The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 2
by Richard Lynch
List Price:
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Richard LynchEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-01-21
ISBN: 0782141781
Number of pages: 292
Publisher: Sybex
Book Reviews of The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 2
Book Review: The best book I've bought all year
Summary: 5 Stars
The tools were why I bought the book -- having access to Curves and Color Balance alone would have been worth it, but there are a lot more -- masking tools, color separations, -- I am just starting to appreciate how powerful these tools are -- for example, before buying this book I didn't even understand why you even wanted to separate color and luminosity, but now I use that tool on every single image I process.
The book: the book is different from any other Photoshop book I've read. The most obvious difference is that it comes with neat Power Tools. A more subtle difference is that in addition to showing you how to manipulate images using Photoshop Elements (which most Photoshop books do, or should), it also aims to deepen your understanding of your images and controlling those images using manipulation-by-Elements. For example, he walks you through a somewhat complicated procedure of making masks to isolate mid-tone colors in your image-- there's a Power Tool to do it, but if you go through the entire procedure you will learn a lot more about how your image is put together. Not to mention that it was a revelation to me that you could have that much CONTROL!
Because he aims to teach you about images and how to get the best image possible, as well as a good order in which to correct images, the book is sequential. Most Photoshop books I've seen can basically be read in any order, but this builds on things he's taught in previous chapters: for example, learning about tone in the earlier chapters is essential for understanding color manipulation in the later chapters. As part of this flow, there's information not only on digital manipulation but also on printing, which is an essential part of the process, which made me very happy. Just his (elementary?) explanation of the dpi/ppi/lpi needed for various outputs and how well you can print various pixel-size images has been really useful for me to have at my fingerprints, not even to mention the calibration tool noted by another review.
On the negative side: as someone who predominately uses Elements for retouching digital photographs, I didn't find the sections on e.g. animation all that useful. I would have much preferred to see more about calculations, which I thought could definitely have been given more space, being such a complex subject. There are a fair number of typos, though it's usually pretty easy to figure out what the right thing ought to be, and I understand his website has errata. Minor issue: I had a hard time installing the tools, and had to go to the website delineated in the book to troubleshoot. (Turned out it was for some reason having a hard time with my external hard drive; once I unplugged it, it was fine.)
I would strongly recommend NOT expecting this to be your only photoshop elements book (unless you are already an image manipulation guru, maybe). I personally have Photoshop Elements 2 for Dummies from a local book sale as well, and had read the whole thing and understood how everything worked in it before tackling this one-- I would've been lost if I'd tried to do it in the other order. I still refer to Dummies above this book when I want to know quickly how to do something simple or want to know what some random special effect does, neither of which are the purposes of this book.
This book gives back to you what you put into it; the more you try to understand what is really going on, the more you will get out of it. To me, this is the hallmark of a great book; I've reread it twice already and am still learning more. To others, it may not be what you are looking for, particularly if you want quick recipes or quick fixes. If you've read my examples above and you're thinking, "Gosh, that sounds like it might be sort of dense... but worth it to really understand images and controlling images better," this book may be perfect for you, as it was for me. If you're thinking, "Nuts, I just want a couple of auto-buttons to press to get cool effects or quickly fix everything," this book is not for you.
But if you have Elements 2 and are even THINKING of upgrading to full Photoshop (which I was), get this book first!
Summary of The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 2
Unlock Photoshop Elements' Awesome Power with Sophisticated Techniques and Original Power ToolsUntil now, Adobe's Photoshop Elements hasn't been considered powerful or full-featured enough for serious image correction. This is the book that changes that forever, revealing advanced features locked inside Photoshop Elements, ready to be turned loose.
All you need are the techniques found in this book and the author's custom Hidden Power Tools included on the CD--powerful enhancements that unlock key Photoshop features, like curves, channel separations in RGB and CMYK, and masking. Soon you'll do more with Photoshop Elements than you ever thought possible, including:
* Radically upgrade the quality of your color results using channels, custom separations, and image luminosity
* Alter reality by creating new photo-realistic objects and adding them to existing images
* Create dynamic images for the Web using animation and rollovers
* Correct and enhance image tone and color with Curves, Color Balance, and custom layer-blending tools
* Make complicated masks and advanced selections to easily target your corrections
* Create original, scalable line art for logos by harnessing the power of customized vectors
See the author's supporting web site at www.hiddenelements.com.
Equipment Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Equipment Books
The Underwater Photographer, Third Edition: Digital and Traditional Techniquesby MARTIN EDGE
Focal Press; Published: 2006-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $100.80
Basic Betacam Camerawork, Third Edition (Media Manuals)by PETER WARD
Focal Press; Published: 2001-06-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.37
Price in other shops:
Electronic Imaging for Photographersby Adrian Davies
Focal Pr; Published: 1996-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.50
Price in other shops:
Into Your Darkroom Step by Stepby Dennis P. Curtin, Steve Musselman
Focal Press; Published: 1986-04; Paperback; Book
The Photographic Lens, Second Edition (Media Manuals)by Sidney Ray BSc MSc ASIS HonFBIPP FMPA HonFRPS
Focal Press; Published: 1992-04-16; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Hasselblad Way (Camera Way Books)by H. Freytag
Focal Press; Published: 1978-02; Hardcover; Book
The Photoshop 6 WOW! Bookby Linnea Dayton, Jack Davis
Peachpit Press; Published: 2001-07-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.45
Price in other shops:
CIG to Gardeningby Macmillan Publishing, MacMillan General Reference
MacMillan Publishing Company; Published: 1998-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography (2nd Edition)by Steven Greenberg
Alpha; Published: 2001-10-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shotsby Jeff Revell
Peachpit Press; Published: 2009-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: