Customer Rating: 
Summary: The guide you'll always return to
Comment: This clearly written and well organized book is perfect for the total neophyte - which I was - and it is the book I constantly return to as my skills and knowledge improve. Whenever I'm confused or can't remember something, I go back and find my answers here. One might think that a book with this depth would be intimidating for anyone starting to learn Elements, but it never assumes either geekhood or total ineptitude, and never condescends. The writing style is easy, without constant bantering and wisecracking. I have several good PSE 3 books, but if I had to go with only one, this would be it. It is the most battered and beat up of all my books, with the most placemarks in it. Which says something!
Customer Rating:
Summary: PSE 3 The Missing Manual has it
Comment: Very well written, easy to follow, I am a long time user of elements but this book taught me many things I did not know and how to improve what I did.
I will most likely buy any further photography books by this author
Customer Rating:
Summary: You get the "Missing Manual" -- but without the "Missing CD"
Comment: The title says it all and well - this indeed is the "Missing Manual" that Adobe should have provided in the first place. Better yet, it addresses in plain words how to tame (or kill) the resource-hogging 'Organizer', that brings even the fastest notebook to its knees. The writing is lucidly spare, comfortably conversational, delivers the complete package as promised - without attempting forced 'humor' - and it explains difficult concepts such as the histogram as well as I have seen. In plain words, it tells you not only the what-it-is and the how-to of the numerous tools and functions, but also the why's.
So why not award the five stars the text and illustrations fully deserve? It's for omission of a CD with high-quality work-along images that help you build the skills towards working on your own photo's. How many beginners would have access to an eight-layered image as shown in Fig 6-1? Just opening that image from an enclosed CD would have gone worlds towards a faster and better comprehension of the text - good as it may be. Likewise for the terrific Camera RAW Converter plugin - few beginners would have a RAW image handy, and so lose out on one of the best enhancements in PSE3. Even learning how to use the Organizer would have been helped by having a few dozen simple images on a CD.
True, the Introduction (p. xxiii) promises downloadable images to support the tutorials but, when you get there eventually, you'll find just three pitiful images to support another author's tutorial. In fact, the Errata section strikes out any reference to downloadable images at all. Even Scott Kelby's images - disfigured as they are - at least help you learn the basics by hands-on application of text. Lacking a CD that replicates the illustrations simply eliminates this book from top consideration for beginners, and makes it more suitable as a reference source.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Photoshop Elements 3: The Missing Manual
Comment: This book title tells it all, it should be included with the software. Solves all questions very quickly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A very good Manual
Comment: This is the book that should have been included with Elements 3.0 software. It is a comprehensive guide to all the features of the Photoshop Elements 3. It will help you become a more organized, efficient. Very clear and concise manual all of the major components of the program are discussed and how and where to use them. Each feature is carefully explained in straightforward language. I highly recommend this book.
Summary: The guide you'll always return to
Comment: This clearly written and well organized book is perfect for the total neophyte - which I was - and it is the book I constantly return to as my skills and knowledge improve. Whenever I'm confused or can't remember something, I go back and find my answers here. One might think that a book with this depth would be intimidating for anyone starting to learn Elements, but it never assumes either geekhood or total ineptitude, and never condescends. The writing style is easy, without constant bantering and wisecracking. I have several good PSE 3 books, but if I had to go with only one, this would be it. It is the most battered and beat up of all my books, with the most placemarks in it. Which says something!
Customer Rating:
Summary: PSE 3 The Missing Manual has it
Comment: Very well written, easy to follow, I am a long time user of elements but this book taught me many things I did not know and how to improve what I did.
I will most likely buy any further photography books by this author
Customer Rating:
Summary: You get the "Missing Manual" -- but without the "Missing CD"
Comment: The title says it all and well - this indeed is the "Missing Manual" that Adobe should have provided in the first place. Better yet, it addresses in plain words how to tame (or kill) the resource-hogging 'Organizer', that brings even the fastest notebook to its knees. The writing is lucidly spare, comfortably conversational, delivers the complete package as promised - without attempting forced 'humor' - and it explains difficult concepts such as the histogram as well as I have seen. In plain words, it tells you not only the what-it-is and the how-to of the numerous tools and functions, but also the why's.
So why not award the five stars the text and illustrations fully deserve? It's for omission of a CD with high-quality work-along images that help you build the skills towards working on your own photo's. How many beginners would have access to an eight-layered image as shown in Fig 6-1? Just opening that image from an enclosed CD would have gone worlds towards a faster and better comprehension of the text - good as it may be. Likewise for the terrific Camera RAW Converter plugin - few beginners would have a RAW image handy, and so lose out on one of the best enhancements in PSE3. Even learning how to use the Organizer would have been helped by having a few dozen simple images on a CD.
True, the Introduction (p. xxiii) promises downloadable images to support the tutorials but, when you get there eventually, you'll find just three pitiful images to support another author's tutorial. In fact, the Errata section strikes out any reference to downloadable images at all. Even Scott Kelby's images - disfigured as they are - at least help you learn the basics by hands-on application of text. Lacking a CD that replicates the illustrations simply eliminates this book from top consideration for beginners, and makes it more suitable as a reference source.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Photoshop Elements 3: The Missing Manual
Comment: This book title tells it all, it should be included with the software. Solves all questions very quickly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A very good Manual
Comment: This is the book that should have been included with Elements 3.0 software. It is a comprehensive guide to all the features of the Photoshop Elements 3. It will help you become a more organized, efficient. Very clear and concise manual all of the major components of the program are discussed and how and where to use them. Each feature is carefully explained in straightforward language. I highly recommend this book.