Customer Reviews

Basic Scanning Guide: For Photographers and Other Creative Types

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book after seeing it recommended in Outdoor Photographer magazine. I didn't notice at the time the conflict of interest (the auther of the book, Rob Sheppard, is the editor of Outdoor Photography). I would only recommend this book to someone who has never used computers before (perhaps that is what the subtitle of the book was trying to hint at, "For Photographers and Other Creative Types").

For a suggested retail of $17.95US, you get 188 paragraphs (not pages). Many of the paragraphs are repeated many times, for example paragraphs 67, 76, 88, and 100 all have almost identical text reminding the reader to pay attention to where the scanned image is being saved. Paragraphs 68, 77, 89, and 101 all have almost identical text telling the reader to start the scan and throw it away and start over again if it doesn't come out as desired. And there are more examples of this.

I think that most people who buy scanners will only find at most 20 paragraphs in this book usefull, and it can all be found for free online.

I was hoping for a book that discussed color management and workflows. A book that described in detail all of the common controls that most scanners have such as gain, color, histigram, focus, more discussion on resolutions (there is some), etc.

This is just the kind of book that I needed. I've been photographing for a long time with 35mm camera, and have considered going digital. But, this book has helped me understand how a scanner works, and shows me how I can get great quality scanning my 35 mm prints and slides. The step by step photos and simple explanations are very helpful.I think that the book is a little overpriced for only 96 pages, which is why I rate it 4 stars.

This is a well written book, as are all of Rob Sheppard's books. However, scanning has changed a LOT since the book was written. So, I would class this as a great reference, but not up with the current technology.