Adobe Photoshop 5.5 Web Design

I have read this book and was amazed at the level of detail used in the examples. Michael uses examples very effectively to show how to use Photoshop to accomplish certain tasks. He uses plenty of useful screenshots that really help bring the point across. These examples also make the book fun to read and animate the reader to go sit down in front of the program and try out the techniques that Michael describes. I also like the interviews he put in this book. They provide insight from people that are using the program in real life situations. The fact that I am one of the people interviewed is not the reason why I am giving it a 5 star rating. If you are interested in Photoshop - Go read this book or check out the new version on 6.0!

It should be made clear that this book does not follow the same format of Adobe's Classroom In A Book series. Adobe's series is more concerned with expanding upon the user manuals provided with the software packages, giving thorough training on basic functions. Finally, here is a book that provides wonderful in-depth and easy to understand information on the thinking and planning behind creating a site. If you really want to make an impression, design an efficient and visually stimulating web site then Micahel Baumgardt's Web Design book will assist you dramatically. You will find chapters dedicated to explaining the whole deal with compression formats, Photoshop skills, GoLive facilites and optimizing images to enhance the speed of the loading time of your pages. You will finally get the lowdown on the differences with browsers and computer systems (Macs and PCs really do have different results when screening the same image). There are interesting interviews with professional web designers who give an insight towards how even the best sites incorporate the most basic of elements. But more importantly you are shown how to achieve these results with clear, and straight forward instructions with using GoLive. Adobe's software has been designed to be compatible with one another. Yet there hasn't been one book to show how you combine the likes of Photoshop and GoLive to full effect. Web Design teaches you how to implement these programs into your creation. I didn't even know what ImageReady was until this book showed me. But I have found the most successful element of this book to be its presentation. Other computer books are bland and uninvoling whilst Web Design is almost an inspiration within itself, combining modern graphics with information to increase the reader's interest. I couldn't praise this book enough until a week ago when I found my site was not working properly. But I remembered that in the book the author said that if you had any problems then he would be glad enough to help. So I emailed Michael Baumgardt, and within a day or so he responded with a clear and assured answer to my problem. How about that!GoLive is such a large program that it would be silly to not purchase a book to be made aware of its best features. With so many on the market it would be easy to make a mistake, and I am glad to say that this truly deserves attention and praise, for it doesn't hide away from the blatant difficulties in designing a site, but instead tackles the nitty, gritty to prosper triumphantly (sure I'm being a bit dramatic, but I can't tell you how much I have learnt from this book). It is invaluble.

I am currently on a work based training course in web design and have found this book to be an invaluable help. I cannot speak highly enough of the ease of use and readability of this book. Anyone involved in the web design process should buy this book without delay.Invaluable

I'm loving this book! Just getting into the field, so all my stuff is the latest releases, and I haven't found a better laid out book on this stuff! The flow of this book is fantastic. It is the perfect balance in my opinion of basic info and background (the html intro for example) while it doesn't belittle the reader into thinking he's a moron. It's great to know WHY knowing this stuff is important, WHY you need to consider multiple browsers and software, and he builds a firm foundation to build on w/o lingering on things you don't NEED to know. But he'll tell you WHY you may not need to know it! His experience in layout & design is evident on every page of this book - the interview interludes, backgroung images behind text, color tabs on each page for skimming, and the introduction to every paragraph - "It's good to keep in mind however..." or " It may be useful to point out that..." or "I mentioned image tables, but I feel that I owe you a clearer explination..." It's amazing to read the word "feel" in a informational textbook! The only book I've found that you can read and learn without sitting in front of your computer the whole time. Comprehensive and well balanced. I love it. Chad Smith Seattle, WA

I must say that I am a bit confused over some of the critisism this book has been given. It covers everything it says it will cover, what more can one expect? Even if the gif, jpeg, png chapter is a bit lengthy, the book is inexpensive and gives VALUE for your money. I have spend much , much more money on "bible" book types which made me yawn and want to toss them out the window in spite of all "the useful" information in there. It is not so much HOW MUCH is given us to read for our money, but HOW IT IS PRESENTED and explained that matters. What good is 1000 pages on a subject when you feel it is a job in itself to just open the book? I think people here have confused issues over what this book really claims to do for you. This book is NOT a book on Photoshop, golive, or imageready techinques - if that is all you want you might not find it useful. It is a book on WEB DESIGN, using these applications! If what you want and need is a book that explains the mysteries of layout and arrangement on the web, a book that inspires you to do your own work, a book that containes wonderful examples and explains how you can do this yourself by using applications like photoshop, image ready, and golive, go and get it. Don't hesitate. I have NEVER been more pleased with a book, even if my library contains both wow books and Bible books and much much more.