Freehand 9 Authorized (Macromedia Press Authorized) Book

FreeHand 9 Authorized starts right at the beginning with the absolute basics--how to create a new document, what the tools do, drawing basic shapes and so on. So if you are new to Freehand and aren't the manual reading sort you needn't worry about being left behind.The book describes itself as a training course and has been developed for use by Macromedia's Authorised trainers. The benefit of this is that the tutorials have actually been tried out on real people and refined so that you get the most out of them. Many books of this kind are written by experts who, though they may be leaders in their field of expertise, are not necessarily good teachers. The approach here is very much training-based, the aim to teach, rather than impress the reader with flashy examples.Each tutorial begins with an overview where you discover what you will learn, how long it will take and which files you will need from the CD-ROM. At the end of the chapter a brief summary states what has been covered and, usefully, provides page numbers so you can skip back and revise anything you are not sure about. This approach won't be to everyone's liking.If you are already a competent Freehand user and just want to learn about version 9's new features like the perspective grid and enhanced envelope distortion features, you will find the pace too pedestrian and explanations lacking sufficient depth. But for the beginner looking for a comprehensive introduction to all that Freehand can do, FreeHand 9 Authorized provides a solid grounding. --Ken McMahonRead More