Review by Anne Darling

Want to learn how to use adobe Photoshop in a single day? Is it really possible or an extravagant claim by the author? If Photoshop were that simple it probably wouldn't be worth buying! But what the author of this book is really trying to say is that you can grasp Photoshop basics and progress rapidly to intermediate and advanced techniques in a relatively short space of time. This exceptional e-book gently leads you through first principles to advanced methods - and fast!

The author, Duncan Wherrett, does this through by using very clear and precise instructions. He takes you from square one, step-by-step, in a jargon-free way, through all the tools and techniques needed to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop - and produce good results. The tutorial-style of writing is in small sections and practical topics and it is packed with illustrations. You never feel overwhelmed with too much information.

The book is 560 pages long - whopping! They are A4 pages so it's easy to print it out but you might be better to just leave it running in the background so you can refer to it as you work in Photoshop without taking up desk space. And you save on ink. The contents pages all have hyperlinks to each topic. There is also a full index, and although it is not hyperlinked it is very easy to find exactly what you want from the page numbers.

Here's a sample of some of the Photoshop techniques you can learn about:

• colour spaces
• photomerge
• colour fringing
• curves and levels
• improving highlights
• lens correction
• sharpening
• working with RAW files
• dealing with colour shift
• sepia and toning
• retouching
• dust and scratches
• cloning
• replacing colours
• masks
• solarizing
• hue and saturation
• blur, smudge, dodge and burn
• watermarking
• animations
• filters
• droplets
• resizing
• vignetting
• correct an image's colour
• master all the tools in the toolbox
• cut out parts of an image and add them to another photograph
• add text to an image
• rescue photographs by restoring 'lost' detail
• combine images into panoramas
• process RAW images

The book is designed like a course which gradually builds on what you read before if you follow it squentially. But I also found that I could dip in and out and easily look up specific topics such as motion blur or layers without feeling awash with information. Any words that need explaining are dealt with on the page, there is no glossary and no need for one. I think this is a big plus and one of the main reasons why the e-book works so well. Another big plus is the fact that the 214 photographs used in the e-book are available for your use by downloading from the author's website. Just use the link on the second page of the book.

The early stages of Photoshop in a Day contain Photoshop tutorials for beginners but the book is aimed particularly at people with some experience who will find many useful tips and tricks before moving on to the intermediate and advanced levels in a gradual progressive way.

I've bought other books on how to use Adobe Photoshop in the past and been wowed by the amazing pictures but often found that the instructions weren't that clear and I couldn't achieve exactly what the lesson was trying to teach me. This book is different and I think everyone, no matter what level, will make rapid progress due to the author's ability to create and communicate a quick-learning style.

There are sample pages available for download and a video which you can watch if you want to get a good idea of the style of the full manual. Plus if you are not completely satisfied with the product in any way, the author offers a full refund.

If you are serious about wanting to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop, this e-book will not disappoint you. To find out more about Wherrett's Photoshop guide including an extensive list of the techniques covered, click here.

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