Books

Apple Pro Training Series: Encyclopedia of Visual Effects (Apple Pro Training)

Average customer rating:

Provides the building blocks to VFX with Shake.
Fine book
A most complete textbook for VSFX...
great reference material
Good Contribution

Apple Pro Training Series: Encyclopedia of Visual Effects (Apple Pro Training)
Damian Allen , and Brian Connor
Manufacturer: Peachpit Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Apple Pro Training Series: Shake 4 (Apple Pro Training)
Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Color Correction and Effects in Final Cut Pro 5 (Apple Pro Training)
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The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap

ASIN: 0321303342

Book Description

This is the ultimate recipe book for visual effects artists working in Apple Shake, Adobe After Effects, and Apple Motion. An impressive lineup of Hollywood and independent effects pros have pulled together this compendium of the coolest and most useful effects from A to Z ("Adding Clouds" to "Z-Depth Effects"). The book includes everything from practical everyday commercial techniques to breakdowns of well-known shots from blockbuster films. Readers learn to create light sabers from the artists who created them for Star Wars Episode 3; learn to freeze time from the wizard who invented the effect for The Matrix; and learn to create matte paintings from the pros who did them for Lord of the Rings. Coverage includes rotoscoping, painting, warping and distortion effects, dramatic lighting, adding lightening and fire, matchmoves, 3D CG integration techniques, advanced blue- and greenscreen techniques, and much more. DVD-ROM included. Foreword by Ron Brinkmann.

Customer Reviews:

Provides the building blocks to VFX with Shake........2007-06-27

Four stars. A fifth star would have been earned for a better indexing or cross-reference. Otherwise a top notch, very informative book.

I have experience with film making and with Editing on Final Cut Pro. I was new to VFX, but I'm not anymore after reading this book!

Having seen Shake in action, I wanted to learn more. This books focus on Shake and the fact that a trial version ships with the book is the reason I bought it.

This book is a reference book. It explains, in detail, terms used in the VFX industry (clean plate, matchmoving, etc.) that any filmmaker or budding VFX artist will need to know if even just to communicate clearly with VFX professionals. The entries in the book are punctuated with walk-through tutorials that show you how to accomplish (in Shake) the specific effect. This is a good thing.

I had a project on my suite that needed some pretty hefty FX work. This book armed me with the right concepts and understanding so that I could plan the steps I'd need to take to accomplish the FX. In my case it was turning the request to "Make that person a ghost" into build a clean background plate, rotoscope the actor, invent a ghosty look, and then put it all back together. Until I had read the book and understood the individual steps involved, I didn't know where to begin.

Overall, this is a very informative reference book written in a witty and accessible style. It is VERY Shake oriented, which is, again, WHY I bought it. This is the kind of book an FX pro (or newbie) will reference many times as they work on future projects.

Fine book.......2007-06-07

I was already aware of most of the topics covered in this book, but it helped understand them better and be able to explain accurately to anyone asking. Its also well updated to current industry standards. its in no way complete as an Encyclopedia, needs future voulmes to do that.
In short-A text book for every student of visual effects.

Cons: The DVD files can be accessed only in a MAC (not for PC).

A most complete textbook for VSFX..........2007-03-08

My humble congratulations to the authors who have teamed up with Apple to bring us (my Visual Effects Dept. students and I) a most complete textbook. In my opinion, this book rates in the current top five of all serious resources in the teaching & learning of Visual Effects at the College and Graduate levels. In addition to that, for those of us teaching compositing and matte painting, I would rate this book as the current number one textbook on these topics. A must-read, for a serious student of the Art and Craft of Visual Effects.
Deepest respects,
Prof. Tan TASCIOGLU,
Professor of Visual Effects, Savannah College of Art & Design
SCAD-Atlanta campus.
(Review posted: March 2007)

great reference material.......2007-02-24

great book for beginner to intermediate level vfx artists. the book works exactly as the title says, as an encyclopedia or a reference on how to approach specific problems/challenges that a vfx artist usually faces in production.

