Graphic Design Software Advice

I have an IMAC G5 with the 'as it came out of the box' software. I am looking to do some T-Shirt designs and so was after a piece of software to assist. Nothing spectacular, just images and text and so I'm hoping not to spend too much money. I am new to Apple and so don't know too much about the software. Is there something already installed on the box that I could use or can someone recommend a simple (cheap of free) piece of software?

Even though you won't be doing the printing, it's a good idea to print the seps. before sending the file off to a printer to make sure everything is separating correctly. Unfortunately, after taking a closer look at Intaglio that I mentioned above, it doesn't look like it will print seps. And it doesn't support Pantone spot colors. So it's probably not going to work for you. Strangdogs is correct - you probably won't find a vector program or any program that does what you want it to do without spending more money than you want to spend.
I use the Adobe CS apps at work on a G5 and also Illustrator 8 via Classic. At home, I use Illustrator 8 via Classic without problems all the time. If you check ebay, you may be able to find a cheap copy of Illustrator 8. We got 2 copies at work that way for under $80 a piece. Just make sure the person you buy it from transfers the license to you. There is a license transfer form they need to fill out.
Eric S.

Similar Messages

Best Graphic Design Software

Hello. I recently purchased a MacBook Pro {love} and I would like to get a graphic design software to use for making custom photo birthday invitations/thank you cards (you know the ones they sell all over eBay for children's birthdays, etc.) I've been buying them for years and I'm tired of buying them when I know I could create them myself if I had the correct software. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

Hi there,
You do not need to buy at this first time, assuming you do not have graphic design experience you can start by using an Apple application as Pages, Keynote, iPhoto or others in your /Applications/ folder, check it out, try opening applications, read tutorials and welcome presentations or open a template file for some start edition.
After that you can try a freeware third party application, you will find many of that here: http://osx.iusethis.com/tag/graphics
Professional applications require a minimum specific knowledge that you would naturally acquire after sometime around with these others.
Before go on using third party apps would be smart to get one smart removal tool so that you'd be able to remove applications you do not like and related support files in one move, which would be better than having useless files remaining in your system. I use AppCleaner - http://www.freemacsoft.net/ - with it's SmartDelete Preference enabled, set it up if you will.
Despite most of Mac's applications only need to be copied to your HDD to be ready to run, they usually keep some support file maybe elsewhere the ~/Library and/or /Library/Application Support/ folders.
Good luck

Jewellery Design Software

Thanks for you reading first, I would like to find the best and updated jewellery design software, either any appropriate 3D graphic design software ?
Best Regard.
BenNovello

No I am sorry to say that never having used any such software I am not able to offer any advice besides maybe if you go to some of the sites and see it they have forums for users. Maybe there you might be able to get your questions answered. So far it doesn't appear there are many users here doing anything with that type of software.
Allan

I've got a MacBook pro 15' running 10.6.6. I want to use an external monitor for my graphic design work running Adobe software and thought I'd try an HD TV. I ran a Mini Display to HDMI lead to the TV but the picture quality was disappointing.

I've got a MacBook Pro 15' running 10.6.6. I want to use an external monitor for my graphic design work using Adobe software and thought I'd try an HD TV. I ran a Mini Display to HDMI lead to the TV but the picture quality was disappointing. I also tried a Mini Display to VGA lead and that wasn't much better. I tried all variations of resolutions in System prefs - Displays but nothing helped. Am I getting something wrong? Thanks all.

In addition to pixel density, you are up against the translation driver card in the TV.
If you read the fine print of computer-resolution-capability in the TV user guide, you will see a chart as tall as the manual page. At the top is the smallest resolution capable, at the bottom is the full use of the 1080p in the TV.
Mac falls into the top 25% of the page, maxing out at 1366x768 often. This is because the TV control card is expected to do too much of the work, but is not designed for computer-monitor processing.
I looked at the resolution charts on 2 TVs before deciding to buy a 1080p LCD monitor that has a TV interface/connector. Computer monitor first, TV second. But the thing is only 27 in. Good thing TV is not as important to me as it is to others.

