Desktop Publishing Books

Robin Williams' books are definitely an essential ingredient in any graphic designer's library. Everything is explained clearly and simply in terms that are easy to understand and often humorous. Williams gives excellent examples of the work she is describing. This book is an updated complete collection of her two best books: The Non-Designer's Design Book and The Non-Designer's Type Book. I highly recommend this book in particular, as so many designers do not have even the basic understanding of basic rules of design and page layout, or how to work with type and typography. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This is one of the best books I have ever purchased in my life. I love reading it and studying the examples.
This book is the marriage of two books in one.

I have an educational background in Visual Communications Technology, however my heart is in graphic design. I bought this book because I learned so much from Robin's earlier book, The Max Is Not a Typewriter. This book is excellent. She goes into detail concerning design principles with excellent examples. The second book is very detailed concerning the art of typography and the many punctuation mark methods used in the past by professional type setters. Lastly, she provides excellent examples to help the beginner designer learn how to become a professional graphic designer.

I have taken as many graphic design classes as I could as an undergraduate student. Yet I could not get admittance into the typography classes. I will say that the information in this second book is educating me in the art of typography so much so, that I do not feel a need to take a course in it. I will now purchase Robins Design Workshop Book, which is written for new graphic designers.

I can honestly say that this book is great. It is so refreshing to purchase a book in which the author not only cares about good design, but is willing to share her knowledge and expertise, as well as the expertise of her her design associates, of which she give credit to in her captions when she used the word, "we".

If you purchase this book, I am sure your will not regret it.

in other words, it makes sense, so you remember the why and therefore the how. i highlighted and dog eared pages, and then didn't even need to look back and reference because it stuck.

Love the visual examples of bad and good design side by side. It is a thick book and so far I have just skimmed it (too busy), but so far I am loving it. I think most people that don't have a clue about how to design their business ads will learn a lot from this book and their ads will do better for them.

I just can't say enough about how much this book has helped me. I've been writing copy for promotional materials as part of my job for years, and I assumed knowing how to put stuff on a brochure or flier and print it out was enough. I had no idea how dull and uninspired my designs were until I picked up this book. This is the third book I've purchased by Robin and I think I learned more from this one than the two on web design. If you're looking for an in depth explanation of what works, why it works, and what DOESN'T work, this is the book for you. It's concise and comprehensive and I'll be using it as the first reference book I pull from the shelf from now on.

This book is great!! It tells you a lot of cool stuff. Aside from following the book exactly, you can learn about how everythign works, and experiment on your own. I can't wait to get Type Magic 2!!!!!

This book is just loaded with terrific and imaginative uses for the effects in PhotoShop. What is really great about it is that once you get the hang of it you realize that you needn't limit yourself to just using the effects with type. You can apply the effects to photos, shapes, just about any image - which comes in really handy when creating for the web.
Just as an aside,the shatter map was left off the CD-ROM (at least in the PC folder), but upon contacting the publishers, they eMailed me the file within two hours. Great job!

Have you ever wanted to set your type on fire? How about make it transparent? Or shake it apart like it's been hit by an earthquake? Now you can easily create spectacular type effects like those of the masters. Using step-by-step instructions and detailed, full-color examples, Photoshop 4 Type Magic 1 covers 45 type effects, such as chrome, beveled, neon, liquid, glass, swirling, transparent, shattered - and more! The companion CD-ROM is loaded with ... Lighting effects presets Stock images Plus, demo software and plug-ins from Adobe, Alien Skin, MetaTools, Xaos tools, and Andromeda!

Chuck full of texture effects for words. There are about 40 effects and which are described step by step. This book isn't for the cheaters who just want to do Eyecandy plugin's fire effect. Each step is explained in detail and has a picture with it. After all the steps are shown, there are 2 or 3 examples on how to make the same effect look slightly different to give it a more custom look just for your needs. This is one of the few Photoshop books I keep. I've sold more than 1/2 of the Photoshop books I've boughten, so that does mean alot.

