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Book Excerpts Archives

May 1, 2005

Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers, by Martin Evening

200505bc_evening Printed with permission from Focal Press, a division of Elsevier.

This new title by Martin Evening will be in stores by the end of May (ISBN: 0240519841; $44.95). For more information about this book, please see Martin Evening's Web site at photoshopforphotographers.com.

For ordering information and to view similar titles, please visit www.focalpress.com.

Download Chapter 1, What's New in Photoshop CS2 (1.6MB)

July 1, 2005

Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers

200507bc_oreillycov_1 "Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers" tells you everything you need to know to adjust, correct, retouch, and manipulate your photographs—without making you first learn everything there is to know about Photoshop CS2. These straightforward, easy-to-follow recipes give you specific directions so you can quickly and easily:

- Fix exposure, focus, and color problems
- Add special effects like motion blurs, lens effects, and surface textures
- Improve portraits by removing red eye, wrinkles, and blemishes
- Add and remove objects from photos seamlessly
- Use lighting effects to create more dramatic images
- Restore faded and damaged photos
- Give new shots a vintage, old-fashioned look
- Create posterized and hand-tinted images

With clear step-by-step instructions, hundreds of full-color examples, and practical tips covering key techniques in detail, this book will help you turn everyday photos into memorable images.

Download a PDF file excerpt on Soft Focus Techniques.
Download a PDF file excerpt on Removing Skin Blemishes and Wrinkles.

Continue reading "Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers" »

September 1, 2005

How to Do Everything with Photoshop CS2

200509bc_everythingcov In this full-color, easy-to-use book, award-winning designer and best-selling author Colin Smith teaches the fundamentals as well as the more advanced features of Photoshop. Smith shows how to use traditional drawing and painting tools ranging from pencils to airbrushes, how to add and manipulate text, retouch photos, create special effects, and more. A bonus "Behind the Scenes" gallery demonstrates the Photoshop techniques used by professional artists. Read more of Smith's Photoshop tips at www.photoshopCAFE.com.

"How to Do Everything with Photoshop CS2" by Colin Smith, publisher McGraw-Hill Osborne, ISBN: 0-07-226160-9, $29.99 USA

Read Chapter 9: Save time with automation.

October 1, 2005

The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers

200510bc_dambookcov In the world of digital photography, digital asset management (DAM) refers to every part of the process that follows the taking of the picture, through final output and permanent storage.  Anyone who shoots, scans or stores digital photographs is practicing some form of DAM, but most of us are not doing so systematically or efficiently.  In The DAM Book, photographer Peter Krogh presents a solid plan and practical advice on how to file, find, protect and re-use photographs, focusing on best practices for digital photographers using Adobe Photoshop CS2.

"The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers" by Peter Krough, publisher O'Reilly, ISBN: 0-596-10018-3.

Visit O'Reilly online to order your copy.

Read Chapter 3: Creating the Digital Archive

January 1, 2006

EXCERPT: Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One

200512bc_pscs2_1on1Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned Photoshopper, without expert guidance you might never get further than sliding your mouse across the surface of Photoshop's true capability. "Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One," the number-one selling Photoshop tutorial book updated for CS2, can help you master this most powerful-and daunting-of graphic tools. A straightforward, step-by-step user's guide to Photoshop and the new features of CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One will show you how to take full advantage of all that Photoshop offers.

"Adobe Photoshop CS2 One on One" by Deke McClelland, published by Deke Press/O'Reilly, ISBN: 0-596-10096-5, $39.95 USA

Download Lesson 3: Correcting Color Balance

Lesson Files
(Right-click or control-click to save linked file to desktop.) 

