Video formats confusing to this newspaper designer Charles, a newspaper designer from Kentucky, just sent a question via Facebook asking how to convert files from his Sony camcorder to a format he could use in Adobe Premier CS3, an application used to edit videos on both Macs and PCs. It was a good time for Charles to ask that question because I recently faced a similar challenge after purchasing a Hitachi high definition (HD) Blu-ray camcorder. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, June 2009

Get your scissors and tape ready. Kevin is making a list! Each year, I release a list of hardware and software recommendations for newspapers. With newspapers spending less this year, I’ve trimmed this list to items which tend to be of most interest. So get your scissors and tape ready. Here’s my 2009 list of recommended hardware and software for newspapers.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, May 2009

Newspaper Design Institute Announces October Curriculum The schedule for the October 2009 session of the Institute of Newspaper Technology is complete and includes classes in InDesign, scripting, photo editing, video production for Web sites, Flash, Illustrator, InCopy, Adobe Bridge, digital photography, audio slideshow creation, fonts, editing photos in camera raw, Photoshop, font management and more. As you can see, we’re trying to cover topics of most interest to print and online newspapers. Basic and advanced classes are offered.  Instructors include Lisa Griffin, Russell Viers, Jay Nelson, Lesa Snider, Rob Heller and Kevin Slimp. Guest speakers will also be on hand.  Click Here for More ...

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Mailbox Filled with Questions From Readers Wow. My email is full of questions from readers these days. There are questions about InDesign, Photo Editing, hardware and more.   Some days I just can’t respond to all of them, so let me take a crack at a few of them here.      Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, April 2009

Metro Offers Product to Increase Revenue on Newspaper Websites One of the questions I get asked the most when I’m speaking to groups of publishers is, “How can I make money on my newspaper Web site without spending a fortune?”   I’m going to tell you how. Get a pen. I’ll wait.      Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, March 2009

Two Great Online Journalism Tools As convention season approaches, I tend to do a lot of research to prepare new information. Two weeks ago, in Indianapolis, I addressed the publishers of the state on my latest topic titled, “Online Journalism II: The Sequel.”  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2009

Hard Drives & Computers ... What I buy when it's my money. Man, I hate having to spend my own money on computer stuff. I get used to receiving software, utilities and other gizmos from companies all the time to review. It can get addictive. Then something breaks or gets old and I have to come back down to reality.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, January 2009

InDesign CS4 Includes Incredible Features For Designers Excuse me, but I have to sit down. It’s time to let you know about a few of the new features in Adobe Creative Suite 4. And after taking a fresh look at these applications, I need to catch my breath because some of the features are incredible. No, make that unimaginable. No, let’s stick with incredible. Wow.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Question & Answer: Kevin Solves Problems For Readers Just like everyone else’s, my inbox needs to be emptied on a regular basis. Here are some of the questions I’ve received from readers in the past few weeks.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, November 2008

Retrieving Data From Corrupt Drives is Possible with Data Rescue II Gary Rudy, IFPA director, sent a panicked e-mail a couple of weeks ago. Seems the camera card that contained all of the photos from the IFPA national convention bit the dust. After sending the card to an outfit that specializes in getting data from corrupted drives, he learned that the cost for this service was a mere $700. He e-mailed to ask if there was a less expensive way to retrieve the photos.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2008

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Now Shipping Milestone Release Radically Improves Creative Workflow Efficiency; Redefines Collaboration Between Designers and Developers Click Here for More ... Adobe Press Release

New & Upgraded Products Plentiful in November I can’t remember a time when so many exciting upgrades and products were released at once. After speaking to a room filled with newspaper owners and publishers at the National Newspaper Association convention this week, I was a little overwhelmed by the number of folks ready to make wholesale changes and upgrades in their operations.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, October 2008

After all these years Acrobat still has a few tricks up its sleeve OK. Stop what you’re doing. Seriously, stop. What I am about to tell you is worth a few minutes of your time. I get software upgrades constantly. Designers and paginators salivate when they come by my office and see all the software on my desk. Right now there is a glut of products from Adobe, Extensis, Subrosa, Quark and a few others lying there. Sometimes I have to force myself to look at another upgrade. But that’s what I do. And I don’t take this duty lightly. So, against all natural tendencies, I keep inserting those disks and installing those new versions. And a day like today makes it all worth it. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, September 2008 - 4 opinions posted

QuarkXPress 8 Release Full of Surprises for the Design Professional Quark 8 or Acroabat? I’ve been in a dilemma about which application to review. I’ve had boxes sitting on my desk that contain the just released versions of both applications for the past week. When I woke up this morning, I was sure I’d be writing a review of Acrobat Professional 9. But I just can’t help but feel there’s something calling me to try out Quark’s latest offering. OK, QuarkXPress 8 (QX8) it is.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, August 2008

Kevin Announces List of "Must-Have" Items for Newspapers It always surprises me when I visit a newspaper and see one of my columns posted on a bulletin board. I hear it all the time. “I’ve been trying to get the publisher to buy (fill in the blank) for years, but couldn’t get him (or her) to budge. Then I showed them your column and, voila, they ordered it for everyone in the building!”  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, July 2008

RecoSoft offers tempting PDF2ID plug-in for designers and ad departments Been wishing you could open those PDF files directly into InDesign? Notice I said "open," not "place." A big difference. Your dream might have come true. Learn what Kevin thinks about PDF2ID. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, June 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Kevin Answers Questions About Old & New Software There seems to be a recurring theme in my e-mail lately. Problems related to outdated and just released applications seem to abound. Fortunately, my e-mail includes enough variety to keep things interesting. Let me share a few of the calls for help I have received over the past few weeks. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, April 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Kevin Reviews Photoshop Elements, Drive Genius 2 and Publisher Miracle Worker Help! My desk used to be under this pile of software somewhere. I keep stacking software boxes on my desk as they arrive from vendors and putting them off any longer is not an option.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, May 2008

Stop The Press! The Kindle e-book reader from Amazon could have a huge impact on the newspaper business. Read what Kevin has to say about his two months using this device. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp

Newspapers flip over pocket size camcorder I asked a couple of buddies - one at a large metro paper, the other at a mid-size daily - what camcorder they were sending with their reporters these days. I got the same answer from both, which led me to shell out a few dollars (yes, out of my own pocket!) for a Flip Ultra. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Association membership has its benefits I hope newspapers never forget the value of their associations. Instead of spending $650 to attend a class that’s not even structured with newspapers in mind, association members find training through various regional and national associations for less than they’d spend taking the family to the movies (with some popcorn and drinks). Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2008

You'll Need to Sit Down For This One: Open Microsoft Publisher Files in InDesign! Are you sitting? Don’t read any further unless you’re sitting. The news I’m about to share requires that you be in a seated position before reading any further.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2007 - 1 opinion posted

Create Pagination Workflow With Remote Users Utilizing InCopy CS3 If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ve probably heard me mention InDesign’s companion application, InCopy. Paginators know InDesign as one of the tools of choice for creating newspaper pages. For others, like editors and reporters, InDesign can be overkill. This is where InCopy comes in.  Click Here for More ...

Two Alternatives for Editing Photos for Newspapers GIMP and Photoshop CS3 offer different angles on editing photos. While not as powerful as Photoshop, GIMP includes many functions used by newspapers. Users of Photoshop, however, won't want to miss the free download of Photoshop CS3. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, January 2007