Customer Reviews

Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One

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

 

 

I bought this book because I like Deke's style of teaching. Not too goofy and not too serious. Deke teaches the building block basics of Photoshop so you can apply your knowledge to any image. Many tips and tricks books show you something that only works if the sky is blue and the grass is green. This book, and all of Deke's training material shows you why something works and not just to apply this filter or use that channel. The enclosed DVD is also very helpful. Deke speaks in a clear and concise voice that is easy to understand and absorb. And if you enjoy the videos then you definitely need to check out all his videos at lynda.com. This book is not for a new beginner to Photoshop but if you have the basics down and are looking for more in depth training then definitely buy this book.

mike meyer

Channels and Masks are often avoided by beginners because they never take the time to learn them. Deke walks you through the process in an easy to understand and enjoyable way. The DVD is worth the price by itself. There are several very high quality videos on the DVD that walk you through all the steps. If you want to learn in a relaxed and fun way, Deke is your guy. I have a few of his other books and DVDs and I think he is one of the best. The pages of the book are colorful and high quality. If you are a beginner, you may want to try Deke's Photoshop book first. Also first-rate.

This book was supposed to teach the different techniques for masking in Photoshop. It doesn't. The book reads like a cookbook . The author shows step by step, like a recipe, what to do to mask complex sample images but he fails to tell you the basis behind those steps. So if you try the recipe on your own images, you will find that it doesn't work and the reason is that in reality you didn't learn a thing.

The author instead of teaching you masking using simple examples, he goes into fairly complex tasks that shows how much he knows about the subject and how little he knows about what you need to learn the technique.

I recently purchased Adobe's CS4 Web Premium edition, and was giddy at the prospect of learning all the new ins an outs of the new program, but already had a great deal of experience with Photoshop (starting with version 7). I hesitated not getting something like Ben Willmore's "Up to Speed" book, but I've found that there are so many resources on the web that I'm able to watch tutorials to learn about the new pieces of CS4 that way.
I wavered between Scott Kelby's book and Deke McLelland's One on One series, and ultimately decided that I'd seen enough Scott Kelby on Photoshop User TV for free so why not try Deke. I'm so glad I did.
His masking techniques, video companion, and mathematical descriptions of how Photoshop looks at images all come together seamlessly. He uses different examples in his videos with the same focus as the chapters they represent. The text has icons right from the photoshop screen rather than telling you to click the mask button, or the layer styles button. Deke also explains what specific settings mean to more than just one image. His sense of humor is entertaining, and doesn't get in the way of the purpose at hand, to learn masking with channels. He does give you some good lessons on making selections, and tells you when to use which type of selection tool, and why. I've spent many years with Photoshop, and still feel that I've learned a great deal from following along with Deke's lessons. I'm tempted to get One on One with Illustrator if he offers it. Thanks Deke!

Do you want to know everything there is to know about channels and masks in Photoshop CS4? Well, this book will get you well on your way. Deke McClelland is a great writer. He makes the samples fun and, yet, quite challenging at the same time. I purchased this book and wasn't disappointed.

This book is great! I have been using photoshop for many years now, this book is showing me new stuff!!!!!
It is definitely a book for advanced users. But if your willing to push yourself, I can't recommend this book enough !

Cheers!!!!!

I'm about half way through this book. The video portions (on the included CD) are great. Mr. McClelland is an excellent trainer. I just wish that when he takes you through the various techniques with the practice images he'd spend a little more time on the "whys" rather than just a cook-book "set this option to this setting". It would make the transition to working with real-world images easier - for me at least. This is a very minor nit, though. I'm learning a lot and that's the bottom line.

Deke McClellands book on channels and masks will guide you through Photoshops use of these tools. I was disappointed however, because the accompanying CD with provided examples had problems with some of the images. Although I could still work through most of the tutorials, there were some that simply would not load. Other than this one issue, I still would recommend this book for anyone wanting to get a better understanding of masks and channels.

I can only speak for myself, but I see no problems with this book. As usual, this author knows his stuff.

I worked as a professional photographer for about fifteen years. This was years ago, and for the past several years, I have been working as a software engineer. These days, photography is just for fun.

This book was easy to follow; however, I do think it is intended for a user with more than average experience with Photoshop. For me it was just right.

Mr. McClelland has provided us with another excellent book.

Typical of Deke McClelland, the video is thorough and understandable. The book text takes understanding to the next level with the exercises using the included files. Highly recommended. Probably not for beginners, but excellent following his CS4 One-on-One.