Sam’s random musings

MacFixIt - Special Report: Troubleshooting Aperture:

Special Report: Troubleshooting Aperture

Great set of articles, I don’t use aperture, but if you do this might be useful

(Via .)

Feed icon template:

I really appreciate Microsoft’s decision to adopt Firefox’s feed icon. So you might guess that I was even more excited when I heard of Matt Brett’s “Feed Icons” project.

I have to say that the new icon looks better then the old orange block… but there is something to be said for the message it sends.

(Via Bartelme Design – Journal.)

Apple Aperture 1.0.1:

Apple has updated its professional photo application, Aperture. Version 1.0.1 includes improved white balance adjustment accuracy and performance, image export quality, book and print ordering reliability, auto-stacking performance and custom paper size handling. The update is available as a 11 MB download. Also of interest to anyone investingating Aperture will be Imaging-Resource’s excellent ‘Aperture Diary’ which is a hands-on look at how Aperture fits into a day by day workflow.

This is an app to watch, I think that apple is suffering some 1.0 issues with this app, but the upside and is huge. Espeecially now that Adobe has digested their only rival…

(Via Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com).)

Digital Imaging at CES 2006:

Pre-CES 2006: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has posted a press release summarizing digital imaging at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (5th to 8th January 2006). There will be a day long event showcasing the wide range of complementary services which can be applied to digital imaging, an Industry Insider session presented by Antonio Perez, president and CEO of Eastman Kodak as well as exhibitors such as Kodak, Fujifilm, HP, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony on the show floor.

Will DF be there…

(Via Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com).)

Free Progress Indicators:

So you’ve figured out that your users would appreciate a Progress Indicator during those impatient moments of asynchrony. Coding it is easy enough, the hard part is coming up with a pretty animated icon. Well, you can hopefully skip that bit now, thanks to a nice collection of animated icons from Jakob Skjerning (via Deep Resonance).

Get your free progress indicators here.

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p>Actually there are some nice ones here, but I think they are mostly good starting points.

(Via Ajaxian Blog.)

Sensible Forms: A Form Usability Checklist:

Sometimes it’s the little things that drive you nuts. As many of us have probably noticed during this season of holiday shopping, usability problems in online forms can be infuriating. Brian Crescimanno helps solve the problem with a checklist of form-usability recommendations.

Good Points

(Via A List Apart: for people who make websites.)

Thinking Outside the Grid:

CSS has broken the manacles that kept us chained to grid-based design…so why do so few sites deviate from the grid? Molly E. Holzschlag says that the answer has something to do with airplanes, urban-planning, and British cab drivers.

hey it’s words from Molly so you know its’ good

(Via A List Apart: for people who make websites.)

Designers: What to charge:

One of the most often asked questions by new designers, part-time freelancers and those wishing to make a go at freelancing full time is what to charge.

It’s a tough spot. Charge too much and you don’t get the work, charge too little and you end up with a bad taste in your mouth from eating frozen burritos 3 times a day. What I find the most is that most designers don’t charge enough.

A few years ago, I came across a Web site that took a formula used by many design firms and put it into terms that we “artists” can understand. I’ve used it over the years to adjust my billing rate, and found that it strikes the perfect balance between making a profit, and keeping clients happy.

Click here to read the article posted at CreativeGuy.

(Via CreativeBits.)