Digital goods directory - http://www.digitalgoodsdirectory.com

Editor's picks

• 

  Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book

  Book (Adobe Press)
  

  Rating (36 reviews):

  (4.2/5)

  

  A straightforward and solid introduction to the basics of Adobe Illustrator CS5

  While I've worked a bit with other components of the Adobe Creative Suite, I was an absolute beginner when it comes to Illustrator, and really needed a simple guide to become familiar with the interface, tools and basic strategies. While I'm primarily interested in After Effects and Premiere Pro and Photoshop, I wanted to learn Illustrator because it's one of the best ways to create some of the elements I'd want to animate in After Effects or include in my composite images in Photoshop, or use as Buttons in Encore CS5 - and if you go through any of the major training textbooks for those programs they will invariably include several elements originally created within Illustrator CS5. Still, Illustrator's not a program you can just jump into, since it's designed for precision - this is not really a free hand or free style drawing or painting program, where you just pick up a pencil and scribble or a brush and express - it's much more like a precision tool-driven drafting, design, and... 5/5 Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews, August 30, 2010

  ---

  Good for beginners who are willing to spend some time

  The Illustrator is a complicated program but this book does a good job of explaining various features through lessons. While following the instructions in the book, I realized how difficult it is for them to describe every step precisely and clearly, in part because the book has to address both PC and Mac users and the program menus and tool settings change depending on the screen resolution of the user computer. For example, the book asks the reader to click the word Transform but some readers may not see the Transform in the described panel because of their limited screen resolution. So the book describes another way of selecting the Transform. In addition, the Illustrator is highly customizable, so the book reminds the reader to start with the default settings, not just once but over and over again. So the book tries hard not to lose the reader in the lessons by anticipating possible situations the reader may face.Due to the complexity of the program, every step has to... 3/5 Boris Ma "All Things Mystical" (Alexandria, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews, August 1, 2010

  ---

  Extremely Well-Crafted Illustrator CS5 Learning Experience

  Illustrator is Adobe's oldest app, going back to 1987. What's called "Illustrator CS5" is actually Illustrator 15. In September of 2003, when Adobe released its original Creative Suite collection, Illustrator shared a common user interface (UI) with Photoshop and InDesign. Though many of the tools and panels in many of the CS5 apps look and operate similarly, each app has it's own hidden power. It seems to us that there's more power hiding in Adobe Illustrator (Ai) than any other app in the Master Collection. We go back to Illustrator 3 but need to brush up with the new features with each version which is released. We have many resources for getting up to speed but none is better than Classroom in a Book (CIB). As Janet & I go through the lessons in Ai CS5 CIB we find ourselves saying to each other, "Did you know that..." For Illustrator professionals, the first chapter is an excellent overview of the CS5 new features. In the past, this chapter has seemed a little too packed and we've... 5/5 M. Media Studios Inc. "M2 Media Studios, Inc." (Northern Virginia (West of DC)) - See all my reviews, August 20, 2010

  ---

  List Price: $54.99
  

---

• 

  Adobe Illustrator CS5 [Old Version]

  Software (Adobe)
  

  Rating (4 reviews):

  (3.5/5)

  

  Worst version ever, and that's saying something

  Unlike two other reviewers, I haven't been using Illustrator for 20 years. I've been using it longer -- in fact, since version 1.0. Heck, I'll go one step more: Anyone out there remember Cricket Draw, which preceded the release of Adobe Illustrator 1.0? Yeah, that's how long I've been using this program.Now to the bad news. Since version 5.5, Adobe has managed to steadily make this app worse with each release. The buggy type on a path feature has still not been fixed -- Holy Christ, Adobe, how long is it going to take you to fix this feature? CS 5.5 features a new bug: type on paths or in type areas that is frustratingly difficult to select -- just a sinfully fatal flaw in my opinion. The only truly innovative and useful feature is the artboards palette, which basically allows pagination in Illustrator much like a standard layout app.Graphics professionals like myself don't want inane tools like the symbol splatter brush, or whatever the hell Adobe calls it. We... 1/5 progstock "progstock" (U.S.) - See all my reviews This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 [Old Version] (Software) Unlike two other reviewers, I haven't been using Illustrator for 20 years. I've been using it longer -- in fact, since version 1.0. Heck, I'll go one step more: Anyone out there remember Cricket Draw, which preceded the release of Adobe Illustrator 1.0? Yeah, that's how long I've been using this program.Now to the bad news. Since version 5.5, Adobe has managed to steadily make this app worse with each release. The buggy type on a path feature has still not been fixed -- Holy Christ, Adobe, how long is it going to take you to fix this feature? CS 5.5 features a new bug: type on paths or in type areas that is frustratingly difficult to select -- just a sinfully fatal flaw in my opinion. The only truly innovative and useful feature is the artboards palette, which basically allows pagination in Illustrator much like a standard layout app.Graphics professionals like myself don't want inane tools like the symbol splatter brush, or whatever the hell Adobe calls it. We... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 28, 2011

