Adobe Photoshop CS3: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks

Adobe Photoshop has had a long and well-deserved reign at the top of the heap of digital image editors. The broad-ranging capability of this behemoth to parse and modify pixels in just about any way imaginable, and the dedication of its parent company Adobe to continue to improve it and make its tools available to as many high-level users as possible has helped it carve a rather niche in the industry. But one of the drawbacks is a steep learning curve. If want to teach yourself more about a number of Photoshop CS3's capabilities and you prefer complex issues carved up into small, illustrated packets - that is, you're a visual learner - this book would be an excellent choice. One of the "Simplified Tips & Tricks" series, it is part of Wiley's 5-Star Visual Learning System, all of which have these features: 1. Minimal text and maximum illustrations; 2. Task-oriented, step-by-step approach; 3. Navigational aides connect instructions to illustrations; 4. Self-contained, two-page lessons; 5. Uniform layout makes it easy to read less, learn more. It's important to note the presumption by the author that you already know Photoshop CS3 basics; the intent is not for this book to be your first tutorial, but to help you learn more shortcuts, tips, and tricks quickly and efficiently after you've mastered the fundamentals of installation, opening files, and other basic operations of the program. Does the book succeed? Very well, in my view. Though my personal learning style tends to be more old-school, textbook oriented, I was very positively impressed with how well the book meets the goals of the 5-Star Visual Learning System. The limited commentary is direct, informative, and spare without falling into the trap of trying to be distractingly trendy, quippy, and cute. Illustrations are well done, covering much of each two-page spread, and companion instructions are clear and concise. And the Tips boxes contain really useful additional information that in effect broadens the scope of the book well beyond the original 100 topics. Conclusion -- highly recommended. While I'm generally put off by book publisher's promises to make learning difficult topics easy, this is one example that actually succeeds.

I just received this book today and already love it! It's exactly what I've been looking for. The instructions are very elementary and easy to follow. You see the before, during and after photos, which make it even better for visual learners. The first pages of each section are very basic, but the pages after elaborate even further on each tip/trick. I also love how at the top of each page is a difficulty bar that lets you know how easy or difficult the tip/trick is. I highly recommend this book. If you're a beginner in Photoshop CS3, there's plenty of room to grow with this book. If you're a novice, you'll find new tips/tricks to do that you didn't already know.

This book clearly and consisely explains techniques that go beyond the basics in an easy-to-follow self-contained, two-page format. Great for the visual learner!

I really like the organization of this book because I can jump right to learning about the exact thing I want to do. I don't have to read a 100 pages to get there. This makes it really easy.

I have followed Lynette Kent's writings and have never been disapointed with the simple tips & tricks she provides. Need something done, look it up in her book and in several short steps the task is complete. Without having to read a chapter or more of information to accomplish a project. This book is a must in every graphic artists and Photographers library.