Tips

Hello! Welcome to the tips page. Here are some tips/ advice/ and criteria for you when you use Macromedia Free Hand.

You Won recommends: When you first start Macromedia Free Hand, you might want to explore first. When you explore, you should use each tool to create a random picture. There are many different types of tools; and each one of them will come in use. First open a blank page and start scribbling and exploring. Whenever, a tool doesn’t show up on a page; or ‘doesn’t work’ you should start a new page because sometimes it doesn’t work if you used too many tools on one object on the page. Also, you should save your work as you are drawing your picture. Unsaved items could be lost if Macromedia Freehand unexpectedly quits. But in some cases, however, if you are lucky, it will save it and will ask you if you want to save it or just delete it.

Sammy says…


 * To start up and find Freehand; go to applications and click on and find the FreeHand folder and click double click on the icon.
 * If you are going to draw something by hand I recommend that you use the pen tool so that you are able to fill in the shapes.
 * If you want to export your logo use the JPEG format.
 * Try to explore as many things as you could by going into the toolbars and trying at things.
 * While you are working try to save your work often just in case the computer shuts down or freezes.
 * As I used in my logo to make bubbly looking shapes or puzzles I used Freeform, it is much easier to use.
 * I recommend that you don’t use so many colors as it will look very distracting.
 * I think a logo should have some of yourself like a touch that you put in yourself for example like your feelings, animals, favorite things or such.
 * I also think your logo should have at least SOME of writing to explain who ever is looking at your logo to know what you are trying to say or such.
 * Colors should match and not look bunched up or like a clown stadium.
 * The logo could look simple but it should have some professional touches in it like the burger king logo that I found.
 * Your logo should be original and unique from the others.

Dani says...


 * To start up Freehand you should go to applications find and click on the freehand folder.
 * Before you start to use freehand you should learn most of the tools so that you not confused.
 * When your going to draw your shape make sure to use the pen tool; then when you want to add some color it will allow you to fill in the shape.
 * A good logo is simple but meaningful; by simple I mean that it is not distracting and it is easy to read. By meaningful I mean that the logo should fit its purpose by describing the product; it should be important to you.
 * Your logo should be original; it should be your own, it should represent you and nobody else.
 * Every now and again you should save your work so that if it closes, for some reason, you wont have to do it all over again.
 * The colors should match and look good together.
 * It should be professional no matter what the design is.
 * I think that your logo should totally be your own style and if your style is messy that is that is what your logo should look like, but in the same sense it should be neat.

Emiel says:
 * 1) If you want to fill a drawn object in don’t use the pencil tool instead use the pen tool, which makes your life easier.
 * 2) If you want to export your logo, export it in a jpeg file format.
 * 3) Explore /play with all the freehand tools before you start your serious freehand drawings.
 * 4) Always have your work as you draw, because when freehand quiets unexpectedly you will loose everything.
 * 5) Try including some writing in your logo it makes your logo clearer.
 * 6) You shouldn’t make your logo look similar to other logos because that will make it similar to others and it needs to be unique
 * 7) And my last tip is to be creative

Farrah says...

If you need to make a box and then fill it in with a color it would be better to use the pen tool instead of the pencil tool because the pen tool will make the box completely closed so you can fill the box in with any color. That will make your life in freehand easier ☺

If you are trying to make a heart which is not already made in freehand. You can try to make the heart by drawing a half of the heart perfectly with the pen. The pen will make your lines straight as you draw, so you don’t have to worry about that. But anyways after you draw the half you can use the mirror tool to make the other half just the same and it’ll complete the whole heart. There you go! That’s your perfect heart. ☺

Good Luck in Freehand -Farrah-

Jaime says:

before you start making your final project, you should play with all the tools and menus. If you don't you might not know some things that would make making your project a lot easier ad faster. You will get frustrated that you took all that time to make a perfect drawing in pencil, but then can't fill it in because you can only do that with the pen. save every so often becaus lost work gets you very frustrated, if you spent a lot of time on it.