Digital Photography Books

In addition to being a very good book at an excellent price (good bye Barnes & Noble), Amazon's service is EXCELLENT.

Once you get your feet wet with PSE2 tools and commands [with simpler books such as "50 Digital Photo Techniques", "99 Easy Tips", "PSE2 for Dummies", etc] it's time to take stock where to go next. If those suffice, stop right here. But, if you want to go beyond and really understand the richmess of PSE2 and the great things you can do with your digital images, then this is the bridge between novice and intermediate-to-advanced user. The massive 750-page text certainly isn't for first-timers. But once you get a feel for tools such as Magnetic Lasso, Magic Wand or Clone Stamp, you want to know what all those little 'options" such as threshold and feathering can do to improve (or ruin) your images. Here's the place to go! Just the tips alone are worth the modest price [never knew that TAB toggles between a screen crowded with tools, palettes & bars, and an uncluttered full-sized screen; or that the SHIFT-key will let you move the image while painting or correcting an image]. Not only is every tool and command explained, and color calibration of screen and printer detailed, but the authors then go on with a hands-on workshop on filters, effects and painting, and final sections on the fine points of optimized printing and web publishing. The authors write clearly, precisely, yet with admirable brevity; they maintain a comfortable balance of lightness without resorting to the heavy-handed forced jocularity of certain yellow and black books.

The greatest (albeit not fatal) flaws are: a) absence of color illustrations alongside the text -- rather than the two full color page inserts tucked in the center; b) a CD with full resolution color images for hands-on mastering of the techniques described in the various chapters is a virtual necessity, and would add little to nothing to the total production cost. For these reasons, plus the fact that the author's website remains "...currently unavailable" for downloading compressed images, I deducted one star from the 5-stars for the content. Also, the index - although extensive - lacks references to common PSE2 terms such as anchor point, white point, portrait retouching, etc; a reference book certainly should have a near-encyclopedic index, as no one ought to read the book from cover to cover. All told: great intermediate level book that's easy to read and provides all the detail you might ever desire.

Both Ken Milburn and Gene Hirsh have set out to provide the users of Photoshop Elements 2 with the most complete reference guide that can be found. The book is designed for beginners, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements 2 users, and those who are already familiar with image editing.

What they have produced is a guide that covers PSE 2 from A to Z, for both the PC and Mac user. They start off the book by covering the installation of PSE 2 onto both computer systems, setting up and calibrating monitors and explaining what PSE 2 does best. They cover all aspects as they continue their journey through Elements; from contact sheets, picture packages, plug-ins and scratch disks, palettes, the File Browser, Tools and the Toolbox, Recipes, Selections and Blending. They deal with Collecting, Cataloging and Managing Images, Correcting Exposures, Contrast and Color Balance, Retouching and Repairing and Filter Effects.

As they take you through Elements, they don't just continue paragraph after paragraph. They do an excellent job of providing the reader with NOTE boxes, bringing up points to be remembered and useful suggestions. TIPS buttons also provide the reader with items to be used during the use of Elements. The graphics that are included cover both Windows and Mac views, along with the commands that are used in both systems. The one thing that needs to be understood is that they have covered every command, tool, recipe, filter and item that is part of Elements 2.

They cover transferring images from your camera, scanning and card/disk readers. They explain File types, such as PSD, TIFF, JPEG and GIF, the four most universal types that are used. They emphasize saving the original file, saving as, proper file formats, strategies and Interpolation. They provide the reader with images and work their way through to the completed task. They show examples of each filter, special effects, text and shapes. I went through the entire book and tried to find something that they may have missed or overlooked within PSE 2... they didn't miss a thing. Need to prepare your images for publication on the Web, have no fear; it's in the book. Dithering, lighting effects, texture fill, tracing, sketching and brushes; it's all there.

The book is a complete reference guide for PSE 2 users. If you want to know about every aspect, tool, filter or use for PSE 2, it's in the book. If you're looking to know everything that there is to know about PSE 2, then run out and get yourself this book. My only complaint about the book was the fact that the color section was very small but the images included in it were so compelling, I wanted more.

All in all, The Complete Reference is an outstanding book for users of PSE 2. Highly recommended.

Russ Walkowich

I have read some mixed reviews about this book especially in comparison to the Magic Lantern Guide to the Nikon D200 by Simon Stafford (2006, Lark Books). Here's what I like about this book:

The paper is a higher quality gloss and is printed in color with plenty of illustrations and examples. The Magic Lantern guide is in black and white and has fewer illustrations.

