Books about Workflows from Amazon.com

Windows Workflow Foundation is a ground–breaking addition to the core of the .NET Framework that allows you to orchestrate human and system interactions as a series of workflows that can be easily mapped, analyzed, adjusted, and implemented.

As business problems become more complex, the need for a workflow–based solution has never been more evident. WF provides a simple and consistent way to model and implement complex problems. As a developer, you focus on developing the business logic for individual workflow tasks. The runtime handles the execution of those tasks after they have been composed into a workflow.

Pro WF: Windows Workflow in .NET 3.5 provides you with the skills you need to incorporate WF in your applications. This book gets you up to speed with Windows Workflow Foundation quickly and comprehensively. The practical aspects of using WF are covered in a lively tutorial style with each workflow concept illustrated in C#. You’ll find detailed coverage of how to customize your workflows and access them in a variety of ways and situations so you can maximize the advantages of this technology.

Pro WF: Windows Workflow in .NET 3.5 is written by an experienced Windows and .NET developer. Rather than simply duplicating the available references on the subject, author Bruce Bukovics leads you through a series of practical WF topics that enable you to gain immediate experience and learn how to use the technology as you progress through the book.

What you’ll learn

• WF basics
• Customizing your workflows
• Accessing your workflows in a variety of ways in a variety of situations
• Using WF with web services and ASP.NET
• Integrating WCF and WF

Who is this book for?

Developers encountering WF and .NET 3.5 for the first time in their professional lives

About the Apress Pro Series

The Apress Pro series books are practical, professional tutorials to keep you on and moving up the professional ladder.

You have gotten the job, now you need to hone your skills in these tough competitive times. The Apress Pro series expands your skills and expertise in exactly the areas you need. Master the content of a Pro book, and you will always be able to get the job done in a professional development project. Written by experts in their field, Pro series books from Apress give you the hard–won solutions to problems you will face in your professional programming career.

Related Titles

• Workflow in the 2007 Microsoft Office System
• Foundations of WF: an Introduction to Windows Workflow Foundation
• Pro WCF: Practical Microsoft SOA Implementation

.
Price: $29.30 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Workflow is the glue that binds information worker processes, users, and artifacts Without workflow, information workers are just islands of data and potential Workflow in the 2007 Microsoft Office System details how to implement workflow in SharePoint 2007 and the rest of the 2007 Office System to help information workers share data, enforce processes and business rules, and work more efficiently together or solo.

This book covers anything you're likely going to need to know -- from what workflow is all about, to creating new Activities; from InfoPath forms to ASP.NET forms; from the Rules Engine to the object model. Theres even a section on integrating Office 2003 clients with SharePoint 2007 workflows. Youll come away from reading this book with solid knowledge of how to implement workflow in the new world of Office and SharePoint.

Related Titles

• Pro Access 2007
• Pro Excel 2007 VBA
• Pro InfoPath 2007
• Pro SharePoint Solution Development: Combining .NET, SharePoint and Office 2007
• SharePoint 2007 User's Guide: Learning Microsoft's Collaboration and Productivity Platform

.
Price: $21.69 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Dereks edge is that he wont stand still. He has a knack for finding new corners of the program to exploit and innovative ways of doing so. Hes pushed the boundaries not only for his own art but also for thousands of up and coming artists who also want to create onscreen the visions they have in their minds. If youve bought this book, youre about to discover what I mean.
-Garrick Webster, Editor, Computer Arts

Welcome to the world of art and imagination! Derek Lea, one of the worlds top 100 digital artists, shows you how to use Photoshop in unorthodox ways to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. His work is a unique combination of original photography, traditional illustration, and digital art.

If you are a digital artist, illustrator, cartoonist, graphic artist or designer who is familiar with Photoshop, but want to push the program to the limit, this book is for you! Learn how to get professional results from the paint features in Photoshop. Create sharp illustrations by combining vectors and pixels. Explore less-than-obvious composition methods, and discover the hidden potential in unlikely artistic resources and materials. Play around with texture using spray paint effects and scanned elements, or age faces and objects. Use stencil tags and comic book coloring techniques. Learn how to bring 3D art to life! Maximize your creativity AND efficiency with invaluable information on working between Photoshop and Illustrator.

This book/CD package provides clear, step-by-step tutorials that make it easy to emulate Leas techniques in your own work. With all the images from the book to play with, youll be creating stunning artwork in no time! Be sure to visit the book's website at http://www.creativephotoshopthebook.com/ for more information, and join the reader forum to share your ideas with digital artists from around the world.

* Learn from an award winning digital illustrator how to think outside the box and create stunning art with Photoshop
* Be inspired by a wide range of artistic styles and real world techniques that you can adapt to your own work, including graffiti spray art, comic coloring, and antique effects
* Practice new skills with FREE tutorial files on the CD.
Price: $24.83 [Notify me when price goes down.]

