Customer Reviews

Adobe Photoshop cs: The Art of Photographing Women

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First and foremost, this book is MUCH more confusing and difficult than it needs to be. I've been using Photoshop for ten years, dolling up model photography for about three, and have read extensively on the topics, so I'm far from a novice. But many of the step-by-steps in this book literally give me headaches after constant re-reads of trying to sort them out. The narrative is frequently simply unclear.

All due respect to the parties involved, but it needs a severe editorial pass from an objective eye. And perhaps a different "voice," that markets the book as "this is how Kevin Ames does it" rather than "this is how YOU ought to do it." I.e., the "Ames way," rather than "the BEST way." Because it really reflects how he's taught himself to work, moreso than surefire methods.

That said, the book is far from worthless. There ARE some good tips and tricks, and the narrow subject matter makes it refreshing (and even lovely) on a crowded shelf that tends toward redundancy. There's a good chapter on how to composite multiple shots into one portrait. (I had just finished a similar project of my own, so it WAS interesting to read someone else's take on it, and I found no flaw with his advice.) And some of the general workflow stuff is good reference/food for thought.

Perhaps that's the balance of this book in a nutshell: good when it's general, but frequently maddening in its specific long exercises. And I blame that on language, not the steps themselves. There's lots that's right about the book, but it reads too much like a first draft. For instance, the numbered steps would benefit hugely from headlines and parallelism. I.e., clearly delineate between "do this" and "here's why," rather than muddle the steps and explanations together broken up only by numbers.

BTW, just to get it off my chest, but there should be a LAW against featuring an example on the back of the book that is not illustrated within. There's a chapter on the "nostalgia pinup look" that's only barely relevant to the pinup shot on the back cover. Nothing at all about "nostalgia coloring," for example.

In a list of recommended reading, this would qualify as a "might read," but not yet a "must read." As this first edition, it probably has more unqualified value in its photography tips than the Photoshop guidance itself. If a second edition were to be proofed more objectively, it'd probably become a more solid and useful addition to the canon.

I almost bought this book at a book store after flipping its pages. It has great formating - good combination of diagrams, colored pages and filled with beautiful pictures of women.

BUT, if you read in detail and try to follow its tips, you'll find it go through many laborious steps to do simple things. There's a section on archiving that barely talks about how to archive efficently. THere is also a section detailing how you can retouch photo of a bikini clad girl to look like barbie doll. I find the final picture appauling.

There are also sections on how to trim thighs, remove facial blemishes etc. However, there is another book I owned called "Photoshop Restoration and Retouching" - by Katrin Eismann, that does a better job on retouching. I strongly recommend Katrin's book if you're a serious photographer. That book has a much wider range of tips and the steps are easier to follow.

I wanted to write this note to thank you for your book "Adobe Photoshop CS - The Art of Photographing Women". It is phenomenal!
I have followed your writings in Photoshop User magazine, and have admired, and adopted, many of your techniques for retouching that Scott Kelby had included in his book on Photoshop for Digital Photographers. I have been looking forward to the release of your book and I have to say that the wait has been well worth it. I especially like the information you put forth on archiving the image files, your pre-postproduction and color correction actions. Your chapter on lighting, though, really inspired me. I was amazed at how much I learned from this chapter, even though I have been a photographer for the past 34 years. Your explanation, and illustration, of the process you went through in lighting the fashion photo was by far the best, and most informative I have ever come across. It opened my eyes to a whole new way of seeing light. I have to add that I have only begun to focus on fashion, portrait, and beauty photography the last couple of years; I have primarily been a nature photographer since I was 12 years old. Thank you so much for this book. I truly believe that it will help me move to the next level with my photography.
I look forward to putting your suggestions into practice, and continuing this incredible journey that is being a photographer.

The book we have all been waiting for! I just happened on "The Art of Photographing Women" in a bookstore. I usually just flip though a book, but this one stopped me dead in my tracks. This book is a must have. Usually we pick up a book to just get a couple of tips out of it, but this one is fully loaded. What you get is a series of lessons, with practical reasoning for the actions on everything you will set out to do. Download the high quality images form Kevin's website and away you go, step by step, learning the solutions to our everyday problems in digital imaging, learning the right way. By the way the images Ames gives us to work on are a great experience them selves, they'll teach you how see, and the models are very nice looking besides. Kevin is a great photographer besides a great teacher. I saw Kevin at the PPofA Digital Conference in Biloxi MS a couple of years ago, this is one man that not only knows his stuff but can convey his thoughts in print. I cannot say enough for this one... You've got to pick up a copy for yourself, you won't be able to put it down... this is the best book I have started in years!

