Topic awaiting preservation: Good Photoshop Books

Ok, I am just starting back out with Photoshop. I have already learned the basics but I want to be able to use the program to the best of its and my abilities. Can anyone recommend a good book that teaches you the best. Maybe the book you used to learn or one that you have heard is good. I went to the local bookstore and found a couple books that looked good. Anyone ever heard of these?

Photoshop CS2 Gone Wild by Sherry London
Photoshop CS2 Bible
Photoshop CS Complete Course by Jan Kabili

Those are the ones that looked the best to me. Especially the complete course. Ideas/suggestions?

+ Mike +

call me nuts, But when I am looking for tech books, I like to go to amazon.com and read the negative reviews about them. For some reason I think the negative reviews are slightly more truethful and they always interest me, and some times are much more interesting (not just for books but some of the electronic ones are down right funny) but I digress.

I grew up on the Photoshop 5 bible, that was the first and last photoshop book I can remember chugging through. The writer was rather funny, and the book was quite good! but other than that... Can't help ya much.

[edit] So i just ran across this book... Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One by Deke McClelland (the dude who wrote the Photoshop 5 bible... and I must say, I want to go find a copy to look at... Among the 55 reviews online, only one person gave it a 3 out of five... and i quote...

quote:

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It is probably my fault, but this book will teach you how to manipulate and correct photographic images and nothing about how to use photoshop to create web designs and layouts. I am not talking about HTML. I want to design the comp a website with photoshop. :-(

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(Edited by eyezaer on 12-22-2005 05:26)

Yea alot of what I want to do with photoshop is layout designs and designing web graphics. Im looking for a book geared towards that.

+ Mike +

see! Negative reviews rock!

Adobe publishes a gigantic manual (in addition to the huge built-in help file)...

I have been reading the reviews for Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One by Deke McClelland and it looks like it teaches alot about image re-touching and manipulation. I am trying to learn how to make web graphics and layouts. Anyone know of books specifically geared towards this? Im sorry if I ask too many dumb questions but I want to get the right book and really learn PS this time.

+ Mike +

I could well be wrong (more often than not beleive me) but you may want to start with this book 'before' you start cranking out graphics. I picked up this in a thriftshop for just a couple of bucks but I wouldn't hesitate to pay full price and I see he has a 2nd edition out so I'll probably pay full price for that one... but you really want to read what this guy has to say before you even consider laying out a design. His premise is 'A common sense approach to Web Usability.' Bottom line is of course. =) Don't make me think.

"....try my acid test test for good Web navigation. Here's how it goes:
Imagine that you've been blindfoled and locked in the trunk of a car, then driven around for a while and dumped on a page somewhere deep in the bowels of a Web site. If the page is well designed, when your vision clears you should be able to answer these questions without hesitation.

What site is this?

What page am I on?

What are the major sections of this site?

What are my options at this level?

Where am I in the scheme of things?

How can I search?

Here's another review.
"Don?t Make Me Think" by Steve Krug

quote:

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"Don?t make me think. It means that as far as humanly possible, when I look at a Web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory. I should be able to 'get it' ? what it is and how to use it ? without expending any effort thinking about it."

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http://www.sitepoint.com/article/review-dont-think

He shows you good designs and bad designs. HUGELY good book.

(Edited by NoJive on 12-22-2005 08:32)

Thank you

+ Mike +