Tips for using InDesign and Photoshop at work: Vladimir Verano interview

Indesign and Photoshop

Ahead of the upcoming training courses InDesign and Photoshop for publishers, BookMachine are running a series of interviews with industry professionals to understand how they use the tools at work. The following interview by Katie Dodson is with Vladimir Verano, Production Manager and lead Designer at Third Place Publishing.

1) How frequently do you use Photoshop/InDesign and when did you start using it regularly?

I use Photoshop and InDesign every day in my duties as designer and production manager for Third Place Press. I have been running the press since later 2009, and immediately began to use both regularly. I had already been using older iterations of Photoshop and InDesign for over a decade on a freelance capacity, but that was sporadic.

2) What methods do you use to keep updated and improve on your skills?

I find that project-specific situations force me to improve my skills on Photoshop and InDesign. If I need to create an effect that I don’t know how to achieve, I usually go to online forums to find the exact process to achieve what I need.

3) Would you mind sharing a top trick with us?

Since before I ever used Photoshop, I was into making photo-collage. Pre-Photoshop it was all hand-made, meticulously cutting and merging images gathered from a variety of sources (magazines, newspapers, etc.). When I started using Photoshop I would pull images off the internet (I had yet to learn the nuances of fair use and copyright), and would notice the images were low resolution, around 72 dpi. I found a method of scaling so that I could make the same image print quality, 300 dpi.

Image > Image size (alter digital dimensions and dpi to 300)
Filter > Gaussian Blur (work sliders to reduce pixels and other glitches)
Filter > Smart Sharpen (I would play around with Amount and Radius on Sharpen to redefine lines).

There are a few other tricks I would use to further smooth the image lines, but the above is a starting point for print quality images.
I find I use this method to help resurrect low-resolution images that clients took with digital cameras or cell phones that they want to use in their books.

4) Could you please share a couple of links to your work?

My main design page (which sorely needs updating) http://vladimirverano.crevado.com
I’m also a member of a theatre group where I do all our poster work – click to view

5) What advice would you give to anyone wanting to improve how they use Photoshop/ InDesign?

If you’re not using Photoshop or InDesign every day, set yourself a project.

I’ve found that it takes roughly a month for someone to lose touch with the complexity of both programs, even if they’ve taken classes.

So my advice is: set yourself a project every couple of weeks. Make a show poster; redesign a famous book cover; alter or colour your own illustrations; lay out a zine, or create promotional items like postcards. That way, you’re constantly in touch with the various menu options and effects and every time you work on a new project, you don’t spend valuable time hunting through the drop-down menu items.

6) What do you use Photoshop/InDesign for mainly?

I use Photoshop for a variety of reasons: at the Press I use it to alter images for my book & cover designs (colour correcting old photos for memoir projects, etc.). I also use Photoshop for my freelance work, which is a combination of graphic design and illustration, a succinct example is in this photo (I designed and illustrated most of the items in it): https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ00M7FFKB1/

InDesign is my primary workhorse for book & cover layout. I also build most of my promotional materials in InDesign if I can.

If you too would like to improve on how you use In Design/Photoshop at work, you can register on these courses by following the links below:

InDesign: http://bit.ly/2lD5yTw
Photoshop: http://bit.ly/2m4P8Ey

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