Product Description
Adobe Photoshop is one of those programs that both dazzles and dismays: You can do extraordinary things with it--as long as you don't get lost in its maze of palettes and toolbars. Luckily for you, with Photoshop 7 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide,, that needn't be a problem! If you're ready to take on image editing in Photoshop 7, this straight-ahead visual reference is the place to start.

Veteran authors Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas are back with a completely revised edition of the guide that's become the standard for Photoshop instruction in classrooms, homes, and offices. Through clear, concise instructions and a multitude of screen shots, this book steps you through the basics of photo editing, manipulation, optimization, and correction. It also provides complete coverage of all that's new in version 7: native Mac OS X support, a new painting engine that facilitates wet and dry brush effects, and more--all in a task-based format that constantly reminds you of where you are in the program and what you're trying to accomplish.

For the experienced user, this is a fabulous reference to have on hand. (Especially those Mac users who've upgraded, since most screen shots are from OS X.) It takes readers through all the many parts of Photoshop: color management; resolution; making selections; compositing (moving, copying, sharpening and blurring, cloning, and more); using layers; the history palette (including using snapshots and the history brush); adjustment layers; working with color (including levels and curves and the spot color channel); painting; blending; masks; paths; type; filters; actions; preparing images for print or for exporting to other applications; optimizing for the Web; and making slices, rollovers, and animations. And new features have a "7.0!" call-out--for example, the new File Browser or the Healing Brush and the Patch tool, to quickly bring you up to speed with version 7.0. --Angelynn Grant ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Bang for less than a buck
Content is informative. Book condition is marginal, but it was only 90 cents or so. Got the bang for less than a buck!

Perfect
The book looks brand new and arrived in record time.Thank you so much!

Layout...??
This book, as well an several other Peach Pit Press books, did a great job of immediately losing my interest.The layout doesn't seem to flow from one section to the next.It seems like the author thought of a new topic at random, and dumped that information in the book with no consideration for logical order.In general, it seems that most of the Peach Pit Press books that I've read follow this "shuffling of information" approach.

Not for beginners
This book is not for beginners. Very confusing and poorly written.

I don't know if it makes a good reference because I'm new to Photoshop, but I do know one thing, this book does not teach a beginner anything.

I am taking it back.

Concise
OK you're still using PS7 and want to get up to speed.
You want all the technical details and tips and even some background on print design.
You want a couple of exercises and clear examples.
You want to go from beginner to a confident intermediate level.
And you want a shelf reference to PS7.

Note: You also acknowledge PS7 to be the greatest
image editor this side of the milky way(!)

Get this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The term e-commerce encompasses a spectrum of trading interactions from the business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions that facilitate Web-based retail trade, to business-to-business (B2B) data exchange that increases supply chain efficiency. This book shows how the Java platform and Java technologies can be, and have been, employed to develop solutions that address these scenarios.

To allow readers to gain a full appreciation of the diversity of topics involved in building e-commerce solutions, the book consists of five main sections. We begin by looking at the general area of e-business and the commercial considerations surrounding such application development. We then look at the Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE), XML, and XSLT. Building on this, we discuss the development of B2C sites for online selling and the design of effective portal sites. Our fourth section is devoted to the expanding area of B2B commerce where XML and XSLT are proving invaluable. Finally, we highlight new developments in the area of m-commerce and see how Java technologies can be used to facilitate trading anywhere. A particular feature of the book is the inclusion of case studies that provide hard won information on the challenges of building effective B2C and B2B applications in the real world. Amazon.com Review
Ideal for IT managers and developers working on e-commerce projects, Professional Java E-Commerce shows off how to design and program working e-stores and other enterprise Web applications powered by Java. This book is a guide to the nuts and bolts of Java used for e-commerce sites, and it also surveys the management and design issues that any organization will face when doing business online.

The first sections give an IT manager's perspective on integrating e-commerce initiatives into your organization, whether they're B2B, B2C, or m-commerce initiatives. The coverage achieves considerable depth. As well as terms you've already heard about, the team authors also look at B2B2C and C2B2C scenarios. They cover project planning for successful e-commerce software development and today's n-tiered architectures for scalability, and provide a quite thorough discussion of the security issues surrounding e-commerce.

The book then delves into actual sample source code for a variety of e-commerce applications, beginning with a traditional online store (for selling computers) with a product catalog and a shopping basket. Written with simple JSP, this site gets enhanced later using state-of-the-art Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) for better scalability and performance. Hands-on advice for using tools like BEA WebLogic Application Server (something of an industry standard) will help you apply your knowledge to real projects. Further examples look at real-world instances of corporate e-commerce in action, including working code for a portal Web site, a supply chain application (using XML), and a workflow Web application. The book closes with newer technologies like m-commerce (in which business is conducted through wireless devices) and smart cards.

The working source code and real-world perspective help distinguish this text in its presentation of some emerging Java enterprise-level technologies. For many working Java developers or managers, Professional Java E-Commerce can help shift the odds in your favor for that next big e-commerce project with its mix of canny advice and very practical sample source code that shows the right ways to use Java to write several high-end enterprise e-commerce solutions. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• E-commerce business strategy and planning
• Types and business impact of e-commerce (including B2C, B2B, B2B2C, C2C, C2B2C, and m-commerce)
• Business requirements for e-commerce applications (including technological and business considerations)
• E-commerce project planning (software project management and process)
• Guide to architecting e-commerce applications (technical requirements and architecture)
• Overview of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and its support for e-commerce
• Design approaches and components for e-commerce
• Introduction to XML and XSLT
• Security issues for online business (including Java security, authentication, and authorization)
• Sample B2C online computer store
• Usability issues (searching, feedback, and membership and internationalization)
• Data validation techniques for user input (client-side and server-side options)
• Adding Enterprise JavaBeans to the e-commerce site
• Using BEA WebLogic
• Case study for a custom portal
• Case study for a B2B solution using XML/XSLT to share data between systems in the supply chain
• Mass integration with the Java Message Service (JMS)
• Introduction to application service providers (ASPs)
• Case studies for a workflow application and a corporate purchasing Web site
• Introduction to m-commerce
• WAP and WML
• Smart cards
• XML and XSLT primer

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent coverage
This is the only book that covers such a wide range of issues relating to the application of Java to e-commerce. Although there are subjects that experienced users would certainly prefered to see treated in more depth this is an invaluable resource to those that need to get the big picture to a level that is practical and useful for understanding application and designing solutions. Well done.

