Exploring Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Design Exploration) Review

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Exploring Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Design Exploration) ReviewThis product was a godsend as I needed lots of help in learning photoshop for work and thank God I fell into buying this product. I would definitely recommend this product for ease of use and content of the product.Exploring Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Design Exploration) Overview

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Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques Review

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Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques ReviewAfter Effects is an enormously powerful tool for motion graphics and compositing. Some things, though, that it can do can be done more easily in other Adobe programs, such as Photoshop or Illustrator or Premiere Pro. In a nutshell, this book is about how to take advantage of the entire Creative Suite Production Premium software package, in order to enhance motion graphics projects. The emphasis is on using the unique strengths of Photoshop and Illustrator to enhance projects that will be finalized in After Effects and Premiere Pro. It's a topic that interested me because most of the projects I've done in After Effects have used not only video captured with a camcorder but also images that I've first created or modified in either Photoshop or Illustrator. There's also an extended section on working with Soundbooth, and another on designing dvd and Blu-Ray menus in Encore. It's a valuable addition to my After Effects library - since I've used all of these programs, and sometimes in collaboration, but wanted a better sense of how to use them effectively together. Most importantly, I wanted to have a better sense for what is the best tool for each of the different effects that go into a final project, and that's covered quite well in this book.
There's a great chapter here on using Photoshop Extended to stylize video, that explains how and when and why you might want to do that instead of working directly in After Effects. The authors argue, for example, that you have greater flexibility in Photoshop when converting images to Black and White. One very cool idea they offer is that you can automate effects in Illustrator or Photoshop to apply to video by converting the video to an image sequence and then applying the effect in Adobe Bridge. There's a lot of discussion on animating photos in 3d space, that have been first prepared in Photoshop; and a section on how to animate through panorama shots that have been prepared using the photomerge and content-aware fill features of Photoshop CS5.
The authors write clearly, and each section is well organized, taking you through the steps without simply holding your hand. Like the other "Studio Techniques" books that Adobe puts out, this is more for the intermediate user than for the absolute beginner, and does presuppose a reader who has some familiarity with at least After Effects and Photoshop (to get up to speed before starting with this book, I'd recommend After Effects Apprentice for AE, and Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book for Photoshop). Obviously, it also presupposes that you have access to at least After Effects and Photoshop Extended and Illustrator and Encore and Soundbooth and Bridge. Although the book mentions Flash, there's very little here on how to take advantage of its animation tools for motion graphics projects - for an excellent guide to integrating Flash and After Effects see the obviously named Flash + After Effects (the emphasis in that book, however, is on using After Effects to enhance Flash projects, rather than the other way around). The included dvd includes all the assets necessary to follow along with the example projects described in the book, and they are organized by chapter. (There are no additional extras, such as the trial plugins or free presets that sometimes come with this kind of book).
A very useful book about how to use the full range of Adobe tools to enhance motion graphics projects.Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques Overview

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Adobe Illustrator CS5 on Demand Review

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Adobe Illustrator CS5 on Demand ReviewI took this out from the local library in hopes it would help me get started with Adobe Illustrator CS5. It turns out, it's not that kind of guide. There are a few hands-on workshops at the very end of this book, but this is not really a tutorial and for the most part what you get is just a comprehensive guide to its many features, that identifies and explains its many options. Still, as a guide it is extremely clear, and comes with helpful illustrations and a clear, easy-to-follow layout. So it wouldn't really be useful for the absolute beginner, and was a bit overwhelming for me, but would be an excellent reference guide for someone who is just passing the beginner's stage and ready to learn the program in more detail. Think of it as a missing manual, that's clearer in its coverage than Adobe's online help section.
I know that the "Missing Manual" series already exists, but there's no "missing manual" to Illustrator CS5. This would fill the bill - and I'm half tempted to say I like the format of the "On Demand" guides better than that of the "Missing Manual" series. For each task they give complete coverage in two facing pages, with a step-by-step guide and illustrations. (I actually own a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS5 on Demand, and found that to be extremely helpful - especially given that I have a basic familiarity with Photoshop that I don't have yet with Illustrator.)
Summing up: I wrote this in hopes of being helpful for readers like me who just want to get started with Illustrator. I would suggest trying Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book first - I have that one and also have a couple of others in the series and have found them to be excellent for learning - and then picking this one up as a reference guide.Adobe Illustrator CS5 on Demand Overview

