What do you think?
Rate this book
Beyond Photoshop: Advanced techniques integrating Photoshop with Illustrator, Poser, Painter, Cinema 4D and ZBrush
In his best-selling book Creative Photoshop , award-winning artist Derek Lea previously revealed to the digital art world his secrets for creating stunning, sophisticated works of art using Photoshop. Now, he goes one step further in this all-new book to demonstrate his unique methods for using Photoshop in conjunction with other software packages. Derek's compelling images will inspire you to think creatively about the ways in which you can use Photoshop alongside other popular programs such as Illustrator, Poser, Painter, Cinema4D, and ZBrush to take your own art to the next level. Whether you are a digital artist, illustrator, cartoonist, graphic artist, designer, 3D enthusiast, or serious hobbyist working for print or the web, this fantastic new book will open your eyes to a whole new world of digital art that's never before been uncovered. Challenge yourself and discover the more artistic aspects of these programs with one of the world's best teachers by your side.
- GenresEbooksArtPhotography
347 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2010
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 29, 2012
Derek Lea notes in the Introduction to "Beyond Photoshop" that one must be at least an intermediate-level Photoshop user to effectively use this book. But I can tell you, as a self-taught Illustrator user who has been in Photoshop only to do some basic cropping or resizing, that I found this book very inspiring and a call to delve in more deeply.
I have avoided Photoshop out of sheer bewilderment. With "Beyond Photoshop," I find that I can pick up and learn the tools as they are mentioned, before attempting a chapter's instruction. I am a conceptual learner, so it's helpful to me to see examples of how a tool is used before I explore it. Sure, I can't move through the chapters as quickly as would an intermediate or advanced user, but I am learning from this book!
It is most helpful (and less daunting) that the chapters are self-contained. Lea invites readers to start wherever they want to, and he offers links to download the files and trial versions of all software used in the book--plus a forum for further discussion with other artists. Talk about "value added"!
The first three chapters are devoted to combining Photoshop and Illustrator, so I'm finding I'm learning Photoshop techniques but also advancing my knowledge of Illustrator considerably. Chapter 3, Live Trace and Pathfinder Effects, especially, has gotten me off to playing into the wee hours of the morning. It's definitely FUN! I'm seeing ways to move beyond some very basic (again, self-taught) designs I do in Illustrator. Lea breaks everything down into very detailed steps, so I can linger over one step as long as I wish.
Chapter 4, Hand-Painted Magic, introduces readers to Painter. I'm not likely to get into doing this kind of artwork, but the techniques further expanded my vision of what I can do in Illustrator in terms of composition and minimization of clutter.
It was not until I got to chapters 5 (Poser), 6 (Cinema 4D), and 7 (ZBrush) that I felt like I was in way over my head, but not because the instruction is difficult. On the contrary, Lea covers these three programs, as interfaced with Photoshop, in a very clear and understandable way. He assumes even advanced readers will probably not have had much, if any, experience with the software. These last three chapters range far outside the artistic realms a self-taught book designer like me is likely to venture into in terms of "need to know"; however, I found them exciting to peruse. I can see now how some of the extraordinary effects in the movie "Artificial Intelligence" might have been achieved.
On the whole, "Beyond Photoshop" has really inspired me. I'm very glad I got this book! Now, I want to get Lea's "Creative Photoshop" as well.
I have avoided Photoshop out of sheer bewilderment. With "Beyond Photoshop," I find that I can pick up and learn the tools as they are mentioned, before attempting a chapter's instruction. I am a conceptual learner, so it's helpful to me to see examples of how a tool is used before I explore it. Sure, I can't move through the chapters as quickly as would an intermediate or advanced user, but I am learning from this book!
It is most helpful (and less daunting) that the chapters are self-contained. Lea invites readers to start wherever they want to, and he offers links to download the files and trial versions of all software used in the book--plus a forum for further discussion with other artists. Talk about "value added"!
The first three chapters are devoted to combining Photoshop and Illustrator, so I'm finding I'm learning Photoshop techniques but also advancing my knowledge of Illustrator considerably. Chapter 3, Live Trace and Pathfinder Effects, especially, has gotten me off to playing into the wee hours of the morning. It's definitely FUN! I'm seeing ways to move beyond some very basic (again, self-taught) designs I do in Illustrator. Lea breaks everything down into very detailed steps, so I can linger over one step as long as I wish.
Chapter 4, Hand-Painted Magic, introduces readers to Painter. I'm not likely to get into doing this kind of artwork, but the techniques further expanded my vision of what I can do in Illustrator in terms of composition and minimization of clutter.
It was not until I got to chapters 5 (Poser), 6 (Cinema 4D), and 7 (ZBrush) that I felt like I was in way over my head, but not because the instruction is difficult. On the contrary, Lea covers these three programs, as interfaced with Photoshop, in a very clear and understandable way. He assumes even advanced readers will probably not have had much, if any, experience with the software. These last three chapters range far outside the artistic realms a self-taught book designer like me is likely to venture into in terms of "need to know"; however, I found them exciting to peruse. I can see now how some of the extraordinary effects in the movie "Artificial Intelligence" might have been achieved.
On the whole, "Beyond Photoshop" has really inspired me. I'm very glad I got this book! Now, I want to get Lea's "Creative Photoshop" as well.
September 11, 2012
Although a decent book, it was a let down from his previous book (which was pretty amazing). He tries to cover too many different software approaches, and they seemed to lack the effort that was displayed in his previous book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews