Photoshop® 5 for Windows® Bible (Paperback)

by Deke McClelland (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Now that Photoshop 5 is finally here, it's time to get up to speed on all that's new and improved in the latest version of the world's most powerful and sophisticated image-editing program. That's a pretty tall order. So where do you start? How about with the updated version of the most comprehensive Photoshop guide around.

In Photoshop® 5 for Windows® Bible, internationally-acclaimed author and Photoshop authority Deke McClelland takes you on a tour of all the exciting new features built into Photoshop 5. Not to worry -- you'll learn the ins and outs of all the old favorites, too. The aim of this book is not only to show you how to use Photoshop's varied array of tools and effects, but to understand when to use them. You get expert instruction and insider tips on working with selections, layers, text, filters, and special effects. Photoshop 5 for Windows Bible also covers such important topics as painting and retouching images, corrections, composites, and working with the Web.

The CD-ROM is loaded with additional resources, including demos of the hottest plug-ins from Alien Skin, Andromeda, and Ulead as well as over 150MB of professional images from today's leading digital artists.

From the Back Cover
"This Bible is a must-have encyclopedia of Photoshop info." — Jeff Schewe, Imaging Artist and Author Deke McClelland's international bestseller has been meticulously updated with hundreds of illustrated techniques and detailed guidelines for exploiting the latest version of the most powerful image-editing software available. From adding spot colors to using layer effects to editing text to wrapping a selected image around a three-dimensional primitive, McClelland breaks down every Photoshop function and feature — enabling you to produce high-impact images for print, multimedia, and the Web. Bible-Exclusive fully-functional and demo plug-ins from:

• Alien Skin
• Andromeda
• BoxTop Software
• Xaos Tools
• Digital Frontiers
• Extensis

Over 150MB of cutting-edge images from professional artists (see inside front cover for details) Plus complete information on key Photoshop 5.5 enhancements Shareware programs are fully functional, free trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support. Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many PCs as you like—free—but they have no technical support.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 911 pages
• Publisher: Hungry Minds (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764532324
• ISBN-13: 978-0764532320
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,351,002 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book if you are a graphics beginner, January 8, 2000

By	Christopher Rizzo (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I am an Internet developer who was interested in learning how to use Photoshop to create graphics for Web pages. I purchased this book largely based on the positive reviews I read here on Amazon.com. I have spent a considerable amount of time reading the immense ammount of pure technical information in this book only to come away with very little ability to manipulate and create the type of graphics I'm interested in. The book dumps a massive amount of information about graphic technologies and the associated Photoshop capabilities on you without providing any practical examples necessary for building usage skills. You have to read 250 pages before it even talks about use of the painting and editing tools. The chapter on Selections, Layers and Text (which I believe should start on page 1), doesn't start until chapter 11 (page 375). If you have a strong art or photography background it may be a little easier to absorb. If you already know how to use Photoshop, it can be a great reference. But if you are totally new to Photoshop and graphic arts, this book is not for you.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fairly comprehensive but of limited utility., August 15, 1999

By A Customer

Well, the book IS like the Bible in that it is extremely wordy and somewhat unfocused.

It is useful as a topical reference on basic functions of Photoshop, but not as a coursed tutorial for self-study if you are looking for something that will show you essentials in a relatively brief period of time. I do not think it is for professionals whom are looking for a pathway to apply and integrate advanced techniques -- most of the techniques presented are basic or one-step and not especially clever or creative (as compared with the book "Design Essentials", for example). Detail is admirable but detail without process-based application is a quagmire. I would have liked to see the author present a complex image and go through how to utilize different categories of functions to achieve the effect.

There is a lot of chattiness which is probably good for some people but I found it annoying -- I want to know HOW to do it, not impressions of feelings of notions experienced about how to do it. The friendly writing style makes the subject easily accessible, however, but if you already know the subject somewhat, you may feel like you're spending more time in getting to know the author rather than the subject matter.

The CD is nice, but, like quite a few books these days that come with a CD, the images presented in the text are not referenced to the images on the CD. And most of the material on the CD is not discussed specifically in the book. Lots of demoware to clog your hard drive or mess up your system configuration, though. As a related aside: What is the point of including a CD for a book on practical methods when most items on the CD are not specifically discussed or utilized in the discourse of the book? Adds impressive bulk, right? So, does a bulkier, thicker, heavier book mean a more effective book? Then the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary must be the most effective book known to man. Not. Compare with Ander's book, "Hands-On Photoshop", where discussion is more focused on how to take pieces of Photoshop and use them to put a whole project together, and, ohmigod, every file in the disc actually supports the book.

Pricewise, like most books of this type, sorely overpriced. As for the "nature" of the reviews below, I find it hard to believe that some are not overly enthusiastic beyond reason, or "insider jobs" -- this book is okay if you get it at a 40% discount, but it ain't no 5-star Pageant winner.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too complicated, not enough steps, January 11, 2000

By	mcqdog (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews

Deke is brilliant and he takes the time to tell you this throughout the book. If you wanted to ask a simple question, how do I place one image over the other and blend them together, you would have to do a lot of reading to find out. This should have been titled, advanced photoshop for math majors.