Photoshop in a Nutshell, Second Edition A Desktop Quick Reference

By Donnie O'Quinn
Second Edition   
Pages: 658
ISBN 10: 1-56592-565-3 | ISBN 13: 9781565925656
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Book description

This concise reference richly details Photoshop 5's powerful new features and describes every tool, command, palette, and submenu, plus common uses and misuses of each. Whether toiling with images for the Web, video, or print, this book enables professionals and sophisticated beginners to focus creative energy on design, not on where to find a tool or the right combination of filters and effects.
Full Description

Photoshop has set a standard that has yet to be eclipsed by other image- editing packages. As the quintessential image-editing package for graphics professionals, its users number in the millions. And with sales of products such as cameras on the rise, and billions of photographs taken each year worldwide, the need for a high-end, concise reference guide like Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition also increases. Professional graphics designers and enthusiasts alike will turn to this book for information on the topics and tools in Photoshop 5 that they really want to know. Photoshop 5 is poised to meet the ever-rising demands for quality image editing with the addition of key new features in an already comprehensive feature set. These new features include the History Palette, Editable Text Layers, Spot-ColorChannels, and color management support. Each is richly detailed in the second edition to the bestselling Photoshop in a Nutshell. Part of O'Reilly and Associates' outstanding series of In a Nutshell books, this book offers the reader an extensive, focused reference to Photoshop 5. Whether toiling with images for the Web, video, or print, in the home or office, this book enables Photoshop 5 users to focus their creative energies on their designs, and not on where to find a certain tool or the right combination of filters and effects. The advent of Photoshop 5 will mean the addition of many new users. Consequently, the range of purposes for which they use Photoshop will also be more varied, increasing the need for an easy look-up reference like Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition. This book explains and expounds on every tool, command, palette, and submenu. Each item is accompanied by a list of its most common uses and misuses. The book also includes step-by-step techniques for common uses and experience-based advice and solutions for common misuses. The information is organized in an encyclopedic format, following the structure of Photoshop itself. All topics are easy to find and fully cross-referenced, which lets the reader intuitively explore the cause-and-effect relationships of each command. The book also includes the following:
  • An intensive study of Photoshop's new ability to handle and create color profiles, including real-world examples and troubleshooting techniques
  • Information on color-correcting tools that include more cause-and-effect descriptions of image adjusting vs. the final on-screen or printed piece
  • An updated techniques appendix that still contains nearly 200 step-by-step items
Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition offers its readers a comprehensive reference guide that drills down to the smallest detail to cover every aspect of version 5, including its newest features. Like other bestselling In a Nutshell books, this is a book that will be valued by both professionals and sophisticated beginners.

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Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition Review,  August 12 2000
Rating: StarStarStarStarStar
Submitted by Abdulla Shafy   [Respond | View]

After buying Photoshop for the Web by O'Reilly i changed my mind and i decided to buy the Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition and its very usefull at what i do in Photoshop 5 O'Reilly's books are the best that i came across!


Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition Review,  July 27 2000
Rating: StarStarStarStarStar
Submitted by from the UK   [Respond | View]

After buying >£30 books on Photoshop and lots of other computer subjects I've changed my mind on all those padded monsters - you don't need them. This book is simply the best Photoshop book I've seen. Its so handy I keep it right on my desk and dip in and out when I getstuck - which is often. There's so much information here written in a tight style and small font which I love. If you're a beginner then it probably isn't the best choice and Donnie O'Quinn's short, sharp and to the point method of writing (typical of O'Reilly books) is great for the intermediate/expert who doesn't want the hand holding just the good stuff. They should do more of these 'Nutshell' books they are simply all you need after you have some experience of the product.


Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition Review,  September 21 1999
Submitted by Lena   [Respond | View]



Well, all books I have from series of "A Desktop Quick Reference" are the most useful books I’ve ever had as references. There you'll find compact and full answers for most part of questions which could appear while you work, even if you are professional.

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Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition Review,  July 18 1999
Submitted by Malin   [Respond | View]



And I don't even like Photoshop - this author is making me change over to it - when's the book on Illustrator due? ;-)

Super! (referring ot 1st edition - v.4.0)


Photoshop in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition Review,  June 26 1998
Submitted by Jodie McGuinness   [Respond | View]



Another fantastic book by O'Reilly! I would not have passed my access course in Graphic Design and Illustration without it!!

I eagerly await the Illustrator in a Nutshell with glasses in one hand and my mouse in the other!!


Media reviews Note: These reviews are for the first edition of
Photoshop in a Nutshell.

"I have tried a stack of books on both Photoshop and Illustrator, fortunately via the university library. Most of these books either attempt to teach Photoshop or Illustrator from scratch or show you how to do really fancy things. Until now none of them really addressed my needs. The user manual and on line help is enough to get me started and I don't really need to do the fancy things.

"Recently, I acquired a copy of...Photoshop in a Nutshell -- A Desktop Quick Reference.... This book gives me exactly what I need. Specifically, it tells me: what a command does, how it does it, what all the icons mean, what the common mistakes in application of a command are possible alternate or better commands that will better accomplish what I meant to do. Furthermore it does this in a succinct style that is easy to read and understand. At $US19.95 you should seriously consider this book."

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