Good Contribution.......2007-01-29

For those reviewers who are complaining this book does not cover Adobe After Effects or Final Cut Pro should consider one major fact: the title. It's an Apple book dedicated to Apple software. After Effects (strangely enough) is NOT an Apple product. Furthermore, Shake is Apple's premier visual effects software, and promoting it is in their interests. People are glued to either Final Cut Pro or After Effects (I find both endearing and quite wonderful), and Shake is left out in the dust, even though it offers many aspects other software cannot.

In any case, the book doesn't cover EVERYTHING but it does enough. If you want a step-by-step guide to all the possible effects, I suggest you write your own book after years of experience. Or, you can spend $500 for a collection of books which will undoubtably cover many of the same topics.

This book is a good find. Won't disappoint you if your expectations aren't unreasonable.

Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia: The Hands-on Desktop Reference for Digital Photographers (O'Reilly Digital Studio)

Average customer rating:

One of a great series
So You Want to Learn About Photoshop's Filters
Having the best of filters
Great Photoshop Filters Reference
Great filter reference

Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia: The Hands-on Desktop Reference for Digital Photographers (O'Reilly Digital Studio)
Roger Pring
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers : 49 Easy-to-Follow Recipes to Fix Problem Photos and Create Amazing Effects (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))
Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook: 61 Easy-to-Follow Recipes for Digital Photographers, Designers, and Artists
Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers: 113 Easy-to-Follow Recipes to Improve Your Photos and Create Special Effects (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))
Photoshop Fine Art Effects Cookbook: 62 Easy-to-Follow Recipes for Creating the Classic Styles of Great Artists and Photographers (O'Reilly Digital Studio)
The Photoshop Channels Book

ASIN: 0596100213

Book Description

Adobe Photoshop has become the tool of choice for professional photographers, designers, and amateur enthusiasts. But it's a complex application with many features-and scant information on how to use them to best advantage. A case in point: there are 100 built-in filters in Photoshop, designed to enable the user to easily make subtle or dramatic image adjustments, and there is very little online help available with the application, and no printed manual. Users can spend hours trying to use filters effectively-an inefficient and often frustrating way to work.

In Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia, author and educator Roger Pring explains and decodes the settings of every filter that Photoshop CS2 has to offer, from Artistic filters such as Colored Pencil, Cutout, and Watercolor to Stylize filters like Bevel, Emboss, and Extrude. And, unlike many reference books that give you a lot of information you'll never need, it is filled with easy-to-follow, step-by-step, practical recipes for creating truly amazing effects, such as:

Creating selective focus
Simulating motion blur
Adding special lens and filter effects
Working with tone and color
Creating dramatic solarized and posterized images
Working with artificial lighting
Simulating textures
Creating multi-layered images and photomontages
Reproducing graphic arts effects

and much more.

The best part is that you don't have to be a Photoshop expert to create sophisticated, professional-looking results-the recipes take the guesswork out of the process, so you can work quickly and efficiently. Packed with hundreds of full-color photographs, clearly written instructions, and practical tips, this book is the ultimate, no-nonsense Photoshop CS2 Filters reference for creative photographers, designers, and artists.

Customer Reviews:

One of a great series.......2007-06-12

The O'Reilly Studio put their thinking caps on for all ages and levels of expertise at Photoshop. The step by step instructions with options made this, as well as all their other Cookbooks, a delight to learn from and practice with, in an easy-to-understand format. I would love to see them come out with CD's for their books included.

