The Art of Photoshop, CS2 Edition Review

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The Art of Photoshop, CS2 Edition ReviewI have a library of Photoshop books and there are two main types- those that deal with how to use Photoshop with no identified purpose in mind (nothing wrong with that) and Photoshop books for the digital photographer which can teach you how to get rid of blemishes or a blown out sky, etc (nothing wrong here either). In many of the latter type of Photoshop books there are sections on manipulating your photos to create art, however, the end result very much maintains the basic identity of the original photo. With The Art of Photoshop we have a very rare book, a book whose goal is to inspire photoshophers to create art, as you would see in an art gallery, with the software. Even if you are not inspired with Mr. Giordan's art, he suceeds in teaching you the tools to go create your own art. Differing from other books that touch upon Photoshop art (via manipulation of your digital photo), this book's end products do not necessairily have a direct relationship with the starting photograph(s) and sources, thus the term "art". As in any art gallery, there is some "art" that Mr. Giordan has created that I don't really care for and could be made fun of such as the burning baby example given in another review. By the way, Mr. Giordan makes it clear it is not actually meant to be a burning baby. Getting back to the book. even if I did not care for some of the art created, I still found it very valuable to learn how the art was created. Although Photoshop version CS2 was not covered much at all, still, this was an aspect of Photoshop use I had not seen much about at all- the creation of art, not just manipulating my photographs with filters to give it a Van Gogh look or whatever. If you would really like to create original art with Photoshop and not just merely manipulate your photographs with filters and such, this book is really worth a look. It has taught me techniques that I can use to create artwork that is appealing to me and I think that was the goal of the book in the first place- not as a showcase for Mr. Giordan's art, but to show the capabilities Photoshop has for creating art and this book magnificently teaches how to tap into those capabilities. I agree that if you are not interested in creating art with Photoshop this is not the book for you, however, if you are, GET THIS BOOK! It is a rare type of Photoshop book.The Art of Photoshop, CS2 Edition Overview

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Photoshop CS2 : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks Review

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Photoshop CS2 : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks ReviewFind exactly what you need to do in Photoshop and follow the easy illustrated steps. There is no need to read the book, got a difficult project, look it up and it is finished in no time at all. This book contains tips & tricks used by Photoshop Pros worldwide.
I purchased three of these books (for myself and two friends). Lynette Kent has an easy to follow writing style. I look forward to new books by her.Photoshop CS2 : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks Overview

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The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers Review

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The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers ReviewIn my recent effort to educate myself in matters of Photoshop CS2 I read in detail three books - Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers by Martin Evening, Photoshop CS2 by Fraser & Blatner, and The Photoshop CS2 book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby. Of the three, I would rank the Evening and the Fraser & Blatner books as comprehensive books that, if the reader would fully understand all that was discussed, they would be considered a Photoshop Pro. The Kelby book I considered to be quite basic in that it covered only some of the principal topics and did so in an elementary fashion (it would take Kelby four pages with all his illustrations and stepwise instructions to cover what the other books might cover in one). I would recommend the Kelby book for a hobbyist that doesn't want to devote a lot of learning time and who wishes only a basic knowledge of Photoshop CS2 in order to occasionally turn out a nice image. I would recommend either of the other two books if one wants a mastery of what CS2 can really do. But, be warned that the subject is complex and will take a lot of time to learn. Of the two, Evening's book has the advantage in that it is a little less expensive, he includes a disk containing the images used in many of his tutorials so the reader can follow along with the same exercises, and because he is a fashion photographer many of his images are fashion shots of pretty women. The Fraser & Blatner book has the advantage of being somewhat larger and more complete and goes into deeper detail on some aspects of CS2. Both of these books have a high orientation to producing images for commercial press publication. I would recommend that if one wants to really learn CS2 they read both books, even though the same topics are covered in both, the subject is sufficiently complex it pays to learn it twice from perhaps somewhat different angles.The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers Overview

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Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book (CD-Rom Included) Review

