Adobe Books

This book outlined Photoshop Elements 3 very well. The writing was very understandable. If you want to do more with Elements 3, this book will definitely help.

Since Adobe abandoned providing a written manual following Version 2, Brundage's book not only fills the missing manual need but also, provides an expanded guide with a wealth of helpful hints not found in most manuals. Adobe should use Brundage's style for any future manual they might provide, if they change their mind. Elements is too extensive and complicated an application to learn how to use it from the 'How-To' palette or Help button.
Brundage begins by showing the reader around Elements, and then covers the setup, use and features of the Organizer. Recognizing that some Elements users don't like to use the Organizer or its associated Photo Downloader, she provides details of how to eliminate these features of the application.
Moving on, the next sections cover the Tool Box, the art of Quick Fix, Selections, and Layers (the jack of the many trades in Elements). Other sections cover Retouching, RAW image adjustments, Filters and Artistic touches. The final segment of the book exposes the best procedures of Printing, Web authoring and Web Galleries and Slideshows. In addition, three appendices provide menu guides for the Organizer and the Editor menus and installation/troubleshooting this application. The author provides an insight in to how to stretch Elements towards the capabilities of its much more expensive parent, Photoshop.
I consider my self a knowledgeable Elements and Photoshop editing user but have to admit I picked up some interesting tricks going through this book. It should be a must for any serious user of Elements. (Reviewed by MiltK)

Most of the reviews I've read were very positive. Unfortunately I did not find the book all that useful. It talks a lot about what Photoshop can do, but very little about how to do it. As far as a user's manual is concerned, it is still missing.

I'm quite computer literate and have learned to use many computer programs, some of them quite complicated, just by exploring the program. Photoshop Elements isn't like that. You will barely scratch the surface of this powerful program if you don't get this book.

Elements comes with very basic tutorials. If you want to unleash some of the power of this excellent software, you need to get this book. To really did deep, you'll probably need to do some digging yourself, but this book gets you started and shows you what direction to dig in.

I am not a total newcomer to photo programs so a book that goes beyond basics was what I was looking for. This book fills the bill. It is well written and fairly easy to understand. The book discusses most of the capabilities of Elements 3 and has great photos as examples for the text. I had a lot of fun applying the lessons to my photos. The only 'con' I have is that I would have liked greater explanation and detail for use of some of the features, for example historigram and gradients, but as a primer to a more advanced book it can't be beat.
Adefinite "buy".

I was anxiously awaiting this title to arrive in the mail, particularly because of its emphasis on "expert" techniques. Though I didn't find every page riveting, the book on the whole fulfilled my expectations.

If you have jumped into the world of serious amateur or semi-pro photography, you no doubt own an SLR camera. It is a must. After continuing to shoot JPG for awhile, you venture into the world of RAW files. This is a whole new world with incredible possibilities. What you quickly find is your hard drive quickly fills up with RAW files and you have a hard time knowing how work with those files in any sort of time-conscious workflow. You let them pile up into a perpetual of backlog.

Ken Milburn knows his stuff, and has developed a highly effective workflow for processing, organizing, presenting and publishing his photos. His experience shows through in each chapter as he opens up his entire process for everyone who reads this title to learn from. Though I found some of my own workflow techniques already matched his suggestions, I found numerous suggestions I hadn't previously known or considered that have helped improve my effectiveness. Efficient and effective workflow is the overriding theme of this title.

Though much of the books training focuses on post production, namely in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop, a couple of chapters at the beginning get you optimizing and improving your in camera approach as well. Past the workflow theme, there is plenty of time spent on giving your photos the "wow factor" you have always wanted. What I enjoyed most was the improved techniques taught in the "non-destructive" phase of digitally developing your photos.

I recommend this book to anyone who is shooting a high volume of photos, particularly those that may be working their way into portrait photography for hire. Adding the habits and knowledge gained from this title will make you a much better professional as well as the ability to output top notch photos.

Are you a photographer who is serious about producing the highest quality photographs in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible? If you are, then this book is for you. Author Ken Milburn, has done an outstanding job of writing a 2nd edition of a book that focuses on digital SLR cameras that have higher megapixels of noninterpolated resolution, interchangeable lenses, and larger, more noise-free sensors.

Milburn, begins by putting the organization of the entire book in perspective. Then, the author covers how to set your camera to be prepared for shots. Next, he discusses the Bridge in relation to Photoshop and to the myriad ways that it helps to keep your workflow organized. He also gets into more depth about streamlining your processing while in Camera Raw. The author then continues by describing in detail, how layers can be used to isolate destructive operations, so that they can be carried out without affecting anything else you've done to the image. Then, he shows you how to use adjustment layers, which are completely nondestructive, to make overall image adjustments. Next, the author discusses making and using selections, masks, and other means of making adjustments that pertain only to portions of the image. He also covers all types of image repair, including retouching. The author continues by discussing the making of one image from multiple images using techniques of both collage and montage. Then, he presents the next stage of progressively more destructive editing: special effects. Next, the author covers specialized image processing. Finally, the author shows you how to prepare your image for output and then how to use that output to show off your talents in an efficient and cost-effective way.