Out of date and filled with fluff
Of all the technical books I've read this one qualifies as the worst.It's out of date, but even when it was new it would justify my opinion.

It attempts to cover too wide an area of subjects, and manages to either state the obvious (as in the first chapters that make a sophmoric attempt to define e-commenrce), to display questionable knowledge on the part of contributing authors, as in the section that lamely attempts to discuss architecture.The section on architecture should have been written by someone who could write and who understood architecture. Unfortunately I got the impression that the authors had neither qualifications.

The case studies were interesting, but were not sufficiently insightful to warrant buying this book that those alone.

There are positives to this book though.It weighs nearly 6 pounds, making it suitable as a doorstop.Having photos of all of the authors who contributed on the front cover is helpful if you conduct interviews since it helps in the screen process in case one of them shows up for an interview or tries to come in as a consultant.

My advice is to avoid this book. There are much better ones that cover the subjects in it.

Disappointing
There are a few good sections in this book (mainly the chapters that deal with WebLogic and the appendices of primers and reference material that comprise Section 6).However, considering that this book weighs in at over 1000 pages, its mainly fluff or glib (but not helpful), with too much material that states the obvious.

Much of the fluff is found in Section 1 (The E-Commerce Landscape), and Section 2 (Architecting Java-Based E-Commerce Systems) was, in my opinion, a glossed over, high-level overview that was used as filler.

Sections 3 (B2C E-Commerce Solutions) and 4 (B2B E-Commerce Solutions) have a few interesting chapters in each.My main complaint here is that Section 3 is a mix of solutions and techniques, while Section 4 is purely solution-focused.Section 5 (M-Commerce) is too light to be useful, and most of the material is already woefully out of date.

My recommendation is to pass this book up and, instead, seek out single-topic books that address the subjects in which you're interested.

Where's the e-commerce, where's the professionality?
I can't believe the rating some people give this book. This book touches a lot of areas with little depth. The book contains a lot of filling with no practical usable things.

The information on practical Java E-commerce is very limited, and if you need usable information on JSP, Application Servers, ... I suggest you buy books about the specific areas you need information on. Even if this book was intended to be a high level overview on E-commerce it would miss its mark.

Ecellent overview of a wide range of topics
The Audience for this Book

Java E-Commerce is aimed at people who already know Java and need to evaluate the technologies available. I first I wondered what the target audience would be, if you are a programmer you might not get to choose the technologies and if you are a manager you might not have the time or inclination to learn about these technologies in such depth. I now appreciate that they are appropriate for just about anyone except a beginner, most programmers need to know what technologies are available and managers need to know what the programmers are talking about.

How the book is organised

The book is divided into five sections starting with The E-commerce Landscape. This didn't tell me much I didn't already know, evolution of internet... exciting, define e-commerce....arpanet, web browsers etc etc. All scene setting stuff, but you can't have a fairy story without "once upon a time". Things get a little more interesting with Section 2, "Architecting Java Based e-commerce systems".

Some parts of the web world assume that "everyone uses Microsoft Internet Explorer". The authors of this book recognize that in the future your audience might well be WebTV, a mobile phone or PDA. Although there is plenty of coverage of specific Java technologies such as EJB and Servlets the book recognises that most developments will have to fit in with legacy systems and that the heart of the task is to give the potential purchaser a usable and easy browsing experiences.

Much of the material covers topics I already knew about superficially. Some crucial aspects covered are EJB, XML and JMS. I was fairly stunned to note a mention of the Log4J technology from the Apache group. If you haven't come across Log4J, go to the Apache org web site and download it. I challenge anyone not to find a use for it in any non trivial application. Even allowing for the time it takes to put a book together this illustrates that the authors are right at the front of developing technologies, absorb what these people say, they know what they are talking about.

Plenty of XML Coverage

The topic of XML runs though large parts of the book. Chapter 16 gives an interesting overview of the emerging standards in XML dtd's. There are a raft of competing standards and the dust is yet to clear on which ones will be generally adopted. Chapter 13 has an in-depth discussion of an Intelligent Assistant, ie a natural language parser system to allow customers to interact with a virtual shop assistant. I thought this was interesting in an academic way but I suspect that the number of people who will actually adopt this technology would be very small indeed. The

Bits I enjoyed most

The part I enjoyed most was a part I thought I might not even get around to reading which was Chapter 23, "In the MarketPlace, Corporate Purchasing". This is written in a laconic style by people who obviously have plenty of real world experience. Mixed in with headings like " Characteristics of Corporate Purchasing Systems are titles like "The headaches of having more than one partner." At the end of this chapter are 4 case studies that made me smile for all the right reasons. I did my post graduate education in Software after I had a decade of experience in the industry. It used to annoy me that the lecturers insisted on describing an ideal world that I knew did not exist. I get annoyed by technical books that insist that by following their golden recipes everything will go perfectly. The 4 case studies illustrate that things rarely go to plan, frequently do not go as expected and sometimes have to use horrible solutions but can still solve the problems. If you are browsing your local book shop, pick up this book and jump to the end of chapter 23.

