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Apple 0-Day allows hackers to mimic mouse-clicks for kernel access, despite mitigations. View the full article

LAS VEGAS – In recent years there has been more attention paid to the security of medical devices; however, there has been little security research done on the unique protocols used by these devices. Many of the insulin pumps, heart monitors and other gadgets found in hospital rooms use aging protocol to communicate with nurses’ […] View the full article

Creating an apocalyptic sci-fi city scene in 3D art is something artists might shy away from doing because of the vast complexity of the subject, 3D models and textures needed. But with smart ways to tackle it, it is certainly doable. There are many different paths you can choose to achieve the final visualised image you have in mind. In this tutorial, I‘ll shed some light on the process I used to make this night-time scene. I try not to limit myself too much with a strict and predetermined workflow, or the software I use. My workflow may differ minimally to vastly depending on the project I’m working on. Software packages are just different tools that help you to get things done. 31 brilliant Blender tutorials Most of my projects start with a concept sketching stage in 2D, but this time I started in 3D. If you’re interested in 3D concepting, I strongly recommend Jama Jurabaev‘s Intro to 3D Concept Design course on Learn Squared. Procedurally generating a city can vastly speed up the initial stage of finding a good concept, camera position and composition. You don‘t need to worry about getting the perspective of your 2D buildings right; in 3D you can simply reposition your camera and instantly have a completely different picture. 01. Look for references Look beyond Google for reference images As I already have a pretty good picture in mind of what I wanted to do – an apocalyptic, Independence Day-inspired scene – I start with hunting for reference. If all you want is reference pictures, Google is a good place to start, but if you intend to use those references in some way or another in your picture (textures, and so on), you should look for royalty-free images. Pixabay and Textures.com are a big help there. 02. Create the assets Photoshop brushes allow for the buildings to be painted quickly I use a procedural approach to model the buildings. The lower buildings are all displaced planes. I hand-paint a few displacement maps of single buildings with Photoshop and convert them into brushes. This method allows me to quickly ‘paint’ displacement maps for entire city blocks. These blocks can then be instanced to give the illusion of a highly detailed city. The higher buildings are roughly modelled with no attention to topology. We will add details later. 03. Add textures and shading Blender randomly allocates the textures The texturing and shading is done (partially) procedurally. I compile several pictures of cities to texture atlases. I then map, shade, alter and randomly distribute those textures with Blender’s powerful node system. For every diffuse map I plug in, the shader network automatically generates a specular- and bump-map. Not a single building is manually UV-unwrapped – all are box-mapped with some random shifting of the coordinates. 04. Streamline your lighting Lighting is mapped in a similar way to the textures I compile light texture atlases the same way I did the diffuse textures of the buildings. The mapping is also done the same way except blocking the textures on faces, which point upwards to avoid having lights on the roof. Distributing them randomly means they often don‘t match up perfectly to the diffuse textures. There is definitely a trade-off between being fast and flexible, and probably having to fix some things in post-production. 05. Shift and scale UVs Displacement maps are modelled in real time The base of the ship is a really simple model, which I then UV-unwrap, subdivide and displace with a displacement map I find in a Blender forum thread. The UVs are all rectangular and not rotated so the displacement follows the round form of the ship. With such a set up you can shift and scale the UVs to model the ship with displacement maps in real time. This is an extremely fast and intuitive way of doing greeble-like surfaces. 06. Experiment with building layouts Different building layouts can be played with quickly Now the fun part begins. This is where all the work comes together. First, bundle all the buildings into separate groups that feed particle systems. By doing this, you can change the random seed of a particle system and shuffle through randomly generated cities to find an arrangement that you like. This is the power of 3D concepting – you can generate several layouts in a really short amount of time. 07. Create lighting with HDR HDRs produce true to life lighting quickly The scene is lit entirely with a HDR image. There are numerous places on the internet that provide high-resolution HDRs these days. HDRs have two major advantages for 3D concepting; they render extremely fast and give you realistic lighting with a click of a button. I pick a few that I then import into Blender to quickly test out a few lighting scenarios. Cycles, Blender’s modern built-in viewport renderer, makes this a breeze. 08. Do render passes Allow plenty of time for a beauty render Beside doing a beauty render, I also render out several passes for compositing. These include, ID passes so I can quickly select individual buildings; Z-depth passes to simulate the atmosphere; Normal passes for eventual relighting; and, of course, several light passes. The beauty render needs around 20 minutes in 4K to be reasonably noise free. The additional passes are ready in a fraction of that time. 09. Create atmosphere Build the image up from the background to the foreground With the already prepared and rendered passes, the compositing is really straight forward. I usually work from the background to the foreground. The sky sets the mood. With the Z-depth pass I‘m able to give the image a nice atmosphere. The light passes are then added on top and blended between them, depending on which light pass looks best on the buildings. 10. Add details Fixing is easier than adding every single detail Now comes the payback for not doing things properly before rendering. But most of the time fixing things in post is far less work than having to model every little detail and care about every pixel in the render. In this stage, I blend the spaceship with the clouds, add red lights on the roofs, add cranes, chimneys, antennas, the electric lightning below the ship and the smoke between the buildings. And generally fix everything that wasn‘t perfect! 11. Finalise the scene Recreate a camera lens to finish off the image The final step is to replicate the effects of a real camera’s lens and film; to make the scene look as it would have looked if it had been shot in the real world. So, I slightly blur the scene, add bloom, lens distortion, a slight chromatic aberration, vignetting, film grain, and finally give it a cinema-like colour grading. I love this part. This is when everything you worked on blends together to form something real. It‘s like magic. This article was originally published in 3D World magazine. Subscribe here. Read more: How to create a photorealistic room scene Master procedural modelling Create a tiles material in Substance Designer View the full article