So You Want to Learn About Photoshop's Filters.......2007-01-18

To be frank, I bought this book because to get free shipping, I had to add one more book to my order of "Photoshop Cosmetic Surgery, by Barry Huggins. It was one of many that I could have chosen for this purpose, but I chose it because it appeared that it could illuminate in detail an area of Photoshop that I was interested in exploring in greater depth than I had previously been able to do. In general, I am satisfied with my choice, although there were some areas where I would have liked greater detail and explanation. This book is not for a newbie to Photoshop. It assumes a reasonable degree of familiarity with the program, and simply proceeds, without fanfare, to describe how to use the many filters and their settings. I recommend this book for a reasonably competent Photoshop user who wants to continue to increase his/her mastery over this wonderful and hugely flexible program.

Having the best of filters.......2006-03-29

As all the collection of this books it is good to have this in your personal library to check out how filters work with different kind of pictures, of coarse these books are directed to professional photos, but you can maybe experiment with your personal as well, I just wanted to point that out because in the book the examples given are for applying filters to pictures you maybe wanna show or give to a client.

But as a reference book is just great, I mean someone took the time to write and visually show you all the filters in photoshop and as its name it is a real encyclopedia, where you can look every filter how is going to look like and then decide.

Buy this it will always be useful

Great Photoshop Filters Reference.......2006-02-19

Of all the things that Photoshop can do, the Filters option certainly is one of the coolest options available to users. Taking a digital picture or just a standard graphics file, you can use the power of Photoshop Filters to create unique art for whatever purpose you want. From a colored pencil effect to blurring images to one of the newest filters "Vanishing Point", this book is an absolute gem.

If you use Filters on a daily basis and want to see what can be done to take a normal image and make it stand out from the "blah" that is out there in the world, this book is for you. If you are a heavy Photoshop user but want to go beyond the basics of just resizing images and cropping pictures, you will also heavily enjoy this book. Of the 4 books in this Photoshop line I love each one of them and feel that all readers should rush out and pick them all up for their reference.

The only downside of this book really isn't a fair one at all, and that's that I wish there were more pages and examples dedicated to all of the filters covered here. Obviously this isn't a realistic gripe so it's barely even worth mentioning.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Great filter reference.......2005-12-06

Each filter is described in a page or two and has a very simple introduction and a great "How it works" section with full color examples. Most filter descriptions also include "why you might use this" information which is equally useful. Whether thumbing through for ideas or learning the specifics of a filter, this book educates the reader. It's a no-nonsense, straight-forward reference book.

I have no complaints, it is a great reference guide of the Photoshop CS2 filters.

Photoshop Type Effects Visual Encyclopedia

Average customer rating:

Mastering Your Life
Instructions are sometimes incomplete or vague
Another Beginner's Point of View
No time to read, get this book!
Just my type! :)

Photoshop Type Effects Visual Encyclopedia
Roger Pring
Manufacturer: New Riders Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0735711909

Book Description

The ultimate rich resource for amazing type design with Photoshop. Nothing can ruin a stunning piece of art quicker than finishing it off with poorly executed type effects. The Photoshop Type Effects Encyclopedia is a non-linear tutorial and a visual reference walking users step-by-step through complete details for designing professional level type effects. The book is organized into two general parts: a contextualizing introduction; and the actual encyclopedia, with rich illustrations of what each effect looks like, how to create the effect (including screenshots and other illustrations showing the step-by-step progress of each effect), and how to do your own variations of the effect. Each page is easy to read and follow, yet is packed with information.

Customer Reviews:

Mastering Your Life.......2006-03-19

If you are wanting to make the most out of your life, willing to challenge yourself and change your thinking about life, then, this book is a must read. Ramtha doesn't hold back. He gives his all and lets you know that you can learn to do the same. This book is mind opening, reassuring and a breath of fresh, clean air. Ramthe sets an example for humanity and provides the path. He makes it clear that it is our choice where we put our attention. If humanity focuses and evolves toward Ramtha's example, we have nothing to worry about.

