Customer Reviews

The Photoshop CS2 Speed Clinic: Automating Photoshop to Get Twice the Work Done in Half the Time

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since I was new to PhotoShop CS2, upgrading from years with PS Elements, I started with basic, highly recommended massive tutorial type PS CS2 books first. I had a "second tier" list of PhotoShop books for purchase consideration after I became at least semi-literate in PS CS2. This was near the top of my "second tier" book list - it should have been one of the FIRST PhotoShop books I bought!

Sure, it's not the only book you'd need if you're a total neophyte with PS CS2, but I'd highly recommend even a newbie buying it right along with one of the more thorough, step-by-step tutorial type PS books ... Kloskowski's "PS CS2 Speed Clinic" is a must have, even if you are a beginner who is going to have to work with PS CS2 on a regular basis. While I couldn't have started to learn PS CS2 with just this book, you couldn't pry it out of my grubby mitts at any price - it's THAT good. Even as someone who has used PS CS2 for less than a year, Speed Clinic has been, and continues to be an invaluable time-saver for me!

Within minutes, I'd finally figured out how to record a whole set of actions, one of which needs to be run on all of my photos as soon as they are loaded into Bridge before I do anything else to them. Subsequently, it took no time at all to understand how to batch process with Speed Clinic's coincise instruction! The other actions deal with a host of minor adjustments to my product photos. I am not a graphic artist, I use the CS2 package for my business as an artist, only I work in wood.

It took me less than an hour with Speed Clinic to get my super time-saving set of actions tweaked and recorded.

What had been taking me an hour or more per set of 3-5 photos of each piece of woodturned art has now been reduced to no more than 15 minutes and in some cases half that (I try to get the photos right at my table-top photo "studio" before it gets to PS, but nothing's ever perfect).

Any book that saves me THAT kind of time an hour after it arrives on my doorstep, gets my kudos and 5 stars. As a sole proprietorship business, for me, time IS money and lot of it; the more time I have to spend editing my product photos in PS, the less time I'm in my studio working.

Kloskowski's mini-tutorials on actions, droplets and smart objects, coupled with his "secrets" of batch processing have expedited my product photo editing incredibly. I realize I'm still what could be classified as a relative newcomer to PS CS2, but I'd learned enough already to be able to make instant use of a lot of Speed Clinic's time-saving suggestions.

By the time this book arrived, I'd already figured out a simple, but effective workflow, but I was slow as the proverbial doddering turtle getting it done on each photo. I cannot possibly adequately emphasize enough how much this book helped me immediately take what little PS knowledge I'd already learned and automate it. In under an hour after its arrival, I learned and executed in PS more than enough to justify the cost of the book and then some!

With Speed Clinic, I was able to learn how to set up/record an action and how to batch process all of my product photos to set resolution and other settings I need done to each and every photo set in a given product range before I even start editing them. Okay folks, remember, I said I was a rank newbie, having only upgraded from PSE4 to PS CS2 less than a year ago, so learning how to record an action and batch process all my new product photos with it was a very big, time-saving deal to me at the time! ;-)

There is, of course, SO much more in this book. If you have any basic ability to work in PhotoShop at ALL, this book will most definitely help you learn "how to work faster, smarter, and more efficiently" (and with a heck of a lot less frustration)!

I can't possibly recommend this book as a "must have" highly enough. It won't be the only book you need if you're brand new to PhotoShop, but I wouldn't linger long before purchasing it.

This is a really different Photoshop book. It presumes you have a working knowledge of Photoshop and feeds you tips and tutorials to make you work more efficientlly and do things you did not know could be done. Matt K has a really good writing style, precise anbd clear, that makes things seem pretty simple even when the technique being discussed is complex. Very well illustrated too. Not for the beginner but highly recommended for the intermediatee to advanced Photoshop user.

I've bought nearly every one of Matt's books and this one is my favorite yet. He really found an important area in Photoshop that no one was covering and created a great book. Its written in a way that anyone can pick it up and get right into it. You probably won't use every single chapter (the scripting chapter looked cool but I'm just not that techie) but the beauty of the book is that you can pick up in any chapter you want (The actions, batch process, Creative Suite, and RAW chapters were my favorite). I'm one of those people who went from film to digital a few years ago and have been looking for a way to do things faster and this book has definitely helped out.

I was lucky enough to have grabbed this one at Photoshop World in Miami before it sold out. I've got to say that its one of those books that you can put to work immediately. I'm a designer by nature but also love digital photography. The tutorials in this book have sped up both types of my daily workflow. The chapters on actions, watermarking, and uncovering the secrets behind batch processing have paid for the price of the book already. Hats off to Matt for another great book!

