Customer Reviews

The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my fifth Photoshop book, and I wish it had been my first. What were the problems in the earlier book? First of all, some had minimal use of color. Seems funny but I'm sure the publishers saved a ton of money by not using color, or using only a few insert pages for color content. For Photoshop this is silly. This book, like all the New Riders books apparently, uses full color.

Second, a number of books use dreadful images as examples. Now the authors of these books are certainly photoshop experts, but apparently only use 'left-over' images from a previous family vacation in their books. Photoshop experts, but not expert photographers. Scott uses excellent images, most of which were contributed by friends who are excellent, professional photographers! Just browse...

Third, the earlier books were often hard to read; small fonts, a ton of material, lousy layout. Sure they were comprehensive in coverage, but I think too much for a photgrapher. (I now have a good working knowledge of what features were added to every version of PS that ever was, and all about every digital camera the author ever owned. Didn't really need all that.)

Scott's book is really fun to read. He uses humor well, has great images (downloadable from his site) as examples, and covers material needed to turn good photographs into great photographs. You won't find any information on shutter speeds, f-stops, selecting cameras, printers, etc, just Photoshop. Kinda respectful of the reader...

If you're a photographer and you're going digital, you'll have some very specific needs; get Harald Johnson's book on printers and printing, and this book on Photoshop CS.

I'm a professional digital photographer, and while I'm not a Photoshop guru I have learned my way to good results through endless trial and error. Most digital photography and Photoshop reference books are either too basic or needlessly complicated. Kelby's "...CS Book for Digital Photographers" is neither -- it's exactly the right balance of simplicity while attacking advanced techniques for improving one's digital images.

This title is the one most frequently removed from my shelves and placed beside my computer for reference. When I can't find the book, it's because my husband -- also a professional photographer -- has borrowed it and placed it on HIS computer desk.

Yes, there are a number of techniques presented that are geared to portrait photographers (and advanced users who want to take better family photos). However, as outdoor photographers (wildlife, landscapes and natural light portraits), my husband and I still get good mileage from this book. In particular, his experimentation and documentation with various "Unsharp Mask" values is universally useful, as are the tips on color cast removal/color correction and Photoshop workspace optimization/personalization.

If you're one of those people who buys books based upon how much they weigh (or how many pages they have, or some other such measure), you may think at first that this isn't the book for you. Well, think again.

True, there are a lot of things about PhotoShop CS that are *not* in this book -- so maybe you do need one of those hernia-inducing monsters as a reference. I have one, along with a few other PhotoShop books. But Kelby's book is the one I consult most often. It was the first book I bought after I acquired a high-end digital camera, and it's still the book I refer to most often. The many basic things every digital photographer needs to know in order to make good use of PhotoShop *are* in the book. They are explained concisely and understandably.

There is, for example, a section on whitening teeth -- something most digital portrait photographers will want to do at some point. The technique is explained in a stepwise, sensible fashion. Same for de-wrinkling faces, getting rid of blotches, fixing architectural perspective problems, and probably 90% of the other things you'll eventually want to do.

Very highly recommended. If it were possible to give six stars, I would.

Perhaps the best Photoshop book for digital photographers on the market. If you are looking for a book that goes into the technical science of color management or delves in the algorithms behind curves and levels then this isn't it.

What it is is a collection of (brilliant) how to's for digital photo management and correction - what to do when your fill flash was too bright, How to recover an underexposed image. How to turn a snapshot into a poster sized print with mininal loss of detail. The absolute best ways to get maximum sharpness without experiencing color halos and image degradation. How to prepare flesh tones for a CMYK press. Matching color and tone throughout a series of images. Etc.

You can even download the example images in the book, try the techniques out and compare your results to Scott's. If you are a digital photographer who would rather spend more time in the field shooting and less at a computer endlessly tweaking curves and levels and you are looking for a book of down and dirty tips, tricks and how to secrets of the pros then this is it.

Way to go, Scott!

I have never before taken the time to document my impressions of a book. I have just
finished reading The Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby, and I
feel motivated to record my impressions of it. The book is not a large one.
But I have acquired more "know how" in using Photoshop than ever before, even
studying books on the subject several times larger than this one. Scott knows his subject
and he is skilled in ways to share his knowledge with others -- unfortuately a rare skill. I
found his chapters on editing digital portraits particularly useful. Six different ways to
crop a portrait. And, after studying them, I can utilize any one of them. Compensating
for too little or too much flash. Two different methods of removing "red eye". Color
correcting is clearly explained in several chapters. Retouching portraits. Precise
selections, using the pen tool. Enhancing eye-brows, Brightening teeth. Skin softening.
Slimming and trimming. Turning a frown into a smile. The list goes on and on. Things
from which an amateur digital photographer is sure to benefit.