Instructions are sometimes incomplete or vague.......2006-03-13

I have to go against the grain here. Other reviewers seem to like this book, but I don't think it's that great. I am an intermediate level Photoshop user and I feel that for what is essentially a "cook book" that some of the steps are missing or vague. Instructions like "adjust to get the desired effect" mean nothing. If I see an example of the effect I like in the book I want to know EXACTLY how to do it and not be left to guess. It is not what I consider a step-by-step book and some of the instructions tell you to do something and assume you know what to do. If you are a beginner, stay away from this book. If you are an intermediate user you may have some luck, but I'd look at other Photoshop type effets books.

Another Beginner's Point of View.......2004-07-22

I too am new to Photoshop and am finding this book a struggle.
Also, I have no real reason to learn these skills. But I am hooked! I have only owned Type Effects for 72 hours and have already put in at least 30 hours of work on it.

True, this book does not include all the basics, but there are many other resources for those. I feel like I am struggling with a foreign language, with Type Effects on my right and my "basics" manual on my left.

But what I have learned in only 3 days! A boring "learn to" book alone would not have given me the motivation to stay up all night and forget meals while mastering new skills.

You don't need to be a professional graphics designer to appreciate this book. I have never considered myself to be the least bit artistic and am immensely enjoying being able to produce works of art with Adobe. This book is helping me to quickly master Photoshop.

As to another reviewer's complaint that the author does not provide enough details; a lot of the infomation he requires is available with the samples included on the cd. He can even "borrow" from the layers if he wants to cheat a bit! (Boy, was I delighted to discover this)

This book may be a challenge for a beginner, but I am learning quickly from it and expect to be an expert by the time I reach the final chapter.

Effects is a wonderful book. It is attractive, well written and offers something for everyone.

No time to read, get this book!.......2004-06-16

If you don't have time for the "War and Peace" version of some of the other typography books on Photoshop, get this one! The pictures are excellent and the book is organized in a logical layout.

Get in, see what you want, get out...then DO IT! A Perfect way to organize a book for us visual folks.

Just my type! :).......2003-08-30

Roger Pring's book is not only exemplary in its content but also in how the author has designed the presentation of that content. I might have never thought of Photoshop as a source generator for super typography effects had it not been for happening upon Pring's excellent book. Now I think of Photoshop before I try manipulating type in any other application. I'm hooked. But beware! Before picking up Roger Pring's book I was just a normal PowerBook page designer desktop publisher. Now I'm one of Pring's minions. This book about type is just my type.

Desktop Encyclopedia of Telecommunications (Telecommunications)

Average customer rating:

This book helped me to stay current.
Clear non-technical descriptions of telecomunications terms.
All telecommunications developers and engeeners must have it
Strongly recommended; good value.

Desktop Encyclopedia of Telecommunications (Telecommunications)
Nathan J. Muller , and Nathan Muller
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071381481

Book Description

Going beyond the simple definitions provided in telecom dictionaries, the massive and comprehensive Desktop Encyclopedia provides detailed 3-5 page articles, complete with diagrams and tables, that fully explain key telecommunications technologies, protocols, and principles.

Customer Reviews:

This book helped me to stay current........2000-07-31

There are so many Telcomm terms and there are more every year. It's always good to have a easy-to-read technical reference book like this one. It's easy to read even for a Taiwanese! :-)

Btw, I hope there will be revised version of this book every two or three year. Thank you Mr. Muller, the author of the book, for providing the nice book.

Clear non-technical descriptions of telecomunications terms........1999-02-06

Clear, non-technical descriptions of telecommunication terminology and concepts are what the reader can expect from this title. It covers LANS, WANS, voice, data, and standards.

All telecommunications developers and engeeners must have it.......1999-02-05

This book it's has to be in every engeener desktop and also it's a great dictionary for universities stands and for students tools.

Strongly recommended; good value........1998-02-27

This is a remarkably good reference work, especially considering (or because?) it is the work of one person (and no doubt a good editor). The articles are long enough to cover complex topics yet focused enough to provide a handle on the subject. Muller has an excellent sense of proportion. He offers succinct synopses of technical matters without getting bogged down in stuff only an engineer would understand. You can get a quick overview of "distance learning" and "outsourcing," on the one hand, or PCS 1900 and CDMA on the other. And all of it is very well and clearly written. Useful for anyone in the industry, or just for the curious.

