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 Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary.
Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND
Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit through your letter box :(
In All buy this book, you will find it useful, either that look on Google and find the answers for free :P
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Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary.
Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND
Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit through your letter box :(
In All buy this book, you will find it useful, either that look on Google and find the answers for free :P
DSLR made easy, 25 Oct 2008
This is a book for those who do not have an idea what is aperture (Av), shutter speed (Tv) or ISO. So if you have a compact point-and-shoot camera you know what these are. But it is a book that I bought before I even bought the DSLR camera. THe photos though in colour may not be the best but it is written to be read in a weekend.
D. Busch knows his stuff. At less than 10 quids it will sparkle your imagination and get your camera to go out an experiment.
Recommended.
Book, Camera, Action!, 14 Oct 2008
The big attraction of this series of "for Dummies" books is that we who buy these products have little respect for our own knowledge and plenty of respect for those who do and are able to write books like this.
I am currently converting from film photography to digital photography and some aspects are quite daunting. I have, therefore, purchased several books and tutorial DVDs on the subject and am working my way through them all. The title of this product suggests it is the right place to start and, on reflection, is exactly where I should have started. For those of you, who like me, are converting to digital for the first time, grab your camera and a copy of this book and work your way through from cover to cover until you are conversant with the new technology. It really will give you a good grounding.
That, however, will only work very well if you are already conversant with photography. If you are new to photography altogether and a digital SLR camera is your very first camera, you may have to learn a few basic lessons of, for example, the correlation between film speeds, shutter speeds and aperture settings - which really do need to be understood, before you study this book.
David Busch clearly knows what he is talking about and is able to put that knowledge into an easy-to-follow format for us Dummies to read and, as I say, I wish I had read this book before getting into some of the more technical tomes I also purchased.
NM
A worse dummy than I thought!, 17 Feb 2008
I think I must need a 'Total Idiot's Guide' as this was not what I thought it would be.
Being a complete beginner with dSLR, I thought this book would be a step-by-step guide on 'How To....' I was a bit wide of the mark - although the book says a lot about why you should do this over that, etc it left me lost on how to actually do it. So I'm using my camera on Auto until my Nikon book arrives. Let's hope I'll have more success with that one.
excellent book, 08 Feb 2008
Bought the book on the strength of the previous two reviews as I've not really been keen on the "dummies" books previously.
This one, though, is excellent. If you've spent a chunk of money on a new digital camera (like my EOS 40d!) you really should spend another £10 and read this, and actually start to understand how it all works! (If you're already expert then you won't be needing this, but understanding even how the digital sensor works is really interesting)
It's printed on good quality glossy paper (unlike some of the dummies books) and includes some really nice images.
Well worth it
The best book I've read for DSLR beginners, 09 Jan 2008
A real creative education from a proper photographer. Easy to read, and packed full of tips and tricks. Get this one.
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Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary.
Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND
Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit through your letter box :(
In All buy this book, you will find it useful, either that look on Google and find the answers for free :P
DSLR made easy, 25 Oct 2008
This is a book for those who do not have an idea what is aperture (Av), shutter speed (Tv) or ISO. So if you have a compact point-and-shoot camera you know what these are. But it is a book that I bought before I even bought the DSLR camera. THe photos though in colour may not be the best but it is written to be read in a weekend.
D. Busch knows his stuff. At less than 10 quids it will sparkle your imagination and get your camera to go out an experiment.
Recommended.
Book, Camera, Action!, 14 Oct 2008
The big attraction of this series of "for Dummies" books is that we who buy these products have little respect for our own knowledge and plenty of respect for those who do and are able to write books like this.
I am currently converting from film photography to digital photography and some aspects are quite daunting. I have, therefore, purchased several books and tutorial DVDs on the subject and am working my way through them all. The title of this product suggests it is the right place to start and, on reflection, is exactly where I should have started. For those of you, who like me, are converting to digital for the first time, grab your camera and a copy of this book and work your way through from cover to cover until you are conversant with the new technology. It really will give you a good grounding.
That, however, will only work very well if you are already conversant with photography. If you are new to photography altogether and a digital SLR camera is your very first camera, you may have to learn a few basic lessons of, for example, the correlation between film speeds, shutter speeds and aperture settings - which really do need to be understood, before you study this book.
