Desktop Books

If you're looking for a book that teaches you how to draw in Flash, this is not the book for you. It will, however, teach you the nuts and bolts of animation, the technical information necessary to make animation less time consuming, which is a must-have imo.

This book is a must for everyone who is tired of animating on paper and wishes to ditigalize their work completely in Flash or After Effects. The book covers many great aspects including; making shortcuts of your workflow with user made extensions, brilliant tips & tricks and personal advices how to make life easier for the animators.

This book is also amazing for those who already have knowledge of Flash or After Effects, but wish to enhance their skills or take their production to the next level.

After reading this book, my animation workflow and quality improved.

Best recommendations from here.


-Alex Volkov (Flash Animator)

not only did i read the book cover to cover i went back into the book and downloaded the source files and worked through the tutorials. this book is perfect for organizing and creating flash animation at a professional level which is a key foundation for any up and coming flash animator. this book teaches you industry secrets that are priceless if you are pursuing a flash animation career. thanks guys. the best flash book i have come acrossed in a long time.
josh johnson

This book is probably best for the reader who has some drawing experience, and preferably, a grasp of animation principlals as well as some Flash experience.

It should be noted, there isn't an over-arching animation project created in this book; However, readers could certainly follow along with their own project as the process is fairly linear, from the planning stages, through effectively using Flash's library and a host of useful plug-in for tasks such as timing and motion tweening. There is a fair bit of coverage of Adobe's After Effects, and the book discuses the pros and cons of doing various tasks in either software.

For Flash animators, two chapters stand out in the 300 pages: There is one chapter on how to properly use Flash's tweening tools so as to avoid the overly-precise look common with generated animations. A second is on 2D effects, covering common special effects like smoke, fire and water.

There are many books about cartoon animation in Flash. What sets this book apart from the rest is the approach the authors have taken to make this book much more than just another step-by-step book about drawing and animating characters. Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation is for the animator who needs to stretch beyond the mechanics of the Flash tools and perfect the decision-making process necessary to become a productive animator. One of the biggest questions that is answered in this book is when to use Flash and how to use it most efficiently. The next question is what tasks are beyond Flash's capabilities and when to turn to another software such as After Effects.

The authors assume that the reader has a basic knowledge of Flash and the principles of animation. Because of this, you will find only a few step-by-step examples. What they do cover thoroughly is every phase of the production process for cartoon animation from planning, storyboards and animatics to post-production and delivery. The approach for this book is to examine working examples which can be downloaded from the publisher's website.

If you have ever created a complex character animation including lip synching and facial expressions, then you know that your character must be divided into a large number of individual animated parts. This is why the authors dedicate a whole chapter to organization and using the Flash library system to build character libraries. As you progress through the process from head comps and onward, the authors show when it is best to draw from scratch and when to use Flash symbols. Storyboards and animatics are next in the production process and the book covers several decisions that must be made such as choosing between traditional, hand-drawn storyboards and the digital method in Flash.

Moving from the planning stages to character creation, the authors discuss the technical and organizational issues such as Flash file structures and project architecture. They take a look at several working examples to give the reader a comprehensive overview of this topic. One of the most helpful aspects of this book is how the authors help you decide when Flash is not enough to get the job done and how to expand Flash's capabilities with plug-ins. They discuss several of their favorites, how to find more on the web and when to make your own.

One of the most important decisions that an animator will need to make is the choice between traditional frame by frame animation and tweening. The authors share their four step process for frame by frame animation and then discuss tweening and how to avoid common mistakes.

I mentioned earlier that the authors discuss the use of a dedicated motion graphic software such as After Effects to take your Flash project to a higher level of quality and sophistication. They discuss some of the advantages to using After Effects for editing and composition such as complex camera movements and 3D effects.

Flash has been plagued by one major drawback since its conception a decade ago and that is the extreme "digital" look of the vector artwork created in Flash. The authors share several tips and suggestions for enhancing your Flash project to achieve a more "hand-drawn" appearance to your animation including line styles and color choices. They also cover the digital equivalents for traditionally hand-drawn special effects such as distortion, drag, fade in/out and blurs.

