Book Description
Ever since Photoshop version 2.5, The Photoshop Wow! Book has enlightened and inspired graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers around the globe. This newest edition delivers the familiar award-winning mix of explanations and step-by-step tutorials for creating both commercial and fine-art images, with tips and beautiful galleries that distinguish this book as the most inspiring Photoshop resource around. Redesigned for easy reference, Photoshop CS/CS2 Wow! also includes new short features in which professional photographers and designers let you in on their creative secrets for quick solutions. The DVD-ROM includes hundreds of before-and-after tutorial files, Layer Styles and Patterns, as well as Actions, gradients, custom tools, and other goodies. You’ll learn the most innovative techniques for creating and enhancing images, graphics, and type, including:
• How and when to use the new features in Photoshop CS and CS2, including the Spot Healing Brush, Lens Correction, Lens Blur, Vanishing Point, and Variables
• How to build your skill with familiar Photoshop features such as blend modes, adjustment layers, channels, and filters
• How to focus attention on the subject of a photo, retouch a portrait, tint an image, or convert a color image to black-and-white
• How to bring out your inner artist with Photoshop’s sophisticated brushes and vector-drawing tools
• How to create dazzling special effects for type and graphics—from custom textures and realistic materials to animation and rollover for the web
• How to build a striking layout or a seamless composite, including the little details that make a big difference in the art of creating illusions
• How to keep your creations organized with layers, layer set or groups, layer comps, and Smart Objects
Customer Reviews:
Top Notch.......2007-07-26
This is your Photoshop Bible that you should keep with you at all times! I just hate that I paid $65 for it at Borders, when I could have gotten it here for MUCH less!
Easy to understand.......2007-07-03
This book has photos that are easy to see, explains things as to why (unlike most books) and goes into depth on how to create a website in Photoshop. If you are looking to get this book for scrapbooking, try looking at digital magazine subscriptions. While this is a great book, it doesn't show how to make elements or how to even scrapbook. However, you won't be disappointed if you purchased this book. You'll learn a lot that can be applied once you open your scrapbooking files.
WOW!!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-30
I waited for ever for this book to come out. I loved the last one and wanted the new one when CS first came out. It is almost twice as big as the last one, because each section has been enhanced. enhancing photos section is almost twice the size, as photoshop gets better they keep up. if you already worked with photoshop it is really easy to skim through by just looking at the side images, which also help when u are a beginner and have no idea what they are talking about in the main section. all the wow books seem to feature that system.
WOW you can learn alot from this book!.......2007-06-29
Well written for the novice to the advanced user. (There's always something you'll learn).
Worth the money.
This book is awesome!.......2007-05-23
This is the ultimate BIBLE and a MUST have for all PhotoShop users! It shows you all the tips & tricks to create very professional graphics.
Product Description
This book takes you beyond showing you which sliders do what to reveal the secrets of the new digital photography workflow using Adobe Lightroom, and he does it using three simple techniques that make this just a great learning tool: 1) Throughout the book Scott shares his own personal settings and studio tested techniques he s developed using Lightroom for his own photography workflow since well before Adobe released even the first Beta version. He knows what really works, what doesn t, and he tells you flat out which tools to use, which to avoid, and why. 2) The entire book is laid out in a real workflow order with everything step-by-step, so you can jump right in using Lightroom like a pro from the very start and sidestep a lot of productivity killing road blocks and time-wasting frustrations that might have tripped you up along the way. 3) In the last two bonus chapters Scott visually answers his No.1 most-asked Lightroom question, which is: Exactly what order am I supposed to do things in, and where does Photoshop fit in? Scott teaches this by showing every step of the entire process, from the initial shoot to the final prints. Both chapters start with an on-location photo shoot, including full details on the equipment, camera settings, and even the lighting techniques. You ll see it all as he takes the photos from each shoot all the way through the entire workflow process, to the final output of the 16x20 prints for the client.
Customer Reviews:
Good information, if a little too "cute".......2007-10-04
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.
Not bad.......2007-10-03
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.
Great Instructions, easy to learn.......2007-09-26
As all other Kelby's, this one too gives you all you need to learn a Adobe Program in an incredibly fast way. If you don't like the intro's before the chapters, just don't read them. Personally, I like them to distract a little bit in between. Start up your program, open the book and a few hours later you're really on the go! Perfect!
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter.......2007-09-25
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter)I found this step-by-step how-to book very helpful. It does a great job of organizaing work flow and explaining exactly what each of those dozens of sliders do to the photos. Requires a lot of time to apply, so if you are serious about using Lightroom, this is for you. I found the bits of humor enjoyable, some may not. I would like to see the screen shots a bit larger, my old eyes find 4 pt font difficult, but the text is easy and logical.
Awesome Read!.......2007-09-24
If you don't have Adobe Lightroom, I suggest you buy it ASAP. This program is absolutley AMAZING!!! And once you buy the software, get Scott's book on it! Just as all Scott's books accomplish; it takes you step by step through the whole program so you can be on your way in no time!!!
