC and Mac compatible. The printer will reproduce photography, illustrations and graphic design work on a variety of paper sizes up to A4. Software is also included to enable direct printing on blank CDs. Discs can personalised with your own designs and labels for use as storage or portfolios. INFO www.epson.co.uk

SUBMISSIONS: Exposure Computer Arts 30 Monmouth Street Bath, BA1 2BW United Kingdom Turn to page 120 for full details

WINNER 1 NAME David Cater JOB Designer and Illustrator CONTACT 001 510 232 9420, [email protected] SOFTWARE Illustrator IMAGE TITLES Mini “I am continually inspired by the many talented digital illustrators and animation professionals working in the film and game industries. Some day, I would like to have the opportunity of working in those fields, but right now I am just enjoying learning as much as I can about my craft.”

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1 NAME Mr Bingo JOB Illustrator, Animator CONTACT [email protected], www.mr-bingo.co.uk SOFTWARE Photoshop, Flash IMAGE TITLES How To Have A Bonfire, Animal Heaven and Dalek Album Review “I realised recently that I can’t actually make an illustration without a computer any more, but for me it still always has to start with pens and paper.”

2 NAME Glyn Brewerton JOB Illustrator CONTACT [email protected], www.brewerton-illustration.com SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator IMAGE TITLES Hostess With The Mostest, Cross Town Traffic “My work is a quirky marriage of photo montage and nutty characters, usually created from observed drawings based on everyday experience. I have illustrated for Egmont Publishing, IPC Media and Gluemedia London.”

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GET EXPOSED Send your work to us, along with an explanation of your techniques and software, the titles of each piece, your telephone number and email. Images should be sent as PC or Mac TIFF or JPEG files, on CDROM or Zip disks. A hard copy is a great help. We will endeavour to return all entries that provide an SAE. All contributions are submitted on the basis of a non-exclusive worldwide licence to publish, both in printed and electronic form. Post hi-res files for print to: Exposure, Computer Arts, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW. Every effort is made to ensure that your work is returned safely. However, all contributions are submitted at the risk of the owner. Future Publishing Limited cannot accept responsibility for them either in transit or while in Future’s possession. If this is the only copy of your work, do NOT send it in!

LEGAL BITS Only one Epson Stylus Photo 900 can be won per issue. The editor’s decision is final, there are no cash alternatives, and no other correspondence will be entered into.

1 NAME Nick Maroussas JOB Compositor, Designer CONTACT 07734 650 848, [email protected], www.petrol.tv SOFTWARE Photoshop, combustion IMAGE TITLES On The Tube, Petrol Station and Dark Electric “I’m very impressed by companies such as WeWorkForThem – the way it puts its creativity to any medium that comes its way. Personally, I’ve always been into collage/montage, so Photoshop is simply perfect for my kind of work.”

2 NAME Nathan Cavanaugh JOB Freelance Designer CONTACT [email protected], www.alterform.com SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator, 3ds max IMAGE TITLES Open Form – Addicted “A lot of my pieces deal with addiction, either directly or indirectly. I don’t know why the concept is so powerful to me, but perhaps it’s that I can see so many of its different forms. My goal is to incorporate many of the different sub-genres of digital design – abstract 3D, dirty grunge and photo-manipulation – into something all of its own.”

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RETROSPECTIVE ISSUE 21 AUGUST1998 Our ‘creative explosion’ issue comes out of its glass case

A

creative explosion can be a very sticky business, particularly in confined quarters. Fortunately, ours only resulted in a lurid Pantone-and-silver cover that saw fit to espouse the delights of Painter Classic, Amapi and, inevitably, more. The news section was dominated by two packages that went nowhere much: NewTek’s Aura and Satori PhotoXL, although the latter is still kicking around. Mental ray 2 also had us emitting photorealistic drool in a perfect particle system pattern. Apparently, “the beginning of June 1998 was a punctuation mark” in the career of Vaughan Oliver. Whether that was a semi-colon, an apostrophe or an em-dash, we’ll just never know. Still, there were lots of luscious album covers in our profile of the “Wandsworth surrealist” (we were obviously in poetic mood this month). Talking of curtailed NewTek software, as we were if you’d been paying attention, our reviews section heaped praise on LightWave-lite, Inspire 3D – along with Premiere 5 and Infini-D 4.5. “Never heard of Wright Design?” asked another review. Nope. Next! Finally, our Website series pondered: “Java – is it the language of the future or just annoying?” Some things don’t change…

