Actionscript to loop flash video
on (complete) {
this.autorewind -true;
this.play();
}
Note to self
txp 1and1 .htaccess
RewriteBase /
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^(.+) – [PT,L]
RewriteRule ^(.*) index.php
AddDefaultCharset UTF-8
Mobile Video
I was thinking about cell phones (and ipods) and how video is all the rage. Many people have rhetorically asked ‘who wants to share or stare at a tiny screen for a couple hours and watch video designed for a big screen?’ Another downside is the numerous details you’ll miss viewing video on such a device.
Then it hit me. (This has probably been said before). The future of video (or media in general) on smaller screen is entertainment that is conceptualized and designed for them. In the future the successful media (movie) creators in the phone-mobile-media arena will be those who target only this media.
Success on Small devices = smaller lengths + less (reduced) detail.
I think a similar example (from the gaming world) of this is LocoRoco on the PSP. It is the only mobile game I’ve played that is actually easy to see. It still has speed action and even detail, but in a much simpler way that most games.
Another benefit of creating unique content for small devises is that the content will look much better in community video sites such as youTube than the current generation of content.
I think apple understands this concept with the iPhone and it’s targeted interface. (of course you could argue the safari on the iPhone contradicts this).
Right now discussing how to get your website designed for the small screen is all the rage. But I think that’s the wrong approach. Shouldn’t the question be more along the lines of What content could I create that is appropriate for small devices and how could I present it best?
Cloning in Photoshop CS3
I could have used PsCS3’s ignore adjustment layer feature yesterday.
Content Distribution with Acrobat
I didn’t know that Adobe Acrobat included a RSS news reader. I’ve got to do some research on content distribution and compare iTunes with Acrobat (as distribution clients).
Illustrator Starburst Rays
This tip is an oldie but a goodie, originally posted here in 2004. How to create illustrator rays that taper outward. This is easily done (with Illustrator) in a few simple steps.
Step 1: Create a starburst, by option clicking with the star tool. Radius 1: 2”, radius 2: 1”, points: 20. Change the parameters to your liking. Apply a radial gradient.
Step 2: Create an circle (a rectangle or other shape will also work). Apply a different radial gradient. Make a copy of the circle.
Step 3: Merge the starburst and the circle . Align both objects centered vertically and horizontally. Then use the pathfinder “Intersect” “Minus Back” (if the star is behind) option (this will purge the out points of the star).
Step 4: Here’s the trick: use the direction selection (open arrow tool) to select just the inside points of the intersected star. Use the scale tool (option click) to scale these points to the very center.
Step 5: Align center the new “Ray” with the copy of the circle made in step 2.
Step 6: Optional… tweak the radial gradients for both the “ray” and the circle. add a clipping mask to the desired shape.
Animate: Just change the rotation, gradient and size to animate motion with the rays.
Illustrator & PDF Files: stump.ai stump.pdf
Photoshop: Default White Point
This weekend I went hiking up Deadman Canyon to Hidden Forest in Nevada’s Desert National Wildlife Range. Unfortunately on the way home the tire on my car blew out, hence today’s image. I chose this particular image because it has lots of dust and dirt. It’s relatively flat with the majority of the tonal range condensed in the quartertones and midtones.
A common technique that many people use is to set the white and black points of an image using the white and black eyedroppers in Photoshop’s Levels (and curves) dialog.
If your image is in RGB you can hold down the option key (mac) while you drag the white and black point triangles. You’ll see interactive clipping showing the whites (or blacks of you image).
Unfortunately Photoshop ships with default target values for your white point that may cause your image to become blown out (no detail in the highlights).
Here’s the tip: before setting your white point, double click on the white point eyedropper. and change the value of the white color. I like to use 5% cyan, 3% magenta and 3% yellow (a carry-over from my prepress days.
Now when you set the white point of your image with the eyedropper tool, you’ll be able to keep detail in the highlight while brightening and expanding the tonal value of the image.
When you close the Levels dialog box you will be asked if you want to save the new target values as the default.
Zip Code Lookups
Here is a tab delimited zip code file based on 1999 census data you can use for your own projects. It includes zip code, place name and two-letter state abbreviation.
zipcodes.tab.zip