Mac Pro buying advice for Graphic Design

I am going to be purchasing a Mac Pro and was hoping I could get some advice on the right set-up for what I do. I use CS4 heavily on the Mac for graphic design spending a good amount of time in Photoshop working with files that can easily go over a few gigs (when working on convention booth displays, etc.). I also use my Mac for casual video editing in iMovie, and use Apple's other great offerings like iWeb, iPhoto, etc.
My main questions are:
- I'm leaning towards the Quad. I keep my Macs for at least 5 years. Is that a good decision?
- If I do go with the Quad should I opt for the 2.66 or 2.93?
- At the moment I am running 8 Gig on my current Mac, should I configure this new one with 8 Gig?
- Is the Radeon the correct card choice for a heavy Photoshop user?
I hope these questions aren't ones that have been asked a thousand times. It's a lot of money to spend (especially right now) and I want to make sure I configure it correctly for what I do.
Thank you in advance for your input.

Hi hatter,
Thank you again for your responses. That really helps clear up the RAM situation. I think that is part of what swayed me towards the 8-Core as opposed to the Quad. Please correct me if I am wrong, but looking at prices of RAM on Crucial I see that if I wanted today to put 16 Gigs of RAM in a Quad-Core it would cost me $1200 (for 4 4-Gig chips using all slots). However if I was going to put 16 in the 8-Core I could do it for $400 (8 2-Gig chips using all slots. Actually it would only be $200 more since I configured my Mac with 4 2-Gig chips from Apple for an extra $100). Seems like having more slots open will save me money when I want to upgrade ram since I don't have to go for the 4-Gig chips. That coupled with the theory that Snow Leopard is around the corner and will take advantage of the 8-Core it seems like opting for a low end 8-Core vs a high end Quad is worth the $300 difference.
Side note: Are there any reports that say running more 2GB chips is worse than running fewer 4GB chips? Just curious.
Even though I understand that the processor speed makes a difference I am hoping that the advantages of more RAM slots and future benefits of Snow Leopard, CS5 and other apps that will take advantage of the 8-Core in the near future will make it the right decision. If I could afford a faster 8-Core obviously I would opt for that but with a jump of $1,400 to the next processor speed I am afraid it is out of my reach.
Regardless I'm sure I will feel very spoiled as soon as I unwrap this beast and get it up and running. Then in a year I'll give into the temptation of slipping a SSD in for the boot drive and I'll have to find a way to contain my excitement. I have a SSD on my laptop and WOW what an amazing difference it really is.
Wow, these forums are great. I can't believe how helpful all of your responses have been. I feel much more informed and was able to order my Mac today not feeling like I was shopping in the dark.
Thank you all again!

What is the best, most affordable software for a new graphic designer?

My son is an artist and interested to learn how to be a graphic designer. Looking for the best, easiest to dive in, and most affordable software for my new, shiny iMac! Thanks....

I would say Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Indesign are the industry standard in design. But not the most affordable if your are on a tight budget. Photoshop elements has most of major features as the full version of Photoshop but is much cheaper. You can also download a trail version of the Adobe products from Adobe's website for your son to try out.
Also, look in the app store on the Featured page, there is a link on the right, "Apps for Designers". There you can find several image editing and vector programs he could try. There might be a few layout programs as well.
I would say if he is serious about getting into graphic design, Adobe products are the way to go.

24" iMac good enough for graphic design?

I'm looking into getting a Mac so I can work from home for the next few months (back surgery). I use the Adobe CS as well as other graphic related applications. While I know getting a Mac Pro would be the best option it's also a very expensive option (I need the 23" monitor as well). Would the top config. of the iMac be suitable for moderate graphic design use? Currently at the office I am using a Dual 2.5 G5 so I'm not expecting top of the line performance. Just something that would work as well as my work computer. I do realize it is not expandable however after a few months it will just become a computer I use for typical home use. Thank you in advance.

