Product Description

This book (for Windows and Mac) breaks new ground by doing something for digital photographers that’s never been done before—it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure things out on your own. Instead, it does something that virtually no other Elements book has ever done—it tells you flat-out which settings to use, when to use them, and why. If you’re looking for one of those “tell-me-everything-about-the-Unsharp-Maskfilter” books, this isn’t it. You can grab any other Elements book on the shelf, because they all do that. Instead, this book gives you the inside tips and tricks of the trade for organizing, correcting, editing, sharpening, retouching, and presenting your photos like a pro. You’ll be absolutely amazed at how easy and effective these techniques are—once you know the secrets.

You’ll learn:

• The real secrets of how the pros retouch portraits
• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat (you’ll be amazed at how they do it!)
• How to use Camera Raw for processing not only RAW photos, but JPEGs and TIFFs, too! (And you’ll learn why so many pros like it best— because it’s faster and easier)
• The sharpening techniques the pros really use (there’s an entire chapter just on this!)
• How to deal with common digital camera image problems, including removing noise and avoiding halos
• The most requested photographic special effects,  and much more!

The Book's Secret Weapon
Although Elements 8 offers some digital photography features that Photoshop CS4 doesn’t offer, there are plenty of features that Photoshop CS4 has that Elements 8 still doesn’t have (things like paths, Channel Mixer, etc.). But in this book, you’ll learn some slick workarounds, cheats, and some fairly ingenious ways to replicate many of those Photoshop features from right within Elements. Plus, since this book is designed for photographers, it doesn’t waste your time talking about how to frame a shot, setting your exposure, etc., and there’s no talk about which camera or printer to buy. It’s all Elements, step-by-step, cover-to-cover, in the only book of its kind!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #980 in Books
• Published on: 2009-11-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

From the Back Cover
This book (for Windows and Mac) breaks new ground by doing something for digital photographers that’s never been done before—it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure things out on your own. Instead, it does something that virtually no other Elements book has ever done—it tells you flat-out which settings to use, when to use them, and why. If you’re looking for one of those “tell-me-everything-about-the-Unsharp-Maskfilter” books, this isn’t it. You can grab any other Elements book on the shelf, because they all do that. Instead, this book gives you the inside tips and tricks of the trade for organizing, correcting, editing, sharpening, retouching, and presenting your photos like a pro. You’ll be absolutely amazed at how easy and effective these techniques are—once you know the secrets.

You’ll learn:

• The real secrets of how the pros retouch portraits
• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat (you’ll be amazed at how they do it!)
• How to use Camera Raw for processing not only RAW photos, but JPEGs and TIFFs, too! (And you’ll learn why so many pros like it best— because it’s faster and easier)
• The sharpening techniques the pros really use (there’s an entire chapter just on this!)
• How to deal with common digital camera image problems, including removing noise and avoiding halos
• The most requested photographic special effects,  and much more!

The Book's Secret Weapon
Although Elements 8 offers some digital photography features that Photoshop CS4 doesn’t offer, there are plenty of features that Photoshop CS4 has that Elements 8 still doesn’t have (things like paths, Channel Mixer, etc.). But in this book, you’ll learn some slick workarounds, cheats, and some fairly ingenious ways to replicate many of those Photoshop features from right within Elements. Plus, since this book is designed for photographers, it doesn’t waste your time talking about how to frame a shot, setting your exposure, etc., and there’s no talk about which camera or printer to buy. It’s all Elements, step-by-step, cover-to-cover, in the only book of its kind!

About the Author
Scott Kelby is the world’s #1 bestselling author of computer books (since 2004), as well as Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, and President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). He’s the co-host of the highly acclaimedPhotoshop User TV podcast, and trains thousands at digital photo and imaging workshops around the world. An awardwinning author of more than 50 books, including Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Classic Effects, and The Digital Photography Book, volumes 1, 2 & 3, his easygoing, plain-English style of teaching makes learning Photoshop Elements fun. Scott knows firsthand which techniques are in hot demand, and now he shares them here in his latest book.

Matt Kloskowski is a Photoshop guru and author of nine books on Photoshop, Elements, and Illustrator. Matt teaches Photoshop and digital photography techniques to thousands of people each year. He co-hosts the top-rated video podcast Photoshop User TV and also hosts the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips and Photoshop Killer Tips podcasts. He’s built a massive library of DVDs and online training courses, and writes regularly for Photoshop User magazine. Matt is an instructor at the world’s premier Photoshop event, the Photoshop World Conference & Expo, and works in Tampa, Florida, at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.

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Customer Reviews

Some day my prints will come
This is a superb guide to getting the best out of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. Photoshop is a hugely powerful bit of kit - and the fact that it is used by so many professionals is evidence of this. But with that power and choice comes complexity and getting the best out of the software - or even knowing what you can do with it - is not easy. True there are a number of books on the subject - but most are set out by feature. That's fine if you have a bit of knowledge to begin with. Where this book excels is that it takes you through project by project explaining all the steps and - importantly - shows decent colour images of before and after results so you can really see what you are doing.

Each project is prefaced with a chatty, tongue in cheek, very American style intro - I found them amusing - some will not, but in that case, don't read them! The projects themselves are well laid out and explained and really do make things very easy. That's the strength of this book - it's totally user-friendly and unthreatening despite what it is teaching you is often quite complex. Some of the issues dealt with are quite simple - but others are really detailed and will almost certainly help you to get a professional looking image. Plus it's well worth reading before you head out to take your pictures as knowing what you can and cannot do in processing is a real help to taking better images in the first place. This is a terrific book for beginners right up to experienced photographers. Fantastic.

A practical guide to using the software
This book is excellent for users who want to know how to use the software to its full. It guides you through how to do tasks and you can download files that he has used in the book so that you can do it at the same time. Once you've practised you can then have a go on your own photos. It's a useful book to keep going back to to refresh your memory and the step-by-step instructions and writing style are very good.

You realise just how good Photoshop Elements is and what you can do with it - within a couple of days I have made a couple of images that look superb (well I think so and am even getting them printed). It also makes you think more about what pictures you take, because you understand how you can edit them later. If you've got Photoshop Elements 8 get this book.

The Photoshop Elements 8 Book for Digital Photographers
I have to say I am not entirely in tune with Scott Kelby's sense of humour which he frequently brings in to play, fearing perhaps that the book will otherwise be somewhat dry, but it would be OK by me without it. Continuing the theme I also have to say his dedication pages are also a little over the top for my English taste! That aside this book like his The Digital Photography Book volumes is excellently written & presented. The procedures to follow in an endeavour to improve your photographs are clearly given on an easy to follow step-by-step basis & the professional tips he offers along the way are invaluable. Both he & Matt Kloskowski (his co-author on this one) undoubtedly have an in depth knowledge of their subject & (which is not always the case with experts) are able to communicate with us lesser mortals on our level without being patronising or using jargon without explanation. If you are thinking of buying Photoshop Elements - or even if you already have it, this book is well worth your consideration.