The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 4

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher

Author: Richard Lynch Sybex Wiley Publishing 111 River St. MS 4-01 Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 http://www.sybex.com/WileyCDA/SybexTitle/productCd-078214456X.html Released: April 10, 2006 Pages: 342 $30 USD, $39 CND, £20 GBP, 25Û Euro including CD. ISBN: 078214456X Intermediate/Advanced Strengths: CD has additional information for tutorials and the website has additional information. The CD works for Mac and PC/Windows people. Author provides several ways to contact him for additional information. Weaknesses: Only Black and white screenshots are used. The tutorials, while extensive and using numbers to segment tasks, are very much text based oriented in a story book like fashion. Takes awhile to cover the activities in this fashion. The Power tools on the CD can only run by having Photoshop Elements in your computer system.

The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 4 by Richard Lynch deals with serious image editing. The black-on-white screen shots, photos and tutorials are made to promote learning of Photoshop Elements 4. The main purpose of the book is to provide practical procedures for making better images.

The author has written several books on digital images, writes columns for Digital Photography Techniques,teaches art classes and works on web authoring and information management. Photoshop Elements can be a serious graphics tool and books like this are meant to enable the user to utilize the features of the application to a greater extent, to make the images better.

The book comes with a CD. There are series of tools on the CD for Mac and PC users. To access the tools on the CD, Photoshop Elements is needed in your computerÕs system and will not operated without the proprietary application. Using instructions, the insulation allows the the collection to be downloaded. The website can accessed for additional information to add functionality to Photoshop.

The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 4 offers the user to learn about the hidden aspects of graphics, utilities and the program. However it is written in a way that I did not expect and ÒhidesÓ some of the Òhidden powerÓ suggested in the title.

Thebook is written in a way that I consider non-user friendly, especially for novice users who do not know much about Photoshop Elements. The key to a book like this, is to Òopen doorsÓ, for unlocking how and what to do, and help see and understand the circumstances for invigorating your photos. All the information in the book needs to be easily read, so that the user can make access.

Oneof the problems is the ÒwordinessÓ of the tutorials. While the book has useful tutorials and information, there is too much to Òwade through ,Ó to get at to the ÒmeatÓ of what can be used. The screenshots are lifeless looking, are only in Black and White, and do not have pointers within the screenshots to highlight the focus of the tutorials.

Many other books on the topic, in the chapters, are easier to read and have an overall better visual style. After all, graphics are spatial and the text should reflect the medium through the use of intuitive learning modes. Intermediate and Advanced users may prefer this book. While I consider myself an intermediate power user, I would look to using the CD and the information that comes from that and use the book sparingly to find additional information.