Hi Barry, I did as you said and searched on the forum. What I found was this entry that pretty much sums it up. It's pretty much identical to my situation. Turns out CS2 runs at about half speed under Rosetta. Even the oldest G5s seem to out perform it. I guess that's it, I start looking for an old G5. Thanks for all your help and suggestions. Below is the entry I found that says it all.
Re: Intel iMac and Adobe CS2
Posted: Mar 24, 2006 3:30 AM in response to: Sam Anderson
I've been using a 20" Intel 2 GHz iMac with 1 GB RAM now for just over a month and use Adobe CS2 on it and I'm incredibly disappointed with the performance of the software under Rosetta. So much so that I regret buying the Intel version and wish I'd bought a good old G5 processor model.
The main issue is speed. I upgraded from a Dual 866 mHz G4 and am encountering slower performance with CS2 on my new iMac than I did on that. Illustrator is especially excruciating to use. Another issue is that I can only run two CS2 apps at the same time never three. If I try, one of them randomly crashes. Reinstalls haven't cured it either.
I've called both Adobe and Apple in order to resolve the problem and neither have a solution. Adobe's view on it is that CS2 and earlier were not written to work on the Intel machine and so they cannot address any support problems with patches or updates. Their only solution is waiting until CS3 is released in Autumn which will be Intel compatible.
Based on this experience my advice would be to wait until CS3 is released before you buy one. Otherwise just grin and bear it if you have to have one now!

Graphic design & choice of display

Hidy,
I'm a novice graphic designer and seeking advice from designers. I would like to know what your vision is on the choice of a display for graphic design purposes. I heard a rumor that the LED-backlit displays aren't really useful for graphic design since they wouldn't represent true image, is this correct? Would you go back and use a Mac like the iMac 24" Core 2 Duo 2.16 just because its display is LCD? Or would you go with the future and buy those new iMacs with LED backlit displays? What could be the advantage or disadvantage? Any real life situation experiences? Any suggestions?
Cheerio !

I suppose the best answer, if you are a novice graphic designer, is to ask if you intend to do color matching with a calibrated measurement device. If not, you choice of display really doesn't matter.
You cannot do simple visual color matching with any LCD or LED-backlit driven panel, whether matter or glossy, as none produce sufficiently accurate color. You must instead use specialized tools like the Pantone matching system and calibrate or set your display for optimum accuracy, while clearly understanding that you must trust the software, and not your eyes.
I do a great deal of graphics work, and find glossy—as opposed to matte—screens difficult to work with. While their highly saturated color makes them good wide-screen DVD playback platforms, the reflective glare from ambient light is annoying. If you choose a glossy display, which is pretty much all you can these days, be sure to set up your environment so as to minimize reflective light sources such as lamps and windows in your workspace.
For the most part, backlighting is backlighting. Backlights driven by light emitting diodes were introduced almost solely to eliminate the undesirable component parts of cold cathode fluorescent lamps and make displays ultimately easier to recycle, lowering their adverse impact upon the environment.

Collaborating with a Graphic Designer

Hello,
I am going to be working on a new website for my employer and
I was
hoping some of the web professionals could give me some
advice.
I did our previous website by myself using Dreamweaver 4 and
Fireworks
4. When creating the visual look of the old site, I used
Fireworks to
create a mock-up of the way I wanted the page to look. I then
used
Dreamweaver to create a web page that duplicated the mockup.
Any fancy
graphic images (such as the masthead) were sliced up using
Fireworks and
imported as an HTML table into Dreamweaver. This worked
pretty well for
me while working solo.
However, for this new website I will be working with a
graphic designer.
What is the best way to take the graphic design that she
produces and
translate it into HTML+CSS in Dreamweaver? Can I use a
process similar
to what I used while solo? (i.e. let the designer create a
mockup in a
graphic program and then try to duplicate it in Dreamweaver
as best I
can with HTML and importing graphics as needed.) Or is there
a better way?
Keep in mind that the designer we are using is not
knowledgable about
creating websites or using tools like Dreamweaver/Fireworks.
I believe
she uses with Photoshop/Illustrator/Quark Xpress. (I will be
talking
with her tomorrow.)
Also, what software should I plan on ordering? I am planning
on
upgrading our software to Adobe CS3 Web Standard. But if she
is using
Photoshop, should I get plan on getting the Premium version?
Can
Fireworks import Photoshop files well, or do I need
Photoshop?
Thanks for you help.

