It should be noted for the record that I am using the Adobe Creative Suite 3 of programs. I have not yet upgraded to 4 or 5 because it is a) expensive and b) Adobe seems to crank out new versions at warp speed even if it’s unnecessary. BUT, that aside, it is a wonderful batch of programs that they’ve developed, version number aside, and I wanted to take a moment to highlight what I think are some of their more brilliant tools.  So here are my favorite unsung toolbar heroes, one from each of the design programs I work in.

  1. Pathfinder (Adobe Illustrator) – Holy moly, my work life has been a whole lot easier since I discovered this toolbar. Just for logo work alone, this is a lifesaver. Cut-outs? No problem! Merging shapes into one seamless whole? Piece of cake! If you need to somehow combine two or more different shapes, this is the quickest (and best) way to do it.
  2. Quick Mask Mode (Adobe Photoshop) – This is something that should be covered in the first week of Photoshop, yet is something all too often overlooked until much later, or missed altogether. When you’re dealing with selections and outlining complex shapes, Quick Mask Mode is invaluable. If the lasso or magnetic lasso isn’t cutting it, get a rough selection, then switch to Quick Mask Mode. It allows you to edit your selection by using the paintbrush tool, which is much more exact for cleaning up edges. Once you have what you want colored in, switch back to regular mode, and your nice, new selection is ready for whatever you need to do with it.
  3. Step & Repeat (Adobe InDesign) – Design is a field where patterns and [tasteful] repetition crop up a lot, but it can be a pain to create a large pattern or repeating element from one single piece – especially when they have to line up perfectly. Step & Repeat helps with that. Select whatever you want to repeat, use this tool, tell it how many times to repeat and how much to offset each repetition on the XY axis, and voila! Instant pattern. Why Illustrator doesn’t also have this tool, I don’t know.

What are your favorite tools?