Photoshop Elements 2 Most Wanted

Rating:
Summary: Frustratingly Vague
Review: This is probably an excellent book for someone with intermediate digital imaging skills, but if you've just purchased Photoshop Elements 2, and are a complete beginner, I wouldn't recommend it. OK, I'm fairly computer literate and am knowledgable about more than a few not so user-friendly applications. Even though I'm going into this with almost zero knowledge about Photoshop Elements, I'm thinking it shouldn't be so difficult to grasp, especially since I'm a fast learner - and your website reviews gave me the impression that this is a good book for beginners. I guess I underestimated the learning curve with this particular program. At the outset, I'm told to use a certain tool, but am not told where to get the tool. I'm told to blur a layer, but not how to do it or where to locate the blur tool. I constantly had to refer to the help file to supplement the instructions in the tutorials. Most confusing of all is the order in which instructions are given. I'm told to create a layer, then perform some function. Then, with the same photo, I'm told to "duplicate your photo layer" to use the Dust/Scratches filter. Next I'm instructed to duplicate the photo layer twice. Which layer? Am I supposed to revert and start over with the same photo? I couldn't tell where I was supposed to be working as I went to each new step, what I was supposed to be seeing depending on which layer I was viewing, or how I was expected to combine the results of all steps involved. So now, I'm searching the website for another book that will hopefully be a little more clear and make me feel a little less dense.