HOME Title_Block
Book Reviews
Go to DVPC User Group Home Page
Go to Elements SIG Home Page
Go to Elements SIG Tutorials
Go to Elements SIG Gallery Page
Go to Elements SIG Newsletters Page
Go to Computer Tips Page
Go to Useful Links Page
Go to Humor Page
Go to Book Reviews Page
Go to Family page
Go to Ships Page

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.

This is another free PDF download from the Adobe website. As with the PhotoShop Elements 8 editor reviewed below this is a very comprehensive book, clearly illustrated with color images and a very easy reading style.
Once again I have secured a deal at my freindly local print shop to produce all 300+ pages in full color and comb bind for the same low price as the Photoshop Elements 8 book (same number of pages).

 
Posted March 18 2010
Book
This is a free PDF download on the Adobe website (see my review in the September 2009 Newsletter).
As mentioned in the December Newsletter a local print shop has given me a great deal to print and comb bind this for only $28 plus tax, about $2.59, highly recommended. Adobe have also posted a PDF version of using the Organizer which I have just downloaded. It appears to be another winner and at 180 pages will probably be cheaper to print. If anyone is interested I will talk to my local print guy and get a quote.
Posted February 5, 2010

PREMIER ELEMENTS 8 FOR DUMMIES

AUTHOR: Keith Underdahl
PUBLISHER: Wiley, January, 2010
PAGES: 346
COST: $29.99 (Amazon $19.79
RATING: 31/2 Star out of 5

As with the Missing manual edition the images are not very good although an improvement. The organization of the book is better than the missing manual although it suffers from the same "jumping around" rather than setting a course and following it. I give credit though for the easy to understand narrative and ease of finding answers.

Posted February 5, 2010


PREMIER ELEMENTS 8, THE MISSING MANUAL

AUTHOR: Chris Grover
Publisher: Pogue Press/O'Reilly, October, 2009
Pages: 462
Cost: $34.99 (Amazon $23.09)
Rating: 3Star out of 5

The illustrations in this book are all black and white and it is very difficult to see the details of teh monitor screen. This is a big drawback and makes reading very irritating. This is compounded by the seeming disjointed approach to the program, jumping around from one subject to another is distracting. Fortunately the index is well organised and helps to find answers.

Posted February 5, 2010

 

 

 

 

 


PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8, THE MISSING MANUAL

AUTHOR: Barbara Brundage
PUBLISHER:Pogue Press/O'Reilly, September 2009
PAGES: 622
COST: $44.95 (Amazon $29.69)
Rating 41/2 starout of 5

Barbara Brundage deserves a round of applause for her continued efforts in the Photoshop Elements series. THis is the sixth book in the series she has written and as always it is concise, interesting and very informative.

The comments made in the review of the Elements 5 edition hold true for this book, the colors are not very good.

For those of you who own a Kindle reader or who have the free Kindle for PC there is a Kindle version available from Amazon for $26.72.

 

Posted December 28, 2009

 
Book_Cover


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

 

Posted November 10, 2007

 

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 web site 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".

 

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

 

 

Posted January 1 2007

 

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".

 
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

 

Posted January 18 2007

 

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.