I had a real internal debate over whether to upgrade from Photoshop Elements 7 to Elements 8 or to CS4. I had used Photoshop a while back, but I really hated the interface, so I had gone with Elements several years ago. Elements is very good--it's got about 90% of what most people ever need. But, there were a few features I missed from Photoshop CS, so in the end, I upgraded to CS4.

With all that said, I am not a Photoshop novice, but I am rusty, and there are a ton of new features that are new to me. For example, Bridge and Camera Raw didn't exist when I left Photoshop, so I appreciate the detailed coverage. Note that if you are a Lightroom user (which I am not), the Bridge chapters will be superfluous.

If you are brand new to image editing, you probably won't like this book. It assumes you have some basic familiarity with the workspace and capabilities of Photoshop, though not necessarily CS4. The focus of the book is on how to accomplish common tasks, which is exactly what I am looking for. I particularly appreciate the chapter on workflow, since I find myself somewhat overwhelmed as I move from the world of JPEG photography to the world of RAW, which is my primary reason for moving back from elements to CS4.

So, if you are a digital photographer who has played around with Photoshop in the past, you are probably going to love this book as much as I do. If you are brand new to Photoshop, hold off on this book in favor of a more basic tutorial.

This book is a helpful reference for those familiar with photoshop.
It is necessary for novices and provides helpful examples.
This book is the bees knees.

For a beginner it is a very well written book. However if you are new to CS4 it might be troubling as you have to have a previous intoduction to CS4 to know what to look for and what you can do with CS4. It is similar to the chicken or egg. Which came first?

If you own Photoshop ps4 this book is absolutely necessary.
This book has solved most of my problems in learning ps4.
The book is by Scott Kelby who is the authority on photoshop.
All the instructions are easy to follow, step by step and well written.

I bought this book hoping that it would answer many of my image processing questions. Not only did it do this but I have also learnt many new techniques to improve my image output. This book sits on my desk next to my computer and is referenced nearly on a daily basis. I love this book and it has made my work life so much easier.

If you are a film photographer and are interested in jumping into the digital arena,buy this book first.It has a breakdown of what to expect as you progress with your own workflow. Get used to that word. Unlike film, where you can scan a negative you know where it is stored. Once you start to shoot digital, you will need to be VERY organized to keep track of all your images. Scott Kelby writes this book in a manner that will help you with any part of the digital workflow you need help in. In one week this book has helped me become a more savy photographer.
May the best light be at your back
rf

This is a fantastic book, which gives you a page by page through photoshop. It teaches you all the extras that are hidden within photoshop and just what you can do with them. It is also backed up by internet resources and support. Definetly worth every cent. I would recomend anyone with photoshop should have this book, Scott Kelby also has done books for all the other versions of photoshop. Would make a great gift for any photographer.

As a pro photographer wannabe, I must rate this book as "fantastic."
All of Kelby's Photoshop/Lightroom/Elements books are not about the product per se, but are about how to use them as a photographer to fine tune, correct and improve your pictures. This book also includes how to's for making your photos look like those trendy shots that appear in magazines.
As an improving photographer, perhaps you need some help in re-sizing your photos to put on a website, or to add your copyright information and a copyright symbol directly into you images. All this is covered in this book.
Other topics for the photographer: Working with camera raw in photoshop; using bridge; adjusting selected areas; resizing and cropping; color correction secrets; black and white photography; working with High Dymanic Range photos; common digital image problems; specific effects for photographers; sharpening your images; step-by-step printing and color management; how to show your work and finally, Scott explains his CS4 workflow.

It is a great bargin for the photographer that wants to do more with their images and become a better photographer!

I'm so glad I purchased this book. Kelby is funny, direct and easy to understand. He brings humor, organization and ease into the world of PhotoShop. This book is so well organized. You can go step by step or venture into any chapter and start right from there. Kelby even makes the photographs used in this book available to you so you can work along with the book at home. This was incredibly helpful to me; as I learn more from doing than just reading. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn the basics of PhotoShop. I'm also planning on purchasing some of his other books.

