Customer Reviews

Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Judging by the number of people who don't find negative reviews helpful people don't like to hear the truth - that this book is not for beginners. Its a reference book for intemediate users and above and possibly a reference for beginners who are receiving tuition elsewhere - because theres none to be found here.

Despite the sneering tone of at least one other revewer here it *is* possible to be a newbie and be serious about learning Photoshop - but not with this book. Do yourself a favor and buy Sams' "Teach yourself Photoshop CS2 in 24 Hours" because that *will* teach you how to get to grips with the basics - and avoid this book.

Except for the yellow cover, this just doesn't look like a For Dummies book. As soon as you open it you start to see color printing everywhere. There must be dozens, if not hundreds of four color images, and they are scattered throughout the book. This isn't at all like a lot of books that only have a few color plates. It also appears to be a higher quality paper that looks brighter than the other books in the series. This makes sense because Photoshop is a highly color oriented software package. The really nice thing about all this is that they didn't raise the cost significantly. A lot of books printed like this one are twice the price.

Of course the real test of a book is not its appearance, but its content. This book is aimed at the beginner to intermediate level user. It kind of combines a tutorial and a reference approach. The first few chapters are really introductory. It doesn't make much sense to jump around in them. But after that the chapters are pretty much stand alone. You can use the index or the general chapter heading to find the particular area that interests you and get the information you need.

This is a welcome addition to photoshop literature. While it's aimed at the beginner, even an expert will find a few points that will help him on his next project. The author runs a help desk in real life. That means he knows what people are going to ask and he included it in his book. Very well done.

Hi, I'm Pete Bauer, author of "Photoshop CS2 for Dummies." First I'd like to let you know what an honor it is to follow in the footsteps of Photoshop Hall-of-Famer Deke McClelland! Deke (and his co-authors) did a great job with earlier versions of "Photoshop for Dummies," and I am sure that you'll find this version a wonderful addition to the series. This is a completely new version of "Photoshop for Dummies," written from scratch, to present you, the reader, with a fresh new look at the software. In addition, this is the first version to use color images throughout the book -- what better subject for a full-color "for Dummies" book than Photoshop?

"Photoshop CS2 for Dummies" should be considered a beginner- to intermediate-level reference book. It's not lesson-based, and you don't have to start with Chapter One and work through the book front to back. Instead, take advantage of the Table of Contents and the Index to find topics with which you need help or which sound interesting to you. Flip to those pages and have at it. (Of course if you do start at the front and read to the back, you won't miss a single tip, technique, or cartoon.)

As the Help Desk Director for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), I answer tens of thousands of Photoshop-related questions every year. That gives me a pretty good idea of what folks want to know. I've used that experience (and my experience writing a half-dozen other books on Photoshop and Illustrator) to put together what I think you'll find to be a great resource. Easy to read, entertaining, yet filled with information you need to become proficient with Photoshop. Have fun & best of luck!

I am 100 pages and 5 chapters into the book which I purchased a week ago, mainly based on the glowing reviews that people have left here as well as the esteemed credentials of the author. I have essentially zero Photoshop experience, having only used the photo editing program iPhoto (Mac)--but I have used that to its full extent, including histograms, lighting adjustment and correction, and more.

I was really excited to start learning Photoshop, and only mildly disappointed when I opened the introduction and it said that this was a REFERENCE book and not a step-by-step how-to book. How can you learn Photoshop without a step-by-step? If I had wanted the reference book I would have bought the Dummies Photoshop Reference book.

I was up to the 4th chapter in the book when I realized that I hadn't even needed to pull out my computer yet to follow along. I was literally learning nothing. Not having experience with Photoshop, I didn't need any of the keyboard shortcutting tips and palette preference setting that he went over in the first three chapters because I still don't know what any of those functions even do! And he calls that "Breezing through Basic Training". I don't see what's so basic about any of the tips in there. If you don't know Photoshop, you won't need anything he writes in the first 4 chapters.

With chapter 5, I officially give up. I'm returning the book. It has been a total waste of time. I started to regain hope with chapter 5, as it started out seeming to be just about the first chapter you could use as hands-on to actually learn functions. I then lost all hope as the explanations are not clear and the color images and screen shots that everyone else is raving about are so teeny that you can't read any of the type in them even to glance and recognize the same dialog window on your screen--the type appears to be about a font size of 8 or less. In terms of explanations of the functions and tools in Photoshop this wasn't a help at all. I want to see what the tools look like and how to use them. So far I have gotten way more help from the tutorial that comes with the program.

Obviously the audience for this book will have a wide range of experience with both computers and Photoshop, but in two pages the author goes from saying that it's important to empty the cache before burning a cd with no further explanation (huh?) to fully explaining why you should not to put periods in the file names unless it precedes an extension (duh). That just doesn't help me at all. I bought a Dummies book because I am brand new to Photoshop and wanted to start from scratch, but this book assumes that you have an understanding of Photoshop and just need tips.

I've used lots of books to learn software before--including dry ones published by Microsoft, Missing Manuals, and Dummies books. Dummies books are usually pretty clear-cut, step-by-step guides that wouldn't intimidate a beginner, with a couple of jokes thrown in to help move it all along. This book jumps all over the place in terms of teaching tools instead of introducing them one by one, does not have clear graphics and instructions, and isn't even funny at all. The jokes thrown in don't even produce an internal snicker. They just made me mad that he had all of these credentials and I still wasn't learning anything.