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Photoshop CS5 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Review

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Photoshop CS5 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) ReviewThis book is a very good introductory overview of the CS5 version of Photoshop. It is a wide overview of the program, aimed at a wide audience of users who are familiar with the program (or not); users who are photographers of different levels and/or designers (professional or otherwise). With a spectrum such as this, there is little choice but to only touch the surface of each program tool, feature, menu item, filter, procedure, technique, and so on. This book does so admirably.
It touches on almost every subject you might like to get an introductory explanation about, gives you the basic guidelines for use, what to do (and not), options, applicable settings and choices, and helpful illustrations or screen shots on every single page. It is a manual, not a review. It doesn't evaluate the features, only tells you how to use them.
The book probably assumes this is the first time you use Photoshop and that CS 5 is your first version. It doesn't treat "new CS 5" features separately, it simply takes you on a thorough and detailed tour of the current incarnation of Photoshop and, where something is new or changed, a yellow "new in CS 5" icon appears on the margin of the general narrative. This icon, is in addition to the usual iconography of the "for dummies" book like "warning," "tips," etc.
As a fairly competent Photoshop user for just over ten years but a first-time owner of the "Extended" version, I found his introduction to the features and capabilities of this version to be very helpful. The book is well indexed, so I had no difficulty in locating the particular new features I wanted to learn more about. In the process, I ended up reading and learning new things about old features. I found his method of turning a photo into a line drawing much better than the one I'd been using and his sections on using tablets and his top ten tips & tricks very interesting.
There is something for everyone here, which is both a plus and a minus. Whether you want to use Photoshop to make your photos the best they can be; or you want to work with text; or create special effects; or turn your photos into art or create art from scratch; start working with HDR or shooting in RAW; or perform any of the myriad functions of which Photoshop is capable this book will help you get started. It won't go into depth into any of them. Once you know what your needs are or what you want to learn more about, you should get a book which covers your particular needs in depth and detail.
Which brings me back to the first line of my review: This book is a very good introductory overview of the CS5 version of Photoshop.Photoshop CS5 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Overview

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Smashing Photoshop CS5: 100 Professional Techniques (Smashing Magazine Book Series) Review

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Smashing Photoshop CS5: 100 Professional Techniques (Smashing Magazine Book Series) ReviewI looked forward to receiving this book because I just recently started using CS5. This is a major upgrade leap for me since the last version I had of Photoshop was CS2, and I never actually learned the newer tools in that upgrade. I have been using Photoshop since it first came out in the 90s, before it even had a version number. I expected in depth discussions in the book about the new capabilities of CS5.
It should be noted that my main use of Photoshop is as an illustrator. While I do create personal web sites, that is not where the focus of my day-to-day creative endeavors lie. I do have an extensive background in Graphic Design, so most of the specifics to that profession are not alien to me.
The book subtitles itself 100 Professional Techniques. I think a better subtitle would be 100 Professional Graphic Design Techniques. Sadly, if you are not creating web or graphic design, this book is next to useless in smashing the new CS5 Photoshop tools.
However, if you do create web sites and need quick how-to instructions for special effects like grunge and retro halftones, this is the workbook for you. I tried several of the lessons myself. I learned new ways to do things with tools I had never explored, but the end products themselves are nothing "new." I've done similar things years ago.
My only complaint with the book is that the instructions were vague in where to find the tools required to create the effects in question. In one instance the reader is told to use the pencil tool to erase an area in a mask. I hopped right over to the pencil too, prepared it to the suggested 1 pixel and couldn't do anything after that. It took a bit of noodling around trying to figure out what I had done wrong before I realized I needed the eraser tool selected in pencil mode set to the one pixel. After that I quickly accomplished the desired outcome. I'd like to say this was an isolated instance, but it wasn't. I encountered this roadblock in a number of lessons. A simple image call out showing the tool or location in question would have gone a long way to reduce my frustration level.
With all this in mind, I would not recommend this book for either a raw Photoshop beginner or a seasoned Graphic Design pro, but someone in an intermediate level would benefit greatly by many of the techniques showcased.
Sadly, for an illustrator like me, this book was sadly lacking in what I am looking for in Photoshop training. Maybe one will come along soon.Smashing Photoshop CS5: 100 Professional Techniques (Smashing Magazine Book Series) Overview

