Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 5.5 Classroom in a Book (Classroom in a Book (Adobe))
Adobe Photoshop 5.5 Classroom in a Book, Special Web  Edition, like others in the fineClassroom in a Bookseries, is somewhere between a manual and a tutorial; the lessons can  be read straight through or referenced on a need-to-know basis.Photoshop 5.5, a significant upgrade to the top image manipulation  software, now comes packaged with ImageReady 2.0, Adobe's Web graphics  application. Combined they comprise an extremely powerful and very  user-friendly set of tools for creating well-executed and optimized  JPEGs, GIFs, GIF animations, sliced GIFs, rollovers, and many other  complex images.Each lesson in the book begins with an overview and  ends with review questions, making it easy for experienced users to  skip around to new material. Files for the lessons are on the  accompanying CD-ROM, but there is plenty of room to experiment with  your own images within each lesson.The first two chapters inAdobe Photoshop 5.5 CIBare Quick Tours adapted from the CD-ROM  that comes with Photoshop 5.5, each tour covering the key features of  the two applications, respectively. The remaining lessons go into  greater depth on these features.And there's an amazing amount of  information here: Lessons that cover layers, masks, channels, filters,  and actions, not to mention the newest tools in 5.5, the Magic eraser  and the Background eraser, both of which make silhouetting an image a  breeze. Readers learn the new and easy ways to use compression  previews in both applications. Slicing images and applying different  compressions to each slice is also made simple.The writing is  thorough and concise, and each step is well-illustrated. A full-color  section demonstrates selected tutorial steps, finished projects, and  toolbox overviews. Similarly effective are the pages with thumbnails  of different mode selections (multiply, dissolve, soft light, and so  on). And throughout the book, sidebars address special Web issues and  tips.Like Photoshop 5.5,Adobe Photoshop 5.5 CIB, Special Web  Editionis specifically aimed at the Web designer, however print  designers benefit as well from the book's extensive instruction on new  tools and color management. For those who plan to upgrade,Adobe  Photoshop 5.5 CIBwill get them up and running within a just a few  hours.--Angelynn GrantTopics covered: using Adobe  Photoshop 5.5, including ImageReady 2.0, with emphasis on new features  and creating for the Web; lessons on optimizing image compression,  slicing and animating GIFs, working with tools, layers, gradients,  channels, and masks; retouching images, basic pen tools, advanced  layer techniques, special effects and filters, combining Adobe  Illustrator and Photoshop images, working with spot colors, color  management techniques, and preparing CMYK art for the press; CD-ROM  contains files for all lessons as well as preview tours of other Adobe  products.