Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage
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Book Reviews of Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual
Book Review: VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Do you need to edit and organize your photos? If you do, then this book is for you. Author Barbara Brundage, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is intended to make learning Elements easier by avoiding technical jargon as much as possible, and explaining why and when you'll want to use certain features in the program.
Brundage, begins by showing you how to navigate Elements' slightly confusing layout and mishmash of programs within programs. Then, the author covers how to get photos into Elements, the basics of organizing them, and how to open files and create new images from scratch; as well as, how to save and back up your images. Next, She explains how to rotate and crop your photos, and includes a primer on that most important digital imaging concept--resolution. The author then shows you how to use the Quick Fix window to dramatically improve your photos. She continues by covering two key concepts that you'll use throughout the book. Then, the author shows you how to make basic corrections, such as exposure, color adjustments, sharpening , and removing dust and scratches. Next, she covers topics unique to people who use digital cameras, like RAW conversion and batch processing your photos. The author then moves on to some more sophisticated fixes, like changing the light, using the clone stamp to make repairs, making your photos more lively with hue/saturation and changing the colors in an image. She continues by covering how to convert your photos to black and white, and tinting and recoloring black and white photos. Then, she shows you how to use the Elements' Photomerge feature to create multiphoto panoramas and to make perspective corrections to your images. Next, the author covers how to paint your photos and draw shapes, use filters and effects to create a more artistic look and add type to your images. Then she shows you how to get the most out of your printer, how to create images for the Web and email, how to make slideshows and Web Galleries with your photos, and all the fun projects you can create with Elements 5. Finally, she looks at information about using a .graphics tablet in Elements and some resources for after you've finished this book.
You'll also find tutorials throughout this most excellent book that refer to files you can download from the missing manual web site, so you can practice the techniques you're reading about. More importantly, this book assumes you know how to perform basic activities on your computer, like clicking and double-clicking your mouse and dragging objects onscreen.
Book Review: Missing Manuels - Best Book about Adobe Photoshop Elemets 5
Summary: 5 Stars
PhotoShop Elements 5: The Missing Manuel is the best software training book and learning experience that I have ever purchased! As most of you know, the manuels that come with most software programs might as well head for the recycle bin as they are poorly written and not of much use for learning a new software program. That has all been changed with the advent of 'The Missing Manuels' series of books.
I purchased 'Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manuel' and it is the most used book in my collection of software related books. I have been using the book for several months now and it is almost worn out due to earmarking and highlighted pages and paragraphs. The book is amazing and it has made the learning curve almost 50% easier than any other manuel or book that I have purchased in the past 15 years.
I am so pleased with this book that I have already ordered 2 more books from 'The Missing Manuel'. I am eagerly waiting for the mailman to delivere my next purchase.
Next to having a teacher that is willing to drop over to my house and teach me personlly, I can't imagine a better way of learning.
I could go on and on about this wonderful book but I have to stop somewhere. Please do yourself a favour and give one of these books a try. You won't be disapointed in any way. You will have to have a pen and highligter ready as you will probably run out of ink before giving 'The Manuel' a test run.
My only wish is that the publisher will expand their library with more titles so that more people can experience this wonderful method of learning.
Book Review: Five Stars for Elements 5
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've used Photoshop Elements 2, then you have some background for Elements 5. I figured it took me a full week of reading and computer operating to be comfortable with the updated program. I still have a lot to learn. I looked at a number of books on Elements 5, and for me here are the top two: one by Scott Kelby (with his strange sense of humor) and the other by Barbara Brundage. Both books are priced the same. Scott Kelby's has 487 pages and is printed on a semi-gloss paper. He also includes a camera target for highlight, raw white balance, midtone (grey), and shadow (black). The Brundage book has 554 pages printed on smooth paper which I prefer because it is easier to pencil in notes or underline items for future reference. Color reproductions with both books is excellent, with the edge to Kelby. Unless you set your digital camera on automatic, you probably need to have your camera instruction manual close by.
The same holds true for the Adobe Elements Program. You can catch on to the basics pretty fast, but you need the Elements 5 book on your lap when you're working with the computer. I also printed a number of pages from the instructions included with the Elements program, but when you condsider the time factor, the cost of ink and paper, you're better off buying the book.
Book Review: TOPS! lucid, factual, complete, easy-to-follow along; but missing a CD
Summary: 5 Stars
As with the Elements 2 and 3 "Missing Manuals" the author continues her complete mastery of the topic -- after all, she's on the development team, and a dedicated responder in the Adobe User Forum as well. If some of the text and illustrations look familiar from prior editions, it's only because that topic hasn't changed from previous versions. Everything new added in PSE5 -- and it's well worth the update -- has been seamlessly integrated into the existing material; unlike some of the mass producers who all-too-obviously just tack the new material onto their current product.
This book is refreshingly easy to read and understand, yet covers all the essentials thoroughly -- including RAW processing -- with extra hints and tips for the advanced user. Even included are excellent instructions for getting rid of those intrusive "Organizer" and "Fetcher" programs that Adobe forces on Windows (but not MAC) users.
Some of the tutorial follow-along images can be downloaded, to be sure. But this guide book would have been better yet if an inexpensive CD with full-size images [rather than pixel-starved web downloads] were included so that the user could truly grasp the enormous richness of the program which now is close to being a 'mini-Photoshop'.
Book Review: Yeah...this should have been included with the software...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using "Missing Manual" books for several years. The unfortunate lack of printed manuals accompanying technology products has created this market, which I have turned to for help with my operating system and several software applications. Photoshop and its consumer cousin, Photoshop Elements are both feature dense. They are powerful, but not especially intuitive. I bought this book out of sheer frustration over how to quickly add blur to the backgrounds of photos (and spending 30 minutes in the software's help menus and online to figure out how to do so).
Since buying it, this book has clued me into a number of powerful techniques (including tagging and catalog backups) that have enhanced my images and my organization.
If you are working your digital images with Photoshop Elements, this should be next to your computer!