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Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book Review

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Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book ReviewPhotoshop CS5 For Nature Photographers - A Workshop in a Book: Ellen and Josh Anon are back with a new edition of the acclaimed Photoshop for Nature Photographers book. The new version replaces the accompanying DVD with a web site that includes the content to practice the techniques. I find this much more convenient than a DVD accompaniment. I find the new book to be a significant improvement from the already excellent older books. Not only do they cover all of the new functions in Photoshop of interest to Nature Photographers, they have also enhanced some of the older sections and have beefed up the sections for Photoshop Elements users. Photoshop CS5 no longer ships with a tutorial on the new functions as it did with previous versions, so a book like this is even more essential than before and it becomes the defacto User Manual for me when I want to look up a function that maybe I haven't used in a while, learn more about new functionality such as HDR Pro, or just brush up as I often like to do.
As with previous versions, the book follows a photo workflow by teaching you the basics of digital capture first, followed by Bridge, the first place you interact with images on your computer; then on to Adobe Camera Raw, followed by Photoshop in depth. Detailed setup instructions for the many different Preference sections in the different modules that make up Photoshop CS5 are included. Unfortunately this book was published before ACR 6.1 was released which includes lens profiles. However the book does cover the Lens Correction filter which utilizes identical technology so you can just apply your learning from that section of the book to the new ACR 6.1. The in depth Photoshop sections take you step by step through almost anything you would ever want to do. I found the section on the new Refine Edge command extremely useful since this is a very powerful new function but it is a case of a single equation in many unknowns. The Anon's guide the reader through how to best use this tool to make truly excellent selections previously not possible in older versions of Photoshop. I felt the discussion on the new Content Aware Fill to very balanced. Many things I have read make it sound almost like a panacea which, in my own experience, it is not. Ellen and Josh clearly indicate it's shortcomings and the additional work required after using the tool to make your selection perfect. I also found the section on HDR Pro extremely useful and following the steps will even allow the HDR novice, to produce some very nice HDR images. Beyond the normal adjustments one makes to images, the book also tackles the more complex subjects such as Composites, creative Black and White, Filters, Multiple Exposures, and an enjoyable section on painterly mages that gave me some new ideas to try. Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers concludes with a chapter on how to get the best output and a Tie Savers chapter which tackles some major time saver functions.
Throughout, the book, many of the images have been upgraded including many stunning new photos taken by the authors themselves. Additionally short technique articles from notable photographers including George Lepp, Joe McDonald, Arthur Morris, John Shaw and more are included.
My only complaint is that the index of the book is not as effective as it could be. As an example, I wanted to find HDR Pro when I first got the book. The index does not have an entry for this but does have one for HDR imaging. It takes you to a single page, in the middle of a very complete multi page section on HDR Pro. It doesn't even take you to the first page of that section. I found on several occasions where the index got me close but missed by a little bit. The eBook version would not have this problem since most eReaders offer content aware search.
List price or Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers is $49.99 however the paper version can be had at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $30 to $35 and the eBook version is below $30. For that, you get nearly 500 pages of jam packed with easy to understand and easy to apply information about CS5. The eBook version is already available through the Kindle store at Amazon but is not available on iBooks. I downloaded the free sample which includes all of the preliminaries and the first chapter using the Kindle App on my iPad. The formatting of some of the pages is strange when viewing in horizontal mode but it all clears up in vertical mode. This book would definitely be better in iBooks or the Barnes and Noble reader on the iPad than it is using the Kindle reader as both of those are better designed for the iPad.
One always wonders if a new version of a book that one already owns is worth the money. This book provides, in one place, all of the information to use the new tools in Photoshop CS5 as well as providing an excellent manual for all of the other functions that a Nature Photographer is likely to use. In addition to covering the new areas that were introduced into Photoshop with the release of CS5, many of the functions that were new to CS4 are now covered more thoroughly. In this case, I must conclude that it is worth purchasing the new version of Photoshop for Nature Photographers as it is a much more complete reference than it has ever been in the past.Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book Overview

