Adobe Photoshop CS2 Studio Techniques [With CDROM]

by Ben Willmore

If you're ready to go from blindly following step-by-step instructions to "Aha, I finally GET Photoshop!" this is the place to start. In these pages, world renowned Photoshop instructor and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321321898
• ISBN13: 9780321321893
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Adobe Press
• Length: 573 Pages
• Weight: 3.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Best Photoshop Book Available

A book is only as good as it's author and Mr. Willmore is an incredibly gifted writer in that he is able to explain WHY different techniques are used in Photoshop rather than simply listing a clinical step-by-step HOW-TO, as most of the Photoshop cookbooks out there do. This ultimately leads the reader to a much better understanding of the program and the tools that it offers the digital artist. The so-called telephone-book-thick "bibles" that are offered up for every software suite under the sun are nothing more than 'do this, do that, arrive at this' lists of instructions; they do very little in the way actually explaining WHY you would want to use a certain filter here, or adjustment layer there. Ben Willmore however does a fine job of explaining, in everyday English, what it is that makes Photoshop's offerings so useful and also so powerful. He also provides a CD with tutorials and sample images to go along with some of the lessons, which makes it much easier to actually grasp some of the concepts. If you only buy one photoshop book, this is the one to get. It is great for beginners, intermediate users, and also advanced users as he really does get into the meat of Photoshop without wasting valuable chapters on crap like "how to install Photoshop on a PC or a Mac" or "sytem requirements" etc. - something which 90% of the "bibles" out there waste the first third of their book on (which is entirely useless as installation instructions etc can be easily found in Photoshop's own help files, on the web, etc etc etc). I have read quite a few Photoshop books and this one by far is the first book that actually leaves you with a feeling that you understand the program.

Best introductory and intermediate Photoshop book for Photographers

I have read many PS books, and have spent many hours in bookstores carefully reviewing all of the popular PS books. This is without a doubt the best book to start with, and may be the only one you will ever need to buy. This is the PS book best suited to photographers, either digital or analog. It covers the basics in great detail, and also the sophisticated techniques and tips required to optimise any image. Most PS books fall into one of two categories: either they are full of "creative tricks" like showing you how to replace someones nose with their dog's tail; or they simply state "to achieve this do this", with no explanation. In both cases they scrimp on or gloss over what is important to photograhers: how to get a great image from a digital file. Getting from a raw file or scan to the optimal print or web image in the easiest and quickest way is all this book is about. Because of that it concentrates on the features in PS that are crucial to achieving these ends, and has enough space to explain them comprehensively and clearly. Most PS books don't explain features well or at all; they say "do this in this situation" but when you happen upon a slightly different situation you are stuck, because you don't understand what you are doing. This book explains clearly, and in simple terms, all of the CS2 features that a photographer needs, and doesn't waste your time on anything you don't need. Covered in detail: PS tools and how to use them Making selections Using layers Optimising images, color and grayscale Understanding curves Color managment and correction Camera Raw Color manipulation Adjustment layers Sharpening Advanced Masking Collage Retouching Workflow (thorough coverage of all of the steps to follow, and why from start to finish)

Extremely well written and full of great techniques

Ben Willmore is one of the world's best Photoshop teachers. He possesses an extraordinary wealth of knowledge about Photoshop and, just as importantly, he has a great gift for sharing that knowledge in an almost folksy and down-home style. In one of the editorial reviews above it says "arguably one of the best Photoshop books ever written" and I would take the word "arguably" out of that sentence--it's absolutely one of the best Photoshop books ever written. I have taken all-day seminars with him and when I leave them my head is swimming my so many new ideas that it's hard to know where to begin (and if you're like me, you forget a lot the minute you walk out the door--good thing he hands out notes!). That's why Ben's books are so great: they are beautifully written and he carefully explains myriad technqiues in simple step-by-step fashion. If you've been bewildered and frustrated by the awful guides that Adobe includes with Photoshop CS2, you will find this book to be incredibly refreshing and simple to use. Ben has a very scientific approach to Photoshop which you might think would take the fun out of it, but it doesn't. In fact, by explaining things in a very clear way and giving you the underlying "why" of how things work, you understand the tools and techniques of Photoshop much better. Things like Curves (a huge thing in Ben's teaching) and Layer Blending Modes (a world unto themselves) become easy to understand and use. The book is also nicely illustrated with good step-by-step photos and diagrams and is very well indexed (what good is a Photoshop book that isn't well indexed?). I am a photo how-to writer myself and even though I've been working with Photoshop since 1993, whenever I finish writing a piece on Photoshop I double-check my facts with this book (or one of the older versions). I think that Ben Willmore and Katrin Eismann are the two best Photoshop teachers that I've encountered so far (Katrin is brilliant and funny and quite an artist I heartily recommend anything that she writes). If you ever get the chance to spend a day at one of Ben's $99 seminars, do it, you'll be glad you plunked down the money. Finally, there are a few small things I look up occasionally that are not covered in this book, but that is rare and the topics really are minor. On the other hand I've never picked this book up and not walked back to my comuter to try something new. You learn something worthwhile every time you open the book and that is saying a lot. Jeff Wignall Author, The Joy of Digital Photography (Lark Books)

Excellent Second Book on Photoshop

If you're starting from absolutely scratch, I recommend you begin with Deke McClelland's Photoshop One-On-One. However, that will only whet your appetite and he gives a broad overview; this book explores various areas in more detail which reinforces what you've learned on a macro level with Deke. The whole subject of Photoshop is vast and exhausting. This book requires effort and perseverence but they will be rewarded with a much greater faciity with Photoshop, something that is its own reward if it turns out that you enjoy photography and image enhancement.