This most excellent book is more about workflow than it is about procedures in a specific program. Perhaps more importantly, this book contains most of the information you'll ever need as a professional digital photographer.

With a plethora of digital cameras appearing in the marketplace, purchases of these cameras has exceeded even the most ambitious sales predictions. Everyone and his grandmother now has a digital camera. A lot of these models are of the point and shoot variety. They're small, lightweight, actually take great pictures, and have many features for the cost. There are lots of publications out there: magazines, how-to books, manuals, videos, and websites which help newbie photographers along the path to good quality photographs. If you're looking for something like that, may I pass along a suggestion from the Ken Milburn, the author of this title under review? Before reading this book try Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS2: One on One (O'Reilly). You will then be "up to speed" and more able to handle the various terms and maneuvers in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques.

Along with all the less expensive point and shoot cameras, digital SLRs (single lens reflex) have also grown up. Most of these cameras will be purchased by serious amateurs, or "enthusiasts," and professionals. DSLRs have interchangeable lenses, more megapixels, and larger, more noise-free sensors. In other words they're more suited to professional and "prosumer" photography.

DSLRs also are capable of producing high quality RAW files which are, in large part, what this book is all about. It's also about workflow rather than procedures. If you're interested in what it takes to make true professional quality images in the most efficient and cost-effective way this book is for you.

The first thing I loved about Digital Photography: Expert Techniques is its organization, and the chapter outlines at the beginning. Here the author tells us what's in store for each chapter from start to finish. I also appreciate the way Ken Milburn writes. It's almost conversational, like having a good buddy who happens to know almost everything there is to know about what goes into a professional digital photograph, and being a professional photographer.

He starts us off with an overview around which the rest of the book is structured. There is a quick guide in the form of suggestions (some are common sense, others are anecdotal) like getting your camera ready, computer equipment and its configuration, image downloading, backing up originals, presentation for client approval, winnowing, preliminary editing, and the final output. He includes logical common sense tips about equipment, settings, and more. He even provides a comprehensive list of what's available -- suggesting hard drives, backups, monitors, and DVD writers. Efficiency is always the byword in workflow, and Ken Milburn leads the way.

Milburn teaches us how to connect to DNG (digital negative), a nonproprietary RAW format which anyone can use. He suggests that it may become a universal format which means that even if the RAW file format in your software becomes obsolete you will still retain your RAW files through DNG. Safety. Efficiency. Smart.

Since the author has been a professional photographer for decades he has learned through experience and study about being prepared in the field for both seen and unforeseen circumstances. He passes along sage advise and counseling in his chapter BE PREPARED.

One of the great features which has separated Adobe Photoshop CS2 from the rest of the pack is Adobe Bridge. It is a browser, but so much more. Ken Milburn gives the reader an excellent primer on how this feature works and its many advantages. He shows how simple it is, and at the same time it is scriptable, customizable, has variable thumbnail sizing, and has multiple browser windows which can be opened at the same time.

Want to create and use panel layouts to sort as you wish? How about creating a meta data template including all your camera info like settings, history, status, and even IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) info? He shows you how to do all this, and more.

Once we get into Camera Raw, Ken Milburn shows us how to streamline the process. Once it's set up you're ready to rip. For you Photoshop Elements 4 users he shows the differences between Camera Raw in Elements 4 and CS2. He also tells us the why and how of it all so we understand why all this is a good thing. Take for instance the aforementioned DNG files. The author implores the reader to strongly consider filing using DNG and lots of backup. It's possible that either through technical improvements, marketing considerations, mergers, or even dissolution of a manufacturer that a proprietary RAW format could become obsolete. It is certainly something to consider.

There are some clients out there who need their photos quickly. Wedding and sports photographers can attest to this. The author shows us that Camera RAW defaults to "smart" Auto adjustments for Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, and Contrast. So there's a good chance of getting a publishable image right out of the camera. Sweet! Milburn demonstrates how to open and adjust multiple RAW files quickly when the files have the same exposure, brightness, range, contrast, and color balance. He introduces us to HDR (High Dynamic Range), and High Key images.

Layers have been around for quite some time, and here we are shown a system for non destructive editing. There's a great chart listing in three columns Layer Name, Purpose, and Advice. It's like a quick check on WWKD (What Would Ken Do) for using Adjustment Layers. Even for those of us who might be new to Layers he gives us a quick rundown of Layers and Features in Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Ken Milburn's friend, Doug Sahlin, came up with an interesting idea which the author includes in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques. It's called the Magic Workflow Layers Action. It allows us to include the layers in the workflow for almost every image automatically, ensuring the photographer will follow a properly layered workflow for most basic steps. You can either get this in the book or download it from the sites provided. This alone could shorten the learning curve in learning layers workflow.

All of the general repair tools are reviewed but the author goes way beyond the characteristics of the tools and into the world of commercial photography and how these tools can work for the professional photographer. This includes Glamor Tips, Architectural Tips, Still Life, lighting from behind, and more.

