Product: How to Cheat in Photoshop CS4
Author: Steve Caplin
Publisher: Elsevier- Focal Press
Price: $44.95
Pros: This book is a good choice for someone who is familiar with Photoshop and wants to continue to learn the intricacies of Adobe CS4.
Cons: None!
by Kip Absher, AAUG Member
Conflict of interest disclosure: vendor provided a free copy of this item to me for the purposes of the review.
Excellent
How to Cheat photoshop in CS4 is a great reference book that includes a DVD.
The book is very usable as a stand alone, without having to refer to the great additional materials which include practice sessions.
The book introduction reinforced my need to chink my CS4 foundations by really knowing how to use the basics.
When used with the enclosed disk it makes a very fine inclusive learning platform.
These chapters if studied will provide a firm foundation which is necessary for advanced adjustments necessary for enabling the subtlies of your print.
I believe it worth reading the forward where you will learn how the author Mr. Steve Caplin intends the book to be used.
Though the book is not hard bound it is of good quality having well reproduced photographs and quality paper.
The body of the book is handy to find specific questions which are listed in the index.
The examples are to the point with just the right number of words to fill the niche of a photographer familiar but needing additional information to solve a challenge the image has just produced.
Each book provides information for the reader. This book is a good choice for someone who is familiar with Photoshop and wants to continue to learn intricacies of Adobe CS4.
The book is a good choice resource for my knowledge and ability level using CS4.
The book is well made pleasing my liking of books; it also includes a disk containing additional work-alongs, which satisfies my computer needs.
If I have a choice when purchasing reference material I check the quality of the book along with the Table of Contents and the Appendix..
How To Cheat in Photoshop CS4 does a good job helping to locate information directly.
The “How to’s” are written well. They are to the point, Steve adds important related material as a “Hot Tip”.
Many of us have learned the basics with different depth of results depending what you have already learned and routinely work on.
You slowly realize your foundations are letting you down when a magazine tip or a friend says, just do this and that which sends you scurrying after some of the basics.
The first four sections of the book lists a review of the basics information, tool use and other CS4 foundations.
A perusal of the remaining book also shows how having a ready command eliminates looking up what will become familiar as you continue with CS4.
For example I have never used the powerful “Pen” tool because it wasn’t readily intuitive on its use.
The Pen sections are excellent in both the book and the DVD. They include specific examples of Pen movement and free practice templates.
The main book body includes many examples showing exactly how to create different effects. Bottom line: I am using the book this evening and yes it is worth it!
