In this Issue...
 INTRO
| Learning Experience...
At PixelMill, we have been using an exciting technology
that allows for very effective online meetings. Using
Citrix's GoToMeeting solution, we have been able to
have online conferences and share our desktop applications to solve
problems and develop new products and services quicker and
more cost effectively. Now, we're successfully extending
this tool to large audience webinars, small group seminars,
and one-to-one training.
We have historically used pcAnywhere (and other similar
technologies) to access computers remotely. However, this always
required a significant installation on both computers and
usually included license fees for both machines, making it
virtually impossible to conduct meetings in groups larger
than two people.
Then came WebEx, Microsoft Live Meeting, and Citrix's
GoToMeeting. All three companies have been aggressively providing this same pcAnywhere style of desktop sharing but
in a hosted environment with much smaller installs,
multi-user collaboration tools, conference calling, and
security. Ultimately, they have given the opportunity for
companies to expand online training to
customers as well.
PixelMill is jumping on this leading technology to bring
you an impressive collection of online training services.
Last month, we quietly introduced our new Webinar and
One-on-One Training opportunities.
Since the first of November we have held three
large group webinars and a handful of one-on-one trainings.
We felt they were successful and attendees provided positive feedback, but
it was also a learning experience. We found that audio was
our biggest challenge. Our conclusion: Don't try VoIP; spend the $100+
for a quality phone and headset, otherwise you're asking for
trouble. We also found that recording the sessions was not
as smooth as we expected, but we're quickly fine tuning
our procedures to produce better post-event recordings.
Fortunately, both of these challenges were easy to overcome.
We're now positioned to deliver higher quality sessions
in December.
Online education is an important part of our offering in
2007, and we're excited that the technology has finally
become effective enough for us to provide this long awaited dream. We have a handful of sessions in December and are
already planning our January and February 2007 schedule. Our
goal is to hold an average of one webinar and one small
group seminar a week. Read our feature article below
for more information on upcoming events.
We start our newsletter with our first in a
series of articles focused on Expression Web. Learn about
the best feature -- in my opinion -- of Expression Web. Managing
styles and Cascading Style Sheets in Expression is
substantially easier but may still be a little complicated
to get acquainted with. Corrie does an excellent job in
helping make it easy to understand.
Finally, last month, we introduced Corrie Haffly's new book
The Photoshop Anthology. We're excited about this book not
only for Corrie, but for our customers as well. This book
really encompasses all of the valuable tricks you need for
creating web and presentation based graphics. We had a
number of people buy the book from our newsletter article
and have been receiving excellent reviews. If you have any
doubts about the value of this book, read the 4.5 out of 5
star
reviews at Amazon. But, please show Corrie your
appreciation and consider buying direct from
sitepoint.com using this affiliate link. We pay Corrie our affiliate earnings for
the purchases of her book through SitePoint. Read her 'Save
Time With Shortcuts' article, at the end of the newsletter, for just a taste of what
you'll receive.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter!
by Jason Reckers, President & CEO -
PixelMill Inc.
 TUTORIAL
| Managing Styles in Expression Web
Expression Web comes with some great new tools that you
can use to manage your custom styles.
For example, let's say that I want to make a custom style
that turns text red. Within Expression Web's Design Pane, I
highlight some text. Then I use the font color on the
toolbar to turn it into red text.
Expression Web automatically creates a new class called
".style1" and adds it within the HTML code to the top of the
page. The selected text is wrapped in <span> tags with the
style1 class applied. This allows me to use the class in
other places on the page.
In the Manage Styles panel which is new to Expression
Web, the ".styles1" class has been added under "Current
Page."
Now, let's say that I want to be able to use this style
in other pages of my web site... and I would like to
rename it so that it is more descriptive. Both of these
goals can be accomplished within the powerful Manage Styles
panel.
First, I right-click on the style and choose "Rename
Style." in the dialog box, I put a descriptive name for the
style ("redtext"). Expression Web automatically renames the
class within the HTML code -- both in the top of the page
where the style is defined as well as in the <span> tag
below where the style is applied.
Then, I drag the style from the Current Page area of the
panel and drop it in the list of rules within the site's
stylesheet, above. Expression Web automatically removes the
style definition from the top of the page (which limits the
use of the class to that one page only) and puts the proper
CSS code into my main site stylesheet (so that I can use the
style in every page of my site)!
I hope this has demonstrated the usefulness of the new
Manage Styles panel within Expression Web. This article was
excerpted from a new article series on PixelMill, "From
FrontPage to Expression Web." This article series was
written with the Expression Web Beta, so while some details
may change upon the actual release of Expression Web, many
of the concepts should still be the same.
For more information about managing CSS in Expression
Web, be sure to register and join us at our upcoming webinar.
Managing CSS in Expression Web
Expression Web comes with great new tools for managing
and using CSS. Using Expression Web Beta, Corrie Haffly
gives an overview of the new tools and some practical tips
on how to use them.
Thurs., Dec 7, 2006
10:00 AM - 10:45 PM PST
by Corrie Haffly, PixelMill Staff Writer
 FEATURE
| Online Webinars, Seminars, and
One-to-One
Training...
We have heard your concerns about the rapidly changing
online
environment. From new browsers, new web editors, new
versions of Office, new standards, and just new web
strategies in general, we're all facing a serious test to
grow beyond these new challenges. Our commitment to you in
2007 is "We're here to help!"
