Mollie Vandor is the Product Manager for Ranker.com and Media Director for Girls in Tech LA. You can find her on Twitter and on her blog, where she writes about the web, the world and what it’s like to be a geek chic chick.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes — lately, it… read more
Let’s say you’ve created a video or image you want to share, but you don’t want it saved to your computer. You want to save it in a safe place, where you can access it at any time. You want some storage options, and the ability to … read more
Today we’re giving away 6 great little kits to help you create some stunning Bokeh effects from Bokeh Masters Kit. Thanks to Udi Tirosh (follow him on Twitter here) for this offer. Here he is to introduce the concept behind the kits and to introduce the competition.
The Challenge
A while back… read more
A chart or a graph is a visual representation of data, in which “the data are represented by symbols, such as bars, lines, or slices”. These symbols can represent tabular numeric data, functions or some kinds of qualitative structures. For one reason or another, a lot of freelancers use Charts… read more
By Melinda Rainsberger
More and more, designers, illustrators and coders are being asked to animate. Animation adds energy to a brand and heightens a customer’s emotional response. The software to do it is reasonably priced, and Internet connections can now deliver high-quality video. For these two reasons, animation-based advertising is booming… read more
Long before you officially take the profession of graphic or web designer, your friends and family will support your ambitions by developing your talent. At first, your loved ones inspect your work and if they like what they see, you’ll get flooded with their requests for one page flyers, t-shirt… read more
One of many upcoming tablet alternatives to the Apple iPad, HP’s forthcoming Slate device was teased briefly by Steve Ballmer at Microsoft’s CES keynote earlier this year. HP and Adobe teamed up to offer a couple of video demos of the HP Slate (embedded below), with an emphasis on… read more
Ugly designs abound on the web, and behind each and every one of them is a “designer”.
In many of these cases the designers behind the sites are simply incompetent.
They’re often amateur designers or those who have little or no design training or people who design their own… read more
This Review of the Leica S2 is a guest Post by Justin de Deney from Camera Advice.
Invitation to Leica
A Lamborghini speeds by as I cross Berkley Square, on my way to the Leica showroom in the heart of Mayfair, central London. I have received an invite to view the new… read more
Every week we tweet a lot of interesting stuff highlighting great content that we find on the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of our tweets is simply to follow us on Twitter, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick… read more
We had a very hotly contested matchup this week in our long-running Faceoff series, with Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE going up against Sony’s PlayStation Network for favorite online console gaming service. After an astounding 35,055 votes we’re ready to declare the winner…
… and Xbox LIVE takes the win! They’ll obviously… read more
Although much valuable information for all sorts of web and print professionals can be found online, it is often difficult to weed through all the noise and find good quality content. I believe it’s vital that professionals in different creative fields supplement their online learning and research through well-edited and… read more
Love them or hate them image libraries are a great way of generating an extra revenue stream, and because the websites don’t discriminate against people who aren’t classed as ‘professional photographers’, advanced enthusiasts and amateurs have just as much chance of selling as the pros. But as with all areas… read more
Yesterday, we brought you an exclusive interview with Aaron Filner, group product manager of Flash, in which we discussed the fuss around Apple, HTML5 and Adobe’s multimedia platform. We learned that Adobe’s belief that HTML5 is at odds with Flash is a misperception, and we learned what to… read more
If you have a non-commercial website and you need to add charting capabilities in your website, Highcharts may suit your needs. Highcharts is a free charting control developed purely with Javascript so that you can show interactive charts on your website. Since its purely developed with Javascript, you don’t need… read more
Whether you’re at home, work or on the road, music surrounds us. In the age of the internet though, we’re no longer limited to the radio you hear in the elevator, in your car or maybe while you’re at your desk working. Not only are we no longer limited by… read more
Quick Tips for When to Use Your Flash and How to Avoid It
Navigation is a critical element to any website. Mega menus are a current trend that take drop down menus a step further in attempt to make it easier for visitors to navigate through a large site.
In this post we’ll showcase 25 examples of mega menus in use. For more, see… read more
Hey guys, it has been a while…I’ve been doing a lot of cool stuff lately. Stuff that I will soon post about but for now I just wanted to post something that I came across while browsing the internet. It’s called Support Details, it’s an awesome web application that gives… read more
As the smack down between Apple and Adobe continues, Virgin America has dumped Flash from its website because of the lack of iPhone support. Virgin’s new website, which launched Monday, replaces Flash with HTML to give users the ability to check in via their iPhones in the future. Virgin plans… read more
Tired of clients? Sick of toeing the line between artist and “mad man” (without the added bonus of the martini lunches)? Want to get paid? Want to get paid on time?