Are you into montages or collages? Ken Milburn can help, and does he ever. We've all tried to string together various shots in an effort to create a panorama of a scene too vast for one shot, but with varying degrees of success. The author talks about exposure, tripods, and framing. There are several example photos showing what a professional panorama looks like. I've made all the mistakes he mentions, and then some. Thanks, Ken, for straightening me out.

In his chapter "Creating the Wow Factor" we get into the details of the various tools and how, using layers, the photographer can enhance just about any aspect of lighting, colors (or black & white), and even using what he terms a "fictitious imaging tool," liquefaction, which can remove unwanted pounds from a model, or add bulk to anyone or anything. He has many suggestions and techniques using Lighting Effects which are especially dramatic when used inside of layers. We learn how to make homemade backgrounds as well as Knockouts. If you like the look of hand coloring or tinting Ken shows us how to do it effectively and easily.

Milburn's experience as a pro for many years becomes a windfall for us readers as, in the last chapter, "Presenting Your Work to the World," he talks about some of the many ways to become recognized, and even paid, as a photographer. He starts by showing us how to get the prints we need by calibrating the printers and even LCD monitors. There are tips to show your images on the web, making portfolios, binders, contact sheets, and much more. And let's not forget the all-important Copyright protection using watermarks.

While our author is certainly a huge fan and user of Adobe Photoshop CS2, he is by no means married exclusively to that software. He lists alternatives and even talks about the differences and some advantages of software like Capture One Pro, Raw Shooter, Aperture (which can be used with Photoshop CS2), iView Media Pro, and Adobe Lightroom. All of these programs have their high points and are not to be dismissed as second only to Adobe Photoshop CS2.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a pro in the photo biz, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques will give you a good idea of the dedication, knowledge, and work it takes to do it right. One has only to look at Ken Milburns pictures to see why this book makes so much sense. His photos are pristine. He seems to be able to connect with the very vibrations of the colors, shadows, and details which are all part of an image, but are often times skirted over by photographers, if only for the lack of knowledge it takes to recognize these things and bring them "up" in the image. His techniques, to be sure, are always pointed toward one thing, and one thing only. Making the best image possible with the least amount of effort and expense. And here it all is, in this wonderful and smartly instructive book.

MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5

This is a well written book that it's hard to put into a cubby. That's because one man's expert technique is another man's beginner's technique.

Milburn's style is to follow a workflow approach, starting even before capture and moving through the use of Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw and the main Photoshop program. Milburn emphasizes the importance of non-destructive adjustments and in the main program proceeds first with both overall and targeted adjustments which are made by adding layers which do not change the underlying photo. He recommends that only when these are completed should adjustments that effect the underlying image be made, and then only on image layers that have been created especially for this purpose. (Strangely, in creating this special layer, he recommends converting the background layer to Layer 0, selecting all the layers and then using Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-E. Most experts do not recommend changing the background layer, but rather just selecting the top layer in the layer stack and using Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-Shift-E.)

By the way if this last discussion of creating a new layer was incomprehensible to you, you are probably not one of the experts that Milburn is aiming at.

And of course there's the rub. In some chapters the instruction is quite suitable for beginning Photoshop users and in other chapters one would have to quite familiar with Photoshop to get something out of the discussion. Moreover sometimes this happens in the same chapter. For example, in the chapter on Camera Raw he gives elementary instructions on using the sliders on the adjust tab which would be quite suitable for a beginner, but not necessary for anyone with a familiarity with Camera Raw. Later in the same chapter, he discusses creating high-key and low-key images which I would consider closer to expert needs. Moreover, he sometimes leaves out what I felt was essential information. For example in the Camera Raw chapter he discusses the fact that there is a sharpening facility in Camera Raw, but doesn't mention that fact that it can be set to apply only to the preview without actually being applied to the image later opened in the main Photoshop program.

Some chapters are clearly aimed at more advanced Photoshop users and quite good. For example, the chapter on repairing the details was full of information that an expert user may never have encountered before or never appreciated the importance of.

Occasionally, I found that the author made reference to a particular chapter or a website that was inaccurate, but not fatal since the material was covered somewhere in the book.

Where does all of this leave one? Certainly, to get the most from this book, you will need to be experienced with Photoshop and Camera Raw. Many experts would then prefer to look for advanced information in more targeted books. But others who don't mind having their memory refreshed about things they already know will probably pick up several useful techniques from this book. I certainly did.

Reading many of the other review already posted, I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the 'complaints' regarding this book:

- there is too much emphasis on DIGITAL and not PHOTOGRAPHY

- there is too much emphasis on using Photoshop

- pictures chosen aren't of the best quality

Folks, the title of this book headlines the words DIGITAL and TECHNIQUES. This isn't a book that is meant to teach you how to become a better photographer or headlines a collection of great photographs, rather it is a book that is meant to teach you how to take digital images and turn them into BETTER pieces of work for whatever purpose you see fit.

Printed on very heavy stock paper, this is a guide that is full of color and has plenty of screenshots to help any user find their way through digital enhancement with Photoshop (or any other image editing software that utilizes the same words for the techniques that are presented here).

