5 comments about Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Classroom in a Book.

1. The Adobe Classroom In a Book books are great, I have taught myself to use a couple Adobe products. Well written, great pace



2. The basic question I first need answered isn't even covered in the book, when I put the CD in the drive it did not automatically start and when I did get it started there was no menu to follow to view the CD..... Very very disappointed!!



3. Individual lessons walk you thru how to use Elements. Tell you various ways to use the features of the product. Step by step instructions are very helpful.



4. A lot of information but needs to be more fully defined. Difficult for a "beginner" to use. Being new to Adobe Photoshop I found the book to not explain steps thoroughly.



5. This book is well organized and easy to follow. You use the files on the CD that comes with the book to do the lessons. All of the lessons demonstrate principles of working with PSE and are not difficult to follow. The book also anticipates and points out what you can do wrong, so is helpful in that regard also. I also have worked with Photoshop Elements, The Missing Manual Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manualwhich is much more comprehensive but takes a lot longer to work through. You may want to own both books eventually, but this one is a good start since you actually get to complete processes right away, such as touching up old photos, that come in handy whether or not you have learned everything that the program can do. If you are struggling with teaching yourself PSE, give this book a try.

No comments about Araki Gold.

2 comments about Contemporary Wedding Photography.

1. One of the better wedding photography books I've purchased. Beautiful scenary in the shots. Book was published in UK. Some good ideas I intend to incorporate in my photography but nothing really new.



2. I've started reading this book, and I mainly bought it because of the beautiful photos. The award winning authors shoot totally high end weddings, with examples of their work appearing on every page. The back cover says this book "Includes all the advice you need...," Well I certainly wouldn't say that, especially if you're a novice wedding photographer. This book is for getting at more artistic wedding productions--using the type of shooting you find in fashion magazines. Though they don't seem provide enough informaiton about how to set up and get shots, they do provide EXIF data on each of the photos in the book which provides you some ideas about the equipment they're using. The last few chapters deal with Photoshop strategies and wedding album creation, but these chapters are very lacking. They're mainly good introductions. Overall, it's a good book to have if you're looking to improve your wedding photography, but it's certainly not the only book you'll need.

1 comments about The Fundamentals of Typography (Fundamentals).

1. One of the hardest things for a beginning designer to understand is that there are reasons for their being so many styles of type, and so many things that you can do to adjust or modify that typeface to produce the appearance and effect that you are trying to produce.
   
   Today with the ease with which typefaces are produced using computers it is especially important that the designer working on a book, a poster, an advertisement fully understand the impact that his decisions are making on the readers.
   
   This rather small and inexpensive book, only 175 pages long does an excellent job of introducing typography to the beginning designer. It is filled with examples that illustrate the point the author is discussing. It is rather easy reading as the author tends to show examples rather than spending a lot of time describing something. Many of the illustrations he uses are from award winning designs. The information is concise, but complete. Here is a complete course in typography for the beginning designer.

5 comments about Modern Vixens: World Of Winkytiki.

1. Excellent book with great pictures, a must for all pin up, kitch and style lovers



2. The price was great, shipping was fast, and the book is great quality. I don't recommend that you get it if you are under 18, as it contains adult content, but if you are 18+, this is a great table book :) I think my boyfriend is going to love it!



3. I bought this book recently because I am a huge fan of Octavio's work. In my opinion he is among the most talented pin up photographers around today - his work is sexy, colourful, and playful, completely lacking in pretension, with a flare for retro and modern themes. I recommend this book to anyone who loves beautiful women and quality photography. This is a real treat - no filler and a bargain for the amount of photographs you're getting.



4. Came upon this book at the photographer's recent signing in LA and bought it for all the amazing work he has inside. His style is unique and makes you look twice, not your typical glamour wannabe. This is a good example of what a pinup book should be -- all pictures, no BS like blank pages or filler text. You get over 350 pages of pure eye candy, some naked, some not, but all the girls look hot. I was impressed by the variety of models and scenes he photographed while still keeping the signature "Winkytiki" feel. The sets and outfits alone are worth a look. You have shoots styled after every decade, color, black and white, classic, funky, rockabilly, retro. So there is something for everyone. Get this while you can!



5. Image an insane Krofft Brother that only took pictures of rockabilly chicks, fetish demonesses, tiki vixens, and even Electra Woman in saucy poses that would melt your eyeballs.
   Octavio is a leering, peering voyeur par excellance. I liked the comic book aspect to all the images as opposed to the sullen, bitter looks that many erotic models engage in. Octavio brings a cool, fun vibe to his erotica and all the usual dames like Julie Strain, Tera Patrick, Tall Goddess and many more are there for all the action.

