Inside Photoshop 3 by Gary Bouton will flatten the learning curve. If you start at page one and work through every lesson and example, you will feel like an expert. Even though you may never be able to plumb the depths of Photoshop, you will be able to do any thing that you imagine to do

The authors managed to make Photoshop 7 a delight to learn, and the book, an entertaining reading. It has two important qualities that became obvious as I read on: (1) it can sustain my interest to learn more and work the exercises, and; (2) the authors tried their best to help the reader really understand Photoshop principles. The style's upbeat, and the book's organization, clever. Photoshop core principles were presented first then it's practical use as applied to photography, the Web, art, and just plain goofing around. Makes a lot of sense. Although the images were in black and white in the book, they have proven to be good guides. There were plenty of screen shots of dialog boxes, which tool to use and what the images should look like. They help to ensure that you don't get lost. The actual tutorial images were in full color in the CD-ROM, many of them nicely rendered in 3D.

The observations in the previous review, "Several Areas of Ommission" are valid ones, though. I did find one exercise (Inverting and Refining A Shape Layer, page 185) that seem to have missed a step. Figure 5.29 on page 228 didn't quite look like what it was supposed to. But except for a few minor typo errors all the projects thus far were clearly explained and finished as written. I repeated some of them just for the fun of it. Odds are, any book this size (1000+ pages) would likely take its own share of minor errors. Overall, it was very well written.

I am on the last 3 chapters of the book (no skipping) and I can say for certain that the authors were careful to give the reader consistent quality instruction right from the beginning. All the toturials were very interesting. There was not a dull moment! The other advantage of this book was that it was written by several people, who apllied their expertise on specialized chapters. My only complaint is that the they couldn't be reached for clarification on the item on page 185. It has been a wonderful experience learning Photoshop 7 and I am glad I had this book as my main guide.

"Inside Photoshop 7" is one of the most complete and still approachable books on Photoshop available. It is well organized with the core topics at the beginning of the book followed by specific areas of interest. For example, you might want to move from the core concepts to the section for photographers, or to the section for artists, or the section for the web. The choice of how to proceed is up to you and your interests.

This is Gary Bouton's 13th book on Photoshop. To say that he has learned not only the details of the program but also how to impart that knowledge to a reader is an understatement. Throughout the book he explains what he is trying to accomplish with a project, how he is going to accomplish it and then walks you through the process. The end effect is that you actually learn how to use Photoshop 7 to create the effects that you want.

Feature rich and full of examples, it covers the basic and advances features of Photoshop 7 in detail. Complex concepts are explained in detail in a very easy to understand writing style. If you want to become a Photoshop expert this is the place to start. A highly recommended read.

Once again the Inside Photoshop 7 book has outdone the previous version. Just when you think it can't get any better they update and bring in additional authors adding to the tremendous value. There are some authors which joined in on this version making it a blockbuster of a book. You'll learn all the core techniques of Photoshop by performing the many tutorials throughout the book. There is a section that allows you to "Get Your Feet Wet" where you can get creative even when you have no idea at all of what you're doing. But don't worry, it's all covered in-depth through the book.

Not only do you learn all the core functions of Photoshop but there are specialized sections such as, Photoshop for photographers so you can get to making money faster! I like goals like this. Some of the other special sections are Photoshop for Artists, Special Effects with Type and Animation scripting.

The authors present a task then they determine what needs to be done then provide steps to accomplish the task. By understanding what the task is and what needs to be done to accomplish is you are armed with the methodology to apply to your own work.

I bought this book after searching through dozens of Adobe Photoshop 4.0 titles. This particular book is an incredible compendium that really turns the novice Photoshop user into a pro. Each chapter covers a different Photoshop task, making it easy for the reader to personalize the tutorial to his/her needs. And each little mini-tutorial is incredibly thorough, with dozens of examples and lots of step-by-step exercises that make each procedure second-nature. After only a few days, I moved from Photoshop ignoramus to website developer! ( )

With mere days left until I planned to start working in a professional graphics shop, I began reading this book cover-to-cover. Within a week, having worked through the examples, I felt confident that I could perform any task necessary within the Photoshop environment. The examples are practical and cover a wide range of topics from image retouching to web graphics design and optimization. The novice user shies away from layers and masks. This book tackles them directly and immediately, giving you familiarity with the basic---and most powerful---tools in Photoshop from the very beginning. Flexible enough to be an effective tutorial and a comprehensive reference, this is the book to get if you want to get all you can out of Photoshop 4.0.

This is a powerful and challenging book. This is an excellent book for both beginning and advanced users of Adobe's Photoshop 4.0. Although the publishers stated user level is accomplished to advanced, I believe that even novice users will find this book as useful as advanced users. The book assumes a basic understanding of Photoshop, and quickly progresses into advanced techniques, tips, final effects and editing methods. Another benefit and bonus to this book are the two accompanying CD's. These have some of the best supporting material that is expertly incorporated into the book as examples, as well as providing stock images and textures to manipulate and experiment with. A drawback to this book is that at times it can be verbose, however, the authors do a very good job of reducing complex processes into simplified ones.

You learn all the tools of Adobe Photoshop 5.5 in details. The book is full of examples. Lot's of examples, which is very helpful if you are a novice in Adobe Photoshop 5.5. You learn very fast. But I wouldn't say that this is the only book you'll ever need on Adobe Photoshop 5.5.

But it leaves the creativity to the reader. Also the weight of stock images is huge, more than needed. Almost all of the examples involve stock images (of course the CD-rom provides all the iamges mentioned). But if you are web designer, you would want a book, which gets more creative and advanced than this one, and gives you some tips on creating your own banners and nav bars. Of course, the title of the book doesn't mention that would cover this issues. But if did cover, would get my five stars. I admit, that I still learnt a lot from this book.

I have purchased Gary and Barbara Bouton's Photoshop books and I must say he always does a good job.

Bouton starts with a fairly comprehensive introduction to computer graphics, that is appropriate for both beginners and advanced users alike. Bouton uses challenging and practical exercises that combine the various features of Photoshop, making learning much faster. The CD is treasure trove in itself-- to jumpstart the novice web developer, Bouton included clip art graphics and backgrounds.

This book is a must-have for Photoshop users.

All is explained in Inside Adobe Photoshop 5.5 Why you use a tool or operation (brush, rubbber stamp, editing layer...) opposed to another, or, what something is, are answered clearly. You know you are reading a book written by experienced, seasoned, graphic designers with a thourough knowledge of Photoshop. I am at page 300 and look forward to the next 500 pages. Adobe photoshop is a complex, (some parts complicated) extensive program. Inside Adobe Photoshop 5.5 teaches you how to use it. This is what a good book should do... and it does! If you only want one book, buy this. If you would like to have a few books,(it never hurts) make this one of them.

Inside Adobe Photoshop 6 describes within 1000 pages the new photoshop 6.0 in every detail. This book gives a great introdcution in the basics of picture editing with photoshop and the usage of its tools. But it is one of these step by step books, I mean every tool box is introduced and with sample toturials described. Thus providing no really new information to one who has already some experience with photoshop5. And: it is no effect book and doesn't give any hints at photo-editing.

If you are not new to photoshop, you maybe only need 400 of 1000 pages. 200 pages are dealing with image ready.

The book mainly describes type and layer-effects and the usage of tools. Filters and there combinationes are not mentioned. The pictures in the book are black/white. Semi-Professionals or above do not need the book - they wont find any new information or surprising effects. In fact Bouton sometimes takes the rather difficult way for his pictures.

I personal like the background information and the book's general complexity, but the CD is (in my opinion) unuseful and some really important information (eg. Test new effects on layers u've dublicated before, or ditherbox web effects, etc) are left out. I'd give it 3 and a half stars but have to give 4.

As Gary points out, be aware that all reviews before the release date of August, 2001 are not written for this edition. My comments are relevant to this new release.

I am a new Photoshop Elements user (two weeks) and this is my first Photoshop book (two days). The bulk of the features in this book apply to Elements but there are sections in this book that go into more detail on some functions that are limited or removed from Elements.

That said, the books is excellent in every way. From beginning tutorials to complex ones beyond my needs, the book has a "tutor beside me" feeling. I needed a book that covered color management and this was the only one of several that I flipped through that provided any basic coverage on the topic. Personally, I could use even more practical guidance and tips on establishing the scanner, monitor, and printer settings into a integrated color solution. Even though the specifics for each model will be different, a bit more detail would have me really grounded on implementing color management on all devlces in the digital color imaging chain.

As stated before, I am a new Photoshop (Elements) user and learned quite a lot of the features just banging away trail and error and referring to the minimal bundled online help into the early hours on many evenings. I spent a whole cartrige of color getting the scanner, monitor, and printer calibrated. A fair bit of that ink and paper also went to understanding the dpi/ppi confusion and also determining the sweet spots and capabilities of my equipment in terms of resolution and color fidelity.

Many of the tutorials are excellent hands on exercises which really ground you in what can be done and actually how to accomplish them.

Another thing I like about the book that I experienced the hard way is the main list of common keystrokes for commands. There are comments in the book about the reducing the mileage on your mouse and constantly reinforcing the specific shortcut to accomplish the task. I put so much mileagae on my mouse that it needs an overall, not to mention the loss of pointer on the specific work.

