Multimedia Books

I am a beginner to editing video. This text is easy for me to understand and gives
great detail on how to do all the procedures needed to create great videos.
I highly recommend Final Cut Pro 5 by Diana Weynand, whether you are a begninner or
if you are well versed in the program. After the initial tutorial material is covered,
it will make a great reference manual.

very useful, pretty easy to read. would they consider publishing a smaller version for all the commands only?

Book is very comprehensive, covers topics in depth and allows the reader to work through projects. Final Cut is quite a program, and to try to learn about it on your own would be a challange, this book bridges the gap.
Not once could I complete the project tasks in the estimated time given, i.e. 1 hour, I don't know if I am the only one who can't pick it up as quick as the book says, for me personally the concept of completing the book in the time stated is unrealistic, nevertheless I got it eventually and now have a much broader understanding of the program, so in this sense I found it useful and it has fulfilled it's purpose as a learning tool.

I am new at editing having only used Final Cut Pro for very basic and simple editing. This book is superb for beginners who wish to take their skills up a notch with plenty of tidbits for experimentation. I recommend beginners to have a copy of this book in their library if only for referrence.

Excellent lessons... just perfect... sssshhh.. I'll let you in on a little secret... you listening? Give Apple 99 bucks and get 50 one hour lessons! 2 bucks an hour with a pro at the Apple store!

Young William Shakespeare's wife Nan and young daughter disappear one day--stolen by fairies that Will always thought were just folk tales. Nan is taken to replace the last mortal queen of Sylvanus, an elf who claimed the throne that was rightfully his brother, Quicksilver's. Quicksilver was a spoiled young Prince who now goes broodingly about dressed in black, much like a certain Danish Prince... and he spouts similar lines of dialog as well. Quicksilver needs to avenge the deaths of his parents, Oberon and Titania, whom Sylvanus has secretly killed. He doesn't wield the great powers of Faerie that his brother has taken, but he can turn from male to female and as the Dark Lady, Silver, he woos Shakespeare with the intent on using him to dispose of the wicked Sylvanus--and perhaps help William get his wife and child back.

It's sometimes a bit odd to hear lines from the plays come from various characters... suggesting that it's Shakespeare's exposure to the magic of Faery that is the model for his genius. The Shakespearean language is also a bit at odds with the author's usual style, as well. And the plot and characters are a bit simplistic. It was still an interesting concept and may appeal to young adults who have an interest in Shakespeare, the Elizabethan Period and elves and fairies.

I thought this to be a magical little story. Who wouldn't find a tale with fairies and elves fun??

Quicksilver, youngest child of Titania and Oberon, was to be the heir to their kingdom. On their disappearance, however, his older brother, Sylvanus, stole the throne and Quicksilver became immersed in bitterness and hatred. He would do anything to regain his rightful place, regardless of the hurt he might cause to others.

Sylvanus, fancier of mortal women, has just lost his wife to childbirth. He takes a solid, and to him immeasurably attractive, country woman, nursing her own child, to be nursemaid to his motherless child-with the intent of making her much more than just a nursemaid.

Will Shakespeare comes come from work one evening to find his wife and infant daughter missing, replaced by sticks of wood. Sick with worry, he sets out on the long walk to Nan's family, in hopes she has been called there to attend a pregnant relative. While passing through Arden Forrest he sees the most bizarre vision: his wife, Nan, dressed in courtly clothing dancing with royalty in a castle set in air that Will cannot penetrate. Quicksilver involves Will in his plot for the throne, throwing the four of them-five if you count Quicksilver's spurned lover-into a plot worthy of the bard himself.

Sarah Hoyt's interpretation of Will Shakespeare's past is novel and enjoyable, with both humor and seriousness. As Shakespeare often did , Hoyt gives the comedy some tragic turns-some, however, that I felt weren't well enough resolved. I would be interested to hear what other readers have to say as well. She gives another nod to Shakespeare by throwing in quotes, tongue in cheek, in a mostly amusing way. Some seemed to forced, but they often brought a grin.

I enjoyed seeing the young, tentative Will who was very much in love with his older wife Nan. He proves himself to be very much the nineteen-year-old boy, who loves both with his heart and with his-well, his other parts. He was no match for the wiles of Quicksilver or for the beautiful mysterious woman. It is said that mortals who have been loved by an elf go crazy-Hoyt points out Kit Marlow and then shows Will following that same path, a nice wink toward his greatness and it's source.

