Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: There's no A-B-C for digital photo processing
Comment: This book is hyped as being the final say in digital photo development and Photoshop workflow, and gives the impression that once you read this book you'll know exactly what and how to make all your photos "picture perfect". The fact is, there's not getting away from the fact that even if you follow the workflow detailed in Kelby's book, it's up to your own personal judgment and opinion. This is borne out by the fact that Kelby has a 7-step methodology, but in many of the examples not all the steps are used. That's because he made the judgment that certain steps were not needed. There's no comment as to why some steps are used sometimes, but not others. So you are going to be left hanging and left with having to make your own judgment calls when it comes to your own work.
The book is nice and easy to use with step-by-step instructions. It's relies on the principle of learning by repetition and example. Even when you get to the end of the book and start working on your own photos, you are still going to be faced with the same questions as always: what do I do to improve this photo, what do I do first, what do I do next.
It is good to get a professional opinion of what is an appropriate workflow for developing your digital files in Photoshop. And I do feel that I learned a lot from working through the examples, but if the marketing hype around the book gives you the feeling that this book will take away the need to exercise any judgment, then you will be disappointed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Comment: Scott Kelby has created another winner. He has essentially distilled the most common edits done to a digital photograph into 7 major tasks. He provides many examples of this technique in his book, so that the reader can follow along. It is possible to download the examples used in the book. His usual easy style and humor are evident throughout the book. I'm sure there are readers who tire of his humor, but I find it refreshing.
The only downside is that it is difficult to always apply the 7 steps to Lightroom, which has become my major photo management program. Perhaps Lightroom will provide a basis for the next edition - The 7.1 Point System!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great!
Comment: Scott Kelby's books are always informative, easy to follow and well written. This is no exception. It was a great introduction into Photoshop CS3 for me, as I was upgrading from PSE 5 and wanting to get up to speed quickly. What I like best about this book, is you get sample pictures for each lesson and work on the photo youself, you can see the results and see the effect of what you are doing. And anytime you "forget" you can do a few practice sessions!
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Summary: Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3
Comment: This book is another fine example of Scott Kelby's dedication to assisting people not only to learn and use Photoshop but also to get the very best from Photoshop CS3 in the shortest possible time. Perhaps I am biased as I have purchased several Scott Kelby books, but before I found his books I, like so many others, struggled with Photoshop.
Kelby's 7-Point System yet again simplifies the use of Photoshop CS3 to the point that even if you are new to CS3 you can rescue most of your photographs that did not turn out as you planned.
This book will not disappoint and will be a valuable addition to your library.
Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices).
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Summary: Results are the bottom line!
Comment: I loved this book. Scott Kelby's teaching style is humorous and easy to read. And the best part about this book is I get great results with his techniques. And in the end, that is what counts most to me.
Besides the great techniques taught in this book, it uses a system of teaching that is usually not found in other books. The key word here is "repetition". I admit, that the best way I learn is through repetition. If you go through this book with that in mind, you will learn a fast and easy workflow with enough variations to work with many of the common day problems we find while processing our photos.
I know that some people will say that you "should get it right in the camera to begin with" My feeling is that, yes, get it as right as you can in the camera. But remember, it doesn't matter if you are shooting with digital or film, the camera never records an image the way the eye actually sees it. It is the nature of the beast. Until Camera manufacturers work out ways to deal with dynamic range in the camera, it just isn't going to happen.
So it is our job as photographers to optimize the photo during processing. For me, this means processing from a RAW format. Not only do I want it to look like my mind visualized it, but I want creative freedom to go beyond that. And that is why I found this book so useful. Results are the bottom line.
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