Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide

Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide

By Tim Grey
$39.99
pages 352
© 2007
ISBN: 978-0-470-11941-4
Sybex
1151 Marine Village Parkway
Almeda, CA 94501
http://www.sybex.com

Strengths: Includes information on raw format images. An in-depth highlight of curves with the applications, which is a very difficult topic, is applied in an excellent fashion in this book. Information regarding adjustment layers well done.

Weaknesses: Too much verbiage.There is a need for more arrows and pointers to integrate the information laid out in the screenshots and applied to the text and tutorials.

Rating: 4/5

*

Reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS (dreric1kansas@aol.com):

“Workflow” is the latest “buzzword” regarding digital imagery. The word relates to the whole process of taking your images from the beginning to end and all the processes, tasks and management issues that are needed, for making your finished images even better. Photoshop CS3 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide, is the next version of a popular book that takes your through the steps of workflow evolution.

The author, Tim Grey, is a renown Photoshop and digital photographer . He is Microsoft’s Chief ambassador to professional photographers and presents workshops on digital imaging. He is the author of another book Color Confidence. This book is the latest version of this book. I wanted to see whether this book has been updated compared to the previous version which I reviewed.

Within the book, there are many brilliant photographs to illustrate the points the author is trying to show you. Notes are also “peppered” throughout the fourteen chapters. Additional ideas related to the techniques are highlighte. I found these insightful and tied in well with the tutorial type information for the most part. Many screenshots, help illustrate the learning process but I wish some of them were larger. I would have liked to have seen more icons (like more red circles or pointers) that could have served to highlight and focus what the author talking about in the text.

Part 1, points to “getting started” and takes you from the beginning. Chapter 1 talks about workflow foundations. The main focus is the final results you want for your images. Chapter 2, “ downloading and sorting, uses the browser Adobe bridge. On page 28, the “palette set up” is very well written in explaining and using palettes. The tool and palette shortcuts (page 34) are also well done and useful. Chapter 3, “ raw conversion” is well explained in terms of the reasons for using RAW images instead of JPEG or other types of images.

Part 2, works on the basic adjustments that are needed. In Chapter 4, “Basic adjustments” details how to use basic tools as, rotate and crop, using crop tool, using aspect ratio.

Chapter 5 “Basic tone and color “ specifically targets evaluating channels. This written introduction into channels is done very well. In fact, this is some of the best information on the topic that I have seen. The screenshots and the shots of the application windows (example, Curve, levels, etc.) helping with the understanding. However only in a few places (for example in p.101) were additional pointers or guides used in the windows (for example: red enumerated small circles or additional ways) to verify even more explicitly what the author is speaking about. This chapter (p. 110) has a real nice listing of five benefits of adjustment layers but I would have liked to have seen this information earlier in the chapter and focusing specifically on the benefits through the tutorials and screenshots. Levels and problems signs followed with clipping, gaps and posterization with levels adjustment p. 110-113) but I did not feel that the information was cohesive enough. Color balance (p. 108) and (p. 112) basic saturation have well done instructions.

Notes in Chapter 6 are very helpful. Here in Chapter 6, “ Image cleanup” has information concerning healing brush, cloning stamp (copying parts of the text to others to clean up smudges by copying from one part of the image into another – for example sky color).

Now Advanced adjustments come into play on Part 3. Chapter 7, “Advanced tonal adjustments,” covers working with image tones. Shadow highlights (page 138) is an interesting section and nicely done. Curves information and adjusting these (p.143) I fell are the most difficult to understand and master. The author does an exceptional job in explaining this topic done and is some of the best I have ever seen. Ways to use anchor points are excellently written. The curves table (p.159 and throughout this chapter visually nicely done.

Chapter 8 has advanced color adjustments information which includes hue / saturation, color casting and more. Chapter 9 works with the selection tools is not one of the best chapters. There should have been more visuals, many of the screen shots should have been bigger. I wish there was more to show and display how the selection actually work instead of all the verbiage.

Chapter 10. targeting adjustments layered masks I have been a difficult one to accurately portray and teach in many books. Once again there are too many words, not enough visuals and some parts are plain confusing to understand. Chapter 11, creative adjustments talks about filters. The screenshots are small and there aren’t arrows, pointers or circles. Steps to take are created in paragraph form and it “hurts “ when trying to figure out the processes.

Part 4 finishing the workflow (Chapter 12) finishes with saving files while workflow automation (Chapter 13) follow and finally there is (Chapter 14) teaches some of the output processing.

The Appendix has a sample workflow checklist which makes sense. I like that the chapters for target objectives are included here (but I would have been even better if the pages were listed). Finally the index is well done.

Conclusions

Overall the author portrays the PhotoShop tutorials for use of digital photography. The notes throughout the chapter help break up the use of the text but its not enough. There is just too many “words” in the explanation process.

I would have liked to have seen more arrows or pointer to the parts of the histogram that the instructions “talk about.” Sometimes the terms (like posterization on p. 103) are inserted at the end of a paragraph and should have been integrated better instead of making me feel like some of the information is included at the end or the last second.

I “wrestled” with this review. While there is a lot that “hits the mark” in terms of understanding, I feel that style and way much of the instructions are written get in the way of learning. The text feels “too much like a seminar workshop” which the author is noted for. Lectures go too fast at times. Sometimes there is a need for visual pointers for additional guidance so one does not “get lost”. Sometimes with seminars, I say to myself “ stop, hold-it, backup”. The seminar has moved ahead and I am stuck or still digesting what is said. Added visual pointers can help slow down the written workflow when one needs to, to regroup and then forge onward.

