An okay reference for Photoshop CS3.
356361
I just do not find Scott Kelby's writing and instruction to be all that good.  I am sure it works for other people but not for me.  But the book is better than nothing.
3198934
Focus on Photoshop Elements
Author - David Asch
Publisher - Focal Press, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-240-81445-2

An excellent little book focusing on the fundamentals of Photoshop Elements in full color and about 150 pages. It is written specifically for the PC format with abundant screenshots (it is not Mac-friendly but most knowledgeable users can deal that deficiency pretty easily).
There is a strange mix of the most basic information combined with some very tech-heavy material but all is detailed with careful explanations and numerous side-notes when greater detail is needed. The writer is patient and well versed in the application; an excellent combination. His style is uncomplicated and easy to read even while presenting complex issues.
The book is smallish, 8-1/2" x 7-1/2" so that screenshots demonstrating settings in some of the panels are squintingly small. These settings are also explained in writing, so those minuscule screenshots are probably forgivable. This is a book that you can actually sit down and read instead of having to prop it up next to the computer and go step-by-step. Later you may have to refer to it again, but the author is adept in explaining what he's going to tell you and then going through the sequences in such a way that you can absorb them as you read along.
There may be more in-depth books around, such as O'Reilly's Missing Manual series, but if you want a simple, well written book on the basics, this one is very good.
3071895
Overall this is not a bad book for learning to use Photoshop CS6. I agree with others, however, that it is too advanced for a complete beginner. It includes terms that are not clearly defined that require at least a basic knowledge of Photoshop to understand. For the beginner I would recommend&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Adobe-Photoshop-CS6-Classroom-in-a-Book/dp/0321827333/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book</a>&nbsp;and then after completing that moving on to this Dummies book.
1076960
If you're just learning about channels, and want to learn ways to make your images look better, this book is a good start. Scott Kelby is certainly one of the most prolific pundits in the PS world, and here he assembles techniques from many sources. Explanations are simple, the techniques are tried-and-true, and the writing is not bad (albeit a bit corny). You'll get a lot better at Photoshop by incorporating these techniques into your workflow. It is indeed NOT meant for Elements users, and assumes use of CS2, although most methods can be used in earlier versions with minor modifications.

If you're looking for a treatise on the theory behind channels and color spaces, look elswhere (like Dan Margulis' work). But if you want to avoid the lofty explanations and just get in there and make your images great, this is the place for you.
3865795
If you have a working knowledge of Photoshop and are comfortable with 'layers' then this is an excellent reference book. Not only does it provide a smorgabord of ideas, each technique is described in detail.

Photoshop provides many ways of achieving a desired 'end-result'. Your choice of 'tool' is often dictated by the photo. Take color correction - there is a color cast in an image but no neutral gray  - what do you do? This book takes you gently through a number of lesser known techniques such as 'averaging' that may well provide a solution.

The book is organised into eleven chapters of related topics: Fundamentals of Photoshop; Essential Photoshop Skills; Getting In, Going Fast & Getting Out; Color In Photoshop; Enhancing Photos; Painting; Type & Vector Graphics; Special Effects For Type & Graphics; Putting It All Together; 3D, Video & Animation; Measurement & Analysis. 792 pages in all plus a support DVD.

Don't be deceived by the chapter titles. Each chapter treats the subject to a depth that I have not seen in any other publication. I have been using Photoshop for many years and am surprised at how much I have gained. I wish I had discovered this book earlier.
3355382
As an experienced Photoshop user, I went in hoping to pick up some useful tricks and processes (which I did). This book is VERY readable and quickly skim-able with lots of screen shots and examples which are pleasing and helpful.

As for "Printing with Photoshop" I didn't see much of that in the book. It was a lot of "how to" (which is still good) and only a small section toward the end focused on printing. In fact, this book seems to go outside its bounds and talk about paper, inks, online printing services (which don't even require the use of Photoshop) and other aspects that go way outside the realm of "printing."

Good info on Photography basics, covering stuff that I learned long ago but haven't revisited in a while (metering, aperture, etc). Also good info on file types, like RAW and why it's good.

Overall a good read and useful book for the beginner to intermediate. Worth a look.
3501451
When I upgraded for Photoshop CC I noticed that a lot of things had changed.  Quick searches on the internet for tutorials seemed to always return videos for the wrong version of Photoshop.

Finally, this book came in and I once again got my bearings.  The nice thing is that, to me at least, this book goes well beyond the basics.  It's the essentials which includes some pretty advanced capabilities of Photoshop.

