I found the manual very helpful in tips on what ever version of Photoshop software you own. I would recommend this manual on how to add special effects to layers.

Got the book this week and almost finished yesterday and today I was able to fix a picture and posted it online.
I would say that this book is pretty easy to read and follow

I was new to Photoshop and had used Capture NX and some other basic editing programs before getting CS3 and I was a bit overwhelmed. The whole layers thing is so fundemental to Photoshop, and not that intuitive. This book helped clarify things and direct my workflow for digital images. Not revolutionary, but easy to use and offers some good step-by-step work alongs. In retrospect, a lot of the information is available for free at various websites, but at least you have it at your fingertips in this book.

i'm new to photoshop; this book is fairly easy to understand and learn some of the important moves nessecary in Photoshop.
this is a good reference book.

The book is all it is advertised to be. If read carefully, one can be doing usable work with Photoshop CS3 or 4 within half and hour. I consider this a good addition to my reference materials.

This instructional guide provides very basic lessons on how to use layers in CS2/CS3. As an intermediate-level CS2 user I found the book to be a useful review of some fundamental concepts. However, It is not comprehensive and thus doesn't contain enough information to justify retaining it in my library as a reference book or problem-solving tool.

Recommended for beginners.

This is a reasonably well written, clearly organized introduction to using layers in Adobe Photoshop (PS). Though targeted at a general audience, it will be most useful for photographers just starting out with PS or perhaps wanting a quick refresher on layers to spice up their work. These readers will find what they need here. More advanced PS users, or anyone looking for a comprehensive discussion of PS's full range of tools, should look elsewhere.

Kloskowski assumes basic familiarity with the PS workspace, with the basic uses of adjustment layers (e.g., what Curves or Hue/Saturation layers do), and with basic brush skills (e.g., how to size, set hardness, change shape). He stays focused on common layer-based tasks and techniques. Rather than discussing each layer blending mode, for example, he writes about the ones he thinks people are actually most likely to use: Screen, Multiply, and Soft Light (with a nod to Overlay). Layer masks receive due attention, along with techniques for photo enhancement and retouching. There is also good information on text layers and using layers to stylize photos and other images. But again, this is all aimed at those just starting out or looking for a refresher. No one will become a PS layers power user just from reading this book.

Kloskowski's writing is breezy and informal, the sort we've come to expect from the Kelby conglomerate. Readers can jump into the book wherever their immediate interests take them (Kloskowski does a pretty good job of referring readers to earlier discussions when necessary). There are plenty of screen shot illustrations, though they are too often on the small side.

Kloskowski does not mention Adobe's innovative Photoshop Lightroom (LR), but this will be necessary in any second edition of the book. Much of what Kloskowski describes here can now be accomplished more efficiently in LR (especially with the local adjustments brush introduced in LR 2). LR will not make PS obsolete, but it will change the way people (especially photographers) use PS. The latest versions of LR and PS play very nicely together; one major reason why is the ability to accomplish what can't be done in LR by using selections and layers in PS. In the future, authors of books like this one will need to acknowledge how LR and PS support each other if those books are to be genuinely useful for their readers.

i haven't finished this book, as i only use it as a reference when i need something in particular, but so far i haven't found any major breakthroughs in it. i guess is better suited for novice users; i do recommend it anyway.

This book covers many areas that even experienced Photoshoppers will find valuable. I have been a Pro Fine Art Photographer for many years and have been using Photoshop over 10 years, and I found more than enough new stuff in this book to make its purchase very worthwhile. The author is a genuine Photoshop guru and has a knack for explaining its workings so that anyone can understand it. Buy it, even if you only have Photoshop Elements - many of the techniques in it work with that program also. A very worthwhile addition to any digital photographer's library!

Just the product I was searching for.
Matt Kloskowski made this book very easy to understand and the examples are very well explain.

This book is for anyone that wants to learn about Photoshop layers!!

I will keep my finger cross that Mr Kloskowski find the time and write another book in the subject. I WANT TO BUY THE FIRST ONE!


Luis Morales

I bought this book based on the excellent reviews it had in Amazon.com, but it doesn't worth.

Please, do not misunderstand me - it is an interesting (very) introductory book but anyone with basic PS layer understanding will be extremely bored and with a great deception.

IMO it is wiser to spend your time and money in another textbook.