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Watch QuickTime Total Training Video: Variations and Camera Raw

 

February 1, 2006

EXCERPT: Photoshop CS2 RAW

200602bc_pspcs2rawHow do the best photographers turn RAW data into beautiful images? Bestselling author and award-winning photographer Mikkel Aaland shows you how. His straightforward, visually oriented instruction will take you step-by-step through the process of capturing, organizing, and optimizing RAW images. You'll learn how to produce the best possible digital images, using Photoshop CS2, Adobe Bridge, and Camera Raw. Aaland--whose pioneering work in digital photography dates back to 1981--draws on his own 30 years of experience, as well the expertise of over 10 top-notch professional photographers who generously share their tips and techniques. His personal, easy-to-follow style illuminates and inspires, but doesn't intimidate or needlessly complicate. You'll get immediate results when you apply these solutions-oriented techniques to your own photographic work.

Continue reading "EXCERPT: Photoshop CS2 RAW" »

March 10, 2006

Documentary photographer Steve Simon captures "The Republicans"

In the summer of 2004, armed with cameras and press credentials, Canadian photojournalist Steve Simon moved in and out of Madison Square Garden, capturing the essence of the 2004 Republican Convention. The arrangement of his images in "The Republicans" (Charta, $35.00) delivers an outstanding visual narrative of iconic opposites and shrewd observations, a recording of an unprecedented moment in American politics, power structure and media predominance.

"I knew this would be both an important political convention and an ironic portrait of the Republican Party against the interesting choice of New York City as its backdrop," said Simon. "With 15,000 accredited media covering 5,000 Republican delegates, I understood how powerful the media's role would be in presenting the convention to Americans and to the world. That's why I elected to focus my cameras not only on the delegates inside and the protesters outside, but on the media participants themselves."

Continue reading "Documentary photographer Steve Simon captures "The Republicans"" »

April 1, 2006

EXCERPT: Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers

Blendmodescover Layer blending modes have been part of Photoshop for years, but because they're not easy to understand at first glance, this immensely useful feature tends to get overlooked. "Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers" is the only recipe-format book that covers blending modes specifically for digital photographers.

The book covers:
•    Changing hue, saturation, luminosity, and color
•    Correcting basic color shifts
•    Repairing highlights
•    Sharpening or softening focus
•    Adjusting lighting for subtle or dramatic effects
•    Controlling contrast
•    Creating surface effects and textures
•    Adding interest to landscapes and urban scenes
•    Enhancing portraits of children and adults
•    Simulating graphics arts techiques

and much more.

Continue reading "EXCERPT: Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers" »

August 24, 2006

Capsule Review: "Window Seat" by Julieanne Kost

Windowseat_1 By Ellis Vener

"Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking," by Julieanne Kost, is one of the more profound Photoshop and photography related books I've seen in many years, yet has the least amount of technical content. The photographs are from Kost's collection of photographs made while on business trips over a five year period. As a mainstay in Adobe's Photoshop education program, Adobe Evangelist Kost is on the road "about 200 days" a year. While she has educated many thousands of photographers on Adobe's flagship software through  various Photoshop conferences, workshops, and a DVD series from Software Cinema), the real meat of her book is a plainspoken treatise on how to stay fresh and creative, even in the face of your fears or while mired in the prosaic grind of the workaday world.

Continue reading "Capsule Review: "Window Seat" by Julieanne Kost" »

March 1, 2007

EXCERPT: Professional Filter Techniques for Digital Photographers

200703we_filtertech_ In his newest book, "Professional Filter Techniques for Digital Photographers" (Amherst Media; $34.95) pro photographer Stan Sholik covers the gamut of possibilities and applications now available to the digital photographer through traditional (hardware) filters and filter software.

He advises on how to select your best filter options for your photographic style and how implementing the device will impact your photos. Covering filters used for color correction, contrast enhancement, soft focus, and a full spectrum of interesting, artistic effects, this book will satisfy your quest for technical precision and your yearning for greater creative expression.

Features:

  • Comparisons of effects achieved using traditional vs. digital filters
  • Charts that allow readers to predict effects of a variety of filter types
  • Page after page of analyses of top filters

In this excerpt, Sholik examines color converting, light balancing and compensation filters.