Average customer rating:

Great Reference for Formats of Yesterday
Book is old, very out-of-date, missing new formats
Encyclopedic, sure, but a little outdated
Outstanding Reference Book!
Seriously needing a 3rd edition

Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats
James D. Murray , and William vanRyper
Manufacturer: O'Reilly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Compressed Image File Formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, XBM, BMP (ACM Press)

ASIN: 1565920589

Book Description

There are many different file formats used for storing graphics data; such data includes vector graphics, ray tracing, black-and-white photographs, truecolor images, animation data, motion video, and multimedia data. The Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats covers them all, nearly 100: from major, standardized formats, like GIF, TIFF, TGA, and BMP to newer or specialized formats, like SGI YAODL, Rayshade, and Facesaver. If you are a graphics programmer who needs to know the details of a format (whether it's big- or little-endian, how many colors can be stored, and precisely what data appears in each bit or pixel) or anyone else who needs to deal with the low-level technical details of graphics files, this book is for you.

The Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats is truly definitive; it's the book that will become a classic for programmers on any platform-- MS-DOS, Windows, OS/2, UNIX, the Macintosh, and others.

In addition to describing the details of the file formats, the Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats contains a detailed discussion of graphics concepts and programming, covering such topics as types of graphics data (vector, bitmap, metafile, scene description, animation, multimedia), truecolor, palettes, and color--its perception, conversion, and quantization. It describes in detail different methods of compressing graphics data (e.g., run-length encoding, LZW, CCITT, JPEG) and ways of converting from one type of file format to another. It also includes information on new graphics initiatives, including JPEG (an emerging image data compression standard of particular interest in multimedia technology) and MPEG (a set of digital and audio compression standards for sound and motion picture data).

Best of all, this book comes with a CD-ROM on which we've included a collection of resources that are hard for individuals to find (in many cases, they have never before been available outside the organizations that developed them). We've assembled original file format specification documents from such vendors as Adobe, Aldus, Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Silicon Graphics, along with test images and code examples for many of the formats. Also on the CD-ROM is a set of free or public domain software and shareware--for MS-DOS, Windows, OS/2, UNIX, and Macintosh platforms--that will let you convert, view, and manipulate graphics files and images.

Customer Reviews:

Great Reference for Formats of Yesterday.......2007-02-18

This is what you expect, a comprehensive reference of graphic file formats. Some of the formats were great standards in their glory days, like FLI files of the DOS days, or other Atari, Amiga, OS/2 oriented standards. Missing are obviously the new formats like PNG and anything after early 90s are just absent. The book despereately calls for a new version, and I pray it be in a PDF format, as paper-based references clutter the household...

The included CD includes Spyglass Mosaic 2.x (pre-Netscape and pre-IE browser), source code, and references in postscript format.

Book is old, very out-of-date, missing new formats.......2005-06-05

This book is so out-of-date and lacks so many of the new and existing file formats that have been modified, that it is not worth buying. Spend your money on current books.

Encyclopedic, sure, but a little outdated.......2001-02-05

My only negative comment: The section on GIFs doesn't discuss animated GIFs. There's just a little note that "the format supports multiple images in a file, but this is rarely used". If only they knew back then...

Outstanding Reference Book!.......2000-09-04

I've kept this book next to my computer desk for quite some time because I consider it an essential reference. There has never been a question about graphic file formats that I haven't been able to answer using this book. I feel the authors have done an outstanding job describing everything from the basics to complex file format features in a language that someone who isn't an artist can understand. As an application developer, I often need to know what's going on behind the scenes and this book makes everything clear.

This book is getting a tad dated, but still extremely valuable and a good buy. I'd love to see the authors update it. I know that I'd be the first in line to get the next edition.

