Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself Adobe® Illustrator® 10 in 24 Hours

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had Adobe Illustrator 9 for almost a year and still haven't gotten completely through Deke McClelland's Real World Illustrator 9 book. I recently upgraded to Illustrator 10 and started reading Adobe's User Guide, which as usual is not all that great for beginners. Sam's Illustrator 10 book is actually very helpful for those never having used Illustrator before, which I haven't (although I am experienced in Photoshop). The book could be helped with a CD and color diagrams, but otherwise it is a straightforward instruction book that is easy to read. It gives both the Mac and Windows versions when there are differences. Overall I'm satisfied, especially since I got it on sale at Amazon and it's currently the only Illustrator 10 book available.

I liken this book to a book on how to work on cars. They start the book with an nice paced introduction and before you know it they start jumping all over the place....Ok here is where the oil goes and then if you want to overhual the transmission here is what you do and then here's how to change the windshield wipers and here's how to overhaul the engine. Advanced techincal areas are intermingled with simpler beginner techniques throughout the book. I was especially disappointed in the small areas of the book devoted to the use of text. Kind of interesting since a quote from the book is that text is a powerful way of graphic expression. Of the 554 pages they devote 30 to the use of text.

I have been impressed with the SAMS books in the past but this one is a dud.

I liked this book. Precise, easy-to-follow, and a page turner. I'm interested by graphic design, and is Illustrator 10 is one of vector programs. This book is recommended if you plan to know anything about the new version.

There were so many mistakes (especially pages 20-22) that I have to double check everything I read from there on. And there are no corrections posted on the publisher's web page for the book so they either think the book's error free or they just don't care. I emailed them and asked if there was an errata page and got one of those replies you often receive from big companies that showed they didn't even really read my email in the first place.