I try to read everything I can about emerging net and Java technologies but I learnt a whole slew of new things reading Java E-Commerce. Notably the nature of B2B technologies. I had rather foolishly assumed it was just more web applications where the person using the browser at one end was in a business and connecting to a server at another business. It actually refers to using web technologies to replace the automated EDI technologies that large corporations have been using for years. I found the topic of XSLT transformations fascinating in that it explains how to get around the incompatibilities between different forms of XML used by different companies. If two companies use different DTDs to structure their XML XSLT can be used to convert between the formats. Until I read that section I had thought of XSLT as a way of transforming XML into nicely formatted HTML.

I found the chapter on M-commerce (transactions via mobile devices) to be interesting as a primer on what can be done via mobile devices, but I suspect you could fit everyone who has ever placed an order via a mobile phone, in my living room and still have space for unexpected visitors.
The book gives a high level coverage of a wide range of related Java technologies by people who appear to have actually worked with them on real world projects. The authors seem to have actually used the technologies in the real world rather than just read the documents and played with a few toy applications. It gives you enough to evaluate how and where you would use each of the technologies and examples of how people have used it in real projects.

Should you buy it?

If you want to be aware of what technologies are available and find out how they can be applied then this is an excellent buy. If you want to start to learn and implement any of the topics mentioned from scratch, you would be better off buying a book that caters specifically for that topic.
... ... Read more

Product Description
Combining pristine sound quality with a comfortably retro-styled virtual rack (including a polyphonic synthesizer, mixing console, sampler, and drum machine), Reason has won legions of fans since its introduction. Now, everyone is singing its praises -- from bands like Nine Inch Nails and Prodigy to video producers. Here to show you why is the first Visual QuickStart Guide on the topic. Using simple step-by-step instructions and loads of visual aids, this friendly volume promises to have you up and running quickly -- using all of Reason's instruments, loops, effects, mixing capabilities, and drum kits. You'll also find complete coverage of Reason's essential features: from its extensive racks and sound banks to its lifelike, rear-rack cabling, as well as its effects, automation, integration with other audio programs, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Old Fader and Knob Guy
Man, I miss my racks of gear!Consequently, the transition to computer software recording was something that I avoided like the plague.When I discovered Reason and it's user interface (gotta love that rack) it seemed like an answer to my prayers.This book eased me right into the Reason 3.0 program.It actually makes it do-able, even for an old fader fart like me!Snatch this one up before they're out of print.

Great book for a total beginner!
I'm a musician of 20 years who has finally entered the world of virtual instruments (with some hesitation I must admit) and I must say that the Reason 3 for Windows & Macintosh book really helped me overcome those fears if you will. I'm not much for manuals because most, as most musicians know, speak about the product as if you've already used it and have prior knowledge about it. The Reason 3 book, however, puts everything on an easy to understand level and the pictures do help a lot but would be more helpful if some were in color.
In a nutshell, I cracked open the book and fired up my Mac on a Saturday morning and 3-4 hours later I was able to go in, pull up what I wanted and make some nice tracks. I'm still working on the mastering and some other odds and ends but I'm confident that this book will definitely get me through with flying colors! BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!

Reason for Hip Hop
I bought this for my son who has a small home studio.
He had the software but the manual was limited. He described
this book as the ulitmate tool. It revealed all the true capabilities
of the software. He said the software is useless without this book.

Una enciclopedia paso a paso
Si quieres conocer a fondo el funcionamiento del Reason, creo que este libro es una buena guia para comenzar. Te menciona paso a paso lo que debes hacer para trabajar con él.

Hasta ahora me ha resultado de muy buena manera trabajar con este libro.

It does the job but I want more
If you a looking for a fast guide so that you can produce simple music withou much thinking, try this one. I used it ans it gave me some insights, but I really missed more in-depth explanations of key concepts, and more explanations about the consequences of my tweaks. The tutorials as much more "do this and then do that", than "do this, and this will happen, otherwise, this will happen because of this", which I prefer.

I am now using the Reason Power! books, and it seems much more complete and satisfying for my needs. I like to understand everything I am doing to achieve a certain result, so that I can use this knowledge in order to do different stuff from that same process. Reaso Power! gives me more of that than this VQSG. ... Read more

Product Description
If you need to get up to speed on the latest release of Adobe Photoshop -- or if you are just getting started -- heres your chance. Hands-On Photoshop® 4 for Macintosh® and Windows® takes both Mac and PC users, novices and more advanced users alike, through the paces of this leading image-editing program. Every Photoshop user will find something in this complete guide. Plus, all of the new features and commands in Version 4 are covered in detail, including new Web file formats, Adjustment layers, and the new Actions palette.

Author Clay Andres presents straightforward coverage of the basics of Photoshop 4 including navigating the menus and palettes and using the selection, painting, and drawing tools. Along with each chapter Andres provides a lesson section that covers techniques learned in the chapter. All the full-color images from these exercises are contained on the accompanying CD-ROM, so you can practice as you go.

Later chapters cover using the fills and gradient tools, correcting color, working with layers and masks, and more. And for those of you who are interested in taking your Photoshop images to the Web, youll get plenty of handy advice here.

Learn to make the most of the latest release of Photoshop with Hands-On Photoshop 4 for Macintosh and Windows.

Get up to speed on Version 4 in a snapLearn how to take your images to the WebCD-ROM contains full-color images from the lessons, demo software, and moreLearn how to master channels, layers, and masksMaster color correctionLesson sections review all key concepts and techniquesCovers painting, editing, drawing and filling, and selection toolsLearn how to work with filters for added effect ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

All The Lessons Work, People.
I just finished this book.The lessons took about an hour each, they were not grueling, and they didn't cover too much or too little.

And, now that I have finished the whole book, I really have no idea what the complaintsare about.All the lessons on the CD are functional, so check youroperating systems, people, or maybe, be a little more careful followingthrough with the procedure in the lessons.There are some spelling errors. So what?The content is sound.I found no major errors likenon-functional scripts or missing files.The chapter lesson for ActionsDOES work.All the lessons work.I think the problem may be that anyonewho uses this book still needs to utilize some critical thinking skills andsome experimentation to get through the complexity of the software programitself -- the book cannot be blamed for the intrinsic complexity andredundant functions of Photoshop.