Deaf Web Designer
Perhaps I should correct my sentence, that in my opinion
(once I was a
graphic designer) photoshop and illustrator was a great tool
for me both
to create web images for the web and for print design. The
save for web
dialog box has helped me a lot for optimizing the web images.
I also used firework for creating websites. But It seems for
me that
photoshop and illustrator is very perfect for me to create
artwork both
for the web and print design. No matter how complicated the
job, the two
programs were indeed very helpful for me.
I'm not saying that fireworks is bad for creating web images.
Since this
program is only for the web design (I really think so).
Remember that
Will's designer is only familiar with both program. I think
it would be
wise for his designer to stick with his tool rather than
learning a new
tool.
But. for years, even though I had fireworks, Photoshop and
Illustrator I
choose to stick with both program to works. So user friendly,
and both
program share the same interface.
I don't think that Illustrator is mainly for vector-based
application,
mobile developer also use its capability for creating svg
images, and
also for animation. And photoshop is not only for creating
bitmap, it
also often use for beautifying video and 3D animation.
Whatever it is, choose what you like. As long as you are
comfortable
with it.
Cheers
Deaf Web Designer wrote:
> Dreamworms,
>
> I am afraid that you provide inaccurate information
about primary purpose of
> Photoshop and Illustrator.
>
> Illustrator is mainly a vector-based application, while
Photoshop is a
> high-end image editing application (which is a
bitmap-based image editing app).
> While Fireworks is ideally a web image *and* web graphic
(including
> fundamentals of vector-based and bitmap-based app),
where Fireworks does a nice
> job in opitmize the file size that is specifically
designed for faster-loading
> web images or web graphics. To make it work, you need to
have a better
> understanding on how Fireworks works.
>
> As for workflow between Photoshop, Illustrator,
Fireworks and Dreamweaver, it
> can be accomplished. But again, you need to know and
understand the primary
> functionality and the primary difference between these
applications per se.
>
> But when you say "Photoshop and Illustrator are the
image editing tools that
> are perfect..." that is very inaccurate statement.
>
> Cheers, Brian
>
>
quote:
Originally posted by:
Newsgroup User
> Photoshop and Illustrator are the image editing tools
that are perfect
> for the web.
>
> Will G. wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am going to be working on a new website for my
employer and I was
> > hoping some of the web professionals could give me
some advice.
> >
> > I did our previous website by myself using
Dreamweaver 4 and Fireworks
> > 4. When creating the visual look of the old site, I
used Fireworks to
> > create a mock-up of the way I wanted the page to
look. I then used
> > Dreamweaver to create a web page that duplicated
the mockup. Any fancy
> > graphic images (such as the masthead) were sliced
up using Fireworks and
> > imported as an HTML table into Dreamweaver. This
worked pretty well for
> > me while working solo.
> >
> > However, for this new website I will be working
with a graphic designer.
> > What is the best way to take the graphic design
that she produces and
> > translate it into HTML+CSS in Dreamweaver? Can I
use a process similar
> > to what I used while solo? (i.e. let the designer
create a mockup in a
> > graphic program and then try to duplicate it in
Dreamweaver as best I
> > can with HTML and importing graphics as needed.) Or
is there a better way?
> >
> > Keep in mind that the designer we are using is not
knowledgable about
> > creating websites or using tools like
Dreamweaver/Fireworks. I believe
> > she uses with Photoshop/Illustrator/Quark Xpress.
(I will be talking
> > with her tomorrow.)
> >
> > Also, what software should I plan on ordering? I am
planning on
> > upgrading our software to Adobe CS3 Web Standard.
But if she is using
> > Photoshop, should I get plan on getting the Premium
version? Can
> > Fireworks import Photoshop files well, or do I need
Photoshop?
> >
> > Thanks for you help.
>
>
>
>

