Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks (Paperback)

by Scott Kelby (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE HOTTEST TRICKS, AND MOST REQUESTED PHOTOSHOP EFFECTS IN ONE AMAZING BOOK!

Scott Kelby, co-host of Photoshop User TV and the world’s #1 bestselling Photoshop author, is back to unlock the secrets of an amazing new collection of the latest eye-popping, jaw-dropping, Photoshop special effects—the same kind that made Scott’s previous editions of this book one of the top selling Photoshop books in history.

You’ll learn some of the most closely guarded Photoshop CS4 special effects—the same ones you see on TV, in magazines, and on the Web. Using Scott’s simple step-by-step method, with hundreds of full-color images, you’ll see exactly how it’s all done. The book is written so clearly, and it is so easy to follow, you’ll immediately be able to create all of these effects yourself. You’ll learn:

    • The latest photographic special effects
    • How to fake studio shots (you’ll be amazed at how it’s done)
    • The latest cutting-edge type effects
    • The most popular effects used by big movie studios
    • The most-requested advertising effects
    • Commercial effects that clients go crazy over!
    • The most asked-for current Web effects
    • Amazing 3D effects using Photoshop Extended
    • Plus loads of effects that look hard, but are easy once you know the secrets

And not only that, but the whole book is packed with creative ideas, layouts, and design techniques that will help you unleash your own creativity. It’s all here, in the only Photoshop book of its kind. You're gonna love it!



About the Author
Scott Kelby is president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), the trade organization for Adobe Photoshop users, which has 70,000 members worldwide. Scott is also Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine. He's the co-host of the highly acclaimed Photoshop User TV, and teaches photography and imaging workshops around the world. Scott serves as training director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour and is the technical chair of the largest Photoshop gathering, Photoshop World. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321563174
• ISBN-13: 978-0321563170
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Programming > Algorithms > Digital Image Processing
  #19 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Digital Photography & Video > Adobe Photoshop
  #24 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Graphic Design > Web Design > Web Graphics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What I think, May 31, 2009

By	Virgil L. Mize (US Air Force, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must admit the I too bought this book under the impression that it was going to be more towards the photography side than the special effects. Bad on me for that. Having said that I discovered that what is in the book really did it justice. I read book cover to cover and found it a great source of info. I actually read different sections almost daily just to keep the tricks in the back of my mind. Now about the uproar over the reviews. There is a saying in the military. " One oh crap wipes out a thousand that a boys". I hope that does not become the case with this book. It a good book. Also I do hope that Scott Kelby is not so insecure that 2 bad reviews really gets him that spun up. I think it's more of a sales tactic which is also acceptable (Hey business is business). I give this book 4 stars. There is always room for improvement. Keep'em coming Scott.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some reviewers should just watch TV instead, May 29, 2009

By	Stephen Kalman "techauthor" (Hawley, Pa USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I usually don't trash other reviewers, but this time some of them wrote reviews that really annoy me.

If you bought a wrench and used it to fix a nail sticking out of a dresser, but found it didn't work, would you blame the wrench? Would you write a review saying what a lousy wrench it is? Or, would you quietly return it and get a hammer instead? It seems to me that several "reviewers" here are blaming the wrench!

As another example, if you like mysteries and buy a romance book by the same author, it isn't fair to say that the romance title is a bad mystery.

When the covers of a book clearly describe what it is about and who it is for, and the editorial review on this page says the same thing but someone buys it withoug reading any of that, hoping for totally different content, it isn't fair to blame the author. Giving a 1-star review says more about the incompetence of the reviewer that it will ever say about the book. Unfortunately (and unfairly) it kills the book's average review. This book deserves a 5-star average. It meets and exceeds the needs of its audience. If you're not in that audience that's OK; it means the book isn't for you, not that it is a bad book.

The covers say that this book is about special effects. Want to learn how to make type appear on fire, look here. Want to figure out how to make a special layout or design, then this book will show you how to do it in photoshop. Kelby has been teaching this stuff for years, both in books, on tours and online. Naturally, that's all written in Kelby's humorous, self-deprecating style and it makes learning fun. It is yet another great book from one of the industry's best authors.

The fact that this author has also written many best-selling books about camera raw, workflow and sharpening, and has built a loyal following for such content is great. If that's what you need, then run to get one of those titles.

However, if you've bought several of his "better pictures" books and liked them but bought this one without reading the editorial material and were then disappointed that is wasn't for you, just return it quietly and tell the bookseller "my mistake". Don't make an online fool of yourself by telling everyone you can't tell the difference between a wrench and a hammer.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning cool effects was never so easy!, May 20, 2009

By	Jean Walters - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have a couple of Scott's books (and love his style) but my Down & Dirty Tricks book just arrived and it's quickly becoming my favorite. He's just nailed all these cool effects that I've sat there and wondered "How'd they do that?". I'm already playing around with some, and having a ton of fun learning.

I'm about a 5 on a scale of 1-10 in Photoshop and I found the steps very easy to follow. The real beauty is that the book has given me techniques and ideas that I can put to work right now - I didn't have to read the whole book to use it. You can dive in anywhere and learn techniques you can apply to your own projects. I haven't looked at it yet but there's a companion web download page too. Just my opinion, but I think even a more experienced Photoshop user can get a lot out of this book (it's perfect for beginners or intermediate users, so if you think you could teach your own class, maybe review it in the book shop first).

Sometimes I see a look I want to replicate, but it's hard to know where to start, I like how Scott breaks it down. There's even a cool chapter on 3D, which I have been afraid to even play with so far (of course it looks easy when it's step-by-step). These techniques will seriously make me look like a Photoshop guru and that will put money in my pocket (which I really need right now).