Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 6.0 Studio Techniques [Paperback]

Ben Willmore (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201716127 | ISBN-13: 978-0201716122 | Publication Date: June 15, 2001

This is the definitive guide to mastering the most essential features of Photoshop. Experienced Photoshop instructor Ben Willmore provides lessons that will help all users truly understand this popular image editing software. The text starts out with basic Photoshop techniques and moves on to more complex tasks and features, including layers, resolution, line art scanning, compositing, color correction, and displaying images on the Web. With these concepts and skills explained in a "technobabble-free" way, readers will master even the most complex Photoshop concepts. This is not a special effects cookbook or a primer on digital design; rather, this reader-friendly book is designed to boost users' productivity by showing how and why to use certain Photoshop tools.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ben Willmore's readers tell him that after reading his books, they "finally get Photoshop!" For this latest edition, once again he focuses on helping readers understand Photoshop rather than just leading them blindly through step-by-step projects. Looking at those techniques most useful to print and Web designers, and learning not just how to carry them out but the reasons behind each stage, readers will find out more than just which tool or filter does what. Once understanding is achieved, the author promises, creativity and efficiency levels soar.

This is not a special-effects cookbook, filled with chrome highlighting or other slick tricks, but it does show all the essential production techniques. For example, there are sections on color correcting, using creative effects like working with blending modes, and creating Web content like banners and animations. Nor is this a tutorial-based book that simulates a classroom at home, although the pages are rich with examples, screen shots, and professional-quality images that clearly mimic common Photoshop problems (like trying to silhouette strands of hair). And all sample images are on the CD-ROM for the hands-on experience of following along on the computer. In addition, the CD-ROM has bonus chapter supplements that show even more techniques.

But it's the author's non-technical approach to explaining how Photoshop works that makes the difference between this and so many other similar how-to books. He uses stories and metaphors to get to "why would I want to do that" and not just "how do I do that." For example, he quickly gets to the bottom of the sponge tool by saying it works like a sponge full of bleach, soaking up the color wherever you paint with it (or doing the exact opposite if the blending mode is set to Saturate). And, at the end of each chapter, he includes a list of the official technical terms so that you can talk like a pro now that you have the skills of one. --Angelynn Grant

Topics include:

• Tools and work environment
• Basic selection techniques
• Basic layer techniques
• Basics of resolution and scanning
• Working in grayscale
• Using levels, histograms, and curves
• Basics of color correction
• Working with channels
• Creating effective and technically correct shadows
• Working with blending modes, layer masks, and clipping paths
• Filters and retouching tools
• Working with type and background effects
• Creating Web graphics--slices, rollovers, GIF animations, and optimization techniques
• CD-ROM includes project files, demo version of Photoshop 6, and chapter supplements in PDF format

From the Back Cover

This is the definitive guide to mastering the most essential features of Photoshop. Experienced Photoshop instructor Ben Willmore provides lessons that will help all users truly understand this popular image editing software. The text starts out with basic Photoshop techniques and moves on to more complex tasks and features, including layers, resolution, line art scanning, compositing, color correction, and displaying images on the Web. With these concepts and skills explained in a "technobabble-free" way, readers will master even the most complex Photoshop concepts. This is not a special effects cookbook or a primer on digital design; rather, this reader-friendly book is designed to boost users' productivity by showing how and why to use certain Photoshop tools.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Adobe Press (June 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201716127
• ISBN-13: 978-0201716122
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,625,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on Technique, June 30, 2001

By 

Frank Sinkavich (York, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 6.0 Studio Techniques (Paperback)

Given my experience with the earlier version of this book, "Photoshop 5 Studio Techniques", I decided to order "Photoshop 6 Studio Techniques" as soon as it was available. The decision was a good one. "Photoshop 6 Studio Techniques" is a well written, easily understandable, well illustrated book about Photoshop 6 techniques. It covers material from introducing a user to Photoshop through production techniques for both print and web.

Chapters covering curves, color correction, and channels are worth the price of the book. In addition, the chapters that cover retouching, enhancement, and blending present information that is very useful in day-to-day photo editing.

If you use Photoshop 6, I highly recommend "Photoshop 6 Studio Techniques." The book will help you understand basic and advanced techniques that will give images a professional look.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendously practical, shines where other books fail, September 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 6.0 Studio Techniques (Paperback)

If you were to read just the two chapters of this book on curves and color correction it would be worth the price of the book. Nowhere have I seen such an insightful and practical discussion on the use of curves for both contrast and color adjustment. This is not to say the rest of the book is not extremely good as well, because it is. These two chapters just really shine and after looking for years for a good book that truly addresses the appropriate use of curves this book was a godsend.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Based on one chapter, July 27, 2001

By 

Bob Russell (Forest Grove, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 6.0 Studio Techniques (Paperback)

The chapter on curves is reason enough to buy this book, at least for me. This book was so well designed that when the text referred to one of the many illustrations, the illlustrations were always on the same page. No flipping around. Sad to say how rare this is.

Very clearly explained the stuff so you could remember how to do things. Make sense?