Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor's Guide to the Creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC Reviews

• Great Encyclopedia of Photoshop

  
  By A3OH101U0CPUC7 on 2007-08-08
  Martin Evening's Adobe Photoshop for Photographers series has long been one of the most helpful guides on the market. This newest edition is updated for CS3 and offers full coverage of all the new features as well as continued coverage of everything carried over from prior versions. Weighing in at 680 pages and including a DVD with sample images, this is about as complete a package as you could ask for. The author methodically runs through feature after feature and does a good job explaining how to use them.
  
  There are sections covering What's New, Configuring Photoshop, Camera Raw Image Processing, Selections and Masking, Darkroom Effects, Filters, Color Management, Automating Photoshop, and many others which I will not mention. This is truly comprehensive coverage. The writing style is clear and concise. This is a very effective guide that nearly always tells me what I need to know when I pull it off the shelf.
  
  The closest thing to a negative (and it really isn't one) is that this is probably closer to an encyclopedia of Photoshop CS3 than it is to one of those guides that covers certain "how to" topics in great detail. Even with 680 pages, when you have to cover the entirety of Photoshop there is a need for brevity. So if you're interested in Masking this book will certainly cover it but you can't expect the same level of narrative as you would from an entire book on layers and masking. Since there is no book that can possibly cover everything in minute detail, my solution (and the only practical solution) is to buy several books for my various needs. I buy this volume as a general reference guide and quick how-to helper and then buy a few other guides to help walk me step-by-step through some of the trickier aspects of Photoshop. Some of my favorites include Photoshop CS3 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide (Tim Grey Guides) which is an excellent foundation for beginners and intermediate users as well as The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter).
  
  In summary, Adobe Photoship CS3 for Photographers is an excellent and comprehensive guidebook. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for the encyclopedic style Photoshop guide and it is well worth buying even if you have the old CS2 version.
  
  

• Still the definitive Photoshop Reference bible for digital photography!

  
  By A33H9R2SKBTCNN on 2007-06-18
  I just recently acquired this updated volume of Mr. Evening's successful Photoshop guide with a yearning to upgrade from my CS2 version of his book. Those of you who are waiting to add the CS3 volume to your series or replace your CS2 edition, you won't be disappointed!
  
  Martin Evening combines his digital photography expertise with his working knowledge of Photoshop to a level that encourages even the novice of PS users. He breaks down Photoshop's basic and advance features to help you comprehend and understand how and why it works without having to delve too deeply into the technical aspects.
  
  I still consider myself an amateur photographer, still wet behind the ears with my Nikon D50. Having owned the CS2 edition, I appreciate how this series has helped me with insight into enhancing my work and getting more out of Adobe Photoshop. IMHO it is still the best Photoshop bible around! I've always enjoyed this series for its heavy stock paper, full color imagery and superb layout! Even when I'm not working in Photoshop I've always found this book to be a fascinating and fun read when I need to geek out on my various Photoshop/Corel Painter books and periodicals from the UK! (On a sidetrack note, I highly recommend Photoshop Creative and ImagineFX magazines for all you fellow PS geeks out there, both outstanding publications from the UK loaded with tutorials and tips!!)
  
  Thank you, Mr. Evening for updating your outstanding book for CS3!!
  
  

• How can this guy continue to sell books???

  
  By APBB297H3ZA5E on 2007-08-24
  1. I'm not a photoshop professional, but I've been using it since photoshop 5--> and I've read / looked at a lot of photoshop books, gone to various seminars etc...
  
  2. I unfortunately purchased Martin Evening's book on photoshop and just can't understand how this guy stays in business when there are so many other better alternatives (ex: Kelby, Grey, Eisman etc... etc...).
  
  3. The main criticism I have of Mr. Evening's book / approach is that even though physical appearance of the book looks great (nice type / font, nice pictures, good feel of the paper etc...), when you actually start reading the test and explanation--> there is surprisingly very very little detail or perhaps he has the inability to explain things in a simple manner.
  