Seriously needing a 3rd edition.......2000-04-23

This book used to be the bible of image formats. Unfortunately, this bible is starting to show its age. Depending on what your interest is in graphics, you might find all the formats you need or be really disappointed. Most major image formats (like those used in web pages) are in there, but some very important ones that have appeared in the past 5 or so years are missing: Avid's OMFI, Softimage .pic, Maya's .iff, Pixar .tx, etc. The lack of an extensions index is an area where the book fails for me as an encyclopedia. While the final index does lists extension names, having a separate index for them would be nicer. So that if you had a file with extension .pic which you cannot read, you could easily figure out what formats it could correspond to. This is a problem with AVI, which is listed as Microsoft RIFF. Funny thing the book mentions that most people know AVIs by their extensions, but unless you look in the index, you will think it was missing. Still, some Microsoft image formats are missing (.ico files, for example). Other contradictions like those are listing the format for Pixar's .rib files, but not for their .tx files. Yes, the book also has descriptions of several popular non-image formats, such as 3D scene & object formats (Wavefront, Inventor, Radiance, etc), which can be either an annoyance or an added bonus depending on what you are looking. Animation formats (Quicktime, etc) are introduced but not covered in detail and given web links to search for more information. Formats not covered in the book are VRML, font formats (TrueType, etc), or Audio formats. If you are looking for source code or a library you can use to plug into your application, you will be very disappointed. The CD-ROM is just a web reprinting of all the info in the book, and the only software provided is Mosaic, a first & now slowest web browser, which in this day and age of Netscape and IE, is a big annoyance and a waste of disk space (you have to install it, since the installer looks for it & pages are named .ht_ instead of .htm or .html!). On a more positive note, the book offers beginners a good introduction to coding image loaders -- warning & providing solutions to problems such as byte ordering, alignment, etc. RLE encoding is given a very thorough description with several of its possible variations. The principles of other types of encoding (LZW, Huffman, CCITT, JPEG & Fractal) are described but not in so much detail. Wavelets are not even mentioned. In summary, most of the information is nothing you cannot get on the web if you spend enough time searching. The book & CD needs to be updated for the new millenium and since it is already pretty heavy, I would vote to split it in two: one for image formats and one for 3D formats.

The MC Press Desktop Encyclopedia of Tips, Techniques, and Programming Practices for iSeries and AS/400

Average customer rating:

Lots of useful misc

The MC Press Desktop Encyclopedia of Tips, Techniques, and Programming Practices for iSeries and AS/400
Ted Holt , and Shannon O'Donnell
Manufacturer: Mc Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Complete CL: The Definitive Control language Programming Guide
The Modern RPG IV Language
Free-Format RPG IV: How to Bring Your RPG Programs Into the 21st Century
SQL Built-In Functions and Stored Procedures: The i5/iSeries Programmer's Guide

ASIN: 1583470263

Book Description

Now it's easier than ever to implement the best possible solutions for hundreds of tasks and challenges on the iSeries and AS/400. This highly readable, comprehensive new reference, compiled by IBM midrange authorities Ted Holt and Shannon O'Donnell, includes more than 900 entries by more than 300 experts from around the world. These entries address practically every area of your job: RPG, CL, operations, security, database, TCP/IP, and more. You'll find answers to questions about day-to-day programming and operations tasks, as well as techniques for accomplishing rare challenges. If you do anything at all on the iSeries or the AS/400, you will find this book and companion CD-ROM to be the most helpful reference you own.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of useful misc.......2007-02-02

When I am searching for a way to do something this is one of the places I look. It is not perfectly organized, but has a thousand and one cute things you never knew or saw once and forgot how to do.

Average customer rating:

A COMPREHENSIVE COMPUTER ENCYCLOPAEDIA
Probably the best PC Encyclopedia ever written
computer desktop encly
This is A 5* book
Good reference manual to have around.

