50 Fast Photoshop 7 Techniques

Book Description

50 Fast Photoshop "X" Techniques for is an immensely useful book for anyone wanting to take advantage of the very latest release of the world's top digital imaging tool, Adobe Photoshop.
The techniques are valuable to both pros and hobbyists alike - they enable everyone to enjoy successful creation of fine art images and prints! The step-by-step and richly illustrated collection of awesome techniques are easily accessible and understandable to users on every level.
This is a new kind of Photoshop book-one that can help both casual users through professional users save time while creating professional quality images and effects!
ABOUT THE CD-ROM
CD-ROM is packed with low-res versions of all images from the book, allowing readers to follow along with the techniques. Tryouts and valuable utilities are also included.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2003-10-21

Disjointed and seemingly written for the Windoze only crowd, give this book a pass and spend your money more wisely elsewhere.

For my Digital Photography Class.......2003-08-27

I read almost everything published, books to magazines. As a book for entry level digital photographers wishing to progress, this is the best book. I learned a few things too. Well done.

Ignores Mac.......2003-05-13

While I like the book, the fact that it is ignorant of Mac (9 or OSX) commands is disappointing. Basically, Photoshop books today respectfully address and discuss both PC and Mac issues. This is standard. All the great Peachpit Press books, for example. If I had known that the author was a PC guy and not going to address any of this, I would not have purchased it. The cover makes no mention of this. Additionally, there are other errors in the book as well (as in directing you to a disk file which is misnumbered).

Maybe this is my pet peeve, but I wasted time today figuring out how to do this stuff on a Mac when I wanted to be figuring out Photoshop techniques instead.

There are other books which are just as good...if not better. Next time I'm sticking with Scott Kelby for this type of book.

Trixie McGuire MyMac.com Book Review.......2003-04-03

Intended user: Beginning to Advanced

I knew just by thumbing through this book that I was going to enjoy the time I spent reviewing it. And then when I read these words on page two of the introduction - "If I had to make a single recommendation about how to quickly learn to successfully use Photoshop, it would be to learn all about those few features that you need to use to get your work done - and ignore the rest." - I said where was this book 5+ years ago? Oh sure there has always been instructional books similiar to this, but most are bible length epics and just as cryptic as the bible itself.

The book comes with a CD-ROM that not only includes:

* 50 sets of "before" and "after" images
* A Photoshop tryout version: 6.0, but hey - beats having to download.
* An ebook.pdf of the book that you can keep on your computer.
* A slide show of all 50 techniques
* A companion webpage: called www.reallyusefulpage.com, and
* You can even email the author himself - right from the CD.

The first six chapters are set up as a Photoshop bootcamp, to help you become successful with the last 44 techniques. Even if you are an experienced user o f Photoshop, I recommend - as does the author - that you complete all six techniques in Chapter 1 before trying any of the other techniques. Then you will have the required knowledge to try any of the other techniques in any order that you want .

Take a Peek at All the Information Packed In This Book:

Chapter 1 - Photoshop 7 Fundamentals - Techniques 1-6:

Configuring Photoshop, Controlling Image Window, Automamating Tasks, Creative Experimentation, Calibrating Your Monitor, and Configuring Basic Color Management.

Chapter 2 - Correcting, Enhancing, and Restoring Digital Photos -Techniques 7-13:

Quick Image Correction, Advanced Image Correction, Increasing Color Saturation, Restoring an Old Image-(my personal favorite), Removing Noise or Grain, Sharpening Digital Photos, and Adding Information to a Digital Photo.

Chapter 3 - Working In Black and White -Techniques 14-19:

(2)Converting a Photo to B&W, Burning and Dodging with Masks, Using Scaling Masks to Speed Edits, Isolating and Extracting Detail using Values, and Selective Focusing.

Chapter 4 - Creative Experimentation - Techniques 20-25:

Hand-Painting a Black and White Image, Creating a Pseudolsolarization, Adding a Traditional Darkroom Texture Screen Effect, Fixing Images with a Digital Graduated Neutral Density Filter, Simulating an Infrared Film Effect, and Creating a Toned Image.

