Product Description

If you are just starting to work with digital images and want great results fast, this complete, easy-to-follow guide is the one for you. As you take your first steps into the magical world of digital imaging, you'll rapidly gain mastery. Everything you need to make your once-in-a-lifetime photos look like a pro shot them is herewith real-life examples and hands-on projects from author and professional photographer Philip Andrews. Become skilled at how to capture superb images from the start as Philip guides you in plain-English through real-life examples.

Then get the most out of your digital camera with this thoroughly updated book on Elements 5.0. Its a snap to prepare your photos for email, your website, or top-quality printoutswhether your shots are from a digital or traditional camera. Packed with tips, hints, hundreds of visual examples, and step-by-step tutorials, this book shows you exactly how to:

Color-correct skin tones, isolate foreground subjects, extract people and objects from their backgrounds, create slide shows, fix red-eye, share images online, and more
* Create Album pages quickly and easily with new Elements 5.0 only features
* Create, customise and upload your own professionally produce web gallery in under 5 minutes
Create stunning effects with easy, step-by-step techniques to get results fast
Compose amazing panoramas, create slide shows, or design fun greeting cards
Print, back up, and organize your pictures for best results.
Achieve proficiency with techniques like selections and layers, text, and painting and drawing tools
Demystify all the new features in Elements 5.0 to fine-tune your photography, including Photo Creations and the Artwork and Effects palette, with essential new information on using Raw files

And much, much more.

If youre looking for a book written by a computer pro from a computer book company, this book isnt it. Written by a photographer for photographers, this book is for those who want to know the techniques that get results and can be put into practice immediately.

Full color, step-by-step projects walk you through how to transform your shots into professional images for everything from your family photo album, scrapbook pages to CD slide shows to business presentations and literature, restaurant menus, and more. You can even create posters for holidays and birthday parties.


Avid amateurs, family photographers, and small to medium-sized businesses or organizations that need to customize a message in collateral or websites rely on this essential book to learn how to transform photos into breathtaking results.

Hone your skills for professional-quality images with the associated website (www.guide2elements.com) that allows you to put each technique into practice with free images to edit and enhance as you follow step-by-step book projects. And theres more. printable lesson plans, useful links, video tutorials, and updates give you everything at your fingertips to get the best out of your digital camera and Elements 5.0. No more searching for an accompanying CD, as long as you are web connected, the resources and video tutorials are always available via the website no matter where you are.


* Save valuable time with this successful introduction to digital imaging written in Philips trademark no-nonsense style
* Fully updated to cover all the new Elements 5.0 features
* See how to put each technique into practice with real-life examples
* Be inspired with hundreds of full color, high-quality illustrations


Praise for previous editions of this title:

"With Philip providing you with such a good street index to our Photoshop Elements 3.0 software you will be creating fantastic digital images in next to no time at all."
Judith Salonga, Adobe Systems

"If you need to manipulate digital images this is the book that will not only show you what can be achieved but inspire you to develop your skills even further."
Computer Arts Special

"Whether you are into manipulating photographs, wishing to build better websites or produce better looking prints, this book will help you to master all the necessary tools contained in the program. The learning curve just got shallower!"
Martin Evening

"Philip Andrews' knowledge and enthusiasm shines through."
Royal Photographic Society Journal

* Save valuable time with this successful introduction to digital imaging written in Philip's trademark no-nonsense style
* Fully updated to cover all the new Elements 5.0 features
* See how to put each technique into practice with real-life examples
* Be inspired with hundreds of full color, high-quality illustrations

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108370 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 424 pages

Review
"Philip's friendly style makes learning Photoshop Elements a breeze. This book gives you everything you need to feel like a digital pro in no time at all."
Richard Coencas, Photoshop Elements Quality Engineer Lead, Adobe

About the Author
Philip Andrews is Adobe Australia's official Photoshop and Elements Ambassador. He is an experienced photographer, author, magazine editor and online course creator. He was previously a lecturer at the Queensland School of Printing and Graphic Arts, Australia and Nescot, England. He is a beta tester for Photoshop, an alpha tester for Photoshop Elements and a Photoshop specialist demonstrator for Adobe Australia. Philip is also co-founder of photo-college.com an online photography training college. He's a regular contributor to several magazines including Shutterbug, Amateur Photographer, Australian Photography and Better Photography, he is senior contributing editor for Better Digital, columnist for What Digital Camera and Co-editor and publisher of Better Photoshop Techniques magazine.