I am in college and while learning new photoshop techniques, this book comes in quite handy. The full color examples are just the thing if you are a visual learner like me, and they are easy enough to understand. They go step by step through the various techniques, and it can be learned quickly, if you pay attention. This is also a good reference book if you already know the techniques

This book was extremely useful in helping me clean up many old family photos, some more than one hundred years old. The instructions were clear and I was able to do a good job (with practice) of restoration without fear of doing further damage to the originals. Thank you Laurie Ann Ulrich!

I am reasonably new to the world of digital photography and restoration of old photos, and have been searching for "the" book that will guide me as to the best way to approach certain situations in restoring my old photos. I found exactly what I was looking for in this book. This book is not about Photoshop Elements generally, but specifically addresses the restoration and retouching of photographs. It is the perfect resource that I have been searching for.

I have been retouching photos for awhile now and recently bought this book just to check it out. I found myself not being able to put it down. From beginning to end Laurie has done an oustanding job presenting each step in simple easy to understand steps. I dont think anybody will be dissappointed buying this book.

I usually search the web and ask friends for help when I have to learn software, but the cover of this book made me want to check it out, and I'm glad I did. This is a great book!!! Laurie Ulrich really knows about retouching and restoring photos and you can tell she really cares about her readers and has a feel for the kind of stuff people want to do with their family photos, old pictures, and so on. The book is fun to read and is written in a very easy friendly and readable style. She doesn't talk down to you and she doesn't make a lot of jokes (like in a Dummies or Idiots book) to make her point. The author respects her readers and what they want to accomplish and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to really learn Photoshop Elements and start making use of all those photos you have lying around or the really damaged ones you thought would never be useable again. GET THIS BOOK!

This is my third book by Laurie Ulrich on Photoshop and Elements, and it's great. I got the Elements Bible, and had her Complete Reference on Photoshop, and they're both great. This author is GREAT at explaining things, and gives really realistic examples that make sense. I wrote to her with a restoration question after I got the Bible, and she not only answered the question, but she retouched the photo I sent her and told me how she did it. That made me want this book so Icould do what she did without help, and it's been a great investment. GET THIS BOOK!

This book is excellent. Not only is it fun to read but also very informative. You can read it from front to back and you can use it as a reference manual. What graphics mode for tracks does what? You'll find it! What compression scheme do I need for what purpose? You'll find it! How do I change the movie controller? Why do I have to change it sometimes? Just look it up! Did you ever wanted to know how the people from Apple make movie trailers?

The CD contains an audio tour, many examples, and software (QuickTime 5 Pro, full versions and demo versions of various tools) for Windows and Macintosh computers.

This book was written very well, and is full of useful information. It isn't just for the web! It's a must-have for anyone working with Quicktime. Good book.

I like a lot Mr.Gulie's writing and especially the chapter about SMIL and how it can be used to create QuickTime movies.

The main reason I bought the book was that it had license keys for QuickTime5 Pro for PC and Mac. Those keys costed [price] each at that time if one bought them separately (supposing they had both a Mac and a PC). So it was a good deal apart from the book content itself. An unfortunate thing is that the QT5Pro keys won't work with QT6Pro and that QT6 can't coexist with QT5 on the same machine. So I do still use QuickTime5 (Pro) on my machine...

The book also contains a CD with lots of material which is a must for books about multimedia and rich content (would be a big download for one to get from the publisher's website).

Another thing about such books are that they're usually not printed in color :(, obviously to keep the cost low

This book contains all of the otherwise unwritten techniques for producing QuickTime movies and panoramas for the web, appropriate for both Macintosh and Windows users.

Steve Gulie is in constant contact with producers of QuickTime content (on the mailing list), and is familiar with their day-to-day travails. The book is essentially an embellished FAQ, plus suggestions from Steve's first-hand experience in producing QuickTime for the Web.

The book comes with a QuickTime Pro license for both the Macintosh and Windows, which more than pays for the cost of the book. In addition, the accompanying CD contains demos or fully functional versions of dozens of useful application, for Mac and Windows.

