Books for/about - adobe indesign

Adobe InDesign CS2 Classroom in a Book (Classroom in a Book)

Publisher: Adobe Press
Authors: Adobe Creative Team

ISBN: 0321321855
List Price: $49.99
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 4
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Summary: Very useful and user friendly
The Classroom in a Book for Adobe InDesign.cs2 was well organized and easy to use.

I found the info on printer profiles lacking in more detailed information about the individual profiles and their results under various circumstances. I still do not know whether to let InDesign Determine Colors or PostScript Printer Determines Color.

I liked the glyphs, but do not have access to them when I am using InDesign for my own documents.

I miss having a Keyboard Shortcuts for InDesign cardstock trifold like PageMaker. Keyboard shortcuts are not published in the Classroom in a Book. PageMaker shortcuts are not all relevant to InDesign.

The index could include useful terms.

Judy Baker, Multimedia Designer and Publisher
Engineering Computer Services
Sinclair Community College
Dayton, Ohio

Summary: New full color edition is a great way to learn
I have been learning Adobe's applications via their Classroom In A Book series. I find there is just nothing better out there. After all it is the official training program from Adobe written by Adobe experts - what else is there to say! The book itself is made of quality paper and is beautifully layed out. They give text and graphics ample space on each page, nothing is cramped and everything is arranged in a logical order. The instructions are precise and given in small enough steps with lots of graphics and pictures along the way so you won't get lost. In fact, each chapter is easy and interesting to follow and it helps that the projects are beautifully designed layouts. You'll create magazine pages, newsletter pages, a restaurant menu, a CD insert etc. that you look forward to finish and that will leave you inspired. Some chapters encourage you to also "Explore On Your Own" and each chapter features a review and answers section to test your aquired knowledge. Maybe you have to revisit some of the earlier chapters because you may have forgotten some details once you've been plugging away for a while, but that simply speaks for the volume you will have to absorb since InDesign is afterall a complex application. Having said that, everybody should feel very confident to use and further explore InDesign upon completion of the book. It includes a CD with 15 lessons and Quicktime tutorial movies.

If you have been sceptical to learn by yourself, this book will make it easy!

Summary: Good way to start, but not really a reference
The Classroom in a Book for Adobe InDesign CS2 and Adobe Illustrator CS2 seems to be a pretty good way to start learning these programs, for someone like me who has been using Quark XPress and Macromedia FreeHand for many years.

I did encounter what I think is a problem with the CD in my InDesign book. To begin with, when I put it in my PowerMac G5, as it was being accessed, my CD drive abruptly stopped and started up again several times. This has never happened before. I removed it and tried again with the same result. I was able to copy the lessons, however.

Also, the first lesson of the InDesign CD has a page layout where many actions you are going to do have already been completed, making it difficult to follow the instructions in the book, as things don't appear on screen as they do in the book. This is clumsy and confusing.

Did I get a bad CD, or have others encountered this?

I do think the layout of the book is well done (though the screen shots seem to be from Windows - they don't look like they do on my Mac), and this is a good introduction and tutorial for the program. But it is not a true reference like the Real World books from Peachpit. That's why I just ordered those for InDesign and Illustrator CS2!

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Adobe Indesign Cs Classroom in a Book (Classroom in a Book)

Publisher: Adobe Press
Authors: Adobe Creative Team

ISBN: 0321193776
List Price: $45.00
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: An excellent book if you already know the basics
If you are a new InDesign user and/or do not understand concepts like bleed & slug/kerning & leading, then read Lynda.com's Hands On Training (HOT) first. Otherwise, you may want to consider Adobe's Classroom in a Book. HOT does a better job of covering the basics and the included videos are superb. But Classroom in a Book is also excellent and carries you a bit further than does HOT, particularly if you are producing a book with chapters.

In addition to reading both of these texts, I went through the entire Total Training Video Workshop that ships with the CS2 and found it less useful than the books but still interesting and helpful. I also subscribed to Lynda.com's online video training (after watching all the free movies first) which may be the easiest way to pick up tips or understand something you can't quite qet. Neither of the two books (nor Adobe's own literature) were particularly useful at explaining the Bridge or Version Cue but videos on Lynda.com's website helped me understand how to use them.

Summary: Offers a great general overview
This book is great to get you started on the basic operations of Adobe Indesign. However, there are more than a few typos that make it challenging to get the exact end result that is described in the book. But with enough persistance you'll figure it out and coast through the other lessons. :)

Summary: Adobe Indesign CS Classroom in a Book is Terrific
This book is very comprehensive and well thought out. It is an indispensible tool for someone learning Adobe Indesign. This book, along with the included CD with exercise files helped me pass and assesment test for a job interview with flying colors!

Every graphic designer making the switch from Quark should get this book!

