Reviews (2)

Stick with Amherst Books
This book is marginal in content, has few new or exciting ideas, and is smaller than the books American photographers are used to seeing from Amherst and some of the other publishers.
Photoshop
This book is more oriented to the post-processing process, the how to's in photoshop ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Subjects & Themes - Fashion    4. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    5. Techniques - Digital    6. LITERATURE - LIT CLASSICS TRD PB    7. Photographic equipment & techniques    8. Special kinds of photography   

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (3)

Disappointed
I'm half way through this book, and I must say that I'm disappointed. First off, the title is misleading. This book is not mostly about digital photography in available light--that is, if you're thinking that this book is about taking pictures in available light. It indeed provides information about shooting in available light but like most books on digital photography, it starts out with the obligatory "choosing a digital camera." But then the second chapter jumps into topic of digital photo asset management, followed by a chapter on camera exposure. Seems like assessment management would come a lot later in the book. I really don't see why it's needed in a book about "digital photography in available light."
Impressive!
Over the last couple weeks I have purchased several of Mark Galer's books and I am impressed with the quality of each of them."Digital Photography in Available Light" is written in a reader-friendly approach that provides a wide variety of information on digital camera, asset management, exposure, camera raw, composition, creative camera controls, light, post-production editing, panoramic photographs, landscapes, environmental portraits, and photographic essays.If you are looking for an intermediate book on photo-editing then look at Mark Galer's "Photoshop Elements 4.0: Maximum Performance" which comes with a DVD with several hours of video on digital editing.Or, if you are using Photoshop CS2, consider Mr. Galer's book, "Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills," which comes with a CD with movies and resources.The techniques shown in each are a bit overwhelming for a beginner--but great for those who know the basics and are ready for the next big step!

Excellent all-round text for teacher, student or enthusiast.
I am a fan of Galer's clever Photoshop routines for CS and Elements (he's an Adobe beta tester) so I was keen to see the latest edition of his basic text for digital photographers. I was not disappointed. He is a working photographer, journalist and lecturer so the text is pitched at students, especially at the college level. However this is a thoroughly readable book, heavily illustrated with images that any keen amateur could achieve. The book assumes no previous knowledge and covers everything from camera types to conventional photographic techniques such as framing and exposure. I was particularly impressed by the simple, no jargon explanation of Camera RAW.
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Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Techniques - Digital    4. Techniques - Lighting    5. Photographic equipment & techniques    6. Photography / Techniques   

Reviews (9)

Shows photographers how to be better artists
This book is dedicated to the purpose of taking raw digital photographs and turning them into art and using Photoshop to help with this task. The book is broken down into three parts. In the first part, the author has dedicated his instruction to basic photographic principles, as well as the specific, actionable techniques for taking better digital photos. The chapters cover the basics of exposure, composition, depth of field, and general technical skills that will enhance the quality of your images. The final chapter in this section, on composition, just might be the most important chapter in this book. The fact is, if you don't have solid composition skills, you have little chance of making artistic images that have impact. Exposure and focus are important technical skills, but composition frames reality and structures the viewing experience. Without effective composition, you're left with a detached and soulless view of the world, even if it is clearly exposed and presented.
Split Personality
I was really excited when I first looked at this book.I regularly complain that many ostensible photography manuals are really picture books that have had some language added to make them look like photography instruction books.Here was a book that had plenty of beautiful pictures of Tuscany that were really used as a framework for instruction.Then I discovered the book's split personality.
An inspiring and beautiful book
This book includes how-to, but it is so much more than that. This is a lovely book to turn to again and again, just for inspiration.I agree with the other reviewers - do the exercises. This one I will keep because it is not tied to aparticular camera though it does focus on photoshop CS and later. If you are struggling with making your photography interesting, or if you are just looking for inspiration, this is one you should pick up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers    5. Computers - Other Applications    6. Digital Image Processing    7. Digital techniques    8. Image processing    9. Imaging Systems    10. Photography    11. Techniques - Digital    12. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    13. Photoshop   

Reviews (35)

Good Photoshop book
A possibly better title would be "The Art of Retouching Women" as this book concentrates on the use of Photoshop to fix photographs that need drastic correction rather than the actual photography of women.Even so, it's Kelby's usual entertaining beginner Photoshop book with lots of cool graphics and tips that work, even if they are sometimes convoluted.If the photographs you take of women could use some repair and retouching, this book offers lots of good advice.

Very amusing..
Well, this book is worth owning for amusement value. While there are some overly complex methods of achieving a result that works, most of the information is simply beginner jargon. How to make a girl into a barbie chapter is simply a must see for laughs.

