The InDesigner

After some listener requests, I’m going to experiment with alternative media. That is, I’m posting for download from the site a version of the latest episode in iPod video format as well as an audio-only MP3 version.
As I’ve said before, the “true” version of the podcast is, for me, what I make available in the full 672 x 450 video version that’s part of the RSS feed and available through iTunes. My goal is to make the podcasts clear and understandable, and I don’t think either of these formats meet that criteria.
But to try to give my audience what’s it’s asking for, I’m creating these alternative versions. So, if you want these “lesser” versions, you can come to the site and download them manually.

Posted in News/Announcements | 1 Comment » |

As designers, we have a lot of stuff we need to have at our disposal quickly. But finding a place for that stuff and knowing what stuff you need is a challenge. This episode covers a great place in InDesign for your stuff: Libraries. What are they? What are they for? … (read more)

Posted in Podcasts-Video, Productivity | 6 Comments » |

There’s nothing wrong with your monitor. This is not a video episode. In this week’s show, there’s more to talk about than to see as I discuss re-creating old layouts — specifically QuarkXPress layouts — in InDesign, and I talk you through my method for creating and using … (read more)

Posted in Document Set-up, Layout, Podcasts-Audio | 6 Comments » |

Add depth and interest to an InDesign layout using the “cheap tricks” demonstrated in this episode, which uses a magazine feature to demonstrate what I called “Poor Man’s Lighting Effects” in Episode 4. In the process of building this example, I put a lot of other features to use including … (read more)

Posted in Design, Layout, Podcasts-Video, Transparency | 3 Comments » |

After many hours of trial-and-error, and a handful of video episodes that have had more than their fair share of inconsistent audio levels, choppy editing and distracting keyboard noise, I think I’ve finally conquered the podcast’s technical demons. The problems that delayed Episode 14 challenged me to scrap my previous method of producing the video podcast and come up with what I think is a better process and a much better result for everyone. I have to give it up to Apple’s iLife 06 — in particular the new podcasting features of GarageBand 3, which saved the day for me.
I’d be curious to know if anyone other than me notices the difference, so feel free to drop me a line or post a comment about the quality of the video and audio in Episode 14.

Posted in News/Announcements | 6 Comments » |

There are no simple questions when it comes to InDesign. I prove that in this week’s episode in which answering a listener’s simple question about how to align an object to the page leads me to demonstrate three possible ways to do it and introduces the concepts of … (read more)

Posted in Layout, Podcasts-Video | 3 Comments » |

At last, the thrilling conclusion of the Style Sheets Trilogy. The final installment on this topic demonstrates some additional flexibility you can build into your style sheets to account for the unexpected by using samples of nested styles I’ve created. Also, for good measure, you’ll find out … (read more)

Posted in Podcasts-Video, Styles, Type & Text | 10 Comments » |

Picking up right where Part 1 left off, this second installment on Nested Style Sheets shows how you can build in additional instructions to your paragraph styles, allowing you to apply multiple style sheets to … (read more)

Posted in Podcasts-Video, Styles, Type & Text | 7 Comments » |

Boy, this video thing seems to have been a big hit so far. I’ve received a lot of great feedback since posting Episode 11, and I’m glad that it’s helping so many people to see the concepts I’ve only been able to describe in the audio podcasts. But as with all new things, there’s bound to be a shake-out period where improvments are requested and adjustments are made.

I noticed that a review on the iTunes Music Store expressed disappointment that the video was not provided in the iPod video format, requiring the subscriber to convert it so that it would sync to and play on the new video iPods. There’s actually a very specific reason I didn’t do this, and it’s that I didn’t believe that the 896 x 600 screen I was capturing would be legible in the 320-pixel by 240 pixel format of iPod video. In fact, my initial test of sizing this movie down to that format did not provide quality results, which seems to me that it would cancel out the usefulness of the video.

But what do you think, folks? I can certainly provide an alternate format, but my goal is to make it as easy as possible. Subscribing by iTunes is so simple, and the vast majority of my listeners are getting their episodes that way, that I’d prefer that the best quality version be available for the largest audience. So I’d like to hear what my listeners (and viewers) have to say on the subject. Drop me a line at info@theindesigner.com and let me know where you stand on this issue.

Posted in News/Announcements | 4 Comments » |

At long last, the video podcast that was “a week away” (according to my optimistic first episode) is finally here. This first-ever video episode is the start of a three-part tutorial covering … (read more)

Posted in Podcasts-Video, Styles, Type & Text | 3 Comments » |