Customer Reviews

Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Do you need to edit and organize your photos? If you do, then this book is for you. Author Barbara Brundage, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is intended to make learning Elements easier by avoiding technical jargon as much as possible, and explaining why and when you'll want to use certain features in the program.

Brundage, begins by showing you how to navigate Elements' slightly confusing layout and mishmash of programs within programs. Then, the author covers how to get photos into Elements, the basics of organizing them, and how to open files and create new images from scratch; as well as, how to save and back up your images. Next, She explains how to rotate and crop your photos, and includes a primer on that most important digital imaging concept--resolution. The author then shows you how to use the Quick Fix window to dramatically improve your photos. She continues by covering two key concepts that you'll use throughout the book. Then, the author shows you how to make basic corrections, such as exposure, color adjustments, sharpening , and removing dust and scratches. Next, she covers topics unique to people who use digital cameras, like RAW conversion and batch processing your photos. The author then moves on to some more sophisticated fixes, like changing the light, using the clone stamp to make repairs, making your photos more lively with hue/saturation and changing the colors in an image. She continues by covering how to convert your photos to black and white, and tinting and recoloring black and white photos. Then, she shows you how to use the Elements' Photomerge feature to create multiphoto panoramas and to make perspective corrections to your images. Next, the author covers how to paint your photos and draw shapes, use filters and effects to create a more artistic look and add type to your images. Then she shows you how to get the most out of your printer, how to create images for the Web and email, how to make slideshows and Web Galleries with your photos, and all the fun projects you can create with Elements 5. Finally, she looks at information about using a .graphics tablet in Elements and some resources for after you've finished this book.

You'll also find tutorials throughout this most excellent book that refer to files you can download from the missing manual web site, so you can practice the techniques you're reading about. More importantly, this book assumes you know how to perform basic activities on your computer, like clicking and double-clicking your mouse and dragging objects onscreen.

There are two things you want in a Photoshop book, a walkthrough of the features, and insight into how to use those features to solve real photo problems. This book does a great job covering the features of the product. The explanations of often difficult Photoshop topics are easy to follow. And the example images are great. The practical advice is good, but it's not the primary focus of the book.

I certainly appreciate the brevity of the book. And I really like the full color and the production value. Definitely worth the money.

Another outstanding book in the "Missing Manual" line. Barbara Brundage makes Photoshop Elements 4 not only easy to use, but also a whole lot of fun!! Adobe has many applications that are downright intimidating to many users out there, and it's very refreshing that "Photoshop Elements 4: The Missing Manual" was created. From covering the basics of how to get around the Elements application, the author starts of with the basics of getting your images onto your computer, and the most simple of effects like rotation and cropping. From there, she discusses the all-important topic of layers and basic image retouching so you can take your digital images and make them go from good to GREAT!!! Continuing on with a look at filters and how to get your images printed so they look beautiful and/or posting them to the web or emailing them, this guide is perfect for all new Photoshop Elements users who want to get their feet web on the way to becoming an Elements super user.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. While it's a little bit more expensive than other books in the "Missing Manual" line, the price should NOT be a factor in your decision making. If you are looking for a book that will assist in your knowledge of learning how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 you have come to the right place. If you want to learn more about what is included in the newest release of this outstanding application, look no further. If just want to read an entertaining book and expand your knowledge of how to work with digital imagery so you can make your images look better than ever, again you will NOT be disappointed.

This is the way all books should be written: clearly, simply, and enjoyable.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Adobe's Photoshop is the granddaddy of all image-editing programs. But Photoshop has some big drawbacks--it's very hard to master, it's horribly expensive, and many of the features in it are just plain overkill if you don't plan to work on pictures for a living. For several years, Adobe tried to find a way to cram many of Photoshop's marvelous powers into a package that normal people could use. Photoshop Elements offers much of the power of Photoshop in a program that almost anyone can learn to use. I'm a big fan of the Missing Manual series, and this book retains the excellence I've come to expect in the series. Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I discuss this book in the context of the table of contents:

Chapter 1 - "Finding Your Way Around Elements", helps get you oriented in Elements starting with the Welcome Screen. You'll learn about what to expect when you start up the program and how to use Elements to fix your photos with just a couple of keystrokes.