Best Spec for Graphic Designer

I am about to purchase a Mac Pro and have read for hours on the best setup for myself. So, thought I'd throw the question to anyone on here with valid and decent advice.
I am a graphic designer for print and I don't do any rendering or video work. I run Adobe CS4, using InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop the most. I have plenty of large files, with some over 1gb in size and loads well over 250mb each.
The questions I have are - do I go for a quad core or 8 core - both with loads of RAM (12 or 16bg). Also, I am wondering whether to have a SSD drive in bay one to put the applications on and then 2 or 3 normal drives for backup etc.
I think I need a decent amount of RAM - but am not sure whether Adobe software would benefit from more than 4 cores. I have read that the more cores you have - the more RAM is needed as RAM gets allocated to each core.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Message was edited by: Silverfox666

Forget buying SSD and RAM from Apple, few if any do, and forget 8 or 12-core for sure.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory#1333-memory
These SSDs are rated #1 by StorageReview and others
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internalstorage/Mercury_Extreme_SSDSandforce
http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld-SevereDuty.html
You might want to save for the Nvidia Quadro 4000 ($1200) once that is available which can off load graphics workload to GPGPU.
There is a LOT to read on MPG, like this:
Can you believe that the 12-core model is the slowest machine with Photoshop?! That’s a fact, and it’s the fault of Adobe’s code, not the Mac Pro.
http://macperformanceguide.com/Reviews-MacProWestmere-Photoshop-CoresSlower.html
I love 10K VelociRaptor as well as WD in general and the 1.5TB Green is fast as my old WD Blacks were. I can point to SSD reviews, comments etc but I have not "jumped in" yet. I have a 50K photo library though that I would love to put on one, and system on another, yes. Just not in the cards right now, for me and my ahem, wallet.
Take a look at this comparison and notes on 3.2GHz vs others -
http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2010/20100905_MacPro32--macpro.html

Which new MacBook Pro is best for a graphic design student?

Hi there, I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on which new MacBook Pro to get. I'm a graphic design student who would like to be able to use Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator at the same time, while also web browsing (I tend to have a million windows open). I won't be using the computer for any video work or heavy gaming.
Here's what I do know: I'd like the retina display, and I need the 8GB of memory (do I need more?). Other than that, I'm not too sure about what specifications I need. I'm not super knowledgeable about all of this, so apologies if these are very elementary questions. Any help would be much, much appreciated. Here are my main questions:
1. Would you recommend getting the quad core i7, or is i5 fine? For i5, do I need to pay attention to the difference between 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz?
2. What exactly is PCle-based flash storage, and would you recommend 256GB or 512GB?
3. What's the difference between Intel Iris Pro and Intel Iris?
Thanks so much!

1) Depending on which software you'll be using most of the times a quad core has more benefits (since it's more future proof). Not all software supports multiple cores (and thus rendering the extra cores of the quad "useless" if it's not supported).
2) PCI-e is what we use in desktops to attach for example a graphic card. Previous hard drives used a cable to connect it with the motherboard (in the old days we used IDE, now recent hardware uses SATA3). Basically because it's directly connected to your motherboard (there's more to it but to keep it simple) this will allow it to read and write faster from and to it. (Double the speeds of your regular SSD)
3) I reckon (haven't checked into it) that the base core speeds are clocked higher on the Iris Pro and probably has more dedicated ram to it.
What a graphical student wants would be most likely a quad core CPU with a dedicated graphics card. The extra is storage is nice if you reckon you'd need it. (I mostly work on cloud but keep my current projects on my drive because then I'd have faster access to it).