In summary, I have covered about six chapters so far and am very happy with the book's comprehensive coverage of Photoshop 6, the hands on material supplied on the two CDs, and the extra CD material. Even though this is my first book on Photoshop, I know enough to claim that this book is now included in my core reference library!

Enjoy

What a FANTASTIC book! I purchased the book BEFORE purchasing Photoshop 6, and it convinced me I was ready to print my photographs from the computer rather than in the darkroom. Being a new user of digital photography, I searched and searched to find information about scanning, monitor calibration, color correction and printing, etc...only to get tremendously confused. I found this book and it was worth every penny. I was able to understand concepts that totally confounded me when reading info on the web and other publications. The tutorials are incredible and easy to follow. I can't imagine trying to learn this without their cd, including examples. Further, it's a joy to read. I am constantly chuckling at the authors comments. I highly recommend it!!!

I am a web designer and a teacher by profession. Here in India...the reprints are pretty late...This book has been by far the best i have on photoshop...I had started on Fireworks because i felt the learning curve on photoshop was too steep...but after going thru this book and it's examples i feel this is by far the BEST BOOK ON Photoshop 5.5 and ImageReady....Kudos to Mr Gary Bouton....Expecting to see the next book on Photoshop 6.0 very soon...

This book is written very well. I am a beginner when its comes to Photoshop and this book really helped me become more productive when using this software. I felt that the examples were clear, concise & packed with excellent tips, such as the keyboard shortcuts, memory efficiency tips and the chapters devoted just to ImageReady. After reading this book you will definitely walk away feeling more confident and thereby becoming a more productive user with the software. This alone is well worth the cost of the book.

I am a beginner in using Photoshop and I find the material and exercise in this book are excellent. Althought I only finish 9 chapters, I have learnt a lot and the examples are easy to follow too.

This book leads you through E3d2 which is out of Macromedia's further development plans. But don't consider E3D2 to be a "dead" tool! E3D is probably the most intuitive 3D modeling package ever. It uses spline curves which are familiar to most 2D graphics users and builds on them to enter the world of 3D. Gary David Bouton writes the tutes in a logically sequential way and supplies a lot of files and resources on the disc to help readers take the ideas presented and develop them into their own ideas. The biggest problem was that the trial version of E3d2 did not always recognise the files on the disc. I complained and had a replacement disc within a week (and that's to Australia!). When I needed extra help I found the author to be a wonderful support via email.

This book is a good choice as the first book to start learning Photoshop. The author does not waste time explaining layers, paths, and menus. Instead, it guides you through the sequence of increasingly complicated tasks by telling you which buttons to press to achieve the desirable effect. Initially I was very excited with the book since I had a wonderful feeling that I could do some image editing already after an hour or so after I started working with Photoshop. However, I was somewhat disappointed when after 500 pages or so I realized that many of the tools which I see on the screen were never mentioned in the book, and that I still do not always understand what is the meaning of the steps which I am doing, and what is the function of the buttons I am pressing (since the author never cared to explain). There are also some missing files on the enclosed CD, and some mistakes in the text. Hence, it is a good book to start with (if you never worked with the program before), but not an ultimate guide to Photoshop.

Inside Adobe Photoshop 5 has taught me a lot of different techniques and the many usages in photoshop 5. The lessons are well layed-out with images to guide you along the way so that even beginners will get it in a snap. Most of all, I think, is that there is fast feedback time by the author(2 days max) when there is a question that needs to be answered. Overall, I recommend this book to everyone.

I am a software instructor, assigned to teach a class on Photoshop. No problem, thought I. I'll simply buy a book and figure it out. Well, I bought three books before I figured out that this wasn't going to be a fast and easy assignment. Thankfully, I had a chance to work through the first half of the Bouton's book before I had to actually teach anything. And thanks to IP5 the class came off without a problem. This is a tutorial book. Each exercise takes you by the hand and walks you through the assignment step by step. As a total beginner, this is what I needed. There may have been one or two errors, but I didn't notice them. I discovered some corrections on the Boutons web site when I visited there. Overall, I've received an excellent Photoshop education through this book and would reccommend it to anyone who is starting out. I would also reccomend the Adobe Classroom in a Book. This book was the other excellent resource I used in my beginner's education. I read that book prior to IP5, and I think that may have made IP5 even easier to use. I should also mention, that even though this book uses a tutorial approach, the authors have done a good job of explaining everything they have us do, thus we're not just jumping though hoops, we're actually learning WHY we do things. I should also mention that I am using Photoshop 5.5. I didn't know that there was going to be a new edition of this book (it's out now at this writing), but I didn't have any trouble with the cross-platform issue. Buy it and enjoy!