Customer Reviews

Photoshop Elements 3 Solutions

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Step-by-step techniques covered in this book explain the new Elements 3.0 features including the Healing Brush, RAW support and improved Red Eye Removal.

The technique for combining images using a Gradient Mask is one of the neatest tricks I've seen in a long time.

The book is chuck full of color images and all of the example files are on the CD.

The book also explains how to set up your preferences to take advantage of the software.

The book skips all of unnecessary simple stuff and gets right down to the meat of program including coverage of the Organizer (formally Album).

Overall decent book but could be a 5 star if it had just one more chapter and some 'theory'. I want to know why/how the tools work not just be told to click here, check this and select that. The examples are great but when trying to do similiar things with your own work not knowing the basics can sometimes really slow you down.

I was quite suprised to find little to no organized help on some of the basics. i.e, what is feathering, hard or soft brushes. I still can't figure out how to use the 'Color Changer'. Scattered thru out the book are some detailed basics but they are hard to find.

The overview says the book has 'extensive coverage' of the Organizer, it should read 'getting started' with the Organizer. A 5 star book would suggest ideas on how to organize using Tags and Collections.

Now to the good....I have learned a lot and found the book very helpful. All of the examples are real world and quite realistic. If you are totally new to working with graphical editing on a computer I would not suggest this book.

Mikkel Aaland's Photoshop Elements 3 Solutions is a must have companion book for Adobe Elements 3.

His book has easy to understand large color illustrative before & after photographs detailing how each tool, option, or effect works. These are also included on the CD which comes with this book, a wonderful teaching tool!

He walks you through the tasks step-by-step helping one to easily grasp all that Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 has to offer.

Screen captures of dialog boxes, throughout this book, from the program also help you to see the exact settings used to achieve his results.

The highlighted notes which appear in their own boxes are an extremely valuable source of information!

Mikkel's vast knowledge of Adobe's Photoshop will get you up to speed quickly and easily. Before long, with the help of his book, you'll be fluent in Elements 3 and will be turning your digital images into your own masterpieces. I highly recommend his book!

On page 30 the author has a step-by-step process for basic editing of a photo. This was the clearest explanation I have encountered. The steps are easy to follow and the author explains which steps need to be done in what order. There are other similar step-by-step processes throughout the book. At times though the clarity gets lost in over explanation. Unfortunately the explanations seldom help in understanding how to use the tool.

However - the book provides overall clear intstuction and tips that I have not found other places.

Were I a first-time user of PSE3, this book richly would have deserved a 5-star rating for its in-depth presentation of basics, its introduction to more advanced techniques, the author's comfortable writing style and quality of production.

Having used Aaland's earlier PSE2 Solutions (a 5-star rave), however, I found this edition more of a repeat (word by word, and picture by picture, at times) than a total revision - with some new material added to cover new functions such as the healing brush, and a drawn-out section on Photo Browser. With few exceptions, the images on the accompanying CD are identical to those on the PSE2 edition; only the kids seem to have grown up. In short, this author hasn't given his all to updating one of the best PSE tutorials around; it's still darn good, but it could have been even better. One can only hope that the next (PSE4) edition will be totally revised, refreshed, and rejuvenated with a brand-new image gallery.

I have had this book for almost a year, and have given it every opportunity to teach me. Twice a month at least, I have given it another chance: I just want to learn to use Photoshop Elements! Each time I crack the book open, I come to the same conclusion: it is arranged in near-random order, with no concept of learning by gradually introducing concepts and techniques in some sort of logical order. It is instead a dizzying collection of specific techniques, none of which are understandable because they assume knowledge the reader already has. When I try to learn a technique, fail to understand it, and go back to review, I find that there's been no previous explanation of the concepts!

One illustration: Elements apparently works through the separate manipulation of "Layers". Layers are essential to Photoshop. But Layers are not explained ... anywhere! Using the chapter of contents, the index, or indeed reading the whole book to try to find exactly what a Layer is results in nothing but frustration. After a year, I am no closer to understanding or using layers, and no closer to unlocking the secrets of what I'm told is a fine piece of software.

Please understand that this rant is not written by a software, computer, or photography newbie. I am a serious photographer, and am experienced with multiple P.C. programs, from DOS all the way through the latest versions of Windows and all the Office components. For all the resources which clearly went into this attractive manual, Mr. Aaland should be ashamed that he forgot one thing: teaching the reader in any sort of logical manner.

Great book for the beginner or as a reference guide for the experienced user. Has easy to follow step-by-step instructions of the examples shown in the book. Would highly recommend this book to a new Photoshop user.

Of all the books on Digital Photography I've seen, this is the best. Very clear instructions.