Computer Arts (November 2004)

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CREATE OUR COVER

PHOTOSHOP MASTERCLASS

CREATE GREAT TEXTURES

Tutor starts pia2l4

Combine vector graphics and photos layer by layer to build stylish imagery

ON TEST

Apple Motion 1.0 Wacom Intuos3 Cinema 4D 9

FLASH

FLUID ANIMATION Transform digital video into cool hand-drawn movies

PHOTOSHOP

BURN EFFECTS Design scorching images with layers and a hairdryer

ILLUSTRATOR

VINTAGE ARTWORK Age your images using type, colour and shading

Printed in the UK NOVEMBER 2004

Outside the UK and Éire £6 C$19.95 £6

1 1 9 771740 900004 COVER ILLUSTRATION: SCOTT HANSEN

EDITORIAL

HELLO! Issue 102 of Computer Arts is here and looks fantastic, with a superb cover illustration by resident Photoshop expert Scott Hansen. Scott has produced one fine illustration after another for our Group Test section over the last few issues, and each time his images kept getting better and more detailed. So much so, in fact, that we even started wondering how he produced some of those textures and effects! That’s it, we said, he must do a cover tutorial for us. So here it is, an amazing marriage of vector illustration and photography that clearly shows why Scott is in such demand. Turn to page 24 to find out how he put the piece together using custom textures, scans and one high-res stock image. Also, if you thought Linear Blending was a little passé, then think again. We asked the king of the Linear Blend, McFaul, for his top tips on using blending to create striking perspective effects. Turn to page 40 where he’ll show you just how versatile this technique is and how to create a stunning illustration from scratch. Plus we’ve got a free, full version of Amapi 6 and some great illustration tips from US graphic designers Asterik Studio.

EDITORIAL 01225 442 244

GILLIAN CARSON SENIOR EDITOR [email protected] DOM HALL DEPUTY EDITOR [email protected] RODDY LLEWELLYN SENIOR ART EDITOR [email protected] VICKY MITCHARD DESIGNER [email protected] SOPHIE EMBLEY PRODUCTION EDITOR [email protected] JOSEPH RUSS NEW MEDIA CONTENT EDITOR [email protected] MATT GALLIMORE SENIOR CD EDITOR [email protected] SIMON HOLLAND CD EDITOR [email protected] CD PROBLEMS 01225 822 743 [email protected]

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM Jason Arber, Graeme Aymer, Robert Carney, Ryan Clark, Alistair Dabbs, Scott Hansen, Andy Kay, Derek Lea, Paul Lovett, McFaul, Ed Ricketts, Chris Schmidt, Luke Whittaker, Susan Wright. PHOTOGRAPHY Katharine Lane-Sims PRINT William Gibbons REPRO Radstock Reproductions Ltd

GILLIAN CARSON SENIOR EDITOR [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS Computer Arts magazine, Future Publishing, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW 01225 442 244 ISDN 01225 789 293 SUBSCRIPTION QUERIES 0870 444 8455 OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTIONS +44 (0) 870 444 8455 EMAIL [email protected]

ILLUSTRATION IN THE MAG

ADVERTISING 01225 442 244 ANDREW BRAIN advertising manager [email protected] GEORGE LUCAS senior sales executive [email protected] JAMES BLAXTER classified sales executive [email protected]

SCOTT HANSEN

Look, no Illustrator or Freehand! Here Scott demonstrates just how versatile Photoshop’s Gradient Masking tools and Blend modes can be – by subtly blending vector and pixel elements to create a suitably eye-catching illustration. INFO: www.iso50.com

DIGITAL DIVISION

DOM BEAVEN publishing director KELLEY CORTEN publisher FIONA TULLY marketing manager CLARE TOVEY production manager PAUL MCINTYRE group art editor SARAH WILLIAMS software copyright co-ordinator

PRODUCTION

DAVID MATHEWS ad design point of contact KATTY PIGOTT production co-ordinator MIKE THORNE commercial print buyer

CIRCULATION & LICENSING

RICHARD JEFFERIES circulation manager PETE STOTHARD head of international licensing SIMON WEAR overseas licensing director Computer Arts has licences in China, France, Italy, Poland, and Spain

UK DISTRIBUTION Marketforce Ltd 020 7633 3300 Kings Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS

THE FUTURE NETWORK

ROGER PARRY non-executive chairman GREG INGHAM chief executive ROB PRICE managing director UK JOHN BOWMAN group finance director T: +44 (0)1225 442 244 URL: www.thefuturenetwork.plc.uk Computer Arts is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations Jan-Dec 2003: 22,888 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 2004. 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).

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TWELVE:TEN

LUKE WHITTAKER

Softimage XSI 4.0’s recent price cut inspired a design by this Nottingham agency. INFO: www.twelveten.com

Super-smooth animation – Luke’s informative Flash how-to reveals all. INFO: www.lukewhittaker.com

MCFAUL

PAUL LOVETT

McFaul extols the virtues of Photoshop’s oft-maligned Linear Blending modes. INFO: www.mcfaul.biz

Paul sculpted this fictitious device using 3D app Amapi 6, provided on the cover CD. INFO: www.virtualpeach.co.uk

DEREK LEA

KERRY ROPER

Derek uses Photoshop alpha channels, a hairdryer and fax paper to work his magic… INFO: www.dereklea.com

Kerry’s bold piece tackles the issue of file compatibility. INFO: www.youare beautiful.co.uk

RYAN CLARK

TADO

Illustrator and Photoshop enable Ryan to add a modern twist to a vintage insignia. INFO: www.asterikstudio.com

Think PDF software, think giant octopus and pink bubbles… Yep, it’s Tado time! INFO: www.tado.co.uk

CONTACT Computer Arts, Future Publishing, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW PHONE: 01225 442 244 EMAIL: ca.mail.futurenet.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS: 0870 444 8455 OVERSEAS: +44 (0) 870 444 8455

November 2004

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068 REVIEWS

TUTORIALS

WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT?

GET TO GRIPS WITH THREE TOP APPS

P78 MOTION 1.0

P56 PHOTOSHOP

Apple’s highly-anticipated release is everything we expected

”Age” your work with a parchment look, created using thermal fax paper, a hairdryer and Photoshop

P80 EYECANDY 5: TEXTURES Alien Skin’s ten configurable plug-ins will prove a boon to both 2D and 3D designers

P82 CINEMA 4D 9 Ngon support and an amazing cloth simulator come with Maxon’s recent update

P83 SWIFT 3D 4

P60 ILUSTRATOR Adapt an ancient heraldic insignia to reflect more modern design principles

P64 FLASH MX Use real video footage to bring an original and eye-catching fluidity to your Flash animation

Electric Rain’s accomplished Flash 3D tool has matured well

P84 WACOM INTUOS3 This re-designed graphics tablet comes with Express Keys and great Pen system

FEATURES WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR INDUSTRY?

P85 COREL PAINTER 9

060

Corel’s new release narrows the divide between digital and real-life painting

P86 BENQ FP231W This huge 23-inch monitor delivers superb high-res images at a relatively low price

P87 BOOKS A round-up of the digital arts tomes that took our creative fancy this month

030

GROUP TEST WE ROAD TEST FIVE OF THE BEST

P30 CA INTERVIEW

Bloc Media: “We just want to have fun…” say co-founder Rick Palmer and creative directorJohn Denton

P50 ICON

The Great Wave: An in-depth look Katsuhika Hokusai’s masterpiece

P68 EXPERT ADVICE

Which file format? Save space and time with our hands-on advice

P88 PDF CREATION SOFTWARE There are a number of low-cost alternatives to Adobe Acrobat if you want to create reliable PDFs – five pretenders battle for the top spot

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P72 GET STARTED WITH...

Storyboarding: The benefits of planning ahead are plain to see

P114 CURRICULUM VITAE

Al Heighton: This Doncaster-based graphic designer displays his work

056 SUBSCRIBE TURN TO PAGE 46

Subscribe today and make sure you get an exclusive collector’s copy delivered straight to your door. Just visit www.computerarts.co.uk or call our subscription hotline on 0870 444 8455

NOVEMBER ISSUE 102

PAGE 40Ë

LINEAR BLENDING

The pariah of many a snooty creative, Linear Blending can still help you create powerful work in Photoshop, if used wisely

064 ON THE CD THIS ISSUE’S SOFTWARE & RESOURCES AMAPI 6 (MAC+PC) Use this superb CAD app to model the device featured in our CD tutorial on page 104

AMAPI 6 VIDEO TRAINING (MAC+PC)

024

Professional animator Gary Phillips reveals a few handy Amapi modelling tips (requires QuickTime)

67 PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS (MAC+PC) Streamline your workflow with this batch of time-saving Photoshop actions

SWIFT 3D 4 (PC ONLY) Enjoy this 30-day trial of the Flashorientated 3D modeller

GENUINE FRACTALS (MAC+PC) Re-size your images without losing quality Plus a host of demos, plug-ins and more!

ÁPAGE 24

GREAT TEXTURES

Integrating pixel and vector elements in Photoshop is now easier than ever. Scott Hansen shows you how November 2004

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EXPOSURE

EXPOSURE Send your work to Computer Arts and be seen by thousands!

TIM ELLIS

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JOB Freelance illustrator CONTACT www.debutart.com SOFTWARE Photoshop 1. Redactive Media “I used a magnet to communicate the idea of attracting people for this illo for an article about attracting employees into a Purchasing Department.” 2. The Guardian “Here, a badminton racquet photo was manipulated with a Halftone Pattern filter and the net graphic built using a Note Paper filter with Graininess and Relief set at 0.” 3. Global Council magazine cover “This piece gave me the chance to introduce new weed characters, a drawing of my own and soil textures put through a Halftone Pattern filter.” 4. The Guardian “A piece to illustrate civil servants working safely at home.” 5. Caspian Publishing “I was left to come up with a visual idea for an illustration to depict debt packages.” 6. New Scientist “It was fun creating these self-building Nanobots.” 7. The Guardian “A literal focus and hand-rendered type illustrated the IT focus within local authorities.”

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EXPOSURE

To find out more about this section, please go to www.computerarts.co.uk/gallery/

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ABOUT TIM ELLIS Tim Ellis decided at 14 years of age that he wanted to become an illustrator and spent time cutting out illustrations he liked from the back of his mum’s Radio Times. His determination for recognition surfaced from the trauma he suffered, aged ten, when disqualified from his primary school art competition “for tracing a Tintin and Snowy picture, which I had skilfully drawn freehand.” After graduating from a degree in Illustration at APU, Ellis completed a post-grad and MA at Central Saint Martins in London, which, he says, “gave me selfish time to explore my visual world and strengthen my visual identity.” Ellis has been working as a freelance illustrator since 2001 and has worked on a broad range of magazines and newspapers, including a weekly spot for The Times magazine, which ran for 14 months. Recent clients have included Radio Times, Rieker, NCH and Microsoft and he is currently working on illustrations for NTL. He is also a sessional lecturer at the Surrey Institute and enjoys making artist’s books – his latest title Love Coffee is currently available at Magma books in both London and Manchester.

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EXPOSURE

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VON BORLE

JOB Freelance illustrator CONTACT [email protected] SOFTWARE Photoshop 1. Melting “Through this piece, I wanted to get across the experience and atmosphere of a gig. I paint images by hand in parts, before taking them into Photoshop and adding colour, random textures and imagery.” 2. Nina Simone “Here, I played around with dimensions and mark-making techniques – a small tribute to the high priestess of soul.” 3. Kings of Leon “I used old Post-it notes as the basis for this hand-painted portrait of the Kings of Leon. Despite heavy use of Photoshop, I try to ensure that my work remains true to its more hands-on creation.” 4. Barber “This image was taken from an article in the Guardian about the experience of going to the barbers. The young come out looking more stupid than when they went in, and the bald read FHM.”

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EXPOSURE

DAVID SANKEY

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JOB Freelance illustrator and artist CONTACT [email protected] SOFTWARE Photoshop, Bryce 5, Poser, Cinema 4D 1. Memphis Belle “This piece was created using Poser, Photoshop and a Wacom graphics tablet and was inspired by great artists such as Alberto Vargas, Gil Elvgren and George Petty.” 2. Miami Clipper “I’ve always had a passion for art, utilising a variety of mediums and techniques. The series of WWII ‘Nose Art’ images are really an extension of my interest in the period pin-up art.” 3. Super Mouse “I created this piece using acrylics, a scanner and Photoshop. I’ve only been working with 2D and 3D apps since December 2001, so I guess I’m still very much an amateur.” 4. Destiny’s Child “This piece was created in Photoshop, but I also have a genuine interest in the history of the USAAF and on occasion hand paint the leather flying jackets of the period.”

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GET EXPOSED

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Send your work to us, along with an explanation of your techniques and software, the titles of each piece, your website details and email address. Images should be sent as PC or Mac TIFF or JPEG files, on CD or DVD. A hard copy is also 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 print and electronically. Post hi-res files for print to: Exposure, Computer Arts, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW.

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STAR LETTER: BLUE MOVIES I direct and shoot my own movies, and I am currently working on a new script. I use AVer EZ Capture, Pinnacle Studio v9, Adobe Premiere, Avid Free DV and VoiceSFX, as well as a DVD with some additional movie editing software. I also have a demo version of Swift D 3 , that enables me to design my company logo, etc. During the last year I have been searching for a program to work with greenscreen and/or bluescreen, but have been unable to find anything. I would be really grateful if you could suggest any reasonably priced programs that would handle keying (greenscreen/bluescreen), either stand-alone, or as add-ons for Studio, Premiere, or Free DV.

If there is a way to manage keying with just one of the three programs mentioned here, could you please let me know? Timos Halkias

+ rGeenscreen/bluescreen or

chromakeying, as it’s often known, removes elements or creates a transparency based on chrominance or colour, typically

blue or green – as these colours don’t appear in flesh tones. You say you currently use Adobe Premiere, so why not try Premiere Pro, which features a keying effect that can be applied to your footage. Alternatively, if you’re running an earlier version, you may need to get your hands on an add-on, such as the excellent Boris FX .

PRIZE: free training at Space, London As the Star Letter winner, you can choose a day’s training at Space. Co-founded by Bridget Riley, Space is one of the largest visual arts resources in the Capital, and offers a variety of courses ranging from Photoshop and Final Cut Pro to how to sell your work, tax and selfemployment, and marketing strategies for designers. Space also has a large range of high-end equipment including video-editing facilities, technical support staff and exhibition spaces. For more information go to: www.spacestudios.org.uk

* QUARK QUIRK

GOLDEN TICKET WINNER Congratulations to Sarah Holt from Cheshire (pictured above), our third and final issue 10 0 oGlden Ticket winner. A full copy of Adobe’s Creative Suite Premium Edition should be winging its way to you very soon. That means there’s just one ticket left, but sorry folks, we’ve now hit the competition deadline. So if you’re lucky enough to find a ticket, sorry, but it’s no longer valid. Turn to page 93 for full details of this month’s competition. 10

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It was interesting to read the article in issue 10 0about uQarkX Press (“Q uark draws the battle lines”, page )02 . I have used uQarkX Press since it became a viable alternative to conventional typesetting and artwork and believed it to be the saviour of my career. As a typographer in advertising I worked with operators who had served an apprenticeship and set type as an art. We badgered all of the typesetting houses to buy huge libraries of fonts (which back in the eighties would have cost about ,05£)0 and always expected, and paid for, well set type and immaculate artwork. I went to a uQark seminar in 1990and someone asked, “What about overhanging punctuation?” – a small, but really important, detail. uQark ’s conceited reply? “What about it?” Move the clock forward to 302and I took a look at InDesign, got the same feeling I had about the Mac and the advertising industry and realised it was time for a change.

Some weeks after this I went to see what uQark had to say. At the bar, talking to the poor sod who had taken a real battering from the audience, I asked “What about overhanging punctuation?” The reply? “We’ve drastically restructured the whole organisation, but not sorted overhanging punctuation...” Robbie Sparks

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Gavin Drake, Quark’s UK marketing manager responds: “Q uark is making major moves to get closer to its customers, to ensure that this type of feedback is filtered to the correct teams within uQark and acted on. Looking specifically at the issue of overhanging punctuation, I am pleased to say that this is definitely firmly on our radar. I can’t at this point say which version it will be implemented in, but it is in our plans.”

* “WHAT’S THE DEAL?”

First of all, many congratulations on your 10 t0h issue!I can see why you guys have made it this far – your magazine is great, and packed with inspiring tutorials. But I must comment on your latest Flash tutorial (“Typographic animation”, page 85, issue 10 )0. It combined actionscript and M X L, which I was desperate to learn, but boy was I disappointed! It only covered parts of the project, leaving a lot of holes and questions. Also, the finished project included on the cover CD didn’t match up with what was built within the magazine. The tutorial confused me and didn’t even show how to animate the type!What’s the deal? Gabriel Alva Senior graphic designer

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We’ve had a lot of feedback about this tutorial, most of which has been positive. But some of you were left a little confused. We did not provide an exact copy of the Planet of the Drums site, that would have been inappropriate. But we did provide a working model of the navigation that was identical in appearance and function to the original. The animation was not created using timeline tweening but dynamic scripted animation.

NEXT ISSUE IN PHOTOSHOP • SOFTWARE • TUTORIALS • NEWS• REVIEWS

3D MASTERCLASS

CINEMA 4D

Create and animate this pinball image using Maxon’s professional 3D package

In such a short tutorial there wasn’t enough space to include this detail, but the scripts are provided and you can make use of them or modify them as you wish.

DON’T MISS ISSUE 103

* VUE D’ESPRIT WOES

I became a Computer Arts fanatic two years ago and since then missing an issue has been akin to experiencing a minor personal disaster. As an art director working with a top Nigerian ad agency, I have even whipped up support for your publication among my colleagues. Your tutorials and free software have been very helpful and I was looking forward to receiving my free copy of Vue d’Esprit .31 as part of your 10 t0h issue, but when I tried to launch it after installation the application would not respond. Instead it requested the “correct” serial number. Worse still, the zip file for the -03day demo of Vue d’Esprit 4 was full of errors and when launched, turned out to be a trial version, no different from the one you gave away recently. I was very disappointed, but hope that it was an error and that E-on will correct it on the next CD. That said, I think Vue d’Esprit is a great product and Computer Arts the best digital creative magazine on the planet. Congrats on your 10 t0h edition anniversary and thanks for giving digital creatives a voice. Please keep up the good work. Olusegun Adegboyega-Edun SO&U Saatchi and Saatchi, Nigeria.

ON THE CD...

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EXCLUSIVE 60-DAY TRIAL

It looks like there’s been some confusion about the installation process. In order to install Vue d’Esprit .31 LE you first need to register your details at www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue3 / limitededition. A serial number will then be emailed to you, which can be entered on installation. The problems you’ve had may have been caused by having both Vue .31 LE and the Vue 4 Pro trial installed at the same time. Try uninstalling version .31 before you install the trial of version 4.

ALSO IN ISSUE 103 PHOTOSHOP More tips and tricks from our panel of global design experts

XARA X1

An exclusive extended trial version of this vector-based illustration package. Plus: we show you how to create a stylish airbrush illustration All contents are subject to change

ON SALE 29 OCTOBER 2004 November 2004

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ONLINE HEAVEN THIS MONTH’S ROUND-UP OF THE GREAT AND GOOD ONLINE

iMac woos Paris MAC EXPO REPORT Apple wows the consumer desktop market yet again with its upgraded iMac, but lets the much anticipated G5 laptop fall off the radar

SHIVERS

www.ninjacruise.com/ 5hiverlaunch.htm

THREADLESS

www.threadless.com T-shirt design community portal where heaps of images are uploaded, scored, generally picked over and printed-up by a huge and evergrowing army of small-run shirt design enthusiasts. Cracking stuff. NIKELAB

www.nike.com/nikelab It’s amazing what some companies will do to get you to buy running shoes, but take a look around this Kubrick-esque “Vapor Station” and find out. State-ofthe-art, Flash-heavy site created by Tronic Studio (see “Profile”, issue 101). PINPOPS

www.stickernation.net/ pinpops/index_flash.htm Quirky showcase for graphic work from the likes of Jon Burgerman, Luke Prowse and Italian collective Brainbox, all pressed up and for sale in packs of five one-inch badges. “Pin extra colour to your life,” the Pinpops people say. RECYCLED AREA

www.recycledarea.co.uk/ content/indexswf.htm Flash-heavy (and busy) portfolio site to showcase graphic designer Alberto Seveso’s broad range of illustration and design work. Well presented, with some interesting images. BLAU GALLERY: ONLINE ART SHOP

www.blaugallery.com

Sleek and professional online art gallery featuring work from Robert Lindström, Simone Legno and Scott Hansen, also being sold via a webshop mounted on neat wooden frames.

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ILLUSTRATION : RICHARD LLEWELLYN

Well put together portfolio of illustration work by Washington DC artist Matthew Curry – some of which features in forthcoming graffiti calligraphy tome Writing. A highly distinctive blend of Eastern-influenced illustration and street art.

After months of fevered anticipation, Apple has finally come good on its iMac G5, which should be shipping as you read this issue. Essentially giving the fans what they asked for, the new desktop builds on Apple’s reputation as a master of innovative design, and owes much to the iPod for its clean, minimalist styling. The company’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, Philip Schiller, unveiling the machine at the Apple Expo in Paris, believed it would redefine what users expect from a consumer desktop: “With the entire system just two inches thin, a lot of people will be wondering, ‘Where did the computer go?’,” he said. He has a point. Ranging in price from £919 for the 17-inch widescreen model to £1,349 for the bells-and-whistles 20-inch version, the three new iMacs look superb; the entire computer fits inside the flat-panel display, supported by a tough yet slender aluminium podium. Two FireWire 400 ports, three USB ports and a GeForce FX5200 Ultra card come as standard. Although many welcomed the move, others were more sceptical. Paul Jackson, a

senior analyst at IT research powerhouse Forrester, said Apple had given up a chance to pull clear of its rivals: “With its new iMac G5, Apple has again come up with a unique package of design, power and ease of use,” he said. “But [it] has missed the opportunity to stay way ahead of its competitors by not including wi-fi as standard and failing to catch the early adopter PVR wave by including a TV tuner card.” The absence of a G5 laptop also disappointed some. Apple’s director of worldwide product marketing, Tom Boger, seemed to put the kaibosh on any release in the foreseeable future, citing “major challenges” that must still be overcome. But with Motion already creating a buzz (see review on page 78) and the Tiger OS X operating system due during the first half of 2005, Apple seems more than capable of answering its critics – and capitalising on its current position. INFO www.apple.com

NEWS

Best of British EXHIBITION Barbican prepares to show off a wealth of Blighty talent in autumn exhibition Visitors to the central London labyrinth that is the Barbican can expect to see some pioneering and contemporary work from independent British graphic designers in the art gallery’s Create exhibition this autumn. Featuring iconic work such as Martin Sharp’s Dylan cover for OZ magazine and Martin Lambie-Nairn’s Channel 4 logo, alongside recent projects from the likes of The Designers Republic, Peter Saville and Neville Brody, the exhibition runs until 23 January 2005. INFO www.barbican.org.uk/gallery/communicate.htm

THE MONTH IN BRIEF A quick look at this month’s uppers and downers – and China’s online porn crackdown...

› GOOD MONTH Adobe InDesign CS – part deux Following on from last issue’s announcement that US publishing giant Hearst Magazines had switched to the Adobe platform, Adobe has just announced that BBC Magazines has bought 350 InDesign licences…

Digital cameras on the up Shipments

International broadcast convention

TRADE SHOW Content providers present at broadcast industry bun-fight in Amsterdam Digital content companies, 3D software providers and the great and good of the broadcast industry were out in force at the International Broadcast Convention in Amsterdam last month, showcasing the very latest software developments in the creation, management and delivery sectors. Over 1,000 exhibitors took part. Image-processing specialist RealViz demonstrated its recently announced StoryViz and MatchMover Pro 3, while Macromedia found time to show off its FlashVideo streaming utility. Discreet, meanwhile, pitched its high-definition visual effects and editing systems to several post-production facilities. Other attendees included Apple, the BBC, Hewlett-Packard and Hitachi. INFO www.ibc.org

fi BAD MONTH Apple PowerBook owners Mobile Mac addicts have been told to return their rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, after the manufacturer warned a recent batch could overheat and pose a fire hazard. Only the 15-inch aluminium model is affected. For details, visit https://depot.info.apple.com/ batteryexchange/index.html

US Student P2P software sharers US universities are reporting good progress with attempts to stamp out peer-to-peer filesharing among students through initiatives such as authorised networking and lawsuits.

Acclaim Entertainment The videogame

ADOBE RELEASES PHOTOSHOP AND PREMIERE ELEMENTS SOFTWARE PRIME ENTRY-LEVEL PHOTO AND VIDEO-EDITING APPS HIT THE SHELVES Adobe is deliberately targeting home consumers in the imaging and videoediting sectors with its latest iteration of Photoshop Elements and new release Premiere Elements. Photoshop Elements 3.0 is an all-in-one app for the home digital photography enthusiast that provides flexible image organisation

by vendors grew by 95 per cent to 16 million units during 2003, according to research house IDC, with consumers spending a total of $5.9 billion on the latest digital shutterbugs. Prices have also dropped, with 3-megapixel devices yielding the biggest growth in sales.

options and advanced sharing capabilities. It also offers new and improved editing facilities. Premiere Elements 1.0 targets the home video market and provides simple video editing tools, graphic and title effects, DVD creation and one-click capture. Due out before Christmas, the apps cost £69.99 each. INFO www.adobe.com

publisher responsible for the Turok series and the notorious slash-fest Mortal Kombat has collapsed with debts of over $100m (£60m), blaming difficulties migrating to Sony PlayStation and XBox platforms..

