|
|
Dreamweaver
4 Fireworks 4 Studio: A Beginner's Guide
"This
Book is a Great Way to Get Started Making Web Pages!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Title:
Dreamweaver
4 Fireworks 4 Studio: A Beginner's Guide
Author: Kim Cavanaugh
Publisher: Osborne McGraw-Hill http://www.osborne.com
Publication Date: September 2001
Pages: 550
ISBN: 0-07-219260-7
Price: $29.99
Dreamweaver
4 Fireworks 4 Studio: A Beginner's Guide by Kim Cavanaugh,
gives you essential skills for first-time Web developers. This easy-to-use
book explains the fundamentals of this hot Web development tool. It teaches
you how to design, build, and deploy dynamic Web sites with the Dreamweaver
4 Fireworks 4 Studio and gives you a comprehensive introduction to all
the new features and functionality. The modular approach of this series--including
drills, sample projects, and mastery checks--makes it easy to learn to
use this powerful tool quickly and easily. The book fills that need for
a web design reference that begins with the basics, then leads you through
a series of step-by-step tutorials to build your skills and comfort level
to the point that you can confidently use the software to create unique
and dynamic web sites of your own. As this book is written by a teacher,
as opposed to someone who is an expert on the software but who knows nothing
about the way people really learn, the lessons and tutorials make sense
and anticipate your questions every step of the way. |
|
|
|
|
|
Beginning to advanced computer users.
Anyone who has basic experience in using computers can easily follow the
exercises in this book. |
|
|
|
|
|
Inside
you'll find information on the following:
- Modules--Each
concept is divided into logical modules (chapters), ideal for individualized
learning;
- Goals--Each
module opens with the specific skills you'll have by the end of the
module;
- Ask
the Experts--Q&A sections throughout are filled with extra
information and interesting commentary;
- 1-Minute
Drills--Quick self-assessment sections to check your progress;
- Annotated
Syntax--Example code annotated with commentary that points
to the particular technique illustrated;
- Projects--Exercises
contained in each module show how to apply what you are learning;
- Mastery
Checks--End-of-module reviews that test your knowledge using
short-answer, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and simple coding
questions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
How
The Book Is Organized |
|
|
|
|
Dreamweaver
4 Fireworks 4 Studio: A Beginner's Guide
consists of: an Introduction; 20 chapters and appendixes; and is divided
into three parts. You can think of this book as a combination of lectures
and hands-on activities, presented in self-contained modules and projects
that support new concepts and tools as they are introduced. Almost
all of the modules in this book are supported by free files that you can
download from www.osborne.com. These files include not only basic HTML
files for use with Dreamweaver, but also templates, graphics, and photographs
that support your learning as you move through the book.
|
|
|
Introduction |
|
|
|
|
Introduction:
The book begins with a special Introduction which includes an overview
of the book. |
|
|
Part
I: Dreamweaver 4 and the World Wide Web |
|
|
|
|
Part
1, "Dreamweaver 4 and the World Wide Web,"
contains ten modules that lead you through a series of projects covering
not only how the program is used, but also covering many of the fundamental
principles required for a full understanding of how the Web works, including
both technical and practical considerations
in web design.
-
In Module 1, "Fundamentals of the
World Wide Web," you will learn how the Internet
and the World Wide Web are organized, how the coding structure that
makes web pages possible actually works, and how the Internet browsers
function to read the code that you will create with Dreamweaver. You
might consider this module as "Internet 101," as it explains
the basic underlying structure of the computer coding language, HTML,
which makes it possible for web pages stored on a computer halfway around
the world to display on your computer at home.
-
Module 2, "Planning and Organizing
Your Web Site," explains why the planning process
for creating web sites is actually more important than the design of
the pages themselves. At the conclusion of Module 2, you will understand
why the simple question, "What is the goal of my web site?"
drives almost every design, layout, and site management decision you
will make in defining your web site, and how Dreamweaver is used to
help you focus on both the practical and technical aspects of site design.
-
In Module 3, "Understanding the Dreamweaver
Interface," you will be introduced to the Dreamweaver
authoring environment and the primary tools that are used for designing
your web pages. The Properties Inspector and the Objects panel are the
two primary tools for inserting and modifying content, and in this module
you will come to appreciate how efficient this interface is and how
quickly you can use it to lay out your pages.
-
Module 4, "Layout and Alignments:
Building Your First Web Page," delves into the
actual creation of your first web pages, and provides you with an understanding
of how files are named and titled and how the properties of the page
are defined in Dreamweaver, including text and page colors. Included
in this module is a guide to the use of colors in web design, with some
practical tips for creating pages that are easy to read and that make
the maximum possible impact.
- "The
Printed Word: Working With Text" is the topic of Module 5,
and in this section you will begin adding text to your pages and gain
an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of text for the
Web. This module will teach you not only how text is entered on a page,
but will also show you how formatting can affect the viewer's experience,
and present some of the issues involved with text alignment and how
it displays in different browsers.
-
In Module 6, "Adding Visual Interest:
Working with Images," you will learn how the use
of graphics and images can lead to a more dynamic experience for your
intended Internet audience. You'll learn in this module not only how
to insert basic images, but also how to create sophisticated rollovers
that respond to a viewer's mouse pointer, and be introduced to one of
the newest features of Dreamweaver-Flash text and buttons-that continues
the tight integration between the Macromedia family of products.
