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Archive for January, 2012

Digital File Preparation Guide

Use Page Layout Programs such as InDesign or Quark
Create your document in the exact size of the final trimmed piece. For example if you are creating a letter size multiplepage document with facing pages your page size would be 8.5×11 not 11×17.
Use the master page to place common items such as page numbers in the same location on multiple pages.
Create multiplepage documents in readers spreads.
Extend images that bleed off the document page by an 1/8 standard.
Delete unused colors in the color palette from EPS and page layout files.
Images that crossover facing pages should be divided into two separate picture boxes and aligned on their respective pages.
Scale bitmap images no more than 10 up or down from their original size. A drastic enlargement will cause loss of detail and a drastic reduction may extend imaging time and delay your job.
Link images in your Illustrator and FreeHand files. Do not embed them.

Tip: Remember to include any special Quark Xtensions you may have used to create your document.
Tip: Creating files in drawing programs such as Illustrator FreeHand or Corel Draw can sometimes incur additional charges by printers.

Saving images
Save all PhotoShop files in the CMYK color mode which includes any nested or embedded files.
Submit PhotoShop files only in the TIFF or EPS formats DCS is an EPS.
Delete any unused alpha channels or clipping paths in flattened PhotoShop files.
Delete unused colors in the color palette from Illustrator FreeHand.
Turn off JPEG LZW or ZIP compression in your PhotoShop files.

There are two types of images: Vector and Bitmap. Vector images consist of lines and curves you create in programs like Illustrator or Freehand.They are called vectors because they can be described in mathematical terms such as size length and position .Vector graphics are deviceindependent meaning they can be scaled up or down with no loss in detail.

Bitmap images are created in painting programs such as PhotoShop. Bitmaps also called raster images are created on a grid with small squares called pixels. Each pixel has a location and color value assigned to it. These images are devicedependent meaning they have a fixed number of pixels for a given area. Images that look jagged or bitmapped do not have a sufficient amount of pixel information or resolution. A high resolution image will have more pixels per grid which allows for greater detail and color transitions.

Tip: A formula for determining resolution dpi is: 1.5 x the line screen = resolution. Many still use the old formula of 2x the line screen but there is no visible loss of detail at this lower dpi and it saves valuable disk space.

Image types
Bitmap in Bitmap mode Typically black white images no grays used for text or logos. These should be saved at 600 dpi as a TIFF and scaled to 100 of the intended size.The background can be set to
none.Use your page layout program to colorize the image.

Bitmap in Grayscale or CMYK mode These are black white or color images.They should be saved at 225 dpi as a TIFF or EPS and scaled to 100 of the intended size. Printers prefer TIFFs if there are no clipping
paths because EPSs tend to have a slightly larger file size.The background should be set to white or a color in QuarkXpress.

Tip: If you are creating an image with a clipping path it must be saved as an EPS and the tolerance should be set between 2 and 4 with 2 being a tighter setting for irregular shapes.

Bitmap in duotone mode These images can be monotones duotones tritones or quadtones and must be saved as an EPS.

Tip: Use channel 1 for the darkest color and if you are using black make sure it says Black in the window not Process Black your page layout program will see it as a different color. Set the screen angles in your page layout program not in PhotoShop. Scott Lithographing can select them for you upon request.

Vector Can be saved at any size and scaled up or down in your page layout program we suggest 100 for a better preview and they can only be saved as an EPS.

Tip: Prevent gradient banding: Set the output resolution to 2540.

Color Modes
You may color correct in RGB or LAB but save images that will be imported into you page layout program in CMYK mode. Importing in RGB will prevent the image from being output properly. RGB is for images that will only be viewed on a monitor.

Tip: Remember to calibrate your monitor frequently and delete any alpha channels to reduce the file size.

Color Selection
Spot PMS colors must use the same name in all image files. For instance if you are using PMS 185 CV in a file and PMS 185 CVU in another your page layout program will see them as two separate colors. Please indicate if a PMS color is to be spot or built out of process colors.

Tip: Keep in mind that some spot colors do not reproduce satisfactorily when built out of process.

Tip: If you are using metallic inks it is a good idea to aqueous coat or varnish the sheet to prevent smearing.

