How using an alignment script speeds your work

[sallybode]

I recorded a little video, if you use the link, the movie isn't very long, but it does demonstrate that you can streamline your work by working smarter, not harder.

Scripts don't make you more creative, but it gives you the time when your boss tells you that you have spent too much time on a project. So if you can speed up the mundane tasks, you actually have the time to create the fun stuff.

This video features a script from IsoCalc. The script is free, it works for many versions of DRAW and is available here:
http://www.isocalc.com/cooltools/aligner.htm

My little video on setting up a #10 envelope is here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/res7ell8/letter.htm

Egg has inspired me to learn how to use this free screencapture utiltiy called "CamStudio", it is the little brother of those marvelous videos on Xara.

This is a very easy to use recorder, and is available for download here and is free:

http://www.camstudio.org/

[Intbel]

Most useful - thanks for posting that.

[-=Drifter=-]

Sally, thank you SO MUCH for letting us hear your beautiful voice (the advice you gave i don't care about since i don't have coreldraw - hahahahaha)

and also thank you very much for the recorder link - just went and got it

[Egg Bramhill]

I'm with Bob!

Thank's Sally, it's a fun way to create tutorials and apart from the humongous file sizes, is far faster that creating a text based tutorial. I also believe that it's a far faster learning curve for the viewer.

I don't have Corel draw either. I can remember years ago watching Draw painfully render a "classic" snowy barn plus tree's image. You could have a quick cat-nap whilst this happened!!!

[sallybode]

Thank you all, happily Egg, Xara and DRAW aren't really competitors unless one is getting DRAW as an illustration program, the add ons for technical illustrators make a lot more sense for the DRAW user than the cost of AutoCAD. I use it for the multi-page layout ability, I use Xara at work for when I do illustration. It's faster.

For the sheer joy of drawing, you can't beat Xara. Your tutorials, Egg, are awesome, a real inspiration to us all. I had to play around with my toolbars, trying to see what I could leave on the screen and still make it a clear movie.

It would be wonderful if there was a section of the forum to give advice towards producing video tutorials like what programs work best and really, what are the best optimization settings. Although I really learned a lot with clicking on this and that to see what it all did. I have an old goose-neck microphone holder that I use when I play the piano and sing. One of my old headsets that the kids learned electronics by disassembling it came with a small wind screen, which was the only thing I could save after their adventure with the scissors. I made my computer microphone large enough in the head to fit in this gooseneck stand. It works better than holding it. I think when I bought it, I was working for Radio Shack and it cost me under $10.00. But hands free is the best with the mic so you can type and give the keyboard shortcuts. The shortcuts, cuts down on the time it takes to use the programs, so when you get more accomplished, it is a lot more fun.

I've looked around at other screen capture/tutorial programs, if I buy one, it will be Camstasia. Cintinel (sp?) has the best compression but the price is prohibitive, like $899! That's a few fill ups isn't it! Thre is also Viewlet by Qarbon, but I wasn't that impressed by it.

Does Xara own Camstasia?

Anyway, I hope to offer more tutorials in the future. BTW, this video loops, didn't see that I needed to turn off that option. Sorry

I've had a lot of comments on the "feel" of the forum, it is "friendly and a happy and helpful place". It works out well for all of us. A hearty "thank you " to Xara and to Anthony for all his hard work that keeps this running smoothly.

[Peter Clifton]

A bit on topic

I did two camtasia tutorials a couple of years back available here

http://www.clifton89.freeserve.co.uk...MinuteNut.html
http://www.clifton89.freeserve.co.uk...metricnut.html

I was most impressed with the package and would have bought it had the potential need (that prompted me to trial the package) materialised. They are a couple of megabytes each.

I am a technical illustrator by trade so this is the subject of the tutorials.

Also I wrote a few scripts, see link at bottom of message, one of them is an alignment VBA macro that allows you to align to the outside of objects, that may be of use. see home page link in the signature, I think it works with X3

HTH

Peter

[sallybode]

Thanks so much for posting those tutorials. I was hoping for some revival around here so more would post.