Download : Photoshop Elements 10: The Missing Manual

Photoshop Elements 10

PSE 10 is very similar at the user interface level to versions 8 and 9, and it is --like its predecessor versions-- extremely feature dense. This makes it both a powerful digital image editor, and a potential well of frustration for users. While PSE 10 includes some automated and guided image editing functions, users hoping to harness its full power will achieve this sooner if they grab some help. Barbara Brundage offers this assistance in a detailed guide that explores the higher functions of PSE, while respecting the challenges many readers may have in grasping complex technology.

Brundage offers both conceptual overviews and tutorials of PSE 10'as interface and functions. She effectively breaks down the the concepts of file management, basic editing, image manipulation and sharing of the results of these digital editing techniques.

This book is particularly effective in addressing the two areas that can lead to delight --or despair-- among would-be photo editors: selection and layering in PSE.

The conceptual discussions and tutorials in this book are intelligently discussed and laid out in good detail. The companion materials to this book are online ("the missing CD"), and include links to sample images used for demonstrations in the book, and to other online resources to assist with PSE mastery. The author and creative team both have links to their own websites and email addresses listed in the introduction. You will also see that I have responded directly to other reviewers' comments. This indicates strong ownership and a high level of accessibility. In addition, the author readily --and correctly-- points out that many high quality step-by-step guides to most things you might want to do are readily found on popular video sites.

2:51 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : Mac OS X Lion: The Missing Manual

Mac OS X Lion: The Missing Manual

The Missing Manuals utilize a fantastic template of structure, graphical features, unusually useful appendices, and terrific writing style. The book describes the features of the operating system; illustrates with plentiful graphics, charts, screenshots; supplements with many extras in sidebar discussions like Power User Tips, Nostalgia Corner, and Gems in the Rough; adds value by providing great practical suggestions on how best to use the features efficiently and thoughtfully; and adds dollops of wit and humor throughout.

In the latest volume, Mr. Pogue covers the 250 or so new features of Lion, highlighting the features which converge Apple's desktop and mobile device operating systems-touch gestures using the trackpad and Apple's Magic Mouse and the new iPad-like interfaces called Launchpad and Home page. The mobile designs introduce a new way to work on the desktop which will appeal to new users but probably veterans as well. Pogue comprehensively discusses both the new and older ways to run the system and applications.

The book also explains the new iCloud server features and how to transfer from the old (but still ticking) Mobile Me with great suggestions on substitutes for the handful of missing features.

In nearly every section he points out in detail how 10.7 differs from earlier systems, even in the smallest ways. This writing is comprehensive and systematic. He shows how one can revert to the older ways of doing things and even how to use older applications--even OS 9 programs --using shareware Sheep Saver--as Apple has removed the Rosetta code which allowed newer Macs to run the old applications.

2:48 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book

Creative professionals seeking the fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 choose Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book from the Adobe Creative Team at Adobe Press. The 14 project-based lessons in this book show readers step-by-step the key techniques for working in Photoshop CS5.

In addition to learning the key elements of the Photoshop interface, this completely revised CS5 edition shows readers how to edit images with precise selection control, correct a wide range of lens-based errors, interactively transform their images with the new Puppet Warp tool, and easily remove or replace image elements with the new Content-Aware Fill mode. The book also covers new powerful painting effects to artistically enhance images and shows how to combine multiple exposures into a single HDR image.

For the first time, the companion DVD will feature, in addition to the lesson files, 2 hours of free video tutorials from Learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 by Video by Adobe Press and video2brain, a great added value!

“The Classroom in a Book series is by far the best training material on the market. Everything you need to master the software is included: clear explanations of each lesson, step-by-step instructions, and the project files for the students.” —Barbara Binder, Adobe Certified Instructor, Rocky Mountain Training

Classroom in a Book®, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does—an official training series from Adobe Systems Incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

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Download : Getting Started Guide: AWS Static Website Hosting

Getting Started Guide: AWS Static Website Hosting

If you have a website that delivers static content, such as product catalogs, images, or user manuals, deploying it in the cloud can make managing traffic much simpler. This guide shows you how to host your site with Amazon Web Services by using Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) to store your content, Amazon CloudFront to serve it up, and Amazon Route 53 to use your own domain name to route users to your site. 

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Download : SQL PL-SQL Lab Manual (*4 All Series) [Kindle Edition]

SQL PL-SQL Lab Manual (*4 All Series)

The Structured Query Language (SQL) is a computer language for accessing and manipulating databases. 

The fundamental concept is to think of the data as being stored in one or more tables. When a request is made to retrieve data from these tables, which is called a "query", the resultant output is also presented in as table.

There are many different versions of the SQL language, but to be in compliance with the ANSI SQL '92 Standard, they must use and support the same major keywords in a similar manner (such as SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, INSERT, WHERE, and others.

