Apr 3, 2012
Posted on Apr 3, 2012 in Hints and Tips | 10 comments
Continuing our new series of critiques, this week Ashish Bogawat gives us a detailed rundown of a great web-based todo list app: Remember The Milk.
Introduction
There is no dearth of todo list apps on the web – or any computing platform for that matter. Being the most basic of productivity methods, todo lists have been the muse of many application developers, each bringing their own twist to the tale with some feature you’ve never seen before.
Personally, I’ve tried dozens of these task management apps in search for the one that does everything I need the way I need it to. Unfortunately, that’s still just a dream. So in absence of the perfect app, I’ve settled on the one that comes closest in my opinion – Remember The Milk. As one of the very first apps of its kind on the web, Remember The Milk has done a splendid job of standing tall amongst the competition that gets fiercer by the day.
For a task management app, Remember The Milk (RTM) has pretty much all the features you could ask for – lists, tags, due dates, priorities, notes, even collaboration and location awareness. It is available on the web as well as on the iOS and Android platforms as native apps. What I would like to cover in the next few hundred words though, is how it stacks up in terms of user experience. Let’s get started.
Simple, Quick, Powerful…
The RTM web interface is pretty clean and neat with a huge emphasis on giving as much space to your tasks list as possible. No jazzy graphics or unnecessary emphasis on gradients makes the app blazingly quick to load and interact with. All your lists are available as tabs at the top of the screen and you can choose from the settings which one should be open by default when you launch the app. A Boolean search is available with very aptly placed hints on how to make the most of it, and you can easily convert a list of search results into a Smart List which stays up-to-date with all tasks that meet the criteria.
The one feature that RTM nails better than any other task manager I’ve ever tried is the entirely text-based “Smart Add”. Unlike most todo apps where you click somewhere to type a task, then select a date from a calendar, then assign tags, etc., RTM lets you add a task and all its metadata in a single text field all in one go. Here’s an example, typing “Pick up the laundry on the way home #Personal #chores ^4pm *every friday !2″ adds a repeating task that is due every Friday (*every friday) at 4 in the afternoon (^4 pm) with a priority level of 2 (!2) and filed under the ‘Personal’ list with the ‘chores’ tag (#Personal #chores). Sure, the meta identifiers take a bit of getting used to, but from then on it’s pure bliss being able to add complex tasks without the need to ever touch your mouse. And yes, of course there is a keyboard shortcut (‘t’) to add a new task, as there is one for pretty much anything you need to do in the app.
For an app that relies very heavily on a user’s ability to remember and use all of its features, RTM does a stellar job of providing subtle hints wherever necessary. The ‘Smart Add’ input field has a ? icon at the end that brings up a list of shortcuts and thankfully keeps it open while you type your task and details. The search box, which is fully capable of handling Boolean queries in natural language, expands into a form if you are not too sure about the syntax. Rollover tooltips on the metadata of a task shows the keyboard shortcuts you can use to edit the details. Every time you perform a task, an alert appears at the top of the page telling you what just happened, with the option of pressing ‘z’ to undo the action if you suddenly realize that was not what you wanted to do.
Checking the box next to a task typically strikes that task off in most similar apps. In RTM, though, it merely selects the task letting you use keyboard shortcuts or your mouse to change its state or edit details. This works wonderfully well because there’s much more that you can do to one or more selected tasks – complete, postpone, edit details or view and add notes. Everything is again easily done via keyboard shortcuts. So to complete a task, you can navigate through the list with ‘j’ and ‘k’, select a task with ‘x’ and mark it complete with ‘c’ or postpone it by a day with ‘p’.
Design and Experience Shortfalls
In spite of all its minimalism, the overall user interface in RTM does show its age when compared with the likes of Wunderlist and Flow, both of which are direct competitors. The crazy popularity of Wunderlist in the last year or so has proved than sexy sells and my worry is that the lack of that finesse is probably one of the biggest hurdle for new users trying to check out RTM.
Other than the user interface, there are minor niggles here and there that mar the overall experience. Things like the use of the ‘#’ symbol for both lists and tags in ‘Smart Add’ can be confusing, while the need to need to go through each list tab to see all tasks can be irritating. The latter is a problem that can be fixed by creating a Smart List for ‘all overdue, due today and in the next week’ tasks and setting it as default, but I doubt that new users are going to bother jumping through the hoops to get this view going. That you have to add a location manually before being able to associate tasks is annoying; why can’t I just select my current location as a new marker when creating a new task?
