Photoshop 4 is reknowned for its powerful painting and selection tools, along with its color adjustment controls, multiple layer and channel capabilities, and special effect filters. These features make Photoshop the standard for desktop image design and production -- enthusiasts in all graphics industries turn to Photoshop again and again to refine the images that define our world.

These same features make for an extremely complex product. Photoshop is sprawling and immense, catering to an incredible quantity of graphic-editing needs. Even experienced designers familiar with most of the features can have trouble remembering every detail.

Unlike most Photoshop books -- which try to teach Photoshop -- Photoshop in a Nutshell is a detailed reference that will enable Photoshop 4 users to make informed choices as they work, eliminating time spent searching for just the right combination of filters and effects, and reducing the risk of incorrect editing decisions.

This book defines and describes every tool, command, palette, and sub-menu in Photoshop 4. Each item is accompanied by a list of its most common uses and misuses, as well as production-oriented background information. Where appropriate, the common uses contain step-by-step techniques, and the common misuses include experience-based advice and solutions.

There are four sections:

• Photoshop's toolbox, including the Options Palette settings for each tool
• The menu commands, including every item of every dialog
• The floating palettes, including the function that each palette provides, as well as the ramifications of every value and palette submenu

The information in this book is organized in an encyclopedic reference fashion, following the structure of Photoshop itself. All topics are easy to find and fully cross-referenced, allowing you to intuitively explore the cause-and-effect relationships of each command.

Any serious Photoshop 4 user will find Photoshop in a Nutshell an invaluable guide.