Book Review – Mastering Photoshop Layers

As a reader of many Photoshop related books I’ve come to expect certain aspects to be contained within them. I want clear instructions, illustrated examples and information I haven’t found anywhere else. Mastering Photoshop layers ticks all the boxes.

One of my annoyances when I pick up an instructional book of this type is that so much the book is dedicated to the author’s photography and not enough to instruction. In this case, however, this is not so.  There’s a good selection of illustrated examples but the majority of the 291 pages is given over to clear and concise descriptions of tips and techniques that can be used in all manner of Photoshop projects.

This book is split into 10 chapters;

• Using layers to make global and selective adjustments
• Editing images using adjustment layers
• Working with layer masks
• Blending  modes
• Merging and blending layers
• Smart objects and smart filters
• Layer styles
• Organising layers
• Alternatives to Photoshop layers
• Sample edits

Each chapter is then split into subchapters for easy navigation, looking at such diverse subjects as applying digital make-up, applying effects to irregular shapes and layers sequencing (full table of contents). In truth you get more than just a book about Photoshop layers, there’s a whole host of tips, tricks and techniques for a whole range of Photoshop tools, filters and adjustments.

For the newcomer to Photoshop one would recommend going through the book sequentially, but for the more seasoned user it’s a great book for reference and, as I’ve been using it, for sitting on the desk and opening randomly to get a new tip or as a refresher.

Written by Juergen Gulbins and Published by Rocky Nook,  Mastering Photoshop Layers is available now from bookshops as and of course Amazon both in paperback and ebook.

Sample pages Here