Had the chance to meet Kelby at Photo Plus Expo in NYC, where he gave away a copy of this book after his talk about using color at the Nikon booth, and his enthusiasm for Photoshop, photography, and Scott Kelby is infectious. He's a "just the steps" kind of guy, rather than an "in-depth" explorer, and that's what you'll find in this book. Kelby focuses on exactly the kind of information most of us are looking for in a Photoshop book, such as his new emphasis on HDR photography, and skips over the basic stuff you can find in other Photoshop guides. Heavy on illustrations rather than text, this CS4 update is light reading that will have you jumping from the printed page to your computer to try out the interesting effects he describes. If you're looking for basic training in Photoshop, Adobe's Classroom in a Book series are your best bet. When you've mastered the basics and want to apply some everyday tricks to your images, you can't beat the techniques presented in Kelby's latest revision of his Photoshop classic.

Good book, but don't bother if you already own CS3 Book for Digitial Photographers. I was hoping that the focus would be on PS4 vs PS3, but most of the book is exactly the same, even the jokes...

Secondly, I bought this book as a reference for PS4. About 1/3 of the book is about Bridge, not very useful since I am using Lightroom to organize my photos and do basic adjustments. This should be covered in a separate book (like Lightroom).

Again, great book if you are new to Photoshop, starting with PS4 - but not useful if you already have previous versions of this book on the shelve.

I am so disappointed in this Scott Kelby book I just purchased. His Photoshop Elements 5.0 book was amazing. He went into great detail of how to perform all the major digital retouching tasks on portraits and other images. There were step by step instructions on how to execute them in PS Element 5.0. I thought he would basically update that book to do the same things in CS4. He didn't. There were great retouching concepts and procedures that he does not even cover in the new book. This was such a disappointment especially because the user interfaces are not the same in the two versions of Photoshop so the techniques don't translate. I have CS4 and can't do half the things I could do in Elements 5.0. And not I am out $34 because Scott's book was useless. I am a part time professional photographer shooting with a Canon 20D and L-Series lenses. In my career this book has been the second least useless thing I have purchased. It was a close second to the Canon tripod I purchased that broke after a month of use. Coincidentally it also cost about $34.

Not bad for a beginner. Scott Kelby is a great author. He could have gone into more depth on some aspects of CS4 such as tool selection.

I have purchased other Scott Kelby books on photography and this one did not let me down. Scott's "guy next door" approach to teaching techniques makes this an easy read. All of the topics covered are sure to enhance your photographs and your understanding of what makes a good photograph great. I highly recommend this to any photographer who is serious about their craft and wants to learn from a seasoned veteran.

The book was in very new like condition.
The written material was just what I needed and expected from Scott Kelby.

The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

I was completely disappointed in this new release for CS4. It is simply a rehash of CS3 by Scott Kelby. In fact, Photoshop CS4 has many more bell & whistles and changes from Photoshop CS3 which are not discussed in this new release for CS4. If you have Scott's CS3 book forget purchasing the CS4. They are, for all practical purposes, the same book, same material.

J.R. Votano

This book takes you through every step you need in Photoshop CS4 from importing your photos to the finished product. There are even tips on setting up your digital camera and tips on taking shots. This book is easy to understand and follow for any experience level. You won't go wrong with this book.

This book is geared towards photographers new to Photoshop who want to start making images look better immediately. This is a step-by-step tutorial for specific improvements, such as "Eliminating Red Eye", or a 15 second fix for "Under or Overexposed Photos". It is NOT a detailed explanation of Photoshop and what everything on all of the menus does. For that, I recommend the Photoshop CS4 Missing Manual book by Lesa Snider King and published by O'Reilly. That almost 800 page book is incredibly comprehensive, but I think that book is better approached after you have some familiarity with Photoshop.

Anyway, the Kelby book has clear and concise step by step directions, and it's illustrated with color photographs and screen captures so you can see how a photograph changes with an effect, and exactly where you click to change a layer's mode to "Screen", for example.

This is not a comprehensive book by any means, but if you practice the techniques you will learn how to significantly improve photographs with a very small investment of time -- which is quite fun and very motivating!

I was a little disappointed that a third of the book is about Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw, which I don't use, but the Photoshop content was still worth the price of the book.

Also, I recommend Kelby's website for its photoshop tutorials. There is a monthly subscription fee, but when you master this book and are ready for more, there is plenty on that site to keep you busy.

