Reviews (42)

This is the book you need, stop looking...
Im a college student, ive taken multiple classes that were supposed to "teach" us software via textbooks and this is by far the easiest book to follow. I have no formal experience with the software, i just bought it recently because this is the last year i will be able to take advantage of a student discount on software, and i thought it would come in handy... ive burned thru the first 1/2 of the book in 3 nites, prolly 2 hours a nite.. Its not tedious at all, very straight forward and color illustrated step by step... They give you the keyboard shortcuts, as well as the pull down menu commands upfront, and it guides you through the things you will actually use without alot of b.s. i will be ordering the rest of the series on adobe software to learn the rest of the web bundle, probably the best $45 ive spent on textbooks yet.

Well organized and easy to understand
I've tried learning photoshop many times before, but each book I read made me loose interest. This book is fun, and arranged in a way so that lessons are neither too long nor too short.

Get Deke McClelland's instruction books instead
Adobe's instruction book are: very basic, and . . . boring.Get Deke's books--you'll be glad you did. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    5. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Desktop Publishing    10. Desktop Publishing - General    11. Interactive & Multimedia    12. Microcomputer Graphics    13. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    14. Photoshop   

Reviews (5)

I didn't miss a class!
One hopes that the publisher of an application would make the best author for it,and while that is not always the case, this one did not disappoint.This book assumes no prior knowledge and walks the reader meticulously through all the features of Acrobat Standard and Professional for both Windows and OS X.
Very nice book
It is a comprehensive step by step book. I liked the fact that it also included alternative instructions for the instances when a Mac would have different commands.

Good book, but not at all if you prepare for the exam
The book was overall a good book with all what you need to know about Adobe Acrobat. I am preparing for the exam and the book does not cover 75% of the test. Unfortunately Adobe did not think of this and decided to make it very hard for us. Microsoft on the other hand has many books that cover the topics for their exams. Wish Adobe would learn that one thing from them.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Desktop Publishing    4. Electronic Publishing    5. File conversion (Computer science)    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Microcomputer Text Processing Software    9. Portable document software    10. Word Processing - General    11. Computer Software Packages    12. Computers / Desktop Publishing / General   

Reviews (91)

excellent value
i don't usually rave over books but this one far exceeded my expectations. my whole workflow has been improved not to mention the improvment my images have received after reading this book. I don't come from a photography background and photoshop tends to overwhelm me. But photoshop is unavoidable for me- my work is increasingly tied to my photographs. I had been suffering from repeat editing, redoing edits when i would learn new tricks and generally stumbling thorugh photoshop as an absolute novice. But now i feel confident to really do it right in one session and move on. The chapters and sections are well laid out and to the point (despite the sometimes rambling jokiness). After a once-through I know where to look when i come across an issue.
Great intro to Photoshop for Digital Photos
His writing style may be a little cutesy, but most of that is concentrated in the chapter intros which you can safely skip - there's absolutely nothing about photo editing in the chapter intros. They don't even introduce the chapter.
I love his style
This is a great book, the style is easy to understand his tips.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Techniques - Digital    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (28)

Good Starting Point for Channel Work
If you're just learning about channels, and want to learn ways to make your images look better, this book is a good start. Scott Kelby is certainly one of the most prolific pundits in the PS world, and here he assembles techniques from many sources. Explanations are simple, the techniques are tried-and-true, and the writing is not bad (albeit a bit corny). You'll get a lot better at Photoshop by incorporating these techniques into your workflow. It is indeed NOT meant for Elements users, and assumes use of CS2, although most methods can be used in earlier versions with minor modifications.
Poor description
No part of the description of this item states that the book is only for Photoshop CS or CS2 users.Photoshop Elements 3 (which I have)is a software that is used widely and is still for sale in all software sales locations.
Great explanation of channels in Photoshop
I bought this book because I was confused about channels. Mr. Kelby does a good job explaining, and showing by example, how to work with channels in Photoshop. I read the reviews before I bought this book and noticed the criticism about Kelby's "cute" writing style and lack of detail. I bought the book anyway because I wanted the information. This is a good to great book if you want to know about channels. If you already know a lot about channels you'll probably be disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics    6. Computer Graphics - General    7. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    8. Computers    9. Software - Photography    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (9)

