Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book

Released December 2008
Publisher(s): Adobe Press
ISBN: 9780321618368

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Book description

This thorough, self-paced guide to Adobe Creative Suite 4 is ideal for users who want to learn the key features of Adobe's stellar collection of professional design tools. Readers are first given a brief program overview of the Design Suite that highlights common features and includes a section on cross-media workflows. Then readers will get up to speed with each software application using step-by-step, project-based lessons, with the lessons in each chapter building upon the reader's growing knowledge of the programs. Projects include designing a logo and creating basic assets, creating a brochure, prototyping a basic Website, creating interactive Flash and PDF documents, communicating through mobile devices, and submitting work for collaborative reviews. Review questions at the end of each chapter wrap up each lesson to help reinforce the skills learned in each chapter.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. What’s on the Disc
    1. Lesson files ... and so much more
  3. Getting Started
    1. About Classroom in a Book
    2. Prerequisites
      1. Requirements on your computer
      2. Required skills
    3. Installing Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium
    4. Copying the Classroom in a Book files
      1. Copying the Lessons files from the CD
    5. Additional resources
    6. Adobe Certification
  4. I. Introducing the Suite and its Individual Applications
    1. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium
      1. Versatile workflows for multiple media
      2. Working faster and more creatively with images and graphics
        1. Enhanced user interface
          1. Intelligent image scaling
          2. Breakthrough 3D editing and compositing
          3. Multiple artboards
          4. Blob Brush tool
      3. Breaking down barriers between print and electronic publishing
        1. Customizable Links panel
        2. Support for Illustrator CS4 multiple artboards
        3. Support for 3D Photoshop images
        4. Immediate error detection and correction with Live Preflight
        5. Interactive buttons
        6. InDesign export in SWF format
        7. XFL support for InDesign-to-Flash workflows
        8. Discovering easy animation using skills you already have
          1. Easy-to-create animation
          2. Object-based animation editing
        9. Prototyping and designing websites without being a code wizard
          1. Importing content from Photoshop directly into Fireworks
          2. Creating high-quality interactive PDF comps for client review
          3. Defining CSS rules in Fireworks for use in Dreamweaver
          4. Photoshop Smart Objects
          5. Live View
        10. Efficiently designing, previewing, and testing mobile content
          1. Preview and test mobile content
          2. Taking snapshots
          3. Automated testing
        11. Using Creative Pro Online Services
          1. Adobe Community Help
          2. Acrobat.com
          3. Adobe kuler
          4. InContext Editing
          5. Adobe Bridge Home
      4. The Adobe Creative Suite 4 Family
        1. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium
        2. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Standard
        3. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium
        4. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Standard
        5. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium
        6. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection
        7. Common Features
    2. Feature Tour
      1. Adobe InDesign CS4
        1. Exploring the new interface
        2. Creating a dynamic SWF presentation for client review
          1. Adding interactive buttons
          2. Setting up and testing hyperlinks
          3. Creating animated page transitions
          4. Exporting to SWF
        3. Designing a print magazine
          1. Moving and transforming objects precisely with Smart Guides
          2. Customizing the Links panel
          3. Rotating spreads onscreen
          4. Enhanced table editing
          5. Adding cross-references to streamline layout and production
          6. Using conditional text for multi-channel publishing
          7. Checking and correcting errors as you design with Live Preflight
        4. Creating a rich interactive version of a print magazine
          1. Designing for Flash in InDesign
          2. Exporting the layout to Flash-ready XFL format
          3. Editing the InDesign XFL file in Adobe Flash CS4
      2. Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended
        1. Powerful new editing tools
          1. Live, nondestructive corrections with the Adjustments panel
          2. Re-editable, feathered, density-controlled masks
          3. More refined, natural results with Dodge, Burn, and Sponge
        2. Enhanced productivity
          1. Enhanced Auto-Align, Auto-Blend, and new 360° panoramas
          2. Extended depth of field
          3. Fluid canvas rotation
        3. Workflow improvements
          1. Tighter integration with Photoshop Lightroom® 2