Packed with nearly 400 pages of material, this book presents topics in a clean, concise manner, spread over the following 12 chapters:

01. Basics
02. Advanced tricks
03. Using Bridge
04. Streamlining Camera Raw
05. Nondestructive Layering
06. Nondestructive Overall Adjustments
07. Making Targeted Adjustments
08. Repairs
09. Collage and Montage
10. Adding 'Wow' to your images
11. Special Purpose Processing
12. Saving for the web

I find Ken Milburn's book to be an excellent resource for all digital photography afficiandos that want to get the most out of their images and learn how Photoshop can fix or repair nearly any problem that can be found and viewed on a computer.

If you are a graphic designer or work with digital images on a daily basis, you owe it to yourself to pick up this great book that will most certainly add to your skillset... no question!!

***** RECOMMENDED

Item received before expected due date. Installed and used for classroom lessons and activities in a Desktop Publishing class. Very useful with great examples and activities.

Adobe InDesign CS2 Classroom in a Book saved my career! Coming from an MS Word environment, I was Adobe-resistant, but I had a book to get publisher ready so, in one week, with the help of this book, I learned to love InDesign by zipping through this book and the included CD ROM tutorial. Well worth the price. This is an excellent training manual.

I have used these handbooks before, and they are the simplest to understand. I manage creatives and really don't know how to use the CS2 programs, but even I can pick up this book and create files with no experience. It is a great reference in helping to get my designers away from Quark and into InDesign.

I was just starting to learn InDesign and had not taken any classes. This book was great. It really helped me through many projects. A definite plus to your library if your are an InDesign user.

I bought this book and yes, it is a good book but it is not the reference book that I was looking for. I need to be able to look up how to do a particular application or what a certain button does. I have to figure out which lesson this might be found in and then go through to the lesson. This is time consuming and I do not always find the information I need. I am really looking for a great index with step by step on how to perform certain funtions.

This book's production is embarrassing, especially for someone like Scott...the president of NAPP. The pictures in the book have all look pretty bad. The colors of the photo's are all reddish and look awful. This may not be all Scott's fault, it could have a lot to do with the printer they used to publish the book, but Scott should have proofed the himself. Either that or Scott does not know anything about color correction and color management. This book is also out of date. If you have Photoshop seven, this book is not for you. A much better book is Scott's new book "The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers." Instead of Scott relying on his own knowledge, he went and sought out the pro's advice and concentrated it into his new book. His new book is really good. Don't bother with this out dated mess. Go out and get his new book.

I have only started reading this book, but already the pages 1 to 30 have come apart! And I handle books very carefully, so I am not to blame.

Other reviewers have reviewed the content of this book, so I will not add to that. Except to say that it is dated now, as PS 7 has come out. Instead I recommend that you not buy this book because of the bad binding.

Really liked this book. It has lots of elements that users need: Red Eye reduction (long ways and shortcuts), creating better photographs, lightening, darkening, colorizing.

I thought I was good at Photoshop, but he really showed me more focusing on digital photography. Very helpful indeed. And I will always have this book by my PC and digital camera (Canon A40)

I bought Scott Kelby's Photo-Retouching book for Photoshop 7 and then looked at the sample chapters in this book. I realized that this book covers information that the other one doesn't and ordered this book as well. There is more overlap than I expected between the two books, but I am not sorry I bought both.

Everything good I said about the other book is true of this one as well. The instructions are easy to follow. He gives the keyboard commands for both Mac and PC. You can dip in anywhere so you can fix the photo you own without reading any earlier chapter, although in this book it might be useful to read the ones just before and just after the chapter you need for additional useful information. And, if you can follow the pictures, you CAN be successful.

I only give this book a 4 star rating because it is a Photoshop 6 book. Everything will work in Photoshop 7, and I haven't seen any major differences in the two versions of the program that will require figuring out work arounds for the instructions in the book. But, of course, anything that is new in Photoshop 7 is not covered in this book

Earlier, I expressed my review of this excellent book with comments about the binding. Publisher New Riders are paying attention. They contacted me, replaced the book in a most gracious manner. The binding in the replacement is industry standard in all respects, as are those of other New Rider books I own. I would now give this book 6 stars were it permitted. It is gratifying to find a publisher as good as their authors.

You're not a Photoshop user? So what? This book is also helpful to you if you concern about colors.

If you're like so many Photoshop users who only knew how to fool around with filters, let this book be your guide to the "left-side."

All right, there's not a CD with this wonderful book. But its somewhat spinnable. Imagine you're a stock photo supplier, you always advertise that your images are of the highest quality, then this man Margulis comes to you, and asks you to let him put some photos in his book, as an example of bad scanning. What will you do?

Placed in any of Margulis' books is no fun when you're in the stock photo business.

Hi,

I am based in India, and had to go to Singapore to source this book. Having spent some money on this book, I know that it was well worth it. The only thing that has left a bad taste in the mouth is that there is no accompanying CD with the images used in the book. Although the author, the highly respected Mr. Dan Margulis has given the sources of the images, I think that they could well afford to get the licence to use these images and distribute them on a CD instead of expecting readers to source the individual images themselves.

All in all a great resource for pre-press colour correction work.

