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Photoshop 6 Down and
Dirty Tricks
By Scott Kelby
$39.99
New Riders Publishing
www.NewRiders.com
Author: Roberta
Mikkelsen
Date: 4/5/02
Okay another
book on Photoshop you ask? Well for all of us that are self taught and are serious
about Photoshop this book is definitely worth looking into. It is full of intriguing
tricks, special effects and inside secrets all from the pen of Scott Kelby.
Scott Kelby is a Photoshop guru, editor of Photoshop User magazine and president
of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.
The book arrived the same day a client requested a rough design for a retail
display. I thumbed through the book and to my surprise I found the book to be
exactly what the ads state. Every page is in full color. You are given detailed
step-by-step instructions on how to create each effect. And there are more than
300 of the hottest new tricks, tips, and techniques in one mondo cool book!
Within minutes I found just what the client wanted. I followed the ten-step
tutorial and to my amazement it worked! No Murphy's Law here. Scott included
every click and command in understandable English. Some of the topics include:
Drop Shadow Techniques, Cool Type Effects, Metal and Chrome Effects, Photographic
Effects, Down and Dirty Tricks, Paint and Brush Effects, Advertising Effects,
Texture and Background Effects, Interface Design, Photoshop Web Effects, and
Special Effects.
In Photoshop Down and Dirty Tricks Scott teaches how the Pros use Photoshop.
He doesn't bore us with instruction on how to mask or what a pixel is. He just
gets right into using Photoshop to get results. Scott uses humor throughout
the book creating a personal and memorable tutorial. For example in the tutorial
on drop shadows he instructs you to drag the shadow layer down and to the right
then adds "I think moving it down and to the right is a federal law, but
I can't swear to it." Every page has screen shots of where and what you
are supposed to be doing. Also on every page there is a sidebar that tells of
a Photoshop tip. Sometimes it relates to the effect sometimes it's just a random
comment from Scott. The tips alone are a book in themselves.
There are many good books on Photoshop but Down and Dirty is on the top of my
list. It's not a book to be read cover to cover. You just find an effect you
like follow the tutorial and sit back and grin. If you need a reference that
is full of inspiration the Photoshop 6 Down and Dirty Tricks should be on your
shelf.
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