A Short Tutorial on Illustrator’s Recolor Artwork Function
Today, a short Illustrator tutorial on the recolor artwork feature. First take an image and run Object Menu > Live trace to convert yout low res image to vector artwork. Next set is to expand your traced file and then go to the Edit Menu > Edit colors > recolor artwork. In the window that pops up go to the color slider at the bottom and change the color you want to base your new art off of, I picked a brown color.
Next click on the pop down menu at the top of the same window and select your “Harmony Rule” I chose “shades” for this example.
The software then applies the new color scheme and shows a list of what original color is converting to what color in the new scheme.
One fun thing to try as seem below is the random color button, it basically takes the colors in your new palette and applies them randomly to the art.
Finally once you have your colors the way you want them click the “OK” button!
add any type or other elements and presto, you have created a nice scaleable vector poster/flyer/art!
Once you finish your artwork and are ready to print it, drop by our online printing site and sign up!
A short tutorial on the “why” of “Full Justification” versus “Rag Right”
The biggest question you must ask yourself is “form or function?” When setting up text heavy documents, is the look more important that the readability? Is there a best case scenario in this artistic compromise? Quite a few designers LOVE to use full justification when even if the readability suffers greatly. I have a few example screen shots which I will discuss briefly below.
First off, we have a four column layout with text set to full justification. You can clearly see the odd spacing on some lines between words. Some of this can be adjusted to look a little better with tracking and kerning but that can lead to more problems with the first revision. This type of narrow column becomes very hard to read when set to full justification.
Suggest: Wider columns or rag right text
The image below is three columns set to full justification, its better than the 4 column layout as most of the text does not have the large spaces between words that makes it difficult to read, but as you can see where the text wraps around the picture you still get the hard to read spacing.
Suggest: Moving the photo or making text rag right
Below is a better option, although beauty (in typesetting) is in the eye of the beholder, I think a “rag right” setting makes the text much easier to read and maintains an overall better look with narrow columns.
Suggest: Looks pretty good but I would still think about wider columns to add legibility
If you must have “justified text” find a column width that works well with automatic word spacing as seen below, the larger the column the better your text will automatically flow, so make adjustments to your layout as needed to achieve the best look and readability possible.
Suggest: perhaps playing around with different options for image placement, but the text readability and overall look are both good
So many designers today don;t seem to pay attention to the details like typesetting. The usage of Kerning, tracking, leading and all the other options available to todays designers should be used with fervent zest! Once you have your design completed bring it on over to PGprint and see just how economically we can print your new work of art!
Today’s blog is a quickie on how to add grunge effects to type easily. First you will need some grungy images, best place to find these is on the web or take them yourself. Make sure before you use an image from the web that the owner/photographer has released rights for personal/commercial use and reproduction (see blog on copyright!) I found some images at Desizn Tech that are free for personal and commercial use, it is also a good reference site for for web designers, techs and anyone with an interest in design in general, back to the topic at hand…
Once you have an image in hand, make sure it has good contrast in the image for the area you want to pull out for your “grunge”. I adjusted the contrast a little in photoshop in the image I picked (from Desizn Tech) before placing it in Adobe Illustrator. Once in Illustrator I ran live trace and adjusted my options to pull out the dark areas. I set it to blakc and white and then ungrouped and removed the white areas leaving me just the black shown below.
Once I had the grunge for my image (see above) I turned the black to magenta so I could see the type and the image areas and overlap clearly (below).
At this point I selected the type, converted it to outlines, colored the grunge art white again and used the pathfinder divide tool to subtract the grunge from the type I then selected all the white areas using “select same fill color” and deleted the white parts. You can see the remainder (below) with points highlighted.
At this point you are done and have your grunge artwork ready to go, click on the image below to see a more blown up version. You can also have a two-tone look by putting another copy of the type artwork without the grunge effect to fill in the white areas with another color.
I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial, and when you are done with that “grunge” poster bring it on over and have us print it for you here at PGprint.com!
This is a brief video tutorial on print bookmark design by PG print. Bookmark printing can be created in Adobe InDesign, this tutorial is on how to set up and design a bookmark for printing. Our bookmark printing services will, in conjunction with this video tutorial, provide you with a huge head start on the setup process.
This is a brief tutorial on appointment card design by PGprint.com. Appointment card designs can be created in InDesign, we show how you can modify one layout to create a library of alternate ideas for future usage. It can be thought of as creating several InDesign templates for the next appointment card project you design.
Bleed is one of the most important factors in any successful design. If you don’t factor it in, it can ruin your design. First lets explain bleed. Wikipedia defines bleed as “printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet after trimming.” To be more specific with an example if you have an image or a background color that goes to the edge of your printed page, the bleed is the portion of that color and/or image that goes beyond the trim.
The standard amount of bleed in offset printing is 1/8 inch. This amount allows the printer a little variance during the bindery and trimming functions. Documents are typically cut in stacks of hundreds so the trim can vary slightly. Bleed allows for this variance so raw white paper doesn’t show on the edge of your design.
As I begin to traverse this long path of making InDesign help videos I realize that first I should look at what has been made already by Adobe itself, They do such a good job at providing basic assistance. Adobe has produced quite a few online tutorials that most may not be aware of. Adobe’s video tutorials
This resource is truly a great place to start, I will be reviewing and creating our own tutorials to cover spots I think may need to be revisited, rehashed or that may not be covered in this list. PG Print video tutorials will also cover unique tips and tricks used by experienced designers and production experts that you may not find available on the web.
Don’t forget to come back often, as we plan on having new video tutorials posted as often as possible usually one or two a week in different software packages.
Christopher Robinson
Need an inexpensive marketing tool? try bookmark printing!
