Editorial Review

Usability design is one of the most important--yet often least attractive--tasks for a Web developer. In Read more

Reviews (298)

A must read for anyone involved in website creation
An infinitely quotable book which takes you through the fundaments of designing websites that customers will find easy to use.Easy to use websites of course being successful websites.
The Title Says It All
I've read a lot on usability, and this is the single-best source I've seen. Every site designer and developer has to read this book. In fact, everyone on the decision food chain in your organization at least needs to be aware of what Krug teaches us. I will forever use usability testing often and early in the process now. Remember, it doesn't matter how cool your application or website is--if people can't use it, they will get frustrated and leave. Please--give us all a better experience!

definitely not a waste of paper :-)
This is a wise book, intentionaly kept small to be qucikly digestible. Very cleanly and simply the author describes where are the problems customers/users encounter while browsing the web, and how web contents designers should avoid making users think (more than absolutely necessary) while trying to do something on one's pages (look for/report/buy/pay/etc). The best book I have read in years.
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Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Books: Web Publishing    3. Computers    4. Design    5. Internet - Web Site Design    6. Internet - World Wide Web    7. Web site development    8. Web sites    9. Computers / Internet / Web Site Design    10. World Wide Web (WWW)   

Reviews (42)

Good but over-rated
Good but it could be much better. The selection of books on this topic is poor to begin with. But this happens to be one of the best in that underserved category.
A Refreshing Approach to Presentations
I ran across this book while researching a college workshop on perfecting presentation, dealing with public speaking and effective use of PowerPoint. As one who has suffered through numerous electronic slides that did little or nothing to augment the speaker's efforts, I was delighted to see this fresh and innovative approach. I believe this process works best, however, when one's speech is primarily persuasive in nature. Although these ideas helped me set up a strong introduction and conclusion, in a recent lecture I resorted to bullet points for the material I felt the students had to master. Perhaps as I get more used to Atkinson's technique, I'll better about using it in lecture. However, the business applications seem quite worthwhile. My students' workshop presentations that used his techniques were highly engaging. I highly recommend this book and the supporting web site.

Powerpoint Presentations that POP
If you do any kind of powerpoint presentations, this book is a must read.It provides insight into why you don't want to have your audience reading while you are presenting.It also provides you options and resources to make your presentations better, more informative and credible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Software - MSOffice    2. Business Software - Powerpoint    3. Business presentations    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics    6. Computer Graphics - General    7. Computer programs    8. Computers    9. Computers - Accounting Packages    10. Graphic methods    11. Microcomputer Communication Software    12. Multimedia systems in business presentations    13. Presentation Software    14. Computers / General   

Reviews (13)

Beginner to Intermediate Book for great results.
This is a wonderful book for beginning and intermediate photographers who want to know the tricks of the professional photographers out there.Although this book could be useful to those with pocket digital cameras, I believe this book is best suited to owners of DSLR Camera's.
Best Photo Book on the Market
I have been in photography for over 20 years. This book is the best document covering "How to do it" I have read in years. Great for beginners and intermediates alike.

Useful, practical tips
This book contains very useful and practical tips that will help anyone who wants to learn more about digital photography and how to take great pictures.He also offers suggestions on the extra accessories that you may want to purchase that will enhance the quality of your pictures.He adds humor onto every page which makes reading this book even more pleasurable.Definite a must have! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - General    2. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photography    5. Techniques - Digital    6. Photographic equipment & techniques    7. Photography / Techniques / Digital   

Reviews (42)

This is the book you need, stop looking...
Im a college student, ive taken multiple classes that were supposed to "teach" us software via textbooks and this is by far the easiest book to follow. I have no formal experience with the software, i just bought it recently because this is the last year i will be able to take advantage of a student discount on software, and i thought it would come in handy... ive burned thru the first 1/2 of the book in 3 nites, prolly 2 hours a nite.. Its not tedious at all, very straight forward and color illustrated step by step... They give you the keyboard shortcuts, as well as the pull down menu commands upfront, and it guides you through the things you will actually use without alot of b.s. i will be ordering the rest of the series on adobe software to learn the rest of the web bundle, probably the best $45 ive spent on textbooks yet.

