InDesign

Hello, friends. Deke here this week. (Colleen is buried hundreds of pages deep inside a book we hope to one day call Photoshop Elements 8 One-on-One, which is slated for delivery next month. Poor dear; book writing is such torment.) And so it is my esteemed privilege to present you with Martini Hour 036, the last dekeLounge-recorded Martini Hour before we embark on a long series of shows captured live and loose from Las Vegas. Baby.

This week's C&D-only show features a question from a caller who fails to identify herself. I dub her Daffodil because she sounds so sweet and pretty and harmless. But Daffodil's question is about the most horrifying one we've encountered, perfect for Halloween: Why is it that Pantone spot colors look one way in Illustrator and InDesign, and another in Photoshop? And how in the world do you correct this problem?

By way of example, we take on Pantone 172: Is it Pumpkin or Grenadine? (See the swatches in the graphic, top left. I mean, holy shit, how different are those?)

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You know that I love our guests on Martini Hour. But few things can beat an episode where one of my favorite people (Adobe Product Manager Michael Ninness) talks about one of my favorite products (InDesign). Join us in the dekeLounge as we not only discuss InDesign, but really, how InDesign is helping publishers, designers, and editors challenge the notion of The Document, and ultimately plan against our future obsolescence. And we do all this over "portonics," an unfamiliar but tasty concoction of white port and tonic that was apparently the drink of choice during the unseasonably hot weather in Seattle this summer, inspired by our Michael making the trip down to the lounge to visit us in person.

This is not your standard graphics discussion, but an actual excavation of where the future lies. Check it out... Read more » 

David Futato can see White Russians from his front porch. He also figures out everything about InDesign that the One-on-One team ever needs to know. (Case in point this week's post from David about the new cross reference feature in InDesign.) David is only person imposed upon Deke (ahem) by his publisher whom Deke ultimately deemed worthy of both personal and professional comraderie. (Listen to the show to see how Deke slithers out of that one.) How, you might ask, do I, stalwart hardworking editor/sidekick, manage not to seethe with jealousy in the face of Deke's obvious reverence for his beloved "Design Mastermind." Well, David also happens to be a kind, compassionate, knowledgable, hardworking guy who unquestionably deserves his Golden Child Status.

Here's what David brings to the lounge this week: Read more » 

Followers of this site may recall a recent Martini Hour in which Colleen and I interview Karen Gauthier, product manager of a promising new application called GridIron Flow. Karen and I go way back to her days with Adobe, and as she's fond of reminding me, I talked her into joining GridIron. So it is with some pride I announce that Flow begins shipping today. (Coincidentally, Flow ships within a few days of the anniversary of dekeOnline, a project that Karen talked me into. So we're even, ha!)

Flow has been in development for the better part of the last two years, and it looks to me like time well spent. In fact, I regard Flow as essential software for any creative professional. For complete info, check out the Martini Hour episode (it's fairly entertaining, actually) or this ancient blog post.

The software is normally $299. But you can get Flow for just $199 at gridironflow.com/deke. That's $100 off, but only until July 3 at midnight Pacific. (If you start hearing fireworks here in the U.S., it's over.) After that, gridironflow.com/deke will get you $50 off. Either way, it's a great deal. Though, obviously, this week is better than next.

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