Photoshop Studio Secrets, 2nd Edition
by Deke McClelland and Katrin Eismann

Publisher:  IDG Books Worldwide
ISBN:  0764532715

Photoshop Studio Secrets in an inspiring book for anyone who has a good foundation in Photoshop but wants to go to the next level. The book presents profiles of 21 designers and artists, and discusses how they use Photoshop in the real world. You'll learn about the challenges they face, techniques and workarounds they've developed, their philosophies and ideas about art, as well as inside tips and tricks. It's a refreshing departure from the traditional Photoshop books that often must be read in front of a monitor and keyboard to fully benefit from them. This one can be read anywhere, though you're sure to find techniques scattered throughout that you'll want to come back to when you can try them in Photoshop.

The book is divided into two parts. Part I covers general techniques including the commercial art process, using stock photography in unusual ways to create art, creating 3D effects, integrating digital art and natural media, enhancing vector artwork, type effects, layering, and more. Part II covers specific applications showing how the artists use Photoshop to produce a specific type of work. This section presents techniques for imaging in advertising, fine art printing, photography techniques for Photoshop, QuickTime VR, using Photoshop for television and the big screen, and creating web images.

The book comes with a CD containing examples of much of the artwork in the book, telephone interviews with the artists, QuickTime movies, and a sample episode of Digital Gurus, a cable television show hosted by co-author Deke McClelland. Both the book and CD are cross-platform for Macintosh and Windows users.

As a whole, this book succeeds at showcasing the sheer diversity of applications where Photoshop plays an important part in the production process. It will give you a greater understanding of just how powerful and extensive Photoshop is. It will inspire you to find new, perhaps unconventional, ways of working with Photoshop. You'll discover that sometimes the "wrong" way works just as well as the "right" way, and most importantly, there's always something more you can learn.

Sue Chastain, your Guide for Graphics Software