Rating: 
Summary: Great beginner book explains things well
Review: This is my second Photoshop Elements book. The first one I sent back, as it was way to advanced. This one is great! It's easy to follow along with and I think it was writen with a beginner like myself in mind. I've worked my way about half way through and it's fun. The author keeps things light and easy to understand. The book is easy to read with nice color images throughout. One thing I like is that you can go to his website and download the photos in the book that you are working on. This makes it real easy to work along with the author to make sure that you achieve the same results. The only negative I would give it is that some of the shortcuts are not fully explained. For example there are lots of instances where the author says press control-f and if you do that it works fine, but how about giving us both ways to access what was just done rather than just the shortcuts. I mean there is so many layers to the top menu's unless the author tells you where something is it is hard to find on your own. That is my only complaint so far. Well actually I have one more. He really doesn't go into some of the things that Elements 2.0 can do. For example in the introduction the author states "I DON'T HAVE A CHAPTER ON THE LAYERS PALETTE, PAINTING TOOLS OR FILTERS BECAUSE A)EVERY PHOTOSHOP BOOK DOES THAT." Well I would like to not have a whole shelf of Photoshop books. I want just one book that explains the basics to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book for Improving Basic Skills
Review: This is the third (and best) Photoshop Elements 2 book that I have bought and used. It is not (and does not claim to be) a simple introductory guide to PSE, rather an excellent tool for teaching helpful techniques, new skills and tips. It is full of pragmatic, helpful details and the book is broken into small, logical bites - each addressing a single "how to" topic.
The quality of the photography is excellent (which stimulates creative thought in the reader); the text is simple and well laid out adjacent to the appropriate illustrative step.
The book is full of specific useful tips. Many books give general instructions about using the Unsharp Mask (a really important, non-intuitive, poorly named feature for photographers). This books gives clear recommendations for several different photographic 'situations'.
Mr. Kelby's humor is attacked by some reviewers. I imagine that he uses these jokes in his successful live courses and presentations. I found him quite amusing and his jokes to be harmless fillers.
The best PSE book that I have seen - and ideal for the photographer wanting to get well beyond the basic techniques.
Strongly recommended.
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