Rich Nortnik Jr.
Visualization Artist, Illustrator and Designer
The Shaw Group, Inc.
Book Description
Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography--how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and it's easier than you'd think).
This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?' I wouldn't stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I'd just say, 'Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' You d say, 'OK,' and you'd get the shot. That's what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak."
This isn't a book of theory—it isn't full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.
Here's another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There's never been a book like it, and if you're tired of taking shots that look "OK," and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you.
Customer Reviews:
hilarious book!.......2007-10-02
my boyfriend loved this book that i bought him. it had great tips and the writer is hilarious!
Too basic.......2007-09-29
The review is as much about the author as it is about photography. This is not a book for a photographer who wants to master digital techniques. It is intended for a beginner and offers a good introduction to photography. It can get very annoying if you have some familiarity with general photography.
a good book for someone new to cameras.......2007-09-28
I bought this for my wife who wants to learn to use something other then an instantmatic type camera. I had bought her a Z6 and she didn't know where to begin with all of these functions, but didn't want to be shown by me or anyone else how to use it.
The book has helped a lot, now she looks up how to do something and feels she has learned a lot about taking pictures. A lot of practical information without dwelling on theory.
Good reference if you don't want the technical jargon.......2007-09-27
I would say that different people feel differently from Scott's humorous writing. In the beginning, he already highlighted that he is talking like a friend. The fact is I feel that :)
First chapter is a bit... following chapters start to go into the topic with advise that really help out for beginner. We may have heard but we tend to forget; we may have looked how the pro does but we tend to overlook.
I give 4 stars in beginner's point of view.
Skip this book.......2007-09-26
Yes skip this book, Scott doesn't give you much in this book, I mirror the other reviewers who got really sick of his waste of time first page of every chapter (him trying, but failing, to be funny) There are much better ways of spending your money and your time
Product Description
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book was written with photographers in mind. Best-selling author Martin Evening describes Photoshop Lightroom s features in detail from a photographer s perspective. As an established commercial and fashion photographer, Martin knows firsthand what photographers need for an efficient workflow. He s also been working with Photoshop Lightroom from the beginning, monitoring the product s development and providing feedback on the public beta. As a result, Martin knows the software inside and out, from image selection to image editing to image management.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book of Lightroom.......2007-10-01
Martin Evening's book The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book is an excellent guide to using Lightroom. This book is aimed towards professional and advanced amateur photographers and provides excellent instruction on how to start using Lightroom as part of your digital workflow. It is more geared towards Mac users that PC, however Evening does provide instructions the PC users. It is a more technical book that Scott Kelby's book The Adobe Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers. Whereas Kelby shows you more tips and tricks, Evening is a master of explaining the technology behind Lightroom in clear, easy to understand prose. The book is laid out in a logical manner taking you from Import to Finish of your photos. All in all, The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book is indispensable for those wanting to get the most out of Lightroom.
Already out of date--and you pay for the update.......2007-09-10
This book was fine for Lightoom 1.0, but Lightroom 1.1 came out just when the book did. The publisher (Peachpit Press) should be ashamed for knowingly selling this out-of-date edition. Lightroom 1.1 is so different that Peachpit Press has had to post a 188-page PDF to document the changes. So to fully use this book, you have to buy it, then download the 188 page supplement, then print all 188 pages, then flip back and forth between the original book and the supplement. Peachpit is making us pay for buying its obsolete book by esentially self-printing a supplemental mini-book. This is like buying a Honda Civic with air conditioning, then finding out that you have to mail in a certificate for the air conditioner and then install it yourself. Wait for Peachpit to issue a revised book that covers Lightroom 1.1. I'm sending mine back--this was such a blatant ripoff by Peachpit.
Is it really necessary.......2007-09-06
A few months later, with version 1.1 of Lightroom out, book is incomplete. IMHO, manual that comes with the Lightroom is plenty enough to get you started.
An insightful book for creative photography.......2007-08-26
This is an excellent introduction to Adobe's new product. It gives a comprehensive explanation of all technical details with emphasis on artistic possibilities. The book is not intended for complete beginners -- some familiarity with basic principles of digital photography is assumed. On the other hand, a careful description of many new and ingenious techniques will delight even the most advanced photographers.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book.......2007-08-04
The book provides a step by step guide to the Lightroom program in an easy to read format and without overuse of technical terms . The tips on each page are excellent, giving a useful guide,comment or shortcut on the detailed subject of the page.The diagrams are well designed & the captions boxes are very clear in their descriptions.
Overall it provides a clear & well balanced explanation of the new Adobe program and I would certainly recommend it to anyone purchasing the new Lightroom program.