My final opinion is that this Andresbook was actually "FUN" to use.It even made Photoshop fun touse -- and that is an achievement.I'm actually going to do the lessons onLayers and Masking over again for just pure enjoyment, because now I nowfeel comfortable using basic functions of Photoshop and I don't feel afraidof it anymore! **** for this one, Baby.

Fun to Use and Easy to Read, I Found
I had this book sitting around on my shelf for a year but I hadn't used it (nor Photoshop).I was cautious about trying it because I've had problems getting through other Photoshop manuals before, on account of boredom, andI had read the reviews below.But I really needed to make a layeredgraphic for a website so I tried it -- and after getting through threechapters on masks, channels and layers in three hours, I disagree with thenegative reviews -- this book didn't abuse me.

I didn't find any problemsusing the Layers lesson as one reviewer described below; the lesson waspretty straightforward, I thought -- perhaps it was a memory allocationproblem or a platform problem (I used it on Win98 with 64 Megs driven byPII400) -- who knows.I haven't tried the chapter on Actions yet, but Iwill post a follow-up.

There ARE errors in the book and I think on thedisc but they amount to minor typos.I haven't come across any mislabelledfiles, yet.Here and there the author confused me when he referred tolayers being on top or below, and he meant the stratification on thepalette and not in the image itself -- I figured it out (hooray for me). So, the book isn't Perfection, but what I find attractive and useful aboutit is the author's style of instruction, which in general is easy tounderstand, not overly technical.Also good are the pace, the ready-madeCD examples.He presented the subject directly and matter-of-factlywithout much digression, which I like.I tend not to like the extremelyregimented and hyperformal tone of most of the Adobe Classroom in a Bookeditions -- those books have no typos or file errors but because of theirminutiae, they induce sleep; I fell out of my chair frequently and injuredmyself, which required that I stop using them.They sit perfectly on myshelf, though.This Andres book isn't as detailed as the Adobe books, butyou also don't get bogged down in extreme detail.It got me throughPhotoshop's ridiculously complex interface so I could experiment on my own-- which I think is how you learn programs like Photoshop, right?

Anyway,Roger, I give this book a Thumbs Up for friendly style, speed, ease of use,and fun examples.

Too Many Errors
Knowing almost nothing about PhotoShop and being thrifty, I purchased thisbook mostly because of the price and CD Rom Lessons.However, it quicklybecame clear that the book is so frustratingly full of errors, it makes itdifficult for a novice.The learning curve is greatly increased due to theerrors.I never know if no result or a poor result was do to"operator error" or book error.

For someone with basicknowledge of PhotoShop, this might be a reasonable text, but I would notrecommend it for the beginner!

Nice Format, but way too many errors
I've used this book for my Photoshop class for a year. I like the information and tone of this book, but the errors are terrible. There are quite a few lessons you can do along while reading the book, but some of them tell you to open the wrong file on the included CD (the Intro lesson or the Pen Tool lesson), or the file on the CD has been altered so the lesson won't work (the Layers lesson) or don't work at all (the Actions lesson)! There are even simple errors like typos that indicate just plain, sloppy editing.

I only stick with it because all my lessons have been written to go with it, and, at this point I think I've found most of the errors (I have compiled a two-page errata). But I'll definitely find a new book when we upgrade to Photoshop 5! ... Read more

Product Description

Now that Avid Xpress Pro (in combination with the Avid Mojo hardware accelerator) makes true real-time video, film, and audio editing possible from virtually any location in the world, Hollywood¿s video editing software of choice is being adopted far beyond Hollywood as well. To get up to speed on both it and Avid XPress DV quickly and efficiently, you¿ll want this easy, task-based volume. The entire video-editing process¿from getting a DV project rolling to advanced editing and distribution methods¿is covered here. Video guru James Monohan leaves no stone unturned as he shows you how to set up and customize your desktop; record and import files; integrate audio; create titles, dissolves, and transitions; correct color; add special effects; use plug-ins; render real-time effects; output to disc and the Web; and more. Along the way you¿ll learn about all of XPress DV¿s and XPress Pro¿s most exciting newer features: automatic expert color correction, advanced filtering and effects, powerful film support, high-quality output, and more.

Customer Reviews (13)

Great book for one who is "computerly" challenged
Bottom line - great how-to book.I am NOT in any way, shape, or form, a computer geek.Technology is not my friend, and nothing about machinery is inuitive to me.I am also a no-nonsence kinda guy.In this particular case, I want to edit, not spend my time READING about how to edit.So this book is GREAT!(Wouldn't know if it's the best 'cause I'm completely dependent on doing what it says to do so I have no way to compare it to other resources.) The layout is straightforward - topics are categorized and independant from each other.Like a cookbook. Simply go to the instructions on how to do a particular thing, and there you go! The book uses paragraph format in the beginning of each topic/chapter to explain the "why's" of the upcoming topic; like a comprehensive overview. (What's the purpose and point of doing "_____".) Then when it comes to the "how-tos", each subtopic/activity converts to bullet-points. (Click A, then do B, then press C.) The book also includes side notes and hints along with illustrations of what you should be seeing on the screen at that particular stage.Wonderful!Efficient!

A Great Reference Text
This book is based on Avid Express Pro as of 2004 and will serve you well as a reference text. It is well-indexed and has useful cross-references in the text.

Very Nice Learning Tool
This book is very helpful for new beginners learning AXP. It is very detailed and to the point. A must have.

Belin...è Pazzesco!!!!
figata ci vediamo al solito posto alle 12.00. porta la corazzata
pinuccio

thorough, clear and structured
I am a beginner with Avid and was daunted by all the different and options available to me. Monohan's book was just what I needed. I am currently giong through the book from A to Z, which gives me an overview of all the options and work-methods the program has. Even though I allready had set up my workspace, this book gave me some interesting tips. Even though I had allready developed a workflow for my previous projects, I learned some new options by reading this book.

