As a 71 year old great grandma learning seems at times a little difficult.
Photoshop CS3 for Dummies has been a real help...I have even managed to remove some of the wrinkles from my face (lol).
I would say to get the book...lots of easy to understand instructions.
Sincerely,
Lee N. Coe aka Jeleecocat

Like so many other "For Dummies" books recently, this book is misrepresented, in my opinion. It is not a tutorial for beginners to learn Photoshop. In fact, the author himself posted a comment here admitting that and giving himself a five star rating!

I wouldn't say it is terrible, but I'm sure there are much better books out there--in fact I've just ordered a different one. In general, I like the "Dummies" series. Although I don't care to be labeled a "dummy", sometimes you don't want to be buried in the details and fancy tricks, you just want a quick guide to getting the simple things done, and this series is very good for that sort of thing.

But by the end of the third chapter, all the author did was rehash some mind-numbing details about what is in the program, there was nary a fun project or step-by-step problem solving lesson provided. I finally accomplished a few of the things I was interested in by skipping ahead to the sections that had relevant content, but I was astonished that it didn't cover even those superficial issues very well. So I wound up using the program's native help screens, and I have to say those were far more useful than this book.

All the while, the author uses the trademark snide remarks of this series (I'm sure the series editor requires this through some sort of template or author's guide for how these books are supposed to work). When I'm learning what I need to learn, I don't care. But when I'm not, these unfunny remarks become insufferable.

So my advice is, buy one of the better rated books in the Photoshop area.

I am glad to report that this is a GREAT helper in my efforts to learn this difficult program......I keep it by my side and flip to the parts I need when I need them.....Thank goodness for the "Dummies" books........

The author obviously knows his stuff, but I would never recommend this book if you are truly new to Photoshop. It was not at all helpful to me. Usually I can rely on the "Dummies" series for a good introduction to a topic. But in this case, the book was not the typical "Dummies" guide. Probably a good reference source if you have been using Photoshop for a long time.

Photoshop CS3 for Dummies
reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Authors: Peter Bauer
Publisher: Wiley
Released: 2007
Pages: 396
$25 SA
30 Canada
16 UK
ISBN: 0-978-0-470-11193-2
Strengths: Well laid, easy to use and in color. Price is well worth it.
Weaknesses: No Cd
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Rating: 5/5

Photoshop is the premier graphics manipulation application. From humble beginnings, this program has developed into a "blockbuster," getting better and better, adding new features all the time. While there are many graphics programs that can do some of the tasks, Photoshop is the one that offers the most power and flexibility for the graphic professional. Now with the latest version, Photoshop CS3 has arrived at the next level. Using all the functions is not always easy. To meet that need, a guide for this version , Photoshop CS3 for Dummies, has been published. And many Photoshop users will find this book useful for a variety of reasons.
The author is Photoshop World Dream Team Instructor and is the author of graphic books, a host for video training titles and much more. His experiences in the field of graphics are displayed in this book and shows his excellent style, knowledge of graphics, and the Photoshop program.
The book spans 396 pages in five sections and twenty chapters. The pages and tutorials are well laid out. There is much white space so the text is not cramped and is very easy to read. Photos and and illustrations are in full color. Tutorials are aided by bold titles, numbered sections and steps. Like many of the dummies books, there are also icons which highlight tips, new features, warnings, technical stuff, remember(ing important information).
I really like this book for the many reasons. It is guidebook, resource guide and is very readable for the novice to the advanced. There is a fine and well done section learning about and using RAW images (ch.7), fine tuning fixes (ch.8), using images in text messages (ch.13), a well laid section on using unsharp mask and working with filters which includes an excellent table(ch.15).
This book is a great buy for many reasons, This book is more then a "dummies" book. The author communicates in concise, clear and understandable ways covering the strengths and versatility of the application while conveying a remarkable and easy to understand way to use program for your graphics needs. While this is a short review, I want to let you know again that this text will make a fine addition to graphic users, especially to those who are in need of a fine resource and guide to learn about or upgrade skills with photoshop CS3. You''ll be up and running in no time and learning more graphics capabilities. That's why I am ending this review short because not only is well done and I have said much already but I want to start using and learning now and gain some more new insights myself.

Photoshop for dummies is a straight forward no-nonsense approach to photoshop. A good reference book for anyone who has CS3. CS3 is a wonderful suite of tools for the creative web person. Still learning it because it has so many features but definitely glad I purchased the software and the dummies book. Annie Lawrence, author Love's Secret Live Your Life In Love.

I bought the book because it was supposed to be for beginners and, as stated on the back of the book, full of tips, tricks and techniques. It IS NOT. Whoever wrote this must not have looked in the book at all. If you just want to know some of what program will do get this book. If you want to learn to auctually use the program and do something with it get another book. I personally like the ones with a CD-ROM.

Not sure why this booked is titled as it is. The author himself states that, "First, this is a reference book, not a step-by-step lesson-based text ..." and "If you're brand new to Photoshop, start with one of the beginner lesson-based books, " not with this one. Why then is the book entitled, "Photoshop CS3 For Dummies"? With a title like that you would think that this book is for beginners.

This book should be titled, "Photoshop CS3 Reference" or something similar.

It was great to be reminded of many of the features I had not used in Photoshop for a while. Now I am back on track to be more creative in what tools I should be using for any number of photo problems.

This book covered Photoshop pretty good. There was very little info about CS-3 Bridge. Most people that are using Photoshop, have been using it for years. Bridge is new and you would think more information should be available. For example: CS-2 Bridge showed an open file icon next to the thumbnail that was open in Photoshop. So far I have not been able to do this in CS-3 Bridge. Even Adobe did not help with this. Maybe they need a separate book for Bridge and Version Cue.

Hi Everyone!

As the author of "Photoshop CS3 for Dummies," I'd like to take a moment to tell you about this book.

First, this is a reference book, not a step-by-step lesson-based text or "cool tricks cookbook." It's great for looking up and learning about specific features of Photoshop CS3. It's **not** a book that promises to teach you everything you need to know about the program, nor is it designed for classroom use. If you're brand new to Photoshop, start with one of the beginner lesson-based books, or a task-oriented book such as "Teach Yourself Visually Photoshop CS3.". Then, after you have a basic foundation in Photoshop, you'll find "Photoshop CS3 for Dummies" to be your key to truly understanding the techniques you learned in the lesson-based book.

Next, I'd like to suggest that you indeed use "Photoshop CS3 for Dummies" as a reference book. Flip to the table of contents or the index, find a topic about which you want to learn more, open to that section and start learning. Sure, you might be tempted to start at the beginning and read straight through (hey -- you wouldn't miss any cartoons or jokes!), but that's not how this book is designed.

Enjoy! And happy Photoshoping!
Pete Bauer