All Questions
3,945
questions
75
votes
13
answers
452k
views
What resolution should a large format artwork for print be?
For wall-sized graphics and large banners (e.g. 3m × 5m), what is an acceptable PPI for print?
As I understand it 300 ppi is the typical for 'small' artworks (esp. for clean text resolution). However, ...
- 3,066
37
votes
2
answers
25k
views
I need to print an image at a certain size. What dimensions and resolution should I use?
(This question is meant to be a resource to direct others to given that this is a common question.)
Given the task of creating an image that will be printed at a certain size, what pixel dimensions ...
- 50.2k
193
votes
15
answers
20k
views
Tips and resources for beginning designers
Thanks to the internet, graphic design and programming are becoming increasingly overlapping fields.
As a programmer, I constantly find myself needing basic knowledge of Graphic Design, but have ...
- 2,033
72
votes
15
answers
8k
views
Is there a good resource or tool to help build a palette/color scheme around colors I select?
No matter how nice the composition, flow, and lines of my design are, if I am not copying directly from nature, I have a very difficult time picking a decent color scheme. It either looks too drab, ...
- 1,470
42
votes
1
answer
25k
views
Image looks embossed when converted to SVG
I converted a raster image to vector in Illustrator CS6 using Image Trace then the Expand option, though when I save as an svg the image looks embossed. I suspect it's due to the layer background ...
- 605
33
votes
4
answers
32k
views
What are the differences between vector graphics and raster graphics?
I understand from prior knowledge that there are two different image format / composition options available for creating images; raster and vector.
I would like to understand more about them, such as ...
- 4,487
15
votes
1
answer
20k
views
What should happen if a logo I made is similar to another?
Note: This is a canonical post created so that we can close the many similar questions as duplicates as discussed in this meta post.
We have created a logo for a client and they love it. We've ...
46
votes
7
answers
109k
views
What price should I charge for design services?
I was hoping I would find some people in the industry that could help me decide what's the best price to charge to design (in this case) business cards.
What are standard prices for professional ...
- 561
79
votes
12
answers
166k
views
What kind of black should I use when designing for CMYK print?
My question is what kind of black should I use when printing. At the moment I use this black (split into CMYK):
C:0%
M:0%
Y:0%
K:100%
It looks fine in InDesign or Illustrator but if I save a PDF ...
- 3,737
68
votes
13
answers
24k
views
Where are some good places to find royalty free stock images?
I'm always on the hunt for free stock images to use while I design, what are some good resources for images that are under a a royalty free or creative commons licence?
237
votes
4
answers
47k
views
Is there a reason Hillary Clinton's logo has hidden notches?
This question is not political in the least!
While looking at the SVG version of Hillary's logo found here, I noticed there were notches in the two vertical bars of the H. The arrow crossbar covers ...
- 2,391
55
votes
4
answers
147k
views
Is it mandatory to keep images at 72 dpi for web design?
I have been designing web banners for more than a year but never considered the DPI.
I was using the default 72 dpi, but now I want to know is it necessary to create web designs in 72 dpi? What if we ...
- 617
22
votes
4
answers
21k
views
Logo Pack - What should I include?
What files should i put in a logo pack to give to clients? Should I put small, medium and large version of my logo as well as the vector file.
- 221
27
votes
9
answers
118k
views
Facebook: Ways to preserve image quality of uploaded images?
After uploading an image, Facebook converts it to a new image. Their conversion process introduces artifacts and mottling to the magenta-ish parts of the image.
Original image:
Facebook's ...
- 387
31
votes
3
answers
31k
views
What's the best way to animate an illustration for the web?
I have a couple of illustrations done in Illustrator and I am planing to animate it for a website that I am working on, I've heard of Create.js toolkit with flash, but is it the best way to go or is ...
- 433
7
votes
2
answers
29k
views
How to keep the text in vector in Photoshop without rasterizing it or flattening the layers when exporting to PDF?
After many tests in all kind of PDF presets, I couldn't figure out how to keep the text layers as vector and still have the quality of InDesign without using it. Everything I tried was rasterizing ...
