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The Caribou Group Blog

Increasing letter spacing in Photoshop

June 20th, 2010

A quick method to increase the letter spacing in Photoshop, so that we can turn this:

To this:

Select the layer containing the text you want to edit and click ‘Window -> Character. In the dialog box that opens, change the text spacing value denoted by this symbol.

The higher the figure, the greater the spacing.


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Identifying Fonts

June 20th, 2010

Sometimes you might be working on a graphic and need to match up some fonts. But despite your best efforts you just can’t identify the font you are working with. Well if you want a point in the right direction, we are quite fond of the guys over at Identifont.
 
By using their Identify Font feature and running through a number of questions, it should be able to narrow down the font you are looking for to a select view and provide them for viewing so you can really pin it down.


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How to replace one colour with another colour in Photoshop CS3

June 20th, 2010

For the purposes of this this tutorial. We will be changing the grey background colour of the Caribou Group logo to red.
 
The Caribou Group Logo
 
First we need to select red as our foreground colour.
 
Foreground Colour Change
 
Now select the magic wand tool and hold shift whilst you click all of the grey areas to be replaced. Then click ‘Edit -> Fill’ (Shift + F5). Then from the dialog box, select the follow opions.
 
(USE: FOREGROUND) + (MODE: NORMAL) + (OPACITY: 100%)
 

 
Click OK and ‘presto’. The colour replacement is complete.
 


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Removing image link borders

June 15th, 2010

In some browsers, particularly Firefox, converting an image into a link will leave you with an ugly looking, blue border surrounding it. Whilst it can sometimes be a good usability feature, it can often mess up the aesthetics of your site.
 
Luckily, it is easily solved. You can either declare img {border:none;} in your css or border=”0″ within your individual <img> tags.
 
Problem solved!


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Disappearing mouse pointer in Google Chrome

June 15th, 2010

We hoped it would never happen, but it has. Google Chrome, a browser much beloved by the staff at The Caribou Group, has finally reared an ugly buggy head.
 
It’s come to our attention that Google Chrome does not pay the blindest bit of attention to Mouse Pointer change on rollover effects. The reason for this isn’t hugely clear and it looks like it might be a while before the good people at Google get this sorted.
 
But in the mean time, the solution is to remove the wmode parameter from your HTML. This means that it’s not possible to have transparent backgrounds, but it at least solves the usability problem.
 
If you’re a PHP programmer, it is possible though to add a conditional statement to only remove this segment of code for Google Chrome users by making use of the get_browser functionality.
 
Enjoy!!


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Posted in Adobe Flash CS4, Google Chrome Bugs | No Comments »


Transparent Stage in Flash CS4

June 14th, 2010

Often times when creating a flash movie you will want it to blend it with your website instead of being a big white block on top of it. The best way to achieve this is to make the stage transparent.
 
To do this, open your Flash movie in Flash. And follow these steps.
 
1. Go to ‘File > Publish Settings’ (or Ctrl+Shift+F12)
2. In the dialog box that appears, click the HTML tab
3. Change the ‘Window Mode’ setting to ‘Transparent Windowless’
 
There you have it, a transparent Flash movie!


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IE8 Repeating Background Bug

June 7th, 2010

We thought we’d enlighten you on a small IE8 bug we’ve found that we have seen mentioned here and there about the net.
 
If you split a form between two divs that have backgrounds, IE8 will sometimes repeat the background image below the lower most div. For example;
 
<div class=”one”>
<form>
<input type=”text” name=”test1″ />
<input type=”text” name=”test2″ />
</div>
<div class=”two” style=”background: url(/images/bg.gif) no-repeat;”>
<input type=”submit” value=”submit” />
</form>
</div>
 
will render bg.gif twice on it’s y axis. To solve this problem, you need to place the closing form tag below the second div. This won’t affect the function of your form and will solve your visual woes. You’re welcome!


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Invert black and white in photoshop

June 7th, 2010

A nice short post today, because we’ve been asked this question a few times and the answer is nice and simple.
 
If you have a black and white image and you want to reverse the colours. Then it’s simply a case of selecting all (ctrl + A) amd then inverting (ctrl + I). Voila, you’re done.


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Four Unsigned Band Promotion Ideas

June 4th, 2010
As MD for Amati Studios, a collaborative company to The Caribou Group, Graeme Allen is constantly in contact with new and unsigned artists looking to make it big in the music industry. Here he offers some advice and promotion ideas to help get the break you need.
 
It’s a tough world for any new artist looking to break into the music industry. Labels are signing fewer artists, and consumers are buying less music, so for new artists it’s more important than ever to explore new and cost effective ways of getting yourself heard without the help of a record label. Here follows four tips for the budding superstar:
 
1. Get A Website
In the digital age a good web presence is vital for communicating with your fans and building up a following. Keep your social networking sites (Facebook/Myspace/Twitter) updated regularly, and write a blog if you can find enough relevant topics to write about. Best of all, get a website that integrates all of the above, with a decent CMS (content management system) so that you can easily update the content. You don’t need to spend big bucks for one either, as you may have noticed if you’ve made it as far as this blog…
 
2. Record A decent demo
If you want labels, managers and promoters to get an idea of what you really sound like you’re probably going to need to improve on that recording your bassist made of you in the garage with a 4-track. You don’t need to book yourselves into Abbey Road or Air just yet though, there are plenty of small to mid-sized studios that will charge you around the £200 mark for a day. Be aware of what is included in the price though, as some studios don’t include an engineer, and no matter how many ProTools shortcuts you know you’ll probably struggle when confronted with a 56-channel desk and a wall of analogue outboard.
 
3. Make An Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
An EPK is what you send out to labels, managers, promoters and venues. It should be a relatively small .zip file with a band bio, some photographs, any press clippings or reviews of the band and a short showreel showcasing the best bits of your demo. Rather than sending it out as an attachment to an e-mail it’s best to just upload it to your website and send a link; that way it won’t get stuck in a spam folder. Once your EPK is ready to go get your hands on The Unsigned Guide and sift through the huge number of listings in there for managers and labels, and get sending. You don’t need to big yourself up too much, the music should do the talking for the most part. Just politely present yourself via e-mail and follow it up with a phone call the next day.
 
4. Put In Some Time and dedication
Unfortunately, there are quite a number of people in a similar position, with equal ambition to your band. Labels sign fewer acts these days, as revenue from music sales is dying fast. Now more than ever you need to plug yourself and get your own gigs. Look into new ways of making a living from your music, and concentrate on building up a fan base yourself and improving as a band.
 
Graeme Allen is the founder of Amati Studios, the recording studio booking agency with cost effective studios based nationwide. Amati and The Caribou Group have teamed up to provide new artists with a website and day’s recording package, details of which can be found here.

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