Photoshop CC Essentials for Photographers: Chelsea & Tony Northrup's Video Book

I was thrilled that the book was delivered early. I love Tony Northrop books. My issue is it was left on the sidewalk at my mailbox. We live inside city limits and it could easily have been stolen. There was no picture of delivery. My house has a large porch and I prefer packages left there. Thank you

I'll update the stars up or down as I go through the book. However, I'm on page 5 and already issues/confusion. I love Tony and Chelsea, watch a lot of the videos, and have three of their books.Page 5 goes into editing from LR to PS. I just happened to select a JPEG, which now I know shows a different option than in the book (which must of been a RAW file). But it took me some head pounding google searching to figure out why I was presented with three options (e.g. edit original) vs. what the book showed. Which brings up another good point. I was hoping/expecting more step by step to go hand in hand with the book, the videos, and the samples from the downloads. i.e. like the SDP book, you read, and then you follow a link/bar code to a video. And further, it would be nice if the book/video said to open file xyz in chapter 123.Which brings up another issue. The videos are clumped together and "not" labelled by chapter. And the labeling is not consistent with the book. While some videos, like "adjustment layers," follow the book, other like "healing, cloning and patching," do not. I'm stuck trying to figure out what chapter to read, what video(s) to watch, and what files to open. It's VERY confusing.While not a perfect solution, this is an easy fix "if" the videos online were relabeled to more closely follow the book. i.e. Chapter 1 Quick start, Chapter 1 Tools, Chapter 2 adjustment layers, etc for both the book and the videos. There are videos that don't line up with the book, or they may, but you can't tell by how they are named--one is left guessing in most cases.Update 1: 5 minutes later and onto next issue, on page 9. Book says to use photography workspace--check, I am. Then it says, without saying where, to use the Adjustments panel. Well, it's not there. after pounding my head some more, you have to select "Window" from top of screen, and then select Adjustments. Man, this is tough!Update 2: I figure I'd try a different approach and start next with videos versus the book. I click on tools, which I think/guess is the first video to watch. And while I could use any picture to follow along, I look, but can't find a picture of that bird in the first 4 chapters. Maybe it's in later chapters, but to my point, there's no flow to the book, videos are sample pics.Update 3: Watching the tools video. At one point it goes over red eye tool. I'm looking and looking and it's not there. I check workspace and photography is selected. After some head banging, I figure out to customize the toolbar and add it. However, for a new install, and having selected the photography workspace, I would think I'd have a similar screen/toolbar to that of the video.

The book is ok but the real value is having access to all the videos. Tony is fantastic. You will not find an author who works harder on their craft. Look at his videos especially reviews on YT. He doesn't post his "feelings" he does the hard work of actual experimentation. Buy this book and you WILL BE A BETTER PHOTOGRAGHER

I have all of Tony's and Chelsea's books and haven't gone wrong with any of them. Their books are concise, easy to read and have the information outlined in a logical manner. I purchase the Kindle books because of the videos, they do upgrade the subject matter over time and they have done a fantastic job of editing them for the Kindle. The Photoshop book is full of graphics with concise clear explanation of the inner workings of Photoshop. Don't miss this one.

Love the ability to move back and forth between the text of the book and the many hours of videos. Within just a couple of hours I felt more comfortable with PS, which has a very steep learning curve, and was correctly using some very powerful PS tools.

Just follow along and at the end you will know how to use Photoshop. The pace is good for quick or slow learners (me) and the information is accurate. I used it in Kindle, put tutorial on one side of screen (actually a second monitor) and opened Photoshop on the other, easy to pause the videos or scroll the text. All of the Northrup material is very good, Youtube, etc.

The book and the associated videos (hours of them) are clearly presented, to the point, and useful information for photographers using Photoshop. Tony and Chelsea are accomplished professional photographers and post-productionists, and their comfort with the materials of the craft runs through their writing and presentations.

I can see why some people find this book confusing to follow. The topics appear to be compartmentalized which may be good for some who are fast learners and those who wish to learn what they need and not much else. However, for those with little to no prior familiarity with Photoshop will find this difficult to follow along. Particularly if you need a comprehensive learning experience where the lessons build upon the other. The videos are no help in this regard as they are not structured to follow closely the lessons in the book. I had to exert more effort and mental gymnastics to make the most of this book and accompanying materials. At times, I had to consult some friends with more knowledge and experience. When I showed them this book and the topics I struggled with they say that Tony's presentation is too advanced for absolute beginners. Perhaps a revised approach from simple to complex will help.

I've purchased the Kindle version of all their books (I use the Kindle app on my iPad which I find to be best). Anyway, I can't recommend them highly enough. I'd advise you to watch a few of the on-line videos they've posted, which I think are truly fabulous. You'll then get a feel for their approach and in a way this makes reading the books seem a more personal thing. They have such a great style of presenting and teaching. Watching the videos and reading the books is a real pleasure as well as being a genuinely informative experience. The basics are presented in a fresh and lively style and there is no hint of patronisation. These guys clearly love their subject and their work and their enthusiasm and desire to help really shines through. They deserve all the success they get.

A quality book containing 295 pages, printed in full colour on quality glossy paper. In addition , you get access to ten hours of training videos which support each chapter. The videos range from short 5 minute how-to's to detailed training modules of around 30 minutes. The book begins with a Quick Start chapter that introduces Photoshop, explains the different ways to obtain the program and the various tools and concepts employed in the software. Tony also mentions how he uses both Photoshop and Lightroom to carry out various workflow tasks.What then follows are 20 chapters that cover all the powerful features of Photoshop, supported with clear explanations and well illustrated examples.If you've ever watched Chelsea and Tony's Youtube videos or seen their weekly Youtube show, you already know what an engaging, talented, generous and funny pair they are.If this book was double the price, it would still be a steal !

Great product, well written, informative and well presented. I am a big fan of this book & video format, Chelsea and Tony Northrup put a lot of time, effort and take personal pride in what they do. Highly recommended if you are beginning your photographic journey like me or you are more advanced.

Love these guys. Bought the 'Take stunning pictures' book a few years back and really enjoyed it. Photography seems to be made unnecessarily complicated at times, and Tony Northrup gets around this nicely in that book. The same style is present here in this Photoshop book. He is refreshingly honest about the software, telling you that some parts are useless when other learning material attempts to get you to learn them anyway. The ability to download the sample photos and follow along is great, and each chapter is backed up by a video so you can choose the learning style (read or watch). I've picked up a fair amount of learning resources in my so far limited attempts to get my head around Photoshop, and this is by far the best I've found of the ones I've tried.

I tried with so many books and videos to grasp basics in Photoshop I really have up as what I read or saw did not work I have a Mac but it is slow on making adjustments so when you click it's takes about a second or two to apply leading me to think I was doing something wrong tiny explains about ram etc and now I can do things in Photoshop for 1st time don't buy other books this is all you will need it's a great book I have the Kindle version which is better as you can read and then press the link to the video 10 stars not 5