Interestingly, serving as a guide from a to Z is not where Monohan excells. It should be used as an index to all the available options from this program. Want to know how to find those audio-peaklevels? How to get rid of that nested alpha-channel? Or you want to remember that trick in lassoing to trim mode? Use the index or the table of contents and you'll find what you're looking for in no time.

Great value for its price! ... Read more

Product Description
Adobe Photoshop is the application of choice for digital image manipulation. Its complexity can be daunting for beginners, however. Photoshop 5 for Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide gives users an accessible, how-to reference guide to basic photo manipulation and correction techniques using the latest version of Photoshop.

Using this guide, beginners don't need to wander through menus or read a great deal of text. Extensive pictures and captions reassure readers that they are in the correct dialog box, pop-up menu, or entry field to do what they need. Used as a standard textbook in countless classrooms, and as a table-top reference by freelance computer artists everywhere, it's the book that explains Photoshop techniques clearly and quickly.

Includes new and revised material on using Photoshop effectively for Web images as well as in multimedia productions. Also covers most of the higher-end changes in this version, including: improved color management, the new History palette, 16-bit channel support, layer effects, History brush, Magnetic Lasso and Magnetic Pen tools, Postscript type layers, and the expanded Actions palette.Amazon.com Review
This Visual QuickStart Guide to Photoshop 5 for Windows andMacintosh is ideal for computer graphics beginners who need thoroughhelp with even the most basic tools in Adobe's image editor. Theauthors provide step-by-step instruction for each exercise whileoffering the exact keyboard and mouse operations, plenty of screenshots and illustrations, extra usage tips, and a bit of technicalinsight. First, you learn the essential options on the menus and inthe palettes; approach the issue of color in Photoshop; and explorethe significance of pixels, red-green-blue (RGB) and cyan-magenta-yellow-black (CMYK) models, channels, image and blending modes, andcolor management. To get you started on some real work, the authorsshow you how to create, open, and save files; scan images; importfiles; resize and crop images; and use the Navigator palette. Thesubsequent chapters guide you through the processes of makingselections; creating composite images using layers and the Stamp tool;working with History (undo and redo) options; using Adjustment Layers;choosing, adjusting, and correcting color; and working with the line,paintbrush, airbrush, and gradient tools. In the last, most advancedpart of the book, the authors show you how to create interestingeffects using layers, masks, paths, the type tool, andfilters. Finally, the authors show you how to customize your imagesfor output to the Web, Macromedia Director, and Adobe AfterEffects. --Kathleen Caster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good Buy
This is a great reference tool to be used in conjunction with other Photoshop References.

An easy to master, visual approach for the novice user
Photoshop is one of the most popular and widespread softwares specifically designed to operate on either a Windows or Macintosh platform. In Photoshop For Windows & Macintosh, Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas have effectively collaborated to create an ideal, easy to master, visual approach for the novice user that provides an informed and informative tour through what this software can do -- and how to do it. Comprehensive, concise, direct, "reader friendly" and illustrated commentary documents Photoshop For Windows & Macintosh as a truly effective primer and an enduringly useful reference for Photoshop users.

Terrible
This book was terrible.It is not for beginners.It would be very difficult to teach yourself Photoshop when this book as a reference.

This is NOT the "quick and easy way" to learn Photoshop!
Don't waste your money on this book if you're new to Photoshop. The authors provide no frame of reference as they immediately delve into thevarious palettes and toolbox and to other areas that will have you throwingthe book down in disgust. There are better books out there for beginnersbut this is certainly not one of them.

The book was a waste of money
I cant believe either that this book was recommended for my class. It offers no insight om how to blend everthing you learn to make a quality layout. You can teach yourself the same things in the book just by tril anderror. Those masterpieces in the middle dont help the beggimer out either. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides users with step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring Gold. Readers learn how to use the Netscape Navigator Gold 3.0; a premium Internet client that provides content creators with a simple yet powerful tool for editing and publishing. ... Read more

Product Description
With Adobe's acquisition of Macromedia, millions of Photoshop users may be installing Flash for the first time and Flash CS3 Professional for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide is there to show them what to do. From basic first steps, such as exploring the drawing tools, including Flash CS3's new Pen tool, to frame-by-frame animation, motion tweening, and shape tweening, this book serves as the beginner's guide to Flash. But it doesn’t stop there: sections on interactivity, sound, and video have been fully updated to demonstrate best practices in ActionScript 3.0, as well as the latest in Flash's video technology.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great book for beginners.
Reading the other reviews, we chose this book to learn Flash.And its great for us since we've never used Flash before.Very "step by step," which is what we need.Only into a few chapters, but already have a good idea of how to do basic operations.Definitely a great addition for us.

Another winning Visual Quickstart Guide
I needed to create a complex scientific animation that overwhelmed PowerPoint's meager animation capabilities. I did not know anything about Flash. I have gotten great results with PeachPit's Visual Quickstart Guides for Photoshop and Illustrator in the past, so I took a chance and bought this one sight unseen. I was not dissappointed.

I read the first few chapters straight through, to get the gist of the program. Then I looked up individual sections I needed to get the job done. I took me a couple of days (and one late night) but I got the animation done. In the end there were more that 100 individual animated objects, each of which morphed in both shape and location. It was good enough to run continuously at a major trade show. I learned everything I needed to know from this book.

Like the other Visual QuickStart guides, this book covers individual common tasks in short chapters. These short, well-illustrated lessons tell you how to accomplish the task in clear language, with explanations of the different options and outcomes. I have no time to read an entire book to learn how to use a program. The "what you need to know to do accomplish this" approach used here works great for me.

If you need clear instructions on how to accomplish specific tasks in Flash, this is the book fr you. Highly recommended, no problems identified. Five stars.

