Here's the latest news and updates from Ten Ton Books! Not seeing this news feed within a scrollbox? Head to the Ten Ton Books homepage.

June 2, 2008

You've no doubt heard about it, but what's all the buzz about? It's called Zoomify, and it's an awesome new feature inside Photoshop CS3 that'll letcha add zoomable, scrollable image viewfinders to your web pages. In this tutorial, you'll not only see how to create 'em outta Photoshop, but you'll also see how they're structured in Dreamweaver, and how to make some simple adjustments as well. So whatcha still readin' for? Get zoomin'!

May 29, 2008

Geeze, there's been a lot about Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash lately—and it continues with a new video tutorial called Creative Suite Heavyweights: Illustrator And Flash. So, have you started usin' Illustrator to help build Flash movies? In this video tutorial, you'll learn a few nifty techniques for getting material from Illustrator into Flash. We'll start off with fully layered, fully editable Illustrator content, then you'll see a few other methods for gettin' the job done! Lets check it out!

May 20, 2008

To go along with the video tutorial I posted on May 14th (see below) about working with Photoshop and Flash, check out an article that I wrote for the Layers magazine website called Handlin’ Photoshop and Illustrator Content in Flash. You'll learn a few nifty techniques for wranglin' your raster content, handlin' vector objects, and a few other goodies as well. Read up!

May 17, 2008

Been workin' hard to bring something called iPaper to the Ten Ton site. IPaper (developed by a company called Scribd) is a promising technology for bringing rich documentation online, when HTML-based, or PDF-based documents don't cut the mustard. It's actually a redeveloped version of Macromedia's old FlashPaper. Now, and this is what I was interested in for the Ten Ton site—and for you—is that it'll letcha search, save the document onto your hard drive, email it, and even embed the document into your website. How frickin' sweet does that sound? Anyway, I'm excited to test it on Ten Ton, as I'd like to make it possible for you to keep articles and tutorials that are posted on the site. So check 'er out right here and lemme know what you think!

May 14, 2008

Hey, what's goin' on? Ever wondered what mysteries lie between Photoshop and Flash? Well as it turns out, you can do quite a bit with these two Creative Suite heavy-weights. In fact, I've posted a new video tutorial that goes into all sortsa detail, called Mixin' It Up With Photoshop And Illustrator. Check 'er out right here!

May 3, 2008 (again!)

Two posts in one day?! Ya got that right! On the theme of the day's previous post, here's some more Dreamweaver material. A few readers wrote in asking about the difference between Class rules and redefined tags in CSS within Dreamweaver. Well, never being one to disappoint, I've put together a a 2-part video tutorial that explains exactly this. Called Class Rules Versus Redefined Tags, the tutorial compares these two types of CSS rules, and you'll see a few cool tricks for putting them to good use. So whatcha waitin' for? Check out Part 1 here, and Part 2 here!

May 3, 2008

Havin' trouble with CSS in Dreamweaver? There seems to be some common hang-ups that seem to really mess people up. So I decided to put together an article called Five+1 Common CSS Hang-Ups In Dreamweaver, that should hopefully put the confusion and frustration to bed once and for all! So without further delay, here it is. Enjoy!

April 24, 2008

"I'm givin' 'er all she's got cap'n, but we dunnot have da power!" Well, at least that's what I kept thinking during Ten Ton's multiple service outtages this week. Seems lots of people are lovin' the Ten Ton stuff, particularly the videos! Well, the site's back—this time for good—so I can get back to writin' articles and makin' vids for you all to enjoy. Thanks to those who wrote in or commented for all the kind words! Lots more on the way! ~Geoff

April 19, 2008

Not too long ago, I wrote up a tutorial for the Layers Magazine website about working with Zoomify objects in Photoshop CS3. Have ya checked out this awesome new Photoshop feature yet? It's directly related to web design, so in the tutorial, I go into a bit of Dreamweaver for ya. So what is a Zoomify object? It'll basically letcha take any image and turn it into a zoomable, pannable object on your web page. It's sweet stuff, so be sure to check it out!

April 16, 2008

So last week I was on an Acrobat craze, right? This week, it seems to be Dreamweaver! Hopefully, you've checked out yesterday's 3-part Dreamweaver video (see below); and now today I have a Dreamweaver article for ya called Haulin' Ass With Dreamweaver: 10 Site Management Tools. This article centers around the tools and functions in Dreamweaver that'll help ya manage your site, from handling links, to working with a design team, and more! Getcha site on right here!

April 15, 2008

Havin' a tough time with CSS-layout, <div>'s, and what Dreamweaver traditionally calls layers? For the uninitiated, it can all seem a bit myserious, confusing, and down-right daunting. So lets put all this confusion and myserty to bed, once and for all. In what was intended to be a brief 10-minute video introduction to CSS-layout in Dreamweaver has turned into a 3-part series, spanning 25 minutes! Geez, I just can't help myself! Anyway, as always, they're all free, and they're all yours! Check out Part 1 here, then Part 2, and finally Part 3. That's a whole lotta CSS lovin'! Have fun!

April 10, 2008

Alrighty, here it is: the third and final part of our look at 25 cool Acrobat features. Hopefully you enjoyed the first two parts. This time around, you’ll find out about adjusting page numbering, using Acrobat’s commenting tools, security, and if ya make it all the way to the end, ya might find yourself a wee Acrobat bonus! So put down the phone and check it out!

