January 17th, 2013Top Story Build Your Own Adobe Creative Suite with Free and Cheap Software By Thorin Klosowski Adobe's Creative Suite is one of the best software packs out there for professionals, but the suite is prohibitively expensive for most people. If you can't drop the cash, you can still get a similar experience with free or cheap software. Here's how to build your own Creative Suite. Adobe Creative Suite is more than just Photoshop: it contains other software that helps you build web sites, design logos, edit video, layout books, and more. Recently, Adobe accidentally gave free access to the 2005 version of Creative Suite for free, and it's clear demand for even outdated versions of the software is high. You can't get as great of an experience with free software as you can with Adobe's offerings, but you can at least get close. Whether you're a student looking to test the waters of design before diving into the Creative Suite, or you're just an amateur who doesn't need all the bells and whistles, these free replacements to Adobe's lineup offer enough for most of us. Note: Mac users on OS X Mountain Lion may need to download X Quartz to get some of this software running since Apple dropped X11 support in Mountain Lion. Best Replacement for Photoshop: GIMP When it comes to replacing Photoshop, nothing is better than GIMP. GIMP has always been a little rough around the edges, but the recent update to version 2.8 really cleans up the interface and makes it a lot more usable. Alongside a huge list of updates, GIMP added a new single-window mode that mimics Photoshop's tabbed view, and makes it considerably easier to use. The fact of the matter is, GIMP has come a long way since it was first released, and it's now a serious replacement for the overpriced Photoshop. If the slightly different interface in GIMP is throwing you off, it has a Photoshop-based port that looks and operates exactly like Photoshop. Once you're up and running, take a look at our guide to getting started with Photoshop (which also applies to GIMP) to learn how to do all types of great things ranging from color correction to basic drawing. Also try: Pixlr Editor (Windows), Paint.NET (Windows), or Pixelmator (Mac, $14.99) Best Replacement for InDesign: Scribus Adobe's desktop publishing software InDesign has been a standard for magazine and newspaper layout for a long time, but the decrease in paper publishing has made it less of a necessary tool. That said, Scribus is free and open source software that can do just about everything InDesign can. Scribus isn't nearly as intuitive (or pretty) as InDesign, but it gets the job done. Scribus does things a little differently than InDesign, so it's necessary to run through the quick-start guide to get started if you're familiar with how InDesign (or Quark) work. As a program for laying out a few simple pages, a small pamphlet, or even a short book, Scribus works surprisingly well. That said, it doesn't do a great job at handling a lot of images, and it doesn't offer that many options for really tweaking the layout. Still, as a free alternative to Indesign, Scribus should work for most people who aren't pushing out a daily newspaper. Of course, if you just want to lay out an ebook (which InDesign also does), you have a few other options, including Sigil, and Calibre. Neither is particularly feature-rich, but if you're just looking to lay out and publish a simple ebook (or PDF), both are free options that handle text and simple layout fine. Also try: Serif PagePlus Starter Edition (Windows), iStudio Publisher (Mac, $17.99), Swiftpublisher (Mac, $19.99) Best Replacement for Illustrator: Inkscape Illustrator's main claim to fame is vector-based art—the clean, simple art often seen in clipart, web graphics, and a lot of print art. The main appeal with vector graphics is that it's based on mathematical equations instead of an actual image, so it can scale up (or down) to nearly size which makes it perfect for printing. It doesn't seem that complicated, but few programs have been able to really replicate what makes Illustrator great. The closest is Inkscape, an open-source program that does just about everything Illustrator can do without the extra bells and whistles (like live trace). Inkscape can do standard vector graphics really well, and a quick glance at the Inkscape Tutorials Blog showcases a lot of the power people have pulled out of it. If your main goal is to make clipart style graphics, icons, logos, or even do basic single-page layout, Inkscape handles just about everything Illustrator does. Also try: OpenOffice Draw (Windows, Mac, and Linux), DrawPlus (Windows), XaraExtreme (Linux), or Torapp (Chrome), iDraw (Mac, $24.99) Best Replacement for Premiere: Lightworks or VideoLAN Movie Creator Unfortunately, Adobe's video editing software, Premiere is one of the hardest programs to replace in the Creative Suite. That said, if you simply need to edit a few home videos, the cross-platform VideoLAN Movie Creator is a very early alpha, but can handle a number of video formats, basic editing, a small collection of effects, and more. It doesn't come close to the powerhouse that is Premier, but if you just need to do some simple editing, or add a soundtrack to your home movie, VideoLAN Movie Creator does the trick. Windows users can also check out the previously mentioned Lightworks. The free version allows you to do a lot of basic editing, and if you decide to upgrade to the full version, it's only $60. However, if you're on Linux, you have a couple really solid options. Kdenlive, PiTiVi, and OpenShot are about as close as you'll get to commercial editing software for free. They're both a little closer to iMovie than they are to Premier in terms of features, but they work really well. The fact of the matter is that you're not going