Each passing day sees mobile gaming occupy more and more of the videogame market. That's why developers are increasingly turning their attention to creating games for consumers' pockets. Whether it's the next Angry Birds or Words with Friends, just about everybody is trying to plant a flag in the landscape of portable gaming.
It's little surprise that with its newest version of Adobe Flash Pro - part of the recently released CS6 - Adobe has turned the bulk of its attention into focusing the upgrade on improving Flash's ability to create apps and games.
Incorporating the ubiquitous swipe into its interactive content template, for example, and allowing designers the ability to create games at 60 frames per second clearly demonstrate that Adobe is driven to gear Flash towards mobile games and apps.
Another addition in this vein is the inclusion of sprite-sheet generation, which helps ease the process for integrating animation into games.
If Flash's new focus is piquing your interest, it is likely to be a sound investment. With some cs6 training and the new version, you could end up designing the next Angry Birds.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
What's new in Adobe Illustrator CS6?
With the release of CS6, many digital artists are probably clamoring to know what's been changed in Adobe Illustrator? Rest assured, there are a few substantive updates to the program.
For starters, it's interface has been given a face-lift. It has an adjustable slide for brightness as well as a new, darker background. The menus have been slightly updated, giving it a shiny, streamlined feel.
However, surface improvements only go so far - what about the engine? The program's mechanics have also been retooled. The new Adobe Mercury Performance System gives the program some appreciated increases in speed and performance. Coupled with some Adobe training, the upgrade performance could bring your illustrations to the next level.
There are some other helpful new utilities. The pattern creation tool has been improved in terms of smoothly reproducing patterns. The gradient on stroke tool instantly provides depth to a standard two-dimensional drawing by adding realistic shading.
If top of the line Illustration software is what you're after, the newest version of Illustrator - found in Adobe Creative Suite 6 or as a stand-alone - offers improved design and performance and some nifty new tools to help you make digital works of art.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
WordPress Business Themes becoming increasingly popular
What is the latest trend in small business websites? According to a study done by Themes Spotter, an estimated 69 percent of WordPress themes purchased on their website over the last six months were for small business sites. This is a significant increase from the 40 percent average seen over the past two years.
This may be largely attributed to the vast improvement in the quality of themes being offered from a wide variety of developers. The themes provided have streamlined the platform for easy navigation and increased visual interest in order to gain attention from viewers. In addition, the features that made the platform so popular for bloggers have translated nicely to the new social trend the world is experiencing.
There are now website themes offered for every type of small business, ranging from ecommerce to photography and video to niche information news agencies. Even household name brands in corporate America have begun to utilize the content management system to develop a dynamic web presence.
A small business owner looking to capitalize on an affordable and easy-to-use tool for creating a professional website should consider using WordPress. Use online training tutorials to further increase the efficiency of the investment by learning how to better use standard WordPress tools and available plugins.
The web offers significant opportunities for a small business. When it comes time to make an impression on potential clients, don’t let the opportunity go to waste with a lackluster online presence. There are a number of free and affordable premium themes available to a small business owner interested in creating a dynamic web presence.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Latest pro workflow software from Adobe hits market
If you’re looking for the latest workflow enhancement tool to increase production and quality, look to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4. The latest in pro photo workflow software, Photoshop Lightroom 4 for Mac OS X and Windows 7 adds some needed features to the integration tool, reports PC Magazine.
The new edition adds basic video editing playing, integrated maps that support GPS, new content-aware auto-fix, more localized adjustment brushes and new book creation tools. All of these new tools enable professional photographers, web designers, the publishing industry and many more to better meet consumer expectations. Combined with easy-to-use Adobe training, you can meet deadlines easily while producing a high-quality product.
"Feedback from our customers is invaluable in developing Lightroom and the real trick to a great release is to combine these insights with Adobe's unrivalled image processing innovation," Winston Hendrickson, vice president of Digital Imaging Products for Adobe, told the news source.
Prepare for your professional investment with the online training that can enhance your ability to use the latest tools. If your career success depends upon your production rate of high-quality materials, tutorials can provide the direction you may need.
Store photos digitally - and remotely - using Adobe Carousel
Avid photographers equipped with all the latest technology might understandably desire the ability to access their work from nearly any location. Now, with the release of Adobe Carousel, users of Apple computers and iOS-powered mobile devices can have all the benefits of digital photo viewing, editing and storage regardless of their location - or whichever device they have available to them.