Excellant Book
A great learning tool. Easy to follow directions, well illustrated and clearly written.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books And Software    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers    5. Computers - Integrated Software    6. Digital techniques    7. Fashion    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. Image processing    10. Photography    11. Photography of women    12. Techniques - General    13. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    14. Photoshop    15. Special kinds of photography   

Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photographic Techniques Using Specific Equipment    3. Photography    4. Subjects & Themes - General    5. Techniques - Digital    6. Photographic equipment & techniques    7. Photography / Techniques / Digital    8. STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes   

Reviews (6)

Comments
I agree with the above comments...all one sees is a black cover.The book looks/sounds interesting, but there is no table of contents or example of what is inside the book.This book needs to present more information if you expect one to buy.

Samples can be scary.
I'm sorry, but some of the samples in this book just scare me. The two zombie children have shown up in my nightmares even.I suppose that some of the techniques will take me in the direction I want to go, but I'm praying that I will have better results than the author.
You need both programs, and this book.
Corel Painter and Photoshop complement each other, with each having particular strengths that the other does not.This book shows you how to combine the natural media and artistic effects possible with Painter with the retouching and color correction features of Photoshop. You'll find lots of useful techniques, along with step-by-stepinstructions on how to achieve them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    2. Computer Graphics - Painter    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers - Desktop Publishing    5. Microcomputer Graphics    6. Photo Techniques    7. Photography    8. Techniques - Digital    9. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    10. Photographic equipment & techniques    11. Special kinds of photography   

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - General    2. Earth sciences    3. Geophysics    4. Laboratory manuals    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Science    8. Techniques - Digital    9. Science / Geophysics   

Reviews (2)

Canon EOD 20D
An Excellent DVD movie for an excellent camera. My camera is really a great camera and I was afraid to operate it. After watching this DVD/CD tutor I learned so much. Iv practiced on all the lessons I have learned here and am still practicing. I have learned easy. I like easy. I recomend this for anyone who owns the same camera. It will assist you in understanding the principles of operating your camrea. I have fun in taking pictures now. It seemed like alot of money when I ordered it at first. After I found out how much a class is to learn these same principles I decided I actually saved about $120.00.Learning at home is much more practical to me.

excellent DVD tutorial!!!
An excellent DVD for understanding the Canon EOS Camera especially when upgrading from a less expensive camera to one such as this. Great tutorial for use of all features and Options on the camera.Especially in use of opening aperture and shutter speed.Easy to understand chapters with a menu based navigation so I can go back to each beginning. I am better understanding the ISO option. It was well worth my money. The cost of a class to learn the principles of digital photography is small verses the cost of a similar class, and I learn about my very own camera, not another model. I also get to rewatch the DVD when I choose to. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Helped Me Make Some Decisions
I got this book because I am finally taking the plunge into digital photography. I wanted two books. One book would look at all the digital cameras that are avaiable and tell me which one to buy. I found this information in Consumers Report.
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Subjects:  1. Digital cameras    2. Digital techniques    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Photo Techniques    5. Photography    6. Reference    7. Zoom lens photography    8. BG-MIND & BODY - BG-NEW AGE    9. Photographic equipment & techniques    10. Photography / Techniques / Digital    11. Reference works   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (3)

Check out the hyperlinking ability
The Apple DVD Studio Pro is a popular but very complex tool for authoring DVDs. This book shows why it is popular, and also offers an improvement on the Apple documentation. The program has immense ability to record audio and video and to merge these in as intricate a fashion as you desire. There is a panoply of editing functions. For such things as adding subtitles to video tracks. Or supporting several languages using the audio tracks. Or to have a multistory project.
Good introduction to a tricky application
If ever Apple made an application that could use some usability work it's DVD Studio Pro. It's a comprehensive and powerful application that has a user interface that only a mother could love. That's why I found this book so critical. It's an end-to-end guide from the very basics of DVD construction through to using templates and building custom transitions. There are also pitstops along the way into building DVD games and creating easter eggs.
You have to see this to believe it
This book breaks new ground for O'Reilly. I'm used to finding great technical content in their books--that's what they're famous for--but media tools like DVD Studio Pro require a more visual approach for explanation, and Marc delivers this extremely effectively.
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Subjects:  1. Authoring programs    2. Cinematography & Videography    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computer graphics    5. Computers    6. Computers - General Information    7. DVD-Video discs    8. Digital video    9. Editing    10. Interactive & Multimedia    11. Operating Systems - Macintosh    12. Videodiscs    13. Computer graphics software    14. Computers / General Information    15. Computers / Interactive Media    16. DVD Studio Pro, ProApps, DVD, Authoring, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, SuperDrive, Mac    17. Video photography   

Reviews (3)

taught me more about photography than photoshop
Exactly what the title says. I would've learned more by just fiddling with Photoshop.

