Photoshop 7 Artistry [With CDROM]

The big question here is, How can a book get so good? It requires something on the scale of the grand alignment of the planets. Haynes and Crumpler have without a doubt mastered Photoshop. They have spent years honing their teaching skills. They are both excellent writers. They have the rare discipline to go the extra step when assembling information. This is the fifth edition of their book, and it is obvious that they listen to their readers. If you thumb through the book, you will be amazed at how densely packed every page is (I've seldom seen such narrow margins). This is not clutter. Each page stands as a miracle of organization. The text and diagrams complement each other to near perfection. This is the book that should come with Photoshop. Adobe should toss their embarrassingly deficient user manual and pack this tome in each box.

I was already a fan of Haynes and Crumpler's previous work and Photoshop 7 Artistry does it again. It's hard to cram 39 chapters into 466 pages - and make it interesting, useful and inspiring, but they did it. Lots of books will tell you what the original manual should have. This one goes step by step in exercises that help you grasp the concept and apply it to an image for practice. The basics for new comers are all there (set up, preferences, color calibration, layers and actions.... plus much more) and they are followed by exercises. Advanced Color Correction, Restoration Techniques, Compositing Multiple Images and Layer Masks, Filters, Effects, The Web and Multimedia..... are all given time in this colorful book.

As a digital photographer I am always looking for ways to improve my photos after I get them out of the camera. As a rule I have been disappointed with many of the current batch of Photoshop titles. I don't have time to filter through pages of [weak] puns or endless tutorials that either have no real point or make something that useless (one book showed how to make a red rose into a blue one - when was the last time you wanted to do that?). With that prejudice in mind, I skimmed through PS 7 Artistry, then sat down and read it and now I am using it like a cookbook when I work. It is sitting next to my computer and has become part of my library of essential Photoshop books (all 4 of them). I also love the fact the book is all in color (really great color too)on good paper so I can see and not just read what they are explaining. If you work with photographs using Photoshop 7 and you don't have this book, stop what you are doing, buy the book and (here is the secret) sit down and read it. Your creative juices will start flowing and your photo editing will be noticably improved.

Photoshop has become the image editor of choice for most graphic designers, photographers, and other creative professionals, but its vast array of capabilities, commands, options, and choices can make it an intimidating software tool to master, especially for the beginner. After purchasing and working my way through most of the popular Photoshop instruction books, I believe that Photoshop 7 Artistry: Mastering The Digital Image, by Barry Haynes and Wendy Crumpler, is hands-down the best available. Rather than focusing on drop shadows, bevelled edges, chrome effects and other "Wow" and "Gee Whiz" Photoshop features (although these techniques are also well explained), Haynes and Crumpler provide a logical, complete, and in-depth process for creating a "master image" file that can be used for producing superb digital prints, web-site graphics, and other image applications. Each chapter is packed with detailed information, and more screen displays than I've ever seen in a Photoshop book. The examples are well chosen and the reader can load the tutorial files from the CD that comes with the book and gain hands-on practice while studying each chapter. The authors also provide an in-depth evaluation of many of the state-of-the-art hardware/software capabilities for scanning, color calibration, and digital printing. Barry Haynes' photographic background allows him to clearly explain techniques such as the Zone System and color correction. You'll learn something new each time you open this outstandingbook. It's a "must buy" for aspiring Photoshop artists!