This is a rare book in that it actually teaches how to make images for Web pages, as opposed to just showing different cool Photoshop effects. Most graphics books go through the different features of popular image software, but leave you to figure out how to apply that information in making cool sites. This book focuses on the end product and includes exercisies to give practice. Although it is a textbook, the style is not academic. The situations and examples are all from real-world environments that you might find yourself if you created Web graphics for a living. I would have liked to have seen more on vector software such as Illustrator and Flash, but that minor issue doesn't diminish the value of the book. Side note: The table of contents that Amazon lists book does not match what is actually in the book.