The default behavior of “check to select” (as opposed to “check to strike off”) can also be a bit off-putting to new users, at least until you learn to appreciate the true power behind the feature. These are all minor niggles, though, and easy to ignore once you have given the app a solid try and a considerable amount of time.
Wrap-Up
So, RTM is not perfect by any stretch of imagination. But it does have that one trick that is so insanely addictive once a user gets used to it, it’s hard to let go. A bit of a UI overhaul to bring it up to the task with the competition won’t hurt, but other than that there is very little to complain once you have climbed the initial learning curve. For fans of keyboard-driven interfaces, especially, RTM is quite a treat to use on a regular basis.
Your Turn
What do you think of Remember The Milk? Share your constructive criticism in the comments below!
And if you’ve got a browser app or game that you’d like the Activetuts+ community to do a critique on, submit it here. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’re working on.
View full post on Activetuts+
Apr 3, 2012
Posted on Apr 3, 2012 in Hints and Tips | 10 comments
Continuing our new series of critiques, this week Ashish Bogawat gives us a detailed rundown of a great web-based todo list app: Remember The Milk.
Introduction
There is no dearth of todo list apps on the web – or any computing platform for that matter. Being the most basic of productivity methods, todo lists have been the muse of many application developers, each bringing their own twist to the tale with some feature you’ve never seen before.
Personally, I’ve tried dozens of these task management apps in search for the one that does everything I need the way I need it to. Unfortunately, that’s still just a dream. So in absence of the perfect app, I’ve settled on the one that comes closest in my opinion – Remember The Milk. As one of the very first apps of its kind on the web, Remember The Milk has done a splendid job of standing tall amongst the competition that gets fiercer by the day.
For a task management app, Remember The Milk (RTM) has pretty much all the features you could ask for – lists, tags, due dates, priorities, notes, even collaboration and location awareness. It is available on the web as well as on the iOS and Android platforms as native apps. What I would like to cover in the next few hundred words though, is how it stacks up in terms of user experience. Let’s get started.
Simple, Quick, Powerful…
The RTM web interface is pretty clean and neat with a huge emphasis on giving as much space to your tasks list as possible. No jazzy graphics or unnecessary emphasis on gradients makes the app blazingly quick to load and interact with. All your lists are available as tabs at the top of the screen and you can choose from the settings which one should be open by default when you launch the app. A Boolean search is available with very aptly placed hints on how to make the most of it, and you can easily convert a list of search results into a Smart List which stays up-to-date with all tasks that meet the criteria.
The one feature that RTM nails better than any other task manager I’ve ever tried is the entirely text-based “Smart Add”. Unlike most todo apps where you click somewhere to type a task, then select a date from a calendar, then assign tags, etc., RTM lets you add a task and all its metadata in a single text field all in one go. Here’s an example, typing “Pick up the laundry on the way home #Personal #chores ^4pm *every friday !2″ adds a repeating task that is due every Friday (*every friday) at 4 in the afternoon (^4 pm) with a priority level of 2 (!2) and filed under the ‘Personal’ list with the ‘chores’ tag (#Personal #chores). Sure, the meta identifiers take a bit of getting used to, but from then on it’s pure bliss being able to add complex tasks without the need to ever touch your mouse. And yes, of course there is a keyboard shortcut (‘t’) to add a new task, as there is one for pretty much anything you need to do in the app.
For an app that relies very heavily on a user’s ability to remember and use all of its features, RTM does a stellar job of providing subtle hints wherever necessary. The ‘Smart Add’ input field has a ? icon at the end that brings up a list of shortcuts and thankfully keeps it open while you type your task and details. The search box, which is fully capable of handling Boolean queries in natural language, expands into a form if you are not too sure about the syntax. Rollover tooltips on the metadata of a task shows the keyboard shortcuts you can use to edit the details. Every time you perform a task, an alert appears at the top of the page telling you what just happened, with the option of pressing ‘z’ to undo the action if you suddenly realize that was not what you wanted to do.
