Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills by Mark Galer, Philip Andrews (2007, Package)

If you're looking at the full version of Photoshop, I assume that you have not yet taken the plunge into the big leagues of editing programs. Maybe you've tried Elements or a program frpm a competitor of Adobe but either the price or the sheer overwhelming complexity of Photoshop (or both) have kept you from pulling the trigger. In my enthusiasm for this program, I could tell you to buy without reservation, but that isn't necessarily good advice.

The question, then, is whether Photoshop CS3 makes more sense than competing products. Ironically, Adobe itself makes what is probably the biggest competition in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0. Elements is quite a competent photo editor for roughly one fourth the price of Photoshop. If editing photos is an occasional venture for you then you may well be better served to stick to Elements. It isn't the best but it is good and the tools available can give you outstanding results. For the majority of photos, I doubt anyone could tell the difference which program produced the results assuming a competent user was at the controls. The two main drawbacks to Elements are that it lacks some of the more powerful tools unique to CS3 and that some methods of achieving the same results will take more time. That's a key point, so I'll repeat it. For most of your photos, you can achieve virtually identical results in Elements... but it will take more time to do it.

Beyond the cost of your time, let's consider the problem photos that you may not be able to fix properly in Elements. Most of the time, if a shot didn't turn out well I just ignore it and move on. I'm not a big fan of spending hours on every photo and a well-shot image requires very little editing. But some of those duds represent something that I particularly wanted or needed a print of. Perhaps a key landmark from my last vacation, or a visiting relative who you photographed and promised you'd send a copy to. Whatever it is, when these shots come out poorly, you have to do whatever possible to salvage it and this is where Photoshop CS3 starts to earn its pay. For example, you open the file in Camera Raw and take advantage of a new feature that allows you to reclaim blown highlights even while increasing the exposure meter to bring in shadowed highlights. Right out of the gate, you're starting with an easy and powerful tool to fix one of the most common (and most destructive) image problems. And there is a whole laundry list of features after that... just read the lengthy product description that Amazon has posted from Adobe. Compare this feature set to Elements or any other program and you'll realize that the others simply can't compete.

Quite simply, if you are serious about editing and printing top-notch photos, then you need to use Photoshop CS3. If you don't, you're spending more time than you should be and leaving unfulfilled potential in your images. If you are a casual or occasional shooter, than you should probably stick with the less extensive products like Elements. It's cheaper, at least somewhat easier to use, and capable of generating quality work. Just remember that the photos that you most need to improve are the very ones where Elements may fail you. When you're really desperate to save a photo that you failed to capture well in-camera, that's when you need all the tricks and tools that only Photoshop has to offer.

Finally, for those who can't get past the hefty price, here is a little tip. If you buy an older versi

Great book for semi-users. It personally disappointed me a little, as it was a good basic book. This book is terrific for mid-level photoshop junkies who want to go beyond the automatic fixes. Well written, great photos etc.