Good concept, bad book

A catch all that didn't.
The book attempts to do what many photoshop books do, cram the basics, with some technique, throw in a bit of advanced stuff and leave you with a bit of everything in the end.A majority of the photos used in the book are average.Topics which I think are crucial to the art include colour accuracy, getting the best rom RAW images, calibration, output control.All these topics were lightly touched on with no real meaty goodness.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    2. Computer graphics    3. Computers - General Information    4. Digital techniques    5. General    6. Image processing    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Photo Techniques    9. Photography    10. Computer graphics software    11. Computers / Interactive Media   

Reviews (6)

Digital Photo Instructor
This is an excellent book for the creative photographer filled with images and ideas presented in a clear, concise manner.The good and the bad.The concepts Daly teaches are timeless, but the techniques have been changed by the advancement of Photoshop and printers.

A Digital Printing Primer For The Digital Darkroom
Excellent reference on how to set-up your computer monitor and printer to get the best possible photographic prints.It is well written and provides pictorial guidance and how-to's.The section on color techniques has provided me a more clear understanding of color management and approaches with my digital camera photos.It also has a very useful chapter on references & resources.

The book was right on target! Great book!
I was looking for some help in printing photographs to my inkjet.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    2. Computers - Desktop Publishing    3. Digital printing    4. Digital techniques    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Hardware - Peripherals    7. Photo Techniques    8. Photography    9. Techniques - Digital    10. Techniques - General   

Reviews (4)

Not the greatest Photoshop book available
Not for the beginner. Nice picts, but not much direction for the novice user. Needs more tutorial info.

It is ok...
This is a decent book. If you are an advanced photoshop user, there are a couple of things that you will be able to pick up from. It also helps open your mind to possibilites of blending images together.

To end a serie
Good lecture if you are at the end of a Photoshop tutorials. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

iMovie is a deceptively simple video-editing application that does not come with a printed manual. Even the online help is insufficient. David Pogue, the wry and insightful columnist for Read more

Reviews (5)

Don't Miss This "Missing Manual"
I have used the iMovie application since March 2000 to create over a hundred hours of edited footage for my video production company. Before reading "iMovie: The Missing Manual, I concluded that I had learned all their was to know about this program.I previously considered it a limited program that was most effective when production time was critical and expectations were relaxed.However, I was astonished to learn of techniques and shortcuts that greatly expanded my knowledge of iMovie and radically refined my approach in it's use.The concise layout and effective index of this manual has kept it within arm's length whenever I launch iMovie.Few computer manuals are "page turners", but if you use iMovie the information that is contained in "iMovie: The Missing Manual" will surely excite and inspire you.The software that is made available is alone worth the purchase price of this excellent manual.

A terrific book
I'm not new to the Mac, but am new to iMovie and was struggling with somebasics.I recently purchased Missing Manual and am glad that I did.Wellwritten, complete and easy to read.My iMovie editing productivity hasskyrocketed and would strongly recommend this book

The Best Computer Program Manual I Have Used!
I bought this book because I wanted to use I-movie to help me put together a short film in short order. It is quite simply the best computer book I have ever purchased. It is a very straightforward, lucid, step by stepexplanation of how to get the most out of this program specifically, anddigital video in general. It seemed like every time a question or would popup he would have a special box on the next page explaining how to solve it.Mr. Pogue appears to have thought of everything and then some. He presentsa number of excellent "work-arounds" for the limitations ofI-Movie and lays them out in step by step fashion. Using this book is likehaving an I-Movie Guru sitting next to you, helping you along. If you useI-Movie, you need this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Data processing    4. Digital video    5. Editing    6. Film & Video - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Macintosh (Computer)    9. Motion pictures    10. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    11. Performing Arts    12. iMovie    13. Computer graphics software    14. Image processing: video    15. Multimedia    16. Video photography   

Reviews (24)

