Customer Reviews

Introducing Adobe® Photoshop® Elements

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

David Weeks, Book Bytes

First off, I need to admit to the world that I am not a graphics wizard. I can handle most word processors; hanging indents and tables of contents don't frighten me in the least. Communications software is no big deal.

But when confronted with the intricacies of RGB, CMK, layers, filters, and DPI vs. LPI, my eyes tend to glaze over.

So when I recently began to want to get more out of my Fuji FinePix 4700 digital camera than I could get with entry-level graphics programs, I got nervous.

Adobe Photoshop is the be-all and end-all to Macintosh digital image manipulation. Aside from the fact that it is costs much more than I wanted to spend, the learning curve is long and steep. I am not interested in slogging through manuals the size of the Manhattan telephone directory to learn to how to do basic color correction and intermediate-level image manipulations.

Last year, Adobe introduced Photoshop Elements. Elements is Photoshop without the steroids. It has perhaps 80% of the features, at 20% of the price, with 30% of the learning curve.

When I found that Adobe was running discounts earlier this fall, I jumped headlong into the Photoshop Elements pool.

Typically, the printed manual that Adobe included with Elements is adequate in that it describes the various functions of the program. But that begs the question of what you can actually DO with Elements. Simply knowing what the various menu options do will not spur the creative muses!

A well-written book on Photoshop Elements is a boon to those who want to learn more about what they can do with Elements. Author Lisa Lee has written just that book; Introducing Photoshop Elements.

The 500 pages of Introducing Photoshop Elements provides all the Photoshop Elements guidance you will probably ever need, unless you are really pushing the Elements envelope. If you are pushing the envelope that hard, you will probably be ready to move into the full version of Photoshop.

Like most all books that can replace the manual itself, Introducing Photoshop Elements spends plenty (perhaps too much) time rehashing the details of how to install and configure Elements. There is the usual blow-by-blow review of each menu option. Given that almost everyone who spends the $24.99 US ($37.95 CA) for this will have already purchased and installed Elements, the first 1/4 of the book is redundant. Adobe has quite succinctly told the Elements owner how to -operate- Elements. The main point of software instruction book like Introducing Photoshop Elements is to tell the reader how to take advantage of, and how to best use, the software.

Lee does this very well in the last 3/4 of her book. She provides highly informative chapters on scanning and acquiring images with emphasis on scanning techniques to provide good raw material for Elements work. A chapter on the basics of digital cameras is very useful for those digital camera owners who want to learn how to take images that are going to be easy to work with in Elements.

The section on printing was one of my favorites. For those who are generally comfortable with digital cameras, but can never seem to get the on-screen image printed correctly, this chapter will be very useful. There is a good balance of basic color theory and practical printing tips to help most users improve the quality of their prints.

Many pages are devoted to a discussion of color correction and image manipulation. Many users are not going to be doing much more manipulation than putting the head of Spot the dog on the wife's (or husband's) body. But if the resulting photo has a persistent green cast that spoils the effect, you need to know how to adjust the color balance. Lee provides good instructions on how to do basic and advanced color correction. There are several excellent tutorials covering a step-by-step correction of an image. Screen snaps provide visual backup for readers who want to see the process visually.

The last section is about designing complex images. I spent less time here, as I am not ready for the more advanced work than can be done with Elements. Suffice to say that the four chapters devoted to complex image design and editing will provide a good foundation for those interested in Elements exotica.

The one best tip that I liked in Lee's book was the detailed discussion of how to merge separate panoramic photos into one continuous photo with proper perspective. Her description of the process of merging panoramic photos (one of my favorite Elements capabilities) was much better than what Adobe provided.

Introducing Photoshop Elements is the best book I have read so far on how to best use Adobe Photoshop Elements.

MacMice Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Deductions only for the duplication of material from the manual. Granted, that may not bother some readers who want to get it all from the book, and not open the manual.

The first third of thid book covers capturing digital images. The last 2 thirds mimic the manual that comes with the software. This is a typical computer users manual full of fluff and not much substance. Sorry but I took the book back to the store. So I would suggest looking around for a better book then this one.

I love Photoshop Elements... figured out how to do many things on my own... the manual that comes with it is okay. This book should have been the manual! It also has some helpful examples... easy to read, well organized and a bargain.

This is probably the first book that's shown me how to use Photoshop Elements and know what I'm doing. The examples are great, and all the images are available in color from the author's web site. What a great deal!

Shows off the best things in Elements with good photos and good exmaples of how to put Elements to use. All the images show Windows Elements. But I didn't have a problem following with my Mac. Only wish is for all the photos to be in color.

Wasted money ( Chuck Peterson - retired Professional Photographer 10/25/01 )

I was very disappointed with this book. I was hopping for something more than the "USER GUIDE'" supplied with Adobe Photpshop Elements software. Why buy something you get for free only written with slightly different words and with black and white illustrations ( 8 pages of color inserted between pages 180 and 181). I should have waited for a book written by a photographer not a R&D engineer. I totally agree with the books rating on the back cover - user level "Beginners"

I bought a digital camera and a printer and Photoshop Elements came with the printer. Definitely worth the price. Buy this book!

It starts with some super chapters on how to get around Elements followed by chapters that show you how to get Elements to talk to a scanner, camera or printer. The chapter on color and color management software is great! The second half of the book is task oriented and has steps about color correction, photo repair, special effects, etc.

It is difficult to find a well-written, well-organized book on computer software. To many of the writers well, can't write-- both on the macro level (they can't organize a book in a way that matches how people learn and use software) or the micro level (poorly constructed sentences, pointless paragraphs, bizarre "cute" asides). Lisa Lee is not the worst offender, but this book doesn't exactly escape the stereotype either. The book is not written in a user friendly way (i.e. starting with the most basic, important uses of photo editing and moving on to weirder stuff). Instead, it goes feature by feature (with little sense of priority) through the software, like a manual. I'm hoping other Elements books are better.

(...)

If you need a book to teach you how to install the software this book may indeed be useful for you. But if you need any tips to actually use the software the book is unfortunately not helpful. Just read the manual once again instead, everything this book offers is already in there and you'll save money.

This book INTRODUCES Elements, and as such was a great resource for me. Many people get this program bundled with hardware, like a digital camera (as I did,) and since there was no manual involved in the bundle I welcomed the introductory chapters which may have been redundant for others. Very thorough, very explanatory- definitely a valuable first guide to Elements.