Well organized and easy to understand
I've tried learning photoshop many times before, but each book I read made me loose interest. This book is fun, and arranged in a way so that lessons are neither too long nor too short.

Get Deke McClelland's instruction books instead
Adobe's instruction book are: very basic, and . . . boring.Get Deke's books--you'll be glad you did. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    5. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Desktop Publishing    10. Desktop Publishing - General    11. Interactive & Multimedia    12. Microcomputer Graphics    13. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    14. Photoshop   

Reviews (10)

You need to see BEAUTIFUL EVIDENCE
This fourth Tufte title continues his themes of pairing image with text, focusing on how information can be transmitted graphically and focusing on 'sparklines': data-intense, word-like graphics. Perhaps it's impossible to adequately describe this concept using plain print: for more, you need to see BEAUTIFUL EVIDENCE, blending cartography, diagrams, science and art in a winning survey of measurement-based images.
Recycled?No problem!
I for one am the opposite of the people who read this and, as fans of Tufte's other works, felt let down.There seem to be a lot of complaints about recycled material.Yes, a lot of stuff in here is found in his other books.Yes, his whole Cognitive Style of PowerPoint pamphlet is reproduced here (I think?).No, I don't think that's a problem and in fact I think this is his best work ever.
Beautiful Figures, Shallow Words
I was disappointed by "Beautiful Evidence". It seems to me to be a medium primarily for the reproduction of many gorgeous drawings, graphs, and tables done by others and the author, and an opportunity to make a rant on PowerPoint. Yes, many bad figures have been created and Dr. Tufte has made valid points and good suggestions, but they are not as densely presented as one would expect from his own words.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    3. Computers    4. Graphic Methods    5. Visual communication   

Reviews (5)

I didn't miss a class!
One hopes that the publisher of an application would make the best author for it,and while that is not always the case, this one did not disappoint.This book assumes no prior knowledge and walks the reader meticulously through all the features of Acrobat Standard and Professional for both Windows and OS X.
Very nice book
It is a comprehensive step by step book. I liked the fact that it also included alternative instructions for the instances when a Mac would have different commands.

Good book, but not at all if you prepare for the exam
The book was overall a good book with all what you need to know about Adobe Acrobat. I am preparing for the exam and the book does not cover 75% of the test. Unfortunately Adobe did not think of this and decided to make it very hard for us. Microsoft on the other hand has many books that cover the topics for their exams. Wish Adobe would learn that one thing from them.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Desktop Publishing    4. Electronic Publishing    5. File conversion (Computer science)    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Microcomputer Text Processing Software    9. Portable document software    10. Word Processing - General    11. Computer Software Packages    12. Computers / Desktop Publishing / General   

Reviews (91)

excellent value
i don't usually rave over books but this one far exceeded my expectations. my whole workflow has been improved not to mention the improvment my images have received after reading this book. I don't come from a photography background and photoshop tends to overwhelm me. But photoshop is unavoidable for me- my work is increasingly tied to my photographs. I had been suffering from repeat editing, redoing edits when i would learn new tricks and generally stumbling thorugh photoshop as an absolute novice. But now i feel confident to really do it right in one session and move on. The chapters and sections are well laid out and to the point (despite the sometimes rambling jokiness). After a once-through I know where to look when i come across an issue.
Great intro to Photoshop for Digital Photos
His writing style may be a little cutesy, but most of that is concentrated in the chapter intros which you can safely skip - there's absolutely nothing about photo editing in the chapter intros. They don't even introduce the chapter.
I love his style
This is a great book, the style is easy to understand his tips.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Techniques - Digital    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (12)