Book Description
This is the ultimate recipe book for visual effects artists working in Apple Shake, Adobe After Effects, and Apple Motion. An impressive lineup of Hollywood and independent effects pros have pulled together this compendium of the coolest and most useful effects from A to Z ("Adding Clouds" to "Z-Depth Effects"). The book includes everything from practical everyday commercial techniques to breakdowns of well-known shots from blockbuster films. Readers learn to create light sabers from the artists who created them for Star Wars Episode 3; learn to freeze time from the wizard who invented the effect for The Matrix; and learn to create matte paintings from the pros who did them for Lord of the Rings. Coverage includes rotoscoping, painting, warping and distortion effects, dramatic lighting, adding lightening and fire, matchmoves, 3D CG integration techniques, advanced blue- and greenscreen techniques, and much more. DVD-ROM included. Foreword by Ron Brinkmann.
Customer Reviews:
Provides the building blocks to VFX with Shake........2007-06-27
Four stars. A fifth star would have been earned for a better indexing or cross-reference. Otherwise a top notch, very informative book.
I have experience with film making and with Editing on Final Cut Pro. I was new to VFX, but I'm not anymore after reading this book!
Having seen Shake in action, I wanted to learn more. This books focus on Shake and the fact that a trial version ships with the book is the reason I bought it.
This book is a reference book. It explains, in detail, terms used in the VFX industry (clean plate, matchmoving, etc.) that any filmmaker or budding VFX artist will need to know if even just to communicate clearly with VFX professionals. The entries in the book are punctuated with walk-through tutorials that show you how to accomplish (in Shake) the specific effect. This is a good thing.
I had a project on my suite that needed some pretty hefty FX work. This book armed me with the right concepts and understanding so that I could plan the steps I'd need to take to accomplish the FX. In my case it was turning the request to "Make that person a ghost" into build a clean background plate, rotoscope the actor, invent a ghosty look, and then put it all back together. Until I had read the book and understood the individual steps involved, I didn't know where to begin.
Overall, this is a very informative reference book written in a witty and accessible style. It is VERY Shake oriented, which is, again, WHY I bought it. This is the kind of book an FX pro (or newbie) will reference many times as they work on future projects.
Fine book.......2007-06-07
I was already aware of most of the topics covered in this book, but it helped understand them better and be able to explain accurately to anyone asking. Its also well updated to current industry standards. its in no way complete as an Encyclopedia, needs future voulmes to do that.
In short-A text book for every student of visual effects.
Cons: The DVD files can be accessed only in a MAC (not for PC).
A most complete textbook for VSFX..........2007-03-08
My humble congratulations to the authors who have teamed up with Apple to bring us (my Visual Effects Dept. students and I) a most complete textbook. In my opinion, this book rates in the current top five of all serious resources in the teaching & learning of Visual Effects at the College and Graduate levels. In addition to that, for those of us teaching compositing and matte painting, I would rate this book as the current number one textbook on these topics. A must-read, for a serious student of the Art and Craft of Visual Effects.
Deepest respects,
Prof. Tan TASCIOGLU,
Professor of Visual Effects, Savannah College of Art & Design
SCAD-Atlanta campus.
(Review posted: March 2007)
great reference material.......2007-02-24
great book for beginner to intermediate level vfx artists. the book works exactly as the title says, as an encyclopedia or a reference on how to approach specific problems/challenges that a vfx artist usually faces in production.
Good Contribution.......2007-01-29
For those reviewers who are complaining this book does not cover Adobe After Effects or Final Cut Pro should consider one major fact: the title. It's an Apple book dedicated to Apple software. After Effects (strangely enough) is NOT an Apple product. Furthermore, Shake is Apple's premier visual effects software, and promoting it is in their interests. People are glued to either Final Cut Pro or After Effects (I find both endearing and quite wonderful), and Shake is left out in the dust, even though it offers many aspects other software cannot.
In any case, the book doesn't cover EVERYTHING but it does enough. If you want a step-by-step guide to all the possible effects, I suggest you write your own book after years of experience. Or, you can spend $500 for a collection of books which will undoubtably cover many of the same topics.
This book is a good find. Won't disappoint you if your expectations aren't unreasonable.
Average customer rating:
- Great Introduction to Image Processing
- Simply Excellent! Fully Justifies Its Price!
- Excellent book for Image Processing
- OK book for 1st or 2nd year undergrads
- Turn Knowledge into Code
|
Digital Image Processing (2nd Edition)
Rafael C. Gonzalez , and
Richard E. Woods
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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ASIN: 0201180758 |
Customer Reviews:
Great Introduction to Image Processing.......2007-09-16
(This review refers to the second edition of the book)
This book is a simple and very well written introduction to Image Processing. This book starts off with the very basics of the subject. In fact the introduction is a bit too long and may be boring for some. The book contains many examples from different real world applications. In most chapters this book covers only the very basic techniques, so readers who want to study more advanced concepts will have to look elsewhere. For example, this book does not cover Canny edge detection which is probably the benchmark edge detection algorithm. The chapter on wavelets was refreshing; it concentrated more on how wavelets can be used for image processing and less on the math. The chapters on enhancement, restoration and color are elementary. The chapter on compression was quite good. The book ends with a few chapters on segmentation and pattern recognition. Overall, its a very good introductory textbook well suited for senior undergraduate/first year graduate students.
