Animation Books

This is the ONE book to get if you want to learn Premiere Elements.

Best user manual I've ever come across. This book takes you through step by step video editing like a Wiz by doing little projects. I learned more about the basics of Premiere Elements (never mind the 'Special Effects') than I ever would with the manufacturer's dry manual.
It's fun... and pulls you easily into the more powerful features of Elements without scaring you off of them.

I also like how I've picked up powerful keyboard commands and how the book re-enforces 'best practices' techniques without feeling repetitive.

Great with this purchase:
ADS Tech API557 PYRO A/V Link with Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0

Wow!! This book was easy to follow. It includes a CD to complete the activities. It has screen shots that are clear and easy to follow. This is a great book--even for a beginner. It was well worth the investment.

Plain and simple. Well thought out and easy to follow. Will help you go to the next level with Adobe Premiere.

I'm new editing home movies and this book is a great one to start. Very easy to follow instructions and great effects. DVD includes all the stuff that you need to get the job done.

I have tried the Classroom in a Book (CIB) for Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements, and Hollywood Special Effects is a heck of a lot more fun. Yes, CIB is a standard no nonsense explain and do type of a book with lots of examples, but Hollywood beats CIB with examples that will have you showing off these 10 second clips to your friends and family. You'll probably want your family to be actors in your own clip that does the same effect as in the book. It is richly illustrated and points to every button or menu on your journey to finish each project. I never got lost and thought, hmm where's the 'Add Media' button or some other less conspicuous command. Another thing I appreciate is that each lesson or chapter does not assume that you know all that you should have known from the previous chapter. So a person could pick up the book and do the special effect from chapter 20 without reading or even previewing Chapters 1-19 ahead of time. I've been looking for a Premiere Elements only tutorial for a long time, and Hollywood Special Effects hits the sweet spot in terms of learning new cool things, getting used to the interface, and making one more effective and efficient in creating your own videos. Even if you never use these "Special Effects" in your own video, the shortcuts of navigating around in the program has saved me hours of time in creating my own home videos.

This is the first product I've written a review on - but after completing the book and its projects I had to. If you want to learn both Flash 8 and Action Script 2.0, this book is what you are after. Everything is explained throughout the book - the author does not take anything for granted. I would say this is for the Beginner Plus - it explains all the steps, but you will learn key aspects of Action Script as you progress. The Action Script you will learn is very useful, and most importantly, transfers to your own projects. My background is two semesters using Flash and action script, and I wish I had this book at the beginning of the first semester. I saw some comments there were errors in the book - I beg to differ. Every error message I received was my own fault - mostly through mis-typing the script. However, with a little effort, and backtracking, I figured out my error and fixed it. To sum up, at the end of the book, everything worked the way it was supposed to!

I'm not one to write reviews. But I was compelled to take the time to do this. As someone Brand new to flash, I picked this book up and was actually having Fun in no time! What I thought would be tedious reading turned out to be humerous, extremely accurate, and user-friendly information, for someone like me very unfamiliar with the program. My faith in self education has been lifted even higher.

I wasn't planning on reviewing any of my school books on here. This was a great school book though so I couldn't resist.

I got this book for a course that I was taking on Flash. It is a great book and I am happy the teacher recommended it.

The chapters are arranged in easy to follow exercises that teach all the basics of Flash. I really liked this style of teaching because it forces you to open up Flash and do the exercises. Much more useful than a book that you just sit and read.

The author of the book is also very good about telling you multiple ways of doing something. In the course of the exercises there are little colored boxes that will talk about how you could have done the above action this way or this way or this way. The fact that these tips are usually separate is nice if you don't care and want to skip the additional information.

So far I am about 3/4 the way through the course and the book and have been very happy with it. A great book; especially for a newbie that doesn't have any programming background.

I had to learn flash and create a site quick - and this book had everything I needed - thanks!

Excellent for beginners - easy to follow step by step format.Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Beyond the Basics Hands-On Training

The tutorial is old - is has been online for years. It was presented at SIGGRAPH over three years ago.

The front of the book is obviously filler - over 50 pages rehashing 'story' and 'character' information that is so bland and unstudied it could be written by an accountant. This section should be left out of future tutorial books.

Trying to learn maya 2 with the manuals that came with it was a very daunting task. I quickly found I needed help. I ordered this book and after only 15-20 minutes knew more than hours of reviewing the manuals. I highly recommend this book. If you are running Maya 2.5 Complete or Unlimited there are some small differences in the user interface but if you review the online help and just play around with it you shouldn't have any problems. Good Luck and really try to learn this excellent package from Alias.

