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Droplets allow you quickly batch process image files.
Sample animation. The spin effect is an Action that came with the program.
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ADOBE INTRODUCES WEB GRAPHIC PRODUCTION TOOL
Hello again. It’s been a while, but we’re back with a new issue. Sorry it’s been so long but we took a little vacation over the last few months.
 Since the last issue, Adobe introduced a new program. Not a new version of an old program, but an entirely new program called Adobe ImageReady (available for both PowerMac and Wintel systems). If Photoshop had sex with GifBuilder, ImageReady would be their offspring. Adobe is now shipping the full release version 1.0. The public beta version that was on the Adobe site for the past several weeks has now expired, so to use the program you’ll need to get the real McCoy. I strongly recommend getting it.
I enjoy working with ImageReady for many reasons. ImageReady is very similar to Photoshop. I’ve been working with Photoshop for several years and I’m very comfortable with it, so using ImageReady was second nature. No new interfaces to learn and only a few new concepts to confuse me (but not for long). I started working with the beta a few months ago with no documentation whatsoever and quickly figured it out. My measuring stick for almost any program is “If I can start creating work with the program without having to refer to the manuals, it’s got my vote.”
It does a great job compressing files for use on the web. The program was obviously optimized to compress files as small as possible. You also have tremendous control over final image quality vs. compression. You can remove certain colors while leaving others alone to reduce overall file size. Actually, I’ve only scratched the surface on learning how to harness ImageReady to control file size.
ImageReady has a wonderfully simple interface to create animations. By using the Layers Palette, you can view or hide layers to create the look of the first frame of animation. You now create a new frame. Then go back to the Layers Palette and view or hide layers to create the look of the second frame. You build the entire animation, frame by frame, using this technique. If you know how layers work in Photoshop, it’s a breeze.
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Starting with a graphic of the VISA logo (at left) and clicking on the stock ImageReady Action "an-Spin", I created the animation on the left with one click of the mouse.
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The Action automatically prepares each frame of the animation, which can then be edited as needed such as frame delays, adding and deleting frames, or tweening.
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Adobe has taken the batch processing one step further by adding Droplets to ImageReady. Droplets are the same as batch processing with Actions in Photoshop, but adds one important feature: Droplets will create a file that you can place on your desktop. You then drag and drop a single image file, several files or an entire folder onto this Droplet, and all files will be processed using whatever settings and instructions you defined in the Droplet. I’ve got one Droplet named “Create GIF.” All it does is create an optimized GIF file to the parameters I’ve set. I use it for almost every graphic I’m preparing for the web. After the files are processed, they end up in the same folder as the original with a .gif extension. This is a great time-saver when converting several files at once. |
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Click on the icon to go to Adobe’s web site and download a trial version.
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If you create artwork to be viewed on the web, you’ll want to add this program to your list. It already has rocketed to the top of my list of programs I use on a daily basis. You can download a full functioning version of the program (not a beta) by clicking on the icon to the left. It will run for 30 days. If you have recently purchased or upgraded to Photoshop 5, you can buy ImageReady for $99. A great deal if you do web graphics. Get it, I know you’ll use and like it. |
