penrose's blog

The IDxchange blog is a resource for professional Instructional Designers, who may also be working on their graduate degree at Capella University. The participants make up The IDOL (Instructional Design for Online Learning) Group, and are responsible for the development of what we hope will become a staple of instructional design reading - The IDOL Quartlery. This peer reviewed journal is currently being formed to provide a venue for Instructional Designers interested in publishing. The journal uses the PKP Open Journal System and is aiming to publish their first issue in the Fall (September) 2005. The Journal Manager is Michael Bell (Troy University). If anyone is interested in having a manuscript considered, you can contact him via his email Mbell19315@troy.edu.

David

One of the problems that I have as an instructional designer is making sure that any of the materials that are developed will be cross platform compatible. This is not as easy as it would first seem. Up to this point, I have opted to deliver content almost exclusively via the Internet. That could be changing with the addition of two nifty programs to my Instructional Design arsenal of tools.

L & S Duham distributes a nifty program called MACimage for Windows. The program creates hybrid CD-ROMs and DVDs. This means that just one disk can be read by both a Windows PC and Macintosh computer. These disks are also auto starting on both platforms. The $60 pricetag makes this a must have utility.
read more ...

Tribeworks distributes a versatile and intuitive program called iShell that creates Hybrid CD-ROMs that are also interactive. Although the $800 pricetag may be intimidating, I promise that the output is well worth the investment. In a short time, you can create an interactive CD for your multimedia project. You can also create internet based and kiosk applications. You might also be interested to know that they have a product to output in a format compatible with Mobile phones ... this might prove helpful given the recent decision to support the .mobi domain name.
product showcase ...

David

Exporting to SWF

1. Open an existing image or create a new one for practice purposes.

2. Choose File -> Export -> Macromedia Flash SWF to bring up the Macromedia Flash (SWF) Export dialog box.
3. The Export Options field includes three basic options:
   
   • Preserve Appearance maintains the appearance of the file and rasterizes any content that can not be exported natively to the SWF format.
   • SWF bgcolor allows you to choose a background color for the SWF
     (if your background layer contains transparency, and you want something other than the default white).
   • Generate HTML creates the HTML along with the SWF file.

4. If your image includes text and is going directly to the Web, you can click the Enable Dynamic Text field, which will then give you the ability to embed your font, portions of the font (such as all upper- or lowercase characters), or just specified characters in the file.
5. The Bitmap Options field offers a drop-down menu from which you can choose a file format to be used for bitmap images, along with a JPEG Quality option to specify how much compression to use for JPEGs.
6. Once the options are set as desired, clicking OK will bring up the Save dialog box, where you give your file a name and choose its location.
7. When working with a file containing an animation, you may wish to export the animation frames as individual SWF files. Choosing File-> Export -> Animation Frames as Files will bring up the dialog box. Set the file options (such as name and destination) and choose SWF in the Format drop-down menu to save each animation frame as a separate SWF file that you can import into your Macromedia Flash program.

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Creating a Basic Web Photo Gallery

1. Choose File? Automate ? Web Photo Gallery to open the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.

2. Choose from the Styles drop-down menu to determine which template your gallery will use for its appearance. A thumbnail of the selected template will be shown beneath the Cancel button.
3. Enter your e-mail address in the Email field so that the gallery can be published with a contact link.
4. Choose .html from the Extension drop-down menu.
5. Press the Browse button in the Source Images section.
6. Select a directory containing the existing files you wish to catalog and press the OK button.
7. Press the Destination button in the Folders section.
8. Select a directory where you wish to save your HTML and Web-ready image files.
9. Press the OK button to produce the HTML and image files. Your default Web browser will pop up when the operation is complete with the gallery's index page open.
10. Click any of the thumbnail images in the browser window's bottom frame to see a larger image in the top frame.

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Extracting an Object from the Surrounding Background

1. To extract an object from the surrounding background of an image, open an image or select a layer you want to work on.

2. Select Filter? Extract to bring up the Extract dialog box. Alternatively,press Alt+Ctrl+X (Windows) or Command+Option+X (Mac OS).
3. Select the Edge Highlighter tool at the top of the vertical tool bar on the left side of the dialog box. Draw a complete, closed outline around the object you want to bring out. You can adjust the size of the brush in the Tool Options fieldset. Pick a large brush size for objects that are thin, like flowing hair or tree branches.
4. Select the Fill tool underneath the Edge Highlighter tool and click inside the highlighted area.
5. To see how Photoshop interprets your mask in extracting the image, click Preview.
6. If you do not like the extracted image, go to the Preview fieldset at the bottom right of the Extract dialog box and select Original from the Show drop-down menu. This brings back the full image in the dialog box.
7. Once you create your mask, click OK. The image appears on a layer with just your masked portion (or portions, depending on what you are extracting). Easy, isn't it? The object is now freed from the background.
8. Even though the Extract filter makes things easier, it's by no means push-button perfect. After you select Preview, two tools appear so you can clean up the extraction mask if you need to. The Cleanup Tool removes portions of the extraction mask and the Edge Touchup Tool reinstates it. You can find both tools on the left side of the Extract dialog box.