The PIP Expanded Guide reads more like a how-to book than a technical manual.

It has some chapters that are clearly aimed at amateur photographers. Since that comprises a mojority of who will be buying this book that is a wise choice in my opinion. Advanced amateurs and pros may be put off by some of the material that is geared towards amateurs. But why would the pros buy this book? Most of the features of the D200 are not new and revolutionary. They have been available in previous incarnations of Nikon DSLR's and many of the features have been available in Nikons 35mm SLR line.

I have read this book cover-to-cover and have found it to be a very useful resource. I'd reccomend it to anyone who has recently bought a D200.

After using my D200 for over 2 years, I decided to buy a camera guide book to see if I missed anything else from reading the original manual. This PIP Expanded Guide Book was a well spent purchase.

The paper used is top grade high stock; well designed layout is "easy" on the readers eyes. The workflow organization is well thought of, text quite succinct, concise and very clear. Supplemental photos to topics are in full color; tips and hint are higlighted in shaded boxes.

An easy reading book, one can read either from beginning to end or just jump into a specific topic or section. The book size is perfect to bring along with you anywhere, even while sipping your brew at your favorite coffee house hang out; it even turned out to be a great prop that started a "Hey are you a photographer?" conversation.

This is a great resource to "fill in gaps" between reading the original and bland user manual and your actual hands on experience using the D200.

However, this can also work as an initial guide for new users. I gave my D70s to my sister who is trying out DSLRs for the 1st time. Since I could not locate the user manual (although you can get a PDF format version of all the Nikon camera manuals), I also purchased the D70 version of this book for her to use. From my observations, the book proves to be a more valuable guide for her than if she just got the user manual.

I highly recommend this (and any other) PIP publisher camera guide. At least, I can vouch the Nikon series books. I will definitely acquire the D300 book when I get the D300... and a maybe a D3 book for the D3 someday soon.

For samples of photos taken with the D200, see [...].

I bought the nikon d200 expanded guide, because the d300 was unavailable, and the users manual (printed in Thailand) provided by Nikon is difficult to handle and to read.
The expanded guide was vey helpfull.

If you own a Nikon D200 you should have this book. Using this book and the Nikon Owners Manual, you're ready to learn some really useful tools/tecniques.
Especially useful for new ownwers and photographers who are moving up from any of the Nikon D series cameras.

Explains the product, and shooting in RAW, in depth, with many good and clear examples. Answered many questions I had, before reading it. Highly recommended!

This book is a follow on to Apple's official Pro Training book co-authored by Ben Long and Orlando Luna. The Pro training book was written fairly early on and while it is the basis for becoming User or Trainer certified, it doesn't cover some of the more obscure capabilities of Aperture in depth. This newer book by Ben Long goes into more detail about the most useful portions of Aperture. In particular, I learned a lot more about the image adjustments available and how to use them. I would highly recommend this book. Of the many books currently available for Aperture users, this is currently the best.

That said, Aperture has undergone about 3 updates since this book was published. It has had many new features added and no book, so far, covers all the newer things. This is constant problem with new applications in particular. It would seem to lobby for e-book updates to expensive software training books.

Still, a good reference book.

I had read part of this book a month ago, and then had an opportunity to hear Ben teach on an Aperture Geek Cruise at the end of May. His writing style is excellent for just about any level of student of this new program. His first chapters try to get you out of the mode of thinking so linearly when working on RAW photos in your Mac. This is not about the hardware or software so much as it is about opening you mind to a new level of creativity where we do things the way WE want to and not by any step by step methodology ingrained in us over the years by using ACR and Photoshop to work up our images. The illustrations and structure of the book will appeal to anyone working in Aperture. THere are nuggets of good stuff to find even if you think you know everything. That is also what I discovered in our classes on the cruise ship - he is so comfortable working with this product that we stopped him numerous times to show us all the little shortcuts and tricks that he uses every day and are included in this volume. I wish I hadn't got sea sick in the middle of his lecture, but that can't be blamed on Ben! A smart guy with the best of the top books on Aperture (I have them all). I'm looking forward to enjoying photography more now and worrying less about the post production hassles by using Aperture in my new shortened workflow.

I love Rick's books. From beginner photographers to pros looking for tips and techniques, Rick explains Adobe Photoshop in layman's terms. Even better if you have the opportunity to go to one of his speaking engagements - he is a riot, entertaining and informative.