David Busch clearly knows what he is talking about and is able to put that knowledge into an easy-to-follow format for us Dummies to read and, as I say, I wish I had read this book before getting into some of the more technical tomes I also purchased.
NM
A worse dummy than I thought!, 17 Feb 2008
I think I must need a 'Total Idiot's Guide' as this was not what I thought it would be.
Being a complete beginner with dSLR, I thought this book would be a step-by-step guide on 'How To....' I was a bit wide of the mark - although the book says a lot about why you should do this over that, etc it left me lost on how to actually do it. So I'm using my camera on Auto until my Nikon book arrives. Let's hope I'll have more success with that one.
excellent book, 08 Feb 2008
Bought the book on the strength of the previous two reviews as I've not really been keen on the "dummies" books previously.
This one, though, is excellent. If you've spent a chunk of money on a new digital camera (like my EOS 40d!) you really should spend another £10 and read this, and actually start to understand how it all works! (If you're already expert then you won't be needing this, but understanding even how the digital sensor works is really interesting)
It's printed on good quality glossy paper (unlike some of the dummies books) and includes some really nice images.
Well worth it
The best book I've read for DSLR beginners, 09 Jan 2008
A real creative education from a proper photographer. Easy to read, and packed full of tips and tricks. Get this one.
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
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Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary.
Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND
Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit through your letter box :(
In All buy this book, you will find it useful, either that look on Google and find the answers for free :P
DSLR made easy, 25 Oct 2008
This is a book for those who do not have an idea what is aperture (Av), shutter speed (Tv) or ISO. So if you have a compact point-and-shoot camera you know what these are. But it is a book that I bought before I even bought the DSLR camera. THe photos though in colour may not be the best but it is written to be read in a weekend.
D. Busch knows his stuff. At less than 10 quids it will sparkle your imagination and get your camera to go out an experiment.
Recommended.
Book, Camera, Action!, 14 Oct 2008
The big attraction of this series of "for Dummies" books is that we who buy these products have little respect for our own knowledge and plenty of respect for those who do and are able to write books like this.
I am currently converting from film photography to digital photography and some aspects are quite daunting. I have, therefore, purchased several books and tutorial DVDs on the subject and am working my way through them all. The title of this product suggests it is the right place to start and, on reflection, is exactly where I should have started. For those of you, who like me, are converting to digital for the first time, grab your camera and a copy of this book and work your way through from cover to cover until you are conversant with the new technology. It really will give you a good grounding.
That, however, will only work very well if you are already conversant with photography. If you are new to photography altogether and a digital SLR camera is your very first camera, you may have to learn a few basic lessons of, for example, the correlation between film speeds, shutter speeds and aperture settings - which really do need to be understood, before you study this book.
David Busch clearly knows what he is talking about and is able to put that knowledge into an easy-to-follow format for us Dummies to read and, as I say, I wish I had read this book before getting into some of the more technical tomes I also purchased.
NM
A worse dummy than I thought!, 17 Feb 2008
I think I must need a 'Total Idiot's Guide' as this was not what I thought it would be.
Being a complete beginner with dSLR, I thought this book would be a step-by-step guide on 'How To....' I was a bit wide of the mark - although the book says a lot about why you should do this over that, etc it left me lost on how to actually do it. So I'm using my camera on Auto until my Nikon book arrives. Let's hope I'll have more success with that one.
excellent book, 08 Feb 2008
Bought the book on the strength of the previous two reviews as I've not really been keen on the "dummies" books previously.
This one, though, is excellent. If you've spent a chunk of money on a new digital camera (like my EOS 40d!) you really should spend another £10 and read this, and actually start to understand how it all works! (If you're already expert then you won't be needing this, but understanding even how the digital sensor works is really interesting)
It's printed on good quality glossy paper (unlike some of the dummies books) and includes some really nice images.
Well worth it
The best book I've read for DSLR beginners, 09 Jan 2008
A real creative education from a proper photographer. Easy to read, and packed full of tips and tricks. Get this one.
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have!
Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford.
Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)
Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!
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Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary.
Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND
Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit through your letter box :(
In All buy this book, you will find it useful, either that look on Google and find the answers for free :P
DSLR made easy, 25 Oct 2008
This is a book for those who do not have an idea what is aperture (Av), shutter speed (Tv) or ISO. So if you have a compact point-and-shoot camera you know what these are. But it is a book that I bought before I even bought the DSLR camera. THe photos though in colour may not be the best but it is written to be read in a weekend.