  ---

  Best Adobe Suite ever.

  I'm a graphics professional and have been using Adobe software for 20 years and this is by far the most amazing suite of tools that they have produced. The upgrades to Illustrator are impressive-Bristle Brush (natural media painting tools that are vector), Perspective Grid, Shape Builder, enhanced Artboards, and more. I am already using all of these features to great benefit in my workflow. I've also used the new Blender Brushes in Photoshop which are very nice and I have played with Content Aware Fill and have been stunned by how well it works. It puts a lot of power into the hands of even casual users of the application. If you have any reservations simply go to their site and download a 30 day trial version and test some of these great new features. 5/5 G. Geisler "pixel havoc" - See all my reviews, July 22, 2010

  ---

  Adobe Illustrator CS5- The ultimate tool for a creative designer

  I am professional graphics designer and have been using Adobe Graphics software for over 20 years. I have been using Adobe illustrator from version 1 and this is by far the most impressive upgrade!. From Beautiful Strokes- to Natural Media Brushes, Perspective Grid, Shape Builder and Drawing Enhancements. The new experience with Flash Catalyst is amazing. Now you can take Illustrator design into Flash Catalyst and create interactive experience without writing code. It is simply a great experience for a designer.Do not waste time. Just down load a 30 day trial. There is no way back! 5/5 Chana - See all my reviews This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 [Old Version] (Software) I am professional graphics designer and have been using Adobe Graphics software for over 20 years. I have been using Adobe illustrator from version 1 and this is by far the most impressive upgrade!. From Beautiful Strokes- to Natural Media Brushes, Perspective Grid, Shape Builder and Drawing Enhancements. The new experience with Flash Catalyst is amazing. Now you can take Illustrator design into Flash Catalyst and create interactive experience without writing code. It is simply a great experience for a designer.Do not waste time. Just down load a 30 day trial. There is no way back! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 22, 2010

  ---

  List Price: $599.00
  Price: $556.28
  You Save: $42.72 (7%)

  Incorporate vector artwork into essentially any project and deliver resolution-independent graphics across media.

  Take advantage of exceptional precision and power to create distinctive vector artwork.

  Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power with sophisticated drawing tools, expressive natural brushes,

  Used by design professionals worldwide,

  A host of time-savers, and integration with Adobe CS Live.

  Combine highly controllable drawing tools with expressive natural brushes and dramatic effects to make unique, striking designs.

  And character styles, paragraph composition, underlining and strikethroughs, transparent effects, and more.

---

• 

  Illustrator CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training)

  Book (Wiley)
  

  Rating (9 reviews):

  (4.4/5)

  

  Full of helpful information

  I got this book because I had been struggling with Adobe Illustrator. It gave me solid information on how to use the Pen tool, which I definitely needed, as well as exercises to help me get up to speed in the fundementals and new features. I feel much more confident and I now look forward to working in Illustrator instead of dreading it. 5/5 Maris (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Illustrator CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training) (Paperback) I got this book because I had been struggling with Adobe Illustrator. It gave me solid information on how to use the Pen tool, which I definitely needed, as well as exercises to help me get up to speed in the fundementals and new features. I feel much more confident and I now look forward to working in Illustrator instead of dreading it. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 28, 2011

  ---

  Best book I've purchased!