Simply Excellent! Fully Justifies Its Price!.......2006-05-09
The preface of this book starts with a quote:
"When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing".
And once you start reading the book, you realize how much the book lives upto this. Everything is written clearly and importany points are stressed again and again in each topic until you become fully familiar with them. Topics are written with implementation in mind, as you can get started with writing your own code instantly.
The book makes the subject as interseting as it gets, and although some existing basic concepts of mathematics and statistics are quite helpful while reading, but you dont even have to be familiar with Digital Signal Processing to fully understand the contents.
Finally, I'd like to say that out of the few poeple that fully understand a concept, fewer have the gift to deliver their knowledge to others, and the authors of this book have that gift.
Excellent book for Image Processing.......2006-03-25
This book feeds the readers all the basic concepts of Image Processing. Very easily understandable and lucid in explanations. I would rate it one among the best EE books published so far.
OK book for 1st or 2nd year undergrads.......2006-02-14
I am giving this book 4 stars because it's quite descriptive and easy to follow. It covers some of the basic concepts behind digital image analysis and touches on the more general signal processing concepts, but it doesn't go very deep into the actual math. This may be what you want, but for me it was an assigned text for a 4th year undergrad course I took in college, and I found it inadequate. I felt like I could have written this book before I even started the class. At the same time, though, I think it would have been a great text for a more entry-level course.
If you want a text that goes in further detail and provides some math to chew on, I have to recommend the "Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing" by Anil K. Jain. It is also sold on Amazon, and I found it to be more appropriate for a 3rd year, 4th year, or Master's level course.
Turn Knowledge into Code.......2006-02-11
This is the best, most understandable image processing book I ever read. It is the
only image processing book I've ever read in which I could immediately turn the concepts into code (IDL). I spent most of a Christmas vacation thinking it was a novel I couldn't put down. That's about as good as it gets for a technical book! Well done, Gentlemen.
Book Description
Achieving accurate skin tones is one of the most challenging tasks in digital photography. Master this challenge with professional photographer Lee Varis as he covers a range of skin: women and men, young and old, various tones, in-studio and outdoors, tattoos, and more. His step-by-step tutorials and before-and-after illustrations demonstrate various techniques for topics such as digital-specific lighting challenges and what can and cannot be done in post-process.
A free CD-ROM accompanies the book and contains sample image files to use while following the tutorials, plus equipment recommendations and technical reference materials that enhance and reinforce the instruction.
Order your copy of this practical guide today and get a complete start-to-finish approach to integrating everything from posing models to shooting and retouching candid scenes.
Customer Reviews:
Very helpful.......2007-09-25
I agree with the other 5 star reviews. The only thing I'd like to add is part of the foreword by Gerald Bybee:
"If you're looking for pointers on shooting nudes or tutorials on photographing sexy models in the desert, this book is not for you. There is already a plethora of those pseudo-technical books explointing the throngs of photo voyeurs. Lee isn't about exploitation of our society's fascination with naked skin. Lee's fascination is simply with digital imaging technique focused on the practical application of photographing people, who coincidentally are primarily dermal by nature."
If you are like me and don't want a book full of nude models sitting around the house, then don't let this book's title keep you from buying it. There is a thumbnail of the most nude picture in the book on the cover (3rd down on the left side) and is the image of a woman's back. Lee Varis does a good job of talking about and showing examples of skin without including pictures you may not want your children seeing.
great book.......2007-09-24
Great book mostly for post processing in photoshop. Espesially about how to treat skincolor. Also a littel bit of how to light. Many usable photoshop techniques. Just get it!
EXCELLENT book.......2007-09-07
One of the most focused books on lighting and Photoshopping people I have ever read - it's very advanced, but well explained. This book will help you push yourself when it comes to this subject. Refreshing and different approach in his writing.
the book is great.......2007-09-05
The book is very helpful. The book is based on Photoshop CS2, so if you're like me and still using CS, some of the tutorials won't work.
A good read.......2007-09-05
I can say I am happy with the book for the price I paid ($23) It is not worth the full retail for myself (newbies will get a lot more out of it) I was hoping it would go into more detail with making correct skin tones, it is sadly only a chapter long, but is a great chapter. The retouching chapter is ok but not for high end retouching, Katrin Eismanns book on retouching (3rd edition) has a lot of great "high end" pore by pore retouching techniques, the ones in this book are good for quick portrait retouches, also a great section for tattoo's and even applying tattoos to the skin. All in all its a good book just don't expect a ton of advanced techniques.
Book Description
God never changes, nor do the central truths of Christianity. But our understanding of those truths is in constant flux. Christians will always be exploring and discovering what it means to live in harmony with God and each other. Now in softcover, Velvet Elvis offers original and refreshingly personal perspectives on what Christianity is really about.
Customer Reviews:
Fresh perspectives on ancient concepts.......2007-09-24
Rob Bell does an excellent job applying ancient concepts from early Christianity and Judaism to our modern world. Whereas many recent works on Christian spirituality fall short in substance, Velvet Elvis is strengthened by Bell's scriptural grounding and historical contexting.
