Customer Reviews

Adobe InDesign CS/CS2 Breakthroughs

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you tend to stumble around in InDesign -- getting things done eventually, but not always efficiently -- this is the book for you. "Breakthroughs" is all about working smart and not wasting your time or energy. I own a creative firm in Chicago, and this book is mandatory reading for all my designers. The authors get right into the good stuff; they assume their readers are professionals and know how to do the basics. Spend about 1 hour with this book and you'll pick up at least a dozen useful tricks. The format is all quick-hit Q&A, light and easy to absorb, perfect for busy designers that can't spend a lot of time on a 600-page encyclopedia. My copy is now littered with Post-Its marking all the shortcuts and procedures that I never even suspected were available in InDesign. If you're a hands-on designer and take pride in knowing your tools, get this book. You won't be sorry.

IF YOU WORK WITH INDESIGN FOR MORE THAN 1 HOUR A DAY YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST BUY THIS BOOK. It will save you hours of frustration. Absolutely the best money I have ever spent on a software book.

This book will not teach you how to use Indesign. It is not for beginners. For those of you that use Indesign a great deal and always wished you knew how to do some certain function or trick this book is for you. It is full of workarounds for many everyday problems that you will encounter. I am just so amazed how helpful this book has been to me that I wanted to share it with everyone here.

This is not some 800 page Indesign Bible. It is a small quick read that lists problems that Indesign users face everyday and how to solve them. I have worked with Indesign for many years and this book has been more useful than all my other books combined.

Who says computer manuals have to be dry and boring? This humorous book is actually one you'll sit on the deck and read cover to cover, then keep handy to use as a reference. It is not a "Step One: Turn on your computer, Step Two: This is your mouse" type of beginner manual. However, it is chock full of solutions to those irritating problems encountered in all software programs that you don't know are lurking until you are on deadline. Each nugget is short, to the point and entertaining as well. Ever get into a situation where you need to know something obscure like import layers from another document, or keeping descenders inside a frame, or insert a drop shadow on just one word in a sentence? This reference book is just the ticket. It is not just obscure situations either. It covers color "mismanagement," tabs, text on a path, color swatches, and so much more. This book stays within reach on my desk. Applause!

I'm an experienced InDesign user and head the Chicago InDesign User Group and I love the Breakthroughs book. Casually flipping through it I immediately learned a couple of things that I've passed along in my InDesign seminars. It's light breezy tone and approach make it easy to read and learn techniques. Since I got it, I have been highly recommending it as a must have for newer users to experienced trainers and consultants. Great job Anne-Marie and David!

Although one of the authors mentions that its more geared toward CS2 folks who have moderate to more advanced experience using InDesign, there are parts in there for newbies like me (and I use InDesign CS for now). Its a very useful book and interesting to see what the problems and pitfalls are of this program everyone is raving about. By the time you read this book, you'll be an advanced user!

I just started reading through bits and pieces of it (since it was just published a few weeks ago - hot off the press), and I can see it will be something I'll be keeping near my computer during projects I do in InDesign.

I've been an InDesign user since version 2 and spend 12 to 15 hours a week using InDesign. Nevertheless, I learned a lot of things I didn't know, and have already integrated a number of them into my work. One quibble (and the reason for only 4 stars): in a few cases, the authors mention third-party scripts for the Mac but none for Windows, even when there are Windows scripts available that do the same thing; and the one script they include in the book is in AppleScript, rather than Javascript, which would be cross-platfrom. But other than that, there's nothing to criticize at all in this valuable resource.

Living in South Africa, there are not many opportunities to attend InDesign Forums. I am a self-taught typographer, so I found this "Breakthroughs" book most useful and easy to turn to in solving a number of problems.

Adobe InDesign CS/CS2 BreakthroughsI bought this book a little over a year ago. I was starting a new job where the primary tool is InDesign CS2 and although I was familiar with the program it had been a while since I'd used it professionally. I was looking for a book to help me quickly learn some keyboard shortcuts as well as to learn some workflow tips.
This book was everything I needed and a lot more. InDesign is a deep program and InDesign CS/CS2 Breakthroughs is a comprehensive, well written and easy to use primer and overview, for beginners and veteran users alike. My copy has become a fixture on my desk (I work designing ads for a newspaper) and all my coworkers find it as instrumental as I do. The book also functions wonderfully as a bridge for people migrating from Quark to InDesign. Ms. Concepcion and Mr. Blatner have created a perfect tool! Bravo!

I am an InDesign instructor, and this book has helped my workshop participants tremendously. Folks who've been using Quark and PageMaker will also find this book a great time-saver. Will it be updated for CS3 soon? Evenso, it is a great reference book -- my copy is dog-eared (a sign of a useful resource). Bravo!

I am not a super nerd and do not usually buy books on computer program. But I use InDesign every day at work and home and love it. I was just looking for and inexpensive, quick-read to learn some neat new tricks and this book is exactly what I was looking for. I immediately sat on my couch and started reading. I've already used tips from the book and I've only owned it for a few weeks. Not only does it answer your specific questions about frustrating InDesign issues (yes, other people have the same ones as you!) but it gives you tips and ideas that you didn't know were possible and wouldn't have known to ask about. I have already called current and former co-workers to tell them about the simple solutions I have found in this book...it is really great.