Krita is an increasing popular free and open-source graphics editor that many artists of various experience levels use as a viable alternative to Photoshop, InDesign, and other high-quality software that require monthly subscription payments. Unfortunately, a common issue Krita users have been noticing is that the program’s response speed has slowed significantly and lags frequently.

In this article, we’re going to list the top four most common reasons why Kritia might be lagging or uncommonly slow when you’re trying to create digital art and graphic designs. As you read, you’ll learn how to potentially resolve each cause in order to restore Krita to its optimal functionality.

1. The Application Needs to Be Reconfigured

If you’re an avid Krita user who has made countless works of art on this graphics editor and altered multiple settings, then the most likely cause for any lagging or reduced speed would be that the program needs to be reconfigured.

Reconfiguring Krita will allow you to reset or alter various settings that might be impeding the program’s overall functionality. Performing this process, along with restarting Krita, has been deemed the most effective solution for lag and speed issues by a significant number of Krita users.

To reconfigure Krita, you’ll need to open the program’s settings tab and select the “Configure Krita…” option. From here, you’ll click the “Display option” and then have select “Direct3D 11 via ANGLE” as your Preferred Renderer as opposed to the default “OpenGL.”

Many Krita users claim that this change alone can reduce lagging and increase response speed significantly, but some have found other settings selection can improve functionality even more. These additional changes include selecting “Bilinear Filtering” for your “Scaling Mode” and unchecking the “Use Texture Buffer” setting.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred settings, restart Krita and determine if this has resolved the issue.

2. Your Device Does Not Have Enough RAM

When a program isn’t working as well as you’d like or even at the same level is it used to, its easy to blame Krita itself for its reduced performance when, in reality, it could be your device causing the issue.

Graphics editors are typically very demanding softwares/programs that require significant amounts of available random access memory (RAM) on the host device in order for your laptop, computer, or tablet to support its tasks and save your artwork.

Therefore, if Krita worked flawlessly on a new device but its performance has seemed to go downhill lately with reduced speed and lagging, the reason might be that you need to add more memory in the form of RAM or cache.

As far as specifications are concerned, Krita requires its host device to have at least 4 GB of RAM, a GPU capable of opening OpenGL 3.0 or higher, and 300 MB or available storage space. If it doesn’t fulfill these requirements, it isn’t capable of running Krita to its fullest potential.

To determine if this is the root of your issue, open the “Settings” tab on Krita and then select “Configure Krita” and click the “Performance Check” option. This will show you specifications of Krita and you host device so you can determine if more RAM is necessary.

If RAM is insufficient, try increasing the RAM memory limit in the performance tab on Krista, upgrading your device’s RAM, or removing unnecessary default/startup programs or other downloaded programs you no longer use.

3. Your Canvas, Document, And/Or Brush Size is Too Large

Slow response times and lagging are common issues users have been reporting with Krita for years, even before its newest version was released.

The unfortunate reality of using a free graphics editor is that there is always a give and take somewhere as far as its capabilities are concerned, or else they would charge a monthly fee like the other top-of-the-line software. With Krita, the biggest limitation seems to be size-related.

It is common for Krita to lag or slow down once your document file size has become too large from multiple layers and features. Alternatively, the program seems to struggle when an uncommonly large canvas size has been selected or the artist is using one of the larger brush sizes.

For the most part, it would appear that the larger the tool, canvas, or file, the more Krita will lag and the slower it will be.

There are a wide variety of tools and canvas sizes to choose from on this program, so the easiest way to solve this issue is to either avoid using the larger options entirely, or reduce them when possible. Canvas size is the tricker fix of the two but can usually be decreased in size fairly easily by selecting the “Resize Canvas” option under the “Image” tab and altering its width and height specifications.

Document file size is a harder issue to anticipate since Krita hasn’t specified a max document size. If you suspect this is the root of your issue, the easiest way to fix it is usually to reduce your canvas or image size as listed above. You can also change image size by going to the “Image” tab and selecting “Scale Image to New Size.”

4. You Aren’t Using the Ideal Settings

If you’ve gotten this far and find Krita is still slow and lagging, the last thing you can do is check some of your settings and see if any of them are causing unnecessary delays.

Some settings you can alter to improve performance include:

• Make sure “Delay” is unchecked under your “Stabilizer” setting in the “Tool Options” menu
• Disable the “Canvas Graphic Acceleration” setting found in “Configure Krita” under the “Settings” menu
• Turn down the scaling by selecting the “Bilinear Filtering” or “Nearest Neighbor” optins in “Scaling Mode”
• Lower the program’s frame rate to 60 or 30 fps by going to “Settings”> “Configure Krita”> “Performance”> “Advanced”

Conclusion

Hopefully, at least one of the solutions mentioned here and in the previous sections will increase Krita’s overall speed and performance. However, if you find that the issue remains, the root cause most likely lies with Krita itself or your device being incapable of supporting the program.

If you’re having too many issues with Krita, another great new graphic design software to consider is Placeit.net. It’s the one we personally use most, and it’s truly impressive. It should serve as a great stand in for Krita if needed.

Inkscape is a powerful open-source vector graphics tool that lets you create breathtaking illustrations, posters, and stunning works of art. However, it is not perfect and contains several bugs and limitations. Unwanted font clipping is one of the more obnoxious of these limitations.

There are numerous reasons why Inkscape would cut off fonts. Some of these reasons are from Inkscape, while others are from fonts or human error. By reading further, you will learn the 7 most common reasons as well as a way to correct each issue.

The 7 Reasons Inkscape May Cut off a Font

Vector graphics let you create spectacular and scalable art projects. However, you must use a specialized tool for it, and these tools can get quite expensive. A good, high-end suite can cost thousands of dollars. Fortunately, the free Inkscape program will suffice for most people.

