The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter) Reviews

• Good Step-by-Step Guide

  
  By A3OH101U0CPUC7 on 2007-08-19
  This is neither the biggest book on Photoshop, nor the most comprehensive. The author makes no pretense of covering every feature contained in the massive program known as Photoshop CS3. What he does attempt to do is identify tasks useful to digital photographers (and this includes film shooters who scan) and give step-by-step explanations to get them done. Most of the information is presented in a very task-oriented approach. The emphasis is squarely placed on giving you the tools to get things done quickly and efficiently. As such, I find it a highly useful reference book often as I edit photos.
  
  For those who own the prior version for CS2, this is much more than a rehash of the same material with a few odds and ends added to cover the new CS3 features. I was surprised to see that most or all of the example photos appear to be new for this edition and the author has reorganized the material within each chapter. I applaud Mr. Kelby for what looks like an earnest attempt to earn our money rather than just cash in on the sales a new version of Photoshop automatically generate.
  
  On the negative side, I do wish that the author would tone down his attempts to be funny throughout the book. Humor has gone from being unknown in how-to books to being painfully overused and this book is a prime example. It goes from being mildly cute for the first couple of pages to just getting in the way and slowing down the flow of information as you continue reading.
  
  Overall, I highly recommend this book. Mr. Kelby has done an excellent job organizing and presenting a useful guide to Photoshop CS3 and I commend him for that. If he prunes 90% of his attempts at humor, I'll give his next book 5 stars instead of 4.
  
  

• A 'MUST' have for every photographer ... whatever level!!!

  
  By A2SCO84YV3GH3Q on 2007-08-10
  This is Scott Kelby's revised edition of his Photoshop for Photographers series covering CS3, but don't be fooled in thinking that it's just as the previous version with a few added extras. Not only does this book cover the new features of CS3 which are mainly relevant to photographers, it's packed with all new techniques for retouching and finally presenting your images.
  
  Since the last edition, it's clear that Scott Kelby has been studying his craft hard. The book is full, cover to cover with beautiful photographs, taken by him, which are motivating by themselves. Amongst the many, two techniques which stand out to give superb results are what he calls the Trendy High Contrast Portrait Effect and the Hollywood Highlights technique.
  
  The book is written in Scott's easy going humerous style, and yes there are people that don't relate to his sense of humour, but then you can't please everyone. That being said, if you don't like the humour, then do yourself a favour and look past it, cos amongst it is some of the most valuable information, we as photographers need if we want to keep 'up there'.
  
  Covering everything from the Bridge, color correcting, enhancements, presentation and more, as I've said this book is a MUST HAVE for photographers of all levels.
  
  Oh and incase you were wondering, 'no' I'm not on commission ... I just like to spend my money wisely!
  
  

• Minor improvement from previous CS2 version

  
  By A2X3YR86Q4SJUM on 2007-09-04
  While many have criticized Kelby's stylistic prose, the content in the book is very helpful and allows hobbiest to hard core professionals to produce beautiful images. I feel that this series will allow users to maximize their output in the least amount of time.
  
  Compared to the CS2 version, there have been some improvements and additions (smart filters and portrait skin softening) with great images. There are some redundant chapters, but still worth it for beginners as well as a refresher for advanced users. I've read through most of the book, and while a few chapters are useful, my workflow has not significantly changed.
  
  Those with the CS2 version, I'm less convinced that this is a must have upgrade. For those on the fence who don't have the CS2 version, go get it as it'll be the best $30 you'll spend.
  
  

• I was a little disappointed

  
  By A2U9UL88VXBMJ4 on 2007-12-04
  Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, as far as it goes, but I thought it could be more comprehensive. If you want to know everything about PhotoShop, this isn't the book for you. This is a step by step "how to" book. As such, those techniques which are covered are explained very well. The problem I have with this book is that it only covers a moderate sampling of PhotoShop CS3's capabilities, but only a sampling. If Mr. Kelby covered PhotoShop's editing power as extensively as he covers the associated file management Bridge, and Camera Raw, this would be an outstanding work.
  
  If you are a real "pixel picky" techno-junkie, and want to know everything about PhotoShop, The Photohop CS3 Bible is a better choice.
  Photoshop CS3 Bible
  
  

• Scott's best effort yet!

  
  By ADVV4N7EWTR46 on 2007-08-09
  I've bought Scott's Digital Photography books since version 7. This one tops them all and I've only had one evening to peruse the pages. I've been keeping up with video/written tutorials of CS3 but Scott, you've out done yourself my friend, you've thrown in lots of tidbits I haven't seen.
  
