Teach Yourself Visually iLife ’04

Michael E. Cohen’s new book Teach Yourself Visually iLife 04 is out. You can even order it from Amazon. If you’re not familiar with the Teach Yourself series, you should take a look at the link for a sample. The principle is that people using software often prefer to have very clear specific step by step instructions needed to complete a specific task, like make an iPhoto slide show. Teach Yourself Visually books combine specific instructions with clearly labeled screen shots of the step, including call outs, presented in crystal clear prose and color. This particular book is especially good, not only because Michael Cohen wrote it, but because the graphic artists were unusually good. It’s actually fun to read and to use.

It’s also a bit of a family project. Michael’s brother, Dennis Cohen, was originally contracted to write the book, but ran out of time, so he invited Michael to pitch in. Then, unbeknownst to either of the Cohen brothers, I was hired separately to tech edit the book. This is the fifth iLife book I’ve worked on, and it’s the best for novice users or visual learners. If you’re a more advanced user, you can’t beat Dennis Cohen’s iLife Bible. Yes it’s a little outdated if you’re using iLife ’04, but most of the information is still accurate, and there are techniques and useful information in it that isn’t anywhere else.