Customer Reviews

Photoshop Elements 5: A Visual Introduction to Digital Photography
This is the latest of Philip Andrew's series of books covering Photoshop Elements, now at Version 5, and fully updated, is aimed at those who are new to digital imaging and the software. One of the many strengths of the book is its "backward compatibility"; that is to say, you can use this book, even if you have a previous version of the software. This is achieved by stating clearly at the start of each section what the commands are for versions 1 through to 5. The book is divided into 15 Chapters, covering everything from an overview of digital imaging and the software to creating a web photo gallery. In between each of the following topics and more is covered: Getting your pictures into Elements, tonal control, retouching techniques, making and using selections, organising your photos with tags, understanding and using layers, working with text, using painting tools, creating panoramas, preparing images for the web and printing, making creations. A further Chapter contains 12 "real world" projects that can be followed step-by-step to further hone your skills. There is also a useful companion website where there are further downloadable resources and all the photos used in the book are available to download and practice on. In summary, this is an excellent book that I commend to anyone interested in getting the most from the software. Philip Andrews has a clear, concise and easy style, and manages to explain complex terms in an easy to understand way. This, combined with great full colour screen shots and clear step-by-step instructions makes this a must for any Photoshop Elements user.

Scott Congdon's Review
Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 A visual introduction to digital photography
By Philip Andrews

When a digital photographer is just starting out, and need to learn a program in order to achieve their photographic goals, going on a course can be very costly. If you want to start your digital photography journey off on the right foot and learn the basics of Photoshop Elements 5.0 then this book is ideal. The author starts from the absolute basics and breaks down every little detail within the program and explains it using easy to follow steps and fantastic illustrations. The colour coordinated chapter system allows the reader to quickly refer to a section in need.

From explaining what each tool's function is, to outlining what is new in Elements 5.0 this book leaves no stone unturned and will easily motivate the reader to want to know more! The book also puts theory into practice with a great chapter of projects that the reader can use to help achieve their own person photographic goals. At the very back of the book, there is an in depth column of keyboard shortcuts guaranteed to really speed up the editing process.
Whether the needs are amateur or professional, this book is an easy to follow and user friendly reference to the latest Photoshop Elements software.
This book is available direct from Elsevier Australia Customer Service, Tel: 1800 263 951, Fax: (02) 95172249 or by email: customerserviceau@elsevier.com

Well worth having. Great learning book.
I have read this 400 odd page book twice to the point that it almost became an addition! The first time I didn't take it all in, but on the second occasion it all became a lot clearer. Believe me this book oozes information from each page the moment you pick it up and start reading. It's the type of book that you do not want to put down. Yes it is a 'before and after' definition type of book, but it benefits by explaining to the reader in clear and precise terminology on what to do and how to get there. Each PE5 (Photoshop Elements 5) tool (and it goes through them all in some detail) ends with a 'Feature Summary', and that's where a small exercise comes in if you want to participate. More or less doing what the Author had been previously describing in fact. This is clearly designed to make the reader aware of, and how to use the specific tool being described as you are gently guided through each section. Each PE5 'tool' is very clearly explained. I was disappointed in the very powerful Layers section, representing the backbone of Photoshop and Elements alike. Where the Layers Mask, and the Gradients section is, I have yet to find them. All this aside this book was and is very easy reading with a medium sized text format. It has lots of pictures with red arrows going from this picture to that tool and onward to that picture. Very visual in fact. It explains what and where you have to go with these arrows and pictures to get to the end result, which is then clearly shown. EVERYTHING has a picture attached to it which are all of a nice viewable size. Text to picture radio is around 50/50 I feel. This book has that `friendly feel' about it and not once was I bored by reading it. The Author clearly has that `knack' of being able to explain detail to the reader that he/she can understand without getting over technical about the whole thing. Yes I think that this book is well worth having.

This is my third book on PE5 and just as my top choice book of the three was by Author, Mark Galer, this book is also highly recommended. In my opinion the Layers section needs to seen to be understood, hence my top marks would go to Mark Galers book/video. Only when you actually attempt doing the Layers thing will you become familiar with this tool. It does not have the video disc supplied with this book but in it's own way is just as informative, be it that it relies on written text only. It has a link to the Authors website where all the pictures detailed in the book can be downloaded as a single file or all together in order to match the summaries. Super book, super read. Just made it to 5 stars. All IMHO of coarse.