|
 In this article, I want to introduce some of the best Photoshop books in my collection. Every book has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some are good for beginners and some are only for experienced users. Learning from a suitable one will not only save your time but also increase your knowledge dramatically. So, from this reviewing article I hope you will find the most suitable books to enjoy!
PHOTOSHOP FINISHING TOUCHES
Author: Dave Cross This is the most practical and useful book on digital retouching that you will find on the shelves. This book is for those who want to have fun being creative with their photographs in Photoshop. There are many examples of things you can do and the detailed instructions with many screen captures. The tutorial chapters cover artistic effects, collaging, adding frames and borders, sharpening and printing. A good book for beginners who want to grasp the basics of Photoshop, specially in retouching field! Read more about this book at amazon.com
 PHOTOSHOP TYPE EFFECTS
Author: Roger Pring
If you like text effects then it's the book for you. I recommend this book from beginners to intermediate users and you should have some experience with text, layers and its parameters before reading this book. Fortunately, this book is full of samples that you will find useful for your learning and imagination and you can find many popular text effects like the ones you often see in advertisements today. Read more about this book at amazon.com
PHOTOSHOP CS4 DIGITAL CLASSROOM
Authors: Jennifer Smith, Aquent Creative Team This is the book for experienced users. To benefit you will need to have some experience with common tools and panels of Photoshop. For most of us, some parts of this book will be helpful while other materials will be over our heads. The good thing is that you can learn techniques in this book more easily through video tutorials on the companion DVD. I myself enjoyed the video because the concepts are explained very well while they are executing the lessons in this book. Read more about this book at amazon.com
 PHOTOSHOP CS4 DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Author: Scott Kelby
This book has many cool special effects like the ones you often see in magazines and advertisements today. But the concepts are hard for beginners to understand and reproduce. I think that the presumption by the author is that you already know Photoshop CS4 basics. However, his book did a great job of introducing most of the special features in Photoshop with many practical, step-by-step projects. Overall, this book is not written for the beginners, but for intermediate and advanced users with sophisticated techniques. The steps are demonstrated, but some of the reasons are lost. Read more about this book at amazon.com
PHOTOSHOP CS4: ESSENTIAL SKILLS
Authors: Philip Andrews, Mark Galer M.Ed. In fact, the introduction of this book is rather long so you may feel bored and confused but the concept is good for beginners. If you don't want to learn how to use a camera or create a good digital painting then go straight to the "advanced skills module" on page 115. Don't worry about these "advanced skills", in fact, they are just fundamental skills that a Photoshop's learner must grasp for basic use. Traveling to the middle of the book, you will have a chance to learn from practical projects; walking through them step-by-step, the lessons are easy to grasp and to apply to real-world situations. The video tutorials included in the DVD are really helpful with the project's concepts, because when you see an expert executing these techniques, everything will be clear. Read more about this book at amazon.com
 PHOTOSHOP CS4: VISUAL QUICKSTART GUIDE
Authors: Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas
The title of this book clearly describes what it is about and who it is for. If you are a person who is getting started with Photoshop and needs a step-by-step guide when using a complicated software like Photoshop then this book is for you. This book gives you countless examples and surely you will use some of their techniques in your next designs or projects! This book did a great job with the purpose for which it was written, VISUAL QUICKSTART. Another thing I want to mention is that this book not only teaches you Photoshop but Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw, which are included with Photoshop. In conclusion, this is an excellent reference book and a must have if you are new with Photoshop. However if you want to learn more you probably will need to buy another one! Read more about this book at amazon.com
 TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY PHOTOSHOP CS4
Authors: Mike Wooldridge, Linda Wooldridge
Another good visual book for beginners to learn! Well, this is one of the best books I recommend for beginning learners because it is very easy to use with clear explanations and inspired pictures. Not have long lengthy text description but a visual step by step execution of the event you wish to achieve. All steps are illustrated by pictures so you can not be stuck even if you are a beginner. With this book you can find quickly and exactly what you need with numbered steps. Great for starters and for those who have also worked in Photoshop for a long time. It is also a good reference for the actions you don't perform often. Read more about this book at amazon.com
 ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS4 CLASSROOM IN A BOOK
Author: Adobe Creative Team
This is a great book for learning Photoshop CS4. You can learn very much from all of the examples in the book. It gives you step by step instructions with illustrations on how to do everything. This book will teach you how to correct and enhance digital photos, create image composites, transform images in perspective, and prepare images for print and the web. New 3D features in Photoshop CS4 are also mentioned. The authors did a good job of explaining each concept and technique in a comprehensive way and I found the book really easy to follow; and it has given me a lot of great ideas I'm now using. Read more about this book at amazon.com
 Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature
Author: Matt Kloskowski
This is one of the best book I recommend because understanding layers is the key to the success of Photoshop, and this book explains most of the applications of layers. Here is a quick review from another buyer of this book which I couldn't agree more: "The subjects include the nature of layers, blending layers, adjustment layers, layer masks, type and shape layers, enhancing and adjusting photos with layers, layer styles and smart layers". In many places the author gives tips and tricks clearly from his long experience. Everyone can read this book, from an amateur to professional because of its detailed and clever guidance. All of these factors will be easily worth the price of the book. Read more about this book at amazon.com
Related tutorials:
|