I was recently asked to compile ten of my favorite tips and techniques from Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers. Here's a look at what I selected, along with the photos from the book that are used to illustrate each technique or tip and page references to text that explains the technique more thoroughly.

Briefly noted: these are not hardware tips (like what memory card to buy), these are photographic ideas that will help you stretch your technique and help you create the photos you can see in your mind's eye.

Top Ten Tips on Light and Exposure

1. Choose a wide-open aperture for low depth of field. Sometimes a photo that is completely sharp is neither possible nor desirable. To create a partial blur effect in windy conditions, place your camera on a tripod. Using aperture-preferred metering or manual exposure control, choose a wide-open aperture such as f/4.0. The resulting low depth of field, possibly combined with motion blur, will create a pleasing effect. (Pages 50-55.)

2. Use a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of water. Moving water is rendered differently depending upon the shutter speed you use in your exposure. Setting the shutter actually sets how long the shutter will be open, not a speed. Fast shutter speeds capture moving water crisply, and slow shutter speeds show water in motion as a blur. To create a very pleasing diffuse blur effect with quickly moving water, try a very long exposure time, for example, about three minutes. (Pages 92-94.)

3. Boost the IS0 to use noise creatively. Photographers usually think of noise as something bad that should be avoided using proper exposure settings and post-processing remove it. But noise can actually be used creatively. For example, one way to create a "pointillist" effect in your photos is to boost your ISO and then shoot straight into a strong light source. (Pages 112-113)

4. Don't worry about white balance. Many photographers spend much too much time worrying about their in-camera white balance settings. If you are shooting in RAW, the only thing this setting really does is control the way your photo is displayed in the camera LCD. So leave your camera set to auto white balance, concentrate on the photography not the white balance setting, and correct your white balance when you post-process your photo. (Pages 126-132)

5. Use a light box and overexposure to create a transparent effect. To create the effect of transparency, try an inexpensive light box as your light source. Use the kind of light box that is used for viewing slides or other transparencies. Place the lightbox either under or behind the object you are photographing. This is an excellent technique for flowers and other semi-transparent objects. If you overexpose photos like this, you can bring out luminous and transparent details. (Pages 136-137)

6. To get your exposure right at night, try a test exposure at a high ISO. If you want to capture star trails at night, you need to make a long exposure, which means using a low ISO. Before investing the time it takes to create this effect, test your exposure at a higher ISO and a faster shutter speed, then do the math to make sure your longer exposure is correct. (Pages 28-29 and 140-143)

7. Create a studio of your own. You can create a home studio of your own using surprisingly inexpensive materials. Desktop lamps can be used for flood lighting, and LED headlamps can be used for spot lighting. Venetian blinds can control the direction of light, and sheets can be rigged to work as diffusers. A good art supply store is also a great source of inexpensive supplies that can be used to make a creative home studio. (Pages 146-149)

8. Use the RAW data in a photo to extend the dynamic range of your images. You may not be aware just how much exposure latitude there is within a single digital RAW capture. By combining multiple conversions from the same RAW capture using the Adobe RAW converter, you can create a final photo that has brighter light areas and darker dark areas than you would ever have thought possible. (Pages 164-165)

9. Transform your photos to black and white using color information in the photo. It's easy to convert a color image in Photoshop to grayscale by simply dropping the color information in the photo. But this doesn't get you great black and white images with exposure and contrast subtleties. To create rich black and white transformations, you need to work with the color information in the color photo before you drop the color information. (Pages 172-175)

10. Get your camera off automatic. When you use auto exposure, you are letting your camera make the important decisions about the exposure of your photos. Take back control! Getting your camera off automatic means learning to really understand exposures. Furthermore, once you know how to set manual exposures you may find that your exposure settings are better and more creative than those the camera would have picked. By using manual exposure, you'll also find out when it is appropriate to use an automatic or semi-automatic exposure mode.

.
Price: $17.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Anyone who has managed the process of developing or redesigning a Web site of significant size has likely learned the hard way the complexities, pitfalls, and cost risk of such an undertaking. While many Web development firms have fantastic technical expertise, what sets the topnotch organizations apart is the ability to accurately manage the planning and development process. Web Redesign: Workflow That Works directly addresses this crucial area with a specific, proven process.

This brief but important book lays out a specific five-step strategy--called the Core Process--that can always be applied to the development of Web sites and fine-tuned to almost any type of project. Each step--defining the project, developing site structure, visual design and testing, production and QA, and launch and beyond--contains three related but distinct tracks. The text begins with a brief overview of each of the steps, then delves deeper into each with detailed explanations as well as specific forms and project-management strategies. This book does not cover back-end, server-side programming. Instead, it focuses primarily on the visual, conventional components of a Web site.

Authors Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler compiled this book in an attractive, easy-to-read format. This process guide uses numerous full-color screen shots to illustrate site examples, as well as plenty of site diagrams and sample forms. The book even has a companion Web site with downloadable forms in PDF format to put the Core Process into immediate action. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• Step 1--Defining the Core Process: discovery, planning, and clarification;
• Step 2--Developing site structure: content-view, site-view, and page-view;
• Step 3--Visual design and testing: creating, confirming, and handing off;
• Step 4--Production and QA: prepping, building, and testing;
• Step 5--Launch and beyond: delivery, launch, and maintenance.

