Reviews (5)

Photoshop Boot Camp-Step by Step Guide for the Beginner
With all the excellent reviews I was expecting a book that would offer a lot more than it did. Two thirds of this work deals with post capture processing.
Professional all the way
Amateur photographybooks written by amateurs abound.Rarer is a book about digital photography written on a professional level.Kubota is obviously a master photographer who also is a craftsman with language. Best of all, he knows exactly what other pros need to understand to make the transition to digital photography.This book is truly a step-by-step guide with everything you wanted to understand about the requirements of a successful pro career.Although billed as a "boot camp" this book actually goes into a surprising amount of depth.Recommended.

A must have for the new Digital Photographer
Nothing is missing in this book, Kevin Kubota covers it all!I got this book with my first digital camera (Canon 5D) and I believe it is a must have for someone going digital.He gives it all way in this book, from setting up your camera, white balancing, color management, file management, workflow, to tweaking.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    2. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photography    5. Portraiture    6. Techniques - Digital    7. Special kinds of photography   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (12)

EXCELLENT BOOK
very practical way of showing how to do multimedia effects at minimal or no cost. Good illustrations & straight to the point. very clear bullet points under the photos, No boring bulcky paragraphs.
Some good some bad.
The lighting stuff is really nice.The special effects section is great, but some of the stuff at the end of the book is pretty cheesy at best.All in all, I found the book very useful.

great stuff about camera angles and movement
I visited a technical bookstore in Dallas during a programmer's convention. I was determined not to spend any money on any books while there (especially because I've already dropped a bundle on other video books). But I sat in the bookstore and read as much as I could for 2 or 3 hours. This book is amazing. It illustrates camera techniques by showing sequences of shots and how they were produced. Often that is the problem: we can read about something but not see it in action. More than half of the shot setups concern everyday scenes and situations. The last third was about special effects (blue screens, fake blood, etc) which didn't really interest me.
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Subjects:  1. Cinematography & Videography    2. Film & Video - Amateur Production    3. General    4. Interactive & Multimedia    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Television & Video    9. Video & Electronic - General    10. Computers/Computer Graphics - General    11. Computers/Interactive & Multimedia    12. Digital cinematography    13. Digital video    14. Editing    15. Motion pictures    16. Performing Arts / Film / General    17. Photography / Cinematography    18. Photography/Cinematography & Videography    19. Production and direction   

Reviews (1)

Make money with your camera!
Anyone who wants to run a successful photographic enterprise should read this book from cover to cover, as it provides a wealth of tips and techniques that will help you keep costs under control, market your services, and grow your business.Whether you're selling posters, postcards, or portraits, you'll find sage advice in these pages.I wish I'd had this book five years ago. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business methods    2. Careers    3. Commercial photography    4. Economic Aspects Of Photography    5. Internet - World Wide Web    6. Internet marketing    7. Marketing    8. Photo Techniques    9. Photography    10. Reference    11. Techniques - Digital    12. Media, information & communication industries    13. Photography & Photographs   

Reviews (8)

Grin & Bare It
I've been taking photographs ever since I was a child, but as I've grown older, I've become bored with clichéd architecture and nature pictures.I needed something to renew my interest in photography, and that's when I turned to nude models.
Pro Digital ... Nude & Glamour Photography
This book offers numerous good pointers and advice on choosing location for setting, lighting, and composition.I had a tough time getting past the author's ideas of what constitutes subtle and glamourous.He may have strained something patting himself on the back for his accomplishments.Then again, this IS a very subjective matter and I may be a wee bit opinionated.The author's idea of sensual and galmourous is a bit more on the "Penthouse" side than I find 'sensuous.'Nonetheless, it offers some good insights and is a worthy read.I also purchased Garage Glamour by Rolando Gomez and found that even more helpful.

didnt cut it
After reading all reviews here, i bit the bullet and bought book.
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Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Portraiture    4. Subjects & Themes - Fashion    5. Subjects & Themes - Nudes    6. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    7. Techniques - Digital    8. Photographic equipment & techniques    9. Photography / Techniques / Digital   

