2003 Best

Real World Photoshop

by David Blatner and Bruce Fraser

All through the years we're relied on the "Real World" books from Dave and Bruce not just in Photoshop, but in digital photography, color correction, and scanning. We also highly recommend Blatner's "Real World Quark XPress" book as a fabulous Quark book.

As you may have read in my "Year In Photoshop" article, there was a disparity of good, industrial grade Photoshop manuals in 2003. This one certainly shines as the leading tome for all, I repeat all, of your Photoshop operations. And, don't be confused by other heavy-duty claims -- this is NOT a re-worked Photoshop manual or guide to producing avant garde special effects. It doesn't mirror the online help that comes with Photoshop either. (As many do.)

Real World PhotoshopThe Photoshop911.com team in the emergency room has earmarked this book as the first one to reach for when they don't know the answers to hundreds of reader's questions received each week. That's the ultimate endorsement! Blatner and Fraser address nearly all the questions that people in production environments ask every single day. And it's not about trendy effects. It's about practical, in-the-trenches, areas of image production that represents the bulk of day-in, day-out work.

Blatner and Fraser place a dual emphasis on efficiency and getting the best quality possible out of Photoshop. One of the real problem areas facing PS users is color management. This is really one of Blatner's strong areas -- getting great scans, tonal and color correction, and then getting that file ready for prepress. The book is fully illustrated with completely revised screenshots and loaded with time-saving tips and shortcuts that will not only allow you to produce better results, but to do so faster than you ever thought possible.

Real World Adobe Photoshop 7
by David Blatner, Bruce Fraser
List price is $49.99, but when you buy at $34.99, you'll be saving $15.00 (30%)
Paperback: 864 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.56 x 9.28 x 7.62, Publisher: Peachpit Press

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