Title: Photoshop 7: Tips & Techniques
Author: Wendy Willard
Publisher: Osborne McGraw-Hill http://www.osborne.com
Publication Date: June 2002
Pages: 496
ISBN: 0-07-222446-0
Price: $39.99

Photoshop 7: Tips & Techniques by Wendy Willard is designed to be both a reference manual and a learning tool. Information and step-by-step tips are wirtten in everyday terms, and the topics covered feature complete cross-referencing to related techniques. It's a cohesive, easy-to-understand guide for getting the most out of the latest version of Photoshop. And it's appropriate for both PC and Macintosh users.

Inside you'll find information on the following:

• Precise, proven techniques--professional-level advice from industry experts;
• Chapter-by-chapter subject indexes--make critical information easier to access;
• Focused information--straightforward explanations for experienced programmers;
• "Try-It" icons--each tip includes instructions for immediate implementation;
• Must-have information--quick and concise solutions that work.

Photoshop 7: Tips & Technquies consists of an Introduction and 12 chapters divided into three distinct parts: preparing for web design, design and production, and integration and testing. There is also a 16-page color insert. Although the book's chapters build on the information presented in preceding chapters, it is structured so that you can turn to any tip and find the information you need. To help you quickly locate the information you need, the start of each chapter provides a list of the specific tips included in that chapter. As you scan through the book's pagpes, you will see Try It icons which highlight specif steps within each tip that you can perform immedately to accomplish a task.

Introduction: The book begins with a special Introduction which includes an overview of the book.

Part I helps you prepare for the typical design development process by first explaining the ways to customize Photoshop according to your workflow.

• Chapter 1: Customizing Photoshop for Web Design--Discusses customizing the program specifically for web designers.
• Chapter 2: Customizing Photoshop for Print Design--Deals with the same ideas, but as they relate to print designers.
• Chapter 3: Getting Content into Photoshop--Focuses on ways to bring content into Photoshop, whether you're working from a digital camera, scanner, or other digital files. The chapter is applicable to both web and print designers.
• Chapter 4: Using Photoshop as a Web Page Layout Tool--Addresses proper ways to use Photoshop as a web page layout tool, from screen area to page size and structure, as well as web color issues.

Part II moves on from preparing to actually designing in Photoshop by covering the nuts and bolts of the product in four important categories. Plus it has a chapter on creative effects.

• Chapter 5: Using Selections and Masks--Shows you how to work with selections and masks.
• Chapter 6: Using Layers--Deals with using layers in Photoshop.
• Chapter 7: Using Text--Discusses how to use the Type tools and their associated palettes for web and print design.
• Chapter 8: Drawing and Painting--Identifies each of the painting and image editing tools in Photoshop, as well as the tools used to draw shapes. It also looks at the palettes involved, specifically the new Brushes and Tool Presets palettes.
• Chapter 9: Using Favorite Creative Effects--This chapter is a coloring chapter and shows you how to use filters in Photoshop.

Part III is included because few designs end in Photoshop. At some point you typically want to save your designs to use them on the WEb, or perhaps print them. For either case, tips and techniques for producing both web and print garpahics arae included in this section of the book.

• Chapter 10: Slicing and Optimizing Web Graphics--Covers slicing and optimizing web graphics.
• Chapter 11: Animated, Interactive, and Data-Driven Graphics--Focuses on the more interactive type of web graphics such as rollovers and animation.
• Chapter 12: Optimizing Pring Graphics--Introduces you to techniques on optimizing graphics for output.

For running Photoshop 7, you need:

PC:

• Intel Pentium class III or 4 processor;
• Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 98 Special Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 2000 (service pack 2), Windows NT 4.0 (service pack 6a), Windows XP;
• 128 MB of RAM (192 MB recommended);
• 280 MB of available hard disk space;
• Color monitor with 16-bit color video card or higher;
• 800x600 or greater monitor resolution;
• CD-ROM drive.

Mac:

• Power PC processor;
• Mac OS software version 9.1, 9.2 or Mac OS X version 10.1.3;
• 128 MB of RAM (192 MB recommended);
• 320 MB of available hard disk space;
• Color monitor with 16-bit color video card or higher;
• 800x600 or greater monitor resolution;
• CD-ROM drive.