Photo Retouching With Adobe Photoshop

Rating:
Summary: Good for entry level PS users
Review: I was somewhat as disappointed as Martin with this book. My expectation was a book with greater depth. However, I do think that an entry level Photoshop user would find it, as Marilyn did, a useful book and that's who I would recommend it to.

Rating:
Summary: Very Nice Book Helped Me immensly.
Review: I've read the other reviews and quiet frankly I feel that they are not only unfair, but seem a bit one sided. Most of the ones that gave the first edition a bad rating and then blasted the book don't even have the decency to try the second edition which was a complete re-write and much better than the first edition.
As I understand it Adobe has asked Mrs. Lute to provide an insert for the next version of Photoshop Express. Do you think Adobe would ask Mrs. lute if she was as bad as the lame reviews seen here?
I really enjoyed the book, and it helped me figure out a big problem with Layers and Masking, which has helped to quadruple my referrals.
The big question here is why has Amazon failed to have a different set of reviews for the second edition? I don't feel that Amazon is providing proper customer service by showing reviews for the wrong book.
I'm a professional photographer specializing in Virtual Tours for Real Estate, Bed and Breakfast Inns, Hotels, and Private Clubs. And Gwen Lute's second edition of Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop was one of the best Photoshop books I've read.

Rating:
Summary: Difference of opinion
Review: Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop

By Gwen Lute Amherst Media, Inc.

I noticed one negative review of this book and am surprised. I had quite a different experience reading Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop. This book is very well written. It makes Adobe Photoshop easy for even a beginner like me. I followed the directions for a couple of the tasks explained in this book and had no problem getting the results I wanted. Chapters cover topics from "a Historical Perspective" of photo retouching to marketing your work. Lute explains computer terms, such as plug-ins, hard drives, RAM, and external hard drives. Suggestions for buying a computer are offered along with what hardware and software may be best for your purposes. Capturing the digital image is discussed as are scanning techniques. Then the fun begins--and I do mean fun. Just learning Adobe Photoshop myself, I know how frustrating it is to follow directions when working in Photoshop. After working for hours, getting the effects wanted in your photograph seems impossible. Not a problem with Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop. Each step is clearly explained and illustrated. It is impossible to get lost or forget a step if you follow the script. For instance, chapter three ("Restoring an Image") talks about "Using a Layer as a Mask." Accompanying the text for each project are charts, photographs and the list of Adobe Photoshop tools as they will be seen on your screen is illustrated. The first section tells the reader how to remove an unwanted object from a picture. Fourteen easy-to-follow steps take you through the process. Several more projects are discussed and illustrated and each of the twelve chapters, subjects and projects are just as thoroughly explained and illustrated. Author and photographer Gwen Lute is a photo retoucher with over thirty-years of professional experience. Along with these talents, she lectures to professional photographers on traditional and digital retouching methods. Because I actually worked on my own projects following the instructions in this book, I can say without reservation this is a helpful and valuable book.

Rating:
Summary: Difference of opinion
Review: Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop

By Gwen Lute Amherst Media, Inc.

I noticed one negative review of this book and am surprised. I had quite a different experience reading Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop. This book is very well written. It makes Adobe Photoshop easy for even a beginner like me. I followed the directions for a couple of the tasks explained in this book and had no problem getting the results I wanted. Chapters cover topics from "a Historical Perspective" of photo retouching to marketing your work. Lute explains computer terms, such as plug-ins, hard drives, RAM, and external hard drives. Suggestions for buying a computer are offered along with what hardware and software may be best for your purposes. Capturing the digital image is discussed as are scanning techniques. Then the fun begins--and I do mean fun. Just learning Adobe Photoshop myself, I know how frustrating it is to follow directions when working in Photoshop. After working for hours, getting the effects wanted in your photograph seems impossible. Not a problem with Photo Retouching with Adobe Photoshop. Each step is clearly explained and illustrated. It is impossible to get lost or forget a step if you follow the script. For instance, chapter three ("Restoring an Image") talks about "Using a Layer as a Mask." Accompanying the text for each project are charts, photographs and the list of Adobe Photoshop tools as they will be seen on your screen is illustrated. The first section tells the reader how to remove an unwanted object from a picture. Fourteen easy-to-follow steps take you through the process. Several more projects are discussed and illustrated and each of the twelve chapters, subjects and projects are just as thoroughly explained and illustrated. Author and photographer Gwen Lute is a photo retoucher with over thirty-years of professional experience. Along with these talents, she lectures to professional photographers on traditional and digital retouching methods. Because I actually worked on my own projects following the instructions in this book, I can say without reservation this is a helpful and valuable book.

Rating:
Summary: Worst Book Ever on Retouching Using Photoshop
Review: The best word to describe this book is junk. It's been on my shelf for close to a year, and I've debated about dumping it in the trash or leaving it on the shelf to protect another book from bending. Now what's wrong with this book, you might be asking yourself? Well, you can't work on any of the projects included in the book because the book doesn't come with a CD of tutorials. Second, some of the directions are poorly written. Third, this book stinks. If you'd like a great book for novice or pro, buy books written by Gary David Bouton, the author of "Adobe Photoshop 5.5 Fundamentals." I bought his Photoshop 5 book, and he included a CD with pictures so you could work along on the projects. I learned a lot from his previous book, so I stick with whatever version he comes out with.

So what can I say about this poop book that hasn't already been said by the other reviews I noticed before I wrote this one? Let's see...I covered stink...uh, junk...and, oh yeah! It's not worth the ink it cost to print it.

Rating:
Summary: Good supplemental book
Review: This book does give very detailed instructions on how to accomplish some photo retouching tasks. Unfortunately the book is in black and white so the color applications are limited. However, for someone just starting to do photo retouching, this is a good beginner book, albeit a bit pricy. After learning the techniques covered in this book you will want to progress to something more advanced.