A Hidden Game in InCopy CS3

When Adobe released CS3, many users (especially designers) were aghast at the change in the branding. Instead of butterflies (InDesign and InCopy), flowers (Illustrator), and feathers (Photoshop), now our program icons and splash screens were simple colored squares with initials, evoking a Periodic Table of the Elements theme.

But butterflies still exist in InCopy (and InDesign) CS3. They’re hiding in an Easter Egg — a hidden image, animation or game that programmers include in software; and that can only be seen if you know the secret keyboard combination.

To see the butterfly game in InCopy CS3, open the About InCopy screen. (Which is in the application menu in Mac OS X, or from the Help menu in Windows). Then when the splash screen appears, type the word “butterfly” (no quotes) in lowercase.

Instantly you’re surrounded by floating butterflies. You can even click on them to pin them — ouch! those programmers have a mean streak — but if you wait a while, they escape their pins and fly again.

It’s not really a game, there’s no points involved or anything. But it’s a little bit of fun I thought you’d enjoy. You can press the Escape key to end it.