Special Edition Using Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 7 (Special Edition Using)

Photoshop is simply the best image-editing software available and is the choice of millions of graphic artists worldwide. In Special Edition Using Photoshop 7, authors Peter Bauer and Jeff Foster combine deep technical expertise, Photoshop community involvement, teaching experience, and artistic talent. They offer numerous practical and creative tips to highlight clear explanations of both theory and technique. Full coverage is provided of all new tools and upgraded features in Photoshop 7, including:

It is superficial in every aspect. For example, it devotes less than a page of text to working with Quick Masks and not much more to the Extract function. Adjustment Layers get three paragraphs.

This is the second utterly disappointing book I've seen which is highly lauded by Scott Kelby, President, National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Kelby's turned out several useful collections of Photoshop tips, but his recommendations make me dubious of him and his association.

Overall, Using Adobe Photoshop 7 is useless.

Jerry


still the most comprehensive guide to AI   May 23, 2003
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm a web designer, Illustrator teacher, author of beginner level Illustrator books, and quasi-graphic artist. This is my favorite Illustrator book - except for mine:).

When I reviewed the version 9 edition of this book, I noted that while somtimes Que's Special Edition Using series tends be too encyclopedic, you NEED an encyclopedic reference for Illustrator. Nobody is going to explore every feature, effect, and tool, so professional designers and teachers need an accurate and complete a-z guide handy.

I've got a half dozen books, but after repeated comparisson, I find I pull SE Using AI 10 off my shelf much more than any other guide to Illustrator. The basic value of this book lies in the clear explanations of any feature you need to look up.

The artwork in the book is still utilitarian - clearly demonstrating features, but not providing much in the way of creative spark. And the the 4-color gallery section doesn't add much in my opinion - especially without any annotation. But so what? This is a reference book for experts, not a design book or a hybrid of the two.

My main beef with this edition is the frustratingly bad layout of the index. A book like this needs a comprehensive and comprehensable index. This index is complete, but whoever decided to save a couple bucks by cramming the content into 3 columns, and not putting headings (as opposed to the many subheadings and long lists of sub-sub headings) in boldface made the book nearly unusable. Hopefully we'll see a much better index layout in the next edition.


Not even the manual   May 16, 2003
 12 out of 15 found this review helpful

I was very disappointed with this book. I bought it after reading a few reviews and recommendations from NAPP. It seems to me it isn't any much more than the manual revisited with a few extra details. I was hoping for some innovation and some interesting things that I might have stirred into my pot of knowledge, but I found I was reading a lot on basic tool function. It's a manual at best. It is too text bookie, and too long and drawn out over simple things. I got to about the 18th chapter, and put it down. I don't think there is anything that I'd use. I feel sorry that the message is so down as the things that I've read are accurate in the book. I just don't feel the investment came out to be worth it very well.


Includes all the new features of Photoshop 7   November 8, 2002
 9 out of 24 found this review helpful

Adobe Photoshop is simply the best image-editing software currently available and is the choice of preference for millions of graphic artists worldwide. Its breadth of features and raw power to manipulate any type of image has made it the recognized standard. New graphic artists need to learn Photoshop, while established professionals need to keep their skill sets current with every new revision. Collaboratively written by Adopbe Photoshop experts Peter Bauer and Jeff Foster, Special Edition Using Adobe Photoshop 7 includes all the new features of Photoshop 7 including: Macintosh OS X compliances (native mode and carbonized); an integrated image management system; an improved painting engine for both PC and Mac versions; a more advanced web workflow capability; and added editing features. User Level: Intermediate-to-Advanced, 1008 pages.


Draws special attention to new features   June 7, 2002
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

While the coverage of Illustrator is complete, Special Edition Using Adobe Illustrator X is most suited for the graphics professional who has at least some working knowledge of the software. In the course of covering Illustrator, Peter Bauer will draw special attention to new features including: Full Mac OS X coverage; new drawing capabilities: grids, lines, arcs, compound-shape enhancements, Flare tool; Enhanced Web features: symbols, slicing, dynamic data-driven graphics, enhanced Flash and SVG support; improved effects: warping and envelope distortion, Liquify tools; and increased productivity: new Magic Wand selection tool, dynamic data-driven graphics, improved interoperability with other Adobe products, asset management, scripting. Special Edition Using Illustrator X also has several appendices that serve as a quick guide to all of Illustrator's tools, palettes, and menus. User Level: Intermediate - Advanced, 784 pages.