I have started using maya almost 3 mounths ago and I started it with this book right away. And although I am not new to 3d animation and I can say that I have read various 3d animation books but I have to say that I was realy amazed by the lights this book put in my way of using MAYA. And I sort of envy the authors for thair ability in using the software and thair ability in comunicating with others in a understandable way. They dont pay me to write this thing But for the efforts they have put in their job I just couldn't resist to share this with you guys.

It explains every tool and function. Most importantly it has "real world" tutorials to show how each tool fits into the modeling, animation, rendering, and effects workflow.

The offical maya manual explains functions well, but leaves you guessing as to when those functions can be actually used. I suppose that is part of the challenge of being a 3d artist, but if you're lazy like me and like to be held by the hand of professionals instead of wasting many hours/days experimenting, get this book. you'll cover ALOT of ground in very little time(compared to A/W's expensive maya encyclopedia).

I'm looking forward for the 3.5 Complete revision from the authors!

After going through the entire book and making notes in the borders of all the errors of explanation and omissions of details, I've come to the conclusion above. This book is NOT for the totally inexperienced CG person. I must conclude that this text was not given to a beginner for proffreading. However, this is not to disparage the software itself. Maya is not an easy program to master. Most of the exercises in this book are easy to follow, but some of the missed explanations and dropped details can be irritating to the extreme, e.g. there are numerous ommisions to use the Middle Mouse button for certain actions (Maya requires a three button mouse to operate). Overall, I give this book a "thumbs up", but the book reader MUST have an ability to problem solve.

This book isn't intended for the first time 3ds max user since it doesn't talk about the UI and viewport navigation much. However this is a must have for those looking to learn about the process of a production from start to finish. One of the best books yet covering everything from storyboards and concept art to post-production and network rendering.

One you have moved on from the UI fundamentals and instruction in basic modeling and animation then the next step is to read this book. Even though I am using 3ds Max 2008 now I still keep this book around for reference.

I have been working with this book for several years. I have never been able to anything more than the modeling tutorials. The scripts do not function, therefore the UI's do not work and you are unable to finish the book! Additionally, you are unable to contact the authors to obtain corrections. I have purchased every book that Michele Bousquet has published since 3D Studio Dos 1. This book is not her best effort. Great idea to take a student from start to finish on a project but there-in lies the rub, a student nor could most instructors use this book for a reference must less a book to use for classroom instruction. Wasted time and wasted money..............

I was a total newbie when I bought this book, and it have really made me improve in almost every aspect that must be known in 3ds max. Of course if you already know advanced techniques you'll probably get bored with the book. In the animation aspect I think is a bit short (talking about teaching you how to simulate motion like the walking cicle for the alien and so.)But the tutorials in modeling are excellent and very easy to understand.
I really don't know if this is useful but I must say that I completed this tutorials with 3ds max 5 and there was no problem.

Mastering the Art of Production with 3ds max 4 is definatly worth every penny! The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow (not to mention pictures of basically every step). The entire book is about creating a 30 second commercial for a company. It even explains working with clients! Anyone who wants to sharpen their skills with 3dsmax, this is the book to get. Also, the book has a section on Combustion for post-production.

I was a total newbie when I bought this book, and it have really made me improve in almost every aspect that must be known in 3ds max. Of course if you already know advanced techniques you'll probably get bored with the book. In the animation aspect I think is a bit short (talking about teaching you how to simulate motion like the walking cicle for the alien and so.)But the tutorials in modeling are excellent and very easy to understand.
I really don't know if this is useful but I must say that I completed this tutorials with 3ds max 5 and there was no problem.

This is a really beautiful book with heaps of pre production drawings, pastel paintings, sketches and designs. Also has photographs of ideas the artists used for their paintings and interesting commentary. I really recommend it. Some of the early concept sketches of the rats made me laugh.

I am very glad to have buyed the art of ratatouille. I'm a big fan of the pixar-films and its so cool to take a look at all the art-work that went into this movie.

I'm from Belgium, the book was good packed and fast delivered.
The pictures are high quality printed and very motivating/inspiring for my own digital work.
Many thanks (sorry for the bad English)
Steven

Even if you didn't like Ratatouille (I don't see why) you can appreciate this book. It is filled with amazing artwork for the film; storyboard, concept sketches, background paintings, color keys, and my favorite concept maquettes/sculptures of the characters. The character sculptures by Greg Dykstra really blew me away. Amazing stuff! Worth the price of the book alone! If you are an artist, animator you can't go wrong with purchasing this book. Artwork is beautiful if not short of brilliant. Some amazing talent at Pixar, who made an amazing film (and still going strong). Very inspiring book!! Not only has the artwork but talks about how Ratatouille came to be.