Very Useful
I'm not completely finished with the book, but I have found it so far very useful and easy to understand.I've learned a lot; I'd recommend it.

Flash Manual Useful
After one of the students in my class used Flash for his final project, I was compelled to learn it myself. This manual had enough info to get me making little flash movies in a day or two. As with all art, however, the need to express content drives the learning of technical skills. Once I know what content I want to work with, I know the skills will follow. Having this book will help me every step of the way.

Here's a link to some of my first experiments in learning. They're rough, but I see a lot of potential when I can seriously work on a project. The gamut of possibility ranges from simple to amazingly complex. I would recommend this book.

[...]

Buyer Beware!
I have never received such poor service from a seller on Amazon. I ordered this book for a class I am taking and it never came! A month goes by and I ask where is my book the sellers comment was that they have been busy but the book has been sent... that is interesting because I never received it. Another slap in the face was the sellers comment on another inquiry of mine... "if you have any more questions feel free to contact our AMPLE customer service." Ample? How about incompetent, rude, and lazy.

I was impressed by Amazon's quick turnaround from when I sent my claim and from when I received my refund. Unfortunately, this seller gives Amazon a bad name. ... Read more

Product Description
The top-rated diet-analysis software and a must-have for success in your nutrition course, DIET ANALYSIS+ 8.0 enables you to track and assess the nutritional value of the foods you eat! The updated 8.0 version includes a database of over 22,000 foods, ten reports for analysis, as well as the latest Dietary References, making it easy for you to calculate your DRIs, as well as your goal and actual percentages of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. You can create your own personal profile based on height, weight, age, sex, and activity level--AND use this information to adjust your diet and gain a better understanding of how nutrition relates to your personal health goals. The dynamic interface makes it easy for you to track the types and serving sizes of the foods consumed from 1 day to 365 days. DIET ANALYSIS+ 8.0 is a valuable partner to Whitney, Pinna, and Rolfes's textbook. ... Read more

Product Description
A complete source for introducing, explaining, and demonstrating computer generated 3-D design. Through step-by-step tutorials, readers can build, render, and animate their first models, while the author provides overviews and suggestions. The CD-ROM enables the user to build, enter, and animate models which compliment the topics in the book. ... Read more

Product Description
The 180 Mac-based software applications highlighted in this book enable lawyers to be more productive and efficient. This valuable guide shares information on those programs, including a thorough listing of law office Mac applications, links to useful Internet resources, and tips for making the best software purchases for lawyers' specific needs. Each listing includes full contact information, pricing, networking capabilities, descriptions, and key features. Also included are applications for special areas of law such as litigation, family law, estate planning, and patent law. ... Read more

Product Description
If anything can make accounting fun (or even just a little less painful)QuickBooks Pro 2005 can--especially if you get this no-nonsensetask-based guide to it! While QuickBooks Pro 6 was all about goingnative (Mac OS X–native, that is!), this time out the focus is on easeof use. To ensure that you don't miss out on any of the many featuresthat can streamline your accounting processes, trusted Mac teacher Maria Langeruses simple step-by-step instructions and loads of visual aids to getyou up to speed on QuickBooks Pro fast. After providing a detailedaccount of how to install and configure the program, Maria shows youhow to enter sales, make payments, work with transactions, trackinventory, process payroll, report results, print forms, and more.Along the way, Maria discusses the accounting principles that guide theprogram's use and delves deeply into all of QuickBooks' newestfeatures: one-click viewing of cash flow and unbilled hours, theability to share QuickBooks data with Windows users, and more. ... Read more

Product Description
Even if you've never used Macromedia Dreamweaver before, this VisualQuickStart Guide will have you up and running with Macromedia's popularWeb authoring program in no time. In this completely updated edition ofour best-selling guide to Macromedia Dreamweaver, leading technologyauthors Tom Negrino and Dori Smith use their trademark crystal-clearinstructions and friendly prose to introduce you everything that’s newin Dreamweaver 8. Filled with step-by-step, task-based instructions andloads of visual aids, this book explains how to use all of theprogram's visual layout tools, application development features, andcode editing support to create stunning, accessible Web sites. Alongthe way, you'll find extensive coverage of all the program's newfeatures: drag-and-drop integration of XML data feeds, improved CSSsupport, advanced style rendering toolbar, the industry’s firstintegrated Web accessibility evaluation tool for Section 508 and WCAG 2checkpoints, and more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

wish this was the classroom in a book
this is definitely a good book for reference but i have had more luck with video tutorials.

You can have a web site up in as long as it takes you to read this book!
I read SAMS teach yourself Web Publishing with HTML 4 and learned basic html. I was told that I would have to take a class in order to comprehend dreamweaver.I didn't have to, after learning basic html and reading Macromedia Dreamweaver for Windows, I was able to build my website in as long as it took me to finish the book, which wasn't long.Dreamweaver is now so easy for me to navigate.Take a look at my website, www.thechildrenofthephoenix.com and you will see what I mean.

I'm lost with this book
This book is not totally disappointing. It has some good sides. However, my overall experience is not very positive. You get the impression this book targets about 1 percent of DW users, the heavy-duty coders. If you are like me, more design-oriented and interested in Flash, web images and other stuff, you'll be lost with this book.

Not for novices
I am very computer savy. I have used Photoshop, Freehand, Illustrator, and In Design almost from the get go, yet, I have been very frustrated in trying to get web pages up and going by following this book and toying with Dreamweaver on my own. Very frustrating!