Working at a prepress house doing high-end drum scanning, photography, color correction and retouching for 5 years has shown me that there are lots of opinionated blowhards in the graphics field. Mr. Margulis combines the rare gift of technical mastery, insight and humor into a potentially dull topic. This book is very readable on it's own, without sitting at your G4, since he is instilling a philosophy and insightful observations that make sense. The fog lifted from my eyes after reading this book, but now I know why. To quote the master: A full tonal range is absolutely the most critical element of color re-production. If you do not have one, regardless of your creative abilities, channel-maneuvering cognition,etc., you will never be able to beat even a modestly talented person who does no more than set a proper highlight and shadow.

My interest in Photoshop is digital photography, and for me this is a must-have book. The information in this book has shown me how to quickly and effectively adjust colours in a digital photograph to optimize its appearance, and then how to selectively enhance the photograph even further.

The author works in the pre-press industry, so he prefers to work in a CMYK colourspace, and all the instructions in the book are for CMYK as a result. I work in a RGB colourspace, but it is relatively straightforward for me to convert the techniques given for CMYK to RGB. The only difference is that RGB doesn't have a black colour channel, so the one chapter that focusses on black is not as useful to me (converting to LAB colour does produce a black channel, however, so the advice given for the black channel in CMYK colour aren't confined exclusively to the CMYK colourspace).

If you want to gain an understanding of colour and means of using Photoshop to enhance and optimize the colour of photographs , then this book is a must-have.

It doesn't get any better than this. Dan's ability to communicate by thoroughly explaining and then demonstrating is excellent. You may never need to use all of the included techniques but this publication is a resource that is unmatched for content relative to the imaging industry. I purchased additional copies as gifts.

If you want to learn beautiful and powerfull world of color correction, go and get it.

First of all I would like to say this is not a book for beginners, it is intended for people who have a good understanding of Photoshop and how to apply it. That being said, this is by far the best book I have ever come across on any Prepress subject period. In fact in the first night of reading I had so much information to take in it almost made my head explode. The book contains 17 chapters that are each thoroughly explained, such as the different colourspaces avaiable to a Photoshop user (each colourspace gets it's own chapter), sharpening, and moires to name but a few. The thing I like most is that each chapter of this book is devoted to a specific subject and then each subject is broken down into its relevant components. I find this is a very thorough and detailed way of explaining information to the reader and I wish more Prepress books were written in this manner.

Most of the online reviews promise a lot but the book doesn't deliver and that is a great disappointment since an understandable guide is need. The author does not explain and illustrate the relationships between rgb (additive) and cmyk (reflective) in enough detail for one to comprehend how to read color coordinates in the info window and then correct the images using PhotoShop's image adjustments whether they be curves, levels, or whatever (which require thinking in both color spaces). The author is an expert on the four process color inks on the press and how they relate to cmyk color densities on printed paper but how to achieve the corresponding correct color densities in your digital files using PhotoShop is not clearly communicated. I've learned more reading the compressed "Create Print" articles in MacWorld by authors like David Blatner (a fine writer) then I learned from this book. My recommendations are: if you want to understand the basics of digital prepress then the Agfa Guide to Digital Color Prepress (though dated) is far better; if you want to understand channels then PhotoShop Channel Chop (also dated) is better; if you wants to understand curves then the PhotoShop Artistry books (version 5 or 6) are better. If you want a professional's insights into how he goes about correcting cymk color situation along with lots of self accolades, well this is it. Also be warned that none of the photographs measure up to the quality of good commercial stock photo images. Hopefully, by the next version of PhotoShop a good technical editor can turn this book into the gem the PhotoShop audience needs on this topic.

If you are a photographer, this is the book for you. If you do any prepress work, this is the book for you. I have read and re-read this book to try to absorb everything inside. It's not a book about how to make the latest cool button for your website, it's about how to render a photo's color in the best possible way in a print or on a press. The book is very opinionated, and it's clear the author has attracted criticism from many parties. However, in the application of his techniques, I have never found any advice from him to be unwarranted.
He's been very influential in my work.

All of Martin Evening's books are excellent: Lightroom 2 is no exception. Martin clearly explains in detail how to use the new Lightroom software while providing very useful tips as sidebars throughout the book. I have most all Lightroom and Photoshop books from many different authors. Some of these authors do not provide enough detail and/or make it difficult to understand. Martin's books have all relevant detail and are written in a style that is easily understood, logically organized and essential to understanding either Lightroom 2 or Photoshop CS4. Both the beginner and advanced photographer would benefit from having both his new books.

This book can be classified as a bible of Lightroom because its nearly 600 pages covering all aspects of this application from the basic topics to the more advanced.

The organization of this book is quite right for begin with an induction in using basic concepts and then move on to topics that focus on each of the stages that make up the workflow in Lightroom (importing, organizing and basic editing in the Library module, editing in the Develop module, printing and output for presentations or web). The book contains interesting additional items such as converting images to black and white, sharpening, integration with Photoshop and Lightroom preferences. These topics are a major differentiator with other books of this application.

The screenshots that support the explanations about the application interface and all the images that are used within the book are an excellent size and quality which clearly displays details such as menus, lists, values, etc.