Good review but very poor editing
I'm posting this review after making it through the first 4 chapters, as I think that this is usually the point of no return when you decide if you can stick with a software book or toss it on the pile of good intentions. The reading can be a bit tedious at times since the author mentions many items at the start that you will get to "later." Part of this stems from the fact that FCE is a very complex program with a million functions so I can understand the difficulty of trying to reduce the complexity.
Not worth it
I bought this book on the basis of the positive reviews, and boy, do I regret it. This was very little help and is written in a schizophrenic, haphazard form that is maddening. Example: right after he has you load up the first lesson, he goes off on long explanations of functions that he then says will be used in later chapters, not that one. Then he gets back to the lesson - supposedly - and goes off explaining other controls. Finally, the chapter ends and YOU'VE NEVER EVEN USED THE LESSON! He tells you to close it up and start importing your own material.
Editing with Final Cut Express
After making a few home movies with iMovie, I decided I wanted to have more options for transitions, compositing, and titling. Final Cut Express has been a great upgrade from iMovie. The controls were quite daunting at first, so I purchased a training DVD that didn't work well for me. I then purchased Final Cut Express For Dummies and that was great for learning the basics. Wanting to do more I ordered the FCE 2 Editing Workshop. Tom Wolsky does a fine job of explaining all the nuances of this great program. It's nice when the authors and experts explain things in a way that assumes you know little of terminology and compression and all the computer skills that they have. I've already used many of the techniques to improve my movies. When I upgrade to Final Cut Pro, I will be buying his book for that program as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Animation    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Data Processing    6. Digital video    7. Editing    8. Miscellaneous Software    9. Motion pictures    10. Computer Software Packages    11. Computers / Application Software / General    12. Video photography   

Reviews (2)

Well worth taking a look at
I found that this book was easy to follow and there are plenty of examples for new users plus some new ones for more advanced users. The book is laid out nicely and every project/task is easy to follow. It's not one of those huge 4 or 500 page books that sometimes can be confusing when trying to find help or advice on a particular task. It is one book I've been using a lot lately and will continue using for quick reference.

An extremely helpful book
Philip Andrews has written a lot of books for the users of Photoshop and they areby all means "well explained&illustrated".
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    4. Computers    5. Computers - Desktop Publishing    6. Photography    7. Techniques - Digital    8. Photography / Techniques    9. Photoshop   

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computers    5. Operating Systems - Macintosh    6. Photography    7. Techniques - Digital    8. Computer graphics software    9. Photography / Techniques / Digital   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Desktop Publish    2. Computer Graphics - Design    3. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    4. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    5. Computers    6. Computers - Desktop Publishing    7. Computers - Other Applications    8. Desktop Publishing - General    9. Digital techniques    10. Image processing    11. Photography    12. Raw file formats (Digital photography)    13. Techniques - Digital    14. Computer graphics software    15. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design   

Reviews (18)

Buy the hardcopy instead.The eBook has no CD.
The paperback version of this book includes a CD, and the book is organized around the materials on that CD.Neither the CD nor the materials on it are provided with the eBook.So you can read about things you should be able to do if you had the CD, but you can't do any of them.You'd think somebody would have thought of that before converting the paperback to eBook format.As it is, the ebook is almost the same price as the hardcopy but is next to useless.

excellent practical introduction to Premiere for novices
This book should be looked at as a companion to Adobe manual, or as a practical introduction to Premiere. It guides the user, which is assumed to be a complete novice in Premiere, step by step through hands-on lessons and explains along the way some ideas and principles of digital video editing. As all other "classroom in a book" manuals, it is very well edited proofread (which means that it contains very few errors - if the authors say "click on icon A in palette B", they mean exactly that) and all files which the book refers to can indeed be found on the enclosed CD (I saw so many books with some of the tutorial files missing...). Unlike some other reviewers, I had no problems reproducing the actions described in the book on the computer screen, as long as I was careful to reproduce the steps exactly as they are described. Why the bad reviews? This book is GREAT!!
Whoa! I see read some bad reviews for this book! And I totally disagreed with them. Sure some of you major in computer programming, engineer, and many other occupations. but your going to have to be realistic and realize that this is "premiere" this is NLE ( Non-Linear Editing) and if your not familiar with it. Of course your going to have difficulty learning it.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cinematography    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computers - Desktop Publishing    5. Data processing    6. Digital video    7. Editing    8. Film & Video - General    9. General    10. Interactive & Multimedia    11. Motion pictures    12. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    13. Performing Arts    14. Programmed instruction    15. Video tapes    16. Computer graphics software    17. Computers / Interactive Media    18. Image processing: video    19. Video photography   

Editorial Review

A digital camera is functionally identical to a traditional film camera in all respects except image storage, right? Not at all, and Mikkel Aaland shows exactly why in his excellent Read more

Reviews (20)

OK, but wish there were better examples
I enjoyed the book.
A great book!
I am totally satisfied of this book. It seems to be very useful for a digital amateur, enthusiast or pro. All I can say is that the book is very valuable.

Great information
This book does a great job of of explaing how a digital camera works. It uses real life examples to demonstrate the information presented to you. You do need a basic understanding of how a camera works, for example what aperture and shutter speed are, to really benifit from this book. It offers great tips that will help you take better digital pictures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    4. Computers    5. Digital cameras    6. Digital photography    7. Digital techniques    8. Image processing software    9. Photography    10. Techniques - Digital    11. Techniques - Equipment    12. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    13. Image processing: graphics (static images)    14. Photographic equipment & techniques    15. Special kinds of photography