The basics

viii ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 5.0 FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
When Photoshop Elements came out it was assumed by many that, because it was so inexpensive,
it would be the sort of program that you could master in a couple of hours – it certainly wouldn’t
require a huge learning curve and probably, let’s face it, a chunky manual to get to grips with it, as
its professional sibling, Photoshop, does. But how wrong we were. Budget certainly doesn’t mean
basic in this case, and Adobe has packed so much into Photoshop’s little brother that you really do
need an expert guide to get the best out of it, to lead you through all those nooks and crannies and
show you all the cool tricks that are not obvious to the casual user.
But who to choose to be that guide? Well for me there’s only one person, and luckily for you it’s
the one whose name is on the cover of this book. Philip Andrews is an enigma. As editor of the
UK’s leading digital photography magazine I require two main qualities from my contributors:
they have to be real experts who possess a truly in-depth knowledge of their subject, and they
have to be able to communicate that knowledge in simple layman’s terms that anyone can
understand. (They also have to be reliable and hand their copy in on time, but that’s another
story!) Well there are plenty of experts and plenty of communicators, but you’d be amazed at
how rare it is to find someone who is both, as Philip is.
Philip Andrews knows Elements better than anyone else I know. He also writes in a friendly,
entertaining and non-academic style – despite the fact that he is a senior lecturer in
photography. He has a great understanding of the needs of the end user and his knowledge and
enthusiasm for digital imaging (and photography in general) shine from every sentence. He’s an
accomplished photographer too, so he not only talks the talk but walks the walk, and uses many
of his own excellent images to illustrate his points.
Having already covered the fundamentals of Elements in his last book Philip now moves on
to more complex themes and ideas, things which you might (wrongly) have considered a bit
ambitious for Elements. As before he puts the software into the wider context of digital imaging
in general and explains the why as well as the how. Once again there’s a great linked website
that allows you to download some of the images used in the book and try the techniques out for
yourself.
With Philip as your guide you’ll be using Elements like a pro and making great images in no
time.
Good luck.
Nigel Atherton
Editor What Digital Camera