Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator Side-by-Side compares and contrasts the programs feature for feature in colour-coded tables with associated in-depth chapters. Areas covered are: layers, masks, channels, colour, paths, brushes, blends, clones, type and a brief nod at Web design. All three packages are fully matured, with specialised applications, and although there is overlap no one piece of software can provide everything needed to produce professional illustrations. This dense volume covers all the tools from each program exposing the strengths and weaknesses of each over 370-odd, full-colour pages with screen grabs throughout. There's also a short photo-gallery of practising illustrators work included for inspiration but it stops short of detailing the techniques involved.

Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator Side-by-Side covers Photoshop 5.5, Painter 6 and Illustrator 8, at the time of its publication; Photoshop 6 is due out soon; Painter has been sold to Corel from MetaCreations and Illustrator 9 is out so it's dated already. However, there is a Web site accompanying the book that will carry updated tables and information on-line.

To get the most out of Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator Side-by-Side you should have a good working knowledge of at least one of the packages already. It doesn't go far beyond the program manuals but it does lay them out "side-by-side" with easy tips and quick comparisons explaining the best tool to use for the job in hand and saving time by having to read only one friendly book instead of three technical ones. --John Cranmer