The Illustrator 8 Wow! Book

Rating:
Summary: 3/4" book packed SOLID with dynamite information
Review: And that's to say nothing of the inspiring examples that shows just what everyone's favorite PostScript editor can do. Truly inspirational. Worth every penny. If all computer reference books were as solid as this one, the world would be a happy place.

Great information, excellent layout, clear writing, brilliant examples -- this one is truly worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: Really shows off what I8.0 can do, but glosses over details
Review: I am a proffessional graphic artist, and I thought I knew Illustrator inside-out- WRONG! This book showed me just how powerful a tool Illustrator can be, from being able to do simple graphics to photo-realistic art. My only problem with the book and CD Rom (and it's a big problem) is that there is not enough explainations given on how to create some of this fantastic art. For instance, one tutorial advises you to create a scatter brush pattern using art that has a blend in it- but I couldn't figure out how that can work. I just kept getting an error that said it could not be done. I looked on the CD, and there was no example of the art I was trying to re-create- fustrating! I can't imagine that this book would be good for anyone new to Illustrator, as some of the techniques are very advanced. But if you have already mastered the basics, this is a great book.

Rating:
Summary: Long on "Wow!", short on HOW! .
Review: I can't figure out what all the fuss about concerning this book - I'm afraid I didn't find it particularly helpful. Yes, it does contain a large number of excellent illustrations from artists who obviously know how to get the best out of illustrator, but there is very little information on the techniques used to produce such illustrations for the novice user. As someone trying to get to grips with Illustrator, I would recommend Deke McClellands "Real World Illustrator 8" as a far better (and wiser) way to spend your money. It has an excellent hands-on approach to getting to grips with the complexity of Illustrator. Steuer's book will probably end up on my coffee table until I can get up to her level.

Rating:
Summary: A must read Illustrator book!
Review: I found this book very useful for me since I only know very little about Illustrator. The book covers all the basics. This is not a easy to master application. Examples are easy to understand. The level of this book is "Beginners to Intermediate". The only thing I don't like is the book is too thin. If they can expand the book to include more advance techniques, it will be great!

Rating:
Summary: Average rating for an ok book
Review: I thought this book would have had more illustration tips and "how to's", but there wasn't very many. Most of the examples were to brief to really follow or duplicate. I've been using Illustrator since ver 5.0 and found the book slightly dissapointing because of the lack of depth. While I can't say it won't help others out there, I can't reccomend the purchase to someone who's been using it for years.

Rating:
Summary: Great Map examples
Review: Ilustrator Wow goes into great detail explaining Illustrator tools that an experienced Illustrator user can easily over look. The examples in the book encourage the reader to use these tools.

Many Illustrator users are quoted and have artwork featured in the book. As a cartographer, I was particularily glad to see how other cartographers do things - how David Nelson strokes lines on a map or how Steve Gordon has created a scenic background for one of his maps.

The accompanying CD has lesson plans, so that the book can be used as part of a class. The book really works for me as I try to improve my ability to draw 3D buildings. I can pick a section out of the book and try to recreate the examples or follow some of the extra lessons on the disk. When you have instructions provided in an Illustrator file (such as the ISO Actions sheet), you can recreate the drawing right next to the original step by step example. The book has many examples perspective drawings used for different purposes.

Like another reviewer mentioned, the book has fantastic illustrations, and I think these illustrations inspire the reader to try new techniques. While I ocassionally use a scanner when starting a project, this book motivated me to do more scanning.

Rating:
Summary: Wow ! I wish I could do that with Adobe Illustrator
Review: Let me start by saying that this is a beautiful book. I drool every time I flip through its pages. Imagine being able to do artwork of this caliber with a software program.

Unfortunately imagining is still all I can do after reading this book. The steps or processes given to accomplish what is shown just didn't help me get there. Some of the steps were outright ridiculous. It reminded me of a joke that went... "3 easy steps to make 5 million dollars: step one - Get yourself a million dollars" I won't tell the rest of the joke; you get the idea.

The odd thing about the book is that every time you pick it up and peruse it, you wish it would help you emulate the artwork shown. Too bad. Mind you, I wouldn't give the book up for anything. I love looking through it.

I guess the bottom line is buy this book if you want to see what can be done with Adobe Illustrator 8. If your already semi-pro at using Illustrator you most likely will gain more "Tips and Tricks" as the cover touts. For the rest of us it's 'too bad, so sad'.

Rating:
Summary: Good Reference
Review: This is a great reference tool to be used in conjunction with other Illustrator References.

Rating:
Summary: The book you need to get more out of Illustrator 8
Review: This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants get more pizzazz out of Illustrator. From just starting out, to obtaining advanced effects, it guides you step-by-step with both text and color examples. Though this book does a nice job of covering the basics, where it really excels is in its coverage of advanced techniques. I learned to create painterly effects with gradient lighting and how to make a complex pattern. It also showed me how to create a truly realistic reflection, & produce shadows. The tips and techniques really helped me to learn to use Illustrator more productively. The resource and artist directories were a nice plus as well. The CD included is also quite spectacular. It includes some awesome brushes, Wow! actions and clip art. It also contains images to pick apart and trial programs. There are even some great tutorials on the basics of Illustrator.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book but...
Review: When I first got this book I was excited by the beautiful graphics contained between its glossy covers. I still drool over them. But, for an old Photoshop hand trying to venture into the wonderful world of vector art, this book didn't open that door. I guess I've been spoiled by Gary Bouton's books teaching Photoshop. Please Gary won't you write a book for Illustrator. If you want to see what Illustrator can do buy this book; just don't expect to have it teach you how to do it.