I’ve always liked the undead, and will often root for the ragged underdog who’s so often reduced to a moving target. Many of my works feature characters who have a ghoulish appearance, and here I’ve used an unnatural cold skin tone, with gangrenous fingers to depict that age-old trope of outstretched zombie arms. However, I’ve decided to look at the bright side of death and paint them as colourful, friendly, magical people, expressing glee and enjoying their new lifestyle choice. Colour is a dominant aspect in many of my works, and I like to experiment with it. Of course, one needs to understand the basics of colour theory before attempting to explore it further. I think that a combination of what should happen according to the laws of physics, the artist’s expectations, the glitches in one’s vision, and the fuzziness of the brain’s interpretation of what it thinks it sees, is the best way to express colour in a painting. 20 top character design tips The ‘deep dream’ images created by an AI program have opalescent overlay that appeals to me, and so I’ve tried to clumsily implement this effect into my art. I’ve realised that using a colour which has no business being used can be a lot of fun. To understand my process, and use it to create your own vividly gruesome creatures, watch the video and follow the steps below. You can also download my custom brushes here. 01. Have a vision (or not) Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I readily admit that it’s incredibly inefficient to start with only a vague vision of the main character, but that's the way I work best. I have no idea what I want the picture to look like, but I tend to produce better results when I just skip most of the planning and get straight to it, leaving many aspects to fate. This approach happens to work for me, but I advise against it! 02. Choose your brush I'm using my Custom Chalk brush. This is the brush I use for almost everything, regardless of the software. It’s a rectangle with natural edges and with a faint texture. I usually set my brushes to simulate soft chalk as much as the program makes it possible. Click on the image above to download my custom brush. 03. Study human anatomy Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image Human anatomy, especially hands and faces, are so familiar to us that even without any formal knowledge, we can easily spot mistakes. Therefore, reference is extremely important for my work. I try to include something previously unexplored into each new illustration, to avoid getting stuck in a rut. I’ll study the subject matter and immediately put my knowledge into practice. For help and advice on depicting human anatomy, see how to draw people. 04. Define the scene Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image Now I’ve got a good grasp of my composition, and have come up with some ideas on what should be added to make it work. I further define the scene, choose my colours and add secondary elements. In this case it’s a collection of arms that support the main figure, while also adding more movement and a hint of a story. 05. Play with UV light Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I start with conservative purple-grey tones and gradually mix them with random hues until a stronger palette begins to emerge. When I’m satisfied with what I see, I push the palette towards the toxic-looking, unnatural tones that can be seen under a UV light using soft colour overlays. 06. Add visual padding Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I often use swirling rich drapery for areas that have otherwise very little to offer, to balance the overall composition. My aim is to create a scene that’s staged and tightly packed. 07. Bring in more light Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image Late on in the process I add a new, bright light source to introduce more drama and draw attention to the character’s face. I use a masked Curves adjustment layer and a soft brush in Photoshop to preserve the details of my almost-finished painting. 08. Use textures Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I always aim for a painterly look in my work, so towards the end of my process I import a photo texture of a painted surface, set it to Overlay mode and adjust it to match the shapes and main strokes of my painting with a strong smudge brush. I use the High Pass filter and a little bit of chromatic aberration to make the painterly structure pop even more. 09. Make rendering adjustments Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image My lack of planning means I have to make tweaks to many elements in the scene. Since I discovered programs like Corel Painter and Paintstorm Studio, I use them for brushwork, because their brush engines are more intuitive and better suited to my style of painting. Photoshop remains my first choice for large-scale adjustments. This article was originally published in issue 161 of ImagineFX, the world's leading magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 161 or subscribe here. Read more: How to create new character designs in Photoshop How to paint a zombie in Clip Studio Paint How to create a Pan's Labyrinth-style monster View the full article

You're reading Create Websites and Landing Pages – Slides 4 Framework, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Website Builder with a drag and drop feature that will help you create a website in a few minutes. The online app contains ready-made website templates and UI elements. Also, you can create beautiful animation elements on your webpage and impress … View the full article

The games industry is one of the most creative, diverse, exciting and sought-after industries for a digital artist specialising in 3d art to work in today. As a games artist, you can create stunning worlds, characters or props in styles ranging from the realistic to cartoony or anywhere in-between,” says Simon Fenton, head of games at Escape Studios, an industry-leading academy for visual effects and digital art. He continues: “The UK games market in particular is enjoying record growth; UKIE recently announced that the market had grown by 12.4 per cent over the past year to a record-breaking £5.11bn, largely attributed to the delivery of ‘world-class content for an ever-expanding eager audience’. You have to be at a really high standard to make it in the games industry – you have to reach a very high bar.” With those facts in mind, getting a start in the video game industry can often feel like an unbeatable level, a vicious cycle of disappointment. That’s why we have gathered producers, recruiters, artists and tutors to assemble the ultimate cheat sheet. Airship Images has a particular focus on producing real-time hair and fur, including for various characters in Battlefront II Each contributor will dispense wisdom and experience on every part of the process, from creating a CV to acing an interview. Follow this expert advice to take your video game career to the next level. “It’s definitely a competitive landscape, there are a lot of people that are hungry to work in this industry,” says Declan Paul, producer at Airship Images. Since opening in 2009 Airship has worked on numerous AAA titles, including Star Wars Battlefront II, Forza Horizon 3 and The Division. When beginning the search for a role in the video game industry, Paul states that it’s always best to look for roles at the studios that inspire you to work in the industry. He adds: “Tailor your portfolio to these studios and be sure to research what they’ve worked on in the past as well as what direction they’re going in next. This is also helpful to do early in your art education, as it will provide you with a clear path to follow when making decisions on what type of art you should create for your portfolio, what style you should work in and what areas you should improve on to obtain that position.” Ognyan Zahariev’s faithful re-creation of Dumbledore’s office According to Paul, events such as conventions or presentations represent great opportunities to meet like-minded artists and grow a network of industry contacts. He explains: “You will learn a lot about the industry at these events and have fun while doing so. Often there are opportunities to get your portfolio reviewed, talk to studio recruiters about the positions they’re hiring for and learn more about studio hiring processes. These opportunities are invaluable so be sure to take advantage of them when you can.” For those that can’t reach such events, social media and online competitions represent an ideal opportunity to connect with the community whilst showcasing your abilities. Artists can provide feedback and encouragement to each other from halfway around the world. The best art will often attract the attention of established studios in their search for the freshest talent. Tailor your portfolio so that it is exciting and relevant to each developer Simon Fenton Unanimous among our contributors is the assertion that every application you make should be tailored specifically to the studio in question. As such any application should demonstrate that you have done your research on the studio and their work, past and present. The application is an opportunity to sell yourself to potential employers and showcase exactly what you’re capable of. Despite the numerous roles for artists in the industry, advice for crafting a stand-out application is fairly universal. “Focus on quality and not quantity in terms of the projects you include in your portfolio,” says Ognyan Zahariev, who successfully landed a job as lighting artist at Ubisoft Sofia, where he’s been rising through the ranks for five years. Having drawn characters from a young age, Sven Juhlin found the transition to 3D character art an easy decision to make He continues: “Have a well-organised portfolio with breakdowns of your work. Only include work that you are really proud of. The recruiters and artists going through your work will only be looking for quality and not the number of projects.” "First and foremost is a strong portfolio with no fillers or weak work. Try to tailor your portfolio so that it is exciting and relevant to that developer," adds Fenton. "For example, highly stylised work might not appeal to a developer that makes realistic driving games." "It’s not just strong work that sets you apart – showing your prospective employer that you understand their business means you are switched on and thinking professionally. Research how the company operates, its past games and any interviews that they have given. Mention past papers they may have published and check their blogs. Talking about why you like their art and backing it up by mentioning specific techniques, people or processes demonstrates an inquisitive, driven approach." How to create stylised game artwork For freelance character artist Sven Juhlin, who got his start in the industry working for EA DICE, it’s crucial to showcase some originality in any portfolio. For example: “Don’t do a version of the Hulk if it’s not a really impressive version. There are already so many versions of him out there and it’s so hard to stand out from the crowd. Create your own character with an original backstory and try to make something that feels fresh and new.” Level two: the interview If your application piques the interest of potential employers, you may well be contacted for an interview. This part of the job-hunting process is often the most nerve-wracking for any applicant, in any industry. However, there are some sound pieces of advice that can prevent the experience from becoming the stuff of nightmares. According to Fenton, it all comes down to the basic, and yet easy to get wrong, interview essentials. “Make sure you know where you are going and turn up ten minutes early, dressed smartly. My personal tip is to stay away from coffee as this can make you agitated. Always answer questions honestly; it’s a small industry and you will get found out if you’re anything less than truthful.” He continues: “Research the company and their history so you can ask them questions regarding the future direction and how you might progress. Try to practise, perhaps get friends to ask you challenging questions. I have often asked potential candidates why they chose to do something in a particular way and if I hear ‘I don’t know’, that’s not a very interesting answer.” According to Juhlin, finding your own style is crucial to success in this increasingly busy industry As Paul points out, rejection is a natural part of any job-hunting process – the trick is to turn it into something positive and not to let it prevent you from moving forward. “The primary thing to keep in mind when receiving rejection letters or emails is that it’s a ‘not now’ rather than a ‘not ever’. Use these rejections to motivate yourself to do better and apply again once you’ve updated and improved your portfolio. This cannot be done in a couple of weeks, so make sure you substantially update your portfolio before reapplying if you want to be properly considered for the role.” Use rejections to motivate yourself to do better and apply again Simon Fenton He adds: “It’s also worth following up on your rejection emails and asking for feedback on your portfolio. You may not hear back but it’s worth the effort on the off-chance you do, as this could provide you with an insight of what you need to improve to get to where you want to be.” As Fenton points out, “there are no shortcuts to success.” The bar may be high for a career in the games industry, but as each of our contributors will attest, it is not unreachable if you are willing to put in the necessary time and effort. So what are you waiting for? Take note of everything you’ve learned in this feature and get ready to enter career mode. This article originally appeared in issue 236 of 3D World, the world's leading magazine for 3D artists. Buy issue 236 or subscribe here. Related articles: Design a playable avatar for a video game 11 best video game character designs How to create a video game character in ZBrush View the full article

