What books do you recommend?

I started using Photoshop literally years ago, but then stopped using it for about 3 years. I purchased Photoshop Elements 4.0 and have started diving into it again.
I have the basics (and if you watched some of my previous posts), I have developed some standard workflows etc...
I just picked it up by playing (not really reading).
Can you recommend a book (and/or magazines) that will help me go to the next level.
I think something that will also teach fundamental photo theory such as "curves" and such would be helpful - because I don't understand that stuff.
I just know how to play with levels and the shadow/highlight dialogs to get the pictures I want.
Any help or suggestions would be great!

I ended up getting the Missing Manual and also The Hidden Powers of PSE 4 by Lynch. I am about 1/2 way through the Missing Manual - and it is GREAT.
I didn't realize all the things I wasn't using in the program. Some I should have (obvious) and some that weren't obvious.
I installed the Lynch CD but haven't read the book to understand it.
I also picked up Rick Sammon's Guide to Digital Photography that covers a lot of general imaging and photography concepts that help fill in some fundamentals... I haven't really cracked that open but will let you know when I do (if it's worth it).
Some tips I already learned:
a) I never realized that the Hidden Tag will hide (by default) pictures.... when you tag - they don't hide until you press F5 or exit and restart the organizer. (DUH!)
b) A GREAT explanation of how to use tags vs collections. Really helped.
c) Great explanation of what to explore (experiment with) and when. I never really played that much with blending because I didn't understand it and I solved the problem other ways, but now I found many tricks that make simple changes easy. For example, duplicate any layer and choose multiply or screen. You just increased/decreased about 1 F-Stop. Quick and easy. Many others.
d) Best explanation of all the strengths and weaknesses of the various selection tools.
Well I got to get back to reading :) ... I should have RTFM or is it RTFHM (hidden manual) a long time ago...

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I know this may be very subjective. What book do you recommend to learn Photoshop CC 2014?

I recently acquired program. Signed up at a local community college to take an on line beginner's course. What reference book do you like?

Taking the college class is a good step. It will bring you up to speed much quicker than learning on your own. Though I never discourage learning on your own as that is how I did it.
As for books, there are a huge slew of books available. Searching amazon is a good place to start.
To be honest though, most of my training came from videos so even if your not a big fan of video tutorials, don't rule them out completely. There are times when they can show what a book can not.
(free)
http://creativesuitepodcast.com/
http://kelbytv.com/
http://tv.adobe.com/
(pay)
http://kelbyone.com/
http://Lynda.com
Kelby team also writes books which are available in most book stores.
Scott Kelby - Amazon.com: scott kelby: Books
Cory Barker - Amazon.com: cory barker: Books
Matt Kloskowski - Amazon.com: matt kloskowski: Books
RC Concepcion - Amazon.com: rc concepcion: Books
Steve Caplin has a few good books as well, which were recommended to me from a member of the abobe forums. 100% Photoshop, and How to cheat in Photoshop. - Amazon.com: steve caplin: Books
This should get you started.

What book would you recommend for learning Logic EXPRESS 9?

Hello.
I'm going to be getting Logic Express 9 in the next few days. I was wondering if any of you can recommend a good, up-to-date, book for learning the ins and outs of Logic Express 9? I've seen a few on Amazon.com that are for Logic PRO and Express. My concern is that they'll spend a lot of time on talking about Pro functionality and I may be left up in the air with wanting to know what I need to know about Express.
Please let me know why you like the book(s) that you're recommending, too.
Thanks very much.
p.s. I used Opcode's "Vision" about 20 years ago. I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick-up Logic Express 9 fairly quickly.

Hi
You should not be concerned about 'Pro vs Express'.: they are essentially the same program, with the same functionality. The primary differences are listed here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4229
The general word seems to be that The Apple Pro Training Series book by David Nahmani is a very good place to start.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Training-Logic-Express/dp/0321636805/ref=sr_1_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1304612428&sr=8-1
CCT

First Mac ever (former PC person). What book would you recommend ("MacBook for Dummies" ?) for someone like me who wants to get up to speed quickly ?

I am looking for a book - (maybe something from the "Dummies" series) that will get me up to speed quickly.
I expect to use the MacBook for word processing, email and watching and downloading videos.
Bob

The essential book is Amazon.com: Macintosh Bible, The (8th Edition)
Wow, Macintosh Bible goes back to 2001 - not sure how "essential" the information is in 2012. Happy for you to come back to me on that Kappy and justify your recommendation!
I recommend 'Mac OS X Lion - The Missing Manual' by David Pogue:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mac-OS-Lion-Missing-Manuals/dp/1449397492/ref=sr_1_1?ie= UTF8&qid=1328642593&sr=8-1
The books in the 'for Dummies' series are quite good too but the 'missing manual' book is more thorough and goes into greater depth.

What book would you recommend for PE9?