However, Inkscape is not perfect. While the community of developers works hard to ensure that everything works as expected, some quirks are always present. These quirks run the gambit from the very benign to system break, but they all have a trigger that causes them.

For instance, Inkscape can cut pieces of text seemingly at random. You could create your perfect typological poster. You selected the right font for your brand. The words match the images on the screen as if they were always meant to be there. But then, in the corner of your eye, it looks like someone used a knife on your letters. It gets even worse when you try to export it.

While unfortunate, these cuts, or clippings, have easily-understood causes and equally easy-to-understand solutions. All of them arise from how Inkscape and vector graphics handle text. While each incident can be unique, these causes tend to fall into the following 7 categories.

1. You Are Using a Non-Standard Font

As a community-based open-source project, Inkscape has a mostly volunteer development team. As such, they do not have the time or the resources to include everything they want in the program. Therefore, they are restricted to the most commonly used or requested features, and that includes only supporting the most common fonts.

Because of this limitation, Inkscape might have issues rendering some non-standard fonts. These issues can present themselves in numerous ways, including clipping. Fortunately, there is a workaround. You can use the “Object to Path” action from the Path menu to pre-render your text. You can then cut and paste the rendered text where you want it.

“Object to Path” gives you more flexibility and options to manipulate your text. As such, it should be the first thing you try when you have issues with your fonts. Just remember that the action transforms text into image elements. You will not be able to edit it. Therefore, you should finish editing the text before using this solution.

2. Your Text Field Size is Too Small

To add text to your Inkscape project, you must create a text field. While this field works like a word processor while editing, Inkscape will render it based on its size relative to the rest of the image. Because of this, the program may chop off bits of your text to make it fit.

You can fix this issue by making the text field bigger. Adding a blank line to the bottom of the field normally does it, which you can do by hitting Enter with the cursor at the end of the text. You may even be able to fix the problem by adding an extra space if the clipping is along the right edge of the field.

3. Improper Selection Box, Filter, or Blur

If your text field is the right size, Inkscape may still clip your font if the other components are off. For instance, a selection box might be masking your font. You may also have a filter or blur stroke cutting off the text.

Both issues are easily fixed with the Node tool. The tool offers diamond-shaped cursors on the edges of the affected area. Drag these diamonds until your text shows completely.

4. The Font is Improperly Configured

Fonts are more than just different ways you can write text. They are little programs that tell applications how to display text on your screen. While this usually is not an issue, some non-standard fonts are not compliant with any font file standard.

These improperly-configured fonts may still work in applications such as Inkscape, but they may display weird behavior such as clipping. You can usually fix them in a font editor if you know the proper metrics.

5. The Font is Too Big for your Line Spacing

If you are having extension text field size issues, your font may be too big to fit on a single line. You often face this issue if your text field has multiple lines of text. While Inkscape will do its best to display your text as instructed, it may have to clip letters if they overlap. Changing to a larger line spacing should fix the problem immediately.

6. The Text is Not Properly Aligned

Inkscape lets you align the text in your text fields, allowing you to format your work as you see fit. However, if you align the text too close to the edge of the field, the text may clip out of it. You can realign the text to fix the issue or try one of the solutions above as appropriate.

7. You Found a Bug

Finally, if Inkscape clips your fonts, it might just be a bug in the program. While rare, Inkscape programming bugs and defects do happen. Either the developers never considered your unique situation, or one of your plugins conflicts with your font.

You can try to remove your plugins to see if that will work, but your only option might be to file a bug report ticket with the Inkscape development community.

Conclusion

Inkscape will clip fonts and text to make them fit into the space provided. The 7 reasons above are the most common scenarios when this happens. Fortunately, you can easily fix most of them with a few simple steps.

Illustrator is a vector-based design application and graphics editor. In Illustrator, you can create icons, typography, drawings, logos, etc. Comparable to Photoshop, the primary difference is that Photoshop is raster-based. The preference between the applications is based on the individual user and their design needs. Getting the swing of these programs can prove challenging at times, and nothing is more frustrating than trying your hand at an illustration and seeing your work disappear before your eyes.

Your lines are likely disappearing in Illustrator because the box is checked for “Edit Selected Path” for your pencil or brush tool. The “Edit Selected Path” option means that when you draw a line near a selected pre-existing line, Illustrator thinks you want to edit the pre-existing line, deleting it and replacing it with the new line.

There is a simple fix for this issue in Illustrator. However, it may not be the solution to why your lines are disappearing in Illustrator. Other possibilities could be causing this issue. You can also utilize different options for your graphics or design needs.

5 Fixes For Disappearing Lines While Drawing in Illustrator

There are many tools in Illustrator, and each tool has its own set of preferences that you can adjust to use the tool how you would like. Some of these preferences are set by default, while others require you to set them as you would like manually. If you’re new to Illustrator, you may not know how some of these preferences affect your ability to use the tools successfully.

1. Deselect the Edit Selected Path Option

If you see your previous lines disappear as you draw new ones around them, the issue may be that your “Edit Selected Path” box is checked under your pencil or brush tool in Illustrator. Having this option selected signals to Illustrator that you would like to edit your last line when you draw near it, so it replaces your previous line with your new line.

Having your lines disappear as you’re trying to draw them can be quite frustrating. Luckily there is an easy fix to this problem—double-click on the pen or brush tool to open its preferences. Once the “Preferences” dialog box is open, deselect the “Edit Selected Path” option and press ok to complete the change. If you would like to keep the option to edit the selected path, you can always use the slider at the bottom of the “Preferences” dialog box to change the pixel distance, then click ok.

2. Check the Opacity Level

Opacity level might seem like a ridiculous reason for your lines to be disappearing in Illustrator, but for that reason, people may not check to see where the level is set on their tool. To narrow down the culprit of your disappearing lines, go ahead and check that your opacity level is above 0%.

