Customer Reviews

Dreamweaver 4 Magic

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With no previous experience in using Dreamweaver(DW) and some knowledge of HTML, I went out to look for some DW books. After reading several pages of this book, I discovered that the results you can produce and the skills you can gain was simply AMAZING.

I was able to create, modify & design, really, really brilliant and professional web designs by the time I completed the first 2 chapters. This book gives you:

-Step-by-step instructions

-Screenshots of almost every step

-Tutorial in easy-to-follow beginner language

-Professional design techniques: like how to optimize webpage design, how to make websites easy to navigate, etc.

-Professional editable graphics: the CD contains editable image files you can either use for your own websites or for you to learn how to create similarly optimized images that's small in size so that they load faster.

-Links to websites that exploit DW's tools to create cutting-edge web designs which can help/inspire you as you go on to design your own websites. Some of the sites recommended have free tutorials.

-An extremely good book. I was turned non-user/beginner to advanced in 12 projects for about [price]. Some people pay thousands for web design training and still cannot come close to producing professional looking sites like the ones I was able to create JUST by reading this book. It's worth every penny.

And if you think you need to learn CascadingStyleSheets(CSS), DynamicHTML(DHTML) or Javascript before reading this book, let me tell you that you'll be wasting time and money. With HTML knowledge, I was able to pick up knowledge in CSS on my own through the Hands-On projects of this book. And because you'll be using Macromedia's DW & Fireworks software, you don't need to know Javascript/DHTML at all to be able to create high-impact websites.

The CD does NOT contain Dreamweaver4 30-day-trial software.

Resisting all temptation to simply rip the CD from its plastic prison I instead sat down and read the introduction to Dreamweaver 4 Magic.

Having already had some exposure to the Author Al Sparber and his work, my expectations were high. I hadn't even finished the introduction and it was plain to see this was someone who not only enjoyed what they did but also was very proud of what they had produced and had pulled together a team that felt the same way.

If you are looking for a book that offers advanced and intermediate level then this is the one for you. The projects aren't going to be over the heads of a beginner either. The way the projects are laid out and the step-by-step instructions and screen shots make it easy to check you are on the right track as you progress through the projects.

It is hard to convey in brief the quality, attention to detail and thoroughness that has been put into this book. There are 12 projects in the book, each covering a different design and navigation feature.

From the start, each project lays out good work practices for you to follow and rather than just spoon feeding you, the information leads the reader intuitively through each process. The text explains the reason why each step done a certain way then encourages you to go on and make modifications to the project so they reflect your own style.

The projects themselves are supported with a library of the images and style sheets required to create them. These are provided on the CD supplied with the text.

Incorporated into the projects are some great new behaviours making it possible to incorporate complex java scripting and Dynamic HTML (DHTML) into pages without the need to understand the java code or DHTML. These behaviors are included on the CD that accompanies the book.

This book would have to get a 10 out of 10 from me. It will serve as a very valuable learning tool and a must have for any one that wants to design dynamic web sites with Macromedia Dreamweaver.

Having heard of Studio VII's work, I was eager to get a copy of this book. Well, to be more acccurate, I made a flying tackle for the UPS man before he even got out of his truck.

And I wasn't disappointed...despite knowing of their work, I simply didn't expect the book to be this good. Aside from the book's rich production quality--lots of white space, easy-to-read screen captures, informative sidebar "watch-out's"--the content is simply stupendous, the writing precise, economical, and witty. Each complex task is approached in a linear fashion with, as Bill Murray says, "baby steps." At no point does the book "hurry" the reader through a given process. Moreover, not only does the book tell users what to do, but it also points out, just as importantly, what to avoid.

And here's the kicker: where else can you get this information? Nowhere else. No other book that I've ever seen. As the authors patiently escort the reader through the processes of constructing a vast array of cutting-edge digital structures, Al Sparber and Gerry Jacobsen use--or, more accurately, twist, bend, and manipulate--Dreamweaver as effortlessly as if it were an erector set. Appearances notwithstanding, Dreamweaver 4 Magic is not a book...it's a tour de force software kit.

Dreamweaver Magic is by far the best reference manual I've purchased. It is step-by-step and although I've been using Dreamweaver for some time, I think this book would be helpful to new users as well as intermediate. There are 12 projects throughout the book and none of them leave you wondering what steps were left out... it's all there, in black and white (and color photos to boot!!).

Not only is the book a must-have reference for all Dreamweaver users, it also comes with a CD chock-full of the most awesome extensions and behaviors I've seen made for Dreamweaver. If you're looking to add a little pizzazz to your navigation, Dreamweaver Magic is the answer. Add DHTML and javascripting without knowing a thing about them... too cool.

I highly recommend this book...

Dreamweaver 4 Magic is the book for the intermediate to advanced user of Dreamweaver (and Fireworks) who wants to take their design skills to the next level! Chock full of tips, techniques, extensions, and more, DW4 Magic will teach you how to take the skills you've already developed and expand them in ways that you never knew were possible.

Written by many of the world's leading experts on Dreamweaver, the authors of this book are not only proficient in the use of the software, but also in explaining the advanced techniques they've mastered in a thoughtful and well-organized manner. What's more, they are also some of the most dedicated "evangelists" for the web design products from Macromedia anywhere, as you'll often find many of them in the Dreamweaver news group explaining techniques, and working with users of the software.

On top of all that, the layout is gorgeous, the photography is stunning, and the CD has enough Dreamweaver extensions and resources to make the book well worth the money all by itself!