  This book was amazing! Initially it tells you to start out with Chapter 2 if you don't have any experience with Illustrator. I forgot about this when I started reading and went with Chapter 1. It didn't even affect me. The DVD comes with video lessons and files on it. Download it to your computer for easier and quicker access. Watch the video first and do what the instructor mentions. Then read the chapter in the book. Some of it is redundant but the book goes into more detail, giving you additional tips. They both work great together. I can't wait to buy more books from this series. 5/5 Denise Rich "http://www.flutterbutterdesigns.... - See all my reviews, January 14, 2012

  ---

  This book is excellent!

  I have used Photoshop for over 10 years and I have never tried to understand Illustrator. I finally bit the bullet and bought this book to help me get started. It is extremely easy to use and very user friendly. The DVD helps you get started on each chapter. Then I do all the practice exercises with each chapter on my own. I am someone who has never used Illustrator before and now I am navigating through it very easily. I have seen the light on what so many people have told me about this program. I highly recommend this book and I just purchased the InDesign book by the same people because I loved this one so much. 5/5 yboudreaux (austin, texas) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Illustrator CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training) (Paperback) I have used Photoshop for over 10 years and I have never tried to understand Illustrator. I finally bit the bullet and bought this book to help me get started. It is extremely easy to use and very user friendly. The DVD helps you get started on each chapter. Then I do all the practice exercises with each chapter on my own. I am someone who has never used Illustrator before and now I am navigating through it very easily. I have seen the light on what so many people have told me about this program. I highly recommend this book and I just purchased the InDesign book by the same people because I loved this one so much. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , February 7, 2012

  ---

  List Price: $49.99
  

---

• 

  Adobe Illustrator Upgrade CS5 [Old Version]

  Software (Adobe)
  

  Rating (4 reviews):

  (5.0/5)

  

  Yes!

  This is a great upgrade to Illustrator. The isometric (3D) drawing assist tools by themselves make it worth the money. Overall, very happy with this tool upgrade. Overall, it's just a further refinement to Illustrator rather than some massive release. The collapsing panes are still there. The old and familiar tools are still there. The overall concepts are still there.It's as fast as CS4 and faster than CS3. It's as stable as CS4 and more stable than CS3.Licensing is still, of course, a nightmare at Adobe and heaven forbid you should have to reinstall, you have to go through phone hell to get your license re-validated. Just plain horrible. They should do something like Apple, where you can go and deactivate licenses.Also, at least three times in the past, my licenses have just stopped working at random and once I had to reinstall the Operating system to get my Illustrator to work - just plain UNACCEPTABLE. So bear that in mind... 5/5 Just Anonymous (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews, August 2, 2010

  ---

  illustrator cs5 pc upgrade

  upgraded smoothly, no glitches. Has some new tricks that are very useful such as managing artboards. I had to upgrade as clients were sending ai files that wouldn't open in my old version but glad I did. 5/5 Jane S. Thomas "graphic designer" (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews, August 19, 2011

  ---

  Yes!

  I know there will be a ton of reviews on this, so I'll keep it short. The variable line thickener is worth the price you pay for the upgrade. 5/5 Jules (Cypress, TX USA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe Illustrator Upgrade CS5 [Old Version] (DVD-ROM) I know there will be a ton of reviews on this, so I'll keep it short. The variable line thickener is worth the price you pay for the upgrade. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 22, 2010

  ---

  List Price: $199.00
  

  Enjoy easy type creation and professional control with more than 80 OpenType fonts, paragraph and character styles, paragraph composition, underlining and strikethroughs, transparent effects, and more.

  Used by design professionals worldwide, Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power with sophisticated drawing tools, expressive natural brushes, a host of time-savers, and integration with Adobe CS Live.

  Take advantage of exceptional precision and power to create distinctive vector artwork. Combine highly controllable drawing tools with expressive natural brushes and dramatic effects to make unique, striking designs.

  Incorporate vector artwork into essentially any project and deliver resolution-independent graphics across media. Enjoy tighter-than-ever integration with other Adobe products and go anywhere your creativity takes you.

  Speed up your workflow with innovations that encourage efficiency. Get the job done with purpose and agility using shortcuts and time-savers to take multiple ideas to multiple outputs.