Chapter 5 - Combining Photos in Montages, Collages, and Composites -Techniques 26-29:

Creating Photo Objects, Making a PhotoMontage, Combining Bracketed Photos, and Using a Mask to Create a Collage

Chapter 6 - Fine Art Techniques - Techniques 30-35:

Total Color Transformation, Using Filters to Create Fine Art Prints, Coloring a Digital Sketch, Creating a Pen Ink Sketch Using a Watercolor Wash, Creating a Digital Painting, Creative Use of Filters and Commands.

Chapter 7 - Using Plug-Ins to Add Impact to Your Photos - Techniques 36-41:

Using Image Correction Plug-Ins, Using Grain Surgery to Remove Digital Noise, Convering Color to B&W Using Convert to B&W Pro, Creating Artwork with Buzz.Pro 2.0, Using a Pen Tablet and Pen Palette 1.0, and Using Special Effects Plug-Ins.

Chapter 8 - Making Photographic Prints - Techniques 42-47:

Using Print Preview (Picture Package and Contact), Increasing Image Size to Make Large Prints, Using an ICC Profile When Printing with an Epson 880/1280 Printer, Getting Fuji Frontier Prints Made, Using Shutterfly's Online Printing Service, Getting Lightjet 5000 Prints from Calypso Inc.

Chapter 9 - Creating An Online Gallery - Techniques 48-50:

Creating an Online Gallery, Creating Animations Using Digital Photos, and Creating an Image Map.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone from beginners to professionals who work with Photoshop everyday. Not only is it loaded with detailed, reference information - (and CD) - it's also a [great price]BR>MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trixie McGuire ...

Extremely useful for learning cool stuff in a fun way........2002-11-09

There are two kinds of Photoshop books I buy, large expensive reference books (usually one per version I upgrade to) and specific technique books. The reference tombs I refer to when I’m trying to get something done and can’t figure out how to do it. They aren’t fun, but do provide needed guidance. Then there are the books (like this one) that are fun to sit down with and learn as I actually work on images. By the time I had done about a quarter of the techniques in the book I found that my Photoshop skills had really grown in areas that I’ve always found confusing before. And in several cases I found better ways to do stuff that I thought I already knew a lot about.

I usually don’t have much use for the CD’s that come with books, but this one has the before and after example pictures for each of the techniques, and I found it really helpful to open the actual files that the examples use and work through the steps, seeing the changes as the image is transformed. On the other hand, why anyone would want to use the trial version of Photoshop included on the CD, I can’t imagine. But the whole book is on the CD as an e-book, and that makes it possible to do some cool searches.

Book Description

* This update features fifty fast and impressive digital photo techniques-eighty percent of which are new since the previous edition
* The CD-ROM includes a bonus e-book of the entire first edition-giving readers two books for the price of one
* Developed by professional photographer and eDigital Photo contributing writer Gregory Georges, the techniques are valuable to both pros and hobbyists alike
* Uses the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Elements in the examples, but the techniques are readily adaptable to most image-editing programs
* Includes techniques for traditional photo effects, combining photos, artistic effects, animations, digital photo blends, and much more
* Step-by-step details, in-depth instructions, and plenty of illustrations-including a full color insert-make it easy for people to apply the techniques to their own photos

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic! Step-by-Step Instructions.......2005-08-27

All of Gregory Georges books are concisely written so that even the novice can follow the steps. I have been teaching Photoshop and Photoshop Elements for several years and these 50 Fast Digital books are a must have for my students. If you are one of those people that needs to know the "Why?" as to how everything works, this might not be the book for you. If you want to know "How" to get something done-this is it!
Jacki Sutherland

Inspirational and Good Value.......2005-06-25

I think that some of the reviews on this page are obviously for the previous edition, which I'm sure was getting quite dated by the time this one came out. However, I can attest that this book is generally superb. Georges' photos are very skilfull, his instructions clear. I've owned a copy for two days and my photos have already improved to the extent of getting "wows" from friends and family. My only criticism is that it would have been nice if the book was color throughout, but the 24 color pages that it does have certainly make an impact. I recommend this book, which is a great value for the price.