          2. Camera Raw 5 with localized, nondestructive adjustments
        4. Extended features
          1. Breakthrough 3D editing and compositing
          2. Enhanced motion graphics
          3. Volume Rendering
          4. Easier data collection and analysis with the Count tool
      3. Adobe Illustrator CS4
        1. Interface enhancements and multiple artboards
          1. Interface enhancements
          2. Multiple artboards
        2. The Blob Brush tool and Isolation Mode
          1. The Blob Brush tool
          2. Using Isolation Mode
        3. Gradients and transparency in gradients
          1. Gradient controls right on your object
          2. Transparency in gradients
        4. Clipping masks and Smart Guide enhancements
          1. Clipping masks
          2. Smart Guides
        5. Appearance panel and Graphic Styles
          1. Appearance panel
          2. Graphic Styles
        6. Separations Preview and color variations with Adobe kuler and Live Color
          1. Separations Preview
          2. Adobe kuler
          3. Live Color
      4. Adobe Flash Professional CS4
        1. A refined and more efficient user interface
        2. Creating and editing an object-based animation
        3. Adding a professional touch with the Motion Editor
        4. Quickly applying motion presets
        5. Adding sophistication with 3D transformations
        6. Defining interaction and distortion with the Bones tool
        7. Creating cool pattern art with the Deco tool
        8. Integrating high-quality H.264 video
        9. Publishing content as an Adobe AIR application
      5. Adobe Dreamweaver CS4
        1. Designing, developing, and maintaining standards-based websites and applications
          1. Multifaceted and enhanced workspace
        2. Rendering and coding enhancements
        3. CSS best practices
        4. Photoshop Smart Objects
        5. HTML data sets
        6. InContext Editing
        7. SWF inserting
      6. Adobe Fireworks CS4
        1. New user interface
        2. Performance improvements
        3. Workspace improvements
        4. Adobe AIR export
        5. PDF export
        6. Photoshop import and CSS export
        7. Style improvements
        8. Adobe text engine
        9. New and enhanced commands
        10. Enhanced symbols
      7. Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro
        1. Communicating and collaborating more easily and securely with Adobe PDF
        2. Easy access to all Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro features
      8. Creating compelling content
        1. PDF Portfolios: addressing business opportunities and changing user expectations
        2. Creating your own PDF Portfolio
      9. Collaboration made simple
        1. Eliminating guesswork by synchronizing document views
        2. Conducting more effective shared document reviews
        3. Creating, managing, and analyzing forms—from start to finish
        4. Comparing documents at a glance
      10. Unparalleled PDF workflows for professional creative production
        1. Overprint Preview
        2. Output Preview with Object Inspector
        3. Color conversion
        4. PDF standards verification
        5. Preflighting
      11. Adobe Device Central CS4
        1. Tightly integrated across CS4
        2. Simplified mobile workflows
        3. Increased productivity
        4. About Adobe Device Central
        5. Exploring mobile devices
          1. Intuitive search capabilities
            1. Device sets for a streamlined workflow
        6. Creating mobile content
          1. Manage files and more with mobile project files
        7. Previewing and testing mobile content
          1. Taking snapshots
          2. Automated testing
        8. Publishing, collaborating, and pitching to clients
          1. Capturing video
      12. Adobe Bridge CS4
        1. Exploring the user interface
        2. Starting Adobe Bridge
        3. Browsing files
        4. Multiple file format support
          1. Working with camera raw files
          2. Multiple artboards preview
          3. Support for 3D images and more
        5. Workflow enhancements
          1. Color management
          2. Multi-file placement
          3. Powerful search tools
          4. Customizable workspace
        6. Adobe Bridge Home
  5. II. The Projects
    1. 1. Setting Up Basic Assets
      1. Organizing your work with Bridge
        1. Adding folders to your Favorites
        2. Adding metadata
        3. Marking your files with ratings and color labels
        4. Synchronizing color management
      2. Creating a logo in Illustrator
        1. Bitmap versus vector graphics
        2. Refining a vector graphic with the Blob Brush tool
        3. Setting up multiple artboards
        4. Painting with a pattern
        5. Generating color themes with Adobe kuler
        6. Verifying your document’s quality settings
      3. Working with a 3D image in Photoshop
      4. Showing your design explorations via Share My Screen
      5. Review questions
      6. Review answers
    2. 2. Creating a Brochure
      1. Using Bridge to select an InDesign template
      2. Modifying an InDesign document
        1. Navigating through the document
        2. Viewing the reference document
        3. Placing an Illustrator file with multiple artboards