Adobe has given the world a lot of design software with its Creative Cloud collection. While this software is sure to elevate your photos, videos, and audio projects to the next level, there can be a bit of a learning curve to them. Now, you can gain a solid foundation in Creative Cloud with The Complete Adobe CC Training Bundle. With this bundle, you'll learn how to edit photos like a pro on Photoshop, create entire videos on Premiere, and design beautiful graphics with Illustrator. You'll also master useful software such as InDesign, Flash, and After Effects – essential skills to have in your toolkit if you're a graphic designer, blogger, or social media manager. Get The Complete Adobe CC Training Bundle for just $29. Related articles: Adobe adds 665 fonts to Creative Cloud How to use Adobe Capture CC Adobe and Erik Spiekermann revive lost type sets View the full article

The term 'Space Force' has been kicking around the headlines for a few months now, often accompanied by background chuckles and wry smiles. But it looks as if the new US military branch is one step closer to lift off if these potential logo designs are anything to go by. For the uninitiated, the space force is the proposed US military branch that looks to protect America from what Vice President Mike Pence describes as "the growing security threats emerging in space." It's easy to dismiss anything space-related as the preserve of science fiction and wishful thinking, and it often feels that out-of-this-world ambitions are trumpeted whenever a President is looking to get re-elected. But given the unpredictable state of world affairs, we wouldn't be surprised if Space Force became a reality. To herald the arrival of Space Force, Trump 2020 re-election campaign manager Brad Parscale sent an email to supporters asking for their thoughts on a potential logo design. Sent on Tuesday, the email read "President Trump wants a SPACE FORCE – a groundbreaking endeavour for the future of America and the final frontier." It went on to highlight the potential commercial opportunities in sight: "As a way to celebrate President Trump's huge announcement, our campaign will be selling a new line of gear." Check out the potential logos below. Click to get a better look at the potential Space Force logos If one logo stands out from the crowd for us, it's the first one. As well as being the only design to eschew the rocket icon, it also bears an uncanny resemblance to the NASA logo – so much so that its designers must be looking at how they can deal with plagiarism. Cynics have written off the email as a cash grab piece of marketing as, upon voting on their favourite design, participants are presented with a campaign fundraising pitch. And with the email from Parscale specifying that the logo will appear on merchandise, it seems that the almighty dollar is (perhaps not surprisingly) a driving influence behind the vote. Unsurprisingly, designers have weighed in with their critical and humorous takes on the selection of logos on offer. This isn't the first time the Trump administration has been criticised over its graphic design choices. Earlier this year Melania Trump's Be Best logo came under fire for its clumsy execution and similarity with other people's work. Only time will tell if one of these Space Force designs becomes as big as the Make America Great Again baseball cap, but in the meantime, in the words of the President himself: "Space Force all the way!" Related articles: Discover why Donald Trump ditched his brand-new logo design The New Yorker reacts to US election result with brick wall illustration The New Yorker reveals Clinton election victory cover View the full article