-
Module 7, "Controlling Page Layout,"
covers the use of the new layout tools in Dreamweaver 4, and introduces
you to the concepts that are fundamental to creating pages that look
great on any computer. By understanding the way that tables are used
for page layout and alignment, and the advanced features available with
objects such as tracing images, you will be able to produce web pages
that have an interface that is easy for your viewers to navigate.
-
In "Advanced Page Design: Frames
and Cascading Style Sheets,"
which is Module 8, you will learn how web page design
can be taken to the next level through the use of the more advanced
techniques afforded by frames, and get a peek into the future of the
Web by working with cascading style sheets.
-
Module 9, "Automating Your Work:
Tools for Consistent Content," covers another new
feature of Dreamweaver 4, the Assets panel, and how it is used to keep
track of all of the items that you have employed in your site-from links,
to colors, to library items and templates that can be used over and
over not only to make your work easier, but also to assist in branding
your site so your viewers find a consistent experience when they visit.
-
Module 10, "Forms and Functions:
Interactivity in Web Design," explores the use
of programming techniques and the requirements for creating interactive
elements in your site design. At the end of this final Dreamweaver-only
module, you will understand how forms are created, the programming required
to make your forms function properly, and be introduced to some of the
capabilities of the Extension Manager-Dreamweaver's tool for extending
the capabilities of the program by offering free extensions at the Macromedia
web site.
|
|
|
Part
II: Image Editing Fundamentals |
|
|
|
|
In
Part 2, "Graphics Creation and Optimization with Fireworks 4,"
you will find seven modules that introduce you to all of the capabilities
of the easy-to-use graphics program, Fireworks 4.
-
Module 11, "An Introduction to Fireworks
4," explores the Fireworks interface and explains
in detail how the program works and how to access the features of the
software through the panels that organize tasks based on their function.
-
In Module 12, "Working with Bitmap
Images," you will learn how GIF and JPEG files,
the two most common formats in use on the Web, are created and how you
can modify existing photographs and graphics in new and exciting ways.
-
Module 13, "Creating and Modifying
Objects with Fireworks Panels," takes you further
into the many uses of the software by exploring vector-based drawing
tools, how objects are arranged and combined, and how special effects
such as drop shadows, glows, and bevels are applied.
-
Module 14, "Working with Text and
Text Effects," details the different ways that
text can be created and converted to graphical images with the Fireworks
Text Editor, and how advanced techniques such as attaching text to different
shaped objects is possible.
- "Creating
and Organizing Complex Objects,"
which is Module 15,
explores more advanced techniques available through the use of masks,
and Fireworks' Styles, Symbols, and Layers. By using these tools you
will be able to compose highly sophisticated graphics in a short period
of time.
-
In Module 16, "Optimizing and Exporting
Fireworks Files," you will learn essential skills
required for preparing your images for the Web by discovering how Fireworks
allows you to fine-tune your images to achieve the fastest download
times possible while maintaining image quality.
-
Module 17, "Creating Animated Files
with Fireworks," covers in-depth both the practical
and technical aspects of the creation of animated images. You will learn
not only how animations are created, but also be introduced to the new
animated symbols features of Fireworks 4.
|
|
|
Part
III: Applying Effects to Your Images |
|
|
|
|
In
Part 3, "Bringing It All Together,"
the exceptionally well-integrated features of Fireworks and Dreamweaver
are explored as one, with an emphasis on how the two programs work together
to create dynamic content for the Web.
-
Module 18, "Creating Interactive
Images," leads you step-by-step through some of
the more complicated and exciting ways that the two programs can be
used together. Not only will you learn how the programs easily create
the JavaScript necessary for advanced features such as rollovers and
image maps, but you will also be introduced to one of the cutting-edge
features of Fireworks 4, pop-up menus.
-
Module 19, "Integrating Fireworks
and Dreamweaver," continues to explore some of
the ways that the two programs can be used together, including how you
can optimize and edit an image created in Fireworks directly from within
Dreamweaver.
-
Finally, in Module 20, "Getting It Out There,"
the Dreamweaver interface for transferring files from your own computer
to the server where they will be accessible on the World Wide Web is
the focus. In this module you will learn how Dreamweaver is set up for
file transfers, and information important for you to know when it comes
time to choose a web-hosting service.
|
|
|
Appendix |
|
|
|
|
- Appendix:
Answers to Mastery Checks:
Provides the answers to the mastery checks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dreamweaver
4 Fireworks 4 Studio: A Beginner's Guide is a wonderful book, easy to read
and well structured with a logical progression from one chapter to another.
There were few errors unlike some other computer books. The chapter
reviews at the end of the modules help ensure that you understand each module.
Many books on software products only explain how to do individual tasks
and overlook one of the most important issues: pulling it all together.
This book gives you the nuts and bolts and then helps you integrate this
knowledge. |
|
|
|
|
|
For
running Dreamweaver 4, you need:
Windows
- Intel
Pentium process or equivalent, 166 MHz or faster, running Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows NT (with Server Pack
5);
-
Version 4.0 or later of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer;
-
32 MB of random-access memory (RAM) plus 110 MB of available disk space;
-
256-color monitor capable of 800 x 600 pixel resolution;
-
CD-ROM drive.
Macintosh
-
Power Macintosh running Mac OS 8.6 or 9.x;
-
32 MB of random-access memory (RAM) plus 135 MB of available disk space;
-
256-color monitor capable of 800 x 600 pixel resolution;
-
CD-ROM drive.
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics:
Adobe Photoshop 6.0
Web Page Design: Macromedia Dreamweaver
4.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
This
site is (c) Copyright 2001, by PC Cafe Online. All World Wide Rights Reserved |
|