D. Busch knows his stuff. At less than 10 quids it will sparkle your imagination and get your camera to go out an experiment.
Recommended.
Book, Camera, Action!, 14 Oct 2008
The big attraction of this series of "for Dummies" books is that we who buy these products have little respect for our own knowledge and plenty of respect for those who do and are able to write books like this.
I am currently converting from film photography to digital photography and some aspects are quite daunting. I have, therefore, purchased several books and tutorial DVDs on the subject and am working my way through them all. The title of this product suggests it is the right place to start and, on reflection, is exactly where I should have started. For those of you, who like me, are converting to digital for the first time, grab your camera and a copy of this book and work your way through from cover to cover until you are conversant with the new technology. It really will give you a good grounding.
That, however, will only work very well if you are already conversant with photography. If you are new to photography altogether and a digital SLR camera is your very first camera, you may have to learn a few basic lessons of, for example, the correlation between film speeds, shutter speeds and aperture settings - which really do need to be understood, before you study this book.
David Busch clearly knows what he is talking about and is able to put that knowledge into an easy-to-follow format for us Dummies to read and, as I say, I wish I had read this book before getting into some of the more technical tomes I also purchased.
NM
A worse dummy than I thought!, 17 Feb 2008
I think I must need a 'Total Idiot's Guide' as this was not what I thought it would be.
Being a complete beginner with dSLR, I thought this book would be a step-by-step guide on 'How To....' I was a bit wide of the mark - although the book says a lot about why you should do this over that, etc it left me lost on how to actually do it. So I'm using my camera on Auto until my Nikon book arrives. Let's hope I'll have more success with that one.
excellent book, 08 Feb 2008
Bought the book on the strength of the previous two reviews as I've not really been keen on the "dummies" books previously.
This one, though, is excellent. If you've spent a chunk of money on a new digital camera (like my EOS 40d!) you really should spend another £10 and read this, and actually start to understand how it all works! (If you're already expert then you won't be needing this, but understanding even how the digital sensor works is really interesting)
It's printed on good quality glossy paper (unlike some of the dummies books) and includes some really nice images.
Well worth it
The best book I've read for DSLR beginners, 09 Jan 2008
A real creative education from a proper photographer. Easy to read, and packed full of tips and tricks. Get this one.
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have!
Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford.
Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)
Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!
This is a book written for people who don't need to read a book about iPhone development, 26 Nov 2008
I was utterly disappointed with this book as I've been a long-time reader of Erica's posts on TUAW.com and have enjoyed her efforts on MacBreakWeekly and her less official iPhone development.
Unfortunately the problem with this book is that she is too experienced to talk to anyone but other experienced developers. With her 'Hello World' app, traditionally the first app you will learn to write in any language, you are told to throw away parts of the folder structure that Apple sets up in XCode, along with some of the pre-written code and use the code she writes with absolutely no real explanation of why. The net effect is to leave you utterly lost, not really knowing what you can and cannot do with the tools you are given.
The second problem is that it seems that Erica seems to have written the book in a huge hurry. No time is taken to explain anything. Maybe I'm not the target audience for the book but I was absolutely none the wiser about the basic tools in the SDK after reading the first thirty or so pages and I am an object-oriented ActionScript developer with some experience with the MVC design pattern so should have some affinity with the OOP code used in Objective-C (even if the syntax is a bit more alien).
I have since bought Beginning iPhone Development - Exploring the iPhone SDK by Dave Mark and Jeff LaMarche and have found it's pace much more manageable and feel much more able to take on the examples after reading through the theory.
Colour me unimpressed!, 10 Nov 2008
I've learned a large number of languages, toolkits and SDKs over the years and been part of the review process of a fairly well known book as well, so believe me when I say this is not a great quality book!
If you read the back cover and even the prerequisites, you might think this book is for you. The prerequisites page only mentions the following with regards to knowledge required: "Familiarity with Objective-C". No mention is made of familiarity with writing software for OS X, but by page 23 we're seeing statements like "These essential frameworks enable you to build your iPhone applications using the same fundamental classes and calls you are familiar with from the Macintosh". This is followed on 24 by a comment about Info.plist - "It works the same way Info.plist files work on the Mac." Even as early as page 7 we're seeing things like "As with the Macintosh..." This book does not stand well on its own and that will make it less accessible to some people.
