In just about every computer manual nowadays, one can
find sidebar comments for tips on how to obtain further
enhanced productivity on the program. This book "Photoshop
6, Killer Tips," has none of these sidebars. Rather it is a
book of nothing but tips and these tips fill the body of the
text rather than occupying the sidebars of the page.
The book is almost free-form in structure with tip
followed by tip. Nowhere is a formal process explained from
start to finish. That's not its goal. Rather, the book is,
as it says it is, a book of "Killer Tips." As a "skimming
book," it's one of the best. Place this in some location
where you only have a few minutes to read and want some
valuable reading.
However, the structure does lead to some varying
limitations such as how does one look up a tip for a
specific purpose? The solution used here is that the book
organizes the tips by the authors' perceived
organization--and I'm not sure I have yet to figure this
organization out. More on this later.
Typically, each tip takes up about one half a page and
each tip will have one screen shot with either a showing of
the picture utilizing the tip (before and/or after), or the
menus (or the process window) required for the tip or both
with the menu or window overlaid on the picture. This may
sound cluttered, but it really isn't--it's just an effective
use of space.
Some of the tips are wonderful oned: those that you can't
find in any manual and can only be discovered by practical
use. For example (pg 92 top), if you radically alter the
size of a picture (using Image size...), the result may be
blurry. However, if you set the image magnification at 50%,
25%, or 12.5% and take a screen shot of that view, the image
will be quite clear and can easily be used for the web. If
viewed at 66.7%, 33.3%, or 16.7% the trick will not work.
Other tips are really only a repeat of what can be found
in the manual. For example, on page 33 (bottom), the authors
let you know that if you want to remove everything on a
layer, type Command-a and press delete. This is not only a
trick for Photoshop, but just about every program out there.
Similarly, there are other examples of "reading the
manual" type of tricks. If you want those dancing ants to
not be visible, try typing Command-h (page 12 top).
Admittedly, it's not all that known, but it is in the
manual. Interestingly, this same "trick" is found a few
pages later (page 25 bottom) but in reference to Path
borders. This is not the only example of tips showing up
more than once.
This latter example shows a rather curious issue of the
layout of the book. The authors have divided the book into
10 sections (Chapters) such as "Production Tips," "Essential
Tips You've Got to Know," "Way Cool Tips, Killer Web Tips,"
etc. So, with the exception of the web-chapter tips, how are
you supposed to find anything by section? Truth is, for the
most part, you can't. The Table of Contents can be
frustrating because some of the names of the tips don't tell
you much about what they are for. For example "Let Those
Windows Breathe!" The Index isn't all that much better
because not everything is listed (at least not by subject).
However, despite the organization, the authors don't stay
between the lines. For example, there is a chapter on Layer
tips (Chapter 7). But in Chapter 10 (Advanced tips), the
first selection is "Power Up Your Layer Styles." Or,
"Applying Multiple Filters? Not On My Layer." Why were these
not placed in the Layer Chapter?
While I can appreciate the nature of a book that is meant
to be skimmed through, a reference book should have the
materials within be locatable.
My last complaint with this book is that it is probably
safest when used by people who are reasonably knowledgeable
about Photoshop and the consequences of various actions. For
example: In the Web chapter, a tip is provided for creating
a transparency (page 93 top). Just below this tip (page 93
bottom) is another suggestion that if one wishes to make a
file smaller in size, make part of the image transparent.
While these are excellent suggestions, the authors do not
comment that the result of doing either of these tricks can
either cause a pixilated edge if no anti-aliasing is done,
or a halo-effect if the image has anti-aliasing of the wrong
color.
In short, this is a very good book and a very frustrating
book. I can easily state that this should NOT be the first
3rd party Photoshop book you should purchase. As there are
probably more 3rd party books on how to use Photoshop than
any other program, obtaining literary support is not a
problem. For some examples on a few of these books check out
these
books.
I should also point out that at $40, this is not a cheap
book. The price is not necessarily out of line as it is full
color throughout. I think it would be a fine gift book, so
if you know a Photoshop user who you want to give a bit of a
pleasant surprise to, this might be it.
