Tip 1
Drag and Drop Google Searched with Safari
Safari offers more than one way to perform Google searches. In addition to using the Google search field, you can also drag text from open documents in most applications onto Safari’s icon. Safari automatically performs the search for you, and returns the results in a standard browser window.

Tip 2
IUse Multiple Watched Folders in Distiller
Acrobat Distiller lets you set up “watched” folders into which you can save or place PostScript files that you want Distiller to create PDF files from. Each folder has its own Job Options (settings), such as downsampling and compression of images, font inclusion or subsetting, security settings, etc. When you want to produce a PDF for a particular purpose, such as Display, Inkjet or Press, save your PostScript file to  the watched folder that has the settings you want. To create a Watched folder in Distiller, choose  Settings> Watched folders… and choose the settings you want.

Tip 3
Copy Ruler Guides in InDesign
Copying guides in Adobe InDesign is simple: Select the guides you want to duplicate, then copy (Edit> Copy) and then paste them (Edit> Paste) onto either the same page or a different page. InDesign automatically places them in the same location as they were on the original page.Unlike other objects, you cannot duplicate a guide by Option dragging it. (To select all the ruler guides on an InDesign page or spread, press Command- Option-G.)

Tip 4
Alphabetical Menus
If you know the name of menu item in InDesign or Illustrator, but can’t find it in the menu, you can temporarily view a menu’s items in alphabetical order by holding down Command- Option-Shift while you choose the menu.

Tip 5
Shortcuts for Kerning, Tracking, & Leading
InDesign: To adjust kerning, tracking or leading in InDesign, press Option-arrow. If your cursor is between two characters, Option- right arrow will increase kerning; Option-left arrow will decrease kerning. If you select a range of text, these keys adjust tracking. If you select more than one line of text, they adjust leading.

QuarkXPress: In QuarkXPress, press Command- Shift-[ to reduce kerning or tracking, and Command- Shift-] to increase kerning or tracking. For leading, use Command-Shift-; and Command-Shift-’.

To increase the amount of space between words in In- Design, select the text and press Command-Option-\. To decrease the space, press Command-Option-Delete.

In QuarkXPress, hold down all the modifier keys (Shift-Option-Command- Control) and press the [ key (to tighten) or ] (to loosen).

To remove all manual kerning and tracking in InDesign, press Command- Option-Q.

In QuarkXPress, choose Utilities> Remove Manual Kerning.

Tip 6
Use a Tintbook
CMYK printing, while not unpredictable, certainly presents challenges for reproducing specific colors. To check that a blue sky will not actually print green, or a client’s product will print in its correct color, keep a CMYK tint book handy. A good one is Tintbook, from Tintbook. $80 buys 25,000 square swatches printed on either coated or uncoated stock. (Get both, because colors look very different on coated and uncoated stock!) Use Photoshop’s Eyedropper tool to sample an important area of a CMYK image, then look it up in Tintbook. If necessary, adjust your image to save thousands of dollars in reprinting the project.

Tip 7
Control New Text Layers
Adding a new text layer in Photoshop can be difficult if the text you’re trying to add is very close to existing text. To force Photoshop to give you a new text layer (instead of adding text to the existing text layer), just hold down the Shift key as you click with the Type tool.

Tips and Tricks Archive

June 2007

March 2007