The accompanying CD that came with this book imparted more knowledge in a straight-to-the-point fashion than anything else I've tried. The price was right too. Some tutorial vdeo materials cost about twice as much. If you're a person who absorbs more by being shown something, this is for you. The pace is fast but I plan to play the CD over more than a few times for the sake of repitition. Sammon's colorful illustrations drive home certain lessons but I found myself not always agreeing with his improvements on photos...I liked the "before" pictures better. I felt my money was very well spent on this book. Most similar books are quite pricey so it does count when they disappoint. This one didn't.

Excellent step by step manual for beginners! Rick Sammon writes so that even the novice can understand.

As a long-time eBay seller who's taken too many photos to mention, the hints in this book are helping us to re-work our photo set up. I recommend this highly to anyone who has to take photos for eBay or any other web site on which they sell products.

Step back for a moment and consider this. Just a few years ago, the very idea of an online auction site that anyone could use would have been pure science fiction. Then along came eBay. Now we have this book, which is not even about the general experience of selling or buying on eBay, but just on taking photos of items you want to sell. Talk about specialised!

Yet the authors have a very valid point. It has been recognised that having a well taken photo, or several photos, of an auction item can tangibly boost the number of bids and ultimately the final price. [Quite independently of this book, there have been studies of eBay auctions that have quantified this effect.]

To this ends, the book gives many tips as to optimising those images. Having a well lit object, perhaps in a pleasing background. Or sometimes, if an object can be scanned using a flatbed scanner, doing that instead of using a camera. Certainly, a scanner is usually easier and quicker to use. So when should you do so?

The authors' judgment about the esthetics of the photos seems pretty good. While you might quibble about a few of their assessments, it's mostly very common sense.

I got this book a nights ago and read a few pages a night. Then a few minutes ago I went on-line to e-Bay looking for a RAID controller for my web server. The picture of the first unit was so dark that it almost looked like a big black blob. The image was way underexposed. You can see exactly what I'm talking about in the center picture on page 62.

The second unit had a picture taken using a flash. It was a straight on shot that caused the light from the flash to bounce straight back at the camera. The entire center of the item was pure white from the reflected light. All you could see was the few items at each end of the card. You can see exactly what I'm talking about in the picture on page 91 of this book.

A little simple math. To shoot either pictures of the RAID controllers would take say a minute. To shoot a much better picture might take three minutes. That's two additional minutes. Let's say that the better picture caused the item to sell for $5 more. That's $5 for two minutes. That's equivalent to $150 an hour. That's pretty good pay.

There are lots of good books on photography. This one talks about the standard photographic stuff, but explains in simple terms how it will help sell the item on e-Bay.

Needless to say, this is a very visually colourful book. The authors convey their skill in describing what goes into taking a good photo. Some of this advice is independent of the digital nature of the photos, and could have been given decades ago. But the book also has numerous tips that reflect the digital aspect of your camera.

Perhaps the biggest difference is simply that you get immediate feedback as to the quality of the photos. You can use this feedback and the book's advice to produce better results.

Unsurprisingly, the book also touts the use of Shutterfly to make hardcopy colour prints. Here, the book's advice is more problematic. There are plenty of alternatives out there who can make good prints for you. Not the least including Kodak. You can safely disregard every mention of Shutterfly in the book.

AN INVALUABLE BOOK FOR THE NEW TO ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHER

This book really has three parts. The first part is on taking pictures. This doesn't talk about how to use your camera, that comes with the instructions supplied with the camera. Instead it talks about things like framing the image, setting the exposure, and things like that. If you're an experienced film photographer, this is probably repeat information. But if you're new to photography and this will give you a basic grounding.

The second part talks about manipulating the images in your computer. Their software of choice is to use Paint Shop Pro. This is a good choice for the beginner because most books like this use Photoshop which costs a fortune and is quite complex.

Finally it goes into printing. Obviously since this is the Shutterfly Guide, it talks a bit about using Shutterfly to do your printing. If you want to use them, this is an excellent book. If you want to do your own, there is still a good bit of information about printing the images yourself.

All in all, a good introductory book on digital photos.

The original Digital Darkroom was an image editing program back in the 1980s. This Year 2000 incarnation is an exploration of what the digital darkroom is like in the 21st Century, with lots of information on editing your images from a photographer's perspective. There are other books on using specific image editors, like Photoshop, as a "darkroom" tool, but this classic remains a good introduction.

Tom Ang has written a fine book for anyone interested in the digital darkroom. Note, though, that I reference "digital darkroom." This isn't the same as digital photography. Mr. Ang is committed to 35mm photography, with the images then scanned into a digital format for manipulation with a pc. It isn't, in other words, a book for someone who wants to understand his digital camera.

