Gravity in InDesign

I have often put type on a path in InDesign and then chosen a different "Type on a Path Option". (The default is Rainbow.) The other options look fine if that's the look I want, but when  I choose the gravity option either nothing happens or aaargh …  click that one away. The problem was I had no idea what it was doing to the type.

Until the other day I came across this podcast at www. mogo-media.com and was blown away. Rufus Deuchler also shows you the correct use of the drop shadow. Not as an effect behind type  like 'I've seen on too many pizza take away folders and flyers.

Here's the link 

http://www.mogo-media.com/podcasts/indesign/gravity_effect/

Thank you so much Mr. Deuchler

Cool brushes for Photoshop

You can make your own brush tips in Photoshop. I personally always make an oval one that I can change the angle of depending on where I need it.

Select the brush tool, open the Brushes menu- Brush Tip Shape - the arrow rotates the brush and the 2 little "vector points" are for changing the roundness. The brush size can be enlarged using the ] key and decreased using the [ key.

On deviantART's website there are some interesting and free downloadable brushes.

Check out:

http://javierzhx.deviantart.com/gallery/resources/?order=9

Place the downloaded files in Photoshop- Presets-Brushes

Where's my type gone?

Have you ever experienced the following situation? Your InDesign file uses 2 columns, you want to change this into 3 columns, but when you do this, a portion of your type disappears and the red square with an x appears. No "insert break character has been used, no new paragraph, the columns are wide enough to fit the type. There just seems to be no reason why the type doesn't flow on. Here are some possible causes.

1. The No break option has been applied to a word or words. This option ensures that words are never hyphenated and stay together including the spaces before or after the word(s) if they too have been selected.

2. In the hyphenation settings menu "the before last" number has been set too high.