Short description
Shows you how to get the most out of Photoshop CS4, including the Quick Selection and Cloning tools, and more. This title contains hundreds of images, project files, and live tutorials that shows you how to: create smoke effects and make explosions - the simple way; and, take years off someone's appearance.
Long description
New! Zip through the learning curve in a snap with the free DVD! Hundreds of new Photo Objects, companion project files, QuickTime movie tutorials, sample plugins, and more. When you're short on time with crunching deadlines, but there's no way you can sacrifice quality, this book/DVD comes to the rescue. Nobody knows more about how to work fast under pressure and still produce top-notch photographic images than hands-on graphic artist and journalist, Steve Caplin. Steve cuts through the grind with on-the-job, do-it-now skills, techniques, and shortcuts guaranteed to show you how to work faster, smarter, and better to produce the best work of your life. With a lifetime of practical experience in photo-montage Steve is the go-to person for professional designers, graphic artists, illustrators, photographic retouchers, and students of design media and illustration who want to create photorealistic effects using Photoshop.Updated for Photoshop CS4, this must-have resource is also backwards compatible - relevant to any version of Photoshop. How to Cheat in Photoshop CS4 helps you 'cheat in' (or take advantage of) Photoshop in two important ways. You learn how to make images look like photographs, when they're not so that you can create photographic work without a studio. And you find useful shortcuts to work more efficiently, economically, and with quick solutions to achieve the same superb results that come from long, complex operations that take forever. Whether you're working for print or the web, dip into this book and extract the info you need - fast.Icons mark where Photoshop files or movie tutorials are available for you to open immediately to try for yourself. Stuck? Visit the Reader Forum on the web and question the author directly (and expect other readers to weigh in, too!). Crammed with gems that other books simply don't cover, and unique in that it's written by a working professional sharing his tips on how he makes money producing this imagery, this book/DVD excels in practical tips to turn the ordinary into the awe-inspiring, quickly. Don't miss how to create new artwork from scratch from starting points that aren't always obvious. This fully updated new edition shows you how to get the most out of Photoshop CS4, including the Quick Selection and Cloning tools, and more.Yet it's backwards compatible with previous releases of Photoshop. The book's step-by-step tutorials alongside the DVD packed with hundreds of images, project files, and live tutorials show you how to: create convincing smoke effects and make effective explosions - the simple way; take years off someone's appearance; turn a photograph of someone looking straight into the camera into a different perspective with the entire head (not just the eyes); modify a statue so it looks like a living person or paint hair directly on any surface; produce the perfect cutout in the shortest time with Photoshop CS4's new Quick Selection tool...and more.A host of timesaving techniques and insider secrets teach you to work faster and more adeptly moving from the problem to the solution to get fantastic results! Steve Caplin is a professional graphic artist, author and journalist. This title contains extensive new material to show you how to take your Photoshop skills to a professional level. The DVD includes all the brand new images from the book, 300 high resolution AbleStock images plus over 2 hours of QuickTime movies of the projects. Benefit from a professional illustrator's timesaving tips and tricks!
Review
Reviews of How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3 on Amazon.com:
5 stars: MUST HAVE! July 15, 2007
By Tom Murray
This book is full of great Photoshop ideas, techniques and resources.
The fourth edition has many valuable additions.
5 stars: I love it! July 14, 2007
By Vibeke Friis Photoshop Fanatic (Nelson, New Zealand) Vibeke Friis
2 stars: Rehash, June 26, 2007
By F. Mele PM
If there wasn't a How to Cheat in Photoshop CS2, this would be great.
As there is, it becomes a great waste of money.
Same just about everything is in first book with very sparce updating on CS3.
5 stars: He's done it again! June 25, 2007
By Pierre Vignau Vimages
Although it has CS3 as part of the title, this is a very useful book for any Photoshop version that you may own. The basic requirements are that you know yur way around Photoshop. This is not a learn by going through menus type of book. I found that going through the frist few chapters (covering Selections) was a minimum requirements. After that you can go and jump from one 2 page tutorial to the other. It is simply written, not pretencious at all, by (obviously) a pro that has been playing with this software for ages. This book (and previous editions) and the Friday Challenges of the forum of the book's website have increased my Photoshop skillshundred fold! Steve Caplin has done it again!
5 stars: One of the best gets better. This is a must-have Photoshop book, June 24, 2007
By Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3 has grown once again from earlier editions, weighing in with 397 pages of instructional text and two hours of video tutorials. Caplin's facility as a teacher has been apparent since the first edition of this book. His confidence has apparently (and justifiably) grown with his edition. The CS3 volume retains many of the examples from former editions (which are necessary) and adds many new ones, making the book an all-in-one Photoshop training manual.
Caplin has never had to resort to the silly attempts at humor employed by Deke McClelland, Scott Kelby and others. He is more than well equipped with a natural sense of whimsy. Caplin's tutorial on Combining body parts at pages 180 - 181 is an absolutely hilarious spoof on Arnold Schwarzenegger's girly men comment of some months back. If you can stop laughing long enough, it is also an excellent tutorial.