  4. Since these photoshop books are relatively expensive--> I would recommend checking out some of the other alternatives.
  
  

• An Outstanding Comprehensive Reference

  
  By A3Q93HVGXVZE5J on 2007-09-07
  It is interesting to read the existing reviews of Martin Evening's CS3 book and note the wide disparity in opinion. There can be several reasons for this, including a wide disparity in the needs and level of the readers.
  
  I bought this book because I was looking for additional breadth on the Sharpening book by Bruce Fraser (which I recommend highly also), but what I found was a breadth and depth that I had not expected on virtually every topic in PS CS3 that I have examined. I know of no other book that lays out the whole (almost) picture of the new Photoshop, and does it in such detail and technical depth. There are three authors that I trust to bring me the technical depth I need: Eismann, Fraser, and now Evening.
  
  There are high spots and low spots in the coverage. In some areas the coverage is just that, coverage. But in many, the depth is incredible, perhaps due to his own level of experiences.
  
  Another aspect of the book that is highly valuable is the presentation of the author's opinions and methods. This is incredibly useful information because it overcomes the smooth bland formal treatments available elsewhere and gives you techniques used by (more than one) working professionals. This is exactly what I like about Eismann and Fraser as well.
  
  Another aspect that rings true is that Evening refers to other subjects and authors that I have found very useful, such as for example The DAM Book by Peter Krogh and the issues related to Digital Asset Management.
  
  It is not, however, an introductory book for most people. It goes fast and it goes deep. Other books would probably serve many who are looking for beginning books.
  
  I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting an in depth treatment of Photoshop CS3 at an advanced level and who is willing to work to obtain it.
  
  
  
  

• Find another alternative

  
  By A91W4Q9O8NR0B on 2007-08-15
  I've had several PS CS2 books, and since this was one of the first ones out for CS3 I bought it. After attempting to use the book, I have given up in frustration. I find the instructions very confusing and the example photos are not well done.
  
  I do not get the expected results from his steps, and in many of his before and after photos you see very little difference. This is in stark contrast with PS books by Fraser and Kelby that I find extremely well written and easy to follow.
  
  I will no longer use this book and am selling my copy. Don't bother with this one, and purchase one that is better written and easier to follow. I'm no dummy, but the author really needs to learn how to explain the steps better with more screenshots.
  
  
• Poor tutorials...
  By A1Z11E2GY5UOOV on 2007-07-23
  I'm new to digital photography and photoshop, so maybe I was expecting to much, but this was not an extremely helpful tutorial book. Few of the pictures are available on the CD and the instructions for doing what few lessons there are not great. I gave it three stars (3 1/2 really) because it did cover a lot of material. I'm sure it will be useful moving forward, but not the best starter book for learning the essentials for digital photographers. I found the CS3 Photoshop Classroom In A Book much more helpful, although not as relevant to photography. I'm eagerly awaiting the book from Scott Kelby. I hope it is more of a tutorial.
  
  
• Still not all that useful...
  By A3N3KR03BJROOM on 2007-07-15
  I was not all that happy or unhappy with this book in the CS2 version, so I felt that perhaps I could use it in CS3 for the newer features, since it was getting such good reviews. It barely got into the newer features. Also, once again, the files do not include a great many of the examples cited in the book, usually the more difficult or unusual. Perhaps next time, Mr. Evening can find enough suitable pictures that can be included. Of course, I will never know, last time for me.
  
  
• Outstanding reference for all levels of users
  By A28ME5S2DKFDYZ on 2007-07-10
  I found the CS2 version of this book at a local bookstore. Having just bought CS3, I looked online for a newer version. Voila! Amazon had the book in stock, and at a nice savings. Enough of the fluff! This book is just plain outstanding in every area. Well thought out organization of material with 'reader level' explanations of the how and why of examples. I have several Photoshop books that are "gee whiz, look what I can do texts" leaving the reader standing alone. Evening's logical progression of the setup through output is very understandable. The included DVD has video examples and extra material which is not in the hardcopy. I recommend this reference guide to all levels of photography and photoshop users.
  