I don't usually bother w/Amazon reviews but I read the two first comments and had to speak up. I teach a course on digital photography, I've been using the first version of this book (called "The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers") and it's the best book of it's kind I've ever seen. I'll upgrade to using this CS version as soon as the class begins covering CS. The "misrepresentation of content" reviewer seems confused or something--does he have the older version of this book?--because the copy I have clearly has "CS" all over the place: front cover, spine, back cover, all over the inside. I did notice that the image of the cover on the Amazon page is wrong, because the real cover is teal and white, not red and black like the first one was. Not sure what's up with that. At any rate, it's been my experience that once some people get to a certain advanced level of experience, they can be pretty choosy about exactly which details they want out of a book. All I can say is that for 95% of the rest of us, this book teaches digital photography through the lens of Photoshop better than any other. As for his writing style, I've seen Kelby give a seminar on Photoshop, and he writes like he talks... it's hard to fault him for that, and the 400 people in the room that day seemed to especially appreciate his informal teaching demeanor.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the other review seems confused, as well, since both versions of Photoshop (Mac and PC) are identical and have been for some time. I teach using my Apple iBook and a projector, in a lab that uses Dell machines, and this has never been an issue. I mean, on page xvii in the front of the book, Kelby even addresses this, saying "the keyboard on a PC is slightly different from the keyboard on a Mac, so any time I give a keyboard shortcut in the book, I give both the PC and Mac keyboard shortcuts." What more do you want?
As for some of the other snipes about workflow and weak examples, speak for yourself. I happen to agree with what Kelby writes most of the time, and when I don't, it's because at some level we eventually have our own opinions on best practices. Like Kelby writes in the introduction, this is a Photoshop book, not a digital photography book. Every photographer has their own ways of doing things, and this book doesn't try to preach about those issues. That's one of the reasons it's so good.
Anyway, enough of the rant. This book is rock solid, the first two reviews seem more like confused nitpciking (with all due respect to the people who wrote them), and I'd recommend Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers in a heartbeat.

I've used Adobe Photoshop Elements for two years without the benefit of instruction other than Adobe's help online. Now I have Photoshop CS, and got this book yesterday. I read it in one sitting, and the constant reaction I had was "so that's how that's done". No other photoshop book is so direct, so to-the-point as this one; at least for digital photographers (scans, digicams or DSLRs).

If the material were not as meaty, or the illustrations skimpier, one might get irritated by Mr. Kelby's informal style. But instead, he keeps us from getting bogged down in dull verbiage, as we quickly master very subtle, yet essential digital darkroom techniques. A long way from, and a lot more productive than many a dull meandering tome on the imaging theory behind each photoshop feature, accompanied by instructions that go no further than telling you how to navigate through the menus, leaving you no more enlightened than when you bought those books.

This is one of my favorite Photoshop books. It must be, because I have 2 editions, both dog-eared and with broken bindings. Needless to say, I use this one a lot.

What I like about this book:

1) It's written for us, for photographers. Not graphic designers.

2) Kelby writes in a witty style that makes reading the book fun. It's not a book that you'll read on a rainy night for pleasure, but it's not dry and boring, either.

3) Kelby gives you settings when he tells you how to do something. For example, under the section 'Removing Dark Circles Under Eyes', Kelby says:

"Step One: Open the photo that has the dark circles you want to lessen. Select the Clone Stamp tool in the Toolbox. Then (from the Brush Picker in the Options bar), choose a soft-edged brush that half as wide as the area you want to repair. Step Two: Go up to the Options bar and lower the Opacity of the Clone Stamp tool to 50%. Then, change the Blend Mode to Lighten (so you'll only affect areas that are darker than your sample)."

You get the idea. This is a book that you'll actually USE.

4) Kelby starts the book off telling you how to customize Photoshop. And one of the very best discussions that you'll read on why you don't want to shoot in sRGB mode.

5) There is an entire section on Retouching Portraits, with such chapter headings as 'Pro Wrinkle Removal', 'Glamour Skin Softening', and even 'Transforming a Frown into a Smile'.

Guarantee that no matter what your level of Photoshop skills, you'll learn something from this book that you'll use every day.

There are editions of this book for PS 7, PS CS and PS Elements.

It is amazing what you can do with Photoshop and this book, and sooooo easily!!! I was able to take a digital head and shoulders photo of a woman and soften the completion, reduce the size of the nose, brighten the eyes, whiten the teeth, remove the background and replace it with a portrait studio type back drop, fix the hair and all within minutes. I am not expert by any means, but I was able to produce and expert looking portrait. I'm amazed with myself! Thanks Scott, this book is wonderful!

I thought I was very software literate before I purchased Adobe Photoshop CS. Although I had never used any version of Photoshop, I was off and running with similar programs without any instruction. Photoshop CS is very intimidating at first, which if you are reading this review you already know. I bought several books, this one is by far the one I reference most and the only I've practically read cover to cover. LOVE IT LOVE IT! I learn by doing. By working on my own projects. This book guides you through both basic and advanced abilities of CS with the greatest of ease, and you don't have to have a BS in computer sciences to follow. One note; however, is that this writer assumes the reader is at least familiar with core basic functions of Photoshop. For instance, you might be directed to "open the channels pallet", but not instructed on which drop down tab or key stroke short cut allows you to do so. Sometimes the short cut is given, but not always. I reference the book CS One on One for these basic commands, but only use that book for this purpose. Photoshop CS for Digital Photographers is my "Bible", and the learning curve went very quickly. I suggest anyone interested in purchasing CS definatly invest in this book, and if you can afford 2 books after buying the software program, purchase One on One as a companion piece.