Adobe Illustrator CS2 Classroom in a Book
What is it about the Classroom in a Book series that I devour like ice cream in the middle of August in Texas? It has to do with the richness of the presentation, the simplicity of design and the total coverage of material that you don't get in the box with the CD, or more importantly buy direct online and dont have a manual.
Great
I got exactly what I ordered in a very timely manner.thank you

A quick guide to Illustrator
In a few words what are the capabilities to the package, with a nice companion of labs and examples. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    3. Computer Graphics - Illustrator    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Desktop Publishing    7. Desktop Publishing - General    8. Interactive & Multimedia    9. Microcomputer Graphics    10. Computer graphics software    11. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design   

Reviews (1)

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Do you need to edit and organize your photos? If you do, then this book is for you. Author Barbara Brundage, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is intended to make learning Elements easier by avoiding technical jargon as much as possible, and explaining why and when you'll want to use certain features in the program.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Techniques - General    7. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    8. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    9. Computers / Other Applications    10. Photoshop    11. photography, digital photography, graphics, photo editing, image editing, photoshop, photoshop elements, photoshop elements 5, Adobe   

Reviews (12)

A good book to learn on
I've had to learn InDesign for a couple freelance projects, and I felt this book was concise and a wonderful reference guide.The fact it is not just drowning in text on each page (ahem...Peachpit Press) made it easier to skim and find what you need in a short amount of time.
Very useful and user friendly
The Classroom in a Book for Adobe InDesign.cs2 was well organized and easy to use.
New full color edition is a great way to learn
I have been learning Adobe's applications via their Classroom In A Book series. I find there is just nothing better out there.After all it is the official training program from Adobe written by Adobe experts - what else is there to say! The book itself is made of quality paper and is beautifully layed out. They give text and graphics ample space on each page, nothing is cramped and everything is arranged in a logical order. The instructions are precise and given in small enough steps with lots of graphics and pictures along the way so you won't get lost. In fact, each chapter is easy and interesting to follow and it helps that the projects are beautifully designed layouts. You'll create magazine pages, newsletter pages, a restaurant menu, a CD insert etc. that you look forward to finish and that will leave you inspired. Some chapters encourage you to also "Explore On Your Own" and each chapter features a review and answers section to test your aquired knowledge. Maybe you have to revisit some of the earlier chapters because you may have forgotten some details once you've been plugging away for a while, but that simply speaks for the volume you will have to absorb since InDesign is afterall a complex application. Having said that, everybody should feel very confident to use and further explore InDesign upon completion of the book. It includes a CD with 15 lessons and Quicktime tutorial movies.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe InDesign    2. Adobe InDesign (Computer software)    3. Computer Books: Desktop Publish    4. Computers    5. Computers - Desktop Publishing    6. Desktop Publishing    7. Desktop Publishing - General    8. Interactive & Multimedia    9. Typography    10. Computers / Desktop Publishing / General    11. Desktop publishing software   

Reviews (46)

Oh my!
I considered myself an advanced Photoshop user until I read this book. Chapters on selection(8,9,10) and compositing (11,12,13) are simply amazing. If this book cannot satisfy your hunger for truly advanced concepts and techniques, no others on the market will. If you want to be a truely advanced -expert level Photoshop user, anything else is uncivilized. Oh my.

Great Book !
I love this book's layout (an ironically unusual benefit for design books), simple terms, practicality and real-world examples that allow you to follow along step by step.
Excellent Author
This book would help anyone seeking advanced techniques in Photoshop. It is well written in clearly understandable language. Katrin Eismann's other book, Restoration and Retouching is another example of an extremely helpful book. I place her books among the best in Photoshop books along with those written by Ben Willmore. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics    4. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    5. Computers    6. Computers - Other Applications    7. General    8. Miscellaneous Software    9. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    10. Photoshop   

Reviews (26)

A Must for Photoshop Users!
I have read several Photoshop books and watched training DVDs, but this book focused on my true interest, restoring old photographs. This book was more useful than all the other Photoshop training combined. I highly recommend this book.

