Three Simple Workspace Efficiency Tips

When working with design applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver and Flash it is important to ensure you have plenty of workspace to put into use. Just like when working with pen and paper, having a large tidy work desk makes life much easier than a small, cluttered workspace.

Here are some simple tips to create an efficient digital working area:

Resolution:
Try and run the resolution at the highest possible setting for your particular monitor (whilst keeping suitable legibility). This will basically give more screen area to move objects around within.

Save your Workspace Arrangement:
Once you have setup your preferred layout in each application save it as a preset. This allows you to quickly relocate your toolbars if they should close or move.
Furthermore pressing the TAB key in Adobe applications will toggle the toolbars on and off giving you a clutter free view of your artwork, this is when those shortcut keys come in handy for selecting your tools! Also, pressing the F key will cycle through fullscreen modes, particularly useful in Photoshop on the Mac.

Monitor Size:
A larger monitor will give you more viewable area, but it is also worth considering widescreen or multiple monitors. As you can see from the following screenshots, a widescreen monitor gives extra width to place the toolbars without interfering with the main artboard as much as a 4:3 ratio monitor. My preference however is using multiple monitors, in my case just the two, but some graphics cards can support three or four!

Using multiple monitors gives the opportunity to have one screen as your artboard, and the other housing all your toolbars and reference images or resources. In particular in web design it is useful to display the live webpage on the second screen and see updates instantly without the need to minimise the application.

Designers using multiple monitors might also want to check out this nifty little piece of software called Ultramon from Realtimesoft that extends the task bar across both screens and also adds additional options which allow windows to be transferred seamlessly across the workspace.

RSS Feeds. What and Why.

“RSS” stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content. Using this standard, Web publishers (such as the site you’re on now) provide updates, such as the latest news headlines or weblog postings. Meanwhile, consumers use RSS reader applications (or one of a growing number of online services) to collect and monitor their favorite feeds in one place (RSS content from a publisher, viewed in one of these readers, is often called a “feed”).

Benefit to you: RSS makes reviewing a large number of sites in a very short time possible.

Benefit to us: RSS permits instant distribution of new content updates to you.

How do I read RSS Feeds?

RSS/News Aggregators:

If you want to collect and browse feeds you have many choices, but there are two primary categories of feed reading applications: installable desktop programs and online services. I recommended using an online service as this allows you to track and manage your feeds anywhere you use a web browser (and in some cases, on mobile devices).

Blogs:

Another way many people use RSS feeds is by incorporating content into blogs. Blogs (such as this website) are web pages comprised of usually short, frequently updated items and web links. Blogging as a publishing tool is used for many purposes: traditional journalism, personal journals, group discussions around a topic, and many combinations in-between.

Launching V 4.0 2012

12 April 2012; This when I launch the new version for Animatrix; V 4.0 2012.
A website of impressive proportions, an extensive portfolio and a wordpress blog.

This time once more I go the dark way; I have utilised darker shades with a touch of the Animatrix Red. The new version incorporates HTML 5, CSS 3, PHP, JQUERY AND JAVA SCRIPT.

The new version also incorporates a new corporate identity by bringing back my favourite emblem “A”, illustrated to symbolise design and architecture.

Furthermore Animatrix is now linked to the social networks; facebook, twitter, youtube and linkedin.

View my portfolio and don’t forget to Don’t forget to Follow me on Twitter  or join me on facebook if you want to keep track of my next post.

Five Years of Animatrix

Five years on ever since the establishment of Animatrix, and it seems to have extended effectively! Looking back at the statistics the website has had a firm escalation in visitors and subscribers. Animatrix begun as Animatrix Studios and now it’s known as Animatrix. Just Creative Design. This is my first blog and with it I shall present free graphic design tips, expose & resources on all subjects of design, ranging from, but not limited to; web design, branding and corporate identity, web design, photography, 3D animation, modelling and interior design, promotional packages & more.
In addition hopefully I shall also gain some suggestions from you guys on how to improve Animatrix  further in the future.

Welcome to my Blog. Animatrix. Just Creative Design.

April 2007

Animatrix was started back in April 2007. Fresh with lots of creative ideas, the official website was based totally in flash which in turn brought in a lot of great reviews. However due to heavy graphics and loading time, I decided to give it a new look with a launch of my portfolio in the year 2008. I named the website Version 3.0 2008.

Version 3.0 2008 very smartly incorporated Flash and HTML and conveyed my portfolio online. The website was online till December 2011, after which I once again decided to go for a new look and hence Animatrix Version 4.0 2012 took shape.

