Photoshop Elements 2 for Windows & Macintosh [Paperback]

Craig Hoeschen (Author), Christopher Dahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2002

Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe's easy-to-use, flexible version of its powerful Photoshop software, opens the door for amateur photographers, business users, and home hobbyists who want to create and edit digital images.

Photoshop Elements for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide uses task-based lessons to show readers the ropes in using Photoshop Elements to capture photos, correct color, work with layers, erase backgrounds, create photo-illustrations and Web graphics, simulate painting and drawing techniques, and more. Concise, step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots help users look up just what they need to know, and once the reader has mastered the software, this book works as a great visual reference.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe's easy-to-use, flexible version of its powerful Photoshop software, opens the door for amateur photographers, business users, and home hobbyists who want to create and edit digital images.

Photoshop Elements for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide uses task-based lessons to show readers the ropes in using Photoshop Elements to capture photos, correct color, work with layers, erase backgrounds, create photo-illustrations and Web graphics, simulate painting and drawing techniques, and more. Concise, step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots help users look up just what they need to know, and once the reader has mastered the software, this book works as a great visual reference.

About the Author

Pamela Pfiffnerhas been working with and writing about digital graphic arts since the dawn of desktop publishing in 1984. She has been editor in chief of MacUser and Publish magazines and of creativepro.com, a Web site for creative professionals. She also served as executive producer of ZDTV.com (now TechTV.com), an integrated Web site for the cable television channel. Ms. Pfiffner has a Masters of Journalism from the University of California at Berkeley where she also taught for nine years. Currently she teaches at Portland State University in Oregon. She is the co-author of How Desktop Publishing Works (ZD Press/Macmillan).

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (September 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020179974X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201799743
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,355,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars John Nemerovski MyMac.com Book Review, October 24, 2002

By 

Tim E Robertson "Publisher MyMac" (Battle Creek, Mi United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photoshop Elements 2 for Windows & Macintosh (Paperback)

I "relaxed' by reading this book cover to cover,skipping only a few sections after working 11 hours with this software program.

Elements is mega-ware, one of the greatest applications of all time. If you are currently (ugh!) still using another program stop immediately and get this one. This very affordable book will help you become an accomplished digital artist.

Theauthors explain in clear, concise prose how to install Elements and begin using it. Digital editing and creating is non-intuitive for many newbies (including me), and Hoeschen and Dahl's gentle user-friendly approach is refreshingly straightforward. The two-column Visual QuickStart format works perfectly to illustrate written directions and tips with pertinent screenshots, divided between the three operating systems; well over half the screenshots show the Mac interface (split between 9.2 and OS X).

At the heart of Elements and this guide is understanding and using the powerful LAYERS feature. Study this chapter in depth, and come back to it often as you progress.

A small center section of color imagery enhances the instructive text, but don't buy the book because of it. You will get much greater benefit from immersing yourself in Elements' versatile feature set, described and displayed page after page in glorious greyscale.

At current pricing,

MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Nemerovski

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Save your money., March 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Photoshop Elements 2 for Windows & Macintosh (Paperback)

Photoshop Elements 2.0 includes a 254 page manual. This visual quickstart guide is nothing more than a rewrite of the Adobe manual with the addition of scores of low contrast black and white illustrations. It is very well written and is laid out better than the Adobe manual but it offers little that is not already in the Adobe book. If you want a reference manual you don't need this quickstart guide because the Adobe manual is quite satisfactory and comes with the program. If you're looking for a tutorial this quickstart guide is useless. Good tutorials are the books by Scott Kelby, Jan Kabili, and Shane Rebenschied

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, January 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Photoshop Elements 2 for Windows & Macintosh (Paperback)

I have had limited experience with improving digitial photographs. I was looking for a book to help explain Photoshop Elements 2. I had skimmed through the manual. I saw none on Amazon that had multiple wonderful reviews so I picked up a copy of this book. It was all I had hoped for. It was clear with step by step illustrations on what to do. I am a Mac user but it has Windows instructions equally as well. I read through most of it in 2 sittings while trying some of the steps on my laptop. On the first day I was able to make images that appeared too dark come alive using the histograms which are so easy to use when clearly explained. I could use the clone tool and easily remove a pillow on the back of a chair while it looked totally natural as if the pillow was never there and the lines of the chair were totally normal. I could remove a light over my son's head that looked as if he were wearing it as a hat and otherwise ruined a wonderful image. It taught me so much more. I have not yet gotten into layers but the explainations appear very clear. I hired someone to make a picture video for a presentation but now see how easy it would be for me to do and have anyone see a copy of it with acrobat reader. If you don't kow how to use Photoshop Elements 2, get this book. You will not be sorry.