Acknowledgments

It may have been my little fingers that tapped away for hours on end to churn out all of the words for this book, but it was through the heroic efforts of everyone else that this project was finally able to see the light of day. The group that comes together to bring life to what otherwise would be nothing more than a jumble of letters and pictures on a page is something of a family, and I count myself lucky that everyone in my new-found family played well together.

I offer a deep and heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped regardless of whether or not your contribution was large or small. Let the accolades begin!

A special thank you to Erica for tolerating my late nights, early mornings, missed family events, and everything else that would send a lesser woman running for her life. Your support was a driving force as I worked to finish each chapter.

The Peachpit crew was absolutely stellar to work with. Pamela Pfiffner, Mark Chambers, Elissa Rabellino, Mimi Heft, and Kim Scott all went above and beyond the call of duty to give this book the fantastic look and feel that it has. Alison Kelley and Anne Marie Walker both deserve special recognition and medals for their amazing patience and professionalism.

Jay Nelson, the über knowledgeable editor of Design Tools Monthly; Photoshop guru extraordinaire, Ben Willmore; and his beyond-belief assistant Regina Cleveland all offered more support and guidance than any friend could ever ask, so a special thank you to you, too.

Thanks also to Zach Conrad and Dr. Barb Gerhardt for coming to my aid, and to Lesa Snider and iStockphoto for making sure I had all of the cool images I needed for my examples.