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 on Demand Review

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 on Demand ReviewThis book has some excellent features to recommend it:
* Excellent organizational structure: a clean and logical grouping of common and related task tutorials in increasing order of complexity.
* An excellent table of contents, tabbed and color-coded to the book's side for quick content location and an excellent and descriptive index that helps you find what you're looking for.
* Good and descriptive section headings and introductions to give you an overview of what will be covered in that section and some idea of key concepts.
* A methodology that is consistent throughout: sequentially number-coded instructions on the left and illustrated and number coded demonstrations on the right, with frequent highlighted text boxes with additional information.
* A good and logical selection of the tasks that most people will need to perform most often.
* Aimed at all of Photoshop's constituencies: the photographer, the print media designer, and the web designer, and all the sub-categories (such as the photographer who doesn't print, just saves for monitor viewing or web).
I would assume the target audience to be current Photoshop users who want to quickly perform certain tasks or make a certain type of adjustment. Since terms are used that would baffle a new user, a certain degree of familiarity is assumed. Another target audience might be people who, like me, are migrating to the CS5 version from a previous version and want to become familiar with newer features.
However, I think that the new, entry level Photoshop user is going to find himself very attracted to the concept of a collection of task-oriented tutorials (which is, basically, what this book is). For that audience, I would say that this book teaches you Photoshop as I learned it: quickly and on a need-to-know basis.
On retrospect, however, I've come to realize that learning while performing tasks by rote is not the best way to learn a complex and multi-track program such as Photoshop. Initially, I learned how to do certain things that I needed to do but I didn't understand what was happening under the hood, why it was happening, how to do it less destructively or what techniques work best with which type of image. I followed a sequence of steps that required minimal judgment on my part. With time, I came to understand and acquired better practices but I'm still amazed at the gaps in my knowledge after 11 years of constant use. I've come to be a pretty competent Photoshopper, but I think the process would have been far more efficient if I'd laid a good groundwork of basic concepts and best practices from the beginning.
If, like me, you need to learn quickly, do get this book and do follow its instructions. However, get other books as well and learn the why's, and the when's, and the consequences of choosing one way over another. Look up any terms used in this book that you don't understand before proceeding with the instructions. (The web is also an excellent source of information). Learn the concepts, not just the steps.
And, learn from my mistakes: save the master (RAW or unprocessed jpg) of every important photo you process now until you feel you are competent. Just burn them to CD's and set them aside for a few years. I very much regret not having done that. I have a lot of over-processed and over-sharpened photos that looked great to my untrained eye back then but I now wish I could start over to get right. (Additional processing now would just further degrade them).Adobe Photoshop CS5 on Demand Overview

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Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques Review

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Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques ReviewReal tips that emphasize what new features a professional would really use. I especially liked Section #13. Content-Aware Fill, Section #21. What's So Smart About Smart Objects?, Section #35. Creating Crisp Artwork for the Web, Section #41. Using the Gap Tool, Section #42. Using the Gridified Tools and Super Step-and-Repeat. Color images would have been preferred, but the book shines in its simple but clear explanations and choice of tips.Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques Overview

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Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3: A Photographer's Handbook Review

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Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3: A Photographer's Handbook ReviewThis book takes a different approach than other "Photoshop" books in that it addresses, fairly completely, all four Adobe products typically used by digital photographers: Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3, camera raw and Bridge. It does this in a fully integrated progression from system configuration through work flow and printing. When more than one of these programs might be useful for a given task, all are covered so if you have both CS5 and lightroom, it will discuss how each could be used. Each page is clearly marked with the appropriate logo so you'll see which of these programs the page addresses. I don't use them all so it was easy to skip the pages that didn't apply.
It is designed as a standalone book that covers everything you need to know to get started w/ these programs. Given the breath of the coverage, it doesn't get too in-depth so it's best for beginner to intermediate users. While it covers the major new features of CS5, it doesn't cover them all - just the ones that could be part of a typical work flow. So less useful features, like "puppet warp", are skipped. It's not a "what's new in CS5" type book - it addresses the complete work flow and addresses the most used features, both old and new.
Overall, this is a very good review of these adobe products. If you have them all, it's one-stop-shopping. But even if you only use a few, you will find it easy to use and helpful.Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3: A Photographer's Handbook Overview