If you're doing any QuickTime production and delivering it on the web, then you need this book.

Steve Gulie does it again. It is rare to read a technical book that makes you laugh out loud, but Steve leavens the clearly-explained information about the intricacies of QuickTime and Web browers with wit and humour.
This second edition includes QT 5 Pro Keys for Windows and Macintosh - separately these alone would cost nearly (...), so the book is a bargain too.

Full disclosure - I am an engineer on the QuickTime team, know the author, and proof-read this book. I know that it is accurate and helpful, and that it will explain techniques that would take you a long time tolearn on your own.

Excellent book for those wanting to set up colour workflows. In depth explanations based on practicle applications. This is not a step by step guide for those wanting to learn photoshop

Very in-depth explanation of Photoshop CS3. A lot more detailed and advanced than most Photoshop books. This is really a resource or reference book and not a book that you can just sit down and read through like Scoot Kelby's book on CS3 for digital photographers, but it is far more informative and in-depth than Kelby's book.

There's nothing else out there that comes even close to this book as an encyclopedic reference to Photoshop CS3. Losing Bruce Fraser is a terrible blow to all of us who've relied for decades on his ability to make complicated subjects understandable, but David Blatner is keeping up the tradition and it appears that Conrad Chavez is a valuable addition to the lineup.

The chapter on color settings in this book is worth the price of admission all by itself. If you do serious work with CS3 you NEED this book. Sit down and read it all the way through, highlight revealing passages, and make notes on the blank parts of the front pages. When you finish you'll have the whole story at your fingertips. Like most CS3 users I work with a subset of Photoshop most of the time, but when I'm faced with an unusual problem I can dive into this book and come up with the solution in a minute or two. Once you've done your homework on the book you won't want to be without it.

This book is so much more than a list of Photoshop options. It tells you how to do the things that as a photographer you will probably be doing a lot of, not all kinds of theoretical stuff that you will probably never even think about doing. That said, there's too much pre-press and print industry material for my taste. But the photography-relevant material is first-rate.

This book surpassed all my expectations, it was made for serious professionals, and that's what I wanted. Although I'm only an amateur photographer and Photoshop enthusiast, I'm enjoying the book, but because I'm very curious and exactly because I love Photoshop so much I wanted to understand everything about it.

If you are also an enthusiast/amateur but don't care about how this marvelous program works, you better get an easier book with canned "how toos". This book also has step by step guides, but on the top of it they explain every single detail of how everything works.

The authors give very in depth explanations on color theory, color management (I had a hard time on this), color spaces, exactly what is a digital image, etc. Although I found this all fascinating, as I already said I had a hard time trying to understand some concepts about color management, but my guess is that if you are a professional you will understand it better.

They also explain Bridge and Camera Raw. I understand why they included these 2 programs in the book (they work together, although CR is actually a plugin), but I could live without it, mostly because there are more in depth books about CR, like Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Real World), by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Schewe (I love this guy, check out his videos on CR at the Luminous Landscape website). If you don't plan on buying a specific book on CR, then the chapter about it is a good introduction.

The most fun part is of course on Photoshop itself, covered in a brilliant, flawless way, with everything you could wish for and more.

The book is massive, more than 700 pages, and is written in a nice, light but serious way. They won't waste your time and patience on endless silly jokes like Scott Kelby. For someone like me, whose mother language isn't English, I could understand everything and the reading flowed smoothly.

I am currently working on a compiler that outputs SVG. 'Teach yourself SVG in 24 Hours' has enabled be to gain a good understanding of how to use some of the nice, handy features of SVG without having to spend ages geeking around on the internet looking for online tutorials!

It was a pleasent suprise to open a computing book that wasn't in too much jargon - quite a handy thing when its your first exposure to a new language. This book it written for everyone! (unless you have no interest in computers or the internet etc..)

I am a graphic artist using Adobe Illustrator and I wanted to learn more about SVG. I asked the Adobe people about this file format that is included with the newest versions of Illustrator but was unable to find out much. Finally I found this great book.