I'm been using PE 2 & PE 3 for years and I'm ready to purchase PE9, I know it will be a big learning curve, this is why I haven't already updated. My main interest is restoring old photos or taking a particular thing or person from the photo. I do genealogy, family calendars etc.
Thanks

You could add Barbara's book to the list as well for a comprehensive know-how of PSE 9:
Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual
http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Elements-9-Missing-Manual/dp/1449389678/ref=sr_1_2?s=books &ie=UTF8&qid=1300777248&sr=1-2

Beginneer to J2EE, which book do you recommend me?

Hi mates!
I have a lot of experience in C++ and Java SE, but I never used J2EE.
I would like to create an app that uses web interfaces, data bases (persistence) and a multithreaded server. I guess that is possible with J2EE, but no idea about Hibernate/Spring/JSF/Beans/WebFlow....
What book do you recommend me to learn about that kind of things?
Thank you very much for your help, I appreciate it a lot.

I'd recommend to start with the free book [Core servlets 2nd edition|http://pdf.coreservlets.com] to learn about servlets & JSPs. In the mean time I'd find a good tutorial about JDBC and learn how to do database actions with Java.
When you know that, the next step in my opinion would be to get the book [Enterprise Javabeans 3.0|http://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-JavaBeans-3-0-Richard-Monson-Haefel/dp/059600978X] , as it is still the best EJB book I know of.
Finally if you want to go for the full package, I'd read [Pro EJB 3: Java Persistence API|http://www.amazon.com/Pro-EJB-Java-Persistence-API/dp/1590596455] or even its newer second edition, [Pro JPA 2|http://www.amazon.com/Pro-JPA-Mastering-Persistence-Technology/dp/1430219564] to stay up to date with the times. I haven't read the second edition yet, but the first one was an excellent book about the Java Persistence API.
What remains would be a book about JavaServer Faces, if you want to use that as the view technology. I cannot really recommend a book about that.

In light of Leopard, Xcode 3.0 and Obj-C 2.0 what book do people recommend

I am new to programming on a Mac or any modern GUI OS for that matter. All the third party books on Mac programming seem to be a couple years out of date. Other then Apple developer docs what book do people recommend as the most relevant today?

You know, "old books" are way enough to learn how Cocoa and Objective-C works. The basis remains in each systems. The books only teaches you to use the basis, then you have to find by yourself the best way to accomplish what you want to do.
And also, Objective-C 2.0 is really new, it was released officially only 4 days ago, it can't already exist books about it.

What product do you recommend if I need to merge different documents & email forms to fill out?

What product do you recommend if I need to merge different documents & email forms to fill out?

What kind of documents?
What are "email forms"?
If you mean PDF files, use Acrobat or the CreatePDF service.

Hello friends, what printer do you recommend for the iMac OS X Mt Lion?

Hello friends, what printer would you recommend for the iMac OS X Mt Lion?

There are hundreds that will work, you need to determine what your needs are and then go shopping. For a list of compatible printers and all-in-one's please look over Apple's advice letter:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669

What program do you recommend to download movies onto my macbook pro

what program do you recommend to download movies onto my macbook pro

iTunes.
Not sure what you're asking. You don't require any software other than what your MacBook Pro already has. If you ever encounter a popup window indicating you need something else, it's a scam and you should ignore it.

What computer do you recommend for music production, photo and video editing?

I'm looking to buy a computer mainly for music production with native instruments and photo and video editing with adobe elements. I'd like a crisp image, good sound and also runs as smooth as possible. I am planning on using external hard drives for most of my storage so space isn't an issue for me. I don't mind buying a refurbished computer. I am looking to spend around $3000 to $3500 on the computer itself. What computer do you recommend?

Please do not double post; it gets too confusing for us - the volunteers - if there is more than one.
the new iMac - just introduced - sounds like it'd be the right thing; I'd upgrade to an SSD and the fastest processor offered. You can also add RAM, but I'd do that later as it'll be less expensive and it's very easy to do yourself.
Good luck.

Which book do you recommend for 'MySQL 5 Certified Associate Exam' exam?

Hello, this is my first post. I am familiar with SQL and I use it occasionally, but I decided to get certified. Which book and material would you recommend me studying to sit the 1Z0-870 exam? Online and college courses are too expensive for me and I happen to do better studying at my own pace. Thanks.

sami1983 wrote:
Hello, this is my first post. I am familiar with SQL and I use it occasionally, but I decided to get certified. Which book and material would you recommend me studying to sit the 1Z0-870 exam? Online and college courses are too expensive for me and I happen to do better studying at my own pace. Thanks.For certification purposes: MySQL 5.0 Certification Study Guide [Paperback] ISBN-13: 978-0672328121 is still probably still good (unless the topics have been updated and I haven't noticed), though perhaps dated compared to the more recent MySQL versions.
... That said the 1z0-870 for MySQL is relatively expensive and over simple for what it is (IMHO); and it may be worth considering going direct for the OCP.
For using the more recent version of MySQL in practice additional books/material may be important for on the job in practice.

