After seeing a tip for using Photoshop to create contact sheets over at design o blog I figured I would post a quick screncast here showing how Bridge CS4 has streamlined the process a bit. The result is a faster output that does not tie up your machine for as long when you are creating a contact sheet with a large number of images. The video is embedded below.

Bridge CS4 Contact Sheet Creation from Ben W on Vimeo.

using Adobe Bridge CS4 to create contact sheets in PDF form is much faster than using The Photoshop contact sheet creation option

The Axiotron Modbook looks like quite the solution for those wanting an apple tablet. Check out the video for some nice demonstrations along with a look at the GPS feature.

You can learn more at Axiotron. Video from Mahalo.

from Drawn via Kottke.

Engadget got their hands on an early build of Art Lebedev’s much anticipated Optimus Maximus keyboard and took it for a quick spin. You can download the video from their site, or view the embed below.

This would be a wonderful product for those who use Adobe’s suite but don’t know all the keyboard shortcuts; a layout that displays them would be indispensable.

Overlay images in elegant style with Lightview

I’ve recently discovered the beauty of the GTD system and am in the process of integrating GTDTiddlyWiki into my life to organize all aspects of my life. There are a number of resources regarding the GTD mindest; I am partial to 43 folders. There are definitely a number of benefits to using this mindset to organize things, but it seems like a lot to adhere to. I am always interested consolidating and this looks like a great way. The real question is whether or not I will stick to this plan.

I especially love the feature of printing directly to 3×5 cards, aka the HipsterPDA. That and the fact the Wiki is contained in one file that can go anywhere makes me think I may be able to make this one stick. Has anybody had experience with the GTD system or any other resources for organizing the many areas of one’s life easily?

Potrace – a tool to convert bitmaps to vectors.

WPDesigner.com has $5/year WordPress Themes Club

There are a lot of sites dedicated to the graphic and web design professions on the net. Finding quality content can be very difficult due to the sheer number of below average sites that claim to specialize in design. This is the first in a series of recurring posts (probably every week or two) where I will round up resources that I personally find useful in the hopes that others may also gain something from them. Many will be well know sites to those in the know, but I hope I can also shed some light on the lesser known articles and resources that present a dose of useful information.

General Design

• (Really) Stunning Desktop Wallpapers from Smashing Magazine – Smashing Magazine is well known by many due to the great collections they put together. This article is no exception and the desktops highlighted can certainly motivate.
• 38one – An excellent portfolio of graphic and web design work.
• Creative Logos Trilogy – A collection of 36 logo designs, most of which I hadn’t seen before happening upon this article.
• Made By Elephant – Portfolio site, very clean design
• The 50 Most Popular Web Design Blog Posts, Resources & Cheat Sheets of 2007
• Designologue v3.0 – Similar to Photoshop Tennis, but without a “winner.”

Tutorials

• Luxa – Photoshop Tutorials as well as other resources. (A nice looking Pligg powered site)

Communities

• Amateur Illustrator
• COLOURlovers – Not a secret by any stretch but a great inspiration source for sure.

Articles

• Defining Project Boundaries (and Keeping Your Client Within Them)

Downloads

• Go Media’s Arsenal – Professional Design Weaponry

The Resources page will also be updated with links to useful resources. Feel free to leave any suggestions.

From Neatorama – The evolution of Tech Logos