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Painting the Web
Have web graphics have become so difficult in the past
decade that only professionals with expensive tools should
attempt to work with them? This refreshing guide tosses that
notion into the trash bin.
Painting the Web is the first comprehensive book on web
graphics to come along in years, and author Shelley Powers
demonstrates
how readers of any level can take advantage of
the graphics and animation capabilities built into today's
powerful browsers. She covers GIFs and JPEGs, raster images,
vector graphics, CSS, Ajax effects, canvas objects,
geographical applications, and more -- everything that
designers (and non-designers) use to literally paint the
Web.
While her goal is to help readers create professional
results, Shelley's emphasis is that, no matter how you
create and use them, working with web graphics should be
fun.
Topics in Painting the Web include:
GIF, JPEG, PNG, lossy versus lossless compression, color
management, and optimization
Photo workflow, from camera to web page, including a review
of photo editors, workflow tools, and RAW photo utilities
Non-photographic raster images (icons and logos), with
step-by-step tutorials for creating popular "Web 2.0"
effects like reflection, shiny buttons, inlays, and shadows
Vector graphics using VRML and VML
An SVG tutorial, with examples of all the major components
Tips and tricks for using CSS
Interactive effects with Ajax such as accordions and fades
The canvas object used in Safari and Silverlight
Geographical applications such as Google Maps and Yahoo
Maps, with programming and non-programming examples
Visual effects such as forms and data displays in table or
graphics
Web design for the non-designer
Graphics are not essential to the web experience, but they
do make the difference between a lively, compelling, and
exciting site and one that's merely functional. Whether you
want to spruce up a website, pull users in with animation,
or build entertaining new web games, this is the book for
you.
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