The author Martin Evening is a renowned photographer who has written numerous books on management of digital imaging in Photoshop and Lightroom.
If you are a professional or amateur photographer who enjoys knowing all the possibilities of an application and not afraid of the extensive guides, this book will be your best option and certainly the only thing you need on Lightroom.

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Marlon Ceballos
Colombia Adobe User Group Manager

I have been reading Martin Evening's books for 10 years. He brings the important role as a photographer to the technical focus of software and using equipment while achieving an aesthetic balance in terms of information.

This book is not only readable but explains in important detail what the user needs to do to be successful. Thanks to Mr. Evening for doing the hard work of making the photographer's job easier. My copy is already becoming raggedy with wear.

This book is certainly one of the best if not THE best book on Lightroom 2 (that is currently available). While extremely dense with information (so much so the type had to be reduced a bit to fit it all) and very nicely done screenshots, it is quite a lot to read through. If you're one of those people who starts books and leaves the rest unread at page 100, be sure it's what you need. The good news is, if you buy this book there are few scenarios I can think of that would require you to own any other Lightroom book; it is quite comprehensive. Lightroom 2 has many features to learn, but all are fairly easy to digest once you have gotten the lay of the "land" and see how the different functions affect your images and work with one another.

The only real question you'll want to ask yourself is whether you really need this much information. If you're new to Lightroom, then unquestionably I think this is a good investment. If you're not new to Lightroom and are just looking for information about the new and updated features, it might be a bit overkill for you. In that case I might recommend you check out one of the thinner, well-reviewed books out there before buying this one. You definitely get your money's worth but if you already know 60% of the material inside (i.e. what you've learned from prior versions), there might be better options for you.

Lightroom seems friendly enough to "learn by doing", but this book taught me a number of techniques and explained details that I had missed. From the ins-and-outs of input and output sharpening, print color-management, and even efficient methods for working through the development sliders, I couldn't ask for more.

Great techinique and the tips that he book has for color balance. the photo retouch very clear.

This book came too late. I was wrestling with a large billboard design and finally had it shipped to the printer when this book came in the mail. The book really helps one understand the power of dealing with many subjects. For me, the section about making low res images look high res made me think twice about my techniques and better informed for the next round.

This is a book that actually lives up to it's title. Creating motion from stillness, extending backgrounds, trap, were informative, but these are only subsections. The book runs the gamet, from dealing with the issue of professional photoretouchers to improvements on reality, creating new items, shadows, even a full section on colour and then on newsprint.

Definitly a book for the advanced user of photoshop and one that requires a full read through rather than the reference tool type. The information is deep and compact in a great layout. I would reserve this for the library or bathroom before opening up Photoshop. If you do any sort of retouching or deal with photos for advertising and print, this is a book to have.

Good for professionals and educators and people that love to mess about with photos.

5/5

Honiball has chosen a collection of useful advanced techniques to present that every serious Photoshop user should take the time to learn and add to their arsenal. Though definitely designed for the advanced user, anyone comfortable in Photoshop can appreciate and understand guides.

I did find the instructional guides to be written in a somewhat unfamiliar fashion when compared to most how-to books. Rather than exhaustive instructions outlining (both textually and with screen shots) every step required to get to your goal, the major highlights are presented in paragraph form, assuming you have some ability to know what is going on. There are ample and well-chosen screen shots to show the progress along the way, just skipping the unnecessary page fillers you find in titles targeting beginners.

Though I found most of the techniques and samples presented very practical, the real power is the underlying ability the reader picks up along the way. I particularly enjoyed the coverage on shadowing, including both the theory and application for different perspectives. A few of the pre-press techniques would be used by a fairly limited audience, but again this title brings to light some advanced and practical tools for business professionals.

If I were to summarize what you pick up from this title, it would be how to take original photos, then enhance and combine them into a stunning production. I highly recommend adding this book to your library if you fall in the intended audience. Though not a reference book you would pull out for how to use specific tools, this is a title I plan to re-read once a year or so as a great reminder on some great techniques.

Title: Commercial Photoshop Retouching in the Studio - A Guide to Professional Photo Retouching and Compositing
Author: Glenn Honiball
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-59-00849-X
Reviewer: Bruce Frank
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Whether you're a seasoned Photoshop pro or a casual user attempting to revitalize the family photo album (or somewhere in between), this book will be an invaluable resource. Beware, however, that there are no quick fixes to some of the more serious retouch challenges.

For example, Honiball states that the best option for sharpening image details in a particularly fuzzy image is to "painstakingly draw in paths around the troublesome area." Those of us who have been using Photoshop for a while have unfortunately discovered this phenomenon - it can frequently take hours to achieve a satisfactory result when attempting to enhance a problem image.

Taking, in effect, the opposite approach to Scott Kelby, whose shoot-from-the-hip writing and Photoshop-user style gets right to the point in rapid fashion, Honiball exhaustively details the steps it takes to achieve a specific effect or correction. Although at times didactic, he nevertheless creates a thorough and informative textbook, rather than the educational comic that Kelby or Russell Brown might offer (not that there's anything wrong with that!, to put Jerry Seinfeld's immortal words in a different context).