Nice to see a few things included from my pal ALBERT LOZANO! GREAT stuff!

The Art of Ratatouille didn't disappoint me, because it really reveals the artistic thoughts which determined the visual concept of the movie. The reader gets an insight into the artists conceptions and the accurate research that was needed to achieve a very rich and believable look. After reading the book I respected the movie even more, it was good to see how careful they planned everything to have something really valuable.
This is a very nice edition with beautiful illustrations in it.

Readers have different kind of expectations, that's why it's earful to mention, that this book shows most of all the ART of Ratatouille, so it is recommended for those who would like to know more about that.

The guy that does this book is phenomenal. It takes true talent to be able to simplify concepts in Flash to the point where they are finally understandable, especially for non-programmers such as myself. I highly recommend this book (and the learning DVD if you can swing it) to those who want to delve into the advanced stuff inside of Flash.

Shane Rebenschied's Macromedia Flash MX 2004: Beyond the Basics Hands-On-Training (BTB:HOT) is the second book in a small series on teaching would-be developers how to effectively use Macromedia Flash in their web projects.

BTB:HOT is very well written. The author uses very clear instructions and appropriate graphics(screenshots) to illustrate the points being made. It is a very easy read, especially if you are weary of computer programming style books. The HOT series is written as if the instructor is standing beside you and telling you what you need to do.

This books was definitely written for the layman. This book was not written for someone who is looking to take Flash to the next level of professionalism. The book is very short (almost too short), and really doesn't include very much discussion about the possibilities that can happen with a particular project.

After reading this book and working through the examples, I determined that there really isn't anything new in this book that a seasoned web developer couldn't figure out after reading the first book in the series.

To finish, very good book, but just for novices.

This book is perfect for the transformation from beginning to intermediate. The tutorials are incredibly thorough plus it guides you through making a whole web site with the most practical functions. I highly recommend this book. I wish they would make more!

This is the first book on Flash and this is the first time I am learning Flash MX2004 Pro. So far I have gone through almost a half of the book and I am very pleased with how this book is structured and its CD which contains the project files as I am learning this program with this book. For any beginner, I feel this book will help get you started on learning and using Flash MX2004. I purchased this book's sister edition "Beyound the Basics" so that I can go one step further after I complete this book.

Basically, this is a good book to get you from the initial HOT book on Flash to the more advanced tutorials found on the Macromedia Exchange site. The introduction to LoadVars and LoadMovieClip alone are worth the price of the book.

My only complaint, if you can call it that, would be that if you are coming from a programmer's background, you will skim A LOT of pages. You've got to hand it to the author in how he really takes his time introducing programming to the neophytes, but I found myself actually reading only 1 page out of every 3-6.

If you already know how to program in any language, you could probably find the tutorials online to get by without this book, but the expenditure in time probably wouldn't be worth the price of the book.

I couldnt read it all. It was just too much for me and all i read is non-fiction. What sucks is as I improve my programming skills the code in this book becomes more and deprecated. Fortunately the concepts are still sound.

From what I did read of it though I was duly impressed.
If you are all ready a programmer give it a shot - its not bad.

Not formally trained as an OO programmer, it's something I've come in to over the years. Building applications in Flash MX (particularly if you are working with Flash Remoting or the Flash Communication Server) really requires an understanding of OO principles and practices. I've read a couple of books on the subject, and none have been as clear about building objects and classes in Flash as this one. It's clear, concise, and an easy read. It makes understanding how to make objects and classes in Flash MX a breeze.

That said, the book doesn't really build anything useful. The menu system that is implemented is solid, if uninspiring. Covering small, OO applications that did more than simulate gravity and display very simple XML files would have made this book great.

I always commend the efforts of strong programmers who write books tailored for those of us who are not.As designers we generally absorb and learn information in a totally different manner than programmers and this book addresses that fact well. Most programming books are incomplete because they leave out steps in thier explanations assuming that it's obvious to the reader at some point or another and Mr. Drols' book covers 98% of everything you need to know to understand the foundations of ActionScript and how it works. I am glad I bought it and recommend new users to read it and follow the tutorials thoroughly twice or more to get the most out of it. You will be able to write clean, reusable functions and code for your projects that you thought were impossible.