It's in color, it has a lot of screenshots which really helps and it has a ton of examples. You also get a demo website, videos and even some royalty free graphics.

If you're new to Photoshop, this is essential.  If you're an user of previous versions, this is still a good reference to have because there are some really cool new things that Photoshop can do and this is a great tutorial.

It's on my desk.  I highly recommend it.
128642
Great book to use for reference and to have beside you while you are playing with your pictures. Well worth the money.

Use for beginner and/or advanced user of Photoshop.
4051944
At the beginning I found the book confusing. I just started with Photoshop CC, and I am still learning some of the new features, having used Photoshop CS5 for the past two years. This book has made my transition to Photoshop CC a little easier. The info is clear, well illustrated, and the included CD is a great help.
3025044
Very usefull list of photoshop features. A 'pure' technical book. Well written in an understandable way for beginers to pros.
4378011
"How to Cheat in Photoshop: CS4" is the bible for realistic photo montages, no other book even comes close. This is the forth edition of this book. While most of the material from previous editions is carried forward, each new edition has had new material worth the price of a new edition. The layout is usually two pages per topic with well chosen examples, based on real world problems. These are largely self contained so you can skip around as needed. This is not a book for novices. It assumes a reasonable familiarity with Photoshop but not an in depth knowledge. Some of the sections may require some serious work. You might want to have a copy of  Photoshop Masking & Compositing by Katrin Eismann for in depth information on some of the topics. Interspersed in the technical Photoshop material is a gold mine of advise ranging from handling deadlines to ethics. The approach is not just how to do it but includes much information on efficient work to minimize the time and effort in a task. This is one of the better Photoshop books out of the huge number available and I can give it my strongest recommendation. One of the reviewers of the previous edition stated "As I said, I consider Steve Caplin to be, along with Katrin Eismann , one of the best authors on Photoshop.". I can second this opinion for this edition as well. If anything, Caplin has further improved his standing as a top flight Photoshop teacher.
1642962
A review of some random chapters for the book Photoshop and Dreamweaver Integration by Colin Smith.

Chapter2

UNDERSTAND AND USE COLOR AND

IMAGERY TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE

Everything to do with color, talking with color, color anatomy, choosing colors.

An in-depth look into Photoshop's color palette/picker and creating your own colors.

It also explains to you why you should still be using "web- safe" colors, the swatches pallet and building your own color palette.

Some very good information on color combinations and colors that complement each other for the beginner and I would say for the more advanced user also.

And what about choosing a texture to add to your entry page, I never thought to do that, very neat idea.

This chapter also explains about tiled backgrounds, creating tiled backgrounds, and creating seamless backgrounds in photoshop.

The last part of chapter 2 is giving you some good advice on choosing the right images for a web site.

Chapter7

STREAMLINING THE PROCESS-

USING CASCADING STYLE SHEETS AND TEMPLATES

To simplify the process of building a web site, learning to create Cascading style sheets (CSS) and Dreamweaver templates are essential.

This chapter explains how to create CSS in Dreamweaver, attach a style sheet, modify one, and the advantages of creating your own CSS style in Dreamweaver.

You are also shown how to create templates, use them, modify, add content, create hyperlinks, change appearance of a hyperlink, and convert a page to a template.

Chapter11

ADDING THE COOL FACTOR

This chapter kicks off with using frames to create an image gallery in Dreamweaver. You make a left frame for thumbnail images and make a main frame to show a larger version of the thumbnail image.

You get involved with setting frame properties and creating pages to load into the frame.

Targeting the frame so that the right image/page loads into the right frame. Considerations in using frames.

This chapter also shows you how to make a picture gallery using photoshop automation tools.

I was pleased to see in this chapter creating an iframe. Boy did I have fun and games when I first did an inline frame (iframe). Not many Dreamweaver books show you how to do an iframe the easy way.

I'm pleased to say this is the second book that shows you how its done the easy way.

Rolling along its creating pop-up windows and jump menus. Many people think these are the same. They are not as you will find out. If you ever wanted to know how to stretch a website to fit the browser then the "Building a Liquid Site" is what you want.

My thoughts on the chapters

The content of the chapters are truly amazing and no doubt should please the majority if not all.

