Real World Adobe Illustrator Cs4

Mordy Golding is not only one of the true masters of Illustrator, but he is a magnificent teacher. Mordy can explain complicated features in a way that beginners can easily grasp. We are all lucky that in addition to being such an expert, and teacher, that Mordy has the time to author books such as this. No book can cover all the features of a program as complicated as Adobe Illustrator, but Real World Adobe Illustrator CS3 comes very close, and it is a book that I am proud to associate with (we have excerpted this book in the Adobe Illustrator CS3 WOW! Book). I have noticed that there have been some criticisms here about this book being in black and white, and it's important for readers to know that the only way that this immense book can remain affordable is to make it in black and white (with a color signature!)-- it's not meant to compete with the full color books such as Illustrator WOW!, any more than the WOW! Books can provide the level of technical detail found in this Real World Adobe Illustrator CS3. Real World Adobe Illustrator CS3 is a comprehensive reference book that is both good for beginners, and users of all levels will find that this is a great book to keep beside the computer while you work.

I've looked through numerous Illustrator books before deciding that this one is the best. It has an easy-to-follow structure and is well-written. It includes everything a beginner needs to know, but doesn't bore somebody with a lot of Illustrator experience already. It also offers explanations of broader concepts (Pixels vs. Vectors, RGB vs CMYK, etc.). And one doesn't need to see color illustrations on every page to learn the most of the Illustrator tools! For the rest, there are a few color pages in the middle of the book.

This book was valuable on a number of fronts. I have never had actual training in Illustrator and as a result have shyed away from it as a tool. Preferring other vector programs, I was intimidated by Illustrator. This book allowed me to get past those feelings and take control of the tool. This book is well laid out and offers a number of sidebar comments that are important points in each section. There are great full colour examples and indepth text that adds to the learning experience. The Trace Techniques section is, to put it mildly, outstanding. This really shows the power of the tool in gifted hands. I don't plan to be tracing french horn photos any time soon, but have had to do some rotoscoping in the past and have picked up a few new techniques. The Typography section is indepth and pretty encompassing. Text is such a pain in programs. Does the printer have my font? Do I render to paths. Where is that font? The book guides you through the process of dealing with many type issues. One of the most valuable areas for me was the appendix entitled - Moving from Freehand to Illustrator. As the books says, it was in place before the aquisition was announced and it won't solve any "which is better" arguments. But it does help you understand the two applications better. Great value and good for an intro course or self learner for Illustrator. Best that you have some artistic talent as this is a guide to a very big power tool. Wear saftey glasses. 5/5

When those of us who are experts in Illustrator run into a problem, Mordy Golding is often the person we go to for help. Now you too can turn to Mordy for help by keeping the Real Wolrd Adobe Illustrator CS2 book next to your computer. As a teacher, consultant, author, and former Illustrator product manager, Mordy is uniquely qualified to write a "must have" reference book on Illustrator-- and that's what the Real Wolrd Adobe Illustrator CS2 book is-- a MUST HAVE REFERENCE BOOK. This book is SO good, and his teaching style is so accessible for difficult features, that as author of The Adobe Illustrator CS2 WOW! Book, I asked Mordy to adapt a chapter of this book to include in the current edition of our book! If you want a reference book that covers all the technical features of Illustrator -- the Real World Illustrator CS2 Book is for you!

I just took Mordy's class at ADIM9 and got his book. I have to say it's the best book for my needs I've seen, and I am a very experienced consumer of graphics tech manuals. I'm only about 1/3 through it, but my skipping ahead makes me believe the rest of the book has the same format: if you need a step-by-step project based book, this may not be the book for you. But, if, however, you want a very complete, advanced overview that builds knowledge upon knowlege from-the-ground-up of how this works for the professional, this is the book for you. I've been using Illustrator professionally for about four years and I was getting by but not always knowing the quickest way to do things. This book will save me SO MUCH TIME! Thank you Mordy and PeachPit Press!