Adobe Photoshop CS3 A-Z: Tools and features illustrated ready reference (Paperback)

~ Philip Andrews (Author)
Key Phrases: smart object, camera raw, layer style, Filters Version, Version Cue, Image Size (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

On this edition:

"Philips work here is true to the diligence and consistency that Ive come to expect from his writing - his descriptions and tutorials are delivered to you in an easy, approachable style rarely found in software instruction." - Bryan O'Neil Hughes, Photoshop Product Manager.

Reviews of CS2 and previous eds:

"Each section is expressed clearly with simple buy highly effective and user-friendly illustrations...These are definitely books you should have to hand while working at your computer." - Amateur Photographer

"Some books you can never get into, some seem to fit like an old glove. To me this is certainly one of the latter. As far as I can see every action you are likely to make as a photographer is covered...This book is a must have, easy to follow reference that will guide you through CS2's many tools and commands." - Royal Photographic Society Digital Imaging Group magazine

"A thorough guide to Adobe's recent Photoshop CS2 release, this book...acts as an effective reference tool thanks to its easy to follow A to Z layout." - Computer Arts

"If you find the help feature in Adobe Photoshop a bit sparse, then this book could be an easy to use supplement" Photoshop User

"If you ever wanted a quick reference guide to the mass of tools in Photoshop, then this is the answer...Keep it to hand as a quick and easy guide." - Which Digital Camera

'As the name suggests, this is a handy and easy to use reference for all things Photoshop. Designed in an index format, Bargh's informative book is well-illustrated and a valuable asset for all getting into digital imaging.'
- Better Digital

'The book provides a visual representation of various features within Photoshop accompanied by succinct, punchy text, which enables you to learn fast and efficiently. Whilst many Photoshop books are tomes difficult to read and understand, this book, with its easy and intuitive layout makes learning a breeze... Overall, this book is an invaluable reference tool that should adorn every desktop when working in Photoshop. Highly recommended.'
- John Shaw, Digital Photo and Practical Photographer.

'... this handy and simple-to-use paperback ... is a perfect adjunct to ... any other technique book dealing with Photoshop.'
- Professional Photographer

'There are stacks of guide books on Photoshop and I'd feared this would be another that is useful but impossible to navigate. The reality was a pleasant surprise, with the author honestly appraising some of the more esoteric features ... of all the Photoshop self-help guides I've come across, Peter Bargh's book is the easiest to use.'
- Amateur Photographer

'The book makes an excellent visual reference guide and should prove very useful for the beginner through to the advanced user.'
- Digital PhotoFX, five star rating

'Unfettered praise is all too rare these days so may this stranger say a warm thank you for your admirable volume "The essential visual reference guide" to Photoshop 7.0. Now much thumbed. Quite one of the best and most accessible of the mentor books to this fiendishly complex but magical software. I like the style and one feels one knows where you're coming from."
- Richard Wade, former Editor - Tomorrow's World BBC 1

CS-
'The more we used this book, the better we liked it. This isn't the ultimate Photoshop book - and it isn't meant to be - but we can't think of any other that provides such quick and concise reference information.'
- Digital Photographer Magazine

"If you find that the Help feature in Adobe Photoshop is a bit sparse, then this book could be an easy-to-use supplement...This book is best for self-teaching beginners." - Photoshop User, Sept. 2006 --Bryan O'Neil Hughes, Photoshop Product Manager;Amateur Photographer;Digital Photographer Magazine ;Photoshop User, Sept. 2006

Review

Praise for previous editions:

"Philip's work here is true to the diligence and consistency I've come to expect from his writing; his descriptions and tutorials are delivered to you in an easy, approachable style rarely found in software instruction."
Bryan O'Neil Hughes, Adobe Photoshop Product Manager

"Each section is expressed clearly with simple but highly effective and user-friendly illustrations...These are definitely books you should have to hand while working at your computer."
Amateur Photographer