Ms. Eismann offers Great Insight...
...into the complicated, sometimes inscrutable world of Photoshop. If you're aspiring to be a professional photographer or post-production assistant, probably the single best thing you can do for your career development -aside from practice, practice, practice- is make sure you own a copy of this book and Ms. Eismann's other work: "Photoshop Masking & Compositing". Study her techniques, apply them to your own images and re-apply them until you can look at an image and know right off which tools you're likely to use and how.
Very informative book
Well written. A lot of usuful examples of Restoration & Retouching using Photoshop CS2. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Conservation and restoration    7. Digital techniques    8. Microcomputer Graphics    9. Photographs    10. Photography    11. Retouching    12. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    13. Photoshop   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (75)

Deke - PhotoShop - McClelland
I am sure there are other books that might be easier to follow and that might offer more than this one for learning all of what PhotoShop has to offer, but I just have not found them yet. Light to read with easy step by step instructions for the beginner as well as the accomplished image processor.
One-on-One -- it's not just another Photoshop book
Deke McClelland knows his subject very well and presents it in a clear and orderly way so new learning rests on a solid foundation. The format works: read the lesson, watch the DVD-ROM video lesson, do the exercises, take the quiz at the end of the chapter. Each lesson is designed to be understandable by those without much Photoshop experience and still include a few techniques that even experienced users probably don't know. And he does it all with good humor. Work files and video lessons are all included on the DVD-ROM in the book, which is bound so it lies open and flat on the desk without any hassle.
The perfect jumpstart for Photoshop newbies
This was the jumpstart I needed to learning photoshop.This is not so much a tutorial as it is a get-up and start-using photoshop one-on-one session, exactly as the title suggests.So instead of learning the interface in text-book procedural fashion, it's kind of like apprenticing for the author Deke (who also wrote the photoshop bible book).BTW, the author is notably an Master at photoshop, as is apparent when he tells you "nobody uses this command, you can do that function with this new command here".There's a lot to be distracted in photoshop, hundreds and hundreds of different functions, and it turns out that many of these functions are obsolete and only left-in to satisfy old users, so having Deke point these things out is fantastic.Eg, unsharpen mask, obsolete.smart sharpen, da-shizzle.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Cinematography & Videography    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computer Graphics - Design    5. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Desktop Publishing    9. Computers - Other Applications    10. Interactive & Multimedia    11. Operating Systems - Macintosh    12. Adobe Photoshop CS2, digital photography, Deke McClelland, photography    13. Computer programs    14. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    15. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    16. Computers / Desktop Publishing    17. Digital techniques    18. Image processing    19. Photoshop   

Reviews (25)

All illustrations are Black & White !
I have just received my copy. I have not read it yet, just looked
Brilliant
This was a great purchase and has helped me a lot since i purchased it.

A powerful tutorial for a powerful program
The Adobe Creative Team consistently produces the most powerful tutorials for Adobe products, and their manual for Adobe Photoshop CS is no exception. They are always well organized with clearly explained, excellent, and practical excercises.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    5. Computer graphics    6. Computers    7. Computers - Desktop Publishing    8. Desktop Publishing - General    9. Microcomputer Graphics    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (45)

Take Digital Photography to a New Level
Dan's book has literally changed the way I look at color. His writing style is entertaining and his organization of the book is excellent for what unfolds to be a complex subject. The concept of color perception is hard to grasp. And, it's quite another thing to understand its subtlties when processing digital images. The question always arises: Why don't my image files look as good as what I saw? Dan's book answers that question and many others as it guides the reader/photographer through a few easy steps that will, at a minimum, raise the output quality of images tenfold. For advanced users, there are many gems waiting in this book that will take image control and presentation to another level. If you could have only two digital photography books on the shelf, I recommend this one and Stephen Johnson's On Digital Photography.

Doesnt cut to the chase.
This book is a good one......I guess. The reason why I am not sure is that I have had this book for over a year now and I still havent managed to read it completely. Everytime I start reading it, it loses my interest after the third chapter. The authour would have been happier writing poetry about the LAB colour space. He keeps ranting on and on and on about the LAB colour space but when it comes to actually teaching you something new he does it in less than half the pages of the book. It gets to the point where the reader just goes - Ok, LAB is THE colour space to work in, now would you please stop telling me that after every other paragraph? Too much uselss information and very less practical knowledge.

