Adobe PhotoShop Creative Techniques, A Visual Guide to Mastering PhotoShop

COMPUTER BOOK REVIEW  

385 words

Title: Adobe PhotoShop Creative Techniques,  
A Visual Guide to Mastering PhotoShop; Denise 
Salles, Gary Poyssick and Ellenn Behoriam; Hayden 
Books; ISBN: 1-56830-132-4; Softcover, 286 pages, 
$US$40.00  CAN$54.95

Reviewer: Reviewer: Raymond Saint Arnaud, "While Creative 
Techniques is easy to read and understand, it's a 
delight to browse and admire the wonderful imagery." 

The recipe for wonderful images on the World Wide Web

So, how do they create all those fancy images in Adobe 
PhotoShop? If you really want to know, Creative 
Techniques is a good place to start. 

The book is nicely laid out with each technique described 
over two facing pages. On the left hand page are some 
stunning images by some of the best users of  Adobe Photo
Shop. Below the image are three columns of information 
called Comments, Studio Usage and Related Techniques.

Comments refer to the more global issues that  confront the 
visual artist. The column entitled Studio Usage suggests 
opportunities and situations where the particular technique 
would be useful. Related Techniques refers the reader to 
other parts of the book that will interest the reader.

The second page details the illustrated technique. It is broken 
down into major steps and includes a text explanation as well 
as screen shots of the relevant menu selections and dialogue
boxes.

While the Creative Techniques is directed to Macintosh users, 
I found no difficulty following the examples with a Microsoft 
Windows version of Adobe PhotoShop. Just remember the 
following key strokes; Alt instead of Option and Control instead 
of Command.

Another nice feature is how the authors have grouped and 
identified the various examples. They have placed a color bar 
at the top and bottom of each page that identifies a grouping 
of similar techniques or the use of similar tools. The Table of 
Contents is color coded to match.

Also included is a glossary of  PhotoShop jargon. Even a 
casual user can quickly look up definitions or get that little bit 
of extra detail to solidify their understanding. The reader who 
tries these techniques in their own projects will find the 
examples clearly written and illustrated. 

Creative Techniques will also serve as a directory for those 
readers that may be buyers of graphic art. A Listing of Artists 
presents a brief biography of all the visual contributors. 

The authors have selected a very interesting cross section 
of art to illustrate Creative Techniques. The illustrations and 
manipulations of art and photographs will provide the reader 
with a fountain of  ideas and open up new possibilities. Many 
of the techniques were invented by the various artists to 
solve unique problems. 

While Creative Techniques is easy to read and understand, 
it's a delight to browse and admire the wonderful imagery.