Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely complete, really great.
Review: FInally, an author who writes like a person and who covers every feature of the software without being boring or overly impressed with themselves. This book is really great, and very comprehensive, which is what you want in a book called "The Complete Reference". The other big Photoshop book (the Photoshop Bible) seems to only be about the stuff the author uses and likes. THIS book, on the other hand, covers everything thoroughly, and the author writes about it all clearly, simply, and gives good examples. One thing I really like is that instead of just telling us what something is, the author tells us why to use it or where something else might work better. You can tell this author is someone who both uses and teaches people to use this software every day. I wish there was a Complete Reference on Photoshop CS written by this same person, but I'm finding I can still refer to this book for CS.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was expecting a book written in a tutorial format (Step by step instuctions) which it isn't. I expected colored graphics used in the book instead of badly printed B&W pictures. The CD Rom included with the book was supposed have all the images used in the book. It didn't. This made it impossible to learn by example. If your looking for a self paced study guide, this isn't the book for you. However it does discribe and throughly explain all the operations and tools used in Photoshop 7. This may be a case of unrealistic expectations by me, who should have keyed in on the word "The Complete Reference" in the title rather than expecting a tutorial.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was expecting a book written in a tutorial format (Step by step instuctions) which it isn't. I expected colored graphics used in the book instead of badly printed B&W pictures. The CD Rom included with the book was supposed have all the images used in the book. It didn't. This made it impossible to learn by example. If your looking for a self paced study guide, this isn't the book for you. However it does discribe and throughly explain all the operations and tools used in Photoshop 7. This may be a case of unrealistic expectations by me, who should have keyed in on the word "The Complete Reference" in the title rather than expecting a tutorial.
Rating: 
Summary: For the real begginer
Review: I've been using photoshop for about one year, after migrating from Corel Photo-paint. This book has been useless for me.
The author, Laurie Ann Ulrich, is not a graphic designer or web designer, although she claims to be.
Ttake a look at http://www.planetlaurie.com and see what she have done in web design. Although the tools and basic concepts are well explained, it is really for the beginner. Buying this book, I expected to master better artistic techniques, some new concepts, etc. I didnt want to get an 'overview' of photoshop, i didn't want to know basic things like what is the eyedropper, what masks are, etc. Finally, i don't think that Laurie Ann Ulrich knows Photoshop better than the average intermediate level photoshop user. So if you are already using photoshop, don't buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Michael Pastore's Review in EPublishers Weekly
Review: I've read a number of Photoshop books. This one is by far the best! It's clearly written, easy to follow, and not only tells all there is to know about Photoshop, but also includes some practical tips. The author obviously knows her stuff and has a unique way of presenting the facts, unlike other similar books which are so cut and dry, boring, and difficult to follow. Whether you are a novice or well versed with Photoshop, I highly recommend that you read this book. It's the best available on Photoshop!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Photoshop Book I've Read!
Review: I've read a number of Photoshop books. This one is by far the best! It's clearly written, easy to follow, and not only tells all there is to know about Photoshop, but also includes some practical tips. The author obviously knows her stuff and has a unique way of presenting the facts, unlike other similar books which are so cut and dry, boring, and difficult to follow. Whether you are a novice or well versed with Photoshop, I highly recommend that you read this book. It's the best available on Photoshop!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Photoshop Reference!
Review: I've read quite a few books by Ms. Ulrich. I've found them all to be easy to understand and well organized so I can easily locate a specific piece of information. This book is no exception. It has it all regarding Photoshop. If you use Photoshop on a regular basis, this book is a must have!
Rating:
Summary: Michael Pastore's Review in EPublishers Weekly
Review: New Book Teaches A Novice How To Master Graphics Software Reviewed by Michael Pastore, Epublishers Weekly Before studying Ulrich's new book, every time I sat down in front of the Adobe Photoshop desktop, I would take a deep breath, mumble a prayer to the Greek god of electronic images, and then swallow a long gulp of strong green tea. With its hundreds of tools, palettes, options, and possibilities, I felt like I was sitting in the pilot's seat of a jet airplane. To be completely honest, I was so frustrated at my Photoshop ineptness, for a while I considered switching from Photoshop to the 99-dollar competitor, knowing that the competitor had fewer features, and hoping that it would be easier to use. But no, I couldn't give up on Photoshop: it was the industry standard -- for web documents, for graphics of all kinds, and for print. The only good solution to my problem was to stick with it, and to invest the time in learning how to use the software well. In this quest, I tried a number of name-brand books, all without success. Whether they failed me or I failed them is impossible to tell. Some of these learn-Photoshop books were so easy that they didn't teach anything significant; other books left me drowning in mental dust as they assumed that I was graphic-arts professional who worked with the Photoshop software sixteen hours every day. Photoshop 7: The Complete Reference proved to be exactly the book I had been looking for. Everything that I wanted to learn about the Photoshop software is covered in the book's four parts: Getting to Know Photoshop; Editing and Retouching Images; Building Original Artwork; and Photoshop on The Web. My three special interests -- creating and optimizing graphics for the web; creating book covers for print; and managing artwork for electronic files -- all were explained in depth, with explanations that were simple to understand. Ulrich's book is comprehensive, featuring coverage of dozens of topics not included in the User Guide that comes with the software. Illustrations and screenshots on almost every page add to the clarity of the explanations. And the book is filled with hundreds of "Tips" and "Notes" that offer shortcuts and professional advice. Ulrich's work especially shines whenever she explains the things that Photoshop dabblers like me had never before bothered to learn about: What can all the tools and palettes do? How do the colors work? What does Photoshop do best, and when should you not use Photoshop? How can you master the key facets of Photoshop, including layers, actions, filters, and masks? All the brand new features of Photoshop version 7 are taught expertly, including the Web Photo Gallery; something called presets -- the ability to save your settings; the healing brush that makes old photos look new; and -- at long last! -- a spell checker for text. As I worked with this superb book and gained skills, a remarkable thing happened: I began to enjoy using the software. Before it was always a question of "Can I do this?", and "How many hours will it take to figure it out?" ... But after reading the book, the questions has changed to: "What interesting effect will I discover or create today?" ... Yesterday -- using Photoshop 7 software with Ulrich's open book beside me -- in sixty minutes I designed and made an attractive cover for a paperback book. Photoshop 7: The Complete Reference will teach you how to use Photoshop with skill and confidence, and then work as the book you flip open again and again to create, to tweak, or to enhance all varieties of your electronic art. - Michael Pastore, Editorial Director
Epublishers Weekly
Rating:
Summary: COMPLETE means EVERYTHING, and this book has it!
Review: The reviewer from Canada apparently doesn't know what "Complete" means. It means that in addition to advanced topics, you'll also find explanations of how the eye dropper and masks work (the topics he felt were to basic for him, but that I'm glad were in this book). I grab this book off the shelf all the time because it's faster, more complete, and more accessible than Photoshop's Help files. The examples are very good. I've also written to the author a few times, and she's always had the answers I needed. She knows her stuff and really wants to help people, which is obvious from the book being so well organized and clear. This is a good book for ANY Photoshop user, not just beginners, and not just experts.
Rating:
Summary: Not a reference book , absolutely for a beginer
Review: The Title of the book is completely misleading. When you title a book as "Photoshop 7.0 : Complete Reference" you don't write a book giving the details of the tools of Photoshop. You are expected to give ample tips & tricks to tackle situations faced by a Graphics designer using Photoshop 7.0 in his/her daily life. "The Photoshop 7.0 Wow book" is any day better than this as a reference book.
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