SQL PL-SQL Lab Manual: This manual is specially written for Students who are interested in understanding Structured Query Language and PL-SQL concepts in the Computer Engineering and Information technology field and wants to gain enhance knowledge about power of SQL Language in Relational Database Management System Development.

The manual covers practical point of view in all aspects of SQL and PL/SQL including DDL, DML,DCL sublanguages, also there are practices for Views, Group by, Having Clause. All PL-SQL concepts like Condition and Loop Structures, Functions and Procedures, Cursor, Triggers, Locks are illustrated using best examples.

Also Important Database management System questionsa re also answered. 

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Download : What's New in Java 7? [Kindle Edition]

What's New in Java 7?

This book is a good idea as a quick survey of new features in Java 7, but it is missing a crucial piece. I don't mind that the author did not cover all features in in the survey, but it would have been useful for me see a complete list of other enhancements that were included in Java 7. This way I would know if I was interested in finding more details on something else. I looked up the release notes on the Oracle web site and including an index below in case someone will find that information useful for reference as well. For example, I have to deal with the mixed environment which has Java and non-Java languages, and there are enhancements in that area that are potentially critical for my needs: the Garbage-First Collector and JVM support for non-Java languages. I would have liked to see all areas mentioned, even if there were no additional details.

The areas the author covers are easy to understand and give you just enough details to know if these features are going to be useful/relevant.

2:37 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual

JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual

This is a very well written book. I admit I was not completely new to jQuery when I read this, so I'm not sure about the learning curve, but I felt the book does a better job of fully explaining things than some other jQuery books do. It often provides line by line explanations of code rather than just summaries or generalizations. The book is a bit longer than some other jQuery books because of this added detail, and also because it really does cover a lot of material.

I enjoyed the writing style/tone of the book - it's not overly technical/serious, but also isn't over the top.

I also really appreciate the unqiue approach it takes of teaching you everything practical you need to know about "raw" javascript in order to enhance jQuery without getting into details many users may not need to know. If you're wondering, the content is roughly 3/4ths jquery and 1/4th pure javascript.

I do have a few complaints - the book does occasionally spend a bit too much time talking about specific plug-ins and how to use them. Usually it walks you through you how to do a simple task and then uses a plug-in for a more advanced version of it (such as galleries and form validation). I have mixed feelings about this (especially when some of these plug-ins have complete documentation on their websites) but since this is really just a personal opinion I didn't take a star off for it. There is also very little content related to making your own plug-ins, which is a cool feature of jQuery that a few other books do touch on. I found this odd given how often the book talks about plug-ins. There are a few typos here and there but I did not find any that affected the success of the examples - mostly just grammatical things.

2:34 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide (3rd Edition) (Big Nerd Ranch Guides)

iOS Programming

Updated and expanded to cover iOS 5 and Xcode 4.3, iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide leads you through the essential concepts, tools, and techniques for developing iOS applications. After completing this book, you will have the understanding, the know-how, and the confidence you need to tackle iOS projects of your own.

Based on Big Nerd Ranch’s popular iOS Bootcamp course and its well-tested materials and methodology, this best-selling guide teaches iOS concepts and coding in tandem. The result is instruction that is relevant and useful.

Throughout the book, the authors clearly explain what’s important to know and share their insights into the larger context of the iOS platform. This gives you a real understanding of how iOS development works, the many features that are available, and when and where to apply what you’ve learned.

Here are some of the topics covered:

• Xcode 4.3, Instruments, and Storyboards
• ARC, strong and weak references, and retain cycles
• Interfacing with iCloud
• Handling touch events and gestures
• Tool bars, navigation controllers, and split view controllers
• Localization and Internationalization
• Block syntax and use
• Background execution and multi-tasking
• Saving/loading data: Archiving and Core Data
• Core Location and Map Kit
• Communicating with web services
• Working with XML, JSON, and NSRegularExpression
•   Using the Model-View-Controller-Store design pattern 

 

 

 

2:32 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites

HTML and CSS

A full-color introduction to the basics of HTML and CSS from the publishers of Wrox! Every day, more and more people want to learn some HTML and CSS. Joining the professional web designers and programmers are new audiences who need to know a little bit of code at work (update a content management system or e-commerce store) and those who want to make their personal blogs more attractive. 

Many books teaching HTML and CSS are dry and only written for those who want to become programmers, which is why this book takes an entirely new approach. Introduces HTML and CSS in a way that makes them accessible to everyone—hobbyists, students, and professionals—and it’s full-color throughout Utilizes information graphics and lifestyle photography to explain the topics in a simple way that is engaging Boasts a unique structure that allows you to progress through the chapters from beginning to end or just dip into topics of particular interest at your leisure This educational book is one that you will enjoy picking up, reading, then referring back to. It will make you wish other technical topics were presented in such a simple, attractive and engaging way! 