You Can Do Better.............2005-03-21

What a difference a year makes in digital photography! Or 5 years come to that. Having bought the book, 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques, it was immediately clear that the techniques and tips were aimed at beginning photoshop workers. Nothing wrong with that. However, by today's standards, there are many more attractive books on the market that do the same thing so much better and with much better quality illustrations and colour photgraphs. I found the tips a bit 'old hat' and the illustrations very old hat, the sort of tips and techniques you could easily pick up in an hour's search on the net, AND with better colour examples.
Still, to keep things in perspective, the book IS 5 years old and it shows.
Buy it if you want a cheap second-hand book for your shelf. Otherwise, you can do much, much better with the scores of other visually attractive beginner/intermediate books on today's market.

The reviews posted for this book are not for this book.......2005-03-10

This new book has 50 entirely new techniques AND the CD includes all fifty of the techniques from the first edition for a total of 100 useful and fun techniques.

All other reviews (mostly 5-star reviews) that are posted here are for the first edition and most of those less than excellent reviews are by people who bought the first edition when it was three years old.

Amazon, please fix this!

The author...

Dissapointed in cover and description.......2004-07-23

Looking at the book's cover and at the now defunct editor's description, there was no indication this book was primarily aimed at - and indeed was written for - Photoshop Elements users. The copy said it was also for Photoshop users but it only covers through version 6 and the introduction says using applications other than Elements for the actions described may not work.

I've not used Elements so I have no idea whether the book will be helpful there. It's certainly not helpful for me.

I'm a professional using Photoshop CS and thought some of the tips might be worthwhile. I also use PaintShopPro 8. I thought some of this book might be worthwhile for me but I'm nothing but dissapointed.

50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques (50 Fast Techniques Series)

Average customer rating:

Great book!!
Good book for beginners
great book
A Great Help for Us Novices
Great book

50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques (50 Fast Techniques Series)
Gregory Georges , Larry Berman , and Chris Maher
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Reference | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 076452500X

Book Description

* In the perfect companion to the bestselling 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques (0-7645-3578-1), three highly acclaimed professional photographers share 50 all-new fast, easy, and powerful camera tricks both professionals and creative amateurs can learn to use almost instantly
* Where the first book focused on digital editing techniques, this one explores using digital cameras, lighting, filters, and concepts to produce professional results with "wow!"
* Lavishly illustrated with stunning professional photos
* Cross-platform for Windows and Mac, and tailor-made for the exploding digital photography market
* Companion Web site and CD-ROM are both packed with all images from the book as well as valuable utilities

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!.......2006-11-03

I gave this book 5 stars as I enjoyed reading this book from the moment I got it in the mail. It cuts to the chase with how to get great animal, wedding, nature, people etc,..shots. It explains in detail what settings you should use for each shot as well as what settings the pros use for all the great magazine photos. I flip through this book about every week just for a refresher. I also take this book along with me in my camera bag too. Get this book!!!!!!

Jason Green Sr.
Franklin, LA

Good book for beginners.......2006-09-02

I brought this book based on good review here and read it through. I found some mistakes, also disapointed for not going to details in other chapters or not talking some important things in photography. But I think for people never taking picture before, this is a good book to introduce photograph to them.

Now, I like to pointed one obvious mistake when author talked about the lens F/x.x aperture number. He said that F actually means 1. That is wrong. F means the focus length. The aperture number is an indication how much light can get through the lens. A f/2.8 lens will allow more light through than a f/3.5 lens when they have the same focus length. For build a compact camera, most manufactures try to build smaller and lighter camera. When you select a camera, select bigger aperture number on the lens will enable you take picture at lower light.