Me too.
photo by yushimoto
I was sitting on the plane from New York to Los Angeles racing to finish a project… read more
As the battle between HTML5 and Adobe Flash continues to heat up, Virgin America has chosen a side: their brand new web site design ditches Flash in favor of HTML.
The reason? The startup airline plans a big push into mobile this year and wants to be sure iPhone users… read more
I’m planning a road trip for the summer. We’ll be driving for 3-4 days, then spending a couple of months in a rental house before heading back. Thinking about keeping the family sane, especially during the drive, I thought, “Why not hook up the Apple TV to the Composite inputs… read more
Franklin McMahon experiments with the paint tool in After Effects and demonstrates how to paint on top of a video using overlay with a color mode.
This video requires Adobe Flash Player.
Flash lovers usually talk about how many games are only available using Flash. Flash haters usually talk about performance issues, especially on the Mac. Adobe tries to make the argument that not including Flash is bad for users’ freedom of choice.
When it comes to browser security, Charlie Miller… read more
Adobe Flash has been in the spotlight recently, and not for the right reasons. Now the company has opened up on the the iPad, iPhone and HTML5 debate in an exclusive interview with Mashable.
Fewer than two months ago, Apple revealed the iPad to the world. And while… read more
We are always in search of great free resources, tips, tricks, etc. for our readers. Every day we work hard to find new resources and inspiration for designers like you. Today, we have another great post, “Discover the Best of the Web” on SmashingApps. In this, we made a list… read more
Speaking About StartupsEnvato has emerged as one of the most exciting companies in the creative world. Can you please give us a brief history of your startup?
Envato started out about four years ago initially to build a marketplace for Adobe Flash files. Back then we were… read more
Chances are you’re viewing this page in one of the following web browsers: Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Chrome. I can make this assumption because these three browsers combine for about 90% of the market share. Then again, you might be one of the few people that have adopted an alternative… read more
It’s time once again to pit two contestants against each other in an all-out battle for the hearts and minds of Mashable readers. In this week’s Web Faceoff, we wanted to get a sense of which online console gaming service Mashable readers prefer: Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE, or Sony’s PlayStation… read more
This is a post in which we want to say a big Thank You to the SmashingApps’ fastest growing community for regularly visiting our blog. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at SmashingApps.com just subscribe to our rss feed and be the one… read more
Music streaming apps have advanced significantly in recent years, but perhaps not to the extent they should have. However, among the many available such as Pandora, Last.fm and Slacker, you’re bound to find something that suites your needs and fits your taste.
Grooveshark is a little different from the above listed… read more
If you’ve been able to get your hands on one of these, consider yourself lucky. After driving to most every electronic store I knew of and still not being able to get a hands-on feel for this new camera, I decided to take the plunge and make my order on… read more
In most cases, jQuery can do better than Flash. We’ll round up some tutorials and jQuery plugins that are simply awesome. Each of these teaches how to get a desired Flash effect, but with jQuery instead. read more
We’ve already presented here a showcase of clean white web designs and we also showed you a collection of inspiring dark web designs. Now it’s time for a selection of colorful websites. By “colorful”, I mean a website “full of color” – a site with many colorful elements or even… read more
60 Interactive, 3D And Astonishing Webdesigns Created In Flash
Weekly Assignment
We finished another food photography assignment this week, and the subject was Main Dishes. We wanted you to show us how tasty the food that your meal is based around is. Our winners seemed to have a bit of a seafood theme going this week, but there were some… read more
Photofont WebReady is a revolutionary technology for website typography. Fontlab’s Photofont WebReady can be called a font converter meant for Windows and Mac OS X systems, which can help you customize the fonts on a web page. Since the main technology lies in the conversion of texts into Flash objects,… read more
A few weeks ago, tensions between Adobe and Apple rose to all-time highs after Apple prominently left Flash off of the iPad. A lashing by Steve Jobs, calling Adobe lazy and Flash buggy didn’t help matters at all.