A Must Read
Much truth is stated in the other reviews here. Although this book can be difficult and wordy, and some of the comments regarding layout and presentation of content are valid, this book is indeed an extremely important work to read in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of Photoshop. I personally found that this book, along with Dan's other great "Professional Photoshop" series, took my skills at post-processing to entirely new levels.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Color Computer Graphics    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Microcomputer Graphics    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (41)

Camera Raw, The only way to go..
The best book on Adobe camera raw on the market ! I find myself referring back to this book all the time. As a professional photography I find this book to be essential to any Pro's library.

Camera Raw
Well written, clear and concise.No surprise why is so highly regarded.

Advanced but not impossible
This is good reading even if you are an amateur.The logical way in which the author has meticulously advanced in stages is quite remarkable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Digital Image Processing    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    5. Computers    6. Computers - Other Applications    7. Desktop Publishing    8. Desktop Publishing - General    9. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    10. Photoshop   

Reviews (16)

Amazing!!!!
With this book i figured out in two days of owning it what i had been trying to figure out since i started tryin to learn the program some time ago. it is an amazing tool that covers everything you need to know to creat great illustrations. i thank my professor for insisting so much, this book is THE Book. Buy it! don't thinktwice.

Insprirational
If you are new to Adobe Illustrator (AI), this is probably not the best book to get started with. Also, IMO the chapters are introduced somewhat randomly. In spite of this, the book has many fine examples of great artwork produced with AI, and for an advanced beginner the book has been a welcome addon to several others I have purchased. I really like the author's writing and teaching style. I'm glad I got this book and recommend it to others.

Classic
One reason I love this book is that it is geared toward more advanced techniques and intermediate users rather than absolute beginners. There are plenty of books written for beginners but there are not many books such as WOW! Book that focuses on teaching beyond the basic skills.
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Subjects:  1. Adobe Illustrator (Computer file)    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer Graphics - Illustrator    5. Computer graphics    6. Computers    7. Computers - Other Applications    8. Desktop Publishing    9. Desktop Publishing - General    10. Microcomputer Graphics    11. Computer graphics software    12. Computers / Computer Graphics / General   

Reviews (47)

Not what i was hoping for
Well, I was hoping for this book to help me understand special CS2 filters, enhancements, etc....and what I got, was great stuff I cannot redo as shown in the pictures and very short guidelines for the most part of it. One example was the enhancing of the eyes (sometimes the iris turns out too dark, and there are ways of enhancing it to brighten the eyes.) The so called step-by-step guide in the book, I followed it and followed it, even got my husband to take a turn, and neither one of us was able to manage the enhancement, at least not in either of the 2 different versions explained. (We later figured out a different way, but I'm sure it's not as good as the example pictures shown in this book.) Like I said, overall it's a great book, that teaches you tons of neat stuff, but I don't think it's very easy to recreate, not even with the provided CD. You really need to be a very advanced CS2 user to be able to use this book as a tool for it's full potential. I'm hoping that once I've mastered more about CS2, this book will come in handy again. And yes, all the pictures are terrific quality, and it's nice to read and look at, but how much does that really matter, if you can't even recreate the things explained in it?

A tremendous professional resource
I've found this book absolutely invaluable and perhaps the most useful book on Photoshop I've ever read. I agree with all the other reviewers whom endorse it but to those who ask: "who is this book for?" I'd point them in the direction of many other books better suited to their needs. How can you fault a book for not catering to everyone?! However this book was perfect for me - a busy professional photographer. I've been using Photoshop for years but have huge holes in my understanding. I really needed to gain more sophisticated and practical understanding of many fundamental principles and complex procedures as quickly and efficiently as possible. I don't have the time or patience for lessons rarely practical to my needs.
who's it for?
Best suited for someone who has at least a little experience with earlier versions of Photoshop, this text could be better organized.Could also benefit from more detail and better expalnation of how things work. I did find useful the sections on camera quality, historical references, and the author provides links to external websites which this reader found helpful for research.Print and paper quality is very good, but when are we going to see a software book written (or at least containing images) by a non-fashion photographer?The women in ME's photos are merely over-decorated objects, and might as well be artificial mannequins. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    2. Computers - Desktop Publishing    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photography    5. Techniques - Digital    6. Techniques - General    7. Photography / Techniques    8. Photoshop   

