Rating: 
Summary: Would have gotten 5 stars if it came with CD
Review: Since getting into web design, I've become something of a Photoshop fanatic, ravenously searching for new tricks and techniques to use with the program and incorporate into my work. The foreword by Scott Kelby caught my attention here because I've found his "Down and Dirty" books amazingly helpful. Knowing my way around Photoshop means that I want resources that are going to help me do what I want to do right away, and this book falls in to that catgory. Some of the techniques are repeats of stuff from Kelby's Down and Dirty book for Photoshop 7, but there's enough new stuff here to make this a worthwhile purchase. Some people have said that this is NOT a book for Photoshop beginners, and I have to concur. You have to know how to find your way around in Photoshop, and be familiar with it's elements and features, in order to benefit from this book. But if you're an intermediate user looking for new tricks and techniques, and if you're someone who learns by doing, this book will come in handy. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it does not come with a CD if containing the files used in the book. No biggie for me, since I can either start from scrach or dowload the files from the web with my DSL connection. But the lack of a CD might be a drawback for some people.
Rating:
Summary: Would have gotten 5 stars if it came with CD
Review: Since getting into web design, I've become something of a Photoshop fanatic, ravenously searching for new tricks and techniques to use with the program and incorporate into my work. The foreword by Scott Kelby caught my attention here because I've found his "Down and Dirty" books amazingly helpful. Knowing my way around Photoshop means that I want resources that are going to help me do what I want to do right away, and this book falls in to that catgory. Some of the techniques are repeats of stuff from Kelby's Down and Dirty book for Photoshop 7, but there's enough new stuff here to make this a worthwhile purchase. Some people have said that this is NOT a book for Photoshop beginners, and I have to concur. You have to know how to find your way around in Photoshop, and be familiar with it's elements and features, in order to benefit from this book. But if you're an intermediate user looking for new tricks and techniques, and if you're someone who learns by doing, this book will come in handy. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it does not come with a CD if containing the files used in the book. No biggie for me, since I can either start from scrach or dowload the files from the web with my DSL connection. But the lack of a CD might be a drawback for some people.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book
Review: This is a great book covering how to do many different effects in Adobe Photoshop. Among the included effects are wood, metal, glass, lighting, 3D, changing colors such as eye color, video effects, and many other interesting effects.
The book is a simple step by step guide that anyone can follow and even as a web designer I picked up some interesting tricks in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to add to their photoshop "bag of tricks."
Rating:
Summary: goes one step further than the WOW! or the down & dirty book
Review: this review is supposed to be helpful, so i'll state what's most important...
this is a very well conceived cookbook, but it's not just another great cookbook, it goes one step further.. Among the all the outstanding Photoshop Cookbooks, such as the WOW! and the DOWN & DIRTY, this book even covers some COMPLEX IMAGES that are ideal for PORTFOLIO(highly complex multi-layered/masked/transparent images that blend well together.. and are visually stunning) instead of merely covering cool effects and retouching tips that every other cookbooks discuss.. let me reiterate that... this book, instead of just telling you how to create individual images such as metallic letters or gel buttons.. it instructs on how to create a work of art... but the downside to it is, the rest of the contents in the book are no different than the WOW! or any other cookbooks; a few helpful pages.. so, i guess this book is best suited to those that have no cookbooks whatsoever...
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but pretty good
Review: While it's true this book does not come with a CD full of tutorial files. The thing is, you don't really need them. You can, and probably should, create all the material yourself. That way, you get a chance to experiment and try something a little different than what the authors had in mind. This is how you evolve and become a better Photoshop user. I found this book to be very good at teaching how to be creative in Photoshop. Once you've built a foundation, this is the next step. I'm familiar with some of the functions and uses in Photoshop, but, I'm certainly not an expert. However, I had no problem following the numbered steps in each tutorial. I will say, this is not a book for a complete beginner. You should have some experience with Photoshop. Anyone that buys this book will not regret it. There is so much good information here. I will return to it often.
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