---

• 

  Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5

  Book (Peachpit Press)
  

  Rating (7 reviews):

  (4.3/5)

  

  A Decent Book

  This book has been very helpful in learning the many important features of CS5. It doesn't seem to be a tutorial for beginners... but at times it covers very basic stuff like a tutorial would... so it seems like the author didn't really pin point his audience... He is aiming for all users of Illustrator, beginners or experienced users. If you are new to illustrator, perhaps a book more aimed at beginners will be better. If you are looking to enhance your skills in Illustrator, this book should help.I like it, its worth buying. 4/5 KD - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5 (Paperback) This book has been very helpful in learning the many important features of CS5. It doesn't seem to be a tutorial for beginners... but at times it covers very basic stuff like a tutorial would... so it seems like the author didn't really pin point his audience... He is aiming for all users of Illustrator, beginners or experienced users. If you are new to illustrator, perhaps a book more aimed at beginners will be better. If you are looking to enhance your skills in Illustrator, this book should help.I like it, its worth buying. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , October 26, 2010

  ---

  great!

  This is an excellent book for a new or returning Illustrator. After being out of the loop for a long time - I wasn't sure I needed a book on a program I thought I knew pretty well. I am so glad I spent the money on an actual book instead of trying to find the information I needed online for free. It has saved me a lot of time and frustration. Mordy Golding is an awesome teacher and very easy to follow a long with. Thank YOU Mordy Golding! 5/5 J. lopez - See all my reviews, February 15, 2011

  ---

  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

  The Ugly: I purchased this book some time ago, but just had an urgent need for it today. I took my Kindle to work so I could reference it to figure out how to use a long-used feature that had been changed in this version. It was a disaster. I was ready to write a review telling anyone who wanted to buy this book to avoid the Kindle version. I love my Kindle. It's very good for linear reading, the typical book, but for a software manual, it sucks. Trying to find things, jumping around like you would in any reference manual just doesn't work.The Bad: Well, not really bad. When I got home, I downloaded the Kindle reader for my Mac laptop. I LOVE IT. It gives me easy and instant access to everything in the book. Works like a champ. If you want to buy a manual for your Kindle, you can have a great experience with the reader for your computer. After all, that's where you're going to want to use it anyway.The Good: The Real World Illustrator reference manual has been... 4/5 D. GORR (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews, September 23, 2011

  ---

  List Price: $54.99
  

---

• 

  Adobe CS6 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition

  Software (Adobe)
  List Price: $349.00
  Price: $335.99
  You Save: $13.01 (4%)

  Breakthrough image editing in Photoshop-Deliver eye-catching results with the industry standard in digital imaging.

  Tablet publications in InDesign-Use InDesign to create media-rich publications for iPad and other tablet devices. Add interactive elements such as pan and zoom, slide shows, audio, and video.

  Professional page layout in InDesign-Lay out, preflight, and produce stunning page layouts with intuitive design software that offers precise control over typography and built-in tools for creative effects.

  Video editing in Photoshop-Edit video in Photoshop to include in your digital publishing projects. Quickly combine clips and stills using transitions, audio, and effects, such as pan and zoom.

  Distinctive vector graphics in Illustrator-Create top-quality vector artwork for any project, from logos to illustrations for advertising, packaging, signage, and more.

---

• 

  Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed

  Book (Delmar Cengage Learning)
  

  Rating (11 reviews):

  (4.5/5)

  

  Easy to Understand

  This book laid the information about the program out in an easy to understand way with simple to follow examples that helped make the program functions memorable. I would have been able to know how to use the program very well even without taking a class on it. 5/5 Nicole hartsell - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed (Paperback) This book laid the information about the program out in an easy to understand way with simple to follow examples that helped make the program functions memorable. I would have been able to know how to use the program very well even without taking a class on it. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 14, 2011

  ---

  Learning a lot

  I am a complete beginner to the design field and to the Adobe Illustrator program. So far, this book is actually helping. The format is easy to follow. It gives an overview and then step-by-step instructions to help create an example of the concept described. I would recommend the book. It is well worth the money to me. 5/5 LaMomForce - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed (Paperback) I am a complete beginner to the design field and to the Adobe Illustrator program. So far, this book is actually helping. The format is easy to follow. It gives an overview and then step-by-step instructions to help create an example of the concept described. I would recommend the book. It is well worth the money to me. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 2, 2011

  ---

  Great Learning Tool!

