Sebastopol, CA--"I suppose it's possible that on some planet, there are those who believe that the perfect photograph is one that needs no editing," muses Deke McClelland, author of Adobe Photoshop CS One-on-One (Deke Press/O'Reilly, US $39.95). "On this far-flung world, programs like Photoshop are tools of last resort. The very act of opening a photograph in an image editor is a tacit declaration that the photo is a failure. Every command, tool, or option applied is regarded as a mark of flimflam or forgery."
Not so here on Earth. As McClelland explains, image manipulation has always been part and parcel of the photographic process. Long before computers were available, photographers would frame their shots, and then back up a step or two in order to have more options when it came time to crop. These days, of course, the image-editing tool of choice is Photoshop CS, which McClelland describes as "a vast and complicated program with scores of redundant functions and even a few misleading commands." But McClelland also offers plenty of reasons why Photoshop is well worth the effort to learn, and encourages those who are willing to embark on the journey of Photoshop knowledge to take heart: mastery will be theirs.
Adobe Photoshop CS One-on-One is designed to make the enormous task of mastering Photoshop pleasant, manageable, and rewarding. It's the first in a series of highly visual, full-color titles that combine step-by-step lessons with two hours of video instruction. The book contains twelve lessons, each made up of three to six exercises, illustrated with more than 600 photos, diagrams, and screen shots. Each book-based lesson comes with a corresponding video lesson, included on a companion CD. The exercises are project-based, culminating in real-world projects that readers can show off when they've finished.
The book also contains "Extra Credit" sections that show readers how to tap into Photoshop's powerful--and sometimes arcane--features to give their projects a professional polish. Multiple choice quizzes follow each lesson, providing a great teaching tool for educators and a way for new users to test their knowledge.
As the name "One-on-One" implies, McClelland walks readers through Photoshop as if he were teaching them in a classroom, except that each reader receives the instructor's personal attention. It's just the reader and Deke. An Adobe Certified Expert, McClelland is a member of the PhotoshopWorld Instructor Dream Team. In 2002, he was inducted into the National Association of Photoshop Professionals' Photoshop Hall of Fame.
Peppered with "Pearls of Wisdom" gleaned from McClelland's years of experience, Photoshop CS One-on-One is accessible to complete beginners while still offering tips and secrets that even the most experienced Photoshop users won't know. Readers are sure to find that the combination of step-by-step lessons and video introduction provide the best learning experience of any Photoshop resource on the market.
Praise for Photoshop CS One-on-One:
"As a Photoshop author, I hate picking up a book and learning things I didn't already know. But Deke's done it to me again! If you want to learn Photoshop from the ground up, look no further."
--Scott Kelby, President, National Association of Photoshop Professionals
"...the equivalent of a twelve-week intensive course on digital imaging. Every step of the way, you'll say, 'Now I get it!'"
--Bert Monroy, Illustrator and Author of Commercial Photoshop with Bert Monroy
Additional Resources:
- Chapter 5: "Crop, Straighten, and Size"
- More information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bio, and samples
- A cover graphic in JPEG format
Adobe Photoshop CS One-on-One
Deke McClelland
ISBN 0-596-00618-7, 465 pages, $39.95 US, $57.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
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