Photoshop book?

ajgauthier

hi all,

I have basic Photoshop skills and can usually figure something out if needed (I'm a technologist by trade). Can anyone recommend a good all-inclusive medium to pro level "teach yourself" Photoshop book? I can peruse through the bookshelf in Borders or Barnes & Noble, but until you actually do the exercises, one can never tell if it's a good book or not.

Suggestions for a book?

Adrienne

Richard

ajgauthier wrote:

hi all,
...
Suggestions for a book?

Adrienne

Adrienne,

My situation was much like yours...tech background and basic PS skills. I bought Photoshop 7 Artistry by Barry Haynes and Wendy Crumpler and have been happy with it. It is meant for photographers but has a bit of graphic design stuff as well. Very thorough discussion of how to solve real-world photography problems. Includes CD-ROM with sample images and exercises. I haven't looked at it, but the same authors have done a version for CS. There are many good books out there, but I think this one is all I will ever need. The rest is practice, practice, practice.

Cheers.

marlof

Although I'm not a big fan of his "look at my jokes, aren't I funny" writing style, I do find that Scott Kelby gives a very nice overview of the main aspects of Photoshop photographers encounter in Photoshop CS for Digital Photographers. A Photoshop CS2 version also exists.

patch29

marlof wrote:

Although I'm not a big fan of his "look at my jokes, aren't I funny" writing style, I do find that Scott Kelby gives a very nice overview of the main aspects of Photoshop photographers encounter in Photoshop CS for Digital Photographers. A Photoshop CS2 version also exists.

I agree the CS2 book from Scott Kelby is a very good photographer's resource. A lot of Photoshop books will deal with PS topics that apply to graphic designers and other users not just photographers.

cletus

patch29 wrote:

I agree the CS2 book from Scott Kelby is a very good photographer's resource. A lot of Photoshop books will deal with PS topics that apply to graphic designers and other users not just photographers.

I just saw Kelby's CS2 book in a store the other day. Looks like a phone book compared to CS for Digital Photographers. I'm curious to see what all has been added.

ajgauthier wrote:

I'm a technologist by trade

With that in mind I'd recomend Photoshop CS Studio Techniques by Ben Wilmore. Some of the folks around here like it, some hate it. I think I like it because it trys to fill in some of the "why's" in addition to providing all the "how's".

That said, at some point you're going to want Photoshop CS(2) for Digital Photographers so it wont hurt to pick it up now and give it a try.

wxwax

Kelby good for lumps like me.

Mike Lane

Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor's Guide to the Creative Use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
by Martin Evening.

Rohirrim

ajgauthier wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good all-inclusive medium to pro level "teach yourself" Photoshop book?

I have started a small library of Photoshop Books . I can give you my opinions but I think different Authors appeal to everyone differently.

Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a book- very good for learning basic skills, like tool options etc.

Kelby's Photoshop for Digital Photographers- good for learning general ideas, not great at really understanding what you are doing. (He does mention this in his foreward). His writing style annoyed the hell out of me, others may find it humerous or entertaining.

Grey's Photoshop Workflow- a good for what do to and when to do it, but not very good and how to do it.

Fraser/Blatner- Real World Photoshop- probably my favorite book so far. Lots of details on what to do, when to do it, why your doing it and how to accomplish it.

Fraser- Real World Photoshop RAW workflow- very good for going through the ACR Raw converter.

Looking at Evening's Photoshop for Digital Photographers as next addition to library.

Good luck with your choice,
Steve

ginger_55

That is the problem with when an upgrade like CS2 comes out. All the books and mags become about that program. I am not ready, or convinced, that I need CS2.

I would not be able to recommend one book. Kelby is well liked in general at all levels.

Also, as I grow in my knowledge of the techniques and vocabulary involved, my needs change as far as books are concerned. As in many things, I don't think there is a one book serves all, unfortunately. And also, unfortunately for me, I like books I can put on my lap and use as I need them. (I don't do the exercises, shame on me), but I do use them. So access to the internet is a great resource for the same info as found in books, I just find the books more convenient at times. Another example of no one stop shopping.

Unfortunately this piles up into mega bucks. I love the Ben Wilmore book that
Cletus recommends. Lynn sent it to me, I guess I stole it, as I have still not paid her for it. She nicely said that I didn't need to, after a long period of time went by. Bless Lynn's heart, in the nicest way. She said she did not "use" the book. So that shows how much a recommendation means. And I am getting the "hows" out if, don't like "whys", so that is something else.