  Since I'm self taught using your books, NAPP website and tutorials I depend on you. Don't forget to read the Intro/Q&A section to get the "extras". Thanks again for all you do with Photoshop Scott, we your fans appreciate you!
  Dr. David Jones
  Muskogee, OK
  
  
• My new GO-TO resource for making my images better with CS3
  By A3FVS2S6JGCUZ1 on 2007-08-20
  Am I a Scott Kelby fan? You bet I am! Not because he is a great instructor (which he is) but because he continues to produce books that inform, instruct, entertain, and most importantly, improve my skills as a photographer and user of Adobe Photoshop. This newest, soon to be classic, book is packed so full of useful information that you'll go back to it again and again. If you're looking for in depth discussions of the tools and technologies of Photoshop CS3 like what is Lab color and what does it do, then go look elsewhere. But if you want to know how to use Lab to improve your color saturation or give your image some amazing sharpness then you have found the right book. At 460+ pages, this book is no light weight. You will learn how to use every tool and menu that could possibly be used to enhance your digital photography. Want to know how to make great looking prints? It's in there. Want to know how to resize your images properly, get better flesh tones and smoother skin in your portraits, do you have a desire to make beautiful black and white images and then turn them into spectacular gallery prints? Yup, it's all in there. If that's not enough, Mr. Kelby has also included 4 on-line chapters that you can turn to for even more great tips, and tutorials that were covered in the previous Photoshop for Digital Photographers books but have been updated for CS3. Every lesson in the book is step by step and easy to follow. You can learn at your own pace and even skip around from chapter to chapter to find just that little nugget that you have been searching for to improve your photos. By the way, you might read some reviews about Scott infusing his sense of humor into the book which, in my opinion, is a welcome change from all of the dry, textbook-like Photoshop manuals out there on the market. If that's not your thing, just skip the first page of each chapter and jump into the juicy goodness of the step by step techniques. Bottom line, you want better pictures to come from your digital camera? Just buy the book, you can thank me later!
  
  
• I Wanted To Learn To Fish
  By A3Q9UI14P5QIJ9 on 2007-11-30
  
  This book reminds me of the old proverb, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' This book just throws some fish at you.
  
  With that being said and the popularity of the book I guess a lot of people like being thrown fish. I wanted to learn to 'fish' but the book taught me little about 'fishing'.
  
  I can say I did learn some stuff from the book and I was certainly glad I'd used Elements for a couple of years prior. The book is certainly not for newbies as it covers nothing about the many tools/options you have available in the toolbar other than in some contexts of creating a visual effect. I didn't see much in the book for a seasoned Photoshop user as only basic 'retouching' ideas are 'thrown' you.
  
  I was particularly appalled when told to just use Adobe RGB as the color profile with no explanation other than sRGB is for the web. While I am no expert I do know there is a lot of talk/arguing in the industry about which you should/might use and the heart ache that Adobe RGB might cause you. There should have been some discussion on this topic, I don't need advice like this.
  
  So, in my opinion, if you have played with Photoshop a little and are 'a learn by example' type of person then this book might be for you. If you want to learn about why you might grown/feather a selection, understand the various tool settings/options or learn anything remotely advanced I would look for another.
  
  
• take out the humor
  By A3273X27HE6JA on 2007-08-18
  The idea of using humor to relax a novice comes form the series
  "******* For Dummies". This may work for some, especially on a first reading. But later on when you want to use the book as a reference the humor becomes very distracting, You just want to refresh your knowledge of Photoshop and you don't want to rehash stale jokes. This is a good book but to make it useful you need a black hi-lighter -- Doug
  
  
• Yikes- it doesn't include the basics!
  By ALALW9FDQW5XC on 2007-12-19
  I bought this book based on the reviews I saw here.... It seemed that it was a good choice for beginners and experienced users alike. When I received the book and read the introduction- it clearly states that the book does NOT include information that you can find in every other Photoshop book out there- things like painting tools, filters and layers. Unfortunately- many of the instructions I am looking to apply start with layers! :-(
  
  
• Photographer or Comic
  By A2AXZFCMWMJ0H4 on 2007-08-18
  I have yet to read the photography portion of the book. It seem that the first 17 pages are set aside for Kelby the Comic. Frankly I do not appreciate Mr. Kelby's approach.
  
  
• Scott Kelby Rocks!
  By A16UXDNJXR7JC9 on 2007-08-23
  I am new to Photoshop and jumping in to it has been a bit overwhelming. Scott's books, this one and several others (including his Lightroom book) have made the journey fascinating. While others find his humor distracting, I have actually read some of the passages out loud to family members, in other words I get it. Scott shows the tools he uses most and gives step by step workflow examples in a simple and straightforward manner, untangling the seemingly infinite photoshop possibilites. I am inspired by his photography, and his style and friendly manner make him one of my favorite authors.
  