The mix of Photoshop with Dreamweaver I feel is well balanced, especially with the importance of both programs. The handy tips and notes throughout the book are essential, I feel a good book. In a nutshell these chapters are perfect.
1348941
Real World Photoshop 7 is an ultimate digital dark room technique book for Photoshop 7 users. The largest part of the book is dedicated to dark room techniques, but a good part of the book covers such things as getting the best scans, creating effects, saving for the web, making half-tones, etc.
They cover lots of issues that help me understand WHY I might want to do something a certain way. Such as, the differences between RGB, CMYK and LAB color. When I bring a digital photo into Photoshop, I almost always feel a need to adjust it, fix the levels, etc. Fooling with the levels usually causes a color shift. To avoid that, they explain how to change the mode from RGB to LAB color, and then apply the levels command to the L (luminance) channel, leaving the color untouched. I can change the mode back to RGB afterwards, if I want.
In discussing color correction, they talk about fixing the neutrals so the rest will follow and explain that in Photoshop's RGB mode, it automatically calculates the amount of CMYK to produce neutrals, but in CMYK mode, you have to manually fill in the percentages. The section on color correction is incredible.
They discuss printing from Photoshop 7, the issue of different file formats and which to use when;  the Rule of 16; which settings take precedence over others, and much more.
The book is well laid out, with an easy to follow structure. Several light bulbs spontaneously illuminated for me while reading this book. This book is useful to new Photoshop users and for seasoned photographers who have past experience with Photoshop but like to keep a reference of new features.
427745
This is a useful book for anyone who has been using Photoshop for a while who wants to learn what else it can do. The way that the main sections are laid out easily demonstrates just what sorts of things that the program is capable of doing so that you can easily see what other things it can do that you haven't even attempted yet. The individual chapters within each section then form a useful references as to just how you can use the software to do any or all of the different things associated with that particular graphics task. Where the software provides multiple ways to do something the book explains each of the alternatives from the most straightforward to the most flexible.

The biggest failing that this book has is the missing appendices. One of these appendices is supposed to cover how to install Photoshop in the first place - something that you'd need to do before being able to make use of any of the information in the book. That the book is missing the information on how to install the software makes it absolutely useless to anyone who doesn't already have the software installed.

I didn't have this particular version of photoshop installed on my computer and had been planning to download the trial version from Abode to try out some of the new commands mentioned in the book. Unfortunately the current Adobe install process is so convoluted that I couldn't even get their installer to install properly - when I went to the book for help it referred me to an appendix on the web that doesn't yet exist.
4688303
The color images are a real blessing, for a book of this nature.  This book is slightly out-of-date, but you can still use your brain and look around the tabs to find what you need, sometimes you might have to add a resources that isn't mentioned in the book if you are using VS15 (I'm pretty sure that was necessary for Viewport3d stuff, but I skipped that section after I couldn't figure out what Resources I needed to add).  You will be very happy with yourself if you invest your time in it, as you will take your programming skills to the next level.  As I worked through it, it seemed to me that modern programming requires you to be 1/2 of a graphics designer, in order to get an attractive user experience.  This book will make you 1/2 of a graphics designer, and you'll be able to "Wow!" your users with some visual sugar.

Stuff related, but nothing that's the author's fault:  Blend is a free download from MS when you get VS15, and it's fully integrated with VS now, not a stand-alone product.  It also crashed a few times when I did something like try to create a template and then click on the eyedropper, as well as a few other times.  Save your work frequently, people!  The blue screen of deth will probably pay you a visit when you work through the book.  Also, the "dark" look of the software can be easily changed to VS bright-style if you click on one of the options.  This is really a necessity, as some of the colors were only visible on my computer screen if I looked at it at an oblique angle.  Changing that option fixed that.
3753528
I am trying to remember that last version of Adobe Photoshop to ship with and actual User's Manual... And, I can't, it has been that long. Not that it has been missed. Generally, user's manual often read more like the lawyers wrote than an actual user. Have no fear though as "Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual" (part of a very good series of Missing Manuals) has you covered. Written by an actual expert user, this book is straight forward and easy to understand. Whether you are starting from scratch and read the book from cover-to-cover or just need a good reference, then this is a good book for you. The only book I've used that is better would be Martin Evening's Photoshop for Photographers series, which have been my go to source on Photoshop (and Lightroom).
275614
This is an easy to read Scott Kelby style of book. By this I mean simple, handy "killer"  Photoshop tips (that's how Scott and other at Kelby training call it). That is exactly what I needed and expected from this book. It is good to go alongside more serious and educational type of books like Photoshop masking and compositing from Katrin Eismann , which teaches you fundamentals. Kloskowski's book is set of tips, Eismann's book is about understanding the process. Together they make great way of learning. Therefore, I'll rate this book with three stars, since on it's own, this book is not enough to understand masking, selections and layers.