Books
Books will always be one of the great learning resources, and in this section I will list my recent books and the books of Graphic Mania friends that provide great resource to learn about design and web tools.
My recent books
Photoshop 3D for Animators
by Rafiq Elmansy
Photoshop is not just for photographers anymore. Photoshop 3D for Animators is one of the only titles available that discusses 3D Photoshop techniques specifically for animators. Now with Adobe CS5, 3D Digital artists can integrate 3D models into Photoshop or create 3D models in Photoshop with the high capability to customize, edit and animate.
With Photoshop 3D for Animators, explore the new 3D tools and techniques that will enhance your animation pipeline and workflows with the Adobe Suite softwares, including After Effects and Flash. Explore the ins and outs of Adobe Photoshop and expand your 3D expertise with the comprehensive guide to Adobe 3D toolset for animators. Customize Adobe CS5 tools for your specific, animation workflow and integrate your 3D models with Adobe Flash and the entire Adobe Suite platform with ease. Learn to manipulate 3D images as well as import 3D content from the Adobe creative suite. With in-depth, step-by-step tutorials, explore lighting, digital painting, texturing and rendering for 2D and 3D the power of Adobe Photoshop software. Enhance your digital workflow and expand your expertise with this hands-on guide to Photoshop CS5. Includes a DVD with source files, working samples and models.
- Customize Adobe CS5 tools for your specific, animation workflow and integrate your 3D models with Adobe Flash and the entire Adobe Suite platform with ease.
- Enhance your digital workflow and expand your expertise with this hands-on guide to Photoshop CS5 and learn to manipulate 3D images as well as import 3D content from the Adobe creative suite.
- With in-depth, step-by-step tutorials, explore lighting, digital painting, texturing and rendering for 2D and 3D the power of Adobe Photoshop software.
- Includes a DVD with source files, working samples and models.
Quick Guide to Flash Catalyst
by Rafiq Elmansy
How do you transform user interface designs created in Photoshop or Illustrator into interactive web pages? It’s easier than you think. This guide shows you how to use Adobe Flash Catalyst to create interactive UIs and website wireframes for Rich Internet Applications—without writing a single line of code.
Ideal for web designers, this book introduces Flash Catalyst basics with detailed step-by-step instructions and screenshots that illustrate every part of the process. You’ll learn hands-on how to turn your static design or artwork into working user interfaces that can be implemented in Flash Builder or Adobe AIR.
- Get an overview of Flash Catalyst’s interactive components
- Import files from Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fireworks
- Convert your artwork into interactive components and apply specific actions
- Create animated transitions between the web pages in your project
- Test interactive components and transitions while you work
- Get optimization tips to help you create fast-loading applications
- Export projects to the SWF format for web use, or to Adobe AIR for desktop applications
Books from Graphic Mania friends:
And here are some great book resources from The world best authors in different design and technology fields:
Photoshop CS5 Trickery & FX
by Stephen Burns
As a digital artist, you have the advantage of being able to combine all of the creative art forms using your medium–the computer. Photoshop CS5 Trickery & FX shows you how to take your creativity and your art to a new level by blending your traditional artistic skills and vision with the powerful tools of Adobe Photoshop CS5. Photoshop CS5 combines 2D, 3D, and video into one interface, and this latest version of the software includes significant improvements in the 3D tools and functionality. Each chapter in the book is laid out as a complete tutorial that shows you how to use the amazing new Photoshop CS5 features to transform ordinary photos into incredible special effects and digital creations. You’ll also find projects that illustrate the more practical uses of Photoshop to help you master your photo editing skills. With the skills you learn, you’ll be able to spend more time working on the creative side of your art than worrying about the challenges of the technical aspects of the medium. Photoshop CS5 Trickery & FX shows you how to create fantastic digital art and imagery.
How to Cheat in Adobe Flash CS5
by Chris Georgenes
Need to solve problems quickly to develop creative projects to time and to budget? Want to hone your Flash skills so you can concentrate on your animation? Then How to Cheat in Flash is for you! Chris Georgenes shows how to work from the problem to the solution – from the viewpoint of an animator who has been commissioned to create a job and is working to a deadline and to a budget. With his in-depth knowledge of the little-known secrets used by the pros to produce creative, professional animations, Chris is the go-to guru for designers and animators who want to create great animation, applications or motion design with Flash. Fully updated for CS5, How to Cheat in Flash CS5, is a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving practical tips, tricks and step-by-step workthroughs that you’ll wonder how you survived without it.
Each techniques is designed as a double-page spread so you can prop the book up behind your keyboard or next to your monitor as a visual reference while working alongside it. Many of these workthroughs are real-world client projects, with the source files supplied for you to open and explore. With these real-life professional projects you’ll discover how to: bring objects to life with cool motion effects, make it rain, snow or set your world ablaze, develop flash mobile applications and many more tips and tricks not found anywhere else!
* Work over the shoulder of Chris Georgenes, renowned Flash expert, and apply the practical techniques, tips and tricks to your own projects with downloadable Flash source files, examples and tutorials, available at www.howtocheatinflash.com.
* Bestselling How to Cheat coverage of Flash CS5 – proven format for successful learning * Learn a myriad of tips and tricks based on real-life working methods to help you work faster and more efficiently and to budget! * Work from the problem to the solution, to gain the best possible results from Flash CS5!
Foundation Flash CS5 For Designers
by Tom Green and Tiago Dias
Flash is one of the most engaging, innovative, and versatile technologies available—allowing the creation of anything from animated banners and simple cartoons to rich Internet applications, interactive videos
, and dynamic user interfaces for web sites, kiosks, devices, or DVDs. The possibilities are endless, and now it just got better.
Flash CS5 boasts a host of new features, including better support for mobile devices, a whole new animation engine enabling full manipulation of tweens and paths, custom easing, improved inverse kinematics, a revamped timeline, built-in 3D, and much more.
This book is all you’ll need to learn Flash CS5 from the ground up. If you already have Flash experience, this book will allow you to quickly catch up on all the cool new features. Flash experts Tom Green and Tiago Dias guide you step-by-step through all facets of Flash CS5, keeping the emphasis firmly on good design techniques that you use in your own projects.
- Learn Flash design from the ground up, or just get to grips with the new features, with a series of step-by-step tutorials.
- Provides an easy introduction to ActionScript 3.0 coding, but the focus is mainly kept on design.
- Learn from the experts—written by renowned Flash designers Tom Green and Tiago Dias.