Checking the box next to a task typically strikes that task off in most similar apps. In RTM, though, it merely selects the task letting you use keyboard shortcuts or your mouse to change its state or edit details. This works wonderfully well because there’s much more that you can do to one or more selected tasks – complete, postpone, edit details or view and add notes. Everything is again easily done via keyboard shortcuts. So to complete a task, you can navigate through the list with ‘j’ and ‘k’, select a task with ‘x’ and mark it complete with ‘c’ or postpone it by a day with ‘p’.
Design and Experience Shortfalls
In spite of all its minimalism, the overall user interface in RTM does show its age when compared with the likes of Wunderlist and Flow, both of which are direct competitors. The crazy popularity of Wunderlist in the last year or so has proved than sexy sells and my worry is that the lack of that finesse is probably one of the biggest hurdle for new users trying to check out RTM.
Other than the user interface, there are minor niggles here and there that mar the overall experience. Things like the use of the ‘#’ symbol for both lists and tags in ‘Smart Add’ can be confusing, while the need to need to go through each list tab to see all tasks can be irritating. The latter is a problem that can be fixed by creating a Smart List for ‘all overdue, due today and in the next week’ tasks and setting it as default, but I doubt that new users are going to bother jumping through the hoops to get this view going. That you have to add a location manually before being able to associate tasks is annoying; why can’t I just select my current location as a new marker when creating a new task?
The default behavior of “check to select” (as opposed to “check to strike off”) can also be a bit off-putting to new users, at least until you learn to appreciate the true power behind the feature. These are all minor niggles, though, and easy to ignore once you have given the app a solid try and a considerable amount of time.
Wrap-Up
So, RTM is not perfect by any stretch of imagination. But it does have that one trick that is so insanely addictive once a user gets used to it, it’s hard to let go. A bit of a UI overhaul to bring it up to the task with the competition won’t hurt, but other than that there is very little to complain once you have climbed the initial learning curve. For fans of keyboard-driven interfaces, especially, RTM is quite a treat to use on a regular basis.
Your Turn
What do you think of Remember The Milk? Share your constructive criticism in the comments below!
And if you’ve got a browser app or game that you’d like the Activetuts+ community to do a critique on, submit it here. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’re working on.
View full post on Activetuts+
Apr 3, 2012
Posted on Apr 3, 2012 in Hints and Tips | 10 comments
Continuing our new series of critiques, this week Ashish Bogawat gives us a detailed rundown of a great web-based todo list app: Remember The Milk.
Introduction
There is no dearth of todo list apps on the web – or any computing platform for that matter. Being the most basic of productivity methods, todo lists have been the muse of many application developers, each bringing their own twist to the tale with some feature you’ve never seen before.
Personally, I’ve tried dozens of these task management apps in search for the one that does everything I need the way I need it to. Unfortunately, that’s still just a dream. So in absence of the perfect app, I’ve settled on the one that comes closest in my opinion – Remember The Milk. As one of the very first apps of its kind on the web, Remember The Milk has done a splendid job of standing tall amongst the competition that gets fiercer by the day.
For a task management app, Remember The Milk (RTM) has pretty much all the features you could ask for – lists, tags, due dates, priorities, notes, even collaboration and location awareness. It is available on the web as well as on the iOS and Android platforms as native apps. What I would like to cover in the next few hundred words though, is how it stacks up in terms of user experience. Let’s get started.
Simple, Quick, Powerful…
The RTM web interface is pretty clean and neat with a huge emphasis on giving as much space to your tasks list as possible. No jazzy graphics or unnecessary emphasis on gradients makes the app blazingly quick to load and interact with. All your lists are available as tabs at the top of the screen and you can choose from the settings which one should be open by default when you launch the app. A Boolean search is available with very aptly placed hints on how to make the most of it, and you can easily convert a list of search results into a Smart List which stays up-to-date with all tasks that meet the criteria.
The one feature that RTM nails better than any other task manager I’ve ever tried is the entirely text-based “Smart Add”. Unlike most todo apps where you click somewhere to type a task, then select a date from a calendar, then assign tags, etc., RTM lets you add a task and all its metadata in a single text field all in one go. Here’s an example, typing “Pick up the laundry on the way home #Personal #chores ^4pm *every friday !2″ adds a repeating task that is due every Friday (*every friday) at 4 in the afternoon (^4 pm) with a priority level of 2 (!2) and filed under the ‘Personal’ list with the ‘chores’ tag (#Personal #chores). Sure, the meta identifiers take a bit of getting used to, but from then on it’s pure bliss being able to add complex tasks without the need to ever touch your mouse. And yes, of course there is a keyboard shortcut (‘t’) to add a new task, as there is one for pretty much anything you need to do in the app.