Learn how to start your animation career and discover how to develop your characters and stories with the latest issue of ImagineFX magazine – on sale today. In the pages of ImagineFX 165, you'll hear advice and inspiration from teachers in the industry who want to help you take your first steps into the world of animation. Buy issue 165 of ImagineFX here Elsewhere in issue 165, we talk to Louie del Carmen about how he developed a love for animation and landed work with Disney. We also hear from Bader Badruddin on how to start developing character animation faster and stop over-analysing, plus David Ardinaryas Lojaya is on hand to tell you how to use greyscale to render figures. There's also all the news, reviews and reader art you've come to expect – don't miss it! Never miss an issue: Subscribe to ImagineFX here Explore what's on offer by taking a peek at the lead features, below. The pros of attending conventions Learn how to enjoy a convention, no matter why you're attending Conventions have exploded over recent years. And thanks to communities developed online, finding the right one for you is easier than ever. We talk to organisers and attendees about how artists can get the most out of conventions, whether they're there for business or pleasure. Inside the career of Armand Serrano Learn how Serrano became a successful Disney animator He might be a successful Disney animator now, but for Armand Serrano the road to glory was not without a few speed bumps. Having been knocked back by both Warner Bros and DreamWorks, the persistent artist finally found a home in the famous animation studio, and as he says, "the rest is history." Discover his story in this exclusive interview. Develop characters full of life There's plenty to keep in mind when creating stand out characters There's a lot of received wisdom when it comes to nailing a distinctive character design, but how do you juggle all of these rules and find room to develop your own style? Luckily, Pernille Ørum is on hand to reveal her approach, covering everything from colour, pose and silhouette. Build your pencil skills This workshop will add structure to your pencil work Sometimes just getting started can be one of the biggest creative hurdles for artists. With that in mind, Tim Von Ruden is here to remind you that the best way to level up your work is to stick at it. And with the help of his sketching advice, you'll be creating better work than before in no time. Related articles: Create and animate SVG polygons Perfect your animation portfolio with these tips Understand Disney's 12 principles of animation View the full article

How would you describe creativity? Is it an innate way of thinking, or is it more like a muscle that can be developed with regular activity? The jury's out on this one, however what a lot of people do agree on is that creativity can work wonders for your life and career. In one of the best infographics we've seen about creativity, Davitt Corporate Partners breaks down how you can uncover your creative genius. 10 time-sucks for creatives and how to minimise them Starting off with a quick look at just what exactly creativity is (complete with a snappy quote from Alex Osborn you can impress your friends with at your next dinner party), this infographic goes on to examine techniques that could get your synapses firing in fresh and exciting ways. These include unwinding with a black cup of tea, going for a walk, or simply taking a shower, because who doesn't have great ideas while washing, right? Now before you turn your nose up at the idea of this pseudo-science, ask yourself: what have you got to lose by trying a few creative exercises? At worst you're left in the same position as you were before, but if the techniques covered in this infographic do in fact work, well... you can thank us later. Click the image to see the full size infographic Related articles: 13 incredible tools for creating infographics How to create amazing infographics Pro tips for creating interactive infographics View the full article

Straight from Black Hat 2018: How TRITON disrupted safety systems and changed the threat landscape of industrial control systems, forever. View the full article

More than a dozen flaws in smart-city gear could open the door to attackers bent on sowing public panic, according to IBM X-Force. View the full article

The Association of Photographers (AOP) fought tirelessly for the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act that thankfully came into force in 1988. But what does copyright actually mean for a commercial creative today? Copyright underpins the nature of how nearly all photographers make a living (the words ‘copyright’ and ‘licensing’ are equally applicable to all forms of creative output, not just photography). As a form of intellectual property and enshrined in legislation, it is a property right and gives creators the ability to generate income by licensing the use of their endeavours, as opposed to selling ‘units’ of work. This notion of selling use not unit is vital to making our businesses sustainable, as well as maintaining and safeguarding the creative industries. If you want to have a successful commercial career, you can't just rely on your photography skills, you need to have the business knowledge to back it up – and understanding copyright is a major part of this. It's no different to if you were to buy a music track: you do not own the content, but have purchased the right to use a copy for yourself Copyright – or, the right to prevent and control copying – gives us flexibility and gives our clients and buyers protection over the use of a creative piece of work. However, not enough clients and buyers understand that this creator’s right is enshrined in law, and that fees paid to us do not automatically confer ownership or title in the work to them. It's no different to if you were to buy a music track or a book: you do not own the content, but have purchased the right to use a copy for yourself. You might own the paper the book is printed on, but you do not own the words themselves. Likewise, you might own the hard drive or media the image sits on, but you do not own the image itself. Sign up to the Computer Arts newsletter The fees we charge cover our investment in skills, training, equipment such as cameras, insurance, some profit (we’re in business, after all) and generally also include some element of licensing. This helps keeps costs to the client lower than they would be if the client wished to own the work created outright. Unless a photographer assigns the copyright in their work in writing to someone or has accepted the terms of a contract that contain a copyright assignment, the ownership of the intellectual property rights, or copyright, remains firmly vested in the creator. Moral rights Sitting alongside the economic element of controlling copyright is a set of moral rights, enshrined in the same legislation. These are there to help protect us, in terms of reputation (and hence our ability to earn), as well as affording the client or commissioner some protection in the form of the right to prevent publication in certain circumstances. They are what’s called inalienable rights, so they cannot be sold or assigned, but they can be waived and often we will see contracts that seek an assignment of copyright as well as a waiver of moral rights. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that there are several exceptions to copyright law; instances when the law does not apply to certain uses of works protected by copyright. We might consider these to be important to balance the rights of the creator against the needs/desires of a potential user of a piece of work. Suffice to say that the copyright regime in the UK is one of the best there is. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 280 or subscribe. Read more: 5 photography trends influencing designers in 2018 30 books every graphic designer should read 10 tools that could save you time right away View the full article

