Photoshop Tricks

5 Comments for this entry

• Darwin's Bulldog
  August 9th, 2010 on 4:11 am

  Review by Darwin’s Bulldog for The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers
  Rating:
  This is my fifth Photoshop book, and I wish it had been my first. What were the problems in the earlier book? First of all, some had minimal use of color. Seems funny but I’m sure the publishers saved a ton of money by not using color, or using only a few insert pages for color content. For Photoshop this is silly. This book, like all the New Riders books apparently, uses full color. Second, a number of books use dreadful images as examples. Now the authors of these books are certainly photoshop experts, but apparently only use ‘left-over’ images from a previous family vacation in their books. Photoshop experts, but not expert photographers. Scott uses excellent images, most of which were contributed by friends who are excellent, professional photographers! Just browse…Third, the earlier books were often hard to read; small fonts, a ton of material, lousy layout. Sure they were comprehensive in coverage, but I think too much for a photgrapher. (I now have a good working knowledge of what features were added to every version of PS that ever was, and all about every digital camera the author ever owned. Didn’t really need all that.)Scott’s book is really fun to read. He uses humor well, has great images (downloadable from his site) as examples, and covers material needed to turn good photographs into great photographs. You won’t find any information on shutter speeds, f-stops, selecting cameras, printers, etc, just Photoshop. Kinda respectful of the reader… If you’re a photographer and you’re going digital, you’ll have some very specific needs; get Harald Johnson’s book on printers and printing, and this book on Photoshop CS.
• Shannon D. Moore
  August 9th, 2010 on 4:56 am

  Review by Shannon D. Moore for The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers
  Rating:
  I’m a professional digital photographer, and while I’m not a Photoshop guru I have learned my way to good results through endless trial and error. Most digital photography and Photoshop reference books are either too basic or needlessly complicated. Kelby’s “…CS Book for Digital Photographers” is neither — it’s exactly the right balance of simplicity while attacking advanced techniques for improving one’s digital images.

  This title is the one most frequently removed from my shelves and placed beside my computer for reference. When I can’t find the book, it’s because my husband — also a professional photographer — has borrowed it and placed it on HIS computer desk.

  Yes, there are a number of techniques presented that are geared to portrait photographers (and advanced users who want to take better family photos). However, as outdoor photographers (wildlife, landscapes and natural light portraits), my husband and I still get good mileage from this book. In particular, his experimentation and documentation with various “Unsharp Mask” values is universally useful, as are the tips on color cast removal/color correction and Photoshop workspace optimization/personalization.
• Dave
  August 9th, 2010 on 4:59 am

  Review by Dave for The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers
  Rating:
  If you’re one of those people who buys books based upon how much they weigh (or how many pages they have, or some other such measure), you may think at first that this isn’t the book for you. Well, think again.

  True, there are a lot of things about PhotoShop CS that are *not* in this book — so maybe you do need one of those hernia-inducing monsters as a reference. I have one, along with a few other PhotoShop books. But Kelby’s book is the one I consult most often. It was the first book I bought after I acquired a high-end digital camera, and it’s still the book I refer to most often. The many basic things every digital photographer needs to know in order to make good use of PhotoShop *are* in the book. They are explained concisely and understandably.

  There is, for example, a section on whitening teeth — something most digital portrait photographers will want to do at some point. The technique is explained in a stepwise, sensible fashion. Same for de-wrinkling faces, getting rid of blotches, fixing architectural perspective problems, and probably 90% of the other things you’ll eventually want to do.

  Very highly recommended. If it were possible to give six stars, I would.
• MountainEarth
  August 9th, 2010 on 5:15 am

  Review by MountainEarth for The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers
  Rating:
  Perhaps the best Photoshop book for digital photographers on the market. If you are looking for a book that goes into the technical science of color management or delves in the algorithms behind curves and levels then this isn’t it. What it is is a collection of (brilliant) how to’s for digital photo management and correction – what to do when your fill flash was too bright, How to recover an underexposed image. How to turn a snapshot into a poster sized print with mininal loss of detail. The absolute best ways to get maximum sharpness without experiencing color halos and image degradation. How to prepare flesh tones for a CMYK press. Matching color and tone throughout a series of images. Etc.You can even download the example images in the book, try the techniques out and compare your results to Scott’s. If you are a digital photographer who would rather spend more time in the field shooting and less at a computer endlessly tweaking curves and levels and you are looking for a book of down and dirty tips, tricks and how to secrets of the pros then this is it.Way to go, Scott!
• Paul Milligan
  August 9th, 2010 on 6:05 am

  Review by Paul Milligan for The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers
  Rating:
  I have never before taken the time to document my impressions of a book. I have just
  finished reading The Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby, and I
  feel motivated to record my impressions of it. The book is not a large one.
  But I have acquired more “know how” in using Photoshop than ever before, even
  studying books on the subject several times larger than this one. Scott knows his subject
  and he is skilled in ways to share his knowledge with others — unfortuately a rare skill. I
  found his chapters on editing digital portraits particularly useful. Six different ways to
  crop a portrait. And, after studying them, I can utilize any one of them. Compensating
  for too little or too much flash. Two different methods of removing “red eye”. Color
  correcting is clearly explained in several chapters. Retouching portraits. Precise
  selections, using the pen tool. Enhancing eye-brows, Brightening teeth. Skin softening.
  Slimming and trimming. Turning a frown into a smile. The list goes on and on. Things
  from which an amateur digital photographer is sure to benefit.