Quick Tip: Create a Slick Golden Text Effect with Adobe Illustrator

In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a slick golden text effect. Although it’s a pretty short tutorial, the sixteen steps cover many techniques and effects that can be used for other projects. The Pen Tool steps may be a bit challenging, but with patience and some basic knowledge you will succeed.

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How to Create a Calendar Icon in Illustrator

Learn how to design a calendar icon in Adobe Illustrator. This tutorial covers the step-by-step process of designing this vector icon in Illustrator using tools such as: shape building tools, brushes, a round corner script, and multiple gradient colors. This calendar icon can be used in the next design or website you build.

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Quick Tip: Create a 100% Vector Texture Brush

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Texture can add richness and character to a vector illustration, but often those qualities come at a price. Most texture effects in Illustrator are actually raster based, with limitations on size and quality. Here’s a quick way to create a versatile vector texture that can be painted on with a brush, right where you want it.

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From Curve to Filmstrip in Adobe Illustrator

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In this Adobe Illustrator tutorial we are going to create a vector illustration of a twisted Filmstrip. Using the combination of a few very useful tools, such as the Pen Tool, Extrude & Bevel 3D effect and the Blend Tool, we will turn a simple curve into a beautiful Filmstrip. We learn to emphasize the realistic look of the illustration by applying necessary gradients. Let’s get down to business!

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Great Inkscape Tutorials from Vectortuts+

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Inkscape has gone from strength to strength. The following collection of Inkscape tutorials from the Vectortuts+ archive has me itching to start drawing! Whether you’re an Illustrator fan wanting to learn a new skill, or if you’re an Inkscape artist looking for a project, we have a tutorial for you. Check out our hand-picked selection of Inkscape tutorials at the jump.

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The Top 5 Free Social Media Automation Tools

Social media is probably already a key part of your marketing strategy (if it’s not…crawl out from under that rock).

But as many of you will attest, doing social media marketing effectively is a rather time consuming process. And when time’s a commodity that many small business owners lack, it helps to have tools to streamline the process.

Now before the social media purists out there cry fowl about automating your social media efforts – let me explain.

YES – I agree that often the most effective business connections and social media marketing efforts happen when you take an active role in the process.

BUT – there are many parts of the social media marketing strategy that can successfully be automated without compromising the quality of the results too much.

SO – Best Social Media Marketing = Blend of Manual & Automation

Anyway…now onto my favourite free social media automation tools:

• Social Oomph

http://www.socialoomph.com/
Social oomph does just about everything, from scheduling tweets and Facebook updates, auto-following, auto-Direct Messaging, to managing multiple accounts and tracking activity related to yout profiles.

• Hootsuite

http://hootsuite.com/
Hootsuite is a slick collaborative “Social Media Dashboard”. That said, it’s much more than a dashboard with scope to manage multiple accounts, assign tasks to team members and track/monitor your presence.

• Twitterfeed

http://www.twitterfeed.com
Twitterfeed is not just a feed for twitter as the name might suggest. It’s a great way for you to syndicate content (that’s available in a feed) to your other social media profiles…e.g. Your latest blog post shared on twitter, Facebook etc.

• Gist

http://www.gist.com
I’m only new to Gist, but it’s already proving very useful. Gist combines the information you provide into consolidated Gist profiles. Then, Gist goes to work on your behalf aggregating sources like blogs, Twitter feeds, company information, and news articles from thousands of news providers.

• Social Mention

http://www.socialmention.com/
When it comes to tracking social media mentions of yourself, your company, your brand, your products or even your competitors, there’s no easier way than through Social Mention.

Now – there’s plenty more tools and automation services out there in “social media” sphere…
If there’s a FREE automation tool you use to streamline your social media efforts, share it with us via the comments below.

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