‹ AND FINALLY China’s porn clampdown Web designers in the People’s Republic will need to be extracareful about the kind of images they use after new web-targeting anti-pornography laws were introduced threatening online adult content providers with life imprisonment. November 2004

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SOFTWARE 3D

CURIOUS SHADES Curious Labs has released an updated version of its Shade 3D graphics suite aimed at designers, illustrators and architects. The new release features intuitive Bézier curve and surface modelling for quick designs. The package comes in three versions, the entry-level LE version costing $99. URL www.curiouslabs.com

Carrara 4 SOFTWARE UPDATE Eovia promises enhanced workflow and improved features for latest version of its 3D app Eovia has updated its D 3 animation, modelling and rendering portfolio with Carrara 4, which promises to deliver enhanced capabilities and improved functionality in both Standard and Pro versions. New features include a terrain editor and scene manipulator,

improved motion paths and timeline support, as well as multi-node distributed rendering, vector and D 3 motion blur. Due to ship this month, the Standard version of Carrara 4 will be available for 8£7 and Carrara 4 Pro for 1£.53 INFO www.eovia.com

PLUG-IN

HDV FORMAT

LEARNING CURVE Short and long-term training across the UK

3D DESIGN New computer system will revitalise BBC weather reports

HIGHLANDER LONDON Docklands-based training group offering authorised courses in Adobe, Macromedia and WebTrends. The company also provides courses in areas such as XML and website accessibility. Dreamweaver Website Development 11-13 October, £750 Fast Track to WebTrends 18-19 October, check for prices URL www.highlander.co.uk

The BBC is overhauling the way it presents the weather by exploiting the very latest D 3 modelling technology. With the help of WeatherScape T X software, developed by New Zealand-based specialist Metra, the BBC’s new system will use original Met Office data to take the viewer “right into the weather forecast”. The new system, to be introduced early next year, will more accurately recreate the topography of the K U and feel almost like a D 3 fl ying game. “We are trying to take data and generate graphics on a D 3 map that actually looks like the weather,” said the BBC Weather Centre’s project director. INFO www.metra.info

DESIGN COMPUTER TRAINING BIRMINGHAM Training provider offering courses in image-editing, graphics and web design software, either one-to-one or in a small group. Adobe InDesign: Page Layout and Design One or two-day courses for beginners or intermediates: £360 for one-day course, £710 for two days Macromedia Flash Training: Introduction to Design and Animation One or two-day course for beginners: £360 for one-day course, £710 for two days URL www.combined.f9.co.uk

Warm front

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METRO NEW MEDIA LONDON Accredited Discreet training centre – course portfolio includes modules in web design, 3D animation and graphic design. Evening and weekend courses also available. Flash MX 2004 26-27 October, £558 3ds max: Introduction 22-24 November, £764 URL www.metronewmedia.com SILICON BEACH TRAINING BRIGHTON Cost-effective training courses for beginners and experts, delivered at a fully-equipped centre in Brighton. Illustrator 14-15 October, £464 Dreamweaver 25-26 October, £464 URL www.siliconbeachtraining. co.uk PARITY LEEDS Parity provides a range of courses covering web and creative design. Fast Track to Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004 4-5 November, £699 Effective Website Design 6-8 November, £1387 URL www.parity.net

Adobe is currently putting the finishing touches to an HDV plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5. The plug-in, available as a download later in the year, will work with the next generation of HDV cameras by Sony and JVC, enabling video professionals to quickly and easily capture, edit in real-time and output broadcast-quality, high-definition video. URL www.adobe.com 3D PACKAGE

BACK TO LIFE Facial modelling specialist Lifemode Interactive is to launch a Maya version of its LifeStudio:HEAD 2.6 facial animation software package. The most recent iteration will sport new features and full integration with Maya versions 4.x, 5.x and 6.x. No price as yet. URL www.lifemi.com WEB EDITING

FLESH ON THE BONES Bare Bones Software has just released BBEdit 8.0, a new version of its HTML and text editor package. The software features over 100 new enhancements, including a Documents Drawer, which enables you to flip between open docs with just a simple click of the mouse. It’s available now for $179. URL www.barebones.com VIDEO COMPRESSION

SQUEEZE TIGHT

Version 4 of Sorenson Squeeze, a series of video compression apps, is now shipping. $499 secures you the Squeeze 4 Compression Suite, Squeeze 4 for Macromedia Flash MX and Squeeze 4 for MPEG-4. URL www.sorenson.com

November 2004

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NEWS

DESIGNER TALK

NATHAN JUREVICIUS Computer Arts enters the mad world of Australian illustrator Nathan Jurevicius, the comic artist behind a new range of vinyl toys based on the brilliant ScaryGirl, a character he created himself Computer Arts: Tell us about the world of Nathan Jurevicius. NJ: I’m a 13-year-old freelance illustrator based in Melbourne, Victoria, with Liz and my three kids Milo, Arkie and Sass yGpsy. I drink too much green tea, don’t eat enough, get up late, work until p6m and then start back up again around 10 pm and keep going until the wee hours of the morning. I’m currently working on about ten different jobs – a bunch of book covers for Allen and nUwin, the second set of the minitreehouse figures, the next large vinyl toy for the ScaryG irl series and a large canvas digital print for a gallery based in

goes by, ScaryG irl wonders about her parents until Bunniguru, a travelling sage, explains he has had visions as to what she should do to unravel her past. The quest begins... CA: You’ve recently produced ScaryG irl toys via Hong oKng-based toy manufacturer Flying Cat. How did you communicate your original D 2 ideas in order to create D 3 toys? NJ: About two years ago, Flying Cat asked if I wanted to design toys with them. Since then, we’ve created six large vinyl figures (with one in the works), 13minitreehouse toys packaged in sealed boxes (series two is currently at design stage), and have just

“Left on the edge of a peninsula, ScaryGirl is discovered by Blister, an enormous superintelligent octopus, who raises her as his own” Florida. Andrew, my imaginary friend, has been helping me organise my life, although currently he’s holidaying in Croatia with twin circus performers he met last year. CA: Who is ScaryG irl? NJ: ScaryG irl is an unusual looking girl who’s mysteriously left late at night on the edge of a peninsula. She’s discovered by Blister, an enormous super-intelligent octopus, who raises her as his own. As time 16

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released another 12mini fi gures based on ScaryG irl’s world. These can be found in the comics section of www.scarygirl.com. Alan Chow of Flying Cat and I have a very close working relationship. He tends to treat me like a partner. Designs are worked up as finished artwork and emailed to Flying Cat and then we discuss the best approach to making it. A sculptor then creates an initial D 3 model, photographs it, then sends it to me for comment or adjustment in Photoshop.

CA: You recently worked on an ident for MTV Asia, how did that come about? What was it like working for the Asian market? NJ: MTV Asia had seen my work and asked if I’d like to do an ident for them. After some basic negotiations, to get a slightly bigger budget and longer time frame (though both remained extremely tight), I created a concept story and then teamed up with producer Sophie Byrne of Passion Pictures to create a one-minute ident. Sophie arranged for Sydney-based Halo Pictures to do the animation and Chris Hauge was the animation director. I’ve worked with Flying Cat (based in Hong oKng) for over two years now, so I’m fairly used to dealing with the Asian market. The culture works at a very different pace to most Western countries and it suits me. They always seem to be awake, like me! CA: Any plans to produce more animation? A ScaryG irl movie, perhaps? NJ: We are currently in the pre-production stage of a feature length ScaryG irl animation with Passion Pictures (Sophie Byrne is the producer on this). I’m also in discussions with a Canadian company to take the minitreehouse characters to TV. INFO Email Nathan at [email protected] or visit www.scarygirl.com. Alternatively, visit http://forum.computerarts.co.uk for your chance to win a set of ScaryGirl figures.

© PAUL NELSON

OPINION

Dig out your Crayolas You’ve spent the last few years pushing new technology to its limits, but could ditching your computer allow your creative juices to flow more freely? You’re up against final deadline and the pressure is on. So what should you do? Perhaps you could fire up your copy of Adobe InDesign or break the habit, turn your computer off, suck the end of a pencil and start sketching? Nine times out of ten you rattle off designs using the software you know and trust, trying to use your font collection in new and unexpected ways. But before Apple brought desktop design to the masses, and even before photosetting, designers got by using nothing more than pencils, pens and paper. It sounds so antiquated, so last century. Hell, even the century before that. But admit it, you’re getting tired of those geometric fonts with their digital angles. Your head still loves them, but your heart’s yearning for something that’s softer, more organic. Early font creation applications tickled the creativity of type pioneers such as Zuzana Licko, who founded Emigre Fonts with husband Rudy VanderLans. Her early designs, such as Emporer, were for dot matrix printers, so she developed a family of bitmap fonts using pixels as building blocks. The coarse resolution of these type designs found favour once again in later years mostly thanks to the internet and the vogue for pixel fonts, but in 1984 the modern internet was still a twinkle in the eye of World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee. 18

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EXPLOITING TECHNOLOGY Technology moved on with the introduction of Postscript from Adobe, which allowed scaleable fonts to be used on early laser printers and in imagesetting. The creatives kept pace, including Neville Brody, designer of seminal eighties magazines The Face and Arena. His typefaces Arcadia, Industria and

“Take away the computer and all you are left with is a good idea, and the ability to realise it” Insignia are clearly the work of someone using the inherent geometric nature of vector applications, such as Illustrator (then in its infancy), to produce alphabet letters. In both of these examples, the designers were exploiting the available technology, pushing it to its limits. But after Postscript, minor lurches forward in type technology, such as TrueType and OpenType, have yet to produce the same seismic effect. Designers can now easily access a potential library of tens of thousands of typefaces – surely enough for every conceivable design conundrum. But some designers are concerned that the ease of

FORUMS Do you agree, or disagree? Tell us what you think. Post your

access to virtually every font known to man is, in its own way, stifling design. In some quarters there’s a renaissance in progress. Designers are rejecting their computers and digging out the Crayolas. The pioneer, creative genius Stefan Sagmeister, was not averse to scratching his message on his own skin or scribbling across a photograph of Lou Reed. Ditching computers makes a statement about embracing idiosyncrasy and imperfection while saying no to the bland sameness that using the same font, computer and software as the guy on the other side of the world can induce. Creating a design by hand is unique and injects a sense of craft back into the world of design. Perhaps this is the most important aspect of the current vogue for scratchy illustration, such as the work of Jon Burgerman and Sune Ehlers (see “Books”, page 87.) Design work using a Mac or PC has become too easy. It feels like anyone can be a designer these days. But take away the computer and all you are left with is a good idea, and the ability to realise it. Perhaps it’s too late for me. At art school I was very good at drawing, but after nearly two decades of using a Mac, my right hand has almost forgotten what a pencil feels like. These days, writing more than a sentence or two makes my hand cramp up. The computer is just a tool, a great tool. But it’s worth remembering that there are others out there, too.

views at http://forum. computerarts.co.uk.

Jason Arber is a designer and co-founder of www.pixelsurgeon.com.

Sony claims camcorder first

HARDWARE GRAPHICS CARD

PIXEL MAKES PERFECT

HARDWARE Sony announces breakthrough high-definition video camcorder Sony says it has taken a quantum leap forward with what it claims is the world’s first HDV 1080i camcorder. The Sony HDR-FX1 Handycam records and plays back highdefinition video with 1080 interlaced lines of resolution –

the highest resolution of any consumer camcorder available. The device also sports Sony’s new threechip, one-megapixel Super HAD CCDs fully capable of shooting filmic 16:9 aspect ratio video. “With sales of HDTV sets exploding, along with the

availability of HD programming, the expectation of having personal content in HD is growing rapidly,” said Linda Vuolo, Sony Electronics’ director for camcorder products. The HDR-FX1 will hit shelves in November, and cost $3,700. INFO www.sony.com

Aardman unveils nude character

ANIMATION Australian naturalist exposed by UK animation house

Imagine Graphics has updated its graphics card line with the Pixel Perfect PC card, which comes with hardware screen rotation facilities specifically developed for digital signage and public information display applications. The new card features the DeltaChrome S8 graphics processor from S3 Graphics, 256MB of DDR memory, hardwareassisted DirectX9, OpenGL, full-scene anti-aliasing and MPEG-2 decoding. It costs a reasonable £294. URL www. imaginegraphics.co.uk SCANNER

ALMOST PERFECT

Aardman Animations has – quite literally – taken the wraps off a new character called Big Jeff, a larger-than-life Antipodean with a strong interest in naturism. Created using Flash by former Aardman receptionist and runner Tom Parkinson, Big Jeff currently has his own website and a couple of his short films already feature on AtomFilms (www.atomfilms. com). Mother Hendrix, Ken the guru and toothy Llyn are just some of his quirky animated pals. Aardman says it’s waiting to see how the cult of Big Jeff grows before deciding where to take the big fella next. INFO www.bigjeff.tv

Epson is targeting the amateur photography market with its sturdy Perfection 4180 – a compact scanner with 4800x9600dpi optical resolution that enables you to make enlargements from both photos and film. The device’s film-scanning capabilities can accommodate up to 12 35mm frames, four 35mm mounted slides or a single 12cm 120/220 medium format film in one pass. It’s available now for £199. URL www.epson.com MOUSE

LASER SPEED Logitech claims its MX 100 laser cordless mouse is the first in the world to use laser illumination and tracking technology. Developed in conjunction with Agilent Technologies, the laser light of the new mouse is nearly invisible to the human eye – but very safe. It’s available now and costs £79.99. URL www.logitech.co.uk PROCESSOR

WHAT’S THE CODENAME?

MACROMEDIA SETTLES JPEG CASE LEGAL OUT-OF-COURT AGREEMENT FOR AGGRIEVED JPEG PATENT HOLDER Macromedia has become the latest company to arrive at an out-ofcourt settlement agreement with USbased developer Forgent Networks over the compression, storage, manipulation and transmission of digital stills in JPEG files. The Flash giant fell foul of a patent Forgent filed 17 years ago over an

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algorithm used in JPEG compression and its settlement mirrors one made by Adobe back in July. Forgent still has its eyes peeled for other transgressors and has hired US law firm Baler and Botts to search for other potential infringements before the patent expires in October 2006. To date,

the legal action has netted Forgent a not inconsiderable $100 million… “The patent continues to have value,” said Forgent CEO Jay Peterson, “and we will continue to… litigate against those who we believe are infringing but have not yet agreed to a licence.” INFO www.forgent.com

Intel has released details of its nextgeneration Pentium M processor, which is based on 65-nanometer process technology. Although the company is still developing the Napa platform, it has revealed that the impending technology will incorporate a new dual-core mobile processor (code-named “Yonah”), a new integrated graphics chipset (codenamed “Calistoga”) and a new wireless solution (codenamed “Golan”). URL www.intel.com

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ILLUSTRATION: twelve:ten

NEWS ANALYSIS

Please tick all boxes

Option 1

Option 2

Brand Loyalty

Option 3 Average

Average

Average

Affordability

Low

Low

High

Training Required High

Average

High

Follow On Services

Average

Workflow Innovation

Average

High

Average

Low

Average

High

Low

Productivity

High

New Markets

High

Average

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Low

IN DEPTH

Ushering in a new era of 3-Democracy Softimage thinks it’s time to welcome more users into the world of 3D software – and it’s taken a hatchet to its prices to encourage them. But will that be enough? WORDS BY DOM HALL Amid the mass of product demonstrations and networking at the 3D industry’s recent annual Siggraph bash in LA, exhibitors had clearly found a new buzzphrase to add to their lexicon, a phrase they insisted on dropping into conversations and presentations at every opportunity – the “democratisation of 3D”. At the vanguard of this new perestroika was Avid’s subsidiary Softimage – one of the “big three” 3D-content providers, alongside Discreet and Alias – which had slashed

$1,500 off the price of entry-level versions of its XSI 4.0 Foundation software. Softimage’s move had an immediate effect, shifting a serious amount of units to Siggraph punters and raising the hackles of those working tirelessly on the stands of rival companies. “They may call this 3-Democracy, but I think it’s 3-Desperation,” was one company’s somewhat negative take on the move. But Maurice Patel, Discreet’s head of product marketing, says he sees no threat in Softimage’s strategy, claiming that similar moves made by Alias (which significantly reduced the price of its flagship Maya package two years ago) had no impact on the market as a whole. “Looking at examples of other low-cost 3D applications such as Strata 3D, Ray Dream Studio and Infini-D, we see little evidence that a strategy based simply on lowering prices, such as the one being adopted by Softimage, is ever likely to be successful in the long run. It may even limit their ability to deliver innovation,” he says.

Similarly, Alias boss Doug Walker believes his company has been at the forefront of a move to open up 3D software to a wider market, and that it takes more than lower prices to encourage people to use a particular software package. “If the issue here is whether or not 3D software could be easier to use, then our answer is yes, and we are working every day to make it so.” He continues: “We feel the fundamental challenge of learning and productively using 3D software is about way more than a software or even a price point issue.”

FORUMS Visit http://forum. computerarts.co.uk to share your views on this topic and more with other readers.

PIONEER SPIRIT For Softimage, though, the price-cut is anything but desperate; it’s a bold attempt to attract new users and fundamentally move the market for 3D software forwards. Patrick Greene, European business manager at Softimage, says the cuts were originally instigated not only to “grow the XSI user-base”, but to signal a fundamental shift in the way the company does business.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Smaller Alternatives Average

For the Masses

High

High

Low

Low

Low

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Low

“Facilities are looking for greater integration between their 2D and 3D pipelines and want a robust production management system such as Alienbrain software to track and protect their work,” he says. “Price shouldn’t be a barrier for using 3D software. These price-cuts will be useful for freelance animators who may be used to other 3D tools such as Maya and 3ds max. This is no longer about facilities having to buy software for animators. Now, if an animator wants to look at XSI, they can buy it for themselves.”

“Those vendors who can’t give their customers something completely new that is of real benefit will struggle” Early indications from Greene and Richard McGuinness, a product specialist at UKbased Softimage sales partner ERA, are that the price-cuts have had the desired effect, and drawn new blood into the XSI camp. “XSI sold a couple of hundred copies a day at Siggraph, and we’re getting five or six enquiries a day from architects and other people interested in what the software is capable of. The technology is proven, and now the price is lower the phones are ringing again,” says Greene. “Ten years ago, the

combined cost of the hardware and software for XSI was around £50,000 per seat – now it’s next to nothing, and that has to be important.” This may suggest a genuine demand for an opening up of the 3D space, but are users simply interested in price, or could addressing other factors, such as usability or training, prompt similar results? Torsten Reil, CEO of UK-based 3D character animation software group Natural Motion, believes that above all, 3D software must be simpler and faster to use .” “Artists are spending a lot of time learning the huge number of features of traditional 3D packages, which stifles their creativity,” Reil explains. “After all, they’re artists, not IT professionals. At the same time, the process of animation is still laborious and slow, which will lead to exploding costs for next-generation console games. Low software prices don’t change that – but innovative products do.” Reil also believes the companies that haven’t dropped their prices are “bound to soon” and warns: “If you can’t compete on features, you’ll have to compete on price.” 3D REVOLUTION The price-cuts have come at an interesting time for the industry, which sees the big three maintaining dominance, while new players, among them the likes of Natural Motion and Luxology, attempt to carve a niche based on technology, price and performance.

The arena is also shrinking; Alias has already extended its reach by acquiring Kaydara and its Motionbuilder technology. Could this consolidation, on top of the current price-cuts, mean it really is time for the industry to move on? “The market is saturated; every studio now has the traditional 3D-animation seats it needs. This means that there isn’t much money to be made with conventional 3D products in the future,” says Natural Motion’s Reil. “Those vendors who can’t give their customers something completely new that is of real benefit to them will struggle,” he says. This may be the case, but the 3D market heading towards the end of 2004 is clearly a different proposition from that of even two or three years ago. The likes of Discreet, Alias and Softimage will undoubtedly hold on to their leading positions and smaller players may succeed as long as they corner a welldefined niche and receive solid backing. Whether or not moves such as Softimage’s price reductions will do much to democratise the use of 3D technology remains to be seen, but it has to be welcomed as a step in the right direction. INFO www.softimage.com www.discreet.com www.alias.com www.naturalmotion.com November 2004

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FONT SHOWCASE

INFO Web: The Neutraliser font family is available exclusively at www. identikalshop.com. Price: £99 You can buy individual families for £99 (including six fonts), or the entire collection of four families for £249 (24 fonts in all).

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THE IDENTIKAL FOUNDRY

Neutraliser Identikal launches yet another modern classic, suitable for both text and display work Neutraliser, designed by Stuart Brown of the Identikal Foundry, is an ultra-modern four-family font (Serif, Sans, Caps and Alternate) that covers an impressive 24 styles. Neutraliser somehow manages to combine a slightly retro feel with a modern

Ë

space-age sensibility. Unusually, Neutraliser Serif and Neutraliser Sans are suitable for both text and display work. The fonts took around 12 months to design and produce. Identikal fashioned the original templates in Illustrator, before tweaking the results in Fontographer.

All weight variants were hand drawn. The construction of the font’s letterforms reflect its designer’s desire to rationalise the alphabet according to a grid-based framework that’s sympathetic to the calligraphic rhythms of more traditional typography.

TUTORIAL

MIX DESIGN ELEMENTS

Scott Hansen, Computer Arts regular and the brains behind design studio ISO50, reveals how to seamlessly integrate pixel and vector elements using Photoshop and a scanner to recreate his instantly-recognisable style

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฀

With฀current฀versions฀of฀Photoshop฀ (version฀6฀and฀higher)฀it’s฀easier฀than฀ ever฀to฀create฀and฀manipulate฀vector฀ shapes฀without฀the฀use฀of฀a฀dedicated฀ vector฀application฀such฀as฀Illustrator฀or฀ Freehand.฀Instead,฀by฀using฀Photoshop฀ from฀start฀to฀finish,฀it฀is฀possible฀to฀employ฀ the฀program’s฀vector฀shape฀layer฀features฀ and฀harness฀the฀powerful฀pixel฀ manipulation฀capabilities฀to฀seamlessly฀ integrate฀design฀elements. ฀Given฀the฀unique฀nature฀of฀both,฀it฀is฀ helpful฀to฀find฀a฀common฀ground฀when฀ combining฀photographic฀and฀vector฀ elements.฀But฀to฀achieve฀this,฀you’ll฀need฀ to฀make฀your฀photographic฀elements฀ appear฀as฀vector฀as฀possible,฀and฀vice฀versa฀ for฀vector฀(shape)฀elements.฀ This฀tutorial฀will฀show฀you฀how฀take฀a฀ photograph฀and฀extract฀its฀key฀elements,฀ filling฀it฀with฀a฀solid฀colour฀so฀that฀it฀ closely฀resembles฀a฀vector฀layer.฀We’ll฀then฀

show฀you฀how฀best฀to฀use฀real-world฀ textures฀and฀photographic฀elements฀to฀give฀ vector฀shapes฀a฀realistic,฀distressed฀look.฀ Throughout฀this฀step-by-step฀guide,฀ you’ll฀learn฀how฀to฀choose฀and฀blend฀ colours฀to฀give฀life฀to฀your฀vector฀shapes฀ while฀using฀Photoshop’s฀Blend฀modes฀and฀ Gradient฀Masking฀to฀smoothly฀combine฀ your฀vector฀and฀pixel฀elements.฀By฀using฀ all฀of฀these฀techniques฀you’ll฀be฀able฀to฀ blend฀in฀and฀out฀of฀vector฀and฀pixel฀layers฀ without฀any฀stark฀contrasts,฀resulting฀in฀a฀ more฀detailed฀final฀illustration฀that฀lies฀ somewhere฀between฀the฀world฀of฀vector฀ and฀pixel.฀Use฀this฀“best฀of฀both฀worlds”฀ approach,฀and฀you’ll฀soon฀achieve฀a฀higher฀ level฀of฀creativity฀and฀control฀over฀your฀ illustration,฀lending฀it฀a฀more฀intricate฀and฀ engaging฀quality. Illustration and tutorial by Scott Hansen www.iso50.com

TUTORIAL

PHOTOSHOP CS

DOWNLOAD

1

First sketch out some illustration ideas by hand. This will help with basic brainstorming and result in a well-formed concept. Once you’ve decided on a solid concept, it’s best to start the main element in Photoshop. In this case, I chose a stock photograph of a stag for the centre piece.

4

Use Select>ColorRange and sample the black with the Eyedropper tool. Setting the Fuzziness to 200 will help to keep your edges smooth. Once the black is selected, create a new layer and fill it with a dark colour.

5

Now that you’ve isolated the stag image, create a shape layer to form a backdrop. This way you can lay the stag over other elements without them showing through. Use the Pen tool to trace a shape layer around the stag and fill it with a light colour.

TIME LENGTH

1.5-2 hours INFO Californiabased Scott Hansen has been working in digital illustration and design for over six years under the name ISO50. Take a look at his design and photography portfolio at www.iso50.com or email him at [email protected].

2

It’s best to extract only the basic image of the stag, so select just the darkest areas of the figure and convert them to a layer with transparent whites. Start by choosing Image>Adjustments>Desaturate to remove all of the colour from the photograph.

6

Using the same process, choose a background. I used a photo of a mountain range for the cover image and pulled out the dark areas to use as the backdrop. I then added a stroke to the shape layer behind the stag, so that it stood out against the mountains.

3

Next, use Image>Adjustments>Levels to boost the contrast. Drag the dark arrow and the clear arrow towards the centre until most of the photo’s grey shades are gone. This should leave an image that is mostly black and white.

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TUTORIAL

PHOTOSHOP CS

7

Now add some texture to the background. A good way to add organic texture is to scan in some paper. Try using old paper samples (one sample has been included in the download) or heavily textured watercolour paper. But whatever you use, ensure that it has a good, rough texture.

10

For the sky, create a few shape layers using different colour fills. Add Layer Masks and use the Gradient tool to fade the shapes together. Try experimenting with different Opacity settings and Blending modes until you achieve the desired effect.

8

Lay your paper texture behind the mountains and set its Blending Mode to Multiply. Then use Image>Adjust> ColorBalance to adjust the colour of the paper until it becomes more vibrant.

COLOUR VARIATION There are no solid colours in the real world. The sky is not just blue; it’s a complex gradient of many shades. Try using Gradients and Blending Modes when applying colour to your layers. By fading those colours in and out, and darkening or lightening different parts of an element, you can achieve a more realistic, varied appearance.

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11

Repeating patterns are a good way to give open spaces a more complex feel. For the sky, create a pattern of concentric circles using the Elipse shape tool and then set the Layer Blending mode to Colour Burn so that the textures behind it show through.

9

You can now start to add some vector elements. For this image, I started out by placing a sun behind the mountains using the Elipse shape tool. Rays were then added using the Pen tool. It’s important to adjust the Opacity of the shape layer to make sure that it blends with the background.

12

Now you can start to add some closer detail to your layout. Try creating different geometric shapes and designs. By varying the Blending Modes and Opacity of the various shapes, the composition will take on a very detailed appearance.

MIND YOUR PICTURES

13

Use the Pen tool again to create the large arc shapes that sweep from left to right. By clicking and dragging, you can easily create curved lines. To adjust the curves, use the Direct Selection tool and drag the path handles in the desired direction.

16

Using the process you used for the stag, extract the black colour from the ink scan. Now you can fill the layer colour with the same colour as the stag outline. Try cutting out pieces of the ink splatter and arranging them around the stag’s outline.

When taking pictures for use in an illustration like this, carefully select the angle you take your picture from. Try to get a high-contrast shot where your subject stands out on a simple background. If you are capturing a tree, for instance, try to shoot it so that only the sky is seen behind it. This will make the image much easier to extract in Photoshop.

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Now that all of the main artwork is in place, take a step back and make some decisions about the colours you’ve used. Try making a shape layer and setting its blending mode to Saturation. Send it to the front and play around with the colour fill so that you brighten things up and introduce some more vibrant hues.

SWEAT THE DETAILS

14

You can now duplicate your shape and use Transform to arrange the copies in different ways while varying the Opacity values of each. Since the original fill colour was a dark brown, use the Screen Blending mode to lighten the colour and bring the elements behind the shape through.

15

At this point you’ll need to start going back and detailing the edges of the vector shapes so that they don’t look quite so plain. A good way to achieve an organic feel is to use paint. I splattered India ink and scanned it in. This has been included in the download.

17

If you’re looking to create a more complex appearance, try re-using some of the shapes you have already created. Take the shapes you used for the sky background and place them over solid colour areas. By using different Blending Modes for each, you can create complex colour interactions between the elements.

Build in as many details as your patience will allow, as complexity will add depth to your image. Small details here and there might not stand out on their own, but overall they will engage the viewer. But don’t overdo it; be careful to decide when enough is enough. Juxtaposing minimal and complex spaces in your design is often very effective.

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Now is a good time to zoom in and give your image a final once over. Make sure everything blends together correctly and that all of the elements are well placed. This is your chance to add any last-minute detailing or distressing to your image.

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You should now have a detailed and striking image that defies easy categorization. By blending the unique properties of both vector and pixel graphics you have created a hybrid image that lies somewhere between both.

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Enjoying the hands-on approach: Bloc Media’s co-founder Rick Palmer (left) and creative director John Denton, with hand puppets Babs and Boyd.

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CA INTERVIEW

Bloc Media is doing something right. Having missed the dot.com bust up, the tiny company has gone from strength to strength, attracting business from a host of big-name clients. But can a company whose goal is to “have fun” really go the distance? Probably. WORDS BY ED RICKETTS PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHARINE LANE-SIMS

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CA INTERVIEW

Bloc Media created this shopping bag design, which was printed onto foil bags, for the Diesel Kids Baby Collection.

ABOVE: Print designs from the last Diesel Kids Baby Collection illustrate characters from the highly-successful Protokid website.

COMPANY INFO Check out one of the Bloc Media websites: www.blocmedia.com www.blocgames.com www.thegameslist.com Alternatively, contact them by calling 020 7739 1718 or sending an email to [email protected].

