Pattern creator Formica Envisualizer

Formica Envisualizer is a cool online tool allowing you to create, share and download patterns. Patterns can be saved in PNG or vector format. The platform uses WebGL so it works best in Google Chrome 10.x, Firefox 9.x, or Internet Explorer 10.x (it is currently not optimised for mobile or tablet use).

Need a hero? Introducing CSS Hero

 

CSS Hero is all about making it ultra easy for you, or your client, to edit and style your Wordpress powered website with the aid of an intuitive point and click interface. Not all Wordpress themes will be compatible with CSS Hero so be sure to check before you commit. There's a decent selection of modern themes available on the website, which are guaranteed to be compatible with CSS Hero.

Flame on to Flame Painter

This awesome software would make The Human Torch proud - create your very own flame graphics with the aptly named Flame Painter. It's available for Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone and comes in two flavours, Personal ($29.99) and Professional ($89.99). Flame Painter also integrates with Photoshop (Pro version only). Seriously hot stuff, check it out now.

Media Militia - design resources not to be missed

For design inspiration and high-res design elements to use in your own projects you'll find Media Militia has it all. Some of my favs are the lens flare pack and the particles pack. To see how some of these assets can be creatively used check out this tutorial on psdbox.

Particles, dirt and debris pack - 25 high resolution images
Lens flares - 50 free high resolution transparent images

psdbox - Photoshop tutorials, tips and more

psdbox is a fantastic website for designers; grab yourself some design freebies or browse awesome Photoshop tutorials. Along with Photoshop resources, such as brushes, you'll also find tips, free PSD files and more. Some content is for members only, i.e. Premium content, but the fee is worth the amount of quality tutorials.

Looking for design inspiration? Pixel Clouds may be for you

At some point every designer needs inspiration, and whilst inspiration is all around us, it helps to have a website which makes it just that little bit easier to get inspired. Introducing Pixel Clouds. You'll also find some design freebies and useful advice so check it out.

The internet in real-time

Ever wondered how many (and often) tweets or Facebook posts are put onto the internet? Wonder no more because The Internet in Real-Time shows you these stats and much much more. There's also a link to watch how much money Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. are making as you watch. Unnerving stuff but fascinating all the same.

Interactive storytelling with Odyssey

Perfect for journalists, designers and other creatives, Odyssey allows you to create interactive stories using written narrative, map-based interaction, and multimedia. Start with a template or create your own from scratch, and actions include scrolling, slide based, and more.

Get your 2014 Marvel Comics Calendar from 1975

Here's a fantastic Marvel Comics calendar from 1975 that will do very nicely for 2014, and that's because calendars periodically repeat! Thanks to cartoonist Mark Anderson for bringing this one to us all - http://www.andertoons.com/cartoon-blog/2014/01/2014-1975-marvel-desktop-calendar.html

Great example of creative web design from French agency Viens-la

French design agency Viens-la have crafted a wonderfully interactive and vibrant website; this is a great example of how technologies such as jQuery and CSS can be used to introduce new and quirky ways in which to capticate audiences, and bring in new clients. A brilliant showpiece!

Visit the Viens-la website here

This just might be the t-shirt for you

Whether you work in IT, develop or design websites, code the latest and greatest video games, or are a theoretical physicist, then this t-shirt just might be the thing you've been looking for. 

Do you get pestered by your friends, family and colleagues for anything computer or internet related? And do you end up having to Google it for them? Well, save yourself the hassle and wear this t-shirt. "Google it" is available in all sizes, for boys and girls, in a myriad of colours and styles, even organic ones, so head over to Red Bubble to check it out:

Take me to the Google it t-shirt on Red Bubble

Cool ecommerce websites for design inspiration

Looking for some design inspiration? Working on an ecommerce website? Then take a look at how these guys have delivered compelling, sometimes downright quirky, and quite brilliant ecommerce websites.

http://www.nevertellyourtailor.com/

http://satorisan.com
http://jethroandjackson.com.au/
http://www.shoebedoo.com.au/
http://www.katespade.com/
http://gb.burton.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Burton_GB-Site/default

How to truly crop a PDF file

The Crop tool in Adobe Acrobat is non-destructive; this means, once you've made a selection and you're then shown your cropped area, the PDF will still retain all the other canvas data and elements. This can cause issues later on, so if you're after a true crop of an area within your PDF, this is how to do it...

Step 1
Make your crop, as usual, using the Crop tool.

Step 2
Now this is the part that makes all the difference: export the cropped PDF as a Postscript file.

Step 3
Close Acrobat. Double-click and open the Postscript file. A window will appear, which processes the PS file and generates a new PDF file. This new PDF file is now a true crop.

Thanks to those in the following discussion:
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/471138

Fullscreen background image Wordpress themes

Fullscreen background image websites deliver an unparalleled visual impact to any website, and here are some excellent examples of Wordpress themes using fullscreen background images:

http://www.webdesigndev.com/inspiration/10-modern-fullscreen-wordpress-themes

How to loop a Flash banner three times

Some websites require that Flash banners only loop three times; I was recently creating such a banner and needed a solution. Luckily, I stumbled across this elegant solution on David Stiller's blog: http://www.quip.net/blog/2006/flash/how-to-loop-three-times

This particular solution is for Actionscript v2, however, there is one available for v3 too, see the website for more info.

For now, here's the AS2 version:

Add a keyframe to the last frame of your movie.  Any layer will do, but if you like to be organized, create a dedicated scripts layer.  Click into this concluding keyframe and paste the following ActionScript.


if (!loopCount) {
  var loopCount:Number = 0;
}
loopCount++;
if (loopCount >= 3) {
  this.stop();
}

How it works

An if statement checks to see if a variable named loopCount exists.  If it doesn’t, this variable is created and initialized to a value of zero.  During the movie’s first run, loopCount won’t exist, of course, and will be created.  During subsequent runs, the variable creation will be ignored. 

The ++ operator increments loopCount by one.

Another if statement checks to see if loopCount’s value is equal to or greater than three.  If it is, the MovieClip.stop() method is invoked on the main timeline, which halts the movie.  On the movie’s first and second run, loopCount will be less than three, so the movie will automatically loop.

Variations
If you want the movie to five times, change that three to a five.  For fifteen loops, change it to a 15.  You get the idea. :)   If you only want the movie to play once, scrap all of the above and simply put this.stop(); instead.

If you want the movie to loop, but not from the beginning — that is, start on frame 1, play through frame 300, then loop from 100 through 300 — alter the code like this:

if (!loopCount) {
  var loopCount:Number = 0;
}
loopCount++;
if (loopCount >= 3) {
  this.gotoAndPlay(100);
}

...replacing 100 with whatever frame number you please.