Then we get to the missing stuff - in the very first project, we're instructed to "Drag the three image files from the Chapter One Project folder provided with this book..." Provided where? There's no CD in the back, and I've not found anything in Chapter 1 so far that tells me where this resource is supposed to be included.
The first code listing spans almost two full pages as a single block of text. While the code is commented, there is no in-line breakdown of what each section is and you'll find yourself flipping back to previous pages to tie what you read there back to the code being displayed. Once this two page block of code is over, you don't see it again during this chapter - there is no further discussion of the code so you have to take it on faith for now and learn about it later. That's fine for a 10 line "hello world" app, but not really acceptable for an introduction to a language / framework like Cocoa.
All in all, first impressions are not good. This is not a book to rival the kind of book we've become used to with the Aaron Hillegass definitive reference for starting OS X programming. It will serve more experienced Apple developers well, but will be frustrating for new users.
Good book, but lacking in places, 10 Nov 2008
I found this book useful, but it definitely lacks in places. I am using it as a resource for finding out little tricks or tips on how another programmer lays out their work. It's a useful resource, however it won't teach you the SDK from a beginner to an expert - grab Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X for that!
Useful samples, not for beginners however, 05 Nov 2008
I thought this book was well written but be aware it does throw you into the deep end pretty much immediately. I would recommend this book mainly to developers who are already familiar with the basics of building iPhone applications as there really isn't much of a beginners introduction here.
The book we've all been waiting for!, 29 Oct 2008
This is a brilliant book, and contains a whole host of fantastic examples that shed a lot of like on developing using the iPhone SDK. Clearly written, great examples, and covering all topics needed to create a great application. This book will take some beating.
Of course, there is much more possible with the SDK than is covered in the book but this book will give you all the knowledge you need to push forward on your own.
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Product Description
Suitable for anyone with a little C++ programming experience who wants to create software for the newest Mac platform, Cocoa Programming for Max OS X provides a slickly packaged and approachable tutorial that will get you started creating state-of-the-art Mac programs. The smart presentation style and easy-to-understand code examples help make this text an excellent resource. It also helps that Hillegass is a truly engaging writer. He first explains how legacy NeXTSTEP platform has evolved into Cocoa on the Mac OS X. Starting with short examples illustrating the actual Cocoa tools in action, the author gets you started with simple programs for a random number generator, a raise calculator and other comprehensible examples. Rather than just listing APIs and classes, the emphasis is on hands-on Cocoa development. An early standout section provides a nice tour of essential Objective-C features you'll need to learn to use Cocoa effectively. This book covers the several dozen built-in Cocoa controls, from basic text and buttons to more advanced widgets (including lists and tables). Subsequent sections look at user interface design (using the Interface Builder to create nib files) and how to add programmatic processing behind the visual layout. Along the way, the author introduces coverage of essential Cocoa APIs for strings, arrays and dictionaries. Later chapters look at saving and loading documents (and user defaults) and how to tap the powerful graphics abilities available in Cocoa. (Besides image and basic drawing, there are short sections on PDF support and printing.) More advanced user interface features get their due by the end of the book, including cutting and pasting data through the Cocoa pasteboard and also adding drag-and-drop support. Final sections look at creating new controls for use with the Interface Builder palette, and, briefly, how to use Java with Cocoa (an option that the author doesn't necessarily recommend). Throughout this text, the author provides more advanced, challenging problems at the end of each chapter for the "more curious" reader. This approach helps that beginners will not get lost in the details of Cocoa development, but will give the more advanced reader something more to do. While there a comparably fewer books on Mac OS X compared to other platforms, readers are lucky to have this one available. Anyone who wants to get onboard with Cocoa development will be well served by this title. It's a fine tutorial that earns high marks for its approachable, clear examples and an excellent presentation by an author who knows his stuff and, better still, knows how to teach it to others. --Richard Dragan
Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary. Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit through your letter box :(
In All buy this book, you will find it useful, either that look on Google and find the answers for free :P DSLR made easy, 25 Oct 2008
This is a book for those who do not have an idea what is aperture (Av), shutter speed (Tv) or ISO. So if you have a compact point-and-shoot camera you know what these are. But it is a book that I bought before I even bought the DSLR camera. THe photos though in colour may not be the best but it is written to be read in a weekend.
