Rating: 
Summary: Great book that gets right to the action
Review: I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master of a few, and simply don't have enough time to learn all my apps in-depth. I usually have a project, and have to dive into an application to the point I can get my work done, then move on. This book has been magic for me. Example - I learned how to create chrome text, so it was easy to create other chrome objects for our company web site. Same with other metal effects. Our site looks fantastic! It let me get on with my project, even though I didn't completely understand why some of the effects did what they did. But, then I put some effort in those areas, and nailed it.Everyone thinks I'm a Photoshop guru (I'm not). But it fast-forwarded me to the point I could get my projects done. Some day I'll read one of those 1200 page monsters - right after I master Flash, Visual Studio, C#, Python, SQL Server, Illustrator and InDesign. That's after I finish installing our new Linux server and write our new MRP package. It's NOT a tutorial - it's a cookbook. Rather than teaching you everything Photoshop can do, you flip through the book and find something that "WOWs" you. Follow the steps and it's on your screen. Cool. Very very cool. If you are busy and need something that helps you get your work done, get this. It jumpstarted me.
Rating: 
Summary: The Camel's Back is Broken....
Review: I'm very disappointed. This will be the last Photoshop book I ever buy. The only good tutorials in the book are: the Grunge Tutorial, and the 2 that Felix Nelson did, which were the Neon Text and Reverse Restoration. The rest is just stealing other people's ideas and brand identity. And that's just pointless, is it not? And the cheap "stolen-knockoffs" that Kelby creates look terrible, hence cheap stolen-knockoffs :) My suggestion is that if you're a beginner that has never heard of Kelby, go ahead and indulge. But if you have read 1 of his other books don't get this. However, if you go against my advice and do buy it and like it, chances are you still think unadulterated Bevel & Emboss and soft-vignettes are cool. Lastly, if you're like me, just go to the bookstore and glance through it, because that's all its worth. I've had it with this bloated bunch of copycat-cookbook-knockoff-crap. Truth be told, I didn't want to say crap. I wanted to use a stronger word with same number of letters.
Rating:
Summary: Just One Tip or Trick can make the book worth its price
Review: If this book was sold at double it's list price, it would still be worth it. I consider myself an Intermediate Intermediate. Someone who knows and understands a lot of the functions of photoshop, but still is constantly learning new or easier ways to do things. Photoshop CS Down & Dirty Tricks has done this for me and more, and as a result of some of the tricks (namely, the quick elegant background tip on page 268-271 and the Quick Project Shot Background on Page 272-277). These tricks have helped me to work that has saved me a tremendous anount of time and money. Isn't that what it is all about? Will I use all the tricks? Probably not. But the ones I use will save me a good deal of time. What's great is that I can at least take the ideas and change them to my preferences if I don't like the results that Scott Kelby came up with. But at least he set the foundation! Thanks Scott.
Rating: 
Summary: No Fonts
Review: It's a great looking book when you pick it up , seems like a lot of great tutorials , how to's except for one fact . The fonts he uses to produce the effects in some maybe all ( I haven't checked everyone , was discouage after three ) are not in the font file of Photoshop CS. So if you want to produce effects as pictured in his turtorials , how to"s be prepared to go out and search for the fonts on the web , buy them and add them to photoshop CS font file . Can it be done yes , but for $39.99 I shouldn't have to .
Rating:
Summary: There is nothing better
Review: Scott has done it again !!!!! I am new user of photoshop and Scott has made it so simple for me to "fake a pro". Whenever people see me utilizing his techniques outlined in his books they think I have a degree in graphic designing. Keep up the good work Scott, I will be buying most of his books. Mark---Florida
Rating:
Summary: There is nothing better
Review: Scott has done it again !!!!! I am new user of photoshop and Scott has made it so simple for me to "fake a pro". Whenever people see me utilizing his techniques outlined in his books they think I have a degree in graphic designing. Keep up the good work Scott, I will be buying most of his books. Mark---Florida
Rating:
Summary: Don't Quit Your Day Job, Scott
Review: Scott Kelby's 'Photoshop CS Down & Dirty Tricks' did teach me one or two new things I never knew before (the rest were acquired for free on Adobe's Studio Exchange website), but at what cost? First, the author subjects his readers to the most juvenile, inane humor(insert question mark here) in the introduction ("Preamble") and at the beginning of each chapter to make us believe he not only is the Messiah of Photoshop but also way cool. Second, most of the effects in the book are geared for graphic designers. There's very little usable information for the digital photographer. What is written concerning improving or tweaking an image is gimmicky and really doesn't do anything to improve the overall image. As a photographer, I wouldn't recommend this book at all for someone who is looking to improve the overall quality of their images.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible book!
Review: So, you have Photoshop -- quite possibly the most incredible piece of image manipulating software ever released. You want to learn some incredible 'magic'. Well, look no further than this book. Scott Kelby is a great writer, making an already killer Photoshop tip book, one that is entertaining to read as well. The real 'meat' here is the step-by-step guides to help readers quickly reproduce these tricks. Added value comes from the column side bars on each page, chock full of additional (and quite useful) Photoshop tips. I also have Scott's previous 'Down and Dirty Tricks' book. Rather than rehashing (or revising) these older tricks, Scott has rewritten his book from scratch, filling it with completely new ones. As another reader mentioned, the tricks described in the book can all be completed with Photoshop 7. If you've been looking for a great tutorial book to help jumpstart you into the world of Photoshop, buy this book! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: NOT worth the money!
Review: The book is selling itself as an insider's guide. It's not. Setting aside the fact that the effects taught are really, really cheesy -- and not in that hipster so-cheesy-it's-cool way, either -- there aren't any effects that you couldn't have figured out how to do on your own with a little imagination and a more thorough guide. There aren't even that many effects, period. There is nothing in this book that you couldn't have figured out from his other book (Adobe Photoshop CS for Digital Photographers). And if you want to do *really* cool stuff with Photoshop, you're going to have to wait for the Real World or Bible book to come out. Finally, I must say that I was actually offended by the discrepancy between the book's sales blurb and what it really delivers. I thought I was a hardened cynic when it came to publishing hyperbole, but this has set a new low for unkept promises. I returned my copy today.
Rating:
Summary: Useful recipes and great ideas
Review: There are a number of Photoshop effects books on the market and they range in quality. This is one of the good ones. In particular because the book covers a variety of Photoshop design tasks from simple photo alterations, through typography work, and into ad layouts and compositing techniques. It's a full spectrum approach that will give you as much information on techniques as it gives you ideas for what you can do with Photoshop. All of the examples a presented step by step with an illustration at each step. The book is full color and the examples are high quality.
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