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Publisher: Focal Press
Author: Richard Harrington
ISBN: 0240809262
Release Date: 12 April 2007

eBook Description
Master the graphic design and production skills required of today’s video editors and motion graphic professionals with this comprehensive guide to the video tools in Adobe Photoshop CS3. Every page is filled with techniques to help the video professional make graphics for use in television, video, the Internet, and DVD. Lively discourse, full-color presentations, and hands-on tutorials demonstrate everything you need to know about how to combine still and moving images. Fundamental concepts such as transparency, pixel aspect ratio, and alpha channels are made precisely clear, and advanced techniques show how to use Photoshop as a character generator, color corrector, and animation tool.

This edition features expanded coverage of DVD and motion graphics design, as well as addressing recent developments in High Definition video and 32-bit imaging. This indispensable reference includes:
* real-world solutions for making graphics for video
* introduction to third party plug-ins
* automation and shortcut methods that cut production time
* profiles of notable editors and motion graphic artists that include their favorite tips and tricks

The DVD offers a hands-on multimedia experience with hundreds of images to work on, tutorials to complete and 2 ½ hours of video training to watch.

Features:
* Real-world solutions for making graphics for video, motion graphics, and DVD authoring
* Expanded coverage of High Def video
* 16-bit and 32-bit image processing techniques for greater color fidelity
* Integration guides for top selling Editing, Motion Graphics, and DVD software
* Automation and shortcut methods that cut production time and improve final product

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Photoshop for Video, Third Edition (DV Expert Series)

Publisher: Focal Press
Author: Steve Roberts
ISBN: 0240520548
Release Date: 20 April 2007

eBook Description
Improve your character animation with a mastery of traditional principles and processes including weight and balance, timing, walks, birds, fish, snakes, four legged animals, acting and lip-synch. Traditional animation skills and techniques are presented in both 2D and 3D space. The companion CD features demonstration animations and exercises conducted in each of the major animation packages including 3ds Max, LightWave, Maya, and XSI Softimage.

* Readers will achieve improved 3D animation with a practical understanding of foundational animation skills
* Theory is balanced with practical exercises in drawn and 3D animation.
* Companion CD-ROM includes short demonstration movies, 3D exercises, and 20 rigged models for practice.

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Character Animation: 2D Skills for Better 3D, Second Edition

Publisher: Wrox Press
Author: Benjamin Nitschke
ISBN: 0470126779
Release Date: 30 April 2007

eBook Description
You haven’t experienced the full potential of Xbox 360 or Windows until you’ve created your own homebrewed games for these innovative systems. With Microsoft’s new XNA Framework, the only thing limiting you is your imagination. Now professional game developer and Microsoft DirectX MVP Benjamin Nitschke shows you how to take advantage of the XNA Game Studio Express tools and libraries in order to build cutting-edge games.

Whether you want to explore new worlds or speed down a city block in a souped up dragster, this book will get you up and running quickly. You’ll learn how to implement 3D models, generate huge landscapes, map cool-looking shaders to your 3D objects, and much more. Nitschke also steps you through the development of your first fully functional racing game. You’ll then be able to apply this information as you write your own XNA cross-platform games.

What you will learn from this book

• Tricks for managing the game engine and user interface
• How to program an old school shooter game and space adventure
• Tips for improving racing game logic and expanding your game ideas
• Methods for integrating amazing visual effects using advanced shader techniques
• Steps for adding sound and music with XACT-bringing your game to life
• How to fine-tune and debug your game for optimal performance

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who wants to write their own games for the Xbox 360 or Windows platforms. You should have some experience coding with C# or a similar .NET language.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

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Professional XNA Game Programming: For Xbox 360 and Windows

Publisher: Wrox Press
Author: Rod Stephens
ISBN: 0470137053
Release Date: 14 May 2007

eBook Description
Visual Basic(r) 2005 with .NET 3.0
Programmer’s Reference

With this completely up-to-date tutorial and reference, you’ll quickly learn how to develop Visual Basic (VB) programs that leverage the latest features of Vista and .NET 3.0. The tutorial section walks you through VB.NET from scratch, providing you with in-depth descriptions of the development environment, basic program syntax, and standard controls. You’ll also explore the fundamental concepts in object-oriented programming with VB.