I also enjoyed seeing Anne Hathaway Shakespeare in another role than that of shrew, as so many portray her. In Ill Met By Moonlight, Nan has a strong (though not shrewish) character, both standing up to Sylvanus and looking out for Will's best interest; it is she that I was the most fond of by the end of the book.

Overall, this was a fresh take on an old subject and I found it, if not engrossing, generally delightful. Of all the Shakespeare-as-hero-fiction I've read thus far, this is by far my favorite.

This is a fabulous audio. Sara Hoyt manages something that I didn't think was possible. A new view of the life an work of William Shakespeare. She brings him together with the world of the Fae and it makes for a surprisingly good fit. Jason Carter is best known for acting in the television series Babylon 5. Who would have guessed that he could bring this world to life ? He does it with gusto and as he speaks I can hear a your Will longing for his love. A faerie princeling in the throws of plots, politics and adolescence. A woman who is thrust into terrible choices. And that's just the beginning.

What if William Shakespeare meet real elves and fairies, and that this encounter truly led him onward to literary greatness? This is the intriguing, quite inspired, premise of Sarah A. Hoyt's literary debut, "Ill Met by Moonlight" in which a young William Shakespeare, still in adolescence, must rescue his wife and newborn babe from a local kingdom of elves near his hometown of Stratford. Hoyt has done a most admirable job in recreating the Elizabethan cultural and domestic landscape of Stratford, even without her occasional lapses into Shakespeare's own prose, as dialogue. It is without question, one of the beguiling historical fantasies I have come across, told well via Hoyt's simple, graceful, almost lyrical, prose.

I found this book at a local discount store for $1 - it looked a little cheesy, but I bought it anyway. I mean, it was only $1. What could I lose? Well, I really enjoyed it, although the Liaden manner of speaking got a little tiresome at times. The main characters were well-developed, although I noticed (as did a previous reviewer) that the Liaden females tended to be less than likeable. Funny, from the few romance novels I've read, there seem to be some archetypal things going on - the heroine typically finds herself in a hostile society far from her home, which reminds me of what adolescent female chimpanzees experience when they leave their group to join another group, in which she must first endure all manner of abuse from her new clan, especially the older females. Yes, chimps really do this, so I'm wondering just how far back this archetype goes. In addition to the bitchy mom-in-law, there's the hero's male-bonded facilitator (Daav), the mystical child (Shan), the dragon, the hero's mansion (which he shares with his mother??) etc. I was very interested in the concept of a common language, though, and wonder how deeply the authors have taken this - I tried to find some traces of commonality between some of their terms and any Terran languages but couldn't. Maybe some of the (chronologically) later books go into this more. All in all, I found the book enjoyable and intriguing, although unfortunately I can't seem to shake my mental image of the heroine as Snow White among the dwarves, complete with little red hairbow.

I picked this book up never having heard of the Liaden books. I had no idea who these authors were,
but found the idea of a husband-wife author team intriguing. It turns out this book is a "later" work,
first in the chronology, but later in publishing order, and it shows. Having since read other books
by this pair, I think the writing in Local Custom is far more mature than earlier books--and when the main plot
of the book is romance, it's important to have a polished, mature tone, or everything devolves into sappy mush.

Local Custom comes close to the edge at times. For a man whose culture weighs every deed and word against personal
melant'i (honor/status), Er Thom is almost too emotional to be taken seriously as an heir apparent, a master trader,
and his other roles. The book hits several of my pet peeves regarding space opera: generic "Terran culture" and "Terran language" which corresponds
to English and Western culture. The wearisome plot device of "all Terrans" are barbarians--without giving reason
why they're percievied as such. It annoyed me when Marion Zimmer Bradley did it, and I wasn't cheered to see it here. Mono-worlds--entire planets consisting of one ethnic group or philosophy, aarchitecture, weather.

All the linguistic nuance and cultural depth is reserved for the con-lang of Liaden with its different modes, and
the 'superior' culture of Liad. (That said, the authors *do* have a linguistic background, so their con-lang has an internal logic and consistency, far preffered to the handfuls of vowels with a scattering of consanants and a sprinkle of random apostrophes for garnish.)

