Adobe takes over the universe

Jaleen Grove | May 16th, 2007

kuler.jpgYesterday I attended a free, day long Adobe seminar/sales pitch. They are a really efficient way to get up to speed on the new software, get tips,get tech support, bitch directly at the reps about bugs and features, and maybe win something. I missed CS2 while I was in school, so I have some major catching up to do. Actually, everyone has some major catching up to do, with CS3. You’ve probably already heard all the buzz about it being the biggest upgrade ever, bla bla bla. Well, this time the buzz is true. Now that they’ve added in Dreamweaver and Flash and a billion other things, and made Photoshop the grand central station of them all, the world just ain’t the same. I predict our industry (I mean anything graphically creative) is about to undergo a huge jump in look, feel, efficiency, and impact because of this. I’m not here to plug Adobe, so that’s all I’m going to say, not that opinions matter since we have few alternatives to Adobe any more. Personally, I was just pleased to see Illustrator pen tool capability in Flash.

I will mention though that I get a little big-picture worried about the digital divide, now that the software is getting so expensive and complicated that only full-time users will be able to keep up.

Now for some fun: Adobe began this colour-swatch exchange thing a while ago, called Kuler. For those who love mixing paint and choosing colours, it’s addictive. You can dynamically download colour schemes from the site from within CS and apply them to your work in progress. I only wish they had made the site background colour a neutral grey, to see the colours more accurately.

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  • jonasink
    I am eager to check out the new photoshop. I don't want to sound like a total jerk but it's grand central terminal, not grand central station. Sorry, just one of those pet peev's I have. Thanks for reposting the link to kuler, i forgot about that app it is addictive:)
  • I used to be an Illustrator fan until I was taught Freehand...since I'm not a gradient monkey I found I enjoyed the line editing features in FH and them to be much more use friendly...the question is...why doesn't Illustrator bring in the bezigon feature (which is a trillion times better than the pen tool)...and second...if they aren't going to do that is anyone going pick up Freehand or is Adobe going to let it die on the vine?
  • jonasink -- True, that it's officially "Grand Central Terminal" but you're splitting hairs here -- everyone uses the term "station" for the saying that Jaleen used here. Part of our pop culture lexicon. And if you want to get real technical about it, the building that was originally there at the same site where the current terminal is currently was officially called "Grand Central Station." But whatever, dude.
  • This isn't about Adobe, and this is probably a totally inapropriate place to post this, but--they wouldn't let me post it on Craigslist for some reason, and I thought it would be appreciated here. Also, since the topic is Adobe, and not about any artist in particular, I figured at least I'm not stealing anyone's glory. So here it is:

    Title: (creative gigs) Professional Artist Seeks Professional Work

    Hi, I'm a professional artist. I'm looking for starving electricians, plumbers and lawyers. I can't really pay you very much. Looking for real "eager beavers". This could be a great piece of work for your portfolio! Must be able to do quality work. I'm sure to get a lot to responses so I'll be trying out a few of you to see how you work out before I can choose the ideal candidate. If this works out, there will be plenty of work for you in the future, and lots of exposure. To the elements.

    I can pay little if anything. I don't have very much money. Possibly no pay whatsoever.
  • bredlo
    My pet peeve would include those who cite their pet peeves, yet:
    1.) spell "peeve" incorrectly, and
    2.) use apostrophes when describing a group of things, rather than something that belongs to the peeve.

    : )~

    F12 on the Mac, people. That dictionary ain't there to just look pretty - it's a quick spell checker, too!
  • bredlo
    Jed: there's no reason why Craigslist shouldn't have let you post that, unless you either posted it in the wrong category, or because they have some new filter that won't let you use the word "beaver". LOL

    Back on topic, I was at the Chicago Adobe day, and had a really good time. As a lonely, homebound freelancer, It's nice to just mill around with 500 other Adobe geeks for a few hours if nothing else. And you couldn't beat the setting at the tip of Navy Pier on a gorgeous day. I found it really educational, and loooved seeing the Wacom Cintiq in person - wow have they come a long way since the first iteration about 11 years ago.

    I couldn't afford any of the bundled Suites, so I simply upgraded my CS2 versions of PS and IL, and so far am quite happy!
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