3 comments about Technique of Film Editing, Second Edition.

1. Bible of Film Editing
   from an editor and editing professor-
   editors must have it- simple as that-- would be wise for other filmmakers to read too



2. I found an old copy in a library and searched this out. I bought the hardcover one on amazon cheaply. It has been revised for so long you may as well buy the old. it's not just about editing and goes through how to sequence shots for action (a chase) etc, goes through some citizen kane shots. Has quite a few pictures of sequences and other stuff. I highly recommend it. It's a massive book.



3. First you have to find it. Incidentally, I am sure it is not extremely difficult to find, for I happen to have found it accidentally in a film book store in Hollywood. Needless to say this book provides any potential film maker with an exciting view of the craft, turning mechanics into art. It is written in a clear style and in an almost profound way it will change the way you understand cinema and editing. Reisz and Millar will teach you how to turn the art of film into film art.

1 comments about Women of Our Time: 75 Portraits of Remarkable Women.

1. Opening this book, I expected to find glossy photos of Eleanor Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe, and other names and faces I recognized. While I found summaries of the lives of Roosevelt and Monroe beside typical portraits, I also found glowing descriptions and realistically unflattering pictures of women whose names I had never heard or whose faces I had never seen. Among the familiar list of names and unfamiliar faces were Margaret Sanger, pioneer of birth control rights; Anne Sexton, a poet who wrote with heart-gripping emotionality; and Pearl S. Buck, whose works I had read in high school with little context. Among the women whose stories had been hidden to me until now were Rosalyn Yalow, a medical physicist who made in-roads into male-dominated fields; Frances Perkins, the first woman to hold a post in the U.S. Cabinet; and Zitkala-Sa Bonnin (also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin), an author and activist for Native American rights.
   
   As broad and deep as the selection of featured women is, my only complaint is also about the selection. While a number of black, white, Asian and Native American writers, artists, activists, politicians and scientists are featured, nearly all of the subjects whose fame was acquired outside of the arts are white. The inclusion of Congresswoman and lawyer Barbara Jordan and Vietnam War Memorial architect Maya Lin is heartening, but surely a broad survey of ground-breaking women in the 20th century could offer a more inclusive pallet.

5 comments about Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago.

1. Our America is a book begging to be shared. It is not a quiet or introspective read. It is an in-your-face, honest tale in the voice of two young teens who are wise beyond their years. Without question, it is the best book that I teach to my freshman level English class in terms of student engagement. It challenges prior knowledge, stereotypes, and opinions and broadens a student's sense of self and the world around him. Compiled from hundreds of hours of audio footage, the book captures two radio documentaries ("Ghetto Life 101" and "Remorse: The 14 Stories of Eric Morse") paired along additional footage. LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman have honest and open voices that allow the reader to enter their world.



2. ...for use in the classroom on diversity, cultural difference, and endurance over challenges in a person's environment.



3. Our America, a book by two young boys from a housing project on the South Side of Chicago, is raw and beautiful all at once. It tells the story of the authors, LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman, as they make their way in the Ida B. Well's housing project and tell the story of a five year-old's death from one of the buildings. The book, which was written by the boys in collaboration with author David Isay, is part journalism, part activism and part reflection. It takes a very factual look at the events of the child's death, there are transcriptions from interviews, and there are their own ramblings and editorializing about what's going on in their part of the country.
   
   The boys become involved simply by bringing their notebooks, pens, tape recorders, cameras (and their instincts) to their own neighborhood. Interview subjects include teachers, young children, cousins, neighbors, the chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority, police officers and lawyers. Their approach is direct and simple - they ask the tough questions of the people in charge. For example, Lloyd asks the CHA chairman, "Would you want your kids growing up in these public houses?" With the help of David Isay, LeAlan and Lloyd become the chroniclers of their particular time and place.
   
   The book's readability level is low - at maximum, it's on a fifth grade level in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure. However, the themes and issues developed in the book are far more advanced. Students of any age level in high school should be able to grasp the content and then think critically about the issues it presents around racism, poverty, gang violence, family structure and public housing. It is a book aimed not only at young people but also the adults in power, the people who make the decisions that affect the poor.
   
