Thanks, guys, I'll check out Kelby on Amazon!

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"

And that is the real value of his book. Kelby's "Photoshop CS for
Photographers" will tell you how to get things done: everything from simple
tasks like removing red-eye, correcting exposure and color temperature to
creating images with knock-outs, touch-up, and slimming waists. You want a
book that devotes an entire chapter to how to rename a file, though, or
another chapter on how to start Photoshop from the START menu, you will have
to look elsewhere. Kelby figures that most computer users probably know how
to do that kind of stuff.

Another book I like is "How to Wow Photoshop for Photography" by Jack Davis
and Ben Willmore. It contains a disk that automates many useful tasks, and
again does not devote a single line to renaming files, clicking on window
expansion boxes, or starting Photoshop.

Neither of these books try to teach you anything about photography, either,
at least at the level of "this is a camera; the thing on the front is called
a lens." The only thing they do is free your creative energy. Guess these
guys figure you got an instruction manual with your camera.

There *is* one book written for rank beginners in photography that I believe
can be profitably read by advanced photographers: "How to Photograph Your
Life" by Nick Kelsh. The man is on a crusade to rid the world of bad
photography. If you already know the stuff in his book (and most of us here
do -- but you might be surprised), the book is extremely valuable in
demonstrating his teaching techniques and in clearly explaining through
examples why one picture is better than another. This book will show you how
to make other people better photographers so you don't have to look at their
terrible pictures any more. It ought to be mandatory reading before you buy
a camera.

There are two Photoshop groups on usenet. Just lurk there and follow
threads that are interesting. There are also websites with tutorials on all
sorts of PS things. They get referenced from time to time on said groups.

Bob

I have Kelby's Photoshop book for Digital Photography and it has helped
me immensely - up until then I had pretty much just dabbled in PS on my
own and tried to figure it out. The book is great because it is
hands-on and very practical.

The company I work for happens to offer a large library of online
self-learning courses, of which I've taken several of their Photoshop
related courses. I think the biggest learning curve for any beginner
(myself included) is basically understanding the concept of layers and
masking. Once you "get it", you'll wonder how you ever got along
without it!