This book is great if you're a visual person
351757
This book is great if you're a visual person. Great recipes can't wait to try them out! It looks great on my coffee table
4097678
I love the images in this book and the quirky sayings, most of which were meant for adult eyes. There are a range of images from simple to more complex, so there is something for everyone. The images are one sided so you can you markers, but they will bleed through, so be sure to put cardstock or something else between pages to protect the next page from marker bleed. The author has included some test pages as well, so you can test the colors before using them on your images, which is a bonus! Definitely, worth the money!
1331674
Jack emphasizes the point that the human brain only understands pictures and positive statements. I was excited to read this because that is what I coach my clients to do--create pictures of what you want your audiences to do and get away from dry statistics and graphs and tables on slide after slide. When you generate a visual in the minds of your audiences, they will remember you and your message. And that will go a long way towards achieveing the success you are reading this book for.
830464
On the instruction side of this book, it is very strong and very detailed.  Visually, this artist leaves MUCH to be desired.  Ratner provides excellent instructions, with great suggestions for creating human models,  and his chapter on animation is really good.
 But something that  confuses me is, he has the knowledge to do it well, but why doesn't he?  His models are limited and ugly, he has not seemed to fully study the human  body and it's anatomy, thereby creating hideous models.
 A big part of  my buying a book is the graphical detail, and while his abilities were very  limited, the examples of his students works were VERY WELL DONE.
 If you  wish to learn how to model big, bulky, clumsy looking characters, this book  is for you, or if you are just getting started, it will help you get your  first foot on the ground... But if you are an advanced or Experienced user,  may I suggest that you pass this book up.
4656474
This book has beautiful, creative, thought provoking photographs, but I found the first 3rd of the book (Technique and Composition) difficult and confusing to read.  I am just a casual photographer and the first few pages on "Lenses and Focal Lengths" had my head spinning.  Next came mini lessons on:
Understanding Exposure,
ISO and Noise,
Shutter Speed and Motion,
Aperture, Focus and Depth-of-Field
Working with a Lensbaby
Blur and Bokeh
Understanding Dynamic Range
Exposing for the Earth and Sky at Night
Multi-RAW Processing Beyond Landscapes
Bracketing landscape Exposures
Combining Flower Captures
Extending Focal Range
Workflow and Digital Asset Management

All of this technical information stuffed into the first 80 pages.  I tried on several occasions to swim through all the material, but I ended up drowning every time.  In the end I skipped the "Technique" section and went to the sections entitled "Unleash your Imagination" and "Photography is Design".  WOW.  These two sections are the real gems of the book.  The chapters contain images that get you thinking, and explanations to help you improve your creative eye and ultimately your photographs.

And guess what? The photo inspired me so much that I tried once again to wade through the "Technique" section.  I haven't made it completely through the section yet, but now I have motivation.

So in summary I have no complaints with any of the book's content, just the arrangement of the topics.  There is too much information, too many concepts crammed into the first section.  The material should be chopped up into manageable bits and scattered through the book, or better yet the Technique section should be the last section and not the first.

So don't let the first section scare you away from this book.  Read sections two and three first and then go back to section one.
3484540
I am a visual type of learner so I really enjoyed seeing all the visuals with clear explanations in this book. The book cover was sadly damaged when taken out of the box, but otherwise love this product for my class.
1383434
The book is filled with pictures and explanations and stuff like that(which is why one would buy it). They're pretty clear explanations in fact.

One issue is that there are a lot of sketches of topless ladies in there, So I wouldn't recommend it for little kids.

Once you get past that, there is a quite large variety pf poses to look and choose from, which is pretty cool.

It gives you tips on coloring/shadowing too.

What I found pretty helpful is the chapter about Mastering The Dynamic Figure. This is because when I draw, and don't have a plan, the resulting image can be really static, and boring aside from little aesthetics I might add. This will help me improve. I know there's a good artist in me. This should help me cultivate it...him?

Uh... Anyway, I really enjoy this one. If you're a beginner-intermediate type looking for a way to improve, then go for it.
990548
bert monroy is an amazing artist, some one who's work i've admired for years, and the art in the book is stunning-- better than i'm doing.  the book is worth buying just to look at the images. however, the exercises were a bit sparse, and not real deep. there are some good step-by-steps for some things, but other stuff he skipped over.
i say this as a photoshop user since version 2. the book is great for those serious users who want to look and be inspired, but seasoned pros who cut their teeth on kai's power tips in the 80's (pre-history pallet, pre-layers) might be a bit disappointed.
3470152
If you are looking for something that has a lot of pictures that are step by step then this is not the book for you. It has a few of the finished products but this it doesn't really have any real picture instructions. I am personally ok with this, however someone just beginning may want to look into something a bit easier. Although this would be an amazing book to graduate up to when you want something new to move on to. I quite enjoyed it and even though it was printed in the '60s the bouquets are still gorgeous! Don't just pass it up!
1139966
This book is a wonderful work of art, and it presents the topic in an interesting and creative style -- but it is not a practical manual. It's very heavy on "creative flair" and very light on useful, straight-forward advice on effectively designing with type. There are a few exercises (very few) and they seem like they were tacked on as more of a marketing ploy than as a way to genuinely enrich the material. The book is a bit of a hodgepodge, though a beautiful one, and it reminds me more of a coffee-table book than a textbook. For those looking for something a little more straight-forward, I'd recommend "Designing with Type" by James Craig.
2456852
I am a visual person.  I'm currently taking a film class and had to purchase The Visual Story for class.  Let me first say that I am an aspiring filmmaker.  I have an incredible library of handpicked books catering to any and all aspects of the filmmaking experience and this is by FAR among the very top of my selections!  It is really terrific at not only explaining concepts very concisely, but it also is full of real visual examples.  Terrific book.  Buy it!  You'll be glad you did.
3245587
Now here's a book to really enhance your photo-making abilities!
You can find very helpful classifications of where you are now as a photographer, from a technical view, as well as (and more inportant) from a creative view. And from there how to evolve ad infinitum to a higher level.
George is not afraid of telling us his inner thoughts and even his past failures, all to aid us in our search to better results. The pictorial examples are stunning, often appreciated after a few seconds. It takes time to make a good image, as it takes time to view one. Here you will find nothing about specs like f-numbers or glass and metals used: technical ability is just one side of a succesfull picture, and one of lesser importance. One that can be learned through many, many other books. This book is about the content, what the image has to say, what emotions it can evoke, all of which is so much more indicative of a good image. Interesting is the view of saleable pictures on the scale from bad (dust-bin bad) to world-moving. Thoughts about screenviewing and prints are eye-opening. And if you think you can print to perfection: you can order a few really professional prints from this book and see if you're that good.
3541129
Since I'm a very "visual" person, for me, it's hard for me to learn when everything is black and white, especially when the pictures have bad contrast. Doesn't look like too much thought was put into this book.
3843300
FILLED with illustrations of his points, asides for related points, and just great advice about photography... You can just take this a little at a time or read the whole thing, or go in any order you desire. In any case, you may find yourself better understanding what makes one photo really eye-catching and what makes one not as much.

It'd probably be best to take it a concept at a time, and try and shoot some photos using that concept. There are larger books that might be better on this topic, but this puts all that the average photographer needs about making photos look better into a really small and convenient space.
2382825
The layout and presentation of this book is beautiful, as you'd expect of a book focused on visuals. However, it's very much a textbook with a lot of the explaining-very-simple-concepts-in-three-pages stuff. Lots of good information, but if you've worked writing reports for any amount of time you'll have picked up most of the concepts. There are few real insights and a distracting narrative device of the author describing his ideal modeling software which doesn't match with the prose. I'd recommend it if you're fresh out of college and want to get a leg up, but not for the working professional.
2849517
The book is a visual feast, filled with some delightfully photographed rooms and will certainly give you some design inspiration.

What it will not do is give you an easy to follow abc to designing Harmonious Interiors.

Each chapter contains only one page of information for 15-30 pages of photo's.

Each photo has a caption telling us why that room has an appeal and you get an assortment of suggestions.

There are plenty of conflicting tips to muddle over if you must, but the best thing to do is treat this book like a magazine - lust and sigh, but don't expect any practical information.

A good coffee table addition but don't expect too much.
2535819
A great read. The only reason it doesn't get 5 is because I'm a very visual person, preferring to have some idea what the end result should look like, and this book has no illustrations.