When author explains in the book why smaller pocket size camera has deeper field range, he also failed to explain that smaller pocket size camera also has smaller lens, sometimes the tiny lens has f/3.5 or even worse aperture number. The aperture number is causing the field depth to be deeper, which may not be a bad thing for point and shot camera, but not work well in low light.

The book did mentioned about aperture priority and shutter priority. But not in any depth at all, not enough for anyone to take advantage of the camera functions by following the book. I am really disapointed about that. It did not talk about lens filters at all, which is very important technique but totally ignored.

In the 50 techniques talked in this book, at least 10 of them is not related to the camera directly, rather is how to use photoshop element software, how to print. But in the how to print section, it did not discuss the paper differences. From my experience, using HP photo paper and Epson photo paper will produce different result in any printer. If anyone talks about printing photos, how to select paper to get best result should be discussed. But author did not get into that details either.

I give this book two stars because it does help people to learn how to select subject, which is also an important part of taking good picture.

great book.......2006-08-19

This is a great book for someone who knows little about photography except how to push the button and maybe get the pictures on their computer. Its filled with lots of information in easily digestible amounts.

The first "technique" simply is a form to fill out with all the settings your camera can set, how high and low each can go, if it applies to your camera, and where in your camera's manual the topic is discussed. This sounds rather dull at first but believe me you will be thankful later when you know exactly what your camera is capable of and know how to quickly find the information again when you need it.

I'd say the first 15 "techniques" (I prefer mini-chapters) are great to get you up to speed with the basics of what you need to know about photography and how to really USE all your camera's features.

The rest of the book is essentially bonus material to expand your knowlege of certain types of photography.

This book is clearly written for people who own point-and-shoot digital cameras, which is pretty much most people. If you have a Digital SLR, this book is not for you, but then you probably are either a serious hobbyist or a professional and don't need this book.

A Great Help for Us Novices.......2006-03-23

I got this book about two weeks ago; and as I am barely half way through, I have found so much helpful info, this book has been well worth the cost several times over!
Admittedly I was quite skeptical when chapter one only had to do with reading and reviewing the camera users guide that came with your camera. But I went dutiflly and dug out my manual, started paging throught it, and "surprise" if this book wasn't right! When you take the time to look at the full list of capabilities for your camera, it opens new doors in photo opportunities and creative possiblities. I got out my highlighter and went to work both on my manual and " 50 Fast Digital Camera Technicques".
Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are worth their weight in gold! I have a Canon PowerShot A95, and have used it for about a year. It is pretty easy to use, etc. Gives great pics and a lot come out looking very professional, but my being completly unacquainted with photo terminology has slowed down my learning curve. So I loved how this book is writen slowly building on the last chapter, thoroughly explaining the new terms and has complete chapters dedicated to things like; "Taking Sharply Focused Photos", "Getting the Exposure You Want" and "Selecting Focal Length".
I love this book and recommend it for anyone starting photography or interested in getting more from their camera.

Great book.......2005-10-29

This well produced book is color throughout and really measures up to any other digital camera recipe book that I've seen. The techniques get right to the point, with lots of variety and nice images. Everything is step-by-step and richly illustrated, covering both camera tricks and cool special effects. About half the techniques show how to get the most from specific digital camera features, and half are subject-oriented techniques (e.g. flowers, still-life, landscapes, people, etc.) I've been shooting like a maniac with my new D50, and I'm a satisfied customer with this book.

Average customer rating:

Cool book!

