All Questions
8
votes
3answers
6k views
What kind of Interview Questions should one expect at their first design job interview?
If you were interviewing for your first graphic design position, what kind of questions should you expect? The posting is fairly vague, aside from the assumption of basic design skills.
6
votes
3answers
16k views
How to modify the corner radius on rounded rectangle in Illustrator?
I always ended up just creating a new rounded rectangle if the existing one don't work. Is there a way to modify the corner radius without having to create a new shape?
I know I can modify the bezier ...
5
votes
2answers
317 views
How Should One Modulate White Space?
How should one modulate white space within an image, poster, or a logo? Some people say that there should be a certain amount of white space available within an image to make it appealing, while ...
4
votes
1answer
602 views
Turn image into geometric array of colours
Is there a tool like Poly (iPad app) available for Android or Windows systems? I'd like to turn images into polygones/triangles like shown on the app site.
3
votes
1answer
3k views
photoshop. multiple overlay effects
i use photoshop cs4. there are 3 overlay effects avaliable in photoshop: color, gradient and pattern. the problem: these effects come in strictly fixed order! somebody please tell me, why can't i make ...
3
votes
4answers
549 views
Is it easy to convert an image to a cartoon with high quality?
Is it easy to convert an image to a cartoon with high quality ? Like this:
I've watched this tutorial : but the quality of the outcome is still far away from the one above.
Is there a way to ...
3
votes
2answers
13k views
How do I turn off anti-aliasing while drawing shapes in Photoshop?
Whenever I create a square shape at 100% zoom, I get perfectly sharp edges. However, once I zoom in at any amount, drawing a perfect square (without anti-aliasing) is very difficult. Is there a way I ...
2
votes
4answers
4k views
What software is best for GUI design?
I've used Photoshop extensively, but the fact of the matter is that it's a photo editing tool. It has some complicated effects built in, such as the drop shadow and inner and outer glows etc., but it ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
How to make Objects follow a path (illustrator) (like on the las vegas sign)
Does anyone know how to get objects to follow a path in illustrator symmetrically? For example (and what I am trying to emulate), the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign.
I figured out the basics of the ...
1
vote
4answers
835 views
How to create this 3-columns fluid layout?
I am trying to create a 3-columns fluid layout, as described by attached picture, but I cannot reach the desired results.
Do you have some hints that can help me?
12
votes
5answers
1k views
Large color set for coloring of many datasets on a plot
I need large set (20 and more) of contrasted and easily visually distinguishable colors for coloring different datasets on a scientific plot (the set of colors should not include write and black and ...
11
votes
3answers
291 views
Where does inspiration end, where does illegitimate copying start?
I'm creating the UI for a web application which will mainly run on Macs. So my goal is to preserve the look and feel of Mac OS. But since I don't use Apples Frameworks I'm not allowed to use their UI ...
9
votes
3answers
445 views
Can I use portions of stock images for derivative works?
I have some stock vector files from istock that I'd like to use as the starting point for a logo. I'd like to stress I wouldn't be using the original image in the logo - but using as a starting point ...
7
votes
7answers
634 views
Techniques to dramatically scale an image
I have been given an impossible task:
Take a picture image (jpg) at 1422 x 1067 px with 100 dpi and scale it to 86400 x 29376 px (that's equivalent to 34ft x 100ft or 30.5 meters x 10.36 meters)
...
7
votes
3answers
650 views
Choosing colors that work well on projectors
When specifying colors for use in a software user interface, what's the best way to ensure that those colors will look acceptable on all common display technologies: CRT, LCD, and in particular ...
6
votes
4answers
4k views
Why can't Photoshop properly open this PNG?
When I try to open this image in PS (CS5) I get red rectangles around the parts of the image that are not transparent.
If I copy the image and paste it in PS I get the contents of the image, as seen ...
5
votes
5answers
215 views
How do I create a solid line of uniform thickness inside of a letterform in Illustrator?
