Description:
Adobe Photoshop--a robust application capable of handling immense print-resolution images--has become the tool of choice among print graphic designers. But not everyone uses Photoshop for print. Essential Photoshop 5 for Web Professionals focuses on the rapidly growing base of new-generation Photoshop enlistees who are using this flexible tool for low-resolution Web-based graphics. This handbook-size softcover is geared toward those with some Web skills--and maybe some exposure to Photoshop--who are essentially novices in Web design and graphic construction. The opening chapters cover the raw basics (how to create a new document, how to fill a page with the foreground or background color, and so on) and moves through Photoshop's basic tool set. Later chapters cover the Despeckle filter and using layers. Each new idea is presented via a specific tutorial, such as the one that teaches how to remove flash-induced red eye from a photo or glare from eyeglasses, or the one on creating tiling patterns. Chapter 8 discusses miscellaneous issues for images in general, Photoshop in particular, and Web graphics, including vital topics such as how to set up low-source versus high-source images, and how to check your work against various platforms and browsers. The book doesn't come with a CD-ROM, and it lacks color images and graphics; but then again, it is simply an "essentials" book--which means no fluff. If you are new to Photoshop and you intend to use it for Web graphics, Essential Photoshop 5 for Web Professionals will get you up to speed quickly and have you using the application in a practical manner almost immediately. If you already have some Photoshop experience but are new to Web graphics, you may still derive a great deal of information from this book. But it may not be much use for anyone with more than a little Web-design or Photoshop experience. --Mike Caputo
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