When it comes to online video editing courses, there's a lot of choice out there, and all that can be overwhelming. In this post, we've gathered together the best video editing courses on the online market today, to help you decide. The best video editing laptops in 2018 But just like with any type of learning or tool for graphic designers, one size doesn't fit all, and the course that's right for you will depend on your preferred software, budget and favoured way of learning. In short, there's something for everyone here. So read on and we'll give you the info you need to find the right online video editing course for you. 01. Larry Jordan The best all rounder – learn about video editing from award-winning industry titan Larry Jordan Pros: Industry focused, expert insights Cons: Can’t download videos, 3 months minimum subscription Who better to learn about video editing than someone with a stellar career and reputation in the industry? Larry Jordan is an award-winning producer, director, editor, teacher and trainer who’s worked for US television for the last five decades. He launched a website offering online courses in 2003, specifically to enable editors, directors and producers to learn more about the evolving technology of media. Jordan's lessons explain the fundamentals of the software, then illustrate them with stories on how they're used in real-world projects. There's a big focus on updates to these tools, so that regular users can understand the latest features and what they can be used for. Software covered include Adobe tools (Premiere Pro, Photoshop, After Effects, Audition, Encore, Media Encoder, Prelude) and Apple tools (Compressor, Final Cut Pro X, Motion). There are 2,000 courses in video editing to choose from, and you get access to all of them for $19.99 a month (for a minimum of three months on the basic plan) along with webinars, tutorials and newsletters. Alternatively, you can pay for courses and webinars individually. All lessons are streamed, but there's no option for subscribers to download videos. There’s also no free trial option, although there is a selection of free tutorials so you can see what kind of thing is on offer. 02. Inside the Edit Industry insights for working editors – Inside the Edit provides deep industry knowledge that you won't find elsewhere Pros: Creative focus, unique angle Cons: Can't download videos, doesn't teach software Are you already working as a video editor, or close to getting your first job? Need training that goes beyond the basics, and gets into the nitty-gritty of what’s really needed in the real world of video editing? Inside The Edit doesn't teach you any actual software skills. Instead, it describes itself as “the world’s first creative editing course”. Developed by professional editors working in the industry, it details hundreds of specific structural, journalistic and creative techniques used in documentary and entertainment television. The tutorials, then, are a mix of high-end editing theory, footage analysis and timeline demonstration, and you’ll get 35 hours of real-world rushes (raw footage) to practise on, plus 2,000 music tracks to score with. There are also lessons on the secondary skills needed by video editors; as “psychologists, diplomats and social chameleons”. In short, this course is not at all suitable for beginners at video editing. But for anyone working in (or close to working in) the narrative-based television found in documentaries, entertainment shows and reality TV, it could provide just the boost you need to reach the next level in your career. 03. Video editing courses with Udemy Decent training at reasonable prices – Udemy offers good quality courses at relatively low cost Pros: Cheap, videos can be downloaded Cons: Variable quality, some courses are quite short Udemy is an online learning platform aimed at digital professionals, containing more than 80,000 courses in total. Which means that if you need to master a particular tool, you’re very likely to find a course for your needs. There are around 100 video editing courses on the site, covering tools including Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas Pro, and Da Vinci Resolve. And you can narrow down the list further using the tabs at the top of the page, according to level, price, and language. You don’t need to take out a subscription; you just pay for the individual courses you take. And unlike some online course providers, Udemy allows you to download its videos for offline viewing via its mobile app. If you’re a beginner, we’d recommend checking out The Complete Video Production Bootcamp by Video School Online, in which Phil Ebener takes you through the basics of video editing, from program layout to final export, across nine hours of video training. (Note that this course is taught in Final Cut Pro 7, but if you're using another software like Premiere Pro, you'll still learn a lot from it in terms of general principles). Overall, the quality of courses on Udemy is good, but they can vary, so it’s always worth reading the customer reviews first before you commit yourself. 04. Learn video editing with Pluralsight Software training focused on Adobe tools – Pluralsight's video editing tutorials focus on Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro Pros: Videos can be downloaded, learning checks keep you on track Cons: Some courses quite short, little use for non-Adobe software Pluralsight offers a number of online courses that will train you to use Adobe video editing software, including Premiere Pro, After Effects and Photoshop. These cover beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The Photoshop CC Video Editing course taught by Ana Mouyis, for example, cover how to edit videos, composite, and basic motion graphics. After this short course, you should be comfortable with video editing workflow and have the skills you need to embark on your own projects. One of the coolest features of Pluralsight is ‘learning checks’, which are short quizzes to help you check you’re understanding the material correctly. It's a small thing, but it really can be helpful in keeping your learning on track. If you wish to download videos for offline viewing you can do so via the mobile app. And note that Pluralsight offers a 10-day free trial, so you can ‘try before you buy’. 05. LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda.com) High quality training from respected experts – Lynda.com is now known as LinkedIn Learning, and is integrated into the social network Pros: Can download videos, LinkedIn integration Cons: Academic approach may not suit, some videos feel over-long Founded in 1995, Lynda.com is the most established and respected source of software training on the internet. Recently rebranded as LinkedIn Learning, the service gives you access to all its courses once you take out a monthly subscription. Premium members can download entire courses and individual videos on most desktop, iOS and Android devices using the app. There are almost 200 courses to choose from when it comes to video editing, covering software including iMovie, Final Cut Pro X, Premiere Pro, and Media Composer. Because of this wide range, Lynda is worth looking at if you’re after something specific. For example, Premiere Pro Guru: Multi-Camera Video Editing by Richard Harrington is a two hour course that teaches you how to import, sync, and edit footage from multiple cameras with Premiere Pro. The style of tutorial is a little more formal and academic than most online course providers, which may be a positive or negative depending on what you're looking for. If you want to see the kind of thing you’re getting, then just check out the free video tutorials that come with every course. You can also take out a month’s free trial that will give you access to all the courses on the platform. One more thing: the move from Lynda.com to LinkedIn Learning is not just a name-change; there's some nice integration between the courses and LinkedIn too. For example, if you're logged into LinkedIn, the platform now uses the data it has on you to surface training content that’s relevant to your needs. Also, when you learn new skills from taking a course, it’s super-easy to add those skills to your LinkedIn profile. Don’t worry, though: if you’re not on LinkedIn you can ignore all of that, and just focus on taking the course. 06. Video editing courses with Skillshare Diverse range of courses and subjects – Skillshare is an open platform, so there's a wide variety of video editing tutorials to choose from Pros: Wide range of topics, videos can be downloaded Cons: Variable quality, some courses quite short Skillshare is an online training platform where anyone can create a course and sell it. This creative free-for-all means that it’s a good place to find relatively short and punchy video lessons on niche topics, and that applies to video editing as much as anything else. For example, if you’re a student who’s completely new to video editing, How to Vlog! Film, Edit & Upload to YouTube by Sara Dietschy is a snappy, no-nonsense guide to the basics of creating a vlog, across 32 minutes. Watch the first video, which you can access for free, and you’ll soon get the idea. Bite-sized video courses such as this are usually less academic and more casual when compared with, say, LinkedIn Learning. But if you just want to start getting your head around stuff quickly, that might actually be preferable. Plus, you can take out a month’s free trial first to see if it’s for you, before parting with any cash. And if you do decide to purchase, then videos are downloadable within the app for offline use. 07. American Graphics Institute Interactive courses with live teachers – The American Graphics Institute offers live lessons for an immediate, interactive experience Pros: Live lessons, interaction with tutors Cons: Expensive option, only available on certain dates Want to learn Premiere Pro? Looking for live instruction rather than pre-recorded videos? The American Graphics Institute, a publishing and training venture, is offering online classes led by live instructors. These regularly scheduled lessons range from introductory to advanced levels, and if you can get to Boston, New York or Philadelphia, there’s also the option of attending physical lessons too. You pay per course, and it’s not cheap. But the value of having interactive classes, in which you’re able to ask questions, hear and talk with the instructor, and even share your screen, means you really do get what you pay for. 08. Ripple Training video editing course Pro training in non-Adobe tools – Ripple Training has a good selection of courses for Final Cut Pro users Pros: Good quality tutorials, free taster lessons Cons: Only covers specific tools, some courses are quite expensive These days, most online training for video editors focuses on Adobe software. But if you’re using Final Cut Pro, Motion, or Da Vinci Resolve, you may be better heading to Ripple Training, a source of high quality, regularly updated tutorials in said software, as well as their own tools and plugins. Founded by experienced industry professionals Steve Martin, Jill Martin, and Mark Spencer in 2002, Ripple Training isn’t a particularly big name in the field. But their courses, which mirror the in-person classes they teach, are very good quality, and you can download the videos for offline viewing. To see what they’re about, check out the free ‘get started’ lessons at the bottom of their homepage. Read more: 16 top online coding courses Learn to animate for kids 5 top tips for speedy learning View the full article

