AdvancedPhotoShop:48 Build Your Own Studio

I f you work from home, it’s only a short walk between bed, bathroom, breakfast and the office each morning. The rush hour might involve a queue for the toilet, but little else should keep you from being at your

most creative. The benefits of working from home are clear: the time and money that is

saved on both travelling and studio space can be ploughed back into your business, and cost cutting is always helpful when you’re just starting out.

Unless potential clients have X-ray vision, they won’t know you’re still sat in your underwear and working from a corner of a bedsit or spare room. The internet is your shop front and with work being delivered digitally, your studio could be anywhere in the world.

Build your ownhome studio

However, working from home requires discipline and a focus on the work in hand. Running to some sort of daily routine and timetable will ensure long days don’t stretch into nights, and quality time can still be enjoyed with friends and family. Maintaining a defined and tidy workspace will help guarantee a level of professionalism and make sure your office doesn’t overwhelm your home. It’s a good idea to take regular breaks, exercise and adhere to all the health and safety concerns associated with working in a traditional office, including good lighting and knowing the risks of RSI. Remember a percentage of home bills, gas, electricity, telephone and internet charges, along with furniture and equipment will be tax deductible, so keep check of all your running costs and expenditure. You may also be liable for costly business rates if a room is devoted to your work, so be discreet when dealing with the council.

Setting up your own home studio can help lay the foundations for a thriving career, but at what price?

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BY NICK SPENCE

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Feature Build your own home studio

82Advanced Photoshop

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© Imagine Publishing LtdNo unauthorised copying or distribution

A GOOD START

BUDGET KIT

M ost studios grow organically over time, and even successful and established studios won’t necessarily have the latest

hardware and software to hand. Think about what you really need and not what you’d ideally like. A computer, some software, a web presence, a telephone and funds for promoting yourself are all absolute essentials.

If you’re lucky, you might be able to inherit or buy cheaply the hardware and software you’ll need to get started. Websites like eBay (www.ebay.co.uk) and Gumtree (www.gumtree.com) are both great sources of bargains, with new, ex-display and refurbished computers often sold well below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Perfectly acceptable older models can also be picked up cheaply but second-hand computers may prove problematic if you don’t know their history. BigPockets (www.bigpockets.co.uk), dabs.com (www.dabs.com) and Ebuyer (www.ebuyer.com) are all online retailers who offer value-for-money deals, and for bargain spotting, Martin Lewis’s MoneySavingExpert.com (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com) has forums full of savings.

The great debate, PC vs Mac, is thankfully a thing of the past, with few – if any – compatibility issues between the two. Both Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) and Apple (www.apple.com) offer compelling reasons to use their products, but ultimately it may come down to personal choice and what you know and like best. Laptops are portable and desirable, but in comparison to desktops, cost a premium when similar specifications are compared. Smaller screens found on laptops are fine for email and web surfing, but are hardly ideal for creative applications such as Photoshop. Many laptops remain rooted to the same desk, so unless you intend to travel then a desktop computer should be your first choice.

Apple’s cheapest laptop is the fastest MacBook ever, powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor at speeds up to 2.4GHz, although you’ll pay a premium for a stylish black model. The affordable Samsung R700 Notebook, meanwhile, has been well reviewed in recent months and has a generous, potentially desktop-replacing 17-inch screen and sleek and stylish appearance. Apple’s entry-level

APPLE 20-INCH IMAC

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elegant all-in-one iMac desktop currently costs £100 more than the cheapest MacBook, and comes with a 20-inch monitor and bigger hard drive, ideal for creative work. The cheapest budget PC is the one you buy and build yourself; online guides and books will show you how. Acer (www.acer.co.uk), Dell (www.dell.com), Fujitsu Siemens (www.fujitsu-siemens-shop.co.uk) and Mesh (www.meshcomputers.com) are all popular suppliers of PCs, and offer custom-built options to suit all budgets. For instance, Dell’s new range of Studio Hybrid computers are inexpensive, compact, colourful and energy efficient.

