OK, it is not quite a crazy and
exploitative as the Girls Gone Wild
video series, but this book by Al Ward
actually makes Photoshop fun. I know,
they said it couldn't be done but a lot
of the effects and projects that Mr.
Ward walks you though in this book are
really a blast.
The
projects start basic and then build on
each other, increasing in complexity and
levels. Even though each project is
designed to instruct, the projects
themselves are based on real world
requirements and jobs that you as a
graphic artist might face.
Pieces and
components of these images and graphics
can be imported directly in your video
projects as well as for your advertising
and marketing materials designed to sell
them, as well as yourself.
This is a
great book, easy to read, big
type, simple to follow directions and
not condescending to those of us who
didn't spend years studying graphic
techniques and programs.
Each
section has a theme. As movie and video
makers, you will probably love the
chapter on "movies gone wild" -
regarding how to use Photoshop effects
to create posters and artwork that
reflect the look and feel of some of the
most popular films of our time. Very
cool stuff.
About the
author:
Al Ward
has been kicking around the Photoshop
community for a number of years, writing
and training on many subjects. His
Website, actionfx.com, supplies
custom-made Photoshop presets and
information to users. At this writing,
there are over 52,000 custom presets
available for downloading. He has
written and contributed to numerous
Photoshop books, including Photoshop
for Right Brainers (1st and 2nd
editions), Al Ward’s Photoshop
Productivity Toolkit, Photoshop Most
Wanted, Photoshop Elements 2
Special Effects, and Photoshop 7
Effects Magic.
Al is a regular writer for the official
Website of the National Association of
Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and
www.photoshopuser.com. He also writes
for Planet Photoshop and is a
contributor to several other Websites.
He has been featured at the Photoshop
Café, and has written for a number of
print publications, such as Photoshop
User Magazine and Web Designer
Magazine.
Al is the official actions guru for the
NAPP, a title given to him by Scott
Kelby, and one that Al holds in very
high esteem. In his free time, Al enjoys
fishing the trout streams in Western
Montana, spending time with his family,
reading, enjoying a good movie, and
searching the Web for graphics-related
topics.
According
to Wiley (the publisher), * Anyone with
basic Photoshop skills who is looking to
get results like the pros will be amazed
by the knock-your-socks-off techniques
packed on these pages
* Bypassing the same tired text and
theory played out in most manuals,
author Al Ward instead has the readers
jump into Photoshop so they can get
started creating fun effects for logos,
advertising, and the Web
* Some of the exciting projects include
designing a neon sign, creating a
vintage comic book cover, designing a
Starbucks-style logo, creating a
painless yet realistic tattoo, imitating
type effects from Harry Potter or Star
Wars, and much more
* The companion CD-ROM contains all the
image files used in the book as well as
type styles and actions
Table of
Contents:
One:
Alphabet Soup.
I Need
Coffee...STAT!
A
Balanced Breakfast.
Alphabet Soup.
A Spot
o’ Tea.
Two:
Home Sweet Home.
Bif!
Pow!
Rockin'
Out.
Look,
Mom! The Thermometer Broke!
Mess on
the Driveway.
Three: Planet Media.
Create
the Headlines.
No News
Is Bad News.
What’s
on the Tube?
Weather
Woes.
Four: Beyond These Four Walls.
Burn
Rubber.
On the
Hood.
Signs
of the Times.
Neon at
Night.
Old
Paint.
Merging
Worlds.
How
Convenient.
Meet
the Flintstones.
Fire on
the Mountain.
Blimp
Advertising.
Five: Leisure Time.
At the
Beach.
Sweet
Tooth.
Let’s
Go Out to the Lobby.
Carved
in the Tree.
Under
Your Skin.
Six:
Movies Gone Wild.
We Come
in Peace.
Space
Fights.
Where
No Designer Has Gone Before.
Tales
of Blarnia.
Larry
Blotter.
Back in
a Minute.
Frantic
5.
You
Cannot Pick Your Neighbors.
Gotta
Love Camp.
Quiet
Knob.
Seven: Potpourri — fx without a Home.
Those
Things Will Kill Ya.
Skywriter.
In
Orbit.
Blades
and Blood.
Age Got
It.
Hot
Online.
Game
Over.
It’s
All in the Game.
Appendix Online Resources.
