Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: camera raw, smart object, adjustment layer, Smart Filters, Vanishing Point, Device Central (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ben Wilmore is the clearest and most concise Photoshop teacher I know. His book is on the top ten list of Photoshop books I recommend to every beginning Photoshop student." --George DeWolfe Senior Editor: ViewCamera and Camera Art Magazines (www.georgedewolfe.com) "Ben's sessions at PhotoshopWorld are always standing room only. His latest book provides ample reason as to why he's so popular. He breaks down the complex and arcane side of Photoshop into something that is understandable. And few things are more fun than becoming better at Photoshop. It's a great book." -Jim Workman Publisher, PhotoshopUser Magazine (www.photoshopuser.com) "Thanks to Ben Willmore's Up to Speed, the journey from one Photoshop version to another has never been faster or easier. Adobe should give this book to every user who buys a copy of Photoshop." -George Lepp Columnist Outdoor Photographer Magazine Owner The Lepp Institute (www.theleppinstitute.com) "Ben has a real gift for teaching Photoshop, and the uncanny ability to make difficult concepts seems absolutely simple. I have every book Ben's ever written, and when he comes out with a book, I buy it! Ben has a way of cutting to the chase and explaining things in a way that just make sense. His approach to training has won him legions of fans, and this book continues his tradition of making Photoshop easy and understandable. If you want to really dig under the skin of Photoshop's amazing new features, this is the book to buy! Highly recommended!" --Scott Kelby President, National Association of Photoshop Professionals (www.photoshopuser.com)

Review

 “Ben Wilmore is the clearest and most concise Photoshop teacher I know. His book is on the top ten list of Photoshop books I recommend to every beginning Photoshop student.”
—George DeWolfe  Senior Editor: ViewCamera and Camera Art Magazines  (www.georgedewolfe.com)

“Ben’s sessions at PhotoshopWorld are always standing room only. His latest book provides ample reason as to why he’s so popular. He breaks down the complex and arcane side of Photoshop into something that is understandable. And few things are more fun than becoming better at Photoshop. It’s a great book.”
-Jim Workman  
Publisher, PhotoshopUser Magazine  
(www.photoshopuser.com)

“Thanks to Ben Willmore’s Up to Speed, the journey from one Photoshop version to another has never been faster or easier. Adobe should give this book to every user who buys a copy of Photoshop.”
-George Lepp
Columnist Outdoor Photographer Magazine
Owner The Lepp Institute  
(www.theleppinstitute.com)

“Ben has a real gift for teaching Photoshop, and the uncanny ability to make difficult concepts seems absolutely simple. I have every book Ben’s ever written, and when he comes out with a book, I buy it! Ben has a way of cutting to the chase and explaining things in a way that just make sense. His approach to training has won him legions of fans, and this book continues his tradition of making Photoshop easy and understandable. If you want to really dig under the skin of Photoshop’s amazing new features, this is the book to buy! Highly recommended!”
—Scott Kelby
President, National Association of Photoshop Professionals  (www.photoshopuser.com)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 2nd edition (May 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321514297
• ISBN-13: 978-0321514295
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #514,764 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just What You Need, July 11, 2007

By	Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are a lot of good books becoming available on Photoshop CS3, but if you are an experienced user of PS CS2 who has switched to CS3, you probably don't want to spend your time wading through information on PS that you already know. "Up to Speed" is aimed at you.

Ben Willmore covers just the features that have been added (and deleted) between PS CS2 and PS CS3. Moreover, he usually doesn't spend a lot of time telling you how to apply a feature if it's one whose application will be obvious to an experienced user. On the other hand, some of the new functions may not be so intuitively obvious and in that case he provides examples of the possible applications.

Willmore's writing is clear, concise, and understandable. That means the busy photographer will not have to spend a lot of time learning what the new features do, although most readers will benefit from reading everything the author writes. I thought that I understood everything about the new features from what I had read on the web or in general books about CS3, but there were several points I either never saw or missed. For example, selecting a group of pictures in Bridge by control-dragging a box around them isn't the only way to select adjacent pictures, but it does save a couple of seconds, and I had missed it.

Occasionally, Wilmore will pause to review a fundamental concept to clarify how a new feature will work. His short explanation of how curves adjustments work was one of the most lucid I ever read. Even though Willmore suggests that people comfortable with curves can skip his introductory section, don't skip it unless you are really comfortable. (It's only five pages!)

Willmore is not afraid to criticize Adobe for features that he thinks make no sense or are confusing. For example he says about Camera Raw's ability to process JPEG's, "I can't believe Adobe has released a feature with such a poorly thought out workflow."

I've heard a reader's complaint about the fact that the book has fallen apart. At just over 150 pages, the book is too thick to saddle stitch and too thin to use better binding methods. Despite that, readers should expect a book to hold together, but experienced users should not be deterred from reading this book, even if it falls apart. It's still the best book to help make the transition to PS CS3 for the experienced user. The audience for this book doesn't want something thicker. On the other hand, one might be tempted to say that a book this thin shouldn't have a cover price of almost thirty bucks. But the time experienced users will save by not having to sort through familiar material may make it a bargain.

Unfortunately, Adobe has already issued an update to CS3 that adds other features to CS3 that aren't covered in this book. Hopefully, Peachpit Press will provide protected content on their website explaining the new features the same way that they have provided a PDF update for Scott Kelby's Lightroom book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Upgrading to CS3? This is the one book you need., August 21, 2007

By	Christopher Bain (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For anyone upgrading from CS2 to CS3 (or even from CS), this is the one book that will get you fluent faster than any other book. Don't let the relatively slim size of the book fool you. Ben packs in all the information so that you can figure out how to take advantage of the new interface, with the new Palettes, the Dock, and how to most efficiently use it. The new Bridge interface and features is covered in depth, as is Camera Raw 4, the new look for layer, improvements to Curves (after all these years), Vanishing Point, the Quick Selection tool, and all the rest. I got Ben's last version of this book when CS2 came out and it helped me master the new features in a few days, rather than weeks. If you've read the articles, seen the NAPP videos (great, at photoshopuser.com, but lacking the detail of this book) and you are ready to get seriously into CS3, this book will take you there.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some constructive criticism (literally;-), August 28, 2007

By	George T. Hawkins - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As everyone has reported: the book is terrific, the binding is trash; however there is a fix. After my book fell apart in several places, I carefully separated and arranged all of the pages. A trip to my local Staples store (any other major office supply store would likely work as well) to have the book spiral bound nicely remedied the problem. (Additional cost - less than $4.00)