Customer Reviews

Photoshop Type Effects Visual Encyclopedia

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book provides a wide seletion of type designs. Most of them are excellent. But honestly, I feel that the author holds back a lot of important details. For example, usually there are no specific color values (just light red, dark yellow, ...), this is really disturbing, 'cause even a small difference in color values may give you a completely different results. Also, I don't know why he never tell which font he is using, and I have to spend my time searching through my font list. This book is about type but it never digs deep into basic design principles of fonts and their effects (like modern, sans serif, script and such).

I learn quite an amount from this book, but waste a great amount of time experimenting different color values and fonts. The time that I could have spent to read many more books about Photoshop.

When I saw this book, my first impression was `Cool, it looks like a great new Photoshop 7 cookbook.' If that had been the case, I would have been happy enough, but it turned out to be the type of book the expression `Don't judge a book by its cover' came from.

When you first hold this book in your hands you instantly know it is something special. The cover is made of a beautiful thick material and has large flaps that can easily be used to hold your place when you have to grudgingly walk away from the computer.

The next pleasant surprise is the table of contents. I had no idea this book not only included some of the classiest style ideas I've seen in a long time but also some lessons in typography, a very important part of the art world that has been struggling to break into the minds of many web designers.

There is no way this book will sit on your bookshelf. Instead, it will be one of the first you open when deciding how to start a job or complete a logo or fix a clients problem.

Happy Styling! Leslie

Photoshop is an amazing tool and each new version brings with it new tools, features, options, and complexity. Even long-time users can find it hard to keep up, especially in areas that aren't your speciality.

For instance, I use Photoshop fairly extensively as an image editor for my photography. But when it comes to Photoshop's text manipulating capabilities, I'm behind the curve.

If you want to use Photoshop to a degree even approaching it's potential, you need help. Thank Buddha, there are lots of good books being written about Photoshop and how to use it. Among those written specifically to educate users how to handle type and type effects, Photoshop Type Effects Visual Encyclopedia from New Riders is one of the best and deserves a spot on your bookshelf.

Author Roger Pring sets forth to inspire, inform, and teach in his book designed to turn on your creativity where type designing is concerned.

In the first section of the book, Pring lays out basic information explaining the various ways to work with type in Photoshop. In the later part of the first section, we see real-world examples of type at work, including many examples of signs and signage.

This book is called an encyclopedia after all, and the second section includes 72 different effects with step-by-step instructions so you can try them out. And many of the effects include alternatives with the instructions.

The effects are grouped into categories, like reflective effects, atmospheric effects, lighting effects, simulations, and mood effects.

There's also a very good appendix at the back of this book showing page after page of type with Photoshop filters applied, so you can see and compare what different filters do.

One way to increase our productivity in Photoshop is to learn to use Photoshop's built-in shortcuts. We know that keeping our hands on the keyboard is more efficient than switching to the mouse for things like changing tools and views. So there is a complete listing of all Photoshop's shortcuts at the end of the book.

The book also includes a CD filled with all the various effects samples, and a collection of about 20 Photoshop 'actions.'

If you want to learn more about handling type in Photoshop, pick up a copy of Photoshop Type Effects Visual Encyclopedia. I give it a solid rating of 4 stars.

Wow! even if this book didn't give detailed instructions on how to creat the type effects, it would still serve well as a coffee table art book - because type effects shown are that good and the color and layout of the book are museum book quality. This is a book you just want to sit down with a cup of coffee (tea works too)and just spend time browsing through it. It reminds me of the old Photoshop Type magic series with the exception that the type effects shown in this book don't look cheesy (which many did back in the days of Photoshop 4). The book is packed with a wealth of different effects that are breathtaking and as I read it it conjured up all sorts of ideas as to where I wanted to use the effects. The author gives excellent instruction in how to create the effects but does assume the reader has a working knowledge of Photoshop. While is this more of a challenge for a novice Photoshop user, it also means that pages are not wasted explaining what a layer is or where the Text tool is located. If you do any work with text in your creative designs, this is a must for your library.

PHOTOSHOP TYPE EFFECTS
Visual Encyclopedia
AUTHOR: Roger Pring
PUBLISHER: New Riders
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

Making a web site? Want a special type effect but nothing you are making creates the mood you are trying for? Are you fresh out of idea? Get a copy of Photoshop Type Effects - Visual Encyclopedia to put a stop to creator's block. There are eighty - yes that's right - 80 - different effects you can apply to fonts. Each effect is explained on two facing pages. Each step is written in simple terms and visualizations are provided in each step.

This is one handy book to have when you get brain freeze! It definitely gave me lots of new ideas and how-to's on using color and type to spice up a site. I am keeping a copy close to my computer for reference.

This gorgeous book is jam packed with photorealistic effects which are also included on the CD. This book is written for Photoshop 6 and 7 for PC and Mac.

The tutorials range from downright easy to extremely complex. The book begins with an overview of using type in Photoshop. The book is heavily illustrated throughout. The layout is clean and sharp and is packed with information. There are a lot of dialog boxes showing the settings used in the tutorials.

You'll find various realistic metal effects, gorgeous polished chrome including realistic reflections, and every imaginable texture or effect. These effects are very professional looking.

There is also an encylopedia section with 72 different effects and an appendix showing all the Photoshop built-in filters and type effects. I found this book a great inspiration and easy to follow.

If you don't have time for the "War and Peace" version of some of the other typography books on Photoshop, get this one! The pictures are excellent and the book is organized in a logical layout.

Get in, see what you want, get out...then DO IT! A Perfect way to organize a book for us visual folks.

I have to go against the grain here. Other reviewers seem to like this book, but I don't think it's that great. I am an intermediate level Photoshop user and I feel that for what is essentially a "cook book" that some of the steps are missing or vague. Instructions like "adjust to get the desired effect" mean nothing. If I see an example of the effect I like in the book I want to know EXACTLY how to do it and not be left to guess. It is not what I consider a step-by-step book and some of the instructions tell you to do something and assume you know what to do. If you are a beginner, stay away from this book. If you are an intermediate user you may have some luck, but I'd look at other Photoshop type effets books.

The book is ok if you are an experienced user. If you are new to photoshop, I fear you will be lost. The author makes it very difficult to duplicate the samples by not saying what size and resolution canvas he is using, and is very vague on issues such as "use a little blur" etc. Blurring the alpha channel is what helps cause the beveled and raised effects, and without some type of number to go off of, I had a very difficult time trying to duplicate his samples.
I did enjoy coming up with my own new and unique effects of of some of his suggestions, but over all I felt the book needs more detail to be useful.

I too am new to Photoshop and am finding this book a struggle.
Also, I have no real reason to learn these skills. But I am hooked! I have only owned Type Effects for 72 hours and have already put in at least 30 hours of work on it.

True, this book does not include all the basics, but there are many other resources for those. I feel like I am struggling with a foreign language, with Type Effects on my right and my "basics" manual on my left.

But what I have learned in only 3 days! A boring "learn to" book alone would not have given me the motivation to stay up all night and forget meals while mastering new skills.

You don't need to be a professional graphics designer to appreciate this book. I have never considered myself to be the least bit artistic and am immensely enjoying being able to produce works of art with Adobe. This book is helping me to quickly master Photoshop.

As to another reviewer's complaint that the author does not provide enough details; a lot of the infomation he requires is available with the samples included on the cd. He can even "borrow" from the layers if he wants to cheat a bit! (Boy, was I delighted to discover this)

This book may be a challenge for a beginner, but I am learning quickly from it and expect to be an expert by the time I reach the final chapter.

Effects is a wonderful book. It is attractive, well written and offers something for everyone.