Customer Reviews

Photoshop® 5 for Windows® Bible

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am an Internet developer who was interested in learning how to use Photoshop to create graphics for Web pages. I purchased this book largely based on the positive reviews I read here on Amazon.com. I have spent a considerable amount of time reading the immense ammount of pure technical information in this book only to come away with very little ability to manipulate and create the type of graphics I'm interested in. The book dumps a massive amount of information about graphic technologies and the associated Photoshop capabilities on you without providing any practical examples necessary for building usage skills. You have to read 250 pages before it even talks about use of the painting and editing tools. The chapter on Selections, Layers and Text (which I believe should start on page 1), doesn't start until chapter 11 (page 375). If you have a strong art or photography background it may be a little easier to absorb. If you already know how to use Photoshop, it can be a great reference. But if you are totally new to Photoshop and graphic arts, this book is not for you.

Well, the book IS like the Bible in that it is extremely wordy and somewhat unfocused.

It is useful as a topical reference on basic functions of Photoshop, but not as a coursed tutorial for self-study if you are looking for something that will show you essentials in a relatively brief period of time. I do not think it is for professionals whom are looking for a pathway to apply and integrate advanced techniques -- most of the techniques presented are basic or one-step and not especially clever or creative (as compared with the book "Design Essentials", for example). Detail is admirable but detail without process-based application is a quagmire. I would have liked to see the author present a complex image and go through how to utilize different categories of functions to achieve the effect.

There is a lot of chattiness which is probably good for some people but I found it annoying -- I want to know HOW to do it, not impressions of feelings of notions experienced about how to do it. The friendly writing style makes the subject easily accessible, however, but if you already know the subject somewhat, you may feel like you're spending more time in getting to know the author rather than the subject matter.

The CD is nice, but, like quite a few books these days that come with a CD, the images presented in the text are not referenced to the images on the CD. And most of the material on the CD is not discussed specifically in the book. Lots of demoware to clog your hard drive or mess up your system configuration, though. As a related aside: What is the point of including a CD for a book on practical methods when most items on the CD are not specifically discussed or utilized in the discourse of the book? Adds impressive bulk, right? So, does a bulkier, thicker, heavier book mean a more effective book? Then the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary must be the most effective book known to man. Not. Compare with Ander's book, "Hands-On Photoshop", where discussion is more focused on how to take pieces of Photoshop and use them to put a whole project together, and, ohmigod, every file in the disc actually supports the book.

Pricewise, like most books of this type, sorely overpriced. As for the "nature" of the reviews below, I find it hard to believe that some are not overly enthusiastic beyond reason, or "insider jobs" -- this book is okay if you get it at a 40% discount, but it ain't no 5-star Pageant winner.

Deke is brilliant and he takes the time to tell you this throughout the book. If you wanted to ask a simple question, how do I place one image over the other and blend them together, you would have to do a lot of reading to find out. This should have been titled, advanced photoshop for math majors.

The photoshop bible is actually an alternative manual for adobephotoshop. (If you haven't bought photoshop and need a manual this isan expensive way to go.

This is good to have as a reference book, but if you're looking for real-life examples of improving your photoshop techniques this is not the book for you.

The book is clearly aimed at beginners and the author focuses too much on the basics rather than giving real life examples. It's also not a book you can read or follow from cover to cover - It's like reading a dictionary. In my opinion at least 150 pages of this book should have been filled with examples - instead I found very very few examples.

So, if you already have a manual - keep it. If you need one, buy this one. If you need to learn photoshop better, buy a book with examples.

Deke has certainly outdone himself this time in putting together Photoshop® 5 for Windows Bible. This acclaimed Photoshop authority will take you step-by step through an amazing and exciting journey into the world of Adobe's Photoshop 5. He will show you all the ins and outs of this industry leading application so that you will feel like an expert multimedia professional in no time. Compare with other books of this price and you'll find no other manual can show you how to use Photoshop's brilliantly varied array of tools and effects including many insider tips on working with selections, layers, filters, and special effects. This Bible also covers topics including retouching images, corrections, composites, and working with the Web. And you also get a companion CD-ROM packed with many helpful extras, including some of the latest plug-ins. I would recommend this product to anyone who wants to the get the most from their Adobe product, because there really is no better buy!

Tends to reproduce the users manual. Better resources are available for free on line and IN COLOR. Not recommended.

Theres really nothing that new in this book. It might be good companion text for beginers but as an advanced user it didn't show any useful methods. The CD is annoyingly full of fluff.

The Photoshop 5 Bible provided a good source of information for the beginers. In my opinion, it lacked the "in depth" that it should have had on some of the sections. I did not like how it just quickly went over some areas. Personally, I feel that this book was to basic for Intermediate to Advanced users. Recommended for those starting out in photoshop.

I don't know why this book has a 4-5 starts rating. It's thick and big and seems has more than enough info to learn for photoshop. But I really have no interest to read this and i even can't learn anything from this book. It's hard to follow and the paragraphs are long but not useful. For beginners, i really won't recommend this book. I'd rather pick a quickstart guide instead.But when you go for the advance level and want to learn more details, it might be a good reference book.

I had no prior experience with adobe products, but within 2 months of purchasing this book, I was doing things that my graphic artist friends, who have been using Photoshop for years couldn't do and now I am constantly being badgered to teach Photoshop professionally. I don't teach but I recommend this book to everyone who will listen. I have hundreds of computer books of all types and this one is by far the most thorough and easiest to follow of all. Congratulations Deke, I only wish you had a book on 3D graphics.