Chapter 2 - "Importing and Managing Your Photos" shows you how to import your photos from cameras, digital card readers, and scanners. You'll also find out how to import individual frames from videos, how to open files that are already on your computer, and how to create a new file from scratch. After that, you'll learn how to use the Organizer to sort and find your pictures once they're in Elements.

Chapter 3 - "Rotating, Resizing, and Saving" looks at how to trim off unwanted areas, straighten out crooked photos, and save your files. You'll also learn how to change the overall size of your images and how to zoom in and out, to get a better look at things while you're editing.

Chapter 4 - "The Quick Fix" shows how to use "The Quick Fix Window", which gathers together easy-to-use tools that can help you adjust the brightness and color of your photos and make them look sharper.

Chapter 5 - "Making Selections" shows you how to select part of your image and make changes only to that area. You can select your entire image or any part of it.

Chapter 6 - "Layers: The Heart of Elements" shows how to keep your changes and still revert to the original image by using layers, which is a system of transparent sheets that keep each element of your image on a separately editable sliver. By putting each change you make on its own layer, you can constantly rearrange the composition of your image, or add and subtract changes whenever you want.

Chapter 7 - "Basic Image Retouching" guides you through fixing basic exposure problems, new ways of sharpening your photos, and most important, understanding how Elements can improve the colors in your photos.

Chapter 8 - "Elements for Digital Photographers" shows you how to use a collection of advanced tools pulled straight from Photoshop. You learn how to use the RAW Converter, Photo Filter, and Batch File Processor.

Chapter 9 - "Retouching 102: Fine-Tuning Your Images" introduces you to some advanced editing maneuvers that will greatly help you either rescue damaged photos or give good ones some added style. Techniques include eliminating dust, scratches, stains, and other photographic imperfections.

Chapter 10 - "Creating Panoramas and Transforming Images" shows how to use the Photomerge command, which allows you to stitch together a group of photos that you've taken while panning across the horizon.

Chapter 11 - "Drawing with Brushes, Shapes, and Other Tools" shows how you can paint with lots of things besides color - such as lights or shadows, for example. In Elements, when you want to apply an effect in a precise manner, you're often going to use some sort of brush to do it.

Chapter 12 - "Filters, Effects, Layer Styles, and Gradients" discusses special tools that will have people thinking you're a better artist than you actually are. These are largely tools for turning a photo into an artistic work - say, a watercolor for example.

Chapter 13 - "Type in Elements" is about adding text to your photos. You will learn how to create all kinds of fancy text to use on greeting cards, newsletter headlines, or graphics for Web pages.

Chapter 14 - "Printing Your Photos" covers printing your photos at home on an inkjet printer, taking them to a printing kiosk at a local store, or using an online printing service. You'll learn how to interface to Kodak's EasyShare Gallery, Adobe's online printing partner.

Chapter 15 - "Elements and the Web" shows you how to share your photos online, send your photos to cellphones, and transmit them to Palm-based handhelds.

Chapter 16 - "HTML Photo Galleries and Slideshows" discusses creating HTML Photo Galleries, collections of ready-made Web pages featuring all the photos you want to display. You'll also learn how Elements helps you put together digital slideshows, complete with fancy between-photo transitions and audio.

Chapter 17 - "Beyond the Basics" discusses adding new brush shapes, Layer styles, and fancy filters. Also discussed are free add-on features already available on the web. This chapter also discusses how to know when you really do need the full version of Photoshop instead. You'll also learn about the many resources available for expanding your knowledge of Elements beyond this book.

As you can see, Photoshop Elements 4 is a very complete image processing package, and this book is a very accessible guide to discovering all of its aspects. I make daily use of this manual and recommend it highly.

Do you want to improve your photos, keep them organized, and make top-notch prints and truly nifty creative projects? Well, you're in luck! Author Barbara Brundage, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that will help you (no matter whether you are a professional or amateur photographer) rejuvenate old prints, slides and even digital photos, to eliminate the wear and tear of all of those years.