Decent-sized monitors can be had for under £100, and printers for less, but check the price of replacement cartridges before you choose a bargain. A graphics tablet is a big plus and industry leader Wacom (www.wacom.com) offers the competitively priced Bamboo range, the successor to the Graphire4 series. Google ‘alternatives to Photoshop’ for free and cheaper options, although Adobe Photoshop Elements (www.adobe.com) has many fans and is often bundled free with printers, scanners and tablets. If big-name software sold on eBay and in markets seems ridiculously cheap, it may be pirated, so buyers beware. Website providers, including Mr. Site (www.mrsite.com) and Clikpic (www.clikpic.com), offer simple but effective ways to get your work online, and keeping a blog costs nothing but your time. External storage is prudent to back up your valuables, but if cash is tight, consider emailing yourself important files and artwork. Gmail (http://mail.google.com) offers around 6.8GB of free space. File-sharing sites may be controversial but several, including 4shared (www.4shared.com), offer around 5GB for free.

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WACOM BAMBOO FUN FROM £60/$100 WWW.WACOM.COM

Build your own home studio


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MOVING ON UP

A ny purchase, small or large, should ideally follow some research online and in magazines. Annual awards, editors’ picks,

five-star reviews and best-in-show recommendations are all good pointers. Word-of-mouth recommendations are always useful, particularly from those whose opinions you value. It pays to shop around, and price-comparison sites are a good pointer but can miss more local bargains. Developing a relationship with a local independent computer dealer can pay dividends, especially if you need repairs or upgrades done. Local computer fairs can also be a great place to find cheaper computers and peripherals, including graphics cards, processors, motherboards, monitors, storage options, inks, paper and blank media.

There are several reasons, good and bad, why you may need to upgrade and improve your tools of the trade. In-built obsolesce, peer pressure, clever marketing, the need for speed as applications become more demanding, wear and tear or simply rewarding yourself for your hard work and diligence. The feel-good factor that comes with buying something new can motivate and inspire you to produce great work, experiment and be creative at a pace that is not dictated by the age and condition of your hardware and software. One quick fix is to buy additional memory; online retailers such as Crucial (www.crucial.com) offer quality memory upgrades at competitive prices. A little extra computer oomph can also be achieved by good housekeeping, keeping everything in good working order, defragmenting and freeing space and deleting the software you are unlikely ever to use. If you’re on a PC, keep antivirus software up to date, and regularly download any operating system patches associated with security.

For those with extra cash to spend, Apple’s 24-inch iMac offers ample real estate to digitally design, draw,

paint and edit in style. The top model has an impressive 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB memory, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics card and 500GB hard drive. With a 15-inch screen, the smaller of the MacBook Pro models is still big enough to use as your main computer and useful to have as back up, especially if you want to work away from home or even in another room. Helpful online comparison guides explain the differences between the MacBook and MacBook Pro. The Dell Studio 15 and Studio 17 are stylish PC laptops that fall somewhere between the budget Inspiron and the high-end XPS range. Dell also offers a range of XPS desktops, which, while aimed at premium users, are still within the budget of many. Remember that Dell and others will configure a PC to suit your needs if you’re not a gamer; for instance, you ought to then avoid a computer aimed at videogame enthusiasts.

Upgrading your monitor to something bigger and better will ease the strain on the eyes and hopefully encourage creativity. Dell offers the S2409W, a good-sized 24-inch widescreen monitor, while the Samsung SyncMaster 245BW (www.samsung.com) is vibrant and stylish. Backing up your files is vital and a 1TB external hard drive from the likes of Freecom (www.freecom.com), LaCie (www.lacie.com), Maxtor (www.maxtor.com), Seagate (www.seagate.com) and Western Digital (www.wdc.com) are now affordable to many. The HP Photosmart Pro B9180 (www.hp.com) and Canon PIXMA MP970 All-in-One (www.canon.com) are two excellent professional-quality photo printers that shouldn’t break the bank. Digital compact cameras from Canon, Nikon (www.nikon.com) and Olympus (www.olympus.co.uk) are ideal for sourcing your own imagery. The Wacom Intuos3 is a noticeable leap in quality from the Bamboo and Graphire4 ranges, with a sleek design and quality cordless pen.