What saved this book, for me, was Anne Davis. She is a very human, rounded character.
She makes mistakes, and despite her scholarly background, makes believable errors. (She adores Liaden literature, but
makes mistakes that arise from using literature as a reflection of the truth of a culture.) She is an accomplished scholar,
but was forced to give up her first academic love (music) for the most basic of reasons: lack of money.

Best of all, she's *not* an off-the-scale genius, dazzlingly beautiful, or accomplished. By both Liaden and Terran standards,
Anne is not a beauty. She is a single mother, who adores her (albiet chliched child-prodigy) son. Anne's struggles and sacrifices--few of which are properly rewarded in my opinion, provide the meat for this book.
If you prefer your sf heroines to be something other than jaded ex-soldiers or space-age Amazons, Anne Davis' story may be for you.
I'm just sorry she didn't get more time and attention from the authors. She deserved it--I think she's a better-designed character
than the more popular "Miri" of the "Agent of Change" books.

Having discovered this marvelous series only recently, I've been reading the individual volumes every which way rather than in internal chronological order. This one pairs up with _Scout's Progress_ in telling the back-story of the two foster brothers who head the two Lines that make up Clan Korval, one of the most powerful families on Liad. Er Thom yos'Galan, the older brother (though his younger brother is Delm, or boss, of the clan as a whole), who is being pressed to do his duty by producing an heir through contract marriage. Trouble is, he had an offworld affair a few years ago with a Terran woman, Dr. Ann Davis, a linguistics professor. He's never forgotten her and he feels the need to see her one last time, so off he goes -- to discover than Ann had a child by him, a very bright little boy named Shan. Of course, to Er Thom, this changes everything -- maybe. Thus begins a tangled love story about misunderstandings on both sides of cultures not one's one, of clan politics and xenophobia, of the nature of duty in Liaden life. While it's a bit schmaltzy at times, the authors show great skill (as always) at painting multidimensional portraits both of their characters and of an extremely foreign society.

It's the basic "secret baby" plot from a thousand paperback romance novels, only what keeps the hero and heroine apart is that they're from different planets. He hauls her home to meet Mom. Mom is hardhearted and insists that he marry a local girl. There is a ball at which the heroine gets a makeover that involves a fabulous dress. Misunderstandings ensue, leading to a nearly irrelevant shoot-em-up, followed by the inevitable discovery that the hero and heroine are "lifemates." *sigh* Ever since Mercedes Lackey over-used the concept, they're *always* lifemates.

What makes it science fiction is the anthropological chatter about "melant'i" (essentially "face" in the Japanese sense), the presence of space ships, and the hero's being both shorter than the heroine, as well as being preternaturally sensitive and caring. Liaden culture does not seem to include televised football, intramural sports, power tools, sports cars, or any equivalent to Hooters, so a guy has a *lot* of free time for mooning after his one true gal. This leisure allows the slender plot to move very, very slowly.

The books are readable -- the words are in the right order and you can tell the characters apart -- but it's not "space opera" in the sense of grand drama and fast shooting. It's "opera" in the sense of "soap."

Local Custom, set in the Liaden Universe created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is a Science Fiction Book and a Romance Novel. Beyond that, it is an exploration of what happens when two cultures collide. Er Thom is a Master Trader from Clan Korval of Liaden. It is his duty to his clan to find a suitable Liaden bride and produce an heir, but he has fallen in love with Terran Anne Davis. For the sake of his clan, he leaves and disappears from her life until several years later he shows up and learns during that their brief liason in the past, he fathered her son.

Liaden custom demands that the little boy be taken to Liaden and presented as his heir, but Anne is resistant. She is happy with her life, and had moved on from the feelings she had for Er Thom years ago. Anne is a music scholar, however, and that is one thing that draws her to Liaden. Once there, she is torn between the efforts of Er Thom and his family to assimilate her and her little boy.

This book was a definite page turner. I couldn't put it down. The atrraction between Er Thom and Anne is constantly present, growing stronger as the novel progresses, and the story of the alien, Liaden society is compellingly detailed.

This book is a terrific introduction to the Liaden Universe! 5 stars!

I was just starting to learn InDesign and had not taken any classes. This book was great. It really helped me through many projects. A definite plus to your library if your are an InDesign user.

