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Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists
It has been more than twenty years since desktop publishing reinvented design, and it's clear that there is a growing need for designers and artists to learn programming skills to fill the widening gap between their ideas and the capability of their purchased software. This book is an introduction to the concepts of computer programming within the context of the visual arts. It offers a comprehensive reference and text for Processing (www.processing.org), an open-source programming language that can be used by students, artists, designers, architects, researchers, and anyone who wants to program images, animation, and interactivity. The ideas in Processing have been tested in classrooms, workshops, and arts institutions, including UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, New York University, and Harvard University. Tutorial units make up the bulk of the book and introduce the syntax and concepts of software (including variables, functions, and object-oriented programming), cover such topics as photography and drawing in relation to software, and feature many short, prototypical example programs with related images and explanations. More advanced professional projects from such domains as animation, performance, and typography are discussed in interviews with their creators. "Extensions" present concise introductions to further areas of investigation, including computer vision, sound, and electronics. Appendixes, references to additional material, and a glossary contain additional technical details. Processing can be used by reading each unit in order, or by following each category from the beginning of the book to the end. The Processing software and all of the code presented can be downloaded and run for future exploration.Includes essays by Alexander R. Galloway, Golan Levin, R. Luke DuBois, Simon Greenwold, Francis Li, and Hernando Barragán and interviews with Jared Tarbell, Martin Wattenberg, James Paterson, Erik van Blockland, Ed Burton, Josh On, Jürg Lehni, Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, Mathew Cullen and Grady Hall, Bob Sabiston, Jennifer Steinkamp, Ruth Jarman and Joseph Gerhardt, Sue Costabile, Chris Csikszentmihályi, Golan Levin and Zachary Lieberman, and Mark Hansen.Casey Reas is Associate Professor in the Design Media Arts Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. Ben Fry is Nierenburg Chair of Design in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, 2006-2007.
710 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 2007
About the author
Casey Reas
19 books14 followersCasey Reas is Professor of Design Media Arts at UCLA and coauthor of Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists (MIT Press, 2007).
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 13, 2012
This is both about the "Processing" programming language, and a gentle introduction to programming, but targeted at visual minds. Programming constructs are introduced in the context of graphics programming using the simple, C-like Processing language. I think this book would be great as an introduction to programming for someone who is more artistically inclined, and interested in learning programming in a more visual environment than is typically found in introductory material.
July 18, 2018
Focused on Image synthesis and simulation with processing lang. Processing is static typed java like programming language that specially designed for artists. Processing lang is all about visualization but i think there is a lack of contexts about theoretical support of image processing and rendering method. Overall i quite enjoyed with processing.
April 12, 2008
Brett I'm not sure why you actually invited me to some kind of social networking site, I don't really know how they work and I've already been scolded once for coming very close to posting something that apparently "everyone can see" so I'll try behave, even though i miss the good ole days when the internet was anonymous and without sidebars. Alas, I joined this world for you Brett, but its as far as I'm going, so the onus is on you to make my sole foray into internet dating or whatever this is, as rewarding and lifelike an experience as possible.
Oh and I read this book. It's clearly amazing, you can tell by the ridiculously awesome data/match/artist cover art, which coincidentally enough sums the book up quite well. And now because of it I know a programming language, I learned trig again, I no longer fear starting senteces with And, and I made a neato ishihara test generator.
Cheers
Oh and I read this book. It's clearly amazing, you can tell by the ridiculously awesome data/match/artist cover art, which coincidentally enough sums the book up quite well. And now because of it I know a programming language, I learned trig again, I no longer fear starting senteces with And, and I made a neato ishihara test generator.
