Simple tools for simple tasks

When working on typesetting elements of your project in InDesign, you may need to convert text to a shape, also known as converting the text to outlines. This can be a tricky process if you’re new to the program. Outlining text is essential when sending artwork to another device as it preserves th...

When working with multiple shapes in Inkscape, a neat trick to learn is how to merge the objects together. Once you combine two or more objects, you can edit them together and create a new custom shape. There are a few different ways to merge objects in Inkscape, and I will show you my three favorit...

GIMP is not as intuitive as other image processing programs, so the software doesn’t assume you are trying to make certain areas transparent and instead fills the areas with black or white. Keep reading to note essential steps to ensure the deleted area turns and stays transparent. Overview of How...

When working with multiple design programs, it can get confusing about which shortcuts to use and how to deselect objects or layers. If you work between Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, you will know that each program deselects differently. So if you have forgotten how to deselect in Photoshop,...

InDesign is not primarily an image editor; you would usually need to open your photos in another program to edit them. However, there are specific edits you can make to an image, such as cropping images. Cropping images is easy because of the way the program works with photos. The way pictures work ...

One of my favorite tools in InDesign is the transparent gradient feature that allows you to fade an image or a colored shape. This feature is useful if you want to fade out a picture to add other elements in the space or add a subtle object behind a paragraph of text to allow it to show up more clea...

It’s straightforward to round the corners in Adobe InDesign, and you can achieve the rounded corner look in different ways. You can round the corner of almost any shape or path you create, including stars you make with the polygon tool or custom shapes using the Pen Tool. You can also round the co...

When creating layouts in InDesign, the default background is Paper, which is transparent, so it will be the color of the paper you print on. However, if you are designing material for a digital project, you may want to change the background color in InDesign. InDesign doesn’t have a straightforwar...