With that disclaimer, though, I can recommend this book highly. Mr. Ang is a fine artist, with a good eye, and a beginning digital photographer can learn a lot from his work. Note that this isn't an exhaustive book, but one where he illustrates various techniques and methods using Adobe Photoshop on a Mac. You should be able to translate those to your own software on a non-Mac pc, and get creditable results from your shots with a digital camera.

This is a great book for those just getting started in digital photography. It gives an overview of effects you can create using programs like Photoshop and Painter. The book is packed with interesting large color photo examples.

First you get an overview of the pros and cons of both digital and classical photography. Then there is information on choosing camera equipment, film, a computer, a scanner and a printer as well as software and other accessories. The author then gives an explanation of resolution and gives advice on making scanning more efficient and accurate.

Many techniques follow. Some of the basics include using contrast, curves and levels, hue and saturation, toning, channel mixing, sun printing effects, posterisation, changing colors, and hand coloring. Others focus on filters or brush techniques such as blur/sharpen, pixelation, distortion, grain, paint textures and cloning techniques. Compositing as well as using layers, modes and multiple images is also covered. The author also offers in insight on color symphony, file types, compression, resolution and printing digital photos.

This is not your typical step-by-step how-to book. You see concepts illustrated in photos, not page after page of computer screens. There is plenty of high lever technical advice here though, but the main goal to explain the logic behind the tools used. If you understand how they work and when to use them you can utilize them more effectively. This is the kind of background I have been looking for that is missing from most of the software manuals. In the back of the book there is an excellent glossary and a nice list of other helpful books and some websites.

I was very impressed with this text, as it tossed me into digital photography at a very basic level. The photo-text presentation was very practical and helpful. If there is one concern, it's that so much of the book is a tutorial on Photoshop Elements. If you don't use Elements, it won't help you much. Otherwise, a nice book!

This book is basic in its approach to covering digital photography. But the illustrations make it a fun way to learn. Don't be fooled though, the content is powerfull and concise. Its a great book for beginners and those needing a refresher.

Teach yourself visually Digital Photography, 3rd edition, might be the book that makes beginners in digital photography jump in the digital technology photo-taking.
I know middle level executives who cling to their film camera because of the learning curve.
There are really TWO PARTS in the book : one on taking the photo and using the camera that takes 113 pages and the second part on processing the photos in the computer that runs from page 114 to page 265.

Here is an idea of the language used : Light and Color on page 26 " All colors within the color spectrum are contained in visible light. The amount of any particular color within the light is determined by its source , and for outdoor light, the time of day. For example, more reddish orange color is seen at sunset when ..."

The book will help you before buying a digital camera and once you have bought such a camera. You can read 2 pages within 15 minutes .

Basic but fundamental.

Want to understand f-stops,camera processors,ISO and much much more? This is the book for all those new to the language and art of photography. Each page made a light come on in my head. You'll finally say "I've got it". Very simply put so the novice understands the concept.

This book has been a great help for me to understand the basic's of my digital camera and how the different settings work and how changing the setting can produce pictures with different feelings. I would recommend this book to all those new to digital photography.

Very basic and very clearly written and comprehensive As a novice, it is just what I needed to learn the basics of how a digital camera works and how to organize pictures on your compnter.

Going beyond the basic "how-to," this book contains advanced techniques for manipulating photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements. I have had this book for a couple of months now, and I use it mainly as a reference book when I can't figure out how to do something. It is well written, has very clear step-by-step instructions, and is full of beautiful photos that illustrate the techniques.

Topics covered include:

* manipulation and restoring of images

* panoramas

* text and graphics

* using Photoshop Elements in website design

* color manipulation

* printing your photos



If you've invested a lot of money in a camera and the Adobe software, I recommend this book to advance your knowledge of Photoshop Elements. Even though APE is a stripped down version of Photoshop, there is still much to be learned.

Philip Andrews is like Martin Evening (Photoshop CS for digital photograhers) a real pro photographer and this make the difference in the approach on the subject.
In this bautiful explained book he gives you ALL the techniques used by photographers to improve your outputs.
From scanners and camera techniques to image changes;darkroom techniques;making better panoramas;extending your web abilities;producing effective graphics to a finely crafted output.In 274 pages "elements"were given ,rarely seen in a lot of other books.Believe me I own mor than 30 books on Photoshop and this is really one of the best!!