        4. Selecting and repositioning frames that are stacked behind other frames
        5. Placing a Photoshop file with Layer Comps
        6. Applying paragraph styles
        7. Working with Raw format images
        8. Importing and styling text
        9. Wrapping text around frames
      3. Preparing for printing
        1. Working with transparency
        2. Checking the effective resolution of linked images
        3. Performing a preflight check
      4. Exporting to PDF
      5. Adding interactive elements
        1. Creating hyperlinks
        2. Creating page transitions
      6. Exporting in SWF (Shockwave Flash) format
      7. Placing movies
      8. Editing movies in Photoshop
      9. Review questions
      10. Review answers
    3. 3. Prototyping and Building a Website
      1. Planning for a website
        1. A typical workflow
        2. Previewing the assets in Bridge
      2. Creating a prototype website in Fireworks
        1. Setting the stage
        2. Placing images
          1. Using copy and paste
          2. Using drag and drop
          3. Applying a gradient mask to a placed image
          4. Using the Import command
        3. Organizing objects in the Layers panel
          1. Creating new folders
          2. Moving objects between and within folders
          3. Nesting folders
          4. Renaming folders
          5. Collapsing and expanding folders, locking and unlocking folders and layers
        4. Working with layer comps and flattening images during import
        5. Adding a navigation bar
        6. Using a master page
          1. Creating a master page
          2. Editing objects on a master page
          3. Creating new pages based on the master page
        7. Defining hotspots and linking pages
        8. Previewing web pages in a web browser
        9. Sharing layers to pages
        10. Detaching shared layers
        11. Creating disjoint rollover behaviors
          1. Placing the elements
          2. Using dummy text
          3. Creating slices
          4. Adding states
          5. Creating hotspot areas and attaching disjoint rollover behaviors
        12. Presenting the prototype website to the client
          1. Exporting the website as a PDF document
          2. Creating an auto-run slideshow
          3. Exporting states of a page as individual images
          4. Exporting HTML pages
      3. Building a website in Dreamweaver
        1. Creating a new site
        2. Creating new pages with CSS styles
        3. Inserting Fireworks HTML pages
        4. Roundtrip editing between Dreamweaver and Fireworks
          1. Setting Fireworks as primary editor for GIF images
          2. Edit the original PNG file of a GIF image placed in Dreamweaver
        5. Wrapping up
          1. Changing the page background color
          2. Creating new pages using the current page settings
          3. Reviewing the disjoint rollover behavior
          4. Previewing the pages in a web browser
      4. Review questions
      5. Review answers
    4. 4. Creating Interactive Flash Documents
      1. About Adobe Flash
        1. A typical workflow
        2. Viewing the complex sample document
      2. Creating a Flash document
        1. Placing images
        2. Nesting movie clips inside movie clips
        3. Working with timelines
        4. Creating motion tweens
        5. Adding ActionScript commands
        6. Creating symbols
        7. Animating symbols
        8. Defining a button behavior
        9. Defining behaviors for movie clips
        10. Triggering behaviors by events
        11. Copying library assets between documents
      3. Publishing a Flash document
        1. Exporting SWF (Shockwave Flash) files
        2. Roundtrip editing between Dreamweaver and Flash
        3. Publishing for playback in a web browser
        4. Publishing for Adobe AIR
      4. Review questions
      5. Review answers
    5. 5. Communicating through Mobile Devices
      1. Designing for mobile devices
      2. Employing Device Central
        1. Organizing the device library
        2. Scanning through the device specifications
        3. Setting up to create mobile content
        4. Previewing and optimizing your mobile content
        5. Refining your Photoshop artwork
        6. Taking snapshots
        7. Publishing mobile content
        8. Previewing a mobile Flash Lite website
      3. Review questions
      4. Review answers
    6. 6. Submitting Work for Review
      1. Introducing the different types of review
        1. The e-mail based review
        2. The shared review
        3. The online, real-time review
      2. Collaborating in an e-mail based review
        1. Viewing comments
        2. Replying to a comment
        3. Customizing the appearance of your notes
        4. Marking up a document
      3. Managing reviews
        1. Working with the Tracker
      4. Collaborating in online meetings
        1. Working with Share My Screen and ConnectNow
        2. Attending an online meeting
      5. Review questions
      6. Review answers
  6. Production Notes
    1. Team credits
    2. Typefaces used
  7. Contributors

Product information

  • Title: Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: December 2008
  • Publisher(s): Adobe Press
  • ISBN: 9780321618368