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I own CS.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good book regarding said software?

I've seen a lot of 'em but, to tell you the truth, the ones I've seen weren't all that "user friendly".

Thanks.

Hello,

What do you want to do with Photoshop?
This book is quite good for what it is, but the target audience is photographers, so there's not much emphasis on text features and other tricks.

The Photoshop Bible is a hefty beast that will cover all the bases, but it's more of a reference than a how-to.

Then there are thousands of "Killer Tricks" type of books, if you're into that kind of thing.

Also, the internet is just about full with Photoshop tutorials of varying quality.

Have Fun!

Superking wrote:Hello,

What do you want to do with Photoshop?
This book is quite good for what it is, but the target audience is photographers, so there's not much emphasis on text features and other tricks.

The Photoshop Bible is a hefty beast that will cover all the bases, but it's more of a reference than a how-to.

Then there are thousands of "Killer Tricks" type of books, if you're into that kind of thing.

Also, the internet is just about full with Photoshop tutorials of varying quality.

Have Fun!

How about for making flyers (or band posters) and the like?

Thanks!

full point wrote:
How about for making flyers (or band posters) and the like?

Thanks!

Quark, InDesign and Illustrator are all better than Photoshop for layout purposes, if you can get your hands on one of them. Photoshop's type and layout features are fine when designing for the web, but it's really not intended as a page layout program for print. However, it *can* do the job if it's all you have access to.

Photoshop is the worst.

There is no sense in using it to make posters because your files will be 700M and take forever to print.

You should use scissors, tape, and a photocopier, or Art Chantry.

If that is too complicated, it might be better to learn how to use a layout program like Quark or InDesign.

But those programs are also the worst. I suppose they are better than Photoshop, which means they can't be the worst.

Here is a list of software that I hate:

Photoshop
Quark
InDesign
Illustrator
Acrobat Pro
AutoCad
Vectorworks
Artlantis
Form Z
Dreamweaver
Flash
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Power Point
Microsoft Excel
ACDSee
Maya
Quicktime Pro
Sketch Up

I would avoid those if I were you. The only things worse than those are software updates. I would suggest never changing your operating system or updating your software. Otherwise, I would suggest treating every file you make like it is trash. Do not value it in any way. If you believe that, then you can be happy updating your software to make completely new trash.

The best way to learn how to use software is to click on every tool (and everything in the menu bar) and try it. Also hit every key on the keyboard. Hold down Apple or control and shift or option while hitting every key on the keyboard. That will do a bunch of things. After you do that it will be easier to try and do what you want. If you start out trying to do what you want without understanding the crazy logic behind the crazy people who designed the software, it will be frustrating.

I like TextEdit, V.1.4 quite a lot.

I hate Quark too, but unfortunately it still does stuff that no other program does.

At least it's more stable now than it formerly was.

Cough.

I think the latest versions of Photoshop will be just fine for creating flyers/posters. If you were designing a book or a brochure or a magazine, a true page layout program would certainly be the way to go. But for a single page document, PS seems a lot easier to get a handle on than, say, Quark.

You will create a PSD file with your layers seperated (text/photos/etc.), which will be your working copy, which you will save as is -- with layers. When it's time to print out copies, you will choose Layer --> Flatten, and save this as a RGB JPEG file. It will be fine. I suggest working at a resolution of 300dpi.

Why compress the hell out of it using JPEG? For printing, you most certainly want to use a TIFF file format...ALWAYS. In print you don't need to worry about file size so much.

Photoshop is good for what it does, but it has it's limitations. You can get by with it in a situation like this, but Illustrator rules for small amounts of type, logos, color gradients, etc. If you can find a copy of Illustrator CS2 (let me know if you can't) that is more what you will want to use. Between the two, you don't even need InDesign or Quark for layout, unless you are dealing with large bodies of text. I hear rumblings of style-sheets for CS3!!!

...and please, DON'T save it as RGB color...CMYK only. You are PRINTING, not viewing this on a computer screen. You will only piss off your Printer if you take advice from a non-Printer.

As for a book....I don't think you can go wrong with the .Visual Quickstart books. Every class I have ever taken has used this series for reference. They tell you everything you need to know about the app. It's not a "tricks and tips" book, but those don't really teach you how to use the system anyway. It is a reference guide.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me

...and please, DON'T save it as RGB color...CMYK only. You are PRINTING, not viewing this on a computer screen. You will only piss off your Printer if you take advice from a non-Printer.

Yes, yes. Of course. Pay close attention to your color profiles, color-space, etc. Run all the usual pre-flight routines, create a soft-proof. Sit down with your printer over a bottle of port and make sure everything is just so.

Or, if you're just going to take the file into Kinko's to get 100 color copies made, you can probably skate by with an RGB JPEG. Which is what I thought you were going for. If you're going to do actual, professional printing, by all means disregard everything I've said.

Carry on.

Superking wrote:

...and please, DON'T save it as RGB color...CMYK only. You are PRINTING, not viewing this on a computer screen. You will only piss off your Printer if you take advice from a non-Printer.

Yes, yes. Of course. Pay close attention to your color profiles, color-space, etc. Run all the usual pre-flight routines, create a soft-proof. Sit down with your printer over a bottle of port and make sure everything is just so.

Or, if you're just going to take the file into Kinko's to get 100 color copies made, you can probably skate by with an RGB JPEG. Which is what I thought you were going for. If you're going to do actual, professional printing, by all means disregard everything I've said.

Carry on.

Probably came off like an ass...I just didn't want mis-information going out.