At a time when it sometimes seems that the most difficult thing about learning the latest and greatest in software is deciding which book to buy, then Photoshop 7 in Sybex' Savvy Series is a breath of fresh air. This is one computer book that is definitely worth the money.

We wont deny it - there are tons of computer books out there that each have their place on the shelf, but it's rare that one book alone can provide such breadth of useful information about a subject in such a wonderful way. We pause a moment in using the word "wonderful", but it's deliberately chosen and we mean exactly that - it is a wonderful book in every sense.

Before we gush poetically about the actual content, then we cannot help but mention several other things about the book as well. Notable is the quality of the design - Sybex has put plenty of effort into making the Savvy Series books a showpiece of sorts - and it shows! The quality of the paper is superb, and from the cover design through to the index, quality and class ooze from every page. If like us you recall some of Sybex' previous books (notably we're talking about some of their older certification titles) then it's time to move your attitude on a few light years - Photoshop 7 Savvy is conclusive evidence that a computer book publisher finally "gets it", and we can only hope that other publishers will follow the Sybex lead.

There really are so many good things to say about Photoshop 7 Savvy, that it's difficult to know which particular points we should press, but in a nutshell this is a good book for anyone who either wants to learn Photoshop 7, or even those already with Photoshop 7 experience. It's also a good book for those wishing to get a handle on digital-imaging in general, and has some excellent references and appendices in it. Whether you have Photoshop 7 or not, almost anyone with an interest in honing their digital-imaging skills will find this a useful book to have.

The CD that comes with the book is immensely useful, and you can use it to help you work through the many examples that are described throughout the book. In fact maybe one of the things that makes this book so handy is the wealth of examples that author Steve Romaniello has included throughout. Even a novice can quickly get up to speed doing some very neat tricks by following through the numerous examples and hands-on exercises. The best thing is that you will actually learn so many useful skills - this isn't just a book about how to get it done as quickly as possible, it's a beautiful walk through Photoshop 7 with a master practitioner of digital-imaging, who shows you so much more than many books would even know how to.

Ever read a book where you feel like you might even get a detention if you don't finish off the exercises? This isn't one of them. One of the most striking things we noted as we read this book was the attitude of the author - he doesn't talk down to you, he doesn't talk at you, he doesn't belittle your lack of knowledge...We could go on, but the overwhelming impression that you get as you read through this book is that the author really does want to impart his amazing knowledge to you, and wants to help you become...well, Photoshop savvy. This is as much a one-to-one tutorial as we've ever read.

Color and black & white images litter the book throughout - even from the first few contents pages, and so you'll certainly not be lacking ideas for experimentation. We spent many fun hours with the examples in the book, and most especially the extensive photograph retouching and color photograph restoration chapters. As we already said, there is something in here for everyone, and although we found it best to start at the beginning and work through the book, a more experienced user might easily just dive into the relevant chapter and get going. It's primarily a master tutorial, with bells and whistles, but there are lots of other interesting topics which the author details too - such as the excellent section on color management.

So, how much does it actually cost? Well, the cover price is $50, but you'll quite likely be able to find it cheaper at somewhere such as Bublos.com (book price comparison site) or one of the many online bookstores. You're right, it's not the cheapest book out there on Photoshop, but we're almost surprised that it doesn't cost more. The obvious effort, and the exceptional end- result puts this book in a class of its own. This is one $50 well spent - you wont be disappointed!

Table of Contents

Introduction

PART I: PHOTOSHOP CORE
Chapter 1: The Foundations of Photoshop
Chapter 2: What's New in Photoshop 7
Chapter 3: The Nature of the Beast
Chapter 4: Navigation: Know Where to Go
Chapter 5: Setting Up Photoshop
Chapter 6: Making Selections

Hands On 1: Making Selections

Chapter 7: Layering Your Image
Chapter 8: Working with Type

Hands On 2: Layers and Type

Chapter 9: Drawing Paths
Chapter 10: Creating and Applying Color
Chapter 11: Altered States: History

Hands On 3: Painting, Paths, and History

Chapter 12: Using Channels and Quick Mask

Hands On 4: Channels

Chapter 13: Sizing and Transforming Images

Chapter 14: Capturing Images

PART II: PHOTOSHOP COLOR
Chapter 15: Color Management and Printing
Chapter 16: Adjusting Tonality and Color
Chapter 17: Modifying and Mapping Color

Hands On 5: Image Size, Transformation, and Color Adjustment

Chapter 18: Duotones and Spot Color

Hands On 6: Duotones and Spot Color

PART III: PHOTOSHOP SAVVY
Chapter 19: Photo Retouching

Hands On 7: Restoring a Color Photograph

Chapter 20: Using Filters
Chapter 21: Making Difficult Selections
Chapter 22: Advanced Layer Techniques
Hands On 8: Advanced Layers
Chapter 23: Automating the Process
Chapter 24: Overlay Techniques

PART IV: PHOTOSHOP, WWW, AND DV
Chapter 25: Web Design with Photoshop and ImageReady

Hands On 9: Web Design and ImageReady

Chapter 26: Photoshop and Digital Video

PART V: APPENDICES
Appendix A: Tool Descriptions
Appendix B: File Formats
Appendix C: Blending Modes
Appendix D: Quick Keys
Glossary

Index

Should you be interested in other books by Sybex, then be sure to check out their comprehensive Web-site at sybex.com, where you'll find books on all manner of computing related topics.