Desktop Publishing Books

It is not a product specific... Not Premiere or Mac stuf only... A lot of theorya and a lot of pratices tips also.

If you're like me, just getting started as a hobbyist filmmaker, this is the book. I only received it yesterday and glancing through the contents, it covers most, if not all of the questions I've had about certain aspects of filmmaking. It is well written in everyday english, easy to understand.
Since yesterday when I first opened the cover, I haven't been able to set it down for very long. It's that good. I highly recommend this book to any and all levels of individuals who want to learn about filmmaking from the ground up. It covers it all.

Ben Long and Sonja Schenk's DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK THIRD EDITION pairs a fine DVD packed with project files, film clips and tutorials with an updated, revised edition of a best-selling guide to new digital video technologies. Chapters have all been revised to cover the latest hardware and software configurations and new exercises provide help with everything from writing to production. Black and white screen shots and examples throughout make DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK a one-step resource.

An excellent one stop guide to getting started in digital filmmaking, realizing of course, that there is no film involved.

This book starts with selecting the things like the type of camera you need to make digital video. And for good work, a good camera is necessary, and expensive. IThe book is intended for the person who is just getting started. It explains the terms, the basic equipment you will need, and so on.

The concept of making a film, no, a video starts with a story. From here you need a script. Then you do a story board to plan your shoot. If this sounds a bit professional, it is. This book presumes that you are serious about making a video. This is a rough cut at what the pros do to make a film. ==From this book alone you probably won't get to the Academy Awards show, but reading and putting into practice what the book says might get you into a commercial or a local indistrial film production.

All in all a good summary of getting started in the digital AV business.

This book was written for people that have no clue what a computer, a video camera, or a movie is. It is written for the very inexperienced or novice--the people that should not be making movies to begin with.

But it is packed with information a 7 year old or 88 year old can understand, and it is 95% close to being accurate. I guess if one needs to start somewhere, here it is, but after reading it, please do not make your first movie to send to festivals, make as many as you can, practice, practice, practice, then get a real book. Digital Filmmaking 101, Digital Moviemaking, Independent Filmmakers Manual, and so forth before getting into the movie making world--please.

Admittedly I'm not a computer geek. However, I am conversant with most Microsoft and some Adobe programs. I purchased a copy of InDesign the other day and ordered a copy of this book to help me jump start use of the program. It's been quite a letdown. Exercises are difficult to follow, directions are omitted (apparently because they were covered in earlier chapters), and consequently I'm finding this to be a rather poor teaching tool for the novice. If you are at that position on the learning curve, I suggest you look for another reference. Frankly, the help tab on InDesign is frequently of more assistance.

This book is the best book if you want to learn InDesign CS3 thoroughly. Its written so anyone can learn! Its written by a smart woman who understands how students and at home learners need to learn. I love how the chapters are broken up and the projects provided are integrated well with the chapters. I found this text very helpful while learning Ms.Terry's course, I think this book is so well written because she's such a great teacher with so much experience and she knows what she's talking about. There are a lot of authors out there that write a book just to make money, but Ms.Terry wrote the book because she enjoys sharing her knowledge of the program and teaching others easy ways to use it. If you want an InDesign book that's easy to learn and written by an author that knows what she's talking about this is the best one to choose.

Their are a lot of horribly written software textbooks where it gets confusing and it's hard to read. This book is so clear and easy to understand that it unbeliveable that it's about InDesign! I give it five stars not only because the author is my teacher but because it deserves it!

This book is an invaluable resource for all knowledge levels. Although it's meant for a classroom, there are a lot of very informative lessons that can help improve productivity. With all of Terry's real world knowledge and respect for printers and typography, your local printer will notice a difference in your files and thank you for a worry-free print job. Terry's style of writing is very easy to follow. Exploring InDesign CS3 is very memorable and I would recommend it to any designer that is looking to boost their knowledge of this wonderful Adobe software.

I had never used Adobe InDesign before I purchased this book. I found the book to be extremely helpful in my learning process for this program. It's an excellent learning resource! I plan on keeping this book as a reference for all of the InDesign functions that I've learned.

I've bought quite a few of these quickie books. Some are good. Some are awful.

This one goes way beyond the others. It's all in the details. Details on how to save files. Details on how to slice objects. Details on how to create rollovers. Details on optimizing. Details on everything.

I've been carrying my copy around so much that the cover is about to fall off.

