Software

Focal Press

The key to a project's ultimate success is good planning. This unique new book shows how to prepare for the myriad of steps required to execute production and post production of a video, film or multimedia project. Cartwright explains in detail how to save money and time in production and post-production, yet produce a quality program with high production values. The craft of production planning is explained through a comprehensive system. The production steps are all there, enhanced with graphs of the production process, production forms, photos and a comprehensive list of production resources along with a chapter devoted to the use of computers for the production and post-production process.The techniques of planning for success are easily applied to both traditional linear program... Less

"How to Cheat in After Effects is an easy-to-follow book that lets you in on all of the little secrets to create those commonly needed effects with ease and speed. With clear pictures illustrating the step-by-step procedures, this is the perfect tool for the arsenal of any After Effects user, from novice to advanced." - Michele Yamazaki, Vice President Marketing and Web Development Czarina, Toolfarm.com Compose eye-popping After Effects projects quickly and creatively with dozens of concise, step-by-step tutorials accompanied by vivid 4-color illustration. Covering features new to CS5 such as Freeform AE, Refine Matte, Roto Brush, and more, this book clearly explains how to perform advanced, typically time-consuming tasks in simplified, quick steps. * Create an entire 3D planet scene... Less

Create, correct, and control with layers, the most powerful tool in Photoshop and Photoshop ElementsImagine yourself in total control of every adjustment to your photos. You've seen the illustrations in glossy magazines, the fine art reproductions in museum catalogs, the award-winning pictures of professional photographers. To produce this kind of magic, understanding how to use layers for your entire breadth of image correction is key.Discover the best ways to showcase your talent with the full power of layers from best-selling author/digital image specialist Richard Lynch. Learn what layers can do for you as an integral part of organizing image development, creating and storing image versions with nondestructive editing, and promoting a positive workflow. Timeless, not version specific,... Less

In an age where digital technology makes just about anything possible, Interactive Design for New Media and the Web demonstrates how to realize that promise through the creation of outstanding interactive programs. This hands-on, practical book examines the ever-expanding capabilities of all forms of digital presentation for increasing interactivity, and the design principles and interface guidelines needed to deliver the required message or story with this technology. Interactive Design for New Media and the Web covers the technology as well as the tools and practices of interactive design, including the creation of site maps and flow charts, and the writing of design documents. It examines the latest interactive features of DVD, as well as the newest techniques and technologies for... Less

Photoshop Elements is the cut-down, lower-price version of Adobe's powerful Photoshop software, and, like Photoshop, it's not just intended for tweaking and retouching those less than perfect photographs-it has huge creative potential, too. How to Cheat in Photoshop Elements 8 is the Elements equivalent to Steve Caplin's How to Cheat in Photoshop-a fun, quirky and inspiring guide, packed with tips, tricks and effects that reveal the power of Elements for design-oriented image manipulation and photomontage. With more than 80 step-by-step projects on page spreads showing the before and after, and all stages in between, this is a practical guide to stir the imagination. QuickTime movie tutorials and images for all projects in the book are included on the accompanying CD-ROM, with additional... Less

Professional commercial photographer and digital imager Jeff Schewe (based in Chicago, USA) has teamed up with best-selling Photoshop author Martin Evening to create this goldmine of information for advanced Photoshop users. Building on Martin Evening's successful Adobe Photoshop for Photographers series of titles, this new guide takes the same winning approach and applies it to a professional Photoshop workflow. Highly visual, with clear, step-by-step tutorials, this advanced guide will really appeal to those who want to see how the experts approach Photoshop, produc ing consistent top- quality results on time and to budget. The authors describe in detail how to carry out some of their favorite Photoshop image editing and retouching techniques using examples taken from real-life... Less

Owners of Audio Production and Critical Listening, please contact us for the Mac version: technical. support@elsevier. com. Making decisions about how and when to apply sound processing effects and recording techniques can make or break your song mix. The decisions you make come down to your listening skills - what you hear and how you perceive it. Your ability to properly discern sound, identify a problem, and act accordingly - especially when the decision often needs to be made quickly - makes all the difference to the success of the final track. Audio Production and Critical Listening develops your critical and expert listening skills, enabling you to listen to audio like an award-winning engineer. The interactive "ear training" software practice modules give you experience... Less

