Before and After magazine's focus on clarity, simplicity, and elegance has won it legions of fans--fans who will welcome this second volume of the definitive Before and After Page Design by John McWade. Truly an icon of the graphic design community, his insistence on approaching design not as mere decoration but as an essential form of communication is vividly apparent in this cohesive primer on page design and layout. And you could not hope for a better, more qualified teacher. McWade shows readers how to arrange and present information using today's powerful graphics tools. Readers will learn how to design single-page and multi-page documents, brochures, and ads; why one typeface works better than another; and much more. Best of all, they'll discover how to think visually transforming the images in their heads into something that communicates effectively on the page.

Before and After magazine's focus on clarity and simplicity and its insistence on approaching design not as mere decoration but as an essential form of communication have won it legions of fans. If you're among them, you'll welcome the first book from B and A's founder and publisher. John McWade walks his own talk, bringing you a beautifully clear, cohesive, and elegant primer on page design. You'll learn by example how to design single-page and multi-page publications, brochures, and advertisements, applying the principles design professionals live by. You'll also learn how to choose the right font for your project, why one typeface works better than another, and lots more. Best of all, you'll discover how to think visually--transforming the images in your head into documents that communicate effectively on the page.

Gain in-depth knowledge of Premiere Pro, and learn how the software “thinks.” You'll acquire new skills that will help you choose the best workflow for your project, and simplify and accelerate your video editing process. Learn how you can edit a lot faster with smarter workflows that automate several steps in the editing process. You'll also see how custom settings, presets, keyboard shortcuts and templates saves hours of work. By tailoring the software to your needs you save clicks on just about every task. With many traditional jobs now being done by one person, its important to understand audio smoothing, color grading, motion graphics, and advanced editing techniques. You’ll learn these skills and disciplines and see how they'll enhance your project's workflow. All the authors are professional editors and want to know exactly how to cut your film as fast as possible with top quality output. There is invaluable information in The Cool Stuff in Premiere Pro that’s not available anywhere else – not even in Adobe’s own manuals. What You'll Learn Edit faster, no matter what the project Understand the technical stuff, like timeline settings, render codecs, color subsampling, export settings, effect controls and monitor settings Know when to send your clips to other Adobe software, and how to treat them there. Master the Premiere Pro timeline, even stacks of timelines, and edit, trim and adjust with ease Who This Book Is For Video journalists (and everyone else) will learn how to edit faster and get home in time for dinner. Bloggers will learn how to make their online video and audio “pop”. Film cutters will learn how to organize, rough cut and fine tune huge amounts of material effectively and how to output for digital cinema. Experienced video editors will learn how to deal with multi-track audio and to work faster in every step of the edit. Marketing people who edit video for social media and web pages will learn simpler ways to make a faster cut. Teachers in media studies will understand the logic in Premiere Pro, and be better prepared for teaching video editing.

"How to Draw Cool Stuff: Basics, Shading, Texture, Pattern and Optical Illusions" is the second book in the How to Draw Cool Stuff series. Inside you will find simple illustrations that cover the necessities of drawing cool stuff. Specific exercises are provided that offer step-by-step guidelines for drawing a variety of subjects. Each lesson starts with an easy-to-draw shape that will become the basic structure of the drawing. From there, each step adds elements to that structure, allowing the artist to build on their creation and make a more detailed image. Starting with the basic forms, the artist is provided a guide to help see objects in terms of simplified shapes. Instructions for shading to add depth, contrast, character and movement to a drawing are then covered. The varieties of texture and pattern that can be included in an artwork offer another layer of interest and depth to a design. These elements are necessary to indicate the way something looks like it feels in a work (texture) or creating the repetition of shapes, lines or colors (patterns). Illustrated optical illusions involve images that are sensed and perceived to be different from what they really are, showing examples of how the mind and the eyes can play tricks on each other. All you need is a piece of paper, a pencil and an eraser and you are ready to draw cool stuff. Once the drawing is complete, it can be colored, shaded or designed in any way you like to make it original. Following these exercises is a great way to practice your craft and begin seeing things in terms of simple shapes within a complex object.

The Snail Soup Can Decoy to keep the candy stash safe. The Customizable “Keep Out” Sign to deter meddlesome siblings and parents. A Bunk Bed Communicator made from cardboard tubes (“Psst! Can you keep the snoring down?”). Clever, whimsical, and kind of genius, here are 67 unique projects that will turn any dad with DIY leanings into a mad scientist hero that his kid(s) will adore. No screens, no hi-tech gadgetry. Made by Dad combines the rough-edged, handmade ethos of a Boy Scout manual or The Dangerous Book for Boys with a sly sense of humor that kids love. Scott Bedford, a creative director by day and Webby Award–winning blogger by nights and weekends, wields an X-ACTO knife, magic marker, and prodigious imagination to create endlessly delightful projects for his two sons. He knows that kids like contraptions and gadgets, things that are surprising—a chair that appears to be balanced on eggshells. Things that are complex—a multilevel city, with buildings, tunnels, and roads, built from old boxes around the legs of a table. And especially things with humor—the Snappy Toast Rack, made to resemble a crocodile’s gaping mouth. The projects are shown in full-color photographs, and the instructions are illustrated in detailed line drawings that exude personality. Some are quick and simple enough to be done in a coffee shop; others are more of an afternoon project— yielding hours and hours of rich, imaginative playtime.

Provides instructions and plans for fifty projects for parents and children to build together, including a swinging treehouse, a model sailboat, and a totem pole.