Brundage, begins by showing you how to navigate Elements' slightly confusing layout and mishmash of programs within programs. Then, she covers how to get photos into Elements, the basics of organizing them, and how to open files and create new images from scratch. The author continues by looking at how to save and back up your images, and explains the concept of resolution. She also shows you how to use the Quick Fix window to dramatically improve your photos. She continues by covering two key concepts (making selections and layers) that you'll use throughout the book. In addition, the author next shows you how to make basic corrections, such as exposure, color adjustments, sharpening, and removing dust and scratches. Then, she'll show you how to make some more sophisticated fixes, like changing the light, using the clone stamp to make repairs, making your photos more lively with hue/saturation, and changing the colors in an image. The author continues by covering topics unique for people who use digital cameras, like RAW conversion and batch processing your photos. She also shows you how to use the Elements' Photomerge feature to create multi-photo panoramas, and to make perspective corrections to your images. The author also covers painting on your photos and drawing shapes; using filters and effects to create a more artistic look; an, adding type to your images. She continues by showing you how to get the most out of your printer, how to create images for the Web and email; how to make slide shows and Web Galleries with your photos; and, all the fun projects in the Create section of the program. Finally, she looks at how to use a graphics tablet in Elements and some resources for after you've finished this book.

This excellent book is intended by the author to make learning Elements easier by avoiding technical jargon as much as possible, and explaining why and when you'll want to use certain features in the program. Thus, in keeping the preceding in mind, this book is useful to people who are advanced photographers, as it is to those who are just getting started with their first digital camera.

This book doesn't cover everything you can do with Adobe Photoshop Elements - and yet it covers so much - it's also easy to read. It's good that the book is in full color - it is even better that the color has been put to good use and everything is so well explained with reference to the visuals. You'll also find tons of text boxes all over the book that explain workarounds, new features, and tricks - the first thing I read was these text boxes. The book is logically laid out and most of the content is explained in a task-specific manner so you can follow the steps while keeping the book next to the computer.

For me, who has been using the full Photoshop product, this book has been tempting enough to make me buy a copy of Elements 4 so that I can share my digital images with friends and family. About the sharing images part, this book explains that too! The book also provides many links to sites online, and other books. I have no qualms recommending this book.

Geetesh Bajaj/Indezine.com

I bought two books -- one by Scott Kelby, and this book -- "Photoshop Elements 5 the Missing Manual" by Barbara Brundage.
After reading Kelby's, I opened The Missing Manual book by Brundage. I never look back. Brundage is not only a lot better, it is in a different league. This is the standard all other Photoshop learning book should copy.

Get the Missing Manual. You will never regret it.
I regreted buying the Kelby book. It is up for resale.

There are so many books to choose from on Photoshop Elements and even though Elements 4 just came out, there are still several books to consider. I looked at which books had color examples and how many pages they had. This book won out on both criteria.
After reading it, I can honestly say that I made a wonderful decision! This book has thoroughly explained the ins and outs of Photoshop Elements 4. I feel confident enough to take on any task and even things I had never thought of before!
I bought this to help with digital scrapbooking because Elements has "layers". Many digital editing programs do not have layers, so be aware when choosing editing software.
Adobe Photoshop is the Master of all digital editing software. The average or even above-average photographer does NOT need to spend 800$ on Photoshop when you can get Elements 4 for $60 on Amazon!
I highly suggest getting "The Missing Manual" if you own Elements- it will show you things you didn't know were possible! Make the most out of your software and get this book!!
Make the most of your digital photos and get this book!!

This book is well written and very inclusive of needed information, however, I am new to Elements 5 and it is more than I can handle at this time. It would have been nice for the author to have started from the easiest to the hardest information, but I find she is forever jumping around and forever sending me to other pages to understand the section I am now reading?????

When trying to locate a task I want to do on Elements, I can never find a reference for it in the index.

I would very much recommend this book to anyone who has had experience with other editions of elements, but not for those of us just starting out. I will keep this book as a great resource for future reference, but I think I need to purchase another book that can dummy this info down for me. LOL. Hummmmm, and here I thought I was a fairly intelligent person??? Surprise!!!!

There are so many Photoshop books on the market already that one might wonder about the need for yet another; especially as it's a relatively basic primer on the program which covers how the tools and commands work - something intrinsic to competing Photoshop guides. Barbara Brundage 's PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 4: THE MISSING MANUAL is different, however: among the differences are color screen shots and photo examples to help illustrate these basics, a focus on timesaving techniques which reveal both the power and simplicity of the program, artists' tricks for touching up and changing photos, and more. This is truly the 'manual that should have been in the box' and is especially recommended for any who've just purchased Photoshop Elements 4 and wish to get a running head-start on learning its features.