   Our America is not something to pick up for light Saturday afternoon reading, or to help you forget about the troubles of the world. Instead it's a book to crack open the minds of two young boys living an all-too-common reality, and face both the issues and the joys that they see every day. Its literary value is lesser than its cultural significance, one of the few books written by young African Americans and one of the few resources for genuine information about what their lives are like.
   
   Our America is published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, 1997.



4. We read this book in school and I felt really bad for the kids. I don't know what I would have done if something like that happened to someone I know.
   
   I related to this book because I live close to this neighborhood, but I feel lucky that my life is so much better.



5. This telling account of life on the south side of Chicago is worth reading to catch a glimpse of the struggles and hardships that marginalize this south side community. The narrative and accounts of life in Chicago's public housing complexes unveil the social conflict that is tucked away from viewing and ignored by outsiders.
   
   To shed light on the situation, two teenagers, assigned by the National Public Radio, conduct interviews with family members, neighbors, and friends throughout the text. During the process of their interviews, they describe the everyday life and hopes of escaping the self destruction of those who must live in the projects especially Ida B. Wells public housing.
   
   The book is a short read of two hundred pages with a reading level of sixth grade. Despite the simplicity of the layout of the accounts, the descriptions of urban city life and death are profound. Since the teenagers' interviews, some of the public housing complexes have been brought down. The south side of Chicago is beginning to prosper as new schools and businesses bring opportunity and hope to a community that seemed abandoned.
   
   Whether you are a student, parent, or professional, reading this book will make you want to take action to rebuild our community.

5 comments about Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max.

1. I have read this book from cover to cover and multiple times for some chapters. There are two reasons I like this book
   
   First, most chapters start with basic theories and offer some tutorials which reader can try themselves. The tutorials are very easy to follow. The structure help learn new concepts as well as how to use Max.
   
   Second, this book almost touches every aspect of CG application in Max, such as radiosity, indoor, outdoor, MR, texture baking for games, shadow etc. By reading the book, it also help navigate and read Max help contents which are usually boring to read.
   
   In short, it is a good book especially for persons who already know something about CG and interested in 3ds Max.



2. 416 page which explain how to use light on 3ds...once finish it you'll be a light creator master!



3. Advanced user aren't going to learn anything revolutionary, but over all this is a good beginner/intermediate level guide to CG lighting. As with many other Focal Press titles, much of this book's contents are covered in Max 9's own tutorials and user reference.



4. This is a good looking book with full color prints. One of the tutorials was highlighted in 3D Magazine as an example of 3 point lighting. I experienced some difficulty with some files when I tried to use the radiosity plugin. Also, one tutorial has missing files. The instructions kind of jumble together in think prose. Not easy to follow. The material, however, touches on light theory, shadows, HDI, and renderers. The HDI tutorial is a good one to introduce you to the concept and yes, HDI maps are included. I think this is a good cocktail table book. Nice discussions and great graphics. Can't take learning specifics about Max lights seriously. But good discussion and some good examples.



5. It is a good book. It really helps to understand different notions about the cg lighting. Well structured and uses everyday language.
   Tutorials are good, sometimes maybe to long, but they help to structure and have an overview of the matter.
   I recommend the book to everyone who want to have an understanding of how to set up lights in 3dsmax with maximum efficiency.

3 comments about Divided Soul.

1. I think among the many good street photographers shooting with color filmonly a few really succeded. David Harvey is one of the best. It is a nice book, although it could be nicer one with a bit more imaginative photo editing and much crisper design. Nevertheless this is is a good example of the an excellent resources for the photography students, particularly those interested in Spanish visual culture.



2. This book is pure magic. Harvey has managed to capture the spirit of people's hearts and souls in a way that leaves you speechless... page after page of stunning images that say so much more than these 'people', this 'place'... to my mind, like the best in art and poetry, this book is conveying eternal truths - of beauty, freedom and passion - told through the 'everyday' moments of 'everyday' people, through the 'ballet' of the street.
   This is a love-affair with Latin culture, over 30 years of work. If you're into photography, art, humanity, in vibrant full colour, Divided Soul has it all... personally, I found it irresistible!!!



3. David Alan Harvey is a member of Magnum Photos and often shoots for the National Geographic. This collection of images is superb. Harvey does not rest on his laurels. This is color street photography at its best -- and not many photographers are good at it. The compositions are exciting and the colors are part of the composition. The images cover many Spanish-speaking countries over many years and show a love for life. The reproduction of the images is excellent -- much better than the reproduction of the images in his book on Cuba. The lighting he captures is just wonderful. This book speaks to the soul.