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In a way, the whole book is a crash course--plenty of full-color screen shots accompanied by short but insightful explanations and step-by-step instructions that take you from opening screen to finished image quickly. Tips and cautions pop up frequently, and the pithy, concise text says a lot without taking up much space. For example, the author clearly and speedily explains why applying the sharpen filter to a blurry image won't make much of a visual change. And in just five pages, the section on image masks touches on RGB and alpha channels, the high pass filter, the magic wand and the lasso tools, and many keyboard shortcuts, as well as showing you a decent composited image. The discussions in the book are like recipes: you may not know why you should use baking soda rather than baking powder, but you'll eat a satisfying dish in the end.
The author writes, "I'm assuming if the image looks good to you, using your eyes as your guide, then it's okay for your Web site." Prospective buyers can check out the book's example images, as well as download a few of the .psd files, at her site (www.flatfishfactory.com). This would be a good way to gauge your level of experience against what's covered.
With its detailed index, art-book shape, and lie-flat spine, the book is handy for finding quick fixes or creative ways to experiment with digital photos. One note: Macintosh users are favored since all the screen shots were made using that version of Photoshop, but all instructions are cross-platform. --Angelynn Grant
