Author: Barbara Brundage Publisher: O’Reilly Media
First Edition: March 2008 Pages: 554 Series: The Missing Manuals ISBN 10: 0-596-51936-2 | ISBN 13: 9780596519360 Publisher’s brief description: After more than two years, Adobe has finally released a new version of Photoshop Elements for the Mac that packs a lot more editing firepower than iPhoto. It's perfect for scrapbooking, making fancy photo collages, creating your own Web galleries, and more -- but knowing what to do and when is tricky. Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual explains all the new features in a clear, easy-to-understand way, and gives you tips on when to use them.
The first thing I always do is to flip through the pages to see what catches my eye, then scan the volume to see how well its organized:
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Finding Your Way Around Elements
Chapter 2: Importing, Managing, and Saving Your Photos
Chapter 3: Rotating and Resizing Your Photos
Chapter 4: The Quick Fix
Chapter 5: Making Selections
Chapter 6: Layers: The Heart of Elements
Chapter 7: Basic Image Retouching
Chapter 8: Elements for Digital Photographers
Chapter 9: Retouching: Fine-Tuning Your Images
Chapter 10: Removing and Adding Color
Chapter 11: Photomerge: Creating Panoramas, Group Shots, and More
Chapter 12: Drawing with Brushes, Shapes, and Other Tools
Chapter 13: Filters, Effects, Layer Styles, and Gradients
Chapter 14: Type in Elements
Chapter 15: Creating Projects
Chapter 16: Printing Your Photos
Chapter 17: Elements and the Web
Chapter 18: Beyond the Basics
Appendix: Elements, Menu by Menu
Appendix: Installation and Troubleshooting
Appendix: Bridge CS3, Menu by Menu
For me this is a great quick reference for tasks I want to do without having to read the whole book. The extensive use of color makes it visually appealing and quickly understandable.
The “Missing Manual” tradition of step-by-step how-to detailed instructions has been continued in this publication. What immediately impressed me even further was the author’s ability to put this program in context, both in terms of what is different from earlier versions of Elements, as well as what is different from the PC version (which is substantial). Written in a straight-forward no-nonsense manner, it gently eases in the newcomer, while assisting veterans to get directly to their topic of interest with features like the Power Users’ Clinic.
The format is well-designed, and logical in its sequence, with excellent indexing and helpful notations. Due to the level of detail and complexity of content, it may at first seem daunting to the first-time reader. This book assumes that you want to learn what to do, and how to do it, so it requires a tight focus, after which the results will be very rewarding. Although the content is very meaningful, one distraction was the paper quality which, for a book about photographic manipulation, should have glossy pages, rather than matt finish. To their credit, comparative before and after color photos are displayed which show the effects of many tools, and these would be more distinctive with better paper (admittedly, this would probably also increase the cost to produce this book).
When David Pogue pioneered the Missing Manual series, he established an entertaining, yet informative pattern which is well-illustrated here. Whether you want to sit down for a whole weekend to really get into Photoshop Elements 6, or jump directly to a specific task (or fix), this publication will accommodate the needs of most users. Elements is a very powerful tool and this guide can help make you a real Power User!
This great book which retails for $44.99, but can be found for $29.69 or less at Amazon and other internet locations. A complete O’Reilly Media description, and purchasing details are also available from O'Riley.
Comments