Good Intro to Animation/Graphics Material?

An anonymous reader asks: "My wife, who is not at all a computer geek, wants to get more into computer graphics, with a desire to get into 3D and animation. She knows Photoshop well, but doesn't have much in the way of a computer background. I keep our computers running, but am graphics- and art-challenged. I'd like some recommendations on how to get her started: Books, URLs, software packages. For software, Linux or Windows doesn't matter to me, but I'd prefer free or relatively inexpensive. Please, help me turn my wife into a graphics geek!"

Comments

Re:Handy URL

[GuyMannDude]

If you really don't feel like giving advice, shut up. People "ask slashdot" because they may find advice from someone who has found answers to the same question and knows the pitfalls and benefits of individual approaches.

No, people "ask slashdot" because they are too fucking lazy to find the info themselves. The fact that the poster is asking for any information at all (books, URLs, etc) indicates that they haven't even done the most basic step of information gathering. If they were interested in "advice from someone who has found answers to the same question" they would post their question to a bulletin board that specializes in computer graphics. You know, the boards that they would have found in their initial search for information.

When a friend asks you if you know any good pizza places, do you say "Here's the yellow pages."?

No, I'd be more helpful. Because they are my friend. If, on the other hand, an anonymous coward walked up to me on the street and asked me, I might very well blow them off with a snide comment.

GMD