  This book is set up like an educational textbook you would get if you were taking a class on Illustrator. It is extremely user friendly, easy to read, and has step-by-step exercises that really help in learning the software. I am extremely pleased with my purchase and would recommend this book to all beginners :) 5/5 MissMichelle (Florida) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 Revealed (Paperback) This book is set up like an educational textbook you would get if you were taking a class on Illustrator. It is extremely user friendly, easy to read, and has step-by-step exercises that really help in learning the software. I am extremely pleased with my purchase and would recommend this book to all beginners :) Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 15, 2011

  ---

  List Price: $90.95
  

---

• 

  Adobe CS5.5 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition

  Software (Adobe)
  

  Rating (15 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Great programs at a good price for students

  I love illustrator but didn't have the funds to spend 500 dollars on it. When I saw this set I was really excited because it was in my budget and it also provides three other useful programs as well. I ordered this and it arrived the next day. I took the code provided and simply submitted a picture of my school ID, my transcript and an enrollment verification to the provided link and got my code two days later. There was no problems and no hold ups and there is even a 30 day trial you can use while you wait for them to verify that you are a student or a teacher. I looked more into this before I bought it and it is the same as the commercial versions, can be used for commercial use and the only real catch is that you can't resell it. Over all it is a great deal for students and definitely one worth taking advantage of if you are a student in the art or design field. 5/5 Arcaderat - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe CS5.5 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition (Software) I love illustrator but didn't have the funds to spend 500 dollars on it. When I saw this set I was really excited because it was in my budget and it also provides three other useful programs as well. I ordered this and it arrived the next day. I took the code provided and simply submitted a picture of my school ID, my transcript and an enrollment verification to the provided link and got my code two days later. There was no problems and no hold ups and there is even a 30 day trial you can use while you wait for them to verify that you are a student or a teacher. I looked more into this before I bought it and it is the same as the commercial versions, can be used for commercial use and the only real catch is that you can't resell it. Over all it is a great deal for students and definitely one worth taking advantage of if you are a student in the art or design field. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , September 19, 2011

  ---

  The Right Stuff

  Delivers exactly what it described. Currently, ontaining a degree in Graphic Design and this helps greatly. Not having to burn the midnight oil at school with the program available at home. With two small kids it makes learning and practicing the different techniques a breeze.....Awesome effects. 5/5 dbiamerica - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe CS5.5 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition (Software) Delivers exactly what it described. Currently, ontaining a degree in Graphic Design and this helps greatly. Not having to burn the midnight oil at school with the program available at home. With two small kids it makes learning and practicing the different techniques a breeze.....Awesome effects. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 20, 2011

  ---

  Fantastic..everything you want or nearly

  I was so excited to upgrade from my Creative Suites CS2, with this new CS5.5 version. I read that now InDesign had the ability to create epub books. unfortunately it does not seem to be able to do much there or I have yet to learn how to make them come out just right. So that was disappointing, thus the four stars, not five. But that said everything else is wonderful!No longer do I have to bring in guide lines to find center because the program now just does it! Wow, love that.The new photoshop upgrades are nice too, you now have a full palette for type, character, and paragraph, just like InDesign, so you get a lot more control with type in Photoshop now.I will have to add to this review as I continue to use the products, but overall, I am extremely happy! 4/5 mapsy (Oregon) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Adobe CS5.5 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition (Software) I was so excited to upgrade from my Creative Suites CS2, with this new CS5.5 version. I read that now InDesign had the ability to create epub books. unfortunately it does not seem to be able to do much there or I have yet to learn how to make them come out just right. So that was disappointing, thus the four stars, not five. But that said everything else is wonderful!No longer do I have to bring in guide lines to find center because the program now just does it! Wow, love that.The new photoshop upgrades are nice too, you now have a full palette for type, character, and paragraph, just like InDesign, so you get a lot more control with type in Photoshop now.I will have to add to this review as I continue to use the products, but overall, I am extremely happy! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , August 3, 2011

