The A to Z of Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a diverse software programme for creating beautiful designs for print and digital. Most designers will have a tried-and-trusted set of InDesign tools they consistently use in their daily workflow (guilty!), but aside from the ever-faithful features there are also some exciting tools and tips you may not know about. 

Whether you’re a newbie to the programme or a seasoned InDesign professional, there may be something in the following list that you haven’t yet discovered or used. Click the links to access detailed tutorials on some of InDesign's features.

Want to point out any more InDesign tools/tips/features that aren’t included here? Share them in the Comments below!

How to Create a Simple Geometrical Pattern in Adobe Illustrator

What You'll Be Creating

In this Quick Tip tutorial, I'm going to show you how to create a simple and trendy geometrical pattern, the quick and easy way. First, we will create a special repeating shape, and then we will move this object using the Smart Guides tool. In the end, we will have a pretty and modern pattern that we'll recolor.

Convert Illustrator artwork to grayscale

I'm often asked how to turn full color Illustrator artwork into a grayscale equivalent. This is simple if you know where to look:

1. Open your color .ai or .eps file in Adobe Illustrator CS3/CS4

2. Select the artwork that you want to convert to grayscale

3. Choose Edit > Edit Colors > Convert to Grayscale

That's all there is to it. If the colors in your original artwork don't map to pleasing grays, you can try one or more of the following to adjust the tonal values of the grays:

* Convert your file from CMYK to RGB or vice versa by choosing File > Document Color Mode before you convert it to grayscale. Even though the colors may not look much different in RGB or CMYK on the screen, they will convert to different grayscale tones.

* Choose Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Color Balance before or after you convert the artwork to grayscale

* Choose Edit > Edit Colors > Saturate after you convert the artwork to grayscale.

Illustrator Tip: Duplicate a shape along a circle

This is one of those little workflows that can be a complete pain on the rare occasion that you need it. So I’m making this as much as a reminder for myself and our design team as it is a tutorial.

30 Photoshop secrets to improve your skills

Power up your skills as we reveal 30 Photoshop secrets that will increase your productivity overnight.

If you've decided to give your best pencils a little rest and jump into digital art, you'll more than likely need some photo editing software. Photoshop is an amazing piece of software and a popular choice, being used by thousands of designers worldwide on a daily basis. It's such a flexible bit of kit that you could spend a week learning new features, doing Photoshop tutorials and experimenting with Photoshop brushes and still have only scratched the surface of what's possible.

Once you've overcome the beginners' learning curve, however, there are some real gems hidden inside Photoshop that can help you speed up your work and get more out for less effort. Here we've rounded up 30 of the best Photoshop secrets to help sharpen your skills and improve your productivity.

Photo Manipulate an Eye Catching Poster Design for Earth Hour

Photo Manipulate an Eye Catching Poster Design for Earth Hour

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create an conceptual earth hour photo-manipulation. We are going to learn the process of creating depth of field using a few advanced tools. We are going to learn how to blend images so seamlessly that it would look like a single image using the Brush tool, masking tools and several adjustment layers. We will learn how to create light and darkness to make the background look seamless. We are going to learn how to use textures and give life to our image, and we are going to learn how to create a moody, dreamy tone using a few adjustment layers and lighting effects.