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It’s Friday afternoon and things are Ë pretty laid back at Bloc Media. This is surprising since, by rights, this thriving new media company should be a fevered hothouse of barely-concealed stress, given the amount of work it manages to produce. Rick Palmer, one of the company’s cofounders, is attempting to make a handpuppet look less threatening, having assured our photographer that he is in fact a goodie rather than a baddie. In the background, his partner and co-founder Liz Vaughan hopes their baby won’t be sick on her before the shoot, while creative director John Denton is busy making another puppet gurn remorselessly. Right now, Bloc is working on the Fun, Anyone? campaign for Sony PlayStation. “They needed stuff that was purely about that, not just fun with this game or that console or whatever,” says Palmer. “It’s a broad demographic, not necessarily hardcore gamers – stuff you could send round to your friends.” Bloc has implemented many small web games for the campaign, as well as an ongoing mini-series of live-action “webisodes”, featuring the puppets Babs and Boyd. From the way Palmer and Denton handle the puppets with unabashed glee, it’s clear they enjoy the hands-on approach.

The Diesel Kids gaming website has won numerous international awards, been featured in many design books, magazines and websites and continues to attract ten’s of thousands of visitors every day.

Club 404, a live-action puppet show aired on the web, was developed for PlayStation to support the Fun, Anyone? campaign.

Another large, ongoing campaign is Diesel Kids, the clothing range for small folk. As well as doing digital branding and online marketing, Bloc has created Protokid, which has turned out to be one of the most time-consuming portions of their considerable workload. “It’s essentially a site to talk directly to the wearers of these kids’ clothes rather than the purchasers,” says Palmer. “They can enjoy the brand of the clothes without the hard sell. It’s quite big in Japan. We do merchandising and bags and crazy-looking stuff, and we’re starting to develop toys such as the 12-inch vinyls for each season. Diesel is a great client for us because it’s not about the hard sell, we get to do loads of fun things with a really open remit.” Just in case the team find themselves at a loose end, they’re also handling digital marketing for computer game publisher, Electronic Arts (EA) – emails, virals, minigames, websites, you name it. Riding the storm It’s a far cry from the early days. “We’ve evolved over the past four years from being a really small company to where we are now,” says Denton. “But it was always about things we wanted to get involved with. That’s continued to this day, which is why if you look at our portfolio, it’s all music clients and games and fashions, stuff we’re really into.” We mention the dot.com bust. “Oh, don’t talk about that,” says Vaughan, laughing. Fortunately, Bloc was founded immediately after the industry shake-up,

CA INTERVIEW

BLOC MEDIA

These web-based interactive images were developed for PlayStation to support the launch of Central Station, PlayStation’s network gaming service.

and, being such a small company at the time, were entirely unaffected by the fallout. “We found it quite advantageous that there had been this... rationalisation of the industry, because smaller companies were getting an in,” says Vaughan. “Before, clients would only deal with huge agencies, and suddenly they were looking for smaller outfits.” “It did get a bit silly in the new media industry in 2001/2002,” agrees Palmer. “There were thousands of little one-man shops, and the clients were just fishing around to see who would do stuff for nothing. We always refused to work for free or little money, and when we did encounter that with clients, we just stopped talking to them. “Nowadays the industry has totally turned around again. Budgets are

increasing year on year and big, serious clients don’t want to talk to one-manbands. The marketplace is maturing. Clients seem to have a better knowledge of the digital process – demographics, branding and all that.”

SkiveSuite 2004 – a pan-European viral site for PlayStation, is billed as an “Anti-productivity solution for serious slackers!” and includes spoof software Desktop Games, SickNote Pro and System Skive.

“We get away with ideas because they’re grounded in years of solid work that people can assess” A PASSION FOR GAMING ONE OF BLOC MEDIA’S MAXIMS IS TO TAKE ON PROJECTS IN WHICH THEY ARE PERSONALLY INTERESTED. SO UNSURPRISINGLY FOR A COMPANY THAT HANDLES MUCH OF EA’S DIGITAL WORK, GAMING IS A PASSION.

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Crazy good ideas Bloc, of course, has matured too, and although the company remains small (it has around ten employees), it prides itself on the quality of its portfolio. “That’s how we get away with ideas like the puppet show, because it’s grounded in a good few years of solid work that people can assess,” says Denton. “They can see we don’t just pitch proposals on a whim, it is based on thinking about what would work. It’s not just a crazy idea, it’s a crazy good idea.” Professionalism is the key, but the laidback atmosphere of the office belies this. Everyone in the business has equal say on creative input, and clients have access to them all. “We don’t subscribe to the ‘you’re an account handler, you’re a creative’ philosophy,” Palmer admits. But major corporate clients such as EA have their own ideas about how to promote a brand, and with the addition of third parties, Bloc is sometimes limited in its

One offshoot, Bloc Games, creates and promotes interactive web games although, as with everything else Bloc, it’s run entirely within the team. “The main point was to have a voice to talk to clients who are interested in the games side of things,” says Denton. “Bloc Games is all about pure fun, and we use a different tone of voice than we do for Bloc.” Indeed, the company’s enthusiasm for these just-one-more-go diversions

creative approach. “You take whatever you can and think, well, how creative can you be with this,” Denton explains. “In a way, to have a load of restrictions forces greater creativity, because you’re limited by the things you can do, but you still give as much effort to make it as creative as possible. It’s just a different boundary. “The PlayStation stuff was a very open brief, but we wanted it to have a point and a focus, rather than just something wild that people would think ‘What the hell was that?’ So we imposed our own structure and restrictions.” Although much of Bloc’s work focuses on games and entertainment, a browse through its portfolio uncovers more experimental projects. One such project is Silent Light, created for the V&A gallery and based on a piece by Alexander McQueen and Tord Boontje. The idea is to create a Christmas tree shape by speaking into a microphone. The resultant sound waves are plotted and

also led them to set up The Games List, which acts as a useful form of market research. “We’ve got hundreds of games we like and have collected in our research,” Palmer explains, “so we created this site where you can access them all and read our opinions on them. It gives us a real benefit, because we get to see what kind of games consumers are into.” The results are surprising. The most popular game by far is Daily Catch,

created to promote a one-off design for Diesel Kids. “It’s had 5.7 million plays up to now,” Palmer smiles. “We thought it would be a cool way to promote this piece but never expected it to be as successful as it still is. It’s not promoted anywhere, apart from our website, either.” Perhaps William Goldman’s famous dictum that in Hollywood “Nobody knows anything” could be applied to the web, too...

CA INTERVIEW

Web Interactive was developed for the Victoria & Albert museum to support the Christmas 2003 events and the McQueen Bontje piece “Silent Light”. Users could create a three-dimensional Christmas tree using their voice and/or mouse controls.

rendered into a unique 3D version. “It ends up being silent, but you use sound waves to make it. We wanted a community feel, too, so there’s a gallery where you can display your creation.” “The goal is to have fun” You may see more of this kind of work from Bloc: an R&D “division” is in the works. “For instance, we’ve just got in this piece of hardware which is kind of like the EyeToy, but for the PC,” says Palmer. “It was created for handicapped people who can’t use a mouse, so it tracks your eye and head movement and you move the cursor like that. I don’t really know what we’re going to do with it yet.” But Palmer still feels it’s important to experiment with new technologies: “It helps you to look at computers differently. Because we work so much with them, it’s second nature to us now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t better ways to do it.” If Bloc Laboratories does come to fruition, it will be separated from the team’s day-to-day workload, so they won’t have to worry about the

financial viability of their projects. The company has no illusions about wild and wacky ideas. Bloc uses a melange of hardware and software for its wide range of projects – PCs, Macs, Linux boxes, “literally everything” as Denton says, along with video-editing kit and even 3ds max, for

“You don’t want to do a crappy game. They’ve all got to be cool” modelling the clothes used in the 3D games on the Protokid website. Protokid has turned out to be the toughest ongoing challenge, simply in terms of workload. The team set out to produce a game a month – “You don’t want to do a crappy game. They’ve all got

This image was taken from an interactive feature created by Bloc Media to launch the EA Games title 007 Everything or Nothing.

Gone Fishing, the web game and microsite developed for international clothing brand Diesel, has been played six million times.

Developed as part of SkiveSuite 2004, this game seemingly converts to a desktop, but actually allows you to play games at work – and you’re 99 per cent less likely to get caught.

CA INTERVIEW

BLOC MEDIA

BLOC MEDIA Q&A The Bloc Games website is all about fun, but also serves as a “voice to talk to clients who are interested in the games side of things”.

to be cool” – along with the site’s other commitments. And so far, they’re managing to cope. “The output’s pretty high,” says Palmer. “There’s a game a month, the Japanese site as well, then the offline stuff, any merchandising, PR, presentations and so on. So at any point we might be thinking about developing toys, doing in-store promotion, making bags, designing clothes, building a game and translating it into Japanese. But then we do get to fly to Venice every few weeks and have a few beers, so it’s not all work.” With all this, and the other ongoing projects, Bloc has recently made a conscious effort to halt the development of new business. “We’ve got some great clients and we want to make sure we can service them properly,” says Palmer. “Until we grow in numbers, we don’t want the quality of our work to suffer. It doesn’t

Bloc Media created this drawing application to support the release of Swedish band The Concretes’ first album.

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mean that if people phone up we’re not interested in speaking to them, of course. That’s how we work with EMI, it’s very much on an ad hoc basis.” A move across the road to larger premises is imminent and the team is growing, deliberately slowly. “We’ve added a couple of people in the last few months. We don’t want to get to the point where we’re so huge that there has to be new levels of middle management and so on. So there’ll be a point where we stop.” Eventually, if growth continues, there’s a possibility of collaboration with other specialists – Palmer sites motion graphics as their next possible target. But for now at least, Bloc is one big happy, busy family, complete with toys and even a baby. “We’ve set this business up to do stuff we enjoy working on,” he adds. “I don’t want to create a monster, a rod for my own back, so the goal is to have fun.”

Candy Man, one of the frustratingly addictive games developed by Bloc for the Diesel Kids Protokid website.

Name Rick Palmer Role Managing director From London Inspired by My daughter. Baby blue eyes, a big round face and unconditional love, what could be more inspirational? Favourite designer/illustrator Lobo (www.lobo.cx) – some of the best motion graphics work I’ve ever seen. Shynola are also worth a look (www.shynola.com). Favourite website Google. I use it on average about 50 times an hour. I have cravings, but I’m trying to cut down. Name John Denton Role Creative director From The North of England Inspired by The ingenuity of others – some people do the damndest things. Favourite designer/illustrator Jonathan Ive. The day websites work as well as the iPod, we’re all fired. Favourite website Home Star Runner (www.homestarrunner.com). It’s funny. What’s better than funny?

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FEATURE

PHOTOSHOP CS

LINEAR BLENDING

Still think linear blending is a cheesy and rather amateurish technique? Don’t you believe it… Used properly, it can help you create some highly-stylish and professional work, says McFaul

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Linear฀Blending฀has฀carried฀a฀ stigma฀for฀far฀too฀long.฀It฀is฀key฀to฀ my฀workflow,฀so฀I฀find฀myself฀a฀little฀ vexed฀at฀those฀who฀bang฀on฀about฀it฀ being฀a฀less฀than฀professional฀way฀to฀ work.฀As฀a฀screen-printing฀graduate,฀I’ve฀ used฀linear฀blending฀to฀great฀effect฀–฀and฀ there฀are฀always฀interesting฀lessons฀to฀ learn,฀even฀if฀things฀go฀“wrong”.฀ In฀fact,฀much฀of฀what฀I฀do฀now,฀ten฀ years฀down฀the฀line,฀relies฀on฀the฀screenprinting฀process.฀Its฀cut-out฀templates,฀ blends,฀silhouettes฀and฀the฀textures฀ gained฀from฀various฀flotsam฀and฀jetsam฀ are฀all฀just฀as฀important฀to฀me฀today฀in฀ Photoshop฀and฀Illustrator฀as฀they฀were฀ back฀then฀when฀covered฀in฀oil-based฀ink.฀ This฀tutorial฀will฀show฀you฀how฀to฀ create฀a฀vibrant฀and฀dynamic฀image฀ using฀linear฀blends,฀flat฀cut-out฀shapes฀ and฀a฀strong฀use฀of฀perspective฀in฀ Photoshop฀CS.฀It฀will฀touch฀on฀the฀ subtlety฀of฀working฀in฀layers,฀their฀

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careful฀stacking฀and฀blending,฀and฀the฀ importance฀of฀low-pressure฀settings฀ throughout.฀I฀shall฀also฀show฀how฀ interesting฀brush฀shapes฀and฀other฀ imagery฀can฀add฀to฀the฀mix฀when฀ creating฀spontaneous฀and฀interesting฀ graphic฀imagery. Try฀to฀put฀your฀preconceptions฀to฀one฀ side฀and฀spend฀some฀time฀among฀the฀ Eraser฀and฀Brush฀tools,฀moving฀back฀and฀ forth฀from฀layer฀to฀layer,฀making฀subtle฀ blending฀changes฀to฀enhance฀lighting฀and฀ shape.฀Treat฀the฀tools฀with฀respect฀and฀ you’ll฀reap฀the฀rewards฀tenfold.฀ So฀if฀you฀can’t฀see฀the฀magic฀a฀little฀ linear฀blend฀can฀breathe฀into฀an฀ otherwise฀lacklustre฀image,฀or฀you฀want฀ to฀find฀out฀how฀to฀add฀that฀blending฀X฀ factor฀in฀a฀sensitive฀and฀controlled฀ manner,฀read฀on. Illustration and tutorial by McFaul www.mcfaul.biz

FEATURE

November 2004

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FEATURE

LINEAR BLENDING

1

Create a new document (480mm by 260mm, 300dpi, CMYK). Open the file Lady.jpg from the download and then, using the Move tool, drag it to the new document. With the Polygonal Lasso tool, make a selection by carefully drawing around her.

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Using some messy brushes (see “Get Messy with Print Effects”, issue 98), select the Eraser tool in Brush mode. You can now start to play around with the opacity and flow to create some marks on the Swirly layer. This will distress it a little, as shown.

DOWNLOAD

5

Change the colour of the Swirly layer to red (zero per cent black in the black output channel; 100 per cent black in the magenta and yellow channels). Copy this layer and paste in a new layer beneath. Create a neon glow by adding a Gaussian Blur of 12 pixels, then reduce the layer’s opacity to 60 per cent. Use the Eraser (large brush, 35 opacity and flow) to remove some of the blurred layer from right to left.

TIME LENGTH

1.5 hours INFO Illustrator, designer and academic, McFaul was born to sport facial furniture of the highest calibre. nown for his prolific output and his ability to hurdle deadlines with ease, his prestigious clients include The Times, O2, Orange, Creative Review and BT. Visit his portfolio website at www.mcfaul.bi .

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2

Set foreground to Black, background to White and, using the Gradient tool, create a linear gradient from mid-leg to head on a new layer. Name this layer “Linear Gradient Body”. Add noise to the image (Filter>Noise>AddNoise) at about five per cent to prevent banding during printing.

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Duplicate the “Linear Gradient Body” layer. In the new layer, adjust brightness and contrast to create a black shape. In Channel Mixer, reduce the Black and Cyan sliders to zero per cent. Carefully trace around the shoes using the Polygonal Lasso tool.

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Open Swirly.jpg from the download and drag it to your artwork. The imported image has a white background. You’ll need to remove this before going any further. In the layer blending modes, select Darken.

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Delete this selection from the “Linear Gradient Body” layer and copy the selection from “Linear Gradient Body 02” into a new layer. Label this layer “Shoes”.

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Add a black layer beneath all other layers before you Copy and Paste “Gradient Linear body” again. In Brightness/Contrast (Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast), move the Brightness slider up to +100.

FEATURE

LINEAR BLENDING FLOTSAM AND JETSAM As a creative, I’m constantly on the lookout for “stuff” – anything that will make my images look more interesting, materials that I can put in my box of tricks, my armoury of shapes, patterns and textures. Stuff such as the Hair document in the download which, as an .eps file, has become an important addition to my box. Remember that everything can be of use.

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To create more light on the upper torso and make the legs a little darker, select Pin Light from the blending modes. At this point, you can experiment with how these blending modes work. Handle them with care and subtlety – and don’t overdo it. Keep your pressure settings low at all times.

Use the Eraser tool and some of your brushes to create texture on the top of the thigh and down the front of the leg with subtle mouse-clicks. Change the brush type to a more traditional shape (diameter: 300; Opacity and Flow: 30). Now carefully take away the underside of the leg to create some shadow.

Select the “Linear Gradient Body” layer and draw an Elliptical Marquee over the figure’s lap. Invert this selection and apply a Feather Radius of 70 pixels (Select> Feather). Call up the Curves box again. In the Magenta channel, drag the centre of the line up to an input of 35 per cent and an output of 60 per cent. Do the same for the Yellow channel. Invert the selection once more and set the Black channel so that input is 65 per cent and output 35 per cent.

ERASE HER Creating shapes and gradients, only to partially erase them later on is an everyday activity for an imagemaker. Which is why you should always familiarise yourself with Photoshop’s powerful Eraser tool. Get to know its traditional Brushes and what they can do in all their Opacities and Flows. Then you can start thinking about creating your own. It’s simple really – more graphic armoury than you can shake a stick at. As with everything, though, use them subtly – unless, of course, the image requires something a little brash.

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Trace around the clothing in the original “Lady” image and delete the selection from “Linear Gradient Body 02” to reveal the layers below.

On the same layer, with the original “Lady” layer image as a template, use the Polygonal Lasso tool to draw around the stocking of her left leg. Pay close attention to where the left leg hits the right leg, because you’ll need to create some definition here.

To add hair to our lady, open the file Hair.psd and drag it across. Place it below the body layers and above the swirls.

Copy “Linear Gradient Body” into a layer beneath the others, using Brightness/Contrast to turn the shape black. Use the Channel Mixer to change the black to a red (as in step 5). Give the layer a Gaussian Blur of around 25 pixels. Assume that the red light is coming from top left, select the right-hand side of the body and delete the selection. This will leave the blur on the upper side of the limbs and torso.

With the selection still with a Feather Radius of 70, adjust the Channel Mixer. In the Cyan channel reduce Black to 0, Black to 0 in the Black channel, Yellow to +150 in the Magenta channel and Magenta to +70 in the Yellow channel. The image now offers tonal variety and perspective.

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Obviously, light creates a highlight as it hits a limb, so you’ll need to give the figure’s right hand some attention. On the “Linear Gradient Body” layer, carefully trace the hand and delete the selection revealing the layer beneath.

FEATURE

LAYER ON LAYER

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Our mysterious figure has been hovering in the air for too long now. Create a new layer above the swirls and call it “Chair”. Trace the chair from the original “Lady” image and fill the selection black.

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Now to merge all of the figure layers, but don’t panic if strange things start to happen. Copy and Paste this layer into a new document and then, using Brightness and Contrast, create a black silhouette shape.

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At this point, you’ll need to harmonise the colour and tonality of the whole image. Create another layer at the top of the layers column and call it “Red Gradient”. Using the Gradient tool set at the red of the Swirl layers and the gradient from red to transparent, click from her feet towards the upper middle of the left half of the image.

DO IT GENTLY

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Back in the artwork, delete that last “merge linked” to regain all the subtlety you’ve been working towards. Drag the silhouette from the new document onto the artwork below the figure layers. Distort the silhouette (Edit>Transform>Distort) by moving the top-middle anchor to the right.

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Obviously, you can’t leave the image looking like this, so select Soft Light in Blending Modes. This casts a gentle red glow over the entire image. Put some noise or a blur on it at this stage, because the gradient adds to the mass of existing blending layers.

Always name your layers. While this image isn’t particularly layer-intensive, some pieces see me trawling through 50-80 layers of subtle changes and blends. Many layers can add real life and vibrancy to your work, so you need to name them accordingly. The beauty of layers is that you can move them around so easily, and they can give your work a spontaneous look. Often it’s the “mistakes” and surprises that make an image, so don’t be afraid to play a little.

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Now add a subtle Motion Blur with a distance of around 70 pixels and reduce the Layer Opacity to 60 per cent.

When talking about low-pressure settings, I mean the Opacity and Flow of a Brush or Eraser and its level of noise or blur. By being a little more conservative with these elements, you can achieve stunning results over a greater number of subtle layers and blends. These layers are the key to mile-deep imagery. Gradients, textures, shapes and blends all stack up, each one having a vital relationship to the layer above and below. Of course, patience is required to apply such subtle effects well.

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Using the techniques outlined in the previous steps, you can create some very striking imagery. But here I’ve started to add other elements, such as leaves, which have been treated in the same way.

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Ever the perfectionist, I’m not happy with the torso as it stands – it needs a little more definition. With a mixture of cut-outs, gradient fills, noise, linear gradients and Gaussian Blur, I’m finally happy to call a halt to the proceedings.

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The subtlety of the layer work is key here. Careful stacking and blending using cut-outs, low pressure settings and interesting brush shapes make the result appear suitably detailed and interesting.

NEXT ISSUE IN DVD MENUS

How to create professional CD and DVD intros

November 2004

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ICON

Main image: Katsuhika Hokusai’s famous image, The Great Wave, is a towering, timeless symbol of humanity’s struggle against nature. ©KOBAL COLLECTION

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ICON

KATSUHIKA HOKUSAI

THE GREAT WAVE Hokusai’s Great Wave is a symbol of artistic perfection and humanity’s continuous struggle to conquer the elements. No wonder it has become a timeless and influential piece of work, recognised instantly by different cultures and generations around the world…

The Great Wave by Japanese artist Katsuhika Hokusai (1760-1849) has captured eyeballs and imaginations for the past 170 years. Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Vincent Van Gogh all owned copies of the work and were influenced and inspired by Hokusai’s work. Sculptors have caressed the wave into a physical space, modern painters have nurtured versions onto canvas, surfers have adopted

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old. It’s one of a series of prints entitled “36 Views of Mount Fuji”. The official title of The Great Wave is “Mount Fuji from the Offing in Kanagawa”. Another translation is “In the Hollow of a Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa”. There are numerous variations of all these titles, but to avoid confusion we won’t name them here. Like many famous works of art, The Great Wave is likely to have stolen

“It’s probably difficult to remember the first time you saw The Great Wave; somehow you’ve always known it” it for their boards, tattoo artists have etched it onto bodies and comic artists have made it their own. Take a look at page 12 of Hergé’s Tintin adventure Cigars of the Pharaoh. The last frame shows a mighty wave about to crush Tintin and his pooch Snowy as they drift helplessly on the Red Sea in an open coffin. The wave rises skywards, menacing tendrils of surf starting to curl towards its diminutive victims. The spray alone is half the size of Tintin. And is that wave in the background an allusion to Mount Fuji? The resemblance is too uncanny to be an accident, and Hergé is well known for his accurate and intimately researched landscapes. It can only be The Great Wave revisited, and just one of many homages that have been paid to Hokusai’s work throughout the decades. The power of art The Great Wave is the popular name for a woodblock print created by Hokusai in around 1827, when he was nearly 70 years

into your mind silently and effortlessly. It’s probably difficult to remember the first time you saw it; somehow you’ve always known it. People around the world buy posters and reproductions of The Great Wave every day, but its ubiquity lies in stark contrast to its modest dimensions. It sits in the Hakone Museum in Japan, a mere 15 inches long and 10 inches high (roughly the size of three by two CD covers). But its appeal to so many people demonstrates perfectly the power of art to dominate the mental space. The Great Wave connects as a powerful piece of graphic art, a striking image that can be loved just for the way it looks. “I love its strong graphic design; its stylised way of depicting water, the wonderful colours...” says artist Jon Lomberg, who has turned Hokusai’s masterpiece into a unique star and seascape of astronomical significance in one of his own paintings, Galactic Wave. Ursula Husted, another artist who recently paid homage to The Great

HOMAGE TO HOKUSAI TITLE: Uprisings ARTIST: Dan and Kozy Kitchens WEB: www.kozyndan.com FORMAT: Pencil sketch, scanned and painted in Photoshop with the Brush tool and a Wacom tablet Uprisings was an original cover piece for Giant Robot magazine. “That idea of the bunnies being the foam had been stuck in my head for a long time...” says Dan. “I was hoping to create an image that people would think was just an image of a wave at first/or from a distance, but that on closer inspection would reveal much more.”

ESSENTIAL READING Hokusai Gian Carlo Calza Phaidon Press ISBN 0-71484-457-8 $49.95 Hokusai: 100 Views Of Mount Fuji Henry D II Smith Granite Impex ISBN 9-99066-978-3 $20.95

ICON

EMAIL WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you have any design icons you’d like to appear, send your ideas to ca.mail@futurenet. co.uk, with the subject line “icon”.

Wave in a quirky, actionpacked cover for Mangaphile magazine (pictured right), explains what draws her to the image: “The repetitions of the graphic elements in the waves, Mount Fuji, and the clouds rising over the harbour.” Look at the echo of Mount Fuji in the shape of the foreground wave, the way the boats hug the curves of the swelling sea, the size of the spray compared to the boatmen’s heads. It’s graphically detailed, precise and perfect. But it’s the emotional pull of The Great Wave that has attracted fan after fan. There’s a swell of drama riding the awesome wave as it towers above Mount Fuji and dwarfs the tiny boatmen. “Hokusai has taken an every day occurrence – fishing in the deep waters of Kanagawa – and defined its components in a dramatic and elegant fashion,” says Husted. “In one frame it shows the struggle of humanity against the raging elements and the calmness of a crystallised moment in the storm.” Man versus the elements The drama stems from this adversity; the determination of mere human beings to survive the might of nature, and the unpredictability of the outcome. Can they prevail? Will the boatmen make it through the wave? “There are those little people in the boat, that seem like they are about to be crushed,” says artist Dan Kitchens, who has created his own version of The Great Wave where the spray morphs into falling rabbits. “That bit of tension, that sense of seeing the image just before something important happens, is nice. Great works of art are like that – like the Mona Lisa’s hint of a smile. There is the tension of wanting

LEARN MORE ONLINE Woodblock Printmaking www.barenforum.org

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36 Views of Mount Fuji www.flatearth.co.uk/ 36viewsofmountfuji/fujigrid.html

HOMAGE TO HOKUSAI TITLE: Galactic Wave ARTIST: Jon Lomberg WEB: www.jonlomberg.com FORMAT: Acrylic on canvas, 30” x 20” (reproductions available from website). “Our milky way galaxy is a vast swirling disk of stars, dust, and gas,” says Lomberg. “Our own solar system is a tiny part of it. The whole disk is rotating around a bright centre, packed with glowing stars. Waves of energy move through the disk, just like a wave in the ocean. These waves compress the gas to form stars. In Hokusai’s piece, Mount Fuji, the spiritual centre of Japan, is just visible on the horizon. In my homage to Hokusai, I replaced Mount Fuji with the centre of our galaxy.”

to know what comes next, so you can’t take your eyes off it.” As such, The Great Wave has proved to be a timeless and universal image, and considered to be the best of Hokusai’s great body of work. Hokusai was an ukiyo-e artist. Translated, these are “pictures of the floating world”. These images were intended to capture the carefree, passing pleasures in life for rich merchants in Edo (now Tokyo), and the form flourished during the 17th and 18th centuries. Edo-born Hokusai changed the art of ukiyo-e by shifting it from posters and book illustrations onto woodblock prints. He introduced nature and common people as subject matter, and made massproduced woodblocks affordable to all. Influenced by his study of Dutch and French landscape painting, he also injected into Japanese art the sort of realism, perspective and subtle shading evident in The Great Wave. This, and the depiction of lowly fishermen (unknown in Japanese art at that time), makes The Great Wave an unusual and quite un-Japanese print.

