Photoshop CS4 Down and Dirty Tricks

UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE HOTTEST TRICKS, AND MOST REQUESTED PHOTOSHOP EFFECTS IN ONE AMAZING BOOK!

Scott Kelby, co-host of Photoshop User TV and the world’s #1 bestselling Photoshop author, is back to unlock the secrets of an amazing new collection of the latest eye-popping, jaw-dropping, Photoshop special effects—the same kind that made Scott’s previous editions of this book one of the top selling Photoshop books in history.

You’ll learn some of the most closely guarded Photoshop CS4 special effects—the same ones you see on TV, in magazines, and on the Web. Using Scott’s simple step-by-step method, with hundreds of full-color images, you’ll see exactly how it’s all done. The book is written so clearly, and it is so easy to follow, you’ll immediately be able to create all of these effects yourself. You’ll learn:

    • The latest photographic special effects
    • How to fake studio shots (you’ll be amazed at how it’s done)
    • The latest cutting-edge type effects
    • The most popular effects used by big movie studios
    • The most-requested advertising effects
    • Commercial effects that clients go crazy over!
    • The most asked-for current Web effects
    • Amazing 3D effects using Photoshop Extended
    • Plus loads of effects that look hard, but are easy once you know the secrets

And not only that, but the whole book is packed with creative ideas, layouts, and design techniques that will help you unleash your own creativity. It’s all here, in the only Photoshop book of its kind. You’re gonna love it!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Another Kelby How-to
I look forward to every edition of Scott’s Down & Dirty Tricks and have them all. Each one is better than the one before (not including CS3… ;-p). Judging from some of the reviews, some of the reviewers may not be aware that Scott started with Photoshop for (Mac) artists/designers long before delving into how to improve one’s digital photography. Even though I’m also a photographer, my first love is Photoshop and how to improve on and achieving those cool tricks to my photography. I highly recommend any and all of Scott’s publications. Open the book and start anywhere. Easy to understand and fun to read.

1 Star Totally useless for me
I have a bunch of Kelby books and really liked most of them. However recently I have started to use other authors’ books and started to like them even better. The books of Martin Evening and Ben Willmore are really great…much better than anything I ever read from Scott. This books has nothing for photographers like me. This book may not be off topic but I found these special effects so useless (well except for the desaturated portrait), that I am not sure that I would buy a Kelby book ever again. It may be use useful for other readers but a total waste of money for me.

5 Stars Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks
Very useful book way awesome a must get book! It will open your mind more of designing!!

5 Stars Great Book
Scott has done a great job on this update. Remember it is about Photoshop, not photography. With that in mind, some really great Tips and Tricks.

4 Stars A solid entry level book to new CS features and special effects
What I like about this book are…

(1) Step by step, picture-guided method of teaching. Very easy to follow.

(2) The book covers a variety types of usage of Photoshop tricks, like effects of type, photo, vector art, lots of commercial material, posters, web material… etc.

What I do not like about this book…

The paper!!! Yes, you heard me, it’s the paper. I am by no means an expert of paper, but this type of paper is so much harder to flip the pages. They don’t really stick to your finger (so you can’t easily “clamp” the pages up with 2 fingers), instead the pages stick to each other (so it’s not easy to flip pages using the edge of the paper. You might think I’m crazy complaining about the paper, but I found it very annoying, and it just made reading the book that much more unpleasant.

What I wish about this book…

I wish that it came with a CD of the materials (say texture, photos… etc.), so readers can actually follow it step by step; which in my opinion is always a better way of learning.

Other thoughts:

- The material used in the book has very very strong commercial sense

- After reading it, I think this book teaches you design more than anything.

- The book is really about Photoshop tricks here and there, a lot of them you don’t really need the latest CS to achieve. The title of the book is really not so helpful, in the sense of what the book is about.

- Scott is a decent graphic designer. I think he went to school for it…

Conclusion…

I think it is worth the money for me.

I learned graphic design, a little bit web, and many tricks for my photography.

Buy/More Info

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