- 13.7k
6
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Space between 2 paths in Illustrator
How can I align 2 paths perfectly? No matter what I do I get a little space (gap between the 2 paths I create, and they are straight lines not as I saw in other questions with pixel problems)
An ...
- 163
16
votes
5
answers
525k
views
How to create vector graphics In Photoshop?
I know people prefer using CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator, but I want to know if there is a technique I can follow to use Adobe Photoshop to make vector Images.
- 325
21
votes
6
answers
104k
views
How can I determine how much bleed to use?
I'm starting to do designs meant for printing, but I'm fairly new to this medium so I don't really understand how bleed works and how much bleed should I specify for:
Business cards
Large format ...
- 549
7
votes
6
answers
6k
views
How to mockup a logo in a realistic environment?
I have recently created a logo. I have seen an online trend of showing off a logo in a realistic environment, illustrating possible use cases of the logo.
An example of this can be seen here, with ...
343
votes
4
answers
1.5m
views
Making the background of an image transparent in Gimp
I have some jpg images and I need for each of them to have a transparent background.
I have GIMP as a graphic tool.
I need to put them in a web page and I need to see just the main element and have ...
- 3,441
24
votes
1
answer
21k
views
In Pathfinder window, what is the difference between a shape mode and a pathfinder?
I'm learning Illustrator CC and right now I'm trying out the various tools in the Pathfinder window, and how they allow me to create shapes. Something that confuses me, is that they seem to be somehow ...
36
votes
4
answers
38k
views
How to achieve this 3D "Card" effect
How do I create this type of effect with an image? I'm wondering how to get the thick edges and the tilted look. Is there an online tool that will convert a flat image to look like this?
Source
- 483
30
votes
7
answers
18k
views
Is it possible to have global color swatches or color styles in Photoshop?
I'm looking for a way to use one color in multiple different layers, and then be able to change that color in all the layers in one single place.
Lets say that I have four layers using #ffffff. Now I ...
- 343
17
votes
4
answers
3k
views
How to colorize an image as in the example?
I have seen such an effect being used in many places however I haven't figured out how to replicate it via Photoshop.
I have tried desaturating the image, placing it under a layer of solid colour and ...
- 444
59
votes
4
answers
374k
views
How do I stop Illustrator from snapping to pixel increments?
I am working in Illustrator (15.0.2 (CS5) or 16.0.0 (CS6)) and when I try to move objects small distances, they snap to the nearest two pixels on some invisible grid. I can't find anything in the ...
- 944
52
votes
19
answers
31k
views
How do you explain the value of native files to an uneducated client?
If you design a piece for print. It gets reproduced several times over the course of a few years. Then the client doesn't return for any work for a few more years. And suddenly you are contacted ...
- 208k
12
votes
3
answers
123k
views
Illustrator CC: Turn off align objects to pixel grid
I have inadvertently created an illustration with the align new objects to pixel grid turned on (not sure why it was on, I did not know or ever turn it on) and want to now scale the image. When I ...
- 321
7
votes
9
answers
111k
views
Illustrator Vector Graphics Appearing Pixellated
This has been puzzling me for a few days now, and I asked a graphic designer I knew before trying here and haven't been able to solve it yet. It's quite weird so please bear with me for a bit.
I am ...
- 71
28
votes
6
answers
107k
views
What is the difference between DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch)?
There are lots of other questions on Graphic Design which partly cover this, e.g. What DPI should be used for what situations?.
However, I have become frustrated at the number of questions and ...
- 9,812
13
votes
3
answers
18k
views
How can I make sure that my on-screen colors are consistent?
I designed a mockup on my LG monitor. When I view the same design on another monitor that I own, the colors seem drastically different. I reset both of the monitors to their factory defaults, but ...
- 133
13
votes
2
answers
54k
views
Problem converting color from RGB to CMYK for print
I designed a poster in CorelDraw X5 for printing purposes. I was told by the Printshop guy to use colors only in CMYK. For the most part I did, I don't know why I missed it but I used one color in RGB....
- 543
9
votes
5
answers
212k
views
How can I increase the size of a .jpeg without losing quality?