SUGGESTIONS NEEDED: Graphic Designer needing to organize my graphic library

Ive been wanting to find a better way of organizing my extensive library of the following (Vector & Raster art): Backgrounds, Raster/Vector Patterns, Logos, Icons, Vector Design Elements, Fonts (I use FontBook), print & web templates, Stock Photos, ALOT of vector art, anything from flourishes to multi colored complex images, Web Design stuff (icons, buttons, banners...etc.) and last but not least Adobe CS native color swatches, patterns, gradients, actions, and brushes. I am sure I left out some, but you get the idea.
I have been building my large collection over the period of 4-5 years and has grown to 40g of internal HD space to house these in loosely catergorized subfolder (i.e., Vector Art, Stock Photos, PS plugins (gradients, brushes, ETC) backgrounds/Textures, so on and so forth. I would love to store my Data externally but with the throughput speeds of USB, am not wanting to slow down Bridge anymore than it already is. But help with external storage and accessing files quickly would also help
As your probably thinking it is getting to be a pain to manage and even worse finding or searching for items, considering alot are generically names from packages Ive acquired (i.e. 132456.eps. flower00234.jpg, etc.) Bridge helps alot but I am trying to catergorize and keyword folders or images this as clean as possible hopefully thru manually doing it on a system recommended or using a 3rd party software to apply metadate like keywords that will be searchable is IDEAL!
I am starting to use Lightroom 3 to manage and catalog my StockPhotos (not to many), but love the functionality of the keyword and meta data features within LR.
So that is what I am trying to accompish:
1. organize all my art in to specific catergories
2. hopefully use metadata and keywords within the OS or a 3rd party program to make items easily searchable within the Finder or Adobe Bridge.
3. Properly manage and store art as it comes to me several times a day to keep everything current so I can do a backup of just my Design files, every month or so to keep stored off computer or on the cloud.
Any suggestions(software/procedures), links, or general help on this issue is greatly appreciated!!
Thanks Again for any help lended!!! Any anyone that is willing to help me thru this and is interested in Graphic Design tools or graphics, I can definitely share ANYTHING from my collection for helping
Drew

Dont mind one bit, if i can pass along any advice to help someone, Im happy to do so.
first off....My art catalog is mass collections of various file types, and media uses, so I started by keywording by some of these keywords; Vector, Web Graphics, Stock Photos, Patterns (Vector/Raster), Textures, Backgrounds, Shapes/Objects (vector/Raster), and after indifiying a sorting the various files, just in folders and sub-folders, under one main Artwork Directory, and that helped me organize them for transfering between my home office, to my work server. After that it was pretty much a breeze except for one issue I ran into (I will explain at the end). Since I run Bridge at Work and at home, the structure and navigation to search for files by catergory was alot easier, by mimicking the same setup on both Bridge for PC at work and Bridge for Mac at home. the last step I did to help refine things a little better, I keyworded two things within Bridge to make the search faster, and it was just these tags, Vector, Raster High Res, Raster Med-Low Res. I also use the ranking/star system to tag my most used, favorite. 1 star for frequently used, and 5 star for my favorite art packages. When I use the word "favorite", in my terms that is art that i see potential to use in future designs and good clean art that Ive never used, so I can incorporate new designs. That might not be the best way to do it in Bridge, but after bouncing around alot of approaches this eems to work just fine for my graphic/web design needs.
One more thing that I do as I acquire new art, is make a Folder with a custome icon to stand out, that is labeled Un-Catergorized art. And as I download art unless I use it right away, I drag and drop into that folder. I was advised to not do this and label and file appropriately as soon as I aquire stuff so I dont get behind, but to aleviate that, I have made automator actions that move all files that have been in the folder for more than 5 days to move into a diferent folder (Delete Me), and have put an automation on that folder to delete files that are 3 days or older (in that folder). It may sound like alot of work just to remind, but by adding another automator action in Mac OSX to email me when the first move is made, It trained my mind to process all new art every friday like clock work, and have since stop using the email action and the delete after 3 days action! With the size of my library....getting close to 60gig....and consisting of a wide array of different media, I found this to work for my workflow.
Give this a thought, because this may help you in some way, but everyones catalog is different.
The only current problem/issue that I am trying to resolve at the moment is catergorizing and tagging (somehow) all my Creative Suite Plugins for PS, and LR. Because it is getting pretty extensive, with patterns, actions, swatches, shapes, styles, etc...
The issue I ran into with processing VECTOR art in Bridge CS5, was the lack of support for previwing .EPS files, and took a good chunk of my vector art and converted to a native AI file to be able to view the preview in bridge, but there is work arounds I found.
Bridge has really been awesome for someone like me, and learn something new about this robust program everyday.
As far as PS & LR plugins, I could theroretically just add everything I get to their respective plugin system folder on my drive, but I move them around alot and found it easier to search my folder structure and COPY/PASTE plugins in the system folder as needed and clean out the system plugin folder every so often.
I just installed CS5.5 Master Collection last night, and even though Bridge isn't the same build as the changed DW 5.5, and indesign 5.5 (all the rest of the master collection for the most part NOTHING changed, even though its labeled as 5.1 instead of 5.0 or 5.5. So I will be doing some research on this to see if any new features were added in Bridge but doubt it
Hope this helps! and feel free to ask anymore questions
Later, Drew

