Customer Reviews

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My rating is not based on how good the book is. If it were, I would have given it 5 stars. I based it on how useful the book is to me and how well it addresses my needs as a non-professional but fairly competent and dedicated amateur photographer (with a limited budget) and a fairly computer-literate individual.

This is a book to read through before using Lightroom. You will find thorough and knowledgeable information. What it is NOT is a book to have in front of you while you are using Lightroom. This is not a quick reference book. You will not easily locate the particular little bit of knowledge you need at that moment or the answer to the question that comes up as you're using a new program.

I bought it because I have had it with Kelby's humor and I wanted a serious and professional approach to learning a new program that is not a simple or intuitive as it might, at first, seem. Mr. Evening is, without a doubt, a professional and, even more so, serious. He approaches teaching as an intellectual conversation between two peers. Unfortunately, I am not anywhere near his level of competence on any of the subjects he addresses (photography, Lightroom, good archival practices, camera and monitor callibration, workflow, etc).

While I am absolutely certain that every aspect of Lightroom is competently addressed in this book, it is extremely difficult to navigate when puzzled by a particular issue. There are 330 pages of text (punctuated by very useful side tips and explanations as well as excellent color illustrations). There are only 5 1/2 pages of index and not a very thorough index at that. (I found it difficult to locate passages I knew I had previously read when looking under the most obvious categories). I actually find that the Table of Contents is more helpful than the index.

The text is wordy and self-referent. It is not at all unusual for paragraph blocks to be 4 1/2 to 5 inches long (and you're going to have to read them through, because they contain excellent info, though maybe not what you're looking for that minute) and to say something like "the same as in the xxx module." This doesn't help much because, here you finally managed to locate a section about the issue you want addressed and you're now going to have to read yet another wordy section in order to understand it.

The problem may lie with me. I like to dive into a new program being hand-held by someone who can (quickly) reassure me as to which direction to go. My system is to learn by doing while avoiding catastrophic pitfalls. It is not a question of short-attention span, but I want brief, concise, and to the point text, logically arranged, separated by bold easy-to-scan headings, and thoroughly indexed. I scan the book first, then I open the program and the book at the same time and gain confidence as I go. I am not really interested in deep conversations about color theories or future technologies, or what the professionals do at this point in my Lightroom education.

I may have to bite the bullet and get the Kelby book to go through the hand-holding stage, but I will keep this one for deeper reference when I get to a higher level of competence. It is an excellent treatise on Lightroom.

Martin Evening is a photographer and the author of a very popular Photoshop manual (one that has been updated and enlarged with every new version of PS). Since he is part of the Adobe test team for PS, it seems logical that he has been tapped to write one of the first books on Lightroom.

The book itself is very good, covering Lighroom in detail (note that Lightroom is feature-rich, but nothing like PS). And the book is recommended with a caveat.

And that's the bad news. Shortly after LR was released, Adobe released v1.1, which brought LR closer into line with the new Adobe Camera Raw 4.1. Other features were also added to LR. The bad news is mitigated by the fact that the publisher Peachpit Press is going to post a pdf of a 177 page update(!) for download from their website. The update and the book should now be considered a set, rather than the book as a standalone.

I bought this book right when it was released and have read it twice from cover to cover over the last month. One of the reasons I bought it was because although I'm good with software and photo management, I wanted to be better and I wanted to learn workflow from a working pro. Lightroom is all about workflow and no one understands photography time-constraints more than a commercial photographer. The writing style suits beginners to professional photographers. By that I mean you'll find discussions of topics such as RAID drives less applicable to casual shooters, but the concepts are well-explained even if you have no prior knowledge. Some people might find the book dry compared to other more colorful writers out there but I find this approach refreshing. It's like reading the User Guide with a professional photographer sitting beside you to help interpret what each setting means and whether it makes a difference to you. I personally would rather spend less time processing photos and more time outside shooting - this is the value that Mr. Evening's comments and tips add for me.

This book is divided into sections that match Lightroom's modules. If you just want to get going quickly, Ch.1 on introducing Lightroom will do just fine. You can even read Adobe's documentation and that will get you started. The real value is when you delve into the rest of the chapters and after each chapter, practice on Lightroom.

Some people have criticized that the screen captures were done on a Mac rather than Windows version. I use both platforms myself and found that Mr. Evening has done a great job covering usage that is applicable to both Mac and Windows users. The screen captures are a good size, well-labelled and placed so that you don't have to go hunting for them. Nothing more confusing than reading some instructions then having to turn the page to find the applicable diagram/photo.

Whether you're a beginner or expert on Windows/Mac I believe you'll find this book extremely useful. A great idea was to leave some of the more technical discussions on Lightroom in the Appendix. I loved this section because like other outdoor photographers, I juggle Win vs Mac hardware/software and the other nuances specific to how would I use a laptop in the field, then transfer settings back to my other PC at home.

On the other hand, this book isn't perfect, you do have to read between the lines to pickup some of the criticisms of Lightroom. This will become apparent to you when you start using Lightroom and wonder why no author talks bluntly about the sluggishness and other problems with Lightroom, especially under Windows. Yeah, yeah, I know it's a 1.0 product. Without getting into a XP vs OS X debate, I suggest you try Lightroom on both platforms and you'll see that it is a great program under OS X, but has some catch up to do under WinXP. In other words, the author wasn't lying, Lightroom is useable even for a large number of photos. This was a source of great frustration for me after reading the book and finding my workflow wasn't as fast as it appeared in the book.