The problem: Apple believes that Flash shouldn’t be part of the… read more
I recently had the opportunity to interview multi-media designer Dan Noe. Many DesignM.ag readers have probably seen Dan’s portfolio site for Noe Design Studio showcased at various design galleries or blogs. Dan works at Screenscape Studios in Des Moines, Iowa. I hope you’ll find Dan’s insight and experience to be… read more
Over the years designers have pushed themselves to create unique and inspiring designs. Companies have yearned to have websites which are innovative and make them stand out against their competitors. Yet charity websites have not progressed along with trends and expectations — they seem to have been designed for launch… read more
The visual language of a website impresses a visitor far beyond their first glimpse.
In fact, in observing the best websites, you notice that the small details speak to you subconsciously and that consistency improves your experience of the website and as a result makes you more likely… read more
The folks at Engadget have managed to dig up a full changelog of the upcoming Palm Pre and Pixi webOS update, version 1.4, and it’s definitely an interesting one.
Besides bringing a couple of bug fixes, it’s also quite loaded with new feature, some of which long-awaited, such as video… read more
Geoff Livingston co-founded Zoetica to focus on cause-related work, and released an award-winning book on new media Now is Gone in 2007.
Earlier this month, Pew Internet released its annual Future of the Internet report. The survey of 900 leaders forecasts the future direction of online media. In turn… read more
That’s some very impressive and quick work by a bunch of people who aren’t obligated to do this at all (there are a few XBMC devs on the team as well, and the patchstick will allow you to install XBMC also, if you’d like).
TUAWBoxee back on… read more
This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
So your business is on Facebook, and brand engagement is up thanks to some savvy social media strategy. You may even be interested in further… read more
Apple TV owners can once again easily access Boxee content on their home cinema hardware. That’s right, the block that October’s 3.0 Apple TV firmware update implemented for those wanting to go down the simple USB install route has been lifted.
“You can now, once more, pwn your… read more
We’ve all heard it from clients before. “I don’t like formally posed pictures of myself. I always look so stiff. Can we get pictures without being formally set up?”
Fortunately for our clients – and for us – the world of formal portrait and people photography is now coming to… read more
File under “strange and delightful” — CodeOrgan is a Flash app that turns any web page into music.
It analyses the text in the body of the supplied URL and follows an algorithm to render that site into a musical composition. It chooses a drum pattern, synth style and key… read more
We all need a small spark to get going sometimes… What makes it easier to get going than some creative videography, editing & animation? Not much. Here are some creative videos some with mind blowing CG landscapes or an amazing look at what goes into a Macworld cover and some… read more
Unfortunately, the blue glow that Apple’s designers have chosen to overcome this gap is somewhat garish and just plain lacking in style. In response, creativebits has posted a tip for changing that glow into something a little more eye-catching and a little less flashy.
The process is fairly simple… read more
RC has a tutorial about how to create a simple flash banner using Flash CS4 templates and Action Script 2.0. Corey shows viewers how to create a star field in Illustrator using the flare tool and a color dodge.
You can download each episode by subscribing to the podcast on… read more
Jeff Witchel demonstrates the options available in Illustrator when placing text onto a path.
This video requires Adobe Flash Player.
While we all know that some tidbits of information in the iPhone/iPad SDK don’t necessarily mean we’ll see these features soon (or ever) on the devices, they can be a good pointer as to what to expect from their future iterations.
The folks at 9to5Mac and MacRumors have done some… read more
Every week, we pit two web apps or companies against each other in our web faceoff series. In the past, we’ve put Android vs. iPhone, Digg vs. Reddit, and Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard order to see which one was truly the people’s choice.
This week, we’re tweaking the… read more
Israel is a young country with an old heart. It has been quickly built up over the last 60 years as an independent democratic Jewish state and is shockingly cutting edge for a country so new.
It is a tiny surreal sliver of land smack dab in the middle of the… read more
Franklin McMahon shares some hints for flight check and tips for increasing the rendering speed.
This video requires Adobe Flash Player.
It’s a brand new week, which means it’s time for Mashable’s guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties, and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section.
Is your event not on this list? Contact us at least one month before your event and let’s… read more
Using JavaScript has become increasingly easy over the last few years. Whereas back in the day we needed to know the quirks of every browser, now many libraries such as jQuery, YUI, Dojo and MooTools allow someone who doesn’t even know JavaScript to spruce up boring HTML documents with impressive… read more
Choosing the correct typography for your website is a very important part of the design process. And as a website is also a communication tool – a very powerful one – you can use the typography to help you on exposing your ideas! Using HUGE typography, for example, you will… read more
Rik Oostenbroek, one of Abduzeedo’s favourite artists, has just updated his portfolio. His website is now fully in flash and focuses very much on his work. If you follow Riks designs you will recognize plenty new artworks, from client work for Mazda til personal work for the latest DepthCore exhibition…. read more
Smartphones can do some amazing things these days, and the Android Market has quickly become a sandbox for some clever developers, as well as Google Inc. itself.
