Customer Reviews

The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This a very comprehensive book and is well written. I already had Photoshops CS4 Classroom in a Book, but there are sufficient changes in CS4 to justify purchasing this book.

This is a valuable book to help get to grips with Photoshop CS4. Its not suitable for quick reference but to plough through to get yourself a solid basic undersanding of the program.

This is a very informative instruction book on CS4. Is it easy to read but is written in Scott Kelby's quirky style which may put some people off. Those like me who already have Scott Kelby's CS2 and CS3 versions should be aware that the latest CS4 version is really a re-write of the CS3 version with new pictures and the new features in Photoshop CS4. Nevertheless a very usefull addition on my Photoshop bookshelf.

I already bought the CS3 version of the book and when I upgraded to CS4, the first thing I did was to buy this book. As usual, Scott Kelby offers straight forward solutions to digital photographer's needs making special emphasis to the new capabilities of the CS4. Some of the tips are just the same of those of the CS3 book (how to adjust the white balance using the attached card, for instance) so there is no really need to have read the previous book before get into this one.
Of course there are more detailed books out there with plenty of technical stuff and a lot of why(s) and how(s) but, at the end of the day, what you want is to get the job done and this book, helps you to accomplish that. Another beautiful characteristic is that the book is written in such a way that there is no need to read it as a novel. For instance let's say you are interested in create a highly contrasted picture out of your last shot session; you only have to go to the Black and White chapter and start from there. No need to read all the previous chapters, just straight to the point.
At the end of the book Scott tells us what his workflow looks like when post processing photos which is quite a relief because there are so many thing you can do that is kind of overwhelming. Having this workflow example helps you find your own and helps to have the whole thing a little more clearly on your head.
Some other nice pros of the book is that Scott has posted the very same pictures he uses in the book available for downloading, so you can follow the examples step by step. The other thing is that, with the book, there is a detachable card which is used to get the white balance right in the Camera Raw and/or correct the color later in Photoshop using the curves menu. And that's just great!
However I frankly miss something from the CS3 book and that is, the self-interview Scott wrote. It was just so funny!
So my advice is, if you are serious about processing your digital photos to make them look right, this is the right thing to start with.

If you have Photoshop CS4 this book is a must very informative, a good read but also a very good reference book with an excellent index. I thought I knew Photoshop but within an hour of reading this book I was amazed at the new commands and what they could do. The book is also written with humour very funny a good read. Thank you Scott Kelby.

I found the book very informative, I have had books before from this particular author and I find them very good and written in a language that I can understand and I would recommend them to anyone who wants to understand Photoshop. Ten out of ten gets my vote.

This is typical Scott Kelby, very informative but with the typical Kelby humour, which some might find irritating. However the layout is simple, the book is readable, the illustrations are excellent. The book is printed to a very high quality and because the chapters are short it never becomes heavy or indigestible. As an introduction to CS4 it is fine, there may be more detail available in other books but this will get you going and also help in understanding some of the complexity of the program. The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Bought this book hoping there would be a lot of exciting new stuff. But feel I have wasted money as much of it just repeats what is in earlier books. Great book if you don't have any other versions such as CS3.
I have rated it low for my reasons but would certainly give it five stars if I had no other books.

I have been very impressed with Mr Kelby's offerings in the past but there wasn't enough new here to really merit buying this book. Sure, there were some new pointers but the trial photos were also a little "lame" and he seemed to spend too much time re-covering old territory. I shall think twice before buying any future works of his.

Informative and expressed in clear English. Very in depth hints techniques and useful tips about the product and how to get the best from it. I have used Photoshop for quite some time but I still found lots to widen my understanding of how to get the best from CS4. The illustrations are clear and helpful. this book would suite both beginner and experienced software dabblers alike.