If you're most experienced with one of these programs but want to learn about any of the others, you need this book. Every page compares and illustrates common tools, techniques, and similar terminology through color-coded screen shots (each program is assigned a color) or through a table that lists a particular feature and how it is implemented in each program.

These tables are the driving engine of the book. Each chapter starts with a three-column matrix describing a feature common to all three programs. Chapter 6, "Selections, Masks, and Channels," gives a side-by-side view of the different methods of selecting pixels, accessing the selection tools, using masks, using channels, and so on. It's incredibly useful when looking up a familiar term or feature to instantly find its counterpart in the program you are learning.

The last section of the book, "The Artists," offers an inside view of how and why some artists approach projects in particular ways. The works of 19 digital artists and a descriptive paragraph from each provide insight, inspiration, and experience.