Photoshop® 6 Bible

Rating:
Summary: Deke's done it again
Review: I haven't missed an upgrade to Photoshop since version 3 came out. And I wouldn't consider an upgrade to Photoshop without upgrading my Photoshop Bible, too.
Deke McClelland has an extremely rare talent in the computer book world: he can write. I've picked up books on favorite programs, only to walk away wondering if the author had suffered any facial injuries when his head impacted the keyboard. He had to have fallen asleep writing it, because he sure put me out reading it.
Not Deke. Photoshop Bible is not only the best place to go to find out all about the new features of everyone's favorite pixel-pusher, it's a great read, too. If you're an experienced Photoshop user, you're sure to find nuggets you can incorporate into your workflow. If you're brand new to Photoshop in particular, or computer graphics in general, Photoshop Bible will give you usable information in easy to digest pieces. I've used Photoshop Bible to get up to speed on new features, and it's been my sole prep material for Adobe Certified Expert tests. I've recommended it to clients and students for years, and not once has anyone reproached me for the suggestion. Photoshop Bible 6 is no exception, and the Gold Edition has wonderful full color supplements that had appeared in a separate publication, demonstrating top techniques from industry-acknowledged Photoshop experts like Jeff Schewe, and Greg Vander Houwen.
And don't be surprised if you find yourself putting King, Grisham or Clancy aside one night, and picking up McClelland, just for the sheer joy of the experience.

Rating:
Summary: Good But Not Great
Review: I'm a Photoshop Beginner and I've been using this book. It is good in that it assumes that you know nothing. However, it is incomplete. It does not have all of the illustrations on the enclosed CD. There are only maybe 10-20. The rest of the CD has a .pdf version of the book and a bunch of try-out products. I'm not interested in those. Second, it has very few projects--- do this, then do this, then do this. I believe that is how you learn a graphics program---by doing things, not by reading about them. He has illustrations of things he has done, but he'll say simply, "I used the xxx tool to do this." I would like more step-by-step instructions.

Rating:
Summary: Wish I could give it 6 stars!
Review: Let me start off by saying that this is the absolute BEST (and biggest) computer book I've ever read, and that's coming from a self-proclaimed geek. Deke McClelland has a hysterical sense of humor and actually makes the book enjoyable to read. As I've found while reading some books, it feels like some authors intentionally withold information to keep seperate the men from the boys (if you catch my drift); not so with this book. Deke covers absolutely EVERYTHING about Photoshop in this book. If there is a section of Photoshop that he thinks is stupid and pointless, he'll let you know about it! He won't dwell on it for long, and this keeps you from wasting time learning techniques that are, more or less, pointless. While it is true that there is a shortage of "tutorials" in this book, I think that only helps the learning process. Image editing is an art, not a series of steps. You wouldn't expect a "Do this, Do that" explanation in a traditional art book, so why do you think it should be here?! I could go on and on about how incredible this book is, but I'll leave that for you to discover. If it helps your purchasing decision, I'll have you know that I despised Photoshop before reading this book because I was less than a beginner. I was so irritated with the way that it seemed to make simple tasks difficult. However, after reading this book, I can't imagine turning back to any other program. DEFINATELY THE TOP PHOTOSHOP BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: Wish I could give it 6 stars!
Review: Let me start off by saying that this is the absolute BEST (and biggest) computer book I've ever read, and that's coming from a self-proclaimed geek. Deke McClelland has a hysterical sense of humor and actually makes the book enjoyable to read. As I've found while reading some books, it feels like some authors intentionally withold information to keep seperate the men from the boys (if you catch my drift); not so with this book. Deke covers absolutely EVERYTHING about Photoshop in this book. If there is a section of Photoshop that he thinks is stupid and pointless, he'll let you know about it! He won't dwell on it for long, and this keeps you from wasting time learning techniques that are, more or less, pointless. While it is true that there is a shortage of "tutorials" in this book, I think that only helps the learning process. Image editing is an art, not a series of steps. You wouldn't expect a "Do this, Do that" explanation in a traditional art book, so why do you think it should be here?! I could go on and on about how incredible this book is, but I'll leave that for you to discover. If it helps your purchasing decision, I'll have you know that I despised Photoshop before reading this book because I was less than a beginner. I was so irritated with the way that it seemed to make simple tasks difficult. However, after reading this book, I can't imagine turning back to any other program. DEFINATELY THE TOP PHOTOSHOP BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: Good But Not Great
Review: This book is great! I've been using Adobe Photoshop since ver3, and this is the best reference/instructional book out there! Perfect for the novice user as well as the advanced. :)

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!
Review: This book is great! I've been using Adobe Photoshop since ver3, and this is the best reference/instructional book out there! Perfect for the novice user as well as the advanced. :)