You can locate the opacity slider on the innermost ring of your tool wheel. The tool wheel is listed as a circle with one filled-in side. If it’s at 0%, it means that your lines are invisible. You can adjust to your preference; keep in mind that 100% opacity is as solid as your tool will get, so decide accordingly.

3. Check the Filled Stroke Tool

If you’re using the “Filled Stroke” tool, you might want to check the smoothing in the preferences of that tool. While most tools with smoothing mean that your strokes get turned into straight lines, the “Filled Stroke” tool fills in the positive space between points. So, if your tool is set to 100% smoothing and your starting and ending lines are near the same point, it will seem like your shape has disappeared, or your line will be reduced to a small point.

To adjust the smoothing, double-click on the tool, and the “Preferences” dialog box should appear. Change the smoothing level to your preferred level from the dialog box, so the filling won’t cause your lines to disappear.

4. Check the Layer

Automatic laying will separate your strokes on layers according to the tool type being used. So, if you are moving between tools, you may forget that if visibility for that tool is turned off. Sometimes a pop-up will appear, letting you know that you’re drawing on an invisible layer when you re-select the tool.

If you did not see anything pop-up, it wouldn’t hurt to check and see if the layer you’re drawing on is visible. To make all layers visible, hold down the “Control” key on Mac and click on the eye icon, then select the “Show/Hide all other layers.” If you’re using Windows, right-click the eye icon and follow the rest of the instructions.

5. Check the Pressure Settings for Your Stylus

If you’re using a pressure-sensitive stylus, you might need to check the pressure settings to ensure that the pressure is set to low enough to catch your gentle pressure when using the stylus or simply use more pressure when using your stylus. To check the settings, click on Settings>Stylus, then adjust the pressure sensitivity.

How to Keep Lines From Disappearing When Exporting

The issue of disappearing lines may only arise when trying to export graphics from Illustrator. If that is the case, then here are the fixes for you.

• Make sure everything is converted to paths
• Select Object>Object Menu>Rasterize
• Select Object>Windows>Attributes>Deselect Overprint
• Increase the weight of the lines

These options are not meant to be done all at once. Go down the line and try each one to see if it resolves the issue. If one of these suggestions does not work, continue down the line until you find the one that works for you.

Conclusion

Hopefully, one of these fixes will address whatever issue is causing the lines your drawing in Illustrator to disappear. If none of these options work, consider contacting Adobe support for further assistance. You can always present the problem on Adobe support forums, and other users or technicians will offer possible solutions to troubleshoot.

Adobe InDesign is a favored program for many graphic designers. It works well with various jobs, including those that require a lot of text, vector art, and images. When using InDesign it is possible to create a professional polished piece that will be satisfactory to both you and your employer. However, no program is perfect, and InDesign is no different. One of the most common problems is being unable to delete a swatch. Why does this happen?

Typically, when a color swatch cannot be deleted it means that the spot color has already been used in a graphic such as PDF, EPS, or PSD which means that it cannot be changed. However, it may also occur because of corruption in the document itself.

Though this is very frustrating, especially after you have put in a lot of work on a project, it may be possible to fix the issue or cover it up enough that you cannot tell the swatch is even there. Below we will discuss some actions you can take to fix this problem. Read on to find out what they are and what you can do.

What Can I Do if My Swatch Will Not Delete?

If you find yourself in a situation where you have put in a bunch of work but that pesky color swatch is ruining the whole look, there may be a few things you can do to fix it. Let’s explore each of these more in detail.

How Do I Fix a Color Swatch in PDF, EPS, or PSD Graphic?

You have two options if you have figured out that the color swatch has been imported into a graphic.

The first option is to delete the entire graphic from InDesign. If you have access to the original image, put it into a program that can perform conversion and edits. Once you are there, convert the image to CMYK. After you have converted the image, if it looks the way you intended, then add it back into InDesign.

Another option is to click in the top right corner of InDesign on the option labeled “Swatches Panel.” In the swatches panel, click on the “Ink Manager” button and choose the option labeled “Convert all spots to CMYK.” These two options should fix or cover the issue. If they do not, then that means there is corruption in the document, and you can try the following to fix the problem.

How Do I Fix a Color Swatch that is Due to a Document Corruption?

If the above two options do not fix or convert the color swatch, then you can try the two following options that will enable you to keep your work and not have to start completely from the beginning. Let’s take a look at them step by step.

1. Synchronize a Book

The first option you can try is “Synchronize a Book.” This involves adding both the corrupted file and a new one to a book panel by taking the following steps:

• First, create a new document. In this document put the color swatch that you are trying to delete from your other document, making sure that it is the same and has the same name.
• Next, create a book panel. To this click “File”, then select “New” from the drop-down menu and “Book” from that menu.
• Disable automatic pagination. After you have created the book panel, a flyout menu should open. Once that menu has opened choose the option that says either “Page Numbering” or “Automatically Update Page and Section Numbers.” Once you have clicked on that, add the original corrupted file and the new one.
• Make the new file the master document. You should be able to do this by clicking on the left column in the book panel.
• Go back to the flyout menu and click “Synchronize Options”. Once you have selected it, make sure that everything but “Swatches” is turned off to ensure that nothing else is changed unnecessarily, then click “Synchronize.”

If this has worked, then you should now be able to delete the faulty swatch and carry on with your project.

2. Create an InDesign Interchange or Do a Deep IDML Clean

If you tried “Synchronize a book” and it did not work, then another thing you can do is do an interchange. This is a simple process where you click on File, then click on Export then choose IDML file. Once it has been turned into an IDML file, reopen the file in InDesign, and it should now work.

If, however, it does not, there is one last thing you can do-a deep IDML clean. This should be used as a last resort and done very carefully while making sure you save and back up your work as you go.

