|
(Back to Photoshop 7
Books Introduction)
Photoshop 7 Magic
by Sherry London & Rhoda Grossman
From
New
Riders Publishing
(c) 2002 Sherry London & Rhoda Grossman
ISBN 0-7357-1264-6
289 pps, w/ CD
$45 (US), $69.99 (CAN) UK £34.99
Review by Gary
Coyne

Intended user: Intermediate to Advanced.
So you, a good friend and ten other friends get together
to write a book. Your goal is to cover some of the features
and capabilities of the new Photoshop 7 program from Adobe.
Between the twelve of you, sixteen different techniques are
detailed. Some chapters are collaborations, some are lone
creations. An overall format is decided upon and everyone
agrees to do their part.
This in a nutshell is what Photoshop 7 Magic is all
about. Forgive me for being trite, but the book is more than
the sum of its chapters. Each chapter may provides more than
just one lesson for a given technique to be fully explored.
The 16 different lessons are divided into three main
categories, Artistic Techniques (7 lessons), Web Techniques
(3 lessons), and Image Manipulation Techniques (6 lessons).
Each chapter starts with a photo of the final result. The
CD provides the base image(s) used and the reader is invited
to follow along with the lesson to get to the final result.
While no technique is solely dependant upon any other in the
book, each is expected to be a lesson in itself and should
be followed from start to finish. Part of the reason for
this is the first time (for example) any command's path is
presented (e.g., Images/Adjust/Levels), subsequent entrees
of the same are presented just as Levels.
While not every technique may interest you, there should
be enough to make you want to follow the process. Within
each chapter is the basic lesson plan and (typically) a few
other samples and/or examples to continue the lesson for a
fuller comprehension of the whole process.
For example, in Chapter 2, "Brush Techniques," this
chapter's author, Rhoda Grossman, starts with explaining
basic brush techniques. Starting with creating a basic
brush, Rhoda then moves on to scattering techniques,
textured brushes, customizing brush libraries, and finally
using brushes to create a still life painting. Modifications
are presented so you can learn how to get variations on what
you've done.
As would be expected, anytime you have a collaboration
like this, not every author will speak to you the same way.
Despite variations on subjects and materials, I was
generally pleased with how well each author presented their
material. While some subject's presentations appealed more
to me than others, none of them were disappointing.
Among the things that I liked in this book was the full
Index of Techniques on the inside cover. Here, for example,
under the subject Adjustment Levels, three techniques
are listed. One of these three was called "Image Composites
Using Extract Image." Further down the Index was a selection
called Compositing. Amongst the two selections there
was the same example just mentioned. This same example is
yet again listed in the Index selection called
Layers. This is great as many things in Photoshop are
more than just one thing and represent broad levels of
understanding. Further, to fully understand any Photoshop
technique, it must be studied in a variety of uses. That's
what this index is purporting to do, and it does it well.
One of the benefits of a subject being addressed multiple
ways as this book does is that one author's presentation may
be just what you need while a different author's
presentation may just be off the mark. This happens all the
time. But what's good here is that you have multiple authors
in the same book as opposed to having to purchase several
books to get the same benefit.
Overall I liked this book a lot and feel that it is a
good compendium book for the Photoshop user who wishes to
advance to new levels.
Buy
This Book
Applelinks Rating
Email
This Article -
Comment
On This Article
.
|
Server Racks
Online:
Apple Xserve CompatibleServer Racks and Universal Network Racks
42U KVM Switch Solutions:
High-End Mac and Multi-Platform KVM Matrix switching solutions!
Digital Camera
Online:
Great prices on Digital Cameras and accessories!
KVM Switches
Online:
Great prices on Mac KVM Switches from the leading manufacturers!
LCD Monitors
Online:
Great prices on LCD Monitors from the leading manufacturers!
LCD Projectors
Online:
Shop online for LCD Projectors from the leading manufacturers!
USB 2.0 Online:
Great prices on USB 2.0 products from the leading manufacturers
Serious
Business Software:
Accounting, Sales, Inventory, CRM, Shipping, Payroll & more!
KVM Switch solutions for
MACs:
DAXTEN is a KVM switch, KVM extender and monitor splitter specialist for
PC, SUN and MAC applications from name brand manufacturers - offices
worldwide.
The
"Think Different Store: The iPod Accessories Store
- iPod cases, iPod mini, iPod photo, speakers, itrip, inMotion,
Soundstage and all other iPod accessories
Earn Cash with the ThinkDifferent
Store Affiliates Program
Need A Web
Site?
Applelinks Web Hosting Starting at 19.95 a Month

| |