Scott Kelby is a prolific author, but his output is often little more than collections of recycled hints and tips. And all too often it is delivered in a style that Kelby obviously considers as humorous - and I find grating and annoying.

In the 7-Point System, however, Kelby is a reformed man. (Reshaped as well, it seems, since he mentions that he lost 100 pounds in a year and trekked 3 miles in 112 degree heat to capture what becomes a spectacular photograph.)

The 7-Points actually refers to seven very broad capabilities of Photoshop CS3 that permit an infinite range of adjustment, manipulation and alteration. In 21 lessons, using downloadable images, Kelby walks the user through many of the adjustments. Kelby provides only moderate explanation of the "why" of what reader is doing, but focuses on the "how" and "what". It is a quite acceptable approach: the reader gains insight and familiarity with the 7 broad capabilities.

It is, in the final analysis, a "learn by doing" approach and a good one.

All in all, this is an excellent book for the Photoshop beginning through mid-level user.

Jerry

I'll keep it short and sweet. I learned a little in this book. But the little that I learned was:
1.) What I really need to make my photos pop.
2.) Easy to retain
3.) Valuable for everyday, no, make that every PHOTO use in photoshop.

Great book for people who want results. Not a great book for someone who wants every command and pallet in PS CS3 explained.

Nice work, Scott!

Scott Kelby is an awesome teacher, by reading and following his books I know my way around Photoshop inside and out. I have tried other tutorial books but they do not compare to the ease of Scott Kelby and his associates of the way of learning.

In the past two days since I got this book, I've read it straight through and did every exercise. I'm so much more confident in my use of Photoshop that I'm going back and retouching all of my favorite photos. This book is fun to read, and Kelby treats the reader with respect, not dumbing it down. It's very repetetive and that's fine with me. This book made me enjoy using photoshop more than ever.

This book is different than any other "how-to" book I have ever seen. You download lesson pictures off Scott's website and you do what he does with each picture. It is like you are sitting in the same room. You follow his plain English directions-with pictures--and you do the exact things he is doing in the book and you end up with amazing pictures...I never knew learning Photoshop could be easy!!!

Good product. I recommend everybody who uses Photoshop. Many possibilities
what i do not know beforehand. It takes time to learn this book.

This is the 4th book of Scott Kelby that I've purchased. I find his books informative, written well without being so over the top technically and always interjected with his quirky sense of humor. I think you need to have basic knowledge of Photoshop CS3 because I find myself referring back to his CS3 book if I get stuck on a step in the lesson. His methods can save a less than impressive photo.

I found the 7 Point System to be a great way of cutting throught the confusion of Photoshop and getting down to the basics of improving the photograph. I am relatively new to Photoshop and all the other books I've read on this topic lost me after the first few chapters. This book allows you to dive right into it by offering 7 common functions that seem provide the most significant improvment to a photograph. I find myself going back to previous sections in the book to improve upon what I have already learned. A great book that I would recommend to any newbie to photoshop.

I've been using this book for a while and have improved my photo editing skills. Kelby offers some useful recipes for fixing or enhancing photos and he offers methods for adjusting both RAW and jpeg images. After learning the basics of Photoshop it's always helpful to have a manual that will take you through an entire process, so a workflow not just a trick can be learned. Scott Kelby's clear and conversational style works well here as does the the wealth of intermediate step photos.

Many of the end product photos look a bit too obviously Photoshopped. I suppose that's useful as a teaching method, overemphasizing the end result to illustrate how much an average image can be enhanced. I wouldn't want to display them with my name on them, but did learn a lot working through the examples. After understanding the workflow it's pretty easy to tone down the edits to achieve subtler results.

As with more targeted and specialized Photoshop-for-photo-editing books this assumes that the reader has a reasonable familiarity with Photoshop. There is no general introduction to the program. That's fine buy me as it keeps the weight and presumably cost down, and I consider it a useful addition to my library.

I have this book and it is wonderful! It is so good, in fact, that my sister broke into my house while I was out of town and "borrowed" the book from my desk. She did all lessons in a weekend and returned the book, open to the exact page I was using. Then she bought a copy for herself..for a reference tool.