to find a perfect substitute for Premiere, but if you're just looking to make simple video edits, it's possible to do it without spending a dime. Once you get going, our guide to video editing will teach you all the basics. Also try: Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux), Magistro (web), iMovie (Mac, $14.99), or Screenflow (Mac, $100), ZS4 Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) Best Replacement for Dreamweaver: KompoZer or Learn to Code What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editors for making web sites are easy to come by, but few match the toolset included in Dreamweaver. Since Dreamweaver works both as a WYSIWYG editor and a site manager, you're not going to find a free alternative that does both. However, KompoZer gets as close as possible while still being simple to use. As a web authoring tool that doesn't require you to learn HTML, it's easy to get used to, and you can design a basic web site in a few minutes. The addition of add-ons can also extend its use a little bit. KompoZer is a bit outdated (the last update was way back in 2010), but it can still handle basic CSS and HTML. All that said, Dreamweaver, along with any WYSIWYG editor, are often criticized for outputting bad code and doing a poor job of teaching the basics of web site design. If your real goal is to get into web design, you're better off learning to make one from scratch. We've got a huge guide for doing just that. The best part? You can learn all the coding you need with free tools, and moving forward you'll know how to make a web site without relying on Adobe's expensive software. Also try: SeaMonkey (Mac), Aptana Studio 3 (Windows, Mac, Linux), BlueGriffon (Windows, Mac, Linux), or Amaya (Windows, Mac, Linux), Flux (Mac, $75), Espresso (Mac, $75) Best Replacement for After Effects: Blender or Wax After Effects is a relatively niche piece of software for special effects, and post-production video editing. It's also one of the cheaper retail options out there (similar software goes for as much as $4000 and up). Subsequently, you have a pretty small selection of free software to choose from to replace it. The closest analog is Wax for Windows. It's a bit old, but it's one of the few free choices that can handle video compositing, special effects, and a wide selection of plugins. Alternately, Blender is a cross-platform tool meant for 3D design that can also handle a suprising amount of composting options. It's not designed for the same special effects as After Effects, but if you just want to toss some light sabers into that home video you filmed at the Grand Canyon, Blender can do it. It's also worth checking out BlenderGuru for a huge list of tutorials. Also try: Jahshaka (was out of date for a while, but has recently relaunched to push a new 3.0 build), Motion 5 (Mac, $49.99), Best Replacement for Flash: Various Tools Flash is one of the hardest Adobe tools to replace with free software because Adobe invented the entire system it's based on. However, depending on what you're looking to make with Flash, you have a few different options. If you want to use Flash to create 2D animation, Synfig Studio is your best option. Synfig Studio can do about as much as Flash can do with animation, and once you run through the tutorials it's a snap to make to make 2D animations. Unfortunately, you can't export your animations to the Flash standard SWF format, but as a learning tool it works great. If ActionScript programming is what you're interested in, Flash Develop is a great coding program built specifically for ActionScript. It's a little tough to get started with, but once you get the hang of it, Flash Develop can handle all the code that Flash can. Finally, if making Flash games is more in your interest, Stencyl is an absolutely fantastic free tool for budding game developers. Its tutorials walk you though every aspect you need to know, and the visual design mimics a lot of what you'll also find in Flash, but works considerably better. The best part? It's entirely visual, so you don't need to code, and when you're done making something, you can instantly export it as an iOS game (Android support is also on the way). Also try: Hyper (Mac-based HTML5 Editor, $49.99), Microsoft Silverlight (Windows, Mac), Vectorian (Windows), Awesome Animator (Windows), Ajax Animator (browser) Best Replacement to Acrobat: Preview or PDF-XChange Viewer Replacing the gigantic, all-encompassing Adobe Acrobat is no easy task. On Windows, we like PDF-XChange Viewer. While its set of free options are limited to reading, annotation, and signatures, that's enough for most lightweight users. That said, the $40 Pro version does everything Acrobat does and more. So, if you do need to make the upgrade it's still considerably cheaper than the $300 Acrobat. Mac users should be able to get by with the built-in functions of Preview for most of their PDF editing and creation needs. Preview can handle annotation, highlighting, editing, signatures, and more. It's not nearly as robust as Acrobat, but for the bulk of people out there who need simple editing tools Preview works great. Also try: Formulate Pro, Foxit Reader (Windows, $29 for the Express version, $95 for the Standard), or Nitro Reader (Windows, $119.99 for Pro version) As we mentioned, most of the above options won't replace Creative Suite for professionals, but they're usually enough for amateurs. They might take a little more work to learn how to use them because they're rarely as well-designed as Adobe's offerings, but they're often nearly as functional. If you do decide to make the upgrade to Creative Suite, remember that the new subscription model makes very little sense when you can snag the student editions even when you're not a student. Title image remixed from Africa Studio (Shutterstock).