For an app that relies very heavily on a user’s ability to remember and use all of its features, RTM does a stellar job of providing subtle hints wherever necessary. The ‘Smart Add’ input field has a ? icon at the end that brings up a list of shortcuts and thankfully keeps it open while you type your task and details. The search box, which is fully capable of handling Boolean queries in natural language, expands into a form if you are not too sure about the syntax. Rollover tooltips on the metadata of a task shows the keyboard shortcuts you can use to edit the details. Every time you perform a task, an alert appears at the top of the page telling you what just happened, with the option of pressing ‘z’ to undo the action if you suddenly realize that was not what you wanted to do.
Checking the box next to a task typically strikes that task off in most similar apps. In RTM, though, it merely selects the task letting you use keyboard shortcuts or your mouse to change its state or edit details. This works wonderfully well because there’s much more that you can do to one or more selected tasks – complete, postpone, edit details or view and add notes. Everything is again easily done via keyboard shortcuts. So to complete a task, you can navigate through the list with ‘j’ and ‘k’, select a task with ‘x’ and mark it complete with ‘c’ or postpone it by a day with ‘p’.
Design and Experience Shortfalls
In spite of all its minimalism, the overall user interface in RTM does show its age when compared with the likes of Wunderlist and Flow, both of which are direct competitors. The crazy popularity of Wunderlist in the last year or so has proved than sexy sells and my worry is that the lack of that finesse is probably one of the biggest hurdle for new users trying to check out RTM.
Other than the user interface, there are minor niggles here and there that mar the overall experience. Things like the use of the ‘#’ symbol for both lists and tags in ‘Smart Add’ can be confusing, while the need to need to go through each list tab to see all tasks can be irritating. The latter is a problem that can be fixed by creating a Smart List for ‘all overdue, due today and in the next week’ tasks and setting it as default, but I doubt that new users are going to bother jumping through the hoops to get this view going. That you have to add a location manually before being able to associate tasks is annoying; why can’t I just select my current location as a new marker when creating a new task?
The default behavior of “check to select” (as opposed to “check to strike off”) can also be a bit off-putting to new users, at least until you learn to appreciate the true power behind the feature. These are all minor niggles, though, and easy to ignore once you have given the app a solid try and a considerable amount of time.
Wrap-Up
So, RTM is not perfect by any stretch of imagination. But it does have that one trick that is so insanely addictive once a user gets used to it, it’s hard to let go. A bit of a UI overhaul to bring it up to the task with the competition won’t hurt, but other than that there is very little to complain once you have climbed the initial learning curve. For fans of keyboard-driven interfaces, especially, RTM is quite a treat to use on a regular basis.
Your Turn
What do you think of Remember The Milk? Share your constructive criticism in the comments below!
And if you’ve got a browser app or game that you’d like the Activetuts+ community to do a critique on, submit it here. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’re working on.
View full post on Activetuts+
Apr 3, 2012
Posted on Apr 3, 2012 in Hints and Tips | 10 comments
Continuing our new series of critiques, this week Matt Porter gives us a detailed rundown of an excellent Flash shoot-’em-up: Frantic 2.
Overview
When it comes to quality arcade shooters, specifically bullet hell games, the web doesn’t have a whole lot going for it. Luckily, there are a few gems here and there, such as Frantic 2. It doesn’t come without its faults, but it does enough right to earn its place as one of the best bullet hell web games.
Gameplay
Frantic 2 is all about fast paced action, huge bosses, and a large number of ways to take down your enemies (which in this universe, seems to include anything that moves). It definitely isn’t for the completely casual web gamer, but that’s all right, seeing as players like me would die if hardcore games didn’t exist for us on the web. The game does offer a variety of difficulty options to compensate for this.