Reviews (7)

Disappointing
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
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
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). Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Graphics - Design    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    5. Computer graphics    6. Computers - Desktop Publishing    7. Desktop Publishing - General    8. Digital photography    9. Digital techniques    10. Microcomputer Graphics    11. Photo Techniques    12. Photographic Techniques Using Specific Equipment    13. Photography    14. Techniques - Equipment    15. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    16. Photoshop   

Reviews (8)

Ansel Adam's zone system to-day
The zone system was developed by Ansel Adams, who had a consummate grasp of all the technicalities of photography and used his knowledge to depict the wilderness areas he loved and wanted to preserve.However, most serious photographers do not have that technical expertise and do not work with the equipment used by Adams.This book is an excellent account by a current teacher of photography who makes the system understandable and useable in the modern context. It gave me a clear understanding of the way in which to control exposure.Having said that, I have used a different set of recommendations in carrying out black and whitefilm tests, as I found those in the book over-complicated; nevertheless, the book gave me the essential understanding that was crucial to carrying out the film tests correctly and understanding the results.

Best intro to Zone System I've seen
Absolutly easy to understand and read. Very well presented, and may well be the only book on Zone System you will ever need. For those wanting to delve into the chemistry of exposure, pass on this book. If you want to learn what the Zone system is and how it works, this book is great. "Everything you need, nothin' you don't"

Practical, useful, sound guidance on the zone system.
This is one of the easier books to understand on the zone system.It does not get too tied up in the details of the system but describes enough detail to allow the reader to understand the basics of the system.This book is really targeted to someone who is not familiar with the zone system or who has studied it in more complex books and did not really comprehend the system.For this intended audience the book is right on target.It takes the complex issues of the zone system and removes the calculations and just gives you what you need to know.Think of it like the difference between an art teacher who says "Color the grass green" versus one who says "The grass must be green because chlorophyll absorbs the green portion of the light spectrum and so reflected light appears that color".If you just want to know how to use the system without a lot of detail behind why the system works then this is a good book selection for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Techniques - Digital    4. Photographic equipment & techniques    5. Photography / Techniques   

Reviews (4)

No-Nonsense Guide Delivers
Editing with Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Xpress DV is a terrific book for beginners and for intermediate editors as well.It doesn't waste time trying to interject "personality" into the text, it dives straight into teaching the Avid interface, buttons and basic editing techniques.It's organized well and can be used for quick reference, but it also contains exercises and short quizzes at the end of each chapter.The exercises contain real world footage that ranges from a PSA on the rainforest to an emergency roomdrama.The book gives you two ways to go through the exercises as well:1.with detailed step-by-step instructions perfect for beginners or2.with an outline of basic instructions that allows an intermediate editor to hone his/her skills when those step-by-steps plod you into a state of hypnosis.
Average at Best
This book is put out by peachpit and frankly I'm surprised at the mediocre quality of it.I also purchased the Visual Quickbooks Xpress Pro book (also put out by Peachpit) and found it to be superior in every way but one.The single area in which the official Avid book stands out is the inclusion of a dvd of source material to be used in exercises.I consider this to be an absolute necessity when learning any complicated piece of software.However, the Avid book disappoints in its implementation.The Apple pro training series Final Cut Pro book incorporates the exercises directly into the chapters, meaning that you follow along as you learn.The Avid book on the other hand is laid out so that you read a chapter on how to do something, quiz yourself on your knowledge retention and then are provided an excersise section in which to practice what you have learned.Personally, I find it extremely difficult to read about a software interface without using it simultaneously.For this reason I greatly prefer Apple's layout.If this book didn't come with the DVD, I would have given it 2 stars.

