Hiya folks. I just recently managed to get my hands on a copy of Illustrator 10 and Photoshop 7 but am now faced with the daunting task of learning how to use them. I went down to a bookshop today but there were so many I didn't know what do choose. Does anyone have any recommendations with respect to books? I'm looking for something fairly comprehensive since I'm a complete noob with Photoshop and Illustrator. Manticore84

i dont kno how much books can help u, i found that i pretty much taught myself on PS 5.0.... i'v never really liked learnin w/ books, i think the way that would best work to lern PS7 is to buy the cheapest book they hav, then experiment w/ anything it doesnt cover.

Photoshop 7 and Illustrator 10 both come with comprehensive, well written manuals. Start with those.

smirk@JayPeG Yes, why not simply consult the manuals that came with your cds? Hmmm.....

if manuals were all people needed, Photoshop for Dummies wouldn't exist

PS also has an inbuilt guide, too. People seem to forget or not realise.

Manuals, some time and a little effort really are all you need. Other "how to" books may expidite the process a bit but they are not necessary. Much like Cliff Notes, Photoshop for Dummies exits not becase the manuals are not good, but because people are lazy.

Go to Amazon and check out any of the "WOW" books by Jack Davis and Linnea Dayton. There is a "WOW" book for Illustrator by different authors also. I'm sure you'll be all set in less than a week. And don't mind the folks that suggest you use the manuals - I've hardly used any of these for anything. The manuals are written by the folks that make the software and as such they get too technical for me.

I agree that the WOW series is good. I have them for both Photoshop and Painter. Another book I've found helpful is "Photoshop, Painter & Illustrator Side-By-Side" by Wendy Crumpler. There is a new version out covering the 7s. On the magazine front there is also an English publication called 'Computer Arts' which always has good Photoshop tutorials and tips.( Lots but less for Illustrator.) Its aimed at professionals and serious amatuers. Check out their website. Manuals are fine to a point. I personally haven't turned to other books out of lazyness. If you're prepared to tackle both Illustrator and PS 7 at the same time you'll need to be anything but lazy !

Attached Link: http://www.computerarts.co.uk/magazine/

I didn't know that Photoshop/Illustrator had an electronic manual. I'll check it out. The reason I haven't used the manual that came with the CDs is that I recently moved to the UK for university. Software manuals aren't exactly the lightest things in the world and if I were to bring them along with my leisure books(I'm an avid reader) I'd be carting probably about 50 or 60 lbs of just books. I figured it was just easier to leave them at home and buy a book here. And as slynky said, if manuals were all people needed, there wouldn't be a market for other "how to" books. Manticore PS it was nice to have the 3th reply to my question be an implicit accusation of piracy.

Well if you're in the UK as well get yourself to the WH Smith newsagent shop nearest you and check out "Computer Arts" magazine, also "Digit" is a good mag and covers all sorts of 2d and 3d stuff. I spend a lot of time travelling so have a lot of time to read !

Adobe Classroom in a Book

Adobe Illustrator 10 Classroom in a Book and Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Classroom in a Book are both pretty good books. They are also the books recommended reading for the ACE tests. Personally I think paying $150 US per test and having to be recertified every 90 days is a bit crazy. I might not be certified .. just certifiable.

For Illustrator, I suggest SAM'S TEACH YOURSELF ILLUSTRATOR IN 10 HOURS. Teaches all the basic functions. The rest is up to you. For Photoshop there's no better book than REAL WORLD PHOTOSHOP. It's kind of heavy reading and technical, but you won't find a better reference anywhere. As well, even though I've been using Photoshop for years, and am reasonably accomplished with it, I still refer to the help files and manual while working. I also find that once you understand the work flow of the programs, you find your own way of doing things, which aren't always the ways the manual recommends.

Perhaps you are not one however, most who use sly phrases like "I just recently managed to get my hands on a copy of Illustrator 10 and Photoshop 7" and yet don't have access to manuals are theives. Why not simply say I just bought Photoshop and Illustrator? "Managed to get my hands on"? Say what you will, it still sounds suspect.

