<—– Click the book to buy it, don’t even read my review… seriously, you are wasting time you could be spending reading “Layers”…
I have been using Photoshop since the days of Adobe Photoshop 5.0, roughly 11 years. The bulk of my Photoshop experience has been self taught with some influence from online tutorials and a simple crash course in Digital Printmaking in College. Many of my photo manipulations consist of 65+ layers prior to flattening and printing, I know layer control. In fact, I thought I knew it all and to many I have been a valuable subject matter expert. However, everyday in Photoshop CS 5 I have learned more, no matter how long I have been at it, it is a complex beast to tame. With the help of “Layers: 2nd Edition” the sharp beasts teeth are looking duller, the intimidating drool is appearing cute, and the ragged facade it carries is looking more friendly.
“Layers: 2nd Edition” succeeds in many ways. The lessons transition well, starting you off with the basics and then applying the basic tasks to more challenging applications. In many cases, these challenging applications are practical and can be used in everything from your everyday photo retouching to designing with type. Matt makes sure to point out important keyboard shortcuts. For many years I have been right clicking on my layers to duplicate them taking 2 to 3 seconds to duplicate the layer when ctrl+J is all it takes (cmd+J on a Mac). I have also familiarized myself very well with Layer Opacity Blending Modes, but now, thanks to Matt and “Layers: 2nd Edition” I know how those blend modes work and what happens to the colors in my layers when I use them.
There are a plethora of reasons to purchase this book, even if you have 11 years of experience, you can always learn more. The greatest thing about it, you do not have to be wealthy to receive the wealth of knowledge contained in Matt Kloskowski’s “Layers: 2nd Edition”. Take it from me and do you and your photography a favor. Save yourself the $50-$350 per credit at your local community college or University and give “Layers: 2nd Edition” a chance. I know for a fact the user’s on my blog will benefit from my, NOW, more knowledgeable tutorials.
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