Excellent guide with great strategies
I think this guide is a must-have for anyone seeking to venture into the dungeons *currently* in the game.The information goes well beyond the maps you have in the Atlas addon by providing details for quest lines and boss loot tables.The strategies alone make the book a worthwhile purchase.Those written for high level raids such as Blackwing Lair and Ahn Qiraj were developed by actual players -- and they work!This book is much loved by the people in my guild.
WoW dungeon guide
Again, I bought this in anticipation of my retrun from a deployment.I haven't used this particular guide in game use yet.
world of warcraft dungeon companion
This book was very helpful in understanding the high level instances before going into them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Computers - Games    3. Games    4. Games/Puzzles    5. Video & Electronic - General    6. Video & Electronic - Sony Playstation    7. Computers / Entertainment & Games / General    8. Games / Video & Electronic   

Reviews (28)

Good Starting Point for Channel Work
If you're just learning about channels, and want to learn ways to make your images look better, this book is a good start. Scott Kelby is certainly one of the most prolific pundits in the PS world, and here he assembles techniques from many sources. Explanations are simple, the techniques are tried-and-true, and the writing is not bad (albeit a bit corny). You'll get a lot better at Photoshop by incorporating these techniques into your workflow. It is indeed NOT meant for Elements users, and assumes use of CS2, although most methods can be used in earlier versions with minor modifications.
Poor description
No part of the description of this item states that the book is only for Photoshop CS or CS2 users.Photoshop Elements 3 (which I have)is a software that is used widely and is still for sale in all software sales locations.
Great explanation of channels in Photoshop
I bought this book because I was confused about channels. Mr. Kelby does a good job explaining, and showing by example, how to work with channels in Photoshop. I read the reviews before I bought this book and noticed the criticism about Kelby's "cute" writing style and lack of detail. I bought the book anyway because I wanted the information. This is a good to great book if you want to know about channels. If you already know a lot about channels you'll probably be disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics    6. Computer Graphics - General    7. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    8. Computers    9. Software - Photography    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (4)

Practically Worthless
If it didn't have a short precis of each mission, then it would be completely worthless. I was looking for something more along the lines of one of Andy Herd's FSX reviews found at Flightsim website.And Andy's reviews are free!I paid over $20 for this waste of time and paper.Does the writer, Bart G. Farkas, really think people buying this manual are looking to find out the basics of how a plane stays aloft?We wanted the FSX secrets, the down & dirty stuff that only a collaborator with the programmers could have written.What we got was a 2nd grade book report on the very basics of aviation.Save your money, or review a copy before purchasing. You've been warned.

Fledglin
Although the reviewers of October 14, 2006 rated this FSX Guide very poorly. they have inadvertently strengthened the product by giving a very useful and informative errata to the Guide. We applaud their specificity. We also look forward to an immediate, upgraded corrected FSX Guide from Prim Game Guides.

Poor quality
There are many typographical errors.Even worse, the airspeed info is often inaccurate.For example, on page 107, the Boeing 737-800 is listed with a cruising speed of 477 kt but when you read the next line it states that the maximum speed is 147 kt.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Computer Graphics    3. Games    4. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    5. Games/Puzzles    6. Video & Electronic - General    7. Games / Video & Electronic   

Reviews (22)

New to Logic?You need this book.
My excitement at being the proud owner of Logic Pro 7 was quickly tempered by the sheer complexity of the software.I spent time with the included documentation and even bought another training book.But it was this book that unlocked Logic's power for me.
Tutorial for Beginners Only
I am new to Logic, but extremely well-versed in other DAW applications. I was looking for a book to cover hands-on issues not specified in the Logic manuals; what I found instead was a series of tutorials that mimic the information found in Logic. If the Logic Reference Manuals don't address a given topic - for example, dealing with latency issues or how to properly archive a project - don't expect it to be addressed here. You're paying for the same content covered again with better hands-on instruction, which may be of great benefit to beginners of the Digital Audio Workstation paradigm.
Recommended
Being a long time Logic user, i still like to study this book to see which areas of Logic I'm still a novice in. What I like about this book, is the Structure, with the chapters and the Tasks to fulfill. So it get's me closer to a streamlined workflow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Interactive & Multimedia    6. Stereo & Audio Equipment    7. Computer Software Packages    8. Computers / Interactive Media   

Reviews (10)

Covers every aspect of painter
This book does not focus on just one aspect of painter, such as painting photographs or raw illustration.It goes through each different use of painter in good detail.
Great Asset!
This book is a real asset for anyone, experienced or not. Easy tutorials, and many examples of what is possible in Painter IX.

