Adobe Configurator and beyond…
Adobe AIR, Adobe Configurator, Adobe Creative Suite 3, Adobe Creative Suite 4, Adobe PatchPanel, Adobe SwitchBoard, CSXSLibrary.swc, ExtendScript ToolKit, Flash Panels, Flash Plug-ins, Photoshop Panels Add commentsAdobe Configurator
In regards to new applications and Flash plug-ins for the Adobe Creative Suite 4, designers say these tools are cool, but are there any tools available for designers based on these new capabilities. The answer is yes, and one of the best examples is Adobe’s Configurator.
“Adobe Configurator (screenshots 1, 2), a new utility that’s due to ship on Adobe Labs around the end of the month, is a key part of our strategy. Configurator makes it easy to snap together your own Photoshop panels (a.k.a. palettes). Think of Configurator as a box of Legos–an app that lets you drag and drop all the tools and menu items in Photoshop, call actions & scripts, and add widgets (images, videos, other SWFs, etc.).” - John Nack, Principal Product Manager, Photoshop
If you are a designer or are just beginning with writing ExtendScripts who takes pride with your DIY capabilities and want to automate tasks beyond simple Photoshop Actions, be sure to check out the documentation for the Configurator, search for ’scripts’ and combine that capability with ScriptingListener. What’s ScriptingListener? Check out Jeff Tranberry’s excellent tutorial on how to record and edit your own scripts in Photoshop here.
On a side note… I’ll have some new goodies for DIY designers in an upcoming issue of Photoshop User magazine – stay tuned for more information.
Making sense of the Creative Suite automation options for developers
Courtesy of legendary MNR.
Update to the ExtendScript Toolkit + SwitchBoard FAQs pdf
Previously I was referring to the Photoshop Panel Developer’s Guide SWC as CSXS, where in fact it’s actually called the CSXSLibrary.swc. Subtle difference, but it’s important to differentiate the two from each other. In addition, as the name suggests, the CSXSLibrary.swc works only in Flex Builder and not in Flash CS4 and is currently only compatible with Photoshop. Another change that is significant is the fact that Adobe PatchPanel is now available and, as the graphic above displays, can be used for creating Flash plug-ins that works with CS3 and CS4 versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Out of all of the new tools for extending the Creative Suite applications, PatchPanel is far superior. Here’s a break down as to why: Use Flex Builder to extend the Suite. The updated FAQ can be downloaded here.
[...] own toolbars into Flash plug-ins. Here’s some more info on how you can download it, etc.: Adobe Configurator and beyond… 2) Next up is Adobe’s ExtendScript Toolkit. You probably have this application installed on [...]