Photoshop 7 Savvy [With CDROM]

When I first got Photoshop 7 I really didn't know much about it, however after I bought the Photoshop 7 Savvy book I became much more experienced with Photoshop 7. I was able to explore new areas within the Software that I would have never discovered on my own. There are lots of good tutorials for advanced layering techniques and advanced selection tools that can be very useful for the first timer in Photoshop.The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is the fact that it did not explore much into advanced filtering techniques. There are so many interesting effects you can create using the filtering tools and this book hardly covered any of them. Other than that this book is great.

Overview.I am impressed with the quality of the content of this book from the Savvy range. I am sure that as programs get better, so does the production of how-to books associated with them. Possibly because not all the information needs to be re-written, now that the good programs don't have to re-invent the wheel with each new issue.Features. Easy to read and understand without talking down to the reader.Useful lessons, in a sensible format.Removes the mystique from a complicated program.Gives good examples of problems likely to be encountered by the average user, and the means to correct them.Includes instructions on the use of ImageReady.I felt that a little more time could have been spent on explaining the use of curves and levels, with more examples. These are the major image preparation tools for photographers and graphics manipulators, although what is here is well explained. These two elements of Photoshop alone, could probably have books written about them. Bottom Line.This is more than just a useful book on the use of Photoshop 7. This book is one that can be used for any edition of Photoshop. Some of the commands may differ, but the new features of version 7 are highlighted as you go. The rest is a good book on using Photoshop, and why things work the way they do. The book contains a CDrom with tutorials that relate to examples and instructions, and some free and demo programs to enhance your work.Book Description.A paperback book of 600 pages broken into 5 sections. 1. Photoshop Core contains most of what you need to know to use Photoshop of any release.2. Part 2 deals with colour and how it works.3. Part 3 is more advanced, and teaches about the retouching and manipulating of images.4. Part 4 is devoted to the Web, and how you can use Photoshop with digital video.5. Appendices, which contains tool descriptions, file formats and most importantly, blending modes, how they work and what they mean.To use Photoshop you really need to understand the way that the different commands affect the image that is being worked on. This book does a good job of explaining these things. If you know what is supposed to happen when a command is applied, and why you would use that command instead of another, you are much more empowered than just following a rote learning system.Every program has it's own jargon, and a lot of the graphics programs, because they come from a print based background, use terms that can confuse the beginner. If you don't believe me, try explaining a clipping group to someone with no knowledge of this type of program.The descriptions of how to repair old and torn images is very good, and most useful for professional and hobbyist alike. Photoshop 7 has a healing brush which is like a glorified clone tool to make this job easier, but other versions can use the same principles.Not too much time has been spent in detailed use of all the filters, except for the most useful ones, and the others are explained in an easily unserstood

I ordered Photoshop 7 Savvy because I wanted to get deep with Photoshop. While I consider myself a novice user, I have done enough work with the program to make basic manuals redundant. This book fits the bill nicely. It covers some basics and it gets more advanced as number of chapters increase. I would have given it 5 stars except for the many typos I've found. Many of the keyboard shortcuts are simply wrong and will confuse, or worse discourage, someone who is new to photoshop.

PHOTOSHOP 7 SAVVYAUTHOR: Steve RomanielloPUBLISHER: SybexREVIEWED BY: Barbara RhoadesBOOK REVIEW: The first thing that is noticeable in Photoshop 7 Savvy is the color images that goes with each chapter are not included in the chapter but rather in a center section. It is very inconvenient to have to flip to this section to see in color what the chapter is describing.For anyone new to Photoshop, Photoshop 7 Savvy is a wealth of knowledge about all the wondrous abilities Photoshop has available to the artist. Retouching old photos, creating backgrounds, warping images or text, changing color to Black and White, enhancing the color of a photograph, the ability to work in levels, and, of course, making the graphics web-ready are all explained in this book. There is also a section on Digital Cameras and resolution and image versus monitor resolution.A CD is included and contains the images so you are able to work through the tutorials in the book. There is also a demo of Photoshop 6 Learning Studio by Sybex, an interactive trainer and reference to the features of Photoshop. This allows you to learn at your own pace and go back over anything you are unsure of or just want to review again. And finally, the CD contains a trial version of Photoshop-friendly plug-ins.This book has over 600 pages of insightful and power-packed information for getting the most out of Photoshop 7. It will become a Bible for anyone needing the most from Photoshop.