For example, my favorite part of the book was the chapter on the significance of Christ's call to "follow me." Bell highlights how rare it was to be worthy of a rabbi asking you to follow him - you basically had to be in the MENSA of Talmud interpreters. In contrast, Christ invites mere fishermen to follow him. Thus, when Christ invites average people like us, he is showing the same confidence in us as the rabbis showed in their selected followers.
By placing in its proper context a portion of scripture that I had previously overlooked, Bell helped shed fresh, new light on my faith. Bell uses this new light to reenforce his ideas on what the church should like today.
I recommend this to both Christians and non-Christians alike. Bell may convince you that following Christ is actually much different than what you had assumed. I know he did for me.
Velvet Elvis, Contorting an analogy.......2007-09-21
I find a number of subtle and sometimes obvious faults in this book that make it dangerous. Throughout the book, particularly in the first few chapters, Mr. Bell makes a number of analogies which he contorts, stretches and forces. The most notable analogy relates to the velvet Elvis itself. It is never quite clear what the velvet Elvis typifies. On pages 10 and 11, one can surmise either Jesus, the Christian faith or the church. However, in the last paragraph on page 11 he states that Luther "never stopped rethinking and repainting the faith."
On the next page, Mr. Bell states that "I embrace the need to keep painting... I mean theology: the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained." Whereas, I would agree that culturally, over the years and centuries adaptations and changes needed to be made -- specifically, with the outward appearance of dress and hair style and the place of women in the church. (Actually, in different parts of the world, culturally different practices continue to be used. Christian women in the Middle East and in some parts of the United States still wear head covering.) The basic tenets and faith principles have not been changed only rediscovered, and reapplied. Hebrews 6:1-3
On page 14, the statement is made "but this book is for those who need a fresh take on Jesus and what it means to live the kind of life he teaches us to live... this pursuit of Jesus is leading us backward as much as forward." To this I say: 1. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. 2. Growing from faith to faith does not imply that faith is being replaced but rather implies an increase in faith. The mustard seed is growing. 3. The church needs to change -- not God's Word or Jesus. Several times throughout his text and even on the back cover Rob Bell states "God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" God's Word is inexorable and unchanging.
A number of senseless and vague statements are made throughout his text. On the surface they give a pretense of being deep but are rather nebulous, incongruous and convoluted. In chapter 1 on page 21 he states "Jesus' intention was, and is, to call people to live in tune with reality." (!?) Next he develops the analogy of springs on a trampoline and compares these to the doctrines of Christian faith. He contrasts this with what he claims is current theology that the Christian faith is inflexible and is like a brick that is fixed in size which "can't flex or change size because if it does then it can't fit into the wall." It seems to me that we're talking about a foundation upon which we can build the church or our faith and which needs to be unshakeable so that no storm can topple it. Sand certainly flexes and changes but does not make a good foundation. This is another example of him forcing an analogy and getting into trouble. Many of his statements thus far are too cutesy and contrived! -- done for sex appeal and to force interest and controversy.
Later he makes the statement that seems to imply that the creator, God the Father, is the painting. However, all that can be known of God is revealed in his son and his son is the true painting (what can be seen of the father) and can be visualized better by some them by others. On page 26 he states "what if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologists find Larry's tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel...?"
To this I say -- what if the moon is made of green cheese? Why ask the question in the first place?
What if the Christian faith is that solid and that unique in that it is formed on bricks and not a trampoline? All the questions asked on page 28 and 29 are peripheral to the issue and are often used by unbelievers as an excuse to not take the final step of faith. We have all been taught as Christians and soul winners to listen to these arguments but to deflect them and get to the main issue which is what are you going to do with Jesus? His statement on page 30 "questions, no matter how shocking or blasphemous or arrogant or ignorant or raw, are rooted in humility" is pure baloney. At the bottom of the page he states "maybe that is what God is looking for -- people who don't just sit there and mindlessly accept whatever comes their way."
The Christian faith is a foundation not a trampoline. I would rather have a brick foundation than a trampoline for a foundation. It is interesting that in forcing and stretching his analogy he finally states that he is too exhausted to jump anymore and finally just "lies down on the mat and stares up at the vast blue sky above us." This is resting in your faith and in a firm foundation.
In chapter 2 on page 46 he makes the statement "once again, the Bible is open ended. It has to be interpreted." Interpreted by the Holy Spirit -- not by man. On page 48 he makes the statement that a rabbi may find "a new way to understand the Scriptures that was closer to what God intended than the way of the rabbis who had come before him." These are new truths and not new understandings of the truth.
On page 50, "giving the keys of the kingdom" was not Jesus giving authority to make new interpretations of the Bible but was for binding and loosing people who were enslaved that he might set the captives free. Page 55, second paragraph, he states "the Bible has to be interpreted. Decisions have to be made about what it means now, today." To this I say that many passages are not open to interpretation because with many passages there is no cultural or background bias.
I find it interesting that Mr. Bell uses analogies endlessly to make points but then objects to others using analogies. On page 62 he finds issue three paragraphs from the bottom with those who use the Bible-as-owners-manual metaphor.