Fonts
Be sure to include the printer and screen font for each Type 1 font.
Check the font usage window to ensure you have included all your fonts.
If youve used fonts in EPS artwork: Either convert the text to paths or include the fonts.

Basic types of fonts: PostScript TrueType OpenType.
Postscript comes in Type 12 or 3 Type 1 is the most popular.You will have two fonts; the screen font and the printer font.The screen font is for
displaying the font on your screen the icon shows a single “A”.The printer font is used by printers and imagesetters to create the type mathematically.

TrueType contains both the screen and printer fonts in one file the icon shows three “As.

OpenType fonts are gaining in popularity due to their crossplatform ability and flexibility. They are essentially a Type 1 or TrueType font in a TrueType shell so you will have only one file per font weight or style i.e. bold italics small caps etc….

Tip: Use current and brand name fonts whenever possible ie.Adobe Bitstream. Keep a compressed version of your font library and replace any fonts that cause printing problems.

Tip: Use the actual weight of the typeface such as Helvetica Bold.Do not use menu styling.

Trapping
Printers normally handle trapping so discuss any concerns you have. If you are comfortable doing your own you should relay that to your printer. Although it may make you liable for any trapping errors.

Spelling
As a rule printers do not check the spelling of documents because they are not privy to the jargon product names or special pronouns of other industries. Spellcheck and proofread your document carefully. Its also an excellent idea to have two other individuals proofread the text before submittal.

PC Files
Printers were primarily Macbased but virtually all of them now accept PC files created in QuarkXpress Pagemaker InDesign PhotoShop Illustrator Freehand and Corel Draw EPS files. Its a good idea to check with your printer before submitting files created with Microsoft products such as MS Word or Publisher.

Collecting Files
I strongly suggest using the Collect for Output option when using QuarkXpress. Collect all the elements of your job images fonts and final files and place them into one of three folders: Finals Support and Fonts.Do not send files that are not pertinent to the job. Please be aware that Quark will list the fonts on the collect for output report but it will not collect them for you.

Tip: I strongly recommend using FlightCheck or your page layout program’s “preflight” feature prior to submitting your files.

Media
Printers accept just about any media today and many have ftp sites that can save you travel time.Your printer should have a list of acceptable media.

Archiving
Many printers archive your work for the purpose of rerunning it but do not count on it! Be sure you have a backup copy of your project. I suggest a regular archiving procedure to ensure you have your work in the future. Personally I use a digital tape system with Retrospect and I keep a full catalog outside the studio in the event of fire or other loss.

FINAL CHECK LIST:
All electronic files support images and fonts on disk
All photos transparencies or art to be scanned
Any special instructions
A set of color proofs or lasers
A set each of bw laser composites/separations
A mockup if applicable
A previously printed sample if applicable

About the Author
Derald Schultz is the founder and principal of Mediarail Design Inc. A design firm based in Atlanta Georgia specializing in graphic design web design and commercial printing services. Mr. Schultz holds degrees in Printing Publishing and Visual Communications. He worked within the design and printing communities for over 25 years before launching his own firm. Mediarail Design serves a wide variety clients across the country.

20062008 Derald Schultz Mediarail Design Inc.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;a insurance agentdoing business articles more

Interview With Tom Joyce Art Director Ad Agency Owner

John: Tom when we first met it was a different world! I was dragging a book of 8×10 transparencies around. Does anyone still do that?

Tom: No. But I get a hell of a lot of photographers sending email promotion.

John: Back then you were an art director with Visa. I believe you were running around the world doing TV ads. Youve worked with a number of prestigious agencies. For a number of years now you have run your own agency. Can you tell us a little of your history how you got into the business and how you came to have your own shop?

Tom: I went to art school in Philadelphia because I sucked at math and science. Thats rather ironic considering how technologically oriented the visual arts are today. I graduated with a BFA from college and moved to San Francisco worked a bunch of odd jobsin and out of the artsand finally ended up as a junior art director at Cunningham amp; Walsh fortunate to get into advertising at the end of a golden era when guys like Fred Manley and Hal Riney were mentoring young creative people.

Then at Visa I had the chance to work directly under Dee Hock the petulant genius who created credit cards for banks. We had a full advertising agency within the organization and as associate creative director I had the opportunity to do comprehensive broadcast and print campaigns travel around the world shooting and win very prestigious industry awards like the Clio Andy and Cannes Silver Lion.