Not intended for the web design novice
I am completely new to web design and found this book extremely overwhelming.The series title, "Visual Quickstart Guide", appears to be aimed towards beginners such as myself, however it is probably aimed at people with experience with older versions of Dreamweaver looking to upgrade their knowledge.There is so much talk about the old dreamweaver, new ways of doing things etc. and I'm not really interested in that.Other clues that this book is not designed for a beginner is the lack of glossary (mentioned in another review) and the amount of space devoted to setting one's preferences of Dreamweaver.As a novice, how am I supposed to know what I prefer when I don't even know where to begin? ... Read more

Product Description

If you're looking forward to using cool new tools like Illustrator CS2's Live Trace or Live Paint in your vector artwork, or eager to take advantage of its more than 200 professionally designed templates, you'll need to get up to speed on every aspect of Illustrator CS2 now with this Visual QuickStart Guide! As the standard Illustrator text in many design schools, this popular, task-based best seller has taught a generation of users how to make the most out of Adobe's vector-graphics powerhouse. Now it’s back--revised and updated--to teach the next. Using simple step-by-step instructions, loads of screen shots, and an array of time-saving tips and tricks, this volume represents the quickest route to Illustrator CS2 proficiency. Clearly marked locators indicate new and improved features (such as enhanced type capabilities, powerful 3D graphics tools, enhanced PDF support, and more), a 24-page color section, and highly readable text create a winning combination for every level of Illustrator user.

Customer Reviews (15)

Probably Better than Average.
My experience is that NONE of the manuals for Adobe Illustrator are really exceptional--and especially for someone who finds himself struggling with a program that is not particularly "user-friendly," and has something like Chinese logic.Oh, there are mistakes in the index, such as a listing of the Pencil Tool, when there is no section which explains the use of that tool...really.Thinking I must be dreaming, I checked maybe three times.Nope, not there.

For most of us, learning Illustrator from a manual alone is probably impossible.Get yourself several of the best manuals, and--for God's sake--take at least one class with a better than average teacher (and practice like a demon!).Having taken a few graphic arts classes at a local college, I found that--regrettably--the one who teaches the fundamental classes on Photoshop and Illustrator is a neurotic and a fascist..and his classes are--on a daily basis--very invalidating: hardly an ideal learning environment.

D0 yourself a favor and--early-on--memorize the key-strokes and ask LOTS of questions, when things don't make sense. The manuals omit things, and assume the knowledge of some concepts, when the reader might not possess this knowledge.This experience can be ROYALLY frustrating.These programs are powerful, but are like learning college chemistry or the calculus during the first few weeks.Can drive you insane with very little effort.

Also recommended is to super-master the Pen Tool, and the concepts of Control Points, Path (closed or not-closed), and how Layers work...which can not be comprehended by the usual common-sense reasoning.You must somehow "get your brain around" the reality of how these programs operate.Good luck!

Excellent reference book
Excellent book for Illustrator starters and more advanced users. Indeed quick and visual, with easy to use examples of almost every Illustrator technique explained. Simple enough for fast learning, but very thorough.

Perfect
This book was delivered in a timely manner and was exactly the quality I expected.

Great book
This book I found was a great reference book. It gives you good explainations of how to do different stuff. I would have liked it to have a bit more colour and a few more diagrams, but other than that I think it's a great book!

An up to date Illustrator guide
I was a new user of Adobe Illustrator and this book had all the answers and ways to use Illustrator software. You can just go on reading and get a hands on the software or you can find the solutions when you face problems. Its just worth buying. ... Read more

Product Description

Photoshop Restoration and Retouching is a hands-on book for designers, photographers, commercial illustrators, and artists who seek to make the best out of the not perfect. The world is full of imperfections, but professionally-prepared images never show those blemishes, cellulite, poorly reproduced colors, stray hairs or wrinkles. This book will walk readers through all kinds of repair and correction, including:

• Improving contrast and tone
• Correcting color, either from a bad original or a bad scan
• Removing unwanted elements from photographs
• Repairing heirloom originals with problems such as mold spots, cracks, or torn corners
• Improving portraits by removing blemishes, removing distracting elements, or replacing closed eyes
• Tips and tricks for glamour and fashion photographers

This book makes tackling each of your photo's flaws look easy--it seems like even the worst photo can be saved. Also, by the end, readers will have an appreciation for those who do retouching for a living--it takes planning, a good eye, consistency, and a lot of organization, or you're just flailing away with adjustment layers. You can get a look at a sample tutorial and chapter on the companion Web site, digitalretouch.org, which also includes all project images and other resources. --Angelynn Grant ... Read more

Customer Reviews (63)

A tremendous tool to all photographers and retouchers!
As a photographer having the eye is one thing, but having the special talent to retouch is another. After editing for about 6 months appallingly not complimenting the subject matter, I spoke with many photographers and asked for a resource I could obtain, their answers were simple: Photoshop Restoration and Retouching for Photoshop.

The book covers everything from simple shortcut keys to advanced glamor and tailoring techniques. Katrin's explanations are exceedingly dynamic which shines through the texts and step-by-step directions explaining the craft of editing and restoring an image in depth.I've learned countless techniques from this book and I'm very happy to teach peers and other aspiring fashion and portrait photographers the "art" of retouching. It's a dense book, but go through what you need to that relates to field of work.

This book has remarkable, yet uncomplicated techniques in glamor retouching which all yield beautiful and elegant results. This book is worth the money and will give you the tools to create a work path and work flow suitable for anyone's requirements.

Learn what PhotoShop is REALLY built for
Katrin made a believer out of me in just a few pages.I have been using Photoshop since 1991 but, like other reviewers here, I was "freehanding" it and some of my methods were somewhat less than efficient. Within minutes of opening this book I realized there was so much more than I knew, and quite frankly I was enlightened by this book where others offered shortcuts to less-than-relevant issues.In this book you are sometimes offered multiple solutions to the same issues, which is SO how Photoshop works insofras a pathways to resolutions can be so various, so there's room to incorporate what you already know.This was the first volume of hers that I bought but not the last.I strongly recommend this book and this author to anyone who's serious about photographic restoration.

I Reach For This Book, Over & Over Again
Too many mediocre Photoshop books haunt the market. RESTORATION & RETOUCHING ain't one of them.

