Illustrator 9 for Dummies [Paperback]

Ted Alspach (Author), Matt LeClair (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764506684 | ISBN-13: 978-0764506680 | Publication Date: November 15, 2000 | Edition: 1

llustrator 9 For Dummies will show newcomers and experienced users alike how to easily get up to speed and start creating great artwork with the brand new release of Adobe Illustrator. Authored by Illustrator's product manager and foremost Illustrator expert Ted Alspach, this will be the best introductory book ever on the world's number-one professional illustration tool. Packed with great information and plenty of humor, this book is the fun and easy ticket to becoming an Illustrator artiste with out any of the pain!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ted Alspach is the author of many books on desktop publishing and graphics, as well as hundreds of articles on related topics, including Illustrator 7 Studio Secrets, Illustrator 7 Bible, Photoshop Complete, Kai's Power Tools Studio Secrets, and Illustrator Filter Finesse. He is a contributing editor to Adobe Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 361 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764506684
• ISBN-13: 978-0764506680
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, February 20, 2001

By 

Susan Wolicki (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illustrator 9 for Dummies (Paperback)

The book is well written and easy to read with good graphics for a beginner level user. It provided exactly the information I was searching for. The program is very intuitive to use as the book shows. I wanted to learn how to develop my own templates and logos. I have not been able to find a clear explanation anywhere as how to do this until I found this book. I mainly use Illustrator because it has more drawing tools provided with it. A good book that covers this subject clearly. I've been working with different versions of Illustrator for over 5 years now, but I bought both of Alspach's books (beginning and advanced) to learn "everything" I could about Illustrator. This book was an excellent tutorial, well written, and patient. Exercises were educational and the book just seemed to move along at a good pace. I was impressed.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is not a book for beginners, August 14, 2001

By 

Elizabeth Klisiewicz (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illustrator 9 for Dummies (Paperback)

I've been using Illustrator 8 for awhile and decided to pick up this book to come up to speed with Version 9. In fact, I bought it because the reviewers on this site recommended it so highly. Unfortunately, I disagree with the other reviewers: this book is a real disappointment.

One thing I expect from a book like this is an overview of the various tools, but the author never summarizes the tools or their icons in one central location. Descriptions are scattered throughout the text. As you go through the various procedures to create artwork, he refers to these tools but forgets to show a picture of the tool he refers to. This forces the user to go through the toolbox until they find the right tool and even then, I am not positive because the tooltips don't always show up. I write user documentation for a living, and while the dummies books don't fall into the same class, I still expect basic information at my fingertips.

The information on paths is poorly explained. Truthfully, it is a difficult topic, but Alspach does nothing to make it easily understood and this concept is the heart and soul of the program!

In good conscience, I cannot recommend this book for beginners. Spend your money on something else.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic way to learn Illustrator!, January 17, 2001

By 

John Barrows (Juno, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illustrator 9 for Dummies (Paperback)

I picked up this book last week and was able to feel comfortable using Illustrator in just a few days. I'm still not an expert, but I've been able to create all sorts of artwork using Illustrator tools and features. This is very well organized and structured.