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Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed Review

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Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed ReviewThis book laid the information about the program out in an easy to understand way with simple to follow examples that helped make the program functions memorable. I would have been able to know how to use the program very well even without taking a class on it.Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed Overview

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Photoshop CS5 Restoration and Retouching For Digital Photographers Only (For Only) Review

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Photoshop CS5 Restoration and Retouching For Digital Photographers Only (For Only) ReviewI loved this book, which is easily the most useful and accessible guide to Photoshop that I've used. Rather than spending hundreds of pages explaining in detail how each Photoshop feature works, the author focuses on what it takes to professionally retouch an image. Because he explains each basic technique he uses (curves, masks, selections, etc.) the book works well for those without a lot of Photoshop experience; because he explains his entire professional process (eyes, skin, scan repair, etc.), longtime Photoshop users should also benefit a great detail.
The book includes a number of examples and includes three chapters that each walk through an entire workflow for an image. A companion website provides sample files for practice.
I wasn't interested in some of the photo restoration stuff, such as how to best scan images and how to repair torn and faded photos, which makes up about 25% of the book. But I already knew that would be part of the book, and I'm glad I chose to get it anyway.
This is my new on-the-desk reference for when I'm using Photoshop.Photoshop CS5 Restoration and Retouching For Digital Photographers Only (For Only) Overview

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Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5 Review

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Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5 ReviewThe Ugly: I purchased this book some time ago, but just had an urgent need for it today. I took my Kindle to work so I could reference it to figure out how to use a long-used feature that had been changed in this version. It was a disaster. I was ready to write a review telling anyone who wanted to buy this book to avoid the Kindle version. I love my Kindle. It's very good for linear reading, the typical book, but for a software manual, it sucks. Trying to find things, jumping around like you would in any reference manual just doesn't work.
The Bad: Well, not really bad. When I got home, I downloaded the Kindle reader for my Mac laptop. I LOVE IT. It gives me easy and instant access to everything in the book. Works like a champ. If you want to buy a manual for your Kindle, you can have a great experience with the reader for your computer. After all, that's where you're going to want to use it anyway.
The Good: The Real World Illustrator reference manual has been a primo book for many years. I'm a 25-year Illustrator graphics professional, and I've been relying on this series for years. This is the best one out there.
Summary: Buy it for Kindle, download the Kindle reader for your computer, and use the fine browser interface to access everything this book has to offer. (I use a Mac. I can't speak for the PC version.)Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5 Overview

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How to Cheat in Adobe Flash CS5: The Art of Design and Animation Review