I'm now a slow learner and I've read a lot about layers. I wish that I'd picked up this book at the start! Projects are described in a sequence where each step has two levels - the heading of each stage is actually an instruction which you can follow stage by stage without further explanation and this you might do when using the book as a reference. Within each stage is more explanation and added depth. The same format is used in Scott Kelby's Channels book. The narrative is a bit 'chirpy' like Scott's books and some might find this distracting - I don't. If you want unfunny and useless padding try the average 'For Dummies' book. Millions of trees uselessly died to make them so thick!
I would suggest that the book is especially useful to photographers who need to consolidate their basic or intermediate Photoshop skills.

This is truly an outstanding text. I have completed every exercise and have transferred this knowledge to my own photos to produce fantastic results.Easy to follow and well presented. One of the best texts printed regarding the use layers.
Congratulations Matt!

This book is best written for those that are new to photoshop and don't quite understand the amazing power of layers. But, there are many tips and techniques for the more advanced in later chapters. I would mostly recommend it for someone who is wanting to learn the power of layers.

Perfect book for my needs. I'm a photographer who wanted a book that would allow me to get familiar with the basics of Photoshop quickly. Some of the posters feel this book is repetitive of other Kelby products, nonetheless you won't be disappointed. If you aren't at all familiar with Photoshop, you may not want to jump chapters. As you progress through the book, Matt assumes you have done the previous projects, and doesn't re-explain how to execute certain tasks. As per what some previous posts have stated, this book may be too basic for them. If this is you, not a problem, there are many more advanced titles to be purchased. But for what this book IS, it delivers. Next stop, Restoration & Retouching by Katrin Eismann.

After trying to use Layers in Photoshop Elements 6, going to the website and buying other help books, Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature, was the best in showing me how to use the softwear. The author gave clear instructions on using the tools. I found that you had to do each step in the exact order or it wouldn't work. No skipping steps.

This is an excellent book for anyone who does not understand layers. I had some experience with layers going into the book, but I have come out with a lot more knowledge and tricks than I did before.

Matt really takes his time to slow down and explain every step for the reader. His online resources are a great help, as well.

My first book "Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE" (Focal Press) by Mark Galer opened the door for this first time user of Photoshop but when I bought this reference manual I had the answers to the many questions of how do I do that. If your enhancing your family album or making a poster, "LAYERS" is an excellant addition to your library.

I bought the book but no where in can I find the site where the photos used in the various illustration are available. Of course I can buy a CD which might have them.

Terrific book geared for precisely they way I like to learn; Matt has written a beautifully illustrated book that takes one through the layers learning process in a very methodical sensible approach. He says what needs to be said in as few words as possible; yet he leaves nothing to the imagine either.

No jokes; just straight forward and to the point; it is exactly what I was looking for and I only wish I had found this ten years ago. (I know it was not available ten years ago)

I have not mastered everything in layers yet and probably never will but this book makes it much less intimidating for me.

I have no criticism but the only question I have is how to treat the images that are already imported into Lightroom 2; Is it better to work with the images from the original file on disk or should they be edited in Photoshop from within Lr2 and then saved as an `Edit'?

Layers, The complete guide to Photoshop's most powerful feature by Matt Kloskowski is described by the author as "the Photoshop book he wishes were available when he was trying to learn Photoshop." I couldn't agree more. I see others say that there is nothing new here, I disagree. The manner in which the material is presented is better and easier to follow than many other guides that have preceded it.

It is 255 pages long and written so as to guide you from start to finish assuming you have zero familiarity with layers, but it is also contains loads of information for those of us that have played with layers for years, but always felt there was a lot more potential waiting to be mined. The contents are well laid out and the topics all stand well on their own, so feel free to jump right in and start playing wherever your interest take you.

Like everything the Kelby team does, the layout appeals to the visual senses immediately. The images and examples throughout the book are well done and demonstrate real world examples of how easy it can be to correct or enhance your images using a few strategically executed layers.

Matt Kloskowski clearly knows his stuff and does a great job imparting that knowledge in a succinct and enjoyable manner. This is a great second or third book for anyone that has the basics of working in Photoshop under their belt.

To me a review is most meaningful when you know a little something about the person writing the review. I have been an avid amateur photographer since the late 1970's and have been selling my work since 2004. Photography isn't my day job, but it does provide a welcome supplement. I shot with a Canon 1D Mark II Professional Digital SLR from 2003 until May of 2008. I recently switched to a Nikon D3 and while the files do have a different look directly out of the camera, in the end both systems provide wonderful images once they have been worked in post process. When I last wrote a review I was doing all most all of my post processing work in Photoshop, but my workflow has evolved significantly since the introduction of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

I am a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and make extensive use of the abundant educational materials available on the member website. I have read well over three-dozen Photoshop training guides with one overriding goal in mind; producing the best images possible.