I recently purchased this book after purchasing Photoshop CS4 Extended. Since I am relatively new to Photoshop CS4 I was looking for a book that teaches Photoshop CS4 from the ground up. If that is what you are looking for, this is not the book for you. This book seems to be geared towards people that use Photoshop and have upgraded to CS4. Also, if you use Photoshop Lightroom 2 then you will find that half of this book covers CS4 functions that you probably won't use.

I am not saying that this is a bad book; I just want to call attention to the fact that this is not a Photoshop beginners book. By the way, I do plan on keeping this book but I will be looking for something that is geared more towards Photoshop beginners.

P.S. This product was given three stars just to try and draw attention to the fact that this is not a beginners book. I would consider purchasing a Kelby book for CS5 when it is released.

I only worked with two chapters so far. But they for sure are great. Simple, easy to understand, still detailed and very very useful. If I change my opinion reading the other chapters, I will update this review...

I received this book in a timely fashion, the content is excellent.. except, I'm missing pages 96 - 129. This would get a 5 star review otherwise...

OK book - not as good as some of his earlier books - same stuff regurgitated. Disappointing that my copy has pages 97-128 missing! I hope Amazon will replace it at no cost to me - pretty cut about it.

There are better books out there.

This book does what it says. In my opinion this is a great book. I have the CS4 factory guide but this book is more to the point.

This book is perfect for those photographers who are not yet experts at either photography or CS4. It has step by step instructions that are very clear and concise.

This was just what I needed to boost my photoshop skills. Another good reference book by Scott is the "Photoshop Elements Book for Digital Photographers".

The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Initially I purchased Kelby's The Photoshop CS Book in 2003. It was so well written and easy to learn all of Photoshop features that were explained that when I recently purchased the CS4 software, I immediately also purchased Kelby's book. I find his examples and evaluations of various features very helpful and I also happen to appreciate his sense of humor in the chapter introductions. I look forward to reading them as I move through the book. Since Photoshop is somewhat counterintuitive, having a resource such as Kelby is invaluable.

No complaints. Teaches photographer intelligent workflow and is organized in a logical manner. Certain areas could use additional detail on how various tools or techniques should be changed for different situations. Overall a very solid option, and one I recommend completely.

Excellent encyclopedic tool: to be consulted whenever a new challenge arises in one's own photo processing.

I'm a professional photographer and long time Photoshop user. The book has a lot of good information that's specific for photographers, but is also missing a lot of information that I need or want. So overall, it's good, but not very complete.

This book is great. I got it from the library first to make sure I wanted it since so many times I get a book and it sucked. Also I like that its mac centric since I want to get something that takes that into account. I am sure a windows user could work with it but usually its the reverse and since I am a recent convert its really helpful to me. I recommend this especially if you are new to CS4.

...the price! I feel that this book is a bit overpriced compared to content. If the paper is expensive, could the book be made smaller to reduce cost? I feel also that the chapters on Bridge and Raw is too elaborate; could have used the pages to add on the other short chapters, like special effects chapter perhaps (but yes, smart Scott has a separate book for this)

But having said that, the book is indeed very useful in doing the basic Photoshop work expected to be done to 'upgrade'photos(sharpening, retouches, basic special effects). You can go on do interesting filters and transformations just by reading this book in one sitting and following the step-by-steps as detailed.

Now, if you want to learn Photoshop and the intuitive concepts behind layers etc (the teaching to fish part, not just delivering the fish), the next logical step is the Photoshop Missing Manual book by Lesa King. Scott himself recommended this book.

This book is worth every dollar. Useful and specific. It brings the new CS4 features and teaches you how to make better photos. I'm very happy with the purchase.

When I bought Photoshop CS2, I wasted a lot of effort with my photos until I bought Kelby's book. Not only did the book describe how to use some of the features in Photoshop that I used every day, but he also taught tricks such as adding twinkles to eyes. When I bought Lightroom, again it was Kelby who taught me how to use the program. In fact, I told all of my friends who used Photoshop that they needed Kelby's books. So when I upgraded to Photoshop CS4, I of course bought Kelby's book. And this time I was disappointed.

True to form, Kelby presents to the reader step by step instructions for some of the functions you may want to use in Photoshop CS4. Working with color, black and white and dodging and burning are all included in the book. But, as someone who already knew the basics of CS2, the CS4 book doesn't offer a lot of new information. And as someone who uses Lightroom instead of Bridge, I found the two chapters on Bridge to be interesting, but not so useful. The chapters on HDR images are interesting academically, but then Kelby recommends not using Photoshop for these images. The chapters about printing and showing your work are nice, but I bought the book to learn how to use Photoshop CS4 to improve my photos. These other topics would be better in another book so that Kelby could concentrate on teaching tips and tricks.

Missing from the CS4 book are all of the great tips that were in the CS2 book. I find that I actually use the CS2 book a lot when working in CS4 are rarely look at Kelby's Photoshop CS4 book. Also missing is more information about adjustment layers. Maybe I missed something by skipping his CS3 book, but to me, adjustment layers are the most exciting part about Photoshop CS4 and Kelby only devotes a few pages to them.

I actually wish that I had saved my money and used it instead for training on Lynda.com or the Lynda CS's (Chris Orwig is very good) Photoshop CS4 for Photographers. By using the Lynda training, my skills in Photoshop CS4 improved dramatically. Because of the Lynda training, I can use curves and other adjustment layers without reservation. I would recommend Lynda instead or in addition to this book.

In Summary, with the chapters on importing photos from your camera, cropping and printing, this book would be very good for someone who is new to Photoshop and needs to know the basics. However, more advanced uses who are familiar with Photoshop might be better served with a different instructional guide (book or DVD). If you already own Kelby's Photoshop CS2 book, you really dont need to buy this one as well.

When I bought Photoshop CS2, I wasted a lot of effort with my photos until I bought Kelby's book. Not only did the book describe how to use some of the features in Photoshop that I used every day, but he also taught tricks such as adding twinkles to eyes. When I bought Lightroom, again it was Kelby who taught me how to use the program. In fact, I told all of my friends who used Photoshop that they needed Kelby's books. So when I upgraded to Photoshop CS4, I of course bought Kelby's book. And this time I was disappointed.

True to form, Kelby presents to the reader step by step instructions for some of the functions you may want to use in Photoshop CS4. Working with color, black and white and dodging and burning are all included in the book. But, as someone who already knew the basics of CS2, the CS4 book doesn't offer a lot of new information. And as someone who uses Lightroom instead of Bridge, I found the two chapters on Bridge to be interesting, but not so useful. The chapters on HDR images are interesting academically, but then Kelby recommends not using Photoshop for these images. The chapters about printing and showing your work are nice, but I bought the book to learn how to use Photoshop CS4 to improve my photos. These other topics would be better in another book so that Kelby could concentrate on teaching tips and tricks.

Missing from the CS4 book are all of the great tips that were in the CS2 book. I find that I actually use the CS2 book a lot when working in CS4 are rarely look at Kelby's Photoshop CS4 book. Also missing is more information about adjustment layers. Maybe I missed something by skipping his CS3 book, but to me, adjustment layers are the most exciting part about Photoshop CS4 and Kelby only devotes a few pages to them.

I actually wish that I had saved my money and used it instead for training on Lynda.com or the Lynda CS's (Chris Orwig is very good) Photoshop CS4 for Photographers. By using the Lynda training, my skills in Photoshop CS4 improved dramatically. Because of the Lynda training, I can use curves and other adjustment layers without reservation. I would recommend Lynda instead or in addition to this book.

Scott Kelby is one of those Photoshop writers that thinks he is a comedian with his silly jokes which are not funny, and apparently is unaware that serious readers merely want a book that is straight forward with usable information.
Kelby's book contains too many boring anecdotes and is poorly organized made all the worse with a bunch of mundane pictures making this one of the worst Photoshop books I have ever read.
This books gives the impression that it is a joke to Scott Kelby and could not care less about controlling himself and make an effort to write sensible book.
Reader beware, if you are seriously looking for substantial information on Photoshop then do not buy this book. Even with the great discounts that Amazon gives this books is a rip-off.