Fireworks 4 is an excellent book to teach yourself vector graphics, bitmapped graphics and how they concern each other and their use on the web. Fireworks 4 is a "paint" program that deals with the new type of graphic format, .png (ping), that will eventually take over where the .gif format left off but without the liscensing hassles the gif format carries now. Pngs can promise and produce better images than its gif predicessor can and this book is the perfect example to show you how. With its pictorial format, its easy to understand and hard to put down as lessons and examples easily appear on your screen like you had nothing to do with it. Great Book for learning about png graphics and how they fit with Macromedia's Dreamweaver HTML editor. Le Guepe (Dan Newell)

Some aspects of this book frustrated me.

While the instructions and the pictures are helpful, you need to know something about the Fireworks interface in order to follow the instructions. The author tells to you use a certain command, or to display a certain menu, but gives you no clue as to where to find it.

I found myself spending a lot of time looking for sample files that I could use to follow the instructions in this book. A CD with sample files, or a Web site where you can download sample files would have made the book much easier to use.

Ack, I'm beginning to HATE these VQS guides.
This book is more straightforward than the DW VQS, however, often it leaves you hanging and wondering.
Peruse thru some chapters at your local bookstore, and you'll see what I mean. I've come to realize these budget books are no good.

How good can a $20 book possibly be? But unfortunately, there aren't too many beginner-intermediate FIREWORKS books out there.

I recommend you read FIREWORKS F/X and Design after you torture yourself thru this book. If you find a better book, let me know, but I doubt b/c I've searched enough. PLAYING WITH FIRE isn't that great; if you're smart and compare PLAYING WITH FIRE to the F/X book, you'll quickly see the F/X book is by far better. Slightly more difficult, but hey, you want to learn FIREWORKS or not?

I wanted to learn Fireworks quickly so I purchased this book. It was much more than expected. I didn't expect a beginners book or a quick start book to teach everything. But this book was succinct and to the point. I was able to get a grasp quickly and move on to a design type book which emphasized the creative aspects of Fireworks in more detatil. Hand in Hand with the Fireworks 4 f/x and Design book, I was able to increase my Fireworks skills tremendously. I'd highly recommend both books used in tandem if you are a beginner.

There are plenty of tips and notes along the way as well as some Photoshop differences to ease the transition for Photoshop users. Since using Fireworks, I now want Photoshop to work the same way. For web graphics Fireworks rocks! But it did take a bit of time to realize the power of FW vectors and to stop thinking "Photoshop".

This is a great book..I'm not a guru in flash, but this title is great if you are looking for great tips for flash...full satisfing

Book review of Flash Hacks

Introduction:

Flash Hacks from O'Reilly is a great book that every Flash Designer or Developer should have in their library. The "get-to-the-point" style of the Hacks series is also very useful when you have a deadline fast approaching. There are 100 "hacks" in this book that, for the most part, are projects that can be used in your everyday Flash development.

First the bad news:

BWhile this book is full of great project that touch the surface of most problems, I found that the book could have used more in-depth examples. I also wanted a full chapter on Flash Components, which was not really covered at all. Flash is now the goto format for Rich Internet Applications because of the player market penetration, and with the need to regularly utilize components, it would have been nice to seem more information on the subject.

Now for the good news:

I choose this book mainly for the Sound and Browser Integration chapters, but I was pleasantly suprised to find more than a handful of topics that helped me develop better applications. I especially liked the chapter on Optimization along with the Color Effects chapter. Both of these chapters provided tid-bits of information that were directly related to a few projects I was working on.

Conclusion:

While there is room for improvement, I would highly recommend this book, or the next version that I assume will be coming out shortly. For the begining and intermediate Flash Developer, the hacks in this book will help you build better user experiences for your clients.




Book Rating: 8.5 / 10

This book is about coming up with new ideas for your Flash web designs, ActionScript, and Flash content. It is not just about showing you some interesting hacks, it is about showing you some of the nonobvious techniques and ideas that will make your Flash designs more original and your applications more effective.

If you want to get some quick ideas for new directions in your designs, the first four chapters look at the core techniques that affect the look and feel of a site, such as drawing, animation, and effects. Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 revolve around media and content, so visit them for inspiration and information pertaining to 3D, text, sound, or UI elements. Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, and Chapter 12 cover specialized topics such as browser integration, optimization, and security plus a healthy dose of ActionScript for good measure. You should peruse them for answers to question like, "How do I center the Flash Stage in the browser?" or "How can I prevent someone from stealing my design?"

Flash is a versatile authoring tool and consists of a number of separate areas that usually need to be combined to produce the finished effect or piece, so don't take the chapter titles and synopses as anything other than broad headings. For example, many chapters contain some element of animation, and most hacks contain ActionScript because it lets you do some really interesting things. The following is a brief description of the table of contents:

Chapter 1, Visual Effects
This chapter looks at ways you can make your graphic content more interesting by adding various effects and transitions.