The Sam's Teach Yourself books are good but only the ones that are "in a week" or more .. Those "in 24 hours" or less are only good if you want a very general idea of how the programs work.

I defend messanger # 3!

Thanks Grim ;-) The rather flimsy "I left my manuals in another county" excuse is right up there with the classic "the dog ate my homework".

I thank everyone who's replied constructively to my request for information regarding recommended reading. Thank you very much. As for the rest of you, I'm disgusted that for a simple slip of the tongue I get pounced on. I'm sorry that I'm so casual and informal is a simple web forum. Perhaps I should wrote in academic standards with footnotes just so I'm not misunderstood? Having recently spent over $400 for the education versions of the software in the adobe web design collection, I'm outraged that my very first post in the photoshop forum is met with accusations of piracy and thievery. Manticore

Manticore, I personally apologize for the accusation placed upon you by some of the members of this forum. It is not fair that you have to defend yourself "right-out-of-the-chute". When it comes to warez, some members will "pounce" because of the investment some have made and the blatant announcement some members have made regarding "using" pirated software. I won't excuse these members behavior, (infact you both have detention) but i do apologize, I'm sorry your first post to the forum met with aggression.

Thank you to everyone who shared their recommendations, but nobody mentioned MY choice, which is Photoshop Bible and the Illustrator Bible. They are rather big but cover a whole lot more than a mere manual.

Also keep in mind the "F1" key. I spent a good deal of time building "help" areas for software, so when in doubt, hit the F1 key!!!

NOW everyone play nice!! (jeeeez... can't even leave for a day...)

:)
retrocity

Sorry to get off topic BUT you mentioned the F1 key (or Help - Photoshop Help). Mine stopped working. Not sure when it stopped (maybe from overuse). All the help files are there. The path didn't change. I'm getting tired of opening the help from the folder instead of a simple click of F1 key. I'm on WinXP and using Photoshop 7. Any suggestions to make my help help me again?

I took a look at the help thingies for both illustrator and photoshop today. As was said, they seem very very comprehensive and useful. I'm gonna give them a go for a week and see how it goes before going out and spending 60-70 on books. Still, thanks for the help everyone! Manticore

don't worry ;)

if the F1 key "poops-out", it's usually the "ace.dll" having a problem. Dreamer, do you have or use Microsoft Photo Editor? Or maybe PowerZip? These apps conflict with Adobes method of calling the online help (craps out the ace.dll)...

not sure how to fix it (if you DON'T have these apps) outside of "brain-surgery" (edit the value of the AdobeHome key in the Registry). If you want to try (back up a copy of the registry first...) let me know. Basically you just need to check/modify the value of the AdobeHome key.

(I only ask cause i don't want to type out all that stuff if you don't want to play Brain Surgeon!!)

;)
retrocity

i dunno bout the dog, but my cats have wrecked a few pieces of homework for sure.

Slynk, that's cause you trained them by using shreaded paper instead of kitty litter ;)

Nope on the Microsoft Photo Editor and nope on PowerZip. There must be another culprit out there. Time for "brain surgery". Is there a manual out there or was my brain supposed to come with one LOL. I'm off to the registry. If i'm not back send out search party.

Dreamer, if you're sure about the "brain surgery"...

REMEMBER: Make a backup of the registry file!!!!!

okay now on to, Brain Surgery in Ten Easy Steps!

1. Exit from all applications.
2. Choose Start --> Run.
3. Type regedit in the Open text box.
4. Click OK.
5. In the Registry Editor, choose Registry > Export Registry File.
6. In the Export Registry File dialog box, choose a location and a name for the backup file.
7. Click Save.

Now comes the Brain Surgery

1. Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Adobe/Common Files folder in the left side of the Registry Editor window.
2. In the right side of the Registry Editor window, double-click the AdobeHome key.
3. In the Edit String dialog box, change the Value Data to X: (where "x" designates your startup drive.

If this doesn't fix your problem, all i can suggest is to make a "bookmark" to your Photoshop help file in your browser and use that when you need help... (not a great workaround, sorry...)

Sorry about the veer off your topic of discussion Manticore, i hope you don't mind :)

:)
retrocity

JayPeg and I didn't outright accuse anyone of anything. We implied it, should it be applicable to you. And even if someone was using warez, I couldnt give a toss really.