Is it possible to make a .jpeg photo larger without losing "quality"?
I have a photo that is 450px x 750px and would like to make it 3 times bigger for web not print?
I've been told that Illustrator ...
- 101
28
votes
4
answers
27k
views
How to convert every pixel of raster picture to square objects in Illustrator?
For example I have 10×10px icon. I want to produce 100 squares with correspondent color and location each. Actually, the question is how to make exact pixel mosaic out of raster image.
I tried Live ...
- 1,256
9
votes
3
answers
52k
views
Strange grey bordering/outline in Illustrator
I made a couple of vector shapes in AI and I get this strange thin border appearing around them. I can't get rid of it. Any suggestions?
Zoomed in:
- 91
177
votes
3
answers
709k
views
Replacing whiteness with transparency in Photoshop
I want to replace the whiteness in pixels with transparency in the same way as described in this question - i.e. for lighter pixels to be made proportionally as transparent. All solutions found via ...
- 1,897
15
votes
9
answers
83k
views
Why are there unwanted white lines appearing in a PDF print proof?
I designed a christmas card and I normally print it on vista print.
When I ask for a print proof the outlines show. They don’t show when I print it at home.
Why are there unwanted white lines ...
- 151
75
votes
8
answers
18k
views
How to handle client requests to violate copyrights?
I know Google image search is not a free-for-all to grab any image needed. However, many, many, many clients don't grasp this concept and often request or send images they'd like to use in a design or ...
- 208k
40
votes
6
answers
54k
views
How to create animated GIFs of prototype mockups, like the ones on Dribbble?
I'm sure you've seen Dribbblers upload animated mockups of their designs.
Here's an example:
I can create mockups on Photoshop and even apply simple Tween Animations to them but I can never get ...
- 513
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What's the name of this flat illustration style?
I want to buy some stock photos like the ones below. What is this design called?
I don't even know how to start searching...
- 73
45
votes
10
answers
108k
views
What is the difference between CMYK and RGB? Are there other color spaces I should know?
I'm a photographer, who dabbles in graphic design from time to time as well. What are the differences between the various color spaces?
- 4,487
31
votes
3
answers
64k
views
Text not very readable on different image backgrounds
I've come here seeking for a bit of design help or advice on how I could possibly improve the following:
Like the title says, I'm having a website banner with multiple text displayed on different ...
- 413
44
votes
13
answers
4k
views
What web graphics formats to use?
Web sites can contain JPEG, GIF,PNG, SVG format graphics. Which ones should be used, and when?
- 1,966
31
votes
11
answers
53k
views
What DPI should be used for what situations?
I've been seeing the word 'DPI' pop up quite a lot when I export my work out in Photoshop and Illustrator. While I know that DPI stands for 'dots per inch', and that if you have too low of a DPI on an ...
- 4,895
25
votes
5
answers
45k
views
Charging an Intellectual Property transfer fee for design work
So, you've finished a design job (eg. a logo design) and the client asks for your IP surrounding the logo, eg copyright, original artwork files, notes, sketches, all of that stuff that went into ...
- 263
22
votes
2
answers
133k
views
How do I apply a gradient across multiple objects in Illustrator?
I have two separate objects that I have applied gradient fill to.
The gradient fill seems to only apply to the objects as individuals. I tried grouping the shapes, but that doesn't seem to change the ...
- 208k
21
votes
4
answers
42k
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.
- 211
17
votes
3
answers
148k
views
Is a Photoshop EPS file a vector format?
If I save my file from Photoshop as a Photoshop EPS is that going to be okay as a vector across the board (ie will it be resizeable in whatever it's opened in)? I know if you open a .psd in Photoshop ...
- 1,103
16
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Which is a better design pricing model?
I'm curious which pricing model other feel best fits freelance design, in what situations, and why.
I am not seeking dollar values.
There are a few basic pricing models a freelancer can use:
Time-...
- 208k
15
votes
8
answers
44k
views
Where can I get images for commercial use?
I am running a web site design service for local small business owner. I want avoid legal issues on the images I use. Usually, the images found on Flickr are forbidden for commercial use. Where would ...