Paste by remembering layers in Illustrator

If you work with files that have a common base and several custom layers for languages or other mutations, you should always remember to switch on the Paste Remember Layers option in Illustrator. You will find this option by clicking the little contextual menu icon in the top right corner of the layers pane. Try it Out>>>

Set your Illustrator tools to grey

When you work with Illustrator documents your document's background is mostly white. The interface of the application, such as the panes and the toolbox are also white by default. This puts some strain on your eyes and brain when you're trying to identify each area. To relieve this extra effort you may want to experiment changing the background of the user interface to a shade of grey instead of white. Try it Out >>>

Photoshop: LightRoom Web Gallery

The Contact Sheet Tip of the Week
By Lesa Snider King:

If you own Adobe Lightroom, you can quickly create and upload a web photo gallery to share with friends and family (or prospective clients). Oh yes, you can make Lightroom do all the work for you. Just click the Web button at the top right, choose a design template, then tweak the color palette, gallery description, etc. using the panels on the right. Scroll all the way to the bottom, and you'll see an option for uploading to your FTP server. Simply enter the information once, then save the gallery as your own template. The next time you create a gallery, choose your template from the listing on the left, change the gallery description and FTP directory (if necessary) and click Publish.

Lesa Snider King, The Graphic Reporter, is iStockphoto's Chief Evangelist.