The most notable thing that Frantic 2 does right, is live up to its name. This is good and bad – we’ll focus on the positive for now. The game is all about action. This means lots of enemies, tons of bullets, and no time to take your eyes off the screen. The bullet patterns of enemies range from simplistic straight ahead shots to insane patterns that only the magic that is math could create. If you’re a fan of action, this is a definite plus, as it keeps you on your toes at all times.
Controls
The controls are extremely simple, perfect for the job. The game offers both mouse and keyboard controls, which is impressive as that’s hard to achieve for most shooters. To ease things even more, the game auto-fires for you, giving you one less button to worry about. Moving can be done with WASD, the arrow keys, or the mouse, while your special is triggered by the Space bar or left mouse button. There are also keyboard shortcuts for pausing, muting, etc, which is always a plus. While it would be nice to allow the player to stop firing, to better see the extremely hectic play field, it’s perhaps a fair trade-off to simplify the controls. Perhaps with the addition of right-click support in Flash Player 11.2, we’ll see less of such sacrifice in control schemes.
Weapons
When it comes to your own arsenal of weapons, you have plenty to choose from, which is one of the strongest design points of Frantic 2. There are three ships available from the start, and two more to be unlocked later in the game. Each handles very differently, and has its own strengths and weaknesses, which allows players to cater to their own personal play style. In addition to ship selection, you can purchase various primary weapons, “wingmen” (ships that fly alongside yours), and abilities, to enhance your ship and chance of survival. All this customization gives you plenty to experiment with, and loads the game with replay value – a must-have for any game that’s trying to win sponsors.
Bosses
As mentioned, Frantic 2 is loaded with bosses – 30 of them, to be exact. Bosses are always welcome, as they’re fun, unique from basic enemies, and can really help with immersion. While you can’t really hurt the design of a shooter by adding bosses, you can definitely fall short of reaching the potential for added value, and that has unfortunately happened here.
Most of the bosses look way too similar, and aren’t very memorable. There are a few unique ones, such as the boss that spells out “Frantic2” with its bullets, but most are rather bland and unmemorable. I played the entire first chapter again just before writing this, and I can’t describe any one particular boss I just fought, because they were all very bland, looked almost exactly alike, were covered in bullets, and died way too quickly. Even on “Normal” difficulty, many of these bosses died in as little as 10-15 seconds, without me having any particularly strong upgrades; that’s not exactly exciting.
Bosses need character, they need to look different, and they need to act uniquely. They’re the main villains in a game, so what good are they if they look just like every other bad guy? Frantic 2 has a bunch of the same looking boss (for the most part), with a ton of hectic yet similar bullet patterns. Less quantity and more quality would have made for better bosses.
Too Much Action?
The biggest issue the game suffers, is that it’s just too… well, frantic. The game is a bullet hell – I get that – but not being able to tell the difference between a powerup, a coin, and bullet, at a glance, is extremely poor design.
There are way too many colors used for both player and enemy bullets, which makes avoiding crazy situations nearly impossible. The game does in fact offer options to change the visual settings to a more simplistic, less eye-melting style in the options menu, but this isn’t really a viable solution. As a developer, you should never assume anything of the player, especially when that’s related to them either reading text, or visiting an options menu; it just doesn’t happen most of the time, especially with web games.
Also related to the issue of assuming things of the player, is a piece of terminology used within Frantic 2. The game uses the term “scraping” which refers to getting close, but not too close, to enemy projectiles. This is explained in the “guide” menu, but a more elegant solution would be to simply color terminology in blue or some other color, and give it a roll-over description. It’s not a big deal, but since the word is thrown in front of the player in the upgrade menu, it would make more sense to explain it to them there, without making them dig through the game to find out.
The Shop UI
Another large issue with Frantic 2, is a somewhat particularly annoying UI decision. When you first enter the shop, hovering over icons will show you a description, and tell you what is required to unlock that item if applicable. However, once you click on an icon, the hover effect is lost on all other icons.
The game locks onto the description of the currently selected item, and clicking just anywhere doesn’t lose that focus; you have to actually click on another non-purchasable icon to gain the ability to hover over any icon again. If you click on another purchasable icon, it’ll lock onto that one, still crippling you from viewing descriptions on weapons you don’t yet have with a simple hover.
