40. Photoshop CS5: The Missing Manual by Lesa SniderMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Having just finished reading all 782 pages of the print manual as well as all 5 appendices available online, I can safely say that I wish I had a photographic memory. Nonetheless, I learned a great deal about what is possible in Photoshop and how to accomplish it.
I've been teaching myself bits and pieces of the program for years, but this is the first time I felt like the gaps were filled in. Snider's conversational tone is easy to read and she's very thorough when writing out the steps to accomplish various tasks. She also provides a bit of background to the tools, filters, and such, providing an idea of what settings to try and which to avoid.
The book is written for both Mac and PC users listing Mac keyboard shortcuts first (which I find a nice change of pace).
One great advantage is that you do not have to read the book from start to finish. I followed the nonlinear chapter order that Snider recommended for photographers at the beginning of the book and then went back to read the rest. If you used the contents or index to jump straight to something you wanted to learn how to do, I feel confident that you would find all of the information you needed. If she references info from a different point in the book, she includes the page number(s) on which it can be found.
The appendix on Adobe Bridge was particularly helpful. The appendices, practice files, websites mentioned in the book, and additional tutorials are all available on the Missing CD-ROM page. Definitely worth checking out.
I'm really looking forward to her FREE Photoshop CS5 Intensive on Creative Live next week. If you can't watch it during the day, they re-play each day in the evening, also for free. You can also purchase the course as a download.
In the meantime, you can win an eBook copy of Lesa Snider's Photoshop CS5 Missing Manual from O'Reilly Media. Until September 19th, they are giving away 1 copy per day.
To enter to win a copy of this eBook simply answer the following question on Twitter:
Q: Why are you excited about the Photoshop CS5 Intensive course with Lesa Snider?
To qualify, you must include this link in your tweet: http://cr8.lv/psdlesa
They'll pick one favorite Tweet to win an eBook each day. Good luck!
A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #32
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