• First, export the file as an IDML file.
• Once you have done that, open up the file in a text editor such as Notepad or Text Wrangler.
• Look for the specific color you are trying to delete. All of the colors will be embedded in the text under <colr.
• Remove that entire section, then look for it again in the text editor. It should now be located under <cink.
• Once you have located it, remove it. This should remove the offending color and you can carry on with the rest of your project.

Conclusion

InDesign is a great and useful tool to make a variety of projects look as polished and professional as possible. One issue that many people have discovered is that sometimes they are unable to delete a swatch. This usually happens either because the image the swatch is in was made in a graphic such as a PDF or because there is a small corruption in the document.

If the problem is with the graphic, it can usually be fixed by converting all colors to CMYK. If the problem is corruption with a document, you can either create an InDesign Interchange or do a deep IDML clean. So, no matter the reason there are a variety of ways to potentially fix the issue and be completely satisfied with your work.

InDesign is an extremely powerful tool that caters to the needs of a broad spectrum of users. Whether you’re an avid graphic design enthusiast or a business owner who needs a logo or brochure made, InDesign has something that will meet your needs. However, the program certainly has a learning curve and users, new and old, will face many of the same issues, such as blurry or low-quality images.

This article will cover the top three most likely reasons for a blurry InDesign picture and how you can resolve this issue. As you read, you’ll learn the ideal image specifications for InDesign pictures, image editing tricks, and more that will help prevent this issue in the future and ensure a quick fix if it does occur.

1. You Are Using Low Resolution Display Performance Settings

Before we delve into reasons that require editing and other alterations, let’s cover one of the most common causes for a blurry InDesign picture that can be resolved within seconds.

Sometimes, your InDesign images will appear blurry despite being certain they match the program’s specifications and are saved in the highest quality possible. This is because the issue isn’t with the image itself or its save file, but rather your InDesign settings. More specifically, your “Display Performance” settings.

While there are various types of display settings spread throughout other InDesign menus, such as the “Object” and “View” menus, they all have essentially the same goal of providing the user with control over the display resolution of images they upload and place in their InDesign documents.

There are three overarching “Display Performance” settings with unique specifications:

• Fast: Provides increased speed but severely diminishes resolution by drawing a raster image or vector graphic as a gray, black, or blue box
• Typical: This is the default InDesign setting and is comparatively slower than “Fast” but provides better quality by using a screen proxy resolution for images and/or medium quality transparency effects.
• High quality: Provides exceptional image resolution with the highest level of detail at the price of the slowest drawing time.

If you find your images aren’t appearing as crisp as they should, you’ll want to ensure you have the “High Quality” option set in your “Display Performance” settings. This can be done by opening the “View Menu” tab, selecting “Display Performance,” and then the “High Quality” option.

Sometimes you can get away with resolving the issue by using “Typical” if you were previously on fast. Still, overall, “High Quality” is the best option, especially if your InDesign document features a significant number of images.

2. You’ve Blown Up The Image Disproportionally

This is arguably the most common cause of a blurred picture for InDesign users who are new to this program and don’t work with digital images very often.

If you upload an image and then decide you want to make it bigger in your InDesign document, most people will pull at the sides of the image to enlarge it. Unfortunately, this process will also enlarge the pixels within the image, causing them to lose resolution quality and, therefore, appear blurry.

Luckily, there are ways to increase your image’s size without causing this effect, but the process will vary by program. For example, if you created this image in Photoshop and later uploaded it to InDesign, your best option would be to go back to the original Photoshop file and follow these steps:

1. Go to File > Open and select your desired image’s save file.
2. Go to the “Image” menu tab and select “Image Size.”
3. Enter the pixel dimensions you believe would suit the ideal size you want for this picture (You can also alter resolution here if that is the root of the issue.).
4. Open the “Resample Image” and select “Bicubic Smoother” (best for enlargement).
5. Press OK.

Afterward, you can save and then reupload this image to your InDesign. Suppose you don’t want to go through the process of leaving InDesign to properly enlarge your image. In that case, you can do this within the program by uploading a non-distorted image (delete the blurry picture) and clicking the “Selection” tool from your “Tools” panel. Next, click on the frame and select the “Content Grabber” icon (which looks like a ringed circle) that appears in the center of your image.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll see a brown-colored frame appear around the image representing its original dimensions. From here, hold the “shift” button as you drag on the image’s corners until it reaches the desired size. This should resize the image proportionally without causing you to lose quality.

3. The Image You’ve Chosen Is Inherently Low Resolution

It’s effortless, nowadays, to pick images straight off Google or other websites on the Internet, save them, and then upload them to your InDesign document. However, this can be dangerous and easily result in blurry images if you don’t know that picture’s specifications before uploading.

Image resolution refers to how densely the pixels within that image are assembled per inch (25.4mm). Usually, the ideal size for graphics and documents you intend to print, like those created in InDesign, would be 350 dpi (or anywhere between the 300dpi to 400dpi range).

Just because an image you pluck off the Internet appears crisp and clear in its preview window does not mean it will maintain that resolution once you upload it to InDesign, especially if you are altering the image’s size and other specifications at the same time.

The unfortunate reality of this issue is that the best way to resolve a blurry picture with inherently low resolution would be to replace it.

Conclusion

Yes, there are ways to improve an image’s resolution using programs like Photoshop and other graphic editors that will allow you to bump up the dpi and select an image size that is more proportional and won’t cause pixel distortion or compression. That being said, if you don’t have these programs or the image you’ve chosen doesn’t mean much to you, you’re better off replacing it with a different picture with higher resolution.  

There is nothing more alarming than working for hours on a design project or a new graphic for a product and having it disappear before your eyes. Panic starts to set in, and you assume that all the time and creative energy you’ve spent hunched over your computer screen were wasted. Before you throw your computer to the ground, there are solutions to resolve your workspace disappearing in Photoshop.