  
• Overall, continues to be the best photoshop resource
  By APBB297H3ZA5E on 2007-09-07
  1. I've read / owned a lot of various photoshop books; most are pretty good, some terrible--> but Scott Kelby's books are always the best.
  
  2. The layout is simple, the language is clear, the steps are clearly written.
  
  3. If you're a photoshop user from beginner up to moderate advanced, this book should be a no-brainer purchase. Anyone with a high level of photoshop knowledge will know everything in this book and thus should look to more indepth tomes.
  
  
• Great Book on CS3
  By ANXF5JWXULYKJ on 2007-08-23
  I recently completed a class at a local Art and Craft institution on Photoshop. It gave me a good foundation, but the version they used was CS. This book on CS3 has been an invaluable aid to me, building on what I learned in the class and also introducing features I didn't know existed. Some reviewers slam Kilby for his humor, I tend to agree there may be too much there for some people, but I also enjoyed the conversational tone and one on one feel of the author's writing. I found the book to be very informative and it will remain at the side of my workstation for a long time to come for reference as I am one who needs to repeat tasks several times to master and remember them. What is nice about this book is there are specific recommendations for different settings and techinques. Material you can actually use to make things work for you. Once you understand the process you can certainly vary the settings and experiment - which is what we all should do, but it's nice to have a really good place to start. All in all, a very good book for a serious photographer who is working on learning how to best utilize Photoshop.
  
  
• Totally New Edition - It will improve your photographs
  By AQJT8OPE1GN8J on 2007-09-12
  This is a brand new, improved, totally revised edition of the best selling Scott Kelby "Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers."
  
  "Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers" has 100 more pages, and to include all the new stuff some items covered in the older book were removed. The removed items are available for downloading on the book's support page. However, you would not know that unless you read the initial Questions and Answers section or this review. This section was fun to read and it also tells where to the pictures you can download.
  
  The topical chapters in the book are presented in the order that a photographer would work, and to properly end the book Scott Kelby has added his step-by-step workflow starting with Bridge and RAW processing to get to the final print.
  
  In Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers, Scott Kelby tells you how he uses the important new additions in Photoshop CS3, and this edition also includes other improvements professional photographers have adopted that were not covered in the earlier edition.
  
  As an example, he explains how to use double processing in RAW to "Create the Uncapturable" by capturing a broader exposure range within one shot. He also describes a method to enlarge photos to produce 26" by 36" posters from a 6 meg camera image.
  
  As a final example, he shows how you can use the Quick Selection tool and Clone Stamp Tool to get a photograph of two doctors together when their schedule does not include time for the two to meet.
  
  "Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers" is a fine book with information that will help you if you are a professional photographer or want to become one. If you are not now using Photoshop CS3 you will want to once you see this book.
  
  
• Good, but wanted more
  By A67X7DRW5RJ51 on 2007-11-30
  This book is great if you are looking for step by step processes for a fairly wide range of tasks. What this book does not do, however, is dive into what certain aspects of Photoshop really mean and what Photoshop is really doing to you photo when you make various adjustments. It doesn't teach you to be creative with Photoshop's tools, only how to use them to accomplish specific tasks. If that's all you want, this book will be perfect.
  
  Here is a specific example of what I am talking about. In going over Camera Raw, Kelby mentions that you might want to tweak brightness, fill light, and exposure until the photo looks right. I wanted to know what the difference was between these 3 sliders. They all have similar, but still different affects on the photo, but he doesn't go into those specifics at all.
  
  And lastly, the step by step format doesn't work for me because it is filled with way to much meaningless humor. On the first read, it is amusing, but if all I want to do is to go back and refer to something I've already read, in order to extract the steps I need, I have to read through a buch of jokes to find what I really want.
  
  
• I Wanted Photoshop, Not Bridge and Camera Raw
  By A2DO1PF564TGTB on 2008-01-09
  Not to suggest that everyone is in my situation, but I have PhotoMechanic for downloading/renaming/adding MetaData and I have LightRoom for RAW conversion. I've spent a lot time learning these tools so I'm not going to change. Unfortunately for me, one-third of this book is devoted to components that I won't use.
  
  I also have to admit I am a bit off-put by all Scott's cutesy commentary, talking to himself, explaining how he names chapters, yada yada yada, which are all pretty irrelevant to a training manual for any serious professional ... I have a very full and meaningful life and didn't buy this book as a surrogate social life.
  