D. Busch knows his stuff. At less than 10 quids it will sparkle your imagination and get your camera to go out an experiment.
Recommended. Book, Camera, Action!, 14 Oct 2008
The big attraction of this series of "for Dummies" books is that we who buy these products have little respect for our own knowledge and plenty of respect for those who do and are able to write books like this.
I am currently converting from film photography to digital photography and some aspects are quite daunting. I have, therefore, purchased several books and tutorial DVDs on the subject and am working my way through them all. The title of this product suggests it is the right place to start and, on reflection, is exactly where I should have started. For those of you, who like me, are converting to digital for the first time, grab your camera and a copy of this book and work your way through from cover to cover until you are conversant with the new technology. It really will give you a good grounding.
That, however, will only work very well if you are already conversant with photography. If you are new to photography altogether and a digital SLR camera is your very first camera, you may have to learn a few basic lessons of, for example, the correlation between film speeds, shutter speeds and aperture settings - which really do need to be understood, before you study this book.
David Busch clearly knows what he is talking about and is able to put that knowledge into an easy-to-follow format for us Dummies to read and, as I say, I wish I had read this book before getting into some of the more technical tomes I also purchased.
NM
A worse dummy than I thought!, 17 Feb 2008
I think I must need a 'Total Idiot's Guide' as this was not what I thought it would be.
Being a complete beginner with dSLR, I thought this book would be a step-by-step guide on 'How To....' I was a bit wide of the mark - although the book says a lot about why you should do this over that, etc it left me lost on how to actually do it. So I'm using my camera on Auto until my Nikon book arrives. Let's hope I'll have more success with that one. excellent book, 08 Feb 2008
Bought the book on the strength of the previous two reviews as I've not really been keen on the "dummies" books previously.
This one, though, is excellent. If you've spent a chunk of money on a new digital camera (like my EOS 40d!) you really should spend another £10 and read this, and actually start to understand how it all works! (If you're already expert then you won't be needing this, but understanding even how the digital sensor works is really interesting)
It's printed on good quality glossy paper (unlike some of the dummies books) and includes some really nice images.
Well worth it The best book I've read for DSLR beginners, 09 Jan 2008
A real creative education from a proper photographer. Easy to read, and packed full of tips and tricks. Get this one. Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended! A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference. I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again. Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have! Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford. Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog) Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now! This is a book written for people who don't need to read a book about iPhone development, 26 Nov 2008
I was utterly disappointed with this book as I've been a long-time reader of Erica's posts on TUAW.com and have enjoyed her efforts on MacBreakWeekly and her less official iPhone development.
Unfortunately the problem with this book is that she is too experienced to talk to anyone but other experienced developers. With her 'Hello World' app, traditionally the first app you will learn to write in any language, you are told to throw away parts of the folder structure that Apple sets up in XCode, along with some of the pre-written code and use the code she writes with absolutely no real explanation of why. The net effect is to leave you utterly lost, not really knowing what you can and cannot do with the tools you are given.
The second problem is that it seems that Erica seems to have written the book in a huge hurry. No time is taken to explain anything. Maybe I'm not the target audience for the book but I was absolutely none the wiser about the basic tools in the SDK after reading the first thirty or so pages and I am an object-oriented ActionScript developer with some experience with the MVC design pattern so should have some affinity with the OOP code used in Objective-C (even if the syntax is a bit more alien).
I have since bought Beginning iPhone Development - Exploring the iPhone SDK by Dave Mark and Jeff LaMarche and have found it's pace much more manageable and feel much more able to take on the examples after reading through the theory. Colour me unimpressed!, 10 Nov 2008
I've learned a large number of languages, toolkits and SDKs over the years and been part of the review process of a fairly well known book as well, so believe me when I say this is not a great quality book!
If you read the back cover and even the prerequisites, you might think this book is for you. The prerequisites page only mentions the following with regards to knowledge required: "Familiarity with Objective-C". No mention is made of familiarity with writing software for OS X, but by page 23 we're seeing statements like "These essential frameworks enable you to build your iPhone applications using the same fundamental classes and calls you are familiar with from the Macintosh". This is followed on 24 by a comment about Info.plist - "It works the same way Info.plist files work on the Mac." Even as early as page 7 we're seeing things like "As with the Macintosh..." This book does not stand well on its own and that will make it less accessible to some people.