The advent of affordable digital video cameras and desktop-editing applications, coupled with the fact that everyone knows a struggling musician, has blown the music video genre wide open. Image and audio quality, professional- level special effects, and easy distribution via DVD or the Web mean that almost any ambitious moviemaker, musician, or band manager can now have a crack at creating that breakthrough promo video. Make Your Own Music Video reveals the entire process with techniques that apply to any hardware/software environment- from tuning up, synching up, and wrapping up to laying down, cutting down, and burning down. Readers get straightforward, practical advice on how to make cool, entertaining, professional- quality music videos. The book tackles everything from choosing and... Less

Digital Negatives: Using Photoshop to Create Digital Negatives for Silver and Alternative Process Printing bridges the world of traditional photographic printing with digital technology. A digital negative, prepared in Photoshop, allows you to skip the dark room time developing the negatives- getting straight to a variety of printing processes including silver, platinum, and a host of other "alternative” processes. You will see this as an opportunity to mix technology with traditional photo processes resulting in more time for your art! In the recent past, photographers that wanted digital negatives had to take their business to labs. Now all of you Photoshop users can incorporate this practice into your workflow of choice. *Easy, quick start... Less

Achieve the return on engagement that you seek with integrated strategies for honing and maintaining online relationships through personal interaction and compelling digital content. You get specific techniques for Web page optimization, credibility- based design, keyword targeting, viral video, content dissemination through RSS feeds, and more. Integral tools, such as content management systems, blog software, analytics, browser extensions and API's are also covered in great detail. Return on Engagement also gives you contextual descriptions of these tools and techniques that answer the important questions of how, when, where and, perhaps most importantly, why you should implement them. Arranged into four sections- Strategy, On-Site, Off-Site, and The Return-the book is a comprehensive... Less

Owners of Audio Production and Critical Listening, please contact us for the Mac version: technical. support@elsevier. com. Making decisions about how and when to apply sound processing effects and recording techniques can make or break your song mix. The decisions you make come down to your listening skills - what you hear and how you perceive it. Your ability to properly discern sound, identify a problem, and act accordingly - especially when the decision often needs to be made quickly - makes all the difference to the success of the final track. Audio Production and Critical Listening develops your critical and expert listening skills, enabling you to listen to audio like an award-winning engineer. The interactive "ear training" software practice modules give you experience... Less

Achieve professional results with this complete and easy-to-follow introduction to Corel's Paint Shop Pro X. Packed with a wide variety of real life examples, eye-catching visuals and numerous tips and tricks, Paint Shop Pro X for Photographers will enhance your productivity and take your skills to new heights. All the new features of Paint Shop Pro X are covered including Smart Photo Fix, the Makeover tools, Object Remover, Color Balance tool and much more. With full guidance on the basics, you will also master advanced retouching techniques to further improve your images and create outstanding results. If you are an amateur digital photographer, web or graphic designer, this Corel-endorsed guide will provide you with everything you need to achieve success with this affordable but... Less

This step-by-step guide for editing sound to picture using Pro Tools starts by explaining the Pro Tools systems and covers all key audio topics, including equipment, sound, music, effects, output and mixing tools, to give users the skills needed to work on any project from big budget feature film to amateur DV video in mono, stereo or surround sound. Clearly set out and thorough in coverage, the book takes a practical real world approach, a live 35mm film project runs through the chapters illustrating how different functions are added to a film providing the real detail of how to apply it to an edit. Extensively illustrated in color and packed with time-saving hints and tips, the companion website, http://booksite. focalpress. com/Angell., contains the various Pro Tools sessions of the... Less

'Tom Wolsky's years of practical experience in editing shine through in page after page. Essentials will get you up and running quickly and you'll share some of Tom's deep industry experience and editorial insight.' —Philip Hodgetts, 'The SoftwFinal Cut Pro 4 Editing Essentials complements Apple's software documentation with a series of tutorials that teach readers the rudiments of editing with Final Cut Pro 4.

