Customer Reviews

Combining Images with Photoshop Elements: Selecting, Layering, Masking, and Compositing

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an avid user of PE and having seen a variety of lessons and partial tutorials on the use of layers in PE, I was grateful to find Ted's book where everything is in one place. It is well organized and detailed, allowing me to follow along with ease. I expect it would be a boon for a newer user also, especially the included CD-ROM with several important lessons given as video tutorials. The price of the book is worth it for this alone. Overall a great buy. My only beef is that the images used in the examples were not (as is often typical)on the CD.I personally enjoy duplicating the lessons with the actual pictures used. This is a minor point, however, and overall I would highly recommend this book.

In fact Ted LoCascio is a graphic designer and a Photoshop World instructor and author of Indesign CS2 books.
Thanks to his great craftmanship he gives us fresh new ideas how to combine images with techniques as selecting,layering,masking and compositing.
He starts his first chapter with "All starts with an idea"and this is a good approach for any of us before starting the process of going further with the program.Tell your story he says,get inspired and stay inspired!!! If you'r not interested in compositing this book is not for you because there's a logical build-up of gathering images,the power of observation and image resources(a lot of good ideas in this first chapter page 1-20)
Of course he teaches us the tecniques to understand resolution a pixel logic&color modes and making good selections(chapter two page 23-55)He proceeds with modifiyng selections in chapter 3(page 59-73) and Mastering layers in chapter 4(page 77-108).As so far you'll know all about layers but then there's a chapter 5 on The Power of Opacity & Blending that's really great(he takes the same example and show you an interactive tour of blending modes;great!
Compositing with masks is a tremendous chapter 6(page 139-181)brings you to a higher level of your achievements.For those having cameras with camera RAW files there's a whole chapter 7(page 189-218) and finally the book ends with chapter 8 Ading Filters,Styles&Effects(page 225-252)where all this features are well explained in tutorials and illustrated with beautiful images.
It's a easy to follow book with good examples and more than 150 colour photos.You can follow the techniques on the companion cd a wonderful bonus with 16 easy to follow Quick-Time training movies about selections,feathering,mastering layers,applied blending,compositing with masks(gradients,painting in masks ,type masks),shadows & higlights and the filter gallery.
More than two hours of visual training is the greatest bonus and worth the price of this original,well explained & beautifully illustrated book.
Like Jan Kabili,author and trainer says on the cover back "If you tought PHEL4 was just for correcting and organizing photographs this book will turn your head around.It opens up a whole new set of creative possibilities to explore as you learn how to combine images using those versatile program".
Good job Ted,what's next????

There are any number of books and CDs available that focus on the basics of Photoshop Elements (PSE), I own half a dozen. Ted LoCascio's Combining Images with PSE is for the intermediate or power user who wants to advance beyond improving individual photos. There are chapters dedicated to layers and blending modes which go into each topic in clear detail. The patient user will learn how to "read" a layer pallete and understand how each layer impacts the other. There are several demonstrations on clipping masks and how they impact a photo. This is a crucial skill that must be mastered to get beyond the basics. In the chapter on blending modes he provides full color examples of the effect of each blending mode on the same photo. He also details what each blending mode does and how they interact with the layer(s) below. Ted also covers gradients an important tool for combining images seamlessly. His demonstration on photo composites is very clear and easy to adopt using your own photos. The companion CD is also outstanding and worth the price of the book by itself. If you are interested in improving your basic understanding of PSE this excellent resource is the one to get.

Ted LoCascio is a midwesterner, now living in Florida. It must be his midwestern sense of generosity and thoughtfulness that has caused him to write a book which is just pefect for Photoshop Elements users.
First off, this talented individual makes sure you know how to carry out difficult selections.
LoCascio not only gives every reader a great background in creating and editing simple layers. He quickly and easily leads you through the more complex subjects of layer masks and layers using filters, styles and effects. His knowledge and writing skill also provide excellent instruction to help you with color management,resizing photos, and advanced masking with RAW.
He and his publisher enclose a CD with two hours of video lessons,all of them great !
Then LoCascio tops it off by publishing his phone number and urging "Phone me if it's not in the book and you get into trouble"
Three cheers for LoCascio! Buy the book, you'll love it !