No Sense of Progression
My last complaint with Frantic 2 is its extreme lack of giving the player a sense of progression. Due to its graphical design choice, there are no backgrounds, there is no world; you’re simply in a white void fighting enemy after enemy. As mentioned, bosses look the same too, so all in all, there’s really nothing to make you feel like you’re going anywhere.
The game splits levels into three “episodes”, each containing five levels – but it’s all the same, nothing really feels different. My solution to this is the same as it was with bosses, less quantity, more quality. I’d rather have some backgrounds and noticeable progression than fight a horde of enemies in a white void.
Graphics
It’s clear that the developers took the easy way out with Frantic 2. There are no backgrounds, most bosses look extremely similar to each other, and what few unique touches there are, look so close to other art assets in the game that they don’t stand out as being unique at all. I understand the decision to go simplistic, as having a game this big with unique assets would be extremely expensive (in either time or money), but again, quality over quantity.
That being said, the art that is there is polished, and everything does look good together. The design of the menus and UI is well done, and everything is very easy to navigate. The regular enemies look decent, and are consistent with the simplistic art style . All in all, the art in Frantic 2 gets the job done, it just suffers a bit due to the design choice of going simplistic.
Audio
The audio in Frantic 2 is pretty average for a sponsored web game. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but it’s good enough to pass as complete. I’m not too fond of the rock-based sound track, especially due to its large compression, but players of the game don’t seem to mind too much.
The sounds are all done quite well, and are all balanced as far as volume goes. Weapon firing isn’t too loud, explosions don’t stand out above everything else too much, it’s all nicely in harmony.
There are a few sounds missing from the game, such as a pause sound, and upgrade menu select and purchase sounds. While these aren’t horribly important, having them absent does subtract from the reward feeling of buying a new weapon, which is a much desired effect.
Conclusion
Overall, Frantic 2 is one of the higher quality bullet hell games on the web. It’s not the best, but it’s certainly up there. It has many faults, some of which were overlooked by the developer, others which the developer made on purpose in order to keep the project manageable.
Regardless of its faults, it’s a great shooter with enough charm to keep you entertained for a decent amount of time. I’d love to see a sequel with some of the main issues I pointed out addressed, but unfortunately I think many of these faults are stuck with the series due to original design choices. Either way, there’s much to be enjoyed from Frantic 2, and even more to be learned, so everyone’s happy.
Your Turn
What do you think of Frantic 2? Share your constructive criticism in the comments below!
And if you’ve got a browser app or game that you’d like the Activetuts+ community to do a critique on, submit it here. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ve built.
View full post on Activetuts+
Apr 2, 2012
Posted on Apr 2, 2012 in Hints and Tips | 10 comments
Each month, we bring together a selection of the best tutorials and articles from across the whole Tuts+ network. Whether you’d like to read the top posts from your favourite site, or would like to start learning something completely new, this is the best place to start!
Psdtuts+ — Photoshop Tutorials
-
Today, Adobe announced some big news. Photoshop CS6 is now available for download in Beta. For the last several months, we have been speculating about what features we can expect to see in Photoshop CS6. This speculation was fueled by the Photoshop team’s release of several sneak peek videos that revealed some exciting new features. Now that the speculation is over and Photoshop CS6 Beta is available for us to download and try, we have been able to make a careful examination of some of its new features.
Visit Article
-
In this quick tutorial we will show you how to create a royal gold text effect using layer styles in Photoshop. Let’s get started!
Visit Article
-
In this tutorial we will create a clean Twitter app interface in Photoshop using layer styles and basic vector shapes. Let’s get started!
Visit Article
Nettuts+ — Web Development Tutorials
-
Wielding the true power of a CSS preprocessor is an adventure. There are countless languages, syntaxes, and features, all ready for use right now.
Visit Article
-
I’ve always struggled to find the perfect code snippet management tool…until now (and it’s free). I’ll show you my preferred workflow, using GitHub Gists and Sublime Text 2.
Visit Article
-
In this tutorial, I’ll demonstrate how to create vintage (just like Instagram does) photos with PHP and ImageMagick. Wait? What? Yes, you can do this very thing with PHP and ImageMagick, and that’s just scratching the surface!
Visit Article
Vectortuts+ — Illustrator Tutorials
-
In today’s Illustrator tutorial, I’m going to show you how I created a retro, psychedelic, funky, 70s inspired portrait using link art, bold colors and the handy Swirl Tool.