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Slatest PM: The Four More Years (of Karl Rove) edition

Trouble viewing this email? View these recent stories in your browser.   Thursday, January 17, 2013 Your daily PM briefing from The Slatest (@slatest), your trusty news companion. By Josh Voorhees (@JoshVoorhees) ***Reading on an iPhone? Click here for a mobile-optimized version of the PM.*** No One Knows For Sure What's Happening in Algeria: Washington Post: "The Algerian government on Thursday launched a high-stakes military strike against Islamist militants who took scores of hostages including Americans at an international gas complex in the Sahara, with reports on the ground suggesting a tragedy of some scale had unfolded in the desert. Details from the remote outpost near Algeria’s border with Libya remained sketchy, with conflicting accounts nevertheless indicating a potentially significant number of casualties among hostages and captors." An Ongoing Situation: New York Times: "In a statement on national radio, [Algeria's] communications minister, Mohand Saïd Oublaïd, said that many of the hostages had been freed, but he warned that the military assault was not yet complete and that some captives remained trapped inside the remote facility in the Algerian desert. ... He also said 'the operation is ongoing, given the complexity of the site, to liberate the rest of the hostages and those who are trapped inside.' The announcement was the most detailed official information given by Algeria on the crisis. It began more than 24 hours earlier when Islamist militants seized the hostages at the internationally managed gas field in the Sahara near the Libyan border, in what they called retaliation for the French military intervention in neighboring Mali. The seizure of the gas field was one of the boldest abductions of foreign workers in recent years." It's Thursday, welcome to The Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @slatest. Back in the United States: Associated Press: "Vice President Joe Biden said the nation could not wait any longer to respond to gun violence, telling mayors on Thursday that the White House would 'take this fight to the halls of Congress.' Biden outlined President Barack Obama's sweeping proposal, announced Wednesday, during a speech to the United States Conference of Mayors, providing a rationale for a plan that includes a ban on assault weapons, the limiting of high-capacity ammunition magazines and requiring background checks for all gun buyers." The Slatest: The One Obama Gun-Control Proposal Even NRA Members Support The Slatest: NRA Says Ad Referencing Obama's Daughters "Wasn't About the President's Daughters" Four More Years! Four More Years (of Karl Rove)!: Politico: "Fox News Channel is expected to announce shortly that Karl Rove has signed a multi-year deal to remain a Fox contributor through the 2016 election. The contract assures the ratings-leader cable news network that it will retain one of its most popular commentators, and someone whose views continually make news, especially in the heat of a campaign." No word on how Megyn Kelly feels about that. GOP Looks To Maximize Debt Leverage: Associated Press: "House Republicans may seek a quick, short-term extension of the government's debt limit, a move that would avoid an immediate default by the Treasury as the party seeks to maximize leverage in negotiations over spending cuts with President Barack Obama this spring, officials said Thursday. 'All options are on the table as far as we're concerned,"'Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said at a news conference during a three-day retreat of the rank and file. He said private discussions focused on how best to 'achieve progress on controlling our deficits and controlling our debt.'" Weigel: Paul Ryan: Government Can Avoid Default, Prioritize Spending if We Hit the Debt Limit Moneybox: House GOP Considering New Strategy on Fiscal Issues: Surrender! Weigel: What Are Republicans Learning at Their Retreat, Anyway? RIP, Dear Abby: New York Times: "Pauline Phillips, a California housewife who nearly 60 years ago, seeking something more meaningful than mah-jongg, transformed herself into the syndicated columnist Dear Abby — and in so doing became a trusted, tart-tongued adviser to tens of millions — died on Wednesday in Minneapolis. She was 94. Her syndicate, Universal Uclick, announced her death on its Web site. A longtime resident of Beverly Hills, Calif., Mrs. Phillips, who had been ill with Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade, had lived in Minneapolis in recent years to be near family. If Damon Runyon and Groucho Marx had gone jointly into the advice business, their column would have read much like Dear Abby’s." Latest From Slate