I did go to the downtown library last weekend, for a different reason. While I was there, I picked up a bunch of photography books. Now my list of desired books is even longer. I would suggest that the library be a resource, you know, to make lists meaningful to "you". The problem there is, I just found more books, the ones already on my list were not at the library.

But I have gleaned much info already.

ginger

I still suggest we have a readily, easily searched for, list of photography books, and one for internet sites, also. With the subjects in the subject line.

One thread for each: like the back page of a book will do, list resources. Or maybe just "Internet and Book Photography Resources". If the subject were in the subj line, it would make for easier searching.

keving54

Hello,

I agree about the Scott Kelby book - very easy to understand and he has quite a few good tips and shortcuts.
In addition, I found Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography: 107 Lessons on Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images to be very helpful, even though it's not strictly PS.
The books by Blatner and Frasier have left me cold, and I find them extremely difficult to find anything I'm looking for, or how to do quickly. Others like them though. Just not my learning style I guess.
Regards,
Kevin

ajgauthier

thanks!
thanks everyone! Your recommendations will help narrow things down. I actually get the latest full-fledged PS versions for the professional...gawd I love my work

Adrienne

Higgmeister

Looking for a reference

Rohirrim wrote:

Looking at Evening's Photoshop for Digital Photographers as next addition to library.

Good luck with your choice,
Steve

I browsed this book in Borders and wondered if anyone here has any experience with this book. It look thorough without being burdensome. I liked the fact that it showed two different ways to convert to B&W. I'm going from PS7 to CS2.

Just wondering, any input would be appreciated,
Chris

patch29

Higgmeister wrote:

I browsed this book in Borders and wondered if anyone here has any experience with this book. It look thorough without being burdensome. I liked the fact that it showed two different ways to convert to B&W. I'm going from PS7 to CS2.

Just wondering, any input would be appreciated,
Chris

The CS2 version is very nice. I picked it up and it has a lot of useful info and different techniques than a lot of other books.

erich6

I like Deke McClelland's Photoshop CS One-on-One and Photoshop Bible Professional Edition (out soon for CS2).

Erich

jthomas

I've also been shopping for books on Photoshop CS recently, and have picked up Scott Kelby's The Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers. I don't like the jokes either, but I did learn (and I'm still learning) a number of good tricks.

However, it is just a cookbook approach with no explanation of why the tricks work. So when I encounter a problem not discussed in his book, I don't know where to start.

So, based on recommendations on another forum, I bought Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers by Martin Evening, and started slogging through it from page one. Initially I said "aha - this is the one", but the farther I got the more lost I was. He was throwing in new terms without defining them and which I didn't understand, so I've gotten frustrated with it also. It seems to be aimed at people who are already familiar with Photoshop, and just need to be updated on the new tools available in CS.

As an engineering professor, I would love to see a book written like a textbook that proceeds logically and explains the why at every step.

Alas, I haven't found one yet.:cry

cletus

jthomas wrote:

As an engineering professor, I would love to see a book written like a textbook that proceeds logically and explains the why at every step.

Alas, I haven't found one yet.:cry

People are probably getting tired of me talking about Ben Wilmore's Photoshop CS Studio Techniques, but take a look at it if you haven't already. I get an engineering book vibe from it which is probably why I like it so much.

jthomas

cletus wrote:

People are probably getting tired of me talking about Ben Wilmore's Photoshop CS Studio Techniques, but take a look at it if you haven't already. I get an engineering book vibe from it which is probably why I like it so much.

Thanks for pointing this out. The Adobe Press web site looks you read one chapter of the book (on the Camera RAW dialog box). Based on that chapter I think I might like to have this book.

zigzag

I'm greatly in need of this sort of advice myself. Only thing is I didn't shell out $600 for CS - I just bought Elements. Will a CS book work for me too, or is there some other recommendation out there for users of Elements?

DavidTO

zigzag wrote:

I'm greatly in need of this sort of advice myself. Only thing is I didn't shell out $600 for CS - I just bought Elements. Will a CS book work for me too, or is there some other recommendation out there for users of Elements?

I believe the Scott Kelby book is available for Elements.