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How to Cheat in Adobe Flash CS5: The Art of Design and Animation ReviewHow to Cheat in Flash CS5 is the kind of book that can help you out if you are unsure about something for a project you are working on. This book will keep you busy for plenty of hours if you follow every chapter with the actual lesson on the cd that comes with it which is packed will flash extensions, example files, and demos of Flash CS5's powerful new features. This book is designed to let you know which version of flash is required to do the exercise. It will either have a flash cs3, cs4, or cs5 icon. So what does that mean? Simple. It means you need Flash CS5 to do everything in the book and why wouldn't you want to have the latest version of flash when it has so much more features to offer then any other version.
So the book is as follows:
Chapter 1: Design Styles
Chapter 2: Transformation and Distortion
Chapter 3: Masking
Chapter 4: Motion Techniques
Chapter 5: Character Animation
Chapter 6: Flash to Video
Chapter 7: Animation Examples
Chapter 8: Working With Sound
Chapter 9: Working With Video
Chapter 10: Interactivity
Chapter 11: Extending Flash
Chapter 12: What's New In Flash CS5
-----------My Thoughts on Each Chapter---------------
Chapter 1: Design Styles
This is great for anyone who never used flash alot of basic drawing and navigation but a real jewel in this chapter is the explanation of how to use the art deco brush, the 3d brush.
Chapter 2: Transformation and Distortion
Squash and stretch is something every animator needs to learn, 3d rotation shows how advanced flash has become, warping is a great tool for quick manipulation of an animation.
Chapter 3: Masking
This chapter has alot of fun feather and blurring masking techniques including making a flag wave in the wind.
Chapter 4: Motion Techniques
This has an in depth look at the motion editor, bones, 3d motion tweens, and adding shadows to your animation, as well as blurring animation tricks. Needless to say this is a very important chapter.
Chapter 5: Character Animation
Simple walk cycles, advanced walk cycles, looping backgrounds, this chapter has alot of useful exercises in it which I encourage anyone who is serious about animation to learn. It also has a great audio lip syncing exercise to get your vocals to sync with your animation which is just as important as a good cartoon itself.
Chapter 6: Flash to Video
CS5 video templates explained. How to get you animation ready for the big screen which it hopefully ends up on including hdtv. Which colors are safe to use. How to export you flash document into quicktime and other formats.
Chapter 7: Animation Examples
How to make a complex animation such as a sausage grinder in CS5 from drawing the shapes to knowing which symbols to group together to the animation itself. How to use the bone tool and spray brush in unison great technique when you have to animation several small objects that are a like. Cool page turn trick, how to create fire, snow, rain, steam, fireworks, and much more.
Chapter 8: Working With Sound
Like I said before sound is just as important as your animation. Different sound applications explained. Dynamic as3 sounds to add life to your animation and user interactivity.
Chapter 9: Working With Video
How to import video in every version of flash. A short but very useful chapter.
Chapter 10: Interactivity
This is for the the real coders out there. As3 and As2 actionscript covered. This chapter basically dives deep into user interactivity. Dragging objects, pausing the timeline, loading images, toggling sound on or off, and event handling.
Chapter 11: Extending Flash
Crazy amount of flash extensions which will make you fall in love with the best program even more. There are plenty of extension packed on the cd to make your workflow ten times as fast for those tedious tasks that we hate to sit through. You can make your own desktop app with flash jester and create some sweet 3d effects with swift 3d.
Chapter 12: What's New In Flash CS5
Publishing your flash product for the iphone in no time. The spring tool explained and it shows you just how important this tool really is. Text layout framework is a easy way to layout multiple paragraphs that are linked to each other.
My overall view:
I don't need any other book when it comes to animating in flash. Everything I need is literally in this book. I don't understand something I can look at the actual file on the cd. Great reference and hours of fun.
What I want in future books by Chris Georgenes:
I want to see more animation examples like panning with the camera and how to put together a short and then animate it from start to finish. More advanced animation tutorials such as morphing objects, and compiling a full character, 360 turns, and jumping animation.How to Cheat in Adobe Flash CS5: The Art of Design and Animation Overview

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The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow Book Review

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The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow Book ReviewThis is the review we published in Design Tools Monthly: "The Adobe Illustrator CS5 WOW! Book, by Sharon Steuer, is both practical and inspirational. It's practical because it demonstrates how to use all the new CS5 features and how to "think in Illustrator". It's inspirational because it shows artwork from dozens of top Illustrator artists and explains how they were made. It's also packed with real-world tips as well as a DVD containing plug-ins, brushes and symbols, graphic styles for text, Illustrator files for many of the illustrations, and extra tips. We recommend this book very highly."The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow Book Overview

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One Review

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One Review§
I have enjoyed and profited from every Deke McClelland book/video package I have picked up. I think one of the primary reasons I have learned so much from them is that McClelland has mastered the tool he loves to the point where he can confidently ridicule and excoriate Adobe for the anti-user experience interface decisions they foist on us. It is profoundly reassuring and encouraging, when looking at a criminally obtuse dialog, to be told by an expert that no, you are not stupid, it is the dialog that is stupid.
If anyone is thinking I am exaggerating for dramatic effect, they can take a peek at the Bridge "Save to Hard Drive." This utility is composed of a huge, yet mostly empty, two-tabbed dialog that quite conveniently automates conversion of files to JPG format without even once communicating that it has anything to do with JPGs. (!) As the author begins "Why did they make the program vast and complicated with redundant options, misleading commands, and downright ritualistically obscure functions...?"
This is precisely why you don't want to enter the Photoshop swamp without an expert guide!
The author makes a workflow suggestion that has worked well for me:
1) Read the introduction of a chapter
2) View the video
3) Return to the book to follow the lesson (always different from the video example)
Perhaps as a cost-cutting measure, O'Reilly does not include a disc with the book. The video and lesson files must be downloaded from the companion site. This was no fun. We are talking about 1.2 gigs spread across several clumsily named (chapter number out of synch with lesson number) zip files. Given the size of the downloads, it would have been good for O'Reilly to have considered separating the Windows from the Mac files so that we ALL would not have to download both formats.
But once you get into the lessons, the initial aggravation is quickly forgotten.
§Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One Overview

