Photoshop Elements 5 for Dummies

Reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher

Authors: Barbara Obermeier and Ted Padova Wiley http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470098104.html Released: January 30, 2007 Pages: 400 $ 25 USD $ 30 CND ISBN-10: 0470098104 ISBN-13: 978-0470098103

Strengths: Easy to read. The layout of the chapters, content and the pages are made not only for easy reading and learning but searching and finding the information you want. You can read this book in a sequential way or can skip around.   Weaknesses: Information about RAW is very solid but was hard to find in the index. While the information is very well done, if your main intent is using RAW, you might want to use this book with another one later is needed.   Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Information

 

For those who can’t afford Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements 5 is an affordable and easier way to go. Having most of its Big Brother’s tools, many photographic users may still need a little guidance in learning how to get the most out of this graphic oriented program. Photoshop Elements 5 for Dummies to the rescue.

 

Barbara Obermeier operates a graphic design studio and teaches visual communication courses. Ted Padova is internationally recognized digital imaging authority. Both are well suited to team up to provide the tutorials within this book that can help you in many ways.

 

The book is divided into 6 parts that span 18 chapters along with the amply laid out index. Of course, the review would not be the same without pointing out the other helpful informational icons “peppered” throughout the book. These are part of many of the Dummies books that include additional helpful information to find and learn about. Five icons that are placed throughout the pages. These notes (titled either Tip; Technical stuff; Warning!; Remember; on the Web) serve to include precise additional information that assists along the way instructions, ideas and explicit helpful information.

 

The colorful screenshots are integrated within the instruction. Application laden screenshots demonstrate how the tools can be utilized to complete carefully designed tasks. The screenshots are of ample size/too small and very readable. I like that bold text that are used for the titles of the the step by step (to make them stand out). Numbered instructions also help “break up” the instructions for very easy reading.

The topics are noted in the introduction. The information and topics are easy to find as the real nice index highlights where to find what you are looking for. Also nice is that on the left margins-top there are the titles for the part/sections.

 

Huge numbers inset in light blue or light yellow make viewing the pages extremely easy. They jump right out at you as you flip the pages so that you can search for topics and open the pages in a very easy and fast fashion. It’s little things like this that show that the authors have crafted a book that has the needs of the user in mind.

 

The chapters are written with a well blended workflow structure that ties into each main section. Novice to advanced users will appreciate the way that you can start, develop and expand upon the use of Photoshop Elements 5.

 

Part 1 “Getting Started” uses version for windows 5 and mac v4 of photoshop elements. Here you learn how to get started, learning to edit and working with file resolutions, color modes and different file formats. There are several nice example along the way. I particularly liked the (P.52) cookie cutter type activity and immediately saw different ways I could use this for other purposes.

 

With Part 2 “Getting Organized” obtaining your images, viewing and finding them and managing them are the focus. However RAW format is using it has been increasingly popular and will become more important for many especially, intermediate and advanced. I did not find RAW format in the index. However I discovered information about this format (p.72) and then more in the same chapter (p.86-92). Great informative tutorial and along with visuals helps you discover more about RAW format and making your photos better using this format. In this way, Photoshop Elements 5 can help you get started with using RAW and if needed use this book as a springboard to finding additional information.

 

Part 3 “Selecting and correcting photos” modifying selections, working with layers and correcting contrast and color are well done. I really like the eraser extraction tool information and it is well outlined. The cookie cutter tool, examples and information made me think of several ways I could employ the methods immediately.

 

Part 4 “Exploring your inner artist” details how to use panoramas , styles, filters, effects and working with type basically expands the different ways to use your drawings and graphics. Photos and merging is an area here which well done.

Part 5 “Printing , creating and sharing” has tutorials on printing, using various printers, exporting your prints. The little section here on “Sizing files for output” is something I wished I had learned sooner.

 

Part 6 “The Part of Tens” are solid ten tips for composing better photos help to “sum up all the parts” learned throughout the chapters. These solid examples are well done and most informative for novice to advanced.

 

I had some of my personal questions answered while going through the book. So in this way there are nice tutorials. The author has the intuitive insight to cover basics and beyond for intermediate and a advanced who are trying to go further with their ideas. Finding some of the great ideas, gave me some instant ideas to integrate with some content, photos etc with the tools I needed to initiate and complete the new creative graphic tasks.

 

Conclusions

 

What is nice about this book and the way the authors have designed it, is that this book goes to the heart of learning, learning to use a good graphics tool with help along the way. The tutorials are simple no-nonsense with direct ideas, great examples and solid tutorials. Plus you can start from the beginning and work your way through each chapter or go as you please and skip around. Either way you will learn new methods , techniques and take Photoshop Elements 5 to a higher level.