The Bottom Line
- A full range of Photoshop Elements how-tos, focused on the specific needs of digital photographers.
- Easy-to-follow layout with lots of full-color illustrations and a step-by-step approach.
- Doesn't waste space on things experienced photographers should already know.
- Scott Kelby's continual attempts at humor are overdone and distracting.
- Frequently refers to keyboard shortcuts which are hard to remember once you put down the book.
- No CD-ROM of practice images (though you can download most of them from the companion Web site).
Description
- Over 80 step-by-step how-tos on correcting, restoring, retouching, and enhancing digital photos.
- 11 chapters covering these topics: File Browser, Cropping & Resizing,
- Fixing Image Problems (overexposure/underexposure, noise, red eye, keystoning),
- Color Correction, Selection Techniques, Retouching Portraits, Body Sculpting,
- Photographic Special Effects, Photo Restoration Techniques,
- Professional Sharpening Techniques, Showing It to Your Clients.
- Over 250 full-color pages; 8 by 10 inches.
- No CD-ROM, but most images can be downloaded from companion Web site.
Guide Review - 'The Photoshop Elements Book for Digital Photographers' by Scott Kelby
Because this book focuses on the so-called "inside secrets" used by the pros, there are some things here that recreational digital photographers just won't care about... and it leaves out a lot of the fun stuff that most of them want to do. For example, you'll find a how-to for making eyebrows and eyelashes look fuller, but nothing on turning a photo into a painting.
If your goal is just to flip to a page and complete a task, then this book will get you there, but if you really want a deeper understanding of the reasons you did what you did, this is not the book for you. I've seen Scott Kelby training sessions in person, and he's a lively, entertaining presenter. But in book form, his humor just translates to a lot of 'groaners' and wasted space.
