Presented and narrated in it's entirety by Deke McClelland (prolific writer and author of the Photoshop 5 Bible and many other industry standard books) and Produced by Brian Maffitt (two very funny guys)

Jacquelin Vanderwood

March 1, 2000

I loved this series! What more can I say? Deke "the Photoshop Bible guru and writer" McClelland is so knowledgeable and adept, plus a very funny guy. Brian Maffitt, the Producer (read my reviews on Evolution and Psunami), has created another award winning tape series with this release of Total Photoshop. He certainly has imprinted this production with his sense of humor which I totally enjoy. I learned so much that I'll have to go back through the series and take notes. All the tapes start humorously giving us a good laugh.

In this 3 set series, Deke walks us through the basic elements of Photoshop going step-by-step through each phase. He explains what each element does and how to combine the processes to achieve a desired goal. You are taught every keystroke shortcut as well, and it is constantly hammered home until we get them ingrained in our cerebral cortex.

Deke is a champion instructor, he knows his stuff and conveys the information to us in a very professional and upbeat manner. What would normally take months or years to learn, we can learn in just a few short weeks by watching the tapes and doing the lessons. I kept saying "Wow" when he would create some really cool artwork.

What I found very helpful (among many other items) is the section on how to calibrate a monitor and the visual output discrepancies in the PC and MAC. He goes into detail about every tool available, tells us which filters are good and which ones are junk, also telling us the reasons why, and occasionally he discovers that an element which he considered junk, can actually do some cool stuff.

A lot of good points for what needs to be changed in Photoshop are made, as well as a lot of questions like, "Why does this feature have this option and this other one, which is practically the same, not have it?"  Here is where Adobe should be listening to him. Photoshop is a great tool but the upgraded features Deke has suggested would make this program really sing. 

Series 1, 2, and 3 are accompanied by Quick Reference Cards with the tape number, title, section titles, location (in minutes) on the tape, and duration of the section. This is so helpful for going back to watch a lesson again.

In Series 1, tapes 1 and 2 deal with the basic introduction to Photoshop; in tapes 3 and 4 we are taught about paint, color, and retouching; in tapes 5, 6, and 7, we are introduced to selections and paths. 

In Series 2, tape 8 deals with layers; tape 9 introduces us to text and layer effects; tape 10 explains the rules of web graphics; tape 11 shows us History as a creative tool; tape 12 walks us through color theory and management; tape 13 and 14 shows us color correction. 

In Series 3, tapes 15, 16 and 17 takes us in depth into filters; tape 18 and 19 teaches us the advanced features of masking, and finally, tape 20 carries us over into blend modes.

I think this series deserves the "Academy Award" for best technical tape series on the market. Undoubtedly it has definitely improved my skills in Photoshop, and I wholeheartedly endorse this product. Brian Maffitt is an A+ producer and Deke McClelland knows his stuff. Thanks guys!

Below are some of the examples taken from the CD to give you an idea of what you will encounter when previewing these tapes:

Hollywood special effects created with Photoshop:

First and foremost, this is the ultimate learning tool guaranteed to make you an expert. I'm very impressed! Excellent, excellent, excellent is my opinion.

I enjoyed the series tremendously. Deke McClelland becomes an old friend after awhile. When the end of the series drew near, I wished that he could have carried it further into the special effects area. 

As an idea, I would like to suggest that they create a series on the bloopers that they cut out, that would be a hit. 

For more information and pricing, 
check out Total Training's web site at:
www.totaltraining.com

Copyright 2000, Jacquelin Vanderwood, All Rights Reserved