Subjects:  1. Computer Animation    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computers    5. Photography    6. Techniques - Digital    7. Photography / Techniques / Digital    8. Special kinds of photography   

Reviews (13)

Bought 3 Photoshop books, kept this one - its great!
I couldn't tell which book was going to be the most useful, so I got 3 different books on Photoshop. After looking through each of them and doing some "tests" where I looked up the same subjects in all 3 books to see which author/s explained things better, it was a no-brainer -- the Photoshop Bible for CS2 is the best book on Photoshop out there. The other 2 went back, next day.
Best book on Photoshop CS2!
Between the thorough coverage and the authors' insights, this book can't be beat. I'm a photographer and graphic designer, and I wouldn't consider living without this book by my side in the studio. I don't want to have to take a class, watch a video, or wade through lots of personal commentary. I want to know what something does, how it works, why it's a useful tool/feature (or not, and if not, what to do), and then get back to work. This book is filled with great tips, useful tricks, honest, clear instructions, and great examples. If you can't tell, I recommend this book!!

The best book on Photoshop.
I looked into several Photoshop books before buying this one. I read the reviews, used the "search inside" stuff to read exerpts, and made my choice. Even with all that, buying books online can be a crapshoot - but this one paid off! This is a great book on Photoshop CS2. I've learned a lot already and keep this book right next to the computer so it's there when I need it. I like the style - not too jokey, not condescending - and the authors obviously know Photoshop like the back of their hands, including little things that you never even knew were there. The examples are practical but not oversimplified and the coverage of special effects, web graphics, and restoring photos is great. I'm sold, and recommend this book highly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Adobe Photoshop (Computer software)    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Miscellaneous Software    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    11. Photoshop   

Reviews (7)

A Must Have
I have seen some reviews that said this can't be used to learn Photoshop from the ground up, but that is untrue, because I used this book to teach myself Photoshop with absolutely no prior knowledge whatsoever, and it does a wonderful job of explaining everything. It pretty much covers everything, and I consider it a must have. The only reason it may not be for someone is if they don't learn well from just reading; that, I admit, is a downside of this book. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand what they are talking about by just reading the instructions. If you are sitting by the computer though, it's very easy to follow step by step. If you choose to buy a book with lessons, such as classroom in a book, then I definitely recommend this book as a follow-up.

A Really Great Book!!!
I'm a member of an online gaming community and I was wanting to learn how to make my own "Sigs". After a few hours of reading I was able to use layers to make my first kool looking sig. I also was able to use Photoshop for all the graphics on my web site. If you want to learn to use Photoshop, then this book is a MUST have...

The Manual that Should Have Been.
This is the book that should ship with Photoshop CS2. Excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    5. Computer graphics    6. Computers    7. Computers - Other Applications    8. Desktop Publishing    9. Desktop Publishing - General    10. Microcomputer Graphics    11. Operating Systems - Macintosh    12. Operating Systems - Windows    13. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    14. Photoshop   

Reviews (13)

This Dummies is a mess!
Dummies books have been a staple of my computing/software resource library for a long time.This book was very disappointing.If you're looking for an organized presentation of the functions and capabilities of Adobe 7, leave this on the shelf.There are few visual examples in the book and very few tutorials that lead you through a topic in any organized way at all.To get something out of this book, I found myself jumping all over the place, following topic and function chapter references tossed in all too frequently, sifting through meaningless and annoying chatty writing, trying to piece together a tool's functionality on my own.And did I mention the writing style?Distracting, distracting, distracting.I felt like I was sitting in a computer class for octogenarians with ADD. Get to the point!!Leave it on the shelf.

Works Great
This book is easy to use and understand. I was comfortable using the program in a week.

Photoshop 7 for Dummies
Reads like stereo instructions. Too many technical graphics terms for a novice photo editor. I usually like the "for dummies" books but this one falls way short of the mark. I would recomend this book only to a seasoned graphic artist that was already familiar with the terminology. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computer graphics    5. Computers - Desktop Publishing    6. Desktop Publishing - General    7. Microcomputer Graphics    8. Photo Techniques    9. Photographic Techniques Using Specific Equipment    10. Photography    11. Techniques - Equipment    12. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    13. Photoshop