Book Image

iWork for Mac OS X Cookbook

By : Alexander Anichkin
Book Image

iWork for Mac OS X Cookbook

By: Alexander Anichkin

Overview of this book

<p>iWork is Apple on a shoestring: iWork costs a fraction of the price of full creative suites and yet is packed with the potential to achieve the same results. <br /><br />With its word processing and design application called Pages, spreadsheet program Numbers, and presentation creator Keynote, the elegance of iWork is its intuitive behaviour which makes it easy to learn and popular with Mac users. <br /><br />While Pages can open Word documents and be exported into Word, Numbers doesn't stumble over Excel and iWork documents can be created and viewed on portable devices. Lesser known is iWork's ability to give users great design capability which is comparable to top-end programs such as InDesign and Quark.<br /><br />"iWork for Mac OS X Cookbook" is the 'missing manual' which shows users how to exploit iWork's full potential. By taking a lateral approach to this relatively inexpensive software, you can find solutions to all your professional and creative needs, from designing logos and brochures to producing a high quality monthly magazine.<br /><br />This cookbook begins with simple ways to format and organize text with stunning graphic highlights and drop caps, as well as showing how easy it is to import and export MS documents in a couple of clicks.<br /><br />This well-illustrated, step-by-step guide then shows you how to create your own unique clip art, logos, and photo cut-outs and even how to draw your own pictures for home or professional projects, such as cards or magazines.<br /><br />Packed with the author's own tips and his 'beyond the manuals' approach to iWork, this book will convince you that, whatever you're working on, this is the only productivity suite you need.</p>
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
iWork for Mac OS X Cookbook
Credits
Foreword
About the Author
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface

Making your own images by tracing photos and other images: drawing a Robin


This is a photo of an English Robin, a bird often seen on Christmas decorations and cards, and next to it a logo created by tracing the photo in an iWork document.

When designing a logo based on a real life object, it is much easier to use the "tracing paper" technique. Tracing paper is what tailors and engineers used to use to make copies of paper patterns and blueprints. Thin, semi-transparent paper was put over an image, which showed through the paper. Contours of the image were then traced with pen and ink.

The same method can be used in iWork with the draw tool.

Getting ready

Find and import a picture of a robin (this photo is by Diamonddavedj).

How to do it...

The following steps describe how to make the image.

  1. 1. Choose the draw tool—last option in the Shapes menu.

  2. 2. Trace the outline of the bird's body by clicking over the photo with the draw tool. Drag the mouse around slightly after each click, to make the...