Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))

Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))
by Peter Bauer

Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))
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Book Summary Information

Author: Peter Bauer
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-06-14
ISBN: 0764595717
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: For Dummies

Book Reviews of Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))

Book Review: Superb text by master teacher -- aimed at serious users rather than at dummies
Summary: 5 Stars

Surprise! An incredible "Dummies" book on quality paper, in-text color photos, professional layout, and none of that heavy-handed tiresome 'humor'. The author - Director of the Photoshop Professionals Help desk - must have extracted a lot of concessions (all for the better) from the series publisher before putting his name on the book. Readers are the winners - all the more at Amazon's incredible price.

This is not a book for "Dummies" [quick-fix users with little time for manuals] but then, neither is the Photoshop software. Snapshooters are well advised to stick with the less demanding, far less expensive, yet still very powerful, Photoshop Elements.

The organization is extremely well thought out - reflecting the author's vast experience at the Photoshop Help desk - touching on the major tools and commands with more than sufficient insight to get you on the road. Not just that, but the writer has that all-too-rare gift of communicating crisply and clearly, and of holding the reader's attention without heavy-handed 'humor'. The daunting 'Curves' dialog, for instance, comes across clearly and understandably. The contrast of this CS2 edition with the previous CS (and earlier) editions is visually striking and, pleasant surprise, will serve CS users as well because CS2-specific operations are clearly marked. Best of all, an entire chapter is devoted to the increasingly popular RAW ('digital negative') format that really takes advantage of Photoshop's tremendous power.

This is an outstanding contribution to readers willing to spend some time and effort on a daunting project. It's NOT for the hurried, instant-fix, faint-of-heart user -- who shouldn't be starting with Photoshop in the first place. One glaring weakness is the inadequate and incomplete Index; "Color Cast", a perennial camera/scanner problem, has only one reference - and that in the RAW plugin section. In my first read I found at least five more references to 'color cast' under far more relevant commands. Not the least, this book is so well written that it's one of the few technical texts that doesn't suffer from lack of a work-along CD [as many Phototoshop texts are] - a deserving tribute to a superb communicator. Well done!

Summary of Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))

If you?re a photography hobbyist, would you like to brighten up that gloomy island vacation photo? Slim down without going on a diet? See whether white or green shutters look best on the house? Expunge the ex-boyfriend from family photos?

If you?re a pro or semi-pro photographer, would you like to make it snow in that ski resort photo?  Replace the old logo in the glamour shot of the corporate headquarters with the new one?  Grow hair in the CEO?s glaring bald spot?  Freshen up the lettuce in that food shot?

You?ve come to the right place. With Photoshop CS2, you have the tools. With Photoshop CS2 For Dummies, you?ll have the know-how.  In full color, with all kinds of examples, screen shots, step-by-step explanations, tips, and techniques, this guide takes you from the fundamentals to special power-user tricks! Cross-platform Mac-PC coverage includes:

  • The basics of getting around in Photoshop, getting images into and out of Photoshop, choosing the right file formats, and setting your preferences
  • Working with Adobe Bridge to organize and manage your images
  • Working with tonality, including making easy Auto Repairs, making adjustments with Levels and Curves (and the eyedroppers), and using Shadow/Highlight and the toning tools, Burn and Dodge
  • Making color look natural using the color adjustment commands
  • Taking advantage of the RAW format for maximum flexibility, including using the Adjust, Detail, Lens, Curve, and Calibrate tabs and the Camera Raw buttons
  • Fine-tuning your fixes, including making your selections with tools (four marquee tools, three lasso tools, and the Magic Wand tool) 
  • Masking for both layer visibility and for protecting parts of your images
  • The most common problems in digital photos?red-eye, wrinkles, unwanted objects and people, and noise?and what to do about them

With Photoshop CS2, you can go beyond enhancing your images to create ?art.? You have a very powerful painting engine, an extremely complex Brushes palette, and all kinds of painting tools. Photoshop CS2 For Dummies walks you though:

  • Compositing (combining images into a piece of artwork) and working with layers, including choosing from the almost two dozen blending modes
  • Selecting with Extract which is great for making tough selections, such as flyaway hair and various types of fringe
  • Using Vanishing Point to ?map? a pattern to angled surfaces
  • Creating panoramas with Photomerge
  • Creating precision edges with vector paths, including using shape layers and the Custom Shape tool, choosing from more than 300 ready-to-use shapes with the Custom Shape Picker, and using the Pen tool to create paths
  • Where to find dozens, or even hundreds, of custom shapes already on your computer ? absolutely free
  • Dressing up images with layer styles, including using the Styles palette and creating custom layer styles
  • Adding text messages and tweaking your text
  • Using the extensive painting tools and the Brushes palette
  • Using filters, including sharpening to focus the eye using blur filters or the Unsharp Mask and the new Smart Sharpen filter that give incredible control
  • Getting fun effects with the Liquify filter

In a special Power Photoshop section, you?ll learn about streamlining your work, including creating a PDF for both onscreen presentation and for printing. You?ll discover how to spiff up your online images by working with Image Ready to slice, optimize, and otherwise juice up your images for the Web and how to create fancy rollover buttons and fun animations, 

From basic cropping to complex techniques that can turn good photos into great ones, Photoshop CS2 For Dummies is your guide to exploring all the possibilities that await you in Photoshop CS2.

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