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia
Alan Freedman
Manufacturer: Computer Language Company, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

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ASIN: 0941878228

CD-ROM Description

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia is the reference of choice for both industry experts and lost-in-the-lingo-novices. The Encyclopedia provides more than 10,000 definitions, illustrations, photos, diagrams and charts from micro to mainframe.

Customer Reviews:

A COMPREHENSIVE COMPUTER ENCYCLOPAEDIA.......2003-03-02

Unlike most other computer dictionaries/encyclopaedias in its class, the inclusion of a companion CD-ROM gave this "Computer Desktop Encyclopedia" a comfortable jump-start in the superiority contest.
The book (and its attached CD-ROM) covered, in the most definitive way, all the important terms and acronyms that apply to today's computer and networking technologies. Hardware, software, and allied peripherals were adequately represented.
It is descriptive and well-illustrated, and included all the commonly used file extensions. With over ten-thousand terms and definitions, its scope is rich: in comparison to what exist now.
This computer encyclopedia ranks among the best currently on sale. However, potential buyers may be frustrated (at the moment) by its limited availability.

Probably the best PC Encyclopedia ever written.......2003-01-17

And too bad it's out of print. While this book will not teach you how to use a PC, it will define every computer related (and often electronics) term you can imagine. I was surprised on some of the really obsecure terms this book contained that I didn't expect it to mention. I got this book used and after reading over some of it, I'd say this is a must have on any nerd's desk as the it compares up there with as good as an internet search for explanations of PC related terms.

computer desktop encly.......2002-05-11

This book makes a complicated machine like computer very easy to understand

This is A 5* book.......2002-01-13

The best thing I love about this book is the writing style of Prof. Freedman and how easily and clearly it can crystallize, the otherwise complex computer terminology, components and concepts. The explanations used here are vivid. I have owned a copy since 1997 and I have never been disappointed with anything that I needed to look up, for instance 'kludge' is described here as - "Also spelled 'kluge' and pronounced 'klooj'. A crude, inelegant system, component or program. It may refer to a makeshift, temporary solution to a problem as well as to any product that is poorly designed or that becomes unwieldy over time."

It will be hard to obtain better explanations than they are written in here.

There are several other similar Encyclopedias around which I have never looked at, because I had no need to look for another Encyclopedia.

Good reference manual to have around........2001-12-10

I work people whose computer knowledge varies from very little to a serious computer user. This reference manual is one book that all levels can benefit from. This book is the perfect manual to answer the questions in an easy to understand format without all that technical jargon.

The book is over 1100 pages and is loaded with pictures and figures to give a visual representation of the definition which makes is easier to understand some of the concepts covered. There is computer definitions, vendor breakdowns, and certification analysis and application definitions.

Some of the topics covered are networking, computers, MACs and applications. Some of the technologies included are CISCO, CompTIA, ATM, FDDI, Ethernet and token ring. Also included is a cd-rom which has over 5000 more definitions not included in the book. Overall a great addition to my technical library.

The Photoshop User's Encyclopedia: Every Photoshop Term You're Ever Likely to Need, See or Use

Average customer rating:

Concise and precise guide to Photoshop
mistakes in index

The Photoshop User's Encyclopedia: Every Photoshop Term You're Ever Likely to Need, See or Use
Peter Cope
Manufacturer: Friedman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 1586634607

Book Description

It is the sheer size of Photoshop--that all-encompassing system universally used by designers, illustrators, and photographers-that makes it the leading application. Even professionals know only a small selection of the program's terms--so new users will almost certainly get lost in its complexities. Here's the fix! With more than 3000 examples of lingo and over 650 color photos, this encyclopedia will guide you through the language maze. Don't have a clue about the precise phrase you're trying to find? The book's ingenious easy-to-use structure will help you track it down, anyway. After the word finder, go through terms for computing, interface, file and color management, document structure, image manipulation, imageready, web, photography, printing, and more. Plus: entries outside Photoshop's program that Photoshop users need!

