Fall 2012 Connect Schedule

Happy Fair Season! Below is the schedule for Connect sessions offered by the Tech Unit of CSU Extension. There are two basic threads: on the first Wednesday of every month we'll be exploring Adobe Acrobat and the creation of PDF forms; on the third Wednesday of each month Joanne Littlefield and I will collaborate on a series of sessions about working with graphics, logos and templates.

All sessions will start at 9 a.m. MST, and will last approximately 45 minutes.

• 9/5 – Adobe forms 1: Creating the form
• 9/19 - Brochure templates (w/Joanne Littlefield)
• 10/3 – Adobe forms 2: Distributing the form
• 10/17 - Working with logos (w/Joanne Littlefield)
• 11/7 – Adobe forms 3: Collecting the data
• 11/21 - Newsletter templates (w/Joanne Littlefield)
• 12/5 – PDF security
• 12/19 - Graphics for the web / Pixlr (w/Joanne Littlefield)
• 1/9 – Google docs forms
• 1/16 – Posters (w/Joanne Littlefield)

In addition, the Adobe Acrobat sessions will be offered to our Extension colleagues across the country through eXtension.

Downloading .EPS Graphic Files

The .EPS format is a type of graphic that can only be opened and manipulated by programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. It's an excellent format to work with in that .EPS vector graphics can be resized without losing resolution or pixelating. Unfortunately, because it is a proprietary format that can only be opened and modified with certain programs (such as Illustrator and Photoshop), it can be a bit tricky to work with if you don't have the appropriate program.

The good news: if you don't have Illustrator or Photoshop, you can still download and use .EPS files. Here's how. Left-click on the link and choose the Save As command to save it to your desktop or an easy to access folder. Now, browse to the file and look at it. If no programs on your computer recognize the .EPS extension, your browser may change the file extension to .PS. If that happens, here's the key step to remember: change the file extension back to .EPS. How? Right-click the file, choose Rename, and change the file extension (the part after the dot) back to .EPS manually. You may get an error message warning you not to change file extensions - generally a good idea - but it can be safely ignored in this context.

Then, to use the graphic in a program such as Word, PowerPoint, or Publisher, use the Insert>Picture>From File commands to browse to the .EPS graphic and insert the image into your document.

Thanks to the CSU Graphic Standards page for this information.

New CSU Extension Logos

Revisions have been made to the CSU Extension wordmark and other associated artwork. The new graphics are located online at www.ext.colostate.edu/logos/. The revisions include a decreased space between the CSU logo and the Extension "swoosh" underneath it, and the availability of an alternate shade of green. Contact Joanne Littlefield if you have any questions. You do not need to replace any graphics currently in use, but are expected to use the new graphics as you create new outreach materials.

Publisher and PowerPoint Templates

Much has been made of the Extension webpage templates, but there are other templates at your disposal as well, for brochures, reports and PowerPoint presentations. Also available are a wide range of loges, in different colors, sizes, alignments and backgrounds.

Template for Publisher brochures are available at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/logos/Communications%20Template-Instructions/. There are templates here for Colorado Living brochures, 4H brochures (one is shown below), and general Extension brochures. Also available here, inside the Photos folder, are a wide range of photos and images, cleared for use. The instructions for using all of these are resources are posted at the URL as well.



Templates for a wide range of press releases and reports are available at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/logos/Communications%20Template-Instructions/Report%20templates/. Many of these allow you to easily insert an image of your own to personalize the graphics (a letterhead with an blank placeholder for your own image is shown below). Instructions are posted.



Template for PowerPoint presentations are available at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/logos/PP_Templates/. One of the Master Gardener title slides is shown below.



Finally, a vast number of CSU, Extension, 4H and Master Gardener logos, in many formats, sizes, colors, and alignments, are available at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/staffres/bulletin/logos.html. Applicable graphic standards are posted here as well. The MG logo is shown below.

Free customizable buttons and gradients

Dynamic Drive (http://www.dynamicdrive.com/) has many free and easy to use tools available for use. With them you can create custom web buttons, custom gradients (backgrounds that gradually shift form one color to another), and favicons, which are the little icons that appear to the left of the URL in the browser. You can optimize web images online, and change them from one type of image to another (e.g. a .png to a .gif). There is also an email encryption tool, but it doesn't appear to play well with Outlook.

Regardless of which tool you choose, the process is the same: you enter the variables (e.g. for gradients, you give the desired image size and the colors to use) and Dynamic Drive generates the image for you. In some cases it will generate code for you. The site always gives clear instructions as to where to cut and paste the code into your website.

Below is a custom gradient using Dynamic Drive tools.


And, finally, a screenshot of a "favicon" added to a blog URL.