This is a blog for reviews and articles about Adobe (Formerly Macromedia)Products, Flash 8 and graphic and animation technologies.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Reviewing After Effects 7 Visual Quickpro Guide (Reviewed by: Rafiq Elmansy)

Product Details:
Book Name: After Effects 7 Visual Quickpro Guide
Writer: Antony Bolante
Publisher: Peachpit publishing
ISBN: 0321383540

Are you new with After Effects? Adobe After Effects 7 Visual Quickpro Guide for Antony Bolante really gives you fast steps toward learning more about this product. This book gives you a strong base to start a leading career using After Effects.
Antony Bolante in his book considered that the reader is beginner in After Effects. So, he describes each tiny part in an easy to understand way.

The first chapters in the book describe this great program, anatomy and tools. And shows you with examples how to use these tools.
For example, chapter 12 shows all about creating text and text animation. It starts with setting the workspace for text and goes through creating text, editing, formatting, setting text options and describes in details how to get the most out of text animation, starting with making the text follow a path, using text animation presets and creating animator groups.
The last chapter teaches you how to get your work out to the world by using different rendering techniques in After Effects.

I think this book is the best resource for beginner After Effect designers and animators, as it really gives you a big push toward the proficiency of Adobe after Effects.

Reviewed by: Rafiq Elmansy

Sunday, July 02, 2006

PHP and MYSQL for dynamic web sites (Reviewed by: Rafiq Elmansy)

Product Details:
Writer: Larry Ullman
Book Name: PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide
Publisher: Peachpit press
ISBN: 0321186486
http://www.peachpit.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0321336577&rl=1


PHP and MYSQL for dynamic websites for Larry Ullman is another member of Visual Quick Pro Guide series that gives you a fast efficient way to learn. The book covers PHP 5 and MYSQL 4.1 for beginners, intermediate and advanced users.
The introduction of the book gives you a fast definition for some important terminology about dynamic websites, what is PHP, why use PHP, how it works and what is MYSQL.
The first chapter is an introduction to PHP language, the basic Syntax, sending data to browser, writing comments, variables, strings, numbers, constants and quotation marks.
The second chapter covers the programming with PHP such as creating forms and validating forms data. The next chapter covers dynamic websites.
Chapter 4 and 5 covers SQL and MYSQL. And using PHP with MYSQL is covered in chapter 7.
The following chapters covers different related issues such as web application developing, cookies, sessions, security, CMS example and ecommerce example.
The book is good start for beginner to learn web developing with PHP and SQL.

Reviewed by: Rafiq Elmansy