This book begins with an overview and describes the justification and process of development of SVG. In chapter 2 it jumps right in and teaches the nuts and bolts of creating images with SVG. As I am not a coder or programmer, I was amazed at the simplicity. Once a few basics had been explained I was off and running. Anyone with even the most basic computer and a simple text editor can create sophisticated graphics.

Towards the end of the book is a section on using Adobe Illustrator and in the back there is a reference section for oddball color conversion. The book also comes with the Adobe Web Collection CD that includes the viewer and tryout versions of Illustrator and Photoshop.

I'm really excited by the potential of this technology and can recommend this book to anyone who wants to develop some expertise in a hurry.

Good Luck...Tom Burns

Teach Yourself SVG in 24 Hours, I believe, is one of the best computer books I've read. I am a computer savvy with 5 years experiences in programming and network administration as well as database management. Recently I am working on a project involving SVG.

This book walked you through a series of detailed tutorials to build a dynamic weather forecast web page using SVG step by step. In each chapter, a new topic is covered in an easy-to-understand and informative manner, which makes the learning curve pretty flat. As the title suggests, this book is an introductory primer to a new technique so it is not intented to delve too deep into a specific topic. However, a good many hyperlinks to W3C's online SVG specification appear here and there for your reference if you would like to make your hands dirtier...In a nutshelll, if you would like to teach yourself SVG from the beginning, it is The book, though it may, by a large chance, take you more than 24 hours to go through it.

Web developers and designers alike should have a full acquaintance with this exciting new technology. There aren't many resources yet available, and this book will prove to be a trailblazer.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML implementation utilizing a markup language similar to HTML but created specifically to render and control graphics. It is a robust mix of technologies including the DOM, CSS, Xlink, XSLT and JavaScript, and using the Adobe® SVG Viewer (a free plug-in), it supports static and dynamic graphics and WAV or MP3 audio.

Web developers should learn SVG because it is open-source and built in a simple text editor. It gives complete control of each graphic element. Web designers should use SVG because it is powerful -- graphics packages such as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Jasc Web Draw and others support SVG output. SVG also enables flash-like animation. In fact, SVG is THE open-source solution to web animation. No longer do you need expensive proprietary software to get the job done.

Anyway, this book is what you need. (That's how I learned all this.) Author Micah Laaker, while presenting the material in a comprehensive, straightforward and exciting manner, will leave an excellent reference guide on your book shelf. Buy it, read it and keep it handy.

I needed a book to get myself jump started using Filemaker's API for PHP when I found Jonathan Starks book. Jonathan brings you through the process from configuration of Filemaker Server to the creation of small Product/Inventory database. The examples are very informative and Jonathan explains the code so its understandable to both the newbie and the more experienced developer. Sample files are available on Jonathans website. Jonathan uses the "Template" method for PHP coding and I found it to be a great way to do development. I highly recommend this book. It will get you off to a great start and give you the basics to get started creating some great sites.

A great introduction to working with Filemaker and PHP for publishing dynamic web pages. Written by brilliant developer extraordinaire Jonathan Stark, this book will break down the basics and give you everything you need to get started quickly.

His method of breaking down code into manageable chunks with inline comments really helps you wrap your head around what would otherwise look like daunting pages of PHP code.

Experienced developers may skip the first few sections about basic Filemaker and HTML and dig right into the heart of the PHP API for filemaker. Good stuff!

Un muy buen libro. Muy diferente al estilo de los libros de "* for dummies", utilizando ejemplos concisos y bien explicados para darse a entender.
El libro es un excelente prefacio a PHP, y Filemaker desde cero, y llega hasta la configuración de servidores, que pareciera ser un proceso exclusivamente administrativo.

Over the holiday break I had some time to read (a better word might be "consume") Jonathan Stark's book "Web Publishing with PHP and FileMaker 9." In a little more than 250 pages, Jonathan manages to do the impossible: He explains how to put the FileMaker API for PHP to use.

