Diagram Design

From IllustrationClass.com:

Illustration for the sake of communication and explanation isn’t the most glamorous form of creative work, but it’s one of the most needed forms of illustration within any industry today. When done well it’s rarely noticed, pedestrian if you will.

But how many times have you tried to follow poorly executed diagram illustrations only to become frustrated because you couldn’t figure out what it was showing you. This is usually the only time you notice diagram illustration, when it fails to diagram a process well.

This tutorial will help you create well crafted diagram illustrations that communicate with clarity and serve their designated purpose well.

Headline Breaks

From CreativePro.com:

Q. Should I pay attention to how a headline breaks, or is that the job of the writer and copy editor?

A. Today, a designer is also the typesetter, so you're responsible not only for how the type looks, but for making it as readable, logical, and clear as possible. The line breaks of a headline have a major impact on this.

In other words, YES!!!!!

Photography tips for the Web

From CreativePro.com:

Photos that look great as large prints can shrink into muddled, fuzzy messes when viewed on a computer monitor or, worse, a mobile phone. Here's how to compose, shoot, and process your images so they work well on the small screen.

Summary

• Small screens have fewer pixels so images have less detail at smaller sizes.
• Take extra shots with small screens in mind.
• Crop your subject tightly.
• Keep the composition simple.
• Use a shallow depth of field if necessary.
• Give the foreground contrast against the background (eg: light vs dark).
• Boost the image contrast and saturation before uploading. (Hint: use Curves instead of Contrast.)
• Try removing the background altogether.

Pixelmator 1.5 Update (Photoshop alternative)

From The Unofficial Apple Weblog:

The Pixelmator team has released another update to my favorite little photo editor. Pixelmator 1.5 Spider brings a host of web exporting and sharing options, including a new "Save for Web" feature and the option to send a picture straight to Mail or iPhoto. Additionally, there's a new Trim tool that will cut off transparent or background pixels, and a new Slice tool that will let you cut an image up into pieces and optimize each for the 'net. There's also the usual round of bug fixes, including support for full compatibility with Snow Leopard.

As usual, the new version is available for update from right within the current app. For new users, Pixelmator is available for $59 over on their website, complete with a free trial if you want to check out this photo editing powerhouse before buying. I really enjoy using Pixelmator -- it's lightweight and easy to use, and while it's not quite as full-featured as Photoshop (though with every big version release like this, they get closer), it's a great app to do a little image editing in.

I purchased Pixelmator recently for home use and it does a nice job for photo touchups. I'd say it's comparable to Photoshop 5.5, which was pretty good back in the day. Who needs 17 different ways to blur anyway? :)

Two useful photo tutorials

CreativePro.com:

Sharpening is a critical step in digital imaging, yet few of us are satisfied with the results. Using research he conducted for a commercial sharpening product, Bruce Fraser argues for a new approach to sharpening that's based on three imaging phases: capture, creative, and output.

ACDSee Pro Blog:

White balance is the black sheep of the family when it comes to ensuring your digital shoot looks its best in variable light. It’s so easy to focus on subject matter, exposure, and composition and then, almost as an afterthought, realize that “Oh yeah, white balance – well, I guess I’ll just leave it on the ‘auto’ setting.”

I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me, and, to be honest, there’s a good reason for it. Unlike bad composition, the wrong ISO setting, or depth of field that’s too narrow, white balance is something that I really can fix quite easily in post-processing—especially with the tools ACDSee Pro provides.