When your Photoshop workspace disappears, you should:

1. Restore the Panels in Photoshop
2. Reset Photoshop’s Appearance to Default
3. Reset Tools in Photoshop
4. Reset Your Preferences in Photoshop, or
5. Customize Your Preferences

Your workspace or panels disappearing can be a common occurrence with Photoshop, especially if you have a large number of panels open simultaneously. There are also just the run-of-the-mill glitches and hiccups that come with using any application. Updates to the program may offer a permanent solution to the problem, but in the meantime, there are a few options you can try before throwing in the towel.

1. Restore the Panels in Photoshop

Panels are what help you keep an eye on, as well as adjust your work on Photoshop. Panels can be stacked, docked, or grouped depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. If you’re working in workspace and a panel disappears, there is a simple procedure to make it reappear.

If you can no longer see the toolbar to the left of the screen, you can go up to the “Window” option in the menu at the top of your screen. At the very bottom of the list should be an option called “Tools.” Make sure there is a checkmark next to it. If it is not checked, go ahead and select it. This procedure can be done on any panel under the “Window” menu.

The number of panels open could be the cause of one or more of your panels disappearing. If there are any panels you don’t need in your workspace, simply click on the menu in the right-hand corner of the panel. It should appear as three white lines, and right below “Panel Options,” you will see “Close.” Select to close a single panel, or you can also select “Close Tab Group” if you have grouped your panels together.

2. Reset Photoshop’s Appearance to Default

Now, if it isn’t a single panel, but your entire workspace looks odd or is missing entirely, then this set of instructions is what you need to fix the issue. Aside from the default “Essentials” workspace, which is what most are used to, Photoshop also has some preset workspaces that you might find helpful.

Once you select one of these preset workspaces, Photoshop will open the panels that will be useful to you, according to the work you’re doing. To do this, simply click on “Window>Workspace” and select from the list, which includes motion design, painting, photography, and 3D design.

If you are using the default workspace, “Essentials,” and you can no longer see the panels you were working on, follow a similar procedure and go to “Window>Workspace>Reset Essentials.” Any other workspace you might be using should also be listed under the menu option if you need to reset.

If none of the workspaces mentioned above meet your needs, you can open all your missing panels under “New Workspace.” Select “Window>Workspace>New Workspace,” and Photoshop should record all the locations of your panels, in addition to toolbar options, menus, and keyboard shortcuts. After, you can customize by dragging, moving, or ordering the panels the way you like them before saving your work.

3. Reset Tools in Photoshop

Once you customize the setting of a tool in Photoshop, those settings are saved for every use after that. If you are going to be resetting your workspace in Photoshop, you will also want to reset all tools. Once you’ve reset the tools, you can go in and customize the tool settings once again.

1. Select any one of your tools in your toolbar. Don’t worry; we are not resetting one by one.
2. You’ll want to hold down the control key on your keyboard. If you’re using a Mac, the key will just say “control.” If you’re on Windows, it will appear as CTRL.
3. A menu will appear with two options, select “Reset All Tools.”
4. Hit “Ok” once the program prompts you on your screen.

4. Reset Your Preferences in Photoshop

Similar to your Tool settings, Photoshop stores your Preferences settings. In order to return Photoshop back to the way it was at installation, you will delete the preferences file that will completely reset the application. Before you do this, please make a backup of any of the settings you want to use later, as they will not be preserved.

1. Close the program if it is currently running on your computer.
2. If you are using a Mac, you will hold down the Shift+Command+Option keys at the same time then open Photoshop. If you’re using Windows, you will hold down the Shift+CTRL+Alt keys then double-click on Photoshop to launch.
3. A dialogue box will appear on your screen and ask you if you want to delete the Photoshop settings file and you will select “Yes.”

5. Customize Your Preferences

Once Photoshop is back to its factory settings, you can open the application and customize it to suit your needs. You can adjust the appearance, the tools, change the layout, etc. Be sure to log how you’ve customized it just in case you should have to reset the program in the future. Unfortunately, with any application, there is no guarantee that you won’t have to return it to its default settings.

If you want to avoid having to reset, possibly multiple times, there are other options for your design needs. Consider using a website like Placeit.net which is a user friendly graphic design website we’ve been using a lot ourselves. It’s a good stand in for Photoshop in most cases, especially when creating mockups.

Conclusion

All in all, there are options to fix glitches and issues on Photoshop that could be causing your work to disappear or look different than how you previously had it. Any of the options listed could help you narrow down the root cause of the issue and offer step-by-step instructions on how to fix it, so you can get back to designing or editing.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably an artist or designer who owns Photoshop and is looking for ways to expand your creative horizons. Illustrator is another popular graphics editor created by Adobe, but despite their overarching similarity of working with graphics, each software has its own distinct features and capabilities that leaves people wondering if they really need both or if they can get by solely using Photoshop.

Whether you “need” Adobe Illustrator in addition to owning Adobe Photoshop is entirely dependent on your graphic design needs and editing preferences. Photoshop is a raster graphics editor that excels in photo manipulation and enhancement whereas Illustrator is a vector graphics editor that excels at free-drawing tasks.

In this article, we will compare Adobe Illustrator to Adobe Photoshop regarding which tasks each program excels over the other, what unique features they offer, how their graphics types differ, and more. By the end, you’ll be able to determine whether purchasing Illustrator in addition to Photoshop would be beneficial for you as dictated by your aspirations.

Adobe Photoshop Versus Adobe Illustrator: When to Use Each

Both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are industry-leading software programs used by graphic designers, artists, and photographers all around the world. These two are often seen as companion products that, when combined, provide professionals and passionate people of the arts with nearly every tool and feature they need to be successful.

That being said, there is a chance you won’t need Illustrator in addition to Photoshop, depending on your ambitions.