Need to solve problems quickly to develop creative projects to time and to budget? Want to hone your Flash skills so you can concentrate on your animation? Then How to Cheat in Flash is for you! Chris Georgenes shows how to work from the problem to the solution - from the viewpoint of an animator who has been commissioned to create a job and is working to a deadline and to a budget. With his in-depth knowledge of the little-known secrets used by the pros to produce creative, professional animations, Chris is the go-to guru for designers and animators who want to create great animation, applications or motion design with Flash. Fully updated for CS5, How to Cheat in Flash CS5, is a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving practical tips, tricks and step-by-step workthroughs that... Less

If you already have a good knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and are looking to advance your skills, Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop is the book you've been waiting for.  Renowned photographers Martin Evening and Jeff Schewe impart their Photoshop tips and workflow, showing you how to use a vast array of rarely seen advanced Photoshop techniques.  Whet her the subject is serious retouching work, weird and wonderful compositions, or planning a shoot before you've even picked up a camera, you can be sure that the advice is based on years of practical experience. Full of inspirational photographs and hundreds of full-color screenshots to show you how it's done, this book features: -Advice on becoming a retouching master with advanced masking and compositing techniques... Less

Color Management for Photographers: Hands on Techniques for Photoshop Users, by Andrew Rodney, addresses the difficult subject of color management in a way that can help you get real work accomplished. This is the first book that moves beyond esoteric color management theory and detailed explanations of how things work to explain how to achieve a desired effect with step-by-step instructions so you can get on with creating and printing successful images. Complete with what-button-to-pus h-when explanations, this guide will help you navigate color management and further solidify comprehension of techniques with self-paced tutorials that enable you to practice what Rodney preaches. This practical, learn by doing approach is enhanced by the accompanying CD-Rom which includes sample files for... Less

* Best practices for production, encoding, and integration* Build custom video players for web and mobile use* Apply transparency and effects with After EffectsDesign and develop video applications with Flash Professional CS3. In quick primer chapters, you'll get the best practices for shooting video for Flash distribution and the basics of how to design Flash applications for compelling user experiences. Subsequent chapters demonstrate the integrated use of Flash Professional with Dreamweaver, Device Central, and After Effects in practical tutorials. Annotated ActionScript 3 code gives you the facility to build your video applications.In 27 progressive tutorials, you'll acquire practical experience in the cutting edge techniques for:* Encoding single files, batch files, and embedding cue... Less

This book provides an array of concise solutions to the wide variety of problems that are faced by postproduction artists in the post process. With an application- agnostic approach, it gives proven, step-by-step methods to solving the most frequently encountered postproduction problems. Also included is access to a free, password- protected website that features application- specific resolutions to the problems presented, with fixes for working in Apple's Final Cut Studio suite, Avid's Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as other applications. Lessons are enhanced through eye-catching 4 color illustrations throughout. Solutions are provided for common audio, video, digital, editorial, color, timing and compositing problems, such as, but not limited to:* automated dialogue... Less

Photoshop Lightroom is the new software from Adobe aimed specifically at photographers and it's taking the photography world by storm. This no-nonsense guide to setting up an efficient workflow in Lightroom offers all the advice you need to master Adobe's clever workflow tool and make it work for you. As co-founders of the renowned and hugely popular photography training and consultancy company D-65 (D-65.com), Seth Resnick and Jamie Spritzer are the perfect guides to lead you through the maze technical problems and practical challenges that stand between you and a seamless digital workflow with Lightroom at the core. Keep the lens cap on until you've read the essential pro tips in this new Lightroom book from Focal Press! * The essential guide to... Less

Need to solve problems quickly to develop creative projects to time and to budget? Want to hone your Flash skills so you can concentrate on your animation? Then How to Cheat in Flash is for you! Chris Georgenes shows how to work from the problem to the solution - from the viewpoint of an animator who has been commissioned to create a job and is working to a deadline. With his in-depth knowledge of the little-known secrets used by the pros to produce creative, professional animations, Chris is THE go-to guru for designers and animators who want to create great animation, applications or motion design with Flash.  This accessible, practical book and CD package is such a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving practical tips, tricks and step-by-step walkthroughs that you'll wonder how... Less

Just when you think you’ve learned all that you could ever know about working in Photoshop, digital artist and photomontage king Steve Caplin comes along with yet another masterful method for creating incredible works of art in Photoshop. This time, he’ll show you how to create complete images, from start to finish, entirely within the software program. No source material, photographs, or existing files from other software packages are needed, saving you valuable time and resources. The techniques you’ll learn in this ground-breaking new book will help you combine your artistic vision and skills with an understanding of how to manipulate the built-in Photoshop filters to produce impressive, eye-catching artwork. Each chapter opens with a complete double page illustration, created entirely... Less

