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Rating: 
Summary: The good and the bad
Review: "Bible" is a bit of a misnomer. A better description would be "everything detail you would ever want to know about Photoshop". The book is incredibly detailed. Each and every menu option are described and cross referenced, no stone left unturned. And yet it is readable (if you can lift it). Adobe has come a long way in making their manuals and help files much much better. That said, if you are looking to become a basic or mid level Photoshop user, this may not be the book for you. If you want to know the pros and cons to using a fade on a custom brush with your pressure sensative tablet (you get the picture)... then this book is required to at least have at hand. I have dabbled with photoshop for many many years, but never really did use more than 10% of the program functions. So I've bought and checkout many books out of the library so I can improve my reults and save time. I scanned this book cover to cover (well almost) - and probably READ about 1/2 of it. While there was SOME very valuable content, the book was mostly a recap for me. My biggest complaint is that the book spends precious little space on explaining TECHNIQUE. It is more about explaining functions in complete detail. It would have been better if the few techniques and exercises in the book were somehow highlighted or set apart from the text. There are much better sources for that info anyway.
Rating:
Summary: The good and the bad
Review: "Bible" is a bit of a misnomer. A better description would be "everything detail you would ever want to know about Photoshop". The book is incredibly detailed. Each and every menu option are described and cross referenced, no stone left unturned. And yet it is readable (if you can lift it). Adobe has come a long way in making their manuals and help files much much better. That said, if you are looking to become a basic or mid level Photoshop user, this may not be the book for you. If you want to know the pros and cons to using a fade on a custom brush with your pressure sensative tablet (you get the picture)... then this book is required to at least have at hand. I have dabbled with photoshop for many many years, but never really did use more than 10% of the program functions. So I've bought and checkout many books out of the library so I can improve my reults and save time. I scanned this book cover to cover (well almost) - and probably READ about 1/2 of it. While there was SOME very valuable content, the book was mostly a recap for me. My biggest complaint is that the book spends precious little space on explaining TECHNIQUE. It is more about explaining functions in complete detail. It would have been better if the few techniques and exercises in the book were somehow highlighted or set apart from the text. There are much better sources for that info anyway.
Rating: 
Summary: Looks good but it is trouble
Review: All in all, this is a usable book if you take the time to discover essential details that are missing. As you get into more sophisticated topics you find that about 10% of the procedures described in the book do not work. Essential steps, thate could have been spelled out in a line of text, are missing and I have to experiment for close to an hour to discover what they are. The book is too verbose and could be condensed to half its size, with no loss of content. The humor is weak and adds nothing to the book; I never got a chuckle (and I like to laugh). There are no examples of creative use of Photoshop, even though this is why we want to learn the darn thing. I have used computers everyday since 1969, so I don't think that my troubles are caused by my ignorance. Unfortunately, I can't recommend a better book, since I stuck with this one and I managed to learn what I need. It is not a bad book to get you started,but you should look at other books before buying this one.
Rating: 
Summary: what's so great about these bibles
Review: don't like it at all; inside photoshop 6 by new riders is 342434 times better.
i gave mine away and bought inside photoshop 6.
don't take my word for it, go to your local bookstore and peruse thru both and compare. it's obvious in my opinion. i only settle for the best. i think this book was more of a "mr deke mcclelland trying to impress or pick up girls with his humor book." lol i hope he got some email requesting dates with him. and if you are a BIBLE fan by idg/hungry mind books, are you even aware of NEW RIDER BOOKS? get with the program.
Rating: 
Summary: Not recommended
Review: Let me start by saying that I never buy one of these books to read it. Let's face it, any of this stuff is pretty dry. I use them for reference. Even though I do professional photography and spend a lot of time in Photoshop, I don't know it all. That would be a tall order. I do feel though that Deke does a good job of fully explaining many of the most usefull tools in PS6. The more obscure ones, I'm not sure that any book covers to any great extent. One has to get inside this program and look around. No book on PS6 is going to hold your hand through the whole thing. One area in this book that gets a lot of attention because it can be confusing is unsharp mask. There's a lot of detail here on how to use it. It's really the only sharpening tool you'll ever need if it's used correctly. Another area that can be difficult is selections....lots of detail here, too. A nice thing about this book in my opinion is Deke McClelland's writing style. He does try to liven it up a bit. Not always sucessfully, but it keeps it a bit more interesting. My bottom line to this book is that I believe it's worth the investment. If you're applying Photoshop solely to Photography, I think that "Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers" by Martin Evening may be the better way to go.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book, But Not Perfect
Review: Let me start by saying that I never buy one of these books to read it. Let's face it, any of this stuff is pretty dry. I use them for reference. Even though I do professional photography and spend a lot of time in Photoshop, I don't know it all. That would be a tall order. I do feel though that Deke does a good job of fully explaining many of the most usefull tools in PS6. The more obscure ones, I'm not sure that any book covers to any great extent. One has to get inside this program and look around. No book on PS6 is going to hold your hand through the whole thing. One area in this book that gets a lot of attention because it can be confusing is unsharp mask. There's a lot of detail here on how to use it. It's really the only sharpening tool you'll ever need if it's used correctly. Another area that can be difficult is selections....lots of detail here, too. A nice thing about this book in my opinion is Deke McClelland's writing style. He does try to liven it up a bit. Not always sucessfully, but it keeps it a bit more interesting. My bottom line to this book is that I believe it's worth the investment. If you're applying Photoshop solely to Photography, I think that "Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers" by Martin Evening may be the better way to go.
Rating:
Summary: not great
Review: Not quite a bible - no clear explanation of channels, layers, advanced methods. Somewhat unfocused narrative. Better title would be Basic Photoshop for Beginners.
Rating: 
Summary: Good way to master PS6.x
Review: This book has all the details needed to learn and master all aspects of PS6.x. There is much detail about all the menus, options, features, and settings for this powerful app. The book even has tutirials and tips on how to effectively use PS6.
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