“Annual awards, editors’ picks and five-star reviews are all good pointers”

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MID-RANGE KIT



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LACIE LITTLE BIG DISK QUADRA 1TB £420/$700 WWW.LACIE.COM

WACOM INTUOS3 FROM £178/$230 WWW.WACOM.COM

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RIK CATLOW’S STUDIO

© Matmi



Creative Q&ACase study: Rik Catlowwww.rikcat.com

Rik Catlow is an artist and designer living in Charlotte, NC. His wonderful studio space and resident cat Bobo can be viewed on his website and Flickr.

Q. Did your studio grown organically over time?A. I moved into this house in 2005 and was in a much smaller space before that, so it’s grown a lot. I bought two big Rubbermaid storage drawers that house a lot of supplies. The art on the wall has also grown by trading with other artists.

Q. What would you say your must-haves are?A. Having a computer is a must for me. My work is reliant on

the computer. I love having a corner desk, as it saves a lot of space in the room. Also, the drawing table is something that was given to me as a gift and is something that I intend to keep forever. Also music. I love to listen to music while I work. Having a good floor plan that is open and inviting is essential as well.

Q. How important is it to surround yourself with inspirational knick-knacks?

A. Those things reflect a part of my personality and it makes me comfortable. It’s not for everyone, though. I’m sure there are people who really like a serene, neat workspace, and mine would feel cluttered to them. My inspiration board is a living organism. It changes and evolves slowly over time as I add and subtract from it.

Q. Do you think it’s best to separate a workspace from the rest of the living space?

A. If the space allows it, then yes. Before I bought this house, I was in a one-bedroom apartment and my workspace was where the dining room was supposed to go. I made it work. It took a while to get used to, but you have to make do.

Q. Finally, what advice would you give to anyone setting up their own studio?

A. Have it reflect your personality and make it a place you’d want to hang out in. You will probably spend a lot of time in the space so make it comfortable. Don’t skimp on the chair and desk, and test out different floor plans to see what works.

Q. Do you think it’s best to separate a workspace

© Matmi

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Feature Build your own home studio

Creative Q&ACase study: Linda Zacks www.extra-oomph.com

Linda Zacks is a versatile art director, illustrator, designer and artist, with clients including Country Music Television, eBay, Nickelodeon and Sony Style.

Q. What do you think makes an ideal home studio?A. Space, storage and a door that can close out the chaos, windows, light and a high ceiling and having all of your things around you for inspiration. A place for experimentation with physical materials, desks for messy inks, glue sticks and drawers of things you might just need when you least expect it. Living in your workspace is often quite challenging, but as the third place I’ve lived in New York, it has definitely been the best so far.

Q. Do you try to keep up with the latest tools of the trade, or try and make do as long as you can?

A. I try to make do as long as I can, but my tech-savvy husband forces me to upgrade things. It took me forever to go from OS9 to OSX, but once I make a tech jump, I end up being happy I did it. Being a freelancer, it’s expensive to keep up with all the latest stuff that comes out. I pretty much use Photoshop in the way I always have, even when it upgrades, so I’ve been using plain old CS forever.

Q. Are there any essentials you couldn’t work and live without?

A. Tons of art supplies, paint, torn paper and my trusty little scanner. A place for painting and a separate place for the computer, scanner and printer.