EDITORIAL 01225 442 244 VICKI ATKINSON EDITOR [email protected] ESTHER LAMB ART EDITOR [email protected] RACHEL ELLIOTT OPERATIONS EDITOR [email protected] ROB CARNEY REVIEWS EDITOR [email protected] MARK PENFOLD STAFF WRITER [email protected] MATT GALLIMORE CD EDITOR [email protected]

CD PROBLEMS 01225 822 743 [email protected]

Contributions from Frank Bartucca, Rob Brearley, Robert Chiu, Simon Danaher, Christian Darkin, Peter Draper, Dan Goodleff, Karl Hodge, Jens Karlsson, Christopher Kenworthy, Derek Lea, Magictorch, Vicky Mitchard, Ed Ricketts, Chris Schmidt, Mark Sparrow, Studio Output, Lawrence Zeegen PHOTOGRAPHY Simon Lees PRINT Cradley Print, UK REPRO Radstock Reproductions Ltd

CONTACT Computer Arts magazine, Future Publishing, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW 01225 732 361 ISDN 01225 789 293 Overseas subscriptions +44 1458 271 100

ADVERTISING 01225 442244 SIMON TAPSCOTT portfolio ad manager [email protected] ANDREW HEALY senior account executive [email protected] BRYONY WATTS senior account executive [email protected] LEE ROSSITER senior account executive [email protected] TONY MARSHALL classified sales executive [email protected]

DIGITAL DIVISION JOHN WEIR publishing director SHEENA PITTAWAY publisher FIONA TULLY marketing manager CLARE TOVEY production manager PAUL MCINTYRE group art editor STEVE JARRATT group senior editor SARAH WILLIAMS software copyright coordinator

PRODUCTION DAVID MATHEWS ad design point of contact LAYLA VICKER print services coordinator KATTY PIGOTT production coordinator MIKE THORNE commercial print buyer

CIRCULATION & LICENSING RICHARD JEFFERIES circulation manager RICHARD BEAN overseas licensing manager SIMON WEAR overseas licensing director Computer Arts has licences in China, France, Italy, Poland, and Spain

UK DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution 020 7396 8000 86 Newman Street, London, W1T 3EX

THE FUTURE NETWORK ROGER PARRY non-executive chairman GREG INGHAM chief executive COLIN MORRISON chief operating officer & managing director UK JOHN BOWMAN group finance director

FLASHBACK

ABOVE John ‘Big Pig’ Kelly returned with another sublime Painter illo. RIGHT Don’t

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ask…

Computer Arts first hit the shelves of newsagents way back in 1995 as a bi-monthly mag, when the industry was a very different place indeed. Since then, software has advanced, technology outperformed our expectations and expertise moved on considerably. On this page, we look back five years and revisit our well-preserved copy of the wonderfully dated issue 21…

Tel +44 1225 442244 www.thefuturenetwork.plc.uk Computer Arts is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations Jan-Dec 2002: 30,024 Computer Arts is the registered trademark of Future Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks and copyrights in this issue are recognised, and are acknowledged where possible. If we have failed to credit your copyright please contact us – we’re happy to correct any oversight. Material submitted is accepted on the basis of a worldwide right to publish in printed or electronic form. All contents © Future Publishing 2003. Future Publishing is part of The Future Network PLC. The Future Network produces carefully targeted specialist magazines for people who share a passion. We aim to satisfy that passion by creating titles offering value for money, reliable information, smart buying advice, and which are a pleasure to read. Today we publish more than 90 magazines in the UK, US, France and Italy. Over 80 international editions of our magazines are also published in 28 other countries across the world. The Future Network PLC is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FNET).