Dynamic Learning: Photoshop CS3 1st Edition

I was not a total noob when I started this book, but wasn't very accomplished in photoshop either.The problem with this book, is that they teach you how to create the lesson final product, but just have you push some buttons on the keyboard to reach that point, without ever giving you practical reason for why you're doing it. It does a very poor job of showing the different menu choices and what those menu choices accomplish. For example, very little was done with filters and showing how they work and what they accomplish.The DVD/CD that comes with the book is virtually worthless. It just takes you through a series of button pushing sequences to get a final result, the exact same sequences the book walks you through. Totally redundant and without purpose.Although in the end I learned a few things, overall, this book was a disappointment to me. I would not reccomend it to anyone that wants to learn photoshop from ground zero or has a remedial knowledge of it like I had.

This is the best book, for learning Photoshop, that I've found. Even though I have Photoshop CS5, now, I still find myself going back to this book. This latest copy was bought for my daughter because I didn't want to part with my copy!

I learned through this book for my class. Would recommend for beginners and students who are interested in Photoshop CS3. However now we are at CS6.

Dynamic Learning Photoshop CS3 is a good Introduction to Photoshop CS3 for people that are starting to use Photoshop. If you are middle to an advanced level user you might find the book too basic. The book covers new features of Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended. It provides information for graphics professionals and photographers so it does have some what of spilt personality but I did not find that a problem because I do photography and web design.I am making the transition from Abode Photoshop Elements to the Photoshop CS3 Extended so some of the features are new to me. I found the book to be at the right level for someone who is new to Photoshop.The book gives you three different ways to learn with each chapter in the book. You can read the book, you can read the book and follow the projects that come on the DVD, or you can watch the Adobe Flash videos on the DVD. I found reading the book hard to follow without being in front of the computer and following the project steps. The video does give you enough detail to do the project but the chapter videos are fast paced compared to Training video from Lynda.com, Studio Works, or Total Training. The nice thing is you can look back at the instructions in the book without having to re-watch the video. A nice feature is you can copy the video to your hard drive so you do not have to carry are around the DVD or with Lynda.com online training you have to have an internet connection. I like in the video because there are certain items that are hard to describe on paper which make it so much easy to explain visually. One of the items that is a lot easier to understand by video is the vanishing point filter. The author shows how to put a picture on a white product box.The book also gives some small demos on how the Photoshop works with other Adobe software such as Adobe Illustrator and shows you how Photoshop work together.I find when I launch the Flash video for each chapter it does not seem to go anywhere. It takes time to load the video so be patient. When I picked up the book to review it did not realize how extensive the video tutorial was. The book seems expensive at $44.99 because of the size of the book for that price but if you realize how much effort the author has but into the video on the DVD the book is a good value. You get a book, project files, and videos for that price. I think O'Reailly the books publisher should emphasize the how extensive the videos are on the front cover of the book.I found the book a good learning tool as long as you what a book that covers information for graphic professionals and photographers. As some one that is use to Adobe Photoshop Elements and moving to the full version of Photoshop I found the book helpful for me to understand Photoshop CS3.

Maybe it's because of the split personality that Photoshop has, being designed for use by both graphics professionals and photographers. Maybe a book that explains Photoshop for graphic artists is different from a book for photographers. I don't think so. And this book is not for photographers.For a while now I've been thinking that there must be a better way to teach beginners how to use Photoshop. This book, part of a new series by the publisher, looked like it might be a better way. It's not.First the good points. The book is made up of tutorials that require you to load an image file from the CD included with the book and then perform various operations on the file. The book is written in the simplest, easy to understand language and the tutorial instructions are crystal clear. There are videos tied to each chapter that run on a computer.Now the bad points. The organization of the book is ill considered, placing information in the beginning of the book that is inappropriate for beginners. The book doesn't provide essential information, particularly for photographers. The videos are a mere repetition of material in the text.Consider the organization. The book starts out explaining the significant differences between Photoshop CS2 and CS3. But if you are a beginner, the differences are irrelevant. The following chapters deal with compositing pictures. That is one of the last things a beginner needs to know. He or she first needs to know how to manipulate a photograph for tone and color correction.There is nothing that tells a reader how to get a picture from a camera into a computer, which is a major function of Bridge, an essential element of PS CS3. There is nothing that explains the nature of tonality, the manipulation of which has been essential to successful photography almost from photography's beginning. There is scant instruction on any of the basic controls to manipulate the tone and color of an image.My first instinct was to give this book the poorest rating possible, but I must confess that some of the chapters on more advanced techniques, like the nature of levels, were quite good (although not good enough to make up for the shortcomings, at least as far as a beginner is concerned.)As far as I can see, there is no magic bullet for photographers who want to learn Photoshop. A serious beginner might want to start his or her Photoshop learning with Barry Haynes " Photoshop Artistry: For Photographers Using Photoshop CS2 and Beyond (Voices That Matter) ", following the book's suggested outline for beginners, and as one's skills developed, to return to the intermediate and then advanced outline. It will be slow going but you will learn what you need to process pictures well in Photoshop. If you've mastered Haynes version of Photoshop you can fill in the upgrade to PS CS3 with Ben Willmore's short and concise " Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed ".By the way, this volume doesn't cover the latest upgrades to PS CS3, but given the cursory treatment of tone and color controls, that scarcely seems to make a difference to an evaluation of this book.

I was really looking forward to using this book, but it has proved to be a bit of a disappointment.I think there are better books on using Photoshop CS3WARNING. Play the videos at your peril!!!! The voice of the woman doing the narrating could cut through solid steel. It is quite awful. Sorry madam, but i suggest you steer well clear of narrating your own videos.