  ---

  List Price: $1,299.00
  Price: $299.99
  You Save: $999.01 (77%)

  Industry-standard tools for producing high-impact print designs and digital publications

  Folio Producer tools in Adobe InDesign; efficient delivery of accessible documents

  Automate routine, multistep PDF tasks more easily in Acrobat X Pro

  Combines the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro, and more

  Create more engaging eBooks with less need for developers; preview interactive overlays

---

• 

  The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow! Book

  Book (Peachpit Press)
  

  Rating (10 reviews):

  (4.6/5)

  

  A unique book for Illustrator users

  This is the review we published in Design Tools Monthly: "The Adobe Illustrator CS5 WOW! Book, by Sharon Steuer, is both practical and inspirational. It's practical because it demonstrates how to use all the new CS5 features and how to "think in Illustrator". It's inspirational because it shows artwork from dozens of top Illustrator artists and explains how they were made. It's also packed with real-world tips as well as a DVD containing plug-ins, brushes and symbols, graphic styles for text, Illustrator files for many of the illustrations, and extra tips. We recommend this book very highly." 5/5 J. Nelson (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews, February 17, 2011

  ---

  wow of a book

  I love the WoW books, they are well written, informative, interesting, well illustrated and this version is no different. I've been using the Adobe Creative Suite since it started and Adobe Illustrator since version 8 and this book still has new and exciting things to teach me. The best thing is that the work by artists has an explanation of the process so not only is it WoW but also a HoW book. Love it! 5/5 J. Nejman (Orange, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews, February 1, 2011

  ---

  Excellent, hands-on book

  I got this book as an advanced tutorial for Illustrator CS5, explaining the new features by using practical exercises.I have limited time and don't enjoy books that have little benefit over the online manual of the Adobe applications, especially if they delve into tedious and boring step-by-step descriptions such as "press key A, now press key B, etc.". This book takes a refreshingly different approach in that each chapter first explains the nuts and bolts of a certain feature, then continues to exemplify it with practical examples of professional Illustrator artists, but at a very detailed level and with the actual files on the enclosed DVD. Thus, it is not only a tutorial, but also a portfolio of stellar works that will inspire any AI user.I had a look at various other Illustrator CS5 books, and this one was the best I found. Can't fault it in any way and wish the authors many happy returns. Highly recommended for any intermediate Illustrator user looking for... 5/5 chrisg - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow! Book (Paperback) I got this book as an advanced tutorial for Illustrator CS5, explaining the new features by using practical exercises.I have limited time and don't enjoy books that have little benefit over the online manual of the Adobe applications, especially if they delve into tedious and boring step-by-step descriptions such as "press key A, now press key B, etc.". This book takes a refreshingly different approach in that each chapter first explains the nuts and bolts of a certain feature, then continues to exemplify it with practical examples of professional Illustrator artists, but at a very detailed level and with the actual files on the enclosed DVD. Thus, it is not only a tutorial, but also a portfolio of stellar works that will inspire any AI user.I had a look at various other Illustrator CS5 books, and this one was the best I found. Can't fault it in any way and wish the authors many happy returns. Highly recommended for any intermediate Illustrator user looking for... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 1, 2011

  ---

  List Price: $44.99
  

---

• 

  Adobe Illustrator CS5 [Mac] [Old Version]

  Software (Adobe)
  

  Rating (4 reviews):

  (3.0/5)

  

  AWESOME new features! I use it everyday! Well worth the money and timesaving!

