Adobe Photoshop CS one-on-one

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
What could possibly be better than learning Photoshop CS from Deke McClelland, author of the legendary Photoshop Bibles? How about hiring him as your personal coach and learning Photoshop one-on-one? That’s the experience of working with Adobe Photoshop CS One-on-One.

You’ll start with two full hours of Deke’s personal digital video instruction. Not postage-stamp, low-quality videos, either. This stuff’s superbly captured and edited.

After you watch each lesson, turn to McClelland’s outstanding full-color chapter. He’ll guide you through challenging hands-on projects that illuminate what you’ve learned. You’ll get all the sample files you need -- along with all the context, insight, and tips you’d expect from a truly great instructor. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

Library Journal

Scores of devoted Photoshop users and recent converts have generated demand for more titles on the latest version of Photoshop CS (see also Computer Media, LJ 4/1/04). A basic, step-by-step guide, QuickSteps uses full-color examples, screen shots, short tips, and notes to illustrate features; "How to" lists summarize each chapter; and "Quick Steps" sidebars show how to accomplish common tasks. Appropriate for libraries serving new users, but supplement with more thorough guides. Artistry will accommodate intermediate to advanced photographers and digital artists, including an annotated table of contents as well as "Must Reads" and images where appropriate. Although the text encompasses a lot of information, the pages are cluttered, the font size is too small, and typos abound. The CD contains project images and extra image files, plus links to demo software. Only for large libraries. Digital Photographers lives up to its title, focusing on various techniques for modifying digital photos. Step-by-step instructions, full-color examples, and screen shots demonstrate techniques, from reducing red-eye to adding special effects; explanations tell why and when to use particular tools. Its CD contains a Photoshop CS trial version, project images, tutorials, video examples, and demo third-party plugins. For medium and larger libraries. As with Digital Photographers, Real World is full color but includes fewer examples and screen shots in favor of more text and explanation, attempting to give readers the background to understand how Photoshop works and when its various features are needed. It generally assumes a finished print project and discusses optimizing for print, although the final chapter addresses multimedia and the web. Particularly helpful are explanations of different techniques for achieving similar results and examples of when to use each, as well as tips from the authors' real-world experience. For medium and larger libraries. Studio Techniques also attempts to provide background on when and why to use techniques, though in a more step-by-step fashion. It emphasizes nontechnical language and explanations and employs full-color examples throughout, with a CD of practice images. Straightforward prose and a sense of humor recommend this for medium and larger libraries. Also full-color, One-on-One includes two hours of training video on CD-ROM that corresponds with the exercises and chapter lessons in the book; this helps replicate a classroom experience and provides multiple learning methods. Quizzes and "Extra Credit" exercises aid in self-study; step-by-step discussions and illustrations let readers see if they are completing lessons correctly. A useful beginning to intermediate teach-yourself guide for all libraries. For intermediate users, Special Edition provides two thorough guides for the price of one, showing how to use Photoshop and Illustrator CS together--a useful approach given Adobe's new focus on the CS products as a cohesive suite. Unfortunately, it is not full color, though a color insert is included. The CD contains images, bonus chapters, and demo plugins and tools. For medium and larger libraries. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.