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Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book (CD-Rom Included) ReviewThis is the first time that I've written a recommendation for a book, but I'm so excited about Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book, I have to share my impressions with prospective buyers. Simply stated, after stumbling around in other Illustrator books, this one at last is what I've been looking for all along. All computer books should be designed and written like this one. It's organized like a classroom lesson guide, and the step by step instructions are concise, immediate, and so far as I can tell, leave nothing out. The overall impression is of having a truly competent instructor leaning over your shoulder. By the time I finished the introductory lesson, "A quick tour of Adobe Illustrator CS2," I'd learned more about this wonderful application than I had learned on my own in many months of blood, sweat, and tears! Not to mention undoing some bad habits I had developed, and showing me the quickest and most effective ways to accomplish the bedrock basics of Illustrator. After all, the book was written by the same people who invent each new release of Illustrator, so the logic of their approach is... well, logical. Add to this an instinctive feel for the mystical science of teaching, and you have in my opinion the perfect book for really learning Adobe Illustrator CS2. I heartily recommend it! Oh, yes, it's in full color, too.Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book (CD-Rom Included) Overview

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Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book Review

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Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book ReviewI have been using Adobe Photoshop since version 5.5, but didnt really get into it seriously until Photoshop CS (8). When I purshcased CS, i bought Jan Kabili's "Complete Course" title, because I considered the Classroom In a Book series to be too dry and technical. It seems that most PS books are either completely tutorial based (meaning you have to follow that sample projects in order to get anything from the lessons) or a cut-and-dry reference that doesnt go too in depth on explainations. "Complete Course" was the former, a big disappointment, and I never finished it. I have since upgraded to CS2, and wanted to get THE most comprehensive and most importantly, versatile book, that would provide explainations as well as serve as a reference.
I have not been disappointed in my purchase of Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book. From what I have seen, the book has chapters that suit everyone, whether you have years of experience with photoshop or are a complete beginner. I am somewhere in between, but found even the most basic "beginner" chapters contain some very useful information. As the book progresses the concepts become more complex and allow you to greatly expand your knowledge of PS.
But what impressed me most about Classroom in a Book was that it can be molded to fit your learning style. Included is a CD with example files for you to follow along with each lesson, trying out features as you go. However, if you are like me and do not learn as well from following a tutorial step-by-step, you dont have to use the CD. This book is written well enough and includes plenty of color screenshots that you can do just as well without the sample files. I am about halfway through the book, feel very confident in what I learned from those lessons, and have yet to pop in the CD. Using it (at least for the first half of the book) is up to you and depends on how you like to learn.
I also purchased this book, because sometime in the not-too-distant future, I am planning to take the exam to become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop CS2. For anyone else considering taking the exam, this is the official Photoshop book. Not only is this the guide that Adobe recommends as preparation for the ACE exam, but it is also highly recommended by many of those who have taken the exam and are now certified experts in photoshop.
This book was definitely one of my best book purchases to date; I am looking forward to the release of Adobe's Classroom in a Book for GoLiveCS2!Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book Overview

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Photoshop Masking & Compositing Review

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Photoshop Masking & Compositing ReviewEvery book I've read by Katrin Eismann has been very good. Even so, This one was better than I expected.
Katrin has designed the book so it could be used as a textbook for Photoshop teachers. There are files to go with the book and its lessons available for download over the internet. You can use these files to do the lesson projects she has throughout the book. This was true with her book on photo restoration and retouching, as well.
As the title suggests, she gives excellent information on making masks in Photoshop. She gives you the theory, so you can better understand how masks work, and then gives you lots of techniques for creating masks.
Often, masks are required to extract a person or an object from the background of a photo, so you can composite it into another photo. She gives excellent tutorials on doing this, including how to preserve hair and fine detail. We all know how much more real a composite looks when you are able to capture those stray hairs. It's all about selecting those fine details with out selecting the unwanted stuff. She gives you several selection strategies that you can use in different situations.
She also gives you strategies for using the pen tool to create complex paths and combine paths. And there is a selection technique called the "multi-pass" technique (page 300).
In the compositing section, she devotes the first part to image execution, showing you how to design your photo shots for compositing. And gives some good advice in "Photographic Essentials."
I was blown away by a project she showed in which some books were composited in with buildings, matching perspective to make them fit perfectly. See page 416 for the final result, and read the pages preceding it to see how it was done. I was even more impressed with another project that begins on page 431. In that project, there is an ordinary photo of two people fencing in the woods at a medieval faire. The end of the project results in a dramatic photo with beautiful lighting.
She also covers alternatives for achieving results, such as sharpening a photo with High Pass instead of Unsharp Mask. This is a great book for someone who wants to improve their Photoshop skills. You probably should be an intermediate level user, able to understand all of the basics of Photoshop if you want to use this book.Photoshop Masking & Compositing Overview

