Photoshop CS2: Up To Speed (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

 

As the first major Photoshop update since Adobe revamped its product line in 2003, this is the release you've been waiting for-and this is the guide that will get you up to speed on it fastest! Rather than sift through hundreds of pages detailing every last Photoshop feature and function, you can go directly to the new features that interest you most and get the explanations you desire in classic Ben Willmore style-intuitive, crystal clear, and in-depth. By focusing on a single topic-what's new in this version-the award-winning  author provides precisely what experienced Photoshop users like yourself have been clamoring for, in exactly the depth you demand. Including just enough information about older features to make the new ones understandable, Ben shows you not only which buttons to push but why.

About the Author

A senior engineer from NASA once said that this man gave the best technical seminar he ever attended. That same year a computer-phobic who had been struggling with Photoshop for years proclaimed that “He takes the Boogie Man out of Photoshop!” This seems to be Ben Willmore's special gift; he has an uncanny ability to connect with users of every level and mindset; whether it’s first-timers taking their first sniff of Photoshop, or razor-sharp nerds and nerdettes who are on the fast track to technical illumination. The common echo that Ben leaves in his wake seems to be “Aha! I finally GET Photoshop!”

To date, Ben has personally taught over 45,000 Photoshop users on three continents. His descriptions of Curves and Channels are thought to be the best in the industry and his breakthrough teaching style of “not-just-how-but-why,” has made him the in-house instructor of choice for companies such as Mercedes Benz, Adobe Systems, America Online, the U.S. Airforce, Lexis Nexis and Fisher-Price Toys. His award-winning, best-selling book, Adobe Photoshop Studio Techniques is said to be “Arguably, one of the best Photoshop books ever written.” by Photoshop User’s publisher, Jim Workman. His latest book 'Photoshop CS2: Up to Speed' is a new concept in books and is the only book focused exclusively on the new features in Photoshop CS2. He is also co-author (with Jack Davis) of “How to Wow: Photoshop for Photographers”, and creator of the best-selling Master Series videos.

He continues to be a featured speaker at publishing conferences and events worldwide, including Photoshop World, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and the Royal Photographic Society of England. He's a member of the Dream Team for NAPP and writes for numerous digital imaging and photography publications, including a monthly column for Photoshop User magazine. In 2004 he was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. His reputation as the “expert's expert” prompted NAPP's president, Scott Kelby, to say, “When we get stuck, we call Ben!”

Ben sold his house in the mountains of Colorado in early 2006 and started to live a mobile lifestyle. His home is a 1997 40' Prevost bus (often referred to as a Rock Star Bus) that was converted by Liberty coach into a motorhome. The bus is pretty much a one bedroom apartment on wheels. Ben spends his time driving to speaking events and photographing National Parks and small town America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (June 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321330501
• ISBN-13: 978-0321330505
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #710,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's New, Just What's New, July 13, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you already know and are at least a medium skilled user of PhotoShop, this book will be great for you. It just covers what's new. And with almost two hundred pages of 'what's new,' that's a lot of new things and pretty detailed coverage of them.

The book starts out: 'Just when you thought it was safe to settle in and get comfortable with the File Browser, Adobe pulled a fast one and replaced it with a completely new application called Bridge.'

That sets the tone, if you have no idea what File Browser is all about, this isn't the book for you. If you do, you're moving to Bridge, and here's a quick chapter on what it's all about.

The rest of the book follows this beginning, here's what's new, what's changed, what you can do now that you couldn't do before. The rest of the book also follows the writing tone as in the quote above. It's got a writing style that makes it very readable, not you understand as good as a novel, but for a computer book, damn good.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passed CS2 Test, October 10, 2005

By	Byron Totty (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had already passed the Adobe ACE exam for CS, and used this book exclusively as a study tool for the CS2 re-certification test. I passed.

If you are already familiar with Photoshop CS, this book is great for learning the new stuff in CS2. Ben not only shows what's new in CS2, but also where some of the stuff in CS has been moved or how it has been changed a little.

I had used CS2 for a couple of months before I got this book and had used some online tutorials for learning some new stuff. It wasn't until I got this book that I saw how many new features there were and the more productive ways of doing things.

I have been a fan of Ben's books since Photoshop Studio 5 and his style of writing and teaching is both informative and casual.

This book is not for people looking for ways to do special effects and cool Photoshop visual tricks. It is for people who want to understand how the new features in Photoshop CS2 work and how those features can be used in your images or creations.(most notable for me; the faster Camera Raw, Smart Sharpen, Vanishing Point, and the new Adobe Bridge)

It was also interesting to read about his frustration with the way Adobe had done some of the changes.


(I have never met Ben Willmore and have never attended one of his seminars....this is just an objective opinion.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Buy, February 24, 2006

By	Allan Newton (Hartlepool, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book does exactly what it says on the cover, and it does it extremely well. It has been my constant source of reference for the past three weeks as even the often neglegted Index is well thought out.
I was always a big fan of the File Browser and was sorry to see it replaced in CS2 by the Bridge, which I must admit it took me some time to get my head round (where has the Desktop gone?) until this book came along. Ben goes through it in great detail, as he does with everything, and I now find it a breeze.
Everything new, and everything moved or hidden, is covered in a very well explained and simplistic style accompanied by detailed illustrations. The presentation and layout of the book is absolutely superb, and for anyone with a knowledge of Photoshop, moving up from CS to CS2 this book must be at the top of the shopping list.
It is not for anyone coming straight into Photoshop at CS2 level