New to PixelMill are our online Webinars,
Seminars, and One-on-One training offerings.
Webinars
Webinars will be large group events where a speaker will
present on a broad set of topics in one area of expertise.
These events will allow for attendees to send questions by
chat, which will then be addressed by the speaker. Attendees
will also receive a recording of the session for post-event
review.
Upcoming Webinars:
Throughout the month of December we'll be offering more of
our introductory online Webinars... for free! Click 'Register
Now' to register for your desired event.
Managing CSS in Expression Web
Expression Web comes with great new tools for managing
and using CSS. Using Expression Web Beta, Corrie Haffly
gives an overview of the new tools and some practical tips
on how to use them.
Thurs., Dec 7, 2006
10:00 AM - 10:45 PM PST
Tweaking CSS Templates: Background Images
This webinar is a continuation of Corrie Haffly's
Tweaking CSS Templates, covering the use of background
images in CSS layout templates.
Thurs, Dec 14, 2006
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM PST
Vectors in Photoshop
Learn about creating and manipulating vector shapes and
paths in Photoshop CS2 with Corrie Haffly, author of The
Photoshop Anthology: 101 Web Design Tips, Trick, and
Techniques.
Thurs, Dec 19, 2006
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST
Long distance charges may apply. Broadband connection
recommended. Utilizes GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar solutions.
Watch for toll-free access coming January 2007.
Seminars
In
contrast, seminars will be small group classroom-like
environments where the speaker will focus heavily on one or
two solutions to a specific problem. These will be more
like a lab where attendees will be able to see how to
accomplish a specific task. All participants will have the
ability to speak on the conference call, ask questions, and
show their screen if desired. Watch for these exclusive
paid events starting in January 2007!
One-on-One Training
The cream of our support offering. We have designed our new one-on-one training service
to
connect you with an experienced professional to help guide
you through your questions. Better than just paying someone
to do the work for you, this service helps teach you a new skill
or technique that may have been a challenge in the past. You
will receive individual attention, plus a recording of your
session allowing you to review it any time you need it.
Trainings are given using the online meeting technology
allowing the trainer to share their screen through a web browser
and/or view your screen through a web browser. It is like having
them sitting right next to you.
Register for one of our No Risk training options to learn
something new. Click the option below to buy your
training today!
A PixelMill team member will contact you after placing the
order to discuss your specific needs and coordinate with the
appropriate expert.
Service requires a PC and a broadband connection. For questions,
please call 866-749-3564 (Option 2) or
contact us using one of our many contact options.
Educators Wanted: Are you interested in sharing
your knowledge and experience? We're looking to fill an aggressive
training & webinar calendar in 2007. Please contact me at
jreckers@pixelmill.com
for more information.
by Jason Reckers, President & CEO -
PixelMill Inc.
 TUTORIAL
| Save Time With Shortcuts
Become a Photoshop power-user by getting to know the many
keyboard shortcuts available within the Photoshop program!
Here are a few examples of how you can immediately start
saving precious seconds while working within Photoshop.
Learn the tool shortcuts. Most of the tools in the
Photoshop toolbar have a keyboard shortcut -- a letter that
you can type on the keyboard -- to allow you to quickly
switch tools. You can learn the keyboard shortcut by
hovering over the tool in the toolbox until a tool tip shows
up. For example, if you hover over the Move tool, a tool tip
shows both the name of the tool and the keyboard shortcut:
Move tool (V). If you have a different tool selected, just
press "v" on your keyboard and Photoshop will switch
immediately to the Move tool! Some related tools all use the
same keyboard shortcut -- to switch between the multiple
tools, hold the Shift key while typing the keyboard
shortcut. For example, to switch between the Rectangle tool,
Rounded Rectangle tool, Ellipse tool, Line tool, and Custom
Shape tool, hold down the Shift key and type the letter "u"
until your desired tool is selected.
Pick a color anytime. To quickly set your
foreground color to a color found within your document, hold
down the Alt key to quickly switch your cursor to the
Eyedropper tool. When you release the Alt key, your formerly
selected tool will come back. For example, if you are using
the Brush tool to paint an area and want to quickly change
the foreground color, hold down the Alt key, move your
cursor to an area in the document that has your desired
color, and click with the (temporary) eyedropper to select
that tool. Release the Alt key and you'll be back to the
Brush tool.
Shift makes perfect. The Shift key helps you to
"constrain" tools to perfect squares and circles or straight
lines, depending on which tool you are using. When you use a
shape tool or marquee tool, hold the Shift key to "snap" the
shape to a perfect square, circle, or polygon. When you use
the Pencil or Brush tool, or are moving something with the
Move or Selection tool, hold the Shift key to constrain the
cursor to a straight line. For example, holding Shift will
allow you to move something over to the right on a perfect
horizontal axis, or to allow you to draw a perfectly
vertical line with the Pencil tool. With the Brush or Pencil
tool, you can also click once as a starting point, hold
Shift, and click at an ending point, and a straight line
will be created between those two points.
There are dozens more keyboard shortcuts within Photoshop
that you can discover! You'll find these scattered
throughout my new book, The Photoshop Anthology.
I hope you enjoyed
this one -- and if you're looking for more, visit
sitepoint.com to order the book...
by Corrie Haffly, PixelMill Staff Writer
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