"Commercial Photoshop Retouching in the Studio" is illustrated throughout with well-chosen color screenshots, most of which are presented in cinematic fashion - a true step-by-step approach which is extremely effective. It's like watching a video you can pause or continue at the flip of a page.

If you need to know how to prepare artwork for a printer, retouch photos like a pro, or create photo-illustrations for the commercial marketplace, you can't do better than Glenn Honiball's book. However, when using this book to guide you through your own projects on a computer, I would advise keeping one hand on your mouse, and one on a Mocha Cappuccino Grande.

As someone who is lucky enough to work with Adobe as a beta tester, and who has read through many a Photoshop book, I can recommend this title to anyone who is an amateur photographer or serious hobbyist (or even a graphic designer who is into photography and retouching). While it won't teach you everything, there are many valuable techniques to be found here.

Bear in mind what this book isn't. It is not a Photoshop reference, and by that I mean it's not the right book -for example- if you're unsure how layers work or how to use channels. It's not a way to understand and learn the tools for the first time, but rather a way to use those tools in the specific context of retouching images. IOW, it will teach you a better way to skin the cat. (note: I like cats, it's just an expression).

The examples used are mostly relevant to real world usage and they are easy to understand and follow. Probably this is not the best book for learning special effects or the kinds of compositing you might see in product advertisements where graphical elements are blended with photographic ones. There are gigantic books dedicated to stuff like that, and so if that's what you're after, better to use one of those.

But if you want to learn useful ways of touching up skin tones and faces, adding a mood to a photograph by manipulating tonality across the canvas, etc. This is a good place to start.

For several years I have attempted to gain at least a small degree of skill doing some basic image editing using Photoshop. Each attempt was accompanied by the latest and greatest book claiming to be the source of everything needed to become quickly proficient with Photoshop. And these books tend to get read -- perhaps all the way to chapter 3 -- where I become entirely overwhelmed by the minutiae and lose complete interest, especially since the book is only introducing details and accomplishing nothing useful. I was skeptical when I purchased this book, assuming it would lead to the same dead end. I have been very pleasantly surprised, not to mention pleased with the progress I have made -- right through the final chapter!

I think several things make this book stand out. The authors have wisely chosen not to attempt to document every single feature of this huge and complicated software tool. Often they note, in passing, areas that they do not plan to cover -- and why (because the software was designed for a wide audience and nature photographers only need a sub-set of the available features). The book progresses very logically, providing you just what you need to do "the next thing." In practice, this means that you only need to learn a reasonable number of things in order to begin to see some success. As well, you then begin to build on these skills -- but never to the point where you become frustrated with the process. Finally, they provide options for you to consider and try, typically suggesting that you use the method most comfortable for you. In hindsight, I believe that many of the earlier books that I worked with often required adherence to the author's proscribed ideas about how to do this or that. It was quite nice to discover, for example, that a "keyboard person" was not forced to use the mouse -- and vice versa.

I can certainly recommend this to advanced beginner and intermediate photographers -- not JUST Nature Photographers. If you need to work with some of the advanced options that Photoshop offers then this may not be the right book for you. If you have tried many times to succeed with Photoshop I urge you to try again with this book -- you just may find that you will succeed this time!!

After purchasing three other books on CS3, this was the most applicable for someone that is primarily focused on nature and landscape photography. The authors introduce you to their work flow, which I find works well. They guide you through the entire process, beginning at taking your picture, to setting up your preferences, to final print. It leaves room for your own personal settings without "directing" you to do it only their way. The authors not only explain the "how", but the "why." This was something I found lacking in the other books, even the official Adobe workbook. The lessons are easy to follow and understand. You don't have to be a computer expert to work with this book, but basic knowledge of CS3 helps, although not required. If getting the most out of your landscape/nature images with CS3 is your goal, then this is your book. A very good "A to Z" instructional guide. Highly recommended.

This is a pretty good book filled with quite a few tips. The writing style was difficult for me to enjoy per se but the content is there. It was extremely distracting however for nearly every photograph in the book to have the caption "Photo by Ellen Anon". Over and over and over....Even multiple steps in a procedure apparently required a credit on each photo. Just a small gripe but it would have been easier to say at the beginning all photos by Ellen Anon unless otherwise noted.

I had been muddling through Photoshop for years, learning how to do things mostly on my own. This book, however, was an eye-opener. First off, although being nature photographer-centered doesn't mean it is impractical for other subjects, the nature focus does preclude the types of portrait and architecture examples of other books that really don't help the nature-oriented photographer very much. I find this to be a big strength.

The book is fairly inclusive of most of the basic tools needed to produce quality photos, but some areas are a bit lacking, notably with respect to sharpening. Specifically, there is no discussion of high-pass sharpening, nor of the multipass sharpening process (capture, creative, and output sharpening) that Adobe is now embracing. If you are interested in getting the best out of your photos, I strongly suggest googling these two subjects and learning more.

