The Classroom In A Book series is one of the best ways to learn Adobe^R software from the Adobe experts and the Photoshop CS4 Classroom In A Book is no exception. However, I do have to admit that after several editions of this book, you do get much duplication. I only mention this because some consumers do object to this. That being said, the Adobe authors have done a nice job of covering the new features and the enhancements to Photoshop CS4.

For those of you who do not have a previous edition of this book, you will find fourteen project-based lessons created by the Adobe Creative Team. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and the project files from the CD give you hands-on practice. The authors begin by covering the workspace and basic tasks including photo correction, selection tools, layer basics, typography, vectors and preparing images for web and print. At the end of each chapter are review lessons and throughout the book are tips by Julieanne Kost, one of Adobe's experts.

The new features that are discussed are the Vibrance Slider, the Adjustments, Masks and Clone Source panels and the enhancements to Camera Raw. But the new features that will interest most Photoshop users are in the 3D area. The authors devote a chapter to discussing the new 3D tools and techniques. The project for this chapter is a CD cover. They cover how to use the 3D tools to navigate in 3D space and manipulate 3D objects. The project calls for wrapping a 2D layer onto a hat, which is one of the preset 3D objects that ship with CS4. They also discuss importing 3D objects and using Photoshop's painting tools to paint directly onto a 3D object. You also explore the 3D panel where you can adjust the existing lights and add new lights and textures. Finally, they demonstrate recording the movement of a 3D object and rendering the animation into a QuickTime^R movie.

Contributors to this book include Jay Graham, Arne Hurty, Tyler Munson and Lee Unkrich.