The Art of Photoshop [Paperback]

Daniel Giordan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2002

Adobe Photoshop is the world's leading image manipulation software. Used by both professional and amateur graphic designers, it is the de facto standard for print and Web publishing.

The Art of Photoshop centers on a suite of 20 digital images created by Daniel Giordan and his staff at DigiRAMA design studios. Visually complex, and rich in layered tonality, these images are designed to inspire readers to push their understanding of Photoshop and its capabilities, while offering a glimpse over the designer's shoulder into how the images were created.

The reader will not only learn the techniques used by the author, but also how to apply them to their own images. They will learn how to use curves to correct color, silhouette images, use gradient maps, build custom brushes, use blending modes, and draw and paint into an image.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Adobe Photoshop is the world's leading image manipulation software. Used by both professional and amateur graphic designers, it is the de facto standard for print and Web publishing.

Photoshop Imaging Workshop centers on a suite of 20 digital images created by Daniel Giordan and his staff at DigiRAMA design studios. Visually complex, and rich in layered tonality, these images are designed to inspire readers to push their understanding of Photoshop and its capabilities, while offering a glimpse over the designer's shoulder into how the images were created.

The reader will not only learn the techniques used by the author, but also how to apply them to their own images. They will learn how to use curves to correct color, silhouette images, use gradient maps, build custom brushes, use blending modes, and draw and paint into an image.

About the Author

Daniel Giordan is the founder and Creative Director for DigiRAMA Studios. He has an extensive background in creative design, fine arts, branding and marketing, and has worked with corporate clients such as Pan Am, Priceline, and IFMG. Giordan has written many articles and books, including the monthly "Net Worthy" column for Adobe Magazine and a monthly section in Digital Camera magazine entitled "Giordan on Photoshop." Other articles have appeared in Peterson's Photographic, Publish, Photoshop User, Digital Photographer, and Webreference.com.

His artwork has been exhibited at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in galleries throughout New England, including Stux Gallery, Boston University, and Yale University. His books include:

How To Use Photoshop 6, 0-672-31954-3, $29.99, Sams Publishing, December 2000

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sams (October 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672322706
• ISBN-13: 978-0672322709
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Trixie McGuire MyMac.com Book review, February 11, 2003

By 

Tim E Robertson "Publisher MyMac" (Battle Creek, Mi United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Photoshop (Paperback)

Intended user: Intermediate - Advanced

Although Daniel Giordan has written some of the clearest and best-organized books on "How to Use Photoshop", he has really outdone himself with his latest, The Art of Photoshop. It showcases Daniel Giordan's own work with clear step-by-step explanations. It is published in large format -10 x 10 inches- with color illustrations, keyboard shortcuts for both Macintosh and Windows users and screen captures, of the tools in Photoshop that all artists could master.

I must admit, that although I have learned tons from his "how to use" books, this book was a bit over my head. It is definitely aimed at the creative artist crowd! After picking this book up several times just to sit it back down. Several pots of coffee, brought me more than I ever thought I wanted to know about: PhotoShop - The following is a list ... from the book that I found ... explained and illustrated throughout the book.

Image Editing:

Optimizing - Tools for Optimizing the Tonal Range - The Histogram Window and The Info Palette are explained in detail ...

Enhancing Focus - Image focusing tools - The Unsharp Mask Dialog Box - ...- The Gaussian Blur Dialog Box ... - The Add Noise Dialog Box

Curves - Tools For Working with Curves - Curves Dialog Box ... Curves Tonal Grid ...

Color Correction with Curves ...

Adjusting Hue and Saturation ..."

Adjusting Layers ... Montage:

Silhouetting with the Extract Filter - The Extract Dialog Box ... The Painting Tools ...

Layer Masks - Layers Mask Controls in the Layers Menu - ... Layer Mask Controls in the Layers Palette ...

Clone / Stamp Tool - The Stamp Tools ... The Clone Stamp Options Bar ... The Pattern Stamp Options Bar - ...

Blending Modes - The Blending Modes Menu ...

Special Effects:

Custom Brushes - Brush Options Bar ... Brushes Palette ...

Distort Filters - The Distort Filters Submenu ...

Making Patterns - The Pattern Dialog Box ... The Tile History Options ...

Gradients and Gradient Maps ...

Liquify Filter - Liquify Dialog Box - View Options Control ...

Lighting Effects - The Lighting Effects Dialog Box...

I confess, I didn't create anything close to the illustrations showcased in this book. I did find new skills and inspiration, and I also managed the line scribble technique used on several of the illustrations in the book. Only my scribbles were not created with the same creative intention. I feel the book was a little overwhelming, and should have included a little more basic-basic Photoshop "how to" -Daniel Giordan is famous for bringing it down to the Intermediate level, but if you are looking for a book packed with advanced level options to create your own artistic statements -this is your book

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book...breaks the mold., December 9, 2002

By 

alex hanson (new york, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Photoshop (Paperback)

Wow..what a beautiful book. The author has created some very artistic images, which he uses to teach advanced technique. He also documents exactly how each image was created, giving a glimpse into the creative process. He has posted all of the source images at his website so that readers can follow along with each step. Most Photoshop instruction books use sample images that are functional or utilitarian at best. This one stands apart.

In addition, the book itself is beautifully designed..it takes more advantage of its 4 color printing process than any book i've seen. It's a feast for the eyes, informative, and it makes me want to jump into my own work with recklss abandon. Who could ask for more?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful, September 19, 2003

By 

Debra L McNeil (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Photoshop (Paperback)

This book is not only beautiful in presentation and print, but very helpful as well. But do make sure you are familiar with Photoshop before purchasing, as it is geared towards those with some knowledge of the program. Have fun, I am. ;-)