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- This article is from 3BetaCopy Electronic2 newsletter on disk of
the Coastal Mac User Group, Myrtle Beach. Rick Curran,
the author is an active officer in The User Group Network as well.
[Editor's note: This book has now been updated and reflects Photoshop 4.
The article is still very valid.]
A Great Way To Learn Photoshop
Rick Curran
- How would you like to go to one of those big seminars where you
learn how to use one of the more difficult computer programs. A seminar where the
instructor knows all, tells all, and shows all. You say that would be great, but
usually you forget all, by the time you get home. Blink your eye and you're lost,
so far behind you can't catch up.
Peachpit Press has something new to help you learn programs with large learning curves.
3Training on CD2, this is the big seminar, with an instructor that does know all,
tells all and shows all, but best of all, you never leave your Mac. You can sit there
in your underwear, robe and fuzzy pink slippers, comfortable, watching a multimedia
CD in your Mac. If you don't understand something the first time, you can get the
instructor to repeat it until you do. You don't have to fuss with a VCR or audio
tape. Just watch the Mac screen as the instructors demonstrate a particular point.
Each of the movies are short but packed full of information. No boring lecture, you
see on screen what the instructor is teaching. You take this tool and do this. If
you put a number 10 in this box the filter gives you this effect.
One of these training CD's is the Photshop 3: Training on CD. Quay2 Multimedia, a
UK based training group for Mac subjects, has put this multimedia CD together. The
trainers are Yan Cowles and Bob Warner. It is excellent. No herkey Jerkey
CD movie with funny voices. Just lots of good information. [The Photoshop 4 CD will
be available by the time you read this. ED.]
I use Photoshop nearly every day, and like most people, I just know how to do what
I regularly do. I scan line art, do photos and retouch them, nothing fancy. Layers,
as well as some of the special effects and filters were beyond me. So I am not one
of those Power Users, I am just your average Photoshop user.
The training area on this CD is divided into 4 sections, Reference, Jargon, Masterclass,
and Cool Stuff. Reference shows a screen shot of each Photoshop dialog
box and menu item with an explanation of each. You see the box and it tells you the
options. If you increase this number you get this. In Jargon
there is a glossary of 160 some Photoshop related expressions. Terms from Alpha Channel
and Aliasing to TIFF, Tracking and Trap, each with a clear definition.
Masterclass is what you bought the CD for. Here is where the basic
training is. There are 11 topics, each with a number of movies.
Photoshop Basics has 14 movies which explain the functions of tools,
layers, keyboard shortcuts, and more. Did you understand how to calibrate your monitor,
Gama, dot gain, resolution, scratch disk and create new brushes. This is all covered
in Setting Up.
The scanning topic covers brightness/contrast, curves & levels, color balance
and variations. Everything you need to know to turn a very bad scan into an acceptable
image.
Color manipulation discuses converting RGB to CMYK, invert (changing from a negative
to a positive image or a positive image to a negative image), hue, saturation, replace
colour, posterization and more.
Color Modes discusses the type of color modes available i.e. RGB, CMYK, lab mode,
index color, gray scale, duotone, bitmap and multichannel. You have seen these in
the manual but couldn't understand a bit of it. Sounds tough, but it isn't.
Selection/mask/path is the next topic. Don't cringe. You will walk through a number
of Mask techniques and the magic wand tool.
Basic retouching takes you through combining images, feathering, the rubber Stamp
tool, unsharp mask and more.
There are two sections on filters which explains each filter and what they do, and
how/when to use them. When you read your Photoshop manual you understood everything
they said about calculations, RIGHT! This section will help you understand it step
by step.
Once you have your image what do you do with it. The last section talks about printing,
saving and exporting your image. It covers each of the file formats you can save
Photoshop image to.
The last multimedia area we will talk about is 3Cool Stuff2. Have you ever tried
to understand how illustrators create some of the images they do for ads, book covers
and the like. Real World Tutorials show you some of the answers. There are 12 items
created right there on your Mac screen, step by step. You may be amazed how simple
some things are.
Have you read how to do embossed text or some of the many special effects available
using layers, channels and stuff. There are over 2 dozen effects to learn. You watch
everything step by step on your Mac screen.
Have you ever wondered why people use third party filters and what they really do?
In the Third Party Filters area, you will go through a number of the KPT, Alien Skin
and Gallery RX filters. It will amaze you. They called this area Cool Stuff and that
is exactly what it is.
Sounds prety good so far? Well, there was some space left on the CD, so they added
some things for you to play with. There are plugg-ins, filters, and over 37 very
usable textures to get you started with.
Bottom Line:
The Photoshop 3 Training on CD just may be the easiest way to learn Photoshop. This
seminar on CD will teach you the basics, special effects and filters. You will learn
layers and channels so you can combine images and produce many creative effects.
It is very well done and the movies take you through skills, step by step.
This mega seminar on CD isn't cheep. But then what would you pay if you had a person
sitting down in your den/office telling you how to be more effective and creative
with one of the more difficult graphic programs available. It is well worth the $100
price tag.
Other CD seminars available are, FreeHand, Illustrator, Director, Internet and HTML,
QuarkXPress, Painter, Excel, Microsoft Office and Word. I am sure there will be more
to come.
Peachpit Press
2414 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone 1-800-283-9444 -- Fax 510-548-5991
- This is a review on Photoshop 3 Training on CD from Peachpit Press. It is a 2
page review (just a bit more than 1000 words) It would look nice in your user group's
newsletter. If you use it please send me a copy of the newsletter you use it in.
My address is in the review. Enjoy.
This article is from 3BetaCopy Electronic2 newsletter on disk of the Coastal
Mac User Group, Myrtle Beach. It may be reprinted in any Computer User Group
newsletter, without change, as long as a copy of the newsletter is sent to the author.
Rick Curran
4767 Tarpon Bay Road Myrtle Beach SC 29577
Email: CMUGRick@aol.com
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