I've seen all sorts of headlines and ads that use this style a solid color section of type has a solid uniform line of a different color running through the exact middle of each letter. I've done all ...
5
votes
3answers
452 views
Designing interesting looking websites in greyscale, minimal tones
I know a business that wanted a website to match their brand, and it would seem that they are allergic to colour. I think designs in greyscale can look amazing, especially in print, but it feels near ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
Why does my transparent PNG not look good?
I want to convert a JPG to transparent and using GIMP I added alpha layers and transparency same way I make a GIF transparent I converted it to PNG but it doesn't display well when I load it on my ...
5
votes
3answers
5k views
How can I identify what font was used in a Photoshop layer when the font is not installed on my computer?
So I created a layout for a website a while back and now am getting back to the project. The issue is I have a small logo designed and I am trying to recreate the logo at a much larger resolution.
...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Do I need full 300dpi resolution photos for designing a poster?
I'm working on a poster for a local event. It has a photograph in the background. The poster itself is designed to be 11x17, which at 300dpi is about 3300x5100.
Now the photo in the background does ...
4
votes
2answers
694 views
How to “draw” pointed corner drop shadows in Adobe Illustrator CS5
I have this image which I want to re-draw/reverse engineered so that I can use it at different sizes as resizing it cause it to look bad.
But I can't seem to figure out how to do it. The drop ...
3
votes
4answers
248 views
suggestions for ways to gain practical experience?
If this is not considered an appropriate question for this list (I couldn't quite tell from the FAQ), feel free to close it, but I could really use some specific, concrete advice. I passed the ACE ...
3
votes
4answers
477 views
Perspective/non-linear blends with a common centre
In illustrator, if you want to take a blend between two objects with a specified number of steps and give it a perspective-like effect - changing the curve of the blend from linear to non-linear so ...
3
votes
4answers
168 views
Technically, what are the prime gotchas that could affect your logo further down the road, if it incorporates justified* fx & blend mode treatments?
Explanation
(*Justified meaning they favorably add to the identity and aesthetics; i.e. we're assuming that they make perfect sense in a structural meaning.)
I'm looking for technically specific ...
3
votes
7answers
3k views
How to make an inner shadow around a page in Photoshop CS2?
I'm working on a web site and want to create a bounding-shadow effect around the whole site, like in the image below. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I've tried inner-shadow but it doesn't ...
2
votes
2answers
310 views
How to not make my website have a “1990's” look
I recently launched a comics website, www.hittingtreeswithsticks.com, which I created from scratch. I created my own design because I wanted to keep it unique, and used no templates.
Unfortunately, ...
2
votes
1answer
554 views
Using GIMP, can you “erase” a color?
I'm presently working on an iOS application and I am attempting to reverse engineer their standard alert dialog window. I have managed to figure out what the alpha value on the background it uses is ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
The most advanced JPEG image compression on mac?
Sometimes i work with JPEG files for my web designs. There are occasions where the PNG format is not suitable..
There are several optimization techniques for the PNG format, but I noticed that for ...
1
vote
1answer
209 views
How to use “add/subtract/intersect from path/shape area” effectively in Photoshop?
I'm attempting to follow the below Photoshop tutorial, but steps 29 and 30 have me stumped.
The larger of the two white rectangles in the below image was created on its own layer. Once I have that ...
1
vote
4answers
532 views
How do I change RGB value without changing the Alpha channel?
I would like to know how can I change color of RGBA image when alpha channel will be unchanged for each pixel. If I use Paint Box Tool it will set alpha channel for all pixels to constant value.
Look ...
1
vote
2answers
296 views
What is the standard method of slicing a photoshop document?
Is there any industry standard method of slicing a PSD to convert to HTML? Because I use marquee tool rather than slices.
At times there is design where slicing cannot do the job like if you need 2 ...
0
votes
3answers
2k views
Make sharp dashed line path stroke on rounded corners in Photoshop?
Following this answer, I've tried to make rounded corners with dashed stroke, but the output is blurry. Is there any method to make a sharp dashed stroke in Photoshop?