I'm only giving it 1 star because CS3 has now been released, so the book is of modest value except for those who wish not to take advantage of the new and improved. Try taking this one to a used book store and you'll see that at "1" it's over-rated.

Aside from that, this is an excellent series of manuals, particular valuable as software publishers no longer include manuals! As they say at O'Reilly: "The book that should have been in the box."

I bought this book and yes, it is a good book but it is not the reference book that I was looking for. I need to be able to look up how to do a particular application or what a certain button does. I have to figure out which lesson this might be found in and then go through to the lesson. This is time consuming and I do not always find the information I need. I am really looking for a great index with step by step on how to perform certain funtions.

I am a convert from PageMaker, so I was already familiar with a lot of the functions in InDesign. However, the book has still been very beneficial. The examples and already finished or almost finished documents that come on the disc are great tools to learn with.

The book is easy to read, despite being written by Adobe. Sometimes the only way to learn is to buy a book written by a third party, but I've found that is not the case here. Adobe did a great job.

This book is extremely helpful with the Adobe InDesign program I wish I would have had it a year ago!!

This book is clearly for anyone who is in need of a quick read with brilliant illustrations that will motivate you to great motion ghaphics.

Everything about this book is amateurish. You can tell from the models that she uses as examples that she doesn't really know how to use the program, really what is a "Starlight Receiver"? The example movies on the DVD are in black and white with no sound. Unbelievable. Don't believe the hype this book is garbage.

I'm really disapointed by this book. Was expecting a lot more after reading all those good reviews... This is only a step by step tutorials book. The author doesnt explain that much anything related to cinema 4D... I don't understand exactly what I am doing. The book is starting with those tutorials without at least explaining the basic of this software and the interface... I need first to understand the interface before being able to do anything else with this software and this is not the book that will help me out for sure... It's not by telling me to put a value somewhere in the attributes that I will actually understand WHY to put this value there...

:(

This is the book I wish I had when starting out in 3D. It doesnt barage you with technical descriptions of 3D app features but teaches by going in and making stuff. The quality of the models made and the layout of the book is beautiful, you would not mind having this book on the coffee table for friends to look at. And kudos go to the publisher for printing this book on durable high quality paper, strong binding and with full color photos. So many graphics books nowadays will rip you off with B&W pics on cheap paper. Why is it you can by a $7 magazine (ie National Geographic) with high quality color pics, good paper and strong binding, but not a $30 graphics book?

This is a funny book, written with the newcomer to C4D in mind, full of tutorials about practically every aspect of the vast 3D weaponry wich C4D puts at your disposition. All the examples and tutorials are accompanied with files (contained in a DVD) to put the lessons in practice. The artistic soul of the book is very important, it asks to the reader/practitioner to be creative with the program, but it covers the technical aspects of this complex piece of software also.
Anne Powers, the author, is an artist above all, and the book, printed in full color, has tons of examples of her talented work. I have to make a special mention to the chapter dedicated to the complex task of human head modelling, wich Powers accomplish well and with artistic style.
Not a book about photoreal modelling/rendering, nevertheless. But Powers claims that enough 3D literature is about that these days, and I agree. So is the artistic creative proccess the aspect wich prevails in this book.
The book is based upon the C4D 10 release, and has one chapter dedicated to the MoGraph module. It also covers BodyPaint.
Very fun to read/practice and highly recommended!

Book came quickly, exactly as described, better than expected. Look forward to the next purchases.

Este libro lo conocí al cursar la licenciatura en FIMEE, ahora que lo compré opté por la 5a Ed que esta mejorado. Es muy util para asimilar los conceptos y entender los fenómenos. Me gusta mucho por que creo que está muy completo y se explica muy bien. Es un libro que todos los Ing. Mecánicos deben tener. Los ejercicios son muy variados y de amplias aplicaciones, ello permite ver la amplitud de estudio de esta área de la ing. Vale la pena comprarlo (les sugiero la versión en ingles).
GUZZZ

This book is very easy to use. all the chapters are well written and very easy to follow. If you want a book that covers heat transfer that is great for a class or great for reference then this is it.

A good overall review of heat transfer. Helpfull in dusting off the cobwebs when looking at heat transfer after many years.

