Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Still relevant even after two LR updates
Comment: I struggled before buying this book because Adobe has updated LR with two revisions since this book was released. Scott Kelby does provide an update to the 1.1 release for free, but not 1.2. Actually, the 1.2 release was minor. I've found the book to be extremely helpful as written. There are a lot of tips included that I would not have otherwise found.
Scott has a different sense of humor in his writing, but the test is easy to read and informative.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource!
Comment: As a new Lightroom user I am quickly learning the ins and outs of this program. Laid out in an easy to read, step by step format. Can also get the 1.1 supplement on Peachpit Press, although we're at version 1.2 now.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A bit common sense
Comment: I took a previous book from Kelby from the library: Photoshop CS book for digital photographers. That was incredible for my intro to digital image editing, and no doubt the CS3 version is just as good (I also bought that, haven't gotten a chance to read it yet). When I got Lightroom, I figured this book would be just as helpful. It is, but it just isn't that compelling a read. I read the users manual from Adobe and played with the program for a week or two and got the hang of it. By the time this book came, the introductory stuff bored me, and I only skimmed the advance stuff, as opposed to reading it cover to cover like the Photoshop CS book. No doubt this is a great book and great if you have no experience whatsoever, but if you get the hang of such an intuitive program without it, you might not need this book as much.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good information, if a little too "cute"
Comment: Scott Kelby is one of the most prolific technical writers in the business. By his own acclamation he is the world's #1 best-selling author of all computer and technology books, across all categories. That means a lot of people must like his books and buy a lot of them (either that or he's really rich and just publishes tons of them that sit in warehouses somewhere). So what's his style like? How about up-beat, jocular, full of punny side remarks and allusions intended to be humorous, forever positive, anything is possible, never boring...unless you get just a little tired of the incessant pandering to keep the reader's attention. But he knows the software and is good with tips on how to make it work, and even though he's a Mac evangelist, he takes the time to address cross-platform issues whenever they come up.
The software. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is destined to be one of the most popular imaging programs Adobe, or anyone else, has written. To a certain degree it will very likely slow sales of the full version of Photoshop, not because that is an inherently flawed program, but because Lightroom takes a more streamlined approach in often more intuitive and elegant fashion to basic and intermediate digital imaging needs. It makes a great front end for downloading files, sorting and labeling, making quick and effective adjustments, cataloging and managing the files, and purposing them for output to print, web, or slideshow. In doing all this it doesn't replace Photoshop because Lightroom omits complex targeted adjustments, compositing, or layers, so there are very good reasons to use Lightroom in concert with Photoshop for a full-fledged imaging workflow accommodating efficiency when minor adjustments are enough, and effectiveness when an image simply requires complex work.
The book. In a nutshell, Scott's books work very well for a beginning and intermediate audience. Every individual learns in a different fashion, but the trend of the time is to be simple and visual. Scott accomplishes that through design and method. Throughout the book there are lots of pictures and screenshots with explanatory text along the outside of the pages. The ratio is about 1/3 text, 2/3 pics. And the method goes right to the heart of communication by picking a subject and then taking you right through it step by step. Most of the explanations are lucid and thorough, conveying a lot of info in a short time, and lots of clever suggestions are offered along the way. The coverage is pretty thorough. Of course reading a book does not make one a software expert; that takes lots of serious study and hands-on practice. But again, if you follow all the steps all the way through the book, you should gain pretty good facility with Lightroom.
Shortcomings? Sure; several. For one, software often changes faster than books can be published about it (that's not the book's fault of course). With this one you can register with Peachpit.com (parent of the publisher New Riders) for updates, which is a strong step in the right direction. With regard to style, I could do less with some of the humorously-intended but somewhat tiresome banter, but that's just a personal preference; don't let my view get in your way if Kelby's style helps you learn. Finally, some folks really need to know not just the "what" or "how to" but also the "why;" not too much of the "why" here. On the other hand, if all the "whys" were addressed the book would be twice as long, get boring, and probably be bought and read by far fewer people.
Conclusion. A bright tome that deserves space on the bookshelves or most new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom users, especially those who learn well from a light-hearted, mostly visual presentation. Not a bad reference for advanced users either. All in all, solidly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Comment: This doesn't go into a great deal of depth. It is great for what it is, a good introduction to using Lightroom. However, don't expect to become a Lightroom pro with this. What I wanted was an introduction to Lightroom, and that's what I got, so I am happy with it.
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