Continue reading "EXCERPT: Professional Filter Techniques for Digital Photographers" »

June 4, 2007

Book Excerpt: "Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers" by Martin Evening

200706we_eveningcover If you've been wondering what's new in Adobe Photoshop CS3, why not get your information from the best? Martin Evening is a fantastic photographer and gifted teacher who makes time in his professional schedule to instruct photographers on digital imaging and Photoshop. Evening’s Adobe Photoshop for Photographers titles have become classic reference sources, written to deal directly with the needs of photographers and filled with a wealth of practical advice, hints and tips to help you achieve professional results.

"Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers," is published by Focal Press, an imprint of Elsevier.
ISBN: 0-240-52028-9 (old style ISBN)
ISBN: 978-0-240-52028-5 (new style ISBN)

Download What's new in Adobe Photoshop CS3 (PDF, 3.6MB), Chapter 1 of the newly released "Photoshop CS3 for Photographers" by Martin Evening.

Printed with permission from Focal Press, a division of Elsevier. Copyright 2007. "Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers" by Martin Evening. For more information about this book, please visit www.focalpress.com.


August 1, 2007

Book Excerpt: "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure" by Mikkel Aaland

Mikkel Aaland turned his experiences from a once-in-a-lifetime photography expedition to Iceland into a striking guided tour of Lightroom in "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure" (O'Reilly, $39.99). Along the way he shows readers how they, too, can use Lightroom to create exciting new images. More importantly, Aaland, an award-winning photographer and bestselling author, inspires readers by providing a far deeper experience than most instructional manuals. Part Icelandic road trip, part photo essay, "Lightroom's" photo-rich pages come packed with beautiful, exciting photographs from a dozen talented working photographers.

"Yes, it's a technical book. Yet it's not only a complete guide to the latest version of the application, but a pleasure to look at, too," explains Aaland. For this is not an update of previous Lightroom versions, but the first book written specifically for Lightroom 1.1. "And my new book honors photography through the beautiful images that fill every chapter," adds Aaland.

Professional Photographer magazine's Web Exclusives gives has a special excerpt from Chapter 3 of Mikkel Aaland's "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure," Editing a Day's Shoot in Iceland. In this valuable excerpt, Aaland takes you through editing a day's shoot in Lightroom, illustrating Library Module features and variations, from setting thumbnail size and customizing the Loupe view to magnifying in tandem and creating a collection.

Download a PDF excerpt from Chapter 3 of "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure" (8.4MB)

Photoshop Lightroom Adventure
Mastering Adobe's next-generation tool for digital photographers

By Mikkel Aaland
First Edition: July 2007 (est.)
ISBN 10: 0-596-10099-X
ISBN 13: 9780596100995
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596100995/
Copyright © 2007 O'Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission. 

Continue reading "Book Excerpt: "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure" by Mikkel Aaland" »

September 1, 2007

The Designer's Apprentice: Automating Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign in Adobe Creative Suite 3, by Rick Ralston

The Designer's Apprentice

Rick Ralston's "The Designer's Apprentice" (Adobe Press, $39.99) shows you how to use the Automation tools in Creative Suite 3 to save time and effort, freeing you for more creative work. Though written for a graphic designer audience, this book has valuable information for professional photographers as well.

Though automation may seem intimidating, it doesn't have to be. You can make your computer and software work better for you. Learn how to combine your customer data with images for personalized communications. Learn how to record macro-like Actions with Photoshop and then reuse them with multiple files.

Also, keep an eye on the magazine for more information from Rick Ralston, written exclusively for the Professional Photographer audience. He'll explain what automation can accomplish for professional photographers, what ROI you can expect from incorporating automation into your workflow, and how you can get started.

In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt that teaches you how to make a Photoshop Action that gives your images the Reflecto effect, familiar from Apple's marketing and featured on the book's cover.

Download the Reflecto Action tutorial from "The Designer's Apprentice," by Rick Ralston 

Excerpted from "The Designer's Apprentice: Automating Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign in Adobe Creative Suite 3" by Rick Ralston. Copyright © 2008. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and Adobe Press.

About Book Excerpts

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Professional Photographer Magazine Web Exclusives in the Book Excerpts category. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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