Accessing a wealth of font styles has just got easier for Creative Cloud customers thanks to hundreds of new additions from Monotype. With over 665 new fonts from 41 different type families, including retro fonts such as ITC Benguiat seen in smash-hit Netflix series Stranger Things, there's plenty here to enjoy in this Adobe update. Plenty of the fonts in this collection were designed in the twentieth century and had a huge impact upon their release. In fact, many have gone on to inspire popular variations over the years, so having the source material on hand is sure to be a welcome extra to type designers' toolkits. Get 15% off Adobe Creative Cloud with our exclusive deal As well as launching these new fonts, Adobe will also soon release type innovation tools for Illustrator CC and InDesign that will allow users to seamlessly browse, filter and sort through the roughly 9,000 fonts on Adobe Typkit without the hassle of having to leave their canvas. With nearly 700 additional fonts to choose from, we won't run through them all, but you can browse the entire collection on Adobe Typekit. We've rounded up some of the standout fonts for your browsing pleasure below, simply click left to right through the gallery with the arrows. Related articles: Famous logos redesigned as fonts 20 top free brush fonts 21 perfect font pairings View the full article

Likes. Retweets. Upvotes. They’ve all become common ways to gauge the popularity of our thoughts, and for those in the creative industries, our work. But are sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram a blessing or a curse for artists? Art techniques: top tutorials for painting and drawing Just like any innovation, it all depends on how you use them. If you’re monitoring the performance of your latest status before you go to bed, it might be time to reassess your relationship with social media. However, when used right, these platforms can reap amazing rewards. “I’ve discovered so many new artists who inspire me every day just from their social media posts,” says illustrator and Marvel comic artist Jen Bartel, who also uses social media to get her work in front of potential clients. Jen Bartel strives to stay authentic online “Working on comics often means working long hours in isolation, and finding those connections online is such an amazing lifeline for many of us,” she says. For Art Camp founder Noah Bradley, social media has overtaken traditional routes to exposure. Through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook we can share in each others’ triumphs Nicola Scott “I benefited from social media in building a fanbase for my work and connecting with fellow creators,” Bradley says. “I think I’d have had a harder time becoming as well known as I am now without it.” It isn’t all about business, though. For Sydney-based Wonder Woman artist Nicola Scott, living on the other side of the planet to where the rest of the industry is located feels less isolating thanks to social media. “I get far fewer opportunities to meet or catch up with peers, mentors and fans,” Scott says, “but through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook we can share in each others’ triumphs and slumps, promote and share our work.” Taking time out Despite these benefits, freelance illustrator Charles Chaisson is keen to point out an important social media side-effect. “Social media prompts the release of dopamine, which is a chemical associated with pleasure in your brain,” he says. “I think it’s important to be cognizant of how that interaction affects us mentally.” Like many users, Chaisson is limiting his time on social media in reaction to this. “What I tend to do is make sure that my phone is out of my line of sight,” he says. “It’s pretty easy to forget about checking your phone once it’s not attached to your body, or sitting in front of you at all times.” Charles Chaisson reasons that social media has changed the industry landscape for the better However, there’s more to managing a social media presence than willpower alone. With online profiles blurring the line between where a person ends and their work begins, it’s important for artists to make clear the distinction between the two. Jen Bartel uses her Twitter account for both work and fun, but errs towards the professional end of the spectrum. “I view social media as part of my job,” she says. “I also have designated times when I’m more active on it.” Yet even the best intentions can slip after a while. For artists struggling to use social media constructively, there are a few options to consider. Scheduling updates through tools such as Hootsuite, TweetDeck or Buffer takes away the distraction of endlessly updating feeds. Users can simply plan their content in one batch and then check back in to take care of replies whenever suits them. Despite the advantages of social media, Noah Bradley is wary of prioritising it Another option is to set up a dedicated artist account across all platforms, while keeping personal profiles separate. This is a popular way to contain thoughts and opinions that don’t need to find a wider audience. Although a batch of accounts isn’t for everyone. “That felt like way too much work for my taste,” says Bradley, who decided to step away from social media completely. “It was a source of stress I didn’t need in my life.” It turned out to be a good choice for Bradley, with the cost of online popularity worth less than emotional wellbeing: “I’m free to dive right into my creations. There’s no tickling feeling of social media at my back.” Artist appeal Artistic productivity isn’t always hindered by social media. In fact, the platforms provide a useful way to work out a draft. “Sharing WIPs with followers usually gives me a sense of how people will respond to the final artwork,” says Chaisson. A love of work stops Nicola Scott from getting distracted by social media “If you’re friends with a lot of artists, sometimes they’ll point out something that looks odd or needs to be tweaked that maybe you didn’t notice while working on the image yourself.” “I love seeing other artists work,” says Scott. “It can be fascinating to discover where and when an artist chooses to ‘finish’ their work.” Drawn together Even with their tendency to play with algorithms and change how users see posts, social media sites remain popular with artists. “Social media gives artists publicity that enable us to show our art to people around the world – which is pretty incredible if you think about it,” says Chaisson. For artists, this publicity can be a revenue lifeline. “I think that just speaks to the fact that artists are being increasingly devalued in the internet age, so any potential revenue streams are worth exploring,” says comic book artist Staz Johnson. Like many artists, Staz Johnson has benefitted professionally from social media Nothing’s perfect though, and following a recent migration of artists to the promising new pastures of ad-free social media site Vero, Bartel thinks a chronological timeline is what creatives are crying out for. “Instagram’s new algorithms have hurt a lot of people and the minute there’s a comparable platform, they’re going to jump ship,” she says. “I’m not sure that platform is necessarily Vero, but fingers crossed something comparable will be released soon.” Ultimately, Bartel still thinks that social media can be a force for good. “Before social media, artists had to rely a lot more on getting their work published through official channels. Now we control how much content we put in front of our followers. Opener image: Nicola Scott This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 160; subscribe here. Related articles: 10 social media tricks you didn't know about 5 golden rules for social media strategy How to make social media work for you View the full article

