I’m archiving this book review, originally found at The Tech Static:
Kent, Lynette. Photoshop CS4: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks. Wiley. 2009. 278p. ISBN: 978-0-470-44254-8. pap. $24.99
King, Lesa Snider. Photoshop CS4: the Missing Manual. O’Reilly. 1009. ISBN. 776p. 978-0-596-52296-4. pap. $49.99
McClelland, Deke. Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One. O’Reilly. 2008. 471p. ISBN: 978-0-596-51615-4. pap. $49.99
It has been said that learning how to work with Photoshop is similar to learning how to play a musical instrument. You can teach yourself, you can take lessons (either in person or through a book), or you can buy books to be used as “ready reference” for the times when you get stuck. All libraries should have at least one Photoshop book that covers the latest version of this popular image-editing software, and all three of these books are good at what they do. Tips & Tricks is a good step-by-step reference for common image editing chores that might be just beyond a patron’s grasp. It is strong in the breadth of techniques covered, but somewhat weaker when it comes to explanations of what these techniques are actually accomplishing. Missing Manual is a good comprehensive reference, providing an overview of all aspects of Photoshop. One strength is its brief, but helpful, explanations of both simple and difficult topics, such as the difficult-to-understand “unsharp” masking. The title’s weakness stems from the fact that, as a catch-all, it never digs too deeply. For more advanced users, One-on-One is the only one of the three that functions as a guided lesson through the challenging subject of channels and masks. The title’s main strengths are its clear explanations and included DVD, which contains live demonstrations. All three titles are recommended individually for academic, public, and special libraries with a need to collect in this area.
Steve McCann is the Digital Projects Librarian at The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana.
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