This book was a joint effort of several authors. Tim Jones is an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer and head of production at ANIMAX Entertainment. Barry J. Kelly is an Emmy Award-winning editor and artist and is also a member of ANIMAX Entertainment. Allan S. Rosson is animation director at ANIMAX Entertainment and has over twenty years experience as an animator. David Wolfe was an animator at ANIMAX Entertainment and is now with Cartoon Network Studios.

"Michael Kleper's The Handbook of Digital Publishing is by far the best, and most complete, publication on this subject anywhere. This is the knowledge library of digital publishing. It will always be on my desk and is my reference source. Brilliantly written by one of the, if not the most, knowledgeable experts in this area. A must for everyone in our industry. Well done, Michael."

The Two Volume Graduate Course "We don't even want to imagine how many reviews, rewrites, update cycles were required for this project. For a time we thought the DTP industry would settle down and become almost static and routine. But the jump start of the Web, interactive multimedia and video have again driven people back to the books. We're not certain exactly how it was accomplished, but Professor Michael Kleper has very effectively squeezed a four-year degree course into two volumes.

The Handbook of Digital Publishing is much more than a coffee table book. The two volumes will quickly become dog-eared as professionals continue to refer to them to enhance and expand their capabilities and expertise. Thank goodness there is a companion Web site to accompany The Handbook. The author's biggest challenge is that The Handbook wasn't just a research/writing job...it has now become a career.

The books are heavy to say the least...fortunately there is a lot of substance, so it lightens the load...

Digital publishing is now the foundation of the communication arts. Kleper has done a great job to help users at all levels understand the tools, processes, and techniques for preparing graphics media in the digital era. His two-book set is jam-packed with solid info on crossing the chasm from analog to digital.

Michael Kleper's books are an incredibly complete and competent source of information covering an amazingly broad area. His insights into an industry he has watched from the beginning should be useful for everybody in this business, and his two hefty tomes are certainly the most complete collection ever compiled on the subject.

Highly recommended.

Andreas Pfeiffer, Pfeiffer Consulting

Professor Michael Kleper's two volume The Handbook of Digital Publishing is an outstanding source on the foundations of the digital age of publishing. For those of us involved in some part of Graphic Arts/Publishing/Communications, and today that is just about anyone with access to a computer, digital technology has made accessible much of what was art and technique. Congratulations to Professor Kleper who has contributed a timely, thorough, and readable work. This is not just a collection of terminology and technology but a much needed companion to understand the digital publishing "tsunami" which has exploded as fast as the computer technology which underpins it. Happily, Professor Kleper has a lot of energy for he has opened the door to volumes three and more for those technologies still being created .....

Buy this book!

This is a no-brainer. If you want to get a jump on video blogging and don't know where to start - buy this book. It's an easy read that is not that difficult to digest and understand.

Blog on!

Lionel Felix and Damien Stolarz take you step by step in their book Hands-On Guide to Video Blogging and Podcasting into the emerging new tools of a video blog or podcast.

[MORE INFO AT http:satisfyingsolutions.com]

Easy instructions make it simple to use and the book gives you the latest tools to quickly start video blogging and podcasting for your business.

Chapter one gives you an overlook on how to record and edit your video.

In chapter two the authors discuss the anatomy of a blog as well as a brief history of blogs.

As one reads on Chapter three discuss the main uses for video blogging and podcasting. In addition it also shows how mainstream media and corporate uses these two tools.

Chapters four,five, and six explain blogs and what kind of delivery should be given in this new technology.

Chapter seven incorporates the moblogging and podcasting and continues with chapter eight and one the go spaces and video.

Chapter nine fulfills the reader with essential tools for your computer as well as the software and hardware.

Chapter ten gives an insight on production and breaks down the recording, microphones, and editing.

Chapter eleven continues from the audio production and moves into video production.

Chapter twelve explains to the reader the pricing and hosting of band withs.

Chapter thirteen discusses how to go about assembling blog entries.

The next chapter discusses the important facts of licensing and copyrights.

Finally, chapter fifteen discusses case studies from websites such as ericrice and ryanedit.com.

Furthermore, this is a great hands-on tool to take you step by step in the process of blogging. Paul Gillin gives you the motivation to start your own blog and Felix and Stolarz give you the tools to make it your own.

