Hi gang—Scott here. Brad’s on vacation until the first of year, so I’m covering with a Pimpy Thursday of my own, and I wanted to run this short video from Matt about his just released Photoshop Layers book.
Before you watch the video, you should know;
(1) We produced this book in-house at Kelby Training
(2) Yes, Matt’s a very good friend of mine, and we co-host DTown-TV together
(3) That all being said, his book absolutely kicks butt, and if you want to get better at Photoshop, getting this book will make a big difference.
(4) Yes, it’s that good! (and I’m not just saying that because of #1 and #2)
Watch Matt’s video below because he explains it better than I ever could. If you want to pick it as a Christmas gift for a friend or family member, it’s in stock right now at Barnes & Noble.com, or Amazon.com, or Kelby Training, and Borders.com. You will love it!
Three words…..Get this book! I was lost in Photoshop past doing some basic retouching. Matt’s book is very clear and consise and quickly brings a person up to speed on all the possibilities of working with layers. So happy I got it…just wish I had ordered it AFTER I became a NAPP member! I could have had it autographed! :D Maybe the next book that he writes………..
–John
I thought his name was Mark (from the live webinar). I can’t get that mistake someone made that day out of my head! Im getting Mark’s book, it’s got to be good! :)
Mark I or II? Sorry, lame joke! :-)
No! I love it (it took me a min to figure out) :)
Is the version totally dedicated to CS5? When or if I order, do you charge extra for the autographs!?
Hey Pat,
It’s written for CS5. Probably 90% of the book works fine for CS4 though. And if you order from KelbyTraining.com I’ll sign for free :)
Thanks
– Matt K
Thanks Matt. Sounds like just what I’m looking for!
Matt, got my autographed book today in the mail. Thanks again!
Does this book apply to Photoshop Elements 9? PSE9 has layers as well layer masks.
Dennis. Not really. 50-60% of the book probably works just fine, but the other 40% can get really confusing since they don’t all have the same tools.
Thanks.
– Matt K
is it better than your CS5 for Digital Photographers book?
Hi Ben:
It’s different: It’s an entire book just focused on Layers, and it’s not just for photographers. My CS5 Book for Digital Photographers uses Layers quite a bit, but it doesn’t teach you Layers: it teaches Photographer’s how to process their images.
Hope that helps.
-Scott
A very diplomatic answer :p
Well as I’m primarily a photographer, it is your book that currently sits on my Christmas list, but if that whets my appetite for some more layery action, I’ll have to go ahead and get both :-)
Hi Scott,
I’ve already ordered Matt’s 2nd book from Kelby Training. However, after ordering, I saw the NAPP newsletter about free shipping. Oh well, better luck next time. Anyway, I re-visited Matt’s first book after I placed the order. That and the video this morning makes me really anticipate this book too.
Thanks for alll you guys do to teach us
Mike
If it’s anything like the first edition, it’ll rock! The first one was brilliant and taught me so much, thanks Matt!
Is it worth getting the second edition just for the extra chapter?
Hey Richard,
Honestly, probably not. I added the chapter because I know some people who bought the first would just automatically buy the 2nd edition and I wanted to make sure they had something new. But I wrote the book to bring it up to speed for CS5 and newcomers to Photoshop since the 1st edition was written.
Thanks.
– Matt K
Really looking forward to this book. Was disappointed to see that the “print version” is discounted at Barnes and Noble, but the “digital” version was not. I try to buy only digital now.
It is ironic isn’t it? The digital version cost a whole lot less to produce.
I will gift this to myself for Christmas ;) right before I try the free month of CS5. Happy Holidays boyz!
I’ll be reading this book over the holiday break. I didn’t get to the first edition but now I am glad I waited. Great work Matt!
Thanks man! :)
I noticed this book at the bookstore yesterday, before seeing this post; thumbed through it and thought it looked great. I learned some Photoshop last year in a “Digital Photography & Photoshop” class, but even though I could do the assignments and tweak some tools, I didn’t understand what I was doing. It seemed to me that “Layers” really laid out the foundations. An early section said ~If you already know and love layers, skip ahead. If you don’t know what the big deal with layers is, this will explain.~
If one bought Matt’s previous book on layers for CS4, is it worth the money to buy this new book?
David,
See the reply to Richard above.
Thanks :)
Matt,
How about you create a series of different books over time, with Layers as the first in the series. Then maybe the next book be all about Blend Modes, the one after all about Color Correction, Compositing, then and keep on going to hit up a specific book in this style on a major feature in Photoshop. I think they will all be a big hit
I have his first Layers Book, is this new edition a must?
Hey Scott.
When do you write a new book? Im still waiting for “How to get rich with photography”. Just saying.