Dynamic Learning, Photoshop CS3
by Jennifer Smith & AGI
Creative Team
A Book Review
by Nancy Dennis
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
Today most software that is on the market comes with
very little in the way of manuals so individuals seek
aftermarket books to learn how to use the new software. O’Reilly is one of
the top publishers of technical books that can be of help the beginner or be
the perfect resource for the IT professional.
This is my first experience with an offering from the
Dynamic Learning series and a very enjoyable exercise. The book is divided
into 13 lessons (chapters) with 349 pages that cover the basics of what is
new in the program and then takes you through steps to learn all of the
features that make Adobe products a must have for digital enthusiasts.
Included with the book is a DVD that contains lesson files
for each of the chapters. These files allow you to work through the lesson
and compare your creations to those that are in the book in full color to
insure that you are learning to use all of the tools and features correctly.
There are also some videos with the lessons that you can watch which makes
it easier to find and understand some of the more complicated features. I
found it very useful to play the DVD on my laptop computer as I was working
through the lesson so that I could easily find the tools that were being
featured without having to go back and forth from the video. There were a
few tools in Photoshop that I was having a little difficulty with and when I
watched the video tutorials it was like having my own private tutor clear up
some of the problems I was having.
My goal is to start at Chapter 1 and work all the way
through the book to learn as much as possible. You can also skip to the
chapter that meets your needs for a related project that you might be
working on such as adding one of Photoshop’s many filters or creating a
merged photo from several pictures that you took and to gain a better
understanding how a particular feature works. The step-by-step instructions
make it easy to follow along and there are finished files included so you
can compare your results.
The Dynamic Learning series covers a lot of the Adobe
software and can be found on the Internet at www.oreilly.com. You can even
download sample chapters of their books which you can read to see if that
book will fit your need. There are also free instructor guides that you can
download which can be used for teaching from these manuals.
Dynamic Learning Photoshop CS3 published by O’Reilly retails
for $44.99 which includes the wonderful DVD mentioned above. That feature
alone makes it one of the best bargains that you will find and a wonderful
tool.
Copyright 2008. This article is from the February 2008 issue of the
Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota
Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL
34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit
computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and
our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication
the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For
further information about our group, email:
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http://www.spcug.org/
The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,100+ members
and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User
Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are
members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC
Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.
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