Essentially, if you require a graphics editor solely for the purposes of enhancing or manipulating photos, you’ll be content sticking to the extensive toolset that Photoshop provides and won’t need to acquire Illustrator as well.

However, if you need a graphics editor that permits free-drawing for clean and crips graphical illustrations/animations and logos then you’ll want to add Illustrator to your software arsenal.

Neither software is inherently better than the other, they are simply designed to perform different tasks efficiently. Therefore, the answer to whether you need it in addition to Photoshop all comes down to what tasks, graphic designs, and/or works of art you’re trying to create. To help with this decision, we’re going to break down each software and describe the features and advantages of each in more detail.

When To Use Adobe Photoshop

We’ve already stated several times that the overarching times when you’ll want to use Adobe Photoshop over Illustrator is for any level of photo editing from small touch ups to highly detailed and elaborate photo art. But that isn’t all that Photoshop has to offer.

In addition to photo editing, many artists and graphic designers use Photoshop for:

• Animations
• Creating image compositions
• Creating website mockups
• Digital drawings and paintings

While Illustrator arguably excels at some of these over Photoshop, with enough practice and the right tools and techniques, these are the purposes you can fulfill with Photoshop without needing Illustrator

Why is Photoshop Best for Photo Manipulation?

Let’s cover the biggest difference between Photoshop and Illustrator regarding their graphics. Photoshop is a raster graphics editor, which means it uses a pixel-based format for displaying images. While you can import and create vector images, if necessary, raster graphics is where the program excels, allowing it to display sharp, high-resolution photos that vector graphics can’t normally match.

Because Photoshop uses raster files, its resolution is referred to in DPI (dots per inch) or PPI (pixels per inch), which means as you zoom in or expand the size of an image, you’ll start to see the individual pixels. This will become important later when we discuss Illustrator, but the biggest disadvantage to note here is that it is more challenging to alter raster images without affecting resolution and losing crips, clear edges.

However, nearly every photograph or piece of digital photo art is a raster file making it more compatible with Photoshop, as this graphic type is best for non-line art due to their inclusion of chromatic gradation increasing your photo editing capabilities.

When to Use Adobe Illustrator

While Photoshop has the upper hand with photo editing and manipulation, Illustrator is arguably the more versatile software, as it’s vector-based graphics increases your freedom to free-draw art without sacrificing resolution.

If you need to perform tasks relating to any of the following interests or professions, then acquiring Illustrator will be highly beneficial, if not completely necessary.

• Logo/icon/symbol creation
• Text-heavy projects
• Single-page publications (ex. business cards, posters, infographics)
• Illustrations
• Animations

Essentially, if you ever want to create an image from scratch, incorporate text, and prioritize having the freedom to alter it however you please without worrying that alterations in size will ruin the image, then Illustrator is for you.

Why is Illustrator Best for Line Art?

Compared to Photoshop as a raster graphics editor, Illustrator is vector-based software, which means it uses mathematical algorithms to create images rather than relying on individual pixels.

Vector files are resolution-independent, meaning they can be enlarged or reduced in size without any loss in quality. This is why Illustrator is the ideal choice for any type of line art, especially if you know that you will need to alter that image’s size during or after it’s created.

If you were to alter a raster graphic’s size, odds are you will witness some degree of pixelation as you compress or enlarge the pixels to match the new dimensions you’ve set for the image.

However, one downside of using vector graphics is that their mathematical formula is best-suited to flay, uniform colors rather than gradients. As a result, Illustrator will struggle to import, display, and create highly complex images contain substantial gradations of color. This doesn’t mean you can’t blend colors in Illustrator, but you will be slightly more limited in this regard than in Photoshop where you can theoretically alter every individual pixel’s color.  

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how Photoshop and Illustrator differ and what each software has to offer, will you be acquiring Illustrator or sticking to Photoshop for all your needs? Personally, we recommend having both. Unless you are strictly a photographer or photo artists, you’ll likely notice that Illustrator increases your artistic possibilities significantly and both software can be used effectively in tandem.

Most image files are saved in one of five file formats, with JPG, PNG, and TIFF being the most popular among them. JPG file format is mostly used for photographs, so much so that most digital cameras automatically save photos in this format. JPG also takes up less storage space when saving images to your hard drive. No matter the format, you want to know that photos you’ve taken or graphics you’ve created are saved properly and viewable at any time.

You may have encountered an issue where your JPG images are turning black when you attempt to open them using a program you’ve used hundreds of times before. There are a few reasons this could be happening:

1. Application Issue
2. Display Adapter/Driver Malfunction
3. Software Update
4. CMYK JPG

Most users experiencing this issue are using some version of Windows and the accompanying applications, but this issue could happen on any software. Of the possible causes we’ve listed, more than one component may be at fault. Let’s take a deeper look into these causes and lay out their step-by-step fixes.

4 Causes and Fixes for JPG Turns Black When Opening

Though most of the issues with JPG images turning black upon opening the file happen to Windows users, any of these causes and fixes could apply to Mac users. The steps may look different, but the result should yield the same results.

It’s possible to resave your JPG image as some other file format, like PNG or TIFF, and see if that fixes the issue, but there may be a legitimate reason why it’s in JPG format in the first place. Rather than changing the format and compromising something like needed storage space, try one of the workarounds and see if the issue gets resolved. Don’t try the fixes all at once, but go down the line one by one, checking the image after each one to see if it will display correctly before moving on to the next fix.

1. Application Issue

Nine times out of ten, the issue lies in the application you’re using to view the JPG image. Again, since most users with this issue are using Windows Photo Viewer or Microsoft Photos App, the fix will be focused on these applications. To figure out if it is an application issue, you can attempt to open up the image using another program. It doesn’t have to be as fancy as IrfanView or ImageGlass; you can open it in Paint and see if it opens correctly. You could even try viewing it on a website like placeit.net.