As a retired pricipal, I love Ted LoCascio's book. It seems to me, that he studied how to write a textbook for beginners, which I mostly am, and experienced amateurs, which I somewhat am. i was floundering about how to use brushes well and how to layer well. The other books are not written in a logical, easily understood way that newbies can understand and practice. This book is the answer. Ted LoCascio has mastered the art of teaching Photoshop Elements through a text and how to use a teaching aid (the superbly organized and clearly explained cd, which is included.) I now have a much deeper degree of knowing how all the parts (selecting, layering, masking) fit together to composit a photo. He should give courses to would-be others in his field about how to teach both novices and experienced amateurs about Photoshop Elements in one clear, step-by-step book. WELL DONE.

My husband bought me Photoshop Elements 6.0 as a xmas present. I had expressed an interest in exploring its uses to enhance my scrapbooking creativity. Although I've always considered myself pretty computer savvy (former programmer), I found that the learning curve for Photoshop Elements (v6.0) was a little steeper than I had anticipated. I scoured the bookstores and the library, desperately looking for books that made sense. Thank Goodness I found this book - it's phenomenal! It was just what I was needing! The video tutorials were especially helpful, and in less than a week I was up to speed with this program - not only in the the basics of how to get around and understanding layers, but with a greater understanding of how to harness the underlying power of this tool so that I can start getting creative! The author gives clear, precise instructions and answers a lot of those mysterious questions for why this program behaves in certain ways (Such as why you must simplify some layers before you can apply a filter or effect - glad that one is finally cleared up!) I don't think this book will disappoint you if you are willing to engage in the exercises!

This is an excellent book for those using Photoshop Elements 4 that want to understand the use of Blending Modes and using Masks to create complex composites. Ted explains the techniques very well. The book contains a CD that has video tutorials that allow the reader to not only read how to do it but to see Ted do it. The CD alone compared to similiar training CDs is worth the price of the book.

Combining Images with Photoshop Elements: Selecting, Layering, Masking, and Compositing

Taking a photo is great sport. But, the fun really begins when you load the photo into your computer and your favorite photo imaging software. Ted LoCascio has written, the above, book which gives one the skills to let your creativity run wild.

Wow! It is hard to believe that once we processed photos using film...

I've made more progress on my PSE6 compositing skills and my understanding of layers in general over the last few weeks since buying this book than I had over the last two years using several of the other well known and highly reviewed books that are available.

The other books that I have are OK for leading you through a certain project but aren't great at explaining why you are doing what you are doing and what the underlying explanation is for the tool or technique being used. I think this book stands out in that regard. Before, I felt some legitimacy in thinking that the other books weren't helping me to move forward even with regular practice. Now, I feel like it's on me to improve my skills because this book has given me the info in a way that I can use. And it's also helping me to have a better foundation from which to understand why the other books are doing what they are doing.

All I know is that I'm putting things together now that were driving me up the wall before I got this book and I'm beginning to "think in layers" which I wasn't doing previously. It works for me. And it's made me more impressed with PS Elements, (this book is not version specific which I found interesting because it's perfectly relevant to what I'm using). I think that it's still a tool that has a lot of potential for me.

Oh yeah, there's a very helpful and well organized tutorial DVD that comes with the book.

Thanks to Ted and the folks who helped him put the book together. Your book really helped to get me unstuck.

I first picked the book up at the library, and as I started thumbing through it I realized that it contained a wealth of information about key general purpose Elements concepts: selection management, and layering techniques. Combining images is an interesting subject and well-treated in the book, but I recommend giving the book serious consideration as a helpful aid to understanding some of the most important features of Elements that are applicable to any serious user.