Project Zero researcher highlights stubborn iOS bugs as an example of why Apple and the rest of the industry needs to take a fresh approach to securing systems. View the full article

If you're a graphic designer, blogger, or pretty much anyone who works in a virtual visual medium, you'll need stock photos at some point. With StockPop Lite Bundle: Lifetime Subscription, you're getting a huge collection of over 12,000 stock images – that's 10,000 high-quality stock photos and 2,500 clip art photos. This means you can use the pictures in any project that might come your way, without having to worry about royalties or copyright. You'll find photos covering a wide array of topics, from animals to yoga to advertising. Get all the stock photos you could ever need with the StockPop Lite Bundle: Lifetime Subscription – yours for only $19.99. Related articles: 18 top stock photo libraries The 14 best websites to download stock art Best collage maker tools for creating photo collages View the full article

Big fan of a bargain and keen to learn direct from cutting-edge web designers and developers? Well today is your lucky day: the Generate London 2018 flash sale has launched, meaning that you can grab two or three day conference tickets for a massive 50 per cent off – for 24 hours only. Returning to the UK capital for its sixth year, Generate London is packed full of inspiration and insight covering the latest in web design and frontend development. Bringing you 16 engaging and informative talks – see the full schedule here – from the industry’s best and brightest minds, Generate London will help you up your game in areas like CSS animation, JS frameworks, UX and AR and include speakers such as Clearleft co-founder Richard Rutter, designer and entrepreneur Sarah Parmenter and three.js creator Ricardo Cabello. On top of this, if you purchase a three-day pass for the half-price cost of just £297.50, you’ll also gain access to a day of hands-on, practical workshops to help you refine your design and dev skills, with four great full-day sessions to choose from: Front-end meets UX: designing & creating universal UI components with Sara Soueidan How to build a music player interface with Steven Roberts Learn how to 'think in React' with Kristijan Ristovski Responsive web typography with Richard Rutter If you can't make these workshops, a two-day ticket is also a cut-price bargain, at just £197.50. There’s so much first-class conference content on offer and yet only a short amount of time to grab your cut-price ticket: our flash sale expires tonight at 23:59 BST. So if you want to save yourself some dough on your Generate London ticket, you'd better buy one now. Read more: 9 ways to smash UX on a small budget Further web design royalty confirmed for Generate Top tips for building a WordPress theme View the full article

At Black Hat, Google's Parisa Tabriz discussed how to navigate the complex security environment with long-term thinking and a policy of open collaboration. View the full article

Rather than eliminating bugs, the idea is to add large numbers of non-exploitable bugs to software as decoys to waste cyber-criminals' time. View the full article

Originally designed in 1974 and launched internationally in 1980, Rubik's Cube is a design classic that's sold by the hundreds of millions. Over the years, it has delighted – not to mention infuriated – countless people around the globe. 11 inspiring design toys for your desk The original cube was an extremely clever piece of design and engineering that defied improvement; it's been refined so that speed-cubers can turn it even more times without the cube falling apart, but basically this is one of those situations where the design thinking was absolutely bang on the first time. Pick up any Rubik's Cube, or indeed any imitation cube, and you know exactly what to do with it – even if you don't know how to solve it. Who needs a high-tech update when the original just works? The GoCube - like the Rubik's Cube, only smarter Well, it turns out that lots of people do. Designed in Israel by Tel Aviv company Particula, the GoCube is pitched as the Rubik's Cube reimagined with brains. It still behaves the same as a standard Cube, but now has loads of clever high-tech features designed to help you learn how to solve it, improve your times and even race against friends online. The GoCube tracks its movements using built-in sensors, and connects via Bluetooth to an app that displays your cube on your phone or tablet, and also features various games and challenges to improve your cube handling and instincts. The GoCube app will help you solve the cube then improve your times It's set to retail from an eye-watering $119 for the basic GoCube, but if you want to get your hands on one at a substantial discount, you'd better hurry over to the GoCube Kickstarter, where you can save around 40 per cent on various GoCube packages. The GoCube might sound expensive but that's not holding anyone back; it's torn right through its original Kickstarter goal of $25,000 and has clocked up over $800,000 of pledges. There's now less than 24 hours left to run on the campaign. Related articles: Create your own art toys 10 ways to transform your creative thinking 8 must-have products for a smarter studio View the full article

