Photoshop (R) 7: The Complete Reference [With CDROM] [With CDROM]

by Laurie Ulrich-Fuller

Book Overview

Features coverage of Photoshop - from its use as a tool for photograph retouching to an application for creating artwork for print and electronic media. This work also includes examples and artwork. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0072223111
• ISBN13: 9780072223118
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media
• Length: 739 Pages
• Weight: 3.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 7.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Michael Pastore's Review in EPublishers Weekly

New Book Teaches A Novice How To Master Graphics Software Reviewed by Michael Pastore, Epublishers Weekly Before studying Ulrich's new book, every time I sat down in front of the Adobe Photoshop desktop, I would take a deep breath, mumble a prayer to the Greek god of electronic images, and then swallow a long gulp of strong green tea. With its hundreds of tools, palettes, options, and possibilities, I felt like I was sitting in the pilot's seat of a jet airplane. To be completely honest, I was so frustrated at my Photoshop ineptness, for a while I considered switching from Photoshop to the 99-dollar competitor, knowing that the competitor had fewer features, and hoping that it would be easier to use. But no, I couldn't give up on Photoshop: it was the industry standard -- for web documents, for graphics of all kinds, and for print. The only good solution to my problem was to stick with it, and to invest the time in learning how to use the software well. In this quest, I tried a number of name-brand books, all without success. Whether they failed me or I failed them is impossible to tell. Some of these learn-Photoshop books were so easy that they didn't teach anything significant; other books left me drowning in mental dust as they assumed that I was graphic-arts professional who worked with the Photoshop software sixteen hours every day. Photoshop 7: The Complete Reference proved to be exactly the book I had been looking for. Everything that I wanted to learn about the Photoshop software is covered in the book's four parts: Getting to Know Photoshop; Editing and Retouching Images; Building Original Artwork; and Photoshop on The Web. My three special interests -- creating and optimizing graphics for the web; creating book covers for print; and managing artwork for electronic files -- all were explained in depth, with explanations that were simple to understand. Ulrich's book is comprehensive, featuring coverage of dozens of topics not included in the User Guide that comes with the software.Illustrations and screenshots on almost every page add to the clarity of the explanations. And the book is filled with hundreds of "Tips" and "Notes" that offer shortcuts and professional advice. Ulrich's work especially shines whenever she explains the things that Photoshop dabblers like me had never before bothered to learn about: What can all the tools and palettes do? How do the colors work? What does Photoshop do best, and when should you not use Photoshop? How can you master the key facets of Photoshop, including layers, actions, filters, and masks? All the brand new features of Photoshop version 7 are taught expertly, including the Web Photo Gallery; something called presets -- the ability to save your settings; the healing brush that makes old photos look new; and -- at long last! -- a spell checker for text. As I worked with this superb book and gained skills, a remarkable thing happened: I began to enjoy using the software. Before it was always a quest

The Best Photoshop Book I've Read!

I've read a number of Photoshop books. This one is by far the best! It's clearly written, easy to follow, and not only tells all there is to know about Photoshop, but also includes some practical tips. The author obviously knows her stuff and has a unique way of presenting the facts, unlike other similar books which are so cut and dry, boring, and difficult to follow. Whether you are a novice or well versed with Photoshop, I highly recommend that you read this book. It's the best available on Photoshop!

Great structure, pragmatic approach, a well written book.

There are a lot of Photoshop books out there and I probably have about 75% of them. One of my chief complaints about most of them is that they offer scattered coverage and they're boring as hell to read. THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT! The text is a pleasure to read and the author obviously has a lot of practical experience and she's able to share it in a logical way. The book's structure is very strong, and I'm finding it to be a great tool for teaching myself to use features I'd never tackled before or had only used in a limited way because I wasn't sure how they worked. I think experienced users will love the book just as much as people who might be new to Photoshop. I'm about in the middle and I think it's a great book.

now photoshop's most confusing features make sense

You don't know how many Photoshop books I have that tell you how to do things but don't tell you why. This book tells you why to use certain features, when not to bother with the "official" procedures, points out the fastest ways to do things, and on and on. I have my own small graphic arts company, so I don't have coworkers or employees to bounce things off of. I have to figure things out on my own. The way the book is set up is great too, because it kind of flows the way a project flows and builds in complexity the way a project builds. This book has been a big help, and I recommend it to anyone who uses Photoshop.

i really recommend this book.

Learning Photoshop on your own is a very long process and its no picnic. Even though I've been using Photoshop for several years theres always something I don't know or can't figure out. I know many people who are in the same boat. Adobe's help isn't very helpful, so a book is ESSENTIAL. This book is GREAT because the writer is very direct, knows her stuff and explains things in a very clear way. I've learned alot already and that's before even reading through the whole book. I recommend this book for people who are new to photoshop, and also to people who consider themselves to be experts! There's something for everyone here.