The book is divided into four logical sections. The first section provides background information for those new to the world of Web publishing, including an introduction to HTML and PHP. After reading this section, you won't be an HTML expert, and you certainly won't be a PHP pro. But you will have a good understanding of the technologies involved in Web publishing and development, and how those technologies fit together.

The second section of the book provides a foundation for the examples that are used later on. The section includes a chapter on how to setup a FileMaker database (creating fields, working with the database, performing finds, and so on). I'm sure that the majority of readers will find this section to be unnecessary and might be tempted to skip it. However, the chapter does cover one key topic that you should take a few minutes to check out, and that is an explanation on how to setup a FileMaker account (and grant it the correct privileges) that PHP can use to connect to the database.

The second section also covers installation, deployment, and configuration of FileMaker Server, as well as the new PHP Site Assistant. Jonathan makes a recommendation -- and one that I heartily agree with -- that if you do not absolutely need your own server, then using a server provided by a Web hosting provider is an ideal solution. However, if you do have your own server, you'll find this information to be of great use.

The third section of "Web Publishing with PHP and FileMaker 9" includes what I consider to be the most valuable information in the book. This section covers the FileMaker API for PHP (often referred to as "FileMaker.php") itself, and does so using an example Web application that is developed and expanded throughout the section. The application is one that most readers will be able to associate with -- an online product catalog.

The section includes chapters on how to select, sort, and do finds against a FileMaker database using PHP. Another chapter explains how to alter FileMaker data over the Web, including the creation of new records and updates and deletions of existing records. There are also chapters on how to view, add, edit, and delete related data via PHP (which is accomplished using portals), as well as some very useful information on how to work with images (including images stored in container fields and those stored by reference using URLs).

The last chapter in the third section describes a very interesting concept: Developing a PHP application that automatically updates as the FileMaker layouts that it is built on are updated. For example, if a field is added or removed, the PHP application automatically adds and/or drops the field as well. If you are looking for an easy way to let your FileMaker users "self-manage" a PHP application, then this chapter will prove to be invaluable to you.

"Web Publishing with PHP and FileMaker 9" covers a lot of ground, and does so in a way that makes it a fast and enjoyable journey. Jonathan's writing style and "voice" make it easy to follow along with the material. His expert knowledge of PHP and FileMaker is apparent, and he does a great job of sharing that knowledge in the book.

If you are looking for a good book on PHP and FileMaker integration -- whether you are new to the topic or consider yourself to be a pro -- then I highly recommend picking up a copy of "Web Publishing with PHP and FileMaker 9."

FileMaker and PHP are absolutley the way to go, and this is
THE BEST BOOK to get for Filemaker web publishing.
As a "non-programmer" who has struggled in the past trying to bring a database to the web,
I found the examples in this book easy to follow and understand.
It definately took me to the next level.

"100 Essential Techniques" solved at least a half dozen situations right off the bat. George's writing style is clear and concise and his selection of techniques are those that you need to be aware of. Having flipped through the book several times reading what was intriguing, I am reading from front to back. I found that I could read this book on my comute and remember the simple steps on how to impliment the techniques when I was in front of the computer. Real sweet, what's next George?

