Book excerpt: GDI+ Programming in C# and VB .NET starts out with an explanation of GDI+ and how it relates to GDI. Nick Symmonds also includes a chapter on common ways to draw using VB6 and C++. The book then delves deep into the GDI+ namespaces and classes-basic drawing is discussed first with later chapters going deeper into more complex drawing. Paths, Gradients, Alpha Blends, Matrix operations, and transformations are all explained in understandable detail. Later chapters discuss working with bitmaps and other images, drawing, and printing. The final two chapters are devoted to useful projects that tie up the subject matter of the previous chapters in real world examples. Throughout GDI+ Programming in C# and VB .NET, the author not only explains the different namespaces and classes relating to GDI+, but he also takes time to talk about best practices concerning graphics programming. Woven throughout the book are numerous examples that tie together different aspects of programming in .NET, teaching programmers how to get the best possible speed and efficiency out of their code.