Rating: 
Summary: Excellent standalone book, or addition to PS7 library
Review: A blurb on the back cover of this book quotes Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, as saying, "When we get stuck, we call Ben" [Willmore, the author]. After reading only the first chapter, it was easy to see why.Willmore starts by proclaiming his dislike of techno-babble, and his intention of demystifying Photoshop's many functions by explaining them in plain English. He succeeds! There are a lot of other PS7 books out there, and I own a few of them, but none is as reader-friendly as this one. At the end of each chapter, Willmore includes a "Techno-babble Decoder Ring," which explains, again in plain English, many of the chapter's technical terms users may encounter when reading other resources. The author introduces material in a logical order, from simple to complex, with 19 chapters broken into four major sections. While it makes perfect sense to read from cover to cover, the book also works well as a reference for specific topics: chapters, or topics within chapters, are still usable and understandable even if you skip around the book. There are ample illustrations and screenshots, many in full color, and this makes the text much easier to follow. In addition, the accompanying CD-ROM contains numerous practice images, as well as stock images from Stockbyte. If I had to have only one comprehensive Photoshop 7 book, I think this would be the one.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Starter and Reference Book
Review: I bought this book because I had to for a class. I really didn't use it that much but when I had a problem or wanted to do something I found this book very useful. Before this book I would do a google of my question but often online explainations are weak. This book not only answered my questions thoroughly but gave examples on how to do things from time to time. If you want to learn how to use Photoshop, I would definitely reccommend this book. I would also reccommend this book if you are just want a reference guide for Photoshop.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Starter and Reference Book
Review: I bought this book because I had to for a class. I really didn't use it that much but when I had a problem or wanted to do something I found this book very useful. Before this book I would do a google of my question but often online explainations are weak. This book not only answered my questions thoroughly but gave examples on how to do things from time to time. If you want to learn how to use Photoshop, I would definitely reccommend this book. I would also reccommend this book if you are just want a reference guide for Photoshop.
Rating:
Summary: At last, a book that gets to the heart of Photoshop
Review: I come from a strong photographic background and have been using Photoshop since version 4.0 for preparation of web and print material. I only wish I had this book 4 years ago instead of wasting my money and time on a dozen fluffy Photoshop books. If you only buy one Photoshop book, this is the one to get.
Willmore has a gift for explaining the most complex subjects in a way that is very easy to understand. He holds your hand through many excercises but doesn't fall into the trap that most writers do by telling you step by step, you will learn Photoshop much more thoroughly with Wilmore's method. Thinking of taking a college Photoshop class? Buy this book, work through all the chapters and you probably will end knowing more than than most teachers, this book is that good. If you want to really learn Photoshop and not just follow steps 1 - 10 like most books do (and end up just knowing how to follow steps) this is the book to get. The section on color management and color correction is worth the price of the book alone!
Rating:
Summary: This should be your next Photoshop book.
Review: I have read a few Photoshop books before I read this one and now I wish I had read this one first. If you really want to know what you are doing and why it works rather than just following a recipe for a certain effect, then it gets no better than this book. Learn to use the tools the masters use and truly understand what you are doing! One of the greatest things about this book is that it made all my other Photoshop books make sense. I went back and re-read other books and it all came together. I not only use this book now but I can use other "recipe type" books and I understand what I am doing and therefore I can modify the steps to get "My Look" and not the authors. The book is easy to read. Ben Willmore uses a language everyone can understand and if you want to learn the advanced termonology he lists the terms and definitions at the end of every chapter. This book should be the next Photoshop book you should read!
Rating:
Summary: You didn't even know you needed this
Review: I highly recommend this book to help you really understand Photoshop. Ben Willmore's Photoshop 7 Studio Techniques is a book required by my latest Photoshop class. With a previous professor I was using Classroom in a Book. What a difference everything makes! First thing, you open the book and it is filled with lovely color pictures. Imagine that? Sounds silly, but maybe, gasp, all computer graphics books should be in color? After all, we don't live in Pleasantville.
Second, the book is easy to read. When you read a chapter you don't want to be bogged down reading a page for half an hour. The book informs you well, with a flow that makes you feel as though Ben is right there in a chair next to you. Third, the book doesn't make you follow directions without letting you know the how and why of it all. This book actually teaches you how things work, without the pocket-protector. Anybody with the most basic understanding of their computer should easily learn from this text. Fourth, all computer books should be accompanied by a cd-rom. There is also a web site mentioned in the book that the author runs that is well worth a bookmark. I actually wanted a Classroom in a Book for an Illustrator class, because I was used to the format, and now I only wish that Ben Willmore wrote books for that program as well. All textbooks should be this informative and easy to read. Worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: Best Photoshop Book in Print
Review: I really just want to tack on another very positive assessment to the others posted here. Mr. Wilmore is a very good technical writer and a Photoshop master. I've been using the program since v3.0 and, while we all know it as the Cadillac of digital imaging programs, it has a very steep learning curve indeed. I have lots of PS books, many of them follow the step 1, then step 2, recipe. This is definitely not that kind of book, and doesn't employ that approach to learning. As others have already stated, the section on color correction is hands-down the best I've seen - even with the new auto-color correction in PS v7.0, his explanation is not only worth reading -- with what you learn you can sometimes do better manually.
This is one great book for a fantastic program.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a beginners book
Review: I'm a beginner at Photoshop 7 and this was definitely NOT the book to start with. Because one review said that it covered the basics, I thought it would be okay, but I just don't have the experience with the program yet to benefit from what is no doubt an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: But Not For Beginners
Review: I'm a beginner at Photoshop 7 and this was definitely NOT the book to start with. Because one review said that it covered the basics, I thought it would be okay, but I just don't have the experience with the program yet to benefit from what is no doubt an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Not a beginners book
Review: I'm new to Photoshop and this book is not helping me to learn it. The techniques discribed in this book look great but you have to know Photoshop pretty well before you can use them. Probably a good book - but not for beginners.
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