April 6, 2008

Alrighty, I've been on a bit of an Acrobat kick lately, and the trend continues! I have two Acrobat goodies for ya. First, Part 2 of the video series Get Goin' With Bookmarks In Acrobat is up and runnin'! Check it out right here. Second, if you enjoyed last week's 25 Supa-Killah Acrobat Secrets, then you'll definitely wanna check out Part 2 of that article, found right here! I hope you're diggin' all this Acrobat stuff. Enjoy and share your thoughts in the comments!

April 4, 2008

Hey check this out: Have you ever wondered about the weird and mysterious topic of Bookmarks in Acrobat? Well, wonder no longer! I've put together a short video that'll show you exactly how it's done, called Get Goin' With Bookmarks In Acrobat. In fact, this video is Part 1 of what will be a 3-part series, so keep your eyes open for some additional upcoming vids! And let me know your thoughts in the comments, too! Getcha bookmarks on right here!

March 31, 2008

So I'm sitting here the other day, dreaming about how awesome it would be to have my own mech—you know, like those LandMates from Appleseed? Anyway, then suddenly Acrobat pops into my head and I start thinking about how most designers and developers really have no idea about all the cool things this sweet-ass app can do. Now it's no mech, but it's still pretty damn cool. Thus, I was compelled to put together a list that I've dubbed 25 Supa-Killah Acrobat Secrets. So quit yer day-dreamin' and go check it out!

March 26, 2008

Hey print designers, check this out: I'm shocked that there's still some of you out there who haven't made the leap into web design. So I whipped up an article called You've Dodged This Long Enough, It's Time To Learn About Web Design, and guess who I'm talkin' about? That's right, the free ride's over my friends! It's the 21st century, more and more clients and employers want designers who can handle both print and web, and somehow you've managed to avoid the subject—until now, that is! Today's the day, it's time to make the leap. Cool thing is, the article centers around concepts, not jargonny talk about code and stuff. So you won't hurl or anything. Now get reading, already!

March 17, 2008

Way behind on my updates! But check this out: A while back, I wrote a Dreamweaver article for Colin Smith's Dreamweaver Cafe called Savin’ Time and Billing For It Anyway with Dreamweaver CS3’s New CSS Rule Management. I posted it on the Ten Ton site, and also added it to Zap! as well. Wanna check it out? Then get clickin' right here!

February 29, 2008

Check out the latest Ten Ton project, Zap! Bang! Boom! As the blog for designers, developers, and freelancers, Zap!'s mission is to present the best links, resources, tutorials, and articles from across the web, with a focus on the Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, CSS, and living the freelance lifestyle. I hope ya dig it, I had a lot of fun putting it together—and keep checkin' your browser and RSS reader, cuz the updates'll be comin' fast 'n furious! Enjoy Zap! Bang! Boom!

January 30, 2008

Geoff Blake offers up a sweet Flash CS3 tutorial in the latest issue of Digital Arts magazine. You'll be taken through the steps to pull a layout from Illustrator into the Flash environment, plus you'll get a few tricks and techniques along the way. Check out the tutorial in the February issue of Digital Arts, or get clickin' right here.

December 15, 2007

Issue 139 of Web Designer magazine sports a hot Dreamweaver tutorial by Geoff Blake called "Exploring The Zoomify Technique." This tutorial combines a little Photoshop with some Dreamweaver CS3 magic to create a nifty zoomable image gallery. Click here to visit the Web Designer site for more info.

November 5, 2007

Check out the November issue of Digital Arts magazine, which offers a massive tutorial by Geoff Blake on creating a Spry widget image gallery in Dreamweaver CS3! Click here to visit the Digital Arts site, where you can find out more info!

October 30, 2007

Keep checking the newstand; coming out soon is issue 138 of Web Designer magazine, where you'll find a monster Spry widget tutorial by Geoff Blake. Geoff provides all the steps needed to build a zoomable, pannable Spry widget in Dreamweaver CS3, completely from scratch! It's a robot watering hole extravaganza! Click here to visit the Web Designer site for more info.

September 23, 2007

Fresh off the presses this week is Create Magazine's Sept/Oct issue, containing a hot studio tutorial by Geoff Blake, Illustrator CS3's Color Crunching Commands (PDF 308K). This tutorial walks you through Illustrator's new Color Guide panel, and introduces Live Color. Get up to speed on these two monster color commands, and watch your designs explode! Check out the article on TenTonBooks.com (click here, yo!), or on Create's site (right here). Or even better, check 'er out at a newstand near you!

June 13 , 2007

Check out the just released Total Training For Illustrator CS3 Advanced, and Total Training For CS3 Premium Workflow, both from Total Training, and both hosted by Geoff Blake. In Illustrator CS3 Advanced, you'll learn how to take advantage of Illustrator's more complex features to create eye-popping special effects and work more efficiently. As for CS3 Premium Workflow, you'll get a taste of some of the new and amazing features inside Creative Suite 3, and you'll learn how to work more efficiently between your CS3 products. So whatcha waitin' for? Get checkin' out Total Training For Illustrator CS3 Advanced and Total Training For CS3 Premium Workflow!