I think I'm going to try the Adobe Classroom in a Book instead, after I tackle the tutorial included with Photoshop.

Luckily, I checked this book out of the library rather than buying it. I say "luckily" because this book isn't worth the money. Here's why...

On the front of the book it says:
Now in FULL COLOR! Loaded with the latest Photoshop tips and techniques"

On the back of the book it says this:
"Wait till you see what you can do with Photoshop CS2"

Photoshop CS2 for Dummies is not about HOW to do it, but about WHAT you can do with it. The cover of this book should have stated that it is a reference book out of fairness, rather than burying that fact in the prelude. Besides, aren't reference books suitable for people who already know what they are doing and have experience using the program?

This book didn't come with a CD or a website to go to for graphics and lessons. Words alone do nothing when you have to get your hands dirty. Would a pilots school be useful to you if you just sat in the classroom all day listening to the teacher on theory but not actually applying it by flying?

The first part (chapters 1-3) was way too basic, if not annoying. If you don't know how to use the mouse or what a menu is, what is color, what is cropping, etc. then you need to go back to Computer 101. 84 pages of material more appropriate for a Windows dummies book, not a Photoshop book.

Part II (chapters 5-9) was not much better. Written in the same "manual-like" style, it lacked techniques and how-to. Its sad when you are reading a computer software book and don't even lift the mouse or use the program while reading.

Part V consists of Chapters 18 to 20. Three chapters of tips and tricks. Total number of pages? Fourteen. Yep, you read that right. Fourteen out of 400 pages. Here's the first paragraph of Chapter 18:
"I have literally thousands of Photoshop tips and tricks to share with you but space here allows for only ten."

What a cop out. Wasn't that what the subtitle of this book was all about? Latest tips and techniques? Further, the tips are very poorly represented and outdated. There are websites that offer more detail and blow by blow description as you apply each step of the tip. Instead, this book shows only the end effect - worthless when there are many steps in between to enforce that the user is doing things right and getting the right results.

Noticed that I didnt discuss Parts III to IV? It was a waste of time.
Reference manuals are suitable for experienced users, not for beginners or people looking to learn from scratch. The best way to learn a creative tool like Photoshop is to experiment and try as everything is a transformation from one rendering to another.

I too have no less than 1/2 dozen Dummies book. Most of which I've never finished. But this one is the best of the best Photoshop CS2 manuals. It's easy to read, instructions are clear, and concise, though a few times he forgets to tell you how to access certain menu options. But overall this is a total winner. I love that it is in color, and none of the sometimes lame attempts at humor like some of the other Dummie books where the authors seemed to be more interested in entertaining you than educating you. I read five chapters in one sitting while doing hands on exercises at the same time. Great Book!!!!

I purchased this book after using my local libraries` copy. It is full of information on the basic operational details and procedures of photoshop CS2. It is written in as plain an English as one could expect.

All the "secret" procedures to do various things are explained, things that would take decades of use if you were to try to figure them out without help.

It does not go into the aesthetics of photo editing at all. It only explains the basic procedures of how the various functions work, but it does this well.

It does nothing with the other graphic arts programs that come with CS2 such as In Design, Illustrator, and others. Photo editing is only a small part of the CS2 program.

If you want instruction on how to improve photos, this is not the book. If you want to learn the functions of how photo editing works within CS2, this book does a superb job in easily understood language.

I've used a lot of the Dummies books. At last count I had 7 on my shelf. So I was a little bit surprised when I went looking for a Dummies book on Photoshop and saw this one in color. After using the book and the program, it makes perfect sense. I'm not sure a black and white book would have done the topic justice. So far it's a good reference on a confusing software.

I've always been a fan of the "For Dummies" series, especially when it came to computer subjects, and this is one of the best in that series. This book will not teach you advanced techniques, but it will show you what the features and tools do in this latest release of Photoshop. Even if you are already familiar with Photoshop, this book does a good job of introducing the reader to the new features of CS2. The author has plenty of "screen shots" that show the reader exactly what submenu he is referring to when he is discussing how to get to a particular tool, and plenty of clear step-by-step instructions. There are also plenty of before and after images demonstrating what the tool under discussion does. The author even bothers to discuss "big picture" issues such as why you would want to own a digital camera, and the reason for saving image data in RAW format. The one thing that is not really detailed is Photoshop's catalog of native filters, for the obvious reason that this vast topic could be - and is - the subject of an entire separate book. This book is not recommended for the power user, but it has something to offer everyone else.

Let me start by saying that I am a total Photoshop newbie. I have only used Microsoft digital imaging suite.

I have to say, this book is very lacking in useful information.
Basically, this book tells you what things are in Photoshop CS2 but never gives you any useful way to apply it to your images.

1. Basically no tips on how to edit RAW images with Photoshop CS2.

2. Mentions sharpening but doesn't tell you how best to do it.

3. Talks very superficially about masking but never really tells you how to do it.

4. It's not until the 5th chapter in the book that you even told anything that would require you to turn on your computer.

If you want to know how to use this to improve your family photos, look elsewhere.