Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 - Maximum Performance - Unleash the hidden performance of Elements

If you already have basic knowledge of Photoshop and/or PS Elements, this book is definitely for you if you want to learn more advanced editing techniques. Photoshop Elements 9 contains some very good tools that are found in CS5. Adobe has arguably created the best version of Photoshop Elements to date with the release of 9.

Mark Galer's book covers everything from using Adobe Camera RAW, basic retouching, black & white, sharpening, replacing skies, creating adjustments using curves, tonal mapping, plus so much more.

If you like HDR(high dynamic range) images, you will enjoy the tonal mapping chapter. Mark shows you how to give your photographs the HDR treatment. I practiced with some of my photographs and I really liked the results. However, I would still use HDR specific software such as Photomatix Pro.

By purchasing this excellent book, you will have access to Mark Galer's support website for the book, where you can download his free project software. On the website, you can download the photographs used in the book to follow along the projects covered in each chapter. I recommend doing this first before you start using your own photographs so you get hang of the techniques you will be learning.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to advance their knowledge of using Photoshop Elements. If you are a beginner to using Elements, I would still purchase this book as a next step from using basic books such as Elements 9 for Dummies or Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual.

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If you ask most photographers how to do something in Photoshop Elements, they will roll their eyes and tell you they use CS5. Yet Photoshop Elements 9 is a powerful, yet affordable editor which comes with just what you need. I find simple tasks, such as bringing up shadow detail, a quick adjustment in elements using a slider rather than editing the entire exposure curve in the full version of Photoshop. I'm not a big fan of "shop'ing" photos for hours on end. If my image looks flat and dull, I would rather go and re-shoot the image rather than "fixing it in photoshop."

There are times when re-shooting just is not an option. Perhaps there's an image which would have perfect, if there was just a bit more detail in the sky. Or, perhaps you need to work brochure and you just need one or two items from the original photograph to blend on a different background. This is where the book Maximum Performance comes in.

I dislike the terms "advanced" or "beginner" when it comes to software and books. The examples in the book use tools which you might not be familiar with, such as the Place command or the High Pass Filter. You will either become familiar with them or you'll need to buy an additional book which goes into the details of all the tools.

Reading through all the examples was a bit tedious, trying to follow along and figure out where all the options were located in the editor. I downloaded all the video tutorials and examples which had me speeding through the material. The author provides raw files, psd files, and an application to open and follow along with either video or images. You have the choice to explore the book or follow along on the actual software and original files.

Not only did I pick up on the material, but it was great to look over the shoulder of a Photoshop expert to see the work flow. He does things which I never thought of - such as adding an adjustment layer rather than working on the originals. The author unleashed the power of the editor through the use of layer masks, gradient maps, and blending. For example, when I use a sharpening filter I would apply it to the entire image. The video examples demonstrate how to use a layer mask on top of an adjustment layer to paint on the sharpening to selected areas, then pull back using the opacity.

The topic of Photoshop Magic was full explored as well. In one example, a truck was photographed on a dirt road, then copy/pasted onto a river dock. Any beginner can paste one object onto another, but it takes talent to make it look real i.e. not "shop'ed." What would have taken me an hour with a magic lasso the author did with a selection brush, feather, and reduce. He then focused on the small details, such as color temperature. Before I read this book I never had a use for gradients. Now I can't live without them.

The book and the videos will serve as a "cookbook" of techniques to help me out of a jam when I've got a problem image. If I need to do some advanced sharpening or image toning, I can just pull up the video or flip through the chapter to remind me of some techniques which can be used.

I've got a dozen Photoshop books but this is the first one I've read cover to cover.