Clear but concise explanations of many of the features and functions you may already be marginally aware of, but may not understand how to use. These features are generally only mentioned in other books, but are more clearly explained here. I teach the Adobe suite, and feel pretty comfortable using these applications, but most of what I know has come from books because I live in an isolated area. Whenever a book comes along that helps me to understand features I haven't been using, I really appreciate it. Short on glamour, it is just black text on white pages; the techniques are most often presented in two page layouts with screen captures as needed. The book is small enough to hold on your lap or have next to the computer as you work. Reading and using one technique a day might be a great way to go through the book as opposed to just reading. Some tips will be of interest to new users, while others are aimed at the intermediate or advanced level, which is exactly how it's noted on the back cover. Easy reading, chapter headings make it simple to find what you need, but there's also a good index. I find the organization very helpful. There are general tips presented first, regarding the use of Bridge, and setting up preferences to work with the suite more interactively. Then techniques for individual application components are presented and I appreciate the inclusion of GoLive here since I use it. I know everyone else uses DW, but our school chose to go with the Adobe Suite way back when. I have been responsible for the extensive dept. web site and I found GoLive up to the task. And last, tips having to do with the use of Acrobat and Version Cue. I've been using Acrobat for years, but on a fairly rudimentary level and I didn't understand Version Cue at all, so this book has provided some terrific information there. All in all, I think this book is a bargain, excellent, much needed information presented in a simple format. Some tips may be over your head if you're just beginning, but later on you'll be glad they're here. Especially useful: tips on using Bridge more fully, the most useful and least understood aspects of Photoshop and Illustrator, using Master Pages and Frames in InDesign as well as creating books (something I need to do right now), CSS in GoLive (a special thank you for that), time-saving batch processing techniques, and Acrobat and Version Cue techniques that wrap up the final needed tips. This book is definitely not a rehash of anything you've seen elsewhere. It's all the information I was hoping to find in other books and didn't. This book is an excellent resource and I'll keep it handy. There isn't one thing in here I would consider filler. The subtitle is 100 essential techniques and that seems to fit the content perfectly.

An excellent book, particularly helpful in discovering the new nooks and crannies of the CS line. It's definitely a book I wish I had sooner. It shed a lot of light on the Bridge as well as Version Cue that I just wasn't getting before.

I am familiar with George's style of writing and this book is no exception, to his casual yet informative tone.

This book was super helpful getting me up to speed when I did an upgrade from the pre-CS product line. It covers the basics, but also gets you into some of the more advanced time savers. There's a website for it too, which has been updated with a couple of new tips.

Thank goodness! Finally, a resource that's quick access, a quick fix to my problems and helpful, succinct answers to my questions. A must-have for anyone using the new CS2.

This book was exactly what I needed to get quickly up to speed on web design and construction. I last built a site in 1997. For my new site I had designed an easy to use, but complicated to build site. I had no real idea how to build it. This book taught me how. It was easy to read and had hands on (my favorite) exercises. The best part was that it focuses on the preparation stage as well as the site production stage. I needed to learn all I could about slicing images and rollovers. This book covers them very well. It shows you how to shave off download seconds. I didn't really know what to do with ImageReady before. Now I am using it to its full potential! Unfortunately, I'll have to learn Flash to really speed up my site.

I found this book extremely easy to use and very helpful. The lessons were quick and easy to understand. I wish they would have gone into more complicated applications. For getting a handle on how to use Photoshop and ImageReady it was wonderful.

I received this book about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I just tore thru it! Linda Weinman and Tanya Staples did an outstanding job in covering and teaching me what I needed to know about Photoshop CS. It beat out Photoshop class room in a book by a mile!

To bad I can't take it back!{

This has revolutionized the way I design websites for my realtor clients at realtors-image com

Thank you Lynda, Tanya and special thanks to Garo Green....what an amazing trainer he is. I made the move from Frontpage to Dreamweaver MX with his training manual.

The field of Graphic/ Web Design is wide open if you just follow these manuals from Lynda Weinmans HOT Manuals,

Thank you all and god bless!

This is the first time that I've tried learning through the Hands on Training (H.O.T) books and after reading & practicing with the CD that comes along with the book, I think this is a great training book! The book was very well written and the having the CD with the practice files to train with really helps you learn. I am in no way new to Photoshop, but I'd never used ImageReady before. With this book, I literally was able to understand and learn ImageReady CS in one day, and I also learned a lot of useful tips in Photoshop CS that I had never used before. Plus, with the way the book is written, anytime you have a question or problem, you can skip to a certain page or chapter that should help you. I am very satisfied with this purchase and plan on using H.O.T exclusively to train on any other softwere that I need to learn.

The book description refers to the book as "this full-color volume" in error. The update from Photoshop/Imageready 7 to CS has added 220 pages of content, but to hold the same price point, it was necessary to produce the book in black and white. I really miss the color. I occasionally purchase a Photoshop book that is not in color, but with one exception (Deke McClelland's Look and Learn Photoshop 6), they always end up being returned.