Visit Article
-
Varying the horizontal axis line (the eyeline) and adjusting the spacing of the eyes are two excellent methods used to brainstorm new character designs. In this tutorial, we look at a few simple, but effective, techniques you can employ to give your characters personality while making them both fresh and visually interesting.
Visit Article
-
Do you want to learn to how to design a magazine in InDesign? Discover industry standard workflows for print design professionals, magazine layout design tips, and follow how to design a magazine cover layout that attracts attention. These are just a few of the topics you’ll find in this roundup of best InDesign magazine and layout tutorials.
Visit Article
Webdesigntuts+ — Web Design Tutorials
-
Gamification is becoming a hot commodity around the web, but what is it? Is it being used correctly? Let’s have a look at various aspects of gamification and how they can be used and misused.
Visit Article
-
Dave Gamache’s Skeleton Boilerplate provides the perfect foundations upon which to build responsive websites rapidly and reliably. We’re going to use Skeleton and build a responsive page based on the Magazine design featured on Webdesigntuts+ recently. We’ll be looking at everything from multiple background images, through to media queries, flexible media and mobile-friendly navigation. Let’s get started!
Visit Article
-
In this Quick Tip we’re going to create a cool stitching effect in Photoshop. We won’t be using brushes, we won’t be relying on patterns – we’re going to use a really simple and fast alternative.
Visit Article
Phototuts+ — Photography Tutorials
-
The first thing people say when they see my Birds of Prey Portrait Sessions is “nice Photoshop cutout work”. In fact, it’s not a cutout, the birds are photographed against a white background. Let me show you how.
Visit Article
-
If you’re just getting started with photography, the letters on your camera’s dial might feel like hieroglyphics. With a variety of modes, it can be hard to pick what’s right for the current shooting situation. Today, we’re going to explain common camera modes so that you can pick the right one for any situation and grow out of using auto mode.
Visit Article
-
Nepal is a country wrapping in mystique for many. The home of the highest mountain in the world and a civilization known for living in the harsh conditions of the Himalayas, Nepal has much to offer the photographic traveler. Lush jungles cover areas of Southern Nepal which is the location of the birth place of Buddha, founder of one of the oldest religions in the world still practiced today. To the East travel becomes more rugged as compared to the more arid regions of the West.
Visit Article
Cgtuts+ — Computer Graphics Tutorials
-
In this tutorial from James Whiffin you’ll learn how to create a truly awesome invisibility effect using Maya and After Effects. James will cover creating a fractal material in Maya to use as a transition for the cloaking effect, and how to composite displacement maps inside of After Effects, using the luma values of ambient occlusion and depth map layers to achieve this popular effect in our shot.
Visit Article
-
In this new two part tutorial from Frederik Steinmetz, you’ll learn how to create a truly unique fish swarm animation using Blender. Frederik will guide you through the entire process of Modeling, Texturing, Rigging and Animating a realistic school of mackerels. You’ll then learn how to create a spiraling, tornado like effect for the swarm using particles.
Visit Article
-
So UVMapping… you hate it, I hate it. But unfortunately it’s a necessary step in the process of completing most cg projects. In this tutorial we’ll look at creating uvs using the ‘Unwrap UVW’ modifier in 3D Studio Max, and discuss what uv mapping is, why it’s necessary and some ways to approach it.
Visit Article
Aetuts+ — After Effects Tutorials
-
Third of the series: “Naked Truth About…” In this video I am showing issues with rotations in 3D space and ways to deal with them. Have you ever wondered what is the difference between Rotation and Orientation? We set two keyframes for rotations and the layer rotates strangely. Has it ever happened to you? Those problems are NOT After Effects specific. This video explains the way rotations in 3D space work. Once you understand the concept – it will be easier for you to tame rotations not only in After Effects, but also in other applications. Have fun.
Visit Article
-
When working with video files on a daily basis, alot of time is spent converting videos into different formats, whether for web, archive, or editing purposes. Add onto that the interruption of opening and closing programs to convert your files and you’ll end up spending less time being creative and more on technical chores. In this quick tip tutorial, we look at two simple ways to save you time by automating the process of conversion using droplets and watch folders.
