Photoshop in a Nutshell

COMPUTER BOOK REVIEW  

395 words

Title:  Photoshop in a Nutshell;  by Donnie O'Quinn & Matt LeClair; 
O'Reilly & Associates; ISBN: 1-56592-313-8; Paperback,  609 pages,  
US$19.95, CAN$28.95

Reviewer: A.T.Connellan, "Photoshop in a Nutshell simply shows us, 
how to find it, how to do it; and what happens when we do it. In the 
process we become adept at using the program. What more do we 
need?"

Photoshop Rendered Understandable

In the kingdom of graphics software there are pretenders to the 
Photoshop throne. As handy as they may be they're only princes. 
Undersized, and unable to provide a comparable array of features, 
they can only stand in awe.

Photoshop 4, the most recent permutation, can be a king-sized 
headache to even the most accomplished user. The program's depth, 
breadth, and comprehensiveness make it the essential graphics 
software, but its complexity can be counter-productive. Fortunately 
O'Reilly & Associates must have had this program in mind when they 
developed their "Nutshell" Series of "Desktop Quick Reference" books.

Driven by the KISS (Keep It Super Simple) Factor, O'Reilly authors, 
Donnie O'Quinn & Matt LeClair, have reduced the exploration of 
Photoshops' esoteric nooks and crannies to the easily understood. 
As a reference, the prose is kept tight and relevant. 

The book, written for the Mac and Windows user, follows the Photoshop 
structure in 4 parts: Tools; Menus; Palettes; plus a group of Appendixes. 
The application of each Tool, Menu element, and Palette is examined, 
and explained using a generous array of screen reproductions, special 
notes, and cross-references.  

The Common Techniques Appendix details the methods/techniques 
used in applying each tool, section, and palette. Easily understood and 
applied. No room for doubt, or misunderstanding. A welcome antidote 
to some of the fuzzier areas of the Photoshop kingdom.

The Photoshop Shortcut Appendix is equally succinct and appropriate. 
Each action sought has a Mac and Windows equivalent. Again -no room 
for misunderstanding.

Resolution Types Appendix: Finally, in one place somebody explains 
to us the difference in 'pi's. Lpi (lines per inch), dpi (dots per inch), 
ppi (monitor and/or image pixels per inch), etc., etc., etc. In two pages 
the mystery is solved.

The Image Credits Appendix is particularly helpful for those readers 
who wish to follow-up on the images used in the book.
 
By the way this is one of those O'Reilly paperbacks that stay open 
when you put it down. I wish the other publishers would steal that idea. 
I also like the crisp conversational writing style. Talking neither up, nor 
down, just straight from the shoulder.

This is not a global course on Photoshop. Photoshop in a Nutshell 
simply shows us, how to find it, how to do it; and what happens when 
we do it. In the process we become adept at using the program. What 
more do we need?