All I could think was how I used to work at a newspaper and we did a lot of paste up. We were forbidden to use scissors and you’d never use a glue stick, that would be too permanent. We had a wax machine, but I’ve heard where people used rubber cement as well. I’m 32 y/o, so this wasn’t 50 years ago either.
I hear ya. I’m about the same age and did my last paste up 6 years ago. Waxers, grid transparencies, blue lines–all good tools to know, but I’ll stick with software.
Before Photoshop it was called Scitex and it was done at your pre-press shop on a workstation that connected to the million dollar —no exaggeration— drum scanning equipment. The operators couldn’t do anything because they were technicians (former “strippers”—not the kind involving nudity) instead of designers. They charged an arm and a leg ’cause they had to pay for the equipment and training somehow.
For a really good drop shadow you did it with an airbrush and had them scan it in as separate artwork. Then you had to give explicit instructions to help them get rid of any tone in the background. And they charged another arm and a leg to crop the shadow so that it wouldn’t overlap the object where it was being used.
I had a book publisher’s catalog in my portfolio and remember interviewing in 1992 and having everyone ask how I got the nice drop shadows. By 1992 or ’93 you could do it in Photoshop, if you were an expert at using “channels.” Layers weren’t introduced until 1994.
We have come a long way. By the way, I’m 47 and started my career in graphic design in 1985. Can you say “hot wax,” baby? And can I get a hardy “RUBYLITH” from the other old farts out there?
am actually thankfull to the collective human intellect for not trying “world without autocad” and “world without 3DsMax” yet!!! (on second thought, it’ll be as neat if not neater ;)
Thom – you have sent me back in time with the words Scitex and Rubilith! I am another old fart. I got my first job as an art assistant on a magazine in 1988. These are just a few of the tools of my trade from those days – grid sheets, steel rule, set square, galley scissors, Cow gum, grant enlarger, loupe, tracing paper, masking tape, scalpel, Spray Mount and a PMT machine (a giant photomechanical transfer machine housed in its own darkroom).
I remember, or still own pretty much everything here http://www.drawger.com/index.php?what=shows&show_id=32
Swissmiss is an online garden Tina Roth Eisenberg started in 2005 and has lovingly tended to ever since.
Besides swissmiss, Tina founded and runs TeuxDeux, CreativeMornings and her Brooklyn based co-working community Friends Work Here. (She also started Tattly which was recently adopted by BIC)
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Awesome! (someone please come up with a new buzz word)
Had to watch it on YouTube though. Your screen is cut off.
Sep 1st, 2010 / 11:42 am
Sorry about that. Fixed.
Sep 1st, 2010 / 11:47 am
lol Funny. “Need Layers!” lmao
Sep 1st, 2010 / 11:54 am
All I could think was how I used to work at a newspaper and we did a lot of paste up. We were forbidden to use scissors and you’d never use a glue stick, that would be too permanent. We had a wax machine, but I’ve heard where people used rubber cement as well. I’m 32 y/o, so this wasn’t 50 years ago either.
Sep 1st, 2010 / 12:21 pm
that’s my huzband, ya’ll. You know – the guys who likes Zapfino!
Sep 1st, 2010 / 1:02 pm
@rob
I hear ya. I’m about the same age and did my last paste up 6 years ago. Waxers, grid transparencies, blue lines–all good tools to know, but I’ll stick with software.
Sep 1st, 2010 / 2:14 pm
Before Photoshop it was called Scitex and it was done at your pre-press shop on a workstation that connected to the million dollar —no exaggeration— drum scanning equipment. The operators couldn’t do anything because they were technicians (former “strippers”—not the kind involving nudity) instead of designers. They charged an arm and a leg ’cause they had to pay for the equipment and training somehow.
For a really good drop shadow you did it with an airbrush and had them scan it in as separate artwork. Then you had to give explicit instructions to help them get rid of any tone in the background. And they charged another arm and a leg to crop the shadow so that it wouldn’t overlap the object where it was being used.
I had a book publisher’s catalog in my portfolio and remember interviewing in 1992 and having everyone ask how I got the nice drop shadows. By 1992 or ’93 you could do it in Photoshop, if you were an expert at using “channels.” Layers weren’t introduced until 1994.
We have come a long way. By the way, I’m 47 and started my career in graphic design in 1985. Can you say “hot wax,” baby? And can I get a hardy “RUBYLITH” from the other old farts out there?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubylith
Sep 1st, 2010 / 7:42 pm
Hmm, all the production effort and the audio is terrible. Sigh.
Sep 1st, 2010 / 8:30 pm
Well… truth to be told, I don’t use Photoshop for my illustrations, however, total respect for the software, is very complete and flexible
Sep 1st, 2010 / 9:06 pm
I miss the smell of melted wax in the morning….
Sep 1st, 2010 / 11:20 pm
This was great, very entertaining. Passing it along thanks for sharing with us.
Sep 2nd, 2010 / 2:49 am
good one!
am actually thankfull to the collective human intellect for not trying “world without autocad” and “world without 3DsMax” yet!!! (on second thought, it’ll be as neat if not neater ;)
Sep 2nd, 2010 / 3:20 am
Thom – you have sent me back in time with the words Scitex and Rubilith! I am another old fart. I got my first job as an art assistant on a magazine in 1988. These are just a few of the tools of my trade from those days – grid sheets, steel rule, set square, galley scissors, Cow gum, grant enlarger, loupe, tracing paper, masking tape, scalpel, Spray Mount and a PMT machine (a giant photomechanical transfer machine housed in its own darkroom).
I remember, or still own pretty much everything here
http://www.drawger.com/index.php?what=shows&show_id=32
Sep 2nd, 2010 / 3:46 am
love it. :)
Sep 2nd, 2010 / 10:42 pm
Jane—My guess is that your can of Bestine is empty. That stuff would evaporate right out of a sealed canister!
Sep 15th, 2010 / 6:55 pm
Ha ha ha, I love the monkeys analogy at the end, hilarious … “Need layers!” :D
Sep 22nd, 2010 / 12:23 pm
In a world without Photoshop, websites would actually be designed faster, and look better. :)
Somebody would have built a great GUI CSS3 tool by now.
Something like Jason Santa Maria was thinking of:
http://jasonsantamaria.com/articles/a-real-web-design-application
Oct 21st, 2010 / 1:14 pm