What is the best book to learn Photoshop CS6?

[jwbryson1]

I would like to buy a book that teaches PS CS6 starting with the BASICS and moving up from there. What I don't want is an "updated" book that **assumes** knowledge of older versions of the software. I find those unhelpful because I'm building my knowledge from the ground up. I don't want to start at the higher branches and go up from there. I want to start at ground level, or at least with some more basic fundamentals first.

I understand there are a lot of really good, helpful videos for free on Youtube, but I find that a lot of them suffer from the same issue I see above (assuming too much knowledge) or the person in the video will either (1) move too quickly or (2) you can't see the cursor well enough to tell what they are doing.

Suggestions?

I've seen the books by Scott Kelby, Martin Evening, etc. on Amazon, but I thought I'd ask here for other suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Mully]

Check out this site ....I bought this series for my son and it is very worth the $20 and all the PDF's are done very well.....also look into Scott Kelby he has published a number of good books

 

[KmH]

There is no one best book. It requires several good books. It's not as complex as tax law, but it is complex.

Each CS 6 tool, function, and feature has a set of basics, so you essentially have to start at several different points at the same time.

I suspect what you are really wanting is a book that covers the basics of image editing, but again there are a multitude of basics. Editing done for portraiture is different than the editing done for landscapes. Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It: Learn Step by Step How to Go from Empty Studio to Finished Image (Voices That Matter)
Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter)

As far as describing the details of each CS 6 feature, function, tool, I recommend Martin Evening's comprehensive book - Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC

Scott Kelby's book is a collection of tutorials and skips a lot of the tool, feature, function details - The Adobe Photoshop CS6 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature (2nd Edition)
THE ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LAYERS BOOK
The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

 

[jwbryson1]

I suspect what you are really wanting is a book that covers the basics of image editing...

I think this is correct. I have used my copy of CS6 maybe 2 or 3 times and just for very basic functions because the learning curve is so steep. I really have no idea what I'm doing but I do want to learn to edit images and make my work better.

Thanks for the post!

 

[Mully]

Just saw that the link I wanted to post for you did not take ....here it is Photoshop Tutorials | Photoshop Essentials

 

[jwbryson1]

Just saw that the link I wanted to post for you did not take ....here it is Photoshop Tutorials | Photoshop Essentials

Cool. Thanks. When I bought CS6, it came with a package of materials to learn how to use it, but the materials never worked, so I've been Youtubing various edits and trying to learn that way. I just ordered the book from Martin Evening Keith mentions above, but I'll also be checking out this website.

 

[KmH]

Cool. Thanks. When I bought CS6, it came with a package of materials to learn how to use it, but the materials never worked,

:scratchhead: Huh?

Open CS 6. Press the keyboard F1 key.