Digital Collage and Painting: Using Photoshop and Painter to Create Fine Art

Book content is fabulous and (for me) strikes a perfect balance of inspiration vs Photoshop /Painter use. Probably not for the absolute beginner but, with sufficient prior knowledge /expertise of these software, this book will definitely help take you to the next level.Reduced to 4 stars because the quality of book binding is not great, with some pages of my copy already slightly loose upon first opening the book !!!

For those of us who use Adobe Photoshop this book is of little value as half of the book deals with techniques used in Painter. Add to this a large section looking at the work of other digital artists and, although some techniques are discussed, they are little value.The techniques that are explained need some prior Photoshop knowledge so are not good for beginners.Overall this book has little for experienced digital artists or those new too it.

I have been a photographer for 40 years, and a Photoshop user since the original version. I have used Photoshop and some plug ins to enhance and process my photographic images almost exclusively, rarely venturing into anything "artistic." Recently, I began playing around with some different looks, including the "painterly" look and shortly realized how clueless I was about how to use Photoshop's various filters to achieve this look. I recently received my copy of this book and skipped ahead to the chapters on painting and within an hour, learned enough to justify the modest cost of this book.I agree with some of the negative reviewers that the layout of the book is not the best (especially for a book that is about graphics). The print and illustrations are just too small. It is almost impossible to read the screenshots of actual photoshop activities. But being an author myself, I know ratings are important. I would not want to downgrade this book because of its layout, which likely was not within much control of Ms. Bloom. I am much more interested in the content. And that delivers what is promised - and more - at least for a novice in this area. I recommend it for anyone in my position of wanting to learn more about the artistic capabilities of Photoshop. I am not familiar with Painter, but would think the same would apply there.I don't know if the first 169 pages are worthwhile or not. I am an "under the hood" type of guy, and will probably eventually read them. It does seem a bit like a textbook (and if it is, it is a bargain, as college textbooks these days often approach $200). But if you don't want to read it, it is really easy to skip ahead, and I think the hands-on chapters are easily worth the price.

I have both the first and second edition of this book and I would recommend this book if you are interested in the following:1. You want to learn how to use your digital photographs and turn them into works that look more like paintings.2. You want to learn how to take parts from your photos and combine them together into one digital image that looks more like a painting or collage than a photo.3. You are interested in seeing a nice variety of images created by other contemporary digital artists.4. You want a book that covers both Photoshop and Painter.5. You are interested in learning more about the filters in Photoshop.I would NOT recommend it for anyone who is primarily interested in learning how to paint digitally from scratch since almost every project in this book starts from a digital photograph with the exception of some of the artists in the "Inspiration" chapter.Basically it gives directions on how to use a variety of different filters, brushes, etc., to convert and paint over a photograph to give it a more painterly appearance. Many of the finished examples are very beautiful--but if you are hoping to learn how to paint a painting from scratch--this book will not show you how.The chapter on painting in Photoshop is actually titled "Painting in Photoshop with Your Photos." The chapter on Painting in Painter shows you how to use a variety of clone brushes to take a photo and turn it into a painting.Bottomline: If you want to learn how to change photographs into paintings--get this book! I will give it 5 stars because it does that well.(P.S. If you already have the first edition I don't think it is necessary to get this one since it is primary only the "Inspiration" chapter that changes very much.)

Book arrived in excellent condition as listed.