Using a handcrafted element, such as bespoke typography or clever use of illustration, as a core part of a brand's visual identity is a trend that has been gaining momentum of late. The latter is enjoying a particular resurgence in food packaging design, but there are impressive and imaginative examples popping up in a range of different industries. For a closer look at the trend for illustration in branding, and why it's becoming so popular, take a look at our feature on how to bring a brand to life with illustration. Or read on for five brands that have used illustration to add some magic to their identity scheme. 01. Robot food for Vocation Brewery Representing each beer through pictures helped elevate this startup Leeds-based agency Robot Food created the naming, branding and packaging design for Vocation Brewery. According to design director Mike Johns, the project was "very much an open brief", and the approach looked to communicate something, "a bit gritty and new-school, in design terms." The solution was to use an intricate, tattoo-inspired illustration style created in-house with icons and graphics that subtly communicate the story of each brew. "We want to portray the tasting notes of each beer through the illustration, so the American Pale Ale is a celebration with fireworks, while Heart and Soul is more a heaven scene," says Johns. "We wanted to add elements and details that tell the story. The main thing about Vocation is getting across what each beer is about pictorially." 02. Together Design for Pearson Pearson used illustration to cross cultural barriers Together Design has worked with education brand Pearson for the last three years. As the lead agency for its global rebrand, Together Design "created hundreds of pages of guidance in many different languages," says creative director and founder Heidi Lightfoot. Illustration was a vital part of this new approach, enabling easy, direct communication across numerous languages and cultures for a company that has over 30,000 employees. Together commissioned five illustrators located in different parts of the world including Singapore, the US, Australia and the UK to create hero illustrations "for communicating big themes", as well as producing designs in-house for infographics, pictograms and patterns, to create a comprehensive "kit of parts" visual asset library for Pearson's global operations. "It was important to have different illustration artists around the world that the Pearson teams could commission directly," says Lightfoot. "So there may be imagery which is market- and product- specific, but it all ties in seamlessly with the global library that is accessible to all." 03. Silas Amos for Red Red A touch of the surreal gave flavour to this stew-pot brand Without the budget for a conventional ad campaign, African-inspired stew-pot Red Red's approach was to create a ‘design campaign' orchestrated by creative strategist and designer Silas Amos and based around the idea of ‘a lunch less ordinary'. Nigerian artist Dennis Osadebe was brought in for the punchy illustrations used across various brand touchpoints, creating slightly surreal characters that mix humour, nuance and subtle use of African patterns. Parent brand Unilever was looking for a key visual, an image that communicated the brand's essence while also showcasing the product. Sign up for the Computer Arts newsletter "We gave Dennis the brief to do his work in the mildly surreal way he does, but then we let him loose," says Amos. "He came back with an astronaut lady, a Caesar character…" Osadebe adds: "We knew exactly what the brand represented: it was then a case of finding how to best bring it to life, visually. This inspired me to work with the feeling that the brand gave me – a mixture of fun, vibrancy, innovation, timelessness and most importantly diversity, in the sense of merging of different cultures together." 05. Sid Lee for Blue Goose Illustration added an artisanal twist to a meat and fish company The Toronto studio of creative agency Sid Lee was briefed to create new packaging designs for Blue Goose, a range of meat and fish that prides itself on being ‘clean protein' – the brand's emphasis is on transparency and tracing the product back to its farming origin. Agency executive creative director and partner Tom Koukodimos says that going down the illustration route and commissioning Ben Kwok was perfect, as it allowed the agency to capture a complex story in its simplest form and "do it in a way that's unique and ownable, and visually distinct". The solution sets the brand apart from competitors, which often lean towards simple images showing potentially generic images of farms. "The illustration was meant to feel artisanal, but without leaning into artisanal visual shorthands," says Koukodimos. "It needed to be new and imaginative, and a little inventive. The style has a craft feel to it, but without getting into those dated cliches of craft." 05. Thirst Craft for Loch Lomond Brewery An updated look for an established brewery Glasgow-based agency Thirst Craft was brought in to create a new look for the relatively established beer Loch Lomond; and a key part of the brief was to refresh the look and feel without alienating existing customers. "If we made them unrecognisable, they'd have a drop in sales," says creative director Matt Burns. "So we wanted to keep what was working well and where they have strong equity, and that was in landscape illustration and unusual colour palettes." The agency brought in illustrator Jack Daly for the project. "The way he uses light and shadow is great," says Burns. "There's so much to explore there – he has a beautiful use of curves and colour. Also, it was great as he grew up [near Loch Lomand]. It's quite a subtle detail but we wanted to capture that sense of a whole day at the Loch." This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 279 or subscribe. Read more: The designer's guide to illustration The illustrator hotlist 2018 20 illustrators to follow on Instagram View the full article

A Black Hat talk demonstrates the ease of poking holes in firewalls: How to break, bypass and dismantle macOS firewall products. View the full article

A focus on user experience is vital for a great product. Unfortunately, the catch-22 is that small businesses – a valuable part of our community – need to grow online and so still need to offer a relatively sleek experience to their users. However, there are ways to deliver a great UX for clients working with smaller budgets, which we'll explore here. We'll also look at some web design tools that can help you out. I once believed that a UX was a catch-all improvement for everything. That was until I started working with small businesses, where brand recognition and volume of traffic is lower; navigation, content and audience segments are simpler; and objectives are easier to distil. It became clear that the balance of return on investment against the cost of UX as a percentage increase in sales was negligible. UX increases performance by increments. Where traffic is high this generates considerable revenue on low percentage increases – but drop that traffic to less than 5000 visits a month and the sums just don’t add up. In this article, I'll run through nine ways to grab the low-hanging fruit in terms of UX. 01. Learn from bigger competitors Big businesses tend to spend considerable sums on user experience, so do some research on competitors and large corporations in your client’s line of business. Select five to carry out a competitor comparison, and try and get a good idea of the dos and don’ts. There’s often treasure to be found in these big brands' online reviews as well. Crayon is a great free tool to help with this. It showcases businesses (organised by sector or keyword) alongside previous versions of each website, so you can explore how they have improved over time. 02. Get UX experience Employing a designer who has plenty of experience in hands-on UX is a great asset to a small businesses and a key USP in your pitch. There are always ways to practice, study and shadow UX professionals, so do your homework. 03. Use Google Analytics With Google Analytics, we can gather information about customers' behaviour, location, devices, user flow and actions, without having to talk to them. There are plenty of ways to use this to improve your UX. For example, you can figure out where users are bailing – if it is halfway through a purchase or action, then what’s stopping them? Even knowing which blog posts get the most visits can help shape your client’s content strategy. 04. Look at heatmaps If you can’t watch a person using your site then heatmaps are a great alternative. Free sites such as Smartlook allow you to add tracking code to provide important information about user behaviour. Just remember to list them in the site’s cookie policy. 05. Organise a focus group Everyone likes a party, especially one where they get to air their views. Inviting five customers over with their laptops for a ‘lunch hour’, with nice food and perhaps a little going-home goodie, can result in some remarkable discoveries. It also helps create loyalty and a feel-good factor for your client. Plan meticulously and be clear in advance what will be involved and why. Allocate half an hour for the customers to individually complete set tasks on the website, documenting how they are doing and what they feel. Follow this up with lunch and a half-hour group discussion. 06. Ask the customers Most businesses have a mailing list, so why not ask their customers? Set five simple questions that will open up a discussion rather than just garnering yes/no answers. Think carefully what will give you most insight into the problems you are trying to solve. Mention all replies will be entered into a prize draw, creating goodwill whilst receiving valuable feedback from real users. To distil findings from your replies use a tool such as Survey Monkey. 07. Increase conversions Multivariate tests (MVT), conversion rate optimisation (CRO), and A/B testing are powerful tools in a UX designer's toolbox. But if you don’t have the traffic then the results will be inconclusive. Still, there are gains to be made by learning from the above methods and implementing small changes measured through analytics and heat mapping to increase visitor traction. 08. Focus on first impressions If the website doesn’t have a lot of traffic or you are still in the design phase, UseabilityHub’s Five Second Tests are a great little tool to get a snapshot of what people think. Ask a few short questions and get users' gut responses. 09. Sketch! Website mockups are a key stage in figuring out how users will interact with a site. These approaches can be used for a variety of UX tasks. What pages are needed, what your client’s goals are and what customers are looking for can all be brainstormed and sketched out with a pencil and pad to create a very usable site map, page map, actions, content structure and user flow. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 308 or subscribe. Read more: What are the main barriers to good UX today? 37 sets of free icons 6 trends that are changing the face of UX View the full article