There's nothing like the right tool at the right time. I believe a book can be a tool, especially when we are talking about graphics programs.
As school was starting I found that I needed some custom Web buttons to put on my new Web site. The University of Memphis standardized on WebCT this summer and I had to learn yet another program to teach online classes.
I pull up PhotoDraw when I have the need. But, that doesn't keep my skills up.
So, that evening I needed to create some buttons in a hurry, and they had to look nice. After all, I was replacing the ugly icons that ship with WebCT.
I gabbed Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 at a Glance and checked the index. The book was in the pile of books awaiting club review. I was referred to section 16 - creating buttons for a Web page. Wow! They even think the way I do.
This was great. No lengthy discussion. Just step-by-step instructions on how to make a Web button. I followed the steps and within 15 minutes I had about eight custom buttons ready to be inserted in the Web page. They uploaded fine and look great!
The subtitle for the book is: The Right Answers, Right Now. It's true.
Okay, how about a new banner for my WebCT page? Looking up banner didn't get me to "Creating a Banner for a Web Page," but I was able to follow the button instructions using the banner template instead of the button template to make what I needed.

At a Glance Series
At a Glance is just one of many series Microsoft Press offers users. You'll find them for many Microsoft software products. See the list of series categories and the intended reader at: http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/findabook/list/series.asp
Functions you use only rarely lend themselves to this kind of treatment. Within each topic you get step 1, step 2, and so on until you complete the activity. A generous number of black and white drawings make the instructions clear. They even point to the mentioned items on the screen so you don't have to search to find it.
You can use this as your only supplemental text. We are introduced to PhotoDraw gradually so that a person new to the program could work through the book - using it like a workbook.
I needed the review of how to touch up photos. I also needed simple instructions for cutting out an object from its background using color as the device. I tried it on my own a few weeks ago and it was not intuitive (to me).
Another, perhaps more basic, series is the step-by-step series. It is designed for people new to a program and is intended for self-instruction.
I am pleased that such books are available. Of course, I wouldn't be writing any of this if programs today shipped with proper manuals.

www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/2316.asp

Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 at a Glance by Stephen Sagman. Microsoft Press. 1999. $20.