Teach yourself visually Photoshop Elements 3

From Barnes & Noble

Lots of books teach photo editing software “visually,” and many are quite good. But none are easier than this one. Sherry Willard Kinkoph has taken the art of simplicity to a whole new level. Headings like “Find a Photo,” “Add a Caption,” “Draw a Line.” Explanations that get the whole point across in just one paragraph: often, a short one (and still manage to tell you exactly when and why you’d use each feature). There are bright, simple illustrations. Tips everywhere. Keyboard shortcuts if you want them. The step-by-step instructions don’t waste a word, and they’re supported with full-color screen captures that show you exactly where to find every button and menu item you’ll need to use.

OK, the writing’s great, the format’s wonderful, but what’ll you learn? Everything you need to know. How to capture, store, and organize your images. How to change image size, print size, resolution, and image canvas size. How to use the marquee, lasso, magic wand, and selection brush. How to work with selections and layers. You’ll walk through Elements’ growing collection of quick retouching tools, then learn how to fix color, contrast, and exposure. You’ll learn how to add text, apply filters and special effects, and output your final images to everything from web JPEGs and GIFs to printed postcards. All that’s missing is the confusion. Bill Camarda, from the July 2005 Read Only