The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

I was thinking of taking a Photoshop refresher course($375), but this book is all I need. Shows you all the tips and tricks and more. Not only that, they are very easy to learn, or this books makes it seem so. Everything is well illustrated with Step1, Step2, Step3, etc. so you are not jumping from page to page, chapter to chapter. This is one of the Best books written by Kelby in my opinion and I have several. Nothing too deep or complicated.

I'm not quite sure how to summarize this book, but will give it a try of course. Kelby knows his stuff, no question, and he does a pretty good job of filling you in on what you don't already know with respect to fixing those average, as well as good, photos of yours. You WILL learn to make better prints in the end, though Kelby only touches on printing at the end of the book. The book is a Camera Raw (which I really needed) and Photoshop primer, except that you do need to know a lot of the basics, especially of Photoshop, already. (Here's where it's hard to summarize.) He will tell you of some fairly basic stuff, such as how to use Curves, how to Crop in a number of different ways, how to sharpen and/or reduce noise, how to Dodge and Burn, and all the rest to much to mention, but he doesn't really ever explain what a Layer IS. You see? He assumes you know that already, that is, what a Layer is and reasons for using them at all. That's also true of masking and a few other basics of Photoshop. Actually, I think his chapters concerning Camera Raw are some of the best in the book, as it is a bit more explanatory, or so it seemed to me. But then I had less knowledge of Camera Raw than of Photoshop.So, it's not a book for beginners but it's still a book for beginners. Sorry about that. If you've at least got the basics of Photoshop already then this is a very good book that teaches about all of Photoshop, and Camera Raw, photographic capabilities and what you can do with those. Don't look for a chapter on Photoshop 3D, however, or, say, anything about painting in Photoshop. Those aren't what he teaches. He teaches photography like it says on the cover of the book, "for digital photographers." There are many more tools in Photoshop not necessarily intended for photography, though Photoshop remains first and foremost a digital darkroom, and Camera Raw even more so. Camera Raw is strictly for photography and it should not be ignored, even if Photoshop by itself has most of the same tools. Camera Raw can still outshine Photoshop in certain respects and Kelby points out where as well as how. He's excellent on Camera Raw in particular. I can't possibly list all that's in the book, as it's jam-packed with methods both basic and more advanced, bearing in mind that Kelby is himself a commercial photographer--at least in this book.At the end of each chapter are his "Photoshop Killer Tips," a lot of which are pretty neat, if not all of them. A few aren't so "killer." But most are and well worth knowing. Can't give any away here, but I'd guess that some of them aren't known by a lot of pros. Kelby will also lead you to a fantastic plug-in to try out and then buy if you can afford it. Man, it's a really good one, in my opinion! I'll probably spend the dough to get it after having tried it out. It includes, though Kelby doesn't say a lot about the plug-in per se, a terrific noise reducing tool, something Photoshop notoriously lacks. Camera Raw's is better.The book is very well organized, which I always appreciate. Having said that, and after adding that what is in this book could make you into a pro as long as you otherwise take great photos, there are spots where the book suffers from insufficient explanation of some method or other, or of some tool or other; i.e. using Photoshop's new Refine Edge tool. If you work at these things long enough you'll eventually work out how it works, but on these occasions a little more in the way of explanation would help.I took a star off for that reason in general. In fact, all of these instruction books suffer from a common syndrome that really bugs me; namely, using as illustrations photos that are perfectly suited to the use of a given method or tool. I get why authors do it but I'm still bugged by it. Just once I'd like to see one of them use a really tough example of how to do something. E.g., try that Refine Edge tool on a photo with a background a lot more busy and it doesn't work so well, or try dodging or burning an area not so well defined as in the case of the photo used by an author specifically chosen for the purpose of illustrating dodging and burning. I tried to get the Refine Edge tool to work on a photo of some trees against a fairly dark background, wherein contrast was not so great, and forgetaboutit. Not happening. Against a clear bright sky it would have been easy, but not all photos come like that. And I wonder if there's a way I could do it but just can't find out or if there's just no way. (One way that helps a little with the Refine Edge tool is to temporarily blow up contrast and THEN try the tool. Hey, Adobe, the older tool was better.)Most all of these instructional writers are lazy about this, including Kelby, who's otherwise an engaging and clear writer 95% of the time. And not to say Kelby isn't ever critical of both programs. He certainly is on several occasions, even chastising Adobe, and I LIKE THAT. The book really is very good and I DO recommend it for serious photographers. Great reference book to have around too.