No, but admitting to the use of pirated software is in violation of the TOS and can get someone tossed ;)

anyway, did you ever say what book you'd recommend?

:)
retrocity

I have a copy of Photoshop 6 Complete guide. I don't recommend it as the contents page is useless for reference, and the book leaves a lot out.

Grim is right, we only "implied". If you felt guity over anything, that's on you. However, you've protested so much that I guess I have believe that you did indeed pay for your software. You are a model citizen. Concerning the fact that you were "outraged" over the implications...well, if this is enough to get you outraged I suggest you loosen your collar a bit. You may be wound a little too tight. And since Retrocity asked again, I can recommend no books. I've never needed on and hence never used one other then the Adobe manuals.

Like crap on the sidewalk we need only be aware of jpeg in order to step around him.

I really thought this was a Photoshop "help" forum. It's become a battlegound. If you never needed more than the Adobe manual then you are the one losing out on what Photoshop offers. Do I find the Photoshop manual covers every aspect in the great detail? No, it doesn't. As I said before, the recommended reading for the ACE test is not the manual Photoshop comes with, it's "Adobe Photoshop 7 Classroom in a Book". They would not come out with other books on the subject if the manual was good enough. If you can't recommend any books then why post anything at all?

I agree that both Classroom in a book for Photoshop and Illustrator are helpful. The Classroom in a Book series is definetly the place to start. I also have both Bible's. These books enable you to grasp the full use of your software, but they are not written for the newest users. They are very large books and cover just about everything imaginable. They are wonderful books after you get down the basics.

The PS6Bible is also light hearted and honest.

The original poster said that he's just gotten the software and was now faced with the task of learning how to use it. The logical first step is to read or at least look at the manuals. His post would seem to indicate that he did not so my reccomendation was to do so. I didn't say you shouldn't ever use any other books. I just said that I happend to find them mostly unnecessary. With an understanding of how the software works one only need to use it to learn its deeper aspects. Being spoonfed steps from a book results in generic output.

Experimentation is the key. Just jump in and go for it. Then, when you know your way around, use the manual to further advance your understanding of the program. Are we all happy now?

Absolute best book for PS7 : Photoshop Bible "professional edition" : doesn't waste your time with endless explanations about the "interface" AND it's printed in full color on glossy paper !!! (how can you explain about color and resolution in books that are printed in B/W on cheap paper ?) It's a bit more expensive than the classic PS7 Bible, but worth every cent.

Once again... this is Perfect example of a Renderosity BLOWing up and De-railing the message string's POINT. I mean.. comon people... PIRATES are out there.... And yes... they are unwanted on this site. But think for a min. A pirate is a pirate. If he got ahold of a good 1-2 grand worth of software... dont you think hes smart enough to get onto Kazaa and just Download PS bible.. ILL bible... and 10000 othe books that are pirated off there? My point is... Ive been a member on this site for a good 16 months. Ive actually STOPED posting Questions on this site. due to the derailment of any topics. its truly stupid. Ive actually posted a question a few months ago about how to Flatten selected layers... and between the 10th and 15th reply people started talking about their own ways of making Polish Sausage!!!!! So my suggestion, to all you people that are not truly Graphic artist/Designers/picture editors/artists... you know who you are..... the people that have no life other than bringing Vertual Drama to others on a forum that is here to HELP others. Not give us ulcers. If you want drama, just join your local AOL Cities Chat room and piss off people there. Believe it or not, your actions on these boards DO hender artistic progress for MANY of us. note This post is NOT directed to anyone that has posted on this strain... I just read this Whole strand of messages.. and got really enraged. To answer your question though. If you are NOOB... get PS7 for Dummies. Then buy PS7 BIBLE. Dummies will set you up with HOW TO.. and WHAT DOES WHAT.... the bible will tweak these applications you have learned, and will send you on your way to Great Pic editing or origonal artwork. happy Layering. speed

After the 10th and 15th reply your question would have been answered anyway, so I say bring on the Polish sausage!

Relax, I was actually being good natured. Peace.