If the issue lies in Windows Photo Viewer or other image viewing applications, your best bet is to troubleshoot the application. Open up the control panel for the application and select the “Repair” option, then restart your computer and see if it fixes the issue. If not, you can take it a step further and reset the application or uninstall and reinstall. The course of action is dependent on the options in the control panel of the application. Either way, always restart the computer before attempting to reopen the application and bringing up your JPG image.

2. Display Adapter/Driver Malfunction

Your display adapter is also known as your graphics or video card— it’s responsible for processing graphics data and displaying it on your computer screen correctly. If your computer is not outputting the visual image, it could be due to the display adapter malfunctioning.

The options to fix this issue are similar to the fixes for the application issue; you can reset, disable or uninstall. If you’re using Windows 10, you can start by refreshing the graphics driver through a sequence of keystrokes Windows logo key + CTRL + SHIFT + B. The other options are disabling the driver in safe mode or uninstalling the driver in normal mode.

In safe mode, hit the Windows logo key + X, select Device Manager>Display Adapters>Display Drivers (right-click)>Disable Device, then reboot your computer. In normal mode, hit the Windows logo key + X, select Device Manager>Display Adapters>Display Drivers (right-click)>Uninstall, then reboot your computer. Be sure to try and bring up the image after a restart and before you jump from repair to reset or uninstall.

3. Software Update

An issue with software updates can be one side of the same coin, meaning a problem can arise if you haven’t updated your software or if you have recently updated your software. You’ll know which camp you lie in based on what you see displayed in your  Settings>Update & Security>View Update History.

If it shows that you have to update your software, go ahead and select that option, allow updates to be installed, and then restart your computer— which your system should automatically prompt you to do. This update could potentially fix any bugs causing your JPG images to display black. If you have recently updated your software, go ahead and uninstall those updates, restart your computer and see if the issue is fixed.

4. CMYK JPG

If you’re using a program like Photoshop to edit an image and save it in a JPG format, the image may be saved as a CMYK JPG. CMYK is an acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key—the colors that are used in the printing process. However, your display screen works in RGB (red, green, blue). CMYK images have little support in certain software like built-in OS preview handlers or web browsers, which could be why your JPG image is displaying black.

The fix for CMYK JPG is to go back into your program, whether that be Photoshop or some other application, and resave the image as an RGB JPG. Once you’ve resaved the image, you shouldn’t have any issues displaying it.

Conclusion

One of these fixes should resolve the issue of JPG images displaying black after opening. If you’ve exhausted this list and the problem persists, reach out for software support or take your device in to be repaired. A technician should be able to identify the issue and fix the issue.

Despite the division between web-based designers and print designers, both camps share a lot of the same focus and utilize the same tools for publications. InDesign has been known as the main application for print designers, especially for the layout and assembly of multi-page print publications. Web designers or developers would have considered the suggestion of using InDesign for web development as blasphemy in the past but may be changing their tune now.

InDesign is not suitable for web design overall. While InDesign can be a helpful tool with certain aspects of web design, and may be a convenient tool for designers to mock up sites, it is less than desirable for developers in the production process.

Let’s take a look at what InDesign can do in terms of web design, what InDesign does best, and other programs that web designers and developers utilize to create engaging and click-worthy websites.

What Can InDesign Do for Web Design?

The heated debate over Adobe’s many design applications and where they rank in the various design fields is a hot topic. Many designers admit that the program they typically vie for is the one they know the best. With how complex and exhaustive some of these applications are, who can blame them for wanting to stick to what they know? It can take years to become intimately acquainted with any single program: learning the tools, creating shortcuts, and building that muscle memory.

InDesign is great for creating website layouts, especially for larger-scale database-driven websites. Though it’s not the actual layout of the site, it is a concept design with innovative ideas that can be shared with clients via a PDF.

A designer can effectively lay out visuals for a website that are easy to grasp by any client, regardless of their web design expertise, before moving forward with the approved design plan.

It’s important to note that developers may not feel the same way about receiving InDesign schematics for a website they are working on creating. In fact, some feel it shows a lack of know-how within the web design industry or, worse, a lack of consideration between designers and developers. For those that don’t mind, it is easy for designers to annotate PDF documents with specific directions and measurements for developers using InDesign.

What Two Jobs Is InDesign Best Suited For?

While InDesign may have its shortcomings in web design, the majority agree that the application is best for what it was created for, print publication. Some would argue that the only reason people continue to use Photoshop for all of their design needs is that it’s what they are most familiar with since it’s been around longer. We’re talking 1987 versus 1999– an over ten-year gap that already established Photoshop as an industry staple.

If Photoshop could meet all the needs of the print designer efficiently, Adobe wouldn’t have felt the need to create InDesign. Here are the two jobs that InDesign does best:

1. Single-page documents
2. Multi-page documents

Let’s look into the specifics of each job and why InDesign is the go-to application for print publication.

1. Single-Page Documents

When referencing single-page documents, we refer to flyers, business cards, posters, resumes, etc. If you want to create engaging content, you must utilize typography, graphics, and color scheme. InDesign is a user-friendly software for creating clean layouts with precision grids and guidelines for page component placement. It has the best flexibility and control of images, vector artwork, and typography, including exceptional text-wrapping options.

2. Multi-Page Documents

In addition to all the InDesign features that have been covered thus far, you can utilize its versatile library of useful tools to create text-rich multi-page documents like pamphlets, brochures, catalogs, magazines, zines, etc. Type and drawing, navigation, modification, and transformation tools are all at your disposal, in addition to the ability to format text homogeneously across pages. InDesign allows you to publish online or share through a PDF format.

