Adobe Illustrator CS2 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques (Paperback)

~ (Author), Bruce K. Hopkins (Author) "Even though you can change the kind of file you are creating in Illustrator, it's still useful to define the size and type of illustration..." (more)
Key Phrases: Live Paint, Smart Guides, Direct Selection (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Illustrator CS2 How-Tos is a highly focused survey of the one-hundred most essential things anyone needs to know to use Illustrator CS2. Folks new to Illustrator will find clear, basic, easy-to-understand explanations of the techniques, tools, and tricks they need to quickly become productive with Illustrator. Experienced users will find a handy reference with insights, tips, and shortcuts that will help even experts be more productive.

Illustrator CS2 How-Tos was written specifically for CS2, and integrates the important new features of Illustrator CS2, including Live Paint, Live Trace, new Type format features, and helpful new interface innovations.

Written by veteran illustrators David Karlins and Bruce K. Hopkins, Illustrator CS2 How Tos breaks down confusing concepts and clearly explains and illustrates how to master the challenges of drawing and editing vector paths. David Karlins teaches Illustrator at San Francisco State University Multimedia Studies Program, and Bruck K. Hopkins has been a professional illustrator for a decade, creating everything from fine art to technical drawings.

The book:

• Demystifies the process of creating and editing vector artwork
• Covers new Illustrator features: Live Paint, Live Trace, Type formatting, and the Control Palette
• Includes survival tips and tricks that will guide new illustrators through the program, and provide time-saving tricks for Illustrator veterans.

About the Author

Bruck K. Hopkins has been a professional illustrator for a decade, creating everything from fine art to technical drawings. His clients range from Joe Boxer to technology firms. His cutting edge Space series breaks new ground in using Adobe Illustrator for fine art. David Karlins is the author of several vector illustration books and videos including How to Do Everything with Adobe Illustrator CS, Illustrator 10 Virtual Classroom (book and video), and Adobe Illustrator CS2 Gone Wild. He is a freelance graphic and interactive design consulting, and teaches Illustrator at San Francisco State University Multimedia Studies Program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Adobe Press (November 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321335406
• ISBN-13: 978-0321335401
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #420,514 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Illustrator NOVICES, July 9, 2006

By	L. Kee - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At first glance at this book, I really liked how the book was formatted by numbers and "quick tips". This made me feel like learning illustrator would be short and to the point. I liked the screenshots and shortcuts that were included and I felt like the first few chapters (or "tips") were a good way to get introduced to each topic in a quick and easy way. The reading in this book is good. It is easy to follow and straightforward. The reference guide is plus too!

But, for me personally--I did not find this book extremely helpful to my knowledge of Adobe Illustrator. I think it would be great for a REAL Illustrator novice--someone who has absolutely NO prior Adobe Illustrator experience because it explains to the Illustrator student how each step should be taken in a thorough and explanatory way. For someone who has had experience with Illustrator--you might be looking more for a tooltip book like the QuickStart guides that Peachpit press puts out. But for the true Illustrator novice--I think this book can be really beneficial for you!

One last point, I think that I would've liked to see more examples and images of Illustrator-created work as examples for each of the tools that were explained and expounded on in each chapter. This is what helps inspire me as a designer, seeing other people's work and seeing how I can do something similar with an ordinary Illustrator tool.

Again, for a beginner who is just starting out--this book is to the point, well written and can help you be on the road to learning Illustrator in an easy & topically driven way.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Really Good. You are gonna want to hang on to this book!, February 28, 2006

By	E. B. MACDONALD "Evan Enlow" (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have used photoshop for years and bought this book the day i got CS2, and took my first leap into Illustrator. THIS BOOK IS GREAT! I am almost all the way through it and feel like i know this application. The book is simple and breaks Illustrator into 100 techniques with brief but QUALITY instructions. It has a very good index and is great for turning to with questions -- a great refrence or read.

I like and use the book so much that i went and had the binding cut off and spiral bound it (so it lays open flat) with tabs for each chapter. if you are a beginner, this is the book for you. if you have experience with illustrator, you will find this book a helpfull boost of your skills.

I recomend it, and look at the price!! you really can't go wrong.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Illustrator Newbees, December 31, 2006

By	Mr. Squire (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

Yes, as stated in other reviews, this is a book for those new to Illustrator. Simple, to the point, and clearly written, this book takes the dread and frustration out of using a program that has such an extremely steep learning curve. There is a bit of redundancy when using this book cover-to-cover, but the chapters can also be used as stand-alone reference material in such fashion.