Muy buen libro; creo que resume todo lo que un fotógrafo necesita para trabajar sus fotos en Photoshop.

I've got all sorts of Photoshop "How To" books which I constantly go to when I'm "stuck". I usually remain stuck:-) This book, for the first time, makes many of the great features of Photoshop make SENSE! You actually work "along with Scott", downloading pictures from a website so you work alongside him as you apply different effects, fixing up photos. It's more of a workbook than "how to". I'm only on Lesson 10 (of 21) and I'm already vastly improving some of my own photos using the techniques taught here. He also, in the various lessons, has you doing many of the same techniques over and over so you really understand how they work. Anyone, other than a Photoshop "Expert" can gain from having this guide.

I found the Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Photoshop CS3 book, very interesting, and very useful. I have not finished the book as yet, but by the time i had done the first 2 lessons, i could already see a marked improvement in some of my own photographs for their originals.

I really want to give Scott a five, because I am a big fan of his work and educational products. The only problem I have with this book is some of his steps take a lot of work with mask and then painting with a brush..something I hate to do because it takes a lot of time to get it right and I would rather be out shooting.. this really is a book to fix problem images.. my goal is to correctly expose and not have to spend so much time in photoshop.. with that said.. his techniques produce WONDERFUL pictures, and many of his steps have been added to my workflow.. I want to give a 5, I just cant!! I use the sharpening and the LAB mode boost on all my pics...

I have just finished the first eight lessons and find it most informative and have picked up many points that make CS3 the best yet. The lessons take you to areas that you have used only a little or maybe not at all and make you want to keep digging deeper into the program. As for the humer, that's Scott and for those who don't like it that's called Too Bad. This is a new way of teaching and I think it's great.

I have read Mr Kelby's boks guiding folks like myself working with Adobe digital editing software beginning with my first purchase to help me with Elements 2 or 3. To put it simply, this is the book that surpasses his previous works (and the works of other fine writers with similar purpose guiding photographers through Adobe software) to a substantial level of effectiveness in purpose. Each title I have read and used has helped. This book works better for me by taking the software and pointing to some fundamental pieces of digital editing that helps transform an image into its greatest potential, as art. It is not replication of the 21 lessions that count toward this achievement, it is the use of the 7 points as needed with a photograph (continuously stated by Kelby in this and his other books...other authors in this medium I've read as well) that make this work so valuable. I just had not "gotten it" as clearly until now.

Mr. Kelby has always helped in his previous works. Adobe, for that matter, has always been working to make their software more helpful to the photographer and the graphic artist. Kelby has poured forth an excellent piece of help with his "7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3" book.

I recommend it highly.

The main problem with this book is that "The system" is not much of a system. The author doesn't follow a consistent approach for every photo. He shows you steps that work for his specific photos in the book but doesn't really explain why. With his 7 techniques he sometimes skips or changes the order of one of them but doesn't really tell you why. For example, for colors adjustments, sometimes he uses Lab Color Mode, sometimes he does it in Camera Raw and sometimes he fixes it with the Hue/Saturation command. Since not much explanation is given, I don't know what is the best method to use for my own photos. So in the end, without the explanation of why, you do learn 7 techniques you could use but don't which ones to use, the workflow order, or even the values to set each parameter. I did get some results but it was most trial and error and a lot of guessing...

The only thing I don't like about this book is also what makes it so great. It is straight forward and to the point, and there is not a lot of in depth explanation on why you are doing each step. Of all the books I have ever bought on Photoshop, I was able to get through this book the fastest because I didn't have to spend a lot of time absorbing theories and principles. But even though Scott doesn't do a lot of explaining, he makes you follow his steps over and over again so that you eventually learn the theories and principles and the "whys" through experience. And that's really the best way to learn. By the end of this book you will have followed his steps so many times it will become second nature. I have found myself using these techniques in my work without even thinking about them. Invaluable!

Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3: The seven key techniques for taking your images from flat to fantastic.