Highly recommended!

This is a really good book on interface design and on incorporating more advanced DW features, like template and style sheet features, into your standard design structure. It is probably best used by intermediate to advanced level users. I've been using DW for about six months and the complexity of the book is just right because it opens up a world of functionality in DW that I sort of had a vague idea of, but which is really fleshed out by Sparber et al. The manner in which the "fleshing out" occurs is "good" because the author sort of presents techniques that lead up to the final project in well-contained procedural modules. It's not like a whole bunch of different techniques are mushed together; in this book you can definitely tell what's responsible for causing what effect.

The precision of the instructions is crucial because it's easy to get lost in Dreamweaver. The book is very explicit in making sure that you do not get lost on the path along the way. Most of the more complex or less obvious steps are repeated or reinforced by screen caps of the DW interface. My only complaint really is that the text is a bit small. I think if they had bumped it up a couple of points, or made the typeface bolder, text would have been more easily read. Other than that, the layout is spacious and visually-appealing -- it is overall a very beautifully designed book -- and there is extensive detail on each page, meaning, the authors get down to business. The composite style is sort of like Lynda Weiman's but with turbocharge. It takes about 4 to 5 hours to get through each project, not including referencing DW Help to clarify new concepts. The projects themselves are useful because they present interface set-ups you would certainly use for conventional web sites. The CD has a browser enabled section that presents the final page designs and its a good interactive way to flip through the projects and see what you like or don't like.

In counterpoint to what one review mentioned below regarding the CD, and the replication of similar effects in Homesite as in DW, first, I don't agree that the CD is just to inflate the price of the book. The book isn't cheap but you don't feel the cost of the book isn't justified in this case, because this book has such depth. I don't think most web designers have the level of virtuosity in wielding DW that Sparber and the other authors of this book have, much less would be willing to show you how to use it for less than $2000 in a w/e course. The CD actually has little bloat. The project files are well structured and the extensions are used in the projects rather than just thrown in there to fill up disk space. I suppose I could download files from the Internet and unzip them, then virus test them, and then place them somewhere on my hard drive. I could do all that -- but I don't FEEEL like it. The CD more or less just installs everything for you. Saves time. Secondly, while you probably could replicate the projects this book presents using raw HTML in Homesite, the whole idea of DW is that you don't have to, so I don't understand the "you could do this whole thing in Homesite, you know" argument, because its not relevant in the context of a book that uses DW. As for forcing you to learn HTML, you could always split the screen in DW and see how the code directly affects the graphical layout. Last I heard, most people receive information best visually. I can't remember the last time I recognized a picture of my dog Spot as a series of binary digits. I'd rather do the site in DW first then tweak the details in HTML afterwards, and then use DW to mass produce. Saves time and frustration, as does this book.

This book is highly recommended for above-newbie level DW users.
*****

The content, design/lay out, and graphics are a magical five star rating in my book! That said, the reason I rated the book 4 stars and the reason I wrote this note is that I would advise people to go to the PVII web site and print out the errata page(s). While improving my trouble shooting skills, the omissions and errors left me scratching my head a few times. The precise, cutting edge and constantly evolving nature of the medium are exquisitely expressed in this book, and that's precisely why this book needed one more final "proof" read. Bottom line, this book has taught me more about clean (coded) web design than anything else I have read. I'm looking forward to Al Sparber and crew's next iteration. I recommend this book highly!

Neither most Web authoring books nor most college courses have a clue to the radical transformation undergone by HTML in the past few years. Through the influence of the new W3C Document Object Model and the powerful technique of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), modern HTML is far more robust and easy to maintain than in the past. Even the generally excellent Dreamweaver Bible does not deal with CSS until Chapter 27, and then only as something separate from "real" HTML.

Sparber and crew know otherwise. They burst out of the starting gate with Chapter 1 "Using CSS to Make Selectable Themes" and never look back.

If you are serious about Web work and serious about your Dreamweaver tool, this book will take you to a new level and you won't look back either. Have fun!

As a relatively new Dreamweaver user, I was a little afraid that by buying this book I'd be in a little over my head. Well, I did have to consult the Macromedia manual a few times, but this book taught me to do some tricks I never thought were possible. The most useful feature for me was the "Finished Project" folders from the CD. I could go through the tutorials and if I got hung up, all I need to do was to open the finished page in Dreamweaver to see how it should be done.

This book has enabled me to make very cool dhtml menus and interfaces I could only dream about a few weeks ago. I guess that's why they call the program "DREAMweaver" and the book "MAGIC"!

And I guess what really tops it off was that the author has a web site with some great dreamweaver stuff and a special section for the book (they list all the typos or updates and have some extra downloads). They also have a very good newsgroup, too.

Thumbs up on this one!

I've made about 12 websites with Dreamweaver, and thought I was pretty good with it. But all of a sudden, I feel like a total beginner!! I am exploring all of the new, awesome techniques and I love it! This book just opened my eyes to the fact that Dreamweaver is THE most powerful HTML program out there. Wow! As I go through the lessons, I feel like I'm a kid opening presents Christmas morning. I get all giddy.

This book is not for beginners in my opinion. The book is written with the assumption that the reader is familiar with the program. And I think that's one of the cooler things about it. Step-by-step instructions for the novice/expert.

The screenshots are VERY helpful. The information is complete. The subject matter is worthwhile. Awesome book. I'll be first in line to purchase Sparber's next Dreamweaver book.