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Before any of you accuse me of only reviewing books by O'Reilly press or of advertising, the choice of books is purely coincidental and when I buy other interesting books (or better still when you buy and send in reviews) I will add them!

Also note I have posted reviews for these books and other purchases on Amazon.com, see there for further details.

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PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 5, THE MISSING MANUAL

AUTHOR: Barbara Brundage

PUBLISHER: Pogue Press/O'Reilly, September 2006

PAGES: 554

COST: $39.99 (Amazon $26.39)

Rating: 4Star out of 5

 

 

Barbara Brundage has now written "The Missing Manual" for Elements 3,4 and 5 as well as a book on digital photography for O'Reilly publishers.

Her style is casual but very informative and her examples are well chosen and illustrated. The books on Elements 3 and 4 are very similar even down to the photographs used but Elements 5 has a lot of new and useful information and examples.

The book is laid out in a very logical manner and the instruction is very good and concise. Virtually every nuance of the program is covered and well explained. I recommend the book to anyone using Elements 5.

Unfortunately the publishers have chosen to use what appears to be a cheaper paper for this edition than the earlier editions and in many instances the color illustrations do not show the true effect of the adjustments being made. This is a pity as the examples are very good. However many of the images used in the book are available on the Missing Manuals website so you can follow along with the book and see for yourself the improvements.

Go to O'Reilly publications, http://www.oreilly.com/ to view the whole selection of books and remember DVPC members they offer a discount if you use the code "DSUG".

Posted January 1 2007

PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 6, THE MISSING MANUAL

I have to add this to the end of the review of Elements 5 ,The Missing Manual, because if you don't check the cover carefully it would be easy to take the Elements 6 volume to be the Elements 5 edition. As was done in the transition from Elements 3 to Elements 4, O'Reilly and the Missing Manual team have opted to take the previous version book and with minimal editing release it as a new volume. Virtually all the pictures are the same and with just minor editing changes, to show a couple of improvements in the organizing area,the books are identical. If you already have the Elements 5 book and have bought Elements 6 software save your money and give the Elements 6 book a miss. If you haven't purchased the book and you are upgrading by all means go ahead and buy the book, it is worthwhile.

Posted December 3 2007

 

 

DREAMWEAVER 8, THE MISSING MANUAL

AUTHOR: David Sawyer McFarland

PUBLISHER: Pogue Press/O'Reilly, December 2005

PAGES: 936

COST: $44.95 (Amazon $29.67)

Rating 41/2 starout of 5

 

 

This is a very good instruction book for anyone starting out with Dreamweaver. The book is laid out in a very logical manner in seven sections which lead you clearly through the art of creating a web site in Dreamweaver. At nearly a thousand pages it covers a lot of ground but whether you are a novice or have some experience this book will definitely help you create a better web site. For those of you without Dreamweaver or those who want a little more detailed background in web design I recommend: Creating Web Sites: The Missing Manual by Matthew McDonald, (see review below.)

Go to O'Reilly publications, http://www.oreilly.com/ to view the whole selection of books and remember DVPC members they offer a discount if you use the code "DSUG".

Posted January 15 2007

Book Cover

CREATING WEB SITES, THE MISSING MANUAL

AUTHOR: Matthew MacDonald

PUBLISHER: Pogue Press/O'Reilly

PAGES: 541

COST: $29.95 (Amazon $19.97)

Rating 41/2 star out of 5

 

A great book for any novice trying to build a web site. The book is divided into clear sections each giving excellent advise and information. I recommend this to anyone starting a web site. If you are fortunate enough to have Dreamweaver software for web creating I also strongly recommend "Dreamweaver 8 - The Missing Manual. (See above). This book deals with the nuts and bolts of starting a web site,choosing a domain name, basic design concepts and making an attractive and readable site which will draw visitors. In my presentation at the October 2007 monthly meeting of DVPC I used some of the words of wisdom in this book to accent the web site design process. For more details go to the site created that night at: www.brownbarryk.com for details.

Remember DVPC members you get a discount from the publishers, see the reviews above for details.

Posted January 18 2007