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Adobe Pricing Goes Up Soon – but you can avoid it

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As many of you on the Adobe Creative Cloud Plan know (through an email you may have received), the price is going to increase on April 16th, 2018, however you won’t see that increase until your current plan renews.

Now, firstly – this increase is only going to affect the All Apps and Single-App plans (not the CC Photography plan, or the Student/Teacher Editions), and it’s not a huge amount – in fact, it’s only about a 5% increase, and the only increase since the Creative Cloud was introduced in 2012.

Yet, many people are going to be unhappy about this change – so, my friend at ProDesignTools.com has found Adobe’s solution to the problem!

Read his article all the way through – the information is at the bottom (spoiler alert: Adobe won’t raise the rate if you prepay the year!)

Check out the story – thank Mr. ProDesignTools, and come back here and let me know what you think!

MacOS High Sierra (OS 10.13) Compatibility FAQ for Adobe Creative Cloud

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As many of you know, I’m not a fan of upgrading my operating system for a great deal of time after the release of any new ones. Currently, I’m using Sierra 10.12.6, and will be continuing to hold off on upgrades. However, some people have either upgraded already, or have bought new equipment that comes with the new OS already installed.

For users of Adobe Creative Cloud products (as well as several other developer’s products), High Sierra has introduced quite a few bugs that need to be resolved.

Fortunately, Adobe has a page about compatibility issues with several of their products, with some workarounds and temporary fixes, until they resolve the problem with a CC update.

To view the list, please visit https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/macos-high-sierra-compatibility.html

Having Trouble Exporting to Hi Rez PNG with Illustrator CC2018?

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This is a known issue. For those of us who used Export>PNG for high rez output, this seems to be broken in the new release of Illustrator CC2018. This seems to only affect people who chose to “Import Previous Settings and Preferences” when upgrading.

Fortunately, Adobe has published a work-around to resolve this issue!
Take a look at this article, to see their answer:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/troubleshoot-export-issues.html

How to retain old versions of Adobe CC Software when upgrading to CC2018

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I just got back from the AMAZING Adobe MAX conference in Las Vegas, NV. Perhaps you caught some of my social posts on the events!

This MAX introduced a bunch of new device apps and updates, as well as desktop apps. BUT, it’s very important for some people to retain their older versions, when upgrading their apps. The default behavior is to overwrite previous version with the new version – for instance, if you install the new Photoshop CC, you’ll be overwriting Photoshop CC2017 with Photoshop CC2018!

If that’s okay with you, great! But, if you’re like me, and prefer to wait until bug fixes are in, but still want to see (and get used to) some  of the amazing new features in the new version.

Here, I’m going to add a set of images to ensure you see WHERE to adjust your choices so you can ensure to keep your OLD version while also installing the new version. Don’t forget to comment, if you have any questions! Or, ask on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aym4training

Or, on our Twitter feed at @aym4training

  1. When you open the Creative Cloud app, either from your Menu Bar on a Mac, or your Task Bar on a Windows machine, you’ll see a list of applications that’re installed on your computer, and the option to update those that have new versions available. Note: in previous versions of the Creative Cloud apps, my “previous versions” were listed as a separate section of the updaters, but now, they’re all listed by app)
  2. In this case, I’ll be updating my Adobe Illustrator application. When you click the Update  button, you’ll get a window that looks like this – at Which Point, you’ll want to EXPAND THE ADVANCED OPTIONS SECTION! NOTE: If you want to retain your older version DO NOT select the Update button yet!
  3. In the Advanced section, be sure to UNCHECK the “Remove old versions” button (on by default)!
  4. At this point, you can select the Update button. Your NEW version of the software will be installed, and it will leave your older version installed as well. Personally, I like to import my previous settings and preferences from previous versions, and tweak them in the individual apps to accommodate any changes, but that’s a matter of personal preference.

Hopefully, this will save some of you the pain of encountering some of the inevitable bugs associated with upgrading, or will allow you to work in your older versions of the applications you use, so you may collaboratively share files with others who may not have updated yet.

Please remember to comment here, or on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/aym4training/ or my Twitter feed @aym4training if you need assistance, or clarification.

 

 

Adobe MAX This Week!

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This week, Adobe is having it’s Adobe MAX conference in Las Vegas, NV. I’ll be working as a Teaching Assistant for several classes, and according to the conference schedule, anticipate being kept VERY busy for the week! I’m looking forward to it, very much – and anticipate I’ll be “paying” for the worthwhile time with some exhaustion for the entire following week!

For those of you trying to reach me this week, either via the blog, our Facebook page ((2) AYM 4 Training – Home), our Twitter Account (AYM 4 Training (@aym4training) | Twitter)

I do hope that some or many of my students and colleagues will be attending this event, and if so, please seek me out – I’d love to see you! I’ve been assigned to TA the classes named
B342 – Photoshop Magic: Making Brushes to Speed Up Your Workflow, and B341 – Photoshop+After Effects = Awesomeness (multiple bookings of each in my schedule). I’ll also be attending other classes with some of my favorite speakers/writers and Adobe Evangelists.