As a newcomer to Flash -- with some animation experience, and a tiny bit of scripting -- and a total novice at programming, I walked away from this book with a wonderful sense of confidence that I could learn how to achieve all of my goals for rich internet application development.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I can say with absolute certainty that this book was the best decision I made in my internet education involving Flash. At the time of this writing, I'm already moving on to Flash MX 2004, because I started using Flash MX pretty late in the game... due to my loyalty to the now defunct Adobe LiveMotion.

Since my understanding of graphics and animation was okay, this book took me to the next level, really allowing me to take advantage of the power of organized object-oriented programming in Flash. It taught me how to plan and organize my code, and which allowed me to reach goals I had never before believed I could achieve. I knew others were doing these things (probably with ease), but I didn't really think I could do it myself. This book changed my mind.

Previously, I had been extremely limited, and was using very backward ways of accomplishing simple tasks. Now, I not only know how to program a bit, but I can actually understand all the tutorials I encounter online. Not only that, but this allowed me to get a handle on other similar languages, such as PHP, and C#.

The author was extremely helpful and friendly, and offered tons of advice via email. He helped me figure out what type of server technologies were best, and now I'm not only using Flash 2004, but also C# and ASP.NET. I can't imagine where I would have been without his help, and without having read his book.

Although I haven't had the luxury to read a ton of programming books yet, so far Mr. Droll is the very best technical writer I have encountered. He makes everything so simple, and he doesn't take any shortcuts. His code is clean, easy to comprehend, and very well explained (unlike some other books I bought which made it very difficult for me to understand the included code). This book is not perfect, but it's the best Flash MX programming book for novices I have ever read.

Writing this review, and recommending Mr. Droll to everyone who might haoppen to read it, is the very least I could do to say thank you for writing such an excellent book, and for providing SUPERIOR personal assistance via email... and not even strictly regarding topics from his books... but about ALL programming topics. I have never encountered such a friendly, helpful author, and I am DEFINITELY going to buy his next book (even though he said he didn't write most of it, because he didn't have time). The book is called Object-Oriented Macromedia Flash MX 2004, which is the next version of this book.

I'll be looking for further books from this author (if he ever decides to keep writing), and I highly recommend him to others as well. You can view his site at www.billdroll.com.

All the best to you, Bill, and thanks again.

Daniel

I was in an ActionScript training class when the instructor mentioned object-oriented programming. He spent as much time explaining it as it takes to read this sentence. Somehow I know it was "the big picture" for success with ActionScript.

As an ActionScript novice, it was important to me to learn the basics besides the "stop();" command. When you need to immerse yourself in a programming language, it is equally important to be shown the elements of building in that language as 3-dimensionally as possible. That's what William Drol does with this book. While he makes no assumptions about the user's skill level, he does assume that the programmer want to learn "the value of good planning and good coding". That's what I've learned from using this book.

As a multimedia developer, planning is paramount. I believe this book will show you a way of thinking to help ease the planning process and make the discipline of coding easier. I look forward to working on future projects now in Flash MX, with the confidence of having Mr. Drol's book as a solid foundation and reference to guide me.

Hello!

This is a great book to get, to get you past the hurdle of learn 3DSMax R3. Once you read thru the book, either from start to finish or go to specific sections it will help you understand the program quickly.

I found this book to be very helpful and to the point. I appreciated the focus on the interface of the program. My background in 3d modeling and animation was nil until I got this book. As with any type of graphic software, you must come into it with a goal. With that in mind this book will get you from concept to "reality" very quickly. Buy this book

I am just start to get into this world of 3D. This book is a big help seeing as how I had a problem putting a material on a sphere. This big is making the confusing well not so confusing. I like this big. While using this book I have been doing advanced thing by using tutorial from the net. I plan to finish this book and get me a Advanced Book. But how can you go wrong with Peachpit Books. I mean this is truely a book that a beginner needs.

I'm a beginning CGI artist who recently purchased 3D Studio Max. I was looking for a basic beginners guide. I expected a good beginners book because I own other peachpit press books and they are wonderful. Taking one look I was disappointed because this book didn't offer very much. Half of the stuff discussed in the book I learned by just playing around in the program. There are several books that are better then this one. I even found the tutorial book that comes with the program more helpful. Your better off spending a few extra bucks and getting something with some substance.

