Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature

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1. 

   Conrad J. Obregon / November 8, 2010

   Review by Conrad J. Obregon for Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature
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   No photographer can unleash the full power of Photoshop to make an image look like the photographer’s vision without understanding the power of layers. (At the very least layers allow the Photoshop user to make selective adjustments to an image, without actually changing the underlying data.) Yet many Photoshop books treat layers in bits and pieces rather than as an integrated whole so that the photographer has a hard time grasping the overall concept. That’s where a book aimed solely at layers comes in.

   Matt Kloskowski’s book deals with all the major applications of layers. The subjects include the nature of layers, blending layers, adjustment layers, layer masks, type and shape layers, enhancing and adjusting photos with layers, layer styles and smart layers. It’s all here, but in a short simple quick form. (I’m sure there are more esoteric things to learn about layers; at least one pair of authors has a book on layers that is over 750 pages long!) Most photographers will find that this book has all they need to know about the subject.

   The author’s text takes the form of tutorials. One can either download files for these tutorials or work with one’s own pictures. The tutorials are short, well illustrated and have plenty of white space. If you make a mistake at an early step you won’t have to backtrack through twenty or thirty steps to find out where you went wrong. Even if you work out each tutorial, this book will not take more than ten or twenty hours to complete, and it will teach you almost everything you need to know about the subject. Along the way, Kloskowski teaches the reader about other Photoshop tools, as when he integrates a discussion of gradients into a lesson on blend modes, or deals with selections in a tutorial on layer masks.

   The author has an easy-going, breezy, humorous style, but those put off by the style of his mentor, Scott Kelby, probably will not be offended here.

   Normally, as I go through a book, I make notes in the margin when I discover an error. I’m happy to report that I made no notes in the margin of this book.

   For experienced Photoshop users this book will contain nothing new. Perhaps they’ll have to look at the 750 page tomes. However, for the photographer who doesn’t have a firm grip on the use of layers in Photoshop, this book will help him or her to master the subject.
   

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2. 

   Toni Bennett / November 8, 2010

   Review by Toni Bennett for Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature
   Rating:
   I’m one of those Photoshop users who knows too much to want to read a book mainly for beginners, not because of ego considerations but because I would be bored and skip around. But there are also huge gaps in my haphazard Photoshop education. This book gives absolute beginners what they need without slowing down the more experienced user. It’s long enough to cover what it aims out to cover without being so long that you look at it and say, someday I’m going to go through that book but not today.

   I was attracted to this book because of who wrote it (I watch Matt’s Killer Photoshop and Lightroom tips all the time), the topic, which of course is central to knowing Photoshop, and because of the great cover. I’m a small press publisher and believe me, covers matter. Many good books languish because they don’t appeal initially to the eye. And a Photoshop book should have a good design. It’s also well-edited, a welcome plus in today’s publishing world.

   Anyway, what’s between the covers is just as delightful. I think the word I would use to best describe this book is methodical but not in a boring way. It’s comprehensive, but the way it’s laid out never overwhelms you. I know that when I go through this book a couple of times, I’m going to be flipping my way through layers like a maniac but a maniac who knows what she’s doing and knows what layers can do for her.

   And, I LOVE the last page of each chapter, the “How do I….” question and answers. It gives me one place to go to immediately find all those absolutely essential shortcuts and critical pieces of knowledge without which one wouldn’t really be able to say they had a good basic understanding of layers.

   Matt even has two companion videos on the book’s web site and you can download all the images used in the tutorials there as well.

   I may not be an expert in Photoshop (yet) but I do consider myself an expert on Photoshop books and this one is well worth the very reasonable price. Have fun playing with it; I am!

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3. 

   tachi1 / November 8, 2010

   Review by tachi1 for Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature
   Rating:
   The book clearly explaines the concept and uses of layers. (Not that the subject requires a whole book). It is well illustrated and the instructions are detailed and easy to understand.

   The problem I found is that, like most Kelby brand books, (of which there are so many and they come out so frequently you wonder if these people ever sleep) it is a rehash of material covered elsewhere. Even the illustrations and images begin to look familiar. There is nothing new here, unless you just now bought Photoshop and this is your first book (in which case, you got a good one).

   Another issue is that, since its aimed at everyone, it isn’t really aimed at anyone in particular. So, if you take pictures of the grandkids, there are a few pages here for you. If you design menus, there are a few pages here for you, if you’re a wedding photographer or scrapbook maker or you work in advertising, there are a few pages here for you, too. But if you’re any of those things, you will also find that a considerable amount of the book is completely irrelevant to you. (Interesting, but irrelevant).

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4. 

   J. Revell / November 8, 2010

   Review by J. Revell for Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature
   Rating:
   Matt does a fantastic job of demystifying layers in this well organized, well thought out book. From his explanation of what a layer is, all the way through the most complex layer techniques, Matt keeps everything simple and straightforward. I have seen him instruct in person and this book follows in the same style as his classes. Each chapter builds upon the last and moves you from the simple to the challenging while building your knowledge of each layer tool or technique.

   So here is what I really like, the chapters or lessons are chock full of follow along exercises that demonstrate the concepts being explained (you can download all of the images used to follow along). Next is the fact that Matt doesn’t delve to deeply into the math behind the tools. He just shows you that this does this and that does that. As I always say, “I don’t need to know how the engine works, just how to drive the car.”

   What I don’t like, it’s just too short. This isn’t a bad thing with the book, it’s just that I enjoyed the lessons so much that I wish there were more of them. The great thing about layers is that people are always discovering new ways to use them. I guess that leaves room for a sequel.

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5. 

   Byron Dillard / November 8, 2010

   Review by Byron Dillard for Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature
   Rating:
   This is a good book for someone just starting to learn Photoshop or someone moving from Photoshop Elements to the full Photoshop program who wants to understand layer masks. Unfortunately, there’s nothing too advanced in here. If you’ve already worked thru a book like Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System you won’t gain much new knowledge from this book. Actually, unless you want to just focus on layers, I’d recommend that you skip this book and get the 7-Point System which covers almost all the topics in Layers in more depth plus a whole lot more.

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