The book presents various layer applications in a clear user friendly representation. A very good learning tool.

This is the book I wish I would have had the first day I started using Photoshop. I was given a copy of Photoshop CS3 for my birthday a couple of years ago and thought I could learn using the software by just tinkering with it. To my detriment, the tikering led to absolute frustation and I stopped using the program altogether for an extended period of time. A few months later, I decided that I would take another crack at it and purchased the Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book from the Adobe Creative Team. Although I found the tutorials in the book helpful, I felt that it failed to explain the reasoning behind the steps that needed to be taken in order to accompish a certain effect. There was way too much material cramped into the book without any logical order for a total beginner to digest. Matt's book on the other hand was very refreshing, no enlightening!! A must for someone just starting in Photoshop. He is very humorous and explains "the hows and the whys" of Layers which is absolutely fundamental to learning PS. This book has given me a new hope since Matt has shown me the ways of the force.

I found "Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Power Feature" to be a well-written and clearly illustrated explanation of layers. It clearly explained layers, and gave many savvy tips on how to use them. A very valuable book.

I normally skim and flip through books on photoshop... so many, so little time, so much complexity. This book is complex but very practical and every page has something useful.

Layers
by Matt Kloskowski

This book dives right in with a short but sweet introduction that the author himself promises to keep brief. Matt gets right down to business by organizing the book into 9 chapters devoted entirely to working within Photoshop's layers functionality. Each chapter's introduction also gets right to the point, so when the time comes to need the information, the reader can easily find out what each chapter will cover. The digital files are available online for following along. His instructions are very clear and to the point. At the end of each chapter there's a bunch of "How Do I..." questions that pertain to that specific chapter.

I love how the individual steps are very clearly defined by way of a colored bar.

Matt's included a couple of pages at the end of the book to learn more, appropriately entitled "How Do I Learn More From Matt?". This is a great way to find out other ways that he teaches Photoshop. For example, I learned that he also creates weekly podcasts for both Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop Killer Tips.

Looking forward to the day that I can say I've gone through every exercise in the book! By then he'll probably have a new edition ready. He's already written seven. Look for Matt in Photoshop User Magazine as well.

I recieved this item in record time, and I love the quality of it!! Thank you

Working with layers has made me insane since Photoshop 7.0 and I now use CS4.

Warm body teaching in a class; warm body tutor at home; books I cannot count - not to mention talking with many colleagues.

Nothing was sinking in to stay beyond one photo project at a time and then.... slowly.

Still, I have managed to photo people, perform "facelifts" on portraits using a little
of the retained layer info plus my own method devised to keep me from blowing up 5 computers.
And through all this I have managed to become a master at "retouching,"

Deke's "LAYERS" book finally broke through the block with simplicity. I have only minor complaints for future revisions but
not for myself as I was able to recognize what was missing. My work is somewhat easier and faster now with less cursing.

Thanks, Amazon, for bringing this book to my attention. Thanks, Deke, for putting this gem together.

Nickie

This book is easy to read, follow, and is probably the first book you should read for photoshop. It gets right to heart of what photoshop is about. He did an outstanding job!

A very detailed step-by-step guide to Photoshop layers. The author, Matt Kloskowski, guides you through the subject in an order that you would use it to improve your photos. The book with the easy and steps to the more difficult in an easy to follow format. Mr. Kloskowski has a sence of humor and uses it through out the book, helping to keep you interested in what could be a dry subject matter. A very good investment for those who want to expand their usage of Photoshop.

I think this book is really good. It has understandable hands-on tutorials and the example pictures used in the book can be downloaded from Internet.

Just an awesome, awesome book! I've been "using" PS for years, but without any real in-depth studying or training. So, while I was comfortable with some of the basics, I had never really been able to grasp layers and how to use them. I'm working my way through the book now and it has made such a difference. I'm finally truly grasping how layers work and how to make them work for me. I

The book is well laid out, easy to follow and not overwhelming or intimidating in size. I also love that the photos used in the examples are available for easy download online.

There have been a few spots where I got a bit confused and had to reread and play around a little to figure out what I needed to do (or had done wrong), but I was always able to get back on track quickly. Generally, it was because I had the wrong layer active - duh!

While I use the keyboard shortcuts that Matt suggests for each step, I also take the time to figure out how to do the same thing in the menus. I know I won't remember all of the shortcuts, so figure it's good to be comfortable doing things either way.

Wish I'd purchased this years ago! I can't say enough good things.

This book is a great way to learn how to use layers in Photoshop. It teaches you how to "think in layers", that is, to use layers to do each edit to your photograph, and easily undo and redo each edit as necessary. The illustrations and examples are very good in explaining what is going on with each edit. I think Chapter 6 "Enhancing Photos with Layers" alone is worth the price of the book, especially the couple of pages on dodging and burning done right. This book will save you a lot of time editing photographs, and you will do a much better job and have more fun editing as well.

I am more a AE fan than a Photoshop user. Most of the tutorial books that I buy on Photoshop, I do not finish them, if I do not find them interesting.
But, this book will remain as a reference book.

