Product Description

Brimming with beautiful pictures, this successful book guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS3. If you are an aspiring professional, enthusiastic amateur photographer, or a student learning photography, digital imaging, art and design, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve!

New! DVD is included FREE. Additional learning materials include * full-resolution, royalty-free images to download for trying-out your new techniques * over 8 hours of QuickTime movie tutorials to support the practical projects * Presets from layer styles to curves, shapes, and gradients * indispensable RAW files for editing practice

And don't miss the companion website with updates, practice material, and more at www.photoshopessentialskills.com!

"The perfect companion guide for Photoshop users of multiple levels."
Photoshop Creative Magazine

"This book provides excellent coverage of Photoshop as a digital darkroom tool, as well as covering a truly amazing amount of background information. It is very readable and is truly a gem."
Mark Lewis, Director, Mount Saint Mary College, USA

The Essential Skills Photography Series from Focal Press uniquely offers a structured learning experience for photographers of all ages, with both the underlying theory and loads of invaluable 'how to' and real-life practice projects - all from the most talented photography practitioners/educators in the world.

Each subject includes:

* learning objectives for each section - for class use or self-study
* color images of student and teacher/author work
* activities to check learning outcomes
* assignments to put theories into creative practice
* full glossary of terms

Other titles in the series:
Studio Photography: Essential Skills by John Child, Photographic Lighting: Essential Skills by John Child and Mark Galer and Digital Photography in Available Light by Mark Galer.

*An affordable resource that distills the complexity of Photoshop CS3 to the essentials
* Retouch photographs, create makeovers, produce sophisticated montages, and create special effects with clear, step-by-step projects
* Practice with activities that show the 'why', along with the 'how-to'
* Follow a structured learning approach to gain fundamental skills...and more

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #191391 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
Praise for previous edition:

"Breaks down a monster programme into its essential elements and communicates them in an easily understandable way." Geoff Franklin, photographer, UK

"A must for any photographer, whether an absolute beginner or one in advanced mode... memorise every other word and you will be the king of your camera club." - Amateur Photographer

"This book provides excellent coverage of Photoshop as a digital darkroom tool as well as covering a truly amazing amount of background information. It is very readable and is truly a gem". Mark Lewis, Director of Technology Training, Mount Saint Mary College, USA

About the Author
Mark Galer is a Senior Lecturer in photography at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. He is also co-writer and teacher on their new online photography courses. He has lectured in photography in the UK and Australia and has worked commercially as a freelance photographer on corporate and editorial assignments. He has written numerous top-selling photography books, including Photography Foundations for Art & Design, Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Maximum Performance and Digital Photography in Available Light. He is an Official Adobe Ambassador for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

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

An excellent book...
I have been using Photoshop for many years but from the perspective of digital imaging. PS rather like MS Word, is a product with massive potential of which most users will only utilise 10-20%. When I upgraded to CS3 I thought it was time to buy a general PS book if only to make sure I wasn't missing out on "new features" that would be really useful to me so a book with "essential skills" in the title sounded right. I would strongly recommend this book because the content is excellent and the supporting DVD, totally brilliant. As most people do, I was getting by with my personal tried and tested techniques but I not only picked up new ones that I can build on but also got quite motivated and excited by some of it sure, maybe I should get out more !

excellent book BUT
Please be aware that is book is totally focussed on digital photography and post processing, in this it is comprehensive, articulate and clearly and can thoroughly recommend it. But i purchased it for my young up and coming artist daughter (based on the info here) expecting from the title a general book on all aspects of learning and producing art with Photoshop. For this it is unsuitable.

An essential buy if you are new to CS3
This book is worth purchasing for the DVD alone - it is an excellent way to learn CS3. I keep referring back to it and have it open as I learn new techniques. The book itself can be a bit confusing if you are new to digial photography and image manipulation, but the DVD more than compensates. I find I use the book as a back up.

I would recommend it if you want to learn essentials and new techniques in CS3.