TITLE: Hokusai Weeps ARTIST: Ursula Husted (inked by Phil Morrissey) WEB: www.apocalyptictangerine.com FORMAT: Drawn and inked on heavyweight Bristol board, then coloured in Photoshop This image was created for Mangaphile, an American magazine published by Radio Comix (www.radiocomix.com). “I wanted my cover to show the impact of both new and older forms of Japanese art,” says Husted. “While my interpretation of ‘Mount Fuji from the Offing in Kanagawa’ is different, there are still constants. The wave is crashing down, and the design and the colours of Hokusai’s fishing boats are incorporated into a flashy hover bike.”

During the last 15 years of his life, Hokusai called himself Manji – the old man mad for drawing. With more than 30,000 pieces of work, and the coining of manga (at that time, more surreal illustration than comic strip) under his belt, that was an accurate description of the artist. Towards the end of his life, he stated that he hadn’t painted anything remarkable before reaching his seventies. He delivered “36 Views of Mount Fuji” and “Mount Fuji from the Offing in Kanagawa” on the cusp of his own perceived greatness. But his body of work, even the earlier art that he dismissed, was more remarkable than he could ever have imagined. It influenced French Impressionism, Cubism, the linocuts of Picasso and Matisse, the woodblocks of his contemporary Hiroshige, the animations of Yoshinori Kanada (considered one of the greats of Japanese animé), and many more artists, past and present. Wherever there’s water, adversity and precise delicate curves, you’re likely to glimpse Hokusai.

TUTORIALS IN THIS ISSUE Modern design doesn’t have to be all clean lines and square boxes; on page 56, deft use of a hairdryer and thermal fax paper (plus a little help from Photoshop blending modes and alpha channels) will enable you to “age” your work to brilliant effect. There’s so much to savour from the past – as this insignia, updated in Illustrator, shows. Add your own faux Latin motif, or exploit the potential of the intricate design in

PHOTOSHOP 2 HOURS

BURN EFFECTS

your own work… it’s entirely up to you! Page 60 has all the details. Meanwhile, Flash maestros could learn a thing or two from Luke Whittaker, who reveals how he created those oh-so-fluid animations for his award-winning website www.breakintheroad.com on page 64. Check it out. And for those unsure which file format to use, whether for print or the web, page 68 has the lowdown.

This back-to-basics technique makes use of thermal fax paper and a hairdryer to give your work a strikingly authentic “aged” look. ON THE CD Tutorial files on CD

TURN TO PAGE 56

ILLUSTRATOR 3 HOURS

CREATE AN INSIGNIA Update an old insignia with the help of clip art, a photocopier and a few well-chosen Illustrator tools. ON THE CD Tutorial files on CD

TURN TO PAGE 60

FLASH MX 5 HOURS

ROTOSCOPING VIDEO Is your Flash animation a little clinical and cold? Then why not “trace” real-life footage to create warmer and smoother work? ON THE CD Tutorial files on CD

TURN TO PAGE 64

VARIOUS

FILE FORMATS Choosing an appropriate image file format can streamline workflow and improve efficiency. Find out how… TURN TO PAGE 68

TUTORIALS FOR 99P

Did you know you can buy Computer Arts tutorials from just 99p via our website at www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials? There’s everything from Photoshop and FreeHand poster design, typography in InDesign and vector drawing in Flash MX, plus more general tutorials on Dreamweaver and Flash. You’ll also find tutorials that make the most of 3ds max 4, Bryce 5 and After Effects. August 2004

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PHOTOSHOP

BURN EFFECTS

Using alpha channels, blending modes, a hairdryer and thermal fax paper, you can simulate the look of aged sheets of parchment. Derek Lea brings burned paper into Photoshop and works a little layer and channel magic

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TIME LENGTH

2 hours INFO Derek Lea is an awardwinning illustrator and published author, proficient in traditional illustration, digital photography, 3D modelling and vector art – as well as Photoshop. He lives and works in downtown Toronto, Canada. View his portfolio at www.dereklea.com.

฀

This฀month,฀we’ll฀show฀you฀a฀terrific฀ real-world฀technique฀that฀will฀add฀ another฀bow฀to฀your฀Photoshop฀quiver฀of฀ effects.฀A฀black-and-white฀“burn”,฀ generated฀by฀applying฀a฀hairdryer฀to฀a฀sheet฀ of฀thermal฀fax฀paper,฀is฀ideal฀for฀alpha฀ channel฀use.฀Because฀channels฀interpret฀ greyscale฀image฀data฀and฀convert฀it฀into฀ selection฀borders,฀you฀can฀easily฀take฀what฀ you’ve฀done฀with฀the฀hairdryer฀and฀use฀it฀ as฀the฀basis฀for฀a฀custom-made฀selection. When฀the฀new฀selections฀are฀combined฀ with฀layers,฀things฀get฀really฀interesting.฀ Making฀use฀of฀existing฀colours฀within฀the฀ image,฀and฀stacking฀up฀layers฀with฀varying฀ blending฀modes฀and฀opacity฀settings,฀is฀a฀ highly฀efficient,฀versatile฀and฀effective฀way฀ to฀turn฀the฀burnt฀paper฀into฀an฀“ageing”฀ effect.฀You฀can฀place฀the฀stacked฀layers฀ neatly฀into฀sets,฀where฀they’re฀collectively฀ masked฀with฀precisely฀drawn฀paths฀so฀that฀ the฀aged฀effect฀of฀one฀page฀doesn’t฀stray฀ onto฀another฀or฀the฀background฀area.฀You฀ can฀then฀mask฀(and฀edit)฀each฀layer฀ individually฀within฀the฀set. The฀main฀mental฀hurdle฀to฀overcome฀is฀ the฀need฀to฀return฀to฀more฀primitive฀artmaking฀techniques.฀First,฀you฀need฀to฀print฀ out฀your฀sketches฀and฀run฀them฀through฀a฀ fax฀machine฀so฀that฀they’re฀copied฀onto฀ thermal฀paper.฀Only฀then฀can฀you฀darken฀ the฀thermal฀paper฀using฀a฀hairdryer฀and฀ scan฀the฀results฀back฀into฀Photoshop฀for฀ use฀within฀individual฀alpha฀channels. Using฀unusual฀real-world฀techniques฀฀ can฀prove฀surprisingly฀fruitful฀in฀your฀ Photoshop฀work฀–฀and฀it’s฀fun฀when฀you฀hit฀ upon฀something฀that฀works฀as฀well฀as฀this.

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Open the files man.tif, head.tif and hand.tif from the download. Print out each one so it fits on a standard size piece of paper. Now take the print outs to a fax machine and copy each one onto a separate sheet of thermal paper.

Tape each sheet to a flat surface and use a hairdryer on its hottest setting to darken specific areas. You’ll quickly notice that the effect spreads and gets darker as you apply more heat to a single area. Continue until you’ve burned each copy considerably.

Run a couple of plain sheets of paper through the fax machine to make blank copies on thermal paper. Use the hairdryer on these sheets to darken them around the edges only. Make each one a little different.

Open the file man.tif from the download. Copy it and open the file main.tif. Create a new alpha channel in the main.tif file and Paste the man image into the alpha channel. Enable the visibility of the composite channel and use Free Transform to position and scale the pasted selection on the main page.

Illustration and tutorial by Derek Lea www.dereklea.com

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With the selection still active, create a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Increase the Saturation by 61 and decrease the Lightness by 9. Create a new layer with a Color Burn Blending Mode and reduce the layer Opacity to 30 per cent. Reload the previous selection from the alpha channel.

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To get the best result, you may have to adjust your channel options or invert the image before pasting it. Generate a selection from the channel, invert it if necessary, and create a new layer with a Multiply Blending Mode. Fill the selection with a brown colour sampled from the background. Deselect.

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Select the Radial Gradient tool with the Foreground to Transparent option enabled. Sample a reddish brown foreground colour from within the image and use the gradient a number of times within the selection on the new layer to add dark areas. Duplicate the layer and change the Blending Mode to Multiply.

CHANNEL OPTIONS The easiest way to work through this tutorial is to alter the Behaviour of your alpha channels from their default settings. To do this, select Channel Options from the Channels Palette menu. Change the colour indication to Selected Areas instead of the default Masked Areas setting. This generates a selection containing black areas of the channel within the selection border. White areas will lie outside the selection borders.

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Scan the burned thermal copy of the man image using a desktop scanner. Copy and Paste it into a new alpha channel in your working file. Enable the visibility of the composite channel and use Free Transform to position the pasted selection so that it lines up perfectly.

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Generate a selection from the channel and invert it if necessary. Create a new layer and fill the active selection with a light brown colour sampled from the background. Change the Layer Blending Mode to Color Burn and reduce the Opacity to 46 per cent.

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Deselect, and apply the Gaussian Blur filter to the layer contents using a very high pixel radius of around 30. Now scan the two blank thermal pages that you applied the hairdryer burn effect to. Copy one of the scans and paste it into a new alpha channel in the working file.

TUTORIAL

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Enable the visibility of the composite channel and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the contents of the channel so that it fits within the main page area. Generate a selection from the channel and invert it if necessary. Create a new layer with a Color Burn Blending Mode.

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Create a layer set and add all, except the background layer, to the set in order, from top to bottom. Use the Pen tool to carefully draw a closed path around the edge of the page. With the path selected, choose Layer>AddVectorMask>Current path from the menu to create a sharp edge.

Select the Radial Gradient tool. With the Foreground to Transparent option enabled, use the current brown foreground colours to create a few gradients within the selection on the new layer. Deselect and return to your other scan of the burned blank thermal paper. Select All, and Copy.

GRADIENT OPTIONS

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Fill the active selection with a brown colour sampled from the background and reduce the Opacity of the layer to 15 per cent. Duplicate the layer. Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Multiply and, with the selection still active, create a new layer with a Multiply Blending Mode.

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Create a new alpha channel and paste the selected area from the other file into it. Enable the visibility of the composite channel and use Free Transform to re-size and rotate the pasted selection until it frames the page like the previous channel. Generate a selection from the channel.

Using the Foreground to Transparent option is an effective way to introduce colour to specific areas without automatically filling the entire background each time you create a gradient. It’s an excellent way to add more than one gradient within a selection border or on a layer. The Foreground to Transparent option is the second option from the left in the Gradient Picker (select the Gradient tool, then access the Tool options bar).

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Feel free to mask and edit any of the layers within the set or create any new layers you think are necessary. Use the methods outlined above to apply the effect to the head and hand sketches, too. Give each one its own set of “burns”, with a stack of layers creating the desired effect.

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Employ the same techniques you used earlier to fill the selection with darker colours on a series of layers with varying blending modes and opacity settings. Use the Radial Gradient tool inside the selection where required, and deselect when you’re finished.

NEXT ISSUE IN 3D and Photoshop

Create abstract images using 3D elements

November 2004

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ILLUSTRATOR

PERSONALISE A VINTAGE INSIGNIA

It’s easy to create your own logo or insignia using old pieces of clip art, Illustrator and a photocopier, says Ryan Clark. But giving it an authentic vintage feel using type, colour and shading takes time and patience

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TIME LENGTH

3 hours INFO Ryan Clark resides in Seattle and makes up one fifth of Asterik Studio. He has been a full-time designer, working primarily with print design, for four years. Asterik Studio’s work has been featured in Print, Communication Arts, HOW and Computer Arts, as well as books by Taschen, Friends of Ed and Die Gestalten Verlag. To see more of Asterik Studio’s work, visit www.asterikstudio.com.

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By฀personalising฀and฀manipulating฀ old฀images฀and฀making฀them฀appear฀ bold฀and฀authentic,฀it’s฀possible฀to฀update฀ old-fashioned฀design฀and฀make฀it฀all฀your฀ own.฀This฀tutorial฀will฀run฀through฀the฀ steps฀that฀we฀at฀Asterik฀Studio฀take฀to฀ personalise฀images฀for฀use฀in฀a฀range฀of฀ client฀illustration฀work.฀ Here฀we’ve฀taken฀an฀old฀piece฀of฀clip฀ art,฀given฀it฀an฀overhaul฀and฀created฀an฀ Asterik฀Studio฀insignia.฀This฀is฀a฀pretty฀ simple฀procedure,฀but฀it’s฀important฀to฀ concentrate฀on฀colour฀and฀shade฀if฀you฀ want฀authentic฀looking฀results. Getting฀your฀image฀to฀appear฀suitably฀ worn฀and฀inconsistent฀–฀a฀useful฀technique฀ that฀you฀can฀apply฀to฀a฀range฀of฀projects฀–฀ is฀also฀important,฀as฀is฀adding฀your฀own฀ personal฀touch.฀We฀altered฀the฀existing฀ type฀and฀replaced฀some฀of฀the฀imagery฀to฀ better฀suit฀the฀“feel”฀we฀were฀looking฀for.฀ Remember:฀it’s฀important฀to฀keep฀your฀ work฀fresh฀and฀unique. These฀methods฀reflect฀those฀used฀by฀ Asterik฀Studio฀daily฀on฀projects฀ranging฀ from฀CD฀packages฀to฀silk-screened฀posters฀ and฀T-shirt฀designs.฀This฀particular฀look฀ has฀helped฀us฀tackle฀projects฀in฀new฀and฀ more฀effective฀ways.฀We’ve฀mastered฀these฀ techniques฀through฀a฀process฀of฀trial฀and฀ error,฀finding฀out฀which฀work฀effectively฀ and฀which฀don’t.฀So฀play฀around฀with฀these฀ methods,฀and฀you’ll฀create฀eye-catching฀ designs฀that฀really฀work. Illustration and tutorial by Ryan Clark www.asterikstudio.com

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First, find yourself a suitable image. I used a clip art image of a crest in a book of heraldry art. I loved its bold lines and was particularly drawn to the bird. Scan the image (provided in the download) at about twice the resolution. Now import the image to Illustrator, change the resolution to 300dpi and save it as a bitmap TIFF.

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Once the image is converted, Illustrator automatically reads it as a single combined image. To separate pieces of the image, draw a dividing line through it – not through the line-work, but through an empty portion – to break the pieces apart. Select the line and the crest design and, holding down the Option key, hit the divide option on the Pathfinder toolbar. Once the division is complete, ungroup the selection.

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After opening the TIFF in Illustrator, use the Silhouette plug-in tool (available from http://www.silhouetteonline. com/silhouette/download.htm) to convert the image from a raster file to a vector file. The image will then be given anchor points when it’s converted, enabling you to edit it easily.

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The Division Filter will leave any closed spaces as separate pieces, filled with no colour. To get rid of these, grab one piece filled with no colour, and choose Select> SelectSameFillColour. This will grab each empty piece. When all are selected, hit Delete and you won’t have to worry about these pieces getting in your way. November 2004

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You can now add some personalised type to the image. First, though, delete the existing inscription. Grab each letter on the image and delete it, leaving space in the banner for your own creation.

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To make the type fit accurately into the banner, create an oval shape with Illustrator’s Ellipse tool that mimics its curve. Line the shape up so that the top curve acts as a smooth baseline for your type.

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Remove all of the details from the shield and add your own. Repeat the same method used in step 10. Once all the points are removed, you’ll be left with a blank shield to decorate as you wish.

CONVERT YOUR SCANS It’s so much easier to edit your imagery when you can do it with a vector file. One great thing about converting imagery is that you don’t have to worry about the resolution. I convert raster images with an Illustrator plug-in called Silhouette (available from http:// www.silhouetteonline. com/silhouette/ download.htm). Get acquainted with the Illustrator tools that help with editing and creating complex imagery. By using the Pathfinder options, and all of the Pen tools and functions that Illustrator has to offer, your options are limitless.

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Move the banner before you start to add type. I didn’t like the way it was detached from the rest of the imagery, so I moved it down a touch, closer to the bird. Grab the banner and all its pieces and move it so that it touches the top of the bird’s wings.

You’ll see that some of the lines now overlap slightly, which isn’t what you want. The topmost feathering of the wings actually sits on top of the lower section of the banner. To make it appear as if the banner is in front the wings, use the Direct Selection tool to shift them outside, as shown.

Choose the Path Type tool so that you can type along the oval you’ve created. Make a starting point on the oval by clicking on the outside edge, right where the type needs to begin, and type “ASTERIK” in an old-style typeface; I used the suitably “archaic” Anticca.

At this point, you can start to remove any of the crest’s non-vital features. Although I liked the authenticity and the detail, I wanted to make the crest simpler and less cluttered. To me, the cross detail makes the helmet hard to discern. Use the Delete anchor point tool and, one point at a time, delete the points until this portion is gone.

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If you’re recreating the imagery used here, start to give the shield an “Americana” look. First, create a series of stripes similar to those on the American flag, but make sure that they run vertically, not horizontally. You can now add some stars in a box at the top of the shield.

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To help the new shield design fit in with the original design, add some of the idiosyncratic shading lines that appear throughout the crest. To do this, take existing shade lines from elsewhere on the crest and place them in spots on the shield where you think the original illustrator would have added them. This will help the new shield design look more authentic.

TUTORIAL

GET DIRTY

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To create designs that appear dirty or distressed using a photocopier, first crumple up the paper that you’re using to add texture. The best way to get the image to look really dirty is by rubbing the ink on the page together. Just fold the page in half and rub the image against itself, smearing the ink. Now when you photocopy it, the smeared ink will create patches of dirty crust that will add to the intensity.

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Once the image is converted, you’ll be left with a lot of dust and small, crusty pieces from the copied image. Some of this should remain, but not all. Using the Direct Selection tool, select areas of dust that you’d like to remove and delete them bit by bit. Finally, Select All and group everything.

Now to colour parts of the shield art that are connected to the crest’s line art. Draw a line with the Pen tool to separate the inside imagery from the helmet and other connecting pieces and use the Divide option on the Pathfinder to delete any pieces that are filled with no colour (see step 4). Colour the stars and stripes in a classic red and blue.

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Additional type (here added above the script) should give the crest a sense of purpose. Add more type as you did in Step 9. Create an oval shape for the type’s path and choose a font you like. I used Berthold Akzidenz Grotesque Extended. Add some stars on either side so that the type stays small but still spans the width of the banner.

At this point, you can start to give the crest a distressed, worn look. Print out a copy of the crest, screw it up into a ball to put cracks and inconsistencies in the ink, then flatten the paper back out and photocopy the image. The copy will clearly show the discrepancies you’ve added.

Scan in the photocopied crest in the same way as before and save the image as a 300dpi bitmap TIFF. Open the TIFF in Illustrator, and use the Silhouette plug-in again to convert it into a vector file.

You can now start work on colouring the design. Draw shapes using the Pen tool that will fill each portion of the banner with colour. In the sections where the banner would be darker, create separate shapes and darken them to give depth. Once you’ve drawn and coloured each shape, send them behind the lines of the crest.

Use the same method to colour the rest of the crest. Give each piece a basic colour, then go back and shade the pieces that need depth. Once that’s done, send them behind the lines of the crest.

Print out the background pattern from the CD and repeat Steps 15 and 16. Cut rectangular portions out using the Rectangle tool over the areas you’d like to delete. Select the rectangle and the pattern and use the Divide option on the Pathfinder to cut the pattern along the line of the rectangle. Then select and erase any unwanted pieces. Repeat this for each side of the pattern.

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Draw a rectangle shape to the same specifications as the pattern, and send it behind the pattern. Colour the rectangle in the utmost background a light yellowish colour and the pattern a little bit darker as a subtle addition. Finally, take the coloured crest image and place it centrally over the background. November 2004

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FLASH MX • PREMIERE

ROTOSCOPING VIDEO

By cleverly combining Flash MX video with old-school drawing techniques, you can create your own energetic animated movies for broadcast or the Web, as this award-winning piece by Luke Whittaker demonstrates

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TIME LENGTH

5 hours INFO Luke Whittaker is a freelance designer based in London. He recently won the Mando Award 2004 for www. breakintheroad.com. You can see more of his work at www. lukewhittaker.co.uk.

Ë

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Starting฀out฀as฀a฀simple฀animation฀ tool฀to฀counter฀the฀growth฀of฀the฀ animated฀GIF,฀Flash฀has฀since฀evolved฀into฀ a฀powerful฀piece฀of฀software฀for฀designers฀ seeking฀to฀make฀their฀creations฀move.฀But฀ its฀impact฀on฀the฀Web฀has฀resulted฀in฀handdrawn฀techniques฀often฀taking฀a฀back฀seat฀ to฀tweens,฀and฀a฀“sleeker”,฀less฀figurative฀ style฀of฀animation. It฀doesn’t฀have฀to฀be฀like฀that,฀of฀course.฀ In฀this฀tutorial,฀I’m฀going฀to฀show฀you฀ how฀it’s฀possible฀to฀recapture฀that฀more฀ traditional฀look฀–฀using฀Flash฀and฀a฀little฀ elbow฀grease.฀Ideally,฀you’ll฀need฀a฀ graphics฀tablet฀and฀a฀camera฀to฀capture฀the฀ moving฀images,฀but฀after฀that฀it’s฀up฀to฀you. With฀Flash฀MX,฀the฀ability฀to฀import฀ movie฀files฀directly฀into฀the฀timeline฀ makes฀it฀possible฀to฀perform฀what’s฀called฀ “rotoscoping”฀–฀where฀you฀“trace”฀the฀reallife฀footage฀to฀create฀highly฀fluid,฀ naturalistic฀animations.฀Even฀if฀you฀feel฀ you฀can’t฀draw,฀Flash฀makes฀it฀much฀easier฀ to฀create฀exciting฀and฀individual฀material. In฀this฀tutorial,฀I’ll฀illustrate฀how฀to฀ prepare฀your฀video฀in฀Premiere,฀then฀ rotoscope฀the฀footage฀in฀Flash.฀Afterwards,฀ you’ll฀combine฀the฀animation฀with฀an฀ image฀created฀in฀Photoshop,฀using฀ hand-drawn฀elements฀to฀give฀life฀to฀the฀ surroundings.฀Pinpoint฀accuracy฀isn’t฀the฀ key฀here;฀the฀goal฀is฀to฀develop฀a฀coherent,฀ unique฀and฀eye-catching฀piece฀of฀work. A฀completed฀version฀of฀the฀animation฀is฀ provided฀on฀the฀cover฀CD฀for฀reference.

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Before you start, sketch a plan of how you want to compose your shot. This will help you decide from what angle to shoot your footage, and also how to organise your background image. Here, I’ve decided to film my character head-on, which enables me to drop in a background that adds a lot of depth.

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For this tutorial, I’m using Premiere, but other DV editing programs will do just as well. Open Premiere and import the file Rotoscope_dv.mov from the cover CD into the Bin by choosing File>Import>File. If you’re using your own footage, import using File>Capture>Movie Capture.

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You now need to adjust the image to bring out the qualities required for tracing. Drag the rotoscope_dv clip to the timeline and, within the Video Effects tab, select the Adjust dropdown.

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Within Adjust, drag Brightness & Contrast onto the clip and adjust with the Effects Controls until you feel the image is bright enough to draw over in black. The overall look isn’t important. You only need to ensure that the image is easily traceable.

Illustration and tutorial by Luke Whittaker www.lukewhittaker.com

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Now export the clip by choosing File>Export Timeline>Movie. Make sure File Type is set to QuickTime and un-tick Export audio. Click Settings and under the tab labelled General, select Video.

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Click File>Import and locate your exported movie. Select Embed Video and, in the box that appears, make sure the box “Synchronise video to document Frame Rate” is ticked. Quality should be set to 100.

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When asked if you want to insert more frames into your movie, click Yes. Lock the bottom layer where the video now sits. This is the guide layer you’ll be drawing over. Highlight the entire two layers above and press F6 to fill them with blank keyframes. These will be your drawing layers.

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IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL If you’re keen on creating detailed facial expressions or a more intricate style of animation, it’s important to use a high-quality medium like DV over a digital camera, unless you’re up close. Set your shot up in front of a flatcolour background – in this case, I’ve used a blue-screen in a studio. It’ll take up a little more time (and, for a while, a little more hard drive space), but when rotoscoping you’ll appreciate not having to guess where your character’s nose is.

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Change the frame rate to 12fps (enough to keep the movement fluid) and set the compressor to Animation (this will result in a large file size, but it’s quicker to export and image quality is important here). Under Special Processing, click Modify and tick the box labelled De-interlace to make sure the image is crisp. Name your clip “Rotoscope_ deinterlaced.mov” and click OK to export it.

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Open Flash MX and set the Frame Rate to 12fps. Create a new Graphic Symbol (Insert>New Symbol). Create three layers within it and select the lowest one.

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Now you’re ready to start drawing. Select the Paintbrush tool. I select Use Pressure in the lower half of the toolbar to generate nice sweeping curves with a graphics tablet and pen. If you have a mouse, you can still use the Paintbrush on a small scale – it’ll give you a different style, more like a ballpoint pen than a paintbrush.

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Set the maximum width of your pen to medium, unless you’re planning very thick curves. This is something you can experiment with to get the feeling you want.

Concentrate on the key shapes in the face – the base of the nose, the eyelashes and iris (no need for the underside of the eyes), the top lip, mouth and the cleft of the chin. The overall body shape can be roughly sketched to add expression.

SPEED DRAWING

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On the layer above the video, select the first frame. Start tracing the outline of the image, ignoring the hands for now. Step through the movie with the , and . keys and complete all the frames. With features, simplification is a good idea – it saves time and, since the frames will be moving past quickly when animated, you won’t notice if they aren’t too detailed.

Draw the hands on the frames in the top layer. This will mean you can later make them interact with the scenery. Use the occasional line to hint at the fingernails, but don’t worry about being too intricate. Try and make sure all your lines join up, so colouring in the figure later will be easy.

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Once you’ve completed all frames, you can go through and fill them with the Paint Pot tool. If your lines haven’t joined up in places, select Close Large Gaps from the Toolbar, or create a new layer underneath and block the colour in with the Paintbrush.

To make the drawing process quicker and easier, it’s often best to concentrate on one area at a time as you go through the movie. Your eye will grow accustomed to a particular shape and you’ll acquire a feel for its movements. The , and . keys are useful for stepping quickly back and forth between frames.

When you’ve finished, select the bottom video layer and delete it. Return to the main Scene, create a new layer underneath the character Graphic and import the Rotoscope_background.jpg. Match up the two elements by scaling your Graphic symbol. Make the length of both clips equal to the number of frames in your animation.

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Now to make your character sit behind the foreground. Go back in to edit your Graphic and add a Mask layer above the main body layer. Leaving the foreground shape out, draw a mask over your figure that will contain all his movements (stretch Onion Skin across all frames to check). Mask the layer and your character will appear to sit behind the desk while his hands remain above it.

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Now the animation is complete, you can import dialogue recorded during filming or dub in music, using Flash to edit. If your final file is for broadcast, it’s possible to export it as a QuickTime movie for editing in another app. If you want to put it on the Web, Optimaze! (www.vecta3d.com) is a great piece of software for cutting down vector file size without sacrificing quality.

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EXPERT ADVICE

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EXPERT ADVICE

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FILE FORMAT

JPEG OR TIFF?

In a collaborative environment, choosing a suitable image format to share with colleagues is absolutely vital. After all, print and web are very different media, as Chris Schmidt explains

THE PROBLEM The boundaries between print and web design are blurring as designers are increasingly expected to understand both media in equal depth. But without recognising the most appropriate formats in which to save your images you could be risking your image quality. So which file format should you use, and when?

INFO Chris Schmidt is a regular contributor to various digital imaging and computer magazines. He has ten years’ experience of print and web design for various clients that include Nike, BUPA, spnm and the Brodsky Quartet. Email him at [email protected].