  I have used Illustrator for a number of years now (since it was just "CS") and this is honestly the best installment yet! I use it for everything I do from turning photos into vectors to completing a piece of fine art. Here are the most awesome features Illustrator CS5 has:- Stroke Width Tool : FINALLY, you can adjust the width of lines drawn with the pen or pencil tool.- Perspective Grid Tool: You really should know a little bit of real perspective before using this tool. It allows you to draw something (an object) it can "snap to the perspective grid" either lines or shapes. HUGE time saver! (By hand this would take 6 hours easy..)- Shapebuilder Tool: Great for users who find Pathfinder a little too complicated. It's really easy to use! *point and click* Done!- Bristle Brush Library: A beautiful arrangement of brushes that look like watercolors, but are vectors!- Overall, I had a 90% reduction in crashing and the speed of the program was great! No... 5/5 Stephie - See all my reviews This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 [Mac] [Old Version] (DVD-ROM) I have used Illustrator for a number of years now (since it was just "CS") and this is honestly the best installment yet! I use it for everything I do from turning photos into vectors to completing a piece of fine art. Here are the most awesome features Illustrator CS5 has:- Stroke Width Tool : FINALLY, you can adjust the width of lines drawn with the pen or pencil tool.- Perspective Grid Tool: You really should know a little bit of real perspective before using this tool. It allows you to draw something (an object) it can "snap to the perspective grid" either lines or shapes. HUGE time saver! (By hand this would take 6 hours easy..)- Shapebuilder Tool: Great for users who find Pathfinder a little too complicated. It's really easy to use! *point and click* Done!- Bristle Brush Library: A beautiful arrangement of brushes that look like watercolors, but are vectors!- Overall, I had a 90% reduction in crashing and the speed of the program was great! No... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 1, 2011

  ---

  Snoozefest

  Nothing in the fifth bloated incarnation of Adobe's Creative Suite interested me at all except the perspective drawing tools in Illustrator. That's unfortunate, because they're a pretty massive letdown and seem as though they were rushed out the door long before they were anywhere near finished.For starters, there's the "Active Plane Widget." It's a little loupe-like thing with a cube inside it that floats around your window and lets you associate objects with planes on the perspective grid. Unfortunately, it cannot be moved, and is instead anchored to one of the four corners of your window. If you're a normal person, odds are good these corners are obscured by palettes more often than not, and that makes getting to the widget frequently impossible.But that's actually OK, because that elusive little widget turns out to be almost completely useless. While it does let you associate objects and planes, it cannot undo these associations at all. Want to move the... 1/5 orangekay (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews, June 29, 2010

  ---

  Gets worse with every release!

  Adobe is doubly infuriating, in that not only is Illustrator a piece of absolute garbage that complicates and frustrates what should be simple operations, and forces you to spend more time fixing its worthless and garbled output, than if you had chiseled the design into stone by hand, in the dark, but in the fact that to add insult to injury, they BOUGHT AND KILLED FREEHAND, the vector program that ACTUALLY WORKS! I would like to kick Adobe executives in the groin repeatedly for this grandiose and arrogant example of taking a dump on the entire design community. 1/5 Madrooster7 - See all my reviews This review is from: Adobe Illustrator CS5 [Mac] [Old Version] (DVD-ROM) Adobe is doubly infuriating, in that not only is Illustrator a piece of absolute garbage that complicates and frustrates what should be simple operations, and forces you to spend more time fixing its worthless and garbled output, than if you had chiseled the design into stone by hand, in the dark, but in the fact that to add insult to injury, they BOUGHT AND KILLED FREEHAND, the vector program that ACTUALLY WORKS! I would like to kick Adobe executives in the groin repeatedly for this grandiose and arrogant example of taking a dump on the entire design community. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 19, 2012

  ---

  List Price: $599.00
  Price: $568.28
  You Save: $30.72 (5%)

  Host of time-savers, and integration with Adobe CS Live.

  Used by design professionals worldwide,

  Speed up your workflow with innovations that encourage efficiency.

  Enjoy easy type creation and professional control withparagraph composition, underlining and strikethroughs, transparent effects

  Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power with sophisticated drawing tools, expressive natural brushes,

  Combine highly controllable drawing tools with expressive natural brushes and dramatic effects to make unique, striking designs.

  Enjoy easy type creation and professional control with more than 80 OpenType fonts, paragraph and character styles,

  Incorporate vector artwork into essentially any project and deliver resolution-independent graphics across media.

  Enjoy tighter-than-ever integration with other Adobe products and go anywhere your creativity takes you.

  Take advantage of exceptional precision and power to create distinctive vector artwork.

---