Can you recommend a book for me?

[anniejackson]

Hi, I'm hoping someone here can help me. I have been hunting for a couple weeks at the bookstores and libraries for a book that can help me but I haven't found one.

What I am looking for is a book that teaches how to MAKE web graphics. I keep finding books that say they are for web graphics but all they do is talk about web colours or how to add filters to photos in photoshop.

I am a decent web programmer, I am very technical, I know how to use photoshop very well for PHOTO editing. What I do not know how to do is to MAKE graphics -- such as buttons, or logos -- and I can not seem to find a book that teaches this. I found one book which said it was about web graphics and included the word "button" in it's subheading. It was over 400 pages. At least 300 of those pages were wasted on basics like how to align text in a table. When I finally found the section on buttons all it did was say to use button factory and other free online tools and then it added "if you are graphically capable you might want to use Photoshop, Illustrator or Corel Draw and make your own!" ARGH.

Does anyone know of a book that goes over HOW to create graphics in photoshop (I'd prefer photoshop as I keep hearing people say that is where they design their websites and I want to be able to do that too)? I have tried but I can't draw anything. I try to draw a shape and it ends up just being a dotted line, or disappears when I click out. I know this is basic stuff and I can not figure out why there are no books that teach it.

Thanks in advance!

[HTMLBasicTutor]

When I was at school we used Adobe Classroom in a Book books for some courses.

Maybe you can find this one in a bookstore: Adobe Photoshop CS4 Classroom in a Book or an older version in the bargin bin at a discount book store.

The edition we used had exercises to actually build graphics.

It's cheaper at Amazon.

There is also an edition for Photoshop Elements 7

[gammaRascal]

It's interesting that you focus on 'buttons' because as a rule, buttons are highly dependent on the base-template/design. Therefor you won't really find a book on how to make a button, but rather, how to do the individual steps it would take to complete a button... Use shapes, layer effects, text etc... It would be your job to incorporate those steps into creating a button that best fits your design.

Same goes for 'web graphics' and logos in general - Again, all of those would be subjective to your design and ultimately created by using multiple steps, of which, a book would teach.

Now, if there is a button 'style' you're interested in using then Google will be your best bet. Doing a search will net you a ton of free-prefab button templates or even tutorials on how to make your own variation.

[anniejackson]

Hi I'm sorry I did not reply sooner. Thank you both for your suggestions.

You are right that the buttons thing is dependent on the site...I guess I focussed on it in my frustration because I can't seem to find anything that is for graphics and not photos.

I can't find anything that shows how to use those filters, or how to use brushes (I only just learned what brushes were actually in this last week, I always thought people were drawing all those designs themselves).

I know how to touch up photos, and that is all I can find. The "web graphic" books I have found don't teach how to use all those elements...the tools, the brushes, the filters etc except as directly applicable to photos. Since I have absolutely no idea at all how to make a photoshop website design for example, I don't know what tools I would even use or what the effects are called so I can't google it to find examples to follow.

I don't have the vocabulary and that is a problem with internet tutorials. I'd prefer a book because I am on the bus a lot and learned CSS through a book mostly on the bus.

HTML Basic Tutor: That book sounds good, especially the exercises to build certain graphics. That is what I need. Once I have the foundations I can go forth and grow and learn on my own. It's the foundation that is proving difficult for me because I just have no idea how computer graphical design works.

I am going to see if I can find it, thank you

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Another thought is the Visual Quick Start series of books. They tend to be instruction based on how to do things. Older editions also appear in book sales or in bargin bins.

e.g. Photoshop CS4, Volume 1: Visual QuickStart Guide (Paperback)

[anniejackson]

I have looked at that book before actually and did not find it useful. If you look at the table of contents you will see the chapters are things like how to use the color picker, how to edit photos in RAW, retouching photos etc. This is like all the books I have seen, they focus on photos, not graphics and I just don't have the experience to convert their instructions to be applicable to graphics I make myself. I can use photoshop to edit other people's stuff but I can not create my own graphics and that is what I want to resolve.

I think the first book you mentioned is exactly perfect (I looked at the contents on Amazon). I'm on a mission now to find it.

[john walker]

i think you need to try to make buttons that are already made to try and grasp the idea behind. this would help you find excellent skills in the process of learning.

[john walker]

i haven't mentioned anything about a book. it is more of practice. try to search logos online and try to remake them for practice. this will help you understand all the underlying effects.

[john walker]

i meant to say the hidden effects inside the logos will be more clearer to you once you will try to build them yourself.

[john walker]

you are very right colorexperts internet is the biggest teacher we have if we can really learn from it through patience, devotion, and searching abilities.

[3galarm]

do you rely need books when you can learn every thing from the net

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Originally Posted by 3galarm

do you rely need books when you can learn every thing from the net

Some people work better with a book on the desk as they work on the screen instead of flipping between their work and the web page.

Ya can't make notes on the web page either if the instructions are off or you discovered a minor tweak to the instructions.

[edesigner008]

Although you are looking for a book, I don't think any book can give you all the examples of how to make web graphics. Rather, you should try to use Online Tutorials.

[lyonevans]

I'm not sure but have you heard of "Friends of Ed" books. I have read the CSS advanced somewhere last year and they are totally good. Maybe you can also find some good photoshop tutorial books there.