  So, what real content he does present is well presented, but there is a huge amount of irrelevant fluff and I expect in the future I will avoid books by Scott as I don't find this style endearing. On the other hand, if you need a new friend but aren't good with people, this book will give you warm fuzzies and make you feel like Scott is your buddy.
  
  
• COULD HAVE BEEN.... a great book
  By A2JMWPB3OB3WFI on 2008-03-04
  The other reviews are right. I tried this book. The authors pathetic attempts at humor are exceptionally distracting and after a short period of time they are intolerable. And they happen much too frequently. I returned the book to the store the same day. There are some great ideas and information in the book. But they are covered over with just plain foolish stories, remarks, and lame jokes. Several other great books on the market and I would suggest one of them instead. Try The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers, or Photoshop CS3 One on One.
  
  
• *****WORTH YOUR MONEY******
  By A3R6HYJDKS3Z7Y on 2007-10-18
  Excellent book scott endeavors to try teach a broad audience how to find their way around photoshop.
  He not only shows why things are there but also shows you his own settings on some parts, he makes sure to give you his opinion without coming out dogmatic.
  really appreciated the lesson on color correction, portrait-touch up,and Scott's favorite high contrast B&W settings.
  
  In a nutshell when you read this book Scott makes you feel at ease and in control also you know how sometimes you buy books that by their titles promise a lot and when you receive it you feel cheated?
  Not this one you wont find no fluff on this one.
  
  if I were to loose this book I would buy it again.
  
  looking foward to Scott's new book
  
  
• Photoshop 101
  By A28MARNLZ58NER on 2007-09-30
  If you're just getting into Photoshop CS3 this is the book for you. As usual, Kelby doesn't fool around with theory. He uses a direct step-by-step approach to show you how to handle a subset of Photoshop that includes those things most serious photographers need to do. Just the facts, Maam." If you want the whole enchilada though, you'll have to wait for Real World Photoshop CS3 by Blatner, Chavez and Fraser - if it ever gets into print.
  
  The down side of Kelby's book is his style: He writes like a four-year-old showing the guests how cute he is. He tries awfully hard to be funny, but fails because he doesn't understand subtlety. If you can stand that kind of writing without developing an acute urge to regurgitate, this book is well worth your time and money.
  
  
  
• Excellent compliment to CS3
  By A152DO8Z0NU5LB on 2007-10-17
  I am new to Photoshop CS3, but have experience using Photoshop Elements. Although I could take or leave the authors humor, I found the book an excellent companion to the product. The book shows good practical approaches to using the product. I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Student relatively new to Photoshop found book helpful
  By A1CVG2SDTCZDEC on 2007-09-10
  I've used the basic features of Photoshop before but never really got into the detailed features basically because I didn't know much about them. This book was really helpful in letting me read/see what all the features are about and what they do. I'm more of a visual learner so it was extra helpful that this book had step-by-step visuals on the features. Therefore, I'd clearly recommend it.
  
  
• The best investment you can make. You've already spent $
  By A2K5AJK0ZAWNUE on 2007-09-13
  You've already spent a tremendous amount of money on Photoshop CS3. Don't skip the most important step of using it in the most efficient manner possible. I happen to like Mr. Kelby's humor, but even if you don't, don't forget why you bought the book in the first place.
  
  Scott Kelby's instructions always make sense and are easy to follow. Having said that, I will now add that as a newly minted graphics professional (thanks for the new career, Scott) I was a touch disappointed at the lack of information on batch processing.
  
  
• A great guide for digital photographers
  By A3FFGBOQAJ35IS on 2007-09-13
  Was so happy with Scott Kelby's similar book for Photoshop CS2 that I had to buy this version when I upgraded to CS3. I would definitely recommend it to others in the same position.
  Even though I knew quite a lot about Photoshop before opening this book, I had picked up several new techniques within half an hour after doing so.
  My only concern is that Kelby's "click by click" cookbook approach to specific tasks tends to leave one without a real overview of the full functionality of Photoshop. However, the range of tasks covered is pretty wide and you know from the outset that this is the style adopted for the book.
  