He makes the comment that the Bible is "alive today" and then on page 63 he states that "it is a book of ancient narratives. We cannot make it something it is not." The details given in the Bible may be at times very specific but the truths are transcendent and not subject to interpretation.
On page 64 he states that John in writing his Gospel "has an agenda." To this I would say that it is God who has the agenda and directs John to inform us about it.
On page 65, third paragraph, he states "the Bible has the authority it does only because it contained stories about people interacting with the God who has all authority." The authority of the Scriptures does not come from being based in current events. If this were the case, the Koran and books in other religions would have the same authority. Further down he states "the authority is God who is acting in and through these people at that time and now these people at this time." The authority comes from the fact that it is the Word of God. The Bible does not imitate current events, current events mimic the Bible. Being contemporaneous does not equal authenticity. On page 66 he states that the "Bible tells a story. A story that isn't over. A story that is still being told. A story that we have a part to play in." To this I say that stories are only a small part of the Bible. Further down on this page he makes the remarkable and dangerous statement "the people who eventually wrote all of this down weren't sitting there with their hand and a pen moving as if controlled by some outside force. The writers of the Bible had agendas." God had the agenda -- Luke and John were just obedient.
In chapter 3 he really goes off the deep end. Here we go into the New Age philosophy which he so obviously espouses. On page 74 he asked the question in the first line "and is that something actually someone?" This statement was made after saying that he felt close to God when being out in nature and experiencing touchy-feely sensations. These experiences made him aware that there was something bigger in this universe. Does this mean that someone who does not know God can experience him? On page 77 he states that "the whole earth is full of the weight and significance of who God is." On page 80 he states "I claim and affirm the truth whenever I find it." Truth found in the world is not equivalent to truth found in the Bible. On page 81 he states "truth is available to everyone." I agree, Satan quoted scripture. In the final paragraph on this page he states "Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life. If you come across truth in any form it isn't outside your faith as a Christian. Your faith just got bigger. To be a Christian is to claim truth wherever you find it." Does this mean there is Truth in Buddhism, Islam and Hindu? Jesus said he was The Truth not a truth.
On page 83, in the middle of the page he states "for Jesus then, the point of religion is to help us connect with ultimate reality, God." Jesus is the one who provides the pathway -- The Way -- to God through forgiveness of sins.
At the top of the page 85 he states "he is teaching people to live as Christians, and then whatever they do will be sacred, holy work. Music already is worship. Music is praise. Music is sacred. Music is good." Music can be worship, praise, sacred and good. I think we are seeing some of Rob Bell's agenda in this statement. It is obvious that he used his background as a musician as a springboard and this probably has a lot to do with his success within his church. Parenthetically, I must say this last statement is conjecture on my part.
Page 86, middle of the page, he states "the Bible is filled with stories of God teaching people how to think. How to discern. How to sort and sift and figure out what is true and what isn't. What is good and what isn't. What brings life and what brings death." With this statement, he makes the claim that we are exclusively to work out our own salvation without the benefit of redemption or forgiveness of sins. On page 88, he states "so the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst." God may be there but Jesus the Redeemer is not. He criticizes the statement by missionaries who say they are about bringing God to the lost. He states that God is already there. God may be there but Jesus the Redeemer is not. The missionary is bringing salvation not God.
Nowhere in the book is the New Age Jesus more dramatically depicted than on page 92. He makes the statement "and Jesus is the life force that makes it possible... my friends are resonating with Jesus whether they acknowledge it or not... Jesus was up on that cliff with us that day... in affirming and celebrating all that they did that day on the cliff, my friends are closer to Jesus than they could ever imagine."
Finally, 107 pages into his book, first mention is made of redemption. On page 108, he makes the statement "the point of the cross isn't forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn't just interested in the covering over of our sins; God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be." The work of the cross was not the covering of our sins but the removal of them. The last line of page 109 states "but we can join a movement that is as wide and deep and big as the universe itself. Rocks and trees and birds and swamps and ecosystems. God's desire is to restore all of it." This is New Age, Mother Earth and bright Green! God is not interested in making us what we originally were intended to be. He has so much more for us than that. Because we now have free choice, he wants to make us free and not slaves. Heaven is so much better than the Garden of Eden.
The rest of this book is pretty much plain vanilla and not very profound. Consequently, there is not much that is controversial here.
On page 148, last paragraph, he states "for Jesus, this new kind of life in him is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place, here and now. The goal for Jesus isn't to get into heaven. The goal is to get heaven here." This is an unbalanced statement. Jesus made the comment that the poor we always have with us and he accepted spikenard, et cetera. His ultimate goal for us is in heaven. That is why he states that we should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven by blessing people here today. On page 150, middle of the page, he makes the statement "and Jesus calls us to return to our true selves." To this I state we can't -- we must be born again. Further down, he states "we need you to you." New Age!! "We don't need a second anybody. We need the first to you." Social Gospel. Next page he states "trust Jesus can repair the scarred and broken image." He can't and you won't. It is his business to produce a new image/creation.