CHOCK FULL OF INFO
This is an excellent book for PAINTER IX users. There are lots of inspiring paintings from many artists and generally good explanations of the processes used to create them. It does a great job of giving insight into PAINTER's extensive capabilities.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer graphics    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Fractal design painter    7. Fractal design painter (Computer software)    8. Microcomputer Graphics    9. Computer graphics software    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General   

Reviews (64)

Great web design book
This book is an analisys from a designer's point of view of the cssZenGarden.com project, which is a beautiful project on itself.
Css is not only about limits
As the web developer in our company I often hear our graphical designers asking me what IS possible with CSS. Well this book gives you a good idea. It is not really about learning CSS but at least it gives a good idea about all the possibilities. Each time I get stuck in the limits of CSS, I get back to this book.....

MUCH More Design than CSS
If you are a programmer that knows nothing about graphic design, this book is pretty nice.It is about 70% focused on how to do graphic design, and about %30 about CSS.Otherwise, if you want to learn CSS this isnt the best book.
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Subjects:  1. Cascading style sheets    2. Computer - Internet    3. Computer Books: Web Programming    4. Computers    5. Design    6. Desktop Publishing    7. Desktop Publishing - General    8. Internet - Web Site Design    9. Web sites    10. Computers / Internet / Web Site Design    11. Internet   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (69)

good for beginners
It is a very good guide book for beginners really. I knew maybe just a little about Mac. But definitely not enough to help me go though a smooth work process. This book teaches me shortcuts and the necessary surviving skills I needed. I would recommend to other people.

Pretty Good Tutorial
Having switched from a PC a year ago and having suffered through 12 months with no manual, it is a relief to have it. It is written in plain English, very basic intro to Tiger OS X and should absolutely have been provided to customers free with the computer. Apple is too cute in assuming everyone, of course, is intuitive about "getting" its system. If you've spent much time in PC land it is a huge transition. This book is great because it assumes no knowledge and provides basic definitions. I also bought another "Missing Manual" for iPhoto and that was helpful, as well.

A must-have resource for Mac users
When the Help Menu can't, and you're stuck for an answer, Pogue's Missing Manual is always there with an answer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    6. Macintosh (Computer)    7. Operating Systems - General    8. Operating systems (Computers)    9. Programming    10. Computer / Apple/Macintosh    11. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / Macintosh    12. Mac OS X, Tiger, Mac OS, Apple, Finder, System Preferences, Spotlight, Dashboard, iChat, QuickTime, Aqua, Mac OS X, Mac OS, Macintosh, Mac, 10.4, Apple, Finder, Dock, System Preferences, Java, AppleScript, System Administration, Network Administration, BSD, Unix, FreeBSD, Terminal, Perl, Darwin, Apache, MySQL, vi, vim, Emacs, CVS, tcsh, bash, Bourne shell, VPN, SSH, Secure Shell, Directory Services, Open Directory, NetInfo, osascript, OSA, AFP, Rendezvous, SMB, Samba, Developer Tools, Xcode, Interface Builder, Fink, Darwin Ports    13. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (9)

Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book
What is it about the Classroom in a Book series that I devour like ice cream in the middle of August in Texas? It has to do with the richness of the presentation, the simplicity of design and the total coverage of material that you don't get in the box with the CD, or more importantly buy direct online and dont have a manual.
Great
I got exactly what I ordered in a very timely manner.thank you

