Photoshop 7 Artistry: Mastering the Digital Image

Rating:
Summary: Learning Photoshop 7
Review: PHOTOSHOP 7 ARTISTRY
Mastering the Digital Image
AUTHOR: Barry Haynes and Wendy Crumpler
PUBLISHER: New Riders
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

All you ever wanted to know about Photoshop 7 you will find in Photoshop 7 Artistry. If you have never use Photoshop, this book will give you a good basic grasp of what Photoshop can do. There are new tools such as the healing brush, then there is the return of the brush palette. There is also a pattern maker and tool presets so you don't lose that special effect you worked so hard to create.

Step by step instructions are included so you can work through the effects being talked about. The CD-ROM contains all the files needed to follow the effects being discussed. And each chapter has plenty of graphics to show you what the effects should look like.

If you want a detailed instruction guide on how to create effects in Photoshop 7, be sure to get this book.

Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read for learning Photoshop!
Review: Photoshop has become the image editor of choice for most graphic designers, photographers, and other creative professionals, but its vast array of capabilities, commands, options, and choices can make it an intimidating software tool to master, especially for the beginner. After purchasing and working my way through most of the popular Photoshop instruction books, I believe that Photoshop 7 Artistry: Mastering The Digital Image, by Barry Haynes and Wendy Crumpler, is hands-down the best available.

Rather than focusing on drop shadows, bevelled edges, chrome effects and other "Wow" and "Gee Whiz" Photoshop features (although these techniques are also well explained), Haynes and Crumpler provide a logical, complete, and in-depth process for creating a "master image" file that can be used for producing superb digital prints, web-site graphics, and other image applications. Each chapter is packed with detailed information, and more screen displays than I've ever seen in a Photoshop book. The examples are well chosen and the reader can load the tutorial files from the CD that comes with the book and gain hands-on practice while studying each chapter. The authors also provide an in-depth evaluation of many of the state-of-the-art hardware/software capabilities for scanning, color calibration, and digital printing. Barry Haynes' photographic background allows him to clearly explain techniques such as the Zone System and color correction.

You'll learn something new each time you open this outstanding
book. It's a "must buy" for aspiring Photoshop artists!

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable tome that should ship with Photoshop
Review: The big question here is, How can a book get so good? It requires something on the scale of the grand alignment of the planets. Haynes and Crumpler have without a doubt mastered Photoshop. They have spent years honing their teaching skills. They are both excellent writers. They have the rare discipline to go the extra step when assembling information. This is the fifth edition of their book, and it is obvious that they listen to their readers. If you thumb through the book, you will be amazed at how densely packed every page is (I've seldom seen such narrow margins). This is not clutter. Each page stands as a miracle of organization. The text and diagrams complement each other to near perfection. This is the book that should come with Photoshop. Adobe should toss their embarrassingly deficient user manual and pack this tome in each box.

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable tome that should ship with Photoshop
Review: The big question here is, How can a book get so good? It requires something on the scale of the grand alignment of the planets. Haynes and Crumpler have without a doubt mastered Photoshop. They have spent years honing their teaching skills. They are both excellent writers. They have the rare discipline to go the extra step when assembling information. This is the fifth edition of their book, and it is obvious that they listen to their readers. If you thumb through the book, you will be amazed at how densely packed every page is (I've seldom seen such narrow margins). This is not clutter. Each page stands as a miracle of organization. The text and diagrams complement each other to near perfection. This is the book that should come with Photoshop. Adobe should toss their embarrassingly deficient user manual and pack this tome in each box.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: This book covers Photoshop from a photographers perspective (as contrasted with an artists perspective). It contains some good sections on color correction, but falls short of being an essential Photoshop book. It is very expensive, contains uninspired examples and has several minor annoyances such as sections on outdated equipment ...poorly cropped/grainy/unnecessary screenshots and somewhat questionable chapter organization and overlap. I think it is a helpful book, but is not in the same class as something like the "Photoshop WOW!" series, which is more complete and ultimately more useful.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect For Digital Photographers
Review: This book is amazing. It is written for and by a photographer. I've had the book for only a few days and I am already doing things that seemed complex in just a matter of moments. I can't express how happy I am with this book purchase. It was the perfect book for me and anyone else that wants to work with digital photographs.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is certainly one of the better Photoshop books out there. If you do a lot of photo imaging, then this is the book for you. I was surprised by how many of the lessons I retained. It certainly is not a beginner book, but yet not enough to be a true pro book, rather gapping the bridge from intermediate to pro.I have made good use of some of the tips on alexkurth.com.

Rating:
Summary: 600 pages of information crammed into 466 pages.
Review: This book is densely packed with detail. Almost every inch of every page is filled with text and screenshots. This makes it very difficult to read. Many of the screenshots are so small, you'll need a magnifying glass to see the details.

That being said, there is a lot of good information in here. And almost every image is beautiful, full color. The CD contains all the files you'll need to follow along with the examples in the book plus a bunch of useful actions, filters, etc.

This is a book for intermediate or advanced Photoshop users. Beginners will be overwhelmed.

Rating:
Summary: Very in depth book
Review: This book is filled with tons of useful information about photoshop and digital image alteration. It can be a bit too winded at times with explination, but it all comes together. My two biggest problems would be the "hands on" sections don't start until chapter 18, so I found myself doing a lot of skipping around, and if you own one of the authors other "Artistry" books, don't waste your time. Same book, different number added. That doesn't mean it isn't a book worth owning, it is packed with very useful information, it means if you already have one, nothing really new is added. Be ready to read and have patience, and it can teach you a lot!

Rating:
Summary: My Photoshop & photography bible ...
Review: This is a comprehensive guide to the use of Photoshop for the production of photo art. It covers clearly just about everything you need to know to turn your scanned or digital pictures into publishable images on paper. I've followed this series since Photoshop 5 Artistry and it continues to be an extremely valuable reference and tutorial for me. There's a lot of material here and it can be intimidating but I guarantee that you'll be an accomplished Photoshop user if you follow the advice and techniques from this book.

I would also recommend as a complementary book Scott Kelby's 'The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers'.