50 Fast Digital Photo Projects
Gregory Georges , and Lauren Georges
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Reference | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0764574477

Book Description

Offers step-by-step techniques for a wide range of creative digital photography projects, from greeting cards, recipe pages, invitations, and illustrated books to panoramas, collages, bound photo albums, DVD slide shows, and Web galleries
Perfect for the exploding digital photography market, which has grown from 6.7 million cameras sold in 2000 to a projected 42 million in 2005
Released to hit stores right after the 2004 gift-giving season, it's the perfect companion to the author's previous bestsellers, which include 50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques

Customer Reviews:

Cool book!.......2005-09-01

Of all the digital photography books that are out there -- and there are plenty -- I was fortunate to have happened upon this one. Most of the 50 projects in this book are top-quality and described in a very easy-to-follow manner. Scrapbooks, personal stationery with a watermark, fine art prints, greeting cards, photo calendar, recipe cards, slide shows, a professional portfolio -- they're all here and illustrated with superb photos. The book also contains a lot of information about editing photos digitally, sharing over the internet, etc. This book will keep me busy and creative for some time to come. (Would make a great gift!)

50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques With Ph

Average customer rating:

50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques With Ph
Gregory Georges
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Au
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K43UOE

Average customer rating:

Start spreading the news.

Will Eisner's New York: Life in the Big City: New York, The Building, City People Notebook, Invisible People (Will Eisner Library)
Will Eisner
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Eisner, Will | Authors, A-Z | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue (A Contract With God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue)

The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion

The Best of the Spirit

Fagin the Jew: A Graphic Novel

An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories

ASIN: 039306106X

Book Description

"An American storyteller, like Ray Bradbury, like O. Henry."—Neil Gaiman

With an unparalleled eye for stories and expressive illustration, Will Eisner, the master and pioneer of American comics art, presents graphic fiction's greatest celebration of the Big Apple. No illustrator evoked the melancholy duskiness of New York City as expressively as Eisner, who knew the city from the bottom up. This new hardcover presents a quartet of graphic works (New York, The Building, City People Notebook, and Invisible People) and features what Neil Gaiman describes as "tales as brutal, as uncaring as the city itself." From ancient buildings "barnacled with laughter and stained with tears" to the subways, "humorless iron reptiles, clacking stupidly on a webbing of graceful steel rails," Will Eisner's New York includes cameo appearances by the author himself; several new illustrations sketched by Eisner, posthumously inked by Peter Poplaski; and three previously unpublished "out-takes"—a treasure for any Eisner fan, and sure to become a collectible. Introduction by Neil Gaiman.

Customer Reviews:

Start spreading the news........2007-09-06

This book collects four of Will Eisner's comic books. I hesitate to use the term "graphic novels" because these aren't novels, they are short stories. Some of them are very short, being one page vignettes. The books collected are New York: The Big City, The Building, City People Notebook and Invisible People. Will Eisner was truly one of the geniuses of the comic book artform. This book tells the stories of regular city dwellers. Some of their stories are funny, some of them are tragic. But they are all worth reading. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

New York: The Big City
Will Eisner
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

DC Comics | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Eisner, Will | Authors, A-Z | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1563896826

Amazon.com

Will Eisner, responsible for two separate revolutions in comic art, set his sights on his hometown in New York: The Big City. These short (one to four pages) reflections and observations are grouped thematically by components of Eisner's city: Subways, Stoops, Windows, Walls, and more. As usual, he finds universal truths buried underneath urban waste and banal street conversations. Of particular note is his reverence for the joys of living directly, an almost Zen approach to sensory overload. His humor is at turns grinningly juvenile and starkly black. If he starts the book cataloguing things dropped down a sewer grate, he ends with dispossessed poor folks leaving a newly gentrified area muttering, "There goes the neighborhood." --Rob Lightner

Average customer rating:

A "Big City" Review

Will Eisner's New York, the big city
Will Eisner
Manufacturer: Kitchen Sink Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0878160191

Customer Reviews:

A "Big City" Review.......2000-06-12

Once again, Eisner takes us into the daily happenings of NYC, and as always he shows us that as jaded as The Big Apple seems from the outside, there is still a heart definitley beating inside.

At times the ideas in the story seem random, but come together to paint a very human story. A must for Eisner fans, just for the artwork and thumbs up for all other readers.

Average customer rating:
Will Eisner's New York : Life in the Big City
Will; Gaiman, Neil (intro by) Eisner
Manufacturer: W.W. Norton and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J0FMVS

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books