  
• How to cover a huge subject
  By A18YMSP0D4QKE4 on 2007-08-31
  Some other reviewers say they will wait for a different edition of CS3 to arrive! I need the information now. The Martin Evening book makes compromises on a HUGE subject, but covers in a clear, very helpful and informative way. I am pleased with the book.
  
  I also like: Evening leaves out un-useful/nice-to-know information. He covers useful content, clearly, well illustrated, helpful CD with images to work on included! The subject could have covered 1000 pages, maybe an encyclopedia, but then we would complain of too much detail. Good work, Martin!
  
  Negative: In some areas, Evening gives detailed methods, step by step, but fails to explain the underlying tools used. In 680 pages, one must edit out many details. So, opinion will divide based on how in-depth is one's knowledge of P-shop. If you have previously studied P-shop, this book will satisfy. If not, one may follow along but wonder about many details without explanation. For instance, what are Calculations using Pin-light? I see it creates an Alpha-chanel with red and green, but what is that? If I really want to know, I will look elsewhere.
  
  
  
• Dry reference book of no use for those learning PhotoShop
  By A3O1BQ499WT7IZ on 2007-12-24
  If Evening's book is at all useful, it is as a badly indexed encyclopedia of PhotoShop. I've been working with the program for most of a decade, and with image process since the early 1990s. Even so, I found Evening's explanations hard to follow and his suggestions poorly motivated. My suggestion is to find another book unless all you need is a reference work to answer very specific questions (but not many of those). I'm surprised that in the marketplace Evening hasn't been renamed Sunset.
  
  
• Insert Pithy Title Here
  By A2V3GENAW1TOB on 2007-10-11
  I'll start off by saying that it wasn't actually my choice to get this book, it was the required book for the digital photography class I am enrolled in at the moment.
  
  However, that aside, I am quite glad i did get the book as it is a fabulous manual for the most recent version of Photoshop (CS3). The highly instructive tutorials cover pretty much everything you would want to use photoshop on your photos for (and even some that might not have occured to you). The tutorials are mostly pretty easy to follow, though it get a bit complicated on some of the more lengthy procedures, and the provided DVD hold not only a few nice video guides to certain parts of photoshop, but also almost all of the pictures used in the tutorials in the book, so it becomes a good deal easier to compare results, and make sure you've done it right. Also the book is very well indexed, so if you're looking for something in particular, it doesnt take too long to find at all
  
  i don't usually go for instructional books, but this one is thorough and very well done
  i'd deffinately recommend it
  
  
• Possibly the be-all and end-all of didactic Photoshop manuals
  By A2AVH5HXH2TYWA on 2007-12-09
  To put it quite simply: if you work in digital photography, and it isn't in this book, then you probably won't be needing to know it.
  
  To say the author is thorough is an understatement. Never have I seen Photoshop dissected with more anal-retentive detail. Not only will you be handed working examples for just about everything you could think of doing to an image (even if the image was scanned 10+ years ago), but you'll also be given the author's opinions on everything related to Photoshop, including how to calculate the image resolution needed for print based on the halftone quality used, how to calibrate color on your monitor, what's right and wrong about the latest version of Photoshop, and even how to arrange your desk and room lighting for best working practice!
  
  The only drawback to such dense material is that it isn't easy to just sit down and read. While he has tried his best with wonderful colour-coded organization and visual examples galore, it's not the easiest read. Give yourself a few months to work through his exercises while sitting at a PC, and your knowledge of Photoshop will grow quickly.
  
  
• Looks Good But....
  By A296NS2QEULZ7P on 2008-03-04
  Very difficult to understand. You practically need to know Photoshop in order to understand it. Following the pictures is difficult because they are so small makes it difficult to see. Large book and difficult for my hands to hold. Probably should be in two volumes. Don't pay more than $10 for this book because it's just not worth it.
  