Ok, the alliteration aside, Scott Kelby has thrown down the gauntlet by challenging his readers to go through his new book, ... The 7-Point system, from cover to cover, and leave the experience able to transform any reasonable image into something they'd be proud to show their mother, friends and fellow photographers. And, yes, Scott says, right up front, that for this book to work--that to be able to develop the skills and confidence to rescue photos previously doomed to the digital trash bin--readers are going to have to go through all of the book's 21 lessons, download the corresponding photos from the book's Web site and actually do each recommended step in the lesson exercises.
Now remember, we're nominally talking about learning just seven Photoshop skills over the book's 263 pages; so the real question becomes not can Scott fulfill his promise to make the reader a much better (and faster) Photoshop user, but can he do it without boring the reader out of his or her skull? Having read the book, done the exercises and been very pleased at the results, I feel the answer is definitely "yes."
Fortunately, Scott's sense of humor, his tendency to add significant "extras" to the seven steps and his excellent book illustrations actually may make his readers wish there was a chapter 22 (or 23). I don't think it's giving away too much of the book's value to list the seven areas where Scott helps reader build up their knowledge and skills: Processing in Camera Raw*; Using Curves; Applying the Shadow/Highlight Tool; Painting With Light and Darkness; Using Channels to Make Adjustments; Using Blend Modes and Layer Masks; and Applying Sharpening. Along the way Scott will help the reader build Photoshop actions for repetitive tasks, turn the LAB mode from mysterious to user-friendly and bring the often overlooked (read that as studiously ignored) Apply command into the limelight.
Although Scott does his usual excellent job of explaining each concept and step along the way, I was glad I already had familiarity with Photoshop tools, layers, masks and channels. It made it much easier for me to jump right into working with the image of Lesson 1.
I do recommend Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3; but with this proviso: This is not a skim-it-and-put-it-on-the-shelf book; it's a hands-on set of detailed lessons that will generously reward anyone who makes the effort to do the work.
* For those readers who already own Adobe Lightroom, the Raw processing steps listed in the book can be done in that program rather than Adobe Camera Raw.

I have purchased a number of products devoted to learning more about PhotoShop. This is the absolute best I have found. I can see why Scott Kelby patented this approach. It is that much better than other efforts. If an individual follows through the Seven Steps outlined in this book, he/she will be an improved Photoshop user. This is a great tool for both the beginner or the experienced Photoshop "practitioner."

This is another of Scott's hands-on, here's how you do it guides to using Adobe Photoshop CS3. Buyer's beware; the book is oriented to CS3 but this is not very apparent from the book's cover which has the CS3 designation hidden in small print within the letter O of photoshop. I purchased this book expecting to use it with the previous edition of photoshop. It is still useful, and since I have Adobe Lightroom I could still do many of the adjustments which otherwise would not have been possible in the RAW editor in CS2.
The books enables you to down-load the example photographs used for each of the 21 lessons and then you can follow Scott's step by step guide to editing each of them. I find this an easy way to learn. I would recommed it to CS3 users and even to CS2 users with Lightroom who are already somewhat familiar with navagating their way around in Photoshop.

Scott Kelby is the leader of the pack when it comes to Photoshop training. His 7 point system will teach you steps to REMEMBER and not guess at what you need in certain situations. Best money I spent on Photoshop!

Overall, this is a good read for a fairly advanced Photoshop user with the most up-to-date Adobe software. But its not a reference book at all. Think of it as a programmed instruction book.

By this I mean that you'll try a lot of cool stuff working through the examples, but trying to find them again when you really need them for your own work is harder to do. You'll also find that while the technique works fine in the example, you may feel like you'd like more detail when using it in a new situation. You may also wish he wasn't trying to show off all the latest tricks in CS3 without giving you a workaround.

As some of the other reviewers commented, there are some fairly advanced techniques in here. If you're a newbie you should definitely look elsewhere.

This is a great book. I have learned so many things to improved on photoshop. I recommend this to other photoshop learner.Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices)

It works as a quick guide, and you may use Mr Kelby's other book (The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers)to get more detailed help in Photoshop.

If you've never read any photoshop books on manipulating photographs, this is a great book for you to learn.

If you have read any other books, like, say Dan Marguilis Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace or Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (5th Edition) you'll probably be very disappointed, as he just rehashes everything that you've already learned.