A quick guide to Illustrator
In a few words what are the capabilities to the package, with a nice companion of labs and examples. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    3. Computer Graphics - Illustrator    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Desktop Publishing    7. Desktop Publishing - General    8. Interactive & Multimedia    9. Microcomputer Graphics    10. Computer graphics software    11. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design   

Reviews (5)

A comprehensive resource - but not for the novice
Truly Matt Pharr and NVIDIA are at the top of their game, and his "GPU Gems" series is certainly the only one of its kind for graphics professionals that are familiar with GPU's and shading languages already, and want to exploit them for the maximum speed and effect achievable using today's technology. It is not a "how-to" book on shading or GPUs or even advanced graphics. There are equations and code interspersed throughout the book, with bits of wisdom that are very instructive for the initiated. However, if you are a home-grown graphics programmer who knows C, or C++, or Java, and even some assembly language, plus you are familiar with image processing and computer graphics techniques, that will probably not be enough to get you through this book. I would say that this is a five star book for high-level professional graphics programmers who work with GPU specifics and shaders daily, and I would say it is a two or three star book for everyone else.
Excellent Second Book in the GPU Gems Series
This book is the second installment of the GPU Gems book series by NVIDIA. Just like the first book, GPU Gems 2 is a collection of articles by various authors from game development companies, academia, and tool developers on advanced techniques for programming graphics processing units (or GPUs for short). It is aimed at intermediate to advanced graphics developers that are familiar with the most common graphics APIs. The reader should also be proficient in C++. As with the first GPU Gems book, GPU Gems 2 is not for beginners. For professional graphics and game developers, however, it is an excellent collection of interesting techniques, tips, and tricks.
Pretty pictures
This book is targeted at people who have a good solid grasp of either OpenGL or D3D as well as a grounding in programming languages such as C/C++ or Java.While this much is obvious, the book is still painfully difficult to get anything useful out of.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer graphics    5. Computers    6. Computers - Other Applications    7. Microcomputer Graphics    8. Programming - General    9. Real-time programming    10. Computer graphics software    11. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    12. Software engineering   

Reviews (1)

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Do you need to edit and organize your photos? If you do, then this book is for you. Author Barbara Brundage, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is intended to make learning Elements easier by avoiding technical jargon as much as possible, and explaining why and when you'll want to use certain features in the program.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Techniques - General    7. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    8. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    9. Computers / Other Applications    10. Photoshop    11. photography, digital photography, graphics, photo editing, image editing, photoshop, photoshop elements, photoshop elements 5, Adobe   

Reviews (13)

A great buy!
I am a self-taught novice graphic/web designer and I bought this book hoping to be able to incorperate some flash into my works. I downloaded the free 30 day trial of Flash 8 Pro and started working on this book. It worked like a charm. I am half way through the book and I already feel that I have a decent amount of knowledge in Flash.
A Wonderful Learning Tool
I was incredibly happy with Mr. Kerman's book, which, through the heavy use of tutorials, allowed me to become comfortable using Flash very quickly.
Very good book
This is my first review of any book.I felt strongly enough about this book to write up a quick review.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Animation    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - Flash    4. Computer graphics    5. Computers    6. Computers - Desktop Publishing    7. Design    8. Internet - Web Site Design    9. Web sites    10. Computers / Computer Animation    11. Image processing    12. Multimedia   

Reviews (12)

A good book to learn on
I've had to learn InDesign for a couple freelance projects, and I felt this book was concise and a wonderful reference guide.The fact it is not just drowning in text on each page (ahem...Peachpit Press) made it easier to skim and find what you need in a short amount of time.
Very useful and user friendly
The Classroom in a Book for Adobe InDesign.cs2 was well organized and easy to use.
New full color edition is a great way to learn
I have been learning Adobe's applications via their Classroom In A Book series. I find there is just nothing better out there.After all it is the official training program from Adobe written by Adobe experts - what else is there to say! The book itself is made of quality paper and is beautifully layed out. They give text and graphics ample space on each page, nothing is cramped and everything is arranged in a logical order. The instructions are precise and given in small enough steps with lots of graphics and pictures along the way