Chapter 2, Color Effects
The savvy designer uses color in addition to animation. Color is often overlooked, but this chapter shows how color changes can transform the atmosphere of a piece or add video-like effects, such as fades and wipes.

Chapter 3, Drawing and Masking
Combining Flash's graphic animation facilities with ActionScript increases your creative horizons considerably. This chapter shows graphic effects created at both authoring time and runtime. Masking, which underlies many of the graphics tricks and techniques, is also discussed.

Chapter 4, Animation
The hacks in this chapter offer content creation shortcuts for manually drawn animation, plus ways to optimize animation created under ActionScript control.

Chapter 5, 3D and Physics
Flash Player is somewhat underpowered in terms of computational and animation speed. Therefore, processor-intensive applications, such as 3D, are problematic in Flash. Flash doesn't include any native 3D ActionScript commands or 3D hardware support, unlike Macromedia Director which supports the Shockwave 3D format. This chapter provides a number of hacks that bypass Flash's performance limitations to add physics simulations and 3D effects to your repertoire.

Chapter 6, Text
This chapter covers ways to store, display, and manipulate text, as well as create animated text effects.

Chapter 7, Sound
Without sound, your carefully crafted content will feel flat and uninspired. The main thrust of this chapter is to show hacks that allow you to create sounds for Flash without having to go to a usually very costly off-the-shelf sound source CD-ROM and without having to nurture any music talent. This chapter also looks at a number of issues that can stop Flash sound from working as advertised and which have put off many Flash sound experimenters in the past. A secondary aim is to present a few sound-related hacks that are not normally attempted. These techniques are hacks because they are sound applications that are not mainstream, such as Flash-based spoken word input and output.

Chapter 8, User Interface Elements
This chapter covers hacks related to user interface issues, such as buttons, scrollbars, and mouse input. However, this book is not about interface design but about stretching Flash in ways Macromedia might not have foreseen or intended. Therefore, the hacks in this chapter cover several nonobvious uses of UI elements within Flash. Some of them overcome apparent limitations in the UI facilities provided by Flash. But the first hack shows that UIs are not just for the end user, sometimes they can make development easier, too.

Chapter 9, Performance and Optimization
This chapter includes hacks to keep your filesizes small and your applications speedy. Flash's animation engine isn't the fastest one around because the Flash Player is optimized for a small download size, not for performance. Also, it is designed with web use in mind; therefore, it is optimized for small, low-bandwidth files rather than large, complex animation. In order to maintain its small footprint and ensure maximum compatibility, the Flash Player does not support hardware acceleration. Therefore, performance issues are often paramount for the Flash designer.

Chapter 10, ActionScript
Although almost every hack in the book includes some ActionScript, this chapter covers ways to get the most out of ActionScript, including undocumented features. ActionScript adds true power to Flash. Without ActionScript, Flash can create only linear animation. With a little ActionScript, you can create basic navigation via clickable buttons and hotspots. Learning more advanced ActionScript techniques gives you access to features such as creating a local shared object also known as a "Flash cookie". Without ActionScript, you cannot create Flash sites that communicate with the browser, exchange data with server-side applications, or download MP3 files.

Chapter 11, Browser Integration
This chapter looks at ways of maximizing browser compatibility so you can maximize the audience and enhance their enjoyment of your content. Ironically, part of the world's love-hate relationship with Flash is based on misconceptions. Many web developers and users don't realize the extent to which Flash works with browsers. In this chapter, we'll see how to integrate Flash with standard browser conventions, such as the Back button, which is highlighted in Hack #94, and search engines like Google.

Chapter 12, Security
This chapter provides a few ways to protect your content and designs, despite the vulnerability of the SWF format.

There are 100 total hacks, with an accompanying thermometer. The "temperature" indicates novice, intermediate, or expert hack.

Title: Flash Hacks - 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
Author: Sham Bhangal
Publisher: O"Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-00645-4
Pages: 452 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When I encountered the first versions of Flash my impression was of an unnecessarily complex animation program with an obscure interface and REALLY WEIRD drawing tools. I've wanted to say that in public for years and now that I've gotten it off my chest I feel much better, thank you.

Yet, Macromedia must have been onto something, since the program has obviously matured into an indispensable tool for creators of dynamic, interactive, multimedia content for the web and beyond. But, as you might expect, the complexity has only multiplied. This book dives right into the issue by forgoing lengthy tutorials and focusing directly on getting results and solving specific problems - 100 of them to be exact. Once inside it is caution-to-the-wind since the only guide lines are "what if" and "whatever works." That's why they're called hacks, after all. It's an approach that works for me, since I'm really just an overgrown novice that has used the program for several years but infrequently. When I do use it I just want to get the job done and don't have the luxury (or patience, maybe?) to search the documentation, learn a comprehensive set of new skills, then figure out how they apply to my current need. And I don't think I'm alone here.

