The Photoshop Channels Book

I bought this book because I was confused about channels. Mr. Kelby does a good job explaining, and showing by example, how to work with channels in Photoshop. I read the reviews before I bought this book and noticed the criticism about Kelby's "cute" writing style and lack of detail. I bought the book anyway because I wanted the information. This is a good to great book if you want to know about channels. If you already know a lot about channels you'll probably be disappointed.

"The Photoshop Channels Book" continues Scott Kelby's well-established tradition of creating Photoshop instructional books that are concise, written in a lively and humorous style, and take the reader right to the heart of processes. This time he delves into the potential applications of Photoshop's "mysterious" channels panel, something that most people rarely use. While other books touch lightly on the subject Kelby devotes an entire volume to its functionality, and deservedly so. The book is very well designed in a 1950's/1960's TV-channel metaphor, richly illustrated and very easy to follow. Nearly anyone can get something new from it in ten minutes or less. It's a superb work that should have a long shelf-life as Photoshop continues to evolve.

This is not a book, as the author states, for someone new to photoshop. That being said it is one of only two photoshop books in my library, and I am very glad that its there. I've used photoshop for years, but never really delved into the subject of channels. I thought I was getting along just fine, until I picked up this book in an effort to learn a little something about I knew little of. Having read this book I realize how much it has opened my eyes to the possibilities of photoshop. Photoshop's power lies in how it handels selections. Being able to cut images out of backgrounds, and applying filters to only selected parts of an image are very powerful tools that photoshop gives us. Channels I have found out, are one of the most powerful tools in the selection process. There are plugins sold for photoshop such as corel's knockout which help you in making complex mask selections, but as I have found out by reading this book, those expensive tools are not necessary most of the time if you know how to make selections using color channels. Because color channels are such an effective tool to create complex selections, the book also covers related topics, such as quick masks, layer masks, blend modes, and layer adjustments, which are tools all photoshop artists need to know inside and out. I found the layout of the book very simple to follow. There are a few other reviewers who complain about the lack of depth within each chapter. I found the brief examples refreshing. I would rather spend half an hour reading and two hours playing around in photoshop practicing my skills, than two hours reading and only half and hour practicing my skills. I found myself reading a chapter every night and then getting into photoshop to try out the new tricks I learned. This in not a book which is bogged down in explanations, and I looked forward to reading the next chapter each night. I feel anyone who is tight on time, but thirsty for knowledge on channels will also find the brevity rewarding. I also enjoyed Scott Kelby's emphasis on teaching his lessons with keyboard shortcuts and a non-destructive workflow. Learning that way will only save you time and improve your productivity. If you already know the basics, and want to take your knowledge of photoshop to the next level. If you don't have the money to spend on expensive classes, or the time to read an encyclopedia. Then I highly reccomend this book.

Right off the bat I have to say...this book ROCKS! That being said, I can now tell you why. I have been using Photoshop since version 2.5 and while I consider myself fairly knowledgeable, there have been certain aspects of Photoshop that have always been a little intimidating for me. Channels is one in particular that I would give a cursory glance at and then move on to those sexy tools like curves and layers and selection tools. Even when I would read a new book, channels was always given the back seat to the more obvious tools. All that has changed now. Scott's book isn't concerned with pixels and layers and other such info found in most Photoshop books. This book is full of pure unadulterated channels and how to use them in ways you never knew you could. After a brief instruction on how to use the book and what channels are, Scott jumps in to the deep end with tutorials that will have you following along and making selections you never dreamed were possible. You know the ones, the girl with the fly away hair that you can't seem to select without losing that fine hair detail, page 42..BAM! Masking objects with soft edges, page 64..POW! Combine two channels together to create a new channel using that scarey looking menu item called Calculations, page 120..ZAP! This channel stuff will make you feel like a Photoshop God. OK, God is a little strong but I guarantee you will feel empowered to make even more creative images than ever before. The book is well organized and has a great flow. The layout allows you to skim the title bars for the steps you want and then hit the details sections for more in depth information and instruction. Scott also provides links to all of the imagery used in his examples so that you can download them and follow along, step by step. If you have never read one of his books before, you will be taken with his easy to read, even easier to understand instructional style. If you have read one of his books then I can tell you that you won't be disappointed. Go ahead and turn the channel and dial up a whole new set of Photoshop skills, you won't be disappointed!