Those folks longing for the next "Down & Dirty" book from Scott, it does not appear it will happen. Bummer. But this is the next best thing from Matt in the same walk and talk. Creative recipe how-to's and easy to understand on the subject of the all important layers, blend modes, masks. Highly recommend...

This book is a very good reference for both beginners and advance users of Photoshop. It provides details and methods on using layers without "going around the bush". Straightforward, precise, and filled with humor... you'll not be bored reading instructional book like this one. Sample images can be accessed online is a plus. My only gripe is that this was not available before when I was looking for some reference guide to Photoshop.

This book is a very good reference for both beginners and advance users of Photoshop. It provides details and methods on using layers without "going around the bush". Straightforward, precise, and filled with humor... you'll not be bored reading instructional book like this one. Sample images can be accessed online is a plus. My only gripe is that this was not available before when I was looking for some reference guide to Photoshop.

I was pretty good at using layers in Photoshop before buying this book. Now I'm much better. It's written in the same style as the Scott Kelby books; simple and straight forward step-by-step showing you how to do things. I use books like this as references, keeping them on a shelf near my work area and using them to remind me of ways to achieve some effects. If you're not an Adobe Certified Expert I recommend this book.

Matt Kloskowski's book on Photoshop layers is excellent. I enjoy his books and podcasts. I recommend this to anyone serious about Photoshop.

I'm from México, my english is very bad, but i can say that the book is very easy, you can understand easy the basic to photoshop.

I went thru the whole book, and walk away with one tip. I felt like eveything else was already mentioned by someone else or printed by someone else. Save your money and search the net for tips and ideas.

I am a new 3D animator who is coming to grasps with the unlimited power of Photoshop. I was really confused with alot of advanced layering techniques, and this book saved me. Really well written, and I would say a must for any beginner animators, and digital artists. The author knows this stuff inside and out and it shows. Very easy to follow along and alot better than some of the other layers books out there. ( I know since I work with books for a living ! ) Plus you can download all of the images used in the book, and it saves the money from going up due to a disk being inserted in the book ! Very well done.

This is an excellent book by Matt Kloskowski. I had the privilege of attending the Photoshop Conference in Orlando Florida, April of this year and it was awesome! I bought the Layers book there and I'm not sorry I did. It has truly opened my eyes even more to the creativity one can achieve working with layers. Thanks Matt for a greater understanding. I recommend this book. Peace all.

This book is well laid out and easy to read and learn from, making learning fun rather than a chore. Design of the book is well done, with a light sense of humour thrown in. Thanks Matt, looking forward to reading other material from you.
Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature

If you are new to Photoshop then this is the place to start. Lots of examples and projects. Experienced Photoshop users will get a few good tips they can use too. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in digital photography.

This book is amazing and helpful for Photoshop users with varying degrees of experience. The in depth tutorials and shortcut tricks cut my artwork and photo rendering time in half. Thanks Matt!!

i'm new to photoshop and have been actively learning how to use this software for almost a year now. this book is a great resource guide for photoshop! matt is so knowledgeable. there is something soooo awesome to learn in every single lesson of this book. as you're learning about the various capabilities with layers you also get on the side neat pointers on how to better enhance your photos and do other cool stuff to make your work look professional. just going through this superb book has greatly improved the way i work around in photoshop now. i highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in getting a better handle on photoshop. matt knows what he's talking about. i'm glad there is a book like this that teaches us how to get around in photoshop.

Love Matt. Love this book.

Straigtfoward and easy to understand while encompassing everything that needs to be said on the topic. Whether you are a beginner or an old hand, there is something in this book for everyone.

He is a wonderful teacher.

Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature

No photographer can unleash the full power of Photoshop to make an image look like the photographer's vision without understanding the power of layers. (At the very least layers allow the Photoshop user to make selective adjustments to an image, without actually changing the underlying data.) Yet many Photoshop books treat layers in bits and pieces rather than as an integrated whole so that the photographer has a hard time grasping the overall concept. That's where a book aimed solely at layers comes in.

Matt Kloskowski's book deals with all the major applications of layers. The subjects include the nature of layers, blending layers, adjustment layers, layer masks, type and shape layers, enhancing and adjusting photos with layers, layer styles and smart layers. It's all here, but in a short simple quick form. (I'm sure there are more esoteric things to learn about layers; at least one pair of authors has a book on layers that is over 750 pages long!) Most photographers will find that this book has all they need to know about the subject.