This book supports Paul Gillin's ideas and the book The New Influencers by reiterating the fact that blogging and podcasting is the resource to business communications in digital media. It is so easy to follow along and not only helps with business aspects but entertainment and educational institutions too.

A. J. Baltes

If you want to get into Video Blogging and Podcasting this is the best book on the market today. Covers every aspect in detail while still making it all seem easy.

I work for Loyola Marymount University. We recently decided to make all lectures available via Podcasts. I went searching for books on the subject in order to find a solution for the school. This book was by far the best book on the subject. It even gave us some ideas for video blogging that we hadn't previously considered. Without the precise and coherent coverage given to Podcasting in this book I doubt we would have a solution even half as good. Thanks to the authors for their great book. It has been invaluable.

This hands-on guide is great for nailing down the nitty gritty of podcasting. Sure, there's nothing to it; you can make a podcast in a night. But then, once it's launched, there are SO many things to consider and so many ways to expand it. This is what makes casting a blast!

His nitty gritty on bandwidth, pricing plans, and especially the case studies of existing vidcasts and podcasts helped me a lot with refining my New Civilization Podcast.

Good stuff!

Zack

I've enjoyed everything that I've bought by Rick Sammon and this is no exception. He's thorough and helpful

Rick hac combined basic photography with digital enhancement..Believe me when I say you need to edit almost all your photos to make them really pop. This book is easy to understand and gives you the basics to improve your digital photos while learning photoshop elements or cs2.

I enjoyed this book. It reads easily and quickly and many of the photos are stunning. It introduces and de-mystifies some of the more difficult PhotoShop functions but was not detailed enough for me in some examples, to use these functions without further instruction. I found it inspiring enough to order a more in-depth book with precise step-by-step instructions, Rob Shepperd's Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2, to teach myself some of the techniques in-depth. Recommended for anyone wanting an overview of CS2's possibilities and an opening to begin exploring it.

Before I give you my review of Rick Sammon's new book, Idea To Image in Photoshop CS2, let me tell you a bit about me. I am an enthusiastic advanced amateur photographer--with roughly 40 years of experience that includes published magazine and Associated Press photos and numerous awards. I gave up my wet darkroom a few years ago for digital photography, image editing in Photoshop and ink jet printing. But, enough about me; let's get on to the important stuff and why you're reading this review: my thoughts on Idea To Image in Photoshop C2. So, what kind of book is this, and who is it for?

What Kind of Book is This?
Strictly speaking, this is not a how-to-do-it book. Yes, it has many examples of how Rick created his photos and associated effects. And, looking in the Table of Contents, you'll find a goodly list of projects that offer numerous techniques, such as, A Note Paper Effect, A Quick Pencil Sketch and Speed-Aging A Photograph. But the crux of the book is an attempt (mostly successful) to teach the reader how to take a concept for a photograph and, through a combination of careful planning, good photographic techniques and post shoot Photoshop image enhancements, create professional-level images.
There are three sections to the book: Chapter 1 on how to get ideas for innovative images; Chapters 2 through 4 about actual shooting and enhancement techniques, and Chapter 5 on how Rick (and you) can envision and carry through projects, as the title of the book says, from idea to image.

Who is Idea To Image in Photoshop C2 for?
This book is definitely not for absolute beginners in either photography or Photoshop. Rick assumes some basic knowledge in both areas. And, since this is a project-oriented book, he assumes the reader wants to learn, not only how, but also why, Rick recommends each technique. Rick also goes to great lengths to explain where each concept he describes fits into the scheme of the creation of the final image.

Conclusion
The obvious question now is, will this book at least return your investment? If you're looking to up your photography/Photoshop skills beyond the basics, to what Rick refers to as photographic artistry, the answer is yes. Rick's premise is that any photographer only gets out of a photographic project what he or she puts into it, and besides reasonable skill and imagination, that also means sufficient time. If you're willing to put in that time, this book will prove an excellent guide.

Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2 - Rick Sammon's Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photos is a different sort of Photoshop book. Most Photoshop books focus on showing you what can be done to enhance your image. Idea to Image approaches from a different perspective. Rick Sammon encourages you as the reader to focus on your final vision prior to capturing the image. Throughout the chapters he sprinkles in an assortment of suggestions and examples designed to aid with composition, and timing. Learning when to take the picture, and encouraging you to experiment and think beyond a single shot.

The book is 202 pages long, and very reader friendly. In reviewing other Photoshop books I often conclude that you can jump in anywhere that interests you and start playing. With Idea to Image I think it best to start at the beginning and read it in order at least through the first two chapters. There is a lot of good advice in the opening pages and to skip past it would be a mistake.
Once you get into the book, like most Photoshop books, the lessons are brief and well encapsulated allowing you to quickly access what you need to know to try a new technique. The book encourages you to explore and experiment, always-good advice in my mind. I always encourage my friends to push beyond the obvious application of a technique and think of unique ways to apply a new style.

Idea to Image is a great book if you are in need of a little creative boost. While some of the subject matter would be beneficial to beginner photographers, there are surely better places for a novice to look for help. The more I know about Photoshop the more I realize how much more there is to learn. Idea to Image is a great reminder to focus on the final image, not just the viewfinder, and it is a welcome shot in the arm when your creativity is waning.

To me a review is most meaningful when you know a little something about the person writing the review. I have been an avid amateur photographer since the late 1970's and have been selling my work since 2004. Photography isn't my day job, but it does provide a welcome supplement. I have been shooting with a Canon Professional Digital SLR since 2003 and perform the vast majority of my post processing work in Photoshop. I began with Photoshop 7 and currently work with CS2. I am a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and make extensive use of the abundant educational materials available on the member website. I have read well over two-dozen Photoshop training guides with one overriding goal in mind; producing the best images possible.

The book talks about scripting and it accomplishes it's goal. There are examples of vbscript, jscript, an hta, and vba. It is apparent that the author favors jscript. The quality of scripts are better then the vbscript examples.

There are 14 chapters: How to use this book, Why scripting, Windows Scriptable Technologies, Enumerating and Dumping the Users, Groups, and Computers of Active Directory, Dumping a Domain User's Detail Account Information, Listing Soon-to-Expire Domain User Accounts, Move Away from Batch Files-A New Logon Script, Foundation: A Directory Computer-Dump Tool, Browser-Based Computer Information Diagnostics, Worm Vulnerability Detector, Remotely Enumerate Local Computer Accounts, Local Password Audit and Change Tool, E-mail Script Notification, Where to Go from Here.

As I mentioned this is not a book for people new to scripting. However, it is useful in that it will show the use of modules and it does go about explaining the code examples by the blocks and functions.

I found the descriptions of the modules useful even though I don't use JScript. Probably the most useful script was an HTA script for local diagnostics.

The CD has the scripts mentioned but you might want to go through the effort of typing and debugging the code. Especially, if you are new to windows scripting.

Overall, a good book to have for a reference on what it gives you. It expanded my knowledge.

No long-winded review here. This book is a great read for anyone with a small to medium sized IT organization. I bought a copy for each system admin in my group. Not many books pay for themselves in time savings with just one example as this book has done.

This book now sits on my desk instead of on the shelf full of other resources. The book comes with a CD to get you off and running and it steps through at a good pace for beginners like me. Being a Win2K SBS admin I don't have money for enterprise tools. I was eager to "empower" myself and this did the trick. I like the format because it's progression from introduction to scripting is thorough enough for me but not boring.

So what are the top 10 scripts? - Enumerating and Dumping the Users, Groups, and Computers of AD; Dumping a Domain User's Detailed Account Information; Listing Soon-to-Expire Domain User Accounts; Move Away from Batch Files- A New Login Script; Foundation: A Directory Computer- Dump Tool; Browser- based Computer Information Diagnostics; Worm Vulnerability Detector; Remotely Enumerate Local Computer Accounts; Local Password Audit and Change Tool; E-mail Script Notification. BUT WAIT- This doesn't tell the whole story- I especially liked the tie in with Excel for execution and output! Fellinge's book got me off the ground which is exactly what I needed.

Honestly, I really do not feel this book is ideal for the novice. Users should have some administration sensibility with Active Directory. Yet, what I do find profound, is that there are both (1) very practical applicable scripts and techniques, and (2) there are some truly amazing scripts.

