Photoshop CS2 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide
reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher
Author: Tim Grey Sybex 1151 Marine Village Parkway Almeda, CA 94501 http://www.sybex.com/WileyCDA/SybexTitle/productCd-0782143962.html Released: May 2005 Pages: 304 $40 USD, $52 CND, £28 GBP, 33Û EUR ISBN: 0782143962 Strengths: Includes information on raw format images. An in-depth highlight of curves with the applications, which is a very difficult topic, is applied in an excellent fashion in this book. Information regarding adjustment layers well done. Weaknesses: I would have liked to have seen more arrows and pointers to stress the information laid out in the screenshots and applications to highlight the well thought out instructions. This would have clarified some of the additional information to an even greater extent. |
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ÒWorkflowÓ is the latest ÒbuzzwordÓ regarding digital imagery. It is a whole process of taking your images from the beginning to end and all the process, tasks and management issues that are needed for making your finished images even better for home, school and business.
Chapter 1 talks about layered based workflow and focusing upon the final results you want for your images. Chapter 2 use of Download Pro for Windows XP (page 8) explains using 3rd party software with PhotoShop. On page 28, the Òpalette set upÓ is very well written in explaining and using palettes. The tool and palette shortcuts (page 34) are also well done and useful. Chapter 3, ÒBenefits of conversion with camera rawÓ is well explained in terms of the reasons for using RAW images instead of JPEG or other types of images. Chapter 4, ÒBasic adjustmentsÓ details how to use basic tools as, rotate and crop, using crop tool, using aspect ration.
Chapter 5 ÒBasic tone and color Ò specifically targets evaluating channels. This written introduction and more, gaining insight into channels is done very well. In fact, this is some of the best information on the topic that I have seen (page 91). The screenshots and the shots of the application windows (example, Curve, levels, etc.) help with the understanding. However only in a few places (example, page101) have additional insets, made into the windows (for example: in the way of red enumerated small circles or additional ways) to verify even more explicitly. This chapter (page 100) ask has a real nice listing of five benefits of adjustment layers without changing the underlying pixels of the images you are working with clipping with histograms (page 102) is in this chapter as well. Basic level adjustment, which includes turning, your images into posters (posterizing) are also on this page. Color balance (page 108) and (page 112) basic saturation have well done instructions.
Notes in Chapter 6 are very helpful. Here in Chapter 6, Ò Image cleanupÓ has information concerning healing brush, cloning stamp (copying parts of the text to others to clean up smudges by copying from one part of the image into another – for example sky color).
Chapter 7, ÒAdvanced tonal adjustments,Ó covers working with image tones. Shadow highlights (page 138) is an interesting section and nicely done. Curves information and adjusting these (page143) I fell are the most difficult to understand and master. The author does an exceptional job in explaining this topic done and is some of the best I have ever seen. Ways to use anchor points are excellently written
Overall the author does a solid job with learning about PhotoShop through the use of digital photography. The notes throughout the chapter help break up the use of the text and highlight additional information that will help in the understanding of the applications. On page 1010, information about the different of clipping (lost information) or gapping (gaps in the histogram) is written solidly. I would have liked to see arrows or pointer to the parts of the histogram that the text is Òtalking about.Ó Sometimes the terms (like posterization on page 103) are inserted at the end of a paragraph. While this terms is used in the next paragraph I did not quite understand why it was important.
Learning to highlight images and make your final product better taken time, insight and the use of tool at your disposal is what one usually does when you have no where to start or when you are lost in the process. There is much in this book that really Òhits the markÓ in terms of understanding and improving your digital photography. Sometimes the text feels like a seminar workshop that went a little too fast and then I got lost only I donÕt have time to go back over the information because the seminar has moved ahead.
But fortunately this is a book and you can go back and try to make sense of the process. As mentioned, if you do get ÒlostÓ, Email Mr. Grey for additional feedback, but if you read carefully, you should be able to follow the tasks. At times there might be a few gaps in the understanding of the book, but overall this is a real solidly done book for intermediate and advanced users who want to improve their image production.