Once upon a time, print and web designers were distinct breeds, each with a clearly defined and easy-to-identify set of skills. Now, however, thanks to advances in technology, such creatives are being asked to work well in both arenas. Fundamental differences between web and print aside, the proprietary file formats adopted by individual apps pose their own problems. Photoshop may dominate bitmap media, but there are plenty of competing titles. Designers can choose between Illustrator and Freehand for illustrative vector work, for instance. Side-stepping the issue of which is best, the fact remains that there will always be rival formats that need to communicate with each other. Many such issues could be avoided by using generic file formats such as EPS and PostScript,

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which enable you – in the main – to exchange work with colleagues who use other apps. And although preflighting will remain an integral part of the print design process, at least now you can send finished files to print with the confidence that work is received as intended with embedded assets, copy and fonts using Adobe’s PDF format. Such encapsulated formats have distinct advantages. They provide an effective envelope around content to include metafiles and Page Description Languages (PDLs) such as Computer Graphics, Windows and Enhanced Metafiles (CGM, WMF and EMF). These vital files contain command lists that draw or display an image when it is opened, most notably with vector content. It’s the ability of such files to successfully contain both bitmap and vector content that gives them

their strength. PDF and PSD are familiar as vector and bitmap formats, although this distinction is starting to blur as they increasingly support opposing native content. Among proprietary formats, Photoshop’s native PSD provides the most comprehensive method, and is recognised by virtually all digital imaging apps. However, problems still occur if certain Photoshop features remain unrecognised by such third-party titles, in which case the platform independent Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) proves a more common alternative. If you’re using such bitmap formats, you’ll also need to understand how such compression affects your images (see the panel below.) Keep such issues in mind, though, and you’ll appreciate how best to save work to keep quality high for the largest possible user-base.

COMPRESSION: THE CONSEQUENCES 1. An original RAW image at 100 per cent, saved as a TIFF with zero compression. The difference between the new and old files is minimal. 2. The same image with maximum compression as a JPEG loses some vividness of colour, but there’s little discernible noise to worry about.

ILLUSTRATION : KERRY ROPER

3. At 800 per cent, you can make out the individual pixels, although there is no discernible blocking, as with the JPEG equivalent.

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4. The 8x8 blocks indicative of JPEG compression become apparent at such high magnification, and noise appears around contrasting edges.

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EXPERT ADVICE

THE SOLUTION LOSSY OR LOSSLESS?

SAVING SCREEN IMAGES

As their names imply, the two main forms of compression work by either removing data from an image, which the eye finds difficult to see, or by revising the way the data is actually stored. The former, lossy, method provides the most impressive reductions in terms of file size but can noticeably degrade an image. The latter lossless version, however, will result in an image faithful to the original, but with only a marginal reduction in file size.

Images that you want others to view online using a web browser can be compressed effectively using Photoshop’s easy-to-operate Save for Web tool

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The Save for Web tool, found in Photoshop’s Edit menu, is by far the most reliable way to save screen images. The composition of your image will determine what format you use: the JPEG is fine for photographic content, while the GIF is more suited to flat colour content.

For this RAW digital camera image, we’ve chosen the JPEG format to bring the file size down from 15.8MB to 3.35MB using the Maximum Quality settings from the options available in the Tools’ right-hand interface. This makes a substantial reduction, but the result is still far too large to use online.

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PROPRIETARY FILE FORMATS Every application has its own native file format. However, although both Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand are used to create vector content, their respective AI and FHx proprietary file formats remain intelligible to the other. Fortunately, both applications have the ability to export work to numerous related formats, including the more universal Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format, which enables both applications to understand such related content.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FILE FORMAT

To reduce the quality further, use the Preset drop-down menu and select the JPEG Medium settings. This results in a reasonable compromise between image quality and file size. The file has now been reduced to 330KB – a huge reduction of 98 per cent.

Although there are an infinite number of file formats available, you should make yourself familiar with just a few... EPS

GIF

JPEG

PDF

PNG

The original image at 2949x1875 pixels is still too large for your typical browser. But by using the Image Size tab, you can reduce it still further – here to a mere 36KB. Now it’s so small, even a 56kbps modem will be able to handle it without any problems.

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EXPERT ADVICE

PREPARING FOR PRINT Unlike the screen conversion procedure outlined on the facing page, print methods are more concerned with image quality than ultimate file size

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The most universally recognised, industrystandard image format requested by labs and output bureaus is the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). Using Photoshop’s File>SaveAs option, you can bring up the default dialog box that enables you to choose this format from the available Formats drop-down.

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The remaining options are consistent across platforms. Ensuring PSD file compatibility is maximised will help older versions of Photoshop interpret a file’s content, while enabling the large document format (PSB) will help you to save images with up to 300,000 pixels in any dimension.

IMAGE COMPRESSION Compression is essential for reducing the large file sizes inherent with raster images. But while it enables you to save space or assist delivery, it can also compromise image quality. Lossless methods, such as LZW, concentrate on creating more efficient methods of encoding image data, while lossy methods, such as JPEG, remove data that’s considered redundant. Naturally, the former outputs more faithful results, although the latter is more effective in terms of reducing file size.

PAGE DESCRIPTION LANGUAGES (PDLs)

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First, though, you may need to check out the File Handling options in Photoshop’s Preferences dialog. The window’s preferences for the File Saving Options provide basic selfdescriptive controls over the function.

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Returning to the TIFF save options, you’ll need to select your image compression methods. LZW and ZIP are your lossless options, while JPEG generates dramatic but lossy results that are better suited to continuous-tone images such as photography. Take a look at the box on page 70, for more info.

PDLs are metafiles used to describe information within encapsulating formats such as EPS and PDF. This data relays information about layout, fonts and graphics that the printer or monitor can understand. PostScript is the classic PDL, although this was subsequently developed into EPS, which locks together images and layout. This then further developed into PDF, which adds, rather than subtracts, functionality.

TOP TEN TIPS JPEG 2000 JPEG 2000 produces images with better compression and quality for both web and print, although it can only be used with the relevant plug-in installed. You’ll find this on the Photoshop CS installation CD.

Large Document Format Although you may need to activate the Large Document Format (PSB) within Photoshop preferences, note that this is only recognised by Photoshop CS or later.

Back-ups When archiving captured images, you may want to make use of the Photoshop PSD. This way, you can store both the original image and any prepared versions prior to subsequent editing within the same file.

Image capture Regardless of the spec of your PC or Mac, digitising images can be impaired by poor capturing techniques. Familiarise yourself with the hardware for best results.

Resolving resolution Get into the habit of developing artwork at higher resolutions. It’s easier to reduce when converting for web use than it is to increase for print.

Save As... Define a recognisable naming structure for modified files so that you can easily revert to previous versions and original captures.

True colour Always scan colour in RGB, as this is the mode employed by the hardware. Older scanners may allow 32-bit CMYK colour, but this is automatically converted and beyond your control.

Maximum compatibility PSD, PDF and TIFF formats can support all Photoshop features, but check the Maximise Backward Compatibility option when saving to create a reliable legacy file.

Cross-platform EPS

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The Mac equivalent offers a number of specific enhancements, including the option to save a full-size 72ppi version for use in applications that can only open lowresolution Photoshop images. By appending a file extension, you ensure that more PC users get reliable access to your work.

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Support for layered TIFF files is far from universal, so the method you use for Layer Compression can have an important effect on how your images are interpreted later on. Both RLE and ZIP are lossless methods, although the Discard option is safer if you intend your work to be used within applications that don’t support layers TIFFs.

Choose the Binary option when encoding EPS files. This allows both PCs and Macs to recognise the resulting file.

Path problems Don’t use paths within flattened TIFFs. Earlier versions of QuarkXPress often interpret them as Clipping Paths.

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FEATURE

GET STARTED WITH...

STORYBOARDING Whether you’re destined to be the next Martin Scorsese or just planning out a simple website animation, preparing a good storyboard is often the best plan of action. Graeme Aymer finds out why

Col. John “Hannibal” Smith was right. As leader of the A-Team, he was always pleased when a plan came together. But you don’t need to lead a band of renegade Vietnam veterans, found guilty of a crime they didn’t commit, to share that sense of satisfaction. Bringing your artistic visions and planning together in the form of a storyboard will enable you to clearly communicate your ideas to colleagues or clients and ensure success. So, back to basics. A storyboard is essentially a plan, a visual sketch that sequentially depicts action, scenery characters and movement within movies, live action or animation. However, storyboards are alive and kicking on the small screen, too. They’re a staple of the advertising industry, again for live action and effects-driven pieces, channel identities and bumpers. Beyond that, they help interactive designers plot Flash animation, plan interactivity and user experience for websites and DVD menus, and even help to win client pitches. But what constitutes a storyboard? “Depending on the size of the project,

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A pre-production storyboard for short film The Assassins’ Opera, by freelance artist Lee Andrews. Andrews used crushed charcoal, pen and ink – an idea “cribbed from an old book” he found – to represent the steamy sauna setting for the action.

Learn more online: www.colonymedia.co.uk www.hiveuk.co.uk www.idmedia.com www.jellyfishpictures.co.uk www.leeandrews.co.uk www.storyboards.co.uk www.thebestthingsince.com

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it could be just a simple set of flat screens, or it might just be a sketch on a piece of paper,” explains Laura Jordan, head of design at I-D Media. “I’ve seen jobs won on the basis of a scribble on a piece of paper,” adds Jason Keely, a freelance storyboarder and visualiser, Hive associate and exLambie-Nairn staffer. “We tend to use our boards with the same techniques we’re going to

It’s not what you do... Then there’s that peculiar cousin of storyboarding: animatics. Typically, this is a rough animation based on scanned storyboard frames and then edited to a dialogue and soundtrack in order to test a concept for creatives or even for market research. Related to this are “Stealomatics” (animatics made up of “stolen” footage and audio, put together to explore

“It can be as simple or as sophisticated as you want… black and white line drawings or a highly-finished quick and rough” use to do the job,” contrasts Will Rockall, director of Softimage XSI specialist facility, Jellyfish. “If it’s going to involve 3D animation, we might make elements up in 3D to put in the board. But if it’s more of a composited 2D type of thing, we would probably use Photoshop and After Effects to create the board. We don’t usually draw with pencil; we try to work them up so we get an idea of what it’s going to be like.”

potential mood or tone for a project), “Photomatics” (animatics using transitioning still photography) and “quick and roughs” (a version of a commercial, shot on a low budget using the script). Animatics are usually the buffer between the storyboard and final shooting stage. “It can be as simple or as sophisticated as you want,” says Ralph White, MD of storyboarding agency, Storyboards. “You can do an

FEATURE

Jellyfish created a spot for budget telephone firm OneTel using its expertise in SoftImage XSI. To assist them, the commissioned creative agency shot an animatic in the form of a “quick and rough”.

Using the agency’s animatics, Jellyfish was able to plot out the animation, which featured a jack-in-the-box-style spring arm.

STORYBOARDING FAVOURITES animatic with black and white line drawings, quite literally, or you can do it with highly-finished quick and rough with all the actors, which depends on how you want it to be researched and what they think is going to be the best way of getting the idea across.” Storyboarding enables I-D Media to map out potential user journeys – to map out visually the experience of downloading a recipe or making an online purchase. “Using a storyboard is absolutely vital for everything we do,” says Jordan. “Without them you can’t be sure of the user experience.” Not only does this enable the company to plot user experience and check visuals against each other, it also serves as a kind of inventory, to ensure nothing is left out. In addition, it means that the design team can check to see that all the elements required are included. For I-D Media, however, storyboards aren’t just about organisation – there’s a real financial consideration. “It also gives the client something physical that they can sign off,” says Jordan. “So if they decide they want something that isn’t actually what we’ve done, we can

charge out of scope for that, rather than tweaking all the time. That’s where you lose a lot of money on a project, that final ten per cent of moving things around.” Christina Villics and Jamie Denham, co-directors of animation studio Sliced Bread, use a more text-based site map method when it comes to their more static sites. However, when it comes to sites featuring motion graphics, they’re not averse to the use of storyboards, to work out both interactivity and straightforward Flash animation. “I did a storyboard for our website because it’s very visual,” explains Christina Villics. “It’s not the usual ‘press a button’, and you always have animation. The programmer needed a storyboard to see how it followed up when you pressed a portfolio button and the toast came out of the toaster. There’s then another menu on the slice, which comes later, and you have a ‘back to menu’ button, so he needed to see what happened with the animation.” As for what makes a good storyboard, the jury is out. They should feature sequential frames of key shots, including directional

When it comes to storyboarding, pen, pencil and paper remain the most commonly-used tools. Software-wise, Photoshop, Illustrator and Freehand are fine for scanning and colouring, and Final Cut and After Effects remain popular for animatics. 3D is created using anything from Softimage to Cinema 4D. The following dedicated apps could also prove useful. directly onto your tablet PC’s screen, Boardmaster (www.boardmastersoftware.com) or now on a Mac OS X-driven Wacom The ability to import your own artwork, tablet. (£135 excl VAT; or free trial) an easy-to-use animatic function and free clip art mark out this PC-only Storyboard Artist storyboarding app. ($45) (www.storyboardartist.com) A more fully-featured version of Frameforge 3D Studio Storyboard Quick, Storyboard Artist (www.frameforge3d.com) enables motion graphics. Both apps With Frameforge’s virtual 3D world, include fields for scripts and you can set up scenes with precise comments. ($799.99) camera angles, posable characters and 3D objects. ($349, plus shipping) Storyboard Lite

(www.zebradevelopment.com) Realviz StoryViz (www.realviz.com) A pre-visualisation tool for setting up rooms, placing actors and then simulating where you need cameras in the 3D space. Windows 2000/XP only. (3,000 euros, approx £2,050)

Sketchbook Pro (www.alias.com) As the name suggests, this software enables you to doodle and draw

Another 3D pre-visualiser. Add your own background, manipulate the included props and characters and test camera angles. For Mac and PC; there’s even a Linux version. ($500)

Storyboard Quick (www.storyboardquick.com) Features character, prop and scenery libraries. You can even integrate your photos with its clip art. Well featured, but at $279.99 you’ll need to draw well. November 2004

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FEATURE

DOS & DON’TS DO: • Learn to draw – you’ll need this skill if you want to be a pro. • Brush up on your film grammar – watch as many flicks as you can. • Have a concept. A slick storyboard can’t hide a poorly conceived idea. • Sign up to Shooting People (www. shootingpeople.com) for help. • Get into animation. Watch classic cartoons (Disney, Hannah Barbera or Warner Brothers). • Use all the tools at your disposal. For live action, pen and paper might be best; for the abstract, perhaps Photoshop or Flash. • Make a storyboard for interactive projects – it’ll help you check that everything works as intended. • Learn from other people’s work. • Keep a sketchbook. Be inspired anywhere. Challenge yourself. • Be patient. Having to make 100 sketches of your site or film will pay dividends in the end.

DON’T: • Be afraid of detail. If you’re trying to secure a pitch or funding, the more your backers see, the better. • Be afraid to improvise – it may add spontaneity and life to your work. • Worry if you’re not a brilliant drawer. Do the best you can. • Forget to number your frames and pages. Reference points for your crew are essential. • Go with the obvious solution. Before you get cracking, think about other approaches. • Get too wrapped up in your own idea. Remember, this can be a collaborative venture. • Be obsessed with technology. • Be too slick. Your boards need to express ideas in an inviting way. • Forget the written word. Notes or snippets of script can caption your pictures and help your colleagues. • Be afraid to experiment. Using different software or ink could completely transform your board.

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With a few tweaks, Jellyfish was able to complete its OneTel spot pretty much as described by the creative agency.

arrows to denote movement or actions essential to the plot. But the debate rages as to detail. “As long as it gets the idea over, the concept, and the actual look of the final piece, then I think it could be as long or as brief as needed,” says Jellyfish’s Will Rockall. “It’s about communication,” explains Keely. “How that’s done doesn’t matter. The thing is to be clear about what you’re setting out to do. It should either contain very, very honed down and accurate visuals, or very loose drawings with some poignant reference points. Either way, it’s all about communicating as clearly as you can. Martin Lambie-Nairn taught me that when you’re communicating your ideas, you should communicate them as if you’re talking to an eightyear-old. Don’t talk to your clients as

if they’re stupid, but be clear about what it is you’re trying to say. The storyboard helps with that.” “It’s like reading a book: it takes your idea right through,” says Denham, “and that works for interaction as well. When we’re creating DVDs, we can make sure of what goes in there. I often come across problems when I’m creating interaction where you see a link that doesn’t quite work.” Pen vs machine Industry professionals tend to favour good old-fashioned pen and paper over dedicated storyboarding software. “It immediately suggests a bunch of templates. It isn’t something we’ve dreamed of using,” says Jason Keely. This, of course,

suggests that the best storyboarders can always draw well. “You have to be able to see time,” explains Keely. “So in two seconds you have to know what’s going to be where. You have to have a feeling, not just about how it’s going to look, but also how it’s going to be over time.” “When all is said and done, you’ve still got to be able to draw,” says White. “If you can’t draw, then you’re in trouble. A good storyboard artist must also be aware of what the script is trying to achieve, because that helps in the characterisation of people.” “I’ve got books with Martin Scorsese’s drawings for the big shootout sequence in Taxi Driver,” counters filmmaker and director of Colony Media, Mario Cavalli. “Scorsese can hardly draw, but the

When animation specialists Sliced Bread wanted a site overhaul, co-director Christine Villics hired a Flash programmer and created a storyboard that demonstrated both interactions and on-screen motion graphics. Visit www.thebestthingsince.com to see it in action.

FEATURE

DESIGNER TIPS

THE OLYMPICS, BBC STYLE Storyboards was asked by agency DFGW earlier this year to provide artwork to promote the BBC’s Olympics coverage. Ordinarily, Storyboards is approached by an agency to produce an animatic based on a brief or script. A director is then chosen to bring the boards to life. In this case, however, the

DFGW chose a director who had already created traces of key scenes. It was then up to Storyboards to create colour boards and appropriate animatics.

director had already been chosen and he’d started on traces, or sketches, for the planned action. These were scanned and fleshed out by Graham Barratt and Storyboards using standard imagemanipulation software. Storyboards then set out to produce the animatic, working out the

Storyboards’ MD Ralph White is adamant that storyboard artists should be able to draw. While detail may not be important for the boards, it’s certainly worth getting your pen and pencil chops together.

In some cases, traces, animatic and final shots are almost a perfect match.

“Martin Scorsese can hardly draw, but the [Taxi Driver] storyboard is extremely specific and totally functional” storyboard is extremely specific and totally functional. You can look at it and know exactly what that sequence is going to look like. It helps if you can draw well, but it’s not essential. The most important thing is that it conveys the correct information.” “I think it’s something you do learn as a storyboard artist – you have to be able to put expression and character quite quickly and instantly into your

particulars of shot timings in an edit suite at sister company Locomotion Creative Productions, before the piece was finally shot. The agency producer was Sally Fisher, the agency creative, Simon Riley, Graham Barratt the storyboards producer and Passion Pictures the production company.

creations,” adds freelance storyboard artist Lee Andrews. “I think the crucial thing with storyboards is that you work very fast and you work a lot. It’s not as important to have a style as it is to have a way of communicating things very quickly and easily.” “To my mind, it’s better to work roughly and expressively than be very polished and not get that [expression] across.” he continues. “It’s very much

To add detail to storyboards and animatics, Storyboards uses nothing more complex than the standard Adobe tools – Photoshop and Illustrator. The company looked into storyboarding software, but found the template-driven approach inadequate.

about storytelling: you have to be able to tell the story in pictures.” Essentially, storyboards are about ideas. Without ideas, you have no chance. Whether you’re working on a corporate website or the next Pixar animation, you’ll need a central concept, and in order to communicate with your team, or even just to keep the strands of your personal portfolio site together, you’ll need a plan. If your hope is to join Ralph White’s band of pros, you’ll need serious drawing chops, but Scorsese’s crew was perfectly able to follow his scrawled instruction, according to Mario Cavalli. So whatever you do, have a plan, have a good storyboard and take great pride when it all comes together.

“Have lots of patience, be prepared to work for free for a while just to get into it, and then keep your eye out for opportunities.” – Lee Andrews, freelance storyboard artist. (Lee got his first big breaks from filmmakers’ community site Shooting People.) “Watch really bad American TV, the Dallas type, but with the sound turned off, so you’re just looking at the shots, the composition and the camera moves. In terms of the fundamental elements of film grammar, you can learn the basics in an afternoon.” – Mario Cavalli, filmmaker and director of Colony Media

FURTHER READING… Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Steven Katz) Michael Wiese Productions ISBN 0-94118-810-8, £25 The pros rave over this one – and there’s a terrific section dedicated to the storyboarding art. Highly recommended. Filmmaking for Dummies (Bryan May Stoller) John Wiley & Sons ISBN 0-76452-476-3, £13.95 Provides good, basic coverage. The Animator’s Survival Kit (Richard Williams) Faber and Faber ISBN 0-57120-228-4, $30 For animation, character movement and character design, this is the best book in town, penned by the man who brought Roger Rabbit to life.

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REVIEWS MOTION 1.0

WELCOME First off this month comes Apple’s head-turning motion graphics utility, Motion 1.0, whose superb Behaviour presets will enable you to add pro-level animation to your video, simply and quickly. Check out page 78 for more details. Then there’s the latest exciting textures provided by Alien Skin’s Eye Candy 5 (page 80), the latest iteration of Cinema 4D (page 82), and the fast and flexible Flash

Apple’s much-trumpeted motion graphics app for desktop video enthusiasts wins us over modelling system Swift 3D (page 83), which certainly lives up to its name… Tablet users, meanwhile, will relish Wacom’s revitalised Intuos3 range, which presses all the right buttons (and provides a few more of its own) on page 84. Rounding off this issue’s jampacked reviews section is Corel’s feature-enhanced Painter 9 (page 85) and BenQ’s 23-inch widescreen LCD wonder (page 86).

TURN TO PAGE 78

EYECANDY 5

Ten innovative textures prove a 3D godsend ON THE CD Trial version

TURN TO PAGE 80

CINEMA 4D 9

Maxon’s high-end 3D modeller now delivers Ngons, Dress-o-Matic, and much more

TURN TO PAGE 82

SWIFT 3D 4

A superior and mature upgrade by Electric Rain ON THE CD Trial version

TURN TO PAGE 83

WACOM INTUOS3 Wacom revamps its acclaimed graphics tablets range – and now they’re better than ever

TURN TO PAGE 84

COREL PAINTER 9

New features include extra Brush Controls and a “traditional” Artists Oils Painting System

TURN TO PAGE 85

BENQ FP231W

This capable 23-inch widescreen performer can display an impressive 1920x1200 pixels

TURN TO PAGE 86

GROUP TEST

PDF CREATION SOFTWARE We put five Acrobat rivals to the test…

TURN TO PAGE 88

VERDICT OUR RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED:

All our products go through rigorous testing to get a rating in our verdict 2004 and only truly outstanding and essential pieces of kitSeptember receive five out of five 77

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REVIEW

MOTION GRAPHICS SOFTWARE PRICE: £199 CONTACT: Apple Computer, Inc. 0800 039 1010 www.apple.com

Motion 1.0

This highly anticipated Apple release opens up motion graphics to new users at a surprisingly low price

FEATURES

Motion is the latest salvo in Apple’s quest for world domination in the desktop video production arena, and it’s a very impressive application indeed. Motion is all about creating motion graphics – animating text, graphics and video in cool, stylized ways, covering everything from title sequences for film productions and

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Real-time design engine ● Behavior animation ● Natural simulations ● Particle system ● Photoshop integration ● Bézier keyframe editor ● Text on a Path ● Apple-designed templates ● After Effects plug-ins ● 90 accelerated filters ●

SYSTEM Mac OS 10.3.5 or later 867MHz G4/G5 processor or faster ● AGP graphics card (ATI Radeon 9600/9700/9800, Radeon Mobility 9600/9700, nVidia GeForce Go5200/ FX 5200 Ultra/6800 Ultra) ● 512MB RAM (2GB recommended) ● 10GB free hard drive space ● ●

FOR Easy to apply Behaviors create complex animations quickly ● Real-time playback of multiple effects ● Tight integration with Final Cut Pro and especially DVD Studio Pro ● Stacks of effects filters and other professional features ● Inexpensive ●

© Oliver Drion

AGAINST ●

Real-time performance only works well on high-spec hardware

VERDICT For a 1.0 product, we couldn’t be happier with Motion. It introduces a simpler and more intuitive way to quickly create fancy animations and a host of other advanced features. We just wish it played better with medium-level Macs, but a year or two of hardware evolution should take care of that.

★★★★★ 78

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November 2004

Above: You have easy, quick control over just about every element property. Right: You’ll find all of Motion’s Behaviors, Filters and Particle generators in the Library. In most cases, you can just click and drag them to an element within Motion’s Canvas.

TV shows to impressive motion menus found in DVDs. Of course, motion graphics aren’t a new invention; Adobe After Effects has handled them for years. So what does Motion bring to the party that’s not already there? In short, it makes motion graphics easier and more accessible to people who aren’t motion graphics pros but who want to step up the production values of their projects without the steep learning curve or hefty price tag of After Effects. Motion pulls off three major coups, all of which make your work easier. For starters, its Behaviors enable you to quickly animate text, graphics and video without having to set manual keyframes, as in After Effects. Motion ships with an array of Behaviors such as Fade In/ Fade Out, motion-orientated Behaviors such as Throw, Spin, grow and Shrink, “simulation” Behaviors such as Gravity, Repel or Attractor, and text-specific Behaviors – Type On (for a typewriter effect) or Crawl. Applying a Behavior is easy. Just drag the icon to any object and it’s automatically applied and playable. And, thanks to transparent pop-up Dashboards windows, you can quickly tweak the values that make up a Behavior. You can increase the speed of Throw or move the direction or pull of Gravity. What's more, you can apply many Behaviors not only to individual objects in a layer, but to all objects in a layer, and multiple, grouped layers. By combining multiple Behaviors, you can cook up some pretty sophisticated and highly-customised animations in seconds – much faster than fiddling with a traditional keyframe interface. And for those times when you need to set precise keyframes, Motion lets you do so. Another Motion breakthrough is its real-time performance, where you can add or adjust any filter effects, rearrange layers or

REVIEW

FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE MOTION 1.0 INTERFACE AND MAIN TOOLS 1. Layers list Motion elements go inside layers, which you can drag to new positions and group together. 2. Timeline Use the Timeline to arrange layer elements in time, so that they appear and disappear when you want. If you’re familiar with Final Cut or DVD Studio Pro, you’ll understand the Timeline immediately.

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3. Dashboard graphic Click any element in your work and you can change its settings instantly via this pop-up Dashboard. 4. Canvas Motion ships with dozens of pre-designed templates to help get your project started. You can easily sub-in your own text and graphics, or just “steal” a couple of cool elements from a template.

