Microsoft Expression Blend Bible [Paperback]

Gurdy Leete (Author), Mary Leete (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer will simplify the development of rich, interactive Web applications and this comprehensive reference introduces every tool and characteristic of this new software
• Detailing the ins and outs of the program, veteran authors Gurdy and Mary Leete provide professional Web designers, developers, and serious home users with the know-how they need to create amazing Web sites
• Readers interested in online game development will enjoy the coverage of 3D Web animations-something Flash can't do
• Key topics include working with drawings, text, and 3D objects; adding audio, video, and animation; programming Expression Interactive Designer; and more
• Discusses how to integrate this program with the Vista operating system as well as other components of the Expression suite

From the Back Cover

Create amazing interfaces that encourage visitors

The impact of an aesthetically pleasing user interface is remarkable. Web site visitors respond eagerly to attractive, easy-to-use designs, and Blend allows you to create these with much less effort. This A-to-Z guide shows you how to design a new generation of applications that make the most of digital media, including animation, 3D, audio and video, sophisticated typography, and other stunning visual effects—all without bogging down in code. Here's everything you need to succeed with Blend.

• Apply principles of interactive design, graphic design, and animation

• Create and transform vector graphics

• Explore animated transparencies and opacity masks

• Use ready-made Windows® Presentation Foundation controls, or create your own

• Connect your applications to data sources

Companion Web site

At www.blendtips.com, you can download files to use while working on the examples presented in the book and modify them to create your own features. The site also includes full-color figures from the book and late-breaking news about Blend.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 734 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470055030
• ISBN-13: 978-0470055038
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #551,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than nothing, June 11, 2007

By	K. Rule (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Expression Blend Bible (Paperback)

I've been using Blend/Design and WPF for awhile and I've been relying on Adam Nathan's "Window's Presentation Foundation" book for a reference. Nathan's book is very good, but is lacking advice for using Blend (which isn't surprising since his book was released in Dec 06 and Blend wasn't commercially available until May 07). I was looking to fill the gap with this book.

The "Microsoft Expression Blend Bible" is the first of a slew of Blend books that are coming. I bought it the day it was available on Amazon and have read through it. Frankly I'm a bit disappointed. I guess I shouldn't be, usually the first book to market is a bit rushed. There is good stuff in the book, but the first 3 chapters are just filler and have little information related to Blend. The rest of the book is a very shallow tour of a large number of features supported by Blend.

I would say that this book is better than nothing (which is your alternative right now). But I suspect books that are coming out late this summer and in the fall will replace this book in my library. The bottom line is if you need to get started now, get this book and Adam Nathan's book. If you can wait, then check out then reviews of Blend related books in the fall. I'm sure something better will come along.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shallow and not useful, June 15, 2007

By	K. LEW - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Microsoft Expression Blend Bible (Paperback)

Lots of filler information to make this book big. Very little information on how to accomplish things in Blend.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid book on Blend, July 15, 2007

By	Douglas Wadsworth - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Microsoft Expression Blend Bible (Paperback)

This is a good book to learn Blend. It presents lots of material on how to use Blend to create user interfaces that make heavy use of graphics, animation, 3D, and video, and it presents principles of user interface design, too. The book is easy to read and easy to use.
It could have gone into more depth on coding details, so the title "Bible" may be a misnomer.
The chapters of the book that contain code seem pretty basic, so this book is probably better for someone who wants to use the graphics features of Blend (which are very extensive) rather than do programming. The book's Web site www.blendtips.com is useful, too.