What is the best laptop for a graphic design student?

Hi, I`m going to study graphic design. I want to buy a new computer for this purpose.
Which qualities should I look for? Which computers work good with Adobe Creative Suite® 6?
Thank you for advice.

You didn't defined a budget. So for best for the buck I would definitly go for a Lenovo IdeaPad 510p.
Very good overall performance : Great processor, very power graphic card (really nice for Video Editing), SSD + HDD combo wich make it really fast to boot and use softwares.
It has also a very nice Full HD screen with REALLY nice colors. IdeaPad Y series have really good screens compared to every other companies (even Samsung).
Last touch : Backlid keyboard, aluminium cover and "slim" (for the components).
Usually start at 1200$ but they have alot of specials. Right now its 849$
Up to 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Windows 8
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT750M 2GB graphics
Up to 16GB DDR3 memory
Up to 1TB HDD + 24GB SSD
Up to 5 hours' battery life
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) widescreen display
Starting at 5.95 lbs / .61" thin

Learning Graphic Design

I guess I can start by saying I'm completely new to Graphic Design. By saying that I mean I have no knowledge whatsoever about it, pretty much a baby. The thing is I'm always fascinated at the different pictures online that people post. They do it with Photoshop (I think they call it) and I got kind of interested in it. The only problem is I tend to have these moments when I just don't feel like learning it until I reach college but I know that I would have a good advantage if I was to learn a thing or two starting now. "Knowledge is Power" afterall. With that being said the main reason I'm posting this is to find out where can I begin my journey of learning to become a Graphic Designer. I've stumbled across a few softwares that would help me such as:
1) Adobe Photoshop CC
2) AutoDesk 3DS Max
3) GIMP
I'm trying to find out the best one that can help me along the way. If you would assist me or give me some wise advice I would greatly appreciate it.
I thank you in advance.

It's not the hammer that builds a house. It's the person using it. Don't focus too much on the tools of the trade. Instead, focus on the concepts. Design Theory encompasses a great deal including color theory, typography, type face terminology, grids, columns, rule of thirds, white space, design aesthetics, artistic talent, etc... These are the actual skills you must master to become a good graphics designer. The tools you use are secondary.
Read everything you can starting with these links:
50 free lessons in Graphic Design Theory
http://design.tutsplus.com/articles/50-totally-free-lessons-in-graphic-design-theory--psd- 2916
Color Theory
Color Matters welcomes you to the world of color: Symbolism, design, vision, science, marketing and more!
Good luck!
Nancy O.