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2 Motion’s interface features many tabs, buttons and the like that make it great to look at. It’s pretty intuitive, but is best suited to bigger monitors, such as Apple’s Cinema displays.

reposition elements and still be able to play your composition immediately, at full resolution, without doing a slow preview render to RAM. This is a huge step forward for motion artists, enabling you to try out tons of different ideas without stopping your creative workflow each time for a render. Unfortunately, Motion’s real-time hotness only works as advertised on beefy hardware; Apple recommends you run the app on a Dual 2GHz G5, with at least 2GBs of RAM and an ATI 9800 graphics card (the best card you can buy until Apple ships nVidia’s 6800). Your card is especially important as it handles a lot of Motion’s real-time visual maths. So even if you don't have an ATI 9800, you’ll need a pretty good card. Sadly, this means you can’t even boot Motion on many new-ish iMacs, any eMacs or iBooks, and only the last generation or two of PowerBooks. And even with a compatible graphics card, using anything less than a dual G5 can noticeably limit your real-time performance to a few effects on a

few layers. Solid performance, to be sure, but not the “miracle” you’ll enjoy on a dual G5. Another feather in Motion’s cap, though, is its tight integration with other apps. For starters, Motion imports Photoshop files with layers and blend modes intact. And if you’re working with Final Cut Pro HD, you

EFFECTS AND FILTERS Menu design aside, Motion has plenty of other advanced options to keep your creative juices flowing. These include a range of drawing aids, including Bézier and B-spline tools for making complex shapes and compositing masks, and an arsenal of over 90 effects filters for blurs, glows, time effects, distortions, high-end colour correction, and so forth. It even works with thirdparty After Effects filters, although they won’t play in real-time. A first-rate chromakeyer (PrimatteRT) is also built in for separating elements from blue and green screens, while 117 different particle generators cover everything from rain and light waves to fire and smoke, which you can tweak and apply in endless combinations. Mouse gestures enable you to select options more easily, too.

can wave goodbye to the days of rendering out a Final Cut video before it’s ready to import elsewhere. Instead, Motion opens your Final Cut projects natively, leaving cut points, multiple tracks, and any compositing work intact. The reverse is true of DVD Studio Pro: you can create your animated menus in Motion, drag the Motion project into DVDSP, preview the animations, and set up all your interactivity from there. This kind of seamless integration instantly makes Motion our top choice for designing DVD menus, knocking old stalwarts Photoshop and After Effects out of the running. This creative firepower is impressive, but it actually distracts you from the features Motion still lacks. For example, there’s nothing like After Effects’ Expressions, which enable you to combine a wide variety of different effects into one easy-toapply element, saving design time over the long haul. There’s also no Motion Tracker, which takes Motion out of the running for many visual effects shots.

NEXT ISSUE IN ON TEST: Eovia Carrara 4

November 2004

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REVIEW

MA

PLUG-IN

PRICE: $99 CONTACT: Alien Skin www.alienskin.com

Eye Candy 5: Textures The latest Eye Candy offers more of the same wild effects – but is it a case of too little, too late?

FEATURES • Seamless texture generator • Slider-based interface • Filter effects include Animal Fur, Brick Wall, Diamond Plate, Marble, Reptile Skin, Stone Wall, Swirl, Texture Noise, Weave and Wood

SYSTEM • Any PC or Mac capable of running Photoshop

The Diamond Plate filter is especially good. 3D enthusiasts will no doubt find many uses for it.

FOR • Great textures • Easy to use • Versatile

AGAINST • A touch slow

The interface will be familiar to any Alien Skin Software user – it’s clean, simple and packed with options.

Eye Candy, one of the plug-in industry’s longest-running bundles, is now synonymous with crazy effects that you’d find nigh-on impossible (or extremely difficult) to create in Photoshop alone. The latest instalment, Eye Candy 5: Textures, is the first of three upgrades to Eye Candy 4000 and concentrates, as the name suggests, on generating seamless textures for use in your Photoshop work – or, more practically, your 3D apps. The interface is remarkably similar to Alien Skin’s previous offerings: a large preview window, coupled with a host of adjustable tabs and sliders. The suite comprises ten filters in all – Animal Fur, Brick Wall, Diamond Plate, Marble, Reptile Skin, Stone Wall, Swirl, Texture Noise, Weave and Wood – all complemented by a rack of tweakable settings. Open up the Animal Fur filter, for instance, and you’re presented with

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VERDICT Eye Candy 5: Textures is a fun, versatile and (mostly) useful set of filter effects that will be of interest to both the Photoshop creative artist and those preparing textures for use in 3D. Particularly impressive is the Diamond Plate filter, which proves ideal for creating 3D metal effects.

★★★★★ 80

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November 2004

RESOURCE Alien Skin Software is also responsible for acclaimed plugins Xenofex 2, which simulates such natural phenomena as lightning and clouds, and Splat!, an entry-level filter-set for adding frames, creating borders, and so forth. For details, visit www. alienskin.com

a Leopard pattern by default. A pattern dropdown then gives you access to such mammal skins as Cheetah, Dalmatian, Giraffe and Zebra. Now you can use individual sliders to adjust speckle, spot size, pattern spacing and pattern variation. Switch to the Hairs tab and you have control over length, spacing, waves, stiffness and more. An intuitive lighting tab enables you to change highlights and, naturally, you can alter base and spot colours if needs be. You can even apply fur effects to your images, making, er, furry images. It’s not going to impress many, but it’s a neat effect. This attention to detail extends throughout the remaining filters. Marble is particularly realistic, but Diamond Plate is simply stunning (and great for creating realistic metal effects in a 3D app). Unfortunately, Reptile Skin is pretty unrealistic in a 2D context, but once tiled (you can do this with all the effects), could prove

The Animal Fur filter is one of our favourites – either use the vast range of presets or create your own by tweaking its parameters.

useful in a 3D app, particularly where less detail is required – in low poly work, for example. One of our gripes is the speed of the app. As soon as you tweak any setting, the preview updates to show your changes, which is great in theory. In practice, though, unless you’re on the fastest PC or Mac money can buy, it’s a little slow. An option to turn off the interactive preview would’ve been a good idea. One redeeming factor is that you can save and manage your own presets. Very handy, indeed. On balance, the latest Eye Candy filter set both impresses and inspires in equal measure. It isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but the quality of the effects and the numerous settings make it a great, if not essential, buy. 2D artists will enjoy the realistic high-quality textures, of course, but we believe it’s 3D artists who are likely to benefit most from this suite.

REVIEW

3D SOFTWARE PRICE:

R9 core £499 XL Bundle 1,349 STUDIO Bundle £2,199

CONTACT: Maxon 01525 718181 www.maxon.net

FEATURES • Cloth simulator • Sub Polygon displacement • Increased output options • Additional modelling tools • Measuring and construction tool • Polygon brush tool • Ngons • New display modes, Heads-Up Display and improved Open GL handling • Bevel tool

SYSTEM • PC: 1GHz, 512MB RAM, Windows 2000/XP • MAC: 1GHz, 512MB RAM, OS X 10.3

FOR • Modular architecture means you only have to buy the parts you need • Superb, stable work environment • Great free customer support for registered users

AGAINST • Full package is expensive if you need all the modules – Advanced Render is vital if you want the best results • Awkward Bevel tool • Some improvements won’t suit everybody’s workflow

Cinema 4D 9

Maxon’s flagship product comes of age with this latest release Previous versions of Cinema 4D have earned a reputation for stability, speed and ease of use, backed up by first-class customer support. With each iteration, this superb app continues to improve, while still relying heavily on thirdparty software and plug-ins for much of its functionality. With over 100 new features – many previously handled by third party plug-ins – version 9 continues that process of evolution. Such a gradual development is no bad thing, as Cinema 4D 9 retains the feel of earlier versions and enables experienced users to quickly get to grips with its new toolset. Some of the improvements, such as Tools Switching menus, are minor; others, however, are more significant and long overdue. In a move likely to delight old hands, Maxon has finally given in to public demand and provided support for Ngons. It’s great to see this implemented so well, with tools such as Close Hole making great use of the new functionality. Another enhanced modelling tool, Point Slide, works better than its plug-in predecessor, as does a greatly improved Knife. And a new Polygon Brush sculpts your meshes as if you were painting them – very useful (and fun!) when working on organic objects. Maxon has done much to improve workflow, so now you can

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VERDICT Although not quite as feature-rich or complex as Discreet’s 3ds max, Maxon’s Cinema 4D 9 is more than capable of producing results that are as good as, if not better than, its impressive rivals. Cinema 4D should be placed high on the list of anyone shopping for a topquality 3D package.

★★★★★ 82

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November 2004

RECOMME NDED

The simple, customisable workspace, complete with dockable menus, provides an incredible degree of control.

The excellent Cloth simulator and aptly named Dress-O-Matic give superb and accurate results very quickly, but remain user-friendly and easy to understand.

model without breaking away and leaving the main workspace. Aside from new selection tools, there are also extra editing modes, such as Tweak, which helps with the instant selection of faces, points or vertices, and a handy Heads-up Display, which pops up most of the regularly used tools. You can dock menus anywhere within the workspace. Maxon has also made changes to the display modes. Most alterations are beneficial, particularly the colour display for normals, but there are some instances – when working on very complex models, for example – when new tools, such as the Rotate Widget, get in the way. However, this is largely a minor inconvenience offset by the Angle and Measurement tools. Cloth has been added to the Mocca module and it’s very good – fast and intuitive, with real-time edits views and the wonderfully named Dress-O-Matic for creating

RESOURCE If you already own an older R8 iteration of Cinema 4D, you can upgrade as follows: R8.x to R9 core – £209; R8.x XL to R9 XL – £409 and R8.x STUDIO to R9 STUDIO – £449. For more details, check out www.maxon.com.

The new display modes and Heads-Up Display create a much better working environment and improve workflow.

simple clothing. It’s one of the best cloth simulators we’ve ever seen. Other notable inclusions are improvements to the IK system, sub polygon displacement (which requires the Advanced Render module) and a reconfigured core renderer that now allows greater ray depth for better accuracy in calculating alpha transparencies.

REVIEW

3D SOFTWARE PRICE: $189 (approx. £102) Upgrade $99 (approx. £55)

CONTACT:

Swift 3D 4

Add the power of 3D to your Flash projects with this dedicated application

Electric Rain 303 543 8230 www.erain.com

FEATURES • Advanced 3D modelling environment • Precision texture mapping • Animation path tools • Enhanced Extrusion and Lathe editors • Import 3Ds files complete with bitmap textures • Specify surfaces to apply textures • Numeric rotation controls and visual trackball axis cues • Additional gallery items • Web Assistant provides access to resources • Viewport hardware acceleration

With Advanced Modelling capabilities, available via a dedicated tab, it’s now possible to stay within Swift 3D to create more specific edits.

SYSTEM • CPU: 600MHz • RAM: 128MB • OS: Windows 98 or later

FOR • Powerful 3D modelling potential • Enhanced 3Ds import capabilities • Affordable

The Swift 3D interface remains largely unchanged, ensuring a smooth transition from version 3 for existing users. Only minor alterations, made to accommodate the new features, are apparent.

Another tab introduces the vital Web Assistant, which provides easy access to online updates and tutorials.

Macromedia Flash and its related Studio MX 2004 titles are powerful and well-respected applications, but at present they don’t provide any real 3D functionality. So how have those impressive 3D objects you’ve seen flying around online been created? Invariably, with the help of Electric Rain’s excellent Swift 3D. Version 4, much like version 3, is built to impress. The interface layout has been tweaked to accommodate new features, but remains largely unchanged; new users may still find it a little difficult to master, but the tabbed approach – which provides access to the various components – should soon make sense, even to Flash beginners. Hardened 3D designers once criticised Swift 3D for its simplistic approach to 3D modelling – until 3Ds import support became available in version 3. Electric Rain has now

keyframes. Numeric rotation controls and visual trackball axis cues, a feature long requested by users, have also been included. Once your latest 3D Flash masterpiece nears completion, you’ll benefit from the ability to save your creations to galleries. If you need to include your spinning logo within another project, it’s now as simple as digging it out of a saved gallery. Although these new features provide a far more comprehensive range of functions than ever before – for us here at Computer Arts, it’s the ease of use and intuitive logic of the software that makes it so approachable to both new and experienced 3D and Flash designers. Better priced than many professional 3D applications, Electric Rain’s Swift 3D provides more than a reasonable introduction to both forms of media at a level that’s affordable to all.

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AGAINST • Too basic for high-end use • Gallery items can encourage generic results

VERDICT Swift 3D has matured to include a number of features that help the app to perform more consistently. The new modelling environment will please experienced designers, as will the ability to import native bitmap textures with 3Ds files. New users will find the title approachable and easy to master.

★★★★★

improved this facility so that the app recognises the original bitmap textures. Other improvements include an Advanced Modeller, new bevel, animation, lighting and model gallery items for quick-fix solutions, and the ability to save configurations for later use. Now it’s possible to select vertices, edges and faces individually and make use of mesh primitives to adjust parameters and preview final settings. The Extrusion and Lathe tools have also been enhanced to include Copy and Paste features, while a series of popular shapes from within both features will improve workflow – enabling you to modify common objects directly from the available library. New Bézier Path animation controls allow controlled movement of 3D objects, lights and cameras along more precise paths to help smooth transitions through

RESOURCE Check out the following websites for fine examples of just how powerful Swift 3D can be in the right hands: www.2advanced. com; www.disney. com; www.thegap. com and www. dreamworks.com.

November 2004

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REVIEW

GRAPHICS TABLET PRICE: A6: £129.99 A5: £199.99 A4: £305.99 (exc. VAT)

CONTACT: Wacom UK 020 7744 0831 www.wacom-europe.com

Wacom Intuos3 Wacom’s new release stays one step ahead of the competition

FEATURES • Assignable Express Keys • Touch scroll strips • Pen tilt recognition • Cordless and battery-less grip pen capable of detecting over 1,000 pressure levels • Three interchangeable pen nibs • Re-designed casing • Five-button scroll mouse • Pen stand • USB connection • Lightweight

SYSTEM • Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP or later • Mac OS X 10.2.6 or later

FOR • New Keys make the unit more self-contained • Same price as previous model • Interchangeable nibs give more flexibility

AGAINST • Difficult to manoeuvre with mouse

VERDICT Already justly famous for its kit, Wacom is now set to attract even more admirers… The Intuos3 Pen Tablet System is a positive step forwards from previous models. The addition of scroll and Express Key functions and changeable nib options makes it much easier to use and produce great results.

★★★★★ 84

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November 2004

New features ensure the latest Intuos3 tablet is easier to use than ever before.

When it comes to graphics tablets, Wacom’s Intuos range has been at the top of the pile for so long it’s almost become standard issue for graphics professionals – and fans of apps such as Photoshop and Painter. But with low-cost alternatives appearing from the likes of Nisis, the company has now sensibly decided to update its range, resulting in the impressive Intuos3 Pen Tablet System, which aims to be simpler to use yet more functional than its predecessors. As before, the Intuos3 comes in three sizes – A6, A5 and A4 – but has been smoothed out somewhat in design terms and given a more classic-looking finish. The first thing Wacom users will notice about the Intuos3, and this is a major step forward in terms of functionality, is the inclusion of integrated Express Keys on the tablet’s front face – two four-button

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RESOURCE Wacom provides a tips section for Intuos tablet users at www. wacom-europe. com/uk/use-it/ tips-techniques/ index.asp, with advice on how to paint and draw using Wacom’s acclaimed device.

key pads (one four-button pad on the smaller A6 model) that are pre-loaded with frequently used modifier controls such as Alt, Shift and Ctrl. The new key features are also programmable, enabling you to assign whichever keyboard shortcuts you like, and giving a major boost in terms of speed and workflow. We think this makes the Intuos3 tablet more user-friendly and easier to handle than the Intuos2. Wacom has also included a touch strip next to the new Express Keys (A6 model only; the A4 and A5 models have two scroll bars each), a device that operates in the same way as a scroll bar, enabling you to use a finger to zoom into areas of the screen or scroll through documents. At first, we found these new keys a little difficult to use, but, once we became familiar with their functions, we could see how they could speed up workflow and save you the hassle of working between two devices – tablet and keyboard. Away from the tablet itself, Wacom has even found time to spruce up its grip pen. Although a

number of new features have been added, the design is still cordless and battery-less. There’s also a new pen stand and the five-button mouse has been refreshed. Usability and comfort are obviously buzzwords for Wacom’s grip pens, and the model included with the Intuos3 scores highly on both counts. The pen now has more length, plus a rubber-coated shaft and improved tilt-sensitivity and precision. The most significant improvement, however, is an interchangeable nib option, which enables you to switch between standard pen tips, spring-loaded strokes or felt tips for a range of drawing effects. The nibs are easy to swap around and produced some pleasing results, with the felt-tip option in particular creating some very realistic effects. Wacom has also updated its standard mouse device to include five buttons and a scrolling finger wheel, which, although a little cumbersome at times, offers a good range of functionality. The prices for the Wacom Intuos3 have thankfully held steady, ranging from £129.99 (exc. VAT) for the A6 model to £305.99 (exc. VAT) for the A4 model. This technology, it seems, is still affordable for everyone from professionals to prosumers.

REVIEW

GRAPHICS SOFTWARE

PRICE: £249 £99 upgrade CONTACT: Corel 01628 589800 www.corel.co.uk

Painter 9

RECOMME NDED

The latest version of Corel’s natural media painting package is the best yet

FEATURES • Natural media painting • Texture and canvas controls • Artists’ Oils digital oil paint • Digital watercolour • Brush controls palette • Tracker palette enhancements • Customisable keyboard shortcuts • Mixer palette • Iterative save • KPT filters • Quick Clone

Painter 9’s innovative Quick Clone feature sets up everything for you automatically when you want to create a work of art from a photograph.

SYSTEM

Mac: • Mac OS X (10.2.8 or higher) • Power Mac G3, 128MB RAM, 395MB HD space • 24-bit colour display • 1,024x768 monitor resolution PC: • Windows 2000 or XP • Pentium II processor, 128MB RAM, 380MB HD space • 24-bit colour display • 1,024x768 monitor resolution

FOR • Brilliant oil paint emulation • Faster painting • Improved digital watercolour works brilliantly

AGAINST • Nothing we can think of

VERDICT Under Corel’s expert guidance, the accomplished Painter continues to improve with each new release, adding some truly revolutionary artistic tools and a welcome workflow boost. If you want realistic digital paint, there really is no other option. Buy it now. You won’t regret it.

★★★★★

ABOVE: The new Artists’ Oils system works fantastically well. You can even add a finite amount of oil paint to a brush and let it run out on the canvas. RIGHT: KPT Effects filters add value to Painter 9 and will help you create some interesting and varied effects.

Painter is one of those apps that, no matter how long you use it, continues to amaze at every turn. Widely regarded as the number one natural media tool on any platform, it offers a fantastic array of brushes, effects and canvases that recreate traditional, real-life mediums – and version 9 looks set to be the best yet. The most significant addition in terms of painting tools is the Artists’ Oils feature. Available as a new brush, with a new set of controls, this tool enables you to load up a brush with a finite amount of paint that runs out as you run your mouse, or stylus, across the canvas. This itself offers an almost infinite amount of artistic possibilities. For instance, once you’ve completed your stroke and the brush is “dry”, by keeping the mouse button held down or stylus on the tablet, you can go back into the painted area and work it around – just as you could do with real wet oil

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paint on a canvas. Artists’ Oils also enables you to adjust Viscosity and Blend, as well as change Brush Bristling, Clumpiness and Trail-off. In addition, you can change the Canvas Wetness from the Artists’ Oils control palette. There are many tip options – with a palette knife that enables you to mix paint directly on the canvas, or via a wet oily brush, adding “white spirit” to the paint for a finer, smoother texture. The Mixer Palette introduced in version 8 has also been improved to work with the Artists’ Oils feature, so you can select a section of the mixed colour to apply to your canvas. Moving on to other new features, Painter 9 introduces a handy Brush Controls interface element, which enables you to quickly adjust all brush controls. Each palette is context-sensitive, so only displays the slider-based options if the brush is selected in the main options bar. Snap-to-path painting is an interesting new addition, and

RESOURCE Corel’s website at www.corel.co.uk has several freely downloadable PDF tutorials that will help you master Painter. Topics include “Colouring and Drawing using Digital Water Colour”, “Transforming a Photograph into a Painting” and many more.

basically adds the ability to stroke a Bézier path with any available brush. Handy when you need a perfect curve. Digital Watercolour, introduced in the last version, adds the ability to dynamically change the wet fringe effect of the paint drying on paper. The watercolour paint also stays wet between sessions when you add, edit and finish with a watercolour layer, which means you can come back and carry on with a wet canvas. A small, yet useful, feature. Enhancements to the Tracker palette (which enable you to trace the use of recent brushes) include the ability to lock brushes for instant access and recall brushes from the last painting session. An iterative Save feature, customisable keyboard shortcuts, the ability to rotate and flip your canvas (about time, too), fps controls for those animating with Painter, and a Quick Clone for those wanting to quickly change a photo into a piece of art, round off what is an already impressive upgrade. You even get a selection of the brilliant KPT Effects filters, namely KPT Gel, KPT Goo, KPT LensFlare, KPT Lightning, KPT Pyramid Paint, KPT Reaction, and KPT ShapeShifter. Painter 9 is fast, fun to use and extremely powerful; and it’s well on its way to seamlessly blurring digital and traditional media. The only thing that’s a little dodgy is the packaging and splash screen. Otherwise, this program is absolutely essential.

November 2004

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REVIEW

LCD MONITOR PRICE: £1,275 CONTACT: BenQ UK 01442 301 000 www.benq.co.uk

BenQ FP231W

A 23-inch wide-angle wonder from LCD monitor mainstay BenQ – but will it satisfy all your requirements?

FEATURES • Massive 23-inch WUXGA screen • Impressive 1920x1200 resolution • Contrast ratio of 500:1 • Response time of 16ms • Tilt, height and swivel adjustments • Four USB 2.0 ports • Picture-in-picture capability • D-Sub, DVI, S-Video and Composite inputs • Thin-design bezel • Easy to navigate controls

FOR • Large display space • Great picture quality • Relatively low price

AGAINST • Speakers not included • Needs add-ons for HDTV • Stand design is chunky

Widescreen monster: BenQ’s display delivers great picture quality over a massive area.

LCD screens have gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months, with wider landscape models rapidly becoming the display of choice for those needing a wide aspect workspace, particularly for creative work. With Apple and NEC releasing blindingly successful widescreen LCD monitors and other market competitors, such as Sony and LG, consistently producing quality products, pretenders to the LCD monitor throne face some stiff competition, particularly as prices can vary by up to £700. Acer’s Taiwanese BenQ subsidiary has been a mainstay of the LCD market for some time, earning a reputation for solidly

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VERDICT The FP231W is an impressive widescreen LCD monitor that delivers in terms of resolution and picture quality. Ideal if you’re in the market for an effective creative monitor, but less useful if you’re after a dual-purpose professional unit and HDTV screen for domestic viewing.

★★★★★ 86

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November 2004

manufactured products sold with reliable back-up and warranties. The FP231W is a continuation of the vendor’s solid track record in delivering monitors capable of strong performance. The FP231W packs a mighty 23-inch punch in terms of its display, so it’s aiming to appeal to the exacting standards of the design professional. With a monitor this big, you can easily fit layout and double-paged design jobs into the seemingly endless screen, a feature that InDesign and Photoshop users will love. In terms of design and ease of use, the FP231W scores highly once more. It’s very easy to assemble – the display clicking snugly into

RESOURCE If the 23 inches on offer aren’t that vital, why not try NEC Mitsubishi’s 20.1-inch alternative, the 2080UX+? We reviewed it only last issue, where we awarded it a full five stars. “One of the sharpest and most impressive LCD screens we’ve seen in a long time”, we said. For details, visit www.necmitsubishi.com.

place in its stand which, although a bit chunky and utilitarian, still adds up to a small footprint that won’t eat up desk space. The bezel size is slim, too, giving the overall impression of loads of screen without being too space hungry. The stand gives superb control over the display, enabling you to tilt and swivel left to right by up to 45 degrees, or adjust the height setting by up to 13cm, all of which give an impressive range of options for personal or group presentation use. In terms of picture quality, we were pretty impressed. The FP231W features a pixel resolution of 1920x1200 and a contrast ratio of 500:1, which gives you enough quality for HDTV, but not without a bit of extra legwork. The monitor lacks the required video inputs, so needs a VGA or DVI output. Otherwise, aside from some contrast and brightness issues and some problems with dark values when the monitor is pushed to the limit, we achieved clear results with sharp and crisp images. We think the FP231W is the kind of monitor you could spend a lot of time in front of, without feeling tired. Other impressive features include a fast 16ms response time, four USB 2.0 ports – two of which are well positioned on the left-hand side of the screen – and easyto-navigate manual controls. The monitor also allows for multiple picture-in-picture display through its S-Video and Composite inputs. The monitor is peripheral ready, has a USB port positioned along its top horizontal edge and can also accommodate speakers (if required for multimedia work). Our main criticism is connected to this in that the stuff that hasn’t come as standard, such as HDTV readiness and speakers, would make the unit a much more indispensable buy. But these gripes aside – leaving them out has kept the cost down – this is an impressive unit.

BOOKS

BOOKS

The best reads this month on computer arts

THIS IS A MAGAZINE COMPENDIUM #3: CHAOS HAPPENS

HANDWRITTEN: EXPRESSIVE LETTERING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

PHOTOSHOP PRODUCTIVITY TOOLKIT

HELLO DUUDLE

AUTHORS::A. Simionato & K. Donnachie PRICE: 29 euros (approx £20) plus shipping PUBLISHER: www.thisisamagazine.com ISSN: 1721-4904 This is a Magazine is a 300-page hard-copy compendium of the popular online webzine put together in Milan by Andy Simionato and Karen Ann Donnachie. Featuring work from a number of European designers, it aims to deconstruct and subvert standard magazine design formats and is heavy on photography and illustration. One thing you won’t find is anything to actually read. Whether or not this works is pretty subjective, but the myriad different papers, fold-ins, pop-ups and books-within-books included here should keep even the most cynical design enthusiast busy for days.

AUTHORS::S. Heller and M. Ilic PRICE: £25 PUBLISHER: Thames & Hudson ISBN: 0-50051-171-3 The next big trend in typography, the authors of this book tell us, is the handcrafted letter. Bringing together recent work from hundreds of graphic artists, Handwritten examines the back-to-basics type movement through examples such as scrawl, scratch and shadow. Although the book left us with a slight yearning for computer-created type, it does open up a world of possibilities and through the work of artists such as Robert Crumb shows exactly what can be achieved.

AUTHOR::A. Ward PRICE: £25 PUBLISHER: Sybex International ISBN: 0-78214-334-2 Photoshop offers users a huge array of features and functionality but, at the same time, is an often complex program that can be daunting to learn and easy to get lost in. This title, authored by self-proclaimed Photoshop addict Al Ward, sets out to demystify the software and help users to reduce the number of repetitive tasks undertaken. Although clumsily written at times, it details 600 Photoshop actions to open up hidden functions to all users. The book comes with a CD containing actions that enable you to put Photoshop theory into practice, some of which come free on this month’s cover CD.

AUTHORS::J. Burgerman and S. Ehlers PRICE: £15 PUBLISHER: Day 14 Ltd ISBN: 0-95465-563-X Jon Burgerman and Sune Ehlers’ excellent collaborative book of doodles, which opens up into a 1.5 metre frieze, comes in a neat plastic envelope and includes a brilliant set of duudle stickers. Printed on extra thick, high-quality stock and created via an ongoing game of “Photoshop ping pong”, the book features favourite Burgerman and Ehlers characters such as Car Dogs, Tim Karry and, er, Mungmush, as well as special hidden doodles printed throughout in spot UV. Get Duudling!