Matt 'Rockin the Houski' Kloskowski's best work of many excellent works! I love this Photoshop book! For a number of reasons. First, it can be read in an afternoon. That's right. 240 pages chock full of good stuff and it is that easy a read. Second, it is one of those photoshop books you'll keep close as it is an excellent reference book. Well organized, it is easy to find things (how many times have you known you can do something in Photoshop, but you can't remember how, and you can't remember where you read it... not a problem with this volume). Third, it is impossible not to like Matt. His style is friendly and unassuming. Clearly an expert, but he doesn't make you feel the lesser because you are still learning. Instead, he exhibits a genuine interest in bringing us all along. How can you not like that? Lastly, I am for any work that will allow me to do the things I like to do (and I love digital photography... 4 cameras and counting) smarter and more efficiently. I'll add that I like this one so much I may pick up a second copy so I can have one both at home and at the office. At a paltry 22 bucks, you can't go wrong. So what are you waiting for. Go buy your copy of Speed Clinic and tell Amazon to put a 'rush' on it!

The Photoshop CS2 Speed Clinic: Automating Photoshop to Get Twice the Work Done in Half the Time book is THE BEST book I have ever used for self-training.

I have taught Photoshop on the college level since Version 3. Matt knows how to teach. Matt knows how to teach Photoshop. Matt writes so learning is easy and rewarding. Having files available for downloading to use with the book is an excellent teaching method.

I have just started to use the book and its lessons. I have no doubt that anyone using the book will become much more proficient and will feel at ease when trying new methods. Because I have not yet finished the book, I cannot comment on any one specific lesson as being the best. I'm guessing that I will not be able to make that decision because they will all be the best.

For anyone who is considering the purchase of this book . . . go for it. There is no way you will be disappointed.

Great job, Matt. We'll be looking for more books as new versions of Photoshop are released.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is 'just another Photoshop Book' because you couldn't be further from the truth. Over the last couple of years my library of 'how to' books for photoshop has grown considerably but if i had to get rid of some (heaven forbid) and could only keep a few then this new book by Matt Kloskowski would be one to keep without question!. It's totally jam packed full of useful tips and techniques for getting the most out of this wonderful program that will not only as it says 'Speed' up your workflow but will simplify some of the more 'misunderstood' tools and concepts. Written in an clear and fun, 'almost conversation' style this really is a top class book, but don't take my word for it..buy it and you'll be amazed at how much information is held within the pages.

I'm a professional photographer and use Photoshop daily. I saw Matt demo some things from this book at PMA. I knew then that I had to get it. The Speed Clinic has allowed me to maximize my workflow so I spend less time in photoshop and more time in the camera room. This books makes photographers able to leave the studio in time for dinner. A must have if you are struggling with workflow.

At the discounted price this book is an excellant value. Matt has a great way of talking/writing to the reader, making the reader feel comfortable with the topics covered. He understands our difficulties (because he is an every-day user and photographer) using perhaps the most complicated software application available to the general public. There are 11 chapters. Covering: Bridge, actions, smart objects, raw workflow, scripting, general workflow, photoshop (under the hood), creative suite interaction. Each colored page has a bonus Turbo Boost speed tip in the lower corner of the page - usually relating to the topic discussed. The text is easy to read using
black text against a white background for good contrast. The diagrams are in color. The pages are from quality stock glossy paper. Each chapter has numbered step by step tutorials. Matt includes Speed Bumps which alert the reader to pitfalls and gothas regarding the topics discussed. One of my favorite chapters near the end of the book discusses how to tweak Photoshop and Windows for faster performance. This is great value at the discounted price. My only gripe - I wish the book include more content, perhaps an additional 25 pages (you can never have enough of a good thing). I am an intermediate Photoshop user and I found this book very helpful and educational.

The Photoshop CS2 Speed Clinic is a must-have book for seasoned Photoshop users. The author presents a series of powerful tips and techniques that will work wonders when integrated into your production workflow. The book delves into harnessing the power of Adobe's Bridge software, writing repeatable Actions to automate your workflow, and fine-tuning Photoshop's settings to work well with your hardware setup (Mac or PC). The tips and techniques are easy to follow, with plenty of images to support the text. This is a book that you can easily read through in one sitting, but I guarantee you'll keep coming back to it for reference.

This book is more for intermediate to advanced Photoshop users - focusing on maximizing your productivity with the tool. It's NOT a book for learning how to use Photoshop.