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Posted on 01/02/18 11:05:38 AM |
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michaeldawson
* Posts: 1 Reply |
How to cheat in Photoshop
Having read all the posts, comments and recommendations for this book I finally bought it. I have to be honest and say that whilst I am not completely disappointed it is not the holy grail that Steve Caplan followers make it out to be. I have other books which are equally informative. A complaint I do have is that the title states quite clearly "How to cheat in Photoshop CC" The book is stuck in CS6 and quite clearly is not CC.. |
Posted on 01/02/18 12:33:52 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 4966 Reply  |
Re: How to cheat in Photoshop
I cannot comment on "stuck in CS6" as my copy is far older. What, to my mind sets Steve apart, is the simplicity and clarity of his explanations. I also think there are not too many other books out there with the same breadth of coverage of basic techniques. I also have plenty of other books which cover various aspects in far greater detail but few of them give such a good basic grounding. It depends what you need. I think it fair to say the Steve's book is aimed at those who have a bare minimum of knowledge and want to expand it and find all the possibilities and I think it does that very well. There is a tendency for more comprehensive books to be very dry. Steve makes it fun and for those just setting out in a very daunting app that is a great way to learn. I don't think it would be conceited of me to call myself an advanced user now. It is many, many years since I used "How to Cheat" but, at the time, it served me perfectly. It's simply a case of "Chacun à son goût". _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 02/02/18 08:01:05 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6846 Reply  |
Re: How to cheat in Photoshop
The book was, indeed, written for Photoshop CC. That's the first version of Photoshop CC. But note that Adobe has published upgrades to Photoshop since that first version, which any printed book is naturally unable to keep up with. If you don't like the writing style then well, of course, that's something I can't fix. But I hope you'll make good use of the Forum anyway. |
Posted on 02/02/18 09:33:28 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2807 Reply  |
Re: How to cheat in Photoshop
There are countless books and video tutorials for Photoshop and I have tried quite a number of them over the years, however, I keep returning to Steve’s books for the reason that his way of explaining is straightforward, concise and effective. As you would, no doubt, be aware - there are many ways of achieving the one objective in Photoshop. Steve’s way is always the most direct and efficient way. I work as a Graphic Animator for a TV studio and deadlines are of the essence. On a good day, Ill have 3 minutes to remove a subject from a background and colour correct it to suit the new background and its been Steve’s no fuss, full result approach that has enabled me and my colleagues to achieve near impossible deadlines on a daily basis. I guess it comes down to individual personalities. Some people want achievable, effective and realistic solutions while others prefer complications and to whinge about how hard Photoshop is to learn. _________________ Dorothy: "there's no place like home!" |
Posted on 02/02/18 12:13:51 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3742 Reply  |
Re: How to cheat in Photoshop
Hi Michael, When I first started out using Photoshop it was in the bygone era of v4 - and I don't mean CS4. Back then there were few Photoshop books around and, as the internet was still in its infancy, video tutorials were like hens teeth and you had to pay a lot of money for DVDs; there was no such thing as the wealth of online tutorials that we have today. They were ok if you knew how to use the programme but they didn't explain why you should use a particular technique. Steve's HTCIP books transformed that and started to explain, particularly along with this website, why you might want to do something in a particular way. Using Steve's books I began to understand what I was doing and, more importantly, why I was doing it rather than just doing something by rote. This fitted perfectly with my own attitude to training students in my own job. The books were just the basis of that understanding. Much more importantly, I think that I can honestly say that the Friday Challenge has improved not only my own techniques, but those of every single member of the forum who has participated even if only anonymously. The transformation of everyone's work is down to one person. Anna is an excellent example of someone who started out doing simple, straightforward, single images then rapidly progressed to some excellent animation work and now, deservedly, has a job with a TV company in Oz. I would venture to suggest that this has happened primarily because of the Friday Challenge and Steve's books. Perhaps we will see some of your own work appearing soon? _________________ Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana. |
Posted on 28/02/18 04:16:06 AM |
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ConnieR.
* Posts: 53 Reply  |
Re: How to cheat in Photoshop
I've learned so much from Steve's books! (all 3 of the Photoshop books.) I guess everybody has different learning styles, but his method of teaching suits me perfectly. I still use other books, as well as online tutorials, for various things, but everything builds on the techniques in How To Cheat in Photoshop. |