Well written....very practical.
Few books are written by *educational* departments.Most software books are written by people who managed to land a book deal.
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Subjects:  1. Avid Xpress    2. Computer Animation    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computers    6. Computers - Other Applications    7. Data processing    8. Digital video    9. Editing    10. General    11. Handbooks, manuals, etc    12. Interactive & Multimedia    13. Motion pictures    14. Television & Video    15. Video tapes    16. Videotape Recording    17. Audio processing    18. Computers / Interactive Media    19. Image processing: video    20. Multimedia    21. Video photography   

Reviews (16)

Mastering Your Life
If you are wanting to make the most out of your life, willing to challenge yourself and change your thinking about life, then, this book is a must read. Ramtha doesn't hold back. He gives his all and lets you know that you can learn to do the same. This book is mind opening, reassuring and a breath of fresh, clean air. Ramthe sets an example for humanity and provides the path. He makes it clear that it is our choice where we put our attention. If humanity focuses and evolves toward Ramtha's example, we have nothing to worry about.

Instructions are sometimes incomplete or vague
I have to go against the grain here. Other reviewers seem to like this book, but I don't think it's that great. I am an intermediate level Photoshop user and I feel that for what is essentially a "cook book" that some of the steps are missing or vague. Instructions like "adjust to get the desired effect" mean nothing. If I see an example of the effect I like in the book I want to know EXACTLY how to do it and not be left to guess. It is not what I consider a step-by-step book and some of the instructions tell you to do something and assume you know what to do. If you are a beginner, stay away from this book. If you are an intermediate user you may have some luck, but I'd look at other Photoshop type effets books.

Another Beginner's Point of View
I too am new to Photoshop and am finding this book a struggle.Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computer graphics    5. Computers - Desktop Publishing    6. Digital techniques    7. Microcomputer Graphics    8. Photo Techniques    9. Photographic Techniques Using Specific Equipment    10. Photography    11. Techniques - Equipment    12. Type and type-founding    13. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    14. Photoshop    15. Typography   

Reviews (9)

Visual approach is great
More pictures, less words, better understanding! This book truly is a step-by-step visual guide for taking pictures, and then whipping them into shape in Photoshop.

Very helpful and easy to read.
This book has given me so many useful tips, I am finding it difficult to get off of my computer. I just keep trying different techniques that I get out of the book and am amazed with the results.
Very pleased
Was quite impressed with this book. The text & pictures work well together and the author is very knowledgable and informative.He has a Mac/Adobe focus on the software sections, but not that big of a deal, still some very useful information. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    2. Photo Techniques    3. Photography    4. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    5. Techniques - Digital    6. Techniques - General    7. Photography / Portraits    8. Special kinds of photography   

Reviews (13)

Much Needed Book
Digital photographers don't pay enough attention to color management. This book is exactly what is needed to remedy that lack.You'll find all the basics here, and enough in-depth information to start you on the road to calibrating and fine-tuning your digital equipment to accurately reproduce the colors you see.

Just What You need
This is exactly what I was looking for; it gives a quick in-and-out overview of colour management, with detailed information about calibration and profiles. Other books on this topic are twice the size, which I don't think is necessary for most people.
Colour your world.
I have borrowed this book from my local library on several occasions and found the book invaluable so I decided it was time to have my own copy. An excellent book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Color photography    2. Computer Books: Desktop Publish    3. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    4. Computers    5. Digital techniques    6. General    7. Photography    8. Techniques - Color    9. Techniques - Digital    10. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    11. Image processing    12. Photographic equipment & techniques   

Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Techniques - Digital    4. Image processing: graphics (static images)    5. Photographic equipment & techniques    6. Photography / Techniques / Digital    7. Special kinds of photography   

Reviews (7)

Kickstart Your Creativity
I sat down one afternoon and read this book cover to cover. It doesn't take long, and I'd recommend you read it rather than skim it. There are so many great ideas, simple ways to make a photograph better. I have really enjoyed trying out the tips. My photos are better already. I even bought another copy as a gift for a friend.

Great ideas, great descriptions.
This is a wonderful addition to the series.Visually oriented, it provides lofs of great ideas you can implement yourself, along withgood descriptions of how to achieve the effects described.Best of all, you'll probably get additional ideas sparked by the tips listed in this book.

