The Photoshop Channels Book

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher

Using channels when while working with graphics can be a mysterious affair. While there are advantages to using channel to create graphics the process is not well understood. It seems to be a secret in discovering solutions using channels. Some books just gloss over channels and don’t involve the full process. Well, if you in this situation and desire to learn about channels, this book my be exactly what you looking for.

The author is a well know Photoshop book author, and the Editor-in-Chief of Photoshop User magazine. What is nice is that there are step-by-step helpful instructions, written in a readable manner, and they help you learn about channels while developing projects to help understand how to create finished innovative graphics in ways you might not have considered before.

The eight chapters span 275 pages. Each chapter starts with an introduction which is a light hearted approach to the information in that section. The instruction starts off with the channel basics in Chapter 1. This introduction is direct, concise and allows you to learn the rudimentary beginning about using channels. You learn about keyboard shortcuts, looking at color channels, and what you can start doing with the channels palette. Creating you own first chanel helps you learn about the palette. Channel shortcuts are listed (Page 21) for both Windows and Macintosh users. There are series of Q&A (P. 22). The rest of the chapters cover masking, layer masking, using color to black and white, using channels for better coloring options, sharpening with channels channel web optimization, and special effects using channels is covered in an .

The pages are well laid out, bright looking, the pictures large and the material is easy to read. The instructions are sectioned off into numbered texts, each with a paragraph or so of text accompanied with illustrations on each page. PC and Mac instructions are defined throughout along with the color screen shots, photographs, dialog screen shot boxes. Step-by-step instructions take you through the tasks. Arrows, yellow highlights and small red circles show the areas within the visuals that are focus of the targeted particular specifics. This demonstrates the extra attention of the author to help make the instructional process more direct and helpful.

I started understanding and using graphics with channels a few years ago while constructing my websites and related graphics. Initially, one has to take more time when learning how to use channel to use graphics but I found fun and useful. In the long run, learning about channels can make you a more flexible graphic artist. This book is great for beginners or those who want to improve their graphic skills. Lots of tips and tricks, efficiency ideas and ways to develop special effects that can only be created through the use of channels. I am a little surprise that the book did not have a CD for the price. But if you are looking for some great methods to start learning how to use channels, this is a great book to start and progress through your use of graphics.