In the comprehensive reference section, you’ll find out how to take advantage of specific VB features. Expert Rod Stephens shows you how to draw images, use GDI routines, and generate printed output. You’ll also discover how to build an application that interacts with its environment, save and load data in external sources, and use standard dialog controls. This approach makes it easier than ever to learn this powerful language and create your own dynamic programs.

What you will learn from this book

* The best methods for mastering the new features of VB.NET
*

Steps for implementing custom controls and drag and drop
*

Ways to use trickier class issues such as private class scope, declaring events, and shared variables and methods
*

Strategies for creating new classes designed to work with specific data types
*

How to define an interface using XAML
*

Techniques for building service-oriented applications using the Windows(r) Communication Foundation (WCF)

Who this book is for

This book is for programmers at all levels who are either looking to learn Visual Basic .NET or have already mastered it and want some useful tips, tricks, and language details.

Wrox Programmer’s References are designed to give the experienced developer straight facts on a new technology, without hype or unnecessary explanations. They deliver hard information with plenty of practical examples to help you apply new tools to your development projects today.

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Visual Basic 2005 with .NET 3.0 Programmer’s Reference

Publisher: Microsoft Press
Author: Orin Thomas
ISBN: 0735623902
Release Date: 09 May 2007

eBook Description
Announcing an all-new Self-Paced Training Kit designed to help maximize your performance on 70-620, the required exam for the new Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Vista Client certification. This 2-in-1 kit includes the official Microsoft® study guide, plus practice tests on CD to help you assess your skills. It comes packed with the tools and features that exam candidates want most–including in-depth, self-paced training based on final exam content; rigorous, objective-by-objective review; exam tips from expert, exam-certified authors; and customizable testing options. It also provides real-world scenarios, case study examples, and troubleshooting labs for skills and expertise that you can apply to the job.

Work at your own pace through the lessons and lab exercises. Focusing on configuring a Windows Vista client, this official study guide covers topics such as installing the client software, migrating from previous versions of the Microsoft Windows® client, and configuring systems settings, security features, network connectivity, communications and media applications, and mobile devices.

Then assess yourself by using 425 practice and review questions on the CD, which features multiple customizable testing options designed to meet your specific needs. Choose timed or untimed testing mode, generate random tests, or focus on discrete objectives or chapters. You get detailed explanations for right and wrong answers–including pointers back to the book for further study. You also get an evaluation version of Windows Vista software and an exam discount voucher–making this kit an exceptional value and a great career investment.

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MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-620): Configuring Windows Vista(TM) Client (Self Paced Training Kit 70-620)

Publisher: Sybex Inc
Author: Cristian Andrei Lefter
ISBN: 0470108800
Release Date: 02 April 2007

eBook Description
Get the preparation you need for exam 70-442, PRO: Designing and Optimizing Data Access by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005, one of two required exams in the Microsoft MCITP: Database Developer certification path. Your essential guide to Microsoft’s new SQL Server 2005 certification features practical and in-depth coverage, including:

• Full coverage of all exam objectives in a systematic approach, so you can be confident you’re getting the instruction you need for the exam.
• Practical hands-on exercises that reinforce critical skills.
• Real-world scenarios that put what you’ve learned in the context of actual job roles.
• Challenging review questions in each chapter to prepare you for exam day.
• Exam Essentials, a key feature at the end of each chapter that identifies critical areas you must become proficient in before taking exam 70-442.
• A handy tear card that maps every official exam objective to the corresponding chapter in the book, so you can track your exam prep objective by objective.

