Customer Reviews

Adobe InDesign CS2 Hands-On Training

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This book is a process oriented tutorial that teaches readers core principles, techniques, and tips in a hands-on training format. That's a lot of words. What it really means is that this book is aimed at the beginning to intermediate user and is intended to get him started with the 20% of the software that he will really use 80% of the time. It uses a combination of text with drawings of what the screen should look like, and even a few short QuickTime movies (on a CD-ROM that comes with the book) that show some processes that are difficult to explain with words and static pictures.

The book does not require any previous experience with page layout programs. However, if you have experience with QuarkXPress or PageMaker, the first chapter talks about using your experience to give you a head start with InDesign.

By chapter 2 you are looking at the pretty butterfly on the InDesign Welcome Screen and quickly moving on to the InDesign workspace. One problem beginners often have with InDesign is keeping track of all the palettes, toolboxes, and shortcuts. Chapter 2 also talks about these and helps you get the workspace set up the way it's comfortable for you.

The subsequent chapters are about what you would expect, chapters on text, on bringing in graphics, on vector artwork. By the end of the book you'll know enough to use InDesign to product the documents you need. And you'll find it easier to read the manual to find out the more advanced features you will need from time to time.

I work for an architect firm in which we used the old Pagemaker for doing our marketing and proposals brochures. We upgraded to Indesign CS2. I have never had any formal training in using Pagemaker or any marketing software. I simply edited over previous brochures to launch my new projects. So I really felt overwhelmed when I first opened the software and didn't know where to begin. I went to a large book store and took off the shelf every training book I could find on learning InDesign CS2. There were a couple dozen books out there. I choose this book because I could relate to it. It explains very clearly everything you need to know to get started using it. It has pictures or diagrams on just about every page showing you exactly where to go and how to do what they are explaining. Then you are directed to a practice exercise or video (on the training disk which comes with the book) to reinforce what you have learned. In my opinion if you are "green" to this software this is the best book for the average lay person. I even tried taking an 8 week class on InDesign CS2 which used the Adobe "Classroom In A Book". I ended up dropping the class because I thought I could learn more efficiently on my own using this book. I can't tell you exactly why but I did not like Adobe's Classroom In a Book as well as Brian Wood's Hands-On Training.

If you are a new InDesign user and/or do not understand concepts like bleed & slug/kerning &leading, then read Lynda.com's Hands On Training (HOT) first. Otherwise, you may want to consider Adobe's Classroom in a Book. HOT does a better job of covering the basics and the included videos are superb. But Classroom in a Book is also excellent and carries you a bit further than does HOT, particularly if you are producing a book with chapters.

In addition to reading both of these texts, I went through the entire Total Training Video Workshop that ships with the CS2 and found it less useful than the books but still interesting and helpful. I also subscribed to Lynda.com's online video training (after watching all the free movies first) which may be the easiest way to pick up tips or understand something you can't quite qet. Neither of the two books (nor Adobe's own literature) were particularly useful at explaining the Bridge or Version Cue but videos on Lynda.com's website that helped me understand how to use them.

Having bought excellent training CDs from Lynda.com in the past, I was happy to see that the company expanded into book publishing with the InDesign CS2 book by Brian Wood.

The book itself is very well written and thoughtfully organized, but another huge advantage is the inclusion of training videos and PDFs that go a long way in helping users get grounded in InDesign CS2.

This book represents an excellent value. The inclusion of exercise files based on actual projects is a far superior way to learn the program than some of the basic, generic instruction found in "Visual Quickstart" books, although those books are reasonably priced and do convey a lot of information. I've bought and value those books.

But Brian Wood's book is the state-of-the-art in InDesign instruction, a fitting companion to a phenomenal page design program. If you want to learn InDesign at a reasonable price, this is the only way to go.

This book is absolutely the best resource if you've never used InDesign. I spent 6 weeks in a course in which we were told to do things but never why or the alternatives. I wish I hadn't spent the time or the money of the course as the first 100 pages got my head wrapped around basic concepts the course was supposed to do. I should have realized when I was initially confused and not getting answers to turn to a product from lynda.com as the books and training are superior to anything on the market.

If you're serious about learning InDesign this is a good place to start. It has a nice blend of basic exercises, bonus exercises, demo movies, and printed information. If you are a hands-on type learner you will enjoy and benefit from Hand-On Training. This book is exactly what I was looking for - straight forward, enjoyable, and practical.

Excellent!

I'm with a non-profit organization, and I was selected to do the publicity for our regional conference in 2008. Needed to produce a few mailers and a program that would eventually be sent to a printshop. I didn't have a clue, as how do use Adobe Indesign.

This book takes nothing for granted, and steps back to the beginner level, making it very easy to follow along during all the exercises. Includes book with lessons and CD with lesson exercises, plus how-to movies.

This book is phenomenal! After purchasing several different manuals covering the various main components of Adobe Creative Suite 2 (Illustrator CS2, InDesign CS2, Photoshop CS2 and GoLive CS2) I found myself wishing that Lynda.com published a Hands-On Training book for every component of CS2. The combination of Brian Wood's clear writing style and the included bonus exercises and demo movies made me feel like I had my own personal InDesign instructor right beside me. Everyone who wants to learn InDesign from the comfort of their own desk should have a copy of this book. I highly recommend it!

I am only on Chapter 4 of this book but have found so many things I love about it I wanted to write a review before I forget.

1. I appreciate that the authors explain technical terms--he does not assume that the reader comes from a publishing background. For example, in describing the character formatting controls and functions (page 81) the author defines what they mean. "Kerning field: Adjusts the space between two letters" I cannot tell you how refreshing this is for someone lacking a publishing background. Most online help and manuals would often have something like "enables you to adjust the kerning".

2. The book uses pictures appropriately to show key details to help you understand the task. I especially appreciated how he used pictures to demonstrate the effects of "fixed column width" versus no fixed column width.

3. It's great having all of the sample files on the CD, including both the completed file and the start file. This makes it so much easier to understand what the end product is for the sample.

4. The book is loaded with time-saving tips, such as how to quickly change the entire textbox font or other character properties and how to quickly select a sentence or paragraph.

5. The author gives tips for how to undo or fix common mistakes and problems.

I am learning using InDesign CS3 so there might be some features not covered in this book, but all of what I have done so far matches well with the book, so the basics do not seem to have changed.

Book and CD arrived in great time and in great condition.
Thank you!