And the 7 steps? There are not seven steps, more like dozens. I think it would be better titled as "Seven general techniques you might want to try to improve your photos" He doesn't even tell you when to use the different ideas, you just have to figure that out for yourself.

I have always loved Scott Kelby's books but not this one. I don't understand why he uses Photoshop with layers when after ever step he has you flatten the work before going on to the next step. I want to see all the layers and be able to go back and tweak the layers when necessary. I can't believe he saves each picture before flattening it. I was very frustrated by this approach.

I've read the entire book cover to cover, and while it's not the final word on post production, it is so good that anyone who truly follows these points, will have photographs that are "The Best" that they could possibly make.

This is not a beginners book, but if a beginner is very motivated, they could follow the instructions well and be successful.

If you like Scott's approach to technology subjects, this is just one more great book of his that won't disappoint you!!

Enjoy!

The book doesn't really explain why Scott makes the adjustments he makes to the photos. That is the biggest flaw with this book.

The adjustments work great on the photos but that doesnt really help when it comes to adjusting your own photos.

I'm sure there are better books than this one

The concept of having acutal photographs to work on using the instructions of the book is great. That is, only if you can get the photos onto your computer and opened in Photoshop/Bridge CS3. The book gives you one unhighlighted reference buried in the introduction to the web site to obtain the files containing the photos. This should not be a secret. No where is there any information as to what programs/plugins you must have on your computer in order to access these photos and therefore be able to use the book. This information should be available to a person considering buying the book. Not all of us have state of the art computers.

I went to the web site given by Mr. Kelby only to find that it lists other web sites not directly concerned with providing information on this book or others written by him and more importantly the web site was advertised as "for sale". Calling the 800 number listed on the cover of the book only got you to a sales office that was polite but had no knowledge of computers and had no recomendations as to where one could get information on how to open the photos and thereby use the book.
This was a waste of time and I have returned the book.

As Scott Kelby claims in the introduction, the 7-Point System was designed to turn the "boring to beautiful," the "flat to fantastic," the crappy into the non-crappy. Certainly, there are no shortages of books, blogs, and web-based tutorials that promise to teach you something similar - how to take that lifeless shot from your camera into a rich, vibrant image.
The 7-Point System distinguishes itself from other books in that it is a comprehensive Photoshop workflow disguising itself as a simple, recipe-like type of manual. The name itself, the 7-Point System, is silly and disarming in the way that the 1200-page colossus known as the CS3 Photoshop Bible (Fuller) is not. Sure, there are seven Photoshop features one needs to know well to understand Kelby's rationale for this book, but the constant use of some or all of these tools in the book's twenty-one lessons will make experts of those with a shaky Photoshop foundation. Of course, those with a greater comprehension of layers, masks, channel adjustments, Smart Objects, and Camera Raw adjustments will only benefit in taking the book's underlying principles into their current workflow.
There is a certain criticism that other reviewers have noted about the book's methods of transforming the boring to beautiful. Mainly, when does one say, "This is beautiful enough?" Again, the book is not a simple, for-dummies-like manual. Even within each of the lessons, there are deviations and alterations on the 7-Points that are arbitrary choices made by the author. These are made, as he clearly states, as a matter of personal choice. There is a chapter where he adds a reflection of the sky on a body of water that did not exist in the original. In another image, he uses a composite method to fix an over-exposed image. In both cases, the final images are significantly better than the originals. Whether the final image is true and pure, morally acceptable or not is completely up to you. Of greater importance is learning how these Photoshop tools integrate with one another to create an image that is better in color, contrast and style than the original. After all, if you're worried about preserving the purity and integrity of the original image, why are you using Photoshop?
As good as this book is, truth be told, processing and editing pictures on Photoshop should not be fun; it robs you of valuable shooting time. Once you start applying some of these lessons to your images, and you begin to see where you went wrong on the original capture, you become more critical about your skills as a photographer, about capturing a better original image. For that reason alone, the 7-points system is a highly recommended addition to your digital photography workflow.

