30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Average Tutorial from Adobe, Aug 10 2007
By Richard Eltzroth - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS3 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)
At the time this was the only available book for Illustrator CS3, so there wasn't much choice. It gives a decent overview of the program and is fairly typical of Adobe's Classroom in a Book series. Nothing to jump up and down about though. The lessons are easy to follow, even for beginners.
More thorough and in-depth books are apparently due out soon and should satisfy those wanting more details on actually how to get the most out of this latest Illustrator.
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Getting help only if you pay by body parts..., July 6 2007
By A. Meit - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS3 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)
I know a thing or two about tutorials/manuals for I often test them as a beta-tester. The following comments are for all five of the CIBs. Yes, I have worked though each one.
As a bare start its ok but its just too much of a skimpy overview for the high price its requesting. This book should have been a PDF, unlocked, with the software. If you want a good intro at a reasonable price, don't buy this book. As for its content, I have found errors that should have been found long before it got to print. If you really want it, than wait a few more months for an updated edition. As for the pdf version, stay away from that too. Its DRM settings are overly restrictive, i.e., only 30 text selections over 30 days. There are much better books coming soon at the price with respect to its in-depth coverage. So buy them. :-)
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It was helpful for me., Jan 23 2008
By Thomas J. Busse "Gibarian" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS3 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)
I am new to Illustrator and the Adobe programs in general, and from that perspective, this book was ideal. It got me much more comfortable with the work environment to the point I found myself actually wanting to use the program to perform design tasks.
This book is not comprehensive. Some things (just my list) this book does not cover, but are essential to professional users of the program:
1. Graphics tablet features.
2. Creation of Flash symbols/integration with Flash.
3. Keyboard Shortcuts.
4. Charts/Graphs creation (this is most likely the most common commercial use of the program).
5. The pathfinder effects (these very important tools are briefly touched upon, but are essential for good use of the program and really really counterintuitive).
6. A bibliography or resource list.
I feel this book really should have shipped with the program. Like many software developers, Adobe asks a-lot when it does not provide a manual with such an expensive program. Adobe Help has much improved with CS3, but it's not the same as a true manual.
Illustrator itself is a decent program that has much improved with CS3. It's still not ideal, and really gets more attention than its competitors largely through Adobe's ingenious marketing of the "creative suite."