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	InDesign CS2 for Macintosh and Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide (Visual Quickstart Guides) Publisher: Peachpit Press Authors: Sandee Cohen
ISBN: 0321322010 List Price: $24.99 Amazon Price: $16.49 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 4 Reviews: Summary: Not as good as it should be I've used Visual Quickstart books for years, and until this one they've been extremely accurate. This one contains what seem to be screen caps of menus and options from some previous version of InDesign, so you have to look around for the options someplace else if they've moved. That said, it's a good book overall and the "Tips" are a valuable part of understanding how InDesign functionality works. Summary: Great Concept for a Software book, written by a Master InDesign is, of course, a major software package in use by the big design houses, publishers, ad agencies and the like use for desktop publishing and page layout. Surprising for a package that only came out in April of 2000. Almost annual revisions since then have updated the package far beyond what it was. And CS2 (Creative Suite 2) is its newest rendition. Creative Suite 2 is Adobe's new integrated software package, of which InDesign is a major component. It is likely that the big companies will buy the full CS2 package rather than shopping for individual packages. As such, InDesign is likely to become even more popular as more people have it on their system. This book is one of the Visual QuickStart Guides. They follow a unique format of having two columns on each page with a description of what's being done on the outside column and illustrations of what the screen should look like in the inside column. This is the most convenient form of explaining what software does that I've ever seen. You don't have to go looking for the illustration that goes with the text, it's right beside it. The author has been in the computer graphics business for almost twenty years. She is the senior contributing editor for 'InDesign Magazine,' the semi-official journal of the software. She has taught at many private organizations and at events all over the world. This is an excellent beginner/intermediate level book. Summary:

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Real World Adobe InDesign CS2 (Real World)

Publisher: Peachpit Press
Authors: Olav Martin Kvern David Blatner

ISBN: 0321322029
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Best Reference for InDesign CS2
Real World InDesign CS2 is what the users manual should be. For example, It covers Tables which only appear in the online help for InDesign CS2. The users manual only makes reference to See the Help files. Like the previous Real World InDesign texts it is well written, easy to understand, and covers all of the functions of the software. From creating an initial layout to color management to Printing the final project Real World InDesign CS2 is the text to have. I would recommend Real World InDesign CS2 to both Novices and long-time users of InDesign. It is the one book you will refer to time and again for problem solving.

Summary: Finest InDesign desk refererence
The cover states that all features of the application are covered, and I can't claim to have discovered a gap. Each author (Kvern and Blatner) offers a deep perspective, and when they differ with one another, they say so. Thus the user gets two keen insights rather than the monolithic pronouncements so common in software books. This empowers the reader: a goal I try to achieve in my software classes. As I try to give my students enough information and methodology to make their own workflow decisions, this book does likewise. That is why I recommend this volume in my classes.
Be warned, however, that this is not a "how-to", or book of exercises. It is a reference. It is a perfect complement to my classes, but not a workbook for use during them. This gives the book usefulness well beyond the learning curve and into daily and even advanced use.

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Adobe InDesign CS2 One-on-One (One-On-One)

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Deke McClelland

ISBN: 0596100973
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: How to Desktop Publish
Using plain language and a no-assumption approach, Deke McClelland succeeds in teaching a very difficult concept to just about anyone. You do not have to know anything about desktop publishing, typography, layout, color, or special effects let alone anything about ANY Adobe program to read this book. If you want to learn about any of these concepts, you will enjoy the quick, indulging read as well as be shocked at how easy Mr. McClelland makes this entire industry seem yet keeps you checked into reality onto how expansive it can be.

Pros:

- Easy to read
- Covers the entire program
- Assumes nothing
- Teaches very well

Cons:

-Repeats some things a little too much but that might be because this is geared towards everyone.

Overall:

This is an excellent book for any designer wether you are in publishing or not. Check it out.

Summary: A good introduction to a very powerful program
If you know nothing about digital publishing, typesetting or page layout, this book will surely change that. If you already know anything from MS Publisher to Quark Express or Pagemaker, this book will probably convert you to InDesign. The book really is like having a personal instructor, and the step by step exercises give accurate, hands-on training in the many features of this program.

If you are an amateur and have no idea what "leading", "kerning", "bleeds", "slugs" or other typograhical terms mean, you won't be lost in the jargon any longer. McClelland explains these and other terms in the text and graphically, and he does it most effectively.

There are generous numbers of screen shots, and they are done in color. This makes it really feel as if you are in a classroom, able to see exactly what things ought to look like. The illustrations alone set this book well ahead of many others.

I only have two complaints, and one may be my system's fault. The first is that even though I installed the author's set of keyboard shortcuts, they don't all work correctly. Some, like holding Alt to dock a palette, don't work at all. But there are many ways to do each thing, so I don't worry about it too much.

The second complaint is with the accompanying video. The author is evidently in love with keyboard shortcuts. I am sure that when I have the program's features down, I will want to know these shortcuts. But there are so many of them, they confuse the issue for those just starting out. And, he spends way too much of each lesson listing and demonstrating the keyboard shortcuts, both built-in and custom. By the end of the video lesson, your head will be spinning. Since he describes both Mac and PC shortcuts each time, the confusion is increased. (After the fiftieth time you probably know that Alt=Option and Command = Ctrl, already!)