I think of myself as a mid-level Photoshop user - past the beginner stage, but I only use PS every week or two. I use PS CS2 and Adobe Lightroom, which has the same editing capabilities as Camera Raw in Photoshop CS3. During the past 10 days I've completed 15 of the 21 lessons in the 7-Point System. The book is definitely written for CS3 users and makes no mention of alternatives if you're using CS2. I have been able to do 98% of the manipulations in the lessons using Lightroom and CS2. If I had only CS2, I'd have been stuck. Where Scott calls for using a smart filter on a layer copy, I import a 2nd file copy from Lightroom into PS and apply the filter, then "move" it onto the file I've been working on, etc.

The lessons succeed in pounding in certain things through repetition. If you were at all uncomfortable using adjustment layers, masks, blend modes and gradients, you won't be after completing this book. Every lesson has some elements that are unique (obscure/expert?) and I doubt that I'll have them remembered and available in my toolbox. I love to use keyboard shortcuts and Scott uses them to a fault. Some like D for default colors, Ctrl-J for layer copy are learned through repetition - and Scott almost always says what they're for. But he'll occasionally throw in a keyboard shortcut to make something happen and you have no idea what it's "really" doing.

There are a lot of things in the lessons that are recipe-like and beg for further experimentation / learning by the photographer. But, if you go through the lessons, you're almost certain to take your work to a much higher level and be able to work quickly to achieve those results.

I am currently on Lesson 5 out of 21 in the book. This is a great learning tool and I now know how to start with my own photos. You use the same pictures as in the book downloaded from a website and go step by step to make the changes following the settings Scott gives in his book. The repetition works well for me. The photos are all quite different and some have different processes applied but all start in Bridge then open in Camera Raw then open in Photoshop. Takes out a lot of confusion for me because he has the same basic sequence for each photo. I have purchased at least a dozen books since I got my camera a month ago but this is the best basic tutorial yet for getting me over the confusion and fear of doing something wrong or not knowing which menu tab to choose.

This is a must have book! If you are wanting to give your photos that extra pop this is the book for you! I consider it a must have for CS3!

I have used PS for almost 10 years and I have acquired quite some expertise with it when it comes to general design or retouching photos. However, Kelby's books always teach you new tricks in a fun way. This book is perfect for beginners who want to retouch photos to 95% of their potential without having to spend countless hours trying to master PS or learn the sometimes daunting lingo. This is a very recommended read and should be on the bookshelf of any photographer!

I was a bit skeptical about this book when Scott first announced it, since I feel comfortable with Adobe Photoshop, and with so much information out there about it already, do I really need one more Photoshop book on my shelf? But I am a fan of Scott Kelby, and I decided to get it anyway. After going through it, here are my pros and cons.

Pros-
Scott's teaching style. I like how Scott teaches. Anybody, including someone who barely started using Adobe Photoshop, can pick up any of his books, and immediately see improvement in his or her images. The 7-point System is written in chronological order, so you really should begin with chapter 1 and proceed accordingly, but his explanations are straightforward from the beginning, and if you already know how to add new layer, well, you'll move faster at the beginning.

Reasons Why. Scott is a excellent teacher when it comes to giving you tips, but what I found is that he doesn't always explain why he uses certain tools, whether he's doing that in his other books or on Photoshop User TV. However, in this book he often pauses and explains why we should use a gradient settings of this kind, or why the layer should be turned off before creating another copy of the background layer. I learn a lot this way.

Lessons You Commit to. I'm about half way through the book, but I'm making constant progress, as it's broken down by lessons and I tackle 1-2 chapters a day. All the images are available for download, and you're working through on them together with Scott. So it's more of a course than it is a book, which is approach I actually prefer.

Variety of Images. Scott takes turns processing all kinds of images, from macros to portraits to landscape, so his System applies to any kind of photography.

His Creative Thinking. Besides reading about Adobe Photoshop technique, I enjoy learning why Scott did what he did on particular image. It gives you a glimpse of his creative process and thinking, a part that is the hardest to develop when it comes to Photography, and to me that's as big of a value than any other aspect of his new book.