November 2004

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GROUP TEST

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November 2004

GROUP TEST

JAWS PDF CREATOR 3.4 P90

FLASHPAPER 2 P90

GROUP TEST

PDF CREATION SOFTWARE

CLICK TO CONVERT 5.3 P91

If you need to produce PDF documents for sharing or publishing electronically, there are a number of low-cost alternatives to the topheavy Adobe Acrobat that might suit you better. We test five of the best You don’t need Adobe Acrobat to create PDFs. Many business and graphic design programs can export documents directly to PDF format, for example, without installing Acrobat. All you actually need is a “virtual printer” to make the conversion for you, and there are plenty of non-Adobe products of this kind on the market, all of which cost much less. To be fair, creating PDFs is just one of the jobs that Adobe Acrobat is capable of. It’s also a multimedia presentation program, a document collaboration medium, an electronic book-publishing package, an indexed information archival system, and more. So before you gripe

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about the hefty £464 price tag, do bear in mind that you get all this plus an advanced pre-press delivery mechanism and built-in OCR engine, too. But if your work simply requires you to produce straightforward PDF documents on a regular basis – from Microsoft Word or a web browser for archiving, sharing or electronic publishing, for example – a full copy of Acrobat might be overkill. For only £60 or less, any of the programs tested here will churn out PDFs quickly and reliably, generating style-based bookmarks and preserving hypertext links along the way. Illustration by Tado. www.tado.co.uk

PDF CREATE! 2 P91

PDF FACTORY PRO 2.27 P92

November 2004

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GROUP TEST

Jaws PDF Creator 3.4

FlashPaper 2

Produce PDFs and SWFs,fast – even from your desktop

Serious PDF conversion without the effort PRICE: £61.89 STREET PRICE: £52 CONTACT: 01223 873800 www.jawspdf.com

Although one of the simpler PDF creation utilities to use, Jaws PDF Creator makes full use of pre-press quality conversion technology, and, as a result, produces first-rate PDFs. You can create PDFs from any program using the Jaws virtual printer driver, where you simply pick an output option and go. The software operates in a similar way to Adobe Acrobat Distiller, in that the PDF creation settings are established first as presets. You then just choose the most appropriate preset – helpful if you have a number of different but regular PDF setups and don’t want to see a complete Options dialog window for each job. Custom menu commands and a Quick-Create button have been added to the Microsoft Word interface, but no other program. So when creating a PDF from a Word file, you can

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VERDICT

convert styles to bookmarks and keep internet links active, although again, settings must be established in advance. Clicking on the Jaws PDF Creator button in Word produces an instant PDF, without any further prompts or options. An additional utility, provided for single or batch conversion of PostScript files to PDF, will be of particular use to pre-press designers. After all, none of the other programs on test match Jaws PDF Creator for its specialist prepress functions. The program’s core technology is the same as that built into the PDF export functions of QuarkXPress 6.x, so while it’s a great all-rounder, not least because it lets you specify view settings for Adobe Reader, it is probably also the best choice if you need to produce quick but accurate PDFs for professional colour output.

★★★★★

If you thought only an Adobe product could produce pre-press quality PDFs, Jaws PDF Creator will prove you wrong. But it's just as good at handling everyday office documents, especially Word files.

90

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PRICE: £49 STREET PRICE: £49 CONTACT: 0131 4586766 www.macromedia.com/uk For those interested in thespian lore, “flash paper” is the name given to a chemical paper that explodes into a flash of coloured flame when lit, as used by conjurors and pantomime baddies for generations. But here, it’s a Macromedia software product for producing cross-platform electronic documents from any program. Like Click to Convert, it creates dual formats, but this time these are PDF and SWF (the Flash movie format). FlashPaper is the easiest to use of all five products on test because it doesn’t prompt you with any settings, except when giving you the option to add a security password. You can create PDFs from any program, by printing to a virtual printer, from Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint using the menu commands or FlashPaper button bar. Exporting from Office in this way

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RESOURCE Global Graphics offers a range of plug-ins that work with Jaws PDF Creator 3.4 to help you produce “best practice” PDFs that are compliant with graphic arts workflows. Find out more at www.jawspdf.com.

VERDICT

is particularly satisfying because it’s so fast: within a second, a preview of the exported document has opened within the FlashPaper Viewer. From here you can scroll around the preview, zoom in and out, and even search for text strings, before clicking on the Save as PDF or the Save as Macromedia Flash button. The resulting PDF is saved instantly. FlashPaper can also be invoked from within Explorer’s right-click contextual menu. Select one or more files on the desktop, right-click the mouse, and convert the lot to PDF with one command. Not so helpful is the way the program hides the image compression and resolution settings. And while FlashPaper does not generate particularly big files, they are not the smallest we achieved in testing and there’s not much you can do to make them smaller.

★★★★★

FlashPaper is a slick way of creating high-quality versions of your documents for electronic distribution. Customisation options are limited, but this makes the program even easier to use.

GROUP TEST

Click to Convert 5.3

PDF Create! 2

No-compromise PDF generation for those in the know

Create PDFs and HTML files quickly, and simultaneously PRICE: $89 (approx. £50) STREET PRICE: $89 (approx. £50) CONTACT: 00 49 2213108830 0 www.clicktoconvert.com

Click to Convert is a mini publisher of two file formats, PDF and HTML. You can output to one or both formats at the same time. But although this dual functionality will be very useful to some users, here we have solely concentrated on PDF creation. The Click to Convert utility is installed as a virtual printer for use with any program, and the basic functions are good for what at first appears to be a basic package. It supports both of Acrobat’s password security levels (40bit and 128bit) and allows you to specify how the PDF is first viewed when opened in Adobe Reader. Usefully, it can also generate legacy PDF 1.2 documents, so you can work with those users still running Acrobat 3.0. Archivists will also be impressed by the program’s ability to generate PDFs and automatically

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VERDICT

upload them to a predetermined location on an FTP server. Click to Convert adds menu commands and buttons to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and can also convert structured styles, tables of contents and URLs to bookmarks and links. A utility run from the Start menu also allows you to build a sequence of multiple documents for batch conversion. Unfortunately, there’s no option to customise the image compression or resolution settings. In our tests, the program produced PDFs with very large file sizes, yet without any compression options there’s little that can be done about this other than relying on substitute rather than embedded fonts. But there’s much more control over HTML production in terms of image handling, and as such, the PDF production features take second place.

★★★★★

This package will suit those who need to churn out documents in both PDF and HTML formats for dual electronic publishing streams or archives, but keeping file sizes down can be tricky.

PRICE: £39.99 STREET PRICE: £32 CONTACT: 0870 8708085 www.scansoft.co.uk At first glance, PDF Create! appears fiddly and complex, especially when compared to the slimline interfaces of FlashPaper and Click to Convert. Indeed, the range and presentation of the program’s options are reminiscent of Adobe Acrobat itself, or those Adobe programs that provide a PDF export facility. But if you know the particular configuration of PDF you’re after, PDF Create! is a great choice. The program adds a virtual print driver to Windows so that you can generate PDFs from any application. And the creation options are quite thorough, despite the inability to set a default opening view magnification, which most of the other programs can. PDF Create! is the only product of the five on test to produce version 1.5 PDFs (as supported by Acrobat 6.0) and let you set a custom font subsetting threshold below 100 per

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RESOURCE Fancy giving Click to Convert a go, but not sure if it’s right for you? Why not download the fully-functional 15-day evaluation version from www. clicktoconvert. com/download/ download.html.

VERDICT

cent. Like Jaws PDF Creator, it also supports Adobe Reader’s optimized web viewing feature. We especially like the way you can fully customise image compression and resampling or, if you prefer, determine your overall preferences on a simple quality-vs-compression slider. PDF Create! adds special menus and buttons to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and, most usefully, Outlook. So it’s easy to preserve hyperlinks and convert type styles to bookmarks automatically. It even handles headers and footnotes and a separate utility launched from the Start menu lets you build a list of documents for batch conversion. On test, PDF Create! did not produce the smallest PDF files of the five programs, but the full set of compression options and its ability to determine the format and resolution of the images compensates for that.

★★★★★

Anyone looking for a program that creates PDFs, without pestering you for details, should look elsewhere. But when the precise configuration of your PDFs really matters, PDF Create! does the job.

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GROUP TEST

RECOMME NDED

PRICE: £59.15 STREET PRICE: £58.59 CONTACT: FinePrint (Software Partners) 01926 842998 www.fineprint.com

FEATURES • Virtual print driver • Pre-conversion document preview • Generates bookmarks and hyperlinks from any document • Security and view options • Custom image compression and resolution • Batch processing

FOR • Very fast performance • Creates very compact PDFs • Does not rely upon integration with Microsoft Office for bookmark generation.

AGAINST • Does not offer a full set of compression and resolution options • No “optimize for web” feature • Not the cheapest PDF creation program around

VERDICT pdfFactory’s hands-on approach to mapping bookmarks to type styles won’t suit everyone, but it does allow you to produce fullybookmarked PDFs from any software application (with text in it, that is) under the sun. For overall flexibility, speed and compact file size, pdfFactory Pro is a must.

★★★★★ 92

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November 2004

pdfFactory Pro 2.27 Quickly create highly compact and navigable PDFs from a range of applications Of the five programs on test, pdfFactory Pro 2.27 stands out for its lack of Microsoft Office integration: there are no special menus and no button bars. All you get is a virtual print driver. But this doesn’t mean that the program offers a restricted functionality when used with Microsoft Office. Instead, pdfFactory extends its special features across all applications. When printing to the driver, you are presented with a seven-tab options window. The program remembers the last arrangement of settings you used, and includes a feature, similar to Autosave, that memorises several previous arrangements for easy recall. Although you can’t save topic settings individually as you can with ScanSoft’s PDF Create!, you can save entire setups as additional print drivers, each with custom names. The program’s settings offer everything you’ll need for embedding fonts and compressing images, and you can choose between 40bit and

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RESOURCE By adding FinePrint to your pdfFactory Pro software you could gain a bundle of additional capabilities – watermarks, headers and footers, page numbering, electronic letterheads, n-up layouts and gutters. Visit www. fineprint.com/ products/ pdffactory/index. html for more info.

128bit security levels if you wish to assign password access to a document. There are also useful facilities for instantly opening the created PDF in Adobe Reader, automatically emailing it to a specified recipient, and for building batch conversion jobs. But the features are not comprehensive: sadly, you can’t switch between ZIP and JPEG file formats for images, for example, and the resolution setting is a single one-size-fits-all “dpi” slider, which applies to everything throughout the document. But on the other hand, pdfFactory is well endowed with options for opening the PDFs it generates to a particular zoom on a specific page. You can also apply custom data to the PDF’s metadata, including title, subject and indexing keywords. But one of the program’s best features is its ability to analyse type styles within a document and let you assign bookmark levels to them. Other PDF conversion programs rely upon integration with Microsoft Word

to do this, using Word’s named styles as a level-mapping guide. The fact that pdfFactory uses raw typestyles to map out the PDF bookmarks means you can do this for any kind of document in any application, including web pages within any internet browser. Another nice touch is the way documents are previewed before conversion in the pdfFactory dialog window. If you’re building a batch job, for example, you can quickly preview all the documents by clicking on their names before they’re converted to into PDFs. Speed and efficiency are evident in the program, too. As well as being one of the fastest PDF creation programs on test here, it regularly produced the smallest PDF file sizes. As you customise the settings in the pdfFactory Pro dialog window, an updated estimate of the resulting PDF’s file size is shown. This way, you know instantly if any more work is required to get the compression balance right.

GROUP TEST

CONCLUSION There’s more than one way to de-pelt a feline, and your choice of PDF creation utility very much depends upon the purpose you’ll put it to. You may be using PDF as a delivery medium for pre-press output or simply as a means of sharing a document with a colleague. Equally, you might want to produce PDFs for precise electronic publishing or churn out dozens on a daily basis for archival purposes. Many more PDF creation software products exist than the five reviewed here, but these were not included because they were either too general or too specialist in

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PRODUCT

scope. One such product is pdf995 (www.pdf995.com), a free PDF conversion front-end to GNU GhostScript under Windows, paid for by pop-up adverts whenever you convert a document. Another is PStill (www.stone.com), which adds PDF creation and optimisation settings to the existing Mac OS X interface. That said, we felt Instant PDF (www.enfocus.com) went the other way, by focusing too exclusively on high-end pre-press to be comparable with the other products. It’s pricey, too, at £200. However, our preferred choice of pdfFactory Pro 2.27 from FinePrint should not discount the others from your

JAWS PDF CREATOR 3.4

FLASHPAPER 2

list of potential purchases. The product balances flexibility with customisability, runs like the clappers and produces small files, but if you prefer more precise control over your PDFs, ScanSoft’s PDF Create! 2 might make a better buy. If your work demands professional colour output from the PDFs, or if you want to process PostScript files, you would be better off with Jaws PDF Creator 3.4. And if the precise resolution of images is of no importance to you, the speedy and simple interfaces of FlashPaper 2 and Click to Convert would beat the others hands down.

CLICK TO CONVERT 5.3

PDF CREATE! 2

PDF FACTORY PRO 2.27

RECOMMEN DED

PRICE

£61.89

£49

$89 (approx. £50)

£39.99

£59.15

PDF VERSIONS

1.3, 1.4

1.4 only

1.2, 1.3, 1.4

1.3, 1.4, 1.5

1.2, 1.3, 1.4

OPTIMIZE FOR WEB VIEWING

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

EMBED FONT SUBSETS

Yes - fixed threshold

Yes – fixed threshold

Yes – fixed threshold

Yes – custom threshold

Yes – fixed threshold

CREATE & PUBLISH TO FTP SERVER

No

No

Yes

No

No

COLOUR/GREY IMAGE COMPRESSION

ZIP, JPEG

No options

No options

ZIP, JPEG, JPEG 2000

JPEG

MONO IMAGE COMPRESSION

ZIP, CCIT Group 4

No options

No options

ZIP, CCIT Group 4, Run Length

JPEG

SAVE COMPRESSION SETTINGS

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

SECURITY LEVELS

40bit

128bit

40bit, 128bit

40bit, 128bit

40bit, 128bit

SAVE SECURITY SETTINGS

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

WATERMARKS

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

MICROSOFT OFFICE INTEGRATIONINTEGRATION

Menu, button bar

Menu, button bar

Menu, button bar

Menu, button bar

No

PRESERVES WORD INTERNET LINKS

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

PDF MAGNIFICATION WHEN OPENED

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

November 2004

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BUYER’S GUIDE Graphics and layout software

WELCOME

P96 PHOTOSHOP CS

The industry-standard image editor Welcome to the Computer Arts Buyer’s Guide – an indispensable resource that summarises popular products we’ve tried and tested in previous issues. It saves you flicking through your back issues to find out how we scored a particular product; here you can simply see at a glance what we thought of it. Every month, we update the section with our latest reviews, ensuring that you’re always up to date when it comes to making that vital buying decision. Note also that the price we print is the

RRP suggested by the manufacturer, so you could pay less if you shop around. Indeed, when it comes to locating the best bargains, the internet should always be your first port of call. Whether you buy directly via an e-tailer, or use a dedicated website’s search facilities to snap up a brilliant deal, there’s no better way to make your money go further. RECOMMENDED URLS: www.ebay.co.uk, www.dabs.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.kelkoo.com

3D software P96 ZBRUSH 2

Truly stunning 3D modeller

Mobile hard drives P97 LACIE MOBILE HARD DRIVE Low price and great features

Digital SLRs P97 CANON EOS 10D

Superbly featured digital SLR

Scanners and printers P97 EPSON PERFECTION 4870 First-class scanner

Graphics cards P97 FIREGL X2 256T

Top-end, pro-level performer

Digital video P98 FINAL CUT PRO HD

The latest version hits the mark

Plug-ins P98 NIK COLOR EFEX PRO Terrific set of colour filters

Graphic tablets P99 WACOM INTUOS2 A4 REGULAR PLATINUM

Web, animation, CD/DVD P99 DVD STUDIO PRO 3

Creative heaven for DVD writers

DVD writers P99 ADOBE ENCORE DVD 1.5

Superb features and great authoring options

VERDICT ★★★★★ OUR RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED:

All our products go through rigorous testing to get a rating our verdict95 September Julyin 2004 and only truly outstanding and essential pieces of kit receive five out of five

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BUYER’S GUIDE

GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT SOFTWARE NAME

MAC PC?

DESCRIPTION

MANUFACTURER

PRICE

WEBSITE

ISSUE

VERDICT

STUDIO ARTIST 3

Mac

Image processing and real-time video effects in this, the latest edition of the world’s only “graphics synthesiser”.

Synthetik Software

$379

www.synthetik.com

95

★★★★ Not the easiest graphics package to get to

ILLUSTRATOR CS

Mac PC

Industry standard vector graphics software – a vital tool for anyone who needs to design for print or the web.

Adobe

£511

www.adobe.co.uk

89

★★★★ Offers smaller improvements across the

PHOTOSHOP CS

Mac PC

The design daddy, the creative king, and the industry standard professional image editor.

Adobe

£605

www.adobe.co.uk

89

FREEHAND MX

Mac PC

An easy-to-learn graphics environment for designing illustrations and organising data for print/web or Flash.

Macromedia

£299

www.macromedia. com

82

Mac PC

The tried-and-tested publishing tool of yesteryear plods into the present. Better late than never…

Quark

http://euro.quark. com

87

INDESIGN CS

Mac PC

Adobe’s DTP upstart comes of age as QuarkXPresskiller InDesign approaches industry-standard status.

Adobe

£716

www.adobe.co.uk/ products/indesign

67

COREL PAINTER 8

Mac PC

The ultimate digital sketching and painting app, with over 400 brushes and over 30 mediums to paint with.

Corel

£367

www.corel.co.uk/ painter8

84

GRAPHICS SUITE 12

Mac PC

Education-tailored vector graphics package with sketching capabilities and intelligent drawing tools.

Corel

www.corel.co.uk

94

FIREWORKS MX 2004

Mac PC

Create, optimise and integrate great web graphics, from simple buttons to sophisticated rollover animations.

Macromedia

£249

www.macromedia. com

71

★★★★ No crass effects and gizmos; just smart

PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 2.0

Mac PC

Share your photos as prints, by email or via the web. Great fixing tools, too, streamlined for easier use.

Adobe

£77

www.adobe.co.uk

73

★★★★ Don’t dismiss Elements as a cut-down

SKETCHBOOK PRO

Mac PC

Fuss-free paint and drawing application with customisable markers, pens, brushes and airbrushes.

Alias

QUARKXPRESS 6

grips with, but persevere and it comes into its own. board, but not exactly what you’d call a huge upgrade.

★★★★ Improvements across the board make this a more versatile tool than ever.

£1,095

£422

DED RECOMMEN

★★★★★ A rock-solid release that offers a plethora of invaluable tools.

★★★ A comfortable and familiar upgrade,

DED RECOMMEN

but InDesign still has the edge, design-wise.

★★★★ InDesign now simply amazes – and utterly trounces QuarkXPress.

★★★★★ A stunning tool that’s more powerful and more intuitive than ever.

DED RECOMMEN

★★★ A good combination of bitmap, vector and animation tools at a decent price. changes to improve an already praiseworthy app.

version of its big brother – it’s much more than that! $179

www.alias.com

100

★★★★ A well-designed app that focuses on ease of use rather than unnecessary extra features.

3D SOFTWARE

96

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POSER 5

Mac PC

Leading 3D character design and animation tool for artists and animators, with ready-to-use models.

Curious Labs

289 euros

www.curiouslabs. com

76

★★★ Despite shortfalls, Poser proves handy for scene visualisation and quick character set-ups.

SHAKE 3.5

Mac PC

Small but effective update for Apple’s industry-standard compositing and visual effects application.

Apple

£2,099

www.apple.com/uk/ shake

99

★★★★★ Excellent colour correction tools from Apple’s pricey but powerful app.

3DS MAX 6

Mac PC

Acclaimed modelling, animation and rendering solution used by 3D artists worldwide.

Discreet

£2,814

www.discreet.com

92

★★★★ Vertex Painting should keep

MAYA 6

Mac PC

Academy Award®-winning 3D animation and effects software that’s become the film industry’s favourite tool.

Alias

£1,645

www.alias.com

97

VUE 4 PROFESSIONAL

Mac PC

Natural 3D scenery rendering package that enables you to generate lush landscapes at the click of a button.

e-o n Software

£419

www.e-onsoftware. com

91

★★★★ A cut above other 3D packages – and

BRYCE 5

Mac PC

Create ultra-realistic 3D landscapes and animations. Boasts network rendering, and new light and tree tabs.

DAZ

$80

www.daz3d.com

61

★★★★ Great for creating lush yet believable

TRUESPACE 6.6

Mac PC

Popular and powerful 3D animation and rendering package. Features an enhanced particle system.

Caligari

$595

www.caligari.com

85

SILO

PC

Affordable polygon-modelling program that aims to be a cheap yet powerful alternative to its pricier peers.

Nevercenter

$109

www.nevercenter. com

93

DED RECOMMEN

3ds max popular in the games industry.

★★★★ Alias has made major improvements, although the app remains as tricky to master. soon-to-be leader in its field. landscapes and spectacular architecture.

★★★ A worthy 3D program, rich in features, but poor workflow makes using it a chore.

★★★★ Professional-level modelling tools at your fingertips for a fraction of the cost. Great value.

CINEMA 4D 8.5

Mac PC

Powerful yet accessible 3D modelling and animation application, widely used in the film industry.

Maxon

£499

www.maxon.net

97

MOJOPACK

Mac PC

Compendium of planets, plug-ins, terrain maps and tutorials for planet/landscape-generator MojoWorld.

Pandromeda

$99

www.pandromeda. com

97

★★★ An interesting collection, but hardly a substitute for a full-on MojoWorld update.

ZBRUSH 2

PC

V2 of this innovative 2D painting/3D modelling hybrid is faster than ever and boasts hi-res mesh support.

Pixologic

$489

www.pixologic.com

98

★★★★★ A stunning 3D package that sets

LIGHTWAVE 3D 8

Mac PC

A long-awaited upgrade of this highly competitive industry standard 3D modelling and animation package.

NewTek

£699

www.newtek.com

93

N/A Brand new bones and dynamics systems make LightWave 8 a force to be reckoned with.

SOFTIMAGE XSI 4.0

PC

This world-leading 3D modeller comes in three flavours: Advanced, Essentials and Foundation.

Softimage

$1,995 -$8,995

www.softimage.com

100

★★★★ Manipulating curves and NURBS is still a

AMAPI 7 PRO

Mac PC

Latest iteration of Eovia’s classic app now comes with a new NURBS kernel and Dynamic Geometry.

Eovia

$799

www.eovia.com

101

November 2004

★★★★ Create realistic images with ease. New features include extra shaders and better Booleans.

a new standard for detailed polygon modelling.

little inadequate, but the rest makes up for it.

★★★★ A powerful NURBS modeller for the professional designer, modeller or animator.

DED RECOMMEN

BUYER’S GUIDE

MOBILE HARD DRIVES NAME

MAC PC?

SHORT DESCRIPTION

MANUFACTURER

PRICE

WEBSITE

ISSUE

VERDICT

LACIE BIG DISK EXTREME 500

Mac PC

500GB FireWire hard drive

LaCie

£420

www.lacie.com

97

★★ A stylish, powerful and versatile hard drive – let down by potentially disastrous reliability issues.

MOBILE HARD DRIVE

Mac PC

20GB, 40GB, 80GB hard drive

LaCie

£85£200

www.lacie.com

97

★★★★★ Swift auto-installation (without drivers),

DED RECOMMEN

top transfer rates, and a great low price!

DIGITAL SLRS NIKON D70

Mac PC

An upgrade of Nikon’s D100, but at half the price – and a capable answer to Canon’s 300D.

Nikon

£800

www.nikon.co.uk

97

★★★★ Superbly kitted out and built to tough specifications, the D70 betters the D100.

OLYMPUS CAMEDIA E-1

Mac PC

Smart design enables Olympus’ first foray into the digital SLR world to accommodate smaller lenses.

Olympus

£1,400

www.olympus.co.uk

97

★★★★ A cracking build and a vast array of features make the E-1 a highly attractive proposition.

FUJIFILM FINEPIX S2 PRO

Mac PC

Competent digital shutterbug with Super CCD that can capture 12MP images (with interpolation).

Fujifilm

£1,500

www.fuji.co.uk

97

★★★★ A bulky, weighty SLR that delivers crisp, clear, colour-

CANON EOS 300D

Mac PC

The first genuinely budget SLR to hit the market – with easy-to-use controls and limited functions.

Canon

£900

www.canon.co.uk

97

★★★ An average SLR that’s unfortunately showing its age – now

CANON EOS 10D

Mac PC

Critically acclaimed digital SLR that’s exceptionally well put together.

Canon

£1,400

www.canon.co.uk

97

★★★★★ First class images, superb magnesium

accurate images every time. superseded by Nikon's D70. alloy body and great features.

DED RECOMMEN

SCANNERS AND PRINTERS CANON I990 BUBBLE JET

Mac PC

Colour photo printing with the world’s first six-colour printer. An additional red greatly enhances quality.

Canon

£299

www.canon.co.uk

95

CANON I965 BUBBLE JET

Mac PC

Fast (full A4 photo in under a minute) and economical printer with borderless photo printing facility.

Canon

£255

www.canon.co.uk

96

★★★★ Superfast photo printer that simply trounces the competition. Another winner from Canon.

HP DESKJET 9670

Mac PC

An attractive A3 device aimed at the graphics professional – and at a decent price, too.

HP

£399

www.hp/com/uk

93

★★★★ Admittedly, not as fast as one of Canon’s devices, but it

CANOSCAN 8000F

Mac PC

Entry-level scanner with FARE Level 1 auto-correction technology. Can scan up to the edge of the bed.

Canon

£175

www.canon.co.uk

98

★★★ Good capabilities at a very good price, but none of its

HP SCANJET 8200

Mac PC

4800x4800dpi resolution A4 scanner with 48-bit colour sensitivity and good software package.

HP

£449

www.hp.com/uk

98

★★ Specs-wise, this sounds a dream; in practice, it's a

CANOSCAN 9900F

Mac PC

Professional scanner offering 2400x4800dpi resolution and FARE Level 2 technology.

Canon

£299

www.canon.co.uk

98

MICROTEK ARTIXSCAN 1100

Mac PC

Showing its age, but this faithful stalwart's colour fidelity is second to none.

Microtek

£938

www.microtek.co.uk

98

PERFECTION 4870 PHOTO

Mac PC

Proficient scanner with Digital ICE image-cleaning technology for the ultimate reproduction quality.

Epson

£349

www.epson.co.uk

98

★★★★ So slick, this wouldn’t look out of place in a pro environment, let alone a home studio or small office.

BROTHER HL-3450CN

Mac PC

A3/A4 colour laser printer (size: 615x420x540mm), offering maximum resolution of 2400dpi.

Brother

£2,349

www.brother.co.uk

101

★★★ Seems more at home with business graphics than

MAGICOLOR 7300

Mac PC

A3/A4 colour laser printer (size: 628x594x564mm), offering maximum resolution of 600dpi.

Konica-Minolta

£2,606

www.konicaminolta printers.co.uk

101

★★★★ High quality results. You can’t ignore the low price and

OKI C9500DN

Mac PC

A3/A4 colour laser printer (size: 666x626x460mm), offering a maximum resolution of 1200dpi.

Oki

£4,869

www.oki.co.uk

101

★★★★ A fast and accurate printer for both high-end graphics

XANTÉ CL30

Mac PC

A3/A4 colour laser printer (size: 665x589x462mm), offering a maximum resolution of 1200dpi.

Xanté

£4,463

www.info-tec.biz

101

Mac PC

A3/A4 colour laser printer (size: 644x715x493mm), offering a maximum resolution of 1200dpi.

Xerox

Top-end, pro-level graphics card tailored for power-hungry users (engineers, architects, etc).

ATI

$899

www.ati.com

98

★★★ An amazing performer, but it comes at a prohibitive price that may put off many prospective buyers.

Extensis

$200

www.extensis.co.uk

100

★★★★ Nothing can touch the power of this long-respected

XEROX PHASER 7750DN

★★★★ This superb printer earns its place in any graphic or photo studio. Great quality prints thanks to the extra red ink.

easily holds its own in terms of print quality. features are market-leading or particularly state of the art. nightmare... The poorly conceived drivers really impair workflow.

★★★★ A competent performer at a great price. It can scan all media types and is easy to operate with its programmable buttons.

★★★ Valuable as part of a colour-critical environment, but slow and expensive, considering its age.

DED RECOMMEN

commercial digital artwork. Could do with more memory, too. running costs, either – and that useful 256MB RAM. proofing and every day office documents.

★★★★ Expect colour-accurate and precision output every time – designers who demand fast and reliable proofs need look no further.

£5,779

www.xerox.com

101

★★★★ Fast, high quality printer that’s perfect for both every day proofing and mission-critical design.