Also included is a CD-ROM with: a Sybex test engine wo you can test your knowledge; all chapter review questions and bonus case study exam questions; electronic flashcards that run on your PC, Pocket PC, or Palm handheld; and a searchable and printable PDF of the entire book so you can study anywhere, any time, and approach the exam with confidence.

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MCITP Developer: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Data Access Design and Optimization Study Guide: Exam 70-442

Publisher: Apress
Author: Tony Smith
ISBN: 1590598296
Release Date: 26 February 2007

eBook Description

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is the next generation of Microsoft SharePoint technologies. These products expand on SharePoint’s information-sharing and collaboration capabilities, which allow you to create true enterprise information management, information sharing, and collaboration solutions.

SharePoint 2007 User’s Guide: Learning Microsoft’s Collaboration and Productivity Platform is the follow-up edition to the successful SharePoint 2003 User’s Guide (Apress, 2005). This book provides guidance about the new workflows, interface, and other technologies within SharePoint 2007. Authors Seth Bates and Tony Smith describe SharePoint in a variety of environments, and have the expertise and ability to stand behind this useful guide–catered to anyone who works with SharePoint technologies in any capacity.

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SharePoint 2007 User’s Guide: Learning Microsoft’s Collaboration and Productivity Platform

Publisher: Apress
Author: Helen Dixon
ISBN: 1590597982
Release Date: 20 March 2007

eBook Description

Many experienced users may initially find Excel 2007 rather disorientating. But Excel 2007: Beyond the Manual will introduce those who are already familiar with Excel basics to more advanced features, like consolidation, what-if analysis, PivotTables, sorting and filtering, and some commonly used functions.

You’ll learn how to maximize your efficiency at producing professional-looking spreadsheets and charts and become competent at analyzing data using a variety of tools. The book includes practical examples to illustrate advanced features. It also covers new features of Excel 2007 along with ways to access old features. You’ll even gain timesaving tips and shortcuts.

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Excel 2007: Beyond the Manual

Publisher: Apress
Author: Jonathan Hassell
ISBN: 1590597966
Release Date: 12 March 2007

eBook Description

Many people use Outlook either by choice or by force, but few of them do more than scratch the surface of the personal information manager’s many features. And after years of spending hours each day within Outlook, most users become at least proficient with its base features.

Outlook 2007: Beyond the Manual takes you to the next level, showing you how to better manage your time, tasks, mail, and activities using Outlook’s sometimes hidden and sometimes undiscovered features. Freshly written for and based on Outlook 2007, this book doesn’t waste your time showing you how to send an e-mail, but tells you how to make yourself more efficient, less cluttered, and more clear about what’s happening in your life.

This book goes farther faster into Outlook’s advanced capabilities than other books. It shows you how to take control of the flow of information and time in your life and use Outlook to keep better tabs on it. It helps you take the thinking out of e-mail management, the tedium out of appointments and meeting scheduling, and the “rottenness” out of manual tasks.

• Doesn’t waste time with introductory features
• Highlights new Outlook 2007 capabilities and improvements
• Discusses quick troubleshooting options so you don’t wait on hold with your tech support group
• Shows integration with other Office products (SharePoint, Word, etc.)
• Includes a treatment of popular Outlook add-ins and add-ons
• Shows programmatic/development capabilities of Outlook

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Outlook 2007: Beyond the Manual

Publisher: Apress
Author: Kunal Mittal (Ed.)
ISBN: 1590597850
Release Date: 22 March 2007

eBook Description

Pro Apache Tomcat 6 is ideal for Tomcat administrators and others who want to configure Tomcat. It covers only Tomcat 6 and doesn”t get bogged down trying to overexplain tasks from each older version of the server. The book examines the entire installation, including file system, database, and web server, and provides you with security and performance tips.

Author Matthew Moodie describes configuration files, as well as administration features like security, auto-deployment, remote deployment, and data sources. He gets right to the point and teaches you to use Tomcat without wasting time on Java or JSP introductions or excess discussion of JSP and Java code.

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Pro Apache Tomcat 6 (Pro)