Photography for everyone
I'm a web and graphic designer, not a photographer. This book is heavy with examples (which is great for me) and some text to supplement or explain the concept. I own every other Jim Krause book so I knew this one would be fabulous too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Design - General    3. Digital techniques    4. General    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Techniques - General    8. Photographic equipment & techniques   

Reviews (5)

A superb work on the subject of Lighting...and Light
A very tight, concise, easy to understand yet very well established book. Lark Books have a nice series on photography and should be taken seriously.
Excellent introduction to lighting
Very basic, not quite enough detail, but still an excellent introduction to lighting for beginners. You should start here, learn the basics, and then explore other resources to improve your skills.

Michael Freeman's Close-Up Photography
Michael Freeman is the author of the "Digital Photography Expert" series. Previous books in this series are "The Complete Guide to Digital Photography" and "Nature and Landscape Photography." As the third book in this series, "Close-Up Photography" is, of course, geared especially to the digital photographer.
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Subjects:  1. Digital techniques    2. Lighting    3. Photo Essays    4. Photography    5. Techniques - Digital    6. Techniques - Lighting    7. BG-JUVENILE PROP - BG-JUVY ACTIVITY    8. Photography / Lighting   

Reviews (1)

For Films of the Baby up to Feature Length Professional
Note: For Mac users only. But then again, most of the people wanting to do things like edit movies are using a Mac already.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Integrated Software    4. Data processing    5. Digital video    6. Editing    7. Final cut (Electronic resource    8. General    9. Motion pictures    10. Presentation Software    11. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    12. Video photography   

Reviews (23)

7 in 1 has it all. A total encyclopedia in one.
This is truly an excllent reference book. I was in the process of buying a scanner and upgrading a digital camera. It was helpful on both counts.
I'm using this as a textbook in my classes.
I teach digital photography at a community college, both for college credit and in evening adult education classes, and have found this book to be the perfect textbook for my beginner and intermediate courses.The first Overview book is about 82 pages long, and provides a good introduction to digital photography.My students learn a little about digital equipment, how to acquire photos, do simple editing, organize them, and make prints.I generally either skip the second book or assign it for extra credit, because it talks about choosing a camera and accessories, setting up a computer, and working with printers and scanners. Excellent whether you're a beginner...or not.
This book is easy to read, has plenty of examples, tells you what to do to get good composition, talks about how digital cameras can get great photos, and much more. I have read the "Complete Idiot's" version of Digital Photography and while that book was OK, this one covers more information that I was looking for, particularly how to store and archive/organize digital photos as well as go into impressive detail on a lot of basic photography stuff. While this book isn't perfect, it's very, very good for a beginner to intermediate user and is fun to read. I have learned a lot so far. Also, it helps to have different books to read on the same subject of digital photography and this is a welcome edition to that learning "package."Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    2. Digital cameras    3. Digital techniques    4. Image processing    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Techniques - Digital    8. Image processing: graphics (static images)    9. Photographic equipment & techniques    10. Photography / Techniques / Digital   

Reviews (18)

This is a book for the absolute newcomer to photography
I bought this book based on one of the other positive reviews, and based on the beautiful cover photo. The intended reader is someone who is just starting out with photography, for example the book explains the difference (with photos) between different types of cameras. Similar basic topics include the difference between wide angle and tele lenses and the Photoshop tips assume you have never used Photoshop, so it illustrates basics like the histogram, clone stamp, and so on. My problem with the book is that half of it is wasted on introductory topics that one would assume a photographer will have under control long before trying to move into wedding photography.
good book
this book had more post processing information than i am used to seeing, but it was great information.as far as the photography side goes, this book is not a how to, but provided some beautiful examples.

Pretty Pictures - Not much else
This book has pretty pictures but not much real useful info.The author tells about the desination but doesn't give you any directions on how to get their. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers - Desktop Publishing    2. Desktop Publishing - General    3. Interactive & Multimedia    4. Photo Techniques    5. Photography    6. Techniques - Digital    7. Techniques - General    8. Computers / Interactive Media    9. Photographic equipment & techniques   

Reviews (10)

SO, SO
It sits on my shelf more than I read it David Busch books are way better than this one.

