 Adobe Illustrator CS Creative Studio: Techniques for Digital Artists by Luanne Seymour Cohen, Adobe Press , $40
Once you’ve mastered the basics of Illustrator CS, you’re ready for this extraordinary book which will help you translate basic skills to creative output. With step-by-step instructions you’ll learn how to use Illustrator’s drawing and painting tools to create mosaics, custom borders and patterns. Isometric drawing, perspective and the new 3D and Scribble effects are also covered. The lessons on type go way beyond the familiar text on a path into multiple outline type and paintbrush type. If you love playing with Illustrator, let this book help you to make that play both fun and profitable.
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 How to Use Photoshop CS Visually in Full Color by Daniel Giordan, QUE, $29.99
With more (full color) pictures than text, this is a wonderful teaching tool for learning a complex application. Every step-by-step instruction includes a graphic and screenshot that helps you make sense of Photoshop. If you’re new to Photoshop, this book is the first place to start; if you’re experienced, then use it to get up to speed with CS’s new features. You’ll have so much fun with these exercises, you won’t believe how much you’re actually learning. Whether you’re building a duotone, adding text to a path, or working with camera raw images, this comprehensive and intelligible book will hold your hand until you’re comfortable flying solo.
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 Real World InDesign CS by Olav Martin Kvern and David Blatner, Peachpit Press, $44.99
This comprehensive and heavily illustrated bible is an absolute must-have for anyone working with InDesign CS. Not only does it cover everything about InDesign for print and broadcast, but it also teaches you how to create layouts that communicate information intelligently and forcefully. Whether you’re creating print pages or interactive PDF files, automating output with presets or using the Control palette and other new CS features, you’ll find the explanations illuminating and always interesting to read and work through. Pay careful attention to the step-by-step instructions and you’ll master not only InDesign’s features, but will find yourself working proficiently and pleasurably with this program.
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