Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC [Paperback]

Martin Evening (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2012 | ISBN-10: 024052604X | ISBN-13: 978-0240526041 | Edition: 1

Renowned Photographer and Photoshop hall-of-famer, Martin Evening returns with his comprehensive guide to Photoshop. This acclaimed work covers everything from the core aspects of working in Photoshop to advanced techniques for refined workflows and professional results. Using concise advice, clear instruction and real world examples, this essential guide will give you the skills, regardless of your experience, to create professional quality results. A robust accompanying website features sample images, tutorial videos, bonus chapters and a plethora of extra resources. Quite simply, this is the essential reference for photographers of all levels using Photoshop.

* All the skills you need for superb photographic results using Photoshop

* Fully revised accompanying website featuring sample images, tutorial videos and addition bonus chapters

* Packed with professional examples, step-by-step tutorials, and over 750 color images

* Binding may not completely cover pages

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A true masterpiece." —John Nemerovski, Pixiq.com  

"To me Adobe Photoshop CS6 For Photographers is still just about the most important reference book I have. It covers every aspect of Photoshop in detail and presents them with an eye toward the photographer. It is written by a professional photographer for professional photographers. It covers both the Mac and Windows in a clear and concise manner. For intermediate and advanced Photoshop users, it is the definitive word on Photoshop. For the beginner, along with other sources for additional foundation, it will make you that advanced user. For anyone who is serious about photography and Photoshop,Adobe Photoshop CS6 For Photographers is a must have." —T. Michael Testi, BlogCritics.org

From the Back Cover

Renowned Photographer and Photoshop hall-of-famer, Martin Evening returns with his comprehensive guide to Photoshop. This acclaimed work covers everything from the core aspects of working in Photoshop to advanced techniques for refined workflows and professional results. Using concise advice, clear instruction and real world examples, this essential guide will give you the skills, regardless of your experience, to create professional quality results. A robust accompanying website features sample images, tutorial videos, bonus chapters and a plethora of extra resources. Quite simply, this is the essential reference for photographers of all levels using Photoshop.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (May 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 024052604X
• ISBN-13: 978-0240526041
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.9 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Media Management > Photo Editing > Adobe Photoshop
  • #7 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Adobe Creative Suite
  • #20 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Photoshop Reference June 22, 2012

By Conrad J. Obregon TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

As each new version of Photoshop has been issued, it has become more capable and more complex. Similarly, for each version Martin Evening has issued a new edition of "Adobe Photoshop for Photographers" which is longer and covers the newest tools as well as the older tools. Whichever is the current edition in the series has become the "go-to" reference book next to my computer. The CS5 version is dog-eared and marked up with my hand-written summery index of items I consider especially important on the inside back cover. And given the sparse help provided by Adobe's on-line help facility, a reference book is more important than ever.

The book covers those aspects of Photoshop which will be helpful to photographers rather then graphic designers, including a lengthy discussion of Adobe Camera Raw processing and Bridge. (I would have included a short chapter on text even though that falls into the graphics area but Evening is unforgiving on this.) There is also a supporting web site, which contains not just images and movies, but lengthy PDFs that include subjects not in the book, like output for the web and Lightroom import workflow. Users should look at the website early on because it may contain just the material they are looking for. (For what it's worth, Evening, like many other serious photographers, apparently does much of his initial processing of images in Lightroom rather than Adobe Camera Raw, and uses Lightroom in preference to Bridge for image management.)

The book is so jam-packed with information that it's almost impossible to just read from cover to cover, especially since it is rather boring to read about a feature that one already knows. Instead I read chapter one on Photoshop Fundamentals in its entirety as Evening recommends, and chapter two on configuration, just in case there were any changes in the set-up introduced by CS 6. Thereafter I referred to particular sections (made easier by the excellent index) when I had a question. Some of these were simple, like how do I keep two copies of an image on the screen while I'm soft-proofing so that I can compare any adjustments I make to the soft proof to the original. Others were more complex like how to best use edge detection in making a selection, where the author provided not just an explanation of the sliders but also details on how he used the refine edges menu with several examples.

Even experienced users will probably find something new in the uses of Photoshop, even if it is just some combination of key strokes. This creates a Rumsfeldian problem which is how do we know what we do not know. For myself, I felt that there were probably a few techniques for using layers that I didn't know. I went to the chapters on layers, selections and masking and began reading. About half way through I found that some of the functions discussed were too esoteric for me and just skimmed those sections. Hopefully when I encounter a problem that one of these techniques will solve I'll return to the appropriate section.

Although Evening covers all the new features in PS CS6 in the book, there is no comprehensive list of these new features so that old hands will have to learn about the features from some other source, unless they are willing to go through the book page by page.