Page 158 is rather interesting, in the second paragraph he states "from day one (which is really day six). They are in intimate relationship and interaction with their environment. They are environmentalists... This is why litter and pollution are spiritual issues." It's really nice being Green!
He states "we cannot live independently of the world God has placed us in. We are intimately connected by God." However in the Bible we read that we are to be in this world but not of the world. On page 159, third paragraph from the bottom, he states "these people cannot be separated from their environment. One part falls out of harmony and everything is affected. As one text says, 'the whole creation has been groaning.' It is all thrown off." This is a stretch of the Scriptures. The groaning is part of the travail for the New Creation.
On page 160 he states "remember when God made the world, he called it good. Why would God destroy something he thinks is good?" In the Scriptures we read that God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth and the Old will be destroyed. Next page, he states "in Jesus, God is putting it all back together again." However, Jesus stated that he wanted to put in new wine in new wineskins.V
Rob Bell modern Christian.......2007-09-19
Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith written by Rob Bell is a short novel, only 177pages.
Rob Bell is the founding Pastor of Mars Hill, a church in Grandville, Michigan. Bell graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has written two books, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, and Sex God. Bell is also featured in a series of short films called NOOMA. He
and his wife Kristin have two boys.
Things that work about this book are, that the author has brought a broad view of what a person's individual interpretation of the Bible does and does not tell the audience. Bell uses everyday examples of family and ministry occurrences to inspire thought. He defines vocabulary terms that the society as a whole may be unfamiliar with.
Although the writer is obviously a Christian, he is
writing probing and eye-opening what-ifs on every other page. He tells the reader about his own struggles with faith and gives little tips throughout the book in the reading on how to hone in on the struggles of life and overcome them.
The book needed a larger font. Reading the script chosen was difficult because the line of the letters is so thin. When the editors separate chapters, they use sub-headings. This does nothing for the reader except distract from the reading.
Rob Bell has written a great novel in Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. This book would be best for the Christian who needs a jumpstart, a person
seeking Christ, and for anyone who simply wants something to think about. Anyone who considers themselves spiritual in any way would finish this book without wondering why they started it.
Ultimately, Velvet Elvis will open the eyes of anyone reading it. This book would be especially interesting to the casual Christian reader.
Fun - but all over the map.......2007-09-13
Impressed by his NOOMA videos, I jumped at the chance to buy this book by Rob Bell. As I read, I enjoyed the style, the stories. It was entertaining, but, as I made progress through the book, I began to feel uncomfortable. As other reviewers have noted, Rob Bell is all over the map. The book ends up being a sloppy mess.
I have two major problems with Bell and his theology as described in this book:
1) Bell contradicts himself. For example, he tells the story of a time when he asked a pastor if he was ready for his next sermon. Bell says that this pastor was arrogant when his claim to be ready included the statement that the guy had the verse nailed. Bell tells us that scripture isn't for KNOWING; it's for QUESTIONING. Then he quotes scripture to back up his points. Hey, wait a minute! You can't claim scripture is only for generating questions and then use it to prove your points! Circular reasoning not allowed!
2) Recreating the gospel. I agree that scripture should be questioned. I think we should all read the Bible and then think long and hard about what it says. Bell's method, however, is more new-age than I think is justified. He writes in the book that what we are to do is collectively re-interpret scripture as time goes on. Taken to it's logical conclusion, Bell is advocating that we collectively recreate our own gospel in each generation.
Bell missed the point that there are some things in scripture that you can know. It's not all up for grabs, as this volume suggests. Bell is weaving all over the road, so readers might miss the underlying themes espoused in this book.
Thorough logic.......2007-09-09
Rob Bell does an excellent job at not only sharing a fair perspective of the Christian faith, walking the reader through it quite easily. With an almost Socratic approach, the reader can realize meanings and derive personal conclusions through the authors suggestive questioning (much more pleasant than if the auther were to share an epiphany and use the rest of the book as means of persuasion, especially with such a bold subject). I was impressed with Bell's knowledge and background on Jewish traditions, beliefs, social standards, and ways of living.
Book Description
Anyone still think that Adobe Photoshop Elements is a toy version of the real thing? As the most popular photo-editing program on the market, Photoshop Elements not only has Photoshop's marvelous powers, but also has capabilities the mothership lacks. Each new version includes more tools designed specifically for today's consumer digital photo enthusiasts. The latest edition, Photoshop Elements X, solidifies the reputation of this superb and inexpensive product with new scrapbook features, a link to online photo services, and many other improvements.
In fact, there's so much to Photoshop Elements that it can be quite confusing at times. That's precisely why our Missing Manuals are the bestselling books on the topic. Adobe provides a pamphlet and some help files; our book, now in its fourth edition, carefully explains every feature the program has to offer (something no other book has done) by putting each one into a clear, easy-to-understand context.
