ho isn’t busy these days? Time has become more and more precious and we’re all busier than ever. If you’re sat with your head fixated on your LCD screen hour after hour, then it’s time you took a break from the long, hard toil before your brain numbs and your creativity vanishes.

Over the next ten pages, we provide fast techniques for five leading programs. Each of these techniques was provided by experts with the promise of saving you time or enhancing your graphics with only a little effort. None of the following tutorials should take you more than half an hour to finish, and each one has been carefully chosen as something you’ll find relevant. Keep this magazine alongside your PC or Mac until you find yourself with some spare time one evening. Once you’ve done just one of them, you’ll find yourself equipped with a greater understanding of your favourite app’s tools, a new effect for your work or a time-saving technique that you’ll wish you’d learned years ago.

So download the tips and let us know what you think or suggest some more fast techniques by email at ca.mail@futurenet.co.uk, or via our forums at forum.computerarts.co.uk.

Tips from the once NAPP exclusive 101 Hot Photoshop CS Tips will be posted daily as a result of a special arrangement with NAPP. Tip author, Dave Cross, senior developer, education & curriculum for NAPP, compiled the new hottest tip column capturing the most sought after tips from the likes of Photoshop experts Scott Kelby, Ben Willmore, Pete Bauer, Jack Davis and more.

Handpicked weekly tutorials also are posted from the popular Killer Tips book series published by New Riders: Adobe InDesign CS Killer Tips written by Scott Kelby and Terry White, Illustrator CS Killer Tips written by Dave Cross, and the Mac OS X Conversion Kit written by Scott Kelby. These new Killer Tip Tutorials complement the existing tutorials featured on the site covering Flash, Dreamweaver, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, and Go Live.

Macdesignonline.com is the daily updated online resource to Mac Design Magazine. The website is known for its rich content specifically focusing on real-world techniques in Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign, GoLive, After Effects, QuarkXPress, Final Cut Pro, and Freeway. It also provides Macintosh designers the latest graphics news and product information as well as easy access to back issues of Mac Design Magazine conveniently archived on the site.