Don't let me discourage you from buying the book -- it's still a great resource, even more so since Ben Willmore's Photoshop CS Studio Techniques no longer discusses web/Imageready topics -- but please be aware that it's not "in full color."

This book meets the needs of many people who are happy with the best-selling Adobe Classroom-in-a- book series, but found their content to be more appropriate to novices. Using the same tutorial approach with concise, well-illustrated and clear explanations, this book is a must for web designers and any digital-era artist.

Ok, this is a good book. A very good book. It is well written, clear and easy to follow. And the projects are, for the most part, more useful in real-world than the basic classroom in a book series.

I just think the title is misleading. This is NOT a book of ADVANCED techniques. It is NOT "Bert Monroy" advanced techniques or "Photoshop channel chops" advanced techniques.

What this book actually is, is the NEXT STEP UP from PS & Illustrator basic classrooms in a book. And if that is where you are in your level of knowledge of PS & Illustrator, then put your money on the table and get this book because you will learn A LOT.

Maybe my problem is that I expect more from the people at Adobe. Every week they post these "showcases" at Adobe.com showing these amazing images that were created using their software. I for one wish they would start showing us HOW to create them instead of WHO is creating them. Anyway, I digress.

Here's some usefull information on this book.

Chapter 1; PREPARING IMAGES FOR PRINT OR THE WEB. (yawn) You got this in the basic CIAB.

Chapter 2; SHADING & BLENDING. Been there, done that. Nothing new.

Chapter 3; ACQUIRING DIGITAL IMAGES. Scanning, Photo CD, etc. (I kid you not).

Chapter 4; ADVANCED MASKING. O.K., now you're starting to learn something. A nice chapter on some neat masking tricks in both PS & Illustrator.

Chapter 5; ADVANCED COMPOSITING. Nice chapter on blending with layer masks, layer modes, etc.

Chapter 6; COLOR MANAGEMENT & DISTRIBUTION. Hey, you at Adobe... quite with the chapters on "optimizing web-art". WE GET THE POINT, already...Low resolution & Primary colors. Jeez.

Chapter 7; ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY AND LAYOUT. Always useful, always overlooked. Great stuff.

Chapter 8; MASTERING THE PEN TOOL. If you didn't get the hang of it in the basic CIAB, this info isn't going to help.

Chapter 9; TWO COLOR PRINT PROJECTS. Art on a budget. Actually, this chapter does have some nice info on getting good results with spot color.

Chapters 10 & 11; Throw away stuff used to fill pages (animated Web Ad Banner, etc).

Well, thats it. It's your call. If you need to bone up on some of the techniques listed above, they are well presented and you WILL learn from this book. It IS very well done.

If you are looking for REAL ACTUAL EARTH SHATTERING GURU advanced stuff on PS & Illustrator, save your money. You should buy "Photoshop Channel Chops" & Bert Monroy's "Photorealistic Techniques with PhotoShop & Illustrator". Now THAT book will put hair on your chest.

The Adobe staff's training workbook Photoshop 5.5 And Illustrator 8.0 provides advanced users with a series of training lessons developed by experts and tested in classes and computer labs. Projects use both applications and include plenty of tips for preparing and editing Web graphics, animation, and skills already learned by the user. Ownership of these programs is a 'must' for users, with some prior background lending to these books' easy instructions.

Adobe Press finally gets it right with this in-depth look at Photoshop and Illustrator. If you use both of these products (and who doesn't?), you'll find this book the perfect blend of the two, contrasting and comparing the products and providing numerous workflow examples.

If you like this book, be sure to pick up Wendy Crumpler's Photoshop, Painter, and Illustrator book.

As with the rest of the "Classroom in a Book" series, this is probably the best way to learn Adobe Products. This is a great tutorial for intermediate-advanced users of Illustrator and Photoshop to fill in the gaps of their knowledge especially for anyone who doesn't understand the synergy that exists when these two products are combined.

I really hope more tutorial books using multiple software packages to complete projects are released.