Seventeen project-based "lessons" take you through every aspect of Photoshop. The book starts with the basics--the revamped interface, selection tools and working with layers--and then moves on to more involved projects like retouching, using the new vector shape and clipping path features, advanced layer management and special effects. Each lesson begins with a clear introduction and finishes with a brief review section which is a good way of assessing how much you've learned and whether you need to go over anything.

Anyone who is, or wants to be a Photoshop pro must eventually tackle colour management and two lessons are devoted to this difficult subject. "Setting Up Your Monitor For Colour Management" examines the principles of colour management and shows you how to calibrate and create an ICC colour profile for your monitor using the Adobe Gamma control panel. "Producing and Printing Consistent colour" deals with proofing images on a CMYK PostScript printer and creating colour separations for commercial printing, there is also a chapter devoted to spot colour printing. The remainder of the book deals with producing Web graphics using ImageReady 3.0.

While it lacks the depth of some of the other Photoshop tomes this is probably one of the most effective courses there is for beginners and intermediate users. --Ken McMahon

Product Description

Adobe Photoshop is like having a darkroom right inside your computer. And now, with Photoshop Classroom in a Book, created by Adobe's own training experts, it's like having an expert tutor in your own book. Photoshop Classroom in a Book gives you a comprehensive set of Photoshop lessons to teach you everything you need to know to use this powerful image-editing software. And best of all, you can learn at your own pace.

Start with the basics of Photoshop, from navigating the interface to creating layers and selections to working with Photoshop tools, then move on to more complex Photoshop features, like masks, channels, retouching techniques, and special effects. In no time flat, you'll master these skills like a grade-A student, and you don't even have to bring an apple for the teacher.