It was an incredible period which came to an end shortly after Dee retired. The bankers who inherited his empire lacked creative vision but leaving Visa pushed me into opening my own agency with Robert Johnson. Weve been partners since 1985 in various incarnations the latest being Creativewerks. I no longer refer to it as an advertising agency though because our work has more to do with businesstobusiness corporate communications than consumer advertising.

We no longer buy media for our clients and we dont do TV commercials anymore or enter award shows which have become very lucrative for the organizations that put them on but have little or no benefitbeyond egostrokingfor creative people.

John: You have done both art direction and graphic design. Do they require different skill sets?
Do you prefer one discipline to the other?

Tom: They dovetail really. An art director is first and foremost a communicator. He or she requires not only a strong sense of visual design but also the skill to communicate a vision to other artists and clients who often have their own agenda. A graphic designer is an information architect if you like interested in how visual elements join together and how they are perceived or processed by a viewer.

John: My business of photography has undergone dramatic changes and I imagine you feel the same way about advertising and design. What are some of the changes that you appreciate and what do you feel are some of the changes that are a challenge for you?

Tom: When I started in this business an art director needed to be able to sketch layouts and storyboards work with photographers and illustrators to achieve a vision negotiate costs with artists and producers specify typography prepare mechanical art for a printer direct cinematographers and editors and press check printing.

While many of those skills are still germane we now have to be able to create a finished ad brochure web page etc. on a computer screen in order to sell the idea to a client. We have to be experts in photoretouching typesetting layout design and know a lot about online technology.

We have become more and more dependent on our tools and more constrained by them in some ways. Conversely with these new technologies were able to visualize more quickly and elegantly than ever before. Using these tools has actually made me a much better graphic designer.

John: Online advertising if you believe the hype is fast replacing print and perhaps even television. Is print dying?

Tom: Certainly becoming more focused. Newspapers are dying because the oncelucrative classified ads have been annihilated by Craigs List. Magazines are becoming more targeted to esoteric audiences.

The most effective online advertising is the interestbased type invented by Google and Amazon. Popup windows and flash banners are just a lot of noise in most cases but that is no different than most TV commercials or outdoor billboards.

John: What percentage of your work is now for the Internet?

Tom: I would estimate about 75.

John: Is there any fundamental difference in designing for print and designing for the Internet?

Tom: Yes the Internet has some design restrictions that are not inherent in print media but those are being reduced as the technology improves. At some point design will only be restricted by the shape of the device on which you view it.

John: How has your use of photography changed?

Tom: It is almost entirely royaltyfree stock these days. Rarely do I have assignment work for photographers. Larger companies are accumulating their own stock photo libraries which they now view as marketing assets and expect all designers to use in order to maintain brand cohesion. To me this is often a foolish consistency that only limits a designers creativity and in the long run is not in the clients best interests.

John: I assume you use more stock these days. How do you go about finding the stock you need? Do you use RM RF Micro or a combination of those models?

Tom: A combination but mostly I use royaltyfree images and buy only the resolution I need.

John: Do you always start with a certain agency and then expand your search out from there?

Tom: Usually Veer or Getty.

John: Do you ever do Google searches for images? If you do do you use ever use Google Image search?

Tom: I have used it but mostly I work with the stock houses I like.

John: How much promotional material do you get from photographers these days? How much is printbased and how much Internetbased?

Tom: I get almost nothing directly from photographers anymore. Unless its something I see on your wall and want to sell to a client. Sometimes that works but not often.

John: What would be the best way for a photographer to get your attention?

Tom: Occasionally I get a promotional emails that gets me to a photographers website but I still dont hire them. They do get my attention though. You just cant get around the fact that a client wants to see what they are getting before they buy it.

John: Do you have any predictions for the future of advertising and design?

Tom: Think Internet. Print wont die but it will become more highend as trees diminish.

John: I also know you as a dedicated traveler. You have been to some amazing places and done some amazing things. Can you briefly describe some of your favorite journeys?

Tom: I spent about 12 years traveling to places associated with different spiritual traditions because I wanted to find out if sacred ground had some common denominator or morphic resonance as physicist Rupert Sheldrake would call it. Sometimes I went to extraordinary length to see these places like walking over the Himalaya to circle Kailash Tibets most sacred mountain.

