Adobe Photoshop 6.0 Classroom in a Book

I purchased this alongside the Illustrator Classroom in a Book course. What I found, as with any course, is that my experience was determined by my own effort. Adobe has done its part by developing a thoughtful series of lessons to make any user comfortable working in Photoshop.

I have heard two competing (and contrary) objections to these courses. People complain that there is a) either not enough or b) too much information in the Classroom in a Book series. It is true that Adobe has not developed a course that custom fits the requirements of every single possible user. This can hardly be held against them. They have created a series of straightforward courses for intermediate users. Neither this book (nor the application it is designed to teach) is for absolute beginners. It is for people who are comfortable in front of their computer. Nor should an expert user looking for some advanced tricks and tips purchase it. There are other books available to fit these needs.

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Typical of the "Classroom in a Book" series, this book is set up as a series of lessons. They take you through the major functions of Photoshop providing both instructional overviews and hands-on exercises. Lessons-wise, I can't fault the authors. They did a bang up job of hitting all of the major functions of the program.

I would however like to warn users to realize that this book and the others in the series are really not for beginners. Photoshop packs A LOT of functionality. If you are a beginner and you start going through these lessons, you may feel VERY overwhelmed. I strongly suggest beginners start with another Photoshop book. Perhaps SAMS 24 hrs version. Good intro. Then buy this book and try the lessons. You really need the grounding in the application so you won't feel blown away.

I really did like this book, but it is truly for intermediate to advanced users only.

I am an Information Technology Training Specialist currently taking a free online course for Photoshop 6. I am learning more (and having more fun) using the Classroom in a Book than I have from the online course and the book it is using (Visual QuickStart Guide). The tutorials in this book are great and provide the detailed steps necessary to complete tasks as well as references to where you can access more in-depth information from Adobe's online Help. The book covers how to complete tasks in ImageReady as well as Photoshop. One of the first things I recommend is printing up the Quick Reference Card so you can add your own notes to it -- an irreplaceable guide! To ensure I've mastered the lesson, I recreate the end picture on my own.