Creating Keynote Presentations With Iwork: Visual Quickproject Guide

By Tom Negrino

A to-the-point volume packs a big punch when it comes to getting users up and running fast with their Keynote presentations. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 032135754X
• ISBN13: 9780321357540
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Readable, well designed, and entertaining

In the 20 years I have been using Macintosh computers, I have always been leery of third-party Mac books. So often they are no more than laundry list recitations of a product's features. I am sure for some users that's a useful way to learn and a useful reference, but it's a lousy book to read for me, and of very little use. For that reason, Negrino's book is a welcome anomaly in this field. Written with an engaging style that is neither too familiar nor too dry, this book presents a wide range of capabilities of Apple's Keynote 2 in a manner that encourages exploration, emphasizes application, and rewards curiosity. Negrino's enthusiasm comes through clearly, and that is a welcome trait among Apple users, where enthusiasm for Jobs & Co. and their creations is a prerequisite. He is not dogmatic, however, so his advice includes a healthy dose of caution regarding some oddities and shortcomings of Keynote. I found his examples to map easily to decisions I make in my presentations. The book itself is slim, but not in a bad way. I think it reflects focus on the part of the author and his editor, Nancy Davis. I admired the evident effort in crafting the book, along with the layout that avoids being dull but shys away from being distracting, as well. As a side note, Negrino's interactions with the Keynote user community online reflects his genuine desire to learn how to derive the most benefit from the program. His openness to suggestions and ideas from those who seek to extend Keynote as far as possible allows him to write in a very authoritative manner about a program that can dazzle when wielded skillfully. I really look forward to my next presentation - between Keynote and this book, I have no doubts it will be my best yet.

Great overview for Beginners!

Even though Negrino's book is over 130 pages, I was able to read through it rather quickly. I think the best way to use this book is to read through it quickly away from the computer to get an overview, then go back, book in hand, and sit in front of your machine with Keynote2 launched. This book takes you through an actual presentation, and shows a lot of pictures as well as being easy to read. Although I am not a beginner (this book is geared toward beginners), I learned a few tricks that will be valuable to me down the line. I would highly recommend Negrino's other Keynote title, Visual Quickstart Guide once it comes out for Keynote2. If it is as good as his VQSG for Keynote1, it will be a purchase well made.