I got this book sooner than later and am satisfied with the quick delivery. I haven't been able to try any of the features yet so I can't comment on that except for how fast I've received this book.

Excellent starter book for the rookie. Matt introduces you to the world of Photoshop layers one tutorial at a time, using simple examples and laymen's terminology. One year ago I was just starting w Photoshop and terrified. This book helped me learn all the basics and quickly become comfortable with the concept of layers, crucial for the beginner to understand. This book is particularily good at explaining the confounding and confusing concept of clipping mask, smart objects, and blending options. It is a classic instuctional book, worth holding on.

Great book....Matt really knows his stuff. I enjoyed the read. It just took me a little bit farther into Photoshop than trying to do it on my own.

This book rocks! And it got here on time and everything. Great purchase for me.

Let's face it, the use of Layers in Photoshop is a difficult subject to effectively teach in a print medium. One can see this by just reading user reviews of all books on the subject. This book does it about as well as is possible, in my opinion. I found it most effective to sit at the computer with a file open in Photoshop and "walk through" the procedures as they are presented in the book. The book is well written, uses reasonably simple language, and is well organized. If one is willing to read and put forth an effort, this book will be an effective tool toward mastery of layers.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to better use Photoshop and how to better understand how layers work. I consider myself to be pretty good with photoshop (self taught) but I always wondered if there were other faster or better ways to do somethings that I already knew how to do. Well after getting this book and reading while following along with the examples in this book, I have to say that I am very happy with this book! It's awesome for the beginner to the advanced user.. It is also a great reference book for those who forget all the short cuts that they don't use very often.

The book setup is great and allows you download the example images so you can follow along with the chapters "lessons"

It will help you learn layers and what they are used for.. It is optimized for Photoshop CS3 but will work with older versions of Photoshop as well.. This book covers everything from basic layer stacking to adjustment layers and masking.... Great book! :)

This is, by far, the best book written about Photoshop layers. Matt Kloskowski really knows his subject well. He teaches Photoshop and this shows in his book. It's well written, and it takes you through the step-by-step workings of mastering layers. Layers has been part of the Photoshop program almost from the start, but it's also one part of the program that you need to know how to use in order to get the best out of your Photoshop program.

Highly recommended to beginners and semi-pro users of Photoshop.

I learned about this book in my photography club. I'm new to Photoshop and am mainly interested in editing photos. I found the lessons easy to follow and demonstrating very powerful and useful ways to edit my photos.

So far this book has taught me how to use photoshops feature layers, and has done so easily... it is easy to read and easy to use...

I bought this because of the many good reviews. Having received it, I was initially a bit skeptical - it is fairly thin, with most pages being divided into two, with a couple of photos and a small amount of text. It looked somehow insubstantial. Upon starting to work through it, however, its power became apparent. It covers what must be practically everything that you can do with layers, revealing some amazing techniques that require very little effort. Easy to follow and delivers the promised results!

Dennis

Mr. Matt Kloskowski has done a superb job in writing this book. I understood everything and have the confidence of having a solid understanding of how to use layers. I am on last chapter and as soon as I finish it, I will read this book a second time so that I can say that in essence I do have a mastery of the layers. Then, it is just a matter of using the knowledge Mr. Kloskowski imparts in the book. Only thing, I wish I could get in touch with him.

Everett Larreynaga
Photographer

The book has is exceptionally layed out to use Layers in Photoshop. I have CS3 and this book has helped me create some exceptional edits to my photos. This book is easy to understand and the graphics are easy to follow. This book is highly recommended for use with Photoshop Layers.

This book was easy to use as a tutorial and guide as Matt takes the reader step-by-step through the layer and mask processes. I especially enjoyed the layout of the book and that you could download all the example images to follow-along. I use Paint Shop Pro instead of Photo Shop but was still able to do every lesson and exercise by translating the instructions for PS into the similar controls in PSP. I would recommend this book.

Let me first get one thing off my mind: I'm not, definitely not, a big fan of the Kelby approach to writing, into which category this volume sadly falls. The (very) bad and (very) unfunny, time wasting jokes that clutter the pages like soggy, wet autumn leaves in a gutter, which Mr. Kelby thinks are necessary to produce a textbook are a blot on the pages of the publishing industry and should be shunned like the plague.

With that said, let me get on to the actual review. Kloskowski has produced a simple, graphically very nice, useful, and quite well rounded introduction to layers in photoshop. The text, when disregarding the occasionally protruding Kelby-like moments, is well written and easily understandable. The pictures illustrating the points being made, are relevant and does the job very nicely. Furthermore the format of the book, lets you use it while working with your computer, which is quite a boon. Many instructional volumes are far too big/heavy/clumsy to use while at your computer. This feature means that you can practically just open up the book for the first time and start applying what you are learning immediately. Real time learning, if such a concept exists.

The book covers quite a lot of different applications of layers, making composite pictures, menus, graphic design, picture adjustments and so on, which makes it very versatile. This, however, is also one of the caveates of the book. Being very simple and covering so many subjects, the subjects are not covered that in depth. Enought for you to apply the different techniques, but you don't really learn anything about the processes of how nor why.