This book, as do all books on the subject, also suffers from that fact that parts of it are partially obsolete almost from the time it was printed because of advances in plug-in technology. This is especially the case with the recent upgrade of Camera Raw to version 4.1 (now available for free download from Adobe's website), which has tools (sharpening, notably) that could not be covered by this book because ACR 4.1 didn't exist at the time it was written. Again, this isn't a flaw of the book, just the nature of the beast. Heck, I'm sure someone reading this review a year or so from now will be remarking how obsolete ACR 4.1 is, once ACR 4.2 comes out.

I like the fact that there are two authors for the book because they each have ideas on how to best accomplish their goals. This leads to multiple options being presented to the reader. The sidebars by well-known photographers are also quite valuable, although it seems that they were written based on earlier versions of the book (i.e., once centered on CS2, and possibly CS). As such, some of that information is a bit dated. Still, there is a lot of valuable information in there.

I can't comment on the tutorial CD, because I haven't used it, but for those of you who prefer to learn by doing, I imagine it is a very valuable resource.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to any newcomer to Photoshop who shoots primarily nature photos.

As a web designer I've been using Photoshop professionally for years. I've also worked on lots of photographs, both my own and those I've gotten from clients. I don't need a how to book on layers, cropping and levels. I've got a good understanding of the basic Photoshop tools, and have benefitted from Scott Kelby's Photoshop CS for Photographers. But Kelby's book is a recipe book both useful and well presented, but I want more.

What I want to do now is take my own photography to another level. Past a certain point, improving becomes less a matter of collecting tricks and recipes and more a matter of learning the entire workflow from experts. For that a basic how-to cookbook is no longer of much use to me. I could probably spend a lot of time working out a good workflow and set of procedures through trial and error, but why not take advantage of the experience of those who have already taken the art of nature photography editing to a high place?

Enter Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers. As one reviewer has stated, much of the introductory Photoshop material is covered in other books, but not in quite the same way. Photoshop has many tools, each of which has many settings and options. It's perfectly possible to be familiar with one tool or filter in one context and not realize that it can be used in combination with another tool to achieve a completely different result. I once read that when Einstein proposed his theory of relativity maybe three people in the world understood it. I wonder if more than three people in the world completely understand all of what can be done with Photoshop. What I was looking for and found here is an expansion of my Photoshop horizons, a deeper exploration of the art and science of nature photography and photo editing.

Anon and Grey offer an excellent look over the shoulder of experts in both practice of nature photography and in the use of Photoshop as a digital darkroom. I can't emphasize strongly enough how helpful that approach is for someone who has some Photoshop chops or who has used the program for another end and who wants to get great results with nature photos. Their workflow is time tested and produces excellent results

And nature photograph editing benefits from following a slightly different approach from that of product photography, with which I have some experience, portraiture, photojournalism and so on. Again, I'm struck with how specific and helpful the presented workflow, and the mindset that using such a workflow creates is. And placing editing in context with a specific photographic goal informs my picture taking too.

I recommend this book to anybody interested in nature photography who has at least some experience with Photoshop, though a dedicate beginner could work through the introductory phases with this volume. For someone who has used Photoshop in another context and wants to expand into the nature photography realm this book is brilliant.

I've only read the first chapter or two, and I'm chompin' at the bit to write this review. I know, that sounds like it's "pretty early in the game here" to write a review on a book, but I think I already see a really good pattern here. I know the basics of Premier Pro 1.5, and have already done several fairly complicated edits with it using multiple audio tracks, multiple video tracks, and so on, but let me tell you, I know I was only scratching the surface, in a sense of this great video editing program.
I recently lost the original manual that came with the program, and figured I needed "something" to back me up in case they quit making the work manuals, so I found Rosenberg's book on Amazon, and read all the reviews on it. I was thoroughly convinced that this guy "has the goods" on Adobe Premier, so I orderd the book. I love the fact that he gives you the DVD with the book that has him discribing some of the more complicated edits visually. That's a real plus, and just the way the guy writes and handles this stuff "get's my blood pumping" (in a good way). He's very detail oriented, but he also gives you practical reasons "why" a certain button is there and/or what it "really" does, so you can understand what's really going on. I can almost "feel" his experience in the way he writes and what he says- (for instance), where he goes into detail how several of the keyboard letters can really help you, time wise, scrubbing through the clips in a seemingly more efficient way than if you "only" used the radial buttons. I know that might be up for debate, because some people aren't "keyboard editing people", like me, but I'll sure give it a shot. He seems to talk to you in a very real, "hands on" kind of way that is so important to me. It can make some things, so much easier to grasp that way. Marc Trainor.

This book is fabulous for just learning how to operate Adobe Premiere.

Whether its the basics you seek or the advanced "insider" tips you need, this is the manual for you. Although Premiere Pro is much different than 6.5 and previous versions, you will soon find that using it will become second nature. This is the best book for Pro users on the market.

Three stars for "user friendly" and five stars for content. The information is quite detailed but needs a lot of interpretation and rereading to understand. The text doesn't always follow your project and one needs to go to the "Help" menu, often. However, if one preservers, the instructions will allow you to use the Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 program to its fullest potential.

great book but now behind the times, wish i'd of waited a bit longer till the release of 2.0 and the subsequent book; however, I believe everything covered in this book carries over to the new version of premiere pro.