Software
Review: Adobe Photoshop CS2
One Click Wow!, Pg. 2
While they do explain how you can tweak and resize different options in the styles for different resolutions, it kind of decreases the usefulness of a set of styles called “One Click Wow!” if you’re having to perpetually monkey with all the presets to get exactly what you want for the two most common graphic uses on the planet.
In the end, this means that for video and web users, you’re usually going to have to flatten your image or, at least the layer you were working on, before you resize your image. This is also a bit of a pain, but less of one than monkeying around with the style presets. Print users have no such work around and will need to monkey around with the presets if they want no resolution loss at the 300 dpi level.
Considering how little space all of these styles took on the CD, I would have vastly preferred if they would have simply used two different sets of styles for the two main types of graphic design: web/multimedia and print. That way, if you’re a web-designer or creating new title sequences for your movie, you can just download the Web/Multimedia bundle. Whereas, if you run a printshop, then you can download the print version. And if you need both, you can download them both.
Attention Captivation
The software is the main draw in this situation, but the writing in the book keeps your attention fairly well. However, due to the lack of a lot of detailed walk-throughs and ‘recipes’, you’re less likely to read through everything in the book.
Reusability
With lots of different ways to combine things for a total of over 900 separate effects, you will definitely be using and re-using the styles included with this book. You may not return to reading the book after a once over, but the software will definitely be used a lot.
Value vs. Cost
For $30 bucks you get a huge number of looks, styles, and actions for Photoshop CS2. (The plugins will also work for CS, if you haven’t upgraded.) $30 bucks isn’t much for all the different looks and styles you get, so it's well worth the expense. (I just wish they had a similarly priced set that would do similar things in After Effects 7!)
Overall Comment
More a software package than it is a book, Adobe Photoshop CS2 One Click Wow! manages to deliver a lot of bang for the buck, which can be very helpful for creating your film’s web page, graphics in your film, or your movie poster. Sure, it could stand to have a few more walk-throughs and the two most common resolution defaults, but it’s definitely worth picking up, all the same.
Comprehension
8.5
Depth
of Information
8.5
Interest
Level
7.0
Reusability
9.5
Value
vs. Cost
10.0
Overall
Score
8.7
The
director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films,
Jeremy Hanke
founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make
better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted.
