Advanced techniques

Hands down Focal Press continues to print some of the most outstanding to look at and learn from books on the market. Creative Photoshop by Derek Lea is a perfect example of a book that exceeds the expectations I have come to have with their books. It is however, not for the novice user. A novice user may be able to follow the exercises, but I think that it would be difficult for them to apply many of the intermediate to advanced techniques scattered throughout the book. Each lesson has a useful rating system of difficulty to let you know what you are getting into prior to starting a lesson. I found the rating systems had more to do with potential time expenditure rather than difficulty of the actual technique. 

So, here are a few considerations if you are thinking about getting this book: