Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book [Paperback]

Adobe Creative Team (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321701763 | ISBN-13: 978-0321701763 | Publication Date: June 6, 2010 | Edition: 1

Creative professionals seeking the fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 choose Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book from the Adobe Creative Team at Adobe Press. The 14 project-based lessons in this book show readers step-by-step the key techniques for working in Photoshop CS5.

In addition to learning the key elements of the Photoshop interface, this completely revised CS5 edition shows readers how to edit images with precise selection control, correct a wide range of lens-based errors, interactively transform their images with the new Puppet Warp tool, and easily remove or replace image elements with the new Content-Aware Fill mode. The book also covers new powerful painting effects to artistically enhance images and shows how to combine multiple exposures into a single HDR image.

For the first time, the companion DVD will feature, in addition to the lesson files, 2 hours of free video tutorials from Learn Adobe Photoshop CS5 by Video by Adobe Press and video2brain, a great added value!

“The Classroom in a Book series is by far the best training material on the market. Everything you need to master the software is included: clear explanations of each lesson, step-by-step instructions, and the project files for the students.” —Barbara Binder, Adobe Certified Instructor, Rocky Mountain Training

Classroom in a Book®, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does—an official training series from Adobe Systems Incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Adobe Creative Team of designers, writers, and editors has extensive, real world knowledge of Adobe products. They work closely with the Adobe product development teams and Adobe's Instructional Communications team to come up with creative, challenging, and visually appealing projects to help both new and experienced users get up to speed quickly on Adobe software products.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Adobe Press; 1 edition (June 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321701763
• ISBN-13: 978-0321701763
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Photography & Video > Adobe Photoshop
  • #1 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some great information gems, and some not so great exercises, August 14, 2010

By 

Tenna Merchent (Noblesville, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

There are things I really liked about this book and things I really didn't like.

The primary thing I didn't like was the approach they took to the exercises. For instance in the section on adjusting color in Camera Raw, they tell you specifically (by number) where to move the temperature, tint, exposure, blacks, contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation sliders, but there is no discussion as to why these amounts for this image work. This problem goes on throughout the book. I'd say that's a pretty huge weakness.

On page 118 there is a pull out box with the headline "About layer-comps" that has 3 paragraphs talking about how great layer comps are. (It's a way to look at different versions of complicated multi-layer PS file.) But it doesn't tell you how to create one, or even mention that there is a complete discussion of the subject that begins on page 242.

But the things I did like make this book worth purchasing. At the end of each section are review questions and answers. The answers are wonderful, brief and to the point. And there are other golden nuggets of information sprinkled throughout the chapters and book. For instance in the section on Working with channels it says, "To avoid confusing channels and layers, think of channels as containing an image's color and selection information; think of layers as containing painting and effects." While I knew that intuitively from working with them so much, I could never have explained it so simply.

The section on creating paths using the pen tool that starts on page 202 is the best description I have read. I've used the pen tool a lot, and I've been putting too many points in because I didn't really understand it. I dog-eared this section so I can find it quickly. I ended up adding 9 such dog-ears throughout the book.

The section on the mixer brush was also very well done, and another area I was not up to speed on. I had been going over to Corel Painter for most of my painting issues, and it looks as though that may not be necessary.

So while this book has examples that I didn't find useful, it is worth reading every word because you never know when there will be some wonderful explanation that you hadn't heard. I mean it was written by the people who created Photoshop '

61 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Adobe should be ashamed to put their name on this book, August 27, 2010

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Desert Rat (Palm Springs, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

I am an advanced photographer and have used Photoshop for years. This is the third edition of Classroom in a book for me and I was disappointed. The authors used several of the same old photos. Worse from my viewpoint is that several of the lessons were quite complex with no explanation of the reason for each of the steps. It is like a cookbook which is only useful for making the included recipes but not for learning how to cook. I think the Scott Kelby books are much more useful (and fun). Even the Martin Evening books which I don't like because the print is too small for my tired old eyes and can be rather dry are better than this effort.

Maybe a designer would find the book more useful but in my opinion Photographers should avoid it.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Students seeking an at-home course will find this a winner!, August 14, 2010

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book comes with a fine DVD-ROM for Windows and Mac OS filled with 2 hours of tutorials, and provides the easiest way to learn Photoshop CS5. The 'classroom' format centers around 14 lessons covering the basics of learning Photoshop and provides tips to become more productive with the program. It can be viewed in a progressive learning environment or referred to as a reference by skipping around: either way, students seeking an at-home course will find this a winner!