Rating: 
Summary: Clear Guidelines for Graphic Artists
Review: Adobe's Photoshop is one of the most important graphics products introduced since the "desktop revolution" began. Its capabilities give a single user/operator the ability to do things that not too long ago required the services of a couple of different trade shops and the expenditure of weeks of time and large amounts of money. It gives graphic artists, both designers and photographers, a degree of control over their work they have never had before.Unfortunately, the fact that the natural users of Photoshop are graphic artists--not computer experts--is often overlooked. If nontechnical users can't understand and access its capabilities, they might as well not be there. By providing these lucid and easy-to-follow explanations of Photoshop Elements, Molly Joss has done a real service to graphic artists, photographers, and anyone else who wants to maximize the effect of digital images. Her book belongs in the library of every serious Photoshop user.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book for the beginner
Review: As a magazine editor, I've worked with the author on a number of articles in graphic arts. She always presents information in a to-the-point, easy-to-read manner, and "How to do Everything with Photoshop Elements" is no exception.
There's a targeted audience here -- the consumer and the business user who's not a graphic artist -- and the book does an excellent job of teaching photo-editing basics using Photoshop Elements. Instead of the command-by-command approach of two-inch-thick guides, this book focuses on the most-common jobs of occasional users: simple color correction, sharpening, cropping, etc.
The book also deaks with some non-photo work, such as drawing and text effects. For the graphics pro, these are tasks better suited for a program such as Adobe Illustrator; however, for the general audience Joss aims for, the details show a great way to get the most power and value from Photoshop Elements.
This isn't a book for power users, but Photoshop Elements isn't a software for intense graphics work, either. "How to do Everything with Photoshop Elements" provides some friendly, non-technie instruction that provides basic skills.
So why three stars? The writing and instruction are easily four to four and one-half on the rating scale; however, the book could've used more color illustrations of commands and techniques. The book's layout and art quality (including the missing chapter-title art) shows some slap-dash work and inattention by the publishing company; Joss' clear writing and good instruction deserves better.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for the beginner
Review: As a magazine editor, I've worked with the author on a number of articles in graphic arts. She always presents information in a to-the-point, easy-to-read manner, and "How to do Everything with Photoshop Elements" is no exception.
There's a targeted audience here -- the consumer and the business user who's not a graphic artist -- and the book does an excellent job of teaching photo-editing basics using Photoshop Elements. Instead of the command-by-command approach of two-inch-thick guides, this book focuses on the most-common jobs of occasional users: simple color correction, sharpening, cropping, etc.
The book also deaks with some non-photo work, such as drawing and text effects. For the graphics pro, these are tasks better suited for a program such as Adobe Illustrator; however, for the general audience Joss aims for, the details show a great way to get the most power and value from Photoshop Elements.
This isn't a book for power users, but Photoshop Elements isn't a software for intense graphics work, either. "How to do Everything with Photoshop Elements" provides some friendly, non-technie instruction that provides basic skills.
So why three stars? The writing and instruction are easily four to four and one-half on the rating scale; however, the book could've used more color illustrations of commands and techniques. The book's layout and art quality (including the missing chapter-title art) shows some slap-dash work and inattention by the publishing company; Joss' clear writing and good instruction deserves better.
Rating:
Summary: A Helpful Resource
Review: Design professionals may want something slicker, but for all the rest of us, this book is exactly the help we need. Clear, step-by-step directions and real-life examples.
Rating:
Summary: A Helpful Resource
Review: Design professionals may want something slicker, but for all the rest of us, this book is exactly the help we need. Clear, step-by-step directions and real-life examples.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better
Review: Her writing reminds me of mom, but I didn't plunk in $24.00 to
read some cookbook style of conversational writing, and It's
suppose to be a photo editing book, then why the black and white
examples and a sorry lot at that, the few colored ones are about
texture examples, they're important, but not that important to
waste color on them, better to have used color on the real
examples. I wasted my money, save yours.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing imaging
Review: I bought this book the day I bought elements. I don't believe the author spent quality time on those issues which were important to me. I'm terribly confused on layers,filters etc. and her examples not only being in b&w were hard to discern, the examples didn't seem apporpriate. I thought I would learn how to maximize the use of an 8 by 11 piece of photo paper by bringing as many different images as I could to that one sheet, but nothing was written to help me. Confused and disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: How to Do Everything in Bad Taste.
Review: I have rarely seen a book that purports to teach graphic design, in one way or another, so poorly illustrated. Various manipulations manage to transform bad photographs, both color and back and white, into embarrassingly grotesque examples.
Although Macintosh is mentioned occasionally, virtually all of the book concerns itself with PCs. As a Macintosh user, I'm accustomed to this sort of treatment, unfortunately.
The title page to Chapter 12 is missing and bears a query from the author, presumably to the publisher: "Cover Image here. Need from Creative Services."
This book needs a lot more from Creative Services than one image.
Rating:
Summary: How to Do Everything in Bad Taste.
Review: I have rarely seen a book that purports to teach graphic design, in one way or another, so poorly illustrated. Various manipulations manage to transform bad photographs, both color and back and white, into embarrassingly grotesque examples.
Although Macintosh is mentioned occasionally, virtually all of the book concerns itself with PCs. As a Macintosh user, I'm accustomed to this sort of treatment, unfortunately.
The title page to Chapter 12 is missing and bears a query from the author, presumably to the publisher: "Cover Image here. Need from Creative Services."
This book needs a lot more from Creative Services than one image.
Rating:
Summary: One star because they didn't have a zero star
Review: I hope that I can save someone else the money by advising them to stay away from this. PS Elements is a very nice home photo package with a lot of features. This book will teach you NONE of the features that your five year old couldn't figure out just playing with the mouse. It has nothing in it that an absolute beginner couldn't figure out for themselves in 20 minutes. Stay away from this book. Worst 26.00 dollars (with shipping) that I have ever spent and I have pulled some lulus. Everyone who bought it should get there money back plus an apology.
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