If you want to begin learning 3d Studio Max, this is THE book. I still reference it now. The examples are short and easy. No long explanations. By the end of the book, you will be able to make terrains, render fog, etc. This will not get you into Character Studio, or advanced topics which you will have to find in another book, but this book will get you more than started. I bought 3d Studio Max r3 Bible and it left me confused. This book started me on my way. There were a few minor mistakes in the book, but not enough to depreciate the quality.

If there was ever a 'textbook' for learning animation, this is it. I have several books on animation production, from cell to 3D, and this on the pretty much the backbone of them all. I am not a professional animator, though I wish I was. This book provides a plethora of reference films for various styles of animation (it's nice to have a somewhat comprehensive list of styles) and suggestions for production. Though, it does lean more towards the artistry of animation, rather than digital production techniques to turn a quick buck.

I recommend this book as a primer for anyone who is passionate about animation as an art, hobby, or the first step in building an animation production house from scratch.

I just about wore out my copy of the original edition of this book years ago; i never got far into *doing* animation, but it really helped me to *understand* what i was seeing on the screen (as well as serving as a source of recommendations as to Good Things to look out for...)

While this may not be quite the essential text for asiring animators that Will Eisner's "Comics and Sequential Art" (q.v.) is for would-be comics pros, it is a Very Good overview of the field as a whole, from techniques to materials to the creative aspects.

There is, admittedly, not sufficient detail on any one subject to take one to a true professional level, but there is sufficient detail and commentary to let the tyro make a beginning in almost any aspect of animation (within one's financial limitations, anyway -- while costs are rather less now than they were in the day when film was the sole practical medium of choice, some aspects of animation do cost more than others to do) nd work at it enough to get an idea as to whether that's what she wants to do.

And remember -- you might not intend to make animation your life's work; but Mike Jittlov was an accounting major who took an animation course because he needed an elective and it fit his schedule. The film he made for that course won him an Oscar nomination...

Anything can happen, and this book is a good place to check it out if you think animation might be one of the "anythings" you'd like to happen to you.

I am using this book for background info for an animation unit I teach with my graphics students. It gives you a good overview of many different animation techniques. It answered a lot of my questions. This book is a good start, but you might also want to check out animation by preston blair, and Animation from script to screen by Shamus Culhane. Shamus will make an animator out of you by the end of his book.

Although it is almost impossible for a book to provide the most up-to-date info, this book tries it's best. I really think that an animation book should be specified (ie 2d, stop-motion, 3d, etc) in order to not "cheat" the reader out of more intense knowledge. However, if a broad introduction is what you seek, then this book will work (but there are less expensive books that will do just the same).

This is a great book for both students of animation and anyone out there who just wants to know more about that thing called animation. Laybourne is very easy to read and goes step-by-step through various animation processes in such an accessible way that its almost entertaining.

If you have a serious interest or just a passing interest, this is a great book!

The content of the book is without equal. Very in-depth and very readable, but it looks like their editor fell asleep on the job. Multiple spelling errors and editing mistakes throughout the book become irritating in an otherwise spectacular book. If you're looking for a "how-to" for animating in flash, get this book.

if you're thinking about learning flash animation, this is a good place to start. You will learn the basics and essentials to get you started to making your own cartoons. Great book for beginners but not so much anyone else

This book covers how to create pans, walk cycles, storyboards, perform squash and stretch, etc. This book is an excellent price! Much cheaper than going to animation school. This book coupled with "How to Cheat in Flash CS3" by Chris Georgenes will teach you everything that you need to know about flash cartooning. I bought this book a while ago and returned it because it couldn't really appreciate it the first time. I bought the book again and realized that it's really a very good book. I hope to finally sit down one weekend and start creating my 2nd cartoon. I have no excuse now since I have both "Flash Cartoon Animation: Learn from the Pros" and "How to Cheat in Flash CS3".

Though the artwork throughout the book isn't that entertaining, the sheer amount of information presented is amazing! The chronological skill set they present to the reader starts you at the beginner's level and ends with you creating flash cartoons. I enjoyed the way it was written as well, the two guys who wrote it obviously enjoy using flash more than correct grammar (or spellcheck for that matter haha). Despite the occasional misspelled word, I recommend this book to anyone just starting to use Flash. It is an excellent resource for future reference as well!

Excellent book for those just interested in cartooning and Flash. It presents the entire process, not just the technical button pushing required to produce a cartoon. The Flash version is old, but has no affect on fundamental concepts that should be understood. Niece blend of hands on, concepts, flow and examples. The material is presented in an easy to read, logical flow.