Customer Reviews

Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Those of us that may or may not have an Attention Deficit Disorder of some kind or another may find PE6 a little too complicated for their tastes. It does require quite a bit of patience, which I am short of, and concentration, which does not exist for me in this world, yet I try to muddle through. The first book published after the release of PE6, as far as I know, was the "missing manual", which is quite well written and constructed so that reference is made to be pretty simple.

Here's the best part for me: when I bought the book, I noticed that the author gives you her email address, and oddly enough invites individual questions, something I found unfathomable, I mean, try emailing Grisham for instance. So, rather than read on, I email her, and within minutes, receive a reply from her, answering my question, and referring me to where I can read further. I didn't take advantage of her niceness once, I asked her more than a dozen questions, got similarly responsive replies each time.

I can't be the only person in America who bought this book, can I? or the only person asking the author questions? And maybe, if you read this review and buy the book, her responsiveness will go by the wayside. Or maybe, you'll buy the book and it by itself will answer all your questions for you, as it has done for me since spending time with it as I should have in the first place.

I purchased Photoshop Elements 6 primarily because I heard that the Organizer feature is very rich and useful. I have several thousand digital images that I want to organize. Unfortunately, the help that comes with the program is very poor. So, I purchased this book because of the rave reviews. The book is generally well-written and covers lots of topics, but the section on the Organizer is next to useless, which really surprised me, since the Organizer is one of the main features of the program. I think the author should have anticipated that many of us would have lots of images to import and organize and should have provided in-depth help, tips and tricks to enable us to do that. I'm hoping that the soon-to-be released Dummies book does a much better job.

In short, if you are looking for help editing digital images with PE6, or if you are just starting out and don't have many images to organize, this book is probably a good resource. If you need to know how to use the Organizer to import and organize lots of images, this book is of no help.

I was well aware that PSE would require some effort to get me up to speed on its efficient use. I also knew I wasn't going to find good written documentation with the program itself. After doing a little research I selected this title by Barbara Brundage, and it was the best choice for me! I've worked my way through the bulk of the book, trying out the different procedures as I go. Every step is very clearly explained, many include screen shots, and there is enough cross-referencing that I am beginning to feel pretty comfortable with the program's myriad capabilities even though I've only had it a few days. Unlike some reviewers, I feel the index, combined with the table of contents, is quite adequate to help re-locate a concept or a procedure when I need to go back and check. In a former life I wrote a number of tips and technique sheets on much less complicated software, so I have some feel for the difficulties of communicating all that a program can do. This author is highly skilled at doing just that, and I HIGHLY recommend this guide...it's worth every penny!

I bought this book largely on the strength of the reviews on this site. The book isn't bad, but I am amazed at how many editing errors there are -- in the first week I had the book, I had found at least 5 erroneous page cross-references.

This editing problem is particularly annoying since the author uses frequent cross-references to amplify or explain the subject matter of the page on which the cross-reference is made. I found myself repeatedly having to search for the cross-referenced material and writing the correct reference in my copy so I wouldn't have to search the next time.

Interestingly enough, I found many helpful and clear explanations of what look like important, fundamental Elements techniques in another book I purchased, Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks - Digital Photography, a book I bought without expecting any tips that were specific to Elements. I suppose "The Missing Manual" is intended to be a comprehensive discussion of Elements, even arcane and what seem to be almost useless aspects of the program, but at times I got the feeling that relatively minor matters were covered in the same depth as important techniques.

I suspect that after I am more accustomed to using Elements I will conclude that this in depth guide is indispensable, but it isn't particularly new-Elements user friendly.

I do think this book is helpful and it is a very detailed resource, but it does annoy me that it is poorly edited.

Written by Barbara Brundage, who has been teaching people how to use Photoshop Elements since its creation in 2001, Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual lives up to its title by walking the reader through all he or she needs to know about Photoshop Elements 6 - a software that gives most of the image-manipulation functionality of full-fledged Photoshop at a much more reasonable price. Photoshop Elements 6 is ideal for scrapbookers, photographers, and beginning graphic artists; The Missing Manual covers everything from importing and saving photos to understanding the layers palette to drawing with brushes and other tools, creating projects, creating online galleries, and much more. Full-color screenshots and images throughout illustrate this "user-friendly" guide. A "must-have" for anyone who wants to get started with and explore the possibilities of Photoshop Elements 6.

In the 25+ years I've been working with PCs I've read my share of manuals and third-party reference and how-to books. I'm just learning PE6 and I rate Barbara Brundage's book in the top five: its well organized, very detailed, and easy to follow.
I've noticed that some of the other reviewers think there is not enough material dedicated to the Organizer module. Personally I found the information on the subject to be adequate. Besides, I purchased this book to learn how to use the powerful editing features of PE6 and as far as I'm concerned it does this very, very well.

Another outstanding book in the "Missing Manual" line. Barbara Brundage makes Photoshop Elements 6 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 6: 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 6 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

The pictures, particularly those showing the software dialog boxes are unreadable. This is because they are too small and the paper is uncoated. This is a major failing of an otherwise very good book.
I switched to Photoshop Elements for Dummies, bigger pix,coated paper, cheaper price (though less pages).

It's nice to have this book to grab, now that I'm starting at the very beginning with PE. I think it could be twice as long and still not do the software justice. I was trying to figure out how to take an existing photos directory that has many subdirectories and convert it to a PE catalog. This book isn't clear enough on the organization features. But it's a whole lot better than the nothing that comes with the software.

Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual

I am new to photoshop, and recently bought the new Elements 6. I was looking for a book to help with digital scrapbooking in elements, and found this. It is not specifically for scrapbookng, but I have found everything I needed quickly and easily! It is a fantastic book, written in easy to understand format. I have already recommended it to other friends both new and old to photoshop. MUST HAVE!!