Layers is indeed a very powerful tool, but sadly, it can seem a bit daunting at times. In this volume you get a very decent, easy to follow introduction to the subject. If you are a beginner, I would definitely recommend this book. If you are more advanced in your photoshop skills, yet still want to learn more about the whys of layers, I would recommend "The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book" by Richard Lynch.

I am new to Photoshop and was very intimidated with the whole concept of layers. I had put off purchasing CS4 for this reason. But, I finally took the plunge. I bought Matt's book, Layers, and was very impressed. The book is broken down into easy to understand and follow segments. You can also download the photos to follow along with the tutorials in the book. He breaks down a seemingly overwhelming project into simple, well-explained steps. Thanks to Matt, I finally understand the concept of layers and am learning to work with them with confidence. I also recommend kelbytraining.com. This site is a wonderful complement to the book. They have all kinds of classes including Matt's class on Photoshop Layers. I have watched several other classes and was very impressed. I plan to watch Matt's Layer class as soon as I finish the book. Hopefully, the reinforcement will solidify what I have learned so far. Thanks to kelbytraining and Matt Kloskowski, I am now using Photoshop. I would highly recommend.

Quote : "If you want to follow allong using my images, you can download them at the website I listed in the introduction" :-) [...]
After 2 weeks of reading 1 hour/day + performing the work using the samples opens a new world in digital phography. This is cool stuff to start with.

I have not read all of Matt's book yet and am really just scratching the surface, but I already know that I will be getting a lot of great tips and easy to understand instruction from his book. I especially like Matt's easy and fun way that he explains the technical aspects of using layers. I ordered this book as a fairly new Photoshop user and found out about Matt's style of teaching after going through a lot of his Power Session tutorials in the Power Session DVD that came with CS3. He has a real gift to be able to get across many of the difficult to grasp techniques in using photoshop. I just started using CS3 to tackle some aircraft photo projects and am amazed at how addictive it can be to manipulate my photographs into professional framed master pieces. As a published author myself and a fellow Florida resident, I know how much it means to have someone leave a good review on my book. Matt surely deserves to get my positive review on this one for sure!!!

While it is true the material found in this book isn't entirely original I did find the book enjoyable, easy to follow, and well presented.

What a disappointment this was. I am now looking to a complete book on Photoshop to better understand layers and the other controls referenced in this book.

There were references throughout the book to Photoshop controls without an identification of what that button looks like - irritating. If you knew Photoshop enough to know this you probably know what you need to know about layers.

This was also quirky to read and hard to follow. The writing style is terse and sometimes steps from beginning to end are missing. The joking and kidding style detracts from reading.

Personally I don't use a Mac so references to Mac keystrokes with PC following breaks up the read.

There are better books if you want to exploit Photoshop for photography.

This book has changed everything for me regarding photo editing and more creative endeavors. I am only on chapter 3, at this point, and already so many more doors have been opened for me. I really appreciate that you are able to download the photos used in each exercise so that you can follow along. Once I complete an exercise, I use my own photos and re-do the exercise until I feel I've got the basics down...then I move on to the next thing. If you use Adobe Photoshop CS3 (or other versions) and are not using the layering functions, you are missing out on Photoshop's most powerful and creative tool. Buy it!

After begining with Photoshop, then various Elements and now Elements 7, I now understand the real thing because of this book. I have read all the manuals and tutorials I can find. Still, this book nails it. Anyone will be better a photoshopper with this book.
Although it can benefit of improvement in the layout of the instructions for a clearer indication of some comments (too small some of them and some arrows indicating where to look) the book gets clearer as you advance in the reading. Once you read it all and start ruminating the lessons everything gets evident.
A great book, a must I'll say for the program.

Having studied three other books on creating and using Photoshop layers and masks - and finding them lacking - I stumbled upon this one when searching through Amazon's inventory. It was a revelation.

If you read this book and do the clearly illustrated and explained exercises, you will have a working knowledge of layers and masks (and various other postprocessing aids). No other book is needed.

Since I learn best by writing my own tutorials, that's what I did here (using Word), so that I would not have to refer to the book each time I wanted to employ some routine I had learned from studying the book. I would strongly advise you to do the same. The mere writing of the tutorial burns the knowledge into your mind and tests your true understanding of what you read.

I am a user of Elements 6, but virtually all of the devices used in Photoshop work in Elements 6 (though some have different names that are not too difficult to figure out). Note: Elements 6 does not have a Layer Mask button so you must make your own layer mask. 1) Layer -- New Fill Layer -- solid color of your choice. 2) Ctrl/[ (left bracket) to place the color fill layer below the image layer. 3) Ctrl/G on image layer to group it and the color fill layer together. 4) Click on color fill layer, then do your brush work. There is a site from which you can download a layer mask button to Elements 6, and I did so, but I don't use it, preferring instead to use the above routine.

Summary: this is the book that opens up the world of image postprocessing.

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.