Photoshop Elements 3, Adobe's more accessible version of its flagship product, Photoshop, opens the door for amateur photographers, business users, students, and home users who want professional-looking images for their print and Web projects.

Photoshop Elements 3 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide uses task-based lessons to show readers how to capture photos from traditional or digital cameras, reduce red eye, correct color, work with layers, erase backgrounds, create photo-illustrations and Web graphics, simulate painting and drawing techniques, apply artistic effects, and more. Longtime graphic designer and digital imaging expert Craig Hoeschen provides concise, step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots to help users look up just what they need to know, while an eight-page color gallery shows off sample filters, effects, and plenty of retouching and compositing examples for additional inspiration.