Although the book, like Flash itself, is not for the unmotivated, there really is something here for everyone from beginner to veteran. If you are tempted by the promise of shiny new tricks and sweet insider workarounds then you can eagerly and easily search these pages for tasty snacks to digest now and save the heavier helpings for later. The preface offers a useful starting point with a concise overview and clear explanations of the conventions used to organize and demonstrate the text.

The book covers a wide range of topics. Twelve chapters are each devoted to specific issues such as Visual Effects, Drawing and Masking, 3D and Physics, Sound, ActionScript, etc., and each contains several related tips. The individual "hacks", although usable by themselves, often relate to material in other examples, and are clearly and conveniently cross-referenced in the text. Many of the longer examples can be downloaded from the books web page [...]

And, as promised, the tips are pretty nifty. Some are showy, like #33 - Particle Effects. And some are sneaky, like #20 - Use Complex Shapes as Masks (by using a hairline split, invisible to the eye but recognized by the processor, to open enclosed areas.) But even the coolest tricks would be useless if you couldn't understand the instructions. Fortunately that isn't an issue here. The text is easy to read and well organized with clear examples and illustrations. I especially appreciated the tons of URLs to websites with further examples of great Flash work. Another nice feature is how other programs such as Photoshop, Fireworks, and Poser can be used in conjunction with Flash.

This title is one of a series of "Hacks" books by O'Reilly, a list of which can be found [...] Billed as "a community for developers and power users of all stripes" I went there anyway and felt only slightly over my head. But it looks like the real deal for the power hungry. I `m a long-time fan of the seriously usable content and simple direct presentation style of O"Reilly technical reference manuals. This book ventures into more creative realms than their usual titles but stays true to form.

Title: Flash Hacks - 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
Author: Sham Bhangal
Publisher: O"Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-00645-4
Pages: 452 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When I encountered the first versions of Flash my impression was of an unnecessarily complex animation program with an obscure interface and REALLY WEIRD drawing tools. I've wanted to say that in public for years and now that I've gotten it off my chest I feel much better, thank you.

Yet, Macromedia must have been onto something, since the program has obviously matured into an indispensable tool for creators of dynamic, interactive, multimedia content for the web and beyond. But, as you might expect, the complexity has only multiplied. This book dives right into the issue by forgoing lengthy tutorials and focusing directly on getting results and solving specific problems - 100 of them to be exact. Once inside it is caution-to-the-wind since the only guide lines are "what if" and "whatever works." That's why they're called hacks, after all. It's an approach that works for me, since I'm really just an overgrown novice that has used the program for several years but infrequently. When I do use it I just want to get the job done and don't have the luxury (or patience, maybe?) to search the documentation, learn a comprehensive set of new skills, then figure out how they apply to my current need. And I don't think I'm alone here.

Although the book, like Flash itself, is not for the unmotivated, there really is something here for everyone from beginner to veteran. If you are tempted by the promise of shiny new tricks and sweet insider workarounds then you can eagerly and easily search these pages for tasty snacks to digest now and save the heavier helpings for later. The preface offers a useful starting point with a concise overview and clear explanations of the conventions used to organize and demonstrate the text.

The book covers a wide range of topics. Twelve chapters are each devoted to specific issues such as Visual Effects, Drawing and Masking, 3D and Physics, Sound, ActionScript, etc., and each contains several related tips. The individual "hacks", although usable by themselves, often relate to material in other examples, and are clearly and conveniently cross-referenced in the text. Many of the longer examples can be downloaded from the books web page http://examples.oreilly.com/flashhks.

And, as promised, the tips are pretty nifty. Some are showy, like #33 - Particle Effects. And some are sneaky, like #20 - Use Complex Shapes as Masks (by using a hairline split, invisible to the eye but recognized by the processor, to open enclosed areas.) But even the coolest tricks would be useless if you couldn't understand the instructions. Fortunately that isn't an issue here. The text is easy to read and well organized with clear examples and illustrations. I especially appreciated the tons of URLs to websites with further examples of great Flash work. Another nice feature is how other programs such as Photoshop, Fireworks, and Poser can be used in conjunction with Flash.

This title is one of a series of "Hacks" books by O'Reilly, a list of which can be found at http://hacks.oreilly.com. Billed as "a community for developers and power users of all stripes" I went there anyway and felt only slightly over my head. But it looks like the real deal for the power hungry. I `m a long-time fan of the seriously usable content and simple direct presentation style of O"Reilly technical reference manuals. This book ventures into more creative realms than their usual titles but stays true to form.