11
votes
1answer
245 views
How can a design be balanced and yet have a focal point?
The concept of a focal point seems to be a fundamental one in web design, yet doesn't a focal point mean a page cannot be balanced?
Surely by definition a focal point means that the page's 'weight' ...
6
votes
3answers
258 views
Seeking advice to improve the design of my minimalist calculator
A while ago, I built a count down timer app based on a designer's free giveaway. It turns out users like it and it is even mentioned on beautifulpixels.
This time I'm building a calculator named ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
How to ensure scalability of logo design?
How can I make my logo suitable for all purposes, from webpages to very large printed banners?
I currently use use Photoshop.
6
votes
3answers
180 views
Perspective manipulation
I'm trying to achieve the effect shown below, but with a photograph and I'm having some trouble maintaining the height width ratio so the photograph doesn't look too distorted - can anyone offer any ...
6
votes
5answers
16k views
Text in my Photoshop image looks “blurry”
I am creating a website header in Photoshop CS5, however when I look at it, the text looks very blurry and I have no idea why.
I use the Web preset. What do you recommend for the sharpest and best ...
5
votes
5answers
9k views
Noteworthy: Web Font and Its (Possible) Alternatives
I am trying to use Noteworthy font (available on Mac OS X 10.7.2) for my web application. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it on MyFonts nor typekit; I mentioned these two sites just because so far they ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Delivering a graphic design to a customer
I work as a photographer but recently I've been working on stretching my skills and took on a project to create a graphic design for a non-profit. The designs are complete and the organization was ...
4
votes
2answers
5k views
Using Photoshop - how do I make text “wrap” (break) around an image like in the images linked in this post?
Example 1:
Example 2:
Is there a simple and semi-automatic way to do this? I know I can do it manually, but there ought to be some way to make the text automatically break when it reaches some ...
4
votes
1answer
16k views
How to put 4 pages next to each other in Indesign
I'm trying to setup a large presentation spread with 4 panels. They will be hung next to each other so its important that I see all of them next to each other while i design the layout.
Facing pages ...
4
votes
2answers
10k views
Scale drawings in Illustrator, maintain proportions of line weights and effects
My problem is that when I scale down my drawing, the line weights stay the same, blotting out the artwork. If I scale up, the line weights become too thin. I've noticed that parametric effects don't ...
4
votes
1answer
3k views
Working with .psb in a psd
Is it possible to import an psb-file (saved smart object) into several psds, so when i edit the .psb the change is visible in every psd?
I only get it that way, that the psb is copied into the psd ...
3
votes
3answers
918 views
is it mandatory to keep 72 dpi for web design? What if I create in 200dpi?
I have been designing web banners in photoshop for more than 1 year but never considered the DPI, as I was using the default 72 dpi, but now I want to know is it necessary to create web designs in ...
3
votes
6answers
143 views
What font to enhance 1-2 words within block of Helvetica/Arial?
I'm trying to find an alternative to simply "bold/italic" words that I want to enhance within a continuous block of Helvetica/Arial text.
For example:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views
Photoshop “Save For Web” Color Shift problem
I'm a starter practicing front end web design. I'm having hard time finding solution with the Photoshop "Save for Web" function improperly displaying color. The colors of the Save For Web window do ...
3
votes
7answers
1k views
PSD fonts and Html Page fonts
I am a web developer. What happens is that the Client sends a PSD (Photoshop designs) to the company. Then the designer needs to create a HTML page from the PSDs
What happen every time is that the ...
3
votes
2answers
396 views
What is the difference between “wrapped” text and “constrained” text?
This question is based on the comments on this answer to another question.
What is the technical difference between text that is "wrapped around" a shape as opposed to text that is "constrained by" a ...
3
votes
2answers
455 views
What font can I use for a Japanese book?
I have a PDF book to be translated in Japanese, and what wondering which fonts to use. My main languages are French and English and I have no experience with asian fonts. I would not be able to say ...