3 Best Programs for Web Design

Deciding on the best in show when it comes to web design is dependent on what facet of web design you’re honing in on, not to mention the differing opinions of web designers and developers. Here is a list of the top in a variety of categories

1. WIX- Best Web Design Software Overall

and clean, beautiful layouts with a jam-packed array of features. For standard websites, they have simple, yet beautiful website layouts you can create without any prior experience. For online sellers, they have the functionality for online stores, including discount codes, abandoned card recovery, and management of inventory. Best of all, they have 24/7 customer service! Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a website with WIX.

2. Podsite- Best Web Design Software for Marketing

Podsite allows you to submit your RSS feed directly to the podcast platform, creating a dazzling website in a matter of minutes. It still provides customization using a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, so your branding can stay consistent across platforms. Podsite includes the ability to manage sponsors and offers an email sign-up to garner subscribers.

3. EpicPxls- Best Web Design Software for Prototyping and Interface

EpicPxls allows you to create fast and easy mockups with exquisite design templates and UI kits, using their extensive library of graphics, fonts, and icons. Easy to download zip files with a variety of formatting options. Once you download it, it’s quick to customize your app or website.

Honorable Mentions

Regarding website building and editing, look no further than WordPress, particularly when hosted by Rocket.net, and Adobe Dreamweaver. Most, if not all, of these options require some kind of monthly or annual subscription, even if they offer a limited free trial. The prices range, and some offer multiple packages, increasing in price as you garner more features.

Conclusion

Though InDesign may not be the ideal option for web design, plenty of web designers will continue to use it for some aspects of the website development process. As graphic design is an integral part of web design, many developers and designers will continue to use Photoshop and Illustrator as well— it’s dealer’s choice.

Being good at graphic design requires a lot of precision and practice. Still, the very tools you use to create your graphic art can make that precision far easier to achieve. None of these tools are more fundamental than the mouse you use. So, if you’re looking for a mouse to use in graphic design what DPI should it have? 

A mouse for graphic design should have at least 800 DPI. However, many graphic designers use mice with an even higher DPI, reaching up to 3000 DPI.

If you’re trying to step up your graphic design game with a newer, more sensitive mouse, we’ve got you covered. In our guide below we will talk about what kinds of mice graphic designers tend to use as well as what DPI you should watch for. We will even get into whether or not mice are compatible with the most widely used graphic design software. Let’s dive right in!

Why Does Your Mouse DPI Matter for Graphic Design? 

The DPI of your mouse matters because it determines how sensitive and fast your mouse is. When you’re doing precise design work, every bit of sensitivity matters. 

What is a Good Mouse DPI for Graphic Design?

In our introduction, we told you that your graphic design mouse should have a minimum DPI of 800. Still, the minimum number doesn’t really tell you what’s good, it just tells you what’s acceptable. That, of course, leaves the question, what is a good DPI for a graphic design mouse?

The truth is, for most work a DPI of 800 is not only acceptable but also good. That’s because most of the precision work you do will be on your graphic tablet. If you find you need more precision, however, a 2000 DPI mouse or better will have you covered.

The best mouse options for graphic design include:

• Apple Magic Mouse 2
• Logitech MX Master 3
• Microsoft Ergonomic Mouse
• Logitech G604

The only thing to watch out for with mice that have a high DPI is that they can sometimes have input lag and slow down. The mice listed above are all well constructed and excellent DPI capabilities for graphic design.

Can You Use a Mouse for Adobe Illustrator?

Before you go out and buy a high-speed mouse, you’ll first need to ensure that it is compatible with your editing software. Since Adobe Illustrator is, perhaps, the most popular design software, let’s ask the question, can you use a mouse for Illustrator? 

A mouse can be used with Adobe Illustrator. It’s probably better to use a graphic tablet for the more precise work you do like drawing, however a mouse is great for navigating menus and performing routine tasks. 

Do Professional Graphic Designers Use a Mouse?

It’s understandable if you wonder whether graphic designers really use mice at all. You may be thinking, don’t they have special tablets they can draw directly on instead? So do professional graphic designers really use mice or is it something for amateurs? 

While graphic designers have many other tools at their disposal, they still use mice quite often. That’s because mice have a lot of specific uses that make them preferable to other options when engaging in certain tasks. 

Mice may not be as good as some of the other tools graphic designers use for things like drawing, however, they are excellent for navigating menus, dragging and dropping things, and working with points on a graph. If we tried to list all of their uses it would probably fill up this entire article and several more. 

What Other Tools Can Graphic Designers Use? 

Along with a high-speed mouse, you may also want a number of other tools as well if you’re going into graphic design.

Below we’ve listed the three main tools you will need along with your mouse if you’re getting into graphic design: 

• Graphic tablet: While a mouse is great for navigating menus and creating certain types of images, it isn’t the best for actually drawing things out. That is where a graphic tablet comes in. A graphic tablet allows you to draw on a pad the way you would on paper, except the image appears on your screen, ready to go.  
• Extra monitor: Many graphic design artists have found that an extra monitor gives them a lot more space to multitask when they’re doing a project with a lot of parts or two projects at once. 
• Additional graphic design software: Finally, to really put their extra monitor, high-speed mouse, and graphic tablet to use, graphic designers need software. While Adobe has the go-to software for graphic design, many designers feel that having extra software like Procreate or the more user-friendly Placeit, ensures all their bases are covered. 

With each of the tools listed above and your 800+ DPI mouse, you will have all the basics you need to start creating incredible graphic art.

So Really, What Mouse DPI Should You Use for Graphic Design?

Whether you’re just practicing your graphic design skills at home or simply putting them to use in a professional setting, you’ll want a mouse with the sensitivity and speed to keep up with your creativity. One of the primary specs you should always watch out for when picking a mouse for graphic design is the DPI it has. 

Remember, a mouse for graphic design should have a DPI no lower than 800. If you can get a mouse with an even higher DPI, like 2000, that would be even better, as you’ll have more control over where the mouse goes and how quickly it gets there. So, now the only question left is what DPI mouse are you going to get for your next project?