Customer Reviews

The Photoshop Show Starring Russell Brown

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

 

 

I've got several photoshop books. This book is by far the best. The author makes advanced techniques very understandable. The book also has a cd tutorial which you can use the book to follow along with. The author's enthusiasm is contagious.

If you're tired of boring books about Photoshop, check this one out. This guy's enthusiasm and energy is infectious, and he encourages you to have fun while learning. The videos are interesting, and you can follow the steps in the book on the files they've included. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Are you tired of text-heavy, dreary tech books? Well I am. I've got shelves and shelves of them collecting dust. I recommend Mr. Brown's book for anyone who, like I am, is weary of the aforementioned, and needs some "edutainment." I can pick this book up and open to any page and grab information helpful in my work. Thanks for the tips, and I think you are a groovy Elvis.

The first half of the book was packed with great techniques, of which my favorite has to be the color to black and white technique, that has opened my eyes to a whole new world :)
The 2nd part is more of a case-study type exercise where you go from a normal guy's face to a monster's face... its good fun, but sometimes I feel like the techniques used aren't the best ways to achieve a certain effect... for example in the video you see the artist constantly go to the menu bar to perform commands rather than explain or use short-cuts instead. I felt that some parts were a bit boring in the 2nd half.
However, the first half of the book is well worth it already, so I give it 4 stars overall :)

The Photoshop Show
Russell Brown book is not ready for prime time. As a big fan of Mr. Brown's work with Adobe, his tutorials from his websites http://www.russellbrown.com and a member of the Photoshop Hall Of Fame. I expected more from a book with Mr. Brown all duded up in a tux. The first chapter Pinfeathers contained some useful information about working with channels, but hardly Broadway material.
Chapter 2 seeing in Black and White was a bore. Chapter 4 Digital Shaving shows you how to use the dust and scratches filter to remove five o'clock shadow, interesting but the
usefulness escapes me .The part I liked the most in this book wasn't even Russell work, A guess artist John McConnell saves the book from being a total lost with the tutorial in chapter 8. Morph the face was the kind of Photoshop magic I expected to see Russell weave. It show creative ways to use the liquefy filter, Exaggerating facial features, using the levels adjustment for creative coloring and altering the skin color.

All in all the Photoshop Show had a short run.

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I don't know who's ghost-writing his material (perhaps Julieanne Kost), but the guy can't make any of the stuff that he's allegedly so brilliant about in his writings work in person. He's just a self-absorbed, not so entertaining "personality" who has an "Adobe Credit Card" (& big budget to support it) who can buy himself expensive toys to play with. Try meeting and dealing with him in person sometime! When he's 1:1 you see the smoke behind the mirrors. And there are no 'layers' to that smoke. Very unidimensional. Skip Brown. Look to Chris Orwig, Katrin Eisman, Julieanne, Jan Kabili, and others for real skill, insight and decent personalities. Who needs to read stuff ghost-written by others that appears under Brown's moniker.

To learn some tips is good but you will learn in the author site as well.
I think to learn about the Photoshop with commands descriptions, explanations the book is not good enough.

I am a big fan of Russel Brown and I must say I have learned a lot of sophisticated tips from him over the years.
That being said, first of all I enjoyed the Photoshop Show, and did notice some interesting approaches to solving some visual issues like the play when converting from colour to black and white. Also interesting was the use of channels as an extra sketch board for creating selections. With Russel's unique position with Adobe and years of experience training students, I may be wrong but I expected a whole lot more with respect to the underpinnings of this application. At the end though I felt as if I had just read a Walt Disney book for kids, you know the 8-12 page kind that makes money for Disney but leaves the children wishing for more. And I'm sorry the practice files were only able to open in PS 6. Your next attempt Russel should the Show go on, it must have more depth. ps: Your inclusion of videos works!

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!! if you are not intending to be a Photoshop Pro. Period... I am learning from Great Magician's lessons since I started my graphic designer carrier(13 years ago) and can not stop to surprise and being inspired by His artistic style to share His knowledge with legions of Photoshop users... Mr. Brown, I didn't buy your book yet(I am going to do it right away), but I am 200% sure, this masterpiece will find appropriate place on my short size book shelf for years and years... at least 'till next edition of your book. Thank you for being so Ah-Ah-Mazing! ...if I could, I'd leave Six Stars feedback.