Great book that gets right to the action

I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master of a few, and simply don't have enough time to learn all my apps in-depth. I usually have a project, and have to dive into an application to the point I can get my work done, then move on. This book has been magic for me. Example - I learned how to create chrome text, so it was easy to create other chrome objects for our company web site. Same with other metal effects. Our site looks fantastic! It let me get on with my project, even though I didn't completely understand why some of the effects did what they did. But, then I put some effort in those areas, and nailed it.

Everyone thinks I'm a Photoshop guru (I'm not). But it fast-forwarded me to the point I could get my projects done. Some day I'll read one of those 1200 page monsters - right after I master Flash, Visual Studio, C#, Python, SQL Server, Illustrator and InDesign. That's after I finish installing our new Linux server and write our new MRP package.

It's NOT a tutorial - it's a cookbook. Rather than teaching you everything Photoshop can do, you flip through the book and find something that "WOWs" you. Follow the steps and it's on your screen. Cool. Very very cool.

If you are busy and need something that helps you get your work done, get this. It jumpstarted me.

Great for all levels of Photoshop Users

This book as well as the other "Down & Dirty Tricks" books have been an absolute asset. I could not recommend them more to a Photoshop user, whether it's for print design (which is what I do), digital photography, or web design. The reason why I praise this book so much is because of the ease of use. The tips are step-by-step and easy to understand. Mr. Kelby does not fall into speaking a language that only professionals understand, and for that this book is a great tutor. While it can be compared to learning how to play music without actually knowing how to read musical notes, the information is definitely invaluable.

The Camel's Back is Broken....

I'm very disappointed. This will be the last Photoshop book I ever buy. The only good tutorials in the book are: the Grunge Tutorial, and the 2 that Felix Nelson did, which were the Neon Text and Reverse Restoration. The rest is just stealing other people's ideas and brand identity. And that's just pointless, is it not? And the cheap "stolen-knockoffs" that Kelby creates look terrible, hence cheap stolen-knockoffs :)

My suggestion is that if you're a beginner that has never heard of Kelby, go ahead and indulge. But if you have read 1 of his other books don't get this. However, if you go against my advice and do buy it and like it, chances are you still think unadulterated Bevel & Emboss and soft-vignettes are cool. Lastly, if you're like me, just go to the bookstore and glance through it, because that's all its worth.

I've had it with this bloated bunch of copycat-cookbook-knockoff-crap. Truth be told, I didn't want to say crap. I wanted to use a stronger word with same number of letters.