Visit Article
-
Promotional video content for the web is a powerful way to communicate a message and it is used by many companies and organizations. It allows communication in a variety of forms including spoken word and visual imagery but it also facilitates a connection with the audience on a more subconscious level. A promotional video containing a product, message or guidance must look professional – but before you spend your annual marketing budget employing a production company, ask yourself if you can achieve appropriate results by applying the hints and tips below.
Visit Article
Audiotuts+ — Audio & Production Tutorials
-
Although I’m not a huge fan of epic productions, they are definitely the thing that producers/directors/game developers search for nowadays. Now, as a whole, epic orchestral tracks can be heard on movies, TV, commercials, video games, trailers. They always support tension, battle, chase – all of these extremely dynamic moments that always catch the attention of the customer. This tutorial is a guide that I do hope will help you create your own epic orchestral track. Let’s get started!
Visit Article
-
Home recordings are infamous for having noise. Background noise from outside and indoor noises from the air conditioning and people shuffling around in the next room. Home recording studios are usually never sound isolated enough. Even though you might have a great sounding room, with acoustic treatment carefully placed all over, you’re still going to run into sound isolation issues.
The biggest issue is noise, and in the following tutorial I’ll run through a couple of ways you can minimize the amount of annoying hiss and noise from your home recordings.
Visit Article
-
If you fancy a bit of departure form virtual analog, subtractive synths you could try dabbling in FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis. Native Instruments FM8 is the perfect way to get involved with this edgy sound creation method. Lets take a look at how to create a typical roughed up bass patch that you could use for Electro house or Dubstep.
Visit Article
Activetuts+ — Flash, Flex & ActionScript Tutorials
-
In this tutorial series (part free, part Premium) we’ll create a high-performance 2D shoot-em-up using the new hardware-accelerated Stage3D rendering engine. We will be taking advantage of several hardcore optimization techniques to achieve great 2D sprite rendering performance. In this part, we’ll build a high-performance demo that draws hundreds of moving sprites on-screen at once.
Visit Article
-
With the advent of tools like Adobe Edge and libraries like EaselJS, more resources are becoming available for developers looking to create interactive HTML5 content. Many of these tools are being geared specifically for Flash developers to make the transition from ActionScript to HTML5 canvas a smooth one. This article will overview oCanvas, an HTML5 library that developers might not only find invaluable but also very easy to use.
Visit Article
-
In this tutorial we’ll explore the ins and outs of building a Computer Vision-based game bot in Python, which will be able to to play the popular Flash game Sushi Go Round. You can use the techniques taught in this tutorial to create bots for automatically testing your own web games.
Visit Article
Wptuts+ — WordPress Tutorials
-
In this tutorial you will learn how to generate custom sized images for you to use in your WordPress theme. Why use custom image sizes? So you won’t have to edit every image you upload to the Media Library. This way every image uploaded will get all the custom defined image sizes generated automatically. It can be inserted into the post or page using the Media Gallery or from the loop. Continue reading to find out how.
Visit Article
-
In the last article, we took a deep dive into the various types of menus that are supported by the WordPress API. Although they aren’t necessarily part of the Settings API, they play a key part in development especially when working on more advanced plugins and themes.
Visit Article
-
In this tutorial, let’s talk about the header.php, an essential file for any WordPress theme. I’ll show you a nice header file example and give tips about what needs to go in it and what doesn’t.
Visit Article
Mobiletuts+ — Mobile Development Tutorials
-
Curious about 3D game development? Now is the time to learn! This five-part tutorial series will demonstrate how to build a simple game with ShiVa3D Suite, a cross-platform 3D game engine and development tool. This series was originally intended for Tuts+ Premium members only, but will instead be given away to the community for free with each portion published back-to-back over the next 5 days. Read on to begin your journey into 3D programming!
Visit Article
-
Android libraries can be packaged and reused in other Android applications using the new Android Library feature of the Android SDK. In this quick tutorial, you will learn how to create simple Android library files that can be reused in multiple projects and increase developer efficiency.
Visit Article
-
Google Analytics is a service provided by Google that makes it easy to track what users do. The Google Analytics team released an Analytics SDKs for mobile platforms including Android, iOS (Apple), and mobile websites. In this tutorial, learn how to include and enable this technology within your Android projects to gather important information about how users are using your applications.
Visit Article
View full post on Activetuts+