I am at a loss of words for some inspirational things that I found that can give you the ability to generate spreadsheets reports on the fly and also have a live spreadsheet that can go out to the net and pull info. There is this fascinating example script that creates a web page wizard-like HTA application.

To some things up, this book is powerful. This adds a lot of good material one's admin collection. Using this book, you won't become just a scripter, but you'll be down right incredible, such that lightning will ignite from your fingertips (metaphorically speaking) as you create masterpiece killer scripts.

I am one of the Technical Writers who contributed to the Microsoft Windows Scripting Guide for Microsoft Press. Since working on that book, Mr. Fellinge's book is the first I've reviewed on scripting. The author does a great job of exploring some common scripting tasks and demonstrating how to solve them using JavaScript and VBScript. His understanding of both ADSI and WMI is impressive. These two technologies are at the core of automating Windows system administration. What makes this book especially interesting is the author's focus on real-world sysadmin tasks. He is clearly writing from experience.
I recommend this book for anyone with a basic understanding of scripting who is interested in really putting that knowledge to good use.

This is without question the best book available for Outlook Business Contact Manager. We had previously purchased two other books on the subject, however they were both difficult to read and reference.

I am so thankful that I found this book. I keep it right on my desk and if I ever have a question, I can quickly and easily find the answer.

It's easy to use, read and extremely easy to reference. It has become the must have resource for everyone in our office. If you are using Outlook Business Contact Manager this book is a must.

Even though I wasn't sold on using MS BCM, my IT department didn't provide my choice. After reading through a list of books, I settled on this one. It is my first one with these authors and I cannot recommend it enough.

It was well written and comes more from the business perspective, which makes it a real value for me. My IT folks could never have explained to our department as clearly as this book. I found it easy to use and it even inspired me to dig a little deeper into the software.

Thanks for the great text! I am much further along now than I could have imagined. Will be sure to look for more by these folks.

This is definitely one of the best book on the market for Outlook Business Contact Manager. It's easy to use and easy to reference. It has become a resource for everyone in our office. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone working with Business Contact Manager!

tired of CRM that costs a fortune and is too difficult to maintain, i ended up taking a look at the outlook business contact manager (BCM) when i upgraded to office 2007. it turns out that i needed a book after all and was happy to find this one.

this book offers clear instructions and helped me to understand BCM far more quickly than i had managed without the book. there are a couple of others out there, but i recognize the authors from a couple of books Managing Contacts with Act! 2006 i liked about ACT!, another CRM software application. they got it right before and they got it right this time.

i recommend Managing Contacts with MS Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager to anyone who is upgrading to MS Office 2007 and wants to take a look at BCM without getting lost. this book offers you the best way to master BCM in the shortest time possible.

I bought this book because we wanted to see if Outlook BCM would work with our business. We also got the Dummies book, and this book was hands-down more useful than Outlook BCM for Dummies. This book was clear, and I really liked the fact that there was only one task on each page. This made the book really easy to reference, and since I wasn't reading the book from front to back - like a novel - this is exactly what I was looking for. I highly encourage everyone to buy this book!

I used this book to teach myself AutoCad in two weeks and got a job as an engineer. (Yes, I still have the position!)
The book is clear and concise in it's instructions. The index works exactly as an index should work allowing you to quickly find solutions to perplexing problems. It covers the ACAD program from beginning (Look! I drew a box!) to end (3-D modeling).
There's more info than you can possibly remember so buy a copy and guard it jealously. Users of any level will walk away enlightened.

As a student landscape and gardenarchitecture (last year), i found myself lacking the courage and will to learn autocad as they taught us at school.
I actually got very bad grades untill i decided to make an effort and buy some kind of book that could teach me.

After giving it some thought i decided to buy this book written by Omura and boy! i am i glad i did.
My grades went up a whole bunch and suddenly i understood what the teacher was explaining. Students around me started to come to me to get answers on things they didn't understand about the program.
So in short, what makes this a good book?
It starts from zero, absolutely from the beginning, working itself up to the point where you enter a more advanced level.
each step is fully explained, instead of telling what to do, George Omura tells you WHY you need to do what you do.