I also became a Muslim in order to enter Mecca as a pilgrim and touch the Black Stone in the ancient Kabah. I saw the sun rise from the summit of Jabal Musa Moses mountain in the Sinai and I saw it set on Mount Athos from a medieval Greek Orthodox monastery. And in the process Ive developed a great respect for all of the worlds spiritual traditions. Beneath all the dogma I think they are conveying an identical truth to different cultural groups.

John: You are also a photographer and have shot some compelling imagery in among other places Tibet. You recently had a showing of that work. Any more shows in the works?

Tom: I made in 1998 at Chuwar Gmpa in Tibet a Kagypa Buddhist monastery built in the 17th Century by the 10th Karmapa below the cave where Milarepa died in a remote Himalayan valley and one of the last monasteries to be desecrated by the Red Guard in Mao Zedongs brutal Cultural Revolution. These images were first exhibited last year at the Thoreau Center for Sustainability in San Francisco after the protests over the Beijing Olympics put Tibet under lockdown again.

John: Any plans to expand your art beyond that of the fine art world?

Tom: Ive been inspired by you to put my photo archives up on our website in the near future. More and more Ive been getting requests for book covers and editorial usage.

John: Are there any personal projects youre working on now that you would like to share with us?

Tom: I dont think shed want to be mentioned in this interview.

John: Final thoughts?

Tom: Do whatever you do with great passion and make it as perfect as you can. Then let go of it and grab a beer.

John: Thanks Tom!

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Visit Johns website for stock photos: Stock Photos Ethnic Lifestyle Animals People Funny Pictures Business and more.Become a BlendImages stock photographer…find out how: BlendImages Photographer John Lund

Making Them Live With A Pencil

DID you know that one of the worlds most famous film celebrities is not even human? Yet he is the star of over a hundred Hollywood movies and countless TV shows. Who is this film star? In Italian hes called Topolino; in Chinese Mi Lao Shu; in Spanish El Ratn Miguelito; in English he is simply Mickey Mouse.

How did he come to life? He started his career in Walt Disneys film Steamboat Willie in 1928 and has gone on to become the most famous cartoon character of all time. Of course many other animated cartoon characters have achieved world fame Tom and Jerry Yogi Bear and the Pink Panther to name just a few. The artists who draw these cartoon films and characters are called animators. To find out how they work animator Bill Kroyer in Hollywood California tell a us..

Why are cartoons called animated films?

Because the word animate means to give life to. And thats what we do. We can make anything move and hopefully appear to come to life. When I worked at the Disney Studio I animated mostly people and talking animals. But Ive also animated dancing automobile engines for TV commercials and singing fruits and vegetables for health films. You name it we can make it move.

What makes an animated cartoon character appear to move?

The illusion of movement is made possible by the same phenomenon that makes live action movies appear to move. When you watch a movie youre really seeing 24 still pictures flash before your eyes each second. The light sensors in your eye retain each picture for a brief moment so all the pictures appear to blend together in a smooth continuous image. In animation we draw each one of those 24 still pictures.

Thats a lot of drawings!

Yes 1440 just to make one minute of film.

But at that rate a feature film like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would require more than a million drawings!

No the figure is closer to two million.

Why so many?

You never see most of the drawings because theyre done in the planning stages and only a fraction are used in the final version. In an animated film the story isnt written its drawn. A team of artists does hundreds of small sketches that are pinned to large cork boards called storyboards. Underneath are small notes describing the action or dialogue in each scene. The artists keep drawing and rearranging these sketches until the story is complete. When the artists have finished the storyboard tells the whole story of the film in pictures just like a giant comic book.

And then you start to animate the characters?

Not yet. First another team of artists designs the look of the film according to a particular design style. Sometimes we want the film to look like old Europe as in Disneys Pinocchio. At other times well go for a modern look. So the designers research and define the characters costumes buildings and so forth that will be in the film. Next our director divides the storyboard into scenes. Each scene is given a layout drawing one that shows the setting in which the scene takes place and where the characters will be in the scene. And thats where I come in.

Whats the first thing you do when you start a scene?

I study the scenes exposure sheet. Thats a chart that shows me how long the scene lasts and where all the sound effects music and words occur.

You mean the sound track for the film has already been recorded before you start to draw?