... I wish Scott didn't waste half the book talking about Camera Raw and Bridge. A chapter on each is more than sufficient. I use Lightroom so that half the book is a waste of prime real estate for me. Scott, hope you're reading this and use those chapters for more of your neat tips and tricks in the next edition.

Scott Kelby has written many books on using Photoshop. He is a fine teacher, especially for beginners, and he is successful once again with this effort. This is not to say he doesn't offer plenty of useful information for the experienced as well. He has a way of leading you through very detailed procedures one step at a time, keeping it simple and not assuming anything on the readers part. There is no single book on PS that is "all you will ever need", but this is a great place for a photographer to start with the new CS4 version of Photoshop.

Mr. Kelby shows you step by step exact techniques how to correct, edit, retouch, and sharpen photos, and also reveals cool tricks and great tips to make you more productive with Photoshop. The book covers the new important features of Photoshop CS4, such as improved Bridge, Camera Raw 5, and content-aware scaling. Without a doubt, the book is definitely worth every penny spent.

This is the third book by Kelby that I have purchased and it follows the same tried and true formula of teaching photoshop.
Cannot fault Kelby's easy to follow teaching methods.
Book is well presented and laid out.

Another Kelby hit. He is right on the money in hitting the highlights of CS4. Right to the point. Easy to understand. I would recommend as an essential for anyone using CS4.

First of all, I love Kelby's books! This one was not one of my favs though. Started out with nothing but Raw and Bridge and I don't use either. I bought the previous book on CS3 and it was perfect but this one just didn't cut it. Sorry Scott, but a revision is needed!

This is my first Scott Kelby book, and my first time using the full version of Photoshop. This book is really helping bring me up to speed in Photoshop CS4 and Bridge. The examples are clear; the steps in the book are accurate and nearly always complete. I've been augmenting the material in the book with some of the many free video tutorials on the Adobe website. Kelby's book is about 460 pages, and is packed with techniques, suggestions, and short-cuts. This book is well recommended.

A must buy for digital photographers out there looking for tips on Photoshop. Well written and illustrated with detailed steps. Highly recommended.

This book is another re-write of Kelby's earlier versions. It includes new information specific to CS4. It is accurate but assumes that all PC users are using an Open GL compatible graphics card so some things do not work as described. His exercise files are downloadable and it is very useful to work through his examples but I found it frustrating that some files were not included. I suspect that this is simply poor updating up on Kelby's part.

Overall I found it a very useful book.

Excellent book by Scott Kelby, the digital industry's #1 Photoshop spokesman. Book was mint and a great buy.

I find this to be one of the most helpful books of it's kind. As Scott Kelby says, it should be as if he is standing over your shoulder showing you how to use Photoshop. Highly recommended!

I must echo all the acclaims for Scott Kelby and this book. I have just started working with professional photo editors and Scott Kelby helped me tremendously with this book. I especially appreciated the step-by-step workflows described, not only to complete a specific task, but to complete the job from importing image files to the final print. The color management section was great to get going on that extensive subject. And...I'll add another 'atta-boy' for his wonderful humor. This is an outstanding reference for beginners to CS4 like me.

Scott Kelby's books are always so easy to understand and learn from. This book helps to learn the new uses of the tools for the most recent upgrade (CS4) to Photoshop. Learning from Scott is as easy as 1, 2, 3; he is very percise and to the point.

I liked the new updated pictures and some of the details, specifically the ones on the new CS4 features. But Scott made a big mistake when he dropped some of the chapters and lessons on the editing. He dropped the Faces chapter, and with it, all the techniques photographers use frequently to edit portraits. The book concentrated more on Bridge and Camera Raw, even when this is important, it's not really Photoshop CS4 (you can use ACDSee or any camera brand software to import and review keepers and bad pics and to perform the initial corrections, but the name of the book is PHOTOSHOP CS4 BOOK ...). And the book still lacks valuable and simple info on printing and color management on CS4. So i got a bit dissapointed with this version, because now we have to use both books at the same time and sometimes even figuring out how to do thins from CS3 here in CS4. I'd recommend the book, but you'll have to buy the CS3 one too.

This book is a must for anyone who is new to Photoshop CS4. I love the ease of reading and the simple steps provided. I would have been lost without it!