I found that by reading this book AND purchasing the very inexpensive but great value Luminous Landscape Lightroom video tutorials (also created by working photographers) I've become very proficient at Lightroom in a very short amount of time. I don't think I'll get much more from another book or attending a seminar - the rest is just practice and monitoring Lightroom user forums. Finally, when reading other reviewers negative comments on the book, keep in mind that Mr. Evening's book was the first to market. If you've been following the beta incarnations of Lightroom you'll appreciate that it was no small feat to get all the book updates in time for 1.0. No, the book isn't perfect, yes there are some mistakes, but given the time constraints it's pretty darn good and well worth the money and time invested in reading it.

Kind of surprised at the negative reviews of the book. I bought all three of the books out on the subject. Kelby's book is good but so annoying to read. Tim Grey's Lightroom Workflow maybe of interest to some who have not used light room but I found nothing of use in the book. Evening's book is by far the best of the lot. I must say that my copy is even getting a little dog eared. I pretty much liked his approach to every topic and found many usefull features in the program that I had overlooked. I would guess that some of the reviewers are completely new to the program and that is the reason for some of the low star reviews. I think you have to step back and consider what Lightroom does and what Photoshop does and change your mindset. I have used Lightroom ever since the beta program was realeased and consider it my primary image tool. Great program and a very good book.

Martin Evening has written a first-rate book about Lightroom. It is clear, comprehensive, and well-written. I was anxious to get started with the program when it was released and so I purchased this book and also one by Scott Kelby. Kelby's book is generally good and I found it somewhat useful in a few instances to read the two together, but Evening has written the better book and it stands alone very nicely.
Soon after Lightroom 1.0 appeared, Adobe issued a major program revision as version 1.1. Evening and Peachpit Press are to be commended for dealing with this situation by making a 179-page free update to the book available (as a PDF file) on the Peachpit web site. This update is also excellent and very thorough. (By contrast, the update for Kelby's book -- in similar format -- is only 28 pages long.)
I'm very pleased with Evening's book and I think you will be, too.

Martin Evening's books are very thorough, and this is no exception. He goes through each aspect of Adobe Lightroom in great detail, so much so, that it takes great concentration to stay with it for any length of time. Like many others, I ordered this book because it was one of the first one's out; I've now ordered Scott Kelby's book and it will be interesting to compare them.

Aside from the content of the book there is one aspect of it makes it very difficult for me to use. This is the fact that all of the screen shot illustrations are so excruciatingly small that I must use a magnifying glass to examine them carefully, even under a very adequate light. This is not a criticism of Mr. Evening, but of his publisher, Adobe Press. As a book designer, I can say that trying to use illustrations that are not completely legible is bad practice.

This is a sensible book; not very well-written (as far as clarity of explanations), but OK. However, it applies to the initial ver. 1.0 release of LR, and is now largely obsolete.

One has to command the author for providing a downloadable, 170-page, printable PDF-file update on the publisher's website (for free), however, the question remains whether you REALLY want to have to use this book alongside a hefty, plain paper printout from your home or office printer? As it is, it looks like at this time "Lightroom Adventure" is the only (or at least one of very few as of writing of this review) book that actually includes information for the current ver. 1.1.

My photo students and I have been using Lightroom since July, 2006, while it was still in beta. I have found this book to be all I could have wished for--and more. It's one of the best books on digital darkroom and workflow I've ever read, with information beyond just Lightroom as a program. It's clear, concise, logically organized, with just the right amount of personal preference to flavor it, from an author who was involved with Lightroom from its conception.

As soon as Amazon listed books on Lightroom, I ordered three different titles. As far as I can tell, this is the only one actually out. (I have the Scott Kelby book on order, due to arrive May 12 - 30, according to Amazon April 3. I'm eager to read that as well, since I've benefited from two of his books so far.)

The first software manual that I ever read, cover to cover, was Word 3.0 in 1987. The second and last one was ACIUS 4th Dimension a programable database in 1987. Never again, until this book, which is actually not a software manual, have I read any software tutorial cover to cover.

Amazon tells me I have purchased 261 products to date and submitted 0 reviews. I do remember making a negative review on a product, but apparently it was not recorded. Most products I purchase already have too many reviews and there is nothing for me to add.

I've read Photoshop Lightroom by Martin Evening, cover to cover while sitting in front of my computer. Lightroom was a surprise for me (I don't negate Aperature by Apple). Photoshop Lightroom by Martin Evening takes the reader through the process of using Lightroom. If you read Martin's work carefully he also leads you to use Lightroom's controls through step by step instructions on photo adjustments. I have to admit that I was using Adobe Photoshop in a very basic way. I am now adjusting photos in Lightroom, very elegantly, by learning from Martin Evening's instruction.

A very good instructional text for those of us who need an expert to direct us on usage.

I would also recomend Lightroom. Lightroom is so beautiful, if you take more than a few photos.

This book by Martin Evening takes one beyond standard expectation into the realm of excellence. It is well written and helps give depth understanding to a subject that deserves more than just admiration of its GUI. It becomes quickly apparent that he has lived with this application and that it has become an integral part of his workflow. I've been reading sections of it for several days, then making practical use of what I've learned. Before his book I'd failed to realize the just how extensive was the Develop module. He takes you step-by-step into an understanding of this module applying it to various images. He also does this with the other modules. For me Lightroom is faster and more fun than Photoshop. It makes photography workflow a joy rather than an unwelcome interruption. Sometimes images still need a finishing touch in Photoshop, but now at 85 to 90 percent of my work is carried out in Lighroom. Martin Evening's book is the kind of book I like. It goes to the heart of the subject.