Customer Reviews:

Concise and precise guide to Photoshop.......2002-12-10

Photoshop books abound, with 'how to's' through tutorials but this is different. It actually explains all those terms that even the most erudite writer sometimes assumes that we all know. That is not to say that this is a book for absolute beginners though. The ingenous listing style means that like and similar terms are grouped so a reader can expand their knowledge easily. It is also a book to read (and how many encyclopediae can say that) as it is intriuging to discover new terms, new techniques and more by reading sequentially. One reviewer has pointed out errors in classification but, as someone involved in indexing in the past I'm surprised that a first edition is so accurate. Enjoy this and the companion by the same author, Digital Photographer's Pocket Encyclopedia.

mistakes in index.......2002-11-19

This in itself is a very useful and highly organized book, but it has mistakes in it. It starts with an explanation of how to use the book and an index. All photoshop terms are explained in 10 following encyclopedic chapters. Within a chapter, terms are organized according to subject.
All terms in the index have a code, for example: "Rasterize (int) 2.023" 'Rasterize' should be discussed in chapter 2 (INT, for photoshop's INTerface), word #023. But 'rasterize' is not there, it lists 'hint' instead, which is also indexed as (int) 2.023.
This type of organization is great if there are no mistakes. Unfortunately the publisher's site does not have corrections, I cannot even find the book listed. Otherwise it's a great book and despite the mistakes, I would recommend it if you are in need for encyclopedic descriptions. Look for a bargain though.

Desktop Encyclopedia of the Internet (Artech House Telecommunications Library)

Average customer rating:

Desktop Encyclopedia of the Internet (Artech House Telecommunications Library)
Nathan J. Muller
Manufacturer: Artech House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0890067295

Name This Font - A Practical Encyclopedia of Letterforms: Volume 1: Uppercase, Upright Fonts - Sans Serif, Serif, Condensed

Average customer rating:

Great Books for Identifying Fonts

Name This Font - A Practical Encyclopedia of Letterforms: Volume 1: Uppercase, Upright Fonts - Sans Serif, Serif, Condensed
Thomas V. Skrivan , and Thomas V. Skrivan
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Name This Font - A Practical Encyclopedia of Letterforms is intended for use by all who work with text and letters - graphic designers, computer artists, copywriters, printers, typesetters. Name This Font is an invaluable new tool that eliminates the tiresome and frustrating search for a font name through hundreds of pages of font catalogs. This unique publication is extremely helpful in (a) identifying a font in any medium - book, advertisement, billboard, computer or TV screen, (b) finding a font substitute, and (c) selecting a font to use.

Name This Font is envisioned as a multi-volume publication whose aim is to illustrate the most popular and interesting fonts in current use. The first two volumes start with the uppercase letterforms; these letterforms are the easiest to identify, and, as the ones most often used in headlines, signs and logos, seem to be most important. Future volumes will bring lowercase and italic faces, numerals and symbols.

Volume 1 displays sans serif, serif and condensed classes. Volume 2 deals with the decorative/design/display, script, and blackletter/uncial fonts. Each volume is designed to be used independently of the other.

Individual characters of the alphabet are arranged in separate charts, where just one letterform is shown, progressively, in all its variations. The letterforms in charts are large (72 points), making all details of their design easily noticeable. This original and highly-efficient arrangement allows the user to find the name of a given letterform in a matter of seconds.

Go to Name This Font Volume II or Name This Font: 2 Volume Set

Customer Reviews:

Great Books for Identifying Fonts.......2001-04-10

These books have been very helpful in identifying fonts. Being a Production Artist, I often get a hardcopy of a layout and am expected to recreate it. Mr. Skrivan's books have been a great help in identifying fonts. These books have also been helpful in finding a font to use. If I need a specific type of font, I can look under individual letters and find which one I have in mind. This is most helpful with script, display and blackletter fonts. The only drawback is that the books are only uppercase letters. Hopefully, there will be a book for lowercase letters soon.

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