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Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills Review

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Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills ReviewIf you are interested in mastering digital imaging, the best way to hone your skills is not by picking up a few hints here and there on the Internet, but rather by having a book in hand and a tutorial DVD that will help you with digital basics. Before you purchase this book you'll need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be able to read the PDF content and QuickTime 7 version or later in order to watch the movie tutorials. There are links to these resources on the DVD if you haven't already updated. Most people like to know what they are getting for their money so I'll try to be as detailed as I can in explaining what you'll get on the DVD as you cannot skim that if you pick up a copy in a bookstore. If you are confident PhotoshopCS5 is what you'll need, you simply can scan this review or bypass it completely.
What is on the DVD:
FOUNDATION MODULE
Digital Basics (DVD Chapter)
Channels palette
RGB* (Red, Green, Blue)
CMY* (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)
HSB (Hue Saturation Brightness)
Perception
Titles of movie tutorials include Refine Edge, Mixer Brush, Content Aware Fill, Puppet Warp, Merge to HDR Pro, Repousse, ACR6, 3D Images, 3D, Foundation-l a.dng, Foundation-l b dng, Foundation-l c.dng, Project-l.mov, Foundation-2.dng*, Foundation-3.dng*, Vibrance.dng*, Foundation-4.dng*, Spot-l.dng*, and Spot-2.dng*. You can test print in JPEG or TIFF and your record sheets are available in JPEG OR PSD. Instructions are given for the PC or MAC.
* Note: Raw images cannot be displayed on some browser interfaces. Some of the movies take a while to load so you will need to be patient or press on the spacebar to load if they don't play automatically.
ADVANCE SKILLS MODULE
Layers and Channels
Titles of movie tutorials include Intro.mov, layers & channels.mov, layers masks.mov, Selections1 mov, Selections2.mov, and Selections3.mov.
You will then have an opportunity to work with several layer blends (opacity, darken, multiply, screen, lighten, overlay, difference, soft light, luminosity, and saturation).
Filters
You will be able to work with several pictures and will have one movie tutorial. Vanishing-Point.psd
RETOUCHING
There are seven movie tutorials and ten digital images to work with (TIFF or PSD format)
MONTAGE
There are seven movie tutorials and fifteen digital images to work with (a mix of TIFF, PSD, Raw)
ADVANCED RETOUCHING
There are eleven movie tutorials and nineteen digital images to work with ( a mix of TIFF, PSD, Raw, JPEG)
ALIGN AND BLEND
There are six movie tutorials and twenty-one digital images to work with (a mix of TIFF, PSD, Raw)
RESOURCES
In this section we can find Author Info, Free Skies (stock skies), QuickTime, Actions, Luminance Preset (Black and White), Essentials Skills, A Digital Basics Chapter, a Digital Darkroom Chapter, Focal Press, Adobe, a Shortcuts Printout, and RMIT University (Mark Galer is affiliated with this University).
USEFUL LINKS
* Essential Skills
* RMIT Photography
* Adobe Digital Imaging
* Deke
* Adobe TV
* Russell Brown
* PhotoshopSupport.com
* Image Science (Printing services)
* digital photography review
* PhotoshopNews.com
* John Nack
* Luminous Landscape
* Digital Dog (Andrew Rodney)
* Studio Exchange (Photoshop)
* Planet Photoshop
* Adobe Evangelist
* Retouch Pro
All of the links provided are current and provide many additional tips and techniques that the reader will find to be quite useful. The book and DVD are designed so you can take advantage of some of the best information out there at no additional cost. When they mention "Extensive Support" in the book, it is no exaggeration.
The book itself provides a step-by-step visual tutorial that provides a "structured learning approach" to learning Photoshop. You will learn about Photoshop revisions, the CS5 version of Bridge, workflow, raw processing, digital printing, digital basics (DVD, chapter 1), and digital darkroom (DVD, chapter 2). For the more advanced reader there are chapters on layers and channels, selections, filters, and layer blends. There is an imaging projects module that includes retouching projects, montage projects, advanced retouching, and a section on how to align and blend projects.
Each section provides general guidelines, thorough instructions, and is extremely generous with photographic illustrations. In the back of the book is a thorough index, a glossary, a list of keyboard shortcuts, and several recommended web links to explore (tutorials, illustrators, information and blogs).
If you want to acquire a thorough grounding in Photoshop skills, this is the book to buy. You can "hone your image editing skills" without having to pay big $ for a course or spend hours trying to glean bits of information from the Internet. You will obviously need to work hard learning these skills, but I think you'll be quite satisfied with yourself as you progress. I'd say that all things considered, the thorough tutorials provided in this book and on the DVD will be well worth the monies spent with this reference/tutorial.Photoshop CS5: Essential Skills Overview