  
• Best Book on Photoshop I have
  By A13INHN7UX7JY5 on 2007-09-22
  As you can see from the title, I really liked this book and use many of the ideas in processing my photos. I'm an amateur photographer that recently upgraded to Photoshop CS3 from CS2 and this book has clearly shown me how to correct white balance for some of my older scanned photos, how to lighten and darken only some regions of my photos without using selections, and how to use masks and adjustment layers much better than I've been using them in the past. I've also improved my retouching skills with some of the book's helpful hints. I'm not always sure I understand Scott Kelby's humor since I am probably past the target age of this book but the quality of the writing and the color photos showing the adjustments are first rate. Mr Kelby has some good discussion on the new Bridge capabilities in CS3, a limited illustration on the updated (and more capable) Photo Merge and also some illustrations on how to really improve your retouching of portraits that I also found helpful. I'm glad I added this book to my small library of photoprocessing manuals.
  
  
• Nice and on target
  By A2UWPPU5GZLMQZ on 2007-12-17
  I don't know how Scott Kelby finds time to keep cranking out books and run workshops both. I'm glad he does. I like this book but do point out that it is not comprehensive in its coverage.
  
  I've used Photoshop for years in web design but haven't done as much with digital photography as I would like. For me, this is a perfect introduction. It's a cookbook of Photoshop recipes for enhancing photos.
  
  It's not a general introduction to Photoshop. It is not filled with theory. It often doesn't offer multiple ways to achieve the same effect.
  
  What it does offer are straightforward tutorials that propose useful numbers for settings, not "adjust to your preferences." It offers what appears to be a solid digital photo work flow and covers many situations that I've had problems with in the past.
  
  Instructions are easy to follow and well illustrated. The writing is clear if sometimes a bit too clever. For all but the absolute Photoshop beginner who will find that Kelby assumes a bit too much background for comfort, or for the seasoned pro who already has solved the problems presented here, I'd happily recommend this book. I also recommend it to those who have a background in Photoshop Elements and now want to use its big brother for photo editing.
  
  
• Digital editing made easy
  By APL71PHWI14QS on 2007-09-14
  The instructions are clear and concise. The color photos at every steps are great for understanding the desired effect and how to achieve it. I love how the techniques are smart rather than cumbersome. It's possible to achieve the same result in Photoshop with different tools. It seems that the author makes a point of putting together steps efficiently. Awesome guide ... buy it!
  
  
• Good, but similar to his other books
  By A2G1DY977Q4PUB on 2007-09-26
  It's good, but if you have his other books, there isn't that much more info I felt. If you don't have his old books, then definitely a worthwhile read. Not as useful as I would have hoped it would be.
  
  
• The Definitive CS3 Book
  By A2VOFSI07DSOFK on 2007-09-29
  As always, Scott's books are the best - I don't think I will need any other CS3 books.
  TP
  
  
• Best CS3 Book Out
  By A3Y1VJSQJOYAC on 2007-10-21
  The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book by Scott Kelby is probably the best book out right now that teaches you the basics about CS3. The only negative thing I have to say about the book is that its completely dedicated to Mac users. I personally hate Mac computers but Mr. Kelby does do a good job of explaining steps to take if using a Windows based O.S. Overall an amazing buy and I would definetly refer this book to anyone who is just getting into Photoshop C.S. 3
  
  
• Skip it.
  By A15LUBH26QUPPI on 2008-04-24
  Although Scott Kelby teaches a few cool things in this book, there is nothing out of this world about it, the reviews are *way* overrated here.
  
  My biggest complain is about his cheesy, dumb humor. It really gets in the way. I think 1/3 of this book pages are dedicated to his silly jokes and remarks. I mean, poor guy, he seems to be a nice person, but give me a break. I had paid for this book to learn about PHOTOSHOP! I have nothing against a few *good* jokes to lighten things up, but here they get really distracting, and I actually don't feel like reaching for this book anymore.
  
  Another reviewer wrote: "This book reminds me of the old proverb, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' This book just throws some fish at you." In my honest opinion, he had hit the nail on the head. You learn a few tricks in here, and that`s about it. You get a "recipe" to do something, but you don't learn the basics of how to make your own recipes.
  
  But if you want a book to learn some tricks to apply to your personal candids, then I think this book is acceptable.
  
  I did my homework and now I have just purchased Real World Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Real World) and Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Real World) . I heard about this author when I saw some videos about adobe camera RAW by Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe at the Luminous Landscape site. Jeff Schewe is the co-author of Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Real World). I'm enjoying his videos so much that I decided to buy his book. Really in-depth information, plus he is involved with Adobe's Photoshop designing team. So do yourself a favor and go straight to the good stuff!
  
  EDIT 05/31/08: another great book is Adobe Photoshop CS3 Studio Techniques and the books by Katrin Eismann. She has excellent books, but they are more specific and advanced.
  
  

• Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices)
• Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature
• The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

• Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices)
• The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter)
• Adobe Photoshop CS3
• The Digital Photography Book