Then we get to the missing stuff - in the very first project, we're instructed to "Drag the three image files from the Chapter One Project folder provided with this book..." Provided where? There's no CD in the back, and I've not found anything in Chapter 1 so far that tells me where this resource is supposed to be included.
The first code listing spans almost two full pages as a single block of text. While the code is commented, there is no in-line breakdown of what each section is and you'll find yourself flipping back to previous pages to tie what you read there back to the code being displayed. Once this two page block of code is over, you don't see it again during this chapter - there is no further discussion of the code so you have to take it on faith for now and learn about it later. That's fine for a 10 line "hello world" app, but not really acceptable for an introduction to a language / framework like Cocoa.
All in all, first impressions are not good. This is not a book to rival the kind of book we've become used to with the Aaron Hillegass definitive reference for starting OS X programming. It will serve more experienced Apple developers well, but will be frustrating for new users. Good book, but lacking in places, 10 Nov 2008
I found this book useful, but it definitely lacks in places. I am using it as a resource for finding out little tricks or tips on how another programmer lays out their work. It's a useful resource, however it won't teach you the SDK from a beginner to an expert - grab Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X for that! Useful samples, not for beginners however, 05 Nov 2008
I thought this book was well written but be aware it does throw you into the deep end pretty much immediately. I would recommend this book mainly to developers who are already familiar with the basics of building iPhone applications as there really isn't much of a beginners introduction here.
The book we've all been waiting for!, 29 Oct 2008
This is a brilliant book, and contains a whole host of fantastic examples that shed a lot of like on developing using the iPhone SDK. Clearly written, great examples, and covering all topics needed to create a great application. This book will take some beating.
Of course, there is much more possible with the SDK than is covered in the book but this book will give you all the knowledge you need to push forward on your own. Best book to start with!, 27 Aug 2008
Awesome book, very approachable. For anyone coming to Mac programming for the first time, this is the book to start with. Not as scary as I thought., 09 Jul 2008
I've had a project on the back burner for some time that required me to get to grips with Cocoa: no ifs, no buts. My timing wasn't ideal as XCode had gone from version 2 to version 3 without the documentation being updated, so I've been gingerly playing with Cocoa for about 5 months, but not really getting very far owing to the hurdles presented by the many interface changes.
Starting this book was nothing less than a revelation. I'm up to p77 of 418 pages and am surprised how quickly I'm getting to grips with tricky objective-c syntax (although it's really not too bad once you stop being scared of square brackets) and working with Interface Builder. The trickiest subject is memory management, and I must say I was rocking backwards and forwards gibbering 'this is hard, I'm not stupid' and clutching tightly to my degree certificate as Aaron recommends, but even this rather murky subject is beginning to sink in.
His writing style is very fluent and his many years of experience teaching people this technology is evident from the content. I'd shy away from saying this is a book for beginners, but if you've got a smattering of programming experience (PHP and a spot of Ruby is my background) and want to write good programs for the Rolls Royces of home computing, then this book has got to be at the top of your shopping list (assuming you've already bought a Mac that is! ). Beware Xcode3 is here!, 08 Jul 2008
I've just bought the 2nd edition of this book (yellow cover) to save money. It seems to be a good book - clear and well laid out... BUT THERES A PROBLEM...
To use this book, you download Xcode3 tool from Apple.com (easy and free)
The 2nd Edition of the this book (Yellow cover) relates to Xcode2 and is badly out of date.. its not possible to follow the picture instructions since one of the key applications (interface builder) has completely changed.
So I would strongly advise to buy the 3rd Edition (grey/green cover)... even though its a packet more expensive... I guess this is the cost of evolution!
Unless of course you would like to buy my 2nd edition.. which I now can't use?? :D
The perfect starting point for learning Cocoa/Obj-C, 14 Jun 2008
As someone who made the switch to Macs/OS X just over 18-months ago, my interest in how the OS worked led me to buying this book. It's probably the best computer book I've bought full-stop.
This is THE BOOK you need to buy for a first-class authoritative introduction to Cocoa, the programming environment for OS X. A programming book that doesn't put you to sleep, 27 Nov 2003
I've just finished reading "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X" and have to say its amongst the best programming books I've ever read. It's aimed at people with C or Java experience who are new to objective C and Cocoa. The author demonstrates his skills as a teacher by delivering information in a progressive and easily digested manner. He begins by introducing the language and tools with a basic random number generator application and then builds on this with a number of tutorial applications. Topics covered include localisation, custom views, mouse and key events, fonts, images, printing, cut and paste, drag and drop, timers, sheets, printing, and creating your own Interface Builder Palates and controls. Cocoa is vast but this serves as an excellent starting block, covering the essentials and tasters required to progress deeper. Its very easy and enjoyable to read with challenges at the end of each chapter to help solidify your understanding. I read it from cover to cover which is unusual for me with a programming book. I've been using OS X 10.3 which has had changes to the development tools since the book was written For example Project Builder is now called XCode, has code completion facilities and some of the menus have moved. However this didn't prove to be a problem and differences were rather obvious. Can't really recommend it any higher!
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Customer Reviews
Fit for purpose., 07 Sep 2008
I received this as a gift from my other half when I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista pre-installed. There's nothing much to complain about. The chapters are structured in a sensible way, and I find Andy Rathbone's tone really appropriate to the needs of the 'Dummies' series (I mean this as a compliment rather than a criticism). My only real criticism is that I don't think Windows Vista is half as far detached from XP as a lot of people try to insist. This isn't to say that the existence of this book is unnecessary, just that a lot of the material herein will be already known to a lot of those of us who used XP extensively. I'm not an advanced user or anything like that, but I felt that this book covered a lot of old ground, in Windows terms, and was wanting in other more detailed areas. I think our needs would have been better met by something that spent less time covering the similarities between XP and Vista and more time dealing with the more advanced issues, but then that isn't the role and function of the 'Dummies' series. This book is generally very good, and I imagine excellent if you're on your first Windows operating system. It also doesn't crawl to the sensibilities of Microsoft, which is most refreshing. If you're moving from XP to Vista and you're anxious then this is great for general reference. At the risk of sounding cynical, I think that the myth that Vista is a total nightmare, excessively security conscious and so on has probably helped to shift a lot of copies of this. In reality, Vista isn't that scary.
Does what it says on the cover, 21 Jun 2008
If you are looking for a light introductory guide to Windows Vista then look no further. If you are looking for a book that will get you out of trouble, then you'd be better looking at (for want of a better expression) more serious titles.
LAP FOF DUMMEYS AND INTERNET FOR DUMMETS, 11 May 2008
VERY HELPFULL IN EVERY WAY PUT IN LINGO YOU UNDER STAND WITH ALL THE BULL TAKEN OUT ONE RE SAID THAY WHERE FOR USA MARKET NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THAY GOOD FUN AS WELL AS DOING THE JOB THAY WHERE MADE FOR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BARRY ENGLAND
Learn and smile..., 11 Jan 2008
I remember buying Windows 3.1 for Dummies many moons ago and it was a big help in my fledgling IT career. Having bought a new PC with Vista pre-installed, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a Dummies book for the new Windows and I'm glad I did. It is a solid and welcome addition to the series, unbiased and informative text, well laid out and the Gary Larson style cartoons give it a friendly feel.
It explains clearly the different versions of Vista, installation issues and the differences between it and XP. All Vistas quirks and features are described in plain English. A useful crib-sheet lists useful shortcuts to impress your colleagues. Home users and office users alike of any skill level would benefit from this book.
What this book is :
A Windows Vista reference, not a comprehensive training manual - choose what you need to gen up on and look for that chapter. Having said that, working through the book a chapter at a time is of use and would not take months
Useful, un-patronising and pretty funny
What this book is not:
Microsoft propaganda - Rathbone tells it like it is and probably won't be top of Bill Gates Christmas card list for some of his comments
A full blown tech guide for geeks, though they would certainly find it useful (without admitting it of course!)
Great book and for this price, it's a steal
A Cracking Edition of For Dummies, 02 Jan 2008
After Purchasing Vista and not being able to get to grips with it my dad got me this book,
it explains in great detail how to do everything that you need to do, it uses friendly language and does not insult your intelligence like some books.
I got the one with the free DVD which i have found very useful.
Amazon are the cheapest retailers of this product that i have seen, it comes wrapped in a standard Amazon packaging -- however you must be at home for delivery as it does not fit t | | |