This textbook is one of the best I've ever used. Incropera and DeWitt do a great job of explaining convection, conduction, and radiation. I have heard that the mass transfer portion of the book is lacking however, I am an ME major so its not an issue. The covering of conduction is especially good, it goes into great detail math wise although its well presented so you don't have to be a mathematical wizard to follow along. The book goes into a little bit of heat exchanger design, not very much but its a good introduction. If your instructor requires this book for your heat transfer class consider yourself very fortunate.

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.

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.

Since this book was kind of recommanded with Cakewalk's Home studio so I took it then learned that the Home Studio mentioned in this book isn't the same Home studio 2 product currently made by Cakewalk. Some information still applies but it'll take some mental exercise to filter out those no longer applies. If you are looking for current information on Cakewalk's product Home studio 2 then you need to look elsewhere.

Scott does and excellent job of explaining Cakewalk products. He truly understands thier applications and computers. Now I just have to put all that knowledge to use, what fun. If you have Guitar Studio, ect get this or one of his other books. Thanks Scott.

Dennis

What spurred me to buy this book was the lack of guidance in Cakewalk Home Studio regarding the use of the Pitch Wheel. Being a newcomer to Sequencers, I needed this basic information.
I was quite disappointed to find that Cakewalk Power didn't have much to offer in its one paragraph relating to the Pitch Wheel except to say that it was there.
I just hope that the next item I'll need some assistance with from the book will be covered at least a little better.

I bought this book because it advertised Guitar Pro and Home Studio 2002...But it actually only covers Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 which isn't even available anymore. That's sorta annoying; but if you read along with the Pro Audio tips, theres a lot in common with what you would need for Guitar Pro and/or Home Studio. I kept it because like I said, it does help you tweak your system for the other programs; and it seems that all 3 programs are a lot alike.

So in conclusion, it's not what I thought it was going to be, but it covers what I needed to know.

I haven't read this book, but I did skim through it and noticed it looked thinner on the shelves than Sonar 2 Power!, and chose to buy Sonar 2 Power! because I thought it was more comprehensive. I've been very happy about that purchase and what I've learned about Cakewalk Home Studio.

Sonar 2 Power! is a good book for Cakewalk Home Studio 2004 (and XL) users, because Home Studio 2004 is basically the same as Sonar 2 with a few missing features that Home Studio 2004.

I did a comparison of it to my recently acquired 2004 XL upgrade and other than the synchronization function, a couple of UI changes (Snap to Grid button changed locations), and a few effects that Home Studio XL doesn't give you, everything works identical to the Sonar 2 version in the book.

I'd recommend everyone look at Sonar 2 Power! instead of this book first... At least more advanced users. Maybe this is a good book for novices though.

Loads of best practises that is based on solid research. Quite a few eye openers as well. There are already enough of the quick do and don'ts books, this book finally gives me solid base I was looking for. And I totally disagree with others that the book is boring. I really enjoy reading it. It is not hard to read even for foreigners (like me).

This book should be required reading for anyone undertaking a training initiative or considering e-learning. The field today is filled with "rapid development" tools that provide quick translation of slide shows, and "rich media" courses. All of these tools are designed to be easy to use and rely on generic, uninspired templates.

There is much more to designing e-Learning than simply getting your content into an electronic format and making it available online. This book explains it all, and is considered a bible by everyone I've worked with in the field.

This book was great! My classmates and I used it to develop a usability evauluation. Great updates!

I operate an educational multimedia publishing group serving the public healthcare sector. I found this book to be eminently approachable and extremely well organized. I was able to read through it over a weekend. One can get to the key concepts (the HOW) of each chapter without being forced to muddle through the supporting theory. That being said, all major concepts are well supported by research and cognitive theory for those who wish to understand the WHY. It is important to note that the authors' focus is mostly on the corporate training world and adult learners needing to develop fundamental skills. Not until chapter 14 do they discuss approaches to more advanced learners. Overall, I highly recommend this book. It should be on the shelf of everyone who is creating e-learning for adult learners.

I was looking for a book that could provide tips on making online education more engaging. This book was rated highly by other reviewers so I pulled out my credit card and bought it. But I have to agree with another recent review: it's just too boring! The book is written in a style that is very formal and isn't very engaging. I'm a little disappointed that a book about instruction techniques isn't better written and a setting a good example of it's content.