2:27 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Since Lightroom first launched, Scott Kelby's The Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers has been the world's #1 best-selling Lightroom book. In this latest version for Lightroom 4, Scott uses his same step-by-step, plain-English style and layout to make learning Lightroom easy and fun. Scott doesn't just show you which sliders do what, and he doesn't just cover the newest features of Lightroom (though, of course, he does that, too, with discussions of the improved Clarity feature, White Balance adjustment brush, photo book capabilities, and much more). Instead, by using the following three simple, yet brilliant, techniques that make it just an incredible learning tool, this book shows you how to create your own photography workflow using Lightroom:

1) Scott shares his own personal settings and studio-tested techniques.  He trains thousands of Lightroom users every year, and knows first hand what really works and what doesn't.

2) The entire book is laid out in a real workflow order with everything step by step, so you can begin using Lightroom like a pro from the start.

3) What really sets this book apart is the last chapter. This is where Scott dramatically answers his #1 most-asked Lightroom question, which is: "Exactly what order am I supposed to do things in, and where does Photoshop fit in?"

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers is the first and only book to bring the whole process together in such a clear, concise, and visual way.

2:24 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers, The [Paperback]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom was designed from the ground up with digital photographers in mind, offering powerful editing features in a streamlined interface that lets photographers import, sort, and organize images. This completely updated bestseller was also written with photographers in mind. Author Martin Evening describes features in Lightroom 4 in detail from a photographer’s perspective. As an established commercial and fashion photographer, Martin knows firsthand what photographers need for an efficient workflow. He has also been working with Lightroom from the beginning, monitoring the product’s development and providing valued feedback to Adobe. As a result, Martin knows the software inside and out, from image selection to image editing to image management. 

In this book you’ll learn how to: 

• Work efficiently with images shot in the raw or JPEG format 

 • Import photographs with ease and sort them according to your workflow 

 • Create and manage a personal image library 

 • Apply tonal adjustments to multiple images quickly 

 • Integrate Lightroom with Adobe Photoshop 

• Export images for print or Web as digital contact sheets or personal portfolios 

• Make the most of new features in Lightroom 4, such as the Camera Raw Process 2012 Basic panel tone controls Photographers will find Lightroom 4–and The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book–indispensable tools in their digital darkrooms. This book’s companion site, www.thelightroombook.com, offers video tutorials, articles, sample images, and updates from author Martin Evening. “With Martin’s expert guidance, you’ll soon find that you have precisely the tools you need to turn your concentration back where it belongs–on making better pictures!”

2:21 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Download : What Is HTML5? [Kindle Edition]

What Is HTML5?

It is really difficult to complain about something that is free but I did spend the time to read the entire pamphlet hoping that I'd find something useful; and I didn't. I'm not sure who the target audience is intended to be. It seemed to me that to understand the context of the thesis you'd have to know more than a little bit about HTML and DOM to begin with. But even with that little bit of HTML and DOM knowledge you'd be frustrated because you never get a clear example of HTML versus HTML5. And if you didn't have that baseline HTML and DOM expertise then I think that "What is HTML5?" would leave you baffled.

I gave two stars because the points the author makes are valid and important, and it didn't cost me anything but my time. I just think that the points could have been made as effectively (maybe more so) in a 300 word blog entry, which would have been worth the time to read. 

HTML5 has been perhaps the most talked about revision of the web's native tongue since the early days of hyperlinked graphical online content. Over the years web has evolved far away from the paradigm of various linked "documents" which featured animation and interactivity as a bit of an afterthought. Various websites have become sophisticated enough to handle even the most demanding tasks that until recently on stand-alone desktop applications were capable of accomplishing. HTML alone was unable to handle many such applications on its own, and their implementation oftentimes require almost heroic efforts of coding wizardry and an alphabet soup of various online add-ons. This is where HTML5 comes in. It is designed from the ground up to be both compatible with previous versions of HTML, and provide the developer with an integrated approach to a whole variety of online formats and behaviors.

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Download : Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 [Kindle Edition]

Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012

Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 explores the exciting enhancements and new capabilities engineered into SQL Server, ranging from improvements in operation to those in reporting and management. This book is for anyone who has an interest in SQL Server 2012 and wants to understand its capabilities, including database administrators, application developers, and technical decision makers.

This is an excellent tome for all the new goodies included in Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

SQL Server 2012 included many new features, all of which are covered in this book. Data Quality Services (DQS), Column Store Indexes, the new tabular SSAS model, and semantic search, to name just a few.

In addition the enhancements are also covered, such as to the engine and security. But it also hits on other areas, such as MDS (Master Data Services), SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) and SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services).

Best of all, it's a good read. Not the boring drudgery you find in many computer books, the writing is lively and personal.  

2:01 PM | 0 comments | Read More