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Adobe InDesign CS Classroom in a Book
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Author: Adobe Creative Team
List Price: $45.00
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0321193776
Publisher: Adobe Press (31 October, 2003)
Edition: Paperback
Sales Rank: 1,198
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 5 out of 5
The Title Says it All: Classroom in a Book
InDesign is Adobe's replacement for PageMaker. I acquired the program as part of Creative Suite Premium. I had no exposure to page layout programs prior to delving into this book. Through the concise lessons, the clear and direct writing style and some very good examples, I've become enthralled with the program.I've used other books in this series and this volume is just as helpful as the other Classroom in a Book installments. You are not hand held the entire way, but you are provided with enough direction that you feel as if there is an instructor right beside you. After completing the first real lesson, I felt confident enough to take on several design jobs and work them on my own. The lesson examples are all practical, yet there is a lightheartedness to the samples that makes the lessons all the more enjoyable. Read the story in the fictitious "Sonata Cycle News" for an example. In addition to page layout, InDesign is a feature rich art program. Adobe provides good instruction on using these features, but you are also reminded that PhotoShop and Illustrator are the preferred professional tools for graphics work. This may be the one weak point in the book, but it is also a strong point: Adobe promotes the other tools found in the Creative Suite. Personally, I have no gripe with this promotion as Adobe does teach you how to use the drawing tools that are native to InDesign and how to use these same tools to improve generic canned clipart images. I was amazed at the complex artwork InDesign is capable of producing. In the latter stages of the book, the user is introduced to creating interactive pages, preparing documents for publication and / or distribution as a PDF. Some may object to this as self-promotion, but PDF documents are becoming a more common means of distribution. This volume is not a primer on PDF production, but rather how to prepare you work for easier transition to PDF. With the exception of the interactive features, many of these same rules apply if the final document is being sent to a print bureau for high quality / volume reproduction. Even if you are producing small quantities, the quality tips are invaluable. I give the book full marks for being readable, imparting more than a casual knowledge of the program to the user and being fairly priced. The lesson progression is logical and the projects are well paced. The book, like the program, is capable of standing on it's own, but if there is a feature that particularly attracts you, you may wish to purchase some additional training material emphasizing that skill.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Just as Good as Instructor Led Course
If you really want to learn, and you are patient and go through each lesson, you will get just as much training as the expensive instructor led courses. I have never used page layout or publishing software and I am feeling more proficient with each lesson. This is my third Classroom in the Book purchase and I rate it as good as any of the beginner training courses on the same titles. Matter of fact, the only course I took was Photoshop 7 for beginners, and the instructor taught from the Photoshop 7 Classroom In A Book.
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