After Effects CS5 : Zoom with the mouse scroll wheel

To zoom in to or out from the center of the view, place the pointer over the panel and move the scroll wheel accordingly. To zoom in on or out from a specific point, place the pointer over the panel and hold Option (PC: Alt) as you move the scroll wheel.

Finer control of keyframe edits @ Adobe Premiere Pro CS5

This feature improves the control and precision when dragging keyframes in a confined space. For example, audio gain values can jump dramatically in coarse amounts when dragging an audio volume rubber band or keyframe in the confirmed vertical space of an audio track. To more precisely set the gain value, drag while holding down modifier keys to yield finer control of the rate of change in the parameter value. Hold down Option (PC: Alt) to change the numeric value by 1; hold down Command (PC: Ctrl) to change the numeric value by 0.1.

Working with the Library - Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5

No need to keep your voice down. With the Library panel in Flash Catalyst you can share and import other components made by other Flash Catalyst users quickly and easily. From the Library panel, click the Export Library Package icon or Right-click and select Export Library Package. To import another library use the same controls, but choose Import.

Use the Material Drop tool to easily load and drop materials in Photoshop

Material editing workflow is easier now with the 3D Material Drop and 3D Select Material tools in the 3D panel. With the 3D Material Drop tool, Option-click (PC: Alt-click) a material to load it and then click anywhere to drop it to another part of your model, another 3D mesh, or another 3D layer. Use the 3D Select Material tool to help target the right material as indicated by the material picker thumbnail in the 3D panel.

Adobe Fireworks CS5: Slicing improvements

You can now Edit>Copy and Edit>Paste Attributes from one slice to another, saving you time in what can be a tedious workflow. Slice names are now case-sensitive, so changing the case of a letter in the slice name will now change the slice name.

View links in Bridge and Mini Bridge

If you want to place an image that you used in another InDesign document, go to either Adobe Bridge or the new Mini Bridge panel (Window>Mini Bridge) in InDesign, and navigate to that InDesign file. Right-click on the document thumbnail and choose Show Linked Files. Magically, you'll now see thumbnails of all the placed files inside that InDesign document. Select the item(s) you want to use and drag them into your current document.

Taper strokes in Adobe Illustrator CS5

The Width tool (Shift-W) lets you drag strokes wider or narrower on any part of a path. You can add multiple width points to go wide to narrow to wide again. The Width tool is easy-to-use, but don't let that stop you from exploring all the functionality possible with this tool via shortcuts. For example, pressing the Option (PC: Alt) key while dragging will allow you to create an asymmetrical stroke width.

Adobe Photoshop CS5: Content-Aware Fill

From fixing gaps in a panorama to removing unwanted objects, the new Content-Aware Fill (CAF) feature delivers amazing results, but there are a few tricks to know. Ask the possible CAF does a great job with reproducible patterns: Sky, sand, grass, stone, etc.; less so with man-made objects. When in doubt, use a small selection and try running it and re-running it; each pass will likely get you closer. Sometimes expanding a selection will help dramatically. No matter what the result, CAF will get you further and faster than ever before.

Streamlined video workflows in Adobe Flash Professional CS5

You can now preview your video live on the Stage. As soon as you import a video you'll see a preview of the first frame. Right-click on the video to play, pause, and rewind. If a skin was used to add playback controls then you'll be able to use them on the Stage, as well. This is especially helpful if you're working with video assets that have alpha transparency. You can also add and view cue points in the Properties panel while previewing the video.

Playback/Pause resolution settings in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5

You can adjust the resolution of playing or paused assets. Right-click the Source or Playback Monitor, select Playback or Pause Resolution, and then choose Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16. This gives more control over monitoring experience. For example, with higher resolution footage, you can set Playback Resolution to a lower value for smooth playback (e.g., 1/2), and set the Pause Resolution to Full. This allows you to quickly check the quality of focus or edge details when playback is paused.

Applying Alt-W for Preview in Windows

It started with a simple request from my co-author Diane Burns. She was about to teach a class basic InDesign the next day, but all the people at the company are on Windows machines.

She wanted two simple screen shots to show how to add A new command to Toggle between Preview and Normal for when someone is in a text frame. I immediately understood the request. I see many students with errant Ws inserted in their text because they tried to invoke the Preview command while in a text field.

Let After Effects handle the math in After Effects CS5

Most text fields for input of numerical values in After Effects will perform basic calculations for you. For example, you can enter 1920/2 to set a property to half of 1920. After Effects will do the math for you and set the property value to 960.

Linking it up @ Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5

When working with larger bitmap graphics, you can set them up as external linked images to keep your Flash Catalyst project file size small. You can also make changes to these linked files after the project is published without reopening the project in Flash Catalyst. Convert an embedded bitmap image to a linked image by selecting it and setting it in the HUD, or Right-click on the image in the Library panel.

Target lights with a simple click!

Easily position lights now in Photoshop CS5 Extended by using a keyboard shortcut. With a 3D Light tool active, select the light widget that you want to reposition, and then Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the 3D object to select the new target of the light.

Draw a triangle in Adobe Illustrator CS5

How do you make a triangle? Some people do it with the Pen tool (P), others by creating a square and deleting an anchor point. The fastest way to draw a triangle is with the Polygon tool (nested with the Rectangle tool [M]). While drawing a polygon, hit the Down Arrow key on your keyboard multiple times to reduce the number of sides.

Grid Place for multipage documents in InDesign

It's now possible to place pages from a multipage PDF, INDD, Illustrator file, etc. as a grid. In the Place dialog (File>Place), enable the checkboxes for Show Import Options and Create Static Captions, and then navigate to your multipage file. Choose the range of pages you want to place in the next dialog and click OK. With the loaded Place cursor, drag out an area for your grid, subdivide the area into columns and rows using the arrow keys, and then release the mouse button to place the pages.

Mobile authoring and Adobe Device Central integration

Fireworks is a screen graphics design application and can be used to create optimized graphics for any device. With the explosion of mobile devices, set-top boxes and proprietary electronic devices, there are more screens in the world now than ever, with no signs of slowing down. Fireworks CS5 designs can easily be previewed with Adobe Device Central.

FXG export from Adobe Flash Professional CS5

You can export a selection or the entire Stage using a new file format called FXG. This format offers improved fidelity as well as compatibility with Illustrator, Fireworks, Flash Catalyst, and Flash Builder. Simply select Export Image or Export Selection from File>Export.

Sharpen as it should be

Following in the footsteps of the updates in CS4 to the old Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools, CS5 features a new logic for the Sharpen tool. Now pressure-sensitive, brush-based sharpening is more powerful and less destructive (no artifacts). Just select Protect Details and the Tablet Pressure options in the Options Bar. In fact, this is the most sophisticated sharpening algorithm in Photoshop!

Export frame from Source and Program Monitors

The Export Frame buttons in the Source and Program Monitors offer a rapid frame export workflow that bypasses the Adobe Media Encoder. Position the playhead at the desired location in a clip or sequence and click the Export Frame button. In the Export Frame dialog name the exported frame, choose a file format, and browse to a location for saving the exported still image to disk.

After your layers to composition features

To align selected layers to the center or edge of a composition, choose Composition in the Align Layers To drop-down menu in the Align panel (Window>Align), and then click the icon corresponding to the desired type of alignment.