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Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition) Review

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Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition) ReviewPhotograph retouching has long been a process where a picture has been improved to remove the background, clean up a bad light reflection or other faults with the picture. And this book does an excellent job of telling you how to retouch such pictures.
More important, though is the sections in this book on photo restoration. How do you take the old picture of that Civil War ancestor, or that snapshot of Grandmother when she was a young girl and make it look like a portrait that just came out of the camera today.
Although the book is very good on retouching, there simply aren't that many books on restoration. And Ms. Eisman is a master at restoring old images. In this book there are full-color, step-by-step examples of rescuing heirloom originals suffering from mold, cracks, torn edges, scratches. There is even a section on restoring missing parts of an image. Such as using a person's right arm to replace the left that had been torn off.
Besides the coverage of areas not usually seen, this book further has a writing style that clearly and succinctly explains each step in the process. This book is highly recommended.Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition) Overview

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Complete Photoshop CS2 For Digital Photographers (Digital Photography) Review

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Complete Photoshop CS2 For Digital Photographers (Digital Photography) ReviewThis book has 11 Chapters packed with need to know information for everyone interested in Digital Photography.
Chapter 1. Explores file formats, resolution and pixels, gets involved with 16 bit images, then it goes into adjusting in Camera Raw.
Chapter 2. Is all about Adobe Bridge, this helps plan and organize your images.
Explains how you can label, rate your images. Want to add copyright information to your image; you need Metadata, shows how to make a Metadata Template.
Use batch Renaming to rename an entire folder of images. Learn how to do contact sheets, picture package, PDF presentation with security. Make a Web Gallery add Watermark to your images automatically.
Chapter 3. It tells you how to crop and size your images without destroying their appearance. When you resize images you need to know all about resolution, this chapter explains in very good details about resolution, image size, canvas size all the resampling methods are here. Learn how to crop unwanted detail so that the picture draws the viewer into the picture, shows different cropping methods.
Chapter 4. Covers Image Correction, learn about histograms in detail.
Brightness/contrast, Shadow/highlight, Levels, Curves, Adjustment layers, it's all here.
Chapter 5. Bring out the best color in your images. Yes, this chapter is all about color Correction, try using adjustment layers. Learn Color Balance using variations, Match Color, Hue/Saturation use levels or curves to correct color.
Chapter 6. Sharpening and Noise Reduction, use the unsharpe mask to sharpen images, work in Lab Mode to sharpen, fading the sharpness, the Smart Sharpen tool will sharpen an image but not the grain, Nondestructive sharpening. Use Channels for noise reduction, Smart Blur for reducing Luminosity Noise, Lab Mode to reduce color noise.
Chapter 7. Takes you to the image retouching world, remove moles, blemishes, reduce wrinkles, whitening teeth, use the Healing brush, patch tool and liquify tool.
Chapter 8. Color effects, convert your images to grayscale and sepia, or just change the color of an object in a photo, add a vignette or an edge to your photo, make frame effects that mimic reality.
Chapter 9. Cover Special Effects, add depth of field to images, and turn a photo into a sketch or a watercolor painting. This chapter also involves the Vanishing Point, Speech Bubbles this chapter is a lot of fun.
Chapter 10. Working with multiple image, learn how to use color range to remove an object from its background, use the extract tool to extract images compositing two images, combining images, creating cast shadows.
Chapter 11. Covers Collaging Techniques and printing, blend collage using Layers, Masks and Blending Modes, use the advanced blending. Create a seamless panorama, also make an animation with the help of Image Ready, learn about color management and print accurate colors.
Conclusion: - This book is for Photographers who are changing from film to digital, amateurs and hobbyist that want to master Photoshop for their digital images.
The book is nicely laid out, clear figures and instructions. Comes with a CD-ROM with image files used from the tutorials also five video clips are included along with some actions.
5 (five) out of 5 (five)Complete Photoshop CS2 For Digital Photographers (Digital Photography) Overview

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