Cons-
Incompatibility with other versions of Photoshop. I don't care about this one, since I use Adobe Photoshop CS3, but users of other versions of Photoshop will be disappointed. Scott often uses smart object, smart filters, opens Jpeg's in Adobe RAW, etc., so you won't be able to follow this book unless you have Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Destructive Workflow. Scott flattens his images at least twice before he arrives at a final version. I started doing it more often now, as some changes I don't care about reversing, but I prefer to keep layers in case I want to adjust something later. But this one is easy to overcome - Sft+Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Opt+E and you have the flattened version of the image on top of all you other layers, so this issue is minor.

Using ACR Instead of Lightroom. Scott is a faithful user of Adobe Lightroom, and published a great book about it. However, he uses Adobe Camera RAW for the beginning stages of his 7-steps workflow. Sometimes it creates problems if you're a heavy Lightroom user as I am. For example, it's not as easy to open the same RAW file twice and stack them on top of each other if you're using Lightroom. Others have found a work around it, but it's not as straight forward. Perhaps Scott could have included a chapter on this issue.

Bottom Line-
It's certainly a great purchase I made, and I highly recommend it. The pros far outweigh the cons. My work flow has improved, and I keep adding knowledge and tools that help my own creative process with each chapter I read.

This book was advertised on nearly every photographic website when it was released. I expected Scott Kelby to edge out Al Gore for a Nobel prize given the publisher's hype. But the book /is/ very good. Kelby gives a link to the files he works on and critiques each photo and then proceeds to correct each using his system. One can follow along step by step and duplicate his work using the same files.
Along the way he throws in nuggets like actions he uses to speed up his work flow. If you shoot raw and use PS it's one of the best (if not /the/ best) book of its type.
Maybe Mr. Gore should have been worried.

Scott Kelby has produced a book with WOW factor! The concept is great! As, always, you will have a lot of fun learning.

This book is hyped as being the final say in digital photo development and Photoshop workflow, and gives the impression that once you read this book you'll know exactly what and how to make all your photos "picture perfect". The fact is, there's not getting away from the fact that even if you follow the workflow detailed in Kelby's book, it's up to your own personal judgment and opinion. This is borne out by the fact that Kelby has a 7-step methodology, but in many of the examples not all the steps are used. That's because he made the judgment that certain steps were not needed. There's no comment as to why some steps are used sometimes, but not others. So you are going to be left hanging and left with having to make your own judgment calls when it comes to your own work.

The book is nice and easy to use with step-by-step instructions. It's relies on the principle of learning by repetition and example. Even when you get to the end of the book and start working on your own photos, you are still going to be faced with the same questions as always: what do I do to improve this photo, what do I do first, what do I do next.

It is good to get a professional opinion of what is an appropriate workflow for developing your digital files in Photoshop. And I do feel that I learned a lot from working through the examples, but if the marketing hype around the book gives you the feeling that this book will take away the need to exercise any judgment, then you will be disappointed.

If you are photographer and/or an artist and you have a decent sense of composition then you have complete step one in creating provacative images.

If you use Photoshop and are NOT familar with the techniques in Scott's book, then you do not "use" Photoshop. There are so many tools available to tweak images into a glorius visual appeal that I now go back to my archives of 40 years in age and find gook that I can transform into gold.

This and (anything Scott releases) are a must.

Bottom line: buy it, work each session, make these techniques yours...

Here, I'll prove it --- see for yourself: http://MarcBlakePhotography.com

Did I mention a big hearty "Thank You" to the author?

Scott Kelby has created another winner. He has essentially distilled the most common edits done to a digital photograph into 7 major tasks. He provides many examples of this technique in his book, so that the reader can follow along. It is possible to download the examples used in the book. His usual easy style and humor are evident throughout the book. I'm sure there are readers who tire of his humor, but I find it refreshing.

The only downside is that it is difficult to always apply the 7 steps to Lightroom, which has become my major photo management program. Perhaps Lightroom will provide a basis for the next edition - The 7.1 Point System!

Scott Kelby's books are always informative, easy to follow and well written. This is no exception. It was a great introduction into Photoshop CS3 for me, as I was upgrading from PSE 5 and wanting to get up to speed quickly. What I like best about this book, is you get sample pictures for each lesson and work on the photo youself, you can see the results and see the effect of what you are doing. And anytime you "forget" you can do a few practice sessions!