According to Geeksugar, Carousel is a cloud-based service, similar to the various cloud music players that have been released recently. With this application, photos, rather than music files, are stored in a remote online server that can be accessed by any item the software supports.
For example, users who have taken a picture on their iPhone and imported that image to Carousel's library can then access it on their home computer, without the extra step of sending it to an email account. The same applies for an image first added to Carousel at home and then accessed through a mobile device.
Although the program is not yet available for operating systems other than Apple's Mac OS and iOS, versions compatible with Windows and Android are forthcoming.
Additionally, users can have their friends access and add to their Carousel libraries, as well as share the images on their Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr social networking webpages.
Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5 extends the reach of Flash
It is widely known that Adobe Flash is one of the predominant software applications used to provide streaming video content on the internet. As such, computers and mobile devices that lack Flash are not easily able to play back a great deal of online video - until now, with the release of Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5, according to PC Magazine.
The news source reports that providers of online video content who are using Adobe Flash are now able to deliver it to multiple devices from a single source. Additionally, mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone, which were previously unable to utilize video supplied through Flash, will now be able to do so without actually being compatible with the program.
Ashley Still, director of project management for Adobe, explained the potential of Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5, which is set to debut in conjunction with several other related products - Flash Access 3.0, Adobe Pass and Open Source Media Framework.
"Flash Media Server 4.5 is really about delivering broadcast-quality content," Still told the news source. "It doesn't have to be just on the TV, but can be on tablets, including the iPad now, mobile phones and even internet-connected Blu-ray players."
Features of the latest version of Adobe InDesign
Available either on its own or included within the Creative Suite 5.5 collection of applications, the latest version of Adobe's InDesign desktop publishing and design software has more than a few notable attributes. It both maintains the features of previous iterations that have been successful in the past and expands on its capabilities, according to PC Magazine.
The news source reports that the most notable improvements present in Adobe InDesign 5.5 pertain to online publishing. Its capabilities for exporting files to HTML and EPUB export features will allow it to be used in the design of e-books and content intended for tablet computers. Additionally, features previously only available to InDesign users as plug-ins that had to be incorporated into the program from separate sources are now built into InDesign.
With InDesign 5.5, users creating e-books with HTML 5 coding will have any audio and video files embedded in their documents automatically tagged, making hand-coding of these elements unnecessary.
Since proper organization is often a priority for InDesign users, the 5.5 version continues the program's trend of allowing individuals to organize the layout according to their specific needs.
Discovering Office 2010's hidden potential
To distinguish its value among a variety of free alternatives, Microsoft developers knew they had to compose a solid offering for Office 2010. The hard work has paid off and users are still discovering new applications long after the software's initial release.
According to TechSpot, the success of Office 2010 may have begun when Microsoft recruited approximately 7.5 million users to take part in beta testing. By diligently incorporating this feedback, and offering enhanced compatibility with the emerging Windows 7 operating system, the company was able to inspire widespread adoption among consumer and corporate clientele.
While its reliable document, spreadsheet and presentation creation processes have remained consistent, some have been surprised to find additional benefits such as enhanced imaging capabilities. According to PCWorld, these added touches may be just the thing to spice up a document with crisp photos, engaging charts or branded logos.
The latest edition of Microsoft Word contains a new graphics engine that was previously deployed on Excel and PowerPoint. Word users can now wrap text around and through images, PowerPoint now allows for the incorporation of image maps and pictures can be placed behind charts in Excel.
Like any good software, the potential applications for Office 2010 continue to grow over time. But to unlock this potential, a thorough set of technical skills must be acquired.
Getting the most out of Outlook 2010
The latest version of Microsoft Outlook is the company's most powerful email platform to date. But there are a number of tips and tricks for users to learn before they can unlock the full potential of the application.
Microsoft Outlook 2010 preserves the software's longstanding reputation as a go-to solution for managing contacts, setting schedules and sending emails. The latest edition also features notable enhancements to search and conferencing capabilities. But Outlook still has room for improvement when it comes to satisfying the evolving demands of business professionals.
A number of companies rely on the software as the centerpiece of daily workflow, and losing critical email and contact data to viruses or other disasters can have significant consquences. But as noted by PCWorld, the default backup settings may not be sufficient. Other issues include occasionally slow performance related to data file size and difficulty synchronizing emails for work and home computers.
With Microsoft Outlook serving as a central hub for communication, a lack of knowledge surrounding best practices can cause more than just a headache. Savvy professionals have already turned to online training programs and other means for gaining the advanced skills needed to conquer software frustrations.