I hope to see you at the conference, if you can make it, and I’ll do my best to respond to questions and such, as time allows. Have a great week!

 

Adobe Creates the Pen Tool Game

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For my students who need to practice the Pen Tool, Adobe’s created an adorable online game to practice it’s usage. The pen tool is important in Adobe Illustrator (of course), but also in Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, InDesign, Animate… there’s a version of it in almost every Adobe App!

Check out the game here: https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/illustrator/how-to/pen-tool-game.html

AURORA HDR 2018 Coming soon for Mac and Windows!

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Aurora HDR 2018 will be available for pre-order on September 12nd, and released on September 28th. Sign up HERE to be notified when Pre-Order opens!

About Aurora HDR:

Aurora HDR is not just a tool for merging bracketed images, it also provides numerous tools and countless options to create perfect HDR photos for every taste – from one-click presets and advanced tone-mapping, to layers, noise reduction and powerful luminosity masking controls.

Aurora HDR’s Key Features:

  • Total HDR editing experience with the most complete set of tools available.
  • Fast, powerful RAW processing engine.
  • Tone-mapping algorithm to achieve both realistic and dramatic HDR images.
  • Over 70 presets that give photos an amazing HDR look in just one click.
  • Luminosity masking that automatically makes advanced selections within HDR images based on the Zone System.
  • Unique layer system that supports blend modes, custom textures and using original exposures as source images.
  • Image Radiance, brushes, masks, lighting, vignettes and much more help users achieve their artistic vision
  • Highly versatile batch processing
  • Works as a standalone app, or a plug-in to Photoshop and Lightroom

A sneak peek into what’s new in Aurora HDR 2018:

  • Lens Correction Tool – The new Lens correction filter easily fixes all kinds of lens distortion, from barrel to pincushion, to chromatic aberration and vignetting.
  • New User Interface – Redesigned from scratch, the modern and responsive user interface brings a powerful, yet joyful experience to HDR photo editing.
  • Cross-platform version – Aurora HDR 2018 will be available both for Mac and PC users. Files are interchangeable and mixed-computer households can share the same product key.
  • Speed Improvements – Up to 4x improvement in RAW image processing, and up to 200% faster merging and masking performance means that Aurora HDR 2018 is dramatically faster than the last version.

Availability:

Aurora HDR 2018 will be availabe for pre-order on September 12, and released on September 28.

Pricing:

Mixed-computer households can share the same product key for Mac and PC that can be activated on 5 devices.

Pre-order:

  • Current users of Aurora HDR may upgrade at a special pre-order price of $49
  • New users can purchase Aurora HDR 2018 at a special pre-order price of $89
  • A collection of bonuses will also be included with every purchase.

Retail price:

  • $59 for current Aurora HDR users
  • $99 for new users

 

MacPhun Luminar’s Flash Sale Ends Tonight

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Luminar 72 Hour Sale: Best Price Ever! $20 OFF!!!

As mentioned in a prior post, MacPhun’s Luminar is having a Flash Sale – making this the BEST opportunity to purchase Luminar at a discounted price.

If you buy Luminar today – your pricing will be as follows:

$49 instead of $69 – for all first-time purchasers
$39 instead of $59 – for anyone who currently owns a Macphun product

 

InDesign – A Free Script to Rotate Single Characters INSIDE a Text Frame

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InDesignSecrets.com has shared a link to a script that FINALLY allows us to rotate selected characters INSIDE a text box in InDesign. The text remains editable and the effect can be applied to individual letters, selected character, and/or dingbats. So VERY handy!!!

https://indesignsecrets.com/free-script-to-rotate-selected-characters.php

Google Bought the NIK Collection, Made it Free, and Aren’t Updating It

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The NIK Photoshop plugin collection’s been a staple in my system for many years. It’s sharpening algorithm, it’s controls have always had a strong place along with all my other plugins, and I’ve made great use of it throughout the years.

A few years ago, Google bought it, and made it FREE! That was great, and they even updated the software a few times. But, on the Mac, they stopped updating past OSX 10.10 Yosemite, on Windows, they stopped updating past Windows 8, and for Photoshop, their last compatible version is with Photoshop 2015.

THANKS GOOGLE, for buying something, ensuring it’s not profitable for you, and leaving us in the lurch…

OR DID THEY? Thank goodness for One1. They’re releasing the version Photo Raw 2017.5 in just a few days. MacPhun is not only excellent on the Mac, but they’re finishing up their first BETA of their Luminar and Aurora HDR software for Windows machine. Both of these have options very much like those offered in NIK, and they’re committed to continuing their development for years to come!

By the way – my FAVORITE software for Up-Rezzing images (when necessary) used to be Genuine Fractals – which is now On1 Perfect Resize – part of their Photo Raw software!

To check these apps out – take a look here:
On1 Photo RAW – and check out their On1 software, and On1PLUS – an amazing and unique training center for the use of On1 software

MacPhun Software – and check out their current deal with Plotagraph Pro! Don’t forget to use coupon code SGANS_DISC on checkout, if you choose to buy the software.

I’m finally about to upgrade to Sierra… Bye Bye, NIK….