I understand that this is a tips and tricks book, not a user manual, but I was disappointed by the frequent referals to other software packages like Final Cut Pro, Quicktime Pro and other products. Tell me what I can and can't do with the product I already own!

The manual could do a much better job covering the basics.
The novice iMovie and iDVD user is faced with understanding where one product leaves off and the other begins. To an experienced user, this may be obvious, but for me, at least, it took a long time to figure out that something as simple as chapter buttons are are not available through either product. (The iMac help desk expalined this to me).

If you're a sophisticated user, I suppose this book has some cool ideas. As a novice, I'm very disappointed.

Say you make a fairly great movie with the worlds greatest program: iMovie. Still, you think your newly birthed video masterpiece lacks something. Perhaps it's a unique blend or a splashy title. At the moment of export you might stop and wonder: "Should I upgrade to Final Cut Pro?" I can answer that question for you, just follow the following formula: (Money you plan to earn from this movie)+(Money you plan to earn with next 10 movies)/(cost of Final Cut Pro)=Justification. If "justification" is greater than 1, I say buy the program. If not it is far wiser, fiscally speaking, to stick with iMovie.

Does that mean you're stuck? Have you reached the absolute limits of iMovie? Are you forever wondering in a morass of lifeless titling and yearnings for a few special effects? Heck no, if you're willing to mess around with a couple other programs for a bit. Of course saying you're not stuck and showing you how to unstick yourself are two different things. So, you'll have to trust me, you're not stuck. That tidbit should be worth a nickel. To actually get unstuck you'll have to pony up $40.00 for iMovie 2 Solutions . With this handy offering by Erica Sadun you'll be pleasantly surprised at just how much you can get out of iMovie if don't mind mixing in a few other apps.

iMovie 2 Solutions is not really so much about iMovie, it's more about extending iMovie with the careful use of a few programs. That is not to say iMovie 2 Solutions doesn't have iMovie specific info, it does in spades (want to change the default "My Great Movie Title"? See page 4). Most of the iMovie specific tips are redundant or of little value. The value lies in combining iMovie with programs such as QuicktimePro, Adobe Photoshop Elements (nee Photoshop LE, I suspect if you have a copy of Photoshop LE most of the tricks will still work) and a few other assorted programs. It might seem strange to buy a book ostensibly about iMovie that focuses so heavily on other programs. Trust me again when I say it's money well spent as long as you realize iMovie 2 Solutions is in no way an iMovie tutorial or reference but indispensable if you want to trick out your movies to the maximum level of Jurassic Parkness..

By now the interested reader will begin wondering: "Just what kind of stuff will this book show me how to do?" I can't list all the tricks iMovie 2 Solutions covers (that's a lie, I could actually list all the tricks, but this is a review not an index) but I can point out a few that seemed particularly cool to me. Ones I particularly include: the "Big Titles" trick, See through Big Title trick, Movie in Movie trick and customized QuickTime skin playback tip. and, my uber fave, use iMovie to work on a silver screen sized movie instead of the default TV sized screen (a tip worth $999 clams for those who posses nice cameras but not Final Cut Pro). The aforementioned tips just scratch the surface of iMovie 2 Solutions there is plenty more movie making goodness contained within the wraparound softcover.

So we have established the book contains useful tips and/or tricks. Hence it's time to get down to style and presentation. After all, the world's most clever tip isn't worth much if it is presented in an obscure incomprehensible format. This is not a problem with iMovie 2 Solutions. The tips are presented in easy to follow steps illustrated with small thumbnail sized photos. The average number of steps seems to be about ten but range up to a still manageable twenty actions to get the desired effect. The writing is fairly comprehensible providing you know a bit about iMovie a little about Photoshop and a smidgen of QuicktimePro. If you don't know much about those programs I strongly suggest you read the book from the very beginning, it makes the going much easier.

iMovie 2 Solutions also comes with a super nifty CD that contains every program the author asks you to use to augment iMovie and a visual tutorial of each chapter. If you're on a 56k connection the 40-dollar price tag is worth the disc alone. If you're a Mac user from way back the disc is reminiscent of the floppies that came with the earliest Mac Bibles. By that I mean the disc is chock full of nifty utilities and such. You can have plenty of fun with the stuff on the disc without bothering to read the book.

Summation time: This book shows you plenty of stuff you never thought you could with iMovie at a reasonable price and gives you the tools to follow through.

MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5 *Power iMovie Users MacMice Rating: 3.5 out of 5 *Average iMovie Users