InDesign CS5 Digital Classroom, (Book and Video Training) 1st Edition

Good

When it was time to tweak up my skills on InDesign CS5 I found this book to be invaluable. It offers a happy combination of readability and commitment to detail and the video tutorials matched my learning pace very well. Good value.

In the past few months, I have worked through three tutorials in an effort to migrate from PageMaker 7 to InDesign CS5.5. This one is, by far, the best for learning a basic skill set with the application. I will go out on a limb and mention that I have skimmed through three other tutorials as well. From what I have seen, I believe that this one is better than those for basic learning as well.The lessons were well thought out and achieved their goals at each step. The tutorial files worked, with one exception, in the manner expected from the text. It has been my experience that such harmony is difficult to achieve with complex programs like ID. The one problem I had was in a later chapter dealing with XML. Apparently my system was not set up properly.I almost gave this book a fifth star. I did not do so because I wish it had gone into a bit more depth in the matter of general page layout. The tutorial I used for PM 7 (over a decade ago) was superb in that respect. Even so, the more advanced to tutorials I still have ahead of me should cover the advanced aspects lacking in this book. From what I have seen, those will be easier to work through because this text provided a first rate foundation.

The digital classroom cd and book are perfect for learning design at your own pace. Even the most advanced indesign student could learn something from it.

This book has a cd and tutorials to learn all you need for InDesign CS5. Great book. I recommend it highly.

If you have lots of time, like a real, real lot of time, maybe this set of disc and book would help. But if you have some product knowledge (I've run PageMaker from infancy, and this was an upgrade from InDesign 2); or if you use the manual just when you are looking for the specifics of how to do something (and not starting learning the product from scratch) you'll be as sorry as I am if you buy this.Now, maybe it's just me - but I only read the manual when I can't find something in onscreen help, or when I have a few moments of free time and I'm trying to figure out something particular. So here's what I found out -- you just can't do that with this set. You need to play the tutorial disc starting at the beginning, and follow along in the book doing each lesson - building Adobe's imaginary projects. I spend enough time building my own projects, I really didn't want to build theirs. For me, this set was an incredible waste of time and money - I don't use it at all.While I'm complaining: For $200 bucks, Adobe should also have included a real manual with their product. You know, something you can flip through the pages and find what you're looking for fairly fast. I was pretty unhappy when I called to ask for one because it wasn't in the box, and their rep started singing a song and dance routine about how they are "Going Green" and saving the planet by just having the help files online. I guess they haven't figured out paper is from a renewable source: trees. Save your $50 (which I also thought is a real lot for a book or a book and a disk). Bottom line: after about 2 hours with this, I haven't picked it up since.

If you know InDesign already this book will serve nothing more then a reference and perhaps show you the new things added in CS5

Great book highly recommended. Check the website for corrections on the disk. I have experience with adobe but not with InDesign

I found the book and the DVD material to be excellent. It contains a comprehensive index so you can dip in to refresh knowledge of how to achieve a required effect which has be explained in the course modules. Highly recommended. Much better than the “brilliant” book on In Design.

We had used Pagemaker for a number of years.At first i had a bit of difficulty with the new InDesign program but this resource helped with examples to follow,I would recommend this resource to anyone

The book should work well for folks who are adept at computer stuff, but for a newbie like me it was a bit hard to follow. Perhaps not a problem with the book, but more with the user. InDesign is not an easy program to learn, and I will probably stick with a more simple program like Pages.

Great book in an excellent condition,very fast and reliable service. I have not finished reading it yet but so far so good. well written with easy to follow exercises and you get a cd with vidoe tutorials too!!!

Just as good as previous Digital Classroom books. Easy to follow with very good video presentatuions as well. I would use them again.