Implement state-of-the-art Mobile TV networks with this comprehensive guide to the latest technologies and standards, including MediaFLO, ATSC Mobile DTV, and CMMB, the same technologies seeing large-scale rollouts today around the world. You not only gain deep insight into the maze of technologies, but also the principles of mobile content-what makes it work, how it's produced, repurposed and delivered securely, and how it integrates with mobile and Internet domains.   Learn about the key enablers of a mobile TV service, like smartphones, chipsets, and mobile software. Gain access to a detailed look at the networks deployed worldwide with real-world case studies. The informative diagrams provide rich visualization of the new technologies, services, and revenue models. Gain understanding... Less

Welcome to the Discreet Official Training Courseware for 3ds max 7 software! Consider this book an all-access pass to the production and training experience of Discreet developers and training experts. Written for self-paced learning or instructor-led classroom training, the manual will teach you the fundamentals of using 3ds max 7. The book is organized into sections dedicated to animation, modeling, materials, lighting and rendering. Each section covers basic theory, and then includes exercises for hands-on demonstration of the concept. By the end of the book, you will have mastered the basics and moved on to full-length projects. Flexibility is built in, so that you can complete the tutorials in the way that works best for you. Complete the book and you will be a seasoned 3ds... Less

'Reading a technical manual with such interest and enthusiasm is indeed a rarity. Easy to comprehend this will be essential reading for novice and experts alike who want to get to grips and understand the creative suite program as a whole. It is one of the best intro Photoshop books I have encountered to date.'Andy Moxon, Professor of Photography, Savannah College of Art and Design* Offers practical advice through a highly structured learning approach to the fundamental techniques and skills for personal creativity and communication*Jam -packed full of Photoshop tutorials to put your skills into practice A superb full color guide to creative image editing, this will take you through all the necessary steps in order to become a competent and confident Photoshop user. Photoshop CS:... Less

MasterPhotoshop CS4 with this visual, hands-on guide to using layers, under the expert guidance of digital imaging specialist Richard Lynch. Layers, Photoshop's most powerful feature, is the core of a nondestructive image-editing workflow.Step-by-s tep instructions and practical examples illustrate how to. * Polish: correct and enhance color, fix composition problems, and repair damage or flaws * Manipulate: isolate image areas for changes, adjustments and experimental concepts* Understand: use all forms of layer blending, including transparency, clipping masks, opacity/fill, layer masks, layer modes, channel targeting, Blend If, and Effects/StylesThe accompanying DVD comes complete with a generous library of practical actions based on techniques from the book that add functional power... Less

Create awe-inspiring, mind-blowing Flash ads, microsites, advergames, and branded applications that engage consumers and demonstrate their worth to clients. Creating Flash Advertising delivers the nuts and bolts of the development process from initial design conception to ad completion. You'll learn the best practices for: * Mastering the myriad of ad specs, deadlines, quality and version control issues * Creating ads that balance campaign goals with design constraints * Preparing and building ads with team and QC standards * Using forms and data in ads without file bloat * File optimization techniques for swf files * 3rd party rich media technologies that transcend the 30k banner * Integrating video into sites and banners * Social media applications * Trafficking and tracking ads for... Less

Flash Designers: push Flash to the next level with After Effects' robust toolset.* Add motion graphics and visual effects to your Flash projects* Fuse 3D depth into 2D animations* Prepare Flash animations for broadcast* Save development time in executing animationsCombine these two powerhouse applications to expand your multimedia horizons. Flash + After Effects gives the experienced Flash designer a working understanding of the After Effects toolset with professional techniques that raise the design bar for Web, broadcast, or CD/DVD delivery. The companion DVD contains project media that permit you to practice essential After Effects skills that include: * Working with video and the AE timeline* Using alpha channels for keying and enhancing interactivity* Putting vector animation to... Less

The rapid drop in costs of digital audio recording and production tools has led to widespread adoption by "non-audio" people. Multimedia producers, including videographers and graphic designers producing for the Web and other media, need to learn the many details of producing digital audio. Hot topics include selecting and using recording hardware including microphones, headphones, and monitors; how to use postproduction- editing software; and how to deliver the finished audio in an array of media/formats. Instant Digital Audio presents digital audio principals and techniques for the non-audio specialist. Videographers and multimedia producers who are new to audio learn how to select the hardware and software that they need and how to use it. Straightforward explanations supplemented with... Less