Product Description

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Hands-On Training is the latest, updated version of the highly acclaimed publication from the leading trainers on Dreamweaver at lynda.com. In this book, readers will find carefully developed lessons and exercises that teach readers modern Web design techniques and workflow with the latest version, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. Now that the software is an integral part of the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium, Web Standard, and Design Premium packages, there is an even greater need for the clear, step-by-step approach this book offers. Readers will learn to define a Web site; lay out pages effectively with Cascading Style Sheets; use tables; create rollovers; work with templates, media objects, and forms; and design for mobile devices. They'll also learn how to use the new features in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, including the new Spry framework for Ajax, Spry widgets and effects, advanced Photoshop CS3 integration, a new Browser Compatibility Check feature, CSS layouts, a new Manage CSS feature, integration with Adobe Device Control for creating mobile content, and Adobe Bridge CS3. Accompanied by a CD-ROM loaded with classroom-proven exercises and QuickTime training videos, this book ensures you'll master the key features of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 in no time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7190 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-20
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

About the Author
For more than a decade, Garrick Chow has been teaching computer software classes and seminars, covering a diverse range of topics, at private companies, state and federal agencies, colleges, and universities. He is the author of two Mac OS X Hands-On Training books and two Adobe Acrobat Hands-On Training books. Currently Garrick develops training tutorials exclusively for lynda.com, and is the host of the weekly lynda.com Video Training Podcast.

Customer Reviews

Good update from MX2004
Garrick Chow's approach includes not only how to use Adobe's Dreamweaver but also the bigger picture of how and why a web site is organized and how to do it. Dreamweaver CS3 has so many tools to help us maintain the integrity of the sites we design and implement. Automating repetitious tasks through templates, libraries, accessibility tools, and the History features make our jobs easier as Dreamweaver CS3 offers a nice element of control when others are contributing content and even pages to the same site. Chow shows where each tool is and not only what it does but tells us why we should be using it.

Chow has taught for more than 10 years and authored several books for Lynda.com. I found this book to be clear and concise, especially for graphic designers who must create web sites and pages as part of their job now. Chow starts out explaining why and how structure to your site should be set-up from the beginning. Building a site is not the WYSWYG process many designers think it is. A web site is more a living, breathing creature unlike a static print brochure so there are many things to consider when creating or redesigning a, existing site. Even something as simple as a file name has a different role as Chow points out the importance of page titles for search engines versus page names merely convenient for the designer to remember. We always have to think of our end user every step of the way. The files are not files "seen" only by prepress folks as in offset printing, their names are critical to being found and seen--or not--by our potential customers.

Throughout the book, Chow provides sidebars filed with good tips, caveats, and charts of shortcuts and short glossaries to orient the designer new to CS3. Tips that are meant to keep us from making mistakes that would frustrate us down the road when we launch our new sites. Little things like "Creating a Site Map" are helpful in spotting rogue links quickly.

The book comes with a tutorial CD that follows each chapter so the reader can do the processes as well as read about them. I personally went from MX2004 to CS3 so I appreciated the small screen captures with key elements circled showing where things are in this newest version of Dreamweaver. The CD includes exercise as well as training videos to see how things are done in detail. The chapter on templates is not to be missed as templates are a good way to maintain set design features on a site where others create and upload pages. The Update Template File feature makes changes throughout the site so we retain control over the design with easy maintenance. Creating libraries is a smart way to keep page elements organized and even assign copyright statements to as needed. Roundtrip editing to/from Photoshop or Fireworks is a sweet and fast way to tweak an image--if you know how to access it. Chow makes it simple to find these tools.

Chow leads us on a journey, first thinking about our end user and what we need our site to provide them, then he adds the page building, CSS, tables, forms and site linking, accessibility considerations, and finishing with fun things like adding sound, music and movies.

The last section of the book deals with the growing movement toward more dynamic and data-driven web pages as Chow explains Ajax and Spry tools, like widgets and detail regions. What does Spry do exactly? It allows you to integrate complex Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) implementations into your web pages for a better web experience for your users. Chow ends the books with handy troubleshooting FAQs and how to get your site online and how run site reports to find problems. The last words are additional resources and how to install/uninstall extensions.

This is a book centered around Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 that provides a solid overview of how to approach designing for the web--and maintaining that design. My copy is already full of little bookmarks for quick reference and I'm sure that Chow would be pleased about that.

Dreamweaver Hands-on a good resource.
One more example of the "hands-on" series that always works well for me. There's a disk with samples and it's easy to interact between the instruction and the program. It's the first learning tool I look for when I have to learn a new Adobe application.

comprehensive
I had no idea how to use Dreamweaver, and this book shows you all the steps to do it. Good exercises that really push you forward in this program. Best thing about this book - doesn't miss a step to get to the final picture in the exercise.