The best about the book is that in the back of the book, there is a list with keywords, enabling you to fastacces things you are stuck with or don't understand as you use the program.

So this book isn't only handy to learn autocad, it's also good for a fast look-up on something you need to know.

I did at a certain point hunger for more knowledge on the more advanced 3D operations. George Omura does a good job explaining the fundaments, but i wish he would've gone more deeper into it sometimes. Sometimes the explanation felt lacking more information.

But overall, i class this a 5 star book!

I love Omura's books about AutoCAD.I have all the versions from AutoCAD13 to AutoCAD2004, it is wonderful, easy to read to Understood to deal with, since I am an architeact& a lecturer in University, I this book very helpful in my work& teching.
Thank you
Arqem

Page 963 alone is worth the price of the book if you are an advanced user. I learned how to set up all my blocks into a custom tool palette. Tool palettes are a new feature in 2004.
I started at chapter one, and learned about features I have overlooked although I've been using AutoCAD since version 10.
I can't praise Mr Omura enough, he even gives his e:mail address and invites suggestions for improvements. There isn't a better book on the market for new users of AutoCAD, or experienced users either. The writing style and exercises are so easy to follow.

I've been an Autocad user for 9 years going back to version 12. I've used every version since. Let me state right off the bat, whether you're a beginner or a very experienced cad user, BUY THIS BOOK. This book will give you a solid foundation for every area of Autocad. The book is structured from beginner to expert and includes 4 appendixes.

For the beginner (I read the beginner chaps just for fun and to see what's new in 2004) excellent walk-thru exercises with great pictures and easy to understand instructions should have you drawing in no time as well as building your confidence with each chapter.

For the more experienced user who wants to delve in to the 3d features and customization capabilities of Autocad (ex. database integration, VBA, Lisp, Web dev, sys vars, etc.), excellent coverage including walk-thru's of these areas will provide you with the solid foundation to do whatever you want. I was particularly impressed with the coverage of the 3d environment as Omura devotes 4 chapters to this topic with each one being a must read.

The inclusion of good screen shots throughout the book allows you to read and understand while away from the computer.

Very satisfied with the purchase of this book!!

This is an excellent book if you want to strictly pass the PowerPoint 2000 MOUS exam. If you have basic knowledge of PowerPoint and want something similar to a practice test, this is the book for you. I would recommend using this book as a supplement with more in-depth books to pass the exam. The end of chapter practice questions on the CD-ROM are very similar to the real test. I ended up scoring a 984 on my exam practicing with this book.

This is a great book for stictly passing the MOUS exam if you already have basic knowledge of PowerPoint. This book is written more like a practice test and should be used with a more in-depth book to study for the exam if your starting from scratch. But if all you want to do is pass the exam, this book is for you. The end of chapter review questions and CD-ROM exercises are very similar to the real exam. I ended up getting a 984 on my exam practicing with this book alone. But once again, I would only suggest this book to people who are already familiar with PowerPoint.

If you are an average or above average Microsoft user and want to pass this exam -- this is the book for you! This book gives a good overview of PowerPoint skills and has good review tests at the end of each chapter. I only use PowerPoint occasionally but had no problem scoring a 952 out of 1000 on the exam. I also learned a great deal about the program that will help me on future presentations.

This book does not cover basic Microsoft skills. So if you don't know how to cut and paste or copy and save files (minimum skills), want to learn more about PowerPoint AND pass the test, I would suggest a more detailed book.

Crammed for 1.5 hrs before the test and passed.

General Knowlege of Windows + This Book = Certification

I used this guide after briefly referring to a third-party manual and scored 952/1000 on the exam--three days before, I'd never even used PowerPoint. Some people think study guides should be as comprehensive as a manual but the truth about the MOUS exams is that, most of the time, the more advanced knowledge you have, the more likely it is that you'll get tripped up interpreting the tasks. Klippert provides an excellent, easy to read and refer to guide that tells you exactly what you need to know. The accompanying CD is brilliant with practice documents for everything, including finished solutions so that you can check your work. What this guide has that most others lack is focus--which is all you need to pass the exam.

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