Of course. That way I know ahead of time what sound occurs on each and every frame of film. If the character says ouch on the 15th frame of my scene I draw him with a wide open mouth on that frame. Thats how characters are made to talk.

What do you draw with? Pen pencil brush?

I use a soft pencil because its easy to change and erase things. And I draw on a special kind of paper animation paper. It has holes punched along the bottom edge and these fit onto pegs on my drawing board. The pegs hold the paper in register consecutively from one drawing to the next. Another unusual thing about my drawing table it has a hole in it! The hole is covered by a piece of glass with a light beneath it. As I draw I can stack several transparent paper drawings on top of one another and see through them to make sure they are working together properly. When I start to draw I do very rough sketches just the basic shapes of the character. That way I can work quickly without detail and still visualize the movement I want.

Do you draw all your drawings rough?

Well I must tell you I hardly ever draw all the drawings in a scene. It would take me too long. The animator usually draws only the main drawings in a scene. These are called the extremes. They show the main poses or positions of the character throughout the scene. By flipping these main drawings between my fingers I can visualize how the movement will look. Then my assistant will do the in between drawings.

The speed with which the character moves will depend on how many drawings are put in between the extremes. For example I may draw a head facing to the left and another head facing to the right. If I put ten drawings between them the character will slowly turn his head from left to right as if hes watching someone walk by. If I only put one drawing between the two extremes he will snap his head quickly from left to right as if hes watching a car whiz by.

But how do you know how many intermediate drawings to use?

It takes practice and study. Animators are always watching the world around them observing how things move. Do you know how many frames it takes to make an eye blink? Or did you know that a normal walk is one of the toughest things to animate? If you study it youll see its a cycle of falling forward and catching your balance. And no two people walk exactly alike. Theres also a big difference between the way a dog walks a cat walks and an elephant walks.

What happens when youve finished the pencil drawings?

I film them. This black and white film is called a pencil test. I watch this film over and over looking for ways to improve the action and timing. Then Ill correct my drawings and shoot another pencil test. Ill do this as many times as necessary to get the scene as perfect as possible. We have a saying in the trade: Your scenes are on film forever so make them good now. By the last pencil test my assistant and I will have cleaned up our roughs into beautiful clean detailed pencil drawings. But its a shame youll never see them.

Never see them? Why not?

Because they go through a process we call Ink amp; Paint. Each drawing is traced in ink onto a clear piece of acetate called a cel then painted with a special paint that sticks to acetate. Remember the layout drawing we had for each scene? That drawing is made into a color painting. We then lay each cel over the background painting and photograph it. Because we use cels we dont have to redraw and paint the entire scene for each frame of film only the part that moves.

Are all animated films made this way?

Oh no there are many different techniques. At the Canadian Film Board artists have made films by making tiny drawings right on the film itself! Several of the best studios in London England prefer to draw right on cels instead of paper. That way the original drawings will be photographed. And there are many animated films that have no drawing at all.

No drawing at all?

Thats right. Its called stop motion animation. Artists can manipulate puppets clay figures even sand sculptures and photograph these objects one frame at a time. When the film is run at normal speed the objects appear to move and come alive! I recently worked on a Walt Disney film in which we did all the animation by computer. We didnt do any drawing; we simply described the pictures to the computer and the computer did the rest!

What does the future hold for animation?

There will be more technological advancements like computer aided Ink amp; Paint. But there will always be animators doing real drawings in the Disney style. Only the human hand has the ability to create a delicate drawing with the subtle expressions to make you believe that the character is real. If I do my job right you never see a drawing; you see a character a personality that laughs and cries and that you care about. When Bambis mother dies in the film Bambi the audience doesnt cry for a drawing but for a real character.

Theres a time when every animator looks at his pencil test for the first time and he sees this little cartoon character on the screen looking toward him a character that just a few days before was scribbles on paper. Then when that little character opens his mouth and talks I tell you thats a special moment! That makes all the hard work worth while. Youve given him life with a pencil.

However we are still left with the questions raised in our first article. Is the happiness that is induced by fantasy and entertainment the real thing? Or is there a more lasting happiness? Will it ever be a reality for all mankind? Roy Brewer a Disney technician learned a satisfying answer to those questions. His story follows.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;a insurance agentdoing business articles more