Q. Do you think that work/home needs to have two distinct spaces?

A. I think it’s best if they have close proximity but are two distinct rooms. This is what I hope for one day!

Q. Finally, what advice would you give to anyone setting up their own studio?

A. It’s always an organic work in progress, never perfect, but keep changing stuff around and move on from there. Be resourceful; you don’t have to go to a fancy store to get furniture, simple solutions can be found in the trash or at the hardware store. You just have to find a space and make it work. Once you have your cherished things around you and the motivation to express yourself, you can’t go wrong. Add in the love and support of your family, and the sky’s the limit!

Feature

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PROFESSIONAL KIT


IDEAL HOMES

A dvances in technology in recent years has seen a dramatic fall in the cost of high-end computers and peripherals that were

previously the reserve of top professionals and major studios only. While still a substantial investment, you can purchase some seriously pro-level kit that will allow you to compete at the highest level without resorting to robbing a bank. Apple’s mighty Mac Pro workstation desktop computer is a prime example, capable of satisfying the needs of even the most demanding of users. Available in numerous configurations, the Mac Pro is a good investment because, unlike the iMac, it offers a level of upgradability beyond simply adding additional memory. For a PC equivalent the choice is endless, but Dell offers very high-performance workstations designed specifically to maximise performance, including the Dell Precision T7400 and T5400. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS One is an all-in-one solution that is attractive and has been compared favourably with the Apple iMac.

As for laptops, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is equally impressive and can be hooked up to an external monitor up to 30 inches for super-size clarity. The 30-inch Apple Cinema HD display offers a natural format for arranging documents the way your brain

processes them, side by side and left to right. Every Apple Mac Pro supports two displays, including one 30-inch display and can be expanded to drive an array of up to eight displays. The Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC is another impressive 30-inch model that has won rave reviews and offers superior image quality for pinpoint pixel editing. The Samsung SyncMaster 305T, HP LP3065 and NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi (www.necdisplay.com) all offer outstanding large displays and would look impressive on any desktop.

Good monitor colour calibration will ensure uniformity between what you see on-screen and in print, which is particularly important when providing artwork to clients digitally. A correctly calibrated display is essential for colour-critical work, such as graphic design, illustration and photography. Companies such as Datacolor (http://spyder.datacolor.com), Pantone (www.pantone.com) and X-Rite (www.xrite.com) offer a range of excellent calibration solutions. The Spyder3Elite from Datacolor will calibrate LCD/TFT, CRT and laptop monitors in just five minutes, and includes a built-in intelligent ambient light sensor, which is especially useful when working from home. The ColorMunki Design from X-Rite is an all-in-one colour creation and inspiration


tool for designers, which reads spectral data rather than purely emulating it and can coolly capture colour from any surface. Adding a good scanner such as the recently launched Canon CanoScan 5600F Color Image Scanner will allow you to create and store your own unique textures to use in Photoshop.

Professionally printing your artwork can impress clients and add an additional source of income if you choose to sell them. The Canon PIXMA Pro9500 is a robust and reliable true ten-colour A3+ photo printer that’s capable of producing stunning studio-quality prints. The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 (www.epson.co.uk) offers wonderful A3+ borderless printing at a resolution up to 5,760 x 1,440dpi, and provides outstanding light fastness for long-lasting prints. A desirable digital SLR camera, such as the reasonably priced Canon EOS 1000D and Olympus E-520 or the more expensive Nikon D700, will take eye-catching images and allow you to work from your own high-resolution photographs. The premium Wacom Cintiq range of interactive pen displays will allow you to work quickly and naturally directly on-screen, and are a fantastic addition to any serious home studio setup. The substantial Wacom Cintiq 21UX and smaller Cintiq 12WX offer some more choice if space for your home studio is limited.

Note – all prices are approximated based on SRP July 2008. Discounts can be found in store and online

“A correctly calibrated display is essential for colour-critical work, such as graphic design, illustration and photography”

CANON EOS 1000D

DSLR CAMERA

FROM £399/$700

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NEC MULTISYNC

LCD3090WQXI

£1,526/$2,200

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AdvancedPhotoShop:48 Build Your Own Studio