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New Adobe Groups Website

Christian Gehrke — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:05:51 +0000

We now have a new website hosted by Adobe:

http://groups.adobe.com/groups/8375272868/summary

In order to join this group you’ll need to get an Adobe Id and login. It’s free and easy to get an ID juyst follow the link below.

When you login at Adobe you can access a wide array of resources not available to users who are not logged in. In addition to access our group page you can also access tools and resources provided by Adobe and the Adobe Community.

To get a free Adobe Id visit the link below:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/membership/

Once you login and visit our group page you’ll see a “Join Group” button on the right hand side.

Adobe Alchemy Converts C and C++ Code for Flash

Christian Gehrke — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:33:28 +0000

This looks huge if you ask me. Adobe’s new product called Alchemy (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/alchemy/) allows developer to easily (if not automatically) convert C and C++ code into working Action Script 3 code.

From the demo’s I have seen so far this looks very promising. To think most windows applications are built using C and C++ code and they can now be turned into an AIR or Flex app and run on Linux and Apple machines is pretty huge.

Adobe Thermo is now Adobe Catalyst

Christian Gehrke — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:27:50 +0000

Straight from Adobe MAX in Milan 2008. Adobe Thermo is not called Adobe Catalyst and you can find out more here: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcatalyst/

It looks amazing. It allows designers to take their artwork from Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks and more and add interactivity, animation and connectivity to them. For skinning a new Flex application it’s key. The interface is for designers not programmers but what it does under the hood is good for the programmer. So far it looks very promising. As a designer you can build out all your artwork and also add the functionality to all without a line of code. I will be kicking this around for sure over the next few weeks. You can get a free beta copy very soon. I just got a copy here on CD. It’s a Mac only version at the moment so it really was designed for the designer and no the programmer. Most programmers are PC guys and designers use Macs.

Adobe MAX 2008 in Milan – Fireworks Session

Christian Gehrke — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:09:15 +0000

I am writing this post from Adobe MAX in Milan. So far I am very impressed. I have been able to experience the new multi-touch display system which I really really want but will have to wait until I win the lotto I guess.

I will probably be adding some information here over the next few days so you have a chance to experience some of what I am seeing.

At the moment I am sitting in a session about using Fireworks to create effective CSS and XHTML. You can download the slides from this session here.

http://sonspring.com/files/max2008.zip

40 Beautiful Grunge Photoshop Tutorials

Christian Gehrke — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:35:40 +0000

We had retro tutorials and now we have grunge tutorials for all you Photoshop fans. I know I will be using some of these in the near future.

If you find any interesting news or links please send them on to me and I will share them.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/10/28/40-beautiful-grunge-photoshop-tutorials/

Adobe Acrobat Connect

Christian Gehrke — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:11:13 +0000

If you have not been to the Adobe Acrobat site in a while I strongly suggest you go back now and take a look.

Adobe has really beefed up the Acrobat site and are even giving away free accounts to your very own Acrobat Connect. All you need to do is visit the link below and sign up. Then you can start using your very own Connect account.

What is Acrobat Connect? Well it’s basically a video conferencing tool that allows you to host a webinar or web seminar. You get your very own virtual room where you can invite people to come and see what you want them to see. You can share a file such as a powerpoint or you can even push your desktop out and allow them to see what you see.

It’s very handy for technical support I find. I have been able to do one on one client meetings to get feedback on a design project without leaving the house. The client is on the phone and in my Connect room and I can make changes to a design while they watch. It’s great stuff. You can use your microphone to broadcast your audio to the guests but they will have to type in the chat window to respond.

I have used this to do training with clients a few times and I find it works great.

So go get yours now:

http://www.acrobat.com

30 Beautiful Retro / Vintage Photoshop Tutorials

Christian Gehrke — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:00:33 +0000

We all love Photoshop. It’s an Adobe staple. It was the first Adobe product I learned and is probably the one most people use. Well… until they bought Macromedia but either way, we love Photoshop.

Here is a nice round-up of some Retro and Vintage tutorials that will put your design skills into a whole other level.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/10/14/30-beautiful-vintageretro-photoshop-tutorials/

Monthly Book Selection

Christian Gehrke — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:59:55 +0000

This choices for this month have arrived. Please leave a comment and let me know your choice as soon as possible.

Thanks to Peachpit.com for their continued support.

101 Adobe AIR Resources

Christian Gehrke — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:59:38 +0000

I seen this and thought I’d share with everyone. If you’re designing with Flex or AIR or you are thinking of learning Flex or AIR you will want to give this list a look over. I found it very useful.

http://www.jasonbartholme.com/101-adobe-air-resources-to-add-to-your-too
lbelt-of-awesomeness/

Meeting Notes: April Meeting

Christian Gehrke — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:45:39 +0000

Our April meeting was a very quiet one and it’s my own fault because I failed to inform everyone in a timely manner. I apologize for that and promise to be better at that in the future.

News: New User Groups:
We have some new user groups coming to our area, well they are going to be starting in Derry and will run on different dates during the month. Tim Kelly will be managing one of the new groups and I have not met the manager of second group which will be focused more on Cold Fusion. So if once a month is not enough for you to be meeting other Adobe users or you live closer to Derry, now you have more choices. I want to personally welcome them both to the neighborhood and hope to do some coordinated events together in the near future. I will pass on more details as they become available.

Book Selection:
The book selected for this month to be added to our library is…

Designing the Moment: Web Interface Design Concepts in Action
By Robert Hoekman, Jr.