on Manti Te'o And His (Literally) Unreal Girlfriend: The Slatest: Manti Te'o Reportedly Promised Notre Dame That He'd Be the One To Go Public With Hoax Story The Slatest: Notre Dame Says Manti Te'o Fell For a "Catfish" Scam. What's Exactly Is That? Brow Beat: Manti Te’o: Catfish? Or Catfish Victim? Sports Nut: Why Sportswriters Were So Easily Duped by the Fake Story of Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend XX Factor: A Tale of Two Dead Girls and Notre Dame Football Brow Beat: You Could Just Buy a Fake Internet Girlfriend Future Tense: Here Are Five Other Bizarre Tales of Alleged Internet Dating Imposters Instagram Wants You To Know It's Doing Just Fine: AllThingsD: After weeks of accusations that Instagram has seen a sharp drop in its user numbers, the photo-sharing service released new data that gives better insight into the actual number of people using the service on a regular basis. At last count, more than 90 million people use Instagram on a monthly basis, the company said on Thursday. Moreover, the company is seeing growth rather than decline; that number is up ten percent, month on month, in the period from December to January." FLOTUS Gets Worst B-Day Gift Ever: Washington Post: "Michelle Obama’s office debuted a new official Twitter account on Thursday with a tweet seeking well wishes for the first lady on her 49th birthday. ... The set up is similar to that of the official @WhiteHouse account and President Obama’s @BarackObama. There are already Twitter accounts associated with the first lady’s Let’s Move and Joining Forces initiatives. @FLOTUS is quickly amassing followers (8,000 within 45 minutes of its first tweet), birthday greetings, and snark." A Few More Quick Hits From Slate— The Slatest: Whole Foods CEO Rethinks Decision To Compare Obamacare to "Fascism" Weigel: The Voting Rights Act and the GOP's Gerrymandering Advantage The Slatest: Most Americans No Longer Think the Abortion Debate is All That Important The Vault: Hitler the Cat, Star of the 1939 World's Fair TNC: Former Miss Alabama Katherine Webb, Ogled by Brent Musburger, Lands TV Job XX Factor: Can We Really "Cure" Autism? Behold: America’s Next Top Weather Reporter: 1980s Edition XX Factor: The Real Problem With Esquire's Insane Megan Fox Profile See you back here tomorrow. Until then, tell your friends to subscribe, or simply forward the newsletter on and let them make up their own minds. BEST FEATURED STORIES Esquire's Nutty Profile of Megan Fox Is Ridiculous and Weak What Exactly Is a "Catfish" Scam? If You're Reading This Headline, Your Kid Probably Doesn't Need Preschool House GOP Considering New Strategy on Fiscal Issues: Surrender!   Copyright 2013 The Slate Group | Privacy Policy The Slate Group | c/o E-mail Customer Care | 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 410 | Washington, D.C. 20036 Unsubscribe | Forward to a Friend

Americans Will Continue To Spend More On Drugs Than The Rest Of The World In 2016

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		Home Tech Finance Markets Politics Strategy Entertainment Advertising Retail Sports Life Thursday, January 17, 2013 Americans Will Continue To Spend More On Drugs Than The Rest Of The World In 2016 In 2016, the average American will still be spending way more money on pharmaceuticals than the rest of the world.  They'll be spending three times as much as the average European.  This is according to a 2012 study from IMS Health. Not accounting for inflation*, the average American will spend $892 on drugs, versus the $375 the average European** is expected to spend, according to a report from IMS. Indians will likely spend the least, at $33 per person. Here's a chart from IMS that shows what spending per person in different countries will look like in 2016: *Real spending in 2005$ at variable exchange rates, adjusted for purchasing power parity. **France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece Read » Also On Money Game Today: New Zealand Kiwi Plunges After Inflation Comes In LOWER Than Expected Wind Beat Natural Gas As America's Fastest-Growing Source Of Power In 2012 Advertisement CHART OF THE DAY: The Greatest Investing Lesson Of The Past Five Years CHART OF THE DAY: Home Prices Climbed At The Fastest Rate Since May 2006 CHART OF THE DAY: The Moment Investors Stopped Freaking Out About A Eurozone Break-Up Share this: Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit StumbleUpon LinkedIn The email address for your subscription is: dwyld.kwu.jobhuntportal11@blogger.com Change Your Email Address | Unsubscribe | Subscribe | Subscribe to the Money Game RSS Feed Business Insider. 257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010 Terms of Service | Privacy Policy

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