Good General Text
Like so many authors, this one tries to cover every aspect of the subject. In so doing, she tends to give subjects I am especially interested in short shrift. But, it is the finest book I have seen on this emerging subject of digital photography. I was not disappointed.

What a great book!
Julie is the author of Digital Photography for Dummies, and she really knows her stuff.If you're beyond the dummy stage and want to learn more, this is the place to start. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - General    2. Digital printing    3. Digital techniques    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Image processing    7. Photo Techniques    8. Photography    9. Techniques - Digital    10. Techniques - Equipment    11. Photographic equipment & techniques    12. Photography / Techniques    13. Special kinds of photography   

Reviews (19)

Perfect balance explaining the advantages of digital over film in nature
Jon shows that one doesn't need a high-end digital SLR to capture some great shots.Many of the pictures shown were taken with a Nikon Coolpix, not a 10 megapixel Nikon D2 or some other high end camera.That may explain why there's no use of histograms or advanced settings sometimes associated with DSLRs.He covers the basics such as the rule of thirds and shows you how to simulate filters by changing white balance - something which many authors tend to leave to Photoshop.
No insights in this book.
Lack of insights makes this book average. Although some photographs in the book are good, there are a lot of ordinary ones too. (Maybe I am spoiled by some outstanding books.) If author can not take outstanding pictures, you should be wary of his advice.
excellent book
when i first purchased this book i was what one might call a 'beginner', but after reading the book (which i couldnt put down, by the way, the pictures are amazing) i would comfortably call myself an advanced amateur. jon cox does a very good job going through the different techniques and termanology of digital photography. i was delighted by the number and quality of pictures included. i will admit, it was hard for me to understand and grasp some of the concepts at first, and i had to read some sections a couple times, but overall i would deffinatly recomend this book to any photography enthusiast! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Digital techniques    2. Nature photography    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photography    5. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    6. Techniques - Digital    7. Special kinds of photography   

Reviews (22)

Best Ever User Manual
Whether its the basics you seek or the advanced "insider" tips you need, this is the manual for you. Although Premiere Pro is much different than 6.5 and previous versions, you will soon find that using it will become second nature. This is the best book for Pro users on the market.

Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 Studio Techniques (Studio Techniques)
Three stars for"user friendly" and five stars for content.The information is quite detailedbut needs a lot of interpretation and rereading to understand.The text doesn't always follow your project and one needs to go to the "Help" menu, often.However, if one preservers, the instructions will allow you to use the Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 program to its fullest potential.

now out of date
great book but now behind the times, wish i'd of waited a bit longer till the release of 2.0 and the subsequent book; however, I believe everything covered in this book carries over to the new version of premiere pro. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Animation    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Desktop Publishing    5. Data processing    6. Desktop Publishing - General    7. Digital video    8. Editing    9. Motion pictures    10. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    11. Computers / Interactive Media    12. Image processing: video    13. Video photography   

Reviews (19)

Great Pictures and Lots of Information
I found this book to have really great pictures and lots of useful information. In addition to the author's fine photography, the senior portrait work by Leonard Hill and the wedding work by Dennis Orchard weas just incredible.
Just What I Needed
I just completed a three day class with the author of this book and purchased this book and two of his other titles. This author is the consomate photography instructor and his books are written in the same easy going nature that he has.
Clear, Concise and To The Point
I found this to be an excellent book and I really love the pictures by the author and the other photographers included. The digital camera basics section was very comprehensive and it offered a very thorough explanation of the cameras and image sensors.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - General    2. Photo Techniques    3. Photographic Techniques Using Specific Equipment    4. Photography    5. Techniques - Digital    6. Techniques - Equipment    7. Techniques - General    8. Computer graphics software    9. Photographic equipment & techniques    10. Photography / Techniques    11. Special kinds of photography