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop Review

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Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop ReviewMany consider Martin Evening's Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers to be the single best and most comprehensive book available for CS5. This book is a welcome companion that further expands on that book with more detailed examples of professional workflow, retouching and advanced techniques.
The 26 movie tutorials with over 3 hours of content are worth the price of the book many times over.
Interestingly, the first chapter, entitled "Before You Shoot" is a wealth of advice from a seasoned professional on how to prepare before shooting to give yourself a better setup for using Photoshop.
The 2nd chapter is a very detailed and well explained camera raw workflow. Camera raw is a very important part of my processing and this chapter illustrates Raw workflow with beautiful progressive step-by-step images with full explanatory text. The movie tutorial covers these same pages so you have the advantage of seeing his workflow in both the text and in the video. Very well done.
The 3rd chapter you almost never find in a Photoshop book and goes over all the things a good photographer does to guarantee the maximum image IQ before Photoshop is ever opened. There are many jewels here that many photographers may never consider and have a great deal to do with that elusive snap you are looking for in your final image.
The book continues with example after example of fully explained and illustrated step-by-step "how-to's". I've found a wealth of information and technique combining the text with the movie tutorials. These are very well done.
All the example files are on the DVD so you can work alongside the text.
I don't see a list of chapters in the book description, so here they are:
1. Before you shoot
2. Camera Raw workflow
3. Raising your IQ
4. Mending and blending
5. Now you see it, now you don't
6. Retouching people
7. Masking and compositing
8. Photoshop after dark
9. Photomerges
10. Cooking with Photoshop
11. Robo Photoshop
12. Photoshop output
13. Minding your own business
If you already own Evening's Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers, don't hesitate to buy this book.Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop Overview

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Illustrator CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide Review

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Illustrator CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide ReviewThe book is ok. And many people who already know Illustrator might like it. The price is certainly better than that of other Illustrator manuals.
However, for those who have never used Illustrator, this is not the best choice. The authors often say something like "from the artboard panel menu, choose rearrange artboards" - while no images or explanations are provided where the artboard panel menu is (which is just an icon!). Also, very little explanation is given as to what artboard is and why the user needs to learn something about it.Illustrator CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide Overview

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Photoshop CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training) Review

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Photoshop CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training) ReviewI have used CS2, CS3 and now recently upgraded to CS5. There were a few changes and improvements, and I wanted some help. I ordered this book because it was the first available, but I am not disappointed in the least. I think a novice or intermediate will be happy with the walkthrough style lessons, clear and easy to understand. The new features in CS5 are well covered, as well as all the basics. Included is a DVD with all lesson files.
I have used Kelby, Deke, and Eisenman in past, I rate this as good.....Photoshop CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training) Overview

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Photoshop CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide Review

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Photoshop CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide ReviewI've purchased Adobe 3rd party books over the years and I'm not sure if this was the intention, but the Visual Quickstart Guide for CS5 appears to me as a complete overhaul. Beautifully laid out, easy to find stuff, and even the screen captures (which are a big part of the book) are extra large.
Just wonderful. I wonder if the other upcoming Visual Quickstart Guides are overhauls too?Photoshop CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide Overview

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