We’ve already touched on some popular Android apps for Twitter, some for news, and some great multiplayer games, but not all apps have… read more
As we continue to wait out the aftermath of one of history’s worst economic disasters, it can be prudent to continue to cut spending where possible. The digital medium does mean shooting costs are substantially lowered, but equipment and accessory costs can be still high. We’ve compiled a few simple… read more
Every week we tweet a lot of interesting stuff highlighting great content that we find on the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of our tweets is simply to follow us on Twitter, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick… read more
60 Excellent CSS3 Tutorials and Techniques You Should Know
If you’ve always hungered for a DSLR and more importantly, a Nikon DSLR, but never had ‘the ready’ to fill your ambition … The Nikon D3000 DSLRcould be your opportunity.
It’s hard to quantify the allure of the breed but undeniable is the bloodline, the technical excellence and innovative achievements of… read more
Why? They’re convinced the iPad is a whole new outlet for content consumption. They aim to use the iPad to “bring about a very different relationship with our readers than other platforms,” and their head of strategic development says the iPad could create a whole new category of mobile content…. read more
When the iPad was announced a few weeks ago, the lack of support for Adobe Flash prompted outcries from would-be users — largely because of what impact that would have on streaming video services. Today, AllThingsD’s Peter Kafka is reporting that Hulu for the iPad is indeed likely, but… read more
Click the “read more” link to see some more tidbits from the meeting and some analysis of the remarks.
It bears noting once again that none of these quotes are confirmed, direct quotes from Jobs, but rather hearsay from others purportedly present at the meeting. That having been… read more
For freelancers, there’s a direct correlation between how many hours you work and how much money you make. Increasing your income can be tough because there are only 24 hours in any given day and most of us have to do things like sleep and spend time with our family… read more
iSuppli predicts Apple will ship in excess of 33 million iPhones this year with an average capacity of 35.2 GB of NAND flash memory — consistent with a doubling of capacities across the line. 2010 sales estimates for the iPad range from 4 million units and up, and the iPod… read more
Once in awhile, we all need to step back and take stock of where we are and where we’re going. As readers of DPS, you probably do this periodically in pursuit of better photographic skills. Photography should be a fun, creative outlet and way to express yourself. Unfortunately it’s easy… read more
By Angel Wardriver
jQuery can empower a developer with the tools required to create a rich user experience. The way in which we display images, text, charts and graphs can enhance functionality for the wide range of users. Let’s take a look at 35 powerful and effective jQuery plugins and techniques… read more
The first flaw is related to a Flash Player issue that was revealed last week; if you have not updated Flash to the latest version (10.0.45.2 as of this moment, see your version & current versions here) & you aren’t blocking Flash, you should go get the latest build right… read more
It seems that their heart is in the right place; although seemingly not great for their business, they created the wonderful free DriveSavers Hard Drive Disk-aster Simulator app for the iPhone or iPod touch. The app teaches, in interactive fashion, how a hard disk works, and all the things that… read more
As chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, hands are vital for all of us. Because of hands, we can smoothly deal with both gross motor skills and fine motor skills. We can properly have our work, study and our life. Besides, hands are necessary for advertisers too. They use… read more
Our readers have requested that Smashing Magazine conduct an interview with industry leaders on issues that are relevant to students and those just starting off in their design career. With the help of our panel of 16 designers, we’ll dispense advice that should help new designers get their career off to… read more
Among the many stands here at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona one non-IT company stands out: Puma. They weren’t here without a good reason, though, as they’ve partnered with Sagem to create their own phone, the Puma Phone.
The phone distinguishes itself from the pack with several features: it… read more
Most of us weren’t able to experience the firsthand look at Wired magazine on the iPad at TED last week. Video of the application (which is expected to launch this summer) in action has now hit the web, offering an inside look at Wired’s vision for the future of… read more
As expected, HTC has unleashed a slew of Android smartphones here at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and I have to admit they’re looking really good.