The author's text takes the form of tutorials. One can either download files for these tutorials or work with one's own pictures. The tutorials are short, well illustrated and have plenty of white space. If you make a mistake at an early step you won't have to backtrack through twenty or thirty steps to find out where you went wrong. Even if you work out each tutorial, this book will not take more than ten or twenty hours to complete, and it will teach you almost everything you need to know about the subject. Along the way, Kloskowski teaches the reader about other Photoshop tools, as when he integrates a discussion of gradients into a lesson on blend modes, or deals with selections in a tutorial on layer masks.

The author has an easy-going, breezy, humorous style, but those put off by the style of his mentor, Scott Kelby, probably will not be offended here.

Normally, as I go through a book, I make notes in the margin when I discover an error. I'm happy to report that I made no notes in the margin of this book.

For experienced Photoshop users this book will contain nothing new. Perhaps they'll have to look at the 750 page tomes. However, for the photographer who doesn't have a firm grip on the use of layers in Photoshop, this book will help him or her to master the subject.

As a web designer and photographer, I've always been a big fan of the Layers Magazine and Photoshop User Magazine group. Their training philosophy is primarily about down and dirty tricks that get the job done and this book is a fine example of that approach. I've been using Photoshop since version 4.0, the last PS book I've owned was for version 6.0.

This book is definitely worth the investment. If you are not familiar with blend modes, how to use masks, adjustment layers, or the power of smart objects, you need to pick up this book. As the title says, layers really are Photoshops' most powerful feature.

Matt Kloskowski's book is set up in way that can be read from cover to cover or it can be read like a reference book in bits and pieces and in any order the reader chooses. It's a very easy going format with a smart, well done layout that makes you feel like you're using Photoshop while you read it. Kloskowski's writing style is casual and to the point, making this book easy to follow for the beginner while it is quick and painless for the novice.

As a web designer, I tended to prefer getting as much done on pen and paper to save time as have found myself playing around too much in Photoshop, wasting precious time. But now with Kloskowski's Layers, I can jump into a designing with Photoshop much sooner and have a lot more fun doing it!

Adobe's PhotoShop is one of those products that changes an industry. It is so powerful and useful that it has taken over much of the post production space between the camera's shutter and the observer's eye. But some of its features can be arcane and intimidating. This is where books like this come in useful.

Matt's focus on the Layers subset of features is appropriate inasmuch as a great deal of PhotoShop's power can be unleashed through judicious use of Layers. It is great to have Matt's guidance through this maze which is a lot friendly with the benefit of his instruction.

Using techniques promoted by this book can save serious photographers and graphic designers hours and hours and is well-worth its price.

It was great help to get all the killer tips from Matt put in a larger context.

There is no shortage of how to Photoshop books out there but this one definitely stands out. So easy to read, so easy to follow. I love how Matt Kloskowski writes. The information that he puts down on paper has personality making a hands on learner like myself be able to get into what he is writing making it easier for me to learn...makes me want to read his book. I am not going to give the book justice as I am no writer; but I would buy any book written by Matt Kloskowski as well as Scott Kelby in reference to photoshop and the like! I have been overwhelmed with other photoshop books with too many words, boring writing, not enough photos to go along with all those words, etc that is was refreshing to fall upon this book. I have incorporated many of his techniques into my own photography and it has really made them pop!

This book is very helpful, it goes into detail about some of Adobe Photoshop's features that my teachers never touch on, like the blending modes and when some are appropriate.

I'm a digital photographer and consider myself to be an intermediate to advanced Photoshop user. I use Photoshop (with Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw) primarily to process my digital photos, but I also use it to restore old or damaged photos. I'm very comfortable with layers, layer masks, and blend modes and use layers frequently in my mostly nondestructive workflow. As my knowledge and experience increase, I find each new Photoshop or photo editing book contains less and less material that is new and interesting to me, i.e., the law of diminishing returns.

I've enjoyed Matt Kloskowski and his style in his podcasts and Killer Tips videos, so I decided to give his Layers book a try. The book does contain some basic topics but it also covers some advanced topics, and I definitely learned enough to make this book worth the money and worth the time to work through the exercises in each chapter. The best way to use the book is to download the exercise files and work through them as you read each chapter. I personally got the most benefit from the chapters on Type and Shape Layers and on Layer Styles. You experience will certainly be different.