  
• Practical
  By A1D1Z8C0S9SDBM on 2007-09-08
  Like the previous edition, this is an excellent, practical book. Coverage of the new Camera Raw is very good, and the included video is very useful too. Some sections of the book I would never use (there's a fair coverage of CMYK for example), but overall it's pretty comprehensive. It could be a little daunting for beginners. Well written but fairly dry.
  
  
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers
  By A3PAX1TP27EIX7 on 2007-09-16
  Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor's Guide to the Creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
  This book is not for the average person, allthough it is informative the disk and the book proved usless in helping me do a better job at fixing photos. I thought it would be packed with lessons so that I could practice different techniques.
  
  
• A goto book for CS3
  By A151KXJJUH6KU on 2007-11-28
  I have to start by saying that I do love the writing and presentation style of the Scott Kelby CSx series of books but Martin Evening takes CS3 to the level that true digital photographers (using CS3) really need. In my opinion, one of the most important features for photographers is covered in Evening's book while not being mentioned in Kelby's. Soft-proofing is such a major benefit for digital photographers and Evening devotes 6-10 pages in his book on the topic. That is not a ton of pages considering the size of the book but the topic is not missed. In defense of Kelby, his book is not intended for the CS3 digital photographer who goes to these depths with their work. It is more for the tips and tricks that all digital photographers do, want to do or may come across a need for in their random workflow. Evening's book is for the hard core digital photographer who wants the most from their digital workflow. Defintiely for an advanced intermediate to pro level photographer who wants to really learn what may be a key element in their digital workflow. Both books though are great books to have on your shelf. The depth from one to the other is just different.
  
  
• Great Photographer's Photoshop Book
  By ANS2ZIWV171S4 on 2008-04-13
  This is one of my favorite Photoshop CS3 books; I have quite a few. The quality of the book is excellent and I have learned so much from the lessons. The book comes with a very good DVD that makes this book an outstanding value. I have read some of the bad reviews. I think they expected a "dummies" or "beginners" type book. This is for a photographer who wants to get the most out of Adobe Photoshop. You can tell that Mr. Evening came from a photography background. Is this book a bit on the complex side? Sure. But I already know Photoshop basics and I did not want a rehash. That is why I highly recommend this book.
  
  
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers
  By A2NWQ2KNWY4B00 on 2007-08-16
  Great Tutorial. It is well done, easy to follow and solves the problems that I normally acquire working on photographic images. I'm not into tricks but want photos to look the best they can. I am a satisfied customer.
  
  
• Thank you Martin!
  By A2Y4OWXO8RIKHN on 2007-09-22
  I really enjoied the book. Complete, stuffed with tips and detailed explanations. It is suitable for amateurs that would like to increase considerably their skills in digital darkroom.
  
  
  
• In question.
  By A2WYCMS519BW2Q on 2007-12-30
  I wont lie to you, i havent givin this book much of a try however i can say you do have to read pretty hard just to get to the point of what is trying to be taught or shown. I bought this book at the same time which i bought "The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers" and i can truthfully say in comparison its a bit cheesey at times yet has been extremly helpfull in my learning process. At this point id advise purchasing Scott Kellbies book over this for newbys to the digital/Photoshop world as its been quite helpfull.
  
  
• The Photoshop Cookbook - Better if you already know Photoshop.
  By A1VICT69YM4P2 on 2007-11-11
  When I wanted to learn Photoshop I bought this book, started reading it and immediately found myself completely lost - so I naturally blamed the book. But the real problem was me. This is not a book for beginners, but rather it is an advanced book for those who have some grounding in the subject. If you want to learn Photoshop, a good introduction is Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book (see my review). Once you know the basics, Evening's book is the go-to guide for almost anything you want to do.
  
