Customer Reviews

Photoshop Magic: Expert Edition

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

 

 

Photoshop Magic Expert Edition is a pretty good book, but it does not even compare to their predecessors like Photoshop web, texture, and type magic. Why you might ask? First, clumsy organization of the book. I had to look at all parts of the page such as top, bottom, right and left. Its predecessors have two column with one for the pictures and the other one with the instructions and comments. I just can't believe how much time it spent me looking for the next step and understanding what to do. I am a good Photoshop user so I don't know if it is me or the book but from other great books, I have no problem following directions. I do recommend this book to everyone since it is basicly the only book about good photoshop techniques. I hope the authors will take this comment seriously so that the next publication won't be as messy.

The good side of this book is its new and great techniques for doing photoshop works. Great for intermediate to advance. I would recommend this to everyone who want to explore photoshop in a new dimension and to learn some good techniques. This is really not for beginners, duh, even the title said so: "Expert Edition." Good luck and good day.

The book shows how to create a number of files, each of which is helpfully provided in part on the comprehensive CD. While the ideas are certainly original, the format, layout and writing of the book let it down substantially, and are points that need to be fixed in later editions, if there are to be any. Partly, it is the awkward prose, but more of a problem is the lack of description about exatly what each stage does and why it is implemented. Instead, while there is plenty of "wow-factor" in getting to the end of each project, much of the journey there remains opaque, and I question how useful the book is in the long term. In addition, the taste of some of the projects is decidedly questionable. Incidentally, I didn't find it foolproof at all; at least one project does not work if you follow the instructions eaxctly as written. Verdict--showed great potential, but careless and clumsy writing and overproduction (why the black page edges?) has seriously limited the impact of this overpriced book. Shame.

The Expert Edition is simply awesome! If you love Photoshop, you should definitely check out this book! The Expert Edition shows its readers how to use Photoshop's advanced capabilities with clearly worded instructions that even a novice can follow. I should know because I'm fairly new to Photoshop myself. Until I picked up this book, I never dreamed that I could produce images of the calibur that are presented within. In fact, this book makes it easy to learn the ins-and-outs of Photoshop because the sample images are so interesting that you just can't wait to complete the techniques! I commend the author, Brendon Perkins, on his writting style which is crisp, clear, and concise. Each step contains explicit instructions for completing the tasks at hand. As a result, the techniques are very easy to follow. He's also included numerous sidebars throughout the book that contain additional information on advanced concepts. I've found these to be especially useful. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

This book is part of a GREAT series and has some nice effects, however the tutorials are so specific that I found a hard time using the book for anything besides just following the tutorials step by step. I say spend you money on Photoshop 5 Type Magic instead.

Do you have a need to create really outstanding graphics? I mean really outstanding. If you do, Photoshop Magic will go a long way toward helping you achieve your goal. This visually-rich book takes the reader through each aspect of truly great design. Learn about changing day to night, creating a fantasy image, using light to set the mood, changing the weather, simulating stained glass or water reflection and much more.

Of particular interest to many is the section on photographic restoration. Now, at last, you can scan in all those old photos or great-grandma and great-grampa on their wedding day and bring them back in full glory, even colorize them. There's also information on how to restore a photo.

The book is well organized and offers step-by-step, full color examples. It's also chock-full of good ideas-a great starting point for that new fantasy graphic or vignette you need to create.

While I wouldn't recommend this book for the beginner, Photoshop Magic is a great tool for those already familiar with Adobe Photoshop and design basics.

Mr. Perkins is obviously very experienced, not to mention talented and he imparts that knowledge in an easy-to-follow manner. He'll have you producing fantastic images in no time at all.

Forget all that: how do I get my hands on the image on the cover?

It clearly showed me how to do things with Photoshop that I didn't know were possible. It's a GREAT How-To book.

This book is truly worth the money. No mather how advanced your techniques in Photoshop are this book will provide you with an in depth coverage of nearly all the techniques needed to come up with absolutely amazing and awesome pictures all created by yourself. The easy to follow step-by-step scheme enables even intermediate users to take advantage of the several tips & tricks. In my opinion this is the most comprehensive guide at the moment for photoshop users that want to go a step further in creating sensational effects solely made with Photoshop. But beginners should remember that this book is really not intended to give a basic introduction to the photoshop tools before it moves on to the advanced techniques.

I've been using Photoshop for quite a long time and have accumulated a whole collection of Photoshop books over the years. But the Photoshop Magic: Expert Edition is by far the best how-to book that I've ever seen! In my opinion, this is the only Photoshop book out there that truly teaches advanced techniques! The Expert Edition really pushes the limit of Photoshop's capabilities and presents all the techniques in a straight forward manner that makes everything so easy to understand. I was especially amazed by the animated gear system that he presents in the final chapter of the book. This is some really awesome stuff!! The author makes everything easy by providing many of the project files with predefined channels, paths, and actions so that readers can concentrate on the concepts being presented instead of wasting a lot of time completing mundane tasks along the way. This book has really inspired me, and I highly recommend it to everyone that uses Photoshop. You've got to check this book out!