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In this latest version of Total Training’s video program for Adobe Photoshop CS2, Deke McClelland invokes the spirit of Leonardo Dekevinci to teach you how to be a Photoshop Renaissance man or woman.

Deke is an award winning author with over 50 titles to his credit and a card carrying Photoshop God, inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2002. He’s also a standout instructor and an “edutainer.” Part TV pitchman (lending his celebrity endorsement to everything from Fisher-Price Geotrax toys to Olympus cameras and printers), part big brother (taking your hand, but never talking down to you), and part co-conspirator, Deke talks like a kid with his toys spread out all over the floor of his bedroom inviting you to play along with him. It’s clear that he loves what he does, and he doesn’t hold out on you. This is the good stuff.

If you’re new to Photoshop and committed to mastering the fundamentals, this is about as comprehensive an introduction to Photoshop CS2 as you’ll find anywhere. The program includes three DVDs with 36 lessons (ncluding two bonus lessons) and a total runtime of 21 hours and 50 minutes. The first part, “Learn Photoshop Fundamentals,” covers the basics, including rotation and cropping, basic color correction, and how to use the selection tools. In part two, “Acquire Photoshop Essentials,” you move on to master skills like advanced blending and how to work with layers, styles, type, and vector shapes. In Part three, “Discover Photoshop’s Finest,” Deke introduces you to professional level tools like camera raw, working with levels and curves, and using filters and masks. You can read the complete course outline here, and view a couple of sample tutorials here.

The program’s introduction (”What Photoshop Can Do”), while interesting, isn’t as effective as the introduction to Total Training’s Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 Unleashed, which has you rolling up your sleeves from the opening to give Deke a Photoshop makeover. This 27-minute overview will go by pretty fast to a beginner, and you sit watching passively while Deke gives you a product demo. But once you’re past the overview, Total Training for Adobe Photoshop CS2 covers a broad territory and progresses from the basics (including an introduction to the new Adobe Bridge and tips on setting up Photoshop to maximize your productivity) to advanced topics (such as working with groups, comps, masks, and channels). Deke always points out various ways of doing things, so you get a deeper understanding of the program, and you learn a number of tips and tricks along the way, including hidden shortcuts (like Command-clicking on a layer, channel, or path to load a selection, instead of using the Select menu). Deke also reveals Photoshop’s deepest secrets (like the Layers palette Easter Egg in Part 2, Lesson 1: hold down the Option key while selecting Palette Options).

For the most part, Deke manages just the right pace, but at times I felt the editing could have been tighter (by dissolving from one setup to another, for example, instead of watching as he rearranges the palettes to fit everything on his smaller screen). I also found myself skipping over many of the lesson intros, despite their high production value—complete with an elaborate set, numerous props, and original music—and cameo appearances by Total Training co-conspirator Brian Maffitt (who’s own Digital Photography & Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 is a good introduction for rank beginners). If you start to lag, you can always play the lessons twice as fast by clicking on the fast forward button. Deke picks up the pace, sounding a bit like Alvin & The Chipmunks (but still understandable), and you can return to normal pace by clicking on the fast forward button again.

I was impressed with the interface when I reviewed Total Training’s Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 Unleashed, but the revamped interface unveiled for this series is a vast improvement—polished, easy to navigate, responsive, and accompanied by a cacophony of striking sound effects. The well-designed interface is so easy to navigate that you probably won’t need the help movie, but it’s there if you want to take the tour. The player does suck up a lot of CPU, a distraction if you leave it open in the background when you switch to something else. If you quit the player, you can always bookmark a lesson first to remember your place when you restart. I did discover a bug: if you try to bookmark a lesson with an ampersand (”&”) in the title, you’ll get an error message when you restart (you’ll have to trash the preferences file to launch the program again; if you do this, you’ll also have to re-enter your code to unlock the bonus lessons). The only other hitch I encountered was lack of support for the full screen function, but you should be able to download patches for both issues very soon. These problems have now been fixed. Be sure to download the updater.

You’ll need to install some files to run the DVDs. You can also install all of the project files and Deke’s Keys, his preferred shortcuts for Photoshop. When you register your copy, you’ll receive the unlock code that gives you access to two bonus lessons that are not to be missed (Vanishing Point and Smart Objects). You’ll also have a choice of a few free bonus images from iStockphoto or Photospin, but these amount to little more than teaser promotions for these stock photography companies.

I can think of no better way to learn Photoshop than to watch these videos and work alongside Deke. I prefer it to bouncing back and forth between the screen and a book. The vastly improved interface makes finding exactly what you’re looking for a snap, bookmarks make it a breeze to find your way back, and Deke is about as companionable an instructor as you could want.

If you aren’t familiar with Total Training, order their free sampler CD containing over two hours of video training or view some sample tutorials from their lineup of programs.

Bottom Line: If you really want to understand Photoshop, and can swing the tuition, this series is worth every penny. As Deke says, he puts the “mental” in Photoshop Fundamentals.
From: Total Training
Price: $299.99
Platform: Macintosh and Windows