Creation Engine Blog

Manga Studio EX 4 on sale for $89!

Manga Studio EX 4 on sale for $89!
$10 off normal academic price of $99.
Offer good through 4/30/2010.

Anime Studio 6 Pro on sale for $84!

Anime Studio 6 Pro on sale for $84!
$15 off normal price of $99.
Offer good through 4/30/2010.

Poser Pro 2010 on sale for $169!

Poser Pro 2010 on sale for $169!
$30 off normal academic price of $199.
Offer good through 4/30/2010.

Poser 8 on sale for $119!

Poser 8 on sale for $119!
$16 off normal academic price of $135.
Offer good through 4/30/2010.

PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition $50 mail-in rebate.

PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition $50 mail-in rebate.
Only $80 after mail-in rebate!
Offer good from 4/1/2010 through 4/30/2010.

Mask Pro 4.1 $20 mail-in rebate

Mask Pro 4.1 $20 mail-in rebate
Only $60 after mail-in rebate!
Offer good from 4/1/2010 through 4/30/2010.

Adobe’s new Photoshop: Worth the upgrade

Link via CNN.com

Photoshop has several outstanding new features — it’s probably worth the price of the upgrade just for the new Content Aware Fill tool, the 64-bit boost and the improvements to Camera RAW — but what really sells this release is amount of time it promises to save you.

Among our favorites workflow improvements: You can now adjust the opacity and fill percentages on multiple layers simultaneously; the Save for Web dialog is available in 16-bit mode (and handles downsizing to 8-bit automatically); and Photoshop has the ability to save layer styles as a default behavior that even persists across sessions.

Adobe has done an impressive job of focusing not just on the whiz-bang features, but on how photographers, designers and digital artists spend their time using Photoshop, and how making small changes can speed up their workflows.

Photoshop CS5 Extended Student & Teacher Edition is available at an educational discount price of $198 from Creation Engine.

Photoshop CS5 Extended Nonprofit/Education Edition is available at an educational discount price of $298 from Creation Engine.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Comparison Chart

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Editions are now available for pre-order. This chart details the components in each edition along with the discount prices for the Student & Teacher Editions and the Education/Nonprofit Editions. Adobe Creative Suite 5 is scheduled to ship in early May.

SolidWorks Student Edition 2010-2011 Now Shipping!

Develop the abilities you’ll need for a successful career. By learning SolidWorks®, you’ll gain vital mechanical CAD, design validation, and data management skills that today’s employers demand. With a SolidWorks® background, you’ll have a clear advantage in the engineering or industrial design job markets. The easy-to-use SolidWorks Student Edition lets you sharpen your skills outside the classroom as you learn to design better products. This package also includes one free Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) exam code. It allows you to take the certification exam and stand out in today’s competitive job market.

SolidWorks Student Edition 2010-2011 is available at an educational discount price of $99.95 from Creation Engine.

SketchUp included in The Best Design Tools for Improving Your Home

Link via Lifehacker

If you’ve got the time to invest, Google’s SketchUp definitely pays you back with precision and customization. In SketchUp, you won’t run into something, like a custom-hung shelf, that’s hard to replicate in ready-to-roll, web-based tools.

Strengths: It’s got many of the same 3D and solid object design powers as the commercial software used by engineers, but the interface is relatively easier to learn and get around. If you enjoy mousing your way though Google Earth, you can probably learn SketchUp’s controls without too much pain. Our feature on planning improvements in 3D with SketchUp provides a basic tutorial.

Weaknesses: Unless you’re a perfectionist willing to take pictures of your paint, fabrics, and other designs and colors, SketchUp’s visual cues are going to be a rough draft. Even if you do have digital pictures galore as a reference, figuring out how to stretch them across SketchUp’s surfaces isn’t exactly intuitive.

Best suited for: Physical projects needing a fairly accurate 3D view, and where color/design play a second-hand role.

Google SketchUp 7 is free.

Google SketchUp Pro 7 is available at a student discount price of $49.

Google SketchUp Pro 7 is free for instructors.

Google SketchUp Pro 7 Lab licenses are available at a school discount price of $15.