Computer Graphics Books

This book is awesome if you are just learning cad and need basic functions. While the version is a bit outdated, the information in it is still useful in learning commands. I prefer to type in commands rather than look for short-cut icons, and this book gives most of the ones you will ever need. Of course, I may be partial-- Dr. Kark was my professor in school and taught my class with this book.

What a crime that this excellent design book's weakest, tackiest page is the only one that most people will ever see: its cover. I grabbed this book as a joke, because its awful first page promised a Saturday afternoon of unintended laughs and head-shaking at astounding misuses of Photoshop. But the joke was on me--there's a treasure buried under that Photoshop-ravaged front cover.

The Designer's Guide to Astounding Photoshop Effects begins with a brief but concise history of photo manipulation, which was first achieved with physical tools like airbrushes and blades. A heroic propaganda poster from the 1950s and a silly, contemporary Weekly World News cover (headlined "LIPOSUCTION FOR WORLD'S BIGGEST BABY" ) invoke completely different psychological responses and seem as though they have nothing in common, but both were achieved by the deliberate manipulation of reality and are landmarks in the evolution of the technique. It was a great idea to include this section, because most Photoshop books show no interest in the historic or psychological relevance of manipulation; they just get right to the showoff stuff. Because, let's face it, that's what most Photoshop users want.

The Designer's Guide... is geared more toward people who appreciate photo manipulation when it's done with style, grace and purpose than people who are looking to lens-flare their every document. There are some tips and they're all pretty good, but you have to accept the fact that most Photoshop wizards--like traditional magicians--have no intention of revealing the secrets behind their best tricks. So if you're like me, you'll find yourself doing a lot of backwards engineering to figure out how they created those astonishing effects.

But before attempting any of the tricks in this or any other Photoshop book, I think it's important to ask yourself, For what purpose?. A great Photoshop artist should use his skills only when necessary, and always with discipline. Because it's just too easy and tempting to get carried away, and wind up making the kind of mess they made with this cover.

A thin reference to 60+ symbol and icon fonts available online, this book succeeds on all levels: high quality and tasteful printing and layout, great content, and an inarguably fair price (when compared to many books of similar content and quality.) In addition to being a reference to the 60 or so symbol/icon fonts described, illustrated, and utilized in this book, but it is a pleasure to look at - whether searching for a bit of inspiration for your own creative twist, or for finding professional symbol and icon fonts on the web. I am very happy I purchased this book, and look forward to using it for some time to come. I highly recommend this book to graphic or web designers.

This book is helpful for beginners and established designers. It contains great tips on how to fix and/or improve your design skills in a fast paced, budget and time constrained environment. It is also well designed and easy to read.

This is one of the nmost readable treatments of the subect of EPSS I've come across. Designed as a practitioner's guide, it also provides an introduction for business executives and decision-makers to orient them to what EPSS can, and cannot be expected to accomplish.

All fundamental technologies of EPSS are describe in plain English, followed by implications for instructional designers and performance technologists who will be defining functionality, information architecture, navigational and interface designs and assessment of applications. Sample code and design templates, along with over 3-dozen planning and implementation job-aids, and a side-by-side comparison of development tools and technologies make this an invaluable addition to one's library.

This is a clearly written book for producers of DVD's with ideas of how to tighten up your workflow; how the intended output dictates choices. I wanted help with navigating the material on a DVD. DVD Studio 4 makes this easier than version 3 and this manual clears up some issues as well. Book clarifies some procedures that the manual covers not as clearly.

This book is a must have reference for every Web Designer. I believe it is a book of usability, because it tells you what kind of interface elements work better than others, what kind of website structure to follow when you target specific group of people...etc. So if you are a person looking for a book to learn Dreamweaver and design a website, then this book is not for you. But if you are person that already knows how to design a website, but would like to enhance your designs further to make it more user-friendly and follow usability standards then this book is for you.

I could like to use this book in one of may subject that I teach in Monterrey Institute Technologic Campus Chihuahua. The name of the Subject is "Developing Multimedia Systems Applications." And is one the course of the undergraduate information systems programs.

I bought this book last year and it served as a good reference book for visual stimulation. It contains little writing, and is basically a catalog of 3D and 2D design works by Rashid. What I love most is the use of colors (a lot of bright colors are used) and the glossiness of pages really adds to the enjoyment of viewing. Some of his later works are 2D patterns with layers and overlaps of either lines or flat surfaces, and they suggest a certain feeling of space and depth as well as mood/emotion. I think the book title and bookcover are good representation of what's inside the book.

I am not crazy about some of his earlier works - with 3D rendered human beings (they look like cyborgs) sometimes with 2D patterns on their bodies, but I'm glad he chose to include them in the book, because it gives a more comprehensive feel to his body of work, and helps me to understand where he is coming from.

Just wanted to thank the author & publisher for sharing this body of work. It inspired me for some paintings I did last year.

Digital Black & White Photography is one of the few photography/imaging books I have read cover to cover. The book is well written and covers a wide range of topics from camera capture and photography to detailed digital B&W techniques using Photoshop. Learnt lots from this excellent book.