The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow! Book

Very well written and fast-paced book, created presumedly for advanced users that already know their way around Illustrator, written to teach the more advanced techniques of Illustrator. I've owned all versions of this book since "The Illustrator 8 WOW Book!" and also used Illustrator for 8 years before buying the first copy. Each revision adds on new techniques that apply to the newly-introduced features of Illustrator while retaining some of the more useful tutorials that still apply. Bottom line: I used Illustrator daily for around 8 years before buying the very first book (purchased used) that I bought and it increased my skill level considerably. That's not an exaggeration, nearly 10 years experience at the time and this book taught me a lot. It's now nearly 10 years later and I continue to buy these books because they are the only book I've found that guarantees I will make money from the knowledge that I learn from it; if not by skill itself, but by the time saved by being more productive. If you think you know everything about Illustrator, like I did, buy this book and you will thank me for it. I thought I was as good as it gets at the time. In hindsight, I can easily estimate that I am *at least* 4-times better at Illustrator because I bought these books. If you think you know Illustrator, it's time that you buy this book to prove yourself wrong. And besides, it'll pay for itself. (PS. On a side note, I believe I've rated and reviewed all of the series of these books, that's how much I love this series. I not only believe this is the only book with advanced techniques, but firmly believe it should be purchased by every single person that uses Illustrator with more than 5 years experience.)

Very advanced book. Would have enjoyed some more step by step methods and CD with video supported lessons. Lots of good examples of what Illustrator can do, but not so clear how to do some of the techniques (for a newbie)

I got this book as an advanced tutorial for Illustrator CS5, explaining the new features by using practical exercises. I have limited time and don't enjoy books that have little benefit over the online manual of the Adobe applications, especially if they delve into tedious and boring step-by-step descriptions such as "press key A, now press key B, etc.". This book takes a refreshingly different approach in that each chapter first explains the nuts and bolts of a certain feature, then continues to exemplify it with practical examples of professional Illustrator artists, but at a very detailed level and with the actual files on the enclosed DVD. Thus, it is not only a tutorial, but also a portfolio of stellar works that will inspire any AI user. I had a look at various other Illustrator CS5 books, and this one was the best I found. Can't fault it in any way and wish the authors many happy returns. Highly recommended for any intermediate Illustrator user looking for inspiration.

I hate computer books that are written step-by-step and waste your time with simple things you could figure out on your own. This book is not for those who have never used illustrator before, but is excellent for people like me who have used illustrator for years but really only know the basics. For example, I don't need to know how to create a new document, but I do need to learn some tips and tricks that make working in illustrator less frustrating. Within reading two or three pages of the book I was hooked and bought it immediately. There are tutorials on things like making maps easily in illustrator, drawing complex shapes, and just how to arrange your work space to make it less frustrating. These are things I have wondered about for years, tinkered with him around, and given up on. If you have trouble learning new computer skills, I don't recommend this book for you. However, if you are a quick learner like me, give this book a shot. I think you'll be happy you did!

I am a long time computer software user. I also loved Freehand or Macromedia FX over Illustrator so I have been kicking and screaming towards Illustrator. Still hate some of the inane commands but about 5 years ago I switched. I am highly proficient in Photoshop and that was my first WOW book, CS3 Because I never really embraced Illustrator and have been fairly self taught via projects along the way I finally decided to breakdown and pick this up. I still do not find Illustrator as intuitive as Freehand was but this is a great way to dive into the nitty gritty of an Adobe software, this being Illustrator, for a non-novice. Maybe a beginner but I am past that. I need nuanced examples. I often know what I want then go looking for how to achieve it. Sometimes it takes following someone else's steps with an actual project in mind for me to learn more. That's why I like these books.

good book for the intermediate designer. Great examples of other designer's work. Would recommend highly. ! ! ! ! !

I love the WoW books, they are well written, informative, interesting, well illustrated and this version is no different. I've been using the Adobe Creative Suite since it started and Adobe Illustrator since version 8 and this book still has new and exciting things to teach me. The best thing is that the work by artists has an explanation of the process so not only is it WoW but also a HoW book. Love it!

This book is has a very nice combo effect, very advanced technical info, with little supportive information, and very poor hands-on examples of what Illustrator does. This book is for someone already very experienced with Adobe Illustrator, and someone that does not need step-by-step help. I guess that implies I needed more help and that I'm not super advanced -- be that as it may or may not be, there are very few tips or tricks that are easy to follow or find in the very wordy text and the examples provided are very, very thin on details. The examples provided may have taken a person weeks to do, and then the book glosses over all most all the details. In a nutshell, this books is not a WOW, but a WTF??? Not worth the paper used to print it! Go online and find people that explain Illustrator for free!

Superb book with gorgeous eye catching tutorials and inspirational images. Enjoyed this book tremendously, good value, good quality and now a reference on my studio shelf. five stars.

Excellent aid

The images inside the book are just as boring as the one on the cover. Teaching methodology is sound, but the images are all so dull and boring.... Its like the smelly old art teacher with a sweater vest and cords - he knows his stuff, and you can learn something, if you can just stay awake long enough.