The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's most powerful tool [Paperback]

Richard Lynch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2009

MasterPhotoshop CS4 with this visual, hands-on guide to using layers, under the expert guidance of digital imaging specialist Richard Lynch. Layers, Photoshop's most powerful feature, is the core of a nondestructive image-editing workflow.

Step-by-step instructions and practical examples illustrate how to.

* Polish: correct and enhance color, fix composition problems, and repair damage or flaws
* Manipulate: isolate image areas for changes, adjustments and experimental concepts
* Understand: use all forms of layer blending, including transparency, clipping masks, opacity/fill, layer masks, layer modes, channel targeting, Blend If, and Effects/Styles

The accompanying DVD comes complete with a generous library of practical actions based on techniques from the book that add functional power to Photoshop, along with practice images for all the exercises in the book.

This focused, highly accurate, comprehensive, and practical guide offers invaluable advice for all users of Adobe Photoshop CS4.

* Unleash the full power of Layers in Photoshop for limitless non-destructive creative image editing
* Step-by-step real-life projects take you through every aspect of the layers tool, including masking, blending, and modes, all in the context of a practical photoshop workflow
* Ancillary CD contains all the practice images used in the book

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Master Photoshop CS4 with this visual, hands-on guide to using Layers, under the expert guidance of digital imaging specialist Richard Lynch. Layers, Photoshop's most powerful feature, is the core of a nondestructive image-editing work flow.

Step-by-step instructions and practical examples illustrate how to .

* Polish: correct and enhance color, fix composition problems, and repair damage or flaws * Manipulate: isolate image areas for changes, adjustments, and experimental concepts * Understand: use all forms of layer blending, including transparency, clipping masks, opacity/fill, layer masks, layer modes, channel targeting, Blend If, and effects/styles

The accompanying CD comes complete with a generous library of practical actions based on techniques from the book that add functional power to Photoshop, along with practice images for all the exercises in the book.This focused, highly accurate, comprehensive, and practical guide offers invaluable advice for all users of Adobe Photoshop CS4. Also visit the dedicated web site and forum for the book online at photoshopcs.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (April 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240521552
• ISBN-13: 978-0240521558
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since the mid-late 90s, Richard has written 7 books on image editing for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, including:

'The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book
'The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements
'Special Edition Using Photoshop 6
'Adobe Photoshop 5 How-To

These books teach advanced techniques for image editing and provide custom-made tools that simplify the most difficult image editing processes and make them accessible to anyone. Richard has been a columnist for Digital Photography Techniques, has written for many magazines including Popular Photography, PCPhoto, Photography Techniques, Advanced Photoshop, and more. He has taught digital rendering at Daemen College in New York, and teaches courses online at betterphoto.com.

Richard's photography tends toward the abstract and experimental, often using unusual editing processes as well as unusual equipment. His Sigma SD10 often sports common Sigma lenses, but can be fitted with an old bellows, extension tubes and an assortment of M42 screw-mount lenses. In processing and prints, he often attempts to push the limits of digital rendering using his experience with the medium. Digital has opened the creative aspect of photography to anyone with the will to experiment.

Please see more about Richard's books, add-ons for Elements and Photoshop, his blog, betterphoto.com courses online and more at his websites:
http://hiddenelements.com
http://photoshopcs.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book!, March 30, 2009

By 

D. Monroe (Boston, Ma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's most powerful tool (Paperback)

As an avid but not advanced user of Photoshop I was intriguied by an entire book on the layers tool but I wasn't sure if it was necessary. I knew that it was used in a many different ways, but I didn't know how it would improve my experience with photoshop. This is the BEST book I've ever used on making me a better photoshoper. It's awesome. The book is beautiful and really clear. The author does a good job of explaining each concept and technique in direct language and I found the book really easy to follow. And it has given me a lot of great ideas of things I'm now trying. I feel this one book has elevated my photography to a whole new realm.

[...] I highly recomend picking this up.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A detailed and useful book, May 15, 2009

By 

Linoy Alex (Cambridge, MA,USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's most powerful tool (Paperback)

The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's most powerful tool

I am somewhat familiar with Photoshop and its capabilities, but this book really opened my eyes to what can be done with layers and has really changed my work flow when editing images. There is more information here about layers than I thought was possible, and some of the techniques described are pretty advanced, but for now this has become my goto book on Photoshop.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Photoshop Layers, May 11, 2009

By 

Shirley - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's most powerful tool (Paperback)

This book is packed full of good information, but I don't find it a quick and easy reference. It is probably a better book for experienced Photoshop users, I am a beginner so it is a little more difficult to follow.