A fantastic read for anyone who uses computers! (Computer Arts - Magazine)

Member Name: Johndonut

Product:	Computer Arts - Magazine
Date:	24/08/01 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Full of info, Great cover disc, Tutorials!

Disadvantages: None

Whether you like it or not, art plays a part in everything we see everyday. Everything down to the label on a tin of beans has been designed with tender loving care, and now computers have become more powerful the art of design has moved over to a new platform.

Computers make it possible to design anything in a relatively short amount of time, and with a greater level of professionalism. No matter what business you're in, the chances are you'll be using a computer. You may want a web site made for your company, or you might just want to design a birthday card for your little Nephew Freddie. Well, for those of you who want to be able to take control of the way you do things on computers, there's a magazine that covers everything for desktop publishing to how they make computer generate adverts on the tele.

Computer Arts is a fantastic magazine which is world renowned for being the authority on all things computer generated. Every month it come packed with various tutorials and it comes with a cover cd, full of programs to make your life as a designer a lot easier.

So, what exactly is in Computer Arts that would make me want to buy it? Well, for a start it has a monthly round-up of all the latest news in the media world. If Adobe takes Macromedia to court, it'll be in here. However, news isn't just the boring stuff - have you ever seen an ad on the TV and wondered how it was done? Computer Arts tells you how it was made and who mades it. No more sleepless nights then! Unlike other magazines that have list after list of dull information, CA combines reviews of hardware with light hearted articles, providing overall a more interesting read.

CA, like every other good magazine has a feedback section to allow readers to write in and share their opinions. Located immediately after the news area of the magazine, "Letters" are an integral part of the magazine - highlighting issues and challenging opinions on
the computer designing world. Ever wondered who designs the spectacular front cover illustrations? Write in!

A nice touch to the magazine is that fact that every month the front cover image seems to be the central feature for the issue. For example, at the time of print the most recent copy of CA is based on Pixel Art - so, what are the tutorials themed on? Icons! By providing insight into the month's topics and combining the articles with history, current projects and tutorials, CA does a brilliant job of providing an info source that isn't boring to read.

In addition to the other sections in the site, every month CA profiles a company or design studio in order to find out how things tick in the professional world of CGI. Once again, by combining news, images and information, CA manages to shed light on the topic without dazzling the reader to a crisp. As you might have started to notice, Computer Arts magazine always ties things together. If you read an article on a company that airbrushes images to perfection, the chances are that you'd feel like doing a bit of computer generate airbrushing yourself. Well, in case you don't know where to start CA provide a tutorial for your use, straight after a relevent topic.

The fantastic thing about this magazine is the fact that it combines tutorials with news, information and other elements. However, it doesn't just stick to 2D cartoon drawing. CA covers a whole range of different topics that could be condisidered as computer art. 3D modelling, games creation, illustration, web design, web programming, animation - you name it, it's there. The great thing about this is that if you're interested in any one topic related to art on computers, it'll probably be in there. This way the magazine appeals to a whole range of people - and while you're reading it, the chances are you'll probably become interested in other types of computer creation.

The maga
zine also manages to turn a simply topic into a multi-faceted subject. Looking for information on web design? CA will give you tutorials, tips and tricks for photo editing, information on suitable hardware, ideas for creating attractive colour schemes, name of places to buy web software, info on setting up a server, and news on new technologies emerging.

As in many magazines published by Future Publishing, CA provides you with the option to recieve copies direct to your door before they hit the shops. By doing this you'll save a fair few quid - £20 in fact. You can buy the magazine worldwide, and for a good reason. CA comes with a dual format CD, so that it's of use to PC and Mac users alike. Every month there's always a letter in the letters section from an American reader - they don't have anything that comes anywhere close to Computer Arts over there!

Computer Arts is a information packed adventure for all you budding designers out there. With all the news, hardware reviews and tutorials (not to mention the cover CD), you'd be a fool to miss out.

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