But fortunately this is a book and you can go back and try to make sense of the process if you are listening to a presentation/ workshop. I thought about the final “grade” for evaluating this review. Overall this book is solid but it has a lot of gaps mainly because of the multitude of text and not enough visuals. The tutorials are too long and should have been broken up. At times I found it difficult to figure things what the author was trying to “say”. I have seen tutorials in other books. I just did not “get what the author was saying” part of the time. Part of the problem is “too much text”.

I was looking for something a little different to find out more about using Photoshop skills to supplement what I already knew and in some ways I found it in some of the chapters. But much of this book and the way it reads does not suit my “learning style”. For my tastes, I will have to look to my other resources to advance my workflow knowledge. But other Photoshop ( intermediate and advanced) users who want to improve their image production and work on their workflow, may find the book to their liking.

Online Video book can teach you a lot

How to Do Everything with Online Video (How to Do Everything) by Andrew Shalat

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Author: Andrew Shalat
published: 2008
Publisher: Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition
Released:(November 19, 2007)
Pages: 270
$30 USA
$39 Canada
15 E UK
ISBN-10: 0071496432
ISBN-13: 978-0071496438

Strengths: The book is very readable but are a little lackluster in terms of visuals. Book simplifies tutorials but included in-depth information. This book has a nice objective oriented listing in the inside cover of the front cover page as well as a nice website resources listing on the inside of the back cover. The Chapters are well thought out and and have easy to read numbered tutorials. Good solid information for both Macintosh and PC/Windows users was well done. The index is well written. A nicely written resources listing and more are included on the inside back page.

Weaknesses: The book has only black/white text which makes the chapters a little drab. There a few screenshots and they don't have screen pointers or anything else within these to explain how to use hardware or software. The weaknesses are mainly cosmetic in terms of the sequencing of the chapters depending upon whether you are novice, intermediate or advanced user.

Rating: 5/5

Introduction

A book that shows you how to shoot professional-quality videos has to demonstrate how to edit files, prepare clips for posting online, and then provide solid information about sharing video projects via blogs, websites, and podcasts. If you are looking for a book to meet these needs, then the book How to Do Everything with Online Video is a nice one to buy.

The author, Andrew Shalat is a designer, writer, author, and is the coauthor of CNET Do-It-Yourself Mac Projects.
Hands-on tutorials for the easiest and best video editing software for use on PCs and Macs are included.

This 270 page book has 12 chapters, a nice index but no glossary of terms, which would have been nice. The inside front cover has a real nice listing of 25 objectives that tell how the book can help you and what you can learn. These 12 chapters are packed with useful information. These include starting off with ; Shooting videos; editing your video; uploading your videos (including using YouTube, embedding websites, myspace, your own web pages and launching Vodcasts with iTunes); understanding and working with “tags” and using them with Google (another great part was emailing your tags through network sites) ; film school in a book; telling a story; storyboarding (very well thought out) ; information concerning directing your video; basic editing with either Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Express HD and/or iMovie O8 and finishing your video had good solid information.

While I have dabbled with YouTube, the book let me know more of my potential.

What I particularly liked is his information about adding audio tracks, nice converting and embedding a video to a flash video ( including some interesting codes to use), extending my utilization of tags with Google and more. Eventhough I have created and sold videos, I found more “food for thought”.


Conclusion

The black on white text and the lack of color within the chapter makes things a little dull. The author explains how to use the hardware and software information but also includes specific helpful techniques concerning what kinds of videos to create with videos. However I really don’t like the order in which the chapters are sequenced. Novice and possibly intermediate video users, especially those trying to learn new techniques, should start with Chapter 2 and then Chapter 5- 8. If you want to get to the heart of working with software, for either Mac or PC users , you should start with Chapter 10 or 11.

The screenshots will not explain visually how to use YouTube especially if you run into a little trouble. But what I have found YouTube is not that difficult to use and this book can help start and master using the Video editing and sharing capabilities. If you need more information another book may suffice.

There are few pages for YouTube utilization but that might be enough to get your started as it is fairly easy to use except for more complex techniques. As a confirmed Macintosh user, I like that the author included information about iMovieHD as well as the new version iMovie 8. There are advantages or disadvantages and reasons for using either/or or both of these iMovie versions, The author includes a section about the compositional use of video involving "the rule of thirds” , This was really nice as I found this idea this technique only used for photography. It is "little" specific gems, like this, that are integrated throughout the chapters and really make this book a very useful one for learning about working with video in several ways.

In short, this book is "crammed" with good solid information. This book will not only have you " up and running " in no time but also help you in your improvement of your YouTube movies, ideas and creativity or enhance skills your already possess. The additional technigues and ideas will take your farther over time.Mostly for novice or intermediate users, even Advanced users may learn a trick or two as I did. It might not be the ultimate guide to Online video creation and usage, but it will get your started and take you far.

Tech Dessert: Apple's icing on Cingular's cake

Apple's icing on Cingular's cake
The once-hapless wireless operator bounced back -- and landed the hyped Apple iPhone. Fortune's Stephanie Mehta tells how they did it.

By Stephanie N. Mehta, Fortune senior writer
January 19 2007: 11:53 AM EST
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/18/technology/pluggedin_mehta_cingular.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2007011911

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