Most Helpful Customer Reviews
83 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OUTSTANDING! Kindle Version is AWESOME on the iPad. See Link Below for media files., May 14, 2010
This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3 (Paperback)
I have been a fan of Apple's Training Series from Peachpit for some time. This book is no exception, and is extremely well written and easily understood and followed.
I was more than happy to see that Peachpit and Apple collaborated quickly to get the first comprehensive instruction manual to print and it is a winner. The learning curve for Aperture is somewhat high, but the book guides you through the learning process gradually, with each chapter logically building on the last, and reducing the time needed to learn critical functions. The writing style is clear and end-user friendly, without a lot of techno-jargon complicating the process. By the end of the book, you'll have a very functional understanding of Aperture 3, and your processing time and workflow steps will be dramatically decreased.
The book has a companion DVD with the media files necessary to follow the course as designed. It is NOT included with the e-book (Kindle) version, but can be downloaded from Peachpit Press. This is NOT reflected in the book, though customer service at Peachpit states it should have been. The book is only marginally useful without the companion media files which are clearly designed to be used in conjunction with the chapters in the book.
The URL for the media files is listed in the comments to this review. (Amazon won't allow full URL's in reviews) Be forewarned... it is a 3.6GB DMG file (Macs only).
The Kindle version on the Apple iPad is STUNNING in its clarity and definition! The illustrations and pictures are phenomenal, and totally unexpected...oh so clear! This has made using the iPad for following the book next to my MacbookPro and Mac Pro a dream. It also reduces my baggage weight when traveling so that I no longer have to carry heavy manuals in suitcases to have ready reference material on the road. (I work overseas every other six-weeks). Peachpit is dedicated to offering virtually all of their books in digital form, and that's the only way I'll buy them in the future. The iPad makes it a perfect solution! (The book can also be viewed on a Kindle, but in monochrome which significantly reduces the value of photo-related manuals of this type)
Five stars for this book... and five more to Amazon for offering it at a discounted price in digital form! Get it!
UPDATE: See comments below for coded URL for the media files.
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent For A Beginner Like Me, October 10, 2010
This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3 (Paperback)
To be clear, my experience level with Aperture 3 is zero. I have never used the program before and do not have any experience with other applications like Photoshop or Lightroom 3.
Because of my inexperience, I really wanted a book that covered it all. In that respect, this book really fits the bill nicely. The author goes over aspects of the program including importing, tagging, editing and sharing your pictures. The book includes a disc with sample images you can use to follow along with his "lesson plans". I found this to be extremely helpful. It's one thing to read a book where they talk about what a function does, but to have a sample image that you can edit as you read along really reinforces what that function does ... it's immediate and positive feedback that you're doing it right.
The book is definitely geared towards the beginner. If you already understand concepts of managing your photos, basic editing, etc ... then this book may be too simple for you. I was hoping for a little more detail on some of the more advanced editing functions like using the curves brick, etc. Also, almost half the book covers just the importing and managing of your photos. I personally would have preferred a little more emphasis on editing the photos ... but that's a personal nit-pick.
Pros:
1. Great introduction to the application.
2. Includes sample images you can use to follow along.
3. Well written, easy to follow and understand.
Cons:
1. Maybe too much emphasis on file management.
2. Not enough detail on some of the more advanced functions.
3. You have to follow the book very closely, or you may find some images not immediately accessible.
All that being said, if you take the time to read this book and follow along with the lesson plans you *will* have a strong understanding of the basics and will definitely have more fun using the program.
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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent training id you take the time to do the lessons, May 3, 2010
This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3 (Paperback)
This book is written like a training course, and to get full value you need to take the time to work through the lessons as given. This is not hard, because the book has a DVD with sample photos and disk images that you use in each lesson. When I worked through each lesson step by step with the photos they give you, I learned a lot - more than when I watched some training videos on the web.
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