Inside Photoshop CS (Inside)

Rating:
Summary: Layers and filtering - key concepts
Review: An overwhelming book. In over a thousand pages, the authors have striven to include all manners of Photoshop usage. They address the book to every class of designer. Note the choice of the word, designer. You do not necessarily have to be a photographer. In fact, the output of a photographer, in the form of a digital image, is your input.

While the book is massive, it shows that Photoshop can be understood as revolving around a few simple ideas. Like layers. Today, it is hard to imagine or remember a version of Photoshop that lacked this ability. Much of image composition flows from being able to load images into layers and then manipulate the layers. The book has reams of detail, but the basic concept is trivial.

Likewise, another key idea well described in the book is filtering. A very mature ability; present for some 10 years now in Photoshop. Many native filters are explained. Perhaps as importantly, the book describes how Photoshop can input third party filters. Expands the scope. Perhaps even including yourself, if you're so inclined to craft a custom filter.

The book has far more than these topics. But the above should give some idea as to their usefulness.

Rating:
Summary: For Those Who Learn By Doing
Review: Gary's has written a text which is an educational experience based on doing. This doesn't mean that the theoretical basis of image manipulation is shorted but rather that it is offered during practical lessons so the intellectual component has a contextual grounding. "Inside Photoshop CS" takes one through a course which touches and applies vitrually aspect of the most complex and popular software programs in the world including all the new and upgraded tools. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for an absolute beginner, if someone is self-motivated and serious about studying Photoshop CS with the goal of progressing toward expertise, working through this one book would be more valuable than several semesters of college classes. Cheaper too!

This will be my only Photoshop CS book purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Steps don't work!
Review: I have another book by Gary Bouton and it is quite well written. Unfortunately, this one is not, at least not in the beginning chapters. I have gotten through the first few chapters but not without considerable difficulty. I can only assume that Gary was working with a prerelease version of CS since the steps he lists simply do not work as indicated much of the time and I know his quality standard is generally high. This is so frustrating that I just wanted to put down the book and find another. Chapter one is CS basics, and if you don't get the basics, it is difficult to go any farther. I tried the SAMS Publishing website for errata but found none. If you already have a good understanding of Photoshop, the book should be much easier to follow and offer some excellent tips and procedures,however, I would not recommend it for a beginner.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended!
Review: I highly recommend this book for any serious user of Photoshop. What's great about the Bouton style of writing is that you actually come away learning something about the software that you can apply in practical terms to your own projects, rather than being bogged down with technical details and examples.

With each new upgrade of Photoshop, Gary explores "under the hood" to find the new uses for the software. Photoshop CS represents a pretty significant upgrade for the Mac and Windows user alike since Photoshop is now part of Adobe's "Creative Suite" integrating it with other core software to make up powerful solutions for personal and business use. Gary will break down some of the inherent barriers in this complex set, so you can see how it can apply toward your goals.

Gary also briefly explains some of the technical jargon, so you get a better handle on how PhotoshopCS actually manipulates your images. He explanations are clear and illustrated well, so you come away better equiped to handle the lessons down the road.

His book is primarily aimed toward the intermediate skill level, but a beginner who applies him or herself will find it easy going since each lesson builds upon itself.

There are plenty of easter eggs and nuggets of wisdom in every Bouton book. You will want to keep this one handy or share with a friend as your skill with Photoshop progresses. This is an exciting time to own Photoshop and Gary Bouton keeps that excitement alive with this edition of Inside PhotoshopCS.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended!
Review: I highly recommend this book for any serious user of Photoshop. What's great about the Bouton style of writing is that you actually come away learning something about the software that you can apply in practical terms to your own projects, rather than being bogged down with technical details and examples.

With each new upgrade of Photoshop, Gary explores "under the hood" to find the new uses for the software. Photoshop CS represents a pretty significant upgrade for the Mac and Windows user alike since Photoshop is now part of Adobe's "Creative Suite" integrating it with other core software to make up powerful solutions for personal and business use. Gary will break down some of the inherent barriers in this complex set, so you can see how it can apply toward your goals.

Gary also briefly explains some of the technical jargon, so you get a better handle on how PhotoshopCS actually manipulates your images. He explanations are clear and illustrated well, so you come away better equiped to handle the lessons down the road.

His book is primarily aimed toward the intermediate skill level, but a beginner who applies him or herself will find it easy going since each lesson builds upon itself.

There are plenty of easter eggs and nuggets of wisdom in every Bouton book. You will want to keep this one handy or share with a friend as your skill with Photoshop progresses. This is an exciting time to own Photoshop and Gary Bouton keeps that excitement alive with this edition of Inside PhotoshopCS.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Unbearable
Review: The author of this book is the classic example of the fact that someone who is an expert in a particular field is sometimes a terrible tutor for it. Writing style is unbearable, explanations are totally unclear and this book ends up being unapproachable for newbies and useless for experts. I am sure there are way better titles around...

Rating:
Summary: The worst kind of manual
Review: This is the worst kind of manual - a tutorial. Everything is turotials. You can't get a simple answer to a simple question. For example. Have a question about selection markees? All you can do is follow a tutorial for page after page looking for something that might be applicable to your actual question. There is no simple explanation of the various markees. It's the same with any question you might want an answer to. Go to their CD, open their files and follow a tutorial that might eventually get you where you need to go and might not. Can you tell I'm hot? I just wasted $50 on this book.

Also, this is a PC book, which gives bare lipservice to the Mac world. If you work on a Mac, don't buy this book