In all, there are about 170 tutorials in the book and some excursions into related subjects, such as the wisdom of carrying a small digital camera with you at all times to build our own image library. Every subject of importance to using Photoshop (i.e., learning Curves, Layer masks, etc.) and creating effective montages (i.e., creating effective shadows, combining body parts, perspective, etc.) is covered. I think it fair to say that a total Photoshop neophyte could find everything they need to know in How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3, even if they never intend to create a photorealistic montage, but I would also recommend Katrin Eismann's books on montage and retouching be purchased as well. These three volumes would form a literal encyclopedia of Photoshop.
Finally, you don't need Photoshop CS3 for this book to be useful. Perhaps 97% or more is applicable to any recent version of Photoshop.
As I said, I consider Steve Caplin to be, along with Katrin Eismann, one of the best authors on Photoshop. How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3 is the biggest and best of the series so far and I am pleased to say that Caplin has maintained his verve, imparting a sense of freshness even to the examples he has picked up from earlier editions.
This book is simply a must-have in any Photoshop library.
Jerry
5 stars: Great Photoshop reference, June 23, 2007
By David R. Cox
Whether you are a beginner wanting to learn Photoshop from scratch, or a advanced user wanting to pick up some technique on how to create realistic photo montages, this is the book that you will want. Steve's step by step descriptions on how to perform each task makes learning Photoshop a joy. I would recommend this to any photoshopper at any level of experience.
5 stars: Possibly the best Photoshop book around, June 19, 2007
By A. Rigg (SYDNEY, NSW Australia)
As a relatively newcomer to the world of Photoshop I can say with confidence this book is very simple to follow and helps produce stunning effects for your photos.
Not only does it give you tips on how to enhance yourphotographs but it also teaches you how to achieve seemingly impossible effects with ease.
With the help of this book and participating in the Reader's Forum (which the author personally answers your questions and reviews your work)my photoshop skills have improved immensely.
The book is complimented with a DVD jammed packed with free stock images and video tutorials. 5 stars: Videos on the DVD bring a 4-star book to a 5 star rating, June 18, 2007
By MCSD for Microsoft .Net (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
This fine book will help you accomplish two goals: 1) save time while editing your photos, and 2) create convincing composites that will amaze your friends. The Quicktime videos on the DVD are an excellent supplement to the expository text. Note, however, that the instruction is aimed at Photoshop users who have some experience (at least weak intermediate-level ability, perhaps).
In all honesty, I did not realize what a Photoshop genius Steve Caplin is until I watched some of his tutorial videos included on the book's DVD. In my opinion, the author's skills are roughly(!) in the same league as those of Bert Monroy. The book's video showing the creation of a grave is absolutely amazing. I therefore highly recommend this 4th edition to anyone looking to improve his/her photo editing wizardry.
4 stars: Best edition yet, June 8, 2007
By D. Stevenson (San Francisco)
I've been following this book through each of its 3 revisions and this is the strongest offering yet. In addition to being updated for CS3, the content has been expanded and the new material looks good.
This book is great for Photoshop users who are interested in collage and digital illustration [worth1000 style]; not so good for those just learning the program, retouchers or digital photo types. But set against the millions of Photoshop titles out there, this one is unique and recommended.
4 stars for some hard-to-follow instructions, and the utterly uninspired narratives in the Quicktime tutorials.
Reviews of How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3 on Amazon.co.uk:
5 stars: I love it, 15 Jul 2007
By Vibeke Friis Photoshop Fanatic (Nelson, New Zealand) Vibeke Friis
5 stars: wish I had got this one first, 1 Jul 2007
By E. M. Connolly (Belfast)
Having spent a small fortune on photoshop books from all different authors I wish I had bought this one first, I could have saved a small fortune this book explains how to do all the things you would do on a regular basis, but it shows you the easy way of doing it leaving you thinking why didnt I do that earlier, simple and to the point.I cant recommend this book highly enough, its the only book I have ever reviewed on Amazon out of all the books I have purchased(around 8 photoshop book)
5 stars: How to Cheat in Photoshop, 19 Jun 2007
By G. K. Bain Gordon Bain
If you are an inexperienced Photoshop user BUY THIS BOOK. If you are an experienced Photoshop user BUY THIS BOOK. Steve Caplin takes you through real world examples in very easy to understand steps and shows you techniques that you might never even have thought about.
Having read the book navigate your way to the How to Cheat in Photoshop website also run by Steve to find out more and join in the Friday Challenge.
Come on in. The Photoshopped water is lovely!
PUBLISHED review of CS3 edition:
A fun project-led workbook for anyone who wants to get to know Photoshop more intimately. Covering all the techniques you'll ever need, it's packed with inspirational projects to try - from combining body parts, to making introduced light sources, shadows, textures and reflections look realistic. With this handy guide, the digital world really is your plaything. - Photography Monthly (Aug 2007)
Previous edition reviews:
The tutorials are concise, well presented, [and] show the reader what is possible with a select few of the tools, those which serve as the quickest and most practical in any given situation?. The only title which focuses on getting things done in the shortest amount of time as well as producing photo-realistic results.
David Asch, UK based freelance digital artist and photographer specialising in photo-montage