  Techniques such as installing and parameterizing Photoshop, basic pixel editing and advanced procedures like complex montage creation are all clearly and thoroughly explained. Often many variations of an approach are included, one of which may be more useful in this or that situation. Beautifully illustrated and rich with detail. I recommend this book highly, but just not as a first step.
  
  
• Essential
  By A1JUT4FNMV1THL on 2008-04-05
  This is possible the best reference book I have ever purchased. Every thechnique is explained simply and effectivly.
  I've been using photoshop for many years and considered myself somewhat of and expert but this book as oped my eyes to what is possible.
  I wouldnt limit this to photographers only, it is perfect for any photoshop user.
  All I can say is BUY THIS BOOK.
  
  
• Excellent Photoshop book for photographers
  By AAETX5AZG9RY6 on 2008-04-08
  As a commercial photographer and Photoshop expert, Martin Evening is ideally placed to write a Photoshop book for photographers. Bruce Fraser fans will enjoy the technical insight provided by this book. Photographers will enjoy the targeted content. Anyone who wants to know how to manage, develop and print their digital negatives will find this book indispensable.
  
  
• Outstanding Photoshop book,
  By A3VLRSB7ORM4VI on 2007-09-22
  Finally found an outstanding PS book, well written, illustrated and easy to understand. Highly recommend!
  
  
• Photoshop CS3 for Photographers
  By A3G0OOVCJCVVD5 on 2007-09-29
  This book is very big in size and has ample amount of information for the user. We are using it in our Photography class for Photoshop training but there is a CD that anyone could use without a class.
  
  
• Photographer's Reference
  By A3TUMQ1SQE9P0A on 2007-11-11
  A worthy take on the abilities of PS to improve/manipulate digital photographs. Written for the photographer and someone with a modest knowledge of PS. The included disk has details for the complete novist, so a good balance. PS has so many bells and whistles that hardly anyone can keep track of them all. A reference is needed when you want to try a technique that you don't use frequently. This is a good place to look to refresh your memory on those techniques. Also good information on equipment you need to efficiently run PS, as well as how to set up PS for first time use. Useful information on new capabilities in CS3, and whether on not it's useful for you to upgrade.
  
  
• An excellent reference
  By A2HVUWSPG6K2UW on 2008-01-25
  An excellently produced book written in a logical ordered sequence which provides intelligent guidance through a very complex program. The book compares information from previous versions of Photoshop, thoroughly covers CS3, and forwards into the newer extended version. It includes a very instructive movie video (it is nice to be instructed with a clear English speaking voice) and also a picture gallery. I do not intend trying any other book on the subject as I do not believe one exists.
  
  
• Great book
  By A2X3FS4EBJBGNG on 2008-01-27
  I love this book. it has so many different ways of editing your picks, and lots of great tips on how to do different thing while taking pics. Great book. I would suggest this one to anyone who wishes to learn Photoshop. The books pictorials are in color which makes it great as well and easy to see how a picture will vary from one layer to the next.
  
  
• Average Tutorial NOT good for beginners
  By AGGVGYGXAHZ2Y on 2008-02-18
  
  I am new to Photoshop and I was hoping that this would be the perfect book to teach me the fundamentals and more. I am very computer literate and I really saw no problem in learning Photoshop from a book....well this must not be the book. Very difficult to follow and poorly organized, this may be a great book for old Photoshop hands moving to CS3 but it is not the book for beginners.
  
  
  
• Very Professional Book
  By ASY35XU4GGK6I on 2008-03-05
  I must say that I have only read a portion of this book, but it seems to be superior to any book I've read in any field of instruction. It is quality inside & out. My first book on PS CS3 was the Adobe Photoshop CS3 User Guide, which for $12 including postage is a must have basic instruction manual. But this book is so much better at explaining how a professional or amateur photographer can use CS3 to make that excellent photograph perfect. It is very clear & to the point and is interesting to read. When I finish reading this book I will write another review.
  
  

• The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
• The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book
• Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3
• Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices)