With the release of Photoshop 7, which does run on X, I now have two applications on my NLE Mac and no longer need to run to my OS 9 Mac to do my Photoshop work. With each upgrade of Photoshop new features are added. Photoshop 6 had a large number of new features. Photoshop 7 is not simply an OS upgrade but has additional new and powerful features as well.

I always check out the new features with each PS upgrade. There have been so many changes in PS over the past few years that I realized that it might be a good time to take a PS refresher course. Time to read a good PS book.

Enter 'Photoshop 7 - Savvy', written by Steve Romaniello. Aside from being a complete beginners PS book, all of Photoshop 7 new features are called out in the margin of the pages. It is easy to find and learn about what is new in PS. This book is an excellent tutorial for beginners. It is well organized and moves you through PS from the basic to the advanced. The book is wonderfully illustrated with some of the best art work I have ever seen in a 'teck' book. As each feature or tool is discussed there are accompanying screen shots of the PS dialog boxes and tool options. As features and tools are demonstrated, photographs show the resulting effects. In addition, there are many illustrations and full color art throughout that support the lessons being taught. You really must check out the sample chapter at the end of this review.

For someone just starting, Photoshop can be a huge and daunting application. Steve Romaniello addresses this issue with well written histories and explanations about Photography, Resolution, Sizing, Color Theory, Photo Retouching, Vector and Bitmap art, Alpha channels, Masks, etc. Each of these briefs precedes the section to which they are applicable. Well written and interesting, this information makes PS understandable to the beginner.

At 656 pages this book is loaded with information. Not only are all the features, processes and tools explained and demonstrated, but all the attending options are covered as well. Everything in PS 7 is covered. All of the art that is used in the book's tutorials is contained on a CD that ships with the book. You can do the exercises with the supplied images in PS as you work through the book.

Most 'tech' books that are written about complex applications like Photoshop are either 'beginner' or 'advanced'. This book does a great job working at both levels. It is neither too simplistic for the advanced PS user, who wants to learn about the new features, nor, is it too advanced for the beginner. At the end of the book is a complete section on 'ImageReady', a separate application that ships with PS for preparing art for the web. Hey, it even has a short section on Photoshop and DV, the differences between the square pixels of PS and the rectangular Pixels of video, Aspect ratios and preparing art in PS for use in FCP (NLEs).

Enjoy,

--ken