Photoshop User is the official magazine of NAPP; National Association for Photoshop Professionals. For those who are not familiar with NAPP, this is the organization that was co-founded by Scott Kelby, and supports Adobe Photoshop users from around the world. While the NAPP idea is supported by Adobe, Adobe has no direct connection to the effort. There are over 60,000 members in 106 countries. It is the largest digital imaging association world wide.
So what is Photoshop User? It is the must-read magazine for graphic designers, photographers and digital-artists. The writers and columnists are a virtual who's-who of Photoshop celebrities. It is published eight times a year and in full color. Scott Kelby is the publisher and editor
Disclaimer: I am a current member of NAPP and have been for several years so yes I have a bias. I pay my own dues, and as such, I do think it is worth it.
That said, lets get on to what is so good about this magazine. First, each issue has a general feature. These are wide-ranging and sometimes contain news about a current Photoshop release. Recently there has been coverage on the new Photoshop CS3 as well as on the release of Photoshop Lightroom. Other topics featured lighting, portraits, color as well as the annual 100 hot tips issue.
Next we have the columns. These are manned by many of the more famous names in the Photoshop. Here are a few of the columns and their writers:
• "Down & Dirty Tricks" - Scott Kelby
• "Deke Space" - Deke McCelland
• "Classic Photoshop Effects" - Dave Cross
• "The WOW! Factor" - Linnea Dayton and Cristen Gillespie
• "Makeready" - Dan Margulis
• "Photoshop Mastery" - Ben Willmore
• "Creative Point of View" - Katrin Eismann
• "The Fine Art of Printing" – John Paul Caponigro
This is my most anticipated magazine that I receive. I find that there is always something that I learn from each issue. Here's a complete list of writers.
Now you can get Photoshop User from the magazine rack of any Barnes & Noble, Borders or other national chain bookstore, but my question to you would be: Why not subscribe? This months' issue, July/August 2007 with the feature story "Going With the Flow: Streamline Your Digital Photography Workflow With These Four Easy Steps" has a rack price of $9.95 U.S. dollars. In fact when I first got into Photoshop in 1998, that is exactly how I purchased it - issue by issue, from the magazine stand. But when you do the math, eight issues for $9.95 equals $79.60 USD. For less than twenty dollars more you can have membership to NAPP.
Article comments