I do, however, have a couple of nits for Matt. In several of the examples throughout the book he specifies an RGB color by giving the numerical values for R, G, and B, but he does not specify the color space as sRGB, Adobe RGB, or ProPhoto RGB. The same numbers define different colors in these color spaces. My other nit is for the examples in Chapter 8 - Some More Layer Style Ideas. Matt presents several interesting effects and gives very specific size and distance pixel values in the dialog boxes, but he doesn't give the pixel dimensions of the object to which he's applying the layer style. This made trying to follow his examples in this chapter very difficult for me. If my guess at the object size was off from his, the effects did not work very well or were very overdone. It would be very helpful to have exercise files for these examples. These are minor nits and do not change my recommendation to buy this book.

There is little that is actually new in this book. Rather what Kloskowski has done is to create a little self-tutoring course in using Photoshop layers - and he has done a good job of it.

Photoshop layers is a confusing subject because there are so many different types of layers and so few really good basic introductions to them.

Kloskowski, in an act of brilliance, doesn't cover every kind of layer or layer technique. He concentrates on the basics - and that really makes Photoshop layers a lot easier to grasp and learn.

In nine chapters, Kloskowski covers Layer Basics, Blending Layers, Adjustment Layers, Layer Masks, Type And Shape Layers, Enhancing Photos With Layers, Retouching With Layers, Layer Styles and Smart Layers. There are lots of examples - though sometimes the accompanying descriptions are rather abbreviated - and you can download the required graphics from the companion website.

Overall, this is one of the better books to emerge lately from the Scott Kelby factory. Worth the money it costs and, more importantly, the time it takes to learn what it has to teach.

Jerry

Matt Kloskowski's new book is the most useful Photoshop guide I have ever used. Althought I am a relative newcomer to Ps CS3 I can follow and benefit from every chapter and lesson. I took advantage of Matt's offer to share almost 30 MB of the photos used as examples. This means I can repeat each tutorial until I have mastered the technique and, maybe, mixed and matched up the photos to develop a new slant. I enjoyed, for example, using the photo of a male model holding a pistol to create a new image -- a poster warning against holding a pistol with your finger on the trigger. Herein lies the rub: I can use this masterpiece only to guide myself -- the copyright would prevent resale to the multitudes.

First off, this book is amazing and easy to read/work through. It is easily, the best Photoshop book that I have ever read (better than Scott Kelby's tips for digital photographers and better than Camera RAW) I had a new understanding of the power of Photoshop and how to edit my images by the end of chapter 3 that I never new possible! It's like magic the things you can adjust.

Secondly, you really need a basic understanding of photoshop. Like what all the tools do, how to change brushes, opacity, etc. Also, you need to understand what curves, channels, hue, etc. do too.

My only minor quibble / gripe is that this book should have come with a CD of sample images. You need to go to his website and download the examples. For 20+ dollars, that's just lame. Matt, charge an extra $.25 and give us all a CD.

Other than that, absolutely amazing!

The first three chapters can be skipped if you are an experienced PhotoShop user - really basic stuff. After that, there are some great hints, tips, and techniques. Great companion to his PodCast series.

I debated buying this book as I have worked with Photoshop for several years and thought I had a pretty good grasp of the layers idea. I decided to get it anyway and found so many tips and shortcuts that I hadn't been aware of, that I was glad I had made the choice to purchase it. Matt teaches in an informal and easy manner which makes it easy to learn and understand what he is doing in each step.Having the downloaded images that he used to work with made it simple to follow his instructions.

Matt Kloskowski is one of my favorite presenters at Photoshop World and I assumed this book would be a great way to learn the features of Layers and Matt delivers.
Over the past two years I've attended Photoshop World and always enjoyed Matt's classes. The Complete Guide to Photoshop Most Power Features Layers is a great way to understand the power and features of Layers, and the format is similar to Matt's presentations that are standing room only at Photoshop World classes.
I started reading and following Matt's lessons in the morning and didn't stop until the last chapter in the afternoon. Matt's relaxed and simple way of teaching Photoshop comes through in every chapter. All of the sample images are included on a CD with the book which helps you follow along with every step.
Some of the files on the CD have different file names than listed in the book, that's the only reason why this didn't get 5 stars.

I'll bet you were excited to find a book that would be free of Scott Kelby's juvenile sense of humor. Confess! Well, think again. This Kelby wanna-be wastes almost as many trees with silly comments. However, I will admit, it's a good, all-around text that concentrates on one thing: layers. It's a very well-written book with easy to follow directions for the beginner...and the more advanced user (who won't admit to reading it).

Matt has done a wonderful job with this effort. This is a complete guide to a very powerful Photoshop feature indeed.
Highly recommended.