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Placing Text on a Path

1. Create a new document using the New command.

2. Choose the Custom Shape tool from the ninth row and second column of the Tools palette and specify the Paths drawing mode in the tool's Options bar.
3. Using the Custom Shape Picker in the Custom Shape tool's Options bar, choose the Talk 1 black word balloon.
4. Within your document window, click and drag to draw a giant word balloon filling roughly three-quarters of the document window.
5. Choose the Horizontal Type tool from the ninth row and second column of the Tools palette.
6. When you move the type tool's cursor directly over the balloon's gray outline, the cursor should switch to an I-beam with a squiggly linepassing through it. Click once on the balloon's path to use the path's edges as a baseline for your text.
7. Enter your text. As you type characters, the letter forms will appear along the path's edges.
8. To place text inside the word balloon, revert your document back to Step 5.
9. When you move the type tool's cursor inside the balloon's gray outline, the cursor should switch to parentheses surrounding an I-beam. Click once inside the balloon's path to use the path's edges as a bounding box for your text.
10. Enter your text. As you type characters, the letter forms will appear inside the path's edges

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Painting from or Recovering Your Previous Work Using Snapshots

1. To work on a snapshot of an image, open an image and edit it to give it a history.

2. In the History palette, select the state from which you want to create a new snapshot.
3. Click the Create New Shapshot button at the bottom of the History palette.
   This adds your new snapshot at the top of the History palette.
4. To select a snapshot as the source image for the History Brush tool, select the square to the left of the snapshot thumbnail and view.
5. Apply the Brush tool to the contents of the document window.
6. If you want to rename a snapshot, double-click the current snapshot name and enter a new name in the resulting dialog box.
7. To delete a snapshot, drag it to the Trash icon at the bottom of the History palette.
   Alternatively, you can select the Snapshot and then click the Trash icon at the bottom of the History palette, or select Delete from the History palette's options menu (which you can access by clicking the small arrow icon in the upper right corner of the palette).

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Using the Color Replacement Tool

1. Open an existing document with a color photograph or image.

2. Choose the Color Replacement tool from the fourth row and first column of the Tools palette.
   (Click and hold the Brush tool's icon until a small menu is displayed, move your cursor onto the Color Replacement tool icon, and release your mouse button.)
3. Select the foreground color to be used by the tool when replacing other colors by picking a color value from the Color palette.
4. Using the Brush Preset picker in the Options bar, set the brush size and hardness so that the brush will have a soft edge to smooth the intersections between the tool's work and the document's original colors.
5. Adjust the Tolerance setting in the Options bar, using a percentage such as 50 percent, to determine what colors similar to those directly under the tool's mouse cursor will be altered.
6. Choose how the tool will determine which colors to alter by selecting a setting, such as Once, from the tool's Options bar's Sampling drop-down menu. The Continuous setting will affect any color that is under the cursor's cross-hair, Once will affect only those colors similar to the color under the cursor when you click and hold, and Background Swatch will affect those colors similar to theBackground Color.
7. Determine the boundaries of the tool's effect by choosing a setting,such as Find Edges, from the Limits drop-down menu, also in the Options bar. The Contiguous setting will affect all neighboring pixels with colors similar to the sample color, Discontiguous will affect all pixels with colors similar to the sample color, and Find Edges will affect all pixels with colors similar to the sample color while not affecting colors that are in contrast to the sample.
8. Make sure the Options bar's Anti-aliased setting is checked to ensure smooth, anti-aliased edges wherever you paint with this tool.
9. Click and drag within your document to replace the color of the pixels beneath the cursor.

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Using the Magnetic Pen Tool to Trace a Path around an Object

1. Create a new document or open an existing one.

2. Choose the Freeform Pen tool from the toolbox.
3. Select the Magnetic check box on the options bar. Alternately, you can also click the Geometry button and select the Magnetic checkbox as well as specify the tool's Width, Contrast, and Frequency set-tings under Freeform Pen Options.
4. In the Width text box, you can enter a value from 1 to 256. This value represents the number of pixels from the pointer where Photoshop will look for dramatic changes in colors when creating the work path.
5. In the Contrast text box, you can enter a percentage value from 1 to 100. This value controls how much Photoshop will determine a color change to be an edge when creating a path.
6. In the Frequency text box, you can enter a value from 0 to 100. This value controls the number of anchor points the Magnetic Pen tool will place on a path. The lower the value the fewer the number of anchor points.
7. If you are using a stylus tablet, select the Pen Pressure check box. This ensures that the width of your work path decreases when you press on the stylus on the tablet.
8. To create your path with the Magnetic Pen tool, click inside the document window near the object you want to trace.
9. Draw your path around the object and press Enter or Return when you are done or click your starting point to close the path..

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp190-191)

David

Measuring Distance and Angles in Images with the Measure Tool

1. To access the Measure tool, click on the Eyedropper tool in the toolbox and select the Measure tool from the context menu. You can also press Shift+I multiple times until you see the Measure tool.

2. In the image window, click a spot and then drag across the image to the second spot of interest.
3. Look at the Info palette to view the angle and distance measures of the connecting line between the two points.
4. To move one of the two points at any time, use the Measure tool to select a point and move it around in the image window.
5. To move the entire line, select the middle section of the line and move it in the image window.
6. To measure an angle, press the Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) keys and drag a new line from one of the line's two end points.The angle formed by these two lines as well as the distance of the second line is displayed in the Info palette.
7. To modify the angle, click and drag one of the two endpoints.
8. You can grab and move the entire angle by clicking any part of the angle except the endpoints.

Reference:
Laaker, Micah and Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. (pp52-53)

David