Introduction

If you've ever attended a Photoshop class or seminar, you The problem with many of these workshops is that you, the digital photographer, must endure detailed explanations about techniques for graphic designers, web producers , and fine-art artists . All you wanted to learn was how to straighten a crooked picture.

This chapter is by no means an exhaustive survey of Photoshop technique. But everything here is meant just for you, the digital photographer. I asked all the contributors to this book, digital photographers themselves , to give me one or two of their must-know Photoshop hacks. And of course, I've added a few of my own favorites too.

Just like everything else we've covered here, these techniques work equally well on both Windows and Macintosh computers. Sometimes, you'll see a Windows screenshot, sometimes one from a Mac; it doesn't matter, the technique is the same. Regardless of which platform you prefer, we're here to help you master image editing on your computer.

Also, when I refer to Photoshop generically, I mean that the technique works for Photoshop 7 (the older pro version), Photoshop CS (the current pro version, US$650), and Photoshop Elements (the current hobbyist version, US$80). Many of the hacks in this chapter work with all three versions. If I show you something that works only in Photoshop CS, I'll point that out clearly and refer to the application as Photoshop CS .

If you're serious about digital photography, I recommend you invest in one of the three versions of this excellent image-editing application. I realize that $80 here and $30 there add up to some serious money. But Photoshop is one of the two core applications that I consider essential for digital photographers. (The other is QuickTime Pro, used extensively in Chapter 5.)

So, for the moment, put down your camera and put your hand on the mouse. It's time to talk shop for photographers ”Photoshop, that is.