Rating: 
Summary: Got Me a Job!!
Review: I was very thrilled with this book. What I particularly liked was the fact that it showed all parts of a website design. I was able to make mock websites including intuitive navigation and great looking designs using the techniques taught in this book. I put together a portfolio and landed my first web design job at a large firm.The layout of the book is what I liked, it was very logical separating the vector from the bitmap. The designs were complete but separated by topic such as navigation or masks etc. Sure, I found some mistakes but nothing detrimental to my learning. One time I wrote the author and she replied very quickly and was very helpful offering additional advice and help. I was shocked at the fast and friendly response. So many times an author won't write back. I recommend this book to anyone who is somewhat familiar with Fireworks and wants to explore the creative side of what the program can do.
Rating:
Summary: Wowee!!
Review: I've just gone through this book and am I impressed. Theres no technical jargon, nor does the author talk down to us, it's like she is sitting next to me and walking through every single step. The really helpful part is that there are many concepts that are not only explained "how" to do them but "why". When I saw there was a supporting Web site I decided to test it out and see if a real person responded. She did and was quite helpful and pleasant, this author does care about us. The CD, well.. one of the CDs that come with the book had some bonus movie tutorials included. I had to unzip them but hey that's no big deal. I'd rather do that than not get them at all because of CD space (explained in the readme). I've worked with the Bezier tool before but was real clumsy when it came to editing them. The beziercurves movie really helped me finally grasp the idea. Ok, so what's in the book? I did a quick count and there are over 50 different projects and exercises, and not your token scribbles to demonstrate a point, but real usable interfaces that I can reproduce myself. I liked the fact that I wasn't teased with a picture of a whole Web interface, and then only get the instructions for one small part of how to make it. Fireworks 4 f/x and Design includes many samples of the entire Web site or interface. There are even tips on how to place those pesky pop-up menus in Dreamweaver and how to edit them. This book helped me realize the degree of image editing I could really do in Fireworks. I had no idea how great it was for things like tonal control, the levels command and other color adjustments. You'll find collages made using masking techniques, plenty of navigation solutions, learn how to make your own commands and use special effects. The second CD has comping images for use in presentations to clients that you can use to demo an idea which really saves me a lot of time when I'm doing a quick mock up. I really dislike searching for a sample image. I appreciate the fact that prior to a project being taught the techniques to perform it has been previously shared. For being a design book, it's pretty comprehensive and is a no nonsense book without any of the gratuitous babble that is so often found. My overall impression is that this book is a rare find and there are plenty of ideas that will return my money to me many times.
Rating: 
Summary: More mistakes than you can count!
Review: OK... it's kind of a fun book-- nice & colorful. And they have a bonus disk of Comstock photos to play with (lo res)-- but there's practically a mistake on every page! Sometimes more. Files on the example CD are named differently from the book, the author seems to lose track of her line of thought mid-paragraph... the list is endless. I cannot recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: More mistakes than you can count!
Review: OK... it's kind of a fun book-- nice & colorful. And they have a bonus disk of Comstock photos to play with (lo res)-- but there's practically a mistake on every page! Sometimes more. Files on the example CD are named differently from the book, the author seems to lose track of her line of thought mid-paragraph... the list is endless. I cannot recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Book can be frustrating
Review: There are some glaring mistakes in this book. It obviously was rushed out the door. On page 149: "the naming of slices is done in the Optimize panel..." which is patently wrong. And the error appears right next to a photo of the Object panel, which happens to be the correct panel. There are many spelling errors. The depth of information is pretty inconsistent. In chapter 6, the author takes you on a three-page complicated... process of creating a "great-looking text box" and then a few pages later she completely forgets to mention that transparent GIF's can only be viewed in the Export Preview panel. So here I am going through her instructions over and over and over and I can't see the transparency (even when I preview in browser) and finally I learn about her omission from the Fireworks' own manual. Some of the instructions are worthless because they are not accompanied with illustrations. The slicing exercise on page 154 is ludicrous because of the dense instructions: slice from top right of the 2nd guide to bottom left of 5th guide to top right of 3rd guide and so on and so on. I just gave up. One more thing:... The so-called "game control panel" used in chapter 6 is incredibly ugly, something out of the 70's created by a junior high student. Yet, the author keeps reminding us that it is copyrighted and should not be used online! Okay, Joyce, that'll be easy to comply with. The blending mode example of combining outdoor images in chapter 1 could only aesthetically appeal to a masochist. So, please, use this book only to learn technique not design. ... Nevertheless, I did go through several chapters and learned a lot. I am not sorry I bought the book. Just wanted to point out some strange things I noticed, elimination of which could render this a much better book.
Rating:
Summary: Fireworks 4 FX Design
Review: This book is a good "starter" book.. The one thing that really annoyed me was the abundance of errors in this book. This is my first FX book, bought it with so much anticipation :-(. The bottom line is, if you bought this book and you find yourself asking "what am I doing wrong?", here is a news flash for you - "IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!". Save yourself the money and buy the quickstart series (a 5 star rating) or the Fireworks 4 Bible (fantastic reference!).
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: This book is pretty thorough for a design book. It was easy to use but intermediate as well. I had no idea Fireworks could do so much. The designs are professional and the CD is packed with goodies. There is even a section on how to get Fireworks into Dreamweaver and a great gel button tutorial.
Rating:
Summary: Fireworks 4 f/x & Design - I Give it 5 Thumbs Up!!!!!
Review: This f/x & Design book is a joy to read. Right from the outset you are drawn into the mesmerizing world of Fireworks. Learning and doing...learning and doing...with over 50 projects placed throughout the chapters. It's definitely an action packed ride with hardly a moment to catch your breath. The writing is is of the highest quality and I found myself reading every single paragraph with bated breath to see what was going to happen next. The projects and exercises are on par with the level of this book and Joyce even throws in 14 quicktime tutorial movies covering topics such as masking, gradients and the famous gel button. As a former Photoshop user, this book brings me to terms with the power and sheer brilliance that Fireworks is. With this being Joyce's first book, I can only imagine how amazing her future ones are going to be. Joyce, you just keep writing them and we will read. This is a sure fire winner and a must for everyones bookshelf. This book ROCKS!!! A unanimous 5 thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Fireworks 4 f/x & Design - I Give it 5 Thumbs Up!!!!!
Review: This f/x & Design book is a joy to read. Right from the outset you are drawn into the mesmerizing world of Fireworks. Learning and doing...learning and doing...with over 50 projects placed throughout the chapters. It's definitely an action packed ride with hardly a moment to catch your breath. The writing is is of the highest quality and I found myself reading every single paragraph with bated breath to see what was going to happen next. The projects and exercises are on par with the level of this book and Joyce even throws in 14 quicktime tutorial movies covering topics such as masking, gradients and the famous gel button. As a former Photoshop user, this book brings me to terms with the power and sheer brilliance that Fireworks is. With this being Joyce's first book, I can only imagine how amazing her future ones are going to be. Joyce, you just keep writing them and we will read. This is a sure fire winner and a must for everyones bookshelf. This book ROCKS!!! A unanimous 5 thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Great Way to Learning!
Review: This is my first review at Amazon, and I am writing it because this is such a good book. Of course, it did arrive just when I needed help with a project. But not only did it solve that problem, but helped me avoid a few that would have come up. The book also provides examples and ideas on using Fireworks (and how to integrate it with Dreamweaver) that will enhance the next web sites that I do. Yes, there are a few errors. But the author's web site has corrections posted. And this book is A LOT EASIER TO FOLLOW than the Bible.
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