What MacPro do YOU recommend with this application?

Hello folk.
I am setting up a small recording studio for young musicians in the local area and bought Logic Pro 8 to run on a Mac to connect to a TOFT ATC 2 which, in turn, is connected to a Neumann U87.
What Mac Pro do YOU recommend for the software, and what do I have to get to connect the TOFT to the Mac via Firewire?
We are going to start with just one monitor and going wireless but we are a bit clueless about where to spend the money on customisation to best suit the work it is to do. For example- do we spend more on processor speed or more on RAM? I'd have thought that 2GB RAM is not really going to help us greatly but then hey- what do I know?
Please advise.
Oh- and any recommendations as to what we need to make that final connection between hardwares (the TOFT is sweet but not designed to plug into COMPUTERS and so has no Firewire) would also be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

Hey, MacBraveHeart
Honestly, there are lots of options available for you with computer choices. What are your long term plans for this machine? Do you plan to keep what your purchase for a long while, or do you flip it every few years in favour of newer machines?
Personally, I have a 2.66 Quad-core Intel, and it works great with Logic 8. Currently, I'm using Tiger fairly effortlessly, but will start testing Logic usage with Leopard on a separate drive install. I purchased RAM from a third-party supplier for a MUCH more competitive rate than listed on the Apple store. $300+ for 8 GB of RAM is VERY competitive!!
I would go for the fastest CPU power your budget can afford, and then upgrade the RAM yourself. If you're looking for extreme performance, you can always use RAID configuration, as there are 4 drive bays in the Mac Pro towers. And SATA drives are tres cheap... $150+ gets you a 750GB Western Digital drive.
Audio interfaces... first you need to determine what your needs are. How many inputs do you need? Outputs? The connection to your computer... Firewire 400, FW 800, USB, or PCI? Personally, I would go with a PCI-based interface... but hat works for what I use it for. Perhaps you don't need that kind of horsepower. Companies to check out: Apogee, RME, or MOTU., You can't go wrong with their products.... but check for compatibility first.
Is the interface going to be the A/D convertor? Or are you using a digital console to make the conversion from analog to digital? Again, that will help narrow your choices.
My 14 yrs. of professional recording experience in a computer environment has taught me a few things:
1. Clean OS install. That way, YOU know what's on your machine, and can keep track of items that are installed for troubleshooting.
2. Check the compatibility of ALL your 3rd-party software / plugins / apps with the OS you plan to use, and the hardware you plan to use. (Ie. Intel Mac Pro uses PCI-express slots, which the older PCI cards do not work in. If you're looking for a PCI-based interface, then make sure that they have a PCI-e version of their card, with the appropriate drivers.)
3. Before you start loading up the drive with tons of software, create a drive clone of the setup you'd want to return to if your drive failed. If you set aside a separate drive as a backup, then you can always pop the defective drive out of the drive bay, slip the backup in, and your back in business.
4. Don't get caught in the technology black hole of 'having to buy the latest greatest thing'. In most cases, hardware is being released to the general public before software is fully compatible with it. The public then become beta testers, complain on forums, ask lots of questions for solutions, and then a software patch or update becomes available, dealing with a particular bug. Wait for a few sub-releases of software updates, ESPECIALLY new operating systems, as the more updates that are available, the more bugs will have been worked out, and the more information there is available to resolve an issues you may have.
Your gear should be transparent when using it as a creative tool. It shouldn't get in the way of your inspiration. When you've got it working exactly the way you want it to, HANG ON TO IT, and GUARD IT WITH VIGOR!! Why? Because what you have is valuable to you, and only you can appreciate the amount of time & research that goes into making your setup work for you.
I know that this response goes beyond the scope of this thread, but I hope that the info I've provided is helpful, and assists you in making great music!!

What printer do you recommend with an ipad

Hi
Just wondered what printer you recommend using with an iPad?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
Any AirPrint printer will work. You can have a look at this site > http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4356
I have got a HP Photosmart B110a and it works without any problem

What is the difference between Firefox and Firefox os please. I have a Samsung galaxy s3 mini what one would you recommend would be better for my phone

What is the difference between Firefox and Firefox os, and what one is better for the Samsung galaxy s3 mini, Please could you recommend which one is the best and most suitable for my phone please. Many thanks Michelle Petch

Thank you for your question.
Firefox is basically a browser.And Firefox OS is an Operating System.You can install Firefox in your SGS3 just like an android application.But if you want Firefox operating system on it. then you have to flash the ported Firefox OS on your device. Then it will be a completely different standalone operating system.you cannot install android applications on it.
To read more technical difference read:
Firefox OS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_OS
Firefox Browser:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox
Hope this clears your query.Thank you

What books do you recommend?

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