Customer Reviews

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When I purchased this book, I was under the impression that it was a tutorial for all of the programs in the software suite. It is, but it only touches on some of the features within each program: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Acrobat and Adobe Bridge. If you want to learn how to use Photoshop (like I did), you have to get Adobe Photoshop CS4 Classroom In A Book. If you want to learn how to use Dreamweaver, you have to get Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 Classroom In A Book, etc.

Well, this is something that should have been enclosed with the Adobe CS4 Design Premium Suite software when I purchased it... Really, it is more of an overview of the software package and its capabilities, very basic tutorials just illustrate the features. Come on, Adobe, when people pay $1,500+ for your software suite, you can throw in a manual like this in the shipment box for free! (PS: for those who do not own the software -- the software box includes just the DVDs.)

I give it 3 stars because the content is decent, but I'm quite PO'ed that I have to pay extra to get my "software manual". Tough times, huh, and even a software giant like Adobe does penny-pinching...

The lessons are informative, but not oriented toward a person just starting out in with abobe software. I learned several skills, but still do not feel like I mastered the basics.

This book provides several interesting projects employing two or more components of the suite on each project. The emphasis is on the tight integration between the applications. One project combines Photoshop, Fireworks and Dreamweaver. Another, involves Fireworks, Flash and Dreamweaver and so on. To benefit from this book you must be very comfortable with CS3,looking for the added features of CS4. The Classroom in a Book series should be instruction tools for beginners, so the title is indeed misleading. Beginners should stay away from this book.

I recently upgraded from CS2 to CS4 Design Premium - I'm very familiar with Photoshop, but not at all with Fireworks, Flash and Dreamweaver. In an afternoon, I worked through two fun example projects and now am very confident of finding my way through the other programs in the package. I went on to design two client websites in Fireworks straight away. I plan to buy the individual Classroom in a Book titles for each new program.

This course was just my style - real, working examples, self-paced instruction. This title is a very basic overview, but teaches a lot if you have very limited time.

This book is an overview and the included lessons really have no depth. I was expecting far more based on previous uses of classroom in a book. I think Adobe is falling down on the job.

This book should be called "Overview in a Book" not Classroom in a book. It's a great overview of CS4, that highlights changes from CS3. If you don't already know CS3, and you're looking to learn, this is not the book for you.

I bought Adobe's CS4 Design Premium from Amazon for a company I recently joined. I am intimately familiar with Illustrator and comfortable in Photoshop but was looking for guidance on the other programs in the suite. Basically the book is a long promtional about the new features in CS4, written for people upgrading from CS3. If you are looking for truly instructional step-by-step help, then I recommend either using Adobe's online resources or look elsewhere. You will be disappointed in this book.

This should have been included in the package of software as sold. It has not proven a great success as the work was developed (according to a note on the package) in CS3. The first provided demonstrations do not work in a couple of significant ways, and so far I have not got past that problem.

when you've just started with CS 4 and you're thinking of using this as THE manual, than it's a big dissapointment. On the otherhand, when you're an advanced CS4 designer, than it's real handy.
I guess it's still better to buy all the Classroom books apart. It's not a bad book, but you first have to know the basics of CS 4.