This is not a book for Photoshop beginners. It doesn't dwell on the step-by-step tutorials that make for the best introduction to Photoshop.

No serious Photoshop user should be without this reference text.

111 of 131 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: BASIC PARTS OMITTED June 22, 2012

By Aaron Shepard

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've bought the last two versions of this book, because nothing compares with its in-depth treatment of Photoshop for photographers. But I was dismayed when I read Martin's section about "what's different in this book." He tells us that, to make room for new material, he has removed the Color Management and Web Output sections, making them available only as PDF downloads on the book's Web site. Why? Because the material has "barely changed" over the past six editions, and he figures his readers have already bought one or more of his books!

Well, yes, Martin, I did, but I sold them back to Amazon when I bought the newer edition. I do not have unlimited shelf space. And now I very much mind having a crippled version of your book instead of the complete reference I thought I was getting. And, no, it's not good enough to provide it as a PDF. If I wanted my references as PDF, I wouldn't be buying a printed book!

That's not to mention the very questionable strategy of removing info that's essential to new readers. Believe it or not, Martin, not all Photoshop users have been using the program for years and years. And many who have been using it a long time STILL don't know how to handle color management. Go to the Web sites of prominent photographers and you'll see that many of them STILL don't know enough to embed a color profile in their online photos, or are embedding the wrong one! They are in desperate need of the info you didn't think was important enough to include!

Do your readers a favor and retain all ESSENTIAL material in future editions.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers by: Martin Evenin July 7, 2012

By Theresa D.

Format:Paperback

Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers by: Martin Evening

This reference guide is aesthetically pleasing, well bound, and contains color-coded chapters that makes it a breeze to find the information one needs to complete most any task at hand. Included on every page are color-coded keyboard short cuts for either the Mac or PC user and the content is well placed representing a workflow most any photographer would use to manipulate either a single photo or a whole project.

First you will orient yourself to the anatomy of photoshop learning the what, when, where and why of tools. This is an introduction to the important-to-learn aspect of photoshop "language", yes, photoshop has it's own language as does Science, the Medical field, and as well as many other disciplines used in today's society.

Secondly, Camera Raw takes the reader through a series of features very similar to the workflow one uses in Lightroom, and again as noted in the forefront of the book, the author explains in-depth the tools used in a step-by-step manner to fully process the photographer's images. Did I mention Lightroom? Though the two are very similar, just remember this, Camera Raw is integrated into CS6 thus the combination offers not only more tools but more tools with the capacity to dramatically change and refine image detail. Having worked in a processing lab using a huge Fuji machine with few knobs, dials, and push buttons to tweak images I tend to like the availability of any and all prospects for refining the littlest detail.

Thirdly, Camera Raw concludes with applying Pre-sharpening or capture sharpening images prior to taking them into Photoshop for editing. I can't express enough the importance of sharpening not only once, twice, but thrice! This concept is dubbed "multi-pass sharpening workflow: capture sharpening, optional creative sharpen, and finally sharpening for print". It appears "Pixel Genius PhotoKit Sharpener plug-in: by Bruce Fraser" has been integrated into Camera Raw. Noise, color noise, moire, and the de'mosaic process are also discussed in this section. This is one of the new changes not only in CS6 but in Evenings book. He does not elaborate on the UnSharp Mask filter in his new text but continues to offer the information at the online website.

By no means is this a comprehensive overview of the features presented by Martin Evening in his new edition of Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers but I want the reader to perceive the gist of things so they may better understand my review.

What I especially like about this book; the author gives the necessary "particulars", for instance, computer specs needed for installation, how to configure the program, customizing menu options and the knowledge of creating actions. WOW! As an instructor, I could justify teaching at least an 8 hour workshop just on the above mentioned topics.
Next, he's created an easy read by presenting this body-of-work with concise, detailed information and How-to photographs. He further enhances learning with an online website containing downloadable interactive sample test images, tutorial videos, and bonus chapters available in PDF format for printing, example: keyboard short cuts, Unsharp Mask filter for the hard core users.
I specifically like the user friendly ability of downloading information from PDF form. It's simple for everyone to do and the plus about having the information in hand allows for more time working on the task at hand. In other words, I don't have to switch back and forth from screen to screen and so on. It's just a simple answer to a learning style that some people need to understand the material at a faster rate or to keep an ongoing continuity in their learning process.

As an instructor of photography I understand most everyone has a unique learning style and this author offers a variety of learning tools needed for one to grasp the material.
This book should be in the hands of every CS6 user therefore I'm not only recommending it to the seasoned photographer for the well explained changes, or to the novice who wants to get started becoming a Master in photoshop image processing and editing but to all of my students as well.

Reviewed by:
Theresa Donald
FCCP