High praise: I've reached for this book over and over again when faced with new Photoshop challenges.

Only just noticed I have the First Edition and not the Third... Clicking-through now to purchase the latest edition. I know it'll be worth it.

Kirtland Peterson

Excellent job writing this book.
I'm a novice who wanted to restore a whole bunch of all photos from family that my grandmother had in her atic, so I decided to buy Photohop by recomendation of a friend of mind. I have no previous experience in this field, but this book was everything I needed it.
The author is so detailed and the practices so well prepare that it took me no time to hands of it, and look like a profesional in front of my entire family and friends. I would recommend this book to anyone, experts or novices like me.

A Gift for the Flaw-Plagued Photographer
I will admit it.Many of my photos have flaws.Many have not been preserved properly.

They represent memories, however, so I am reluctant to toss them in the trash.Katrin Eisman's book equipped me with the skills to restore them to a state to which I can be proud.This book has helped me take my well-intentioned, yet poorly executed photos, correct the color, contrast and tone.Mold, cracks and torn edges mystically disappear.

The moments I attempted to preserve were precious to me.The beautiful images that result from her easy to find, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions are a gift. ... Read more

Product Description
Author professional quality DVDs with Studio Pro 4

With Apple DVD Studio Pro just about anyone can author high performance DVDs -- easily and inexpensively.This heavily-illustrated complete tutorial, written by world-famous DVD trainer Bruce Nazarian, provides the step-by-step guidance necessary to unleash Studio Pro's full power and understand all the new features of Studio Pro 4.

• Includes DVD with sample footage, authoring samples, graphics, and project graphical layout
• Covers video and audio encoding, Photoshop for DVD authoring, and new Hi-DEF features

Customer Reviews (5)

A tough subject well covered
I am a certified Apple FCP Trainer but struggle when it comes to this app. Bruce has covered the subject well with real world practical tips from beginning to end.

Useful, but not very clear
The book has many useful tips and ideas, BUT it is not written very clearly and it seems to be an amalgamation of his writing about DVD SP 2 and 3 as well as version 4.

The quality of the book also leaves something to be desired.It is all in black and white--which generally is not a problem, but some of the illustrations are hard to figure out because I couldn't figure out what part of what menu he was talking about and there were no "color" hints to help me figure it out.

Although the book covers a lot of ground, it was missing some critical--at least for me-- issues.For example, can you create a 16 x9 splash screen that matches a 16 x 9 video. (If it can be done, I did not see any instructions about it and I can't seem to find a soluion to this problem is his book--or elsewhere).

Also, even though he talks a lot about Compressor, he fails to give any real practical advice about formats that need to be used to make a 4 x 3 video look okay on a 16 x 9 screen.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh because I wanted to know more about the practicalities of going from Final Cut Pro via Compressor to DVD SP4 and having a product that looks good when played on both the old 4 x3 format TVs and the newer 16 X 9 format TVs--and that was not there.

I will say that he had a lot of good stuff to say about menu designs and how to create good ones and for that alone the book was worthwhile.

A wealth of info,with a Final Cut bias.
A wealth of important and useful information. However, AVID editors will find not one word in this book about preparing material and exporting from AVID systems to DVD Studio Pro 4. It's bias is Final Cut, which is the default standard for this guide

lots of info for experts- doesn't get you started
the basics seem to be omitted. There is no "quick start" chapter on how to get moving. The minutiae are well covered. The practical hands on explanations are deeply buried. The included DVD is almost completely useless and does not even play properly on my Mac G5- not a good sign for "the DVD guy"

not for beginners
This book is very dissapointing. Sure, this book is full of information, but does not know how to teach. This book is not completely written in step by step method. Before you actually start touch your project, you are fed up with information. I even found a couple of mistakes in earlier chapter. DVD comes with this book, but this DVD is not a lesson project like Apple Pro Training Series. Not useful.
If you are beginner and start studying DVD Studio Pro 4, don't by this book! You're going to waste your money. Buy the one from Apple Pro Training Series, which is much better, easy to understand. ... Read more

Product Description

Adobe Photoshop is one of those programs that both dazzles and dismays: You can do extraordinary things with it--as long as you don't get lost in its maze of palettes and toolbars. Luckily for you, with Photoshop 7 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide, that needn't be a problem! If you're ready to take on image editing in Photoshop 7, this straight-ahead visual reference is the place to start.Veteran authors Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas are back with a completely revised edition of the guide that's become the standard for Photoshop instruction in classrooms, homes, and offices. Through clear, concise instructions and a multitude of screen shots, this book steps you through the basics of photo editing, manipulation, optimization, and correction. It also provides complete coverage of all that's new in version 7: native Mac OS X support, a new painting engine that facilitates wet and dry brush effects, and more--all in a task-based format that constantly reminds you of where you are in the program and what you're trying to accomplish.

Customer Reviews (1)

Just what I needed
I installed Photoshop on my computer and I can't tell you the times I have went to this book and looked up situations and have found a clear way to get the job done. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This is fun!
This book is actually pretty good. It covers the basics ofForst-Order-Logic (FOL) and is fun to read. The software is great too.Tarski's world get's you acquinted with the propositional and predicatelogic concepts in no time! The many exercises in the book force you to readuntil you fully understand. So my advice to people taking their first stepsin logic is: learn to walk in Tarski's world and you'll be running beforeyou know!

Pretty Good...
This book was used as one of the texts for a class I'm took in Cognitive Science at Indiana University. Before taking this class I had never been exposed to First-Order Logic, although I had done formal proofs in Math. Ithought the book was pretty good. I'm quite sure that I would have hadtrouble with the concepts if I hadn't had a professor to help me, though.The Language of First-Order Logic relies pretty heavily on concepts fromMath. Most of the time these were concepts I hadn't though about in years,and that gave me a little trouble. ... Read more