This book is another fine example of Scott Kelby's dedication to assisting people not only to learn and use Photoshop but also to get the very best from Photoshop CS3 in the shortest possible time. Perhaps I am biased as I have purchased several Scott Kelby books, but before I found his books I, like so many others, struggled with Photoshop.
Kelby's 7-Point System yet again simplifies the use of Photoshop CS3 to the point that even if you are new to CS3 you can rescue most of your photographs that did not turn out as you planned.
This book will not disappoint and will be a valuable addition to your library.
Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices).

I loved this book. Scott Kelby's teaching style is humorous and easy to read. And the best part about this book is I get great results with his techniques. And in the end, that is what counts most to me.
Besides the great techniques taught in this book, it uses a system of teaching that is usually not found in other books. The key word here is "repetition". I admit, that the best way I learn is through repetition. If you go through this book with that in mind, you will learn a fast and easy workflow with enough variations to work with many of the common day problems we find while processing our photos.
I know that some people will say that you "should get it right in the camera to begin with" My feeling is that, yes, get it as right as you can in the camera. But remember, it doesn't matter if you are shooting with digital or film, the camera never records an image the way the eye actually sees it. It is the nature of the beast. Until Camera manufacturers work out ways to deal with dynamic range in the camera, it just isn't going to happen.
So it is our job as photographers to optimize the photo during processing. For me, this means processing from a RAW format. Not only do I want it to look like my mind visualized it, but I want creative freedom to go beyond that. And that is why I found this book so useful. Results are the bottom line.

Scott's 7 point system will help to greatly improve your photos. The steps are easy to follow and in the order you should use them. You wont use every step on every photo, but by the end of the book you will be proficient in all of them & will be able to use the ones you need for each individual photo.

Mr. Kelby's book is clearly written, well-illustrated, and is filled with useful techniques. You can rest assured that after completing the exercises that you will have a firm understanding on how to achieve the particular look evangelized within.

It's your call whether or not that look is what you'd like.

Personally, I find some of his results to have an over-processed look. This is most likely due to the fact that his work is destined for print. What oftentimes looks good on screen comes out flat or drab once on paper. I found myself lowering the effects about 10% or so.

I have lots of 1- and 2-star images, those without any chance of redemption. I have far fewer 4-stars or 5-stars. This book isn't for those.

This book is for your 3-star photographs, your C+ photographs. The ones that you keep coming back to, again and again. They're not yet great and perhaps you don't consciously recognize their potential, but there's something that draws you to them.

I learn a lot of techniques from books, and this is probably the best one I've used so far. The lessons include lots of repetition, as well as a progression of added techniques as they go along. I especially like that each step exactly matches what's on my screen and I can re-check what I'm doing with Scott's detailed photos. "A lesson a day" was do-able and very enjoyable.

I realize that each lesson is a "recipe" for that photo, but as I apply what I have learned to my own shots, I find I have many of the same problems and I can actually remember where I saw a solution in one of his lessons. I might not understand all the techno-reasons, but at least I have a place to start while I build up my knowledge.

I'd highly recommend this book for someone who has played with Photoshop a
little and wants guidelines for using it practically and systematically.

Very helpful. Opened my eyes to a different approach. Have gone back and revisited previously processed files achieving much better results. Highly recommended.

I have been a Photoshop user for many years. In my quest to achieve competence with this outstanding piece of software, I have purchased and studied Scott's Photoshop books from Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers to the present CS3 version. His Digital Photography Book is also a part of my library. They are all great references and very readable but by far for me his Seven Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 is his most valuable approach in teaching the skills of Photoshop.

Scott Kelby has done it again with another fine book on Photoshop. This book cuts through the #%&* and gets right to the heart of using Photoshop CS3 & Camera Raw (or Lightroom) for photography without all that other stuff that Photoshop has. Very concise instructions and downloadable images that go along with the book. Very easy to follow the point over and over and over and over but that is a good thing. I highly recommend this book to any photographer that wants "just the facts please".