Cheers
April 13, 2014
Processing relates software concepts to principles of visual form, motion, and interaction
Software holds a unique position among artistic media because of its ability to produce dynamic forms, process gestures, define behavior, simulate natural system, and integrate other media including sound, image, and text
A programming language gives you the power to express some ideas
Sketching is necessary for the development of ideas
Making processes that stimulate and decide requires programming
Pieces of software written using Processing are called sketches
Creating software is an act of writing
Writing in a human language allows the author to utilize the ambiguity of words and to have great flexibility in constructing phases
These techniques allow multiple interpretations of a single text and give each author a unique voice
Each computer program also reveals the style of its author, but there is far less room for ambiguity
A software expression is like a phrase
Poem generated by software written by Margaret Masterman
"I sense the sun in the street
All space in the street
Bang! The sun has slid"
Sketching ranges from informal exploration to focused refinement
It is used to create many variations within a short period of time, or to develop a specific idea
Sketching forces the definition of vague ideas by making them physical
Sketches are powerful communication tools
They can get ideas out of one's head and into a format that can be better understand by others
It is important to work out ideas on paper before investing time in writing code
Software is the best way I've found to express myself
Abstraction: Hiding details in order to focus the result
Software holds a unique position among artistic media because of its ability to produce dynamic forms, process gestures, define behavior, simulate natural system, and integrate other media including sound, image, and text
A programming language gives you the power to express some ideas
Sketching is necessary for the development of ideas
Making processes that stimulate and decide requires programming
Pieces of software written using Processing are called sketches
Creating software is an act of writing
Writing in a human language allows the author to utilize the ambiguity of words and to have great flexibility in constructing phases
These techniques allow multiple interpretations of a single text and give each author a unique voice
Each computer program also reveals the style of its author, but there is far less room for ambiguity
A software expression is like a phrase
Poem generated by software written by Margaret Masterman
"I sense the sun in the street
All space in the street
Bang! The sun has slid"
Sketching ranges from informal exploration to focused refinement
It is used to create many variations within a short period of time, or to develop a specific idea
Sketching forces the definition of vague ideas by making them physical
Sketches are powerful communication tools
They can get ideas out of one's head and into a format that can be better understand by others
It is important to work out ideas on paper before investing time in writing code
Software is the best way I've found to express myself
Abstraction: Hiding details in order to focus the result
May 10, 2016
Good introduction to graphic programming, clearly aimed at first-time programmers with plenty of basic 'ok, this is a variable, this is a loop, etc'. The book's stated aim is to introduce artists to the idea of programming as art- I'm a bit skeptical on whether or not they've made it accessible to the average non-programmer. But, then, I stopped being able to judge whether material is techically accessible to laypeople years ago, so your mileage may vary.
Useful for the experienced programmer with little graphics experience (me!), provided you skim/skip the basic programming constructs sections. Also easily adaptable to other language implementations of Processing if you hate Java: I used the examples with little trouble in ruby-processing.
Useful for the experienced programmer with little graphics experience (me!), provided you skim/skip the basic programming constructs sections. Also easily adaptable to other language implementations of Processing if you hate Java: I used the examples with little trouble in ruby-processing.
October 5, 2008
So far, just amazing. This is the book you want if you are approaching computer programming with an interest in graphics and interactivity. Syntax is very understandable with clear examples that walk you through everything from simple forms to typography to 3D. The interviews with industry well-knowns are surprisingly informative, too.
September 26, 2012
Vous voulez apprendre à vous en sortir dans la matrice? Ce livre est fait pour vous! Écrit pour des gens n ayant pas ou peu d'expérience du code il permet d'apprendre un langage informatique ( le processing ou p55 pour les intimes) base sur la représentation visuel.
April 12, 2020
I struggled with Java syntax throughout the semester. During the summer school, I gave up on using Wekinator and choose p5.js in combination with ml5js to fasten the development time with JavaScripts. Anyway, this is a good book to start with Processing.
April 20, 2008
THE book on Processing .
If you want to dive into Processing and learn a bit about computation art and interactive expression, THIS is a must have.
If you want to dive into Processing and learn a bit about computation art and interactive expression, THIS is a must have.
June 4, 2008
Recommended for any artists looking to get into programming. Great starting point.
May 29, 2010
really simple clever and inspiring so far, much more than your usual computer poo. How to understand programiing for an artist and make pieces using these skills.
December 16, 2008
Great book for people that want to learn programming of visual-minded things.
Currently reading
March 26, 2009i haven't gotten too deep into it, but so far soo good. amazing!
August 12, 2009
An excellent, comprehensive, and beautiful guide to the processing language. It moves well through early programming up to advanced topics.
March 22, 2011
Kind of a bible for the generative art.. artists. Inspiring for programmers with a lot of time on their hands.
October 31, 2011
If you find inspiration in artists like John Maeda, Jared Tarbell and Jürg Lehni, this is your book for getting started with the art of programming!
June 5, 2013
helpfull bgt
February 26, 2015
Fantastic primer on interactive info graphics - providing a clear 'how-to' for the Processing language.
October 31, 2015
Great book if you want to learn Processing, a computer language geared towards artists. Not a casual read, this is a textbook.
August 22, 2007
Parsons has advanced copies for BootCamp... Hefty book, surprisingly readable so far.
Want to read
January 29, 2009Recommended by John Resig - http://ejohn.org/blog/beautiful-progr...
November 9, 2013
one of the best processing books around
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews