New Riders.

New Riders

201 W. 103rd St., Indianapolis, IN 46290

www.newriders.com

New Riders provides intermediate and advanced computer users with a wealth of practical applications guides to the latest computer programs: these are a selection of just a few of their more recent, highly recommended handbooks. Dan Ablan and Randy Sharp's Lightwave 8 Killer Tips (0735713715, $39.99) provides a handbook written by Dan Alban, a AGA Digital Studios president who runs 3D animation for a living, and visual effects artist Randy Sharp, who specializes in modeling, lighting and feature film work: together their knowledge of the Lightwave 8 program is 'killer' in and of itself. The task-oriented Lightwave 8 Killer Tips provides tips on how to streamline usage and enhance results, with individual chapters covering shortcuts, hidden secrets, and tips on modeling, selecting, and saving in different ways. Add a healthy dose of color illustrations each step of the way and you have a fine guide. Dreamwaver users aren't left in the cold either, with Massimo Foti, Angela Buraglia and Daniel Short's Dreamweaver MX 2004 Magic (0735-713782, $29.99). What's 'magic' about these tips are their blend of 12 projects paired with 11 industry specialists who provide both hands-on models and tips for solving common application issues, from modifying object appearance using custom CSS applications to building separate style sheets for each color scheme of a site. The accompanying cd of QuickTime movies is especially important to the 'classroom in a book' model of Dreamweaver MX 2004 Magic. Users of these programs should realize HTML isn't dead or masked by web site applications programs, and Molly Holzschlag maintains the importance of using HTML and its associated tips in her XML, HTML, XHTML Magic (0735711-399, $34.99). Eleven sample projects teach the foundations of using these three markup languages along with new technologies to resolve common design and applications issues. The focus on how real people solve these applications program is important, as are chapters so specific to 'real world' situations as to demonstrae how to update a daily newspaper web site, how to design an effective personal site or create a complex community site, and how to provide online customer support. Or you take a good look at Kelly Goto and Emily Colter's Web Redesign/Workflow That Works (0735710627, $45.00) for a specific guide to effectively redesigning an existing web site. Designers, in-house webmasters and business owners alike receive the nuts ands and bolts from a wide range of contributing experts on subjects ranging from building task checklists and absorbing redesign techniques to maintaining the web site. Kleber Stephenson's Microsoft Office 2003 Killer Tips (0735714371, $29.99), like the others, assumes a basic foundation in the program--then improves upon this foundation. Stephenson is Director of Windows Technologies for KW Media Group, a Florida software and education publishing firm: his tips are easy to understand, reflect his decade of experience analyzing business computing networks and devising solutions to common problems, and provides all the accompanying color graphics and photos necessary to fully understand the detail and depth of his 'killer tips'. All are excellent--and packed with real-world examples easy to understand.