InDesign Books

[Tinocap]

I’ve not used a DTP package for about 10 years but bought and read Terry Rydberg’s Exploring InDesign CS2 (ISBN 1-4180-1432-X) last week and it’s been very easy to follow and looked better than the others I saw in the shop (there must have been 10). It’s black and white with a colour central section, but is very well set out and comes with a resources CD. It was about 10 pounds cheaper than the Adobe Classroom books. It’s designed as a course and I think you might find some parts quite basic if you’re used to PageMaker but is clever in that it introduces you to keyboard shortcuts and then takes away prompts so that you’re forced to remember them. I found some parts were familiar but it wasn’t at all patronising and it emphasises style as well as just the program. It’s 350 pages and if you’ve got time to plough through the whole thing and you don’t mind not flicking between chapters then I think it’s great. There are a lot of projects to do as you go through. It’s definitely not the kind of book that just goes through all the tools and the menu functions in order in the kind of abstract way that some books did.
I think there’s a Scott Kelby book as well (they didn’t sell it in the bookshop I was in), which if it’s anything like his Photoshop book should be good, if you can get past his sense of humour.
Tino.

[Erica Gamet]

I really like the Visual Quickstart Guides…Sandee Cohen does the InDesign one…from Peachpit Press (in the US but maybe another imprint in the UK and/or Europe). Really step by step with more pictures than words. I also like the Real World books (Kvern/Blatner also by Peachpit Press) but they’re QUITE LARGE.

If you’re looking for a “To do this…click this, this, and this” kind of no-nonsense workbook, I have my workbook for sale. I am an InDesign trainer and have written the workbook that I use for my classes. It’s really meant to accompany my 2-Day class, but I do sell it separately. If you’re interested, please send me an email and I’ll send you the details and website.

Erica Gamet
Digital Dimensions

[Dondigital]

Hi Christian,

how about DVD training tutorials? I always fall asleep with this classroom in a book stuff.
Have a look at this link: https://www.totaltraining.com/prod/adobe/indesigncs2.asp?mscsid=

Great tutorial with project files included to work along. If you like it, I personally would also
recommend this one: https://www.totaltraining.com/prod/adobe/creativesuite2_dtd.asp?mscsid=

I had them both, check it out. All the best

Frank