Complaints aside, I recommend this book to InDesign users of beginning or intermediate level. It's a bargain even at list price.

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	Adobe InDesign CS2 Hands-On Training Publisher: Peachpit Press Authors: Brian Wood
ISBN: 0321348729 List Price: $44.99 Amazon Price: $28.34 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Awesome InDesign Training Manual! This book is phenomenal! After purchasing several different manuals covering the various main components of Adobe Creative Suite 2 (Illustrator CS2, InDesign CS2, Photoshop CS2 and GoLive CS2) I found myself wishing that Lynda.com published a Hands-On Training book for every component of CS2. The combination of Brian Wood's clear writing style and the included bonus exercises and demo movies made me feel like I had my own personal InDesign instructor right beside me. Everyone who wants to learn InDesign from the comfort of their own desk should have a copy of this book. I highly recommend it! Summary: Too slow I have bought linda books in the past and they are very good beacuse of the inclusion of quicktime movies and excersises. But I find this book too slow. The fact that you have to be 4 chapters to be able to put text in the document it's a drawback. To spend 3 chapters to tell you how to create a guide, I think it's for retards or 6th grade students. I regret spending the money on the book. I think I 'll try the Classroom in a Book CS2 since I had the previus CS1 that was good. I would not recomended for classroom beacause students will get bored. But it's a good option for non-designer people. Summary: Training for Indesign CS2 I work for an architect firm in which we used the old Pagemaker for doing our marketing and proposals brochures. We upgraded to Indesign CS2. I have never had any formal training in using Pagemaker or any marketing software. I simply edited over previous brochures to launch my new projects. So I really felt overwhelmed when I first opened the software and didn't know where to begin. I went to a large book store and took off the shelf every training book I could find on learning InDesign CS2. There were a couple dozen books out there. I choose this book because I could relate to it. It explains very clearly everything you need to know to get started using it. It has pictures or diagrams on just about every page showing you exactly where to go and how to do what they are explaining. Then you are directed to a practice exercise or video (on the training disk which comes with the book) to reinforce what you have learned. In my opinion if you are "green" to this software this is the best book for the average lay person. I even tried taking an 8 week class on InDesign CS2 which used the Adobe "Classroom In A Book". I ended up dropping the class because I thought I could learn more efficiently on my own using this book. I can't tell you exactly why but I did not like Adobe's Classroom In a Book as well as Brian Wood's Hands-On Training. Summary:

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InDesign for QuarkXPress Users

Publisher: Peachpit Press
Authors: David Blatner Christopher Smith Steve Werner

ISBN: 0321159489
List Price: $34.99
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Time to Make the Switch
I too was terrified to make the switch from Quark to InDesign. I consider myself to be a Quark "power user" and was so comfortable in the program that I found it scary to leave. I recently saw David speak at the Digial Design Conference in Seattle and I felt assured that the time had come to make the switch - or become a technological dinosaur. So after seeing David speak I purchased the book myself to "test the waters." WOW. I was amazed by the things that InDesign allows me to do - such as dealing with transparency issues and no longer needing to save files as EPS to place in a layout program.

Keeping files in their native Photoshop or Illustrator layered format is PHENOMENOL. I saw live examples of the types of files I would use and the book gives detailed information on making the switch. It just makes sense - it's like the people who still use PageMaker?! Either catch up with technology or find yourself in the same job in 10 years. I can never imagine going back to Quark, and this book is my tour guide (and bible) to life in the new digital world.

Oh, and never again will I have to hold down the return key for an hour to update my images. Life is good.

Summary: Straightforward instruction
The collaborative effort of QuarkXPress experts David Blatner, Christopher Smith, and Steve Werner, InDesign For QuarkXPress Users is an impressive reference tool for those who are already basically proficient in QuarkXPress software and want to learn Adobe InDesign for the creation of professional graphics. Straightforward instruction, numerous screenshots and examples, and an easy-to-follow language makes InDesign For QuarkXPress Users an excellent and thoroughly "user friendly" informational and reference resource for a very rapid learning curve.

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Adobe InDesign CS2 Bible (Bible)

Publisher: Visual
Authors: Galen Gruman

ISBN: 0764588125
List Price: $44.99
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Excellent!
The bible all InDesign users should have in their bookshelves. The best reference and recommended book for those who want to learn everything about InDesign in clear and complete explanation. Ask, and this bible would have answers.

Summary: Good book
This book has everything you need to know about InDesign. I'm not a beginner at InDesign so I am pleased that this book doesn't treat the reader like one.

Summary: Moderately Satisfied
This book is very helpful in some cases, but not when I wanted deep information concerning numerous features. I do not regret purchasing the book, but I wish it truly was a Bible.

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