Rating: 
Summary: A Definite Must in Your Reference Library!
Review: Abigail has outdone herself with her latest book. Having used Fireworks for almost 3 years, I found excellent guidance and explainations in her step-by-step approach to teaching. Her tone is personal and doesn't "dumb-down" or go too techy. A great book for beginners and beyond!
Rating:
Summary: A Definite Must in Your Reference Library!
Review: Abigail has outdone herself with her latest book. Having used Fireworks for almost 3 years, I found excellent guidance and explainations in her step-by-step approach to teaching. Her tone is personal and doesn't "dumb-down" or go too techy. A great book for beginners and beyond!
Rating: 
Summary: Overview of Manipulating Images
Review: FIREWORKS MX FUNDAMENTALS
AUTHOR: Abigail Rudner
PUBLISHER: New Riders
REVIEWED BY: Barbara RhoadesBOOK REVIEW: Open this book and the first thing you will read about is the new interface, tools and workspace found in Fireworks MX. Beginning at the beginning is a good way to start any book, especially one that provides how-to information. The CD included with Fireworks MX Fundamentals has the exercise files, a trial of Fireworks MX, a list of helpful links and even better, it has extra files that you can apply what you have learned from the book. Use these files to try out what you have learned on your own without an exact copy of the exercise to follow and see if they come out the way you want. Other chapters contain the normal subjects expected from any instructional book such as working with vectors, color fills and strokes or live effects. One Chapter talks about masking. This is an easy way to create unique effects in your images. There are chapters on animation, exporting your work and automation by find and replace or batch processing. Between the CD and the readable information provided in Fireworks MX Fundamentals, you should come away with a good understanding of how Fireworks MX can be used to create great images for your web sites.
Rating:
Summary: Overview of Manipulating Images
Review: FIREWORKS MX FUNDAMENTALS
AUTHOR: Abigail Rudner
PUBLISHER: New Riders
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades BOOK REVIEW: Open this book and the first thing you will read about is the new interface, tools and workspace found in Fireworks MX. Beginning at the beginning is a good way to start any book, especially one that provides how-to information. The CD included with Fireworks MX Fundamentals has the exercise files, a trial of Fireworks MX, a list of helpful links and even better, it has extra files that you can apply what you have learned from the book. Use these files to try out what you have learned on your own without an exact copy of the exercise to follow and see if they come out the way you want. Other chapters contain the normal subjects expected from any instructional book such as working with vectors, color fills and strokes or live effects. One Chapter talks about masking. This is an easy way to create unique effects in your images. There are chapters on animation, exporting your work and automation by find and replace or batch processing. Between the CD and the readable information provided in Fireworks MX Fundamentals, you should come away with a good understanding of how Fireworks MX can be used to create great images for your web sites.
Rating:
Summary: So easy and fun!
Review: I haaaate basic guides to software. Often they are too simplistic for anyone who has an IQ greater than that of a salamander or so dry that I find myself nodding off after the third "handy" tip. Ms. Rudner makes learning fun with her neighborly writing style while not dropping the quality of the information to salamander level. Great examples abound and the information is always presented clearly and to the point.
Rating:
Summary: So easy and fun!
Review: I haaaate basic guides to software. Often they are too simplistic for anyone who has an IQ greater than that of a salamander or so dry that I find myself nodding off after the third "handy" tip. Ms. Rudner makes learning fun with her neighborly writing style while not dropping the quality of the information to salamander level. Great examples abound and the information is always presented clearly and to the point.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: I read and fully enjoyed Dreamweaver MX HOT and got through it in 2 days flat not a problem. Got this as it is by the same author and the same cannot be said for this title. The examples are flawed in a good number of cases....procedures are missed out and many examples just don't work (try the masking a bitmap with text which they even supplied a full example for on the CD and following to the letter the text dissapears) I am a qualified lecturer in the implementation of software and this book has done nothing but frustrate me
Rating:
Summary: GET THIS BOOK!
Review: If you have been curious about Fireworks or have played with it and want to learn what it is really about get this book. I found this book very easy to read and was able to begin actually using Fireworks at a much higher level than I even realized was possible immediately! The reference infomation is very clearly written, the examples are straight forward, interesting and fun PLUS the book provides very important and very solid information on practices for integrating Fireworks MX and Dreamweaver MX. Great content is available on the CD which really helped me to understand and begin creating really cool stuff on my own. I for one would like to see more from this author. Great job!
Rating:
Summary: Sorry Abigail but you should have done this book...
Review: in the H.O.T. tutorial style. I bought this book on the recommendation of Garo Green. He and Abigail authored Dreamweaver MX Hands-On-Training. They did a great job with the layout of the lessons as well as never assuming that you knew what they are talking about. I find Fireworks MX Fundamentals lacking in the wording of the instructions as well as the lack of visual reference as you go through each numbered lesson. I have already put the book down out of frustration and currently looking around for another book on learning Fireworks MX. Maybe it is just me that I got spoiled by the format of H.O.T. books. I think Abagail should redo this book but through Lynda.com...I bet it would be 10x better. If you are self taught, this book might fall beneath your expectations.
Rating:
Summary: Common Sense Graphics
Review: The book takes a different approach to integrating graphics, animation, and the web. Easy to read literature with tons of
visual aids.
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