resize - Does Photoshop scale better than Illustrator?

Is it advisable to scale a raster image in Photoshop to the final size before embedding it in Illustrator or does Illustrator use the same bicubic algorithm as Photoshop when (up)scaling pixel images?

Answer

Photoshop interpolates pixels. This means when you scale in Photoshop, Photoshop uses mathematical algorithms to determine either the best pixels to remove (if reducing) or the best color pixels to add (if enlarging). When you scale a raster image in Photoshop you alter the pixels of the image itself.

Illustrator does not interpolate pixels. Illustrator simply alters the outer dimensions of a raster image to fit the desired size. This will either condense pixels (if reducing) or stretch pixels (if enlarging). Illustrator does not alter raster images at the pixel level.

Both methods can be both useful and detrimental depending upon the project. However, it is exceptionally unwise to enlarge raster images beyond 100% within Illustrator if you are concerned about image quality. You should always use Photoshop to enlarge a raster image, never Illustrator.

icon - How to export to SVG from Illustrator using Artboards

I am designing some icons. To keep the proportions correct, I designed all the glyphs in one artboard.

Now, I want to experiment a little with SVG icons, so I want to export these icons to different SVG files. How do I go about doing this?

I thought that I'd surround each icon with an artboard, then exporting would be easy... Turns out that the Export option has the 'artboards' option, but does not present any workable vector format. The Save for the Web also has the artboards option, but again, only offers gif, jpeg and png formats. The Save-as option does let me save as SVG, but does not offer any way to save the icons into different files.

Also, I have like 150+ icons, so I can't use artboards anyways (CS6 restricts me to 100 artboards only). So I tried to use slices, but where do I go from there?

Any pointers?

Answer

In Illustrator CC - the Save As dialogue has a Use Artboards checkbox. Checking this will save each artboard as a separate SVG file (don't forget to select SVG format).

If you have more icons than available artboards, I'd probably just copy/paste the excess into a new Illustrator document.

Source: http://creativedroplets.com/export-svg-for-the-web-with-illustrator-cc/

graphs - What's a pie chart alternative that continues to occupy a predictable amount of screen space?

Pie charts have many problems.
Among them:

• Hard for humans to visually distinguish between slices of similar but different sizes.


• Nearly impossible to effectively label with more than 5-7 pieces or a few very small pieces.

But pie charts do have one major design benefit:

• Occupies a predictable amount of real estate on the page/screen.

What is an alternative to a pie chart that continues to occupy a predictable amount of real estate?

interaction design - How does something become "common knowledge"?

There was a time when there were no smartphones and computers.

Now terms like "Tap", "Swipe" or "Double-click" are common for most people in the world.

How do some interactions turn into common knowledge?

For example, even with rules of the road. There are learned rules and there are unspoken rules like this one: Someone flashes their lights at you because your high beams are on. You just know.

There are lots of times when I'm designing something and I try to lean towards established norms because I assume that's usually the path of least resistance. But how do these things get established to begin with?

More specifically: What is the process to reduce learning curve and create convention?

Note: i've read this other post ( Is it ever acceptable to break extremely common interaction functions? ) but it doesn't answer the question of how these commonly accepted interactions become convention in the first place.

Answer

You are blending two distinct concepts here: The development of ideas and the propagation of ideas.

The examples you have listed were all developed through a great deal of user research over many decades of interaction design. "Swipe" and "double click" did not emerge out of the ether, they were developed by industry leaders through an iterative process of observing and developing. This is the scientific research field of human-computer interaction, and there are a huge number of research papers on the physiological, psychological, technological and sociological drivers for interface design.

Those ideas were then propagated through widespread dissemination and imitation of both the the final products and the supporting research literature. This process is the research field of socio-cultural evolution and memetics. There are a similarly large number of papers on the driving factors behind technological adoption patterns.

The interaction of these two concepts is what you are describing as "becoming common knowledge". Hopefully I have given you enough to continue your own research.

How are limit orders selected from the order book?

I'm sure there is a simple answer to this but I haven't had any luck with searches. I'm just wondering when someone places a market order which order(s) from the limit order book are selected to fill that? Let's say the order book has the highest bid at 100 and the lowest ask at 101 and I place a limit order to buy at 100. I'm now bidding the same as all the other highest bids, so when market orders to sell come through get matched with highest bids, how are the bids selected? Is it random, in order by time, size, or some other mechanism?

And just in case it is by time like FIFO, let's say I placed many limit orders long in advance at prices well out of the money 99, 98, 97, etc. Could I get myself to the top of the list at all these prices that are out of the money just by placing my orders anticipating a possible drop?

american options - How far the spot price is likely to go from the current level in three months if its volatility is 15.7%

On Page 24 of N. Taleb's "Dynamic Hedging" the author gives the following example

Example: Assume that an asset trades at \$100, with interest rates at 6% (annualized) and volatility at 15.7%. Assume also that the 3-month 80 call is worth \$20, at least if it is American. Forgoing early exercise would create an opportunity cost of 20 x 90/360 x .06 = .30 cents, the financing of \$20 premium for 3 months. The time value of the equivalent put is close to zero (by put-call parity), so the intelligent operator can swap the call into the underlying asset and buy the put to replicate the same initial structure at a better cost. He would end up long the put and long the underlying asset.

The possible position of the operator before swap:

• 1 call worth of \$20 a


• \$80 in cash.

The position after the swap:

• 1 asset worth of $100 at the current spot price


• 1 put worth of almost zero

If I could earn 6% both on \$80 in cash and on 1 asset (i.e. if the asset is another currency for example) and the spot price would remain the same \$100 then I would agree with the calculations of the author:

1 asset x 90/360 x .06 - \$80 x 90/360 x .06 = (100 - 80) x 90/360 x .06 = 30 cents

But if the price of the asset will go down to say \$75, then I'd better stay with the call because:

1 asset x 90/360 x .06 - \$80 x 90/360 x .06 = (75 - 80) x 90/360 x .06 = -7.5 cents

So,how far the spot price is likely to go from the current level in three months if its volatility is 15.7%?

Answer

Keep in mind that there is nothing dynamic about this at all...it is only a snapshot and it is only a 1 sigma range.

High side:

([Price] * (1 + ([Vol] * SQRT[days to expiry]/365)))
(100 * (1 + (.157 * sqrt(90/365)))
107.7960

Low side:

([Price] * (1 - ([Vol] * SQRT[days to expiry]/365)))
(100 * (1 - (.157 * sqrt(90/365)))
92.2040

adobe photoshop - How to Insert an Image in to an Ellipse and Hide Overflowing Parts

I'm trying to insert an image in to an ellipse shape layer, I need to hide the overflowing parts around the circle/ellipse.

How do I insert an image in to a circular selection and hide the parts that are outside the ellipse using Photoshop?

Essentially, I want to put a normal image in to a circular object, creating a round image.

Answer

1. 
   

   Paste your image in to Photoshop. Drag and drop or use Open dialog

   
   


2. 
   

   Create the shape layer (ellipse).

   
   


3. 
   

   Make sure your image is above the shape layer in the Layers panel.

   
   
   

   

   
   


4. 
   

   Right click your image in the layers panel, and choose Create Clipping Mask.

   
   

   

   
   

Et voila! A non destructive method for creating circular or elliptical images.

I know this has already been answered with a very similar answer, but I felt it wasn't descriptive enough. Screenshots make a lot of difference.