This is a great book for those just getting started in digital photography. It gives an overview of effects you can create using programs like Photoshop and Painter. The book is packed with interesting large color photo examples.
First you get an overview of the pros and cons of both digital and classical photography. Then there is information on choosing camera equipment, film, a computer, a scanner and a printer as well as software and other accessories. The author then gives an explanation of resolution and gives advice on making scanning more efficient and accurate.
Many techniques follow. Some of the basics include using contrast, curves and levels, hue and saturation, toning, channel mixing, sun printing effects, posterisation, changing colors, and hand coloring. Others focus on filters or brush techniques such as blur/sharpen, pixelation, distortion, grain, paint textures and cloning techniques. Compositing as well as using layers, modes and multiple images is also covered. The author also offers in insight on color symphony, file types, compression, resolution and printing digital photos.
This is not your typical step-by-step how-to book. You see concepts illustrated in photos, not page after page of computer screens. There is plenty of high lever technical advice here though, but the main goal to explain the logic behind the tools used. If you understand how they work and when to use them you can utilize them more effectively. This is the kind of background I have been looking for that is missing from most of the software manuals. In the back of the book there is an excellent glossary and a nice list of other helpful books and some websites.
