This book promises to……

1  increase your creative punch. The focus is on aesthetics.

2  broaden your perceptions.. Thousands of images offer distinctions that help one see with fresh eyes.

3  provide a 30,000 ft view. How different digital media all fit together into a single creative tablet.

4  demystify computer terms while helping to …..

5  learn the lingo of designers, which is essential for working with others in the design community.

6  keep to simple, available, consumer-level gear. Covers both Mac and Windows computers.

7  assist you in choosing tools. Not training, per se, but perspective about capabilities, values and creative characteristics of different hardware and software.

8  supply you with design precepts - Mojo that works across all digital disciplines.

9  look things up fast. A resource volume you’ll want to keep close.

10  finally, the book promises help in sharing of your work through distribution channels that are free.
  About the Book  

 
Mediapedia looks like a book about digital technology. But really it’s a book about creativity. Its mission is to help you take your own work to the next level. And the level after that.  It tries to do this by visually sampling the fullest range of creative options. The book also contains creative projects that can jump start your exploration of new techniques.

Is the book right for you?
To test if the volume will be useful, open the Expanded Contents section of this site. Choose a chapter that you feel familiar with. Skim through the listing of terms and topics. If you don’t discover a bunch of new words and visual ideas, then the book is too rudimentary for you.

So who is it for?  Mediapedia is aimed at folks who have a digital camera, a computer, and are beginning to use them together in creating stuff for the Internet.

A book about language.
Mediapedia uses two kinds of language: words and pictures. Both are necessary in showing the fullest creative range of your hardware (camera, computer, scanner, printer) and the software applications you use most (Photoshop, Illustrator, iPhoto and dozens more).

The book is organized as a lexicon with (a) short and clear definitions, (b) discussions that amplify interesting aspects of an entry, and (c) with plenty of visual examples. The words and images open doorways that expand your creativity. After all, if you don’t know something exists, you’ll never incorporate it into your personal work.

Why a companion site?
Mediapedia: The Book, is web domain that I have built around with four goals.
  • To give a taste of the volume itself.
  • To list lots more resources than the book contains, including ones from other readers.    
  • To link to movies and slide shows referenced in the book.    
  • To show-off your own projects and get inspired by those submitted by others.
Site Requirements
This site is best viewed in the latest version of Firefox. You will also need Adobe Reader for the resources in Extra Stuff and Real Media Player for some of the videos on the site.