Need Help Building a Graphic Design/Video Editing PC

Greetings everybody, my name is David, and I'm hoping to get a little assistance building a computer system either from scratch or from a couple of computers I have picked out.
I hope this that doesn't sound unrealistic but I only have around $600 in my budget to build a Graphic Designer machine. My intentions are to get a subscription to Adobe cloud so I would have access to all of Adobe CS6 products. (I won’t be using any of the Touch or Game developers applications.)
I would like to post two links to two machines that I picked out that are in my price range and would like some advice as to whether or not either one of these machines have enough processing power to be able to handle all Adobe CS 6 products.
I am aware that neither one of these machines have a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and that I would have to purchase one and add it. Which leads me to my first question; are the processors on either one of these machines capable of handling a GPU that is on the Adobe recommended list for processors?
And secondly, if I were to build a machine from scratch, is $600 enough to build a machine that is capable of handling Adobe CS6 products? When building a machine from scratch can you tell me what the minimum requirements are for a motherboard? Or are there any sites that offer specific advise for building PC's for graphic design?
I noticed after looking through the list of recommended graphics processing units that the majority of those are very expensive, in the $500-$3000 range. Can you please recommend a graphics processing unit that is in the $200-$300 range that would be fully adequate to handle Adobe products? Also what things do I need to take into consideration when building the machine from scratch to ensure that all my hardware is capable of handling Adobe CS6 products.
What do I need to add to either one of these prebuilt computers to make them Adobe-ready, If they are in fact worthy at all?
Here are the links for two machines that I have picked out:
http://www.costco.com/HP-Pavilion-p6t-Desktop%2c-Intel%C2%AE-Core%E2%8 4%A2-i3-2130-3.4GHz.product.100010197.html
http://www.costco.com/ZT-Desktop%2c-Intel%C2%AE-Core%E2%84%A2-i5-3470- 3.2GHz.product.100027436.html
I do realize that neither one of these machines have a graphics card in them. Can you tell by looking at the specifications on either one of these machines, whether or not your typical graphics card would fit inside the case If they are indeed worthy in all other respects?
And I realize that I mentioned that I only had $600 to spend, however if either one of these prebuilt machines are powerful enough in all other respects, I don't have an issue waiting a month or two before buying the graphics card and installing a little bit later.
Thank you in advance for your input.
Sincerely,
David

Your HP Costco link results in an out of stock message
Your ZT Costco link is very likely NOT expandable due to the VERY small power supply... so you will likely NOT be able to add a video card later
For PPro video editing you want an nVidia graphics adapter http://www.pacifier.com/~jtsmith/GPU.HTM and even the low power nVidia may be too much for that computer
Also, for video editing, you need a MINIMUM of 2 hard drives... and trying to edit HiDef video with an i5 will be a study of waiting for things to happen
As Harm said... a $600 computer will work for everything EXCEPT video editing
This DIY list is just about twice your budget, but it will work for video editing
Intel i7 3770 CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116502
Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121599
16Gig Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148600
Mid-Tower Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
750w Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171053
500Gig Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
500Gig Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
1Terabyte Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
GTX 660 Ti 2Gig
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130809
120mm x2 Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103060
Keyboard & Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109232
Sata DVD Writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
Use Win7 64bit Home if you will NEVER go over 16gig ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992
Use Win7 64bit Pro to use more than 16gig ram
BluRay writer if you want to write BluRay discs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106369
2 hard drive MINimum, I use 3 (as listed above)
My 3 hard drives for video editing are configured as...
1 - 320Gig Boot for Win7 64bit Pro and ALL program installs
2 - 320Gig data for video project files, and temporary files
When I create a project on #2 drive, the various work files follow,
so my boot drive is not used for the media cache folders and files
3 - 1Terabyte data for all video files... input source & output export files

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