.
Price: $32.79 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Photoshop CS3 Restoration and Retouching Bible is a full-color comprehensive reference to retouching and restoring photographs using Adobe Photoshop CS3. Written by an Adobe Certified Expert and Adobe Certified Instructor in Photoshop CS & CS2, Mark Fitzgerald, the Photoshop CS3 Restoration and Retouching Bible provides training, tips, and techniques for amateur to professional photographers who want to complete expert quality photo restorations and retouchings. The book begins by reviewing the fundamentals of working with digital images - covering adjusting image brightness and contrast, working with color, understanding RAW and high-bit files, working with layers, and getting organized. Fitzgerald guides readers through all of the relevant Photoshop tools and techniques including a full chapter on creating flexibility with layer masks. A robust four-chapter section on rescuing damaged photos enables readers to bring their damaged images back to life. The final section of the book focuses on adding the final touches to images - retouching, with hands-on examples of retouching portraits and architectural projects..
Price: $21.64 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Photoshop Lightroom is the new software from Adobe aimed specifically at photographers and it's taking the photography world by storm. This no-nonsense guide to setting up an efficient workflow in Lightroom offers all the advice you need to master Adobe's clever workflow tool and make it work for you.
As co-founders of the renowned and hugely popular photography training and consultancy company D-65 (D-65.com), Seth Resnick and Jamie Spritzer are the perfect guides to lead you through the maze technical problems and practical challenges that stand between you and a seamless digital workflow with Lightroom at the core. Keep the lens cap on until you've read the essential pro tips in this new Lightroom book from Focal Press!

* The essential guide to setting up an efficient workflow with Photoshop Lightroom from two of the industry's most respected photography trainers
* Insider tips and tricks explain not only how to use Lightroom but also how best to work pre-capture to ensure you get the best out of Lightroom post-capture
* Packed with essential advice and stunning images to illustrate and inspire, Seth and Jamie explain technical concepts with ease in a way only pro trainers can--buy the book and see why their workshops sell out in a flash!.
Price: $23.07 [Notify me when price goes down.]

.NET 3.5 will help you create better Windows applications, build Web Services that are more powerful, implement new Workflow projects and dramatically enhance the user's experience. But it does so with what appears to be a collection of disparate technologies. In Programming .NET 3.5, bestselling author Jesse Liberty and industry expert Alex Horovitz uncover the common threads that unite the .NET 3.5 technologies, so you can benefit from the best practices and architectural patterns baked into this newest generation of Microsoft frameworks. While single-topic .NET 3.5 books delve into Windows Presentation Foundation and the other frameworks in greater detail, Programming .NET 3.5 offers a "Grand Tour" of the release that describes how the four principal technologies can be used together, with Ajax, to build modern n-tier and service-oriented applications. Developers have struggled to implement these patterns with previous versions of the .NET Framework, but this hands-on guide uses real-world examples and fully annotated source code to demonstrate how .NET 3.5 can make it easy. The concepts and technologies that this book covers include: XAML -- Microsoft's new XML-based markup language for UI, used with WPF Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) -- a new presentation framework and graphics subsystem for Windows that puts Vista-like effect in your grasp Ajax Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) - a new standards-based framework that enables applications to communicate across a network using a variety of protocols Workflow Foundation (WF) -- framework for defining, executing, and managing workflows CardSpace -- framework for managing the identities of your users You'll learn how to useeach of the four frameworks alone and in concert to build a series of meaningful example applications. Examples are written in C#, and all of the source code will be available for download at both the O'Reilly and the authors' site, which offers access to a free support forum. Between them, authors Jesse Liberty and Alex Horovitz have nearly forty years of experience in delivering commercial applications for companies such as Citibank, Apple, AT&T, NeXt, PBS, Ziff Davis, and dozens of smaller organizations. Their combined experience is valuable for telling the story of .NET 3.5 and how it will shorten the development life cycle for applications developers, and enhance your productivity..
Price: $22.84 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Over the last few years, most books on photography emphasized explaining the new breed of cameras and how to master the digital imaging workflow. In The Art of Black and White Photography Torsten Andreas Hoffmann takes a different approach, as he focuses on image composition and image capture, with an emphasis on the creative aspects of black and white photography, rather than on the digital workflow.

After introducing the ground rules of composition, the author illustrates their applications with various photographic genres such as architecture, street photography, portraiture, and surreal photography with his own stunning black and white images. In the second part of the book, Hofmann illustrates the elements of a photographic language , which distinguishes creative photography from random shooting. The final part of the book is dedicated to post-processing techniques, mostly in Photoshop (CS3), emphasizing the functions that are necessary for creating outstanding black and white images..
Price: $24.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]