Three Simple Workspace Efficiency Tips

When working with design applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver and Flash it is important to ensure you have plenty of workspace to put into use. Just like when working with pen and paper, having a large tidy work desk makes life much easier than a small, cluttered workspace.

Here are some simple tips to create an efficient digital working area:

Resolution:
Try and run the resolution at the highest possible setting for your particular monitor (whilst keeping suitable legibility). This will basically give more screen area to move objects around within.

Save your Workspace Arrangement:
Once you have setup your preferred layout in each application save it as a preset. This allows you to quickly relocate your toolbars if they should close or move.
Furthermore pressing the TAB key in Adobe applications will toggle the toolbars on and off giving you a clutter free view of your artwork, this is when those shortcut keys come in handy for selecting your tools! Also, pressing the F key will cycle through fullscreen modes, particularly useful in Photoshop on the Mac.

Monitor Size:
A larger monitor will give you more viewable area, but it is also worth considering widescreen or multiple monitors. As you can see from the following screenshots, a widescreen monitor gives extra width to place the toolbars without interfering with the main artboard as much as a 4:3 ratio monitor. My preference however is using multiple monitors, in my case just the two, but some graphics cards can support three or four!

Using multiple monitors gives the opportunity to have one screen as your artboard, and the other housing all your toolbars and reference images or resources. In particular in web design it is useful to display the live webpage on the second screen and see updates instantly without the need to minimise the application.

Designers using multiple monitors might also want to check out this nifty little piece of software called Ultramon from Realtimesoft that extends the task bar across both screens and also adds additional options which allow windows to be transferred seamlessly across the workspace.

RSS Feeds. What and Why.

“RSS” stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content. Using this standard, Web publishers (such as the site you’re on now) provide updates, such as the latest news headlines or weblog postings. Meanwhile, consumers use RSS reader applications (or one of a growing number of online services) to collect and monitor their favorite feeds in one place (RSS content from a publisher, viewed in one of these readers, is often called a “feed”).

Benefit to you: RSS makes reviewing a large number of sites in a very short time possible.

Benefit to us: RSS permits instant distribution of new content updates to you.

How do I read RSS Feeds?

RSS/News Aggregators:

If you want to collect and browse feeds you have many choices, but there are two primary categories of feed reading applications: installable desktop programs and online services. I recommended using an online service as this allows you to track and manage your feeds anywhere you use a web browser (and in some cases, on mobile devices).

Blogs:

Another way many people use RSS feeds is by incorporating content into blogs. Blogs (such as this website) are web pages comprised of usually short, frequently updated items and web links. Blogging as a publishing tool is used for many purposes: traditional journalism, personal journals, group discussions around a topic, and many combinations in-between.

Launching V 4.0 2012

12 April 2012; This when I launch the new version for Animatrix; V 4.0 2012.
A website of impressive proportions, an extensive portfolio and a wordpress blog.

This time once more I go the dark way; I have utilised darker shades with a touch of the Animatrix Red. The new version incorporates HTML 5, CSS 3, PHP, JQUERY AND JAVA SCRIPT.

The new version also incorporates a new corporate identity by bringing back my favourite emblem “A”, illustrated to symbolise design and architecture.

Furthermore Animatrix is now linked to the social networks; facebook, twitter, youtube and linkedin.

View my portfolio and don’t forget to Don’t forget to Follow me on Twitter  or join me on facebook if you want to keep track of my next post.

Five Years of Animatrix

Five years on ever since the establishment of Animatrix, and it seems to have extended effectively! Looking back at the statistics the website has had a firm escalation in visitors and subscribers. Animatrix begun as Animatrix Studios and now it’s known as Animatrix. Just Creative Design. This is my first blog and with it I shall present free graphic design tips, expose & resources on all subjects of design, ranging from, but not limited to; web design, branding and corporate identity, web design, photography, 3D animation, modelling and interior design, promotional packages & more.
In addition hopefully I shall also gain some suggestions from you guys on how to improve Animatrix  further in the future.

Welcome to my Blog. Animatrix. Just Creative Design.

April 2007

Animatrix was started back in April 2007. Fresh with lots of creative ideas, the official website was based totally in flash which in turn brought in a lot of great reviews. However due to heavy graphics and loading time, I decided to give it a new look with a launch of my portfolio in the year 2008. I named the website Version 3.0 2008.

Version 3.0 2008 very smartly incorporated Flash and HTML and conveyed my portfolio online. The website was online till December 2011, after which I once again decided to go for a new look and hence Animatrix Version 4.0 2012 took shape.