While not exactly groundbreaking, HTC Desire is the top notch phone that competes primarily with Google’s Nexus One, as it has similar looks… read more
CSS3 makes a designer’s work easier because they’re able to spend less time hacking their CSS and HTML code to work in IE and more time crafting their design. It is the future of web design and can be used today.
This article will hopefully show you to care a little… read more
I’m a big fan of Ricardo Gimenes. He’s a talented illustrator with a great sense of humor.
His portfolio is amazing and his blog is a fantastic collection of funny illustrations based on the stories behind the coolest websites.
I really had a great time talking with Ricardo about various… read more
The Zooloretto iPhone and iPod touch app (US $4.99) includes just one of those expansions – the polar bear – but it’s a great introduction to the series. Serious board gamers who think that Zooloretto is a too-fancy version of Coloretto might find the app winning them over, because the… read more
Among the features listed on our recent review of the new powerhouse Canon EOS 7D is wireless flash control. Sought after by many photographers, this version 1.0 feature has some useful capabilities thanks to the addition of a popup flash to Canons X D line. Controlling flash ratios, as well… read more
It’s a brand new week, which means it’s time for Mashable’s guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties, and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section.
Is your event not on this list? Contact us at least one month before your event and let’s establish… read more
Taking photos or making beautiful digital artwork is activities most people enjoy doing. Most people have heard of, and might be familiar with, Adobe Photoshop. It’s arguably the most popular image manipulation app around, especially for professionals. However, most people’s image editing needs would be met by apps available right… read more
A couple of years ago Violet Blue attempted to make nice with Steve Jobs (or just shake his hand, really) and was rather infamously rebuked by the persnickety CEO. Despite this, she’s maintained a love affair with Apple before and after, citing the style, design and attention to detail and… read more
Last year we posted on Abduzeedo a very cool post about typographic portraits, the 45 Amazing Type Faces – Typographic Portraits became one of the most popular posts on Abduzeedo, and a lot of people asked me how to create that effect in Photoshop.
We have also posted a little tutorial… read more
Flash games and AIR apps are making the jump to mobile, starting with Google’s Android platform. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Adobe has unveiled AIR and Flash 10.1 for Android, both of which should arrive in the first half of 2010.
Adobe didn’t reveal all that much about the… read more
It’s hard to believe that YouTube, which serves more than 1 billion videos per day, is a mere five years old today. The domain name YouTube.com was registered on February 14, 2005.
YouTube wasn’t the clear leader in 2005: it competed with a range of services from Veoh to Vimeo… read more
Here at WDL, we greatly appreciate our sponsors. They help make it possible for us to do what we do, and we feel that all of our sponsors offer services and products that can be very useful to web designers, developers, and online creatives. In order to let you know… read more
During a recent trip to Hawai’i’s Big Island I was treated to a wonderful volcano tour thanks to KapohoKine Adventures. We toured around a number of sites and had the great fortune to watch fresh lava from Kilauea pour into the sea. The majesty of watching an island be built… read more
<poftware tends to be hit or miss — the ability to make a music player match beats on songs, even with different tempos, has been around for a while. For most software designed to allow you to mix and play music, the interface is the important part. What you want… read more
In this post Kim Brebach from Get the Picture shares his review of the Nikon D700.
Full Frame becomes affordable
Makers of Digital SLR cameras long ago settled on the APS-C sensor, named after a small film format that came in the late nineties and disappeared soon after. APS-C sensors have an… read more
The company is also offering several portable hard drive models, including the SureFire with Firewire 800 connectivity for best Mac performance. The warranty on most newly-purchased Verbatim drives has been extended to 7 years — by then, a 500 GB drive will undoubtedly seem very small.
Catch the video… read more
It’s time for our best news of this week, the first one of 2010. We have a lot of graphic and web design, a bit of architecture, ads, tech news, awesome reads and other crazy stuff! So take a look at the links we’ve selected for your inspiration and to… read more
Following up on the success of the star studded TV and Internet streamed “Hope for Haiti Now” event last month, a new version of “We Are the World” has premiered on YouTube, featuring more than 75 artists.
The video was directed by Paul Haggis, produced by Quincy Jones, and features a… read more
Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield and five other former Flickr employees are joined by one Digg alum, one games expert and several freelancers in Tiny Speck, a company that’s working on an online game that has a shot at rebooting the stagnating massively multiplayer online game genre.
The 2D game — called… read more