Switching To The Mac: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue
PoguePress/ O’Reilly and Assciociates, Inc. , Sebastopol, California
434 pages, black and white
ISBN 0-596-00452-4
$24.95 (USA) , $38.95(Canada)
This is the second book John has asked me to review on the subject of switching to a Mac. Perhaps he is trying to tell me something. Believe me, I need no subtle encouragement. My inferiority complex grows daily as I peddle artwork knowing was created on a PC – while all my clients are using Macs. (I have, of course, told no one of my dirty little secret). But ten years ago I needed AutoCad and 3dStudio and there was no support for them on the Mac. So I invested in these programs back when they would run only in DOS and, later, when they converted to Windows, thinking all was okay.
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Real World Color Management
by Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy and Fred Bunting
Peachpit Press
534 pages with many color illustrations
ISBN 0-201-77340-6
$49.99 (USA), $77.99 (Canada) £37.99 (UK)
For me, reviewing a book on color management is not a whole lot different that reviewing one on brain surgery. My perspective is not from one well versed in the subject but rather from your run-of-the-mill graphic artist with a smattering of understanding of the subject. That’s a caveat that needs to be stated in this case. Can’t say for sure whether the information imparted is accurate, current, etc., … but it sure looks good.
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Mac OS X for Windows Users: A Switchers’ Guide
by David Coursey
Peachpit Press
277 pages, black and white
ISBN 0-321-16889-5
$19.99 (USA) , $31.99 (Canada) £14.99 (UK)
The Switchers’ Guide is an unabashed endorsement of Mac over PC — and rightly so, in my opinion. If you work in creative applications on a PC (as I do, I’m ashamed to say) you will feel woefully inadequate and be convinced that life has passed you by. Perhaps this is a slight exaggeration. However, David Coursey presents many compelling reasons for making the switch in this well written and entertaining book targeted to disgruntled Microsoft captives.
Adobe Photoshop 7 Web Design with GoLive 6
by Michael Baumgardt
Adobe Press / Peachpit Press
ISBN 0-321-11561-9, 321 pages
Price: $45.00 US, $69.99 CN, £33.99 UK
303 pages, all in color
No CD (image file examples and tutorials must be downloaded)
Adobe Photoshop 7 Web Design by Michael Baumgardt is a very
comprehensive study in Web design. Pages are beautifully illustrated with colorful samples and diagrams. The author goes into great detail explaining many nuances of this craft that the most of us tend to ignore.
The book starts with design basics and concepts, which include interviews with professionals in the trade, plus many examples of successful designs in practice. The middle of the content gets into some Photoshop and ImageReady techniques that have application in Web design. There are a few tutorials that some readers may find helpful in reinforcing concepts.
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Using Adobe Photoshop 7
By Peter Bauer and Jeff Foster
Que Publishing
928 pages, 8 in color
CD included with supporting files and samples
$49.99
ISBN 0-7897-2760-9
Photoshop is an enormously complex program by anyone’s standards. To attempt to cover it all in one book is no small feat. Even with 928 pages of text and illustrations it is impossible, even foolhardy, to think that the creative potential of this software can be fully exposed.
The authors readily acknowledge this obstacle and candidly admit that their work is not for the Photoshop novice, and it wonÕt make anyone an expert. Rather, it is intended to present a “broad brush” (no pun intended) summary of the myriad of tools available with explanations that assume a working knowledge of the graphic design business.
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Adobe Photoshop 7 One Click Wow
by Jack Davis and Linnea Dayton
Peachpit Press
90 pages, all in color
CD included with supporting files and samples
ISBN 0-321-12531-2
$29.99 US, $46.99 CN, £22.99 UK
Review by: Wynne Stevens
One Click Wow is one of those books we struggling want-to-be computer artists see in bookstores and fall in love with at first sight. The accompanying CD alone contains a smorgasbord of Photoshop styles, actions, and other effects that can make anyone look good with virtually no effort at all. Obviously true artists and Photoshop experts may look upon this with some disdain but there’s no denying that One Click Wow exemplifies software automation and productivity to the delight of the unskilled such as myself.
This book contains the tools to take a simple graphic and convert it to chiseled steel, chrome, plastic, glass, neon, wood grain, and on and on. Want a frame or special edge treatment for that photograph? How about textures, edges or photo enhancements? Need some dynamic rollovers? No problem.
The authors present the various included effects with a simple clarity that makes it possible to start experimenting immediately. Once hooked, the process is addictive and a truly great way to explore the incredibly vast range of image effects that are possible with Photoshop.
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One Click Wow is one of those books we struggling want-to-be computer artists see in bookstores and fall in love with at first sight. The accompanying CD alone contains a smorgasbord of Photoshop styles, actions, and other effects that can make anyone look good with virtually no effort at all. Obviously true artists and Photoshop experts may look upon this with some disdain but there’s no denying that One Click Wow exemplifies software automation and productivity to the delight of the unskilled such as myself.
This book contains the tools to take a simple graphic and convert it to chiseled steel, chrome, plastic, glass, neon, wood grain, and on and on. Want a frame or special edge treatment for that photograph? How about textures, edges or photo enhancements? Need some dynamic rollovers? No problem.
Continue reading »
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