GRAPHICS CARDS FIREGL X2 256T

PC

ASSET MANAGEMENT PORTFOLIO 7

Mac PC

Leading asset-management software, now expanded to include direct-to-web publishing feature.

and valuable asset management solution.

November 2004

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BUYER’S GUIDE

DIGITAL VIDEO NAME

MAC PC?

DESCRIPTION

MANUFACTURER

PRICE

WEBSITE

ISSUE

VERDICT

VIDEOTOASTER 3

PC

A complete post-production and video mixing suite. Supports live internet streaming.

Computers Unlimited

£2,500

www.newtekeurope.com

95

★★★★ Budget studios will find VideoToaster 3 an

FINAL CUT PRO 4

Mac

Emmy Award-winning tool for editing and finishing in SD and HD formats. Used to produce many TV shows.

Apple

£699

www.apple.com/uk/ finalcutpro/

86

AVID XPRESS PRO

Yes

Sophisticated video editing tool aimed at the higher end of the mid-range market.

AVID

£1,527

www.avid.com/ xpresspro

91

ideal all-in-one solution for their production needs.

★★★★★ Final Cut Pro 4 is nothing short of superb. Excellent bundled applications, too.

DED RECOMMEN

★★★★ Twice as expensive as Premiere – but a not particularly different to warrant the difference.

ENCORE DVD

PC

Windows-only DVD authoring package, where you can create and edit menus in a Photoshop-style format.

Adobe

£399

www.adobe.com/ products/encore/

87

N/A A fine addition to Adobe’s digital video range. If you’re used to Photoshop, it’s a breeze to pick up.

AUDITION 1.5

PC

Pro audio editing/mixing environment that delivers advanced mastering and effects-processing features.

Adobe

£246

www.adobe.co.uk/ products/audition

N/A

N/A An excellent tool for home users serious about audio. Superb features and easy to use, too.

FINAL CUT EXPRESS 2.0

Mac

Apple’s flagship consumer video-editing app strikes a careful balance between features and affordability.

Apple

£199

www.apple.com/uk/ finalcut express

94

★★★★ The best low-cost editing solution for DV,

AFTER EFFECTS

PC

Adobe’s industry standard tool for adding visual effects and motion graphics to film footage.

Adobe

£664

www.adobe.co.uk/ products/aftereffects

95

★★★★ Well-designed app with many features not

DVD WORKSHOP 2

PC

Consumer-friendly DVD authoring software with many professional features, including real-time previews.

Ulead

£259

www.ulead.co.uk

97

★★★ Easy to use, but much of the (cheaper)

MATCHMOVER PRO 3.0

PC

A sophisticated yet simple-to-operate solution that will meet all your camera-tracking requirements.

RealViz

11,280 euros

www.realviz.com

97

★★★★ RealViz’s incredibly flexible app delivers

VEGAS 5

PC

Capable audio-visual editor with real-time effects rendering and 3D clip animation.

Sony

$699

www.sony.com

98

★★★ The most powerful audio editor on the market now sports compositing tools.

FINAL CUT PRO HD

Mac

The professional editing application with broadcast quality credentials is now HD compatible.

Apple

£699

www.apple.com/uk

98

★★★★★ Pro features and top interface

although effects may frustrate Pro users. available in rival software sold at the same price. competition has caught up since the release of v1. accurate results time after time. But it ain’t cheap.

ensure this pro-level app always delivers.

DED RECOMMEN

AFTER EFFECTS 6.5

Mac PC

Adobe’s industry standard app now includes better motion tracking and grain management tools.

Adobe

PREMIERE PRO 1.5

PC

Video-editing app with improved project management and broader support for industry formats.

Adobe

PFTRACK 2

Mac PC

3D motion-tracking software that supports tracking, zooming, passing and tilting shots.

The Pixel Farm

NIK COLOR EFEX PRO

PC

Fantastic set of digital photographic filters for Photoshop and Paintshop Pro.

Nik Multimedia

MODELSHOP

Mac PC

Enables you to add one of thousands of 3D models to your Photoshop document.

Digital Element

XENOFEX

Mac PC

A selection of 14 powerful effects to trigger within Photoshop, Elements or Fireworks.

Alien Skin Software

SYMMETRY WORKS

Mac PC

Adobe Illustrator plug-in for creating eye-catching surface pattern designs in seconds.

Artlandia

$241

www.artlandia.com

N/A

N/A Fast and effective way to create patterns. An effective time-saver when up against deadlines.

PRIMATTE 2.0

Mac PC

Photoshop plug-in dedicated to ultra-clean, blue-screen compositing.

Digital Anarchy

$299

www.digitalanarchy. com

97

★★★ More powerful than Cinematte and

SAPPHIRE

Mac PC

Generate superb effects with this 175+-strong suite of movie-quality plug-ins.

GenArts

$1,699

www.genarts.com

98

★★★★ Without a doubt, the best plug-ins you can

PARTICULAR

Mac PC

Neatly integrated After Effects plug-in suite, comprising natural and technical effects.

Trapcode

£199

www.trapcode.com

99

★★★★★ Stunning, beautifully put together and

FURNACE

Mac PC

Two After Effects plug-ins for stabilising (Steadiness) and speeding up/slowing down (Kronos) footage.

The Foundry

£350

www.thefoundry. co.uk

101

★★★★ Excellent, easy-to-use plug-ins – the high

www. trulyphotomagic.com

101

£664

www.adobe.co.uk

99

★★★★ A number of new and improved features make this an indispensable tool for the video pro.

£616

www.adobe.co.uk

99

★★★★ Premiere’s allegiance to Windows ensures superior integration with related titles.

£3,000

www.thepixelfarm. co.uk

100

★★★★ Fast and efficient, PFTrack 2 completes

(Standard)

what can be a dreadful job simply and quickly.

PLUG-INS £280

www.nikmultimedia .com

94

$149

www.digi-element. com

92

★★★★ Plenty of potential as a tool for

$129

www.alienskin.com

84

★★★ A filter set in the traditional mould – so a

★★★★ You could create the effects for yourself in Photoshop, but they’d take longer.

DED RECOMMEN

compositing 3D in 2D scenes in Photoshop. little clichéd and gimmicky – but useful all the same.

cheaper than Multimatte. Results are impressive. buy – but they come at a professional price. boasting endless creative possibilities. asking price shouldn’t dissuade professional users.

IMAGE EDITING SOFTWARE PHOTOCLEAN

98

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November 2004

Mac PC

A quickfire photo clean-up application designed with the beginner in mind.

Shortcut

95 Euros

★★★★ Easy-to-use and intuitive photo-editing tools that should interest pros and enthusiasts alike.

BUYER’S GUIDE

GRAPHICS TABLETS NAME

MAC PC?

SHORT DESCRIPTION

MANUFACTURER

PRICE

WEBSITE

ISSUE

VERDICT

NISIS EASYPEN G3

Mac PC

USB-friendly tablet: active area 152 x 114mm; tablet dimensions: 234 x 232 x 10mm

Nisis

£30

www.nisis.com

99

★★ More of a consumer toy than a professional device, but that’s reflected in the price.

NISIS EASYPEN G6

Mac PC

USB-friendly tablet: active area 304 x 228mm; tablet dimensions: 385 x 347 x 12mm

Nisis

£90

www.nisis.com

99

★★★ Nearly there in terms of features and usability, but there

GRAPHIRE3 CLASSIC XL

Mac PC

USB-friendly A5 tablet: active area 209 x 159mm; tablet dimensions: 276 x 257 x 18mm

Wacom

£200

www.wacom.com

99

★★★★ A great all-round performer from Wacom, although

INTUOS2 A5 PLATINUM

Mac PC

USB-friendly A5 tablet: active area 203 x 162mm; tablet dimensions: 334 x 258 x 14mm

Wacom

£300

www.wacom.com

99

★★★★ An incredible, feature-rich tablet that’s hard to fault.

INTUOS2 A4 REGULAR PLAT

Mac PC

USB-friendly A4 tablet: active area 305 x 241mm; tablet dimensions: 456 x 361 x 14mm

Wacom

£400

www.wacom.com

99

are irritating signal issues. not quite yet in the Intuos league. A5 tablets don’t get better than this.

★★★★★ Totally customisable and easy to use, this is everything you could want it to be.

DED RECOMMEN

WEB, ANIMATION, CD/DVD DVD STUDIO PRO 3

Mac

Create a complete DVD in under 15 minutes with the latest iteration of Apple’s pro DVD creation tool.

Apple

£349

www.apple.com/uk

99

★★★★ Stacks of creative features,

DED RECOMMEN

perfect for a professional environment.

GO LIVE CS

Mac PC

Adobe’s website design application is sometimes hailed as the Pepsi to Dreamweaver’s Coke.

Adobe

£394

www.adobe.com

89

★★★★ A competent web authoring tool. Adobe has refined both the look and the feel of the app.

DREAMWEAVER MX 2004

Mac PC

Build and maintain websites and applications with this powerful set of tools.

Macromedia

£339

www.macromedia.co.uk

91

★★★★ Good integration with Contribute; fully embraces

TOON BOOM EXPRESS

Mac PC

This complete 2D animation software is a cut-down version of Toon Boom Studio 2.

Toon Boom

$144

www.toonboom.com

92

★★★★ Great introduction to 2D animation: excellent scene-

STITCHER 4

Mac PC

Create high quality panoramas and 360-degree QuickTime VR animations in minutes.

RealViz

499 euros

www.realviz.com

95

★★★★ Not the cheapest “sticking together” app around, but

JUGGLOR V2

PC

Builds standalone applications that deliver interactive Flash content with a professional look and feel.

3rd Eye Solutions

$249

www.flashjester.com

97

★★★★ A great step forwards in terms of offering developers a

TOON BOOM STUDIO 2.5

Mac

2D animation package that covers everything from scene-planning to preparing output for delivery.

Toon Boom

$374

www.toonboom.com

98

★★★★ A fantastic all-round package for anyone interested in

OPUS PRO 04

PC

Tempted by multimedia, but daunted by Director’s complexity? Then try this out!

Digital Workshop

£300

www.digitalworkshop. com

98

★★★ If you’re only looking for occasional access to multimedia tools, Opus Pro 04 is up to the task.

FRAME FORGE 3D STUDIO

Mac PC

Professional quality storyboarding 3D software - import scripts, pose figures, set up cameras, and more...

Innoventive Software

$349

www.frameforge3d.com

100

★★★★ If you can’t draw and need to visualise your film

AUDITION 1.5

PC

Syntrillium’s former sound editor Cool Edit Pro, supports VST, ReWire and enhanced video.

Adobe

£246

www.adobe.co.uk

100

IN-A-FLASH 3 ANIMATION SUITE

PC

Create flexible Flash results without the need to master the Macromedia Flash timeline.

NetGUI

£36

www.netgui.co.uk

101

Cascading Style Sheets. planning and drawing tools. anything else would be a false economy. way of distributing content effectively. the vagaries of 2D animation.

before you shoot, this is a quick and easy low-cost solution.

★★★ The established and respected audio tool benefits from simplified features and better integration with other Adobe apps.

★★★ A great beginner’s app – and pros will find the FlashLab browser and PowerPoint add-in a boon.

DVD WRITERS SONIC DVDIT 5

PC

DVD writing app that sits between Sonic’s entry-level MyDVD and the more advanced ReelDVD.

Sonic

£171

www.sonic.com

100

★★★ A useful introduction to the media for savvy creatives, but

AHEAD NERO 6 SUITE

PC

A repackaged DVD version of the oft-bundled Nero burner, complete with NeroVision Express 2.

Nero

79 euros

www.nero.com

100

★★ An effective entry-level application aimed solely at

ROXIO CREATOR 7

PC

Complete with pro authoring component DVD Builder and a host of useful DVD-authoring features.

Roxio

£70

www.roxio.com.uk

100

★★ A comprehensive suite of tools that challenges the options of the Nero bundle. Boasts a more effective toolset, too.

APPLE DVD STUDIO PRO 3

Mac

Features include render-free transition preview, alpha transitions and Photoshop integration.

Apple

£349

www.apple.com

100

★★★★ There’s no alternative for Mac users serious about

ADOBE ENCORE DVD 1.5

PC

Features include DV menu previews, QuickTime file support and integrated/background transcoding.

Adobe

£452

www.adobe.com

100

a little limited in terms of features.. consumers, but a no go for professionals.

creating DVD content. Load it up and weep!

★★★★ This superbly usable and fully featured app provides a strong range of design and authoring options.

November 2004

DED RECOMMEN

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ON O N THE CD

SEE PAGE 104 SC

FULL SOFTWARE MAC & PC

ULPT MOBILE D THIS E IN 3D US VICE IN AMAPI 6 G

Amapi 6 This industrial strength CAD app is yours!

WELCOME This month’s jam-packed disc features Amapi 6, the brilliant professional CAD modelling application. So why not make full use of it with the impressive 3D tutorial on page 104? You’ll also find ten minutes of Amapi video training from Gary Phillips, a 3D animation instructor at the Memphis College of Art, and 67 Photoshop actions taken from Al Ward’s Photoshop Productivity Toolkit (full review on page 87). There’s also a trial of Swift 3D 4 for integrating 3D with your Flash movies. Enjoy!

Or contact Eovia distributor, Computers Unlimited, by emailing [email protected] or calling 020 8358 6668.

Ever had an idea for a radical new gadget? Spend your time sketching your dream car or building models with yoghurt pots and string? Designed as a solution for Computer Aided Design, Amapi 6 is the ideal tool for fleshing out your sketches in 3D. Many such apps are difficult to use and rely on multiple palettes, but Amapi 6’s clutter-free workspace and hands-on modelling make it quick and easy to learn. Thanks to a great range of top tools, modelling feels more like sculpting clay than working with 3D. The app is also great for web and multimedia, thanks to its 3Space publishing technology. The scene is recorded in an XML file, then read by the 3Space player, a browser plug-in that reconstructs the model’s original geometry. You’ll need to register your free software before getting started. See below for details.

Note: Prices quoted on this page exclude VAT and shipping. This offer will be made available to readers outside the UK at Computers Unlimited’s discretion. Offer expires at the 28 February 2005.

INFO

Register your copy of Amapi 6 by visiting www.eovia.com/offers/futurepubl-0904.htm UPGRADE: To upgrade to your copy to Amapi 7 Pro, and save £250, visit www.unlimited.com/3ddesign

VIDEO TUTORIAL MAC & PC

Amapi 6 Pro Training Give yourself a headstart with top tips from an Amapi expert To help you get started with this month’s free Amapi software, we’ve included this great ten-minute video tutorial. Gary Phillips, a 3D animation instructor at the

Memphis College of Art (www.mca. edu), explains the basics of Amapi 6, creating a simple model of a wine glass to show off a range of Amapi tools and tricks. There’s also advice

on how to optimise the view for a smoother-running display.

INFO

Gary Phillips’ website offers training materials for both Amapi and LightWave. Visit www.friendlyspider.com to find out more.

PHOTOSHOP TOOLKIT MAC & PC Joe Russ [email protected]

67 time-saving actions

NEW MEDIA CONTENT EDITOR

Effectively automate frequent tasks in Photoshop Self-proclaimed Photoshop addict Al Ward is the author of Photoshop Productivity Toolkit, a fantastic new book that includes a CD of 600 Photoshop actions. Using these, you can automate a range of simple and complex processes, often with just a click of the mouse. We’ve supplied 67 of Ward’s time-saving actions free on this month’s cover CD. So try them out and see what difference they make…

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Genuine Fractals 3.5 MAC & PC

ON THE CD

RE-SIZE YOUR IMAGES WITH NO LOSS IN QUALITY 30-DAY TRIAL

FREE TEXTURES MAC & PC

EyeCandy 5: Textures Generate seamless 2D and 3D texture effects

FULL LISTING AMAPI 6

(MAC+PC) FULL SOFTWARE Full 3D-modelling application.

AMAPI 6 VIDEO TRAINING

(MAC+PC) VIDEO TRAINING Ten minutes of video training to help you get to grips with Amapi (requires QuickTime).

Eye Candy 5: Textures is a collection of ten seamless texture generators that produce a wide variety of texture effects, including snake and lizard skin, fur, brick, stone and wood. Graphic designers, web developers and 3D artists can quickly create backgrounds, skins, seamless tiles and much more. For a full review of this exciting plug-in, turn to page 80.

CONTRIBUTE 3

(MAC+PC) 30-DAY TRIAL Content management for your website.

FLASHPAPER 2

(PC ONLY) 30-DAY TRIAL Turn any printable document into a Flash movie or PDF.

INFO

For more product information, visit www.alienskin.com

TRIAL SOFTWARE PC ONLY

EYECANDY 5: TEXTURES (MAC+PC) 30-DAY TRIAL Create skin, fur or stone textures for 2D and 3D designs. SWIFT 3D 4 (PC ONLY )

Swift 3D 4

30-DAY TRIAL Convert 3D and Flash.

Take a step into 3D with this excellent modelling app

SILHOUETTE (MAC+PC) ILLUSTRATOR PLUG-IN Convert your images into vector graphics for editable illustrations.

A popular addition to Flash designers’ toolsets, Swift 3D 4 provides modelling tools to create highquality 3D in both vector and raster formats that you can download quickly on the web. The latest edition includes modelling environments aimed at 2D artists taking their first steps into 3D. This 30-day demo gives you a taster of what Electric Rain’s program is capable of – and why it’s one of the industry’s leading 3D Flash tools. INFO

Visit www.erain.com to find out more

FULL SOFTWARE MAC & PC

The Freak bundle Accessories for last month’s Poser model

GENUINE FRACTALS 3.5 (MAC+PC) 30-DAY TRIAL Re-size your images without losing quality.

PDFFACTORY PRO 2.27 (PC ONLY) 30-DAY TRIAL Create PDF files without Adobe Acrobat.

PHOTOSHOP TOOLKIT ACTIONS (MAC+PC) TIME-SAVING ACTIONS 67 Photoshop actions to age your images, correct your photos and create typographic effects.

TUTORIAL FILES (MAC+PC) You’ll find all the relevant supporting files for this month’s tutorial here. Navigate the interface to the “In The Mag” section and select Tutorials.

A corrupt installer file prevented many readers from installing the PC version of last month’s Freak bundle. So, for those who missed out, a fully working version is included on this month’s cover CD. INFO

There are more Poser accessories available at www.daz3D.com

November 2004

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CD TUTORIAL

AMAPI 6

3D MODELLING Amapi is something of a paradox for designers. Beginners find it weird and complex; professionals find it weird and basic. Neither view is entirely correct. Amapi’s sparse interface is actually complemented by multi-function modifier keys that provide a user-friendly, fast and powerful modelling environment

TIME LENGTH

3 hours INFO A selfemployed graphic artist, Paul Lovett has 25 years of experience, mainly with design and artwork for litho print production. A recent desire for a change of direction has led to considerable work in modelling 3D images for kitchen and bathroom companies’ virtual environment design software. Visit his website at www. virtualpeach.co.uk.

If you’re new to Amapi, take a moment before you do anything to customise the application. In Preferences, dispense with the workbench – it’ll be of little use to you. Choose the Standard or Workshop tools layout, the Active control panel and the Basic wireframe display mode, then turn off the Assistant palette. Set Units to cms and Depth to two. All tools and controls are accessible on screen, but you’ll work better if you set a few hotkeys, at least for commands you use regularly. Familiarise yourself with the scene control keys: Mouse+Control or Cursor keys for revolve; Control+Cursor keys to pan; keypad 3 to zoom in; and full point to zoom out. Mouse+Control Shift gives you zoom and rotate at the same time – very cool. You can also use keypad 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 for Orthographic views and 7 for centering. Finally, note the function of the Alt (Option) key that enables you to toggle through selection options. There are several ways to model an item like the phone in this tutorial. I prefer using lofted wireframes, bevels and sub-division smoothing. But whatever approach you take, the results should be the same. If you have the product, take photos and produce precise wireframe profiles in Illustrator, import them into Amapi and create sets of profiles based on the Illustrator profiles and loft surfaces between them. To model the phone here, I moulded a solid cube into shape using a number of different methods. Although not superprecise, these techniques are always quick and straightforward. Apply smoothing to see if objects are working, but always undo before you continue.

Ë

1

First off, set Snap to Grid on and create a 2cm cube. As you do this, adjust the measurement constraints with the plus and minus keys. In the top view, select Scale and constrain to width using the Space bar. Now tab into the Dimensions palette and set the height to 10cm. Use the Tessellate tool (called Slice from here-on) to slice it in half, again into four and again into eight.

3

Next, select all the front and back edges using the Bevel tool and increase the radius using the + key. Set the Range to 0 within the measurements box.

4 2

Use the Local Deformer tool to marquee-select the three cage points at centre-left and drag them out 2.5cms. Do this again, using the same technique, on the right-hand side.

Now turn to your object’s side view and marquee-select both the middle points on the underside surface and the next-butone underside points to the left and right. Drag these upwards to form a zig zag, increasing the grid division with the + key as you go along for finer control.

Illustration and tutorial by Paul Lovett www.virtualpeach.co.uk

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CD TUTORIAL

AMAPI 6

5

Use the Local Deformer tool to marqueeselect the middle row of points at the top of the deformer cage. Drag the points upwards to form a curved face. Now select the top left and right cage points and drag them downwards. You may like to make adjustments to other points, too.

6

THINK AHEAD The key to mastering 3D modelling is in developing a modelling system – sequences of modelling processes that achieve particular results. You can learn and use the manual “parrot” fashion, but unless you have a full understanding of how tools work together you won’t get very far. Planning ahead is obvious, but also think about the effects of certain operations on later modelling. Booleans in particular can be very disruptive.

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Make an eight-sided poly and stretch it into an oval shape. Collapse the dynamic geometry and Copy and Paste a duplicate. Delete points to get the shape of the button and do the same for the display window before adding a small two-facet bevel to the adjacent corners. In a perspective view, extrude the two curves upward and inwards (about 1.5mm) and then inwards again towards the middle. On the button, weld the middle points together, as well as the corner points of the second extrusion section.

8

Extrude an eight-sided polygon, cap it and then collapse the dynamic geometry. Rotate it so that two sides are vertical, select all points at one end and stretch the shape out. Bevel the top edges with a single facet bevel before dividing down the middle with the Slice tool. Scale to size and place into position. Duplicate and move across.

Do the same with the window, but weld pairs of the middle points together to form a vertical line up the centre. Drag the centre point of the button back about 1mm.

Create another button and slice it three times. Select Bend from the Local Deformers tool options and drag a corner, distorting the button to fit the oval window. Repeat with the other two buttons.

12

9

Select the end points of this button and go to front view. Marquee-select one half of the button and, with the Rotate tool active, Alt (Option) click and set the rotation pivot with a snap-click on a middle point of the button. Rotate about ten degrees, mirror this button and move it to the other side of the phone.

10 7

11

Select the three buttons, duplicate them and then move them down to create another row. Repeat this process until you have created four rows. Scale each row across to follow the typically tapered shape of a mobile phone’s body.

In perspective view, drop an eightsided poly (1cm radius) into a new layer. Hide everything else. Use the Spiral tool to drag out from the centre to the edge of the poly. Click-drag upwards, then click again. Press Backspace, tab into the measures box, set slices to three and hit Enter. Drag up and inwards towards the centre and click. Use the - key to reduce to 24 points. Hit Enter.

13

The bottom of this spiral must join vertically with the main body. With the Line tool, snap-click on the bottom end point and set six points around the polygon. In top view, drag these points towards the centre to form a short spiral. In front and side views drag the points down, then drag the bottom point to lie vertically beneath the point above.

CD TUTORIAL

REWRITE HISTORY

14

Create a six-sided polygon with a 3mm radius at the joint of the two spirals and sweep a surface along the top spiral. Hit the Space bar twice to select the required sweep option then press the - key three or four times to reduce the scale along the spiral. Click the top end highlighted in red to cap it and “validate” with the Enter key.

With no history function to store modelling processes, it’s easy to end up with models that are difficult to modify. So make your own history by saving copies of elements at various stages in hidden layers.

17

Delete the top end face of the body and the next one below it.

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To fit your buttons to the mobile phone’s body, you’ll need to bend them to match its shape. Place three points on the contour of the top surface, in a line to span all the buttons from left to right, as seen in the side view. Add smoothing with option one and increase the divisions with five or six presses of the + key.

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Recall the hexagon from the hidden layer (Command+Y) and sweep on the lower spiral. Use the + key to scale up and “validate”. Now select the six end edges of the top spiral and pull them away from the lower spiral. Pick points and snap-join them to the latter’s end points. Marquee-select two points with the Weld tool to create one object.

Using the Facet Extraction tool, add polygons that join the antenna to the body. Click on two adjacent points on the hole you just made and two adjacent points at the bottom of the antenna. Continue all the way around, then weld the three parts together.

21

Group the buttons and the display window and then use the Bend tool to click on the curve (not the Bend tool option from the Deformer tool). Move the resulting group of curved buttons down into position.

19

A smoothing test at this stage will show that the join still needs some work. Solve this by selecting sets of crossways point rings and adjust with scaling.

16

This edge is now out of line, so select the six points and rotate from above to line up with the spiral centreline. Now rotate it 90 degrees and move it into position next to the phone body. In back view, rotate the antenna to get the bottom hexagon shape flat at the top and bottom. Scale down the antenna a little and then stretch it upwards.

22

That’s it. The basic mobile phone modelling is now complete and ready for smoothing. You can also apply any other materials you fancy.

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TO FEATURE IN THE CREATIVE DIRECTORY, EMAIL [email protected]

CV

CURRICULUM VITAE

AL HEIGHTON LOCATION: Doncaster, UK JOB TITLE: Illustrator DATE OF BIRTH: 15.12.1978 TRAINING: Gained a First Class degree in Graphic Design (Design Practice) from the University of Salford (1998-2001). SOFTWARE: I’m just getting to grips with Adobe Illustrator CS and Photoshop CS. Up until last month, I worked in Illustrator 8. HARDWARE: I’ve just invested in a brand new iBook G4 laptop after abandoning my 1999 iMac, which I’m told is retro kit by one of the lads at Devote design.

“This piece was based on one of my heroes and an icon of the movies. The portrait on the side of the image was recycled from one of my old sketchbooks.”

“A promotional piece created to advertise my website. I designed the characters using different techniques. Some were handdrawn before being transferred to digital; others were created using a mouse.”

INFLUENCES: Good books, magazines (from GQ to Razzle), comics, film, working-class heroes, things I hear, sexy women, photography and fashion. I like to walk around Manchester and London. I go to exhibitions such as the Saul Bass show and see works by Jon Burgerman at 55DSL. The work by the illustrators at the Heart agency, the members of the Peepshow collective and the lads at Devote design have all been a massive influence on me and my work. STYLE: I like to keep things fluid, working on screen digitally, and off in a sketchbook with traditional media – pencil, paint, pen, etc. I think that’s good practice. I also like to think my image-making can be both seriously cool and peppered with wit.

“This piece reflects some of my interests in life: art, women and Spidey. Again, this was drawn in pencil and transferred to Illustrator.”

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: There are many creatives that inspire me – Marion Deuchars, Kam Tang, Albert Watson… Peter Saville is a designer that inspires me for his attitude and pursuit of perfection, and he’s got his priorities right (good clothes and women). I’d love to produce illustrations for a fashion campaign or an advert for Puma, Adidas or Stan Smith trainers. I’d also love to get a call from Penguin Books to repackage some classy literature. CONTACT: View more of Al’s excellent work at www.alanheighton.co.uk or email him at [email protected].

EMAIL

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send us your CV, in the format shown, to ca.mail@futurenet. co.uk, with the subject line “CV”.

November 2004

“Another selfpromotional piece: a combination of elements drawn in pencil and then scanned and traced in Illustrator or drawn straight using a mouse.”