I bought the three previous editions of this book for previous versions of Photoshop and refer to them constantly, so buying this one when I upgraded to CS5 was an automatic decision. As a member of a camera club, I process lots of photos for competitions and other purposes and Scott's books have made all the difference in the quality of my final images.An advantage Scott's books have over some other Photoshop books I've tried is that his books are both descriptive and prescriptive. Some descriptive books tell you, in great detail, how Photoshop features work, but not when to use them, what settings work best, and why you'd use one technique over another. Scott includes some description, but devotes his time to prescribing very specifically what you should do, including exact numbers for such things as the sliders in the HDR panel, for sharpening different types of photos, etc. This is a cookbook, and it's got great recipes.I keep it right next to my computer and look up techniques, both new ones and ones I've used before whose steps I've forgotten. And the fact that this is a book--and not a YouTube video, instructional DVD, online manual or help forum, or e-book--matters. Those sources all have their place, but for convenience, rapid and random access, and the ability to follow a step-by-step approach at your own pace, a book is the best reference source.I understand why some reviewers say they don't think it's necessary to buy this edition if you have the previous edition, but I've had that same decision to make three times, and I believe you're missing out if you don't "upgrade" the book when you upgrade the application. If you don't, it's like buying the new model of the car you owned before, but not buying the new owner's manual and instead just using the old one. Sure, some of the features are the same and work the same, like the brake, but you're missing out on learning about and using new features that give you new capabilities, like the navigation system. For most people, those new features are one of main reasons they chose to upgrade in the first place.The section on HDR in the new book is good example. There was a section on HDR in the CS4 book, but Scott's take-away message was, Don't use it--use Photomatix instead. In this book he says, "Photoshop CS5's HDR Pro is one of the biggest stars of the entire CS5 upgrade ... which makes this a really usable and powerful tool ...". To take advantage of the new functionality you paid for--like HDR, the new Mini Bridge, and so on--you need the new book.One more point on the comparison between new and older editions of the book: The sections that appear in both books are similar, but not identical. They've been revised to reflect changes in the program, include new demo images, and have some changed sub-sections. Also, don't throw out your CS4 (and previous) books--some really useful techniques in each book don't make it into the new book; not because they're outdated but because if everything gets carried over from book to book, there would be no room for the new material.I also like the addition of the Killer Tips section at the end of each chapter. Using them saves time and make you feel like a power user.All in all, this book is such a key to producing much-improved images with Photoshop that Adobe should bundle it with the program.

There are three things that you have to know about Scott Kelby: i) he is possibly the most knowledgeable person about Photoshop on the face of the planet; ii) he has a rare ability to explain complex processes clearly, backed up by illustrations which are large and actually helpful; and iii) the man is as mad as a hatter.Once you accept the fact that parts of this book will wander into a world largely populated by Monty Python, you will find that this is the one book that you absolutely have to have, if you are going to use Photoshop CS5 both effectively and enjoyably.Each step is described with such crystal clarity that even someone as technically inept as myself can quickly grasp both the principle and the practice of the various techniques to take your photographs from RAW to a final state that reflects exactly where you want to go with the image.There are times when I get the feeling that Scott Kelby actually knows more about Photoshop than the Adobe wizards who created it in the first place.If you are a CS5 user, the bottom line about this book is this: just buy it.

Scott Kelby is a prolific writer on the Adobe "Photoshop" range of products, a photographer in his own right and very knowledgeable. I am a long time user of Photoshop and over the years have bought various reference books because whilst I use it mainly for photography, it is a "huge program" that can be used in many different ways for web and graphic design. Photoshop itself is more of a evolutionary program but every so often and beyond the marketing hype, there are significant changes and version 5(CS5) has a few so worth me buying a new book I decided.The "Kelby Format" is for chapter lesson/step throughs that illustrate various aspects of the software, the pictures used you can download so that you can work on the same images. These books do not have to be read in sequence, Chapter 1 onwards, you can dip into them as you choose which is what I do to focus on those things that are "different" in this version of Photoshop. As I only buy this series once in a while, this book serves another purpose for me, it makes me review my personal techniques in using PS, how I do this or that when working on images which might have been fine in an earlier versions of Photoshop but now there is a better tool or "wrinkle" to be used.Because of the original cost of a Photoshop licence, it is not software for the casual user and whilst this is an excellent book for people who use PS in a photographic context, if you are totally new to PS and don't yet understand the software and want an introduction to it, likely not the book you need at this stage. Not because it is so difficult, this book and the software will get you well ahead but only in using it as a photographer, PS does a lot more than just that. Adobe CS5 Photoshop (PC)[[ASIN:B003DZ0DUQ Adobe CS5 Photoshop, Upgrade Version from Photoshop CS2/CS3/CS4 (Mac)Adobe CS5 Photoshop (PC)[[ASIN:B003DZ0DUQ Adobe CS5 Photoshop, Upgrade Version from Photoshop CS2/CS3/CS4 (Mac)

I bought Scott Kelby's book when I got CS2 and found it ideal for my needs i.e. being able to dip in and out of things I needed to be able to do in Photoshop. This book follows the same style. No need to read from cover to cover - just look up what you want in the index, find the relevant page and follow the step by step guide. Really good photo images and screenshots allow you to easily follow what Scott is saying. There is a bit more emphasis on Camera Raw and I probably will need to get into this. But unless you're some sort of genius with software you're going to need a book like this to find your way round. CS5 is so different from CS2 that I wouldn't be without this bible.

This book is aimed at intermediate to advanced users so a little pre-knowledge and experience of PS5 basics is desirable. Having said that it is easy to follow and each process is explained in detail with examples. The book covers a lot of ground, including Camera RAW (3 chapters), Colour Correction. Black and White, Creating HDR, Special Effects, Sharpening, Fixing Problems and a final chapter on Printing and Colour Management. A great book to have on your desk when you are processing your photos.

I moved from CS3 to CS5 and bought this having bought other books by Kelby and used his/colleagues Photoshop podcasts.Its in chunky bits with the diagrams/screendumps next to the text. The explanations are short and to the point without excess waffle or serious in depth diversions.If you are reasonably adept at previous Photoshop versions - know the useful shortcuts, understand the layers stack, then this book explains the features of CS5. All except the 3D Repousse parts. A good read, and some of the preamble funnies are funny!