Photoshop Elements X: The Missing Manual covers the Windows version of Adobe's workhorse and gives you the low down on a host of new features:
- Learn to create multiple page documents, custom photo layouts with frames, and highly customized layouts for scrapbook projects
- Master the new editor for Layer Styles, which lets you customize individual layers in a photo
- "Attach" your photos to areas of a Yahoo! Map so your friends and family can see the pictures you took in specific places
Author Barbara Brundage also introduces you to a new sophisticated tool called "Curves" to adjust the color and contrast in your photos, and shows you how to burn multi-session CDs and DVDs. As always, she lets you know which features work well, which don't, and why -- all with a bit of wit and good humor. Although the book progresses from simple to complex tasks, you can easily jump around to learn specific techniques, such as creating photomontages (composites), restoring old photos, preparing images for the Web, and archiving. More than a dozen downloadable images let you practice using the editing tools right away!
Customer Reviews:
Photoshop Elements 5.0 The Missing Manual.......2007-09-29
This is a must have. Covers everything the other manuals miss, and gives pertinent information others miss. Well written, easily followed and understood. Pick a topic and go, or read it from front to back.
Good information, but needs more step by step instructions........2007-09-24
Lots of information but some of it assumes you already know how to use it. Can get to what you want to do with some digging.
Outstanding reference for Elements users.......2007-09-20
I did quite a bit of research on Elements 5.0 books, and I ended up choosing this one because of the great reviews it had gotten. Excellent choice! The book is very easy to understand, and I can't imagine tackling Elements 5.0 without it. It gave me the good start I needed in understanding and effectively using the software. Barbara Brundage is an excellent author. She's great at writing in a way that gives you the info you need while avoiding the techno-speak that many software developers use. If you have Elements 5.0 and need a good reference....or a good way to start using the software...this is your book.
Photoshop elements the lost Manual.......2007-09-05
Ok, I'm not the professional photographer and having said that, I'm not the editing guru either. So, I bought photoshop elements 5.0 for my computer which runs vista, it runs great. I'm sure i have only touched on a small part of the of the software, because it's a bit overwhelming at first, this book helps take care of that feeling. I came across this book and WoW, now i get it. Good luck with the book. I go to the chapter that i need help with during my editing mess. haha... Amazon you rock!!!
Photoshop Elementa 5: The Missing Manual.......2007-09-03
I have read several books on editing photos and I have found that Photoshoshop and the missing maual goes step by step with the software in easy sef ecplainable senteneces tha even a necomer can understand.
Book Description
Best-selling author Scott Kelby is well known for his plain-English style, his humorous tone, and his unparalleled ability to cut through all the technical jargon that other authors use when writing about image-editing programs. Here, Scott delivers great techniques on Photoshop Elements 5 that his readers understand and use to make the best possible images. With this newest release of Photoshop Elements, Scott shows readers how to work with their images like a pro, from importing to organization to correction to output. Readers will learn all they need to know about the digital photography workflow, as well as the latest secrets of the pros to help them create the best special effects, apply the most useful sharpening techniques, and avoid many of the hassles and problems that are encountered in digital photography (such as digital noise and color halos).
Customer Reviews:
disappointing.......2007-09-30
The book is actually pretty good. I was disappointed in the chapter on raw. I am new to this software and processing in raw format. What the book shows and my version 5 is completely different. I sent an email asking if they could explain the features since it is so different. I listed each, they said "I believe that Camera Raw was updated after the publication of our book." Also they informed me that they don't have a help desk. I have seen publications print corrections etc. that you are able to obtain. If raw is unimportant get it, if you want to learn about raw get something else.
Photoshop Elements 5.0 Book for Digital Photographers.......2007-09-29
A book for the beginner. Scott Kelby is a funny guy, makes the book bearable. Can start at the beginning of the book, or just go to where you need help.
Gotta have it!!.......2007-09-24
This book offers great and easy detail on learning more about using elements. Anyone that has purchased phtoshop elements needs this book. I love it !!!
Great book .......2007-09-23
Pros: The instructions are very clear. It is great book for beginners
Cons: This is a great book for beginner/intermediate user. If you look for advanced skills, then you may need some other books or resource.
Perfect Book for Photoshop Beginners.......2007-09-18
I've always used Microsoft Digital Image Pro, but found Photoshop Elements on clearance one day and decided to buy it. However, I kept going back to Digital Image Pro until I ordered this book. I am constantly referring to this book and slowly I've started to memorize the steps of my most favorite techniques. I've since upgraded to Photoshop CS2 and I still use this book. I either refer to the Table of Contents or the index to find what I'm looking for. The directions are listed step by step and are easy to understand. What I find very helpful are the "screen prints" of Elements so you can actually see what the author is referring to.
Some of my favorite tips are how to whiten teeth, how to change the color of an object, and how to change the background. There are many, many more tips in this book that I use often and love - these are a just a few examples.
Books:
- Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
- Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
- Playboy Girls Next Door 2007 Poster Wall Calendar
- Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
- Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne
- Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems
- Quilts in a Material World: Selections from the Winterthur Collection
- Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz
- Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies
- Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica
Books Index
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