« A CAMERA WITH A VIEW | Main | [ FRED MIRANDA'S Intellisharpen II ] »
May 01, 2005
[ TWO PHOTOSHOP BOOKS ]
The Photoshop CS book for digital photographers
Photoshop CS killer tips
Price: $69.95 each, distributed in Australia by Penguin
Rating: 4.5
The low-down: Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are beyond a doubt the industry standard for photo editing but they are two of the most infuriatingly difficult applications to master. Photoshop has spawned an entire publishing industry producing third party user manuals.
Many such manuals are as impenetrable as the programs themselves, so it’s a pleasure to be able to recommend two books that approach the Photoshop useability problem by breaking it down into tasks. For instance, if what you want to do is to remove a colour cast from a digital photo there is a section in The Photoshop CS Book for digital photographers that takes you step by step through the process. [Keep in mind that Photoshop CS2 is now in release, so this book will be deficient in some points.]
There are sections on sharpening, correcting for excessive flash, exposure, removing blemishes and even one on how to trim an oversize bum – or “ass”. These are American books.
Photoshop CS Killer Tips is, as the name suggests, hundreds of little snips of useful advice for solving Photoshop problems.
Like this: These are two elegant books, representing the very best in layout, design, typography and printing.
Dislike that: Scott Kelby, the principal author of both books, has an irritatingly childish style. Also all the screen shots are taken from a Mac.
Parting shot: Kelby’s method of moving step by step through a process without putting in a technical explanation of why something works as it does is surprisingly effective. You do what he says and immediately see the effect and then reflect on the process. This beats having to guess, on the basis of a technical description, if a particular procedure is the one you want.
PS: A chap sometimes wonders what is going on in the US. In his acknowledgements Kelby pays tribute to the usual suspects: parents, editors, publishers, old Uncle Tom Cobbly et al. And then finishes with: "And most importantly, my deepest thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for always hearing my prayers, for always being there when I need Him, for blessing me with a wonderful life I truly love..."
*
Posted by terry at May 1, 2005 03:06 PM