Real World Photoshop 5: Industrial Strength Production Techniques

What makes this book great is the personal perspective of the authors. Rather than simply explaining features, the authors tell you which features THEY use and when. I suppose this is what they mean by "real world."

I am a graphic design student taking am advanced PhotoShop course. I highly recommend this book and any book written by David Blatner and Bruce Fraser. They are very talented at taking complex technical information and making it understandable, clear, and functional. Being that they are pros in the field of graphic design, they present the information is a way that is useful for "us". And being artists by nature, they write in a way that is not heavily technical, but direct and too the point. I recommend this book to all my fellow students.

Real World Photoshop 5 is the one Photoshop book in my collection that I refer to the most. This is a book for those who want to learn or better understand the theory behind such things as color correction, color essentials and image essentials. The author's discussion of color settings is direct and written in clear, concise language.The chapter on color settings is required reading for making proper use of Photoshop's color capabilities. Real World Photoshop 5 covers basic color and tonal correction in depth. This book deserves a place on every serious Photoshop user's bookshelf. Weather a new or experienced user, Real World Photoshop 5 is a reference text you will refer to over and over again.

I have many books on Photoshop, but only two or three I recommend to fellow users or my students. Real World is one of them. Blatner and Fraser don't waste a lot of time with the 90 odd filters in Photoshop. Instead they focus on the tools and techniques the user needs to create the best prints or the best on-line graphics. In a world of also-rans, this book is top notch from start to finish. It's essential for beginners, professionals, and upgraders alike.

Not only does this book present Photoshop 5 tools and features, the authors go the extra mile by providing background on topics like: Purchasing the right computer for Photoshop; Terms and Definitions; Setting Up PhotoShop 5; Color Theory; Choosing a Color Space; Tonal Correction; Linear vs Non-Linear Adjustments; and much more...