Chapter 2 Fireworks: Using the Vector Tools September 24, 2007

 (this is my photo for the Fireworks editing Bitmap images)

Chapter 2:

I’m actually excited about this segment on how to use vector tools.  In working for an advertising company, we have to use a lot of vector formats when creating logos and for printing on giveaway items.  I think using vectors are great because it allows you to take what could be a small image and blow it up to a larger image without having pixelation problems or having to save an image as a lower resolution and a higher resolution.

 I think it’s great that you can apply Live Filters and it will adjust accordingly.  They do talk about beveling the edges to make it look more realistic. Is there a way to make an object, say you were drawing a ball, to turn it into a sphere?

Learning this feature will put me at a new level towards enhancing my career as a designer.

ImageMaps and Dreamweaver September 18, 2007

http://bcts-potomac.aacc.edu/128b/07/mapexample.html

Readings for Week 3 September 18, 2007

Web-Safe Color Dilemma

www.lynda.com/hex.asp

Its very interesting to learn the history of color pallets through web as it developed.  She’s right (Lynda), they were designed by programmers with no design sense.  There was not much difference between light and dark colors, they all seemed to be green, to yellow, to brown. 

As we have evolved, thank god, the 256 color computer is pretty much extinct.  We are able to pretty much see every color of the spectrum.  Great for people like us who want to design beautiful things.

Designing for the Web

www.digital-web.com/articles/designing_for_the_web/

html file September 10, 2007

Index website assignment

http://bcts-potomac.aacc.edu/128b/07/week3 website/page.html

Adobe Seminar September 10, 2007

I tried my best to watch carefully and understand the presenter.  It’s hard to understand a brand new software without really knowing the basics of it.  This went over the basics for doing a layout, but in hurried way, to me.  I found myself watching his mouse, trying to figure out what he was clicking on to know what he was doing to get where he was.

From what I gathered, the first part of the tutorial was learning how to pull things from photoshop or fireworks. I am familiar with how to design banners and websites in photoshop.  So I can take things I had designed and pull them right into dreamweaver.

I really like the idea of being able to put an html template and drag the list over from your ‘library’ as an option.

 I think this would be a great tutorial for someone who is familiar with Dreamweaver, new or old.  I know that I would have been able to focus more on what the guy was saying rather than watching his mouse.  I think learning by doing is definetly going to help me navigate through the software.  It seems as though it’s not very complicated based on how quickly he was able to create something without doing a lot.

Chapter 1 & 2 Reading September 4, 2007

I had a little bit of a hard time with chapter 1 reading.  I understand somewhat how to read html code.   For example on myspace you can create your own background, and I have chosen templates other people have made, and scanned through the html code to customize fonts and breaks where I wanted them to be.  I know that practicing this will help me to understand. 

 I got that the difference between html and xhtml is really the evolution of time and the way the computer works.  We have a lot more images, artwork, pictures, that original html codes weren’t built for.  xhtml is just the updated version. 

 Dreamweaver helps to eliminate some of the confusion with typing in your own html codes from what I understand.  It has built in defaults for CSS as well.   It is also compatible with other softwares and html codes don’t get distorted and if they do change, barely at all.

 Chapter 2 was all about Interface set up.  I use a Mac computer at home, so I will have to learn both interfaces, which look to be very similar.  I am definetly a more hands on person.  I learn by doing.  I am excited to start learning this software.

FTP: article September 4, 2007

I use FTP sites on a weekly basis in my job.  I work for an advertising agency, and we are always uploading large art files,  files to share inter office, and files to share with clients.  I thought I was pretty familiar with how these worked, but I found there were a few things I did not know.  

I didn’t know what FTP stood for.  I know now it means File Transer Protocol.  File Transfer is self explainitory, but I didn’t understand where the word protocol came into play.  It’s basically the set of rules build into your computer that allows it to ‘talk’ to eachother; tell the other computer what to do.

 I also did not think about public music sharing files as using an FTP.  I always thought you had to log into someones site to be able to upload and download information, when actually browsers have FTP options built into the browser window.

 The last thing from this article that I found informative was the difference between ASCII and Binary modes.  ASCII is better for transfering HTML files, text files, or PostScripts; Binary is used for .zip and .tar files.   Another helpful hint is that most people leave FTP settings on binary transfer mode because it accepts the ASCII files.  ASCII files do not accept binary files.  ASCII is basically used for faster transfers.

 Just in reading this article, I know that I can become an even better and more respectful user to my clients and for my clients when using FTP.

Link: http://www.webmonkey.com/02/36/index4a.html

Hello world! September 4, 2007

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