"Some books you can never get into, some seem to fit like an old glove. To me this is certainly one of the latter. As far as I can see every action you are likely to make as a photographer is covered...This book is a must have, easy to follow reference that will guide you through CS2's many tools and commands."
Royal Photographic Society Digital Imaging Group magazine

"A thorough guide to Adobe's recent Photoshop CS2 release, this book...acts as an effective reference tool thanks to its easy to follow A to Z layout."
Computer Arts

"If you find the help feature in Adobe Photoshop a bit sparse, then this book could be an easy to use supplement."
Photoshop User

"If you ever wanted a quick reference guide to the mass of tools in Photoshop, then this is the answer...Keep it to hand as a quick and easy guide."
Which Digital Camera

"As the name suggests, this is a handy and easy to use reference for all things Photoshop. Designed in an index format, Bargh's informative book is well-illustrated and a valuable asset for all getting into digital imaging."
Better Digital

"The book provides a visual representation of various features within Photoshop accompanied by succinct, punchy text, which enables you to learn fast and efficiently. Whilst many Photoshop books are tomes difficult to read and understand, this book, with its easy and intuitive layout makes learning a breeze... Overall, this book is an invaluable reference tool that should adorn every desktop when working in Photoshop. Highly recommended."
John Shaw, Digital Photo and Practical Photographer

"... this handy and simple-to-use paperback ... is a perfect adjunct to ... any other technique book dealing with Photoshop."
Professional Photographer

"There are stacks of guide books on Photoshop and I'd feared this would be another that is useful but impossible to navigate. The reality was a pleasant surprise, with the author honestly appraising some of the more esoteric features ... of all the Photoshop self-help guides I've come across, Peter Bargh's book is the easiest to use."
Amateur Photographer

"The book makes an excellent visual reference guide and should prove very useful for the beginner through to the advanced user."
Digital PhotoFX

"The more we used this book, the better we liked it. This isn't the ultimate Photoshop book - and it isn't meant to be - but we can't think of any other that provides such quick and concise reference information."
Digital Photographer Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press (August 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240520653
• ISBN-13: 978-0240520650
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #637,448 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a useful reference book, December 22, 2007

By	Earl J. Mcgehee "earl49" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

Photoshop is not known for it's easy user interface or help files. There are many tutorial books that take you step-by-step through common tasks, but this is finally the book to let you quickly look up all those little things you can't remember. The book starts with about 20 pages of step-by-step summaries of common tasks (importing photos, selection techniques, retouching, etc) then the remainder of the book is an alpha listing of every Photoshop feature. Each feature has a consistent format showing a small before and after photo, the menu path for the command, the shortcut key for the command, what versions apply, "see also" and where needed a screen shot of a dialog box. There is no index - it's not needed. this is a handy size and it stays out now when I am using Photoshop.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My only choice for a desktop reference!, December 12, 2007

By	Shan Canfield "Mama Shan" (Nashville, TN, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Philip Andrew's "Adobe Photoshop CS3 A-Z" is my choice for a great desktop reference. Even though I am an Adobe Certified Expert, I still can't remember everything. This book allows me to quickly lookup something, and get a concise description or function as well as having excellent image and screen shots.

It is the "perfect" size for me, in dimension and number of pages! Excellent binding, image quality, and pages. I have to mention this because I am so tired of buying a book that falls apart within a couple of weeks or has such "off" color in the images, that it makes you wonder if the author actually knows what they're talking about. Not the case here...the quality is top notch!

This is not a "how-to" book but, as an instructor of Photoshop, I highly recommend this book as a reference companion to any how to book, whether you are a beginner or an expert.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone can pick up a few tips, February 24, 2008

By	luvmoose "Artist-Photographer" (Maine) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Even a casual reader can get tips from this book because a single topic is covered just on that page. If you have a question about a technique or are unfamiliar with some of the terminology, this is a great reference book.