Don't get fooled by the title -- or the cover. This book is for everyone who uses Photoshop -- not just those who photograph women.

Pictures of women are but a metaphor for all pictures. The techniques taught can be used on babies, seniors, landscapes, factories or cars. They work across the board.

I've got lots of Photoshop books. This has been the easiest to use and most practical.

The first 4 chapters -- on Workflow -- are worth the price of the book. With Kevin's help, I've developed an approach to archiving, proofing, and displaying my images. And, I've learned a way to create and use actions to do the heavy lifting.

This book makes clear the qualitative difference between 8 and 16 bit images. Run the exercise and you will see the advantages of 16 bit with your own eyes.

Color correction has become very easy. Kevin teaches a simple way to get dead on color. Now I understand the tremendous advantage one gets by using a Gretag/Macbeth or similar reference card. And, again, to make it easy, he shows how to use what we've learned to make and use actions and batches to take the tedium out of correcting all the pictures taken under the same light.

I shoot RAW. Kevin helped me master Adobe CS's RAW processor. But, more importantly, I've also learned how and when to simply make a .tif and do my corrections based on the reference shot. I find the latter to be more precise and accurate. What a time saver -- one step eliminated and the others run by actions.

Notice I've not said one word about photographing women? I haven't used it for that, yet. Maybe, I will -- but the book's value is not dependent on the subject matter, it is all about getting the most out of all your photographs whatever they might be.

After reading this book I wondered if it was ever seriously edited before it was published. At times it is just a mass of confusion, with steps that are either unclear or incomplete. For example, someone needs to tell Kevin that when using the Liquify's Forward Warp tool, the "amounts" settings for Brush Rate and Turbulent Jitter ARE UNAVAILABLE FOR ADJUSTING. In other cases, Kevin just forgets to add steps in to select or deselect elements in order to make his steps complete...duh!

I was upset with this book even before I got to Chapter One because Kevin requires us to download all his exercise images instead of supplying a CD. But worse than that, I also had to download a decompression utility specific for his images which I will never have another use for. Why couldn't he have used the more commonly used Unzip utility? I suspect because he is forever trying to make his ideas look "special".

Ames is a sensationalist who likes to set himself above the crowd through cheap tricks like showing lots of skin of pretty women, but he is in desparate need of substance.

This book was one big pain from start to finish. Wiley Publishing should be ashamed.

My opinion is you shoud stay as far away from it as you can. There are much better authors like Katrin Eisman. I just wish I could get my money back.

I have been taking 35mm photographs for years and have been using an older version of PhotoShop for retouching as well. But recently upgraded digitally to a Nikon D70 and now have to quickly get up to speed with the camera, lighting, Photoshop CS and all the bells and whistles that are now available to me.

I needed a sort of all in one book and I think I found it.

Got Kevin's book and couldn't put it down til well after midnight. Starting on the tutorials the next day. If you are a perfectionist and like detailed instruction, I don't know of a better book from the perspective of a photographer/designer.

The title got my wife's attention but that is not really what I am after. The color correction, touchup tricks and post processing tips/actions are what I need at this time. What I have gotten out of this book already will make my work better, save time and translate into a lot more money that I spent on the book.

Patrick Douget

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.

All the equipment and and all the software in the world will not make you a great photographer, but no one is capable of greatness without the craft, experience, and attentiveness to detail this book offers. I found Mr. Ames' instruction to be crucial for better understanding the means of creating superior images, and personally inspirational for the desire to do so.

Women provide the object, but the end result is meant to be an enhanced understanding of your art and process, regardless of what is being shot. I completely disagree with the reviewer who claimed that 'real photograpers' would not completely remake an image: nonsense! That assertion is easily disproved by studying any reknowned artist in any medium -- it's the final result that matters. My feeling, after having read 'The Art of Photographing Women' is one of gratitude to Mr. Ames for sharing his extensive knowledge, and the only thing that prevents me from awarding him 5 stars is the hope that he'll be provoked into writing a sequel!

Like another reviewer here on Amazon, I found Kevin's book also "by chance." After perusing it I decided that it was worth the price. Was I ever wrong! This book is worth MORE than all 6 of the other books on Photoshop that I have purchased!! But this book goes further than just Photoshop techniques and tips that work very well on the supplied image. Kevin actually gives you a workflow and REASONS why you do certain things. His chapter "Illuminating Light: